Martial Arts Escort System: I Got A Maxed Level Divine Technique From The Beginning

Chapter 146: Chapter 117: The Evil Monk

Hongyun Temple obviously had other mysteries, and this man who called himself ’Ban Tiankuang’ came here not initially because of Su Mo.

Thus, Su Mo wasn’t in a hurry to jump out.

He stood at the entrance, quietly observing the changes.

But occasionally, his gaze would drift toward those who were blocking the path down the mountain, and his eyebrows would slightly raise…

These people wore straw raincoats and straw hats, their faces under the hats sinister and ferocious.

They all carried swords on them, but not single blades—they were dual blades.

The dual blades hung at their waists, their aura of murder boiling over.

At a glance, it was clear they were not to be compared with the ordinary Green Forest Bandits they had encountered earlier.

Su Mo glanced at Yang Xiaoyun and Liu Mo, both of whom understood without needing to communicate.

They signaled their subordinates to stay alert.

They had to be prepared in advance.

These people were blocking the way down the mountain, clearly not planning to let anyone present leave easily.

Yang Xiaoyun even gestured to Xiao Chuan, whispered something to him, and Xiao Chuan nodded slightly. He slipped away unnoticed from the group and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Su Mo, however, was pondering over the name Ban Tiankuang.

The list Wei Ziyi had given him had been a great help on this journey.

There were indeed quite a few people to be wary of, but Ban Tiankuang wasn’t among them.

At that moment, Liu Mo said in a low voice,

“I’ve heard of this man. Ban Tiankuang Ning Wubian is extraordinarily notorious, a fearsome and vicious leader.

“However, he’s never been active on this path, so it’s a mystery why he suddenly appeared here?”

Su Mo nodded slightly, then heard a Buddhist chant coming out from Hongyun Temple:

“Amitabha.”

The voice wasn’t loud, nor did it reverberate with Inner Strength— it was utterly ordinary.

Inside the main hall stepped out an old monk, hands pressed together in prayer, saying, “Master Ning, you’ve come.”

“Are you the Thief Monk Hongyun?”

Ning Wubian’s brows were tightly furrowed as he sized up the monk, who didn’t appear to have an ounce of spare flesh on him, and then let out a laugh,

“Hongyun Temple has always been nameless. You old monks keep to your vegetarian diets, chant scriptures, and serve Buddha, and we brothers have no grievances with you.

“Why then, have you taken my people for no reason?

“If you release them today, we might still have something to talk about. Otherwise…”

He glanced at the old monk and chuckled, “I’ll make sure all of you truly serve Buddha!”

The old monk remained unangered, and after quietly listening to Ning Wubian’s tirade, he spoke up:

“Master Ning is mistaken; this old monk has never taken any of your people.”

“Bullshit!!”

Ning Wubian pulled out a letter from his waist and unfolded it, “This letter, was it your doing that had it sent to Madman Village?”

Monk Hongyun didn’t deny it, instead, he just nodded slightly.

“Good, I’ll admit you’ve still got a bit of nerve.”

Ban Tiankuang’s eyes flickered with a murderous intent, “The letter says that inspired by Buddha, he will from now on follow Buddhism, severing ties with Madman Village. It also says that I have killed too many people and will inevitably face divine punishment. If I lay down the butcher’s knife, it would be truly virtuous. It even says that if I truly harbor such thoughts, I can find Master Hongyun in Hongyun Temple for ordination…

“Every single word—did I utter any falsehoods?”

“None.”

Monk Hongyun chuckled and nodded, utterly unafraid of the murderer in front of him.

And yet the old monk looked frail, almost as if Ban Tiankuang could flatten him into a pancake with a single slap.

Ban Tiankuang Ning Wubian however, was so furious he laughed:

“Not a single falsehood, yet it is the biggest falsehood of all!

“Because that bastard can’t recognize a single word, how could he possibly have eloquently penned a letter to me?

“You, Thief Monk, haven’t spoken an ounce of truth!

“Spit it out, where exactly are you holding my people? Speak up and I might still leave your corpse intact, otherwise… you will bear the consequences!”

Monk Hongyun sighed, “It seems, no matter what I say, you won’t believe it. If so… Hui Zhi, come out.”

He called out towards the hall behind him.

Su Mo and the others were standing outside the temple and though they could see inside, figures were indistinct and often obscured.

He consequently focused his eyesight and saw another person walking out from the main hall.

This man was burly, with a square face, his brush-like eyebrows shooting up towards the sky, a broad nose and wide mouth—his ferocious look could cease a child’s night cries.

Yet at that moment, his hands were pressed together, presenting a benevolent countenance.

Within a few steps, he was standing behind Monk Hongyun, “Master, you called for me.”

“Yes.”

Monk Hongyun nodded gently, “Master Ning does not believe you’ve converted to Buddhism, thinking that this old monk has ulterior motives using you as part of a scheme… Well then, if your Worldly Ties are hard to sever, how can you be devoted to meditation? Today, why not sever these ties yourself, and from hence forth truly serve Buddha with a quiet heart.”

“Yes.”

The monk with the Dharma name Hui Zhi respectfully responded, looked up at Ning Wubian, and sighed,

“Master Ning, you’ve been tricked.”

“…”

Ban Tiankuang was so choked with rage he almost died on the spot, “You damned fool, what trickery are you playing?”

“I have played no tricks, merely severed my ties with this world, to retreat into the monastic life. Reflecting on the past, with hands covered in fresh blood and a multitude of lives taken, it is a truly grievous sin.

“I dare not ask for forgiveness, only hoping that for the remainder of my life, through chanting and praying, I may absolve myself of these sins.”

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