The Bone Buddha Temple

Chapter 336: The Bone Buddha Temple

With the squeaking sound came the sound of a huge figure moving out of the cell.

Li Huowang looked up at the monk before him. The gaunt monk's expression was one of neither sorrow nor joy. He was abnormally tall, standing there at the same height as the headless Peng Longteng beside him.

The monk's hands were bound in a wooden cangue, and chains were locked around his feet as well. Yet he paid them no heed at all. He simply pressed his palms together, sat down cross-legged on the spot, and showed no inclination whatsoever to free himself from his restraints.

"Alright~ Everyone's here. Then I shall speak on what this assignment is about." Hearing these words, everyone present turned serious. The jailers around them also filed out one after another down the ladders.

The Chief Recorder cleared his throat and spoke slowly. "This time~ it's the Bone Buddha Temple that's in trouble. The news from over there says that Zuowandao's Facai made the move. Who knows what those damnable bastards are planning again."

Facai! One of the Three Elements of Zuowandao. Li Huowang's fists clenched tightly. No wonder even the Chief Recorder stationed in the capital had come. This matter was absolutely no ordinary affair.

"Wait a moment. When I'm doing this, could I find a way to probe Facai for information about North Wind?"

Just as Li Huowang was calculating the odds of such a gamble, the Chief Recorder continued his explanation.

"Since it's Facai of Zuowandao, I don't need to tell you all how heavy this assignment is. That's why I've invited the Chan Master Xinchi to assist us."

The other three all looked toward the towering monk in unison. Under their gazes, the monk remained silent.

"Chan Master Xinchi cultivates the Vow of Silence. Facai's trickery can't fool Chan Master Xinchi. So after we enter the Bone Buddha Temple, there's one thing you all must remember—whatever Chan Master Xinchi says is absolutely the truth."

"Secondly, once we enter the temple, no one is allowed to leave anyone else's sight. Even if someone steps away for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, be wary that the person who returns might have been tampered with by Zuowandao."

"Thirdly, I dealt with Facai ten years ago. That woman is a slippery one. Don't take her words at face value, don't take them as the opposite, but also don't ignore them entirely."

"Oh? Cannot ignore them either?" Tuoba Danqing played along, leaning back with his eyes wide in feigned shock.

"Mhm. Sometimes, completely ignoring her also plays right into her trap. The best approach is to believe three-tenths of what that woman says, doubt three-tenths, and keep three-tenths for yourself."

"My, such a difficult rebel to deal with, and ten years ago the Chief Recorder was able to force her back—we are far from your equal."

"Difficult, isn't she? Heh-heh~ So the best method is to kill her outright before she even opens her mouth. Erjiu, among us, you're the quickest with your hands. So when Chan Master Xinchi tells you to strike, you must strike."

"As you command, Chief Recorder. However, doesn't this Chan Master Xinchi cultivate the Vow of Silence? How will he tell me?" Li Huowang had been wanting to ask this for a while. This monk obviously couldn't speak, so even if he couldn't be fooled by Facai, it still wouldn't help them.

The moment Li Huowang finished speaking, a sound of "Amitabha" exploded in his mind. "This humble monk possesses Telepathy. Benefactor Er need not worry."

This voice reminded Li Huowang of the abbess at Anci Nunnery, who also possessed such an ability. Loving the house and its crow, Li Huowang's impression of this monk improved considerably.

"Alright. Some other minor matters, we'll discuss them on the road."

Li Huowang stood up and followed the others out of the jail. They boarded a four-horse carriage that had already been prepared.

No one present asked what this so-called Facai looked like. Since she was Zuowandao, what she looked like depended entirely on what she wanted to look like.

The relay stations of Great Liang were clearly well-established. After the Chief Recorder continuously flashed his token, a special carriage was available for exchange at every station.

Such speed was absolutely not something Li Huowang could have matched by walking on foot. In just two days and one night, they had already arrived in Langzhong City, where the Bone Buddha Temple was located.

Night fell. Li Huowang lifted the carriage curtain and just stepped down from the carriage. Before he could stretch his numb limbs, he saw the conspicuous temple rising above the surrounding buildings in the distance.

"Remember what I said earlier. Let's go." The Chief Recorder said as he lifted his foot and walked toward the distant temple.

As they approached the temple complex, everyone's expressions began to grow heavy. At some point, the Chief Recorder had already started clicking his golden abacus.

It was so late, yet the entire Bone Buddha Temple hadn't closed its doors at all. Male and female devotees holding incense were constantly coming and going. It seemed that this Bone Buddha Temple had just as thriving incense offerings as the Zhengde Temple back then.

The moment his foot crossed the threshold, Li Huowang's heart immediately tightened. Although there were people everywhere, bustling and lively, Li Huowang understood that this place had already been contaminated by Zuowandao. Other than the three people beside him, anyone else could become an enemy at any moment.

The others obviously understood this as well. They all reached for their weapons in unison. The Chief Recorder's golden abacus kept clicking, and its crisp sound seemed to lower the din of the surroundings not a little.

Their four oddly dressed individuals clearly drew pointing and whispering from everyone around them, but they all pretended not to see it.

"Come, follow me. We'll enter the Front Hall first." Under the Chief Recorder's lead, the other three stepped inside.

Inside the hall, there was neither Bodhisattva nor Buddha. What sat in the center of the hall, receiving incense worshippers' prostrations, was a mummified corpse with a contorted expression, its entire body a dark red.

"Did Zuowandao do this? Make these people worship a dried corpse as the Buddha?" Li Huowang, gripping his Purple-Tasseled Sword, couldn't help but ask.

"No, no. This is a Flesh-Bone Bodhisattva. It is precisely the Living Buddha enshrined by the Bone Buddha Temple." Chan Master Xinchi offered a timely reminder.

Flesh-Bone Bodhisattva? Li Huowang studied the terrifyingly gruesome corpse before him. He suddenly understood why this temple was called the Bone Buddha Temple.

Just then, Xinchi's voice suddenly turned extremely severe. "Benefactor, strike now! The worshipper three steps to the left, kneeling! Kill!"

"Clang~!" Li Huowang's right arm erupted with sudden force. Wrapped in soaring killing intent, he rushed in front of that person, raised his sword, and brought it down heavily.

The blade, sharp enough to split iron like mud, sliced through the human body as easily as cutting through a piece of thin paper.

The crimson blood, mixed with entrails, sprayed out from the gash. The man, now in two pieces, let out a despairing scream only a few times before he stopped moving.

The horrifying scene instantly sent the surrounding incense worshippers shrieking and scattering in all directions.

The cangue-bound Chan Master Xinchi walked over, knelt before the corpse, and pressed his hands together, reciting something. Then, with two fingers, he picked up the severed head on the ground and examined it closely.

"Venerable Master, what say you? Is this person Facai? Or some other Zuowandao?" Li Huowang also knelt on one knee, carefully studying the fresh corpse. He didn't think Facai would be so easily slain by him.

"Amitabha. A sin, a sin. This humble monk made a mistake in recognition. Benefactor Er, let us go." Chan Master Xinchi tossed the head aside, stood up, turned, and left.