Chapter 36: Xuanji Temple

When breaking through to the second layer, everything had come naturally; it had been incredibly smooth. Qin Sang had originally been quite proud of his talent as a cultivator, but now he couldn't help but begin to doubt himself.

Even if he wasn't a genius, having mediocre talent was acceptable—he couldn't be an idiot, could he?

He didn't know if this was normal, but after such a long period without any progress, his patience was being slowly eroded, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of anxiety.

Without a master to guide him, Qin Sang could only figure things out on his own. Since the breakthrough to the second layer had been so smooth, yet he was now stuck at a bottleneck, were there other reasons besides the cultivation technique itself?

For instance, medicinal baths.

After settling down in the Blood Clothing Pavilion, Qin Sang had found an opportunity to return to Three Witches City once, but he failed to find Daoist Master Jixin and Mingyue. It was said that shortly after the fire at the Taoist temple, they had yielded the temple to refugees and sailed south, leaving the Great Sui.

Calculating the timing, it was exactly during the days when Prince Dongyang and Prince Zhenshui raised their banners in rebellion.

Unable to find Daoist Master Jixin, Qin Sang had to look for other ways. He had scavenged several formulas for strengthening one's foundation and nourishing the essence within the Blood Clothing Pavilion, but unfortunately, their effects were inferior to medicinal baths.

A sudden knock sounded at the courtyard gate.

Outside, the Water Monkey whispered, "Hall Master, General Zhou has arrived."

Qin Sang's face lit up with joy. He hurriedly rose to straighten his clothes and called out loudly, "Come in, quickly!"

A moment later, the Water Monkey led a middle-aged man dressed in armor through the door. The man walked up to Qin Sang, bowed deeply, and said, "Subordinate Zhou Mingguang greets Mr. Qin!"

On the surface, Qin Sang was an aide to the Princess of Dongyang and held no official rank; outsiders of the Blood Clothing Pavilion referred to him as "Mr. Qin."

Qin Sang reached out to steady Zhou Mingguang, sized him up, and smiled. "General Zhou, we are old acquaintances; there is no need for such formality. It troubles me that you had to take a detour to Hunwu County. I have been feeling uneasy, fearing that I might have delayed the Commander's urgent military affairs."

Zhou Mingguang was a confidant of General Mu. Qin Sang had met him once two months ago when Hening County fell.

General Mu had conquered Hening County without losing a single soldier, earning great merit. With the Princess's recommendation, he was promoted to Right Commander of the Valiant Camp. Consequently, Zhou Mingguang's status had risen as well, and he had become a Guerrilla General commanding the Crossbowmen Battalion.

Qin Sang had also rightfully ascended to the position of Hall Master of the Blood Clothing Pavilion, though the official documents had not yet arrived.

The only thing that displeased Qin Sang was that the brat Wang Liu had delayed military intelligence, yet instead of being punished, he had stumbled into a great windfall during the siege of Jiangzhou City and was now the Right Commander of the Prestige Camp.

"Your subordinate would not dare!"

Having witnessed the hellish scene in Chu Dazhuang's manor with his own eyes, Zhou Mingguang was extremely respectful toward Qin Sang. "Mr. Qin, the Commander sends his regards. The Commander intended to visit you personally, but due to the urgency of the military situation, he had to lead his troops via the main road to North Ping Province. However, he has sent the Crossbowmen Battalion under his command with me. Along with five hundred Divine Arm Crossbows, they are at your disposal!"

"Good!"

Qin Sang clapped his hands, his face beaming with joy. He had credited most of the military merits to General Mu, and his long stay in Hunwu County had been specifically for these crossbowmen.

His target was, naturally, the Xuanji Temple within the borders of Hunwu County!

After learning from Yuan Jueshang that Xuanji Temple possessed the legacy of an immortal cultivator, Qin Sang had been contemplating how to get his hands on it.

His lightness kung fu was not on par with the top experts of the martial world, so he could not sneak into Xuanji Temple undetected. Although Yuan Jueshang was dead, Xuanji Temple was still guarded by Xiantian-level experts and countless first-rate masters.

He could certainly use the abilities of the Yama to kill people secretly, but Xuanji Temple was renowned as a sacred land, known to everyone in the Great Sui. Once news broke that the high monks of Xuanji Temple had been wiped out, it would surely cause an uproar throughout the entire empire.

And there were Immortal Masters watching over the Great Sui.

After much thought, he concluded that utilizing secular power was the safest route. Faced with five hundred Divine Arm Crossbows, even the Abbot of Xuanji Temple would not dare to act recklessly, unless he wanted the entire temple exterminated.

Hearing that Qin Sang's target was actually Xuanji Temple, Zhou Mingguang said with a look of difficulty, "Mr. Qin, I have heard that Xuanji Temple is guarded by Xiantian experts. A mere five hundred crossbowmen might..."

"General Zhou, do not worry!"

Qin Sang said confidently, "If a Xiantian expert dares to strike, I will deal with them myself. The only concern is that the monks of Xuanji Temple might be unruly, still harboring loyalty to the false Emperor and refusing to submit to the King's rule. That is why General Zhou must lead the troops to intimidate them. If they are sensible and confess their crimes to receive punishment, the Prince has no desire to drive them to extinction... I have already prepared wine and meat; I must trouble General Zhou to take them back to reward the soldiers. We shall set out early tomorrow morning to avoid delaying the march. Once the matter is settled, I shall reward you handsomely."

"Your subordinate obeys!"

...

In the early hours of the following day, Qin Sang led the men of the Blood Clothing Pavilion to rendezvous with Zhou Mingguang. After a quick meal, they marched urgently, and before noon, they had stationed their troops before the mountain gate of Xuanji Temple.

An ancient temple hidden deep in the mountains.

The mountain wind blew through the dense forest, making a rustling sound.

The path up the mountain was paved entirely with half-step-wide bluestone, wide enough for five riders to walk abreast from the foot of the mountain to the temple gate.

Xuanji Temple.

The three powerful characters exuded an ancient and heavy aura.

Two stone lions in front of the mountain gate glared fiercely at the approaching path.

Fallen leaves fluttered down the high steps, yet not a single monk could be seen. The two massive vermilion gates were tightly closed, and silence reigned within.

The autumn wind was bleak.

In front of the temple gate was a large, flat clearing. Qin Sang, dressed in the armor of an ordinary soldier, looked up at this sacred land of the martial world. His gaze passed over the high outer walls to the upturned eaves within.

He could hear the sound of tense breathing coming from inside Xuanji Temple.

Leading the way, Zhou Mingguang waved his hand backward. A series of footsteps followed as over a thousand soldiers spread out in formation. Five hundred Divine Arm Crossbows were cocked, their arrows pointed at the vermilion gates.

Zhou Mingguang looked at Qin Sang, and Qin Sang gave a slight nod.

"Switch to fire arrows!"

Zhou Mingguang let out a roar. Just as his voice fell, a deep Buddhist chant suddenly echoed from within Xuanji Temple.

"Wait!"

Then, a flurry of hurried footsteps sounded from within. The vermilion gates pushed open, and an old monk with a ruddy complexion and white eyebrows and beard walked out first.

Behind him, a group of monks filed out, their faces filled with indignation, holding staves and pointing them toward the soldiers ahead.

Seeing the cassock on the old monk, Qin Sang thought to himself that this must be Abbot Yuanzhen of Xuanji Temple, the junior brother of Yuan Jueshang and one of the most respected figures in the martial world of the Great Sui.

"Amitabha."

Abbot Yuanzhen's eyes were filled with sorrow. His gaze swept across the crowd, settling on Zhou Mingguang, and he asked in a heavy voice, "I am the monk Yuanzhen. May I ask the General's name?"

Zhou Mingguang said sternly, "I am Zhou Mingguang, a mere subordinate serving as a general under the Prince."

Abbot Yuanzhen nodded, but his expression suddenly darkened as he questioned, "General Zhou, everyone in Xuanji Temple is a been ordained person. We have always held compassion in our hearts, living alongside the ancient Buddha and the oil lamp, avoiding the affairs of the secular world. I do not know what crime has been committed that warrants the General to mobilize such force and lead troops to demand justice?"

"Living alongside the ancient Buddha?"

Zhou Mingguang wore a mocking expression and laughed loudly. "The monk-soldiers in Duling County who helped the false Emperor defend the city and slaughtered countless youths of my Dongyang Commandery—were they disciples of another sect?"

Abbot Yuanzhen's expression remained unchanged as he argued, "General Zhou is mistaken. Those monk-soldiers only studied at Xuanji Temple; once they descended the mountain, they had no further connection to us. I have already explained the circumstances to the Prince in person; the General will know once he asks."