220: Come, drink this cup together

Chu Qing spent over two hours reading the documents.

He memorized every single word in them.

He knew the situation of every monk at Lotus Leaf Temple like the back of his hand.

"To destroy Lotus Leaf Temple, I must find a master!"

"The Dean, or… Madam Shi!"

Chu Qing immediately went to find the Dean.

The result:

The Dean had dug an underground secret chamber in the Slums and was frantically researching corpses inside.

"I'm not going!"

"I don't like fighting and killing!"

Chu Qing said, "But, my opponent this time has a Second Limit master."

"I can't stop him!"

Dean Shi Ji chuckled, "If you can't stop him, you can find Yu Ji!"

"If she has mastered the Dragon Tendon Technique, she can kill a Second Limit master in minutes."

Chu Qing worried, "She's in a lot of trouble right now."

"If I bring her more trouble… can she handle it?"

Dean Shi Ji burst into laughter, "You underestimate Yu Ji too much."

"That little girl is only one opportunity away from soaring to the Nine Heavens."

"The Dragon Tendon Technique you gave her is that opportunity."

"Go find her, you can't go wrong!"

Chu Qing nodded, having no choice but to try.

After a few days:

Madam Shi's expression was even colder.

Like Cui Moyang, she subtly exuded a chill.

Her aura was even more noble and ethereal.

Just standing there, she was like a fairy descended from the Nine Heavens.

This woman was very different from her usual self.

At this moment:

Chu Qing carefully sensed her, only feeling that Madam Shi was a bit cold.

Like a block of ice?

He stared at Madam Shi, feeling a sense of unfamiliarity.

It was as if the person before him had been replaced.

Madam Shi said coldly, "Something wrong?"

She didn't call the Groom.

This indicated that she was not in a good mood.

Chu Qing said seriously, "Madam, I need your help."

He explained the situation at Lotus Leaf Temple.

He emphasized that the Abbot of Lotus Leaf Temple was a Second Limit master.

Madam Shi said coldly, "Killing him will only take one hand!"

Chu Qing's eyes widened, and he blurted out, "Really?"

Before, she was roughly 70/30 against Zheng Zhixiang.

And Zheng Zhixiang hadn't even broken through the limit yet.

The Abbot of Lotus Leaf Temple, however, was a Second Limit master.

Madam Shi nodded, proudly saying, "I've mastered the Dragon Tendon Technique you gave me."

"The power of the dragon tendon is immense."

"My strength has increased dramatically."

"Although I haven't reached the Second Limit yet, destroying a Second Limit master is as easy as turning my hand!"

Seeing Madam Shi's confidence, Chu Qing smiled… As night fell, Lotus Leaf Temple was brightly lit:

Female benefactors who came to burn incense and pray for children stayed in the temple, awaiting offspring.

In the Buddha hall:

A seven or eight-meter-tall golden Buddha statue held a lotus flower, compassionately looking down on all beings.

One by one, the Great Monks sat cross-legged.

A Great Monk gritted his teeth and said, "Everyone, the Cui Family has made their move."

"They issued a mission to the Martial Academy."

"The Martial Academy turned it into an assessment mission and had the people from Hall Number Nine accept it."

"In at most seven days, the people from Hall Number Nine will be here."

"Everyone, what should we do?"

Among the many monks, more than half had fierce-looking faces; a small portion had kind, benevolent features.

A kind-faced monk whispered:

"Everyone… Lotus Leaf Temple should change."

"Since the child-giving service has problems, then we should discontinue it."

"The Cui Family and others only asked us to discontinue the child-giving service."

A fierce-faced monk uttered a Buddhist chant and sneered, "What are the Cui Family?"

"One-tenth of their family's offspring were painstakingly provided by us."

"Many of their female relatives have knelt at the Buddha's feet, pleading and moaning; after enjoying themselves, they turn their backs on us?"

"How can there be such a good thing in the world?"

A kind-faced monk whispered, "Giving children is not the issue."

"The problem is that some among us actually connected with the offspring; they foolishly hoped to usurp the nest and use the method of 'exchanging cages for birds' to occupy various Noble families."

"Do you think, if we do this, those Noble families would agree?"

The many monks argued.

Finally, they looked at the Abbot in the center.

The Abbot was not young, but his appearance was handsome.

He twirled his prayer beads and whispered, "Everyone… My Buddha is compassionate!"

"But, there is also the wrath of a Vajra!"

"We are not wrong; the ones who are wrong are those parasitic Noble families."

"The Buddha said, if they want to fight, then let's fight."

"Lotus Leaf Temple fears no enemy."

The many monks all uttered a Buddhist chant.

Since the Abbot had set the tone, they naturally couldn't refute it.

A monk said, "Abbot, although the Martial Academy students are cannon fodder."

"But the Cui Family wants to use the Martial Academy students to drag more Noble families into the conflict."

"We should find a way to stop them."

The Abbot said calmly, "Today's Noble families are not like the Noble families of the past."

"They don't have the guts to attack us."

"As long as we kill all invading enemies, the Cui Family's plan will fail."

A monk asked:

"Abbot, should we bring out the armor and crossbows?"

The Abbot thought for a moment, then shook his head and said:

"Just bring out the elite heavy armor!"

"Ordinary armor is ineffective against Martial Artists from the Martial Academy."

"Equip some elites with heavy armor and have them ready for battle at all times."

"Yes!"

A kind-faced monk said, "Abbot, should we temporarily suspend the child-giving service for these few days?"

The Abbot clasped his hands together and said coldly, "My Buddha is compassionate, and the child-giving service concerns our future great undertaking, so it cannot be stopped!"

"As you command!"

…Shiyu Royal Mansion:

The Prince was handsome and dashing, with a muscular physique, bright eyes, and an extraordinary demeanor.

He hosted his retainers.

He had three thousand retainers, and he hosted three hundred every day.

Among these retainers, some could breathe fire and swallow swords, performing acrobatics.

There were those skilled in petty theft.

There were butchers and Peddlers.

Each of them possessed unique skills.

At Shiyu Royal Mansion, they diligently practiced their crafts to please the Prince.

The Prince raised his cup, taking only a small sip.

All the retainers drank it all.

A moment later, King Shi Yu chuckled, "Everyone… I often go to Lotus Leaf Temple to worship Buddha."

"I see that Lotus Leaf Temple's Incense Faction is flourishing, and they are benevolent and charitable."

"The Abbot even purchased hundreds of thousands of acres of fertile land for poor families to cultivate."

"However, even such a benevolent and charitable temple has been targeted by a group of villains."

"Everyone… what do you think we should do?"

A retainer stood up and loudly said, "Prince, give the word, and let us go to Lotus Leaf Temple to help suppress the villains."

The other retainers also stood up, requesting to go to Lotus Leaf Temple to assist.

King Shi Yu laughed heartily, "Good!"

"All of you perform well, and after Lotus Leaf Temple overcomes this crisis and the villains are slain, I will have the Princess personally pour wine for the best performer among you!"

The many retainers were overjoyed.

The most beautiful person in Shiyu Royal Mansion was the Princess.

Although the Princess was over thirty years old.

She maintained herself like a twenty-year-old maiden.

Her temperament was noble, and she came from a super Powerful Family.

Many people felt that merely being looked at by her was enough for a lifetime.

If they could have the Princess pour wine for them, it would definitely be recorded in their family's genealogy.

The retainers cheered.

King Shi Yu smiled, "Come, everyone, let's drink this cup together!"

"Drink this cup together!"