https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-99-The-Decline-of-the-Vajra-Sect/12553934/
Chapter 100: Zhang Butcher's Past
Chapter 100: Zhang Butcher's Past
In the tranquil courtyard, Shen Yi drew a bucket of well water and wrung out a cloth before approaching the burly man who hung his head low.
Noticing the other's anxious and confused expression, as well as the comical ink marks on his face, Shen Yi remarked with a slight lift of his lips, a hint of mischief flashing in his clear eyes, "You do bear a resemblance."
With a casual tug, he removed the pig snout and ears from Zhang Tu's face and handed him the cloth, his voice calm and reassuring, "Wipe your face first."
"I..." Zhang Tu Hu, now freed from the pig demon's disguise, clutched the cloth, his rough face twitching uncontrollably.
Then, as if venting his frustration, he vigorously scrubbed at the ink marks on his face, as if trying to scrub off a layer of skin.
Seeing this, Shen Yi turned and walked into the house. "Starting now, tell me everything that happened from beginning to end, clearly and in detail."
With a slight tilt of his head, his eyes regaining their calm, he added, "Don't be dramatic, and don't worry about me. Just explain everything clearly, and leave the rest to me."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Tu Hu, who had been barely holding himself together, finally slumped to the ground, his massive, mountain-like frame trembling like a child. Burying his head in his hands, he wailed, "I didn't break my vows! I didn't break my vows! I didn't take her body! They set me up! They drove her to smash her head against the door!"
Despite his jumbled words and emotional breakdown, Shen Yi remained quiet and listened attentively, removing his outer shirt as he did so. "So, the Vajra Gate has rules and precepts?"
"There weren't any before, and there aren't any now. There are only rules for direct disciples, and I am one... but I didn't break my vows! The child isn't mine!" Zhang Tu Hu asserted, his head rising with a mix of anger and despair in his cloudy eyes.
Shen Yi draped the new Yin-Yang Fish Ink Shirt over his shoulders and recalled how Zhang Tu Hu had once mentioned that he had been a prodigy when he joined the Vajra Sect, accepted as a direct disciple. However, after offending someone, he had been denied access to the martial arts of the Jade Liquid Realm and suppressed all these years, forcing him to develop the Golden Yang Eight Treasures Mystical Body on his own.
"Yuan Gang and his brother joined the Vajra Sect together. His brother died outside Qingzhou City, and he suspected me because I was nearby at the time. But he had no evidence, and Yuan Zhi and I have always gotten along. There was no grudge or conflict between us... only that he has always been whispering in his master's ear, secretly plotting against me." Zhang Tu's steps faltered as he became lost in his memories.
"So they framed you?" Shen Yi asked, straightening his Yin-Yang Fish robe and retrieving the Wolf Devouring the Moon cloak.
"No, I killed Yuan Zhi," Zhang Tu Hu said, his expression blank. His broad hands clenched into fists as he continued, "Back then, I didn't want to bother with any Buddhist scriptures. I was just bored and drunk, and I heard that Yuan Zhi had taken a group of good men with him to cultivate their minds. So, I went after him, thinking I'd make fun of him."
"I saw... he had imprisoned more than a dozen people, keeping them like pigs, all of them filthy and devoid of their souls. He was extracting the male essence and female impure blood to bathe in... he was secretly cultivating the Evil Body Tempering Technique behind the Vajra Sect's back!"
"When I stumbled upon this, he chased after me... I panicked because I never expected someone I lived with day and night to show such a cold and sinister expression. I was angry and my blood boiled, so I took his life. I almost died there myself."
"Most of those he imprisoned had already lost their minds due to the drugs. Only one woman, who was pregnant and couldn't have her blood taken, was kept locked up for Yuan Zhi's pleasure. She was still lucid, so I quietly took her away and settled her in a remote village some distance from Qingzhou City."
As he finished speaking, two bean-sized tears rolled down the corners of Zhang Tu's eyes, and his entire being seemed to have lost its vitality.
This was because he had wanted to find a teacher to teach the child how to read and write, but in doing so, he had inadvertently exposed this secret.
"Yuan Gang had just achieved minor success in his martial arts and had come out of seclusion. They knew I was back, so they secretly followed me. They saw me inquiring about the tuition fees and traced their way to that village. They intended to kill me on the pretext of breaking my vows."
"She refused to betray me and wouldn't let them smear my name, so she smashed her head against the wall..."
"By the time I got there, she had already passed away."
"Have you cleaned yourself up? Follow me."
Shen Yi stepped out of the house and made his way towards the courtyard gate.
Compared to Zhang Tu, who had been ostracized to Boyun County, Shen Yi knew a little more about the situation.
After its decline, the mysterious rise of a martial arts sect, the sudden erection of a Buddhist statue, and the construction of a pagoda seemed out of place. To outsiders, it appeared to be an attempt to curry favor with the new prefect. However, there seemed to be something more insidious at play.
Zhang Tu stared blankly at the distant figure.
The young man's silhouette was tall and straight, his hair tied back with a hollow gold crown adorned with wolf patterns. The eye-catching yin-yang fish emblem, the precious jade at his waist, the golden-patterned scabbard, and the fierce wolf cloak fluttering in the wind all added to his striking appearance.
Shen Yi tugged at his collar, his handsome face cold and distant.
"Where are we going?" Zhang Tu asked.
"To help those who should have smashed their heads against the wall do what they should have done," Shen Yi replied casually.
His palm rested casually on the hilt of his sword as he walked with steady strides, his figure gradually fading into the endless night.
...
At the Vajra Gate, thousands of expressionless Demon Subduing Division officers surrounded the area, their presence blocking off all exits. The disciples of the sect instinctively threw down their weapons in surrender.
"We did not collude with demons!"
"Your honor, please investigate!"
Among the crowd, Hong Lei furrowed his brows as he observed the variously dressed martial artists. This didn't seem like a group looking for trouble. On the other hand, the fake monks inside the pagoda had yet to show their faces, which was suspicious.
Were they feeling guilty about something?
"Your honor, please understand!"
The disciples' faces were filled with fear, and many of the weaker ones had already collapsed to the ground, their faces covered in tears and snot.
Among them were only a handful of strong cultivators at the Initial Realm, while most were ordinary martial artists at the Mortal Phase. They had joined the Vajra Gate to learn martial arts, hoping that one day the monks would notice them, shave their heads, and impart upon them profound body-tempering techniques. None of them had ever faced such a formidable force.
Just then, a figure was kicked out from the crowd.
The sound of flesh hitting the red-lacquered door with brass studs resounded, and the wide white cloth became stained with blood as the person's bones shattered. The figure lay limply on the ground.
When the Vajra disciples recognized the face, they stifled their cries and collectively held their breath.
"Master Yuan… Gang?!"
Before they could react further, a figure strode out from among the officers.
In the chilly night wind, the golden cloak billowed, and the golden moon-devouring wolf emblem caught the eyes of all present.
The officers tightened their grip on their demon-subduing chains, their eyes fixed on the young figure before them, their stance unwavering.
Some news traveled fast, such as the story of the golden hawk officers' drunken mutterings about the youth who had slain a crocodile dragon with one hand and shocked the Angry Sword Elder to death with the other.
Combined with the honor of being promoted three levels in a row while riding through Qingzhou City, these drunken words carried an air of credibility.
Zhang Tu cautiously made his way through the crowd of important figures, not daring to lift his head. After a moment, he realized that these people seemed just as nervous as he was.
"If one day, I end up like that..."
Li Xinhan stared intently at the somewhat thin figure, feeling a strange sense of emotion.
He turned to look at his sister, seeking encouragement, but found her staring fixedly at the same figure, her red lips parted slightly, her breathing quickened.
"...?"
Shen Yi calmly approached the door, grabbed Master Yuan's clothes, and began dragging him up the long flight of steps towards the pagoda.
The dark red bloodstains spread with each step he took, soaking the blue stone stairs.
After climbing about twenty steps, Shen Yi tossed Master Yuan aside and sat down, his arm casually resting on his knee and his robe billowing in the wind.
With his back to the tightly closed pagoda door, Shen Yi raised his other hand and extended his long index finger.
His clean face held no threat, and his voice was as calm as his expression.
"One incense stick's time."
"If I don't see the person I want, the Vajra Gate will cease to exist in Qingzhou."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
