Chapter 331: The Information Revealed by the Honest Monk
Chapter 331: The Information Revealed by the Honest Monk
"As the saying goes, when you deliberately try to make something happen, it may not come to fruition. But when you least expect it, your desires may unexpectedly come to be." Su Shaoying offered sagely.
Lu Xiaofeng narrowed his eyes. "I'm starting to suspect that you're the Honest Monk in disguise. How did you also learn to spar verbally like this?"
"No, this is not Buddhism, but the heart of the Tao," Su Shaoying replied calmly. "Don't forget, my master is a Taoist priest."
Lu Xiaofeng was left speechless. "Who doesn't know that Du Gu Yihe is a fake Taoist priest? When he discussed the Tao with Mu Daoren five years ago, he couldn't even last three rounds!"
"People can change a lot in three days, let alone five years. Du Gu Yihe of the past is not the same as the present," Su Shaoying said.
Lu Xiaofeng chuckled. "So, does that mean he can last a few more rounds now?"
Su Shaoying shook her head. "He will never discuss the Tao with Mu Daoren again."
Lu Xiaofeng laughed. "And that's what you call a new perspective?"
"Of course," Su Shaoying nodded. "My master has become even wiser."
The crowd fell silent.
The words seemed to be praise, but no matter how you listened to them, they didn't sound like compliments.
However, Lu Xiaofeng was quick-witted, and he immediately understood. "Are you talking about me?"
Lu Xiaofeng's face turned dark. "Are you saying I never learn my lesson?"
"No, I'm not! I didn't say that, don't put words in my mouth!" Su Shaoying quickly denied. "Am I the kind of person who would do that?"
"Yes!" The crowd replied in unison. Qiu Xiaoxiao laughed so hard she couldn't stand up straight. "I didn't think of it that way at first, but now that you deny it, it seems more and more likely."
Lu Xiaofeng hummed in displeasure. "I will definitely not make the same mistake as the last two times!"
"You said the same thing last time," Su Shaoying said, "and then you dragged Xue Bing into the mess."
Lu Xiaofeng became embarrassed and rolled up his sleeves. "That's why I've made up my mind this time."
"What's your decision?"
"If the Honest Monk doesn't tell the truth, I'll smash his head in!"
...
When the group saw the Honest Monk again, he was being seen off by the Nan Gongchuan and Nan Gonghai brothers. After bidding farewell with a respectful bow, the monk turned to leave.
"Honest Monk!" Lu Xiaofeng suddenly appeared in front of the monk, startling him.
"Amituofo!"
The Honest Monk's eyes flashed with a sharp light when he saw the group, especially when he laid eyes on Ouyang Qing. Then, as if startled, he turned to Lu Xiaofeng and asked, "Why is it that I always seem to run into you, monk?"
Lu Xiaofeng smiled. "Because I always seem to stumble upon your secrets, monk."
"I, a monk, have no secrets. There's nothing for you to uncover," the Honest Monk shook his head.
But Lu Xiaofeng didn't let it go. "You even went to find Ouyang Qing. How can you say you have no secrets?"
The Honest Monk blushed a little but remained steadfast. "It's no secret that I went to find Ouyang. I even asked the Bodhisattva for punishment afterward."
Lu Xiaofeng blinked. "Don't pretend. You're actually from the Pingnan Kingdom!"
The Honest Monk blinked back. "I, a monk, have never been to the Pingnan Kingdom. I've only preached at the mansions of the Lucky King, the Peace King, the East Sea King, the Virtue King, the Qin King, and the Yu King."
The Honest Monk looked sincere as he spoke. "And that's not a secret either."
Lu Xiaofeng was completely dumbfounded. "That many?"
The Honest Monk blushed shyly. "I, a monk, only have the skill of preaching, it seems."
Of course, he wouldn't ask Ouyang Qing, after all, this was a secret of the Red Shoes. He only asked about things he knew or guessed, and it was very clear that the Honest Monk was also aware of this.
So Lu Xiaofeng cut straight to the point, "What did Nan Gongchuan want with you?"
The Honest Monk replied, "He invited me to go and lecture on the Diamond Sutra to the Nan Gong matriarch in half a month's time."
"Huh?" Lu Xiaofeng was dumbfounded once more. "So he didn't ask you about Ouyang Yue's death?"
"Ouyang Yue is the head of the Ouyang family. Why would a monk kill him?" The Honest Monk shook his head.
Lu Xiaofeng's eyes narrowed, "But a monk could kill him."
The Honest Monk fell silent. The Honest Monk didn't tell lies.
"Does the monk know who killed Ouyang Yue?" Lu Xiaofeng asked again.
"Amitabha! I'm just a monk, I have nothing to do with those assassins!" The Honest Monk shook his head and said.
"Birth brings no joy, death brings no sorrow. As the saying goes, death is like the extinguishing of a lamp. Ouyang benefactor, please grieve less and look at the brighter side of things." The Honest Monk finished speaking to Ouyang Qing, then joined his palms together in a respectful bow before turning to leave.
However, Lu Xiaofeng stopped him, "I just promised Su Shaoying one thing."
"What is it?" asked the Honest Monk.
"If you don't tell the truth, I'll smash your head," said Lu Xiaofeng.
Even Su Shaoying was speechless, "What does this have to do with me?"
"I'm doing this for your sake," Lu Xiaofeng said.
"For my...?" Su Shaoying said, then realized what Lu Xiaofeng meant, "Do you think I need you to do that for me?"
"You and I are like this," Lu Xiaofeng rolled up his sleeves, "so don't worry. If you're not honest today..."
"You can't hit me either!" The Honest Monk covered his head and scurried away, "I'm going to go and lecture on scriptures at Jia Leshan's house tomorrow. If you smash my head, I won't be able to eat!"
The Honest Monk ran away, but Lu Xiaofeng didn't chase after him, and Su Shaoying naturally wouldn't either.
"The Honest Monk isn't honest," said Lu Xiaofeng.
Su Shaoying nodded, "He doesn't tell lies, but he doesn't tell the whole truth either."
Nan Gongchuan had found the Honest Monk, and while it might be true that he invited him to lecture on scriptures at the Nan Gong family, he must have secretly asked about Ouyang Yue's death.
The Honest Monk said he wasn't part of the group of assassins, but he didn't answer whether he knew who the assassins were.
But in the end, he revealed a name.
Jia Leshan, the giant of Jiangnan! He definitely had his reasons for casually bringing up this name. He must have had his own intentions.
"Do you know Jia Leshan?" Lu Xiaofeng asked Su Shaoying.
"The way you're asking, I know you definitely know who Jia Leshan is. Please enlighten me," Su Shaoying smiled.
Lu Xiaofeng proudly said, "Jia Leshan is a famous rich man in Jiangnan and a well-known philanthropist in the area."
"But?" asked Su Shaoying.
"But in the past, he was a notorious pirate who ruled the seas, even some Japanese pirates worked under him. He used to have a title, the Iron-Faced Dragon King!" Lu Xiaofeng said.
(End of Chapter)
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