The group left the county town, riding off in a cloud of dust, heading straight for the north of the city.
On the official road, only a rolling yellow dragon of dust remained.
Occasionally, some groups of bandits hiding in the forest, preparing for some business without capital, saw the rolling dust. Thinking a fat sheep had arrived, their eyes lit up.
But when they saw the black uniforms with red patterns, their faces turned pale.
"Blinded by dog eyes! It's the Official Sirs of the Demon Suppression Division!"
The group scrambled away, not daring to let out a fart, and vanished into the forest in an instant.
The mountain road of the North Mountain was once thriving with incense.
Although the temple on the mountain was dilapidated, whenever the commoners at the foot of the mountain had a headache, fever, or sought children or wealth, they were accustomed to coming here to pay their respects and seek peace of mind.
But now, the mountain road was covered in fallen leaves.
Along the way, one could still see scattered incense candles and crushed offerings, mixed into the mud, exuding a sour, rotten stench.
Occasionally, a few wild dogs scurried through the forest. Upon seeing people, they would just tuck their tails, whimper from afar, and dive deep into the grass.
Soon, the outline of a dilapidated temple appeared at the end of the mountain road.
The group dismounted and tied their Red-Eyed Colts to a crooked tree by the roadside.
Jiang Yuechu stepped into the courtyard first.
"Enter."
The others dared not dally and followed her into the pitch-black temple gate.
The courtyard was overgrown with weeds. A headless stone Buddha statue lay on the ground, half its face buried in the mud, revealing a strange smile.
"Amitabha..."
No Abstinence held his wine gourd, stopped, looked at the broken Buddha statue, and clicked his tongue in wonder.
"I didn't expect that in this wilderness, this master was being worshipped."
Chen Tong sneered, "Who cares what master it is? Today, it has to make room for Master Bear."
Someone asked curiously, "What is the origin of this Buddha?"
"This one is in charge of 'laying down the butcher's knife and becoming a Buddha on the spot.'"
No Abstinence took a swig of wine and explained with a grin, "Legend has it that even the most heinous evildoers, as long as they sincerely repent and kneel before this one, can cleanse themselves of all sins and be reborn."
Hearing this, Chen Tong scoffed, as if he had heard a huge joke.
"What kind of lousy deity is that? Just laying down a knife can wash away grievances? According to you, if I go and destroy a few temples another day and then convert to Buddhism, let's see if he accepts me or not."
No Abstinence shrugged, "If you could truly sincerely repent, he is merciful, so he might actually accept you."
Jiang Yuechu rubbed her throbbing temples and glanced coldly at the two.
The bickering between Chen Tong and No Abstinence stopped abruptly.
The two looked at each other, saw a hint of embarrassment in each other's eyes, and obediently shut their mouths.
"Search."
At the order, the group immediately dispersed and began searching in the dilapidated temple.
The main hall was covered in cobwebs, the Buddha statue was dusty, and apart from thick dust and bird droppings, there was nothing else.
Several men cursed as they passed through the main hall and walked toward the backyard.
Just then.
A faint, intermittent sound of sobbing came from a closed meditation room in the back hall.
The group's expressions tightened. Subconsciously, they gripped the hilts of their blades, lightened their footsteps, and slowly surrounded the meditation room.
Liu Ke pressed his ear to the door for a moment, his expression changed, and he nodded at the group.
There was indeed someone inside.
Chen Tong's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and he was about to kick the door open.
No Abstinence grabbed him, shook his head, and gestured for him to calm down.
Just as the group hesitated, the woman's crying inside the meditation room seemed to grow louder.
Immediately after, a rough voice rang out.
"Who is outside? Didn't I say to come back tomorrow? Don't disturb this master's practice! Get lost!"
Clearly, it had mistaken them outside the door for those foolish men and women who came to listen to the scriptures.
The group stopped in their tracks and turned their eyes collectively toward the leader, Jiang Yuechu, waiting for her instructions.
Jiang Yuechu looked indifferently at the closed door.
"Why are you looking at me?"
"Do I need to teach you what to do?"
The group instantly understood!
"Fuck!"
Chen Tong cursed angrily, no longer hesitating.
He took two steps back, then rushed forward, his right foot carrying the force of a thousand jun, kicking fiercely into the wooden door of the meditation room!
Boom—
How could the dilapidated wooden door withstand such immense force?
With a loud bang, the entire door panel shattered and flew backward into the room!
The scene inside the meditation room was instantly exposed to everyone's eyes.
The group looked closely. Even someone like Chen Tong, who had roamed the Jianghu for many years, couldn't help but feel his stomach churn.
On the bed, a woman who was barely covered was being pinned there in a posture that completely defied human anatomy.
Her limbs had been snapped, twisted in the opposite direction.
White bone fragments pierced through the flesh and skin, exposed, and blood had stained the bed beneath her a dark red.
"Who?!"
"Who the hell dares to ruin this master's good time?!"
The sudden loud noise made the Black Bear pause. It subconsciously pulled over a tattered kasaya from the side, wrapping it haphazardly around its waist to cover its ugly parts.
The Black Bear roared and turned around.
But when its gaze fell upon the figures in black uniforms with red patterns at the door, it froze instantly.
Demon Suppression Division?!
Why would people from the Demon Suppression Division be here?
The Black Bear froze for a moment, then chuckled and slowly stood up straight.
"I wondered who it was, so it's the lords of the Demon Suppression Division. What? Didn't Hui Ming make it clear to you?"
"Fuck your ancestors!!!"
Chen Tong's eyes were bloodshot. Before he could even fully unsheathe his blade, he charged like a cannonball, scabbard and all, slamming fiercely into the Black Bear!
"Beast! Pay with your life!"
Liu Ke's long sword was already drawn, the sword light chilling, like a streak of light, piercing straight at the Black Bear's face!
The other men in the courtyard also roared and attacked from all directions simultaneously!
Facing this overwhelming offensive, the Black Bear only narrowed its eyes.
"It seems it wasn't made clear."
Boom—
A visible black Demonic Qi exploded from within its body.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Chen Tong, who was in the lead, hadn't even touched the fur of the bear demon before being struck in the chest by that Demonic Qi, flying backward.
Immediately after, the other men followed.
In just one encounter, the group, which had been so fierce, was all sent flying by that violent Demonic Qi.
"A bunch of trash."
The Black Bear snorted disdainfully, "Get lost, get lost. This master won't bicker with you today; don't be ungrateful."
It wasn't that it feared these people.
At most, they were just bottom-tier pawns; no matter how many came, they wouldn't be enough to fill the gaps between its teeth.
It was just that it had nominally submitted to Baosha Temple, so if not necessary, it didn't want to kill people from the Demon Suppression Division and bring trouble upon itself.