Chapter 716: Chapter 699: The Pusher

The so-called “chat” certainly could not be an open and honest visit, where all clues would be obscured in the background, revealing nothing.

Zhao Changhe had found the pleasures of wandering the Worldly Society once more, gliding through the temple’s back like a wisp of smoke and slipping into the shadows of the rear hall.

At this time outside, the temple fair was drawing to a close.

Although the Great Zhou had said that there had been frequent gatherings recently, they were obviously on a smaller scale. This large-scale temple fair, held during the Laba Festival, was clearly the first great event after the Buddhist revival, and the temple was on high alert with plenty of monks deployed to maintain order and ensure safety, fearful that any mishap would be a devastating blow to the revival of Buddhism.

Abbot Yuan Cheng sat in the center of the hall, eyes closed chanting scriptures, but in reality, he was using a secret technique to extend his Five Senses, monitoring any unusual activities for miles around.

Unfortunately, his mid-ranking Earth List cultivation was now completely overshadowed by Zhao Changhe, and he hadn’t the slightest awareness of the spy lurking behind the hall.

Sitting beside him was another old monk, Zhao Changhe’s acquaintance, Master Yuan Xing, who had once helped Zhao Changhe fend off an assassination attempt by the Wang Family and even given Zhao Changhe a map of the Xuanwu Secret Realm. Although that was repayment after Zhao Changhe first rescued them from the Maitreya Sect, their connection was quite deep, and Zhao Changhe had a very good impression of this old monk.

Consequently, he also had a favorable impression of Yuan Cheng. They had previously joined forces against the Maitreya Sect. The old monk didn’t talk much, but he was very effective, especially when it came to dividing the spoils of battle.

These two masters were probably some of the few representatives left of the orthodox Buddhist paths of this era, and their presence here underscored the importance of this place to them.

Overall, the character of the orthodox Buddhist paths of this era should not be bad. However, some things were a matter of stance—for instance, the Power of Faith and good fortune are finite; if you gain a bit more, I lose a bit. Then there’s the problem of land annexation, tax labor service, social associations, and indoctrination. Secular royal power often conflicts with such sects, and from the perspective of the Great Zhou imperial authority, they saw no fundamental difference between this and the Maitreya Sect.

However, it wasn’t as exaggerated as it seemed. Zhao Changhe had seen the current state of reduced influence of both Buddhist and Daoist paths and knew they could become harmless as Huskies, not necessarily having to manifest into “Heaven on Earth” and “Maitreya’s descent.”

This time, Zhao Changhe instinctively felt an odd sense of urgency. They had risen too quickly, and what’s more, they had already engaged in conflicts with the local branches of the Blood God Sect here. This momentum didn’t feel right. It seemed the Buddhist paths, long oppressed, suddenly saw a chance to breathe and might be too eager, potentially being used by others. Even the Great Zhou had detected “someone pushing from behind,” further evidencing his speculation. As for the ultimate goals of the ones pushing from behind, further observation was needed.

At that moment, a monk came in to report, “The temple fair has finished, and the laypeople are dispersing without any problems.”

Yuan Cheng said, “We must not be negligent. Send monks to escort them along the way and ensure they all safely enter the city. Any mishap or assault, no matter how minor, would be detrimental to our reputation.”

The reporting monk said, “Arrangements have been made. Along the way… we’ve also noticed Blood God Sect followers lurking around, though it’s unclear…”

Yuan Xing said, “Don’t be nervous. The Blood God Sect is now under the direct control of Benefactor Zhao. They wouldn’t dare tarnish the reputation of their Saint Heir by killing people indiscriminately. In principle, since they now fall under the City Defense Department, they should be secretly protecting the citizens, lest any trouble arises. They’re probably cursing us bald thieves for making trouble and giving them extra work in this cold weather.”

There was some laughter in the hall; it probably was an exact portrayal of the Blood God Sect followers’ inner drama.

However, many monks didn’t feel the same, and someone said, “The Blood God Sect worships the Blood Demon and killing, and they have no intention of leading people toward goodness. I don’t believe these Demon Sect followers have turned into knights overnight. If King Zhao were present to keep them in check, I might believe it. But with the Emperor far away, who knows what nefarious deeds they might get up to. Should any misfortune occur, they might even turn and bite us. Given their intimacy with King Zhao, we would have no way to clarify.”

Indeed, these concerns were shared by many, including Yuan Cheng, who quietly said, “Right now, there’s no better place than Jingxiang to start. We can’t just retreat because of a few branches of the Blood God Sect. We must be cautious. In any case, try to avoid conflicts with the Blood God Sect followers as much as possible.”

Yuan Xing also said, “The last time someone was killed, it was indeed our people who were at fault first. It wasn’t the Blood God Sect’s issue… On the contrary, they were upholding the law. You all need to reflect on this and discipline your disciples.”

Zhao Changhe nodded in agreement, realizing that these orthodox Buddhist monks seemed quite reputable, and Great Zhou had certain biases.

As for their concerns about the Blood God Sect, Zhao Changhe wasn’t worried about this group of Blood God Sect followers.

Because these people were not true followers of the Blood God. They had not undergone the baptism of the Blood God’s faith and had not even learned the Blood Evil Skill… because they were his own men from Beimang, a gang of bandits too weak to be taken by Xue Canghai to fight in the north. Hence, they stayed in the relatively peaceful Jingxiang, seized a position in the Imperial City Defense Department, enjoyed the pay without doing much, benefitting as some of the earliest followers of Boss Zhao.

Although they were not exactly kind-hearted, they truly dared not disgrace him and differed greatly from the Blood God Sect followers others imagined. True followers of the Blood God Sect generally had little interest in women, yet this group reportedly had at least half of them marrying and settling down within the year, enjoying domestic bliss rather than their bandit days… At least Great Zhou had filed no complaints against them, merely describing them as explosive like firecrackers, possibly implying disdain for their intelligence, but clearly, they were not involved in any egregious misdeeds, unassociated with bloodthirst.

Then a monk in the hall said, “How could our devotees possibly murder someone in a fit of rage? To this day, I suspect it was Evil Qi being maliciously directed. The cultivation techniques of the Blood God Sect specialize in this, and it must be the Blood God Sect’s doing, stirring up trouble only to cry ‘thief’ and blame us.”

Zhao Changhe’s mind raced. This suspicion was quite interesting, although he was wrong about these men not knowing the Blood Evil Skill. But following this line of thought, could there be a third party stirring things up?

Yuan Xing frowned and said, “Nonsense, what motive would they have for this? If it’s about extortion, we haven’t seen them attempting any!”

“Who needs a motive… We are Buddhist, and they are from the Four Symbols Sect. The struggle for the flow of human Qi and fortune, the competition for believers’ offerings, is right here…”

“This is just a bunch of low-level Blood God Sect followers, how could they have such strategic forethought? Do you think the Vermilion Bird is involved here?”

“That may not necessarily be the case…”

Suddenly, a debate broke out in the hall… Zhao Changhe frowned deeply, sensing trouble.

In such an atmosphere, if another incident occurred outside involving a Buddhist monk killing a Blood God Sect follower or vice versa, the mutual hostility and inevitable conflict would arise. Could the ultimate goal be to incite a rift between the Buddhists and the new Imperial reign, throwing Jingxiang into chaos again?

“Disaster! Disaster!” Just as he was thinking this, a frantic monk rushed in without even entering the door, exclaiming urgently, “On the outskirts of the city, by the forest, Blood God Sect followers raided and kidnapped citizens returning to the city. A senior brother tried to stop them but was killed by the Blood God Sect followers!”

The assembly of elder monks in the hall abruptly stood up, the atmosphere turning exceedingly solemn.

An outraged elder monk said, “What are you thinking about, Abbot? We respect King Zhao, but we cannot allow ourselves to be humiliated!”

Ignoring further discussion, Yuan Cheng hastened to the door, “Don’t act rashly, let us first prevent the battle from escalating.”

Zhao Changhe lifted his head and felt a particularly strange disorder enveloping the skies above. As the smoke of incense and Power of Faith dispersed in space, it seemed to mutate strangely, twisting and magnifying in the shadows of the night sky, like the faces of ghosts.

After a moment’s thought, he did not head to the murder scene but instead slipped back into the forest they came through, took out a piece of paper, wrote a note, and attached it to Wuzhui’s back. Patting Wuzhui’s head, the horse nodded and soared into the clouds.

Zhao Changhe himself then re-entered the temple from the back, taking advantage of the near absence of powerful monks to search for the entrance to the Secret Realm without restraint.

There had to be a Secret Realm here, and within it likely resided the “Upper Buddha” of these monks. But Zhao Changhe was almost certain there were things inside that the monks knew nothing about.