Chapter 922

Hu Xiaotian turned his face away, and just happened to see the faint smile still lingering at Mingjing's lips; he deliberately said, "Do not look at what is improper, do not listen to what is improper, good, good!"

Mingjing hastily lowered his gaze, murmuring under his breath, seemingly repenting to the Buddha for having unintentionally overheard those words just now.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Mingjing senior brother, what is your aspiration?"

Old Emperor

DuoJi - DuoJi (not present, skip)

Hong Beimo

Hu Xiaotian said, "If one lacks the seven emotions and six desires, can one still be called a person?"

Your Highness

Everyone's realm differs, so naturally their ideals and ambitions vary; although Mingjing says he has no desires and seeks nothing, Hu Xiaotian does not believe him—aside from the dead, who could have no desires? This simply defies common sense. But if they say they have none, then perhaps Mingjing is unwilling to tell me; isn't it said that monastics do not tell falsehoods? If he clearly has desires yet says he has none, isn't that breaking the Buddhist precept?

As the saying goes, "You are not a fish, how can you know the joy of fish?" Hu Xiaotian finally began to find his own pleasure; once his life is filled with enjoyment, his surroundings undoubtedly become a paradise, despite this being an age of beacon fires everywhere, despite danger lurking all around him, as Qiqi said, he himself is someone who is content with simplicity; he loves adventure, his previous life of meticulous, law-abiding diligence had already disgusted him utterly; he wants to start over, he wants to carve out a brilliant path of his own in this tumultuous era of warring heroes, to live in the world one ought to be grand and spectacular; even if he may not become a hero, he also wishes to write a bold, vivid stroke in the annals of history.

Qiqi's party only arrived at Tianlong Temple at dusk that day, which greatly exceeded the time Hu Xiaotian had previously promised; he had said he would return at the latest by noon, yet they were delayed an entire afternoon. Throughout Tianlong Temple, up and down, everyone remained in a state of anxiety and unease; Abbot Tongyuan, when Hu Xiaotian departed, had already begun making arrangements for a retreat; as the head of Tianlong Temple, he must ensure the temple's incense never dies and the spiritual lineage endures—making preparations on both fronts is also prudent foresight.

At the approach of dusk. Finally hearing the news of Hu Xiaotian's return, this time accompanying him was also the Yongyang Prince.

Tongyuan personally went out of the temple to receive them; the party entered Tianlong Temple, and Qiqi first went to the Mahavira Hall to offer incense, with Tongyuan accompanying her the whole way; even now he still feels somewhat uneasy in his heart, but seeing that Hu Xiaotian had invited the Yongyang Princess over, he must have already found a solution to this matter.

After Qiqi finished offering incense, night had already fallen; she said to Tongyuan, "The matters that occurred at Tianlong Temple I have already heard about, and I specially went to see the Emperor because of this; you need not worry, just treat those things as if they never happened. All the aftermath is to be left to Commander Hu."

Tongyuan, hearing her say this, finally let his heart settle completely, and respectfully said, "Thank you, Your Highness the Princess."

Qiqi said, "You need not thank me; if anyone is to be thanked, thank Commander Hu, for if he had not vigorously defended Tianlong Temple in my presence, I would not have helped you." She said this so that the monks of Tianlong Temple would understand that they owe Hu Xiaotian a tremendous favor.

Guaranteed Monthly Ticket

Hu Xiaotian said, "Abbot, there's no need to be so polite. Having troubled Tianlong Temple for so many days, causing you much trouble, I, the junior, have simply laid out the facts fully, merely to clear Tianlong Temple's name."

Qiqi said, "There's no need to make a fuss about the false emperor matter; spreading it would harm the Emperor's reputation and bring no benefit to your Tianlong Temple either."

Third Watch

Now additional:

Qiqi said, "Those who know this matter should be only your Tianlong Temple people; if it leaks out, I will hold your Tianlong Temple accountable!" Her phoenix eyes widened, her brows furrowed, and though young, she exuded a powerful killing intent that made everyone's hearts tremble.

Tongyuan only hoped in his heart that these court officials would leave as soon as possible, for only after they departed could Tianlong Temple regain complete tranquility.

Emperor Gaozong

The Sutra Pavilion is a forbidden area of Tianlong Temple; in the past, even if the Emperor made a request, Tongyuan would find an excuse to politely refuse, but after the incident with Bu Wu occurred, Tongyuan could not help but watch the court's expression—how could he dare refuse Qiqi's demand, fearing to provoke her and bring an unwarranted disaster upon Tianlong Temple? Based on his intuition, he felt that although this Yongyang Prince is young, the depth of his scheming and the ruthlessness of his heart are rarely seen in the present age.

Hu Xiaotian thought Qiqi's visit to the Sutra Pavilion was merely out of curiosity, so he accompanied her there; upon entering the Cangshu Lou, he saw a group of monks still busy inside, while Bu Wu had used phosphorus grenades to set fire to the seventh floor of the Cangshu Lou; although Hu Xiaotian and Mingjing arrived in time to extinguish the blaze, many Buddhist scriptures were still burned, and now the monks of the Sutra Pavilion are cleaning up.

Qiqi halted before the doors of the Cangshu Lou, looked up at this nine-story building, and softly said, "I have heard that this Cangshu Lou was constructed by order of Emperor Gaozong?"

Tongyuan nodded and said, "The grace Emperor Gaozong showed Tianlong Temple is something the temple's monks will never forget; if it were not for Emperor Gaozong clearing Tianlong Temple's name, the temple would likely never have had a day of reconstruction, let alone attained its present scale."

Chi Feixing

Quan De'an appeared from behind, saying respectfully, "Your servant is here!"

Prince Yongyang

Abbot

Mahavira Hall

Sutra Pavilion

Imperial Guard

Qiqi said, "Three hundred years ago Tianlong Temple already suffered a great calamity; surely you have learned from that experience, and the truly precious scriptures would not be kept inside this Cangshu Lou."

Tongyuan's facial expression showed a hint of astonishment; how could this Yongyang Princess, still young, possess such deep scheming? In fact, Qiqi is correct—the most precious Buddhist scriptures of Tianlong Temple are also stored in another hidden place, not here.

Qiqi walked around the Sutra Pavilion without entering the Cangshu Lou, then proceeded to the Puxian Institute where the false emperor had previously resided; the imperial guards had all gathered there, and the remaining experts of the Heavenly Mechanism Bureau were now also under Tianlong Temple's control; Hu Xiaotian had previously instructed Tongyuan that, no matter what method was used, the secret of the false emperor's killing must be kept, and Tongyuan, having no choice, resorted to employing the warrior monks.

Qiqi said, "Abbot, I have some things I wish to discuss with you privately." She and Tongyuan then entered the meditation chamber together.

Not only Hu Xiaotian, but even Quan De'an was not permitted to follow inside; they exchanged a glance, both utterly bewildered, not knowing what Qiqi and the abbot were actually discussing.

Taking advantage of this moment, Hu Xiaotian summoned Liang Bao, Fu Pingchuan, and those Heavenly Mechanism Bureau expert guards over to him. During the time Hu Xiaotian was away, these people had already sensed that something major had happened, but because they were strictly confined by Tianlong Temple, they could not learn the details.

Hu Xiaotian whispered, "I believe you have already guessed that something happened at Tianlong Temple last night; today the Yongyang Princess has come specifically to resolve these troubles."

Liang Bao asked, "Where is the Emperor? Where did Elder Brother Liu go? I hope Commander Hu will give us an explanation."

Hu Xiaotian, hearing him still feign ignorance even now, could not help but sneer, "You know the Emperor's affairs better than I do; you should know in your hearts why the Heavenly Mechanism Bureau's Mr. Hong sent you here—there's no need to beat around the bush with those who understand. Since you demand an explanation from me, I will tell you: Liu Huchan's whereabouts are unknown, the Emperor has already been sent out of Tianlong Temple by us and is presently recuperating at Tianhe Villa; what else do you wish to ask?"

Liang Bao and the others exchanged glances; Hu Xiaotian's words amounted to laying bare that he already knew the Emperor's secret. Chi Feixing and Liu Huchan have been missing since last night until now, and it seems their fate is more likely grim than fortunate.

Fu Pingchuan said, "Commander Hu, what do you want us to do?" Nobody is a fool; now the situation is entirely under Hu Xiaotian's control, and if they offend him, they might not even make it out of Tianlong Temple alive.

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said: "It's best if everyone stays peaceful. There's no need to speculate or make a fuss about what happened at Tianlong Temple; best to pretend nothing happened, otherwise the Princess will be displeased, Mr. Hong will be displeased, and the Emperor will also be displeased."

Liang Bao said: "Commander Hu, don't worry; we originally weren't clear about what exactly happened either."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Last night, a theft occurred at the Sutra Pavilion; flying thieves stole some scriptures from the Sutra Pavilion and also intended to set fire to the Cangshu Lou. Fortunately, it was discovered in time and the fire was extinguished. I hope this matter does not implicate anyone among us." This statement amounts to a threat: if anyone talks nonsense, he will blame the act of sneaking into the Sutra Pavilion to steal Buddhist scriptures on whoever.

The warriors of the Tianji Bureau are not stupid either; for now they'll just go through the motions, then after returning to the capital and meeting Hong Beimo, they'll fully report what happened here to him, letting Hong Beimo decide what should ultimately be done.

According to Hu Xiaotian's intention, he wanted to go all out and eliminate all these warriors of the Tianji Bureau—not just to silence them, but also to give that old thing Hong Beimo a show of force, letting him know the consequences of plotting against him. However, Hu Xiaotian's proposal was rejected by Qiqi; Qiqi must have reached an agreement with the old emperor, and she does not want to further deepen her conflict with Hong Beimo. If they kill these subordinates of Hong Beimo, it would be tantamount to openly declaring war on Hong Beimo.

In Hu Xiaotian's view, his opposition to Hong Beimo is nevertheless inevitable; Hong Beimo's attempt this time to not kill him will surely lead him to devise other methods. Originally Hu Xiaotian did not want to establish the Divine Strategy Bureau for Qiqi, openly opposing Hong Beimo, but this incident at Tianlong Temple has thoroughly enraged Hu Xiaotian; he secretly made up his mind, and after returning to the capital he began preparing to establish the Divine Strategy Bureau, determined not to let Hong Beimo have a single day of peace.

Third update delivered, praying for guaranteed monthly tickets! There's still one more update tonight! (To be continued~^~)