Chapter 483: Is it Qingyue who has returned? Cut the tongue!

Stolen money?

Their money—could it really have been traced?

The angry populace finally regained a semblance of reason, each face showing a hint of an expectant smile.

"Great, why bother fighting anyone? Hurry up and go find the silver!"

"Come on, everyone go together, overturn the meditation hall completely—we must definitely find our money today!"

"Exactly, my family only has five taels of silver; with that we could build two more rooms! Hurry and go get it back!"

"Go——"

Only then did the crowd hastily abandon Zong Zheng Zhiyuan and Xie Huaiyuan, turn and run toward the meditation hall of Jiaoguan.

The monks inside heard it—how could this be tolerated?

Just as they anxiously prepared to rush out, the killing characters silently appeared from all sides and surrounded them.

The entire Guanyin Hall, inside and out, was quickly surrounded, leaving those monks frantic and jumping, yet they dared not step a single foot outside.

After all, the five teeth of the monk who forbids anger have already been knocked out.

Many rebellious monks also silently covered their faces.

Their hearts burned with anxiety, yet they dared not rush out a single step.

Zong Zheng Zhiyuan, who had come back to life again, sprang up, hurriedly crawled toward Xie Huaiyuan beside her, and seeing his breath as thin as a silk thread, she burst into tears: "Huaiyuan brother, Huaiyuan brother!!"

"Don't die, don't scare Yuan'er——"

However, before Zong Zheng Zhiyuan had even cried twice, a guard who had followed Zhang Tingqi away came running back in haste.

"Your Highness, not good—Your Highness, the princess jumped into the well and killed herself!!"

Zong Zheng Zhiyuan: "What!!"

She looked up at the sound, and then her hands and feet seemed to disobey orders, unable to rise normally.

With great difficulty she swayed, fell several times, and finally managed to crawl up.

She hurriedly followed the guards toward the well.

After she left, Duan Rongshi then looked at Leng Dian, who had been watching the spectacle nearby, and said: "Tie him up."

Xie Huaiyuan was thus tied beneath the large tree outside the Guanyin Hall.

Duan Rongshi had Qingyangzi, who was skilled in acupuncture, administer needles to him.

This was not to save his life, but merely to forcibly pull half a life back from King Yama's grasp temporarily.

Because he still had a debt to repay, and he hadn't finished paying it.

After Xie Huaiyuan painfully opened his eyes, he could only vaguely see two figures, one black and one white.

He was already near death—what else could he not understand?

All that has happened at Ningyuan Temple these past two days is the work of these two behind the scenes.

Everything is their doing.

"Who… who exactly are you…?"

"Why must you… place me… in a deadly situation——"

"What grudge, what resentment do I have against you——"

Duan Rongshi also said nothing.

She simply slowly removed her mask, revealing her true face.

Xie Huaiyuan felt everything before his eyes growing increasingly clear.

And upon seeing that living face, almost identical to that of the deceased, his eyes widened round and bulging, filled with shock and disbelief.

"Yue'er……"

"Is it you——Yue'er!!"

"Yue'er, have you come back?"

"Is it really you coming back to take revenge on me?"

"Yue'er, I was wrong—I have long regretted it, Yue'er——"

"But back then, all of this was forced upon me by that person!"

"If I did not betray you, if I did not personally destroy you, he would let my entire Xie family be buried with my love."

"Yue'er——he's the madman, he is!!"

"Otherwise, we ought to be a pair of immortal lovers……"

"That's what we ought to be——"

Xie Huaiyuan shouted loudly, then suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

Then he rolled his eyes and fainted again.

Leng Dian stepped forward: "He still has a breath—truly a long life."

Duan Rongshi: "Let him bleed."

He just wants him to die slowly.

Let him watch Ningyuan Temple, watch that face inside the Guanyin Hall, unable to stop his own death, gradually turning cold in despair.

Leng Dian slit Xie Huaiyuan's wrist with one knife.

After the fresh blood gushed "hualala" downward, he then stepped back.

The monks in the Guanyin shop were frantic and jumping, yet dared not come out.

They didn't even dare to make a sound.

They feared that the next victim of torture would become themselves.

Duan Rongshi would certainly not let them off.

He glanced at the Guanyin Hall, looked at the compassionate statue inside, and felt a sharp stab in his heart.

Even in death, the Imperial Consort could not escape these people's sordid designs and selfish motives.

He gently closed his eyes: "Burn this Guanyin Hall."

Sha Zi and the Prince Su's Mansion guards: "Yes!"

The moment the fire was lit, the monks finally, frightened, all rushed out.

Strangely, Sha Zi and the Prince Su's Mansion guards did not stop them.

Instead, they let them run out.

As the monks turned back, faces full of alarm, watching the fire grow larger at the Guanyin Hall, a joyful scream came from the direction of Xie Huaiyuan's meditation room in the distance: "Silver! Haha, there really is silver!!"

"This is all our hard-earned money—quickly dig it up, let's all dig it out and take it to the authorities!"

The commotion from the meditation room grew louder.

The monks, one by one, could no longer hold back and rushed toward the meditation room.

This money is all they've saved up over time; if they return to secular life, if they want to live carefree good days, they'll need this money!

Not a single monk even considered hesitating over whether to rescue Xie Huaiyuan.

Instead, they each rushed madly toward the abbot's meditation room.

Li Qingluo watched their frenzied backs, then gave Sha Zi and the guards a look: "Go, protect those civilians so they aren't bitten by these mad dogs."

Over forty monks, over a hundred civilians—who's more, who's less?

Moreover, if Li Qingluo hadn't intervened just now, those monks would probably have already been beaten half-dead.

Now, these two groups will surely fight another fierce battle over the silver.

Meanwhile, those delicate monks probably can't stand a chance against those sturdy farmhands and peasant women.

Yet we still have to send people to protect them?

However, the Sha Zi know their masters' thoughts.

They immediately hurried after.

Sure enough, soon after, miserable cries came one after another from the meditation room.

After Xie Huaiyuan was awakened again by Qingyangzi's acupuncture, he looked at the blazing Guanyin Hall and let out a roar from his throat: "No——"

"Yue'er——Yue'er!!"

Li Qingluo stepped forward and slapped him across the face.

"Is the name of Princess Qingyue something you can just shout out?"

"Sha Er, cut out his tongue!"

Sha Er stepped forward: "Yes, miss!"

He expressionlessly pulled out Xie Huaiyuan's tongue and sliced it off with one brutal cut.