Chapter 261: Seeing for Oneself, They Are Like Pigs and Dogs

"Daxiang, take three squads and secure that place. You lead the way!"

"... Bingfeng, take the archers and two squads to the place where the bells and drums are sounding. You lead the way..."

"... The abbot's and the overseer's quarters are connected. You lead the way. Move!"

Zhao Jin gave orders in rapid succession. Zhenzhi and his companions all looked astonished, wondering how he could be so familiar with Cloud Mountain Temple, but under the stream of commands from Zhao Jin, they all obeyed instinctively.

Squad after squad of hooded men armed with blades and spears rampaged through Cloud Mountain Temple. No matter how unbelievable, no matter how slow-witted, by this point everyone realized something was wrong. But there was little the monks in the temple could do. They each sought places to hide. A few who cried out in panic were cut down without mercy. The rest of the monks, their hearts and gallbladders split with terror, dropped to their knees. When they discovered that kneeling truly spared them, more and more knelt motionless on the ground.

Zhao Jin led nearly two hundred household retainers in a charge toward the abbot's and overseer's quarters. Along the way, they only occasionally glimpsed monks scrambling frantically out of sight. In truth, at this hour, the diligent monks were at morning recitation, those with chores were busy, and the rest were still sleeping in — there was hardly anyone moving about, since the day was still very early. So far, the only exertion Zhao Jin and his men had expended was from running; they had barely used their blades at all.

Many monks knelt along the route, and some even took the initiative to come closer. Had Zhenzhi not shouted loudly, these approaching monks would have been killed on the spot. Their faces full of fervor, after saluting, these monks actually fell in and ran behind them. Along the way, more than a dozen joined up like this.

The abbot's and overseer's quarters were situated in the middle-rear area of Cloud Mountain Temple — two large compounds connected together. Many men from Zhao Camp had visited Cloud Mountain Temple to offer incense before. They had all seen the majestic dharma statues and swirling incense smoke out front, but the scene here they were seeing for the first time.

At the sight, many men instinctively spat on the ground, and some even cursed under their breath. The reason was plain: this was no meditation courtyard for ascetic monks — it was clearly the mansion of a wealthy, noble household. White walls, black tiles, high gates and grand doorways. Without entering, who could have known such a hidden paradise lay within? No wonder everyone wanted to be abbot here.

Moreover, just like a great household, the gates of these two compounds had several gatekeepers and courtyard guards — except here, they were monks.

These several monks held thick black-lacquered staves and looked imposing from a distance, but they had not the slightest intention of defending the place. They threw down their staves and fled.

"Dasheng, take one squad and guard the back gate." One monk led the way, and Chen Sheng took his men to the rear.

"Open the gates!" At the command, men immediately rushed forward to work. Opening the gates was remarkably easy — they didn't even need to ram them or climb the wall to open them from inside. Since this place imitated the layout of a wealthy household, beside the main gate there was a smaller side door for the gatekeepers and guards to use. The gatekeeper monks had fled in such haste that the side door was still open...

In an instant, the courtyard's main gate swung wide open. At this point, Zhao Jin was no longer in a hurry. He spoke and asked, "Has Runan returned?"

Monk Runan was precisely the overseer of Cloud Mountain Temple. At this question, Zhenzhi turned to look at another monk — one who had joined them partway. The monk hastily answered, "Runan returned here yesterday afternoon and conferred with Yuanxin for a long time. After that, he did not leave the compound."

"You are certainly thorough," Zhao Jin said flatly. Zhenzhi coughed a few times, and the dozen or so monks who had followed along also looked rather awkward.

Zhenzhi had entered the compound on short notice and in no time had called out six companions. Along the way, so many more had joined. And they clearly knew the movements of everyone in Cloud Mountain Temple inside and out. There was no such coincidence in this world, and it was easy to figure out: Ruhui's faction had clearly made extensive preparations long ago. Even without Zhao Jin, they would have colluded with someone else.

"Second Squad, enter this compound. Rush in and seize the abbot first, then round up everyone else in this compound. Third Squad, hold the main gate. First Squad, with me!"

Runan was the overseer of Cloud Mountain Temple and also the leader of its monk soldiers. According to Ruhui's speculation, this Runan likely had military experience. His training of the monk soldiers was not by jianghu methods.

That being the case, Runan counted as the chief commander of Cloud Mountain Temple. To capture brigands, first capture their king — naturally, he had to be dealt with first. As for Abbot Yuanxin, at this stage, he was already a turtle in a jar.

Zhao Jin led his men into that compound. It was a five-courtyard mansion, where one could even see garden scenery like rockeries and ponds — entirely a dwelling place for the wealthy and idle.

Once inside this compound, the monk guiding them became somewhat confused, because they had never been inside before. It was said that this compound strictly forbade ordinary monks from entering. Many items were only brought as far as the second gate, then carried in by young novice monks from inside. And those young novices had all been recruited separately, having no connection to the general body of monks at Cloud Mountain Temple. Even the confidants of the abbot and overseer could not enter.

Mysterious as it was, the layout of houses and compounds was all roughly the same. Everyone knew where the sleeping quarters were. Zhao Jin led the main force in that direction.

Passing through the second courtyard, along the way past those rooms, they could hear stifled cries of alarm from within, and the sounds of people stealthily peeking out. Zhao Jin could not be bothered to break down every door; he simply posted four men to guard each doorway.

Entering the third courtyard, as soon as they kicked open a door, they heard someone bellow in fury: "What place do you think this is? How dare you barge in!"

Everyone froze, instinctively halting their steps. It was not that the person was so fierce, but that it was actually a young woman — and dressed like a maidservant from a wealthy household, around twenty years old, her face full of rage.

In the innermost heart of Cloud Mountain Temple, how could there be a woman? Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. Zhao Jin immediately caught on and said with a laugh, "They certainly know how to enjoy themselves. It seems the Pure Land is not necessarily in the West."

At these words, the monks who had followed in all wore expressions of shame. The young woman, seeing so many ferocious, murderous-looking men enter, showed not a trace of panic or fear on her face. Instead, she shouted, "If you don't get out right now, when my master's anger erupts, every last one of you will be cut to pieces!"

Everyone was dumbfounded, thinking: Is this woman mad or just stupid? Seeing this scene, is she really not afraid?

Zhao Jin was also taken aback for a moment, then caught on. He pointed at the woman and said, "Since she's someone from the inner quarters, she definitely knows which room Runan is in. Grab her and follow her there."

Immediately, four household retainers stepped forward. The woman was still loudly cursing and shouting. When they reached her, she tried to struggle, but one retainer gave her a heavy slap across the face. She fell silent at once, then was about to throw a hysterical tantrum. When the retainers made as if to strike her again, she immediately and obediently led the way.

"I heard your abbot is fond of young girls, and that Runan rose to his position precisely by providing them. Over the years, they must have gathered quite a few. Those children, raised confined within the temple, naturally think they are the sky and know nothing of the outside world," Zhao Jin said with a smile.

Hearing Zhao Jin's words, the household retainers standing nearby widened their eyes, while the monks who had followed in all lowered their heads and chanted Buddha's name. Without pausing his steps, Zhao Jin spoke again: "Do you all think it's still somewhat acceptable, that at least it gives them a way to survive? That's because you only see the ones who live. You have no idea how many have died."

In these times of natural and man-made calamities, selling sons and daughters was a common sight. To be sold into a wealthy household as a servant was not considered a tragedy but rather a blessing — at the very least, one had food and clothing, and even a servant of a great household had more dignity than someone from a humble family. Thinking this way, Cloud Mountain Temple bringing young girls up the mountain might not necessarily be a sin.

But Zhao Jin saw it very clearly. For such a heinous, heaven-offending affair, those involved at Cloud Mountain Temple would certainly keep it strictly secret. Silencing witnesses would not be a rare occurrence. Not to mention that young girls were frail and could hardly withstand such abuse. There was likely a hidden place in this temple, beneath which lay nothing but white bones.

At Zhao Jin's words, everyone felt a chill. As they were heading further inside, they heard someone ahead roaring hoarsely: "Friends from every mountain and peak, this temple has never treated you poorly! The Kong family to the west, the Feng family to the east — both are on good terms with this temple! If you act recklessly, not to mention the authorities investigating, there will be no place for you even on the jianghu paths..."

As these words were spoken, Zhao Jin had already entered that courtyard. The maidservant was cowering to one side, trembling. Monk Runan, wearing only a pair of calfskin trousers and stripped to the waist, stood there brandishing a podao and bellowing. He had already been cornered by four household retainers with long spears.

Seeing Zhao Jin enter the courtyard with a large force, and spotting Zhenzhi and the others accompanying them, Monk Runan's expression instantly turned to despair. First he cried out hoarsely, "You few actually colluded with outside bandits... Everyone, Cloud Mountain Temple has ten thousand taels of gold and countless treasures. Take whatever you want..."

"Assassinate!" Zhao Jin suddenly raised his voice and shouted. The four household retainers pinning Runan down let out a great shout and, following the movements taught in drill, thrust directly forward.

Runan swung his blade, trying to parry, but before the motion was half complete, three long spears had already pierced his body from different angles. He died instantly. Blood gushed wildly as he collapsed straight to the ground. The maidservant-like woman in the corner let out a shriek and fainted.

"Search every room. Never mind what's inside — bring everyone out and gather them in the first courtyard!" Zhao Jin gave the order.

The relationship between the overseer and the abbot was truly close. Right there in Monk Runan's courtyard was a small gate connecting to the neighboring compound. This was convenient for Zhao Jin as well; he simply opened the gate and went over to that side.

Runan had probably rushed out from his bed, but at least he had grabbed a blade and put up some resistance. Abbot Yuanxin's side was even more pathetic. When Zhao Jin went over, all he saw was a fat man in his fifties, with a kindly face and gentle eyes, trembling uncontrollably, endlessly promising rewards and begging for his life to be spared. Around him knelt two young girls, both looking about sixteen or seventeen, dressed very thinly, glancing left and right but showing no particular fear.

The abbot had several bruises on his face, clearly from a fresh beating. The household retainer standing nearby, noticing Zhao Jin staring at the bruises, thought Zhao Jin was angry and hurriedly stepped forward to explain: "Master, when we entered the room just now, we saw a girl lying on a small bed outside. There was a huge pool of blood under the bed. When we went to check, the girl was already dead. We asked the serving girls in the inner room, and they said this old wretch had abused her to death. This humble one couldn't hold back..."

Zhao Jin glanced back. Just moments ago in the neighboring courtyard, Zhenzhi and those monks, and even his own subordinates, had all thought that seizing young girls might violate monastic rules but hardly counted as a true sin. The example before their eyes now could show them exactly what kind of evil this was.

"This humble monk had some inner heat last night; inevitably, things got a bit rough, and a life was created..." The abbot hurriedly tried to explain, his tone full of remorse.

"Did anyone say you were wrong?" Zhao Jin ignored the abbot and spoke to the household retainer instead. The retainer froze; with the hood on, his expression could not be seen. Before Zhao Jin's words had even faded, he stepped forward and gave the abbot a heavy kick square in the chest. Caught off guard, Abbot Yuanxin was sent flying backward several feet. When he landed, he clutched his chest, unable to breathe, blood already visible at the corner of his mouth.

"Scum like this — no beating is too harsh!" Zhao Jin added.

Abbot Yuanxin had been dragged from his bed, struck once, and then held back, which had given him a sliver of false hope. After taking this kick, he finally understood. Once he caught his breath, he hastily said, "Good heroes, beneath this humble monk's bed are two thousand taels of gold. In the temple's secret vault, there are fifty thousand taels of silver and countless goods and valuables. As long as you grant this humble monk a way to live, this humble monk's wife and children are willing to pay an equal sum in ransom. Everything can be discussed, everything can be discussed!"

Zhao Jin flipped his long spear and extended it; the spearhead was now pointed at Yuanxin's throat. Yuanxin's words cut off abruptly. Zhao Jin smiled, twisted his wrist, and turned the spear blade sideways, slapping it heavily across Yuanxin's cheek. It immediately swelled up black and blue.

"Not interested," Zhao Jin said flatly. Abbot Yuanxin clutched his cheek, a look of despair welling up on his face.

Just then, Zhao Jin suddenly spun around, adopting a defensive stance. Several household retainers also instinctively raised their spears. But no one made a further move, because the person who had suddenly erupted was not targeting them.

"... You damned beast who deserves to die a thousand deaths, how many sisters have died at your hands over the years? And you still chant Buddha's name every day..." The young girl who had been kneeling at the side all along threw herself forward, cursing as she clawed and struck fiercely. At first, her words could still be made out, but later they dissolved into incoherent sentences, crying and cursing at the same time. She even lunged in to bite and tear, as if she had gone mad. The other woman simply wept ceaselessly, mumbling something unintelligible.

Yuanxin wanted to fight back, but the kick he had taken earlier was too severe; he simply could not recover. The woman who had pounced attacked with such frenzy that in no time his face was clawed and covered in blood. He could only lie there and beg.

No one on Zhao Jin's side paid any attention to this woman's madness; they only felt the beating was too light. As for Zhenzhi and his group, they could not utter a word. Even though there was deep enmity between the two sides, at this moment they felt they could not lift their heads, and could only mutter prayers and chant sutras in muffled voices.

Before long, both compounds had been thoroughly searched. Monk Runan's side had fewer people — eight girls in total, all sixteen or seventeen, half with shaved heads and wearing monk robes identical to the Cloud Mountain Temple monks. Yuanxin's side had six young girls: two around eleven years old, the rest even younger. In addition, there were four older women, all in their thirties or forties, quite stout and sturdy. Everyone, regardless of whether they looked innocent or not, was tied up tightly. Only the one who had been clawing and beating in a frenzy was left alone, and the one squatting to the side crying was also ignored.

Once everyone was gathered, Zhao Jin turned to Monk Zhenzhi and said, "Do you know who Yuanxin's and Runan's trusted confidants are in Cloud Mountain Temple?"

By this point, all pretense had been thoroughly torn away. Zhenzhi was also direct. Hearing the question, he quickly nodded and said, "We know. We know all the ones with rank. Do you want the errand-runners at the bottom too?"

"The ringleaders, the core members, the especially loyal — arrest them all. I'm giving you some men now. You lead them to make the arrests. The faster, the better. For those uninvolved, tell them to stay obediently in their rooms and not move. Go now. Zhenzhi, the more meticulous and diligent you are, the fewer deaths and injuries there will be. Go quickly!" Zhao Jin spoke very plainly. Zhenzhi hesitated only a moment before nodding heavily.

Over on this side, Zhenzhi turned back and exchanged a few words with his companions. He himself was uneasy, but quite a few of Zhenzhi's companions showed wild joy and excitement on their faces. To them, the day they turned their fortunes around had finally arrived.

Once they finished discussing over there, Zhao Jin kept only twenty men in the courtyard and handed the rest over to Zhenzhi to take away. To sweep through the entire Cloud Mountain Temple, the manpower needed would certainly not be small.

"Go to every doorway, to the storehouses, to the Bell and Drum Hall. Bring my men back to report on their current situation. Go quickly! How your futures turn out depends entirely on what you do now — the faster, the better!" Zhao Jin raised his voice and said.

Those companions of Monk Zhenzhi, upon hearing these words from Zhao Jin, naturally knew what to do and immediately scattered in all directions.

Once the courtyard had quieted down, Zhao Jin tapped the tip of his spear on the ground in front of the weeping girl. The girl's body trembled, and she looked up in alarm.

"Tell me about these people. Tell me what exactly happened here."

Although the girl was crying, there was a look of relief on her face. And when that other person had attacked in a frenzy, she had not broken down into uncontrollable wailing — which showed her emotions had not yet collapsed.

Sure enough, this girl could still speak clearly. Understanding these matters was also quite simple. The abbot, Xue Chongxun, was fond of young girls. Those beneath him, for the sake of power, wealth, and benefits, went all out to hunt and gather them. But young girls' bodies are delicate and frail, unable to withstand the violent storms, and many died on the spot. And once they grew a little older, Xue Chongxun lost interest.

Those who died on the spot were disposed of immediately. Some with unyielding, fierce natures, even if they endured, would also vanish. Some who fell ill received no treatment. The few who grew older were sent over to Runan's side.

Some grew up in a daze, ignorant of it all. Some understood their situation but lived in terror. And still others, greedy for the good days here, directly became accomplices.

In the past, within these two courtyards, besides Abbot Yuanxin and Runan, there were also ten trusted warrior monks. But the day before yesterday, they all left. Yet no one dared flee, because those four old hags alone were enough to control all the young girls. On Runan's side, the sixteen- and seventeen-year-old girls were also hopelessly devoted fools. In the past, there had been those who fled beyond the two courtyards, and every one of them was caught and beaten to death.

To the young women and girls inside, these two courtyards were completely sealed off. They did not know what was happening outside, nor did they dare entertain any thoughts. Of course they had no idea the monk soldiers had poured out in full force. And even without the monk soldiers, there were still plenty of accomplices within the courtyards.

It was not until Zhao Jin led his men inside and they witnessed this series of events, confirming that Abbot Yuanxin was truly finished, that the girls' real emotions burst forth.