The Affairs of the Martial World - Vol 4: Chapter 12

Zhu Que listened for half a day more but no longer heard any useful information. Since he knew they were plotting to seize the assets of the Iron Fist Sect, he now had a lead. Zhu Que quietly left, and the people inside the room were utterly unaware.

The Iron Fist Sect’s Wei family is located over a hundred miles away in Qin’an County. The former sect leader, Wei Chu, once searched for treasure in the desert alongside Zhu Que but unfortunately fell victim to desert bandits. Later, Wei Zhi, Wei Chu’s younger brother, took over the leadership.

Zhu Que thought that if they plot against someone’s property, they must consider every aspect; otherwise, they could end up in trouble if things went wrong. So, this was not something that would happen in a short time. Zhu Que found a place to rest and set off for Qin’an after dawn.

On the road, Zhu Que saw a group of officials and soldiers coming out from within the pass. Zhu Que did not want to cause trouble, so he led his horse to the side and waited for the officials and soldiers to pass. By evening, Zhu Que encountered soldiers setting up camp to rest. He asked one of them what was happening and why so many officials and soldiers were arriving. Were they going to fight?

This inquiry was somewhat reckless, arousing the soldier’s suspicion. He shouted, and a group of men rushed out, surrounding Zhu Que. Zhu Que did not resist and simply said, “Take me to your commander; I have a token.”

As he wished, Zhu Que was brought to the team commander. Zhu Que took out the golden token given to him by the Wang Second Young Master. The man scrutinized it, then returned it to him, saying, “We are on the front lines, and there are many military matters we cannot disclose. Please understand.” Zhu Que nodded and said, “I just want to know who the enemy is that you are preparing to attack in this area.”

The commander said, “I can tell you this: the Manchurian rebels in Kaicheng have revolted. We are gathering outside Shicheng under the orders of Governor Xiang to eliminate the traitors.”

Zhu Que’s heart stirred. Kaicheng was only a little over three hundred miles from Qingshui County. The rebellion led by Man Si inevitably made him associate it with the rebellion of the Fragrance Cult. He asked the officer, “Have you heard the reason behind Man Si’s rebellion? Is there any involvement of cult members in it?”

The commander said, “Cultists? This little one is not clear about that. I have only heard that this matter is strange. Man Si had only over ten thousand troops, and General Chen Jia led thirty thousand men to suppress them but ended up defeated. Now, the court has appointed Xiang Zhong as governor. We soldiers just need to follow orders; as for why Man Si rebelled, that is beyond our knowledge.”

Zhu Que knew that their understanding was limited, but he speculated that the followers of the Fragrance Cult must have incited this Man Si to dare to commit such a heinous act. He was just surprised by the court’s swift reaction, which was truly unexpected. Judging by the accents of these officials and soldiers, they should be temporarily dispatched here from the garrison in Xi’an Prefecture. It seems that Man Si’s rebellion was a spur-of-the-moment decision, and with insufficient troops, weapons, and provisions, otherwise, they wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to scheme against the estates of the Zhuang and Wei families.

Zhu Que did not share this speculation with the man. That night, he rested in the camp of these officials and soldiers, and the next morning, he bid farewell to them and headed towards Qin’an County.

Before noon, Zhu Que arrived in Qin’an County.

Qin’an County was small, and the Iron Fist Sect was well-known here. After asking a local, Zhu Que found the Iron Fist Sect Wei family’s estate.

The Wei family’s residence was magnificent and luxurious, truly resembling that of a wealthy family, no wonder it has attracted the envy of the Fragrance Cult.

The leader of the Iron Fist Sect, Wei Zhi, heard that Zhu Que was visiting and quickly came out to greet him in person. When they met, they first talked about Wei Zhi’s older brother, Wei Chu.

Although a long time has passed, the bond between the two brothers remained deep. When Wei Zhi spoke of Wei Chu, his tiger-like eyes were filled with tears, and he was emotionally stirred. He said that Wei Chu did not need to venture into the desert; their Wei family had plenty of wealth, so why bother searching for some elusive treasure?

Perhaps Wei Chu was very curious and particularly enjoyed these mysterious matters, not entirely for the treasures within the treasure.

Zhu Que came to find him, not to discuss Wei Chu, but once Wei Zhi started talking about it, he couldn’t interrupt and could only let him finish.

After he calmed down, he finally mentioned the matter of the Fragrance Cult. Wei Zhi was utterly unaware of what the Fragrance Cult was. Hearing that this group of cultists intended to plot against his family fortune made him even more furious, but he said he had never seen anyone from the Fragrance Cult.

This is strange, Zhu Que thought. Why did the Fragrance Sect target Wei Zhi? They must have done their homework in advance, matching the clues before choosing him as their target. It couldn’t be just because they heard the Wei family was wealthy and plotted to take action. Zhu Que pondered for a moment and asked Wei Zhi, “Have you made any new friends recently?”

Wei Zhi said, “I am the most hospitable person. Speaking of new friends I’ve made recently, there is one, but he is probably not the kind of person you refer to as a member of the Fragrance Cult. He is Master Honglian, and he came from Guanyin Temple in Qingshui County. Although he is a monk, he does not have the typical pedantic air of an ordinary monk.”

Zhu Que was taken aback and said, “What? Master Honglian?” He thought to himself, how could it be such a coincidence? Unable to contain his excitement, Zhu Que asked, “Where is Master Honglian now?”

Wei Zhi said, “You don’t doubt that he is a member of the Fragrance Cult, do you? He is the most famous master in the area. Not only is his Buddhist teaching profound, but his martial arts are also exceptional, and he is humble. So many people are vying to witness his grandeur.”

Zhu Que interrupted him and said, “I can’t explain it clearly to you right now, but this person is someone from the Fragrance Cult. If you let me meet and confront him directly, I will naturally know the truth.”

Wei Zhi nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll take you there. He is staying at the Pure Land Temple outside the city.”

Just as the two were about to leave, the gate of the Wei family suddenly opened on its own without any wind. Standing at the entrance was a dignified-looking monk who walked into the courtyard by himself without waiting for an invitation from the host.

Upon seeing the person, Zhu Que immediately recognized him as the one who had impersonated the abbot that night. Although his appearance had changed, Zhu Que still identified him by his stature and demeanor.

Zhu Que said, “It’s you, you deceitful monk. You really know how to put on an act. That night, you almost tricked me.”

The monk smiled slightly and said, “In the end, I cannot hide it from you. The name Zhu Que truly lives up to its reputation. I just can’t understand; weren’t you subjected to my hammer punishment? How can you still be alive? Since you’ve narrowly escaped with your life, you should keep your distance from here and prioritize your safety. Yet you are so reckless and unrepentant. Since my Buddha has the heart to save you, why do you insist on choosing the path to hell?”

At this point, Wei Zhi realized that Master Honglian was not a good person. He pointed at Honglian and said, “So you are a member of a cult, specifically coming here to befriend me. Is it true that you want to seize the wealth of the Wei family?”

Honglian smiled slightly and said, “Don’t use such harsh words as ‘seeking gain.’ My teaching is at a crucial moment of expansion and needs some funds to succeed. Once the goals are achieved in the future, I will repay you. This is called borrowing, not seeking gain.”

Wei Zhi heard him speak shamelessly and suddenly laughed loudly at the sky. This laughter was mixed with resentment, containing not a trace of joy. After a few dry laughs, he suddenly said with a blank expression, “Since I already know about this matter, and with the great hero Zhu Que here, what else do you expect?”

Wei Zhi clapped his hands, and more than a dozen disciples from the Iron Fist Sect surged into the courtyard behind him. With so many people arriving, the momentum instantly grew much stronger.

Wei Zhi said, “Since you are from a cult, my Iron Fist Sect naturally cannot coexist with you. Let’s see how you would forcefully take away the Wei family’s assets.”

Before the words were finished, Master Honglian suddenly raised both hands, and two hidden weapons flew toward the Iron Fist Sect. Zhu Que wanted to stop them, but was too late. Wei Zhi saw the hidden weapons coming fiercely and did not dare to reach out to catch them. After a quick dodge, the two disciples of the Iron Fist Sect behind him were hit by the hidden weapons; they could only shout once before collapsing to the ground, lifeless.

The hidden weapons were also laced with poison, and the toxicity was severe.

Wei Zhi was filled with a mix of shock and anger. Just as he was about to lunge forward to confront him, Zhu Que had already started fighting with Honglian.

The two exchanged blows with incredible speed, and Honglian had no time to use his hidden weapons. He had heard the elders mention Zhu Que’s martial arts and was confident he could match him, but little did he know that Zhu Que had inherited half of the power from each of the Four Immortals of Penglai and was no longer the same as before.

Every punch and palm strike from Zhu Que made Honglian silently cry out in pain. Zhu Que’s fists and feet were imbued with immense internal power. Honglian was self-aware enough to know he was no match for Zhu Que. He thought back to their last encounter in the underground lair, where Zhu Que fought with all his might but was ultimately knocked to the ground, his joints shattered, leaving him with no hope of survival—this was no pretense.

But how did Zhu Que’s strength increase significantly in just this short month during this confrontation?

He couldn’t understand and wanted to stop right there and escape as far away as possible.

But he suddenly realized that he seemed to be stuck by Zhu Que’s inner strength, unable to escape, like a fish that accidentally fell into porridge and lost its agility in the water.

It turned out that Zhu Que had long known how powerful his Void-Splitting Palm was. In their fight, fearing he might unleash some vicious techniques, he used all his strength to restrain him.

Honglian’s hands and feet became incredibly heavy, his movements slowed down, and finally, under the heavy blow from Zhu Que, he fainted.

When Honglian woke up, he was tied to a chair, facing Zhu Que and Wei Zhi, among others. Honglian felt excruciating pain in his limbs and, in horror, looked down to discover that the tendons in his hands and feet had been severed.

Honglian cried in pain and shock, “You, you are so cruel!”

Wei Zhi himself did this; this action not only avenged the deep grudge he held for plotting against his family business but also prevented him from suddenly breaking free from his restraints and violently harming others. This person possessed exceptional martial skills, so one had to act with caution.

Although Zhu Que felt that this action was too cruel, recalling the suffering he had endured, he ultimately did not stop it.

Wei Zhi listened to his words and sneered, “You truly are a thief shouting to catch a thief. What you have done to Hero Zhu and what you have plotted against the Wei family cannot be washed away even in death. Be grateful that I am leaving you a life to cling to.”

Honglian suddenly burst into laughter. In such a situation, to be able to laugh so joyfully was truly rare for such a fierce person. Honglian said, “You righteous people, always talking about benevolence and morality, how are you any different from our evil cult? With your pretentious demeanor, you spare my life hoping to extract information about my cult from me, and you expect me to be grateful? How ridiculous! Ha ha, ha ha, you underestimate people too much. Go ahead, use whatever torture you have left.”

Hearing this, Wei Zhi realized that his scheme had been uncovered. He and Zhu Que were indeed planning to interrogate him about the cult. Wei Zhi, furious and embarrassed, threw a punch, causing Honglian to bleed from his mouth and nose, and he fainted.

The strength of the Iron Fist Sect’s leader was not to be underestimated; when Honglian took this punch, it felt as if a hammer had struck him.

Zhu Que wanted to stop it, but it was too late; fortunately, it didn’t kill Honglian.

Wei Zhi sent his disciples to fetch water, waking Honglian, preparing to continue questioning him.

Zhu Que took out the small iron ring found under the bed at Guanyin Temple and asked Honglian what it was. Honglian merely sneered and did not answer.

Zhu Que let out a quiet sigh as he walked out of the room, leaving the matter of torture and coercion to Wei Zhi and the others. If he could feel compassion even for his enemies, how could he possibly fight against the cunning and treacherous members of the evil cult?

As the sky grew darker and it was time for dinner, Wei Zhi came out to have dinner with Zhu Que. Zhu Que asked him, “Did you manage to find out any useful information?”

Wei Zhi shook his head and said, “This person is fierce and ruthless. I used several kinds of torture on him, and he fainted three times in the process, yet he didn’t utter a word about the matter of the Fragrance Cult.”

Zhu Que nodded and said, “Now that we know about the cult’s rebellion and their collusion with the fourth official of Kaicheng County, their plot is self-evident. I will return to Qingshui County tomorrow. If this fake monk refuses to confess anything, just send him to the authorities. The Fragrance Cult’s involvement in the rebellion will count as a merit for your Iron Fist Sect.”

Wei Zhi nodded and said, “There’s no other choice.”

Zhu Que said, “Be on your guard. Since the Fragrant Cult has set its sights on you, it’s not impossible for them to resort to deceitful means or even send someone to forcibly take you. If they are determined to do something rebellious, what wouldn’t they be willing to do to achieve their goals?”

Wei Zhi said resentfully, “You can rest assured about this. He might be able to deceive me, but now that I am on guard unless they can capture Qin’an County, they shouldn’t even think about taking a single penny from me.”

Zhu Que nodded. The Iron Fist Sect had been rooted here for a hundred years, thriving both in the government and among the green forest. If they were cautious, with their local power, it would indeed be difficult for outsiders to scheme against the Wei family.

The following day, as Zhu Que was preparing to leave, Wei Zhi came to see him off and said, “That scoundrel couldn’t withstand the punishment last night and has already severed his own meridians and died.”

Zhu Que recalled the evil deeds committed by Honglian, and it truly resonated with the saying, “Evil begets evil.” But what about the other cult members? That was what really gave him a headache.

Wei Zhi expressed his immense gratitude for Zhu Que’s assistance, personally escorting Zhu Que out of the city for more than ten miles before returning.