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

Zhu Que left Guanyin Temple and quietly turned to the back courtyard, climbing over the wall to enter again. He didn’t know why he was doing this; he just had a vague feeling that something was amiss, though he couldn’t pinpoint it. He only felt that the abbot’s words seemed to conceal something.

After seeing this person, whether it is Tang Yingying or Su Xiaoyue, wouldn’t the abbot’s explanation become like the mortise and tenon joint fitting perfectly together? 

It was precisely because it was too reasonable yet bizarre that it felt wrong. Moreover, the abbot said Master Honglian probably wouldn’t know martial arts, as if he were hiding something.

When Zhu Que arrived outside the abbot’s room, he suddenly realized that even if what the abbot said was not a lie, the abbot must have deceived him somehow. The abbot’s explanation was subtle and clear, and nothing was shameful. But why did the abbot have to secretly seek him out in the dead of night to confide? Zhu Que couldn’t make sense of it.

The light in the abbot’s room had yet to go out. Zhu Que saw a large tree behind the abbot’s room and stealthily climbed up, quietly hiding among the branches.

Hiding in the tree branches, Zhu Que finally calmed down to think. If what the abbot said was a lie, then he must have his motives. What could his motives be?

The abbot’s room was utterly silent from a distance until the sky began to lighten. The oil in the lamp inside gradually burned out, extinguishing the light.

Zhu Que suddenly realized that no one was in the room, which was why no one had blown out the oil lamp.

He immediately jumped down from the tree, opened the door, and found no one in the front area. He turned around the screen and went to the back bedroom. There was only a bed and a table. The bed was covered with a quilt, which was bulging, suggesting that someone was underneath it, but there was no reaction to Zhu Que’s arrival.

Zhu Que pulled back the blanket and found a person underneath—it was the abbot, sleeping with his face turned inwards. Zhu Que turned his body over and noticed that this abbot looked slightly different from the one he met earlier. It would have been hard to tell if it weren’t for being so close. Zhu Que reached out to check under his nose and felt breath; it seemed someone had put him into a deep sleep.

Zhu Que realized that the abbot he met earlier was an imposter, clearing his suspicions.

He doubted that while he was talking to the fake abbot, the real abbot was already lying inside.

But why would the other party go to such great lengths to deceive him? He initially had no suspicions, but the other party was worried that he might uncover the truth, so they engaged in such a counterproductive act.

That evening, was the abbot who invited him over truly the real abbot or the fake one? Zhu Que was confused, and it seemed there would be no resolution unless he asked the abbot in front of him.

He reached out to unlock the abbot’s acupoints, waking him up. The old abbot, startled from his dreams, was surprised to find a young man standing at the foot of his bed. If it weren’t for his profound skills, he might have fainted from shock.

Zhu Que and the abbot sat down in the front area. Zhu Que asked the abbot about the invitation from the previous evening, to which the abbot, puzzled, replied, “Why would I ask you to come over in the middle of the night?”

Zhu Que realized that the abbot who returned the courtesy was the fake one, but why hadn’t the little monk noticed? It was likely because the abbot was usually strict, and others dared not look at him disrespectfully. Moreover, the disguise of the fake abbot was truly clever, so no one noticed for the time being.

Zhu Que asked about Master Honglian, and the abbot said, “This man is a demon. He subdued me with his martial arts and forced me to promote his evil teachings. I did not wish to comply, but he said that if I did not agree within a day, he would kill one person from my temple, and if I did not agree within ten days, he would kill ten. I dared not go against his wishes and had no choice but to let him do as he pleased. Fortunately, he has not committed any other atrocities yet.”

Zhu Que said, “Last night, you were hit on the sleep acupoint. Was it also done by Honglian?”

The abbot said, “Since yesterday afternoon, he has restrained me, and I wonder why no one in the temple has noticed?”

Zhu Que replied, “That’s because he impersonated you, so no one noticed.”

The abbot nodded and said, “Although this person is cruel, his skills are truly remarkable. I have also practiced some martial arts for strengthening the body, but in his eyes, they are merely the tricks of a novice, not worth a laugh.”

Zhu Que said, “This person is even better at deception; I also almost fell for his tricks. He invited me to come at midnight, and the oil lamp was deliberately dimmed to prevent me from noticing any issues.”

The abbot said, “Although I do not know his background, after more than a year of interaction, I can somewhat guess. I suspect this Honglian is a member of the Fragrance Cult. He has come here, partly to search for someone and partly to recruit followers to strengthen the power of this evil cult.”

Zhu Que asked curiously, “Isn’t the Fragrance Cult practicing Taoism? Why are they causing trouble under the name of Buddhism?”

The abbot said, “The Fragrance Cult is a heretical cult, a cult that seeks to rebel; it has nothing to do with Taoism or Buddhism.”

Zhu Que then understood and asked the abbot, “Where should I go to find them? I hope the abbot can point me in the right direction.”

The abbot said, “I’ve heard that the Fragrance Cult doesn’t have a fixed gathering place. They are highly regarded among the people and can hide in anyone’s home, so I, an old monk, do not know where they are.”

Zhu Que recalled Zhuang Yuxie, still waiting at home, and said, “In that case, I will take my leave first. I will come to revisit the abbot when I have time.”

When Zhu Que arrived at the Zhuang manor, he found that Zhuang Yuxie was not home but had left him a note that read: “I went to find Tang Yingying, don’t wait for me.”

This was truly unexpected for him, but the note indicated that Zhuang Yuxie went to find Tang Yingying, so it was clear that it was not Tang Yingying herself who had come.

He came here specifically for Zhuang Yuxie, but now that Zhuang is away, he truly needs to figure out where to go or what to do. Moreover, the entire situation was filled with oddities: the missing Tang Yingying, not to mention a person who looks exactly like her, the mysterious figure impersonating the abbot of Guanyin Temple, and no conclusion regarding who Zhuang Yuxie went with.

Is Zhu Que just going to give up and leave like this?