Chapter 675: Divergence
Editor: Atlas Studios
The chaotic courtyard immediately became orderly. The entire courtyard quietened down and the aura changed. Due to the darkness, there were people who believed that these servants were a group of guards.
Mu Yangling got someone to bring Eggy and the other two children to the maidservants behind them. Only then did she look at the array below and say, “A general and a soldier can form an army. Without a general, even if there are ten thousand soldiers, they are just soldiers without any combat strength. I, Mu Yangling, don’t claim to be a great general. However, I do have the ability to command you guys to guard a courtyard. If you listen to my orders, I dare to guarantee that the defense of this courtyard won’t be broken. In the end, there will be people who will leave this place alive. But, if you don’t listen to my orders, I’m afraid no one in this courtyard, including me and the little prince, will be able to escape.”
“I’m willing to serve Your Highness!” The people in the courtyard knelt on the ground.
With a smile, Mu Yangling said, “As long as we can survive the crisis tonight, I’ll remember those who fought today, whether they make it out alive or not. Those who get killed will be given a grand burial and their families will be raised by the Prince’s estate. If they perform well and survive, I’ll grant them a bright future, regardless of gender.”
Everyone’s hearts burned, and their eyes lit up as they stared at Mu Yangling with bright eyes.
Mu Yangling instructed, “Now, everyone, listen up. Set up traps and form a formation. Once anyone rushes in, kill them without mercy!”
She looked at them seriously and shouted, “Since someone wants to take our lives, how should we deal with them?”
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone’s hearts were filled with anger. They clenched the clubs in their hands and roared, “Kill! Kill! Kill!”
Their voices resounded through the clouds and reached the ears of the others from White Cloud Temple and Cleansing Water Nunnery, shocking those who were watching secretly.
In the White Cloud Temple, Abbot Jie Kong kept spinning the prayer beads in his hand. When he heard the faint roar, the prayer beads in his hand involuntarily moved. His originally closed eyes couldn’t help but open and roll around. He couldn’t stop himself from saying, “Abbot Senior Brother, this can’t go on. Once Prince Rong’s family members meet with misfortune on White Cloud Mountain, I’m afraid we and the Cleansing Water Nunnery won’t be able to escape responsibility. Furthermore, the commotion is so huge now. Prince Rong is famous for doting on his wife and child. When the time comes, all our monks and nuns—nearly 1,000 of them—will die.”
The prayer beads in Jie Kong’s hand stopped spinning and he remained silent.
Anxious, Jie Mo stomped his feet and said, “Abbot Senior Brother, you must make a decision. Our White Cloud Temple has been established for 200 years. We can’t let it be destroyed overnight.”
Jie Kong closed his eyes and said, “You’re wrong. Our White Cloud Temple has been established for 500 years.”
“Senior Brother.” With an ugly expression, Jie Mo stomped his feet and said, “Dali and Great Qi are two different countries. We are now at Qiannan’s White Cloud Temple, not Dali’s White Cloud Temple. Moreover, the guests they sent over are not devotees of their White Cloud Temple. The South Stream White Cloud Temple needs to support the High Sage Temple, but our Qiannan’s White Cloud Temple doesn’t!”
“Jie Mo.” Clearly displeased, Jie Kong looked at him and thought to himself, ‘We can’t make the decision in this matter. We have to discuss it with the two Uncle-Masters.”
Jie Mo’s expression turned ugly. “Then tell the martial monks to stop first. Otherwise, if they hurt the women in Prince Rong’s estate, everything will be irreversible.”
Jie Kong said calmly, “You’re underestimating the people from the Prince’s estate. They were the ones who roared just now. It’s obvious that they still have strength left.”
Jie Kong got up and walked to the backyard, while Jie Mo followed behind him with an ugly expression.
Master Liao Wu and Master Liao Ji were already sitting upright in the meditation room. When they saw the two of them enter, they raised their eyebrows and glanced at them as they asked, “What’s going on outside? Why do I seem to hear shouting?”
Although the two of them were the most senior in the White Cloud Temple, they had long disregarded the mundane affairs of the temple. When they heard the commotion outside, they thought that someone in Qiannan had rebelled. However, the White Cloud Temple was not on the main transportation route and was located at the peak of White Cloud Mountain. Its location was not conducive to stationing troops. In the past 200 years, no matter how many war disasters there were, they had never been affected. Why would anyone make an unnecessary move to attack the mountain now?
Jie Mo’s tongue was bitter as he looked at Jie Kong.
Jie Kong paused for a moment and handed the document to Master Liao Ji. He lowered his head and said, “She’s now at Cleansing Water Nunnery, but for some reason, she was discovered by Prince Rong’s estate and the two sides started fighting.”
Liao Ji couldn’t help but slap the table. “Nonsense. Hurry up and tell them to stop. Are you trying to destroy White Cloud Temple’s hundreds of years of foundation?”
Meanwhile, Abbess Jing Xin of Cleansing Water Nunnery was also trying to persuade Abbess Yuan Fang. “Aunt-Master, let’s stop quickly. Prince Rong’s estate has released a messenger pigeon. If something happens to Her Highness and the little heir in our Cleansing Water Nunnery, our nunnery will be doomed.”
Abbess Yuan Fang could not help but speed up the plucking of the prayer beads. With her eyes lowered, she remained silent. Abbess Jing Xin’s expression changed a few times as she turned around and said, “Since you can’t make up your mind, as an abbess of Cleansing Water Nunnery, I can’t stand by and watch something happen to our nunnery.”
“Do you think that the Cleansing Water Nunnery can be saved by telling the truth?” Yuan Fang said in an obscure tone, “Hide a royal member of the enemy country? This is a capital offense.”
Jing Xin straightened her back and said, “Although it’s a capital crime, I will bear it alone. It’s better than dragging the entire Cleansing Water Nunnery down. Besides, Buddha is benevolent, and Princess Consort Rong, the young heir, and their servants are innocent. Let’s reduce the number of sins we commit.”
Yuan Fang flew into a rage. “Do I need you to teach me? How innocent can Princess Consort Rong be? If she hadn’t sent someone to visit the east courtyard at night, none of this would have happened.”
“Aunt-Master!” Jing Xin didn’t expect Yuan Fang to be so biased. With tears in her eyes, she said, “Seeing as you’ve been studying Buddhism for many years, I thought that you had improved. I didn’t expect you to still be like this. Princess Consort Rong did ask someone to investigate the east courtyard, but we could’ve avoided this conflict. If it weren’t for the secret guards of the east courtyard taking action without permission and leaving no room for negotiation, how would things have ended up like this?”
Actually, even until now, Jing Xin still didn’t understand why those secret guards attacked. Those people were hiding in a secret room. In the dark night, considering the guards of the Prince’s estate didn’t dare to make a huge commotion, the hidden people definitely wouldn’t be discovered. This calamity clearly could have been avoided.
Having made up her mind, Jing Xin pushed open the door and was about to leave. Yuan Fang wanted to stop her, but she was grabbed by a few martial nuns beside Jing Xin. Only then did it dawn on Yuan Fang that the Cleansing Water Nunnery had been controlled by Jing Xin without her realizing it. She could not help but panic, but Jing Xin had already gone to instruct all the martial nuns to stop.
The martial monks from the White Cloud Temple who came to help could not help but stop. Although the White Cloud Temple and Cleansing Water Nunnery were a temple and a nunnery, they had actually been helping each other. They were not familiar with those hidden men in black. Therefore, when Jing Xin shouted for them to stop, they stopped what they were doing. Seeing that the people from Prince’s estate had shrewdly gone past them to surround the men in black, they could not help but take three steps back and be on guard.
A woman who was surrounded by the men in black shouted, “Jing Xin, what’s the meaning of this? How dare you disobey my master!”
After reciting a Buddhist proclamation, she said, “Benefactor, rather than fighting to the death, why don’t we sit down and have a good talk? Princess Consort Rong is kind-hearted and might not pursue the matter.”
When Jing Xin tried to persuade everyone to stop fighting, Liao Ji had already rushed over with Jie Kong and Jie Mo. Upon reaching the door, they were immediately taken down by the guards of the Prince’s estate.
Qi San cupped his hands and said, “Sorry for offending you, Master.” When he got someone to place a knife against the four people’s necks, they remained calm and composed. With a benevolent look in his eyes, Liao Wu said with a smile, “Benefactor, please lead us to see Abbess Jing Xin. I am willing to persuade her.”
Chapter end
