Chapter 337
Chapter 337
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 337
>Chapter Title: Abacus
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Inside the Buddha Bone Temple, Li Huowang took a deep breath in and out, forcefully suppressing the towering killing intent in his heart toward that mad monk Xinchi. He had never hated anyone's existence so much.
Following that mad monk Xinchi's instructions, he had personally killed a Sitting Oblivion Daoist. Yet this monk had casually tossed him a line about having made a mistake?
He knew that the Supervision Division could disregard human life like grass in order to complete their missions.
But Li Huowang could never have imagined such a thing happening to him. All because of him, he had personally killed an innocent living person!
Compared to Li Huowang's efforts at restraint, the monk nearby was clearly far more agitated, jumping up and down while crying.
“How can he do this! What right does he have to be a monk!! That was a human life!”
Infuriated, the monk rushed over and threw punches and kicks at the Xinchi with the wooden yoke around his neck. Yet every action of his simply passed straight through the man's body.
“What right do you have to shave your head bald!! You don't do good deeds, only evil ones—you're not fit to be a monk!”
Li Huowang stood up and moved toward the others. The way he now looked at that mad monk Xinchi had shifted from the previous trace of goodwill to utter loathing.
There had been a sliver of doubt before—as a member of the Buddhist sect, why was Xinchi locked up in the Yinling Prison? Now it seemed that locking him up was far too lenient.
Li Huowang understood that infighting couldn't happen in their current situation, or the Sitting Oblivion Daoists might catch them off guard like prey in a trap. Compared to the Sitting Oblivion Daoists, this monk who disregarded human life could be set aside for now. But still, he couldn't swallow this anger in his heart.
“How is it, Zen Master Xinchi? Was that person a Sitting Oblivion Daoist?” Hong Da the knife creditor was the first to speak up and ask.
“No, this poor monk made a mistake.” Xinchi's voice appeared in everyone's minds.
Hearing this, a trace of disdain appeared on Tuoba Danqing's face.
“Zen Master Xinchi, aren't you known as a high monk who possesses the six Buddhist supernormal powers? And you can still get it wrong? Our Lord Registrar has a million things to attend to every day—don't waste his precious time.”
No matter what the others said, the Registrar unusually ignored them. His facial features scrunched together as he scanned the entire grand hall, his plump, bejeweled fingers constantly tapping on the golden abacus in his hand.
Li Huowang keenly noticed this anomaly and quickly calmed his own emotions, staring intently at the white-faced eunuch before him.
“That abacus in his hand—can it identify the Sitting Oblivion Daoists? Then why bother bringing in the mad monk Xinchi at all?”
After searching for a while, the Registrar's tapping on the golden abacus suddenly stopped.
“Let's go, on to the next grand hall.”
His words shut everyone else up as they hurriedly followed.
When they arrived in the next Buddha hall enshrining sarira relics, the Registrar once again quickly worked the abacus.
It wasn't long before he spoke again.
“Let's go, not here either—next one!”
The Registrar's words set everyone in motion once more, preparing to head to the next location.
This time, they switched places extremely quickly, leaving Li Huowang somewhat doubtful: was the Registrar's method really foolproof, with no chance of any Sitting Oblivion Daoists slipping through the net?
But before they could leave the grand hall, a group of monks in kasaya robes, led by an elderly monk wearing a large kasaya, slowly surrounded them with discipline staffs at the ready, eyeing them menacingly.
“Hey! Where did these thieves come from! How dare you commit murder in our temple!”
The one-eyedbrow monk standing beside the old kasaya monk was the first to shout.
Li Huowang, hand gripping his sword hilt, immediately shot back,
“Who are you people?”
“Are you blind, thief? We're naturally the monks of this Buddha Bone Temple!”
Hearing the monks' words, everyone turned their gazes toward the tall and burly mad monk Xinchi—the only one present who could distinguish the Sitting Oblivion Daoists.
Seeing the mad monk Xinchi nod, the others finally breathed a slight sigh of relief.
The slick Tuoba Danqing immediately stepped forward and pulled a badge from his bosom.
“The Supervision Division is handling official business. All of you return to your quarters immediately—no one is to come out!”
Upon hearing this, the monks' expressions instantly turned extremely ugly. They all looked toward the old monk in the kasaya in unison.
The old monk pressed his palms together and chanted “Amitabha” before speaking.
“Honored agents, if I may be so bold as to ask—what matter brings you to our temple? These past few days, the Buddha Bone Temple has been perfectly peaceful, with no unusual occurrences whatsoever.”
“Of course you think it's peaceful, but beneath this so-called peace, your entire temple has been riddled like a sieve. Back to your quarters—come out again and don't blame us for showing no mercy!”
Hearing Tuoba Danqing's stern threat, the monks dispersed.
Just as the Registrar prepared to lead the others to the next location, Li Huowang's feet came to a stop.
“Everyone, don't you think something's off here? We've been in the Buddha Bone Temple for a while now—it's too normal.”
“The Sitting Oblivion Daoists are a bunch who thrive on chaos. To pull a prank, they'll even throw away their own lives. Anywhere they've been should never be this calm.”
“Don't guess wildly. The Supervision Division's scouts are smarter than you think. If they say there's a trace of Sitting Oblivion Daoists here, then there definitely is.”
Hearing Hong Da's words, Li Huowang shook his head.
“No, I'm not saying there are no Sitting Oblivion Daoists here. What I'm saying is that the Sitting Oblivion Daoists here aren't just pranking around—they infiltrated this place for some other purpose.”
Li Huowang had thought the Registrar would mull it over carefully, but instead, his brows furrowed.
“Do your job properly.” With that, he turned and headed toward another grand hall.
“What's going on?” Seeing this reaction, Li Huowang felt extremely puzzled. It was as if the Registrar already knew what the Sitting Oblivion Daoists were up to.
A flash of insight struck Li Huowang's mind. He quickly stepped forward to follow.
“In this mission, that old eunuch is definitely hiding something from me.”
The Sitting Oblivion Daoists hadn't even shown their faces yet, and Li Huowang already sensed something eerie about this whole affair.
“Thud~!” Li Huowang's ointment-coated boot stepped onto the clean, smooth marble floor. This time, he stopped scrutinizing the surrounding pilgrims and monks, instead focusing most of his attention on the Registrar.
After careful observation amid his doubts, Li Huowang indeed spotted something unusual.
If the Registrar's goal this time was to deal with the Sitting Oblivion Daoists, then no matter what, this eunuch should be targeting people.
Yet he kept staring at the beams and pillars inside the hall. The abacus in his hand never stopped, ceaselessly calculating something.
Could it be that the Registrar is looking for some object? Without knowing what his abilities are, it's really hard to guess. Li Huowang's mind raced with wild thoughts.
“Benefactor Er! Five steps to the left—kill!”
A thunderclap exploded suddenly in Li Huowang's ear.
The instant he heard this, “clang!”—Li Huowang's purple-tasseled sword slid halfway out of its sheath.
But looking at the woman kneeling on the prayer mat, devoutly worshiping the Buddha, he shoved the sword back into its sheath.