Chapter 74: The Fallen Monk Huaixin

The corpse of the old man in the black robe looked as if it had been torn apart by some primordial beast. There was absolutely no sense of beauty to it.

Still, Bai Hongtu breathed a quiet sigh of relief in his heart. That elder’s strength had been truly terrifying. He exchanged a glance with Li Yanchu, and the two men smiled knowingly.

Without needing a word, Bai Hongtu cast a stream of fire over the black-robed elder’s remains, reducing them to ashes. Clearly, he was very practiced at this sort of thing. After the black-robed elder’s death, the towering resentment that had engulfed the Feng residence suddenly vanished.

From somewhere deep within the compound, a brilliant golden light erupted. Then came a sharp

crack

, as if something had shattered. From that direction, a vast and imposing aura rippled outward.

A moment later, a tall and imposing middle-aged monk, radiating a fierce aura, charged over with a monk’s staff in hand.

***

The explosion at the Feng residence had sparked a fire, but it was quickly brought under control. Earlier, the main issue had been the overwhelming vengeful qi, which caused anyone entering to be trapped in ghost mazes.

Now that the black-robed elder had been slain by Li Yanchu, that structure of resentment had been broken, and both the rescue effort and firefighting progressed smoothly.

Master Huizhen from Lingxi Temple also joined in the rescue efforts. He had previously been trapped by the black-robed elder, and it was he who wounded the elder in the first place.

After a long night of chaos, dawn finally began to break. Li Yanchu invited Master Huizhen to sit and rest at the Taiping Inn, and Bai Hongtu followed along.

Master Huizhen was tall and imposing, with a sharp, piercing gaze. He looked to be around forty years old, and did not resemble a typical Buddhist monk devoted to quiet meditation. Rather, he looked like a martial monk, a guardian of the Dharma.

“Master Huizhen, do you know who that black-robed elder was last night?” Li Yanchu asked.

Master Huizhen shook his head. “I don’t. My junior brother, Huaixin, came to Wei City at the invitation of a friend. I came here specifically to investigate his untimely death in a foreign land.”

Huaixin..

. Li Yanchu frowned.

“That monk found dead in the mountains, was he your junior brother?”

Master Huizhen nodded. “Indeed. Though my junior brother’s cultivation was modest, no ordinary beast could have harmed him. His death was extremely suspicious.”

Li Yanchu and Bai Hongtu exchanged glances. They hadn’t expected that this master had come specifically to investigate the death of the monk, Huaixin.

A faint unease stirred in Li Yanchu’s heart, not because of Master Huizhen himself, but because of the sudden appearance of numerous unfamiliar experts in Wei City. From both righteous and demonic paths, all kinds of powers seemed to be emerging from the shadows.

After a few more casual exchanges, Master Huizhen took his leave.

Watching the monk’s retreating figure, Li Yanchu murmured, “That master carries a powerful presence.”

Bai Hongtu nodded. “If you hadn’t invited him to sit and talk, I wouldn’t have wanted to deal with him at all.”

Li Yanchu raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

Bai Hongtu replied nonchalantly, “When I was a kid, a fortune teller once warned me to stay away from monks.”

Hearing this, Li Yanchu frowned. “That’s it? That’s your whole reason?”

Bai Hongtu answered matter-of-factly, “What else would it be? You think I saw through some grand illusion and realized this master hides sinister intentions beneath a facade of Dharma?”

“...” Li Yanchu.

Chief Constable Wang from the county office arrived shortly after, grinning from ear to ear. “I have some excellent news. Last night, no one in Wei City died because of the blood money.”

So it was resolved just like that?

Li Yanchu gave a slight nod. “Last night, I killed a demonic entity that tried to deceive me. After that, the blood money in my room returned to normal. But I’m not certain whether the thing behind it was truly destroyed.”

Chief Constable Wang was momentarily stunned, then his eyes filled with admiration. So not only had Daoist Master Yanchu saved lives and exorcized evil last night, he had also fought the source behind the blood money in advance.

Bai Hongtu frowned. “Wait, this happened? Why didn’t you mention it earlier?”

Li Yanchu gave him a meaningful look. “Last night, the evil spirit took on your appearance to tempt me. I killed it with one strike.”

Bai Hongtu’s eyes widened instantly. “Hey! Next time something like that happens, you’d better think twice! What if it’s a trick within a trick, and you really end up killing me!?”

Li Yanchu thought for a moment. “I’ll burn you a few paper figurines, slim and curvy ones, to keep you company in the afterlife?”

“...You’re a real friend,” Bai Hongtu muttered, the corner of his mouth twitching.

Li Yanchu took it as a compliment and turned to Head Constable Wang.

“The best-case scenario is that the thing behind the blood money was completely destroyed last night. A lesser possibility is that it was badly wounded and won’t show itself again for a while. Worst case, it’ll come back soon.”

Ah...

Constable Wang’s mouth fell open, and a trace of worry appeared on his face.

Just then, Bai Hongtu spoke quietly, “Have you considered that this could be another way the blood money claims lives...? Someone died last night, and a lot of people died at the Feng residence.”

A cold shiver ran down Head Constable Wang’s spine as he swallowed with difficulty. “If that’s true... then whatever’s behind the blood money is even more sinister than we thought.”

Li Yanchu’s expression turned grave, and he let out a quiet sigh. “For now... there’s no good solution.”

Suddenly, a thought struck Li Yanchu. He asked, “Head Constable Wang, do you remember the monk, Huaixin, who was found dead in the mountains, supposedly killed by a wild beast? Which temple was he from, and what happened to his body?”

Head Constable Wang was briefly taken aback. After thinking for a moment, he replied, “I remember. His monk registration said he was from Lingxi Temple. We already sent word to them, and they came to claim the body.”

Li Yanchu followed up, “And the letter?”

Head Constable Wang explained, “That was the personal belonging of Master Huaixin[1], and it was returned to Lingxi Temple along with everything else.”

Li Yanchu gave a slight nod.

So it seemed that Master Huizhen must have seen Huaixin’s body, found it suspicious, and came to Wei City to investigate. Then, Li Yanchu shook his head and chuckled softly. He realized he’d been getting a bit too suspicious lately.

After Head Constable Wang left, Li Yanchu stretched out his hand and handed something to Bai Hongtu.

“Do you recognize this?”

Bai Hongtu looked over and saw a shard of jade resting in Li Yanchu’s palm. It was weathered and ancient, etched with intricate patterns.

He took it and examined it for a few moments, frowning. “Looks like a piece of old jade. Definitely has some age to it. But it’s broken... and that’s not exactly a good omen. Where’d you get this? Did someone sell it to you? Might’ve scammed you. Yanchu, if you’re short on money, just tell me. Don’t go bargain-hunting at street stalls. That market's like a deep, murky pool. You won’t swim in it, you’ll drown.”

Li Yanchu chuckled. “I didn’t buy it. Madam Feng gave it to me last night.”

“What?” Bai Hongtu said, displeased. “The Feng family has such a massive fortune, and they tried to fob you off with a broken piece of jade? How stingy can they be!”

Li Yanchu couldn’t help but chuckle. “Why is your mind always on money? Eldest Young Master Bai, aren’t you supposed to have no interest in wealth?”

Bai Hongtu replied seriously, “First of all, I’m actually the second eldest in the family. And second, it’s true I have no interest in money. I’m just worried

you

might get scammed.”

Li Yanchu nodded in agreement. “Second sons are great. Second sons are the most important, after all.”

Bai Hongtu shot him a suspicious look. Somehow, Li Yanchu’s expression seemed just a bit... off.

1. The name 怀信 combines 怀 ("to cherish" or "to embrace" or “to contain”) and 信 ("faith" or "trust" or “letter”), conveying a meaning like "cherishing faith" or "embracing trust." I think it’s likely that the author also meant for this name to mean “to contain a letter” in the literal sense, considering the situation. ☜