Twin Sun Mountain.
The plaque of the "Hall of Righteousness" gleamed golden under the sunlight.
Inside the hall sat two monks.
One was a white-robed monk with delicate features, appearing to be around sixteen or seventeen years old, his complexion fair. What drew the most attention, however, were the twelve ordination scars on his head.
Anyone with some knowledge of Buddhism would understand what the twelve ordination scars represented.
Twelve scars, also known as the Bodhisattva Precepts, symbolized a high status within the Buddhist tradition.
Beside the young monk sat another man with a round face, large ears, and a burly, imposing figure broad-shouldered and thick-waisted. His open robe revealed a thick mat of chest hair.
"Junior Brother, care for a drink?" the burly monk asked.
"Senior Brother, you've broken the precepts!" the young monk replied with a smile, shaking his head.
"Ah! Haven't you heard the saying, Junior Brother? 'Wine and meat pass through the gut, but the Buddha remains in the heart.' If the Buddha is in your heart, he is everywhere!" With that, he lifted a wine jar and took a hearty swig, the liquor spilling down his cheeks and onto his exposed chest.
Yet the young white-robed monk showed no anger at the sight, only a faint smile.
The man before him was not family, but he was closer than family.
In this world, he had only this one person left.
He was long accustomed to the burly monk's behavior.
Back at the Vajra Temple, when the burly monk had taken care of him, he had already broken the precept against alcohol.
The reason he'd been expelled from the Vajra Temple was because the abbot had caught him drinking.
"Senior Brother, pass it here," the young white-robed monk said, extending his right hand.
"Junior Brother, you?" The burly monk looked surprised.
"Didn't Senior Brother just say?" The young monk chuckled. "'Wine and meat pass through the gut, but the Buddha remains in the heart!'"
"No, no, no!!" The burly monk clutched the wine jar tightly, shaking his head vigorously, droplets of wine flying off his face and landing on the young monk's white robe.
He then said guiltily, "I was just joking with you, Junior Brother! You mustn't follow my example. You are the hope of the Vajra Temple, destined to lead it to become the number one sect in the world."
"Number one sect in the world? I have no such ambition," the young monk replied indifferently.
"Junior Brother, your identity means this responsibility falls on you," the burly monk said, sighing as he looked at his former junior brother.
He never could have imagined that the little beggar he'd picked up out of pity would turn out to be the so-called reincarnation of the Buddha.
Now ordained with the Bodhisattva Precepts and bearing twelve scars, every time he thought about it, it felt unreal.
"Junior Brother, both you and that other guy are called the reincarnation of the Buddha by the temple. Which of you is the real one?"
"I don't know," the white-robed young monk said, unconcerned.
"Junior Brother, do you believe your past life was the Buddha's reincarnation? Does such a thing even exist?" the burly monk pressed.
"Believe, and it exists; doubt, and it does not," the young monk replied, forming a mudra with a faint smile.
"I hate all this mystical talk!" the burly monk grumbled in frustration.
Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door.
The two looked up to see a scruffy-haired bandit in cloth shoes rushing in, gripping a golden-hilted broadsword.
"What's the matter? Didn't I say not to disturb me?" The burly monk frowned, his expression turning fierce like an angry guardian deity.
His towering frame, rough features, and broad shoulders naturally exuded an intimidating presence.
Seeing their king's anger, the bandit nearly burst into tears.
"Boss, there's a merchant caravan at the foot of the mountain! We've been starving all winter it's time to get to work!"
"A merchant caravan?" The burly monk immediately stood up, his massive frame resembling a standing grizzly bear.
"Junior Brother, wait here for me, alright? My men below haven't eaten properly in days. It's time to do some work."
"Wait!" The white-robed young monk rose to his feet. "Senior Brother, I'll go with you."
"Fine." The burly monk glanced at his former junior brother and nodded heavily.
After leaving the stronghold, the white-robed young monk walked barefoot through the thorny, overgrown mountain paths as effortlessly as if strolling on flat ground.
"Junior Brother," the burly monk suddenly spoke.
"What is it?" The young monk turned to look.
"Were you suspecting that I've broken the precept against killing?"
"I had my doubts at first, but then I thought it unlikely," the young monk replied with a smile.
"Your initial suspicion was correct."
"Correct?" The young monk paused, stopping in his tracks.
"Some people deserve to die. Killing one can save a hundred, a thousand. Tell me, Junior Brother should they die or not?" The burly monk's expression grew eerily calm.
The Vajra Temple had many rules, and abstaining from killing was one of them second only to the prohibition against lust in severity.
"Senior Brother..." The white-robed young monk murmured as he watched his senior brother's retreating figure.
A moment later...
He followed again with a complicated expression.
"Junior Brother, why are you following me again?"
"I trust in Senior Brother's character!" the young white-robed monk replied calmly.
Then he added, "Senior Brother, were all the people you killed truly deserving of death?"
"By the laws of Great Xia, many of their crimes would not warrant execution! But in my eyes, they deserved to die!" The burly monk continued walking as he spoke. "Take, for example, a serial rapist who violated the chastity of over twenty innocent women."
"Under Great Xia's laws, he would face no more than twenty years of imprisonment."
"But in my eyes, he was no different from having murdered over twenty young women."
"And what about those child traffickers? How are they any different from murderers?"
Meanwhile.
After resting, the merchant caravan entered the territory of Twin Sun Mountain.
Twin Sun Mountain consisted of two rolling peaks, with the valley between them serving as the official road to Dongling City.
This was the easiest and shortest route.
If they chose another path, they would have to detour around Twin Sun Mountain, making the journey far more difficult.
A year ago, even if the alternative route was troublesome, many caravans would still choose to take it.
Back then, Twin Sun Mountain was controlled by the Shuangfeng Bandits, who extorted tolls from passing travelers.
If that were all, the caravans might not have avoided the mountain.
The main reason was that the Shuangfeng Bandits didn't follow any rules when they saw even slightly attractive women in a caravan, their lust would drive them to seize them by force.
Even a minor verbal conflict could lead to bloodshed.
Gradually, passing caravans began avoiding the area like the plague. Even though this was an official road, no one dared to travel through Twin Sun Mountain.
But starting last year, the situation improved.
Because Twin Sun Mountain had a new master.
An expelled outer disciple of the Vajra Temple swept away the former Shuangfeng Bandits, claimed the mountain as his own, and became its new bandit king.
Though the tolls demanded by this expelled Vajra Temple disciple were slightly higher, he was strict about following rules.
As long as travelers paid the toll honestly, they were allowed to pass.
This gave merchant caravans the confidence to take this official road again.
After entering Twin Sun Mountain,
Jiang Ning moved to the driver's seat of his elder brother and sister-in-law's carriage.
This was the territory of a notorious bandit.
No one knew if arrows might suddenly fly from the forest.
So, to be cautious, he first positioned himself in the driver's seat of his family's carriage, steering the horses forward at a steady pace.
Not long after entering Twin Sun Mountain, he spotted several pairs of eyes watching from the dense thickets on either side of the slope.
Those eyes belonged to the bandits' lookouts.
After a glance, Jiang Ning felt a faint surprise.
These bandits were different from the ones he had seen before.
They all bore traces of martial training.
"No wonder the caravans ahead treated Twin Sun Mountain with such seriousness," he mused to himself.
From the martial traces of these bandits, he could tell that the expelled Vajra Temple disciple was no ordinary figure.
Because martial training wasn't simple it wasn't just about practicing a few crude techniques.
It required tempering one's qi and blood, and the body needed heavy nourishment.
Ordinary families struggled just to eat their fill, let alone practice martial arts.
As for those who turned to banditry, most were refugees or starving peasants worse off than ordinary families.
The romanticized tales of "drinking heartily and feasting on meat" were just that romanticized.
For ordinary bandits, simply having enough to eat and wear was a dream life.
Yet here on Twin Sun Mountain, these ordinary outlaws showed signs of martial training.
That implied a significant expenditure of resources.
A moment later.
Flap, flap
A flock of partridges suddenly took flight from the distant forest.
"Halt!"
A loud, commanding voice rang out from the front.
From the robust, resonant tone, it was clear the speaker was no ordinary man.
Jiang Ning had learned a bit about this man from his earlier conversations with the caravan's Manager Liu.
He was a chief escort surnamed Jin from the Tiger Prestige Escort Agency, a seventh-grade tendon-refining expert.
He had been specially hired by the caravan to ensure their safety.
At Chief Escort Jin's command, a chorus of "Whoa!" rose from the caravan as horses were reined in.
In just moments, the entire caravan came to a stop.
At the front, Chief Escort Jin clenched his fists slightly, easing the tension in his heart.
Twin Sun Mountain was his first visit in recent years.
So whether the rumors about Twin Sun Mountain were true, whether the expelled Vajra Temple disciple would keep his word he had no real certainty.
After all, someone expelled from the temple must have violated its rules.
So, he was extremely nervous.
Even though he already knew that the expelled Vajra Temple disciple was, like him, a seventh-grade martial artist, his tension didn't lessen in the slightest.
He knew his limits.
Even among those of the same grade, the gap in strength could be vast.
Especially between a self-taught fighter like him and a monk trained in the Vajra Temple the difference in power was like a chasm.
An outer disciple of the temple would have learned martial techniques from the Vajra School itself, along with guidance from the temple's monks.
Their strength was on a completely different level from his.
Not to mention, he was now growing older, his qi and blood gradually declining, far from his peak condition.
Just then
A commotion rose from both sides of the road, growing louder, like a tiger charging down the mountain.
"They're coming!" Chief Escort Jin warned the escort guards behind him.
The guards immediately fixed their eyes on the slope to the right of Twin Sun Mountain.
The next moment
A figure suddenly leaped out from the dense forest, dropping from a steep ten-meter-high slope.
His massive frame in midair resembled a brown bear plummeting from above.
BOOM!
His feet hit the ground, shaking the earth and kicking up a cloud of dust.
Chief Escort Jin felt the faint tremor beneath his feet, his expression growing even graver.
Standing over two meters tall with a waist as thick as a barrel, this physique alone gave the monk an overwhelming advantage in combat.
Just one look at him, and Chief Escort Jin knew he stood no chance.
With a build like that, even if the monk were just a self-taught fighter like him, his sheer natural advantage would let him dominate most opponents of the same grade.
Meanwhile
The appearance of this monk also drew Jiang Ning's attention.
Such a physique was rare.
At least, he had never seen anyone like this in Luoshui County.
The monk stood between 2.2 and 2.3 meters tall.
His arms were thicker than an ordinary man's thighs.
This kind of broad-shouldered, bear-like build was naturally suited for martial arts.
At the same grade, such fighters were inherently stronger than ordinary martial artists.
As soon as the monk marked by two ordination scars on his scalp appeared,
a group of figures rushed out from the woods behind him, all brandishing gleaming weapons.
"Do you know the rules of Twin Sun Mountain?" the towering monk asked gruffly.
"Tiger Prestige Escort Agency, Jin Mingcheng!" Chief Escort Jin announced his name.
"Spare me the formalities!" The burly monk waved a hand impatiently. "If you want to pass, it's simple just pay the toll!"
Hearing this, Chief Escort Jin's expression darkened slightly.
Even knowing this monk was from the Vajra Temple, he couldn't help but feel displeased.
Usually, when traveling through Dongling Prefecture, just mentioning his affiliation would earn him some respect at any mountain stronghold.
After all, the owner of the Tiger Prestige Escort Agency was a renowned expert in Dongling Prefecture, a fifth-grade martial artist who had broken through years ago.
Jiang Ning, standing in the driver's seat of the carriage, silently observed the scene.
Just then
A woman's voice spoke up from behind Chief Escort Jin.
"Chief Escort Jin, since we're in Master Xu's territory, I'm willing to follow his rules."
The voice drew everyone's attention. A woman with a graceful figure her face veiled, making her age unclear stepped out from a carriage.
"You know me, little lady?" the burly monk asked.
"Of course, I've heard of Master Xu's heroic deeds," the woman replied. "Punching to death Xiao Baiwan of Chenliu County, slaying the infamous 'One Blossom' who terrorized two prefectures and ruined countless innocent women right in the streets."
"Master Xu's righteous hatred of evil is something I deeply admire!"
Hearing this, the monk's expression softened slightly.
"You've got a sharp eye, little lady. But flattery won't get you anywhere you still gotta pay up!"
"I understand. I've heard Master Xu charges based on the number of people and carriages. Would five hundred taels cover my group?"
"Well now, didn't expect you to be so generous!" The monk nodded. "Fine, five hundred taels it is!"
"Master Xu, might I ask if you'd consider joining the Su family as a guest elder?"
"Don't waste your breath!" The monk waved her off dismissively.
"My apologies for overstepping." Her voice carried sincere regret.
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