Faming, leading Wang Er and the others, entered the courtyard only to see a vast expanse filled with bodies lying haphazardly; all bore clear signs of slashes and stabs, and the blood had stained the ground red like the Ghostly Realm.
Wang Er, who had never witnessed such a bloody scene, immediately began to vomit one by one, but Faming remained composed, murmuring sutras under his breath, seemingly conducting rites for the dead souls.
A golden Buddha's Light shone from his body, carrying a compassionate and majestic aura that soothed the onlookers' fright and dissipated the chilling gloom that blanketed the area.
After a while, Faming opened his eyes and turned to leave.
"Master, you're leaving just like that?" Wang Er asked with concern as he followed behind, puzzled in his mind, thinking they had come to find clues, so why leave right after performing the rites.
"Since the truth is known, why not leave?" Faming said softly.
Wang Er was taken aback and then realized what Faming meant; merely performing the rites had somehow revealed the truth to the mage -- truly remarkable.
As they left the mansion's gate, they saw a few soldiers who asked curiously, "Mage, have you found anything?"
"Do you know where Black Tiger Stockade is?" Faming replied with an unrelated question.
"Black Tiger Stockade, it was them! I was wondering who else could have committed such a major crime besides them."
"Black Tiger Stockade is to the northwest of Baoxiang Kingdom, the terrain there is treacherous, and the bandits are notoriously brutal," the soldiers shared everything they knew.
Faming uttered a word of thanks and then headed towards the city outskirts.
"Hold on, Master, Black Tiger Stockade is easy to defend but hard to attack; the thieves there are fierce, and the authorities have been defeated by them several times during raids. It would be suicide to go now. Better to wait for the Imperial Army to mobilize," the soldier genuinely advised.
Faming smiled and said, "Amitabha Buddha, you are a kind person, and you will surely receive blessings in the future."
After saying this, an Auspicious cloud rose under Faming's feet, and he flew directly towards the northwest out of the city, causing the surrounding townsfolk to bow down in worship, chanting Buddha's name.
Wang Er just stared blankly in the direction Faming had gone, muttering to himself, "Oh my, Buddha himself has descended! It's over for me; I'm doomed to Hell for blasphemy in this lifetime."
No matter what the distraught Wang Er was thinking, Lin Fang, upon seeing Faming ascend on the cloud, cracked a slight smile, patted Little Fox on the head, and said, "We should also get going, otherwise that monk might chase after us."
"But where are we going?"
"To the place where you saw the Stupa," Lin Fang said with a gentle smile.
He fondled the Alms Bowl in his hand, feeling that this trip had been exceptionally rewarding. Although the bowl was not an extraordinary Magical Treasure, the hidden elements within were quite significant.
"I wondered why the Buddhist Sect was so eager to preach in the Great Tang Dynasty; it turns out they have already applied the Power of Faith to such an extent," Lin Fang muttered to himself.
The power of the Heavenly Court was still limited to crafting Divine spirits with the Incense Power, and because of the dominance of Immortals, this method of worship hadn't gained much traction.
Yet the Buddhist Sect had forged a new path, nurturing Treasures with the Power of Faith, which significantly increased the efficiency of utilizing the Power of Faith; this Alms Bowl was precisely their latest nurturing method.
Through it, Lin Fang was able to glimpse the Dharma Technique of the Buddhist Sect. It was just his luck that this method was new, and the treasure was probably among the first batch of experimental objects. This allowed Lin Fang a peek into its mysteries; in a few more years, it would have been much harder.
He took Little Fox and hid near Boyue Cave, cautiously concealing his presence, ready to delve deeply into the mystery of the Buddhist Sect's Artifact Refining.
Meanwhile, Faming had already arrived above Black Tiger Stockade. As soon as he neared it, he felt an overwhelming murderous aura, a testament to the viciousness of its inhabitants.
Faming descended from the cloud and walked slowly towards the fortress gate; vigilant thieves quickly spotted him, with bows and arrows already taking aim at him.
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"Which monastery are you from, monk? How dare you come to Black Tiger Stockade? Leave at once!" The bandit did not wish to kill a monk and simply told him to leave.
However, the commotion had already alerted their commander. He was a burly man with his upper body bared, revealing muscles covered with scars.
The awakened man stood up, shoving aside the bandit who had been shouting earlier and muttered, "Since he's looking for death, why stop him? I've been itching for action. Those few last night weren't enough for me to play with, and the boss wouldn't let me vent properly. Today, this monk comes knocking, and I'm going to thoroughly enjoy this."
He cracked his neck, and his face was twisted into an expression of brutality. The look of fear appeared on the faces of his surrounding cronies.
This fellow named Wang Feng had a nickname, Belly Ripper, known for his cruel nature and love for torture. Every few days he had to capture someone to slaughter to feel at ease.
At that moment, those guarding the gates of Black Tiger Stockade mourned in silence for this unlucky monk. Falling into the hands of Belly Ripper meant a fate where he could neither live nor die as he wished.
"You monk, did you come to Black Tiger Stockade to beg for alms?" Wang Feng asked with a big laugh.
"Amitabha Buddha, I have lost possession of an item, and I came here today to inquire about it," Faming said, composed.
"Oh, a bold monk indeed. Black Tiger Stockade has no dealings with you, nor would we have what you seek. And even if it were in our hands, it should rightfully be ours," Wang Feng spoke with an arrogant and domineering air.
In the midst of his words, he had already come down from the gate, clenching his fists, ready to give the monk a good thrashing.
Faming looked at the fierce and malevolent Wang Feng, sensing a murderous intent. He frowned and said, "The item of this humble monk is not something you have the skill to take. I just want to know who took it."
"If you want to know, go ask your Buddha in the Western Heaven," Wang Feng sneered, throwing a punch towards Faming's body.
However, he deliberately avoided the vitals, as killing him with one punch would be no fun. In the blink of an eye, his mind conjured up various ways of torture, planning to make this experience thoroughly enjoyable.
But when his punch struck Faming, it was as if it had hit a block of steel, sending sharp pain coursing into his brain. Wang Feng instinctively retracted his fist, only to see that the monk hadn't even blinked, thinking to himself that he'd hit an iron plate this time.
With a light punch, Faming struck him in the stomach, the tremendous force seemingly about to expel Wang Feng's internal organs, and the monstrous man could not endure any longer and fainted.
This scene left everyone on top of the gate stunned, as they loudly shouted, "Shoot arrows! Quickly, shoot the arrows. Enemy attack!"
Suddenly, the fierce beast that was Black Tiger Stockade came alive, with countless bandits grabbing their weapons and rushing towards the gate.
A rain of arrows fell, but a golden radiance lit up around Faming, blocking all of the arrows. He walked towards the stockade at an unhurried pace.
"Demon Monk, this Demon Monk knows sorcery!" someone shouted in terror.
"What's there to fear? It's not like we haven't slain monsters before." A muscular man with an eyepatch bellowed, instantly calming the somewhat panicked crowd.
This man was the fortress leader of Black Tiger Stockade, known as Heart-Digging Tiger, Chen Leihu. Holding a large saber, he approached with the air of a bandit, frowning at the monk walking towards him.
"Where did you come from, monk, to behave so presumptuously in my Black Tiger Stockade?"
"I am Faming, here to retrieve my property."
"What a joke. To think someone dares to demand something from me, Chen Leihu. It seems my reputation doesn't carry weight anymore," Chen Leihu said with a ferocious grin.
However, in less than a moment's time, all the bandits of Black Tiger Stockade lay on the ground, barely breathing, with Chen Leihu looking even more pathetic, covered in blood and bruises all over.
In contrast, Faming's attire remained as it was before, not even a corner of his clothes dirty.
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