Even in his twilight years, he swept through the chaotic army of ten thousand warriors!

There are only two possible outcomes to this test: either Jie Kongzhen is just an ordinary old monk, and after being intimidated, Ji Yan can confront him and find out the truth.

Alternatively, since Jie Kong's cultivation is profound and he remains unmoved, this matter should be discussed at length.

Clearly, it's the latter now.

and……

Instead of being intimidated, they changed their attitude from ignoring Ji Yan to something else.

Ji Yan was happy to chat a little longer...

What if?

What if what follows is not what he expects, but the bloody scene of a high monk suppressing a demon?

He spent half his life grateful for this man's good deeds, and he even ate at the Master's porridge shop several times.

Unlike the Chen family's porridge, which was always watery and bland due to their pursuit of fame, he still remembers the soft, sticky, and fragrant porridge from that family's porridge...

"He's quite a person of taste, though."

When Ji Yan stopped him, Jie Kong didn't insist and let Ji Yan have his way.

Liu Zheng was initially worried that Ji Yan's words and actions would offend the master.

After all, from the highest-ranking officials to ordinary people, everyone who comes to Ping'an Temple does so with utmost respect and reverence.

But seeing that the master didn't seem annoyed...

All he can say is that people of the same age understand each other best.

Actually, Ji Yan is eight years older than Jie Kong, but over the long years, those eight years have been erased.

So he wisely stepped aside and stood silently.

The lamp flickered, and two elderly men sat facing each other.

Jie Kong casually asked Ji Yan about his life, about the hardships he had endured over the past eighty-six years, and about his lifelong insights.

Ji Yan answered calmly, without mentioning the discovery, but seemed to be simply answering the questions...

In reality, his mind was already elsewhere.

He heard it.

I heard the child's cries of anguish; he was probably still too young to speak clearly, calling out incoherently...

Mother, Mother.

Ji Yan took a deep breath and gently pressed his brow.

I keep warning myself...

Not yet. His own strength is inferior to Jie Kong's, and it's still uncertain which side Liu Zheng will take if a fight breaks out.

If he acts impulsively at this moment...

"Next time."

He was speaking to himself, and also to the child.

They chatted for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, until the night grew deeper.

Ji Yan lost both games of chess and seemed to find it boring.

Ji Yan stood up and bowed in farewell.

"It is late and I have disturbed your peaceful meditation. I shall take my leave now."

Jie Kong nodded slightly, without getting up.

Just as Ji Yan turned around, about to step out of the Zen temple, he heard the calm and unwavering voice of the old monk Jie Kong behind him.

"Next time, if you can't find it in the temple, come to the charity hall behind it..."

"This old monk enjoys playing with children on ordinary days."

Liu Zheng was stunned for a long time before he was overjoyed.

Before coming here, he had thought the best outcome would be that Ji Yan would catch the master's eye and be willing to chat for a while.

In this way, once the news gets out, people like Zhou Cheng will definitely have some reservations.

But now, the master has spoken up!

He immediately wanted to urge Ji Yan to thank him...

But Ji Yan paused, without turning around.

With a slight nod, he slowly walked into the night.

The old monk lowered his eyes and closed them, and after a long while, he finally exhaled.

Then he slowly rose and tapped the wooden fish in front of the Buddha three times in a strange rhythm...

The Buddha statue slowly moved, revealing a long staircase that extended deep underground.

He stepped into the shadows, and the young monk followed behind, closing the Buddha statue behind him.

The underground space was not spacious; upon closer inspection, it consisted of rows of prison cells, many of which were empty.

As Jie Kong passed by one of the houses, he turned around...

Two young monks were fiddling with something when they heard footsteps. They turned around and bowed to Jiekong.

In front of them, a three- or four-year-old boy had blood gushing from his eyes.

Upon closer inspection, it was clear that not only were her eyes missing, but there were also few unscathed parts of her body. She was on the verge of death, constantly calling out "Mother, Mother."

Jie Kong stopped in his tracks, and the little monk hurriedly stepped forward to explain.

"The old lady of the He family in Shentong City has gone completely blind, so her son had a pair of eyes made for her."

"Master, you previously instructed us to pay close attention to the clues regarding the He family..."

There are too many incurable diseases in this world, so folk remedies are prevalent. Many prescriptions from witch doctors or quacks are based on the idea of ​​eating something to replenish what you need.

People with heart problems eat heart, people with headaches eat brain, and even radish roots for boys are a hot-selling item...

Needless to say, the boy wouldn't waste his time just because of those eyes; he would pluck every last drop from his body.

Jie Kong nodded slightly, as if he had long been accustomed to these things.

"We'll have many more collaborations with the He family in the future, so let's deliver them tonight while they're still fresh."

After saying that, he started walking again and then asked casually.

"What other orders are there?"

The young monk dared not delay and quickly stepped forward to answer.

"Wang Zhuo, a tea merchant in the county town, has lost his youngest son and needs a beautiful seven-year-old girl for a ghost marriage."

Arranging a ghost marriage for a boy who died young is a folk custom that has existed since ancient times. Usually, a girl who has died in the grave is dug up and sold to the boy's parents, who then bury her with the boy.

The only problem is that it's hard to find a girl who is about the same age and has just died.

Ordinary people can't be too particular about these things; they're lucky if they have them at all.

But what can you do when someone is a major tea merchant?

Monk Jiekong hesitated slightly before speaking slowly.

"Where did things go wrong...?"

"Poor harvest?"

The death of the tea merchant's son was arranged six months in advance, and the ghost marriage was also arranged by him through his pillow talk.

If everything is fine here, then the problem must be with the goods.

The young monk spoke cautiously, opening a small booklet before he could speak fluently.

"County Magistrate Chai responded to your order to increase taxes immediately, but only seventeen were collected..."

"The other seven villages are operating as usual, and they are all pretty much the same as those on the list."

"But when Jijia Village was collecting taxes, I heard that an eighty-six-year-old man shot and killed most of the yamen runners in one go..."

"The tea merchant originally assigned to her, Yin Yin, was that old man's neighbor, but then..."

"They didn't collect it."

The little monk was almost in tears by the end, fearing he would have to take the blame himself.

"There are others around the same age, but they're not exactly good-looking..."

"Or...or, forcibly take the goods..."

Jie Kong lowered his eyes, and the speed at which he twisted the prayer beads increased almost imperceptibly.

Jijiacun...86 years old...

He turned back and looked in the direction Ji Yan had left, and after a long while he spoke.

"I remember……"

"Does the Chai family have one?"

"Let's take his."

Just as he finished speaking, his gaze suddenly sharpened as if he sensed something.

He waved casually to the young monk and quickened his pace to walk inside.

Upon entering the deep shadows, they discovered a small room hidden inside.

He went inside and closed the door.

In the darkness, only the sounds of tearing and chewing, and a pair of eerie green eyes remained.

"Why have you come today?"

He lit the oil lamp and saw an old ape dressed in a scholar's robe sitting in front of an eight-immortal table.

Seeing him approach, she didn't stop for a second, continuing to dip the blood-soaked flesh in the sauce and tear off a large bite.

"Can't sleep, came here to get some late-night snacks."