Killing Monks

The so-called "collecting the corpses" refers to the two mutilated bodies that were hung on the flagpole at the city gate of Sanye County as a "deterrent."

Guangyuan and Lufei stood under the flagpole, looking up.

After many days, exposed to wind, sun, and rain, and with the sweltering heat of late summer, the two corpses had long since decomposed and were unrecognizable.

The dark purple flesh had almost completely peeled away, revealing the stark white bones beneath, with only a few tough tendons and ligaments barely holding the skeleton together.

Smaller bones, such as finger bones and rib fragments, had fallen onto the filthy ground below, mingling with dust and dried blood, creating a particularly gruesome and jarring sight.

Even in such a horrific state, with bones scattered on the ground, no one dared to step forward to collect them.

Even stray dogs dared not approach and gnaw on it.

These two remains serve as a warning to all passersby: mind your own business, or this will be your fate.

Now, the two lords of Shuangying Fortress, Xu Jinying and Xu Yinying, have both died.

The elite troops in the fortress were either killed or wounded in the melee and the infighting caused by the mirror light. The rest were filled with fear and scattered like monkeys when the tree fell.

The decline and destruction of Twin Eagle Fortress was a foregone conclusion.

However, the news had not yet spread completely, and the people in the city and many passersby were still unaware of it.

Guangyuan and Lufei bought several feet of rough linen from a cloth shop in the city.

He used his lightness skill to carefully climb the flagpole, enduring the pungent stench, and used burlap to wrap and collect the two almost disintegrated corpses and their remaining bones, along with the fallen bone fragments, as much as possible.

Lu Fei was below to provide support.

Just as they began collecting the remains, some bold pedestrians and vendors near the city gate noticed their actions and their faces showed fear.

Someone couldn't help but whisper and shout:

"Hey! You monk! And you brave man! Stop it! Are you out of your minds?! That's a 'role model' hung up by Twin Eagle Fortress! Touching it will get you in big trouble!"

"Monk, listen to advice and eat your fill. Don't meddle in this! Hurry up and leave!"

They were unaware of the dramatic changes that had just occurred within Twin Eagle Fortress; they spoke up out of fear of power and concern for those who were "ignorant of their own limitations."

In this city of Three Leaf, the fearsome reputation of Twin Eagle Fortress has long been deeply ingrained in people's minds.

Guangyuan listened to these well-intentioned but frightened reminders, simply stopped what he was doing, and smiled slightly in the direction from which the voices came.

Together with Lu Fei, they untied the wrapped remains from the flagpole, carefully carried them away from the city gate, and walked towards the mass graves outside the city, where lonely graves were scattered everywhere.

There was no coffin, no ceremony, and it was impossible to even identify the names and origins of the two remains.

Perhaps they were once well-known figures in some corner of the martial arts world, or perhaps they were just two hot-blooded young men who stood up for justice.

But at this moment, they were just two nameless, almost turned-up bones, which eventually became two small mounds of earth.

There is no tombstone, and no inscription.

After doing all this, the two stood in front of the grave and remained silent for a moment.

That's just how the martial arts world is.

Some enjoy boundless glory, while others lie dead in the wilderness.

Many grudges, many stories, many vibrant lives, have ultimately turned into a handful of dust unknown to anyone.

They came without a name, and they left without a name.

"Let's go." Guangyuan took one last look at the two inconspicuous mounds of earth, then turned and left.

But he did not actually leave the territory of Three Leaf City. Instead, he circled around and returned quietly to the outside of Twin Eagle Fortress, which was already in chaos.

If you don't nip the problem in the bud, it will lead to endless troubles.

Who knows if Twin Eagle Fortress will rise again in the future?

All he had to do was bury Twin Eagle Fortress in the ground and stomp on it twice.

At this moment, although Twin Eagle Fortress has undergone drastic changes, with the deaths of its two lords and the loss of many key personnel, it is still a force to be reckoned with, as the saying goes, "even a starved camel is bigger than a horse."

There are still one or two hundred people in the fort, most of whom are long-time outlaws or long-time servants and laborers.

More importantly, Shuangyingbao has accumulated an astonishing amount of wealth through decades of cunning and monopolistic practices!

Those gold and silver treasures, vast farmlands, forests, shops... are now all ownerless!

When faced with enormous profits, human nature is often revealed in its most naked form.

The remaining forces within the fortress are divided into several groups: some are led by the old steward, some are centered around a leader with superior martial arts skills, and others are distant relatives or confidants of the original Xu brothers.

They are currently arguing fiercely over issues such as "who will be the new lord of the castle" and "how the wealth will be distributed," to the point of near-war, with the situation threatening to escalate into a full-blown conflict at the slightest provocation.

Suddenly, someone pointed in alarm toward the forest behind the fort.

"Look! The back hill! It's light up again on the back hill!"

There, a hazy yet striking golden beam of light shot into the sky without warning!

"It's that demonic light! It's coming again! Run!"

No one knows who shouted first, but fear spread like a plague in an instant!

Just moments ago, the crowd was arguing endlessly over their interests. Now, they no longer cared about gold, silver, or the position of fortress lord. They only wished they had two more legs and fled for their lives outside the fortress, crying and screaming for their parents!

The golden light lasted for about half an incense stick's time before gradually dissipating.

After the still-shaken crowd confirmed that the golden light had disappeared, it took quite some time before they dared to cautiously return to the fortress in twos and threes to check.

Some people have revived their idea of ​​dividing up the spoils.

But before they could reach a conclusion...

"It's lit up again! It's lit up again! In the backyard!"

"Damn it! This place is unbearable!"

Golden light flashed again, erratically, and abruptly in different locations!

Although each instance was short-lived and limited in scope, the unknown fear of being swallowed by the "magic light" at any moment completely shattered the nerves of these already easily frightened individuals.

After this happened several times, no matter how tempting the treasures inside the fortress were, no one dared to risk staying any longer. Who knew if the next golden light would shine right above their heads?

Who knows if this cursed place is completely cursed by that "demon mirror"?

"This fortress is dirty! There's something filthy inside!"

"It must be a trick left behind by that evil monk!"

"Run! Forget everything! Saving your life is the most important thing!"

Panic-mongering quickly spread.

In the end, the remaining members of Twin Eagle Fortress, carrying only the valuables they could carry, scattered like birds and beasts, completely fleeing Twin Eagle Fortress.

The once infamous Twin Eagle Fortress, which held sway over a region, has now become a desolate, deserted fortress.

The fortress gates were wide open, and the valuables were gradually emptied by those who came after, leaving only the empty buildings and the ever-growing weeds, which howled in the wind as if telling the story of past sins and sudden destruction.

The legend of Twin Eagle Fortress being deserted overnight and turned into a ghost town began to spread rapidly within a radius of hundreds of miles.

There are many versions, some quite bizarre.

Among them, one version is the most widely circulated and talked about...