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Chapter 404: Xu Xian, A True Man of Zhongshan

What was bound to happen finally arrived. As Bai Suzhen gave birth to a chubby baby boy and the family basked in joy, their ultimate nemesis, Master Fahai, stormed into their home. Seizing the moment when Bai Suzhen was weak from childbirth, he captured her in his alms bowl and swiftly fled.

Xiao Qing, wounded from her pursuit, eventually returned.

"Master, Sister has been imprisoned in the Leifeng Pagoda by that demon monk Fahai. What should we do?" Xiao Qing cried, her face streaked with tears.

At this moment, Xu Xian, also known as Zhongshan, remained exceptionally calm. The time had come.

Wiping Xiao Qing\'s tears, Zhongshan said, "Don\'t worry! Leave it to me!"

With that, Zhongshan entrusted their \'son\' to his sister and set out, with Xiao Qing following helplessly behind.

Zhongshan went straight to the courtyard where his savings were kept. Upon entering, Xiao Qing saw that the underground treasury was empty; all the money had been moved.

"Master, are you sure about this?" a servant asked, worried.

"Afraid of what? With so much money, who wouldn\'t risk their life for us? Hurry up and do as I say," Zhongshan commanded.

"Yes, sir!" the servant replied promptly.

"Master, what are you planning? How will we rescue Sister?" Xiao Qing asked, full of concern.

"Just follow my instructions. When the time comes, do exactly as I tell you!" Zhongshan said, looking at Xiao Qing.

"Alright!" Xiao Qing nodded. At that moment, she realized she understood Xu Xian less and less.

Three months later.

At the foot of the Leifeng Pagoda, in front of Jingci Temple by West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhongshan, along with Xiao Qing, had captured thirty unlucky monks, tying them up beneath the pagoda.

Zhongshan had turned to the act of kidnapping.

In Jinshan Temple, Fahai sat in the meditation courtyard, feeling uneasy as if something bad was about to happen. He walked out and saw a monk.

"Where is Liu Jing?" Fahai asked.

Liu Jing was Fahai\'s most promising disciple, with remarkable wisdom and potential.

"Master, ten days ago, Brother Liu Jing went down the mountain for alms and never returned. Moreover..." the monk hesitated.

"Moreover, what?" Fahai asked sternly.

"Moreover, I found that your thirty disciples have all disappeared. It has been ten days since anyone has seen them," the monk reported.

Fahai frowned deeply upon hearing this and began to calculate with his fingers.

"Master, someone just delivered a letter for you," another monk hurried over.

Fahai stopped his calculations and opened the letter immediately. Inside, there was only one sentence:

"Fahai, all your disciples are in my hands. Come to Leifeng Pagoda within one hour. For every moment you\'re late, I will kill one, until they are all dead."

Reading this, anger flashed in Fahai\'s eyes. Crushing the letter in his hand, he looked to the sky, stomped his foot, and soared into the air, flying swiftly toward West Lake in Hangzhou.

At West Lake, under the Leifeng Pagoda.

Zhongshan, accompanied by Xiao Qing, held thirty terrified monks hostage. From a distance, the monks of Jingci Temple glared angrily, wielding their staffs. At the Leifeng Pagoda, two golden guardians leaped out, confronting Xiao Qing.

"Benefactor, release these monks, and we can talk this over peacefully!" the abbot of Jingci Temple called out, attempting to calm Zhongshan.

Zhongshan paid no heed and instead looked up at the sky.

"The time is almost up. An hour is nearly over, and Fahai still hasn\'t arrived. So, who shall I start with?" Zhongshan glanced at the bound monks, his hand reaching for one. Grabbing a monk, Zhongshan placed a sword against his throat.

"Please, no! Benefactor, I beg you, don\'t do this!" the monk cried out in fear.

"Boom~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

An enraged Fahai descended from the sky, glaring furiously at Zhongshan and Xiao Qing.

"Xu Xian~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~" Fahai exclaimed in shock.

"Fahai, you finally arrived!" Zhongshan said in a low voice.

"Hmph," Fahai snorted, ready to strike. A red light shot from his hand towards the sword in Zhongshan\'s grasp, aiming to break it and save his disciple.

"Master, no~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~" the kidnapped monk cried out in panic.

"Liujing, what are you doing?" Fahai stopped, puzzled.

Liujing, with a mournful face, said, "There\'s another knife at my back."

Fahai: "..."

Behind Liujing, Zhongshan held another knife against his back.

"Xu Xian, you are so deceitful!" Fahai roared.

"Master Fahai, you\'re too harsh. Back then, you kidnapped me to Jinshan Temple, luring my wife and Xiao Qing to flood the temple to save me. Wasn\'t that deceitful? I kidnap your disciples and it\'s called deceitful, but you kidnap another\'s husband and it\'s called noble? The Buddha said all beings are equal. You allow yourself to be deceitful, but I\'m not allowed the same? Do you even understand what equality among all beings means?" Zhongshan rebuked angrily.

Fahai\'s face turned crimson with anger from Zhongshan\'s reprimand, while Xiao Qing felt a sense of satisfaction listening to it.

The monks of Jingci Temple chanted "Amitabha" in unison.

Inside Leifeng Pagoda, Bai Suzhen leaned against the door, feeling deeply moved by Zhongshan\'s words.

"Xu Xian, the union of a human and a demon goes against the natural order. It is not tolerated by the heavens. I urge you to awaken to this truth and return to the right path," Fahai took a deep breath, calming his anger, and spoke solemnly.

"Bah!" Zhongshan spat angrily.

"Union of a human and a demon goes against the natural order? When did the heavens ever show disapproval? If it truly was against the natural order, heavenly lightning would have struck me down long ago. You, a deceitful monk, have the audacity to defy the heavens? Parading around in monk\'s robes, deceiving others under the guise of heaven\'s will. Who told you the right path is to turn back? I\'m nearing the shore ahead, and you want me to row back?" Zhongshan retorted furiously.

"You..." Fahai pointed at Zhongshan, trembling with anger.

"Bai Suzhen flooded Jinshan Temple, causing untold suffering and countless deaths. I am carrying out heaven\'s will," Fahai said in a low, stern voice.

"If you hadn\'t deceitfully kidnapped me, would my wife have flooded Jinshan Temple? If not for you, would those people have died? Go to Suzhou and ask how many people are alive because of my wife. Carrying out heaven\'s will? Why don\'t you strike yourself down?" Zhongshan roared back.

"Benefactor, you are blinded by mortal eyes and cannot see the truth of the world. I do not blame you. Release my disciples, and I will not pursue past grievances," Fahai said, trying to keep his voice calm.

"I may have mortal eyes, but spare me your sanctimonious attitude. The Buddha said all beings are equal. If you don\'t correct your stance, you\'re just insulting the Buddha with nonsense," Zhongshan shouted back.

"You..." Fahai was truly enraged.

Xiao Qing felt a mix of satisfaction and worry for Xu Xian.

"What do you want?" Fahai asked in a low voice.

"Open the Leifeng Pagoda and release my wife, now!" Zhongshan demanded.

"I have already reported the suppression of Bai Suzhen to the Heavenly Court. Such a great demon must be subdued. If you continue this, the celestial soldiers will arrive and cast you into Avici Hell," Fahai replied coldly.

"Husband, go quickly, don\'t worry about me!" Bai Suzhen cried from within the Leifeng Pagoda.

"No, I will not leave until I rescue my wife today," Zhongshan responded firmly.

"Xiao Qing, take him away quickly," Bai Suzhen pleaded with Xiao Qing.

"Sister," Xiao Qing said, torn.

"Don\'t try to persuade Xiao Qing. Today, we came to take you away. If we can\'t, neither Xiao Qing nor I plan to leave alive," Zhongshan declared.

Hearing this, Xiao Qing\'s hesitant expression turned resolute. Even if it meant dying, she was determined to rescue her sister.

"Husband!" Bai Suzhen cried, moved to tears.

"Xu Xian, enough talk. Release them now, or don\'t blame me for being merciless," Fahai said coldly.

"Merciless? When have you ever shown me mercy? You bald donkey, I know the Leifeng Pagoda is sealed with your spell, only you can open it. Will you open it, or not? We\'re ready to start killing. Do you really want to watch your disciples go to hell?" Zhongshan\'s eyes flashed with cold determination.

"Liujing, if I don\'t go to hell, who will?" Fahai said solemnly.

"Master, save us! I don\'t want to die!" the bound monks cried out in despair.

"Yes, you only deceive these foolish monks into dying for you. Why don\'t you go to hell yourself? If you did, they could live. I could reunite with my wife, and you could trade your divine punishment for so many lives. You could boast to King Yama that you were a true monk," Zhongshan sneered.

"Hmph!" Fahai grunted angrily and moved to strike.

"Xiao Qing, kill!" Zhongshan\'s eyes turned cold.

"Shhh~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Xiao Qing struck, and all thirty monks fell into pools of blood.

"Boom~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Fahai struck with a powerful blow. Xiao Qing shielded Zhongshan and was injured, spitting blood.

Zhongshan quickly embraced her.

"Husband, Xiao Qing, you must leave," Bai Suzhen cried from the pagoda.

"Such a heart, such cruelty, such demonic nature. Leaving you in this world would only cause more harm," Fahai said, glaring at Zhongshan and Xiao Qing.

The monks of Jingci Temple, previously swayed by Zhongshan\'s words, now looked at him with furious eyes.

"Master, you must leave!" Xiao Qing said weakly, clutching Zhongshan.

"Ha ha ha ha!" Zhongshan laughed wildly, then turned to Fahai with a cold gaze.

Everyone looked at Zhongshan (Xu Xian) curiously. Had he gone mad?

"Fahai!" Zhongshan called out.

Fahai paused.

"I said you would open the Leifeng Pagoda, because the Buddha will make you," Zhongshan said coldly.

"Hmph, demonic words to deceive the masses!" Fahai retorted angrily.

"Demonic words? Aren\'t you good at calculations? Calculate now and see what\'s happening at your Jinshan Temple," Zhongshan said, a cold smile playing at the corners of his mouth.