20demayo Chapter 1018: Concealing the truth
Chapter 1018: Concealing the truth
Cui Ling brought only his best men, and when they sneaked into Jiming Temple, they did not alert the patrolling monks at all.
Following the information they had received, the group headed straight to the backyard, where Zhang Miao was being fostered. In addition to the young novice monks arranged by the temple, the people sent by Zhang Ping'an to care for and protect the child also lived in the backyard.
Although it was His Majesty's order, Cui Ling did not want to make a big fuss; he just wanted to finish his business quickly and leave as soon as possible.
If he gets caught red-handed, things could get complicated, and His Majesty might not be able to protect him due to the laws of the land.
"Shh, I hear a child crying over there," someone whispered, pointing to a room in the distance where candles were still lit.
"Make this quick and decisive, don't linger. Just take the child's life," Cui Ling ordered.
"Yes!" the crowd replied.
Under the bright moonlight, several people suddenly burst through the door. The loud bang startled the young novice monk holding the child, who jumped to his feet and demanded, "Who are you? What do you want?"
Cui Ling didn't bother to answer such nonsense. He swiftly and ruthlessly thrust his long sword straight at the baby in the swaddling clothes.
Another man in black standing nearby spoke up: "We just want the child. Don't make a sound. If you give us the child, we'll spare your life!"
The young novice monk was only a novice and knew a rudimentary skill, but he had a fiery spirit. He didn't care about being afraid and held the child tightly, dodging the first knife with a sideways movement. As he struggled, the child's cries grew louder.
Missing his first strike, Cui Ling quickly swung his sword a second time, with the others assisting him from the side. Two others were watching the doorway warily. Just as the blade was about to touch the young novice monk, a long whip suddenly lashed out to block it, followed by several more lashes. The force was fierce, quickly forcing the people at the doorway back a few steps.
Cui Ling looked up and saw Niu Jiancao, one of Xiaoyuer's confidants, who had probably come to help after hearing the commotion.
He already knew that the Zhang family had arranged for several guards to take care of the child at the temple, so he wasn't too surprised.
Having come from a military background, he was already quite skilled in martial arts. Seeing this situation, he simply held off Niu Jiancao himself, letting the others take action.
He had inquired about Niu Jiancao's skills beforehand and knew that Niu Jiancao was no match for him.
"Hey, stop bullying me! What kind of skill is it to have so many people ganging up on one person? I really look down on you guys," a smiling young man's voice rang out.
Taking advantage of a lull in the fight, Cui Ling looked in the direction of the sound and discovered that it was coming from the roof. As the voice fell, several roof tiles were removed, and the young man shook out a few insects of unknown species, which quickly crawled into the collars of his men. Soon, these men's faces began to turn blue and purple, presumably due to poisoning.
The young man looked at the uninvited guest, whose movements had become noticeably slower, but his face was still full of smiles. When he smiled, two dimples appeared on his cheeks, and he showed no sign of panic.
"Ouch, it seems to be poisoned. It won't last much longer. Let me see which scoundrels sneaked into the temple later."
"You were actually hiding your strength all along?" Cui Ling asked in a rough voice, deliberately changing his voice to avoid being recognized.
Niu Jiancao didn't say much and didn't answer. It would be inappropriate to use a whip in close combat, so he drew a long knife from his waist to deal with it.
The young man on the rooftop also had an expression of waiting for the poison to take effect on the people below.
Cui Ling knew at a glance that they couldn't delay any longer; there would be no benefit in dragging it out any longer.
Taking advantage of the moment when the two were close together, he suddenly threw out two bolts of lightning from his left and right sleeves, one aimed directly at Niu Jiancao and the other at the young man on the roof.
"Wow, they've gone all out, and they even brought Thunderbolt Powder, a modified version of it," the young man muttered as he dodged.
The cow saw grass so close that it had no way to avoid it. The smoke from the thunderbolts injured its eyes and slowed its movements for a moment.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Cui Ling kicked the young novice monk away, threw a Thunderbolt Powder in the direction of the child, and stabbed him with a knife based on his sense of direction. He felt the tip of the knife sink into the cloth.
Amidst the thick smoke, the child's cries suddenly became very loud, then abruptly ceased.
Cui Ling breathed a sigh of relief, knowing he had succeeded. He wanted to bend down, pick up the swaddled baby to check again, and take the child back to report, but Niu Jiancao had already cleared the smoke barrier and made another swift and fierce move.
This time, he stopped protecting the child and focused solely on dealing with him, his eyes filled with a furious rage.
Seeing his subordinates' increasingly pale complexions, as if they were about to collapse at any moment, Cui Ling weighed the situation and quickly made a decision: "Withdraw!"
Taking advantage of the moonlight, the group quickly climbed over the wall and left after they came out.
These events happened in the blink of an eye. By the time the abbot and the other monks arrived, Cui Ling had already led his men over the wall and left.
"There they are, let's go after them!" the leading monk said, pointing into the distance.
Under the bright moonlight, Cui Ling and his companions were clearly visible.
“Forget it, don’t pursue a cornered enemy. Let’s check on the child first. Abbot, please come in with me for a moment,” Niu Jiancao said.
This was the first time he had spoken in half a day; his voice was rough and powerful, just like the impression he gave off.
“This…”, the monk hesitated and looked at the abbot.
"Well, let's listen to Benefactor Niu. It's late now, and it's not wise to confront these petty scoundrels head-on. You should all go back and rest!" Abbot Huineng waved his hand gently.
Then he followed Niu Jiancao and the other person into the room.
The baby, who should have been killed with a single blow, was now being held in the arms of the young novice monk and was sleeping soundly.
There was a punctured cotton pillow on the ground next to it, and red blood plasma scattered all over the ground. It was made by mixing chicken blood and dye with water, and it looked a lot like human blood.
After everyone else in the temple had left, the young man on the roof jumped down and pushed open the door to enter the house.
He leaned over to look at the child, then took his pulse, and said with some pride, "Look how soundly he's sleeping. The dosage of the sleeping potion I prepared was just right. Sigh, this little guy really had a hard time deceiving everyone."
"Crow, do you think they can believe what we just did? It felt a bit clumsy, didn't it? Besides, they didn't even manage to take the child's body away themselves," Niu Jiancao said, frowning with concern.
The young man known as Crow was brought back by Xiaoyuer when he returned to his hometown a few years ago. When he arrived, he was a mischievous, cheerful, and playful boy, and he hasn't changed at all over the years.
But despite his playful nature, Xiaoyuer always handled the tasks assigned to him very well.
This is also why Xiaoyuer felt comfortable letting him be one of the leaders under his command.
"You have to believe it or not. You're so stubborn, you won't admit it. Do you know why the young master assigned you to do hard labor while assigning me to gather intelligence? It's because I'm quick-witted." Crow said, sitting on the edge of the bed with his legs crossed.
"How so?" Niu Jiancao asked, without offering any rebuttal.