I attained immortality in the real world.

Chapter 60 Each Goes Their Own Way
"Senior brother! Help me pry his mouth open!"

Chen Jing picked up a steamed bun and gestured for Qingming to pry open the waiter's mouth.

His expression was resolute, not at all suspicious or probing.

Exposed?
The disguise was perfectly flawless.

She Jiu's mind raced, unaware that when it came to disguise, the real world was the true hall of mastery.

The transformation from male to female, and vice versa, rivals even the disguise techniques in martial arts novels. In comparison, the disguises of the Black Wind Stronghold bandits resemble those of naive apprentices, and their practice of using more than a dozen people to act at once is riddled with flaws.

At this moment, I inexplicably thought of those two young monks who hired someone to kill, and the monk in front of me who kept talking about compassion and wanted to perform rituals for the living. I only regretted that I hadn't named the mountain stronghold something like "Temple".

He quickly changed his tune, saying, "I am She Jiu, the strategist of Black Wind Stronghold. Someone paid us one hundred taels of gold to kill a monk named Qianye. They also told us that you have a priceless Seven Treasures Kasaya."

Elder Jinchi disapproved of Chen Jing's tyranny and coercion, showing no semblance of the demeanor of a monk.

He was about to speak up for She Jiu, but when he heard that the other party was even eyeing the Seven Treasures Kasaya, he chose to silently close his eyes.

Chen Jing threw away the steamed bun and began questioning the enemy about their intelligence: "How many of you came in total? And who hired someone to kill me?"

She Jiu glanced in the direction of the inn, paused, and replied, "Well... I can tell you everything I know, but you have to promise not to kill me."

Chen Jing said, "Monks are bound by the precept against killing. If you are willing to cooperate honestly, who would kill you to break the precept?"

She Jiu hesitated for a moment and said, "Sixty-two people have come. More than forty are guarding the inn, and the rest are scattered at various intersections to keep watch. The chief wants to drug everyone first, secretly kill this one—Buddha Qianye, and then take the Seven Treasures Kasaya and leave. This way, it will be less likely to provoke the imperial court."

"They only resort to force when drugging fails. I came along not only to deliver food laced with sleeping potion, but also to pinpoint your hiding place."

"I'm sure someone's following me; they should have already gone back to the inn to report!"

"The people who hired the killer were two monks who were about the same age as Master Chiba, but they should have already left the mountain and returned to secular life, as they had grown a light layer of hair on their heads."

In this era of insufficient productivity, it was actually quite difficult to achieve complete separation from production through robbery and plunder.

More than sixty bandits could be considered a large stronghold anywhere, and the fact that they dared to ambush and kill monks attending the Ullambana Festival on the border of Bianzhou meant they were definitely not just desperate bandits forced into banditry, but true outlaws.

Although the monks of Jinshan Temple were quite skilled in combat, one-on-one duels and group battles were two completely different things. When faced with a swarm of bandits who outnumbered them several times over, they couldn't even last a single round under the hail of blades. Even with the help of the Fearless Lion Seal, the odds of losing were greater than winning.

Chen Jing's mind raced. He knew that killing the bandits was not the goal. Even if they suffered a one-to-ten exchange, it would still be a loss. The primary objective was to preserve himself.

"The other side had set up sentries in advance, and there were quite a few horses in the inn, so the chances of them escaping were slim."

“I told them that there were only eleven monks besides me. Brother Qingming, you should hide first and wait for us to attract the bandits’ attention. Once they withdraw their sentry posts and surround us, you can go around to the main road and go to the nearest county town to get reinforcements.”

"Although the other side has more people, as long as we don't fight the bandits head-on, it won't be difficult to find a strategic location to defend ourselves."

"If the plan fails, just set the mountain on fire. The fire will attract people from the nearby county government offices. Remember to say it was done by bandits."

The monks: "…………"

Chen Jing made the plan in front of him, and She Jiu had a bad feeling.

The other party was so adept at framing him, and didn't seem like the kind of monk who cared about keeping his vows. He quickly said, "Murder is a violation of the precepts. You said you wouldn't kill me." Chen Jing snatched the Qingming staff, a ruthless glint in his eyes. He slammed the staff down heavily on She Jiu's head, then struck the same spot twice more, making sure he was completely dead before he was satisfied: "It's quite a coincidence, this humble monk happens not to keep the precepts."

"........."

As She Jiu had said, more than forty bandits suddenly appeared out of the inn, carrying sharp blades and running quickly from the direction of the official road.

The leader, a one-eyed man, was nearly two meters tall with a broad back and a burly build. He was clearly not someone to be trifled with, and the monk's staff would probably only cause minor injuries if it landed on him.

Chen Jing led the monks towards the cliff. This location protruded from the mountainside, with cliffs on three sides. The only passage was blocked by a huge rock, allowing only one side to pass and only three to five people could pass at a time. It was easier to defend than the mountaintop, which offered a commanding view, and would not be affected by the thick smoke from the wildfire.

Guarding the pass, if any bandits dare to approach, the Fearless Lion Seal plus a flurry of blows will either kill them or send them tumbling off the cliff to their deaths, thus saving them from breaking the precept against killing.

"Boss, all twelve monks are here, and they're all running towards the cliff."

Although the bears were long-legged and fast, they knew that one of the monks knew sorcery, so they dared not take the lead by relying on their physical advantages. They all said, "Send a signal to the brothers guarding the sentry post to intercept him. Whoever can kill a monk will be rewarded with ten taels of silver."

A bandit dressed as a servant lit a cluster of fireworks, and instantly more than a dozen bandits appeared near the official road.

The six bandits who were closer to the cliff did not ambush them on the way, but instead ran ahead to the cliff to guard the pass: "You think you're the only one who can think of using the terrain to defend your position?"

If the six men could hold off the monks for a short while by using the pass, the brothers behind them could swarm in and cut the dozen or so monks into mincemeat. In the era of cold weapons, the most effective tactic in actual combat was the human wave tactic, and the most ingenious formation was the circle kick.

Just as he was about to reach the precipice and the giant rocks, Chen Jing shouted, "Master!"

Faji understood immediately, and his hands quickly formed the Fearless Lion Mudra. A pale golden lion materialized, and a lion's roar resounded in the minds of the six people.

Chen Jing then instructed his fellow martial monks, "Brothers, don't hold back, start killing!"

Warrior monks are a special group in the temple; they can not only eat meat, but also break their vows when necessary.

Qingxian's face turned ruthless. The others also understood that when it was a matter of life and death, they could not show any mercy. Each of them used a stick to knock a bandit off the cliff, smashing him into a pile of mangled flesh.

A bandit dressed as a servant was about to catch up when he saw the pale golden lion phantom. He quickly withdrew his half-swung sword, swallowed hard, and said, "Boss, run! This old monk—he knows sorcery!"

The bear slapped the servant and said with a disdainful look, "It's just a smokescreen. If he had any real skills, would he have been chased all over the mountain by a bunch of mortals like us?"

Cliff passes are easy to defend but difficult to attack.

The opposing side consisted of ten monks wielding clubs.

In addition, there are demonic spells that can intimidate people and cause them to lose their senses instantly.

Unless human lives are sacrificed, with one group taking the hits while another seizes the opportunity to launch a surprise attack, it is impossible to break through head-on.

The bear turned to look at the bandits who were cowering in fear, knowing that no matter how high the bounty was offered, these guys would not risk their lives.

He said, "My lords, you cannot survive for more than two days without food and water. Our target is a monk named Chiba and the gems on the Seven Treasures Kasaya. If you can give them to me, I promise I will not make things difficult for you."

(End of this chapter)