I attained immortality in the real world.

Chapter 61 Reinforcements Arrive
Mountains and forests, thickets.

The hands of the martial monk Qingming, holding the tinderbox, were covered in a layer of sweat.

Warrior monks are not vegetarians; they can kill as a last resort. They have little psychological burden when it comes to killing bandits and thugs who deserve their fate.

But when Chen Jing's plan failed, he decided to set the mountain on fire, hoping to lure the people from the nearby county government there. How many lives would he have to kill? How many years of chanting would he have to atone for his sins?

Now I finally understand why Abbot Wujie entrusted the prayer beads to Qianye, since as the mastermind, he would bear the main sins.

Seeing that the dozen or so bandits guarding the main road had all run to the cliff to intercept Qianye and his group, Qingming breathed a sigh of relief: "They've been transferred! We don't need to set the mountain on fire. We must get to Wuping County as soon as possible."

Taking advantage of the Qingming Festival, they descended the mountain, stealthily bypassing the inn before returning to the main road, heading towards the nearest county, Wuping, to seek help.

As soon as he entered the county town, he shouted loudly: "Quickly inform the county magistrate that there is a group of bandits at Xiaoguankou who are trying to ambush and kill the monks who are attending the Ullambana Festival."

With a weak populace and many bandits, and high mountains and treacherous roads, the death of a few monks was not a big deal. It was difficult to find the murderer and determine the scope of responsibility.

However, once the matter is reported to the authorities, it becomes a matter of the court's reputation. If the rescue is delayed, the officials will be punished, and the county magistrate will bear an inescapable responsibility.

The news quickly reached the county government, and the magistrate hurriedly ordered his subordinates: "Quickly! Gather all the men immediately, regardless of whether they are yamen runners, constables, or local militia, and go to Xiaoguankou to rescue the people."

Wuping County's inner city had a population of over 30,000 and no soldiers were stationed there. However, in recent years, the world had become increasingly chaotic, so an unorganized local militia was formed. With the help of constables and yamen runners, they hastily gathered about a hundred people and, led by Qingming, headed towards Xiaoguankou.

"........."

Night falls, and the crescent moon hangs like a hook.

The warrior monks and the Black Wind Stronghold were locked in a stalemate across a huge rock.

The monks guarded the pass with their staffs. It was surrounded by cliffs on three sides, with a huge square boulder blocking one side. Only two or three people could pass side by side on one side. There was no way to retreat, but there was danger to defend.

The Black Wind Stronghold was in no hurry to make a move. They lit a bonfire, ate meat and drank wine, and had people take turns keeping an eye on Qianye and his group. Since the enemy had no water or food, they could win without a fight if they held out for two or three days.

Qingjue and Qinghui also came from the inn to supervise the construction at the cliff. Looking at the cliff, they said helplessly, "Seven bandits died, but not a single monk was killed. We might as well have ambushed them and hacked them to pieces."

Dealing with cultivators.

The simplest and most direct method should be used.

The two wanted the bandits to take direct action and lose a few of their lives to avoid any unforeseen complications.

After all, there were ways to break through the pass, such as carrying soil to build up the slope, climbing the boulder to launch a surprise attack, or cutting bamboo to make long-handled weapons. Unfortunately, the bandits were not soldiers and were unwilling to do manual labor. After witnessing the fearless lion's mark, they were even less willing to take risks.

Qingjue failed to persuade Xiongpi and returned to the forest from the campfire, telling Qinghui, "We need to besiege it for two days. I hope nothing goes wrong during this time, so we don't end up failing and missing the opportunity to climb up to the important person."

It was close to midnight.

Qingming Festival was the time when he returned to Xiaoguankou with reinforcements from Wuping County.

Seeing an inn ahead and a fire on the mountain not far away, he quickly said, "We're almost there! The place where the bonfire is burning is where the bandits are besieging our monks."

The local militia captain, Zhu Mi, quickly stopped everyone and instructed them: "Using the moonlight, first sneak up to the vicinity of the cliff. Ten of you with good eyesight will scout ahead, and the rest will support the brothers with poor eyesight."

In the middle of the night, when people are most tired, the noisy chirping of insects masked the commotion on the mountain. Zhu Mi led the group to successfully sneak up the mountain and, seeing that the monks of Jinshan Temple were not in danger, did not rush to attack the bandits.

With some bandits on night watch, a successful raid wouldn't be easy. Half of the local militia couldn't see clearly after dark, and having rushed from Wuping County, they were exhausted and at a disadvantage in the chaotic battle.

It might be better to set up the formation first and recover some strength, then take action the next day when it's light.

"........."

The next day, early in the morning.

Commandant Zhu Mi led the spearmen in front and the swordsmen and shieldmen on the sides, directing the local militia to form a battle formation and continuously tighten the encirclement.

However, before the local militia could launch an attack, a sharp-eyed bandit shouted a warning, waking the dozing bear. He cried out in alarm, "Boss, the government troops have surrounded us!"

The Black Wind Stronghold was located near a cliff. Once the rear route was cut off, there was only one way to the cliff, which was firmly guarded by a group of martial monks. Thanks to the geography, they were able to surround a few dozen people with more than a hundred men.

When Xiongpi woke up, he saw hundreds of soldiers suddenly appear out of nowhere in the woods behind him. He roared, "Who? Which bastard was on guard last night? Don't they know that we bandits have to guard the back door?"

Step by step, the village militia maintained their formation and continued to advance towards the cliff.

Xiong Pi once lived in a large mountain stronghold with several hundred people, but that stronghold was destroyed because a general wanted to use their heads to train his troops.

Therefore, at just one glance, one could tell that this was a group of well-trained local militia.

These village militiamen, who usually harvest grain and thresh wheat, are individually no match for the ruthless and vicious brothers in the village.

But once they form a formation, and are paired with a commander who has been through countless battles, they become a terrifying killing machine.

No brains or fighting skills are required.

Once you know when to thrust with a spear, when to raise a shield, and when to stab with a knife, killing becomes as simple as mowing grass.

They even kill enemies instinctively through training, killing them before their minds even have a chance to process it!
"You want to kill me and then use my head to train your troops?"

The bear recalled unpleasant memories, and a fierce glint flashed in its eyes, but it quickly calmed down.

He shouted loudly, "Friends of the officials on the other side, we have no grudges from the past or any enmity from the present. Why not give my brothers a way out, so as to avoid unnecessary casualties from fighting? It would not benefit anyone."

If you were commanding an elite, regular army, you would be dealing with this rabble.

With their superior length, the spearmen launched a preemptive strike, and as the bandits closed in, the sword-and-shield soldiers on both sides quickly followed up. With a numerical advantage, they were absolutely capable of inflicting single-digit casualties.

But now he's commanding a group of local militia who haven't seen much bloodshed, facing a group of bandits desperately fighting for their lives. The outcome is truly unpredictable.

Normally I would have agreed! What a pity!
Zhu Mi walked up to the spearmen, shook his head and said, "I really don't want to make things difficult for you friends in the mountains, but you are all so audacious as to attack and kill monks who are participating in the Ullambana Festival."

“Such a disgraceful incident has occurred under my jurisdiction. The county magistrate cannot escape the blame for lax governance. If he cannot get a few heads to make amends, he will have a hard time. If he has a hard time, my life will be even harder. My brothers and I will also be implicated.”

"How about the chieftain leaves me a dozen or so heads to appease him, and I promise to give him a way out?"

(End of this chapter)