I am Zhao Zhijing, a poor Taoist priest, and I have disciples all over the world.

Chapter 134 God has the virtue of good life

The next day, Zhao Zhijing set out early in the morning with his disciples and descended Mount Hua in a mighty procession.

Although there was no one left guarding the Zuowang Temple, given Zhao Zhijing's reputation at the time, even the most foolish thieves would not dare to set their sights on the Jade Maiden Peak.

When they arrived at the market town at the foot of the mountain, Ding Weizhong was already waiting there with hundreds of soldiers and thirty or forty officials.

The common people were watching from a distance, whispering to each other, thinking that Master Zhao on the Jade Maiden Peak had done something wrong.

The government has made such a big fuss, it must be no minor crime.

"Master Zhao!"

When Ding Weizhong saw Zhao Zhijing coming, he took the initiative to step forward to greet him.

"Lord Ding."

The two had already discussed the plan for attacking Erlong Mountain yesterday. Master and apprentice Zhao Zhijing would lead the attack from the front, while Ding Weizhong would lead his men to support the periphery and prevent any fish from slipping through the net.

"In addition to the two village chiefs of Erlong Mountain, there are also eight sharp swordsmen who are quite famous in the green forest. Their nicknames are all taken from the weapons they use."

Ding Weizhong's chief of police reported the situation of Erlongshan in detail, "Among them are Jiang Heng, the ghost-headed sword, Ruan Kai, the ring-headed sword, and Meng Zheng, the phoenix-mouthed sword."

"The rest of the bandits are around 300 to 400 people, occupying Erlong Mountain and becoming a threat to this place."

"Lord Ding once thought of sending out a large army to suppress the bandits, but those bandits are very quick to seize opportunities, and let alone the two village chiefs, we don't have a strong enough hand to stop them with just these eight sharp swords."

After receiving Huang Rong's letter, Zhao Zhijing already knew Ding Weizhong's real intention of suppressing the bandits, which was contrary to his usual behavior. He immediately said that he would first challenge the Erlongshan bandits according to the rules of the underworld.

As the saying goes, to catch a thief, you must first catch the leader. If you can take down a few bandit leaders in one fell swoop, the matter will be half successful.

If that fails, we can wait until the enemy rushes forward and then the officers and soldiers will take action.

"Master Zhao and the other little masters are unparalleled in chivalry. On behalf of the people under my rule, I would like to thank Master Zhao in advance!"

Ding Weizhong bowed to the ground, and his officers and soldiers followed suit to express their gratitude.

Zhao Zhijing waved his hand slightly and said, "Since I have built a temple in Huashan to preach, I should protect the people there. Lord Ding, there is no need to be so polite."

Seeing Zhao Zhijing's smug look, Ding Weizhong was extremely unhappy. What's the point of protecting the people? Is this something a sour-toothed and foul-mouthed guy like you can say?
But at the same time, he felt more relieved. After all, the person who held his life in his hands was interested in recruiting Zhao Zhijing.

It seems that Zhao Zhijing cares most about his reputation and face. Even after falling out with Guo Jing and his wife, he pretends that they are on good terms with each other. Even after he had been recovering from his injuries for five days, he pretends that he has not been defeated by others.

Ding Weizhong has been in the officialdom for a long time and has seen all kinds of faces of officials, both high and low. As long as he can please them, there is no one he cannot control.

What about a little Zhao Zhijing?
"Give away a few of your good horses for Master Zhao and his disciples to ride on."

Ding Weizhong gave an order and one of the officers immediately gave up his horse. Zhao Zhijing thought about the attitude he should have at this moment and nodded slightly, looking exactly as it should be.

"set off!"

About an hour later, everyone finally arrived at Erlong Mountain. From a distance, the mountain did not look very steep, but when they got closer, they could see the towering gate in front of the road that originally led to the mountain.

There is a plaque hanging on the gate of the village, which reads "Erlong Mountain"

The thug in charge of guarding the village gate had already discovered that many people were coming towards the village. After confirming that they were government soldiers, he immediately sent someone inside to report.

Seeing the crowd approaching, the minions behind the village gate raised their crossbows and strong bows and were on guard carefully.

Ding Weizhong didn't know martial arts, so he didn't dare to move forward when he saw this situation. Zhao Zhijing looked at him, stopped his horse, and then nodded to the disciple beside him.

Seeing his master nod, Liu Qingxing dismounted first, holding a long sword, and walked forward a dozen steps without fear, then announced his name loudly. "My master is the master of the Zuowang Temple on the Jade Maiden Peak of Huashan Mountain, and I have come to pay a visit to the leaders of the Erlongshan Village!"

Ding Weizhong watched from behind and couldn't help but nod secretly. Even one of his disciples had such courage. No wonder Zhao Zhijing was able to gain a foothold in Huashan.

Apparently, some people in the mountain stronghold had heard of Zhao Zhijing's name and knew that he was the Quanzhen Sect master who had defeated the Red-Cloaked Fairy Li Mochou and recently injured the leader of the Beggars' Sect, Huang Rong.

Not daring to neglect the matter, Jiang Heng, the ghost-headed sword, replied: "Master Zhao is here, Erlongshan should open the gates to welcome you!"

"But why are there government soldiers following the Immortal Master?"

Liu Qingxing raised his head and looked directly at the people behind the village gate, and said loudly: "My master said that God has mercy on all living beings. I hope you will admit your crime and accept the punishment. Perhaps there is still a chance to reform yourself."

"Otherwise, swords and guns are blind. If my master insists on taking action, I'm afraid you will regret it later!"

Everyone was so angry after hearing this, thinking that a little Taoist priest from Quanzhen Sect dared to come to Erlongshan and talk nonsense, and Erlongshan relies on the outlaws for its livelihood, and now it wants us to surrender?

"put"

Just as Jiang Heng, the ghost-headed swordsman, was about to start cursing, he was stopped by the second village chief who came rushing over. This man imitated the monk Wu Song from the Northern Song Dynasty, wearing a ring on his head and dressed like a monk.

This ascetic monk is tall and thin, extremely gloomy and vicious, and is the think tank of Erlong Mountain.

"So it was Master Zhao from Huashan who was here in person. I am so sorry for the rudeness."

The monk ignored Liu Qingxing and shouted to Zhao Zhijing behind him, "If Master Zhao follows the rules of the martial arts world, we will welcome him."

"But if you want to help the government, then we are on different paths and cannot work together. Please go back!"

Zhao Zhijing knew it was time for him to step forward, so he whispered to Ding Weizhong, "Master Ding, after I lead my disciples to succeed, you and I will work together to take down Erlong Mountain in one fell swoop."

Ding Weizhong nodded quickly and said, "It's all up to Master Zhao!"

Zhao Zhijing's sword was broken by himself last time, and the new one had not been made yet, so he simply came to the gate of the stronghold empty-handed and calmly.

The other disciples followed behind their master, each holding a sword in their hands.

"Whatever you say, I will bring my disciples and come to meet you at Erlongshan as a martial artist."

The ascetic monk suddenly felt that he was in a dilemma. Zhao Zhijing was a very skilled martial artist and was from the Quanzhen Sect. He was determined to go against Erlongshan, so there was really nothing he could do.

However, he is willing to follow the rules of the martial arts world and has these disciples, most of whom appear to be in their teens. It would be better to just go along with him first. Perhaps things can turn around.

"Master Zhao has spoken, Erlongshan will naturally welcome you!"

"Come on, open the gate, and invite Master Zhao and his disciples to the mountain!"

The monk first ordered someone to open the gate of the village, and then whispered to Jiang Heng: "We have the leverage over that bastard Ding Weizhong, so we are not afraid of the government attacking us."

"But if we anger Zhao Zhijing or the Quanzhen Sect, I'm afraid there will be no place for us in the martial arts world."

"Besides, there are rumors in the martial arts world that he is injured. Maybe he is just bluffing this time. Otherwise, he wouldn't have brought so many disciples with him. As long as it's not too excessive, we should give him some face first."

Jiang Heng tightly grasped the ghost-head knife in his hand and suppressed his anger and said, "What if he really wants to do it?"

"If we can fight, then we will fight. If that doesn't work, then we can set fire to the mountain. We brothers can take advantage of the chaos to get out and then make plans later."

(End of this chapter)