This humble Taoist priest, Qianhe, begins his quest for immortality by slaying demons and monsters.

Chapter 157 The Little Prince is courting death, and Ikkyu's audacity
Both Simu and the Dragon-Slaying Taoist were somewhat surprised to see this scene, but Simu naturally couldn't say anything was wrong.

And slaying the dragon...

Cough cough, they're just a bunch of Manchu barbarians. Although they're after the golden coffins of these old remnants, if they offend Zhong Bai, this Maoshan Taoist, Tu Long will pretend he didn't see it.

The loud noise stunned the entire room. The young prince stared wide-eyed at Zhong Bai. How could he, who was used to being pampered, bear the feeling of being trampled underfoot?
"How dare you! You actually dare to block the royal carriage!"

The young prince pulled a dagger from his calf and charged at Zhong Bai.

This scene shocked Minister Wu, who immediately shouted at the imperial guards behind him, "What are you all standing there for? Does His Highness need to do it himself? Kill the Taoist priest in front of you without hesitation!"

Upon receiving the order, several imperial guards, armed with swords, instantly approached Zhong Bai.

Zhong Bai was not surprised at all. These old fogies were used to being arrogant, and they actually dared to attack him. It can only be said that if you don't court death, you won't die. Zhong Bai was no pushover.

With a whoosh, the spirit sword behind him was drawn, transforming into a cold light. In a few swift movements, dozens of sword energies burst forth, flying across the group of imperial guards. In just a few seconds, they were shredded by the sword energies. Then, Zhong Bai flicked his finger, and a stream of Samadhi True Fire fell. In an instant, the surrounding corpses turned to ashes and disappeared without a trace as the breeze swept by.

The young prince, who had originally intended to rush forward, was suddenly dumbfounded and could hardly believe his eyes.

But the reality before him made his body tremble uncontrollably. The dagger in his hand clattered to the ground, his legs went limp, and he turned deathly pale as if he had lost his soul.

Master Simu, who witnessed this scene from behind, remained calm. He knew Zhong Bai's character well. These old-fashioned people dared to use their ridiculous status to suppress Zhong Bai. Little did they know that a group of Eight Banner soldiers had died in the same way more than ten years ago.

Master Tulong swallowed hard. Although he coveted the golden coffin, he never thought he would so decisively kill all these old men and women. Now, Zhong Bai, the Maoshan Taoist, was so decisive, which opened up a new world for Master Tulong.

"Those Manchu barbarians are truly despicable. Are you scared now? Do you think that because you're just a child, I'll let you live?"

A faint smile appeared on Zhong Bai's lips, but it was an exceptionally cold smile that made the young prince's heart pound with fear.

"you you……"

At this moment, Minister Wu, that lackey, came to the young prince like a mother hen protecting her chicks, shielding the young prince behind him, while he himself faced the terrifying pressure from Zhong Bai.

Zhong Bai didn't want to waste words. Just as he was about to send the master and servant in front of him to the underworld, he heard a Buddhist chant coming from behind him.

“Amitabha Buddha, you are truly compassionate. This is just a ten-year-old child. Why do you have to kill him?”

Moreover, such a massacre of mortals would only bring negative karma upon a true being, making it a losing proposition.

Ultimately, the monk Ikkyu couldn't bear to see the ten-year-old prince being beaten and killed like that. Even when facing Zhong Bai, a Taoist priest from Maoshan, Ikkyu still gritted his teeth and stepped forward.

Upon hearing this, Si Mu's face turned deathly pale. He quickly grabbed the monk Yixiu and whispered a rebuke: "Old monk, are you crazy? How dare you try to persuade my junior brother? If you're not afraid of death, think about your disciple Qingqing. Besides, these Manchu barbarians have always been arrogant and domineering. They deserve to die. What are you meddling in for!"

Despite their usual animosity, when Ikkyu was in danger, Simu couldn't help but try to help him and prevent him from perishing.

“Amitabha, Brother Four Eyes, I appreciate your kindness, but I cannot stand idly by in this matter. Even if the True Man thinks I am being unreasonable and kills me here, I will do so willingly!”

When Ikkyu's stubbornness flared up, even the Four-Eyes Taoist priest couldn't do anything about it. He could only loosen Ikkyu's sleeve and sigh softly.

Upon hearing Monk Yixiu's words, Zhong Bai did not stop. Instead, a golden light formed in his hand and suddenly pierced through Minister Wu, who was blocking the young prince's way. After piercing through him, the golden light wrapped around the young prince, pulled him into his hand, and grabbed his crown.

The young prince's pupils were dilated; he had lost all desire to survive and awaited the judgment of his fate.

This scene made the monk Ikkyu even more anxious, and he stepped forward to confront Zhong Bai.

"Master Ikkyu, are you trying to persuade me to let this Manchu prince go?"

Zhong Bai's forced smile and question sent a chill down the monk's spine, but he still looked up and stared directly at Zhong Bai, saying, "Amitabha, Buddha is merciful. This humble monk cannot stand by and watch such a young life disappear before my eyes."

Zhong Bai nodded and said, "But you don't have the ability to save the person from my hands, so you chose to reason with me..."

But monk, do you know how many innocent lives this young Manchu prince in my hands has taken upon his life?

"Dragon Slayer, tell me, how many laborers died along the way..."

Upon hearing Zhong Bai call his name, Daoist Tulong was taken aback, but quickly recovered and respectfully stepped forward, saying, "Reporting to the elder, twelve laborers died along the way. Most of these laborers were worked to death by this young prince who urged them to travel day and night."

Besides, three times, civilians blocked the road, and the young prince ordered the massacre of seven civilians. This is what I witnessed on the road, and I dare not conceal it in the slightest! Zhong Bai nodded and looked at Monk Yixiu and said, "Monk, did you hear that? This harmless little beast in your eyes is not as pure and lovely as you think. How many innocent people has he killed?"

And yet you still dare to try and save him?
Or are you saying that the Buddhist saying "lay down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha" truly allows you to act recklessly?

Three questions followed in quick succession, leaving the monk Ikkyu pale as a sheet. He truly hadn't expected that the seemingly innocent and lively child would actually be such an executioner, and that he had actually dared to offend a Taoist master for the sake of such an executioner. Ikkyu felt utterly ashamed and knelt down with his hands clasped together, his body trembling as he chanted the Buddha's name, "Amitabha! This humble monk has been so ignorant of human nature, offending a true master. Please punish me, true master. No matter what, this humble monk is willing to accept the punishment!"

Zhong Bai did not reply but instead raised the little prince in his hand into the air. A burst of Samadhi Fire ignited, and in just a moment, the little prince was engulfed by the flames, turned into ashes, and vanished with the breeze.

After doing all this, Zhong Bai looked at the trembling group of laborers.

"You common folk are really willing to risk your lives for money, daring to take on jobs for the Manchu Tartars..."

An elderly man with graying hair stepped forward and said, "What you say is absolutely right, Immortal Master. But no one expected that these Manchu barbarians would be so untrustworthy, forcibly detaining us and pulling us into their carts. We dared not speak out against their anger..."

That's true. With a knife to their throats, they were just ordinary people making a living by selling their labor. Where would they have a chance to leave?
Zhong Bai sighed softly. This is reality. Without the power to say no to everything, one can only be at the mercy of others, like meat on a chopping board...

Zhong Bai took out some silver from his Qiankun Ring and casually waved it into the hands of several laborers.

"Take this silver. Return the way you came after dawn tomorrow. What happens after that is up to your fate. Learn from your mistakes and hopefully you will live longer in the future."

Holding the silver in their hands, the laborers were extremely grateful.

After Zhong Bai finished dealing with these matters, he turned to Monk Yixiu and said, "Monk, if your offense had been committed against an ordinary person, I would have already killed them with a lightning strike. However, you are very lucky. Si Mu is my senior brother. You may be spared the death penalty, but you cannot escape punishment. These laborers will stay at your temple for the night. Monk, do you have any objections?"

If it were someone else, Zhong Bai might have really killed him. But considering the relationship between Master Simu and Monk Yixiu, Zhong Bai didn't kill him. It can only be said that knowing Simu was Yixiu's good fortune.

The monk Ikkyu was clearly still in disbelief. He felt that even if he didn't die, he would probably be badly injured. But in the end, because of the four eyes, Zhong Bai handled him with ease. He was terrified and trembled even more.

"Monk, my junior brother is asking you a question!"

Even the four eyes couldn't bear to watch any longer. Was Ikkyu stupid or something? He was just standing there, stunned.

After hearing the reminder from the four eyes, the monk Yixiu took a deep breath and said, "This humble monk thanks the master for his kindness!"

Zhong Bai decided to leave these laborers at the monk Yixiu's monastery for one night because he felt that the deep mountains and forests were not very safe.

I don't want these laborers to be attacked and killed by mountain spirits in the night before I've even freed them and they've returned to the town.

The monk Ikkyu led a group of laborers to his temple to settle down, while Zhong Bai still hadn't left. The Tartars had been dealt with, and the laborers had been settled, but there was still one thing that hadn't been resolved.

A bronze-cornered, golden coffin!

Looking at the bronze-horned golden coffin wrapped with ink lines in front of him, Zhong Bai shook his head slightly. The royal zombie inside was already in the late stage of the jumping zombie.

If nothing unexpected happens, the bronze horn and golden coffin should be enough to suppress him, but... well, fate is so strange, it can send down lightning.

"Elder, what is being suppressed here is the body of a prince who guards the border, but he has already turned into a corpse. Although it is unclear why the old guard in the capital would spend so much money to transport him back to the capital, the copper horn and golden coffin suppressing him should not lead to any accidents."

Master Tulong stepped forward to explain, and as he spoke, he seemed reluctant to part with the bronze horn and golden coffin in front of him. Now that things had developed to this point, Master Tulong felt that he and the bronze horn and golden coffin were not destined to be together.

Zhong Bai smiled faintly.

"Dragon Slayer, tell me honestly, do you have designs on this bronze-horned golden coffin...?"

Zhong Bai's eyes were expressionless, but Tu Long broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this. If it were someone else asking, Master Tu Long might have simply made up a good excuse to fool them.

But the one who asked the question was Zhong Bai, who was not only a Taoist disciple of Maoshan but also an elder of Maoshan law enforcement and a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Tu Long's face was ashen. He knew that lying to Zhong Bai was pointless.

Feeling somewhat desolate, he still nodded solemnly and said, "Reporting to the elder, this disciple does have this idea. I have been cultivating outside for decades, and the consumption of resources has always been very high. However, I can say that I have never cheated or swindled ordinary people. I have only taken money from the Qing Dynasty officials."

Furthermore, while it's true that one shouldn't kill for money, this disciple knows that such behavior is somewhat against the rules, and hopes that the elder will punish such actions!

(End of this chapter)