We bear people have power

As mentioned before, this world is not a peaceful and prosperous place. Even a Buddhist sanctuary like Baolin Temple is not an idyllic paradise. Every inch of land is earned with blood and sweat, through swords and spears.

It's not unusual for bandits to attack temples; in the past, it was always Yongxin, the head of the warrior monks, who led the monks to fight against the bandits.

But now, Yongxin has been beaten so badly by Guan Bo that his warrior monks are leaderless.

Guan Bo was hesitating whether to confess about Yongxin's affair when he heard shouts coming from afar: "Bald monk! Hand over the money and women, or we'll wipe out your entire family!"

The voice was incredibly arrogant, but Guan Bo found it utterly infuriating. What did they mean by "hand over the woman"? This was clearly a Buddhist temple!

Is it really okay to say so bluntly that monks are a breeding ground for evil?

Who said they already knew that Baolin Temple was not a pure land? But such a blatant slap in the face made the monks look bad.

Although they could leave easily, these thieves couldn't stop Guan Bo. But without Yongxin to hold them off, Baolin Temple was in real trouble.

These monk soldiers didn't care, but the tenant farmers who made a living in Baolin Temple were going to suffer. They had families to support, and although they were often oppressed, at least they could still survive.

If the bandits were to breach the temple, they would likely all meet a gruesome end.

With this in mind, Guan Bo said to the monk, "You don't need to look for Yongxin anymore. I'll handle the matter of the bandits."

The monk glanced at Guan Bo as if he were a fool.

Guan Bo didn't explain, but only said to him, "Lead the way, or none of us will survive."

The monk was puzzled by his confident demeanor. Although he didn't believe he could repel the enemy, he figured that even if he went to his death, it would at least buy him some time.

Therefore, the monk did not stop them and led Guan Bo into the Mahavira Hall.

Two rows of over a hundred warrior monks stood on either side. Although they looked fairly spirited, Guan Bo could tell they were actually quite timid. Especially with the loud cursing outside the temple, their faces showed only tension, not anger, indicating that their morale was low.

If we really have to fight the bandits to the death, we'll probably only be able to win when things are going well, and any setback will throw us into disarray.

"A mob," Guan Bo thought to himself.

Upon seeing the abbot, he asked, "Where is Yongxin?"

The monk who had led the way said awkwardly, "Reporting to the abbot, we cannot find Brother Yongxin."

"Why did you come back if you couldn't find me? Why don't you go and look for me again?" The abbot was also getting impatient. He usually tried to maintain a certain image, but now his usual mantra of "Amitabha" was gone, and he started cursing.

“Abbot, this peasant says he can repel the enemy,” the guiding monk said, pointing to Guan Bo.

The abbot then took a proper look at Guan Bo, initially with a glimmer of hope, but after seeing him, he was filled with anger.

A mere tenant farmer, looking so frail he could be blown away by a strong wind, dares to talk about repelling the enemy? What kind of time is this to be joking around here!

The abbot angrily shouted, "What kind of joke is this? Throw him out!"

The abbot was so angry that he was looking for someone to vent his frustration. Guan Bo was really unlucky; he got a beating before he could even open his mouth.

The monks were afraid of the bandits outside the temple, but not of Guan Bo, the thin boy. They picked up long sticks and started hitting Guan Bo hard.

At this point, they didn't care about showing mercy; they'd kill them outright, and nobody would care. At worst, they'd pin the blame on the bandits, provided they could survive the ordeal.

Guan Bo looked at the seven or eight wooden sticks and tried to block them with his hands a few times, but found that they were not as powerful as Yongxin's fists.

The health bar behind the peach was decreasing at a rate almost invisible to the naked eye; at a rate that would probably exhaust several monk soldiers to death without causing them serious injury.

But Guan Bo didn't have the habit of just taking a beating without fighting back. He grabbed a wooden stick, snatched it from the hand, and then swept it across the monk soldiers.

The stick swept away a whole group; with Guan Bo's brute force, he swept them all away, sending them flying. The main hall was instantly thrown into chaos. Even the abbot was knocked down by a soldier monk, who also overturned the incense table in front of the Buddha, filling the room with dust.

"Ah, as expected, with the system in hand, I have the world at my fingertips. This health bar effect is pretty powerful." Guan Bo rubbed his arm, as if he had gained some strength.

Without the abbot's permission, the remaining monks spontaneously raised their long staffs and attacked Guan Bo. It must be said that these monks were well-trained; three to five of them worked together, their staffs covering Guan Bo from above and below, their coordination quite skillful.

Faced with this situation of being outnumbered and outgunned, Guan Bo was helpless, since he hadn't learned much about fighting techniques. Therefore, his solution was simple: take a few blows, then grab two long sticks, one in each hand, and start spinning like a top.

This move was unreasonable, but extremely effective. He unleashed a flurry of blows, not caring how many blows he took, but any monk soldier on the other side who was hit by his blow would have their tendons and bones broken.

Before long, the main hall was filled with monks lying on the floor.

Guan Bo then clapped his hands and said, "Confucius said: 'One force can overcome ten techniques.' This is truly true."

This was said quite casually, and it's unclear which "zi" it refers to.

Passing through the swirling incense ash, Guan Bo walked up to the abbot, picked him up like a chick, and said, "I said we can drive away the bandits, what's wrong with that?"

The abbot's forehead struck the incense table, blood streaming down his face. Yet, he dared not flinch, and hurriedly said, "No, no, we are all counting on the hero to save our lives."

"Alright, give me five hundred monk soldiers, and I'll go and get the bandit's head right now," Guan Bo said with a smile.

“Hero, Baolin Temple only has two hundred monks at most. Half of them are guarding the temple, and the other half are all here.”

The abbot was filled with regret. If he had known that this man was even more formidable than Yongxin, he would have offered a large sum of money for help long ago. Now, he had suffered this beating for nothing.

Guan Bo was stunned. He hadn't expected that his impulsive act would result in him taking down half of the monk soldiers.

"Then go find me a suitable weapon," Guan Bo ordered, settling for second best.

The monk soldiers were unreliable, and he couldn't fight the bandits with just a stick. The long stick in his hand had already broken into several pieces after that round of whipping.

Upon hearing this, the abbot could not refuse and immediately asked the monk who had led the way to bring out a large halberd and present it to him.

Guan Bo glanced at it and said, "This knife is too ugly. Get a different one."

This isn't meant to be difficult; this knife is like a kitchen knife with a long wooden handle added. You might as well just use a regular kitchen knife.

The abbot then instructed the guiding monk to bring out a nine-pronged fork, along with several lightly wounded monk soldiers.

Guan Bo then complained, "We're not shoveling manure, what do we need a manure rake for?"

Seeing Guan Bo's displeasure, the abbot grew fearful and ordered someone to bring out a painted halberd. Guan Bo slammed the halberd to the ground, instantly shattering the blue bricks of the main hall, causing the abbot and the monks to tremble with fear. This was the heaviest weapon in Baolin Temple, weighing a thousand catties. Even Yongxin could only lift it, not actually use it as a weapon.

It was indeed imposing and powerful. Guan Bo picked it up and weighed it in his hand. It was a little light, but it would do for now.

"Why can't I find a suitable weapon or magic treasure again?" Guan Bo said helplessly.

After a moment, he muttered to himself, "Huh? Why did I say 'again'?"