The First Probe in Twenty-Six Histories

  Cheng Jun saw him urging, and secretly thought: This monk is very anxious. If I tell him clearly about this matter, it will naturally involve the Purple Cloud Temple and the Wan Ma Temple, which would make things complicated. But if I don't say anything, he will certainly ask again, which is a bit troublesome.

  The monk on the side urged: "You quickly say, who is that woman? She sent out a substitute to seek help, presumably she was in great danger. I just heard that she was from the Purple Cloud Temple, and what about Yue Hua, who is he? Is he the one holding her captive?"

  Cheng Jun's mind turned around and he had already made up his mind. He thought to himself: This monk is very perceptive, since he already knows, I might as well just say it straight out. "I suppose that's right," he said, "Yue Hua is the master of the Purple Cloud Temple, the Purple Cloud Temple..."

  He didn't hide it either, and roughly told how Lao Dao Yuhua drove out the Wanma Temple and occupied the Wanyun Valley. He actually only knew the general idea, and he said whatever came to mind without any intention of adding oil to the fire.

  The monk listened, and exclaimed repeatedly: "What? What kind of thing is this?" Suddenly he stretched out his hand, heavily slapped the rock, and shouted: "Trash, idiot, soft-boned turtle egg!"

  Cheng Jun Dao said: "Who are you scolding?"

  That monk said, "Of course it's right to scold those idiots at Wàn Mǎ Temple. In a temple with hundreds of people, they can't even beat one cow-nosed person, shouldn't they be scolded? They can't even fight to the death, and instead run away with their tails between their legs, shouldn't they be scolded? For over two years, they've been driven out and haven't found a way to return, not even by seeking outside help, shouldn't they be scolded? A bunch of useless trash, they should be stuck in the toilet and starve to death, they're hundreds of times more useless than the monks at my temple back then."

  Cheng Jun Dao said: "Seeing you so angry, I thought you were scolding that old Taoist."

  That monk hummed and said, "There's nothing to scold that old Taoist about. He snatched the land, we snatch it back, isn't that just a matter of course? What I'm angry about is that group of useless trash. As for that old Taoist, I only speak with my fists." Pausing for a moment, he said, "Do you know or not, what kind of cultivation that old Taoist has? How many accomplices are there in the bandit's lair?"

  "Of the cultivators, there are only three. The highest is Ziyun Old Daoist, who is slightly higher than me. He has two disciples, one of whom has entered the second realm and the other who hasn't entered yet. Additionally, there are four children who have practiced martial arts."

  The monk listened, originally excited, suddenly dispersed a lot, sat back and said: "I spit, what a big deal, it's just a restless little flea, disturbing the monk's interest. It's really a stinky bug coming out of a melon - what kind of person is this? With such a small cultivation, dare to come out and show off, no wonder people say that the northern country has many arrogant cultivators, dealing with him is simply a waste of my time, boring, boring."

  Cheng Jun knew that this monk was close to the small circle of perfection, if converted into Taoist cultivation, it would be entering the seventh stage of the Tao, which is the later stage of cultivating the Tao. It's the difference between "rotating and shining" and "avoiding the valley". He suppressed a small boundary of Lao Dao Yehua, although in terms of fighting skills, Buddhist families are generally not as good as Taoist families with hundreds of tricks, but Buddhist cultivators have a solid foundation, stand upright and hold on to what is right, and do not fall behind. How could he be interested when the boundary was like this? Lao Dao Yehua asked: "How about it, monk? You look down on him, so you're giving up?"

  That monk rubbed his head and said, "That's not good either. The Wan Ma Temple is also my old haunt, so I still have to take it back. Forget it, since he's just a reckless person who doesn't know death, there's no hurry. After a few days, when I've taken care of him, that will be the end of it. By the way, you said your friend was originally a novice monk in the temple and is still in the mountains, what's going on?

  Cheng Jun left Xiao He Shang alone to guard, and told him about the situation with Purple Cloud Temple. The monk said: "This kid still has some demeanor, much stronger than others. In my opinion, Wan Ma Temple should be managed by someone like this. The supervisors and elders are all weak and incompetent, it's better to let them step down early. Especially the supervisor, who actually bullied a young Sha Mi, it can be seen that the tradition of the supervisor being an idiot has been passed down for generations. Forget it, I'll go see him later. If this kid is not bad, I will cultivate him."

  Cheng Jun couldn't help but laugh secretly and thought: Is it possible that Little Monk wants to become the Abbot?

  The monk suddenly said: "Huh? Weren't we talking about Song Daoyou's business, but now you've only talked about the Purple Cloud Temple. Tell me, what's going on with her?"

  Cheng Jun Dao said, "This is probably the old Daoist's karma from outside. Song Dao You is very likely to be that old Daoist's original partner." He explained the connection between Song and Yue Hua Lao Dao, then continued, "I once heard a friend mention that she came to the mountain and asked locals for directions, claiming to be Yue Hua Lao Dao's Dao companion. She inquired about the location of Purple Cloud Temple, but after that, no one saw her again. I met her a few days ago when she possessed a squirrel and asked for my help. However, just like today, she spoke halfway through before leaving, so I never heard her explain the complete karma. But from what I think, it's likely that she found Purple Cloud Temple, saw the old Daoist, and was locked up, isolated from the outside world. She had to constantly release spiritual beasts for help; last time I encountered her, this time we all saw her. However, there are only a few cultivators in the mountain, her powers are limited, and the scope of seeking help is narrow, so she has been unable to get assistance."

  That monk said, "Now that you mention it, it makes sense. That old Taoist is really despicable, locking up a beautiful young wife... This is strange, look at Song's daughter, she's quite good-looking and has a deep affection for that cow-nosed man. Although there are cases of being abandoned after being seduced, since this old Taoist is so shameless, couldn't he have deceived her into obeying him? Why did he need to lock her up in the Purple Cloud Temple?"

  Cheng Jun thought to himself, "That's naturally because of Song's affair." There were many complicated things involved in this matter, especially with the unspeakable reason of Gu Ma. He didn't want to share it with others and could only say something unimportant, "After all, that Yue Hua old Daoist is about to marry a new wife."

  "What?!" the monk exclaimed in surprise and anger.

  Cheng Jun Dao said, "Yue Hua Lao Dao had long wanted to marry a girl from the mountain as his wife. Now that Song Dao You has come knocking on the door, it's naturally very troublesome for him. That old Daoist is now wearing the mask of a high-ranking Daoist, and may even pretend to be a respectable gentleman in order to gain a foothold in the mountains. If he lets Song Dao You go, and she speaks without restraint, revealing her true identity, how can the old Daoist still marry? It's likely that the old Daoist has temporarily locked up Song Dao You for this reason."

  "That monk angrily said: 'What's going on? Is there still a case of forcing someone to marry a commoner?'"

  Cheng Jun Dao said, "It's considered a deceitful marriage." Chai Huo Niang married the old Daoist, although it wasn't forced, but she had no idea that Yue Hua Lao Dao already had a partner in the way of the Tao. If she had known, she would never have agreed to marry him. That old Daoist wouldn't easily let her go either, and at that time, even if she had been willing, it would likely have become an abduction. Even if this Western-style mirror wasn't exposed, this kind of deception is still a deceitful marriage.

  That monk listened, and became even more enraged. Although he couldn't "get angry and have his hair stand on end", that shaved head was shaking like a drum, repeatedly saying: "How can this be? I thought it was just an ordinary land grabber, a loose cultivator who is usually struggling outside, and if they were driven away, that would be the end of it. Who would have thought he's actually a lecherous thief, starting with chaos and ending in abandonment, using force to deceive common women? This is truly the most shameless thing, I'll twist his head off."

  Cheng Jun was slightly taken aback, not expecting this monk to have such a heroic temperament. Many monks are selfish, especially those who practice individually, and they often believe in the idea that "if one doesn't take care of oneself, heaven and earth will be destroyed." However, among the numerous monks, there are naturally some who are kind-hearted and follow the ancient way, just like some branches of Taoism specialize in accumulating external power. The Taoist priests from these sects often travel the world to exorcise demons and evil spirits, and they also do some good deeds on the side. In his past life, he had seen a few such individuals, but Buddhist monks mostly emphasize purity and compassion, rarely having such a strong sense of justice as this monk did.

  Cheng Jun himself, in his younger years, had a proud and eccentric personality, never doing anything good, and later even stepped into the demonic path, killing and plundering everywhere, only a few steps away from being completely evil. After hundreds of years, he achieved success in his cultivation and became much more even-tempered, no longer doing evil, but instead having some inclination towards goodness. However, he had also passed the age of hot-blooded impulsiveness, and his actions were now guided by stability and maturity, so he never did anything like acting heroically or righting wrongs. He actually didn't dislike people with a heroic spirit, and in his youth, he even admired those bold heroes on the jianghu. When he grew older, he also appreciated such people. Moreover, the person involved in this matter, Yue Hua Lao Dao, was someone he wanted to eliminate, while Chai Jia siblings, Xiao He Shang, and Song Yun Jiang had all left a good impression on him. After weighing his options slightly, he knew which side to stand on.

  The monk stood up and said: "Let's go, we can't delay. We'll go smash that nun's Zi Yun Temple to pieces."

  Cheng Jun was taken aback and said, "Are you leaving now?"

  The monk said: "You haven't eaten enough? Then eat some more, and go after you're full."

  Cheng Jun waved his hand and said, "It's not that issue, but you, Great Monk, have never investigated the situation in Purple Cloud Temple, nor have you tried to understand the truth of the matter from multiple perspectives. Are you going there directly like this? Isn't it a bit rash?"

  "That monk said, 'What you just said, the highest cultivation in that temple, Yue Hua Lao Dao, only has that little bit of cultivation. He can't withstand even one of my fingers. What's there to investigate? The monk wasn't anxious earlier because he saw his low cultivation and didn't bother to care about him. Now that he's come looking for trouble, it's time to teach him a lesson. Should I still be afraid of him? As for the truth of the matter, don't worry, I'll use my fists to chat with him later and naturally find out the truth.'"

  Cheng Jun suddenly felt somewhat powerless and said: "Although he himself is not without worries, but he has the advantage of being in a strategic location..."

  That monk burst out laughing and said, "Have you forgotten where that is? That's the Wan Ma Temple. He only lived there for a few years. I've been living there since I was a child, for a whole ten years. Every blade of grass and every tree is so familiar to me that even with my eyes closed, I can still find my way around. If anyone has an advantage in this place, it's me."

  Cheng Jun said in a low voice, "I remember you couldn't even find the temple gate earlier and had to ask me for directions. Now that I'm not taking you to Wanyun Valley, can you even find the door? What's with all this nonsense? The monk suddenly spoke up, saying, "Wait, I understand what you're getting at. You mean we shouldn't go all out today, but rather try a probing attack first?"

  Cheng Jun Dao said: "The first move is naturally a probe."

  Dabao and Shangdao said: "You say probe, that is probe. There are also probing methods - beating the grass to scare the snake, knocking on the mountain to shock the tiger. If you don't beat the grass, you won't know how many snakes are in the grass. What's the point of probing a bird's nest? This time just listen to me, let's go now, take him by surprise and rush in, beat him to pieces, set off some firecrackers, then come out and see if he burns to death or not. If he dies, we won't need to go again next time. If he really has some skills and doesn't die, we'll do as you said and plan again."

  Cheng Jun heard this and couldn't help but burst out laughing, saying: "What you said also makes sense. However, that Wan Ma Temple is your family's property, burning it would be a waste, why not just smash it up instead?"

  The monk said: "Let's see when the time comes, let's go for now."

  Cheng Jun looked at the clothes on his body, which was exactly the monk's robe given by the monk. He said: "I'm wearing a monk's uniform here, do you have a monk's hat? I went to their house yesterday and it would be embarrassing to go back again today. If we dress up, it might work."

  The monk took out a cassock and threw it over, saying: "It's up to you. Let's go."

  Cheng Jun casually put his hat on his head and suddenly laughed: "Wait a minute, I still want to go somewhere."