Chapter 72 of Volume 2: Da Yong Encounters Difficulty

  Great bravery in the face of adversity

  The foolish monk threw Hao Laiyun's body at the devils, climbed up to the window, but didn't think that a bullet hit his thigh. The pain made him let out a low hum, and he struggled to fall outside the window. He had just thought of getting up to escape, but found himself surrounded by a group of little devils holding guns against him. He threw away his gun which was already out of bullets, looked up at the sky and sighed: "China is in trouble, where is Buddha?"

  The Japanese army first sent Chi Yun and Shang to the hospital for simple wound treatment, and then directly took him to the gendarmerie's interrogation room. He was roughly pressed onto the interrogation bench, with his hands, feet, and neck fixed separately. Chi Yun and Shang looked around weakly, his right side was a wooden cross wrapped in iron chains, next to the wall hung whips and various spiked instruments, not far in front of him was a basin of burning red charcoal, with several branding irons inside. Behind the fire basin was an interrogation table, where Yoshio Kikawa sat, staring at him with malice, occasionally revealing a sinister smile. A Japanese translator and an interrogator stood beside him. Yoshio Kikawa patted the table, sneering and speaking in stiff Chinese: "Hello, Chi Yun Master, I am Yoshio Kikawa, the one you want to kill. I also believe in Buddhism, once became a believer. I came to China without offending any monks, but unexpectedly met with Master today in this form. I don't want to hurt you, just want to know who sent you here. As long as you tell me, I will find the best doctor to treat your wounds."

  The foolish monk closed his eyes and said: "Amitabha Buddha, I didn't know that demons could also participate in Buddhist activities and have a compassionate heart."

  "The Japanese army translator shouted: 'Old bald donkey, you're shameless! Captain Yoshikawa is kindly advising you, giving you a way out, but you don't know what's good for you. Who sent you here?'"

  The monk suddenly opened his eyes, stared at the translator, and revealed a fierce gaze. He said disdainfully: "Buddha teaches cause and effect, sowing what kind of cause reaps what kind of fruit. You have sown evil causes, so you shouldn't fear being thrown into the eighteen layers of hell?"

  A Japanese soldier came in from outside and handed Kikawa Hideo a document. After reading it, Kikawa burst out laughing wildly. He looked at the foolish monk and said: "Foolish monk is great, the second master of Fengling Mountain's Anmin Village, an important figure of Lingfeng Ligei's anti-Japanese brigade."

  The interpreter walked up to the foolish monk and slapped him, saying: "You're really something, what's your mission in Linping?"

  Yoshio Kijima also came, he pushed open the interpreter and said with a sardonic smile: "Mad monk, you have already entered the empty door, so you shouldn't ask about worldly affairs again. Today I will spare your life because you are a Buddhist disciple, as long as you tell me the purpose of this trip, I will let you go. What do you think?"

  The foolish monk hehe smiled and said: "As a Buddhist, I naturally do things to exorcise demons and protect the Tao. This time, I came especially for the innocent souls of Taohua Ridge, to transcend you, this demon head, and avenge the dead."

  Yoshio Kikawa, seeing that his attempt to lure them had failed, became enraged and revealed his brutal nature. He shouted: "The villagers of Taohua Ridge, refusing to be educated, dared to resist the Imperial Army. You are guilty of death! In front of the great Japanese warriors, you have two choices: either kneel down or lie down. Which one do you choose?"

  The foolish monk looked at the ugly devil with a glance, and shouted angrily to the sky: "Buddha, the devil is cruel, the living are suffering, why don't you show some mercy, let me cut off the cruel, for the sake of the people, eliminate the harm, and mourn the innocent? Buddha, open your eyes! Look at this suffering hell on earth!" He glared at Yoshio Gikawa again: "Yoshio kid, the Buddha is a great Chinese Han man, how can he kneel down to you barbarian clowns, what a joke."

  Yoshikawa Hidetaka gazed at the mad monk's unyielding demeanor and shouted wildly: "Alright, let me see just how tough you are! Bring out the iron hook!"

  Hang up.

  The iron hook is a cruel punishment designed by the sadistic Yukio Mishima, where an iron hook is inserted through the collarbone of the victim and they are slowly lifted up, providing what is wanted when the victim can no longer bear the excruciating pain.

  In front of the interrogation chair, two iron chains with hooks were hung down. Yoshio Kikkawa took two iron hooks and knocked them against each other, then placed them on Chitō's face, gently rubbing and saying: "Master, it's still possible to speak now, otherwise it will be too late."

  The insane monk looked at him with a scornful smile on his face, and said lightly: "Come on, there's no need to talk more, bring out your tricks, let Buddha teach you the cruelty of the devil."

  Yoshio Yoshida viciously thrust the iron hook in his hand into the neck of Chitanda, just below the skin, passing over the collarbone and emerging from the next gap between the bones. Chitanda's jaws were tightly clenched, his muscles tense, and beads of sweat as large as beans streamed down his entire body.

  Yoshida Hidetoshi's sinister intentions were revealed, he pulled the iron chain hanging from the other end of the pulley with force, tightening the iron hook on Chitian and Shang's locked collarbone. Chitian and Shang let out a low hum, biting his steel teeth, fresh blood flowing from the corner of his mouth, he only felt a blackness in front of his eyes, fainting away. Yoshida Hidetoshi laughed like a devil, ordering his subordinates to untie the ropes binding Chitian and Shang, then splashing cold water on Chitian and Shang's face. As Chitian and Shang came to, he leaned in and said: "Master, can we talk now? Tell me about what happened at Anmin Village."

  The crazy monk's whole body was trembling, but a smile appeared on his face. He said: "Little devil, Buddha is very comfortable, if you have the ability to kill Buddha, let Buddha ascend to heaven quickly. Come back and deliver you later." After finishing, he burst out laughing.

  Yoshio Yoshikawa was furious and shouted at the top of his lungs: "Bastard, pull me up!"

  Two little devils pulled the iron chain, and the iron hook that hung from it brought up Chi Ting and Shang's lock bone. Chi Ting and Shang were lifted up. The piercing pain made Chi Ting and Shang let out a loud cry, his head tilted to one side and he fainted again. Blood flowed out of his wound, soaking through the front of his chest, dripping onto the ground.

  Yoshio Yoshida had him put down, then splashed with cold water to wake him up. The dazed monk stared at him with bloodshot eyes, not saying a word. Yoshio Yoshida ordered him to be hung again, and then put down and splashed with cold water to wake him up. Except for the monk getting weaker and weaker, nothing else was achieved.

  Yoshio Kijima was not willing to accept defeat, he didn't believe there were bones harder than steel, he glared at the smiling idiot monk. The interpreter whispered in his ear: "This bald donkey is a madman. But why don't we..."

  Yun Xiang Tian discovered that Chi Tuan He Shang had left the military camp alone, and immediately sent Liang Da Yong and Wei San Xi to sneak into Lin Ping to gather information about Chi Tuan He Shang. Through Cui Kai Ping, Liang Da Yong and Wei San Xi learned that Chi Tuan He Shang was being held in the gendarmerie interrogation room. The Japanese used all sorts of cruel torture on him but couldn't get any useful intelligence. The Japanese thought he was just a crazy monk and decided to execute him along with several other anti-Japanese activists in the next few days, and he is currently recovering from injuries at the Lin Ping Japanese Army Hospital.

  Li Da Yong asked strangely: "Since he is going to be shot, why give him treatment?"

  Cui Kaiping also felt inexplicable about this. He said: "Indeed, it's a bit strange. Are they up to something else?"

  Su Sanshi asked: "What is the guard situation at the Army Hospital?"

  Cui Keping said: "The guard at the Army Hospital was not strict, any Japanese expatriate could enter. Every Monday it was also open to Chinese people, but none of them wanted to go to this den of wolves."

  Li Da Yong said: "If it's really like this, then we'll go in and take a look."

  The night wind blew, carrying a chill that was still icy. Although spring had arrived, the harsh cold of winter had not yet dissipated. At the back door of the Japanese Army Hospital, Liang Dàyǒng and Suí Sān Xǐ slipped in, wearing white coats and masks, heading towards the wards. The hospital's wards were quiet, with only an occasional nurse passing by. Liang Dàyǒng and Suí Sān Xǐ entered the nurses' office, flipping through medical records. Although they were written in Japanese, there were many Chinese characters, and despite the different pronunciation, they could understand them clearly. They found the name of the mentally ill monk, who was in room 203 on the second floor.

  Two Japanese soldiers stood at the entrance of the temple. Liang Dayong and Wei Sanxi came to the door of Ward 203 with a nervous heart, in the guise of doctors. Everything went smoothly, the sentry only glanced at them and opened the door. The two men walked into the ward, suppressing their excitement, and found the lunatic monk on the bed. Wei Sanxi rushed to the bedside, while Liang Dayong felt that things were going too smoothly, too abnormal. As he closed the door, he froze, realizing there was someone behind him with a gun pointed at him. He shouted: "Sanxi, run! It's a trap!" At the same time, he pounced on the two men, and two shots rang out. When Wei Sanxi turned around, Liang Dayong slowly fell to the ground. The man on the bed suddenly jumped up and knocked Wei Sanxi down.