The Mind of a Petty Person

The abbot looked troubled, glanced at her, and stammered, "This... I'm afraid it's inappropriate. After all, we are a sacred Buddhist site, not the government! It's fine if we strictly check our own monks. But if we check passing pilgrims and tourists, it will be difficult to defend ourselves if someone causes trouble!" Xiangquan saw that her younger brother, Choujiao, had his eyes closed and was unconscious. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, she hurriedly said, "Because this matter is of great importance, we can ignore everything else for now. Master, just listen to me!" Seeing her urgency, the abbot dared not say anything more and quickly instructed the supervisor to arrange for the gates to be closed and people to be checked. The supervisor put his hands together, accepted the order, and left.

Xiangquan asked the abbot, "Master, is there any antidote for the 'Bewitching Incense and Bone-Soothing Powder' that my brother has been poisoned with?" The abbot shook his head and said, "The Tang Clan of Sichuan has always been a rather mysterious martial arts family, skilled in various hidden weapons, firearms, and poisons. Moreover, they have always adhered to an unchanging rule—their skills are passed down only to sons, never to daughters, and their secret techniques are never revealed to outsiders! They must have their own antidote for the 'Bewitching Incense and Bone-Soothing Powder.' How can we save him? Only by finding the Tang Clan of Sichuan and obtaining the antidote can we save our leader!" Xiangquan was stunned and remained silent for a long time. Yangzhou to the Tang Clan of Sichuan is over a thousand kilometers; even at a fast pace, it takes more than ten days. A round trip would take about a month! Stinky Foot has been unconscious; how could he possibly survive until then!

"Abbot, quickly send someone to open the coffin of the Third Young Master Tang! I need to search all his clothes! See if there are any traces of the antidote!" Xiang Quan arrived at the coffin of the Third Young Master Tang and shouted. The abbot sighed and said, "Sect Leader Xiang, you don't understand. The dead are the most important, and we cannot disturb them! Besides, this is a sacred Buddhist site, and all the gods are watching. Who would dare to violate the taboo and offend the gods?!" Xiang Quan felt as if a fire was burning in her heart, and she could no longer bear the torment. She shouted, "My brother is unconscious and his life is uncertain. What time is it? You are still worried about this and afraid of that! If you don't dare to open it, I will do it myself!" She approached the coffin of the Third Young Master Tang, grabbed the heavy coffin lid with both hands, and with a burst of internal force, several hooks and steel nails that had been driven in earlier flew out of the wood with a clattering sound and fell one by one onto the marble floor. With a single, swaying punch, the heavy coffin lid flew out of her hand. She caught it with her left hand, and one end slid gently to the ground, while the other end rested against the coffin.

She stepped forward and peered inside. She saw that the Third Young Master of the Tang Clan was lying face up in the coffin, dressed in ancient Ming Dynasty clothing for his funeral. His original clothes were nowhere to be seen! She was furious and exclaimed, "Abbot, what is going on?!" The abbot rushed to the coffin and was also stunned. After a long pause, he said, "This is the Red Flower Society's usual funeral practice! In this Qing Dynasty, there's always been a taboo against the former Southern Ming. Who would dare to dress the dead in the funeral clothes of the Ming Dynasty? That's a capital offense! Only the Red Flower Society, an organization dedicated to overthrowing the Qing and restoring the Ming, dares to be the first to do so! It's probably because the Red Flower Society brothers dressed the Twelve Hall Masters in clothes when Master Xiang wasn't around." Seeing that what he said made sense, Xiang Quan could only say, "We'll deal with it when they all return! Now, I must rush to the main gate, thoroughly investigate everyone in the temple, and search for that traitor, Wuyingjian!" He then lifted the heavy coffin lid with both hands, channeled his inner energy, and with a loud bang, slammed it back onto the coffin! Then he picked up the steel nails from the ground, channeled his inner strength into his palms, and with a few slaps, drove all the steel nails into the coffin, sealing the lid shut once more.

Then they arrived at the temple gate, only to find it tightly shut. The monks, led by the abbot, were lined up in two rows, methodically checking passersby. Those who had been checked were not allowed to pass; they were simply made to gather in a group in the courtyard, waiting for the incense sticks to arrive and decide their fate. Naturally, some were dissatisfied, but most were devout men and women; they merely grumbled a few times, and no disturbance occurred. Upon seeing the incense sticks arrive, the abbot hurriedly asked what the next step was. She surveyed the area and said, "Open the gate. Those I have checked, let them through!" Then she sat at the gate entrance, scrutinizing everyone carefully.

Suddenly, she noticed a woman with a child and a daughter leading five children around ten years old. She couldn't help but ask, "Stop! Excuse me, are all these children yours?" Judging from their attire, the woman was clearly a farmer, dressed simply, with a kind and honest face. She nodded and said, "Yes. I've given birth to four daughters in a row. My husband's parents-in-law favor boys and insisted I give them a son. But thankfully, their efforts have paid off! The baby I'm holding is a boy. To express my gratitude to the Goddess of Mercy, I've come today to fulfill my vow." Xiang Quan didn't examine the baby closely, but her gaze fell on the four lively and adorable girls! Three of the girls were laughing and playing, chattering like a flock of sparrows. Only one girl, with disheveled hair, deliberately covered her face, nestled among the girls, looking shy and demure. However, the more this is the case, the more it attracts Xiangquan's special attention!

She abruptly stood up from the chair, her body flashing like an arrow towards the child, reaching out her right hand to seize her pulse! Unexpectedly, the child pulled back and swiftly threw a punch, nearly hitting Xiang Quan's chin! Fortunately, Xiang Quan reacted quickly, blocking with her left hand and then using a serpentine, swift motion to climb up and twist the "girl's" arm, holding it tightly no matter how much she struggled! Xiang Quan then used her fingertips to seal several major acupoints on his body, causing him to collapse to the ground, unable to move! Xiang Quan reached out her slender hand and brushed aside the "girl's" veil of hair, coldly sneering, "Shadowless Sword! Do you still recognize me?!" The person was indeed Shadowless Sword, who dejectedly lowered his head. The peasant woman was shocked to see this. She grabbed Wuyingjian by the collar and screamed frantically, "You... how did you get dressed in my second daughter's clothes? Where is my second daughter? Did you kill... harm her?" No matter how she questioned him, Wuyingjian simply kept his dead fish eyes closed and remained silent. Without a doubt, her second daughter had been murdered by this madman! A great uproar erupted. No one had imagined that an eight or nine-year-old child could be a ruthless fugitive in disguise! And you know what? His dwarf-like stature actually came in handy today, almost fooling everyone!

The peasant woman went mad, grabbing the Shadowless Sword and tearing and biting at it. A group of children cried out in chaos. The peasant woman grabbed the Shadowless Sword by the hair and screamed, "Where is my Erni? Where have you hidden her? Tell me! She was so young, and you killed her! Tell me, where have you hidden her body?!" As she spoke, tears streamed down her face. The baby in her arms also cried loudly in fear. Seeing their beloved younger brother crying, the four girls cried even more bitterly. The onlookers were all deeply sympathetic, and Xiang Quan, feeling a pang of pity, couldn't help but shout, "Shadowless Sword, in front of everyone, quickly reveal where the little girl is hiding! Otherwise, you'll suffer a beating!" Shadowless Sword raised his cold eyes, glanced at Xiang Quan, and suddenly shouted, "A life for a life, a debt for a debt! I killed someone, and I should be sent to the government office for punishment! May I ask, madam, who do you think you are? Why are you meddling in my affairs? Gentlemen, tell me, isn't this the truth?!" Xiang Quan was speechless for a moment. The crowd instantly erupted into chaos, a cacophony of whispers filling the air. Some busybodies, sensing something amiss, asked, "Madam, what exactly happened? Why were you and the monks interrogating pilgrims and tourists? And why were you chasing this gentleman? You're not government officials, are you? Why are you acting so boldly? Who exactly are you?" Each question was like a bomb exploding on her fist, leaving her momentarily speechless and bewildered, unsure how to answer!

Seeing that the time was ripe, Wuyingjian shouted even louder: "Folks, you don't know this, but I'm just an ordinary soldier in the Green Standard Army under Governor Zhang Kuang of Zhejiang. Two days ago, when I was annihilating a group of bandits at Wulin Gate in Hangzhou, they fought their way out and I escaped here! They kidnapped me before they came! I managed to escape while these bandits were eating. But they reacted quickly and soon closed the temple gates, strictly checking everyone passing by! I had no choice but to disguise myself and secretly knock out this woman's second daughter, placing her in a hidden spot in the backyard. Only then did I follow her through the checkpoint, but this female bandit is very cunning; she saw right through me..."