"cough"
Before Liu Bowen could finish speaking, Li Boyang interrupted him, saying calmly:
"It was no trouble at all. If Miss Shen has nothing else to do, please step aside, as we are about to depart."
What happened here?
Just as Li Boyang was about to leave, the people from Huangjue Temple finally arrived late. They had only been fighting for about five minutes when they disappeared, but reappeared as soon as the battle ended.
There were more than a dozen people, each carrying a long staff. Zhu Yuanzhang was among them. The one in the lead was dressed differently from the others; he was a steward of Huangjue Temple, while the others were martial monks from Huangjue Temple.
“Deacon Fang, this benefactor is already dead.”
Zhu Yuanzhang ran up to Ba Chier, placed his finger between his opponent's noses for a while, and then reported to the steward.
"Gentlemen, could you please explain?"
Deacon Fang frowned. Deaths in the temple were never good news. He looked at the four people in front of him with an unfriendly expression.
It's not what you think.
Seeing that the situation was not right, Shen Rong's maid Cui'er quickly explained the truth.
After she finished explaining, Deacon Fang, Zhu Yuanzhang, and the other martial monks stared at Li Boyang with strange expressions, seemingly not expecting that Ba Chier had actually been killed by this scholar-like gentleman in front of them.
“Benefactor, although the fault does not lie with you, it is still a human life at stake. Please allow us some more time to explain to the authorities.”
Although the world was in chaos at this time, the Yuan Dynasty was only in its twilight years and had not yet been completely destroyed. Since someone had died in full view of everyone, it was still necessary to explain the situation.
Li Boyang was in a dilemma. Normally, it wouldn't be a big deal; it would just be a matter of waiting a few more days. However, the Quanzhen Sect's prayer ceremony was about to begin, and he didn't have time to waste at Huangjue Temple.
"I'm sorry, my master and I have important matters to attend to and we cannot stay here any longer."
The prayer ceremony is related to the Nine Yin Manual, and Li Boyang is determined to obtain it. Anyone who dares to stop him on this matter is an obstacle to the path.
Li Boyang wanted to leave, but the steward wanted him to stay, and the scene became somewhat tense.
"I'm afraid this matter is beyond your control, so please cooperate."
Deacon Fang was somewhat displeased. This was not a difficult request; he was simply asking the other party to stay a couple more days. The government would not cause trouble for them. He had not expected the other party to be so disrespectful.
He made a subtle hand gesture, and the other monks immediately blocked his way, pressing their staffs forward.
"Bowen, let's go."
Seeing this, Li Boyang smiled disdainfully. Even if a dozen more people came, they wouldn't be enough for him to fight alone. This was the confidence of a Qi Refining Realm expert.
"Don't leave."
As he took a step forward, the scene began to get out of control. The martial monks of Huangjue Temple all assumed a fighting stance, with more than a dozen sticks poised three inches away from Li Boyang's chest.
The message was clear: if Li Boyang dared to take another step forward, a fight would break out.
Li Boyang treated the long staff in front of his chest as if it were nothing and still wanted to leave. If the other party really dared to make a move, he would not hesitate to teach the other party a lesson so that the other party would know the power of the Qi Refining Realm.
"Master, please don't take action. It's all a misunderstanding."
Shen Rong was getting anxious; how did the perfectly good situation suddenly turn into a tense standoff?
“Miss Shen, this matter is none of your concern. Please stay away. If a fight breaks out and you are alarmed, it would be a sin of this temple.”
Deacon Shen Rongfang dared not neglect her. As the daughter of the richest man in Jiangnan, Shen Wansan's business spanned the Central Plains, and even Huangjue Temple had to deal with Wantong Trading Company.
"Miss, Miss."
Deacon Fang's words left Shen Rong in a dilemma, unsure whether to advance or retreat. At this moment, Cui'er kept tugging at Shen Rong's sleeve, blinking her bright eyes and making gestures with her hands.
"Today, I have come to Huangjue Temple on behalf of my father to pray for the blessings of Master Qiu Chuji of the Quanzhen School. My father repeatedly instructed me to offer a small token of my respect. This is a small donation for incense. Please accept it on behalf of Huangjue Temple, Abbot Fang."
Seeing this, Shen Rong finally understood what Cui'er meant. She reached into her bosom and grabbed a handful of silver notes.
This bundle of silver notes contains nearly ten notes of one thousand taels each, quite a few of five hundred taels each, and the lowest denomination is one hundred taels each. The total amount is probably close to fifteen thousand taels, more than an average family could earn in a lifetime.
"Junior Brother Yu, guess how much money it is?"
"So much money, I've never seen so much money in my entire life."
"As expected of Shen Wansan's woman, her move is truly extraordinary."
The dozen or so monks swallowed hard; they had never seen so much money in their lives. This was truly an eye-opening experience.
Deacon Fang was speechless. He had never seen money for incense offered like this before. Should he accept it or not?
If I don't accept it, and the host finds out I've done something so stupid, I'm afraid I'll be in big trouble.
If you accept it...
A gentle breeze suddenly blew up, causing the silver notes in Shen Rong's hand to flutter in the wind.
Upon seeing the stack of silver notes, Deacon Fang realized it was quite a large sum. He awkwardly accepted the notes and said to Shen Rong:
"With such a kind heart, it's no wonder your father was so successful and had such a beautiful and intelligent daughter as Miss Shen."
Upon seeing that Steward Fang had accepted the silver notes, Shen Rong immediately said, "These two are my friends. I wonder if you could make an exception for them?"
"No, no, it's all a misunderstanding. Why don't you put away the sticks? Didn't you hear what Miss Shen said?"
The speed at which Deacon Fang changed his expression was astounding; as soon as he accepted the money, he immediately dismissed the martial monk.