Chapter 4: A Nighttime Conversation with Qing Yunzi, All Sins Rest on Me

Looking up at the sun above, Yi Chen turned around and spoke indifferently to the Evil Tiger gang members, who were as silent as cicadas in winter.

"All of you thugs from the Evil Tiger gang, it's possible that not all of you deserve death."

"But killing every other one, there are certainly some who would escape."

"Today, I'll give you a chance to live. I will only kill half of you, as long as you go into the room with my junior brothers one by one and confess your misdeeds."

"The half of you who have committed the least evil will be given a chance to live. You'd better grasp this opportunity and report on each other; do not err out of selfishness."

"Don't even think about lying. With my current cultivation level, your lies cannot escape my perception. Line up and go in, one by one."

...

...

...

An hour and a half later.

Under a row of chestnut trees halfway up Falling Dragon Mountain, a row of small graves had risen.

"May you find boundless blessings in the Great Immensity. Go in peace," Yi Chen said to the mound, bowing with his junior brothers.

As the saying goes, knowledge and action must be one.

Yi Chen had ultimately carried through with the Dao of Righteousness that he had just come to understand.

Only this sole survivor remained out of all the Evil Tiger gang members he had killed.

A big fellow with the build of a tiger and the waist of a bear, yet his face still showed a touch of naiveté, kept kowtowing nonstop to Yi Chen and the other three.

He kowtowed so quickly, he almost seemed to create afterimages.

Qi Goushi had every reason to be scared; aside from him, everyone from their group had been slapped to death by this Daoist who called himself Yi Chengzi.

This was his first mission after joining the gang, and he had not expected that the gang would be destroyed, not to mention that he had to dig the graves and bury them with his own hands.

Especially the vice gang leader who liked to cackle wickedly; he died a horrible death. That Daoist said it was a slip of hand and he had to slap twice to make the head cave in…

Qi Goushi believed it was on purpose.

Yi Chen did have a reason for not killing this simpleton before him.

After an interrogation, it turned out that although the simpleton was tall, he was only twelve years old. His impressive height was due to a unique talent...

To avoid being bullied, he joined the Evil Tiger gang in a confused state and had yet to commit many bad deeds.

"Alright, Qi Goushi, stop kowtowing. Considering you just joined and haven't done much evil, I'll let you off with a minor punishment as a severe warning. If you ever oppress the good people again, I will surely kill you!"

Watching Qi Goushi kowtow rapidly, Yi Chen flickered and sent him flying with two slaps, knocking out several of his teeth, his face instantly swelling to the size of a pig's head.

Seeing this, the Tibetan mastiff and wolfhound lying on the ground playing dead were so frightened that they tucked their ears back tightly, pitiful and fearful of losing their heads, with a sneaky look that was quite expressive.

Yi Chen glanced down at the two creatures, shook his head, and chanted:

"Offenders against Hidden Dragon Temple, though distant, must be punished."

"The same applies to dogs; there are no exceptions."

The dogs desperately closed their eyes.

Pia, Pia, two muffled sounds followed, and dog teeth scattered all around.

After the slapping, Yi Chen turned elegantly and left the mountain with his junior brothers who were full of astonishment.

It's not that Yi Chen went back on his word. After creating a prisoner's dilemma for the Evil Tiger gang members, those criminals began accusing one another to save their lives, committing such evil that even Bai Yunzi, a typically benevolent person, couldn't help but kick them several times.

They bullied widows, desecrated graves, trafficked children, sold women, forced virtuous women into prostitution, ran gambling dens, and gave out usurious loans.

There was no evil the Evil Tiger gang wouldn't dare commit.

Aside from a naive youngster who had joined the gang not long ago, the others were all more or less responsible for several human lives. Yi Chen had no choice but to retract his promise to kill only half and once again carried out the principles of the Dao of Righteousness.

...

The moonlight was soft as water, casting a cool veil over the entire room.

After his bath, Yi Chen sat upright in his Taishi Chair, resting with his eyes closed. Beside him on the tea table, two cups of steaming tea were placed.

"Did elder brother know I was coming?" Qing Yunzi arrived, but he didn't sit down; instead, he stood aside respectfully, glancing sideways.

Sideways glance was not out of disrespect; Qing Yunzi was simply born that way.

"Qing Feng, Ming Yue, have they gone to bed?"

"They just went to sleep."

"Sit down."

"Thank you, elder brother," said Qing Yunzi, taking his seat.

"Do you think my actions today were too brutal, Junior Brother?"

"Yes and no."

Yi Chen lifted his teacup, gently blowing on the froth, but did not drink. He muttered to himself:

"I was picked up by Master at the age of eight, an orphan who seldom had a full meal."

"Before, I'd fight with people until bloody over a bite to eat, just like a feral child."

"Without cruelty, one cannot stand firm."

"Senior Brother, you've never been what one might strictly call a 'good person.'

"Master had just passed away, and promptly the Ferocious Tiger Gang came knocking, certainly with other forces testing us from behind."

"Hei Hu, a mediocre expert with a lesser achievement of the Postnatal realm, where did he get the boldness to provoke our Hidden Dragon Temple with his elite forces? Master had enemies, but he also had many friends."

"He dares not, nor can he afford to mess with our Hidden Dragon Temple."

"Yet he came regardless."

"It shows there's someone backing him."

"Master had his secrets, and so do you, Junior Brother. Our Hidden Dragon Temple has something worth coveting."

"Senior Brother, I..." Qing Yunzi began to speak but was interrupted by Yi Chen who gestured with his hand.

Yi Chen stared into Qing Yunzi's eyes and said sternly:

"Master and you Junior Brother have your reasons for not telling, and there's no need to inform me."

"I was shortsighted before. Junior Brother, your Minor Pure Yang Skill has reached the fourth level, hasn't it? You truly are the foundation that Master left for our Hidden Dragon Temple."

"But do you know why Master chose me to be the leader of the Hidden Dragon Temple?"

"It's not because I'm the eldest disciple, but because you're not cruel or cunning enough."

"Junior Brother, you possess a truly compassionate heart, the innocence of a child, incapable of contesting against those malevolent spirits lurking in the dark, so naive that you'd be counting money for others even after being sold."

Qing Yunzi: "..."

Yi Chen finished his tea in one gulp and laughed:

"Senior Brother is like a hard rock, without spirituality, I don't even know what Master meant by 'spirituality' before his demise. But I know, among the four of us disciples, you're the most likely to awaken and comprehend 'spirituality.'

"It doesn't matter if my hands are dirty, Junior Brother, you don't need to share your secrets with me. Just acknowledge me as your Senior Brother. I can't buy you much time, but don't let Master's expectations of you go unfulfilled."

"The future of Hidden Dragon Temple depends on you."

After hearing this, Qing Yunzi fell silent for a moment, then said with a pained expression:

"Senior Brother! I have indeed realized something lately while chanting the scriptures, but it's like looking at flowers through the fog, I'm not sure how to put it into words."

"How did you know, Senior Brother?"

Yi Chen laughed, stood up, ruffled Qing Yunzi's neatly arranged hair until it was disheveled, and then replied deliberately:

"Among our four brothers, I am named Yi Chengzi. Qing Feng and Ming Yue are too young, only you, Junior Brother, were given the name Qing Yunzi by Master, while Master's own name was Bai Yunzi."

"Qing Yun, signifies soaring straight to the heavens."

"You are the one to fulfill Master's hopes and to truly inherit the Hidden Dragon Temple."

"You are too much like Master."

"Today, Senior Brother will teach you a lesson."

"Killing to protect life, cutting off karma, not people."

"At this time of turmoil for our temple, you must not be soft-hearted. Let your Senior Brother handle the dirty work."

After speaking, Yi Chen took out a set of night-traveling clothes he had prepared earlier and dressed in front of Qing Yunzi before striding out of the room with a clear voice.

"Let all the sins fall upon me."

"The overarching Qi of the heavens flows vigorously."

"Thus my Dao flourishes more intensely."

As his voice echoed in the room, and Qing Yunzi wanted to follow his Senior Brother's figure, Yi Chen had already vanished into the night.

The era of Bai Yunzi had passed, and now was the time for Yi Chenzi to rule. He needed to give those behind the scenes a small shock from Hidden Dragon Temple.

The next day, a devotee came to the Hidden Dragon Temple to offer incense, bringing news.

The remaining eighty core members of the Ferocious Tiger Gang in Qingniu Town had been completely annihilated, not sparing even chickens and dogs.

The Ferocious Tiger Gang's headquarters were burnt to the ground, to the cheer of the townspeople!