Basement, Small Room
Pei Zi Yun walked around the room and saw that it was made of stone. He knocked on the walls and could not hear any cracks. The walls were solid and solid. He sighed.
He raised his head and saw that the metal bars were right in front of him. The only exit was the roof of the cell, which was about the size of a person. However, the walls were all bare, and there was no way for him to escape.
He sighed and sat down. He thought about what had happened earlier and felt that something was amiss.
Outside the cell, there was a torch which lit up the entire room. In the middle of the room, there was a wooden table and a few stools. On the table, there was some meat and wine. There were a few pig trotters and some chicken. There was also a jug of wine and a few wine bowls the size of a fist.
These dishes had just been served, and were still steaming. Looking at the few senior brothers, they started to eat. A monk with bronze skin picked up a bowl of wine and placed it in front of his nose. He took a deep breath and sighed, "Fragrant, it's really fragrant."
After that, he picked up the bowl and poured himself a full bowl of wine. He felt the heat rush up his throat and couldn't help but praise, "Good wine, really good wine."
As he said this, he filled the bowl to the brim. As he did so, some of the wine spilled out, but he did not seem to mind. The smell of the wine filled their noses, causing them to salivate.
"Come, let's drink." As he said this, he raised his bowl.
"Cheers!" All the monks raised their bowls and knocked them against each other. The wine splashed everywhere and the bowls were emptied.
After the monk had finished his wine, he used his robe to wipe his mouth. He then picked up a pig trotter and took a big bite. "Eat, eat, eat."
"Eat, eat, eat!" The remaining eldest apprentice-brothers all began to eat like this, their mouths full of oil.
"Senior brother, why did we capture these scholars and not kill them? If we let them escape and leak our secrets, we won't be able to stay in Silver Dragon Temple any longer."
"That's right. Every month, we earn a lot of money from the Merit Box. We eat well and drink well. There are also many women who send themselves to our door for us to play with. Our days here are much better than those described in the books." Another monk replied.
"Idiot, they are all scholars. It's very likely that they will become Elementary Scholars soon. If one or two of them die, it can be dismissed as an accident. But if more than ten of them die, it would be a huge case. The City God and the patrolling officers would be watching."
"Don't be meddlesome, or else no one will be able to protect you." Big Senior Brother looked coldly at his subordinate and stared at him, "With your shallow martial arts, even a patrol officer would be able to defeat you!"
Seeing his Eldest Senior Brother looking at him so fiercely, the monk shrank back in fear.
Seeing his younger brother retract his head, the Senior Brother put down the bowl in his hands and spoke softly, "Furthermore, these scholars are wanted by the higher-ups. Speak less, care less, and listen less. If anything happens, you know what the sect will do."
After saying that, he glanced at his little brother and smiled. The monk, who was glanced at, was so shocked that his hair stood on end.
"Come, come, let's drink, let's drink." One of the monks saw that the atmosphere wasn't right, so he quickly filled the cups and urged them to drink.
"Yes, yes, let's drink, let's drink." The monks raised their wine bowls and clinked them together before continuing to drink.
These scholars had not eaten or drunk anything, and had eaten well for lunch. Their stomachs were only slightly thirsty. Next to them was Tang Zhen. At this point in time, he was still rather calm. He bowed and said, "Master, this student pays his respects."
The monk ignored him and Tang Zhen could only continue, "We are scholars who have come to your mansion to take the examinations. We were welcomed by your temple's receptionist and did not wish to enter the sect by mistake. I hope that Master will allow us to leave. When students leave, we will not speak a word of this to anyone. What does Master think?"
Zhu Hao was getting impatient and said, "Monk, don't be like this. You are a monk, and yet you set up traps in the temple and hid women. Do you know that this is a grave crime? If you let us out today, we will not speak a word of this. If not, we will report this to the officials and punish you. "
He thought that when the monk heard this, he would be afraid. Who would have thought that the monk would laugh and say, "You bunch of wretched people. Heaven has a path but you refuse to take it. Hell has no doors and yet you are here to seek refuge. In a moment, the Buddha will release you from the afterlife."
As he spoke, he laughed out loud. Hearing this, the majority of the scholars' faces changed. If this matter were to be leaked, these thieves would be beheaded. How could they be spared? Their faces were pale and they were scared out of their wits, unable to speak.
Even Tang Zhen's expression changed. Zhang Jie Yu was the only one who scolded them harshly. Seeing Zhang Jie Yu's temperament, the crowd could not help but sigh.
Senior Brother's gaze swept across the room and he saw all sorts of expressions. He then clapped his hands.
A series of creaking sounds could be heard from the corridor as a small door appeared on the wall. A group of women walked over. Almost at the same time, a light red fragrance permeated the air.
These women were wearing cloaks and were dancing in front of the monks. Beneath the cloaks, they wore silver masks and were dressed in clothes. They were in all sorts of positions and were emitting a bright glow.
The monks drank wine and ate meat. Some of them went out to press down on the women. Their slender waists were bent as they intertwined with the men. Some of them even took off their masks. How could the scholars see this? Even if it was urgent, they could not help but stare at them.
Only Tang Zhen's face turned pale as he whispered, "I know a few of them. They are the wives and daughters of the famous Zhang family. Once we meet them, it will be difficult for us to escape."
He was so frightened that his entire body was trembling. He knew that if he did not take off his mask, there would be no reason for him to be released.
At this point, Senior Brother saw that the time was right and laughed out loud, "Fellow Buddhists, a monk should be compassionate. It's just that since all of you know about us monks, we can't let you off. Fellow Buddhists, what do you think I should do?"
"You damned thief. Let us go now and go to the magistrate's office. Beg the magistrate to spare your life. If not, nobody will be able to save you."
Pei Zi Yun looked up and saw that it was Zhu Hao who was scolding the sloppy Daoist.
The senior brother's face fell as he pointed at Zhu Hao angrily, "Drag him out and beat him."
A monk beside the senior brother pounced forward and opened the door with a key. He then slapped Zhu Hao across the face.
"Pa!" Zhu Hao fell to the ground.
Following that, the monk dragged Zhu Hao out with one hand. Zhu Hao howled in pain as his hair was being pulled. However, the monk ignored him. He dragged Zhu Hao with one hand and threw him to the side. Then, he whipped Zhu Hao.
"Pa pa pa!"
Zhu Hao screamed out in pain as he was beaten into a bloody pulp. He screamed in pain as he rolled on the ground.
The senior brother had a compassionate look on his face as he took a few steps forward, "I do not wish to be your enemy. However, I have an idea. These women are the daughters of the wealthy families in the district headquarters. They came to our temple on the pretext of offering incense."
"All you have to do is join us and enjoy these beauties. That way, I won't have to kill anyone, and I won't have to worry about you spreading rumors and ruining our lives. How does that sound?"
All the students were trembling in fear, not knowing what to do.
"Pei!" Zhang Jie Yu then shouted out, "You bunch of thieves, you want me to be your accomplice? Let me tell you, I will not comply. If you want to beat me or kill me, do as you please."
He spat out a mouthful of saliva onto the senior brother's face. The senior brother's face twitched as he laughed, "Tie this kid up, hang him up and beat him. Beat him to death!"
Hearing the senior brother's words, the two monks pounced forward like tigers. At this point, Zhang Jie Yu's hands were trembling as he pulled out a dagger and pointed it at the two monks.
Tyrant grabbed the dagger and exerted force. Zhang Jie Yu wailed in agony as the two of them carried each other out. There was an interrogation room not far away. Zhang Jie Yu was dragged over to the interrogation room and was given a good beating.
Looking from afar, Zhang Jie Yu was tied to a cross, and two monks were whipping him. One could only hear the cries of pain, and the figure on the cross was wailing in agony.
The students were starving and afraid. Looking at the two men who were crying out in pain, they were terrified and lost all their courage.
The Grand Senior Brother smiled again, "Everyone, you are all young upstarts with a lot of money. You have parents, some even have wives. You are all scholars and smart people. In this situation, we cannot let you go out with your clean hands. If you don't join us, the only road left for you is death."
What he said was true. The students present weren't people who only studied. They all understood this point and were filled with sorrow. Some of them even started crying.
At this point, Zhang Jie Yu screamed out, "I'm willing, I'm willing. Stop hitting me, I'm willing."
With him taking the lead, Zhu Hao from the School of Logic couldn't take it any longer. He screamed out, "Stop hitting me, I'm willing."
The senior brother smiled in satisfaction, "Since you've surrendered long ago, you're fine. Come, apply medicine for them!"
A person was released from the interrogation room. He was too far away and could only see a shadow. However, from his voice and clothes, it was clear that it was Zhang Jie Yu.
Zhu Hao was lifted up as well. A beautiful woman stepped forward and applied medicine for him. The medicine was very effective. As soon as it was applied, Zhu Hao's screams died down. However, tears streamed down his face. It was unknown if he was regretting his own weakness.
The senior brother turned around and smiled at the people in the prison. He then asked, "Who else is unwilling?"
With Zhu Hao and Zhang Jie Yu as an example, none of the students dared to speak. Their mouths were tightly shut. The stone chamber was filled with the fragrance of osmanthus. At this point, one of the students couldn't take it anymore, "I'm willing!"
The senior brother laughed out loud, "Unlock the locks!"
As soon as he stepped out, a beautiful woman pounced on him. The student then exclaimed, "You're my sister-in-law …."
She then kissed him, silencing his voice. Following this, the student couldn't take it any longer and started touching her as well. Within moments, he was rolling on the floor.
Since there was one person, there was a second. In a short while, the locks of the prison cells were being unlocked. The senior brother then laughed, "It's a success!"
Seeing that there were a few people still struggling, he laughed and spoke to the monks, "With us around, these people can't let go of themselves. Let's leave. You guys stand guard at the door. If they surrender, we'll give them wine, meat and beauties."
"What if they don't?" A monk asked.
The senior brother then laughed, "I'll give you two days. If they don't surrender by tomorrow night, I'll kill them."
He then glared at the remaining people, "You're all smart people. I can't kill all of you. But now that most of you have surrendered, with their cooperation, we can say that one or two of you fell into the water and died. Although it's a little troublesome, we can cover it up. Think about it carefully!"
Hearing this, Tang Zhen sighed and smiled bitterly, "Brother Pei, this is an urgent matter. Please forgive me for not being able to insist."
He then raised his hand, "I surrender."
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