Under One Person: The Seeker of the Dao in the Lü Family

Chapter 209 A Trick? A Buddhist Monk?

The scattered migrants on the street seemed to have found an outlet, and they ran in the same direction, like a school of fish swimming upstream.

No, these people were more chaotic than a school of fish; the disorderly queues surged and jostled through the streets, rushing toward their target, creating utter chaos.

"Hurry up, hurry up, or there won't be any left."

As Lü Qian and Zhang Zhiwei walked along the street, they soon saw a Western-style church at the entrance of the alley.

At another intersection near the church, several Westerners dressed as missionaries were tending a stall, distributing food to the homeless people.

"Ding ding ding..."

As these Westerners moved, the small bells hanging on their clothes trembled slightly, producing a clear and delicate sound.

Although these rings are soft, they seem to resonate with each other, and the combined sound, though faint, is clearly audible amidst the cacophony.

"Don't fight, maintain good discipline."

The bishop, dressed in red and wearing a crown, walked out of the church with a kind face. Although he was adorned with various jewels and gold and silver, he made the refugees feel even more approachable.

The bishop was not arrogant at all; instead, he walked into the crowd in a friendly manner and comforted those who had already received food.

"Bathing in the glory of the Lord..."

The elderly bishop had a clear voice, and he sang hymns in authentic Chinese, almost like a song.

The atmosphere at the scene immediately quieted down, and the panicked refugees seemed to have been truly inspired, bowing their heads and walking slowly forward.

Lu Qian and Zhang Zhiwei, who had just walked around the street corner, stood at a distance, watching the scene before them without any surprise.

"Old Lu, what do you think? Should we make a move?"

Given their experience and understanding, it's not hard to see that the methods used by this church were not benevolent.

On the surface, they showed kindness to these starving refugees, but in secret, they used various means to try to make them believe in the church.

"Of course we need to take action, but not now."

Lu Qian hung the peach wood sword back on his back, and with a flick of his whisk, the heavy, chilling aura that had been gathering around him dissipated.

"This meal is a rare treat for the starving refugees."

"And these churches are nothing but a bunch of robbers, using the food grown from our land to fulfill their false acts of kindness."

"Business with no capital is really easy to do."

Zhang Zhiwei also pulled his hands out of his sleeves, and the atmosphere around him became more relaxed.

"Life is tough, and sometimes you don't even know if you'll see the sunrise the next day."

"Yes, the sun will definitely rise again in the future."

Just as Lü Qian was about to turn and leave, he suddenly caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye and immediately stopped in his tracks.

Among the crowd on the street, a young man, dressed in dirty, disheveled clothes and with his face smeared with dust, looked exactly like a vagrant.

As the crowd jostled, his dusty hat suddenly slipped off, revealing several faint scars.

"Old Zhang, are those the ordination scars on that bald head?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhiwei turned his head and squinted at the boy.

"That's true."

Although the other person tried their best to cover the hat on their head, the slippery feeling on their head caused the tattered hat to slip off repeatedly.

Beneath the hat, the faint scar that had been hidden was revealed.

Although the scar was somewhat dim, like dust on the head, Zhang Zhiwei and Lü Qian still managed to vaguely deduce its location based on the arrangement of the scar.

"Whose young monk is this, that he has shown up here?"

"Judging from his footwork and legwork, his skill level is not bad either."

"Moreover, judging from his appearance, even though he is dressed in tattered clothes, the aura and gait of a superhuman still shine through."

Zhang Zhiwei held the reins in one hand and stroked his chin with the other, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.

"Hey, you know what, these Western churches seem to be competing with Buddhist temples for incense offerings?"

"Could it be that this young monk is here to spy on the enemy?"

"have no idea."

Lu Qian watched as the young monk followed the crowd into an alley, and then smiled and hurried over.

"Let's go see what's going on."

"Let's go."

Zhang Zhiwei disregarded the Buddhist sect's secretive intentions and followed after them with a flick of his sleeve.

Behind the two, the white tiger and the donkey also slowed their pace and lagged behind.

At this moment, in that secluded alley.

The little monk, holding a broken bamboo stick, tilted his head slightly to look behind him, and only continued walking forward after confirming that no one was behind him.

"Da, da, da..."

The bamboo pole made a crisp sound as it struck the ground, and the little monk's steps moved forward in rhythm with the bamboo pole.

This alley is somewhat secluded and deep, and the distance between the two sides gets narrower and narrower as you walk.

The young monk walked quickly and soon reached the end of the alley. The entrance to this side of the alley was only wide enough for one person to stand sideways, like a slightly larger crack.

"Whoosh—"

The young monk dodged to the side, turning his head to look behind him again, and the quiet, deserted alleyway reappeared before his eyes.

"Never mind, perhaps I'm overthinking it."

In an instant, the little monk had slipped into the crevice, but his tattered hat slipped off his head again.

"I can't forget you."

A hand reached out from the gap, its arm moving with lightning speed, like a dragon's claw or an eagle's foot striking out, hooking onto the brim of the hat and pulling it into the gap.

Behind the gap was a dilapidated little courtyard. The thatched roof was long gone and scattered, with only a few soft straws sticking out from between the wooden beams and swaying in the wind.

Judging from the messy thatched shed in the yard, there must have been a family living here, but they have long since disappeared.

The thatched hut had become a nearly collapsed straw shed, with a messy haystack under it, with straw scattered everywhere.

The little monk, having retrieved his hat, let out a slight sigh of relief, as if proud of his earlier feat, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

"Uncle-Master, the investigation is complete."

The young monk turned and said happily towards the courtyard, his tone somewhat high-spirited, as if he were waiting for praise.

"I'm done with your work."

A middle-aged monk suddenly emerged from behind the scattered haystacks. He was wearing a tattered monk's robe, and there were many straws stuck in the folds of his clothes.

The middle-aged monk crawled out of the haystack, cursing and swearing. He chewed on the grass root in his mouth, then spat it out with disgust.

"Pooh!"

"Uncle Huijing, you are not following the rules and regulations."

The young monk seemed to have grown accustomed to the middle-aged monk with the Dharma name Huijing, and somewhat helplessly stepped forward to help the middle-aged monk shake off the straw from his body.

"The rules and regulations reside within your heart; understand emptiness. Do you know why your master sent you out with me?"

Huijing ignored the young monk Jiekong's rebuke. As he shook, his tattered monk's robes became loose and baggy, revealing a patch of his chest.

However, instead of immediately closing his clothes, he stomped his worn-out shoes and kicked off the last of the straw.

"I know, I dozed off while listening to the scripture reading."

Jie Kong looked a little embarrassed. He covered his head, as if the pain from the ruler he had been given back then was coming back to him.

"Fool, your master wants you to learn from me how to conduct yourself in society."

Huijing stretched out her thin, bony hand and tapped Jiekong on the head. "You little monk, you're too arrogant all the time. Your head is practically floating."

"You make it sound like you're not arrogant at all."

Jie Kong now truly felt the pain of reality, and he covered his head and whispered.

He was unkempt all day long, disregarded all rules and regulations, and drank and ate meat every time he went down the mountain.

"Are you trying to think of yourself as the Daoji Patriarch?"

"No, I am me, and the patriarch is the patriarch."

"shameless."

Jie Kong couldn't help but retort as he watched Hui Jing shaking her head.

Huijing wasn't angry. He patted Jiekong's head, turned his head back to the side, and said meaningfully.

"But one shouldn't be too concerned about saving face, don't you two young friends from the Daoist sect?"

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Chapter One!