Chapter 55: No Mercy in the Hall of Compassion
"How can this be..." Deputy Minister Qin had a vacant look in his eyes as he muttered to himself. He reacted the next moment and he covered his mouth. If Fang Chen were to hear him, he might not be able to live past today!
Off to the side, the manager turned pale, and he didn’t know what to do. But in the end, he decided to stay silent, in hope that the blind Divine General wouldn’t notice him.
"In the Hall of Compassion, there's no mercy..." Fang Chen mocked. Then, he slowly walked toward the Daoist, and with a casual wave of his hand, he severed the ropes binding him and the little nun.
Qin Dong attempted to skulk out of the courtyard quietly, covering his mouth to avoid making any noise. He firmly believed that if Fang Chen were to notice him, he wouldn’t spare him.
The next moment, groups of soldiers rushed into the courtyard, led by Deputy Commander You Longchang of the West Tiger Battalion.
"General You, detain them," Fang Chen said calmly.
"Yes!" You Longchang said and smiled bitterly. He didn’t dare ask any question and immediately led the soldiers to capture the manager and thugs on the spot. Those who resisted were killed on the spot.
The Daoist stared at Fang Chen with suspicion.
"Divine General Fang!" After Fang Qingyao was untied, she immediately dashed to Fang Chen’s side. Her maidservant was naturally stuck to her.
A faint smile appeared on Fang Chen’s face. "Young Lady Fang, luck doesn't seem to be on your side lately.”
Hearing his words, Fang Qingyao could only smile bitterly, but she didn’t dwell on the thought very long. She was more curious about whether Fang Chen had known about the Hall of Compassion's misconduct in the past.
"Divine General Fang!” You Longchang’s voice rang through the air suddenly. ”Isn't this Deputy Minister Qin?" Saying that, he dragged a pale-faced Qin Dong over to Fang Chen. “Did you also call Deputy Minister Qin over?”
Qin Dong couldn't help but curse inwardly. With things progressing up to this point, all he could do was try and bullshit his way through. He straightened his expression and said, matter-of-factly, "I came here today to make a donation and visit the orphans... “
Fang Qingyao and her maidservant were dumbfounded. "Deputy Minister?" This seemingly upright man turned out to be a minister of the Grand Xia Empire?!
"Deputy Minister Qin, I followed you all the way here. Are you sure you came here to donate silver and visit the orphans? By the way, Young Lady Fang and the others are still alive.” Fang Chen revealed a faint smile as he spoke.
“Y-You vile person! You clearly wanted to defile my young lady!” Fang Qingyao's maidservant didn't mince her words as she expressed her anger towards Qin Dong.
You Longchang's expression changed slightly and his expression sank. He knew that nothing good would come when Fang Chen summoned him!
Qin Dong was the deputy minister of rites, a high-ranking official of the second rank! His status was not to be underestimated!
"She's just a merchant's daughter, with her words alone, His Majesty won't believe her. Divine General Fang, we have no grievances between us. Why bother?" Qin Dong's expression changed as he whispered, "If you spare me, I will definitely hold you in the highest regard in the future!"
Fang Chen snubbed him. He looked at You Longchang and said, "General You, there’s no need for these people to be left alive. You can go ahead and execute them.”
Execute them?!
You Longchang was slightly stunned. He hesitated for a few moments before ordering his men to carry out the task. Screams filled the air as the men from the Hall of Compassion were beheaded.
Qin Dong was scared out of his wits when he saw that. He felt a chill running down his spine, and he trembled involuntarily.
"So much murderous intent!" Off to the side, the Daoist's face turned serious, and he subconsciously pulled the little nun back a few steps.
Noticing her hand in his, the little nun’s face turned red, and she quickly shook him off.
Fang Qingyao calmly watched as her maidservant stared in fright. She didn’t dare look at Fang Chen.
"Divine General Fang, everything has been handled. Will you please tell me what happened? Deputy Minister Qin..." You Longchang said.
Qin Dong glanced at You Longchang. This guy didn’t even know what was going on, and yet he followed Fang Chen’s orders to a tee anyway! What the actual fuck!
"Make the announcement. The Hall of Compassion appears to be helping orphans and widows on the surface, but they actually deal in human trafficking and thievery. After the West Tiger Battalion had discovered this, they raided the place. As for the rest, It’s better for you not to know,” Fang Chen said calmly.
"Well then..." You Longchang nodded strangely.
"Divine General Fang," Qin Dong hurriedly interjected, "please consider what I just said...."
"Stop talking for now," Fang Chen said indifferently.
Qin Dong immediately shut his mouth as a sense of extreme unease filled his heart. Fang Qingyao’s maidservant seemed afraid that Fang Chen would let him go and she wanted to speak up. However, a soldier from the West Tiger Battalion returned to make a report, causing her to hesitate to speak. His face was pale as he ran over as quickly as he could.
"Divine General Fang, General You, we found many dead bodies."
"Let’s go take a look." Fang Chen's eyes narrowed.
Before long, they appeared near an ancient well in the courtyard. Stacked inside the well were many corpses ranging in age and gender. Their faces were contorted in a ghastly manner, as if they had suffered endless torment before death.
"Damn the Spirit Blood Sect! Damn it all to their heavenly ancestors!" The Daoist couldn't help but curse after seeing this sight.
The little nun's face turned pale. "Amitabha." she muttered a sutra under her breath.
You Longchang stared blankly at Fang Chen. "How did this happen?!"
Qin Dong looked guilty. In order not to expose himself, he pretended to be shocked as well as he gazed into the dry well. He grumbled with resentment, "I never expected this place to be so corrupt!"
Fang Qingyao and her maidservant were already pale and they retched a few times. Upon hearing Qin Dong's words, they stared at him in shock.
Could such shameless people actually exist?!
"These people perished at the hands of Master Xu Hui," Fang Chen said coolly. "They were orphans in the hall. Because they were orphans, there was no one to notice their disappearance after they died."
"Xu Hui? Do you mean... Master Xu Hui?!” You Longchang exclaimed. "Is he here?!"
The Daoist mumbled, "Yeah. He’s the pile of charred remains outside."
You Longchang suddenly remembered the pile of ash he saw when he charged in. He didn't expect it to be that famous monk.
Also... If all of that was his doing...
A look of rage appeared on You Longchang’s face. "What kind of demonic technique was that heretical monk practicing?"
"The matters here should not be made known to the outside world for the time being. I'm afraid it will cause mass panic. General You, you should know what to do," Fang Chen said.
Everyone present was slightly taken aback. Even though they had some reservations, none of them dared to refute the Divine General’s words.
You Longchang nodded. "I understand." After a pause, he glanced at Qin Dong. "Divine General Fang, what role did Deputy Minister Qin play in this matter?"
"I am not involved in this!" Qin Dong hurriedly said.
What he said was true, after all, he didn't even know how to cultivate. How could he be involved in any of that?
Well... his words weren’t entirely true, either. After all, he was the one who sent many of the orphans over in the first place...
"General You, you should head out and do what you need to. Remember to appease the souls of the orphans here," Fang Chen said.
After thinking about it, he added, "Take Young Lady Fang and the others with you. They have been frightened, so ask your soldiers not to be too rough with them."
"Yes..." You Longchang nodded slightly.
Fang Qingyao knew that she couldn't interfere in the matter and could only bow to Fang Chen before following You Longchang out of the courtyard.
Only Fang Chen, Qin Dong, the Daoist, and the little nun remained in the courtyard.
A faint smile appeared on Fang Chen’s face as he asked, "Deputy Minister Qin, how much do you know about the Spirit Blood Sect?"
Hearing that, Qin Dong's eyes drifted all around in silence. The Daoist immediately snapped. "What are you looking all around for? Thinking of a lie to say?"
Qin Dong's face stiffened. He almost forgot that there were still two people here who could see him.
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