Chapter 1455 - 731: Utter Chaos (Part 2)
Therefore, Lin Beichen decided to leave his two new disciples in the area to oversee the construction of the Daoist Temple, while he continued his wandering journey.
However, his disciples and Liu Baoguo both expressed their wish to travel with him. The disciples hoped to learn more at their master’s side, while Liu Baoguo wanted to be there to lend a hand whenever the master faced difficulties.
Lin Beichen understood his disciples’ thoughts, but Liu Baoguo’s desire to follow him put him in a bit of a bind.
After all, someone had to stay and supervise the construction of the Daoist Temple. He asked Liu Baoguo who could shoulder this heavy responsibility, and Liu Baoguo replied with confidence that the old village chief and his wife were both reliable candidates; as long as they were given enough funds, they could handle the task.
Hearing this, Lin Beichen was relieved. He said his goodbyes to everyone and continued deeper into the mountains. His ears were unusually keen, catching a rustle of light footsteps. Following the sound, he saw a group of people furtively carrying something. Alarm bells rang in Lin Beichen’s heart, and he decided to secretly observe their movements.
He discovered that what they were carrying was actually a stretcher, and on it lay a person, completely unconscious.
Lin Beichen’s doubts grew, because if they were rescuing someone, they should have been extremely anxious, not acting sneaky like this.
He concluded that these people were definitely plotting some unspeakable secret in the dark.
To uncover the truth, Lin Beichen decided to quietly follow them and see what they intended to do. He shadowed them to a tent deep in the dense forest and watched as they quietly carried the stretcher inside.
Lin Beichen realized that the matter was far more complicated than he had imagined; he would have to investigate further to reveal the secret behind all this.
The night grew deep, yet the tent in the mountains got busier and busier. Stretchers went in and out constantly, arousing suspicion.
Inside the tent, figures in white robes moved back and forth. The mottled bloodstains all over them were strikingly obvious, confirming Lin Beichen’s suspicion—something unspeakable was happening here.
Determined to uncover the truth, Lin Beichen quietly approached the camp. Using his agile skills, he subdued a guard, swiftly changed into the guard’s clothes, and slipped into the camp.
The whole sequence of actions was clean and efficient, without drawing anyone’s notice. He even cleverly hid the guard’s corpse to avoid exposure.
Once inside the camp, Lin Beichen discovered that a strange ritual sacrifice was underway, and the key element of the ceremony was an enormous amount of fresh blood.
Without hesitation, he drove his fist straight into the old priest’s face. Two front teeth flew out on the spot.
"You’ve got some nerve, daring to betray me! Do you have any idea what the consequences will be?" The old priest clutched his bleeding mouth and furiously berated Lin Beichen. It had never crossed his mind that his own guard would turn on him.
Lin Beichen had no time to explain. He quickly freed the hostages who were imprisoned and urged them to escape in the chaos.
The old priest realized things were going wrong and hurriedly called for the guards outside. He roared in anger, accusing the guards of dereliction of duty—letting Lin Beichen, this "spoiler," ruin the ritual and even knock out his teeth. In his rage, he completely forgot that he himself had ordered that no matter what sounds came from inside, the guards were not to enter.
The guards outside heard the commotion and wanted to go in and take a look, but others reminded them that this was normal and they didn’t need to interfere. As a result, they did not come in to subdue Lin Beichen in time.
The old priest had never imagined that things would spiral into such a situation. He had thought the ritual would proceed smoothly, only to see a mishap arise at this critical moment. He angrily blamed the head guard for dereliction of duty, but the head guard protested, aggrieved, that they were simply following the old priest’s orders.
The old priest was left speechless. He could only pin his hopes on the guards catching Lin Beichen. In his heart he swore that once they caught Lin Beichen, he would pull out his teeth one by one to vent his anger.
Yet Lin Beichen’s skills were extraordinary, and the guards couldn’t keep up with him at all. In just a few moves, he vanished into the night, leaving behind a group of crestfallen guards and the furious old priest.
"You useless trash, you can’t even catch one man!" The old priest mumbled angrily at the guards. With his front teeth gone, his speech whistled, making him look particularly pathetic. Utterly disappointed, he decided he no longer wanted these guards around him.
He was terrified that as soon as he opened his mouth, his toothless embarrassment would be exposed and provoke a round of laughter. After all, he was now facing a crowd, not just a single person, so every word and action had to be cautious.
Although most people didn’t clearly hear what he was scolding about, they all sensed his authority and kept their heads down and mouths shut. No one wanted to tempt fate at such a critical juncture by saying anything defiant.
"I’ll give you a chance to redeem yourselves. Drag back every last one of those people who’ve just been freed, and you’ll be able to make up for your mistake. Otherwise, pack your things and get out—don’t be my guards anymore." The old priest threatened indistinctly.
The people Lin Beichen had rescued had already harbored deep resentment from the moment their blood was first drawn. Now, finally freed, they had the strength to resist and naturally refused to obey the old priest’s order to run away. On the contrary, they stayed and launched a fierce fight against the guards.
"Brothers, we all know very well how they treated us before. Now it’s our turn to strike back. We must beat them to the ground and make them taste the pain we suffered!" someone shouted, raising his arm, calling on everyone to unite and fight the guards together.
"Just now when they drew my blood, it hurt like hell. I’ve been scared of needles since I was a kid. Later I’m going to jab a few extra holes in them!" a burly man said through gritted teeth.
"Listen to me, everyone. We’ll take care of these guards first, then go find the person who saved us and thank him properly. If not for him, we’d probably still be suffering." someone suggested.
Their hearts brimmed with hatred for the guards, and they swore to repay the pain they’d suffered with interest. But first they had to subdue these guards, then tie them up in the camp and deal with them as they pleased.
The old priest was off to the side lecturing the guards, never expecting the situation to suddenly spin out of control. Old and frail, he couldn’t join the fight or protect himself, and could only watch as he himself was beaten by the guards.
Some guards seized the chance to take revenge on the old priest; they had long resented his authority and harsh demands. The entire camp plunged into chaos: belongings were knocked to the ground, and screams and the sounds of fighting rose and fell without end.
Lin Beichen had intended to join the battle, but seeing how many people had been freed, he figured they should be able to handle it. Then, by accident, he discovered a hidden spot behind a thicket of shrubs, and curiosity drove him to explore.
He quietly slipped in—and unexpectedly ran into James and Wilang, the Western sect members he had seen before. He hadn’t expected to encounter them here, much less that they were in the middle of plotting an evil scheme.
They spoke in low voices, terrified of being overheard. Lin Beichen hid nearby, eavesdropping, trying to learn exactly what kind of conspiracy they were planning.
He heard them discuss using sinister Witchcraft and blood poison at this place to control the people who had just been freed, turning them into Puppets to attack Lin Beichen’s Daoist Temples in various cities of Dragon Country, thereby paving the way for the Western sect’s entry into Dragon Country.
Lin Beichen was shocked by their ambition and the speed of their actions. He had no idea where else they were creating Puppets, since Dragon Country was vast and they had no small number of people. Lin Beichen had uncovered only the tip of the iceberg; many more schemes were lurking in the shadows, waiting for him to uncover. It was only a matter of time.
After listening in on their conversation, Lin Beichen gained a complete understanding of the whole affair and of their plan.
He began to ponder carefully, looking for a countermeasure and trying to stop their plot. He knew full well that if he turned a blind eye, Dragon Country might fall into crisis, with common people forced from their homes and perhaps suffering even greater disasters. That was a situation he absolutely refused to see.
He couldn’t help but wonder why they were determined to attack Dragon Country. There was no enmity between the two sides; wouldn’t it be better for each to develop on their own? This aggressive behavior left him both puzzled and helpless.
Besides, if they truly wanted to bring the Western sect into Dragon Country, they could have done it openly. Though they might face some rejection, as long as they did their publicity work well, there would always be those who accepted them. Yet they chose to play dirty tricks in secret, using plots and schemes. Such methods would not only fail to win people’s favor, but would stir up even more disgust.