Urban Martial Saint

”Certainly no one.” The old man said, ”Back then, anyone who was in Xiaolin Temple couldn’t escape. They all died at his hands. No one who witnessed that massacre survived.”

The Wolf Monk frowned and said, ”Then why is everyone so sure that it was the Bloody Monk who killed them? Couldn’t it have been someone else who did it and then framed Brother Bloody Monk?”

”He confessed to it himself!” The old man said, ”Moreover, after he killed them, he left a line of bloodstained writing on the wall inside the main hall.”

”What blood words?” the Wolf Monk quickly asked.

The old man thought for a moment and said, ”I remember it seemed like: ’Today, Bloody Monk slaughtered the seven hundred thirty-five monks of Xiaolin Temple. From now on, severing ties with the Buddha, turning into a demon!’”

Severing ties with the Buddha, turning into a demon?

The Wolf Monk’s face changed. These words sounded so terrifying. Was the Bloody Monk intending to completely break with the Buddhist Sect and become a demon that kills wantonly?

”Are those words still there now?” the Wolf Monk asked.

”They are, right inside the main hall.” The old man said while leading the way in front, guiding the Wolf Monk into the main hall, and pointed to the wall behind the Buddha statue, saying, ”Look, right here.”

When the Wolf Monk came in just now, he mainly focused on the half Buddha statue and didn’t notice the wall behind it. Now, after the old man’s words, he saw that there indeed was a line of bloodstained writing on the main hall wall.

”Today, I, Bloody Monk, have slaughtered the seven hundred thirty-five monks of Xiaolin Temple. From now on, sever ties with the Buddha, turn into a demon!”

Although the words on the wall were slightly different from what the old man had said, the overall meaning remained exactly the same. These bloodstained words were written powerfully, but perhaps due to the excessive blood used when writing them, a streak of blood dripped down from each character, making the text appear even more shocking.

The old man pointed at the words on the wall and said, ”Master Shijia came back to see it. He said these words were indeed written by the Bloody Monk’s own hand.”

The Wolf Monk also recognized the Bloody Monk’s handwriting and could tell that these words were indeed likely written by him. However, one couldn’t conclude definitively from just this, as handwriting could be forged, after all.

”Is this the only proof that confirms Brother Bloody Monk killed everyone in Xiaolin Temple?” the Wolf Monk asked.

”Of course not just this.” The old man said, ”Initially, people were also skeptical, thinking it wasn’t possible for him to kill everyone in Xiaolin Temple and that someone must have framed him. But later, after he left Xiaolin Temple, he founded the Sha Men and personally admitted he killed so many there. So this matter was settled.”

”He personally admitted it? He personally admitted to this matter?” the Wolf Monk was astonished. If the Bloody Monk himself admitted to it, then it could hardly be false.

”Of course he admitted it himself. Otherwise, with such a significant matter, who would dare falsely accuse someone else?” The old man said, ”This matter caused quite a stir at the time. Some noble families or sects that were friendly with Xiaolin Temple went to find the Bloody Monk to demand an explanation for Xiaolin Temple. But what happened? Those people were either killed by the Bloody Monk or severely injured by him. Anyway, during that period, the world was in chaos, and the number of people he killed outside was tens of times more than those he killed in Xiaolin Temple. Therefore, he was regarded as a great demon by everyone in the world. Not until fifteen years ago, when he disappeared, did the matter come to an end.”

The Wolf Monk looked astonished. He had never heard of these things. Listening to the old man, he felt deeply shocked. The Bloody Monk slaughtered over seven hundred people in Xiaolin Temple and far more outside. So how many did he kill in total? Over ten thousand? Or several tens of thousands? Such a butcher could truly be called a world-renowned demon!

”Did he really kill that many?” the Wolf Monk asked in surprise.

”Almost, I heard people saying that too.” The old man replied.

The Wolf Monk glanced at the old man. Seeing his expression, it was clear that he was a bit guilty, and it was likely that there was exaggeration in his words. Yet, it was also evident that the Bloody Monk’s hands were indeed covered in blood over the years. But, what could have provoked him so much back then to transform from a silent monk into a demon who killed countless victims?

These questions are definitely not going to get answers from this old man. Wolf Monk stared at the words on the wall for a long time, then suddenly jumped up and punched the wall heavily.

It’s unclear if it was due to the hall’s long disrepair leading to decay, or the immense power of Wolf Monk’s punch. Regardless, Wolf Monk’s punch directly created a large hole in the wall. Immediately following that, the entire hall began to shake, as if it might collapse at any moment.

”Oh my god!” the old man screamed and hurriedly covered his head, running out of the hall. He looked from afar at Wolf Monk inside and urgently shouted, ”Master, Master, come out quickly, the hall... the hall is about to collapse...”

Wolf Monk did not leave; he stood in the center of the hall, looking at the tattered bloody words on the wall, and declared word by word, ”Today I, Wolf Monk, swear here, no matter who destroyed Xiaolin Temple, I will personally kill them!”

What Wolf Monk said is quite intriguing. He talked about seeking revenge against those who destroyed Xiaolin Temple, but he didn’t say he was after Bloody Monk for vengeance. It’s because he vaguely felt that when Bloody Monk massacred the monks of Xiaolin Temple back then, there was definitely a reason behind it and he must have been provoked. Therefore, Wolf Monk seeks revenge, but not directly against Bloody Monk, instead he’s looking for the person who provoked Bloody Monk!

Wolf Monk’s voice was loud, echoing and reverberating in the hall. With his voice, the hall finally wobbled and collapsed. Under the old man’s astonished gaze, Wolf Monk was directly buried by the falling hall.

The old man widened his eyes, and after being shocked for a moment, stammered, ”Master... Master, are you... are you okay?”

There was not a single response, and the old man’s heart tightened, urgently saying, ”Master, don’t be afraid, I will get a hoe to rescue you.”

After saying that, the old man turned around to go to the meditation room at the back. Just at that moment, a loud noise suddenly came from the direction of the hall. Following that, a figure shot straight up from the rubble and landed right in front of the old man.

The old man was startled, and upon closer inspection, the person was none other than Wolf Monk. Except for being covered in dust, he was unharmed. Surprisingly, the collapse of the hall had buried him yet left him completely unscathed, leaving the old man utterly astonished.

After a good while, the old man regained his senses and hurriedly asked, ”Master, you... are you okay?”

Wolf Monk waved his hand, glanced at the meditation room behind him, and said, ”Is it just you living on this mountain now?”

”Yes, it’s been just me on this mountain for so many years,” the old man paused and said, ”Although the incense of Xiaolin Temple is no more, this is after all the site of Xiaolin Temple, and some martial artists still come to pay their respects. These people, when they come, occasionally give some incense money, and along with the field I’ve cultivated in the back, there’s no problem with living. Besides, I’m old and don’t know how many years I can live; I don’t want to wander again, staying on this mountain is quite good.”

Wolf Monk sighed softly; this old man had devoted almost half of his life to Xiaolin Temple. Staying here wasn’t bad; at least Xiaolin Temple still had someone to sweep the grounds, which was far better than turning completely into ruins.

Accompanying the old man, Wolf Monk chatted until dawn was breaking. As he watched the first light appearing in the sky, he stood up and proclaimed, ”That’s all for today. You need to take good care of yourself on this mountain. Once I avenge Xiaolin Temple, I will return to rebuild Xiaolin Temple!”

The old man couldn’t help but become excited and said, ”Really... can Xiaolin Temple really be rebuilt? If it can be rebuilt, that... that would be great, really great...”

”Xiaolin Temple will definitely be rebuilt!” Wolf Monk clenched his fists, his voice firm. It seemed like he was speaking to the old man and also to himself.

The old man’s eyes gleamed with endless hope, and because of his excitement, even his eyes became moist. He’d guarded Xiaolin Temple without leaving for such a long time. Today, hearing someone talk about rebuilding Xiaolin Temple, the emotion and excitement in his heart were unimaginable.

Wolf Monk didn’t linger long on the mountain. After bidding farewell to the old man, he left down the original path. As dawn broke, a few people finally began walking the mountain path. However, most were just playing at the foot of the mountain, and no one was heading up. The bloody incident of Xiaolin Temple back then had completely diminished its former prestige, turning the mountain into a deserted one.

Walking down Great Buddha Mountain, Wolf Monk stood on the highway below, suddenly a bit at a loss. Although he had made up his mind to go downhill to uncover the events that led to the destruction of Xiaolin Temple, he hadn’t left in over thirty years, and now, standing at the foot of the mountain, he was unsure of where to go. How to start investigating Xiaolin Temple’s case was also an unsolvable problem.

Standing in place pondering for a while, Wolf Monk suddenly turned and walked straight towards the direction of Shenchuan City. Since he didn’t know where to start, he decided to first take a trip to Shenchuan City. He still remembered, the one who saved him back then, Ye Qing, lived in Shenchuan City. He wouldn’t forget such a debt of gratitude.

Although Wolf Monk had been imprisoned for nearly thirty years, the changes in the outside world left him overwhelmed. However, he was very familiar with various places in Huaxia, and wouldn’t lose his way from Great Buddha Mountain to Shenchuan City. The only problem was that he didn’t know how to use transportation like cars or airplanes, so walking there might take an indefinite amount of time.