Chapter 010 Puppets

One night, late at night.

A troop was marching. This was an army with strict discipline and perfect uniformity. The footsteps of tens of thousands of soldiers fell upon the earth as if they were the footsteps of a single person.

This steel-like army trampled across the land, trod over the grasslands, and during the entire time, no chaotic sound arose.

No one spoke, no one turned their head, and no one even... breathed.

Their pace was terrifyingly precise.

The rhythm of each person, the height of each lifted foot, were all identical, without the slightest difference.

The foremost person stepped onto the ground, leaving a footprint, and when he moved away, the person behind stepped precisely into that same footprint, with no sign of deviation.

What was even more terrifying was the astonishing speed at which this army marched.

Each person charged forward frantically at a sprinting pace, faster even than a galloping horse, yet without any disorder, maintaining exactly the right distance between each other.

On a mountain peak about a thousand meters away from this army, a monk in white robes pressed his palms together and uttered a Buddhist chant.

Amitabha!

Behind the white-robed monk stood a military general clad in pitch-black armor. The general asked, "Master, can you discern the origin of this army?"

The white-robed monk said slowly, "Neither human nor ghost, neither demon nor god, neither sage nor immortal."

The military officer's mouth twitched several times before he said, "Master, could you be a bit clearer?"

The white-robed monk shook his head and said, "Benefactor, this army is not among the sentient beings of the six realms of reincarnation. I am not entirely certain either, but based on my investigation, this army is very likely... puppets!"

"Puppets?" The officer was startled, and suddenly thought of something. "Mohist mechanics!"

In his eyes, such things as puppets were probably only manageable by the Mohist school from the pre-Qin period.

"Master means that the madman who created this army is a descendant of the Mohist school."

The white-robed monk said, "This, I am not entirely sure either, but the possibility is not small."

A greedy look immediately appeared in the officer's eyes, but inwardly he still had some doubts. "Master, if this mechanical art is so formidable, why was the Mohist school suppressed by Confucianism and Emperor Wu of Han back then?"

At that time, Dong Zhongshu proposed abolishing the hundred schools and revering only Confucianism, and Emperor Wu of Han agreed.

From then on, the hundred schools gradually declined.

Among them, the Mohist school, which together with Confucianism was called the 'prominent teachings of the age,' was suppressed and ultimately suffered a complete defeat.

To this day, people of that time could only find records of the Mohist school in books, which was indeed baffling.

Since the Mohist mechanical art was so formidable, the officer was very suspicious of what methods Emperor Wu of Han had used to ally with Confucianism to suppress the Mohist school, even going so far as to exterminate the hundred schools, including the Mohists.

The white-robed monk slowly said, "This point, probably only the ancients know. Perhaps Emperor Wu of Han was too terrifying at the time, or perhaps the Mohist school had not produced so many puppets back then."

The officer nodded slightly; he leaned toward the second point.

Although the Mohist school was formidable in its early days, it could never have possessed so many puppets.

He even suspected that after being suppressed, the Mohists went underground, unwilling to accept defeat, and thus passed down their teachings in secret, even continuously manufacturing puppets. After so many years of development, they had amassed such a massive puppet army.

Only this reason could explain how, in just a few days, such a large, invincible army could suddenly emerge across the land.

The military officer, believing he had figured out the cause and effect, could no longer suppress his greed and said, "Master, could you do me a favor?"

The white-robed monk said with a faint smile, "Benefactor, you once showed kindness to Jinshan Temple. This poor monk has come to repay that debt. If you have something to say, feel free to speak plainly."

"Help me capture the one controlling these puppets," the officer said resolutely. "If the master will lend a hand, our debt of gratitude to Jinshan Temple will be wiped clean. How about it?"

The white-robed monk slowly nodded. "Agreed."

"Thank you, Master."

"Benefactor, no need to be polite." The white-robed monk lightly tapped his toes, his body soaring into the air like a willow leaf drifting in the wind, speeding away into the distance.

The officer watched the white-robed monk leave, lingered for a moment, then turned and departed.

Meanwhile, the white-robed monk sped along, heading deep into Jiannan Circuit. But before long, he saw a group of soldiers riding horses, hurrying on their way.

At the center of this group was a small Daoist in a purple robe, wearing a veil, riding a three-headed bird.

When the white-robed monk saw the small Daoist, a hint of surprise flickered in his eyes. Just as he was about to avoid the group, the small Daoist spotted him.

The small Daoist casually flicked his hand, and a string of talismans flew out from his sleeve, transforming into a crane that grabbed at the white-robed monk.

The white-robed monk chanted the Buddha's name, his body radiating Buddhist light. He gently struck out with his right hand, and in an instant, a massive arm forged from golden light reached out from the void, striking toward the crane, with a swastika spinning in its palm.

The crane let out a long cry, turned gracefully, evaded the Buddha's palm, and clawed at the white-robed monk.

Unhurried, the white-robed monk smiled, holding a flower. His Buddhist light blazed brightly, easily blocking the crane's attack. The golden Buddha's palm in the void turned again and struck at the crane once more.

In an instant, the palm wind roared, the air exploded, and endless light seemed to engulf the crane.

In just a few breaths, the Buddha's palm and the crane had clashed several times.

The young Taoist laughed heartily, raised his hand, and the crane let out a shriek, turning back into a pile of talismans that flew into his sleeve.

Seeing this, the white-robed monk also dispersed the golden Buddha's palm in the air.

The group of soldiers below, seeing the two stop fighting, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. As the saying goes, when gods fight, mortals suffer; they had no desire to die here for no reason.

The young Taoist put away the talismans and said loudly, "I thought who it was—turns out it's the distinguished disciple of Jinshan Temple, Master Yixiu. Why aren't you at Jinshan Temple eating vegetarian and chanting Buddha's name, but here instead?"

The white-robed monk said, "So it's the esteemed disciple of Grandmaster Taiyin. May I ask, Brother Taoist, why do you block my path? What do you intend?"

Riding his strange mount, the young Taoist asked, "Master Yixiu, why don't you answer my question directly? Oh, I see—you're too embarrassed to say, aren't you?"

"Years ago, a mysterious monk entered Jinshan Temple to discuss Buddhist doctrine with the masters there. As a result, the masters of Jinshan Temple were left speechless in debate. Many of them fell into demonic possession during that debate; some had their faith shaken, took off their robes, and returned to lay life. In that debate, Jinshan Temple's very foundation was shaken."

"If not for someone's rescue, Jinshan Temple would have been erased from existence long ago, right?"

The white-robed monk's face remained calm, but his eyes shifted repeatedly, gradually darkening.