Chapter Thirty-six: Nobility

The night was shrouded in mist.

In the bamboo grove, Chu Bing and Li Haoran stood facing each other, with a patch of open ground between them, scattered with stones and branches.

“I called you out tonight to teach you how to set up formations,” Chu Bing said, turning over her thoughts. If Li Haoran was to be trained into a martial arts master, it wouldn’t suffice for him to only learn martial arts. Training wasn’t achieved overnight—shortcuts were needed.

Thus, she chose to teach him formations.

Fortunately, Li Haoran had witnessed the power of her formations and was eager to learn.

“These are some useful formations I’ve compiled. You must memorize them and practice often. If anything is unclear, ask me,” Chu Bing said, pulling out the Yin-Yang formation notes she had prepared.

Li Haoran took the notes and flipped through them. His eyes gleamed with excitement, and he suddenly bowed deeply to Chu Bing.

“Miss Chu, your kindness is beyond words. From now on, if you need my help, just say the word—so long as I am able, I will never refuse!”

He was sincerely grateful. Chu Bing waved her hand, a bit embarrassed. After all, these were things from her system; she was merely presenting them, hardly deserving such gratitude.

“All right then, it’s late. Go back and rest.”

With that, she turned to leave. Li Haoran watched her departing figure, his gaze burning with admiration.

After Chu Bing left the bamboo grove and was about to return to her room, she suddenly saw a red envelope flickering in the dark. What a delightful surprise!

She barely hesitated before chasing after it.

The envelope was stuck to a bald little monk. If she wanted the envelope, she’d have to approach him.

The little monk ran deeper into the bamboo forest, and Chu Bing followed, puzzled. What was the monk doing out so late, not sleeping?

Eventually, the little monk stopped. He put his finger to his lips and let out a clear, birdlike whistle.

Chu Bing hid in the shadows, amazed. This little temple truly had its share of talent!

From the darkness came the sound of rustling. A figure emerged—a eunuch.

He was around forty, pale-faced and beardless, dressed in palace robes, and carried himself with arrogance.

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“Eunuch Liu!” the little monk greeted him, palms pressed together.

“Hmm. Has the task the Imperial Concubine ordered been completed?” the eunuch asked.

“Not yet. The monks are vigilant; it’s hard to act,” the monk replied.

Chu Bing’s unease grew. The monk’s dealings with palace folk were bad enough, but now it sounded like they were plotting harm.

Suddenly, the system in her mind spoke: “The Imperial Concubine is depraved. She once had an affair in this temple, witnessed by several monks. The monks are timid and dared not speak, but the Concubine is uneasy and likely wants to silence them.”

Chu Bing was stunned. “How do you know that so clearly?” she whispered. Was the system watching firsthand?

“...I won’t tell you anything else. Find out yourself next time!”

“No, no, dear system, don’t be so cruel!” Chu Bing joked with the system, but her focus remained on the monk and eunuch.

Sure enough, Eunuch Liu said, “Tomorrow night, the Concubine’s people will come. They’ll kill all the monks, disguise it as a bandit raid, and set fire to the temple. Then, no one will know what happened.”

“But isn’t that excessive? So many lives!” the monk protested.

“Fool! If the Concubine’s secret gets out, none of us will survive. You pity others now, but soon enough, it’ll be you needing their pity!”

...

Chu Bing felt ice cold. She’d never imagined the Imperial Concubine could be so ruthless. The temple housed over a hundred monks—hundreds of lives, and she wanted them all gone with a word?

Chu Bing had been lodging in the temple these past days and had grown fond of it. She had to warn the abbot to prepare!

“By the way, there are some guests in the temple these days. Their martial arts seem strong. They’ll likely be involved tomorrow,” the monk said, swayed by Liu’s words—his own life mattered most.

“That’s even better. If they escape, we can blame it all on them. Saves us the trouble of finding bandits,” Liu replied.

Chu Bing listened anxiously. No doubt the Concubine would send a sizable force tomorrow; the temple was no longer safe.

When the monk and eunuch left, Chu Bing hurried back to the temple.

She didn’t return to her room but went straight to the abbot’s chambers.

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“Knock, knock. Abbot!”

“Abbot, it’s Chu Bing—I have urgent matters to discuss!”

After a moment, the door opened. The abbot, sleepy-eyed, asked, “Miss Chu, what has happened?”

Chu Bing lowered her voice and recounted everything from the bamboo grove, including the information the system had given her, attributing it to Eunuch Liu.

“I believe their words to be true, so I’ve come to warn you. Take the monks and leave at once—avoid disaster.”

The abbot was stunned. “How—how can this be?”

“Abbot, you must decide quickly. If you wait until tomorrow, the spy will inform the Concubine, and none of us will escape!”

Only under cover of night was there any chance.

But the abbot shook his head, a resolute gleam in his eyes. “Miss Chu, thank you for your concern, but I cannot leave the temple. I will not abandon it.”

Chu Bing was taken aback by his stubbornness and snapped, “If you’re not afraid to die, what about the other monks? Abbot, this isn’t the time for bravado—there are hundreds of lives at stake!”

“Amitabha.” The abbot recited the Buddha’s name, voice firm. “If monks fear death and cling to life, how could we face the myriad Buddhas?”

He was draped in robes, aged and frail, yet at this moment, upright and dignified, he commanded respect.

Chu Bing’s heart surged with emotion. Suddenly she was filled with heroic resolve. Wasn’t it just an Imperial Concubine? There were so many skilled monks here—why should they be afraid?

“Miss Chu, this is the temple’s fate, unrelated to you. Take your people and leave quickly,” said the abbot.

Chu Bing shook her head, her gaze clear. “I’ve lived here; now this has come to me. I must intervene. If I walk away, I’ll never be at peace.”

The abbot looked steadily at her and, quite unexpectedly, bowed. “Miss, your righteousness is admirable. Allow me to thank you.”

Chu Bing waved him off, her eyes cold. “No need for thanks. Since we’re not leaving, we must tie up the traitor first, so he can’t send word.”

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