"For the sake of the country? Did all those people she killed also die for this country?"
"Why not? You're not born into the royal family or involved in the court. How can you be so sure that the Empress Dowager was wrong?"
It had to be said that Cui Qizhou was really good at arguing.
At this, the abbot was rendered speechless. He could only stare at them.
Master Sikong frowned. "Puji, have you forgotten the reason I entrusted Putuo Temple to you? Do you remember the vows you made in front of the Buddha?"
These words were like a fuse, instantly igniting the abbot's anger.
He roared, "Do you really think you've done all this for my own good? Your so - called 'good' is to make me stand in this position and do things that no one else wants to do?"
"What do you mean? As your master, I only hoped that you could lead Putuo Temple to greater heights."
The abbot's face fell. He had already changed into the clothes of an ordinary civilian.
"Master, don't be so self - indulgent. I've never regarded you as my master. Lead the temple to greater heights? That's your own wish. Do you know how much pressure I've been under in this position? How can the temple prosper without money?"
This time, it was Master Sikong who was angry. He had never thought that his disciple would one day break the precepts and become greedy for money.
"Presumptuous! By saying such things, you're no longer a disciple of the Buddha. People like you will only defile the Buddhist faith."
"The Buddhist faith? You all act so high and mighty, while I'm the only villain. Fine! I've done all these things according to your instructions, trying to make Putuo Temple better. But you think I've broken the precepts. How ridiculous! As my master, you've always only criticized me from a moral high - ground."
Master Sikong opened his mouth but couldn't find the right words for a long time. Some of what the abbot said seemed to make sense.
Shi Muwǎn sneered. "The abbot has said it all. Have you forgotten that you owe everything you have today to Master Sikong? He has almost treated you like his own child, but this is how you repay him. If I were you, I'd rather kill myself by hitting my head against a block of tofu."
Cui Qizhou glanced at the woman, his eyes showing a hint of disgust. Why was this woman becoming more and more vulgar? However, he didn't seem to be as averse to it as before.
The abbot didn't think he was wrong.
"You all think that us monks in the temple should be indifferent to worldly affairs and just focus on our own duties. Of course, you won't think what I've done is right. Fine, I'm too lazy to waste my breath on you. Do whatever you want."
The minister of the Supreme Court of Judicature quickly sent his men in to arrest the abbot.
But in the blink of an eye, the abbot disappeared. Only then did everyone realize the seriousness of the situation. It turned out that he had been stalling for time from the very beginning.
Cui Qizhou was the first to react. "The man can't have gone far. Go after him immediately."
The minister of the Supreme Court of Judicature received the order and rushed out with his men. Cui Qizhou, on the other hand, stayed in the room and inspected the place where the abbot had stood. There was nothing there.
But he knew that a person couldn't disappear into thin air. So there was only one possibility left.
When everyone entered the place, the abbot must have used some kind of optical illusion.
He carefully sniffed the air and slowly followed the smell to the incense burner.
When he opened the incense burner, Master Sikong immediately smelled something else.
"This is the hallucinogenic powder I taught him for self - protection. I didn't expect him to use it in such a situation today. Evil disciple! Once I catch him, I won't let him off easily."
Now that the three of them knew what it was, they weren't overly worried.
Fortunately, Cui Qizhou had already ordered all the exits to be sealed, and Master Sikong knew where the last secret passage out was.
When they chased after him, they just happened to meet the abbot under the secret passage.
Surprised that they had caught up so quickly, the abbot said angrily, "It's useless even if you've caught up. I'd rather die than be captured by you today."
Cui Qizhou calmly followed behind.
"Don't you want to know how your relatives died back then?"
At these words, the abbot stopped in his tracks and stared at the people behind him in shock.
"How do you know about this? Have you already guessed my identity?"
"At first, I really knew nothing. But later, I noticed that you've always been secretive about your identity. Even the Supreme Court of Judicature couldn't find out your real identity. So I got curious and sent someone else to investigate. Finally, I found out something."
The abbot's palms were sweating. He stared at the person in front of him warily.
"What exactly do you know? I already know what happened back then. You don't need to tell me."
"Does the Shi family really have the ability to deal with you? You should know that with your identity, the Shi family can't do anything to you."
Shi Muwǎn was completely confused. Weren't they saying that the Shi family was extremely powerful? Why didn't they dare to touch a monk's family? Could it be that this Puji had a great background?
But the abbot just wouldn't believe his words.
"What did you know back then? All you could find out were things that had already been covered up by the Shi family. Everyone knows those things. It's useless for you to find them out."
"Heh, I can tell you where your parents are now."
The abbot's bag dropped to the ground, and the gold inside rolled out. Although he was so greedy for money, he didn't even move, as if he didn't even notice the gold on the ground.
"Say what you just said again."
Cui Qizhou wasn't angry because of his words. Instead, he took out a piece of paper from his sleeve.
"This is the answer I'm giving you."
The abbot quickly snatched the paper and stared at the address on it with wide eyes.
"It can't be. I clearly saw my parents being killed by them back then. No, you're in cahoots with the Empress Dowager. You're trying to deceive me. I won't fall for your tricks."
His expression was crazy as he tore the paper into pieces.
From the falling paper scraps, Shi Muwǎn could clearly see that it was an address, probably the current location of the abbot's parents.
Cui Qizhou squinted his eyes. His patience was almost running out.
"If you don't want to believe me, then come with me and see for yourself. Only by facing the truth can you admit how terribly wrong you've been."
Hearing this, the abbot was already a little tempted. He hadn't seen his parents for a long time and had missed them terribly.