Longevity Begins with the Seven Injuries Fist-Chapter 168 - 122: True Qi Thunderbolt! Marriage Robe Divine Skill Reaches the Peak of Perfection!

After Su Que killed over eight hundred of the Thunderbolt Army, Li Tunshan wrote a letter to the Liang Court.

He detailed the situation in Jiannan Prefecture and requested the Ministry of War to send assistance.

However, the Emperor of Liang had been in seclusion for many years, and the Liang Court was rife with factional disputes.

Furthermore, Jiannan Prefecture was far away in the Southern Domain, and the court paid little attention to it.

As a result, there was no response from the court for quite a while.

During this period, Li Tunshan instructed his subordinates to send messages to the court at regular intervals.

After writing four consecutive letters, the court finally responded.

The court first dispatched martial monks from the Great Buddha Temple, specifically Monk Fa Jie, to assist Li Tunshan.

Buddhism flourished in the Liang Kingdom, with the Great Buddha Temple being the foremost Buddhist temple, and the True Profound Sect as the leading Daoist sect, both under the Liang Court's control.

In addition to sending martial monks, the court also dispatched several Meridian Opening Martial Artists from various parts of the Central Plains to fill the vacancies in Jiannan Prefecture.

At present, those martial artists had not yet arrived, but Monk Fa Jie had already come.

As the carriage arrived at the city gate, Monk Fa Jie's apprentice, who was driving the carriage, said, "Master, we have arrived."

"Mm."

A low voice answered from inside the carriage, followed by the tall figure of Monk Fa Jie pushing aside the curtain and leaping down from the carriage.

Li Tunshan stepped forward cheerfully and called out, "Senior Brother!"

Seeing Li Tunshan, Monk Fa Jie's eyes lit up, and he responded, "Junior Brother!"

Then, the two tightly clasped hands.

Both men were equally tall, standing nearly nine feet in height.

However, Li Tunshan was not only tall but also robust, his build like that of a giant bear.

Monk Fa Jie had a large frame but was lean, making the monk's robe draped over him look a bit loose.

"It's been over ten years since we parted, Junior Brother!" Monk Fa Jie couldn't help but sigh.

In their youth, they learned martial arts together at the Great Buddha Temple.

Moreover, sharing similar interests, they became close and often engaged in activities contrary to the Buddhist precepts, such as visiting theaters and brothels.

"Senior Brother arrived so quickly!" Li Tunshan said.

Monk Fa Jie sighed, "Once I heard I was assigned to Jiannan Prefecture, I rushed here without stopping."

"Who knows how long it would take to lose one's life if I stayed longer at the Great Buddha Temple."

"What, is the struggle between the Great Buddha Temple and the True Profound Sect quite intense?" Li Tunshan asked.

He had heard a bit about the current strife between Buddhism and Daoism.

The founding emperor of Liang was able to overthrow the previous dynasty and seize the throne amidst various rebel armies, partly due to the help of the Great Buddha Temple.

It could be said that the Great Buddha Temple had a founding merit.

However, during the reign of the second emperor, Emperor Xuan of Liang, the emperor became interested in the longevity practices of the True Profound Sect.

Thus, he supported the True Profound Sect in spreading its teachings throughout the Central Plains, even building palaces for them.

This resulted in the flourishing of both Buddhism and Daoism that continues to this day.

Although the Great Buddha Temple had the merit of founding the country, they were not officially recognized as the state religion, but in practice, they were.

The sudden rise of the True Profound Sect, sharing their resources, fame, and incense money, naturally displeased the Great Buddha Temple.

The True Profound Sect, too, was ambitious, determined to suppress the Great Buddha Temple and become the foremost sect in the world.

However, at that time, the Emperor of Liang held concentrated power and was strong.

Though the Great Buddha Temple and the True Profound Sect wished to fight, they refrained from action, instead accumulating strength in secret.

It wasn't until a few years ago, when the current Emperor Jing of Liang had been in seclusion for many years, causing disorder in the court and weakened restraint, that the temple and sect stood on the brink of confrontation.

Monk Fa Jie said, "A few years ago, our Great Buddha Temple and the True Profound Sect only engaged in minor skirmishes, with disputes that did not result in fatalities."

"However, half a month ago, a martial monk from our Great Buddha Temple killed a priest from the True Profound Sect."

"Now the True Profound Sect is bound not to rest until death. Future conflicts are likely to be bloody!"

"If I stayed at the Great Buddha Temple, I would inevitably get caught up in the conflict."

"Therefore, as soon as I heard I was assigned to Jiannan Prefecture and that my Junior Brother was in charge, I rushed over!"

"Of course," Li Tunshan said, "Though Jiannan Prefecture City is not as prosperous as the Central Plains, it is stable and comfortable!"

"Recently, I discovered that a Great Daoist Temple in the city was run by the Rebel Army, so I sealed it and left it vacant for a while."

"On hearing that Senior Brother would be coming, I immediately hired craftsmen to convert the temple into a Buddhist temple, intending for you to oversee it."

"You can take eighty percent of the incense money, and I'll take twenty percent."

Monk Fa Jie nodded, accepting Li Tunshan's arrangement, and then asked:

"Junior Brother, how are the Rebel Army and the bandits in Jiannan Prefecture? Are they strong?"

Li Tunshan replied, "Their strength is mediocre, but they are numerous and scattered. Relying on me alone to clear them out is extremely tiring."

"We just need to wait a little longer for a few Meridian Opening Realm martial artists to arrive, and then we can act together."

"Then we can sweep through all of Jiannan Prefecture together!"

"Jiannan Prefecture has several herb fields occupied by the Evil Cult, with abundant cultivation resources. If we eliminate these Rebel Armies and Evil Cults, we can take all these cultivation resources for ourselves."

"That sounds excellent!" Monk Fa Jie's eyes shone with light; such a peaceful cultivation life was much better than fighting to the death with the True Profound Sect in the Central Plains.

After chatting for a while longer, Monk Fa Jie returned to the carriage and, along with Li Tunshan and the rest of the Thunderbolt Army, entered the city and headed toward Minsheng Temple.

Minsheng Temple was the Buddhist temple converted from Purple Sun Temple.

...

Jiannan Prefecture City, Su Que's residence.

Su Que sat cross-legged in his room, cultivating the Withered Wood Divine Skill.