146: Chapter 146 Wudang and Shaolin Join Forces to Apply Pressure? I'll Cut Off All Your Incense Offerings
At the entrance of the Qin Family Manor.
In that pool of bloody yellow mud.
Several ears were crudely stuffed into disposable fast-food containers.
They were currently flying toward the Kunlun Mountains via helicopter.
The faint scent of blood still lingered in the air.
"This blood is so sticky, it's really hard to wash off."
Bodyguard Heizi wiped the floor tiles with a rag and spat on the ground.
Inside the underground command center.
The lighting was a bit dim, and the air smelled of machine oil.
Gu Qianqian was sitting cross-legged on a gaming chair, hugging a half-eaten bucket of instant noodles.
"Slurp, slurp."
Her mouth was covered in oil from eating, and she grabbed a piece of tissue to wipe it carelessly.
"Boss, those old antiques have declared war on us online."
"Declared war?"
Qin Yuan pulled over a chair, sat down, and crossed his legs.
The sole of his shoe left a black mark on the floor.
"Yeah, Shaolin, Wudang, and several other small, unknown sects."
Gu Qianqian sniffed and pushed the noodle bucket to the side.
"They posted essays online, claiming you are the reincarnated Great Demon King who destroys Buddhism."
"They also said they want to represent the moon... pfft, I mean, represent the righteous path to eliminate you."
"How impressive."
Qin Yuan sneered and pulled out a cigarette to light it.
"Any news from Big Brother Wang Hu?"
"Big Brother Wang Hu just called."
Ah Fu was nearby, whittling a pencil with a small knife, wood shavings falling at his feet.
"He said Shaolin and Wudang have already assembled over three thousand ancient martial arts experts."
"They are currently rushing toward the capital."
"They claimed they want to avenge the fellow Daoists of the Kunlun Void Sect and, by the way, cleanse the monarch's side."
"Three thousand people?"
Qin Yuan exhaled a plume of blue smoke, his eyes glinting with amusement.
"How are they coming? Flying on swords, or taking the highway?"
"I heard they chartered buses."
Ah Fu poked his fingernail with the sharpened pencil to test its sharpness.
"But those monks and Daoists coming down from the mountain still need to eat and stay in hotels."
"Where do they get the money?"
Qin Yuan raised an eyebrow.
"From their believers, of course."
Gu Qianqian interjected, still chewing on a clove of garlic.
"Those monks have lay disciples in all the major cities, and there are plenty of rich people among them."
"Just a while ago, an old coal boss from Jiangnan donated 300 million directly to Shaolin as 'life-buying money'."
"They dare to touch my, Qin Yuan's, cake, and they want to use other people's money to crush me?"
Qin Yuan brushed the dust off his suit and stood up abruptly.
He walked to the holographic screen, looking at the flashing red dots on it.
Each red dot represented a temple or Daoist monastery with booming incense offerings in the secular world.
"Qianqian."
Qin Yuan's voice echoed in the cold command room.
"Notify the municipal bureau's fire department, industrial and commercial bureau, and tax bureau."
"Send a 'big gift package' to these sects that are sticking their necks out."
"A big gift package?"
Gu Qianqian blinked, struggling to keep up with Qin Yuan's train of thought.
"Just say they are suspected of illegal fundraising, their fire safety facilities are severely aged, and they are non-compliant."
Qin Yuan smiled coldly.
"Within one day."
"Seal and seize all properties under the names of Shaolin and Wudang across the country."
"Don't leave them a single temple."
"Illegal fundraising? Fire safety hazards?"
Gu Qianqian rubbed her eyes, momentarily stunned.
"Boss, these reasons... aren't they a bit too down-to-earth?"
"As long as they work."
Qin Yuan stubbed out his cigarette.
"Aren't they immortals? I want to see if they can survive on thin air without the offerings of mortals."
Half a day later.
At the foot of Shaolin Temple.
The tourist entrance, usually bustling with people, was now desolate.
A dozen fire trucks and official vehicles from the Bureau of Industry and Commerce, sirens wailing, parked brazenly at the mountain gate.
"Seal it! Hurry! Stick it on for me!"
A pot-bellied law enforcement captain shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Fire exits are blocked, fire extinguishers are expired!"
"And also, these merit boxes of yours are suspected of illegal fundraising; confiscate them!"
Several young monks rushed out, holding staff, trembling with rage.
"How dare you seal a sacred Buddhist site?! Our ancestors will not let you off!"
"Ancestors?"
The law enforcement captain spat and pointed at the monk's nose.
"I don't care what ancestors you have! In a society ruled by law, if you don't meet the standards, you get sealed!"
"If you dare move, I'll arrest you all for obstructing official duties and you can go eat prison food!"
It wasn't just Shaolin.
Wudang Mountain, Emei Sect, and even several small Daoist monasteries in the south.
Within just a few hours, all were plastered with white seal strips.
The incense offerings were cut off.
Pilgrims were forcibly dispersed.
Those hidden experts who had intended to go down the mountain to show off had their homes raided before they even left the gates.
"Senior Brother... this is bad!"
At a highway service area in northern China.
A young Daoist wearing Daoist robes, drenched in sweat, ran panting to the leading Senior Brother Elder.
"Our... our cards have been frozen!"
"Nonsense!"
The Senior Brother Elder slammed his hand on the table, shaking the plastic fast-food container so that the instant noodle soup spilled everywhere.
"My card clearly has one billion in incense money!"
"It... it really is frozen!"
The Little Daoist wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his speech stuttering.
"I just went to the counter to buy instant noodles, and when they tried to swipe the card, the machine kept prompting 'Suspected money laundering, account locked'."
"Not only were the cards blocked, but even our WeChat and Alipay are inaccessible!"
The long-robed Daoist's face turned shades of green and white, his eyes nearly popping out of his sockets.
He whipped out his phone.
On the screen, a huge red exclamation mark was firmly pinned to the payment app's interface.
Their army of three thousand had been running on the highway for half a day.
Now they couldn't even afford a bucket of instant noodles!
"Senior Brother, what about our bus fare? The drivers refuse to drive without payment."
The Little Daoist said with a mournful face, pointing outside.
Outside the gate, dozens of bus drivers were gathered together, holding wrenches and iron bars, staring at them with hostile eyes.
"Who... who the hell did this?!"
The long-robed Daoist let out a roar of frustration, snapping the plastic fork in his hand into two pieces.
Who else could it be?
In this land.
Besides Qin Yuan, who has such great resources and power?
"Senior Brother, how about... we fly over?"
A little monk swallowed, suggesting in a low voice.
"Fly? Fly your mother's head!"
The long-robed Daoist slapped the little monk's bald head with a crisp sound.
"Over three thousand li, why don't you fly one for me to see?! Does True Qi not require money to buy medicine to recover?!"
Without the support of mortal money.
These ancient martial arts experts, usually so high and mighty, were instantly knocked back to their original form.
At the freezing highway intersection, they stood one by one in thin Daoist robes and cassocks, shivering in the cold.
"Senior Brother, I'm hungry."
The Little Daoist hunched his neck, his stomach rumbling loudly.
The long-robed Daoist looked at his shriveled wallet and the SIM card that had been suspended for non-payment, and sat down hard on the steps.
"Senior Brother, are we... now only able to drink the northwest wind?"