Chapter 726 - 438: Master, Even the Buddha Must Wield a Gun to Save the World from Demons! (Part 2)

Chapter 726: Chapter 438: Master, Even the Buddha Must Wield a Gun to Save the World from Demons! (Part 2)

The elderly monk leading the group lowered his head and closed his eyes, his bony fingers gently rolling the dark brown prayer beads, seemingly oblivious to the table’s aroma of meat and wine.

The neighboring table was quite a different scene.

A few Daoists in green robes rested their dusters on their arms, savoring the locally brewed rice wine.

Among them, a long-bearded elder met Deputy Mo’s gaze and nodded slightly in greeting.

At the far corner, a few men dressed in common attire stood out conspicuously.

Although they wore ordinary cloth garments, their waists were bulging, and their eyes glinted with keen intelligence. One burly man, whose palms were covered in thick calluses, was leisurely slicing grilled lamb with a dagger, the blade passing swiftly, making the meat slices as thin as cicada wings.

Deputy Mo took a quiet sip of his drink, thinking these diverse "talented individuals" must have come to slay demons and eliminate spirits.

At the moment when the atmosphere became subtly tense, Zhao Deming quickly raised his cup and stood up, bowing with a smile to Deputy Mo.

"Officer Mo, these are enlightened masters concerned for the people, who happened to travel to our town yesterday. Hearing that Officer Mo intends to lead the royal troops to eradicate the corpse disaster, they are all willing to lend a helping hand..."

He spoke cautiously, for in these chaotic times, warlords were like local emperors, jealously guarding their authority.

If Officer Mo thought these people had been invited to compete with the Southern Army, disaster could strike instantly.

However, what Zhao Deming could never have anticipated was that Deputy Mo not only did not get angry but instead burst into a hearty laugh, standing up with a raised cup.

"Hahahaha! Perfect timing!"

"To gather with enlightened masters to discuss the grand plan of eliminating demons is indeed a boon for our Southern Army!

I offer a toast to you all, wishing for a triumph tomorrow that will cleanse the evil atmosphere!"

He drank the cup in one swift motion, his actions crisp and clean, leaving Zhao Deming stunned and the local gentry looking at each other in bewilderment.

Deputy Mo looked around at the extraordinary individuals present, his gaze sincerely earnest.

He always respected genuine enlightened masters, especially since the generalissimo had ordered—to broadly recruit remarkable people to achieve great goals.

"Once we sweep away the disasters at Blackwater Town and Lin Family Hill tomorrow, I personally will host a banquet to talk with you all at length.

In these turbulent times, the generalissimo needs talents like you to join forces for the common good."

Deputy Mo’s meaning was unmistakable.

The shared drink today was fate; after fighting side by side tomorrow, he intended to recruit these talented individuals for the Southern Army under the generalissimo’s command.

Just as the banquet atmosphere was warming, the elderly monk, who had been reciting scriptures with closed eyes, suddenly opened them, offering a respectful salute to Deputy Mo: "Officer Mo, this old monk has a word to report."

His voice was not loud, yet it instantly silenced the hall.

"The corpse disaster at Blackwater Town and Lin Family Hill is far more dangerous than the rumors,

those corpses have consumed a large amount of human essence and blood, already giving rise to several Silver Armor Corpse Kings, and numerous fierce ghosts are wandering the areas."

"It is now a hell on earth over there."

Saying this, the monk’s gaze shifted to the gun at Deputy Mo’s waist.

"Even with worldly firearms, however lethal, I fear they would hardly harm these malevolent beings,

this old monk dares to implore General to promptly report to Generalissimo Lu, to widely issue hero invitations to gather righteous forces against evil, otherwise..."

He sighed deeply, rolling his Buddha Beads anew: "Amitabha. Goodness gracious."

Zhao Town Mayor’s cup halted mid-air, staring at the old monk with tearless grief, inwardly lamenting.

"Master, Master! You are a man of the monastic world, not one of the mundane! Your words are not advice, but plainly a public rebuke to Officer Mo and the Southern Army, claiming them as useless, except for dragging behind!"

The Daoists and chivalrous people at the table felt inwardly uncomfortable as well.

One Daoist in a green robe cursed silently in his heart: "Old bald donkey, wooden-headed fool!

Did morning and evening chanting leave you senseless, forgetting all worldly manners?!"

At this moment of escalating tension, Deputy Mo, rather than becoming angry, burst into a hearty laugh instead.

"Hahahaha! The master’s compassionate heart and concern for the people speaks wisely!"

He raised his cup, surveying the crowd, his gaze composed: "Yet if our Southern Army dares to come here, we naturally are well prepared. To eradicate the demons and evil spirits, there is no need to bother the master further."

"Come!" Officer Mo raised his cup high: "This cup, may it wish us triumph and give back to the people of Qingzhou a clear and bright sky!"

If it were former Officer Mo being questioned about the military authority like this by the monk, he definitely would have drawn his gun to assert his power.

But ever since witnessing Generalissimo Lu’s miraculous feats in controlling the weather and settling the land with symbols, his perspective had changed beyond the past.

These righteous individuals, though their words were unpleasant, were sincere people with their hearts devoted to the common good.

In this world rampant with demons and chaos, such steadfast people holding true to their hearts are precisely necessary.

"Hahaha, Officer Mo is wise and mighty, deeply understanding righteousness!"

Zhao Town Mayor quickly shifted his stance, standing up to loudly cheer, his plump face instantly filled with a fawning smile.

His lead prompted the gentry of the hall to react, standing up to offer flattery.

"Officer Mo’s heart is vast as the sea, truly a hero of the era!"

"With officers like in the Southern Army, why fear the demons won’t be eradicated!"

"Officer Mo’s previous words truly make us feel ashamed!"

In an instant, the banquet filled with voices of praise, dispelling the earlier tension.

Several astute gentry even stepped forward to offer toasts, eager to exhaust their lifetime repertoire of flattery.

At dawn, twenty military vehicles, loaded with soldiers and the accompanying talented individuals, headed toward Lin Family Hill.