My Wife Is The Leader Of A Demonic Cult

59  Chapter 59 Disputes Arise in the Reincarnation Hall

Reincarnation Hall.

Within the hall, golden splendor shone brilliantly, and rows of Buddha statues stood. In the center was a giant Buddha statue, six meters tall, holding Buddha beads, with eyes calm and peacefully gazing straight ahead.

In the Buddhism of the Western Regions, ranks above the Arhats were Vajras and Bodhisattvas.

The so-called "Vajra's Furious Eyes, Bodhisattva's lowered gaze."

The statue revered in the Reincarnation Hall was that of a Bodhisattva from the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Flanking it were dozens of other Buddhas, shining resplendently.

At the same time, a waft of sandalwood drifted out, refreshing the soul.

At this moment, the area around the main hall was filled with people. The upper seats were occupied by the Cao Gang, while the seats on each side were for the heads of the four major families and other masters from Jiangnan Dao.

Fa Wu and the monks from Fa Xi Temple stood in a corner.

Many were secretly curious, why did these monks from Fa Xi Temple seem to be led by that seven or eight-year-old little monk?

What exactly was the identity of this little monk?

Zhao Qingmei and Tan Yun had already arrived early and stood in a corner.

"They actually dare to attend this Demon-Extermination Conference. I'm going to remember all of them," Tan Yun made a mental note of everyone's faces and names present, ready to record them in her notebook once she returned.

The people marked for death in Tan Yun's notebook were mostly killed, and her thirst for revenge was strong, much like Zhao Qingmei.

Zhao Qingmei's eyes were deep, and she communicated telepathically, "Has everyone arrived?"

"In Yu State City, all the masters of the Human Sect above Third Grade have come," replied Tan Yun. "Also, these Buddhist people...."

Surrounding this calm look of the four directions, countless Demon Sect masters lay hidden, merely awaiting an order. With but a word, this Reincarnation Hall would turn into a Blood Sea.

The Cao Gang branded that unparalleled swordsman with the Demon Sect's name, then executed him. Now, they even convened a Demon-Extermination Conference, clearly showing no regard for the Demon Sect.

Since the Cao Gang wished to demonstrate their authority over the Demon Sect, Zhao Qingmei, as the Demon Sect Hierarch, would naturally not stand idly by.

"Handle the Buddhists as well; since they allowed the Cao Gang to hold the Demon-Extermination Conference here, they intend to be adversaries of the Demon Sect."

A sliver of sharp murderous intent flashed in Zhao Qingmei's eyes. Today, she would see whether the Demon Sect or the Cao Gang would establish their dominance.

"The head of the Su Family, Su Ze, has arrived."

Accompanied by a clear call, Su Ze, the head of one of the four great families of Jiangnan Dao, arrived.

"Brother Su, you used to be so hot-tempered. I didn't expect that for such a grand gathering, you would actually be the last to arrive."

Before Su Ze could take his seat, someone began to tease him.

The speaker was none other than the head of the Cao Family, Cao Hongkou. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Between the Cao Family and the Su Family ran deep grudges and disputes. Moreover, both families engaged in similar enterprises and had been engaging in both overt and covert battles for many years. The Cao Family had hitched its fortunes to the Cao Gang's ship in recent years, subtly surpassing the Su Family, deepening the animosity to the point of outright hostility.

Ordinarily, one could see either the Su Family or the Cao Family at a place, but rarely both, let alone the two family heads in person.

"With age comes a need to temper one's impulsiveness," Su Ze neither became angry nor reacted harshly but simply waved his hand.

"You're not late, Head of the Su Family. Please, take your seat quickly," said Ming Jinghua of the Ming Family, standing up to play the peacemaker.

Ming Jinghua, present in the gathering, was the oldest in terms of seniority. As a patriarch of an old family from Jiangnan Dao, even Cao Hongkou and Su Ze had to show him some respect.

Su Ze, accompanied by a host of Su family experts, also slowly took their seats.

This grand assembly was something the Su family was compelled to attend due to the prevailing situation. Cao Gang spread rumors that this unparalleled swordsman was a master of the Demon Sect, and in Great Yan, the Demon Sect was regarded as something everyone had the right to eradicate. As one of the four great families of Jiangnan Dao, the Su family had no choice but to come.

Among the four great families of Jiangnan Dao, the Cao and Mu families were clearly aligned with Cao Gang. The Ming family was ambiguous and had not explicitly sided with Cao Gang but also had not refused their offer to cooperate.

Compared to the Ming family, the Su family's stance was much clearer. Due to the incident at Tieyun Mountain, the relationship between Cao Gang and the Su family was extremely hostile. If it weren't for some remaining influence in the imperial court, the Su family might have ceased to exist.

Mu Jinglun observed all this with a hint of a cold smile at the corner of his mouth.

As the leaders of the four great families of Jiangnan Dao, everyone was shrewd, each with their own calculations.

The fiercer the struggle between the Su and Cao families, the more the other two families stood to gain. But some people were different; they wanted to be treated as virtuous while securing the benefits—they wanted to be known as good people while also receiving the praise of others.

Once everyone was seated, Ming Jinghua said with a chuckle, "Family Head Cao, I heard that a batch of your family's merchandise, while being transported from East River to Yu State River, was robbed by river bandits?"

A few days before, a fleet of Cao family's merchant ships had come from East River, intending to enter the docks of Lijiang City. However, unexpectedly, they were hijacked by a group of river bandits en route, and their goods were still missing.

The waterways of Jiangnan Dao were extensive, crisscrossing in all directions, essentially under the control of the Cao Gang and the Sanhu Gang. Given the deep connections between the Cao family and Cao Gang, who would dare to rob the Cao family's merchandise?

Cao Hongkou's eyebrows raised slightly, "Those bandits really had some guts. A few days ago, my granddaughter fell ill, and I couldn't spare the time."

"It happens that I caught a river bandit who might be of some help to Family Head Cao."

Ming Jinghua gestured to his grandson, Ming Fei.

Mu Jinglun's eyebrows raised in surprise.

Soon, a river bandit tied up from head to toe was 'escorted' in.

"Hmm!?"

Upon seeing the man, Su Ze inwardly cursed, sensing trouble.

This person was Liu Shize, a guest elder who had defected from the Su family two months ago.

"Father..."

Su Rui was just about to speak when he was abruptly silenced by a pair of desiccated palms pulling him back. He looked up to see Su Ze shaking his head at him.

"Mercy, my lord!"

As soon as the bandit was brought into the Reincarnation Hall, he fell to his knees, crying and pleading.

Ming Jinghua exclaimed sternly, "Just recite what you told us yesterday, otherwise I'll send you to the netherworld right now."

Hearing this, the bandit immediately wailed, "I'll tell, I'll tell everything! I am a guest elder of the Su family. A few days ago, I was ordered to go to East River dock to rob passing merchant ships. All of this was commanded by Young Master Su Rui, I was just following orders and..."

"Bullshit!"

Before the bandit could finish speaking, Su Rui, standing behind Su Ze, immediately denounced, "Liu Shize is spouting nonsense!"

"How dare you!"

Cao Hongkou's brow furrowed with a cold shout, "This is no place for a junior like you to speak! Continue."

The bandit lay on the ground, trembling as he continued, "It was Young Master Su Rui who said that there weren't many guards watching over the Cao family's merchant ship and that if we robbed this shipment, each person would receive fifty taels of silver. Moreover, it was he who personally beheaded Cao Wang."