Chapter 131: Laying a Trap

Seeing Chu Feng sit down to meditate, Pidan, Ziyan, and Master Yuanjue quietly stepped back a few paces.

After about ten minutes, Chu Feng stood up. He had spent this time trying to calm his mind and sense the relic, but he felt nothing at all, as if it had never entered his body.

"Master, why can I not perceive anything? Though, I do feel that my heart is easier to calm than before." Chu Feng shared his confusion with Master Yuanjue, hoping for some guidance. Perhaps Chu Feng had forgotten that his mission was to protect the relic, not to discuss Buddhist philosophy.

"Donor, since the relic left behind by the high monk has chosen you, it signifies your benevolent heart. In all things, you must not be hasty."

Master Yuanjue’s words were somewhat cryptic to Chu Feng, but he did not press for more. His priority now was to figure out how to capture the international thieves.

"Abbot, since the relic has entered Brother Feng’s body, what will you tell the higher-ups of the temple? And what about those international thieves?" Pidan was still focused on the mission. With the relic gone, how were they to catch the culprits?

"Master Yuanjue, I intend to use the environment of the Shaolin Temple to set a trap and round up those thieves who are after the relic." Chu Feng had thought it over: since the relic was now fused within him, he would simply remain here and act as the bait himself to lure the thieves in.

"That is acceptable. However, I ask that you do not spill any blood within the temple. This is a sacred Buddhist site; it must not be defiled." Master Yuanjue agreed, but he presented Chu Feng with a difficult constraint.

If Chu Feng could not kill the thieves on the spot, capturing them alive would be a significant challenge. Yet, because the Shaolin Temple was a sacred place where bloodshed was forbidden, if Chu Feng were to kill anyone here, he would have no way to answer to Long Feihu upon his return.

"Very well. I will borrow some tranquilizer guns from the municipal bureau, subdue them first, and then we will take them away." Chu Feng realized that if he couldn't shed blood, tranquilizers were his only option.

"Pidan, you are familiar with this place. Go to the SWAT team and borrow some tranquilizer guns, and bring plenty of anesthetic rounds." Since this was Chu Feng’s first time in Zhongyuan City, he was a stranger here; even if he showed his Dragon Scale credentials, there was no guarantee they would lend him weapons.

After Pidan left, Chu Feng and Ziyan discussed Buddhism with Master Yuanjue in the back courtyard. Although Chu Feng rarely visited temples to burn incense, his understanding of certain concepts amazed Master Yuanjue, who went so far as to call him a "perfect man." In the Buddhist tradition, a perfect man is one of absolute integrity—a rarity in this world, seldom seen outside of the elder generation of revolutionaries.

Ziyan sat behind Chu Feng. Listening to the discussion, some of the knots in her heart began to unravel, and the murderous aura she carried dissipated significantly.

"Amitabha. This female donor's murderous aura has lessened greatly. It seems you have gained much. I hope you will return to the Shaolin Temple often to listen to the sutras, so that you may cleanse the karmic debt of your past violence." Master Yuanjue had sensed the heavy killing intent surrounding the purple-haired girl the moment he saw her. Ziyan lowered her head in silence. Since the time Chu Feng had saved her, she had been following him, observing his conduct, and she had come to feel that her former self had been far too reckless.

Not long after, Pidan returned carrying a sniper rifle, along with thirty anesthetic rounds. He had only managed to secure them because he had spent enough time in the area to know the SWAT officers personally.

"Abbot, I ask that for these next few nights, the monks do not wander about the grounds to avoid any accidental injury." Chu Feng had his plan in place, but he couldn't risk the monks getting caught in the crossfire. Master Yuanjue agreed and arranged for a monk’s cell for them to stay in, apologizing for the humble accommodations.

When night fell, Chu Feng and Pidan went to the main gate of the Shaolin Temple. Anyone attempting to enter would have to pass through there, and Chu Feng would be the first to spot them.

"Brother Feng, do you think they will actually come? What if they get scared off and decide not to steal it after all?" Pidan supported the plan, but he raised a valid concern. If the thieves backed out, they would be wasting their time.

"We can't find them, and we don't know if they've left, so we have no choice but to wait." It was the simplest method, but also the most effective. As long as they dared to show their faces, they would be exposed to the barrel of his rifle.

"You keep watch, I’ll get some sleep. We’ll switch in the second half of the night." Chu Feng lay down on a tree branch to rest, while Pidan scanned the surroundings with binoculars.

"Brother Feng, we have movement! Someone is coming up the mountain, and there’s more than one." Pidan shook him awake shortly after he had drifted off.

Chu Feng took the binoculars and saw several figures in black moving with remarkable speed and synchronized steps. He picked up the sniper rifle and looked through the scope. He saw a mix of Black and White men, each with a stud in their ear.

"Pidan, tell me their position once they are within the 500-meter range." The rifle’s effective range was greater, but beyond 500 meters, the bullets would drift. Chu Feng was still new to this weapon and not yet proficient enough for longer shots.

"Brother Feng, at ten o'clock, the White man in black clothing—you can take the shot." As soon as they entered range, Pidan began calling out positions.

*Bang.* Chu Feng centered his aim, steadied his breathing, and squeezed the trigger. The bullet struck the White man directly in the leg. As the low report of the suppressed rifle echoed, the others dove behind the trees, leaving the wounded man collapsed on the ground.