"Outer realm celestial demons!!!"
Hearing the middle-aged monk's words, the crowd gathered at the restaurant entrance instantly changed color, instinctively stepping back and looking at Li Xiaotian's family in the restaurant with fear.
"Ma Hao is actually involved with outer realm celestial demons, he's too bold! He's trying to bring disaster to our small town!"
"No wonder he, a foreigner, stayed in our town for over a decade. Turns out he was colluding with outer realm celestial demons, trying to harm our townspeople."
"Damn him! Not only did he make money from our town, but he also wants to harm us. Holy Monk, please punish him and capture those three celestial demons!"
From all around, the townspeople spoke, their words vicious, but their faces filled with schadenfreude.
Ma Hao, a foreigner, had made a lot of money in their town over the years, which filled them with jealousy. That money should have been theirs!
Ma Hao's face was ashen. He understood the nature of these townspeople; they were simply trying to take advantage of the situation. But to say such things about him in front of Li Xiaotian made him lose face and filled him with anger.
"Holy Monk! They are relatives from my hometown, from Great Qin. They are not celestial demons at all. Without even meeting them, you've slapped such a big hat on me. Isn't that going too far?"
Ma Hao spoke, filled with indignation. The other party was simply trying to extort more money from him. He could accept that, but to slander him like this was too much!
Outer realm celestial demons, that was a grave accusation. In Fu Province, all ancient powers were Buddhist disciples, and the great enemy described in Buddhist scriptures was the outer realm celestial demon!
Of course, in this small town, the middle-aged monk's accusation was merely to extort more money. As long as Ma Hao was willing to pay, the matter would be resolved.
Furthermore, Ma Hao would have to pay hush money to these townspeople afterward. In Fu Province, being associated with outer realm celestial demons had no good ending.
"Silence! My golden words are law. How dare you, an inferior being, talk back?!"
As soon as Ma Hao finished speaking, the middle-aged monk reprimanded him, and a powerful aura instantly pressed towards Ma Hao.
In an instant, Ma Hao's face turned pale, and cold sweat streamed down his forehead.
The onlookers were also terrified, their faces ashen. They all lowered their heads, trembling. The Holy Monk was angered, and the consequences would be severe.
"Daddy."
In the restaurant, Tiantian nervously grabbed Li Xiaotian's hand, hoping he would help Ma Hao.
"Be good, don't be afraid!"
Li Xiaotian said. This situation was easy for him to resolve; he could expose his strength and make the three monks retreat, thus solving the problem.
However, that would have endless repercussions. Ma Hao still had to stay in this town. If the three monks held a grudge against Ma Hao because of it, then Li Xiaotian's intervention would be harming him.
"Holy Monk, this humble one knows his mistake, and should not have spoken back to you. I beg the Holy Monk to calm his anger. I implore the Holy Monk to grace my humble establishment with your presence, and this humble one will surely give you a satisfactory account."
Ma Hao murmured, his face full of humiliation. He admitted defeat and was prepared to pay a hefty price.
"Hmph, Ma Hao, it seems you know your place. The Buddha has compassion. If your friends are truly outer realm celestial demons, as long as you are devoted to Buddhism, this Holy Monk will also pardon you."
The middle-aged monk snorted coldly, but inwardly, he smiled. Ma Hao had backed down, and wouldn't he be at his mercy later?
The onlookers, seeing this, showed a flicker of disappointment. They thought they would get to watch more drama, but they didn't expect Ma Hao to give in so quickly.
Inviting the Holy Monk to the shop was, in essence, giving him benefits. People could already imagine the outcome when the Holy Monk and his retinue emerged later: the outer realm celestial demons would have been subdued, and Ma Hao and his friends would have been bathed in Buddhist light, all well and good.
The middle-aged monk walked unhurriedly to Ma Hao. Ma Hao quickly stood up and humbly invited the three monks into the shop.
"Are these three your relatives? Manifestations of outer realm celestial demons?"
The middle-aged monk looked at Li Xiaotian and the other two. It was a casual glance, but when he saw Ye Qingmei, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he froze on the spot.
Li Xiaotian frowned upon seeing this, a flicker of killing intent in his eyes. He had initially not wanted to interfere in this matter, preferring to let Ma Hao resolve these three monks in his own way. But now, it seemed he had no choice but to act.
This monk had entertained thoughts he shouldn't have. He deserved to die!
"Holy Monk?"
Ma Hao had walked halfway when he noticed the middle-aged monk behind him had stopped. He couldn't help but feel a sense of unease when he saw the monk staring intently at Ye Qingmei.
This was bad! Although these monks believed in Buddhism, most of them did not adhere to its rules. As far as he knew, this middle-aged monk before him was quite the lecher.
What should he do?!! Ma Hao was anxious. If this middle-aged monk harbored lustful thoughts, wouldn't Li Ge's family be in trouble?
"Li Ge, you all go to the inner room. Leave this to me."
Ma Hao quickly said to Li Xiaotian, simultaneously making urgent eye contact, signaling Li Xiaotian to quickly take his family and hide.
"Hold on! You, Ma Hao, I haven't even investigated whether these people are outer realm celestial demons, and you're letting them leave. Are you trying to help these three celestial demons escape?!"
From behind, the middle-aged monk spoke, his tone full of accusation, but his gaze remained fixed on Ye Qingmei.
Such an exquisite beauty. Even after his revival, he had secretly indulged in many beautiful women, but none of them could compare to the one before him.
He glanced at Ma Hao. Originally, he just wanted to extort some money, but now, he had changed his mind.
"Holy Monk, they are truly my relatives, not celestial demons. This time, this humble one has offended you. Whatever you need, just say the word, and this humble one will satisfy you."
Ma Hao said anxiously, then stood in front of Li Xiaotian's family, blocking the middle-aged monk's gaze.
"Presumptuous!!!"
"Bang!"
Seeing this, the middle-aged monk was enraged. He kicked Ma Hao away and then shouted sternly.
"Outer realm celestial demons are to be punished by all. How could this Holy Monk be fooled by the little benefits you offer?!"
"Ma Hao, you are too bold!!! Whether they are outer realm celestial demons or not is for this Holy Monk to decide. What are you, to dare to make decisions for this Holy Monk?"
"Bang bang!!"
Ma Hao's body fell to the ground, knocking over a table, and a mouthful of blood spurted out. But he ignored his injuries, quickly got up, knelt on the ground, crawled to the middle-aged monk, and said humbly.
"My lord, I beg you, let them go. I am willing to pay any price."
He knew that the middle-aged monk had developed lustful thoughts and was about to make a move on Li Ge's family. Thinking of this, he was filled with self-reproach. When he heard these monks arriving earlier, he should have made Li Ge's family hide.
If that were the case, he would have only had to pay some money. But now, he had harmed Li Ge's family!
He admitted he wasn't a good person, but he hadn't seen anyone from his hometown in over three years since the "Heavenly Change." This time, having finally met them, the feeling of homesickness was incredibly strong, and he wished he could return to Great Qin immediately.
He could not let Li Xiaotian's family be bullied, no matter what!