Inside Lotus Temple.
Hui Chuan, with great effort, finally managed to transfer all the refugee civilians to the backyard. He then distributed some clubs and farming tools to the dozen or so young men who were still capable. There was nothing else he could do but help Hui Hai a little.
From the gradually ceasing gunfire nearby, Hui Chuan knew that the Japanese soldiers would arrive soon.
A few minutes later, Hui Hai and a few surviving soldiers returned to the temple.
"There are hundreds of devils going up the mountain, and hundreds more below, sealing the area," Hui Hai said urgently. "Fortunately, I didn't let you lead people down the mountain; otherwise, we would have fallen right into their trap."
Hui Chuan shook his head. "We can hide for a while, but not forever. Let's activate the mountain protection formation within the temple first. It might buy us some time."
...
By the time Matsui Shigen arrived at the mountain, the summit was already covered by a thin golden barrier.
Matsui Shigen chuckled and ordered his men to blow up the shield, which was as thin as a cicada's wing.
However, as a few Japanese soldiers approached the temple with explosives, they were engulfed by an unknown white flame, causing them to wail in agony. Despite their struggles to shed their clothes and roll on the ground, the flames seemed to burn from within their bodies. In the end, all their efforts were futile, and they were reduced to a pile of white bones.
Matsui Shigen frowned and instructed his subordinate to retrieve the explosives from the pile of bones.
There was no heat, and the fuse showed no signs of burning.
What kind of flame was this?
It could burn a person down to mere bones…
The soldiers inside the temple were also astonished and quickly asked Hui Hai, their squad leader.
"This is Karmic Fire. Only those with deep karmic debt will be burned by it," Hui Hai stated coldly. "These men are all murderers, with hundreds of lives on their hands."
Everyone nodded, and then asked, "Does that mean they can't get in?"
"Yes…" Hui Hai rubbed his temples. "But we can't get out either."
...
A silence fell upon them. It was clear that the hundreds of mouths within the temple could not be sustained by the meager amount of food they had.
After a while, the Japanese soldiers outside began to shout in broken Chinese: "Listen inside! Disband the barrier immediately! We will peacefully accept the situation within; otherwise, the Imperial Army will carry out a massacre upon entering this temple!"
No one spoke—for everyone knew that if these people were allowed in, very few would survive.
Matsui Shigen clearly did not believe his own words. His true intention was revealed in his next statement:
"Since you refuse our benevolence, we will kill one person every hour!"
Hui Chuan and Hui Hai could no longer sit still. They peeked over the courtyard wall and saw the Japanese forcing a wounded soldier forward, with a Japanese soldier preparing to execute him.
"Little monk! I know you're inside! Don't come out! We only have a dozen brothers here! We can hold them off for more than ten hours, no problem!" The soldier, far from being afraid, shouted towards the temple.
"Platoon leader!" Hui Hai cried out.
The Japanese ignored the pleas and expertly untied the soldier's collar, exposing his neck. Then, they placed the blade against the back of his neck and raised their swords.
With a swift motion, the head fell.
The Japanese soldier kicked the head aside, and other soldiers tossed the body down the cliff.
Everyone in the temple was stunned.
If they opened the barrier, the hundreds of people inside would likely fall into the hands of the enemy and not survive.
If they did not open the barrier, the soldiers outside would be killed, and after the soldiers, the civilians would be next. Even if they could buy time, how long could it last? The temple's food supply could only last for two days at most, even with only one meal a day.
This was a classic trolley problem.
A while later, two more Chinese soldiers were killed. Matsui Shigen was furious. Disregarding his own rule, less than ten minutes after the last death, he personally dragged another soldier forward and pointed his sword at his head, saying, "Tell the people inside to open the barrier."
The soldier raised his only usable eye, filled with mockery.
"Baka yarō!" Matsui Shigen severed the soldier's left hand with a single stroke, and continued pointing his sword at him, "Tell the people inside to open the barrier!!!"
Matsui Shigen received a faint, trembling, yet resolute reply:
"I'll fuck your ancestors."
Matsui Shigen's eyelids twitched, and he waved his sword, shouting, "Shinei!"
Enraged, Matsui Shigen no longer sought out soldiers. Instead, he grabbed a副官 (fùguān - adjutant/deputy officer) and said, "Issue an order to the division! Go to Jinling City and find civilians! We need live ones! Men, women, old, and young! As many as you can find!"
...
Three hours later, three more soldiers had died.
Without exception, not a single one showed fear of death. All of them urged the temple not to remove the barrier. One soldier, whose tongue had been cut out beforehand, still made muffled sounds and shook his head towards the temple.
Hui Hai, unable to bear it, tried to rush out and fight several times but was held back by his subordinates.
Hui Chuan, on the other hand, calmly tapped his wooden fish and recited the "Immeasurable Life Sutra" to pacify the souls of the departed.
The Sixteenth Day.
Early in the morning, Matsui Shigen, upon waking, immediately checked if the accursed temple had opened its doors.
Unfortunately, it had not.
Matsui Shigen coldly asked his subordinate, "How many civilians have been found?"
"Only four…"
"Bring a strong one over."
Soon, a man dressed as a cook was brought forward. Matsui Shigen's hand ignited with green flames, which he pressed onto the man's forehead.
The man's body collapsed to the ground, convulsing violently. His eyes rolled back, saliva dripped from his mouth, veins bulged, and a green mark appeared on his forehead. The man then stood up again.
With a wave of Matsui Shigen's hand, the man charged at the barrier like a rabid dog. However, as soon as he approached, he was consumed by the Karmic Fire, eventually turning into a pile of white bones.
Matsui Shigen frowned, waved his hand, said a few words to his adjutant, and turned back to his military tent.
Inside the temple, Hui Hai watched with red eyes as Matsui Shigen turned civilians into demonic spirits, but he did nothing. From the moment the mark was imprinted, that person was already dead.
"Senior disciple, why…"
"Evil spirits and monsters are forbidden from entering the pure land of Buddha."
An hour later, this time, a little boy was brought forward. The child's cries were like a blunt knife cutting at everyone's heart.
"Damn these bastards!" A soldier inside the temple, his eyes red, threw his equipment on the ground and, ignoring everyone's attempts to stop him, rushed out of the temple shouting, "You bastards! Put the kid down! Kill or torture me!"
The soldier rushed out of the barrier, and it had no effect on him.
The Japanese soldiers on the other side showed mocking expressions. They raised their guns and shouted, "Kneel! Kowtow!"
Initially, the soldier refused to comply, but upon seeing them press a knife against the child's neck, he immediately knelt down.
However, before he could do anything more, the Japanese soldier suddenly opened fire, shooting through the soldier's knees and thighs.
The bloody wounds on his legs brought immense pain, and the soldier's body went limp. He propped himself up with his hands and lay on the ground.
A few more gunshots rang out, and the soldier died on the ground, in a kneeling posture.
"Hey! Bring out a few more! Otherwise, this child will die!" the Japanese soldier said with a sneer.
"These bastards!"
Hui Hai slammed his hand heavily onto the stone bricks.
"Squad leader! Let's fight to the death!"
Several burly men, their eyes red-rimmed, each grabbed firearms and ammunition and looked at Hui Hai. As long as Hui Hai gave the order, they would immediately charge out of the temple to fight the Japanese and rescue the child.
Everyone was looking at Hui Hai, while Hui Chuan sighed, jumped down from the wall, placed his scriptures on the ground, and then stood up and walked towards the main gate.