"Thian Cu Monk," he said, his voice loud and harsh. "Are you still pretending? Shaolin has been hostile for months, and recently, Shaolin disciples have even acted like enemies! Are you going to deny it and now pretend to ask me what I mean by coming with my troops?"
"Amitabha, General Ciong. Shaolin has never had the slightest intention of opposing the government. Please explain to me, in what way do you consider us to be enemies?"
"Thian Cu Monk!" General Ciong snapped, his voice thundering,
"You have allowed the disciples to oppose the government, and even used violence to kill many of the guards of the officers carrying out the canal excavation work. Are you going to deny it? Shaolin is about to rebel! How base is the character of someone who doesn't remember the kindness of others. Wasn't the Shaolin Temple built with government assistance? Now, the Shaolin wants to oppose the government, to rebel?"
"Amitabha... I hope General will be patient and calm. General knows us well enough. Are we people with a rebellious spirit against the government? Absolutely not. We are not rebelling, we are not opposing the government. What the Shaolin disciples did was simply their nature, seeing people being oppressed and forced to work without consideration and without humanity. Shaolin Sect opposes violence, not the government!"
"But opposing government officials is opposing the government! We know that those rebels, who have opposed the government and killed many government officials, are now hiding in the temple! Thian Cu Monk, we are still giving faces to the Shaolin leaders. Bring out all the rebels who are hiding for us to arrest, and the other Shaolin disiples will be allowed to live in the temple as usual, without any harm. We will only arrest those who oppose the government!"
Thian Cu Monk furrowed his brows. He knew who the commander was referring to. It was undoubtedly the Shaolin disciples who had arrived earlier. It seemed the commander had spies reporting the arrival of the Shaolin disciples.
"General Ciong, I didn't see any rebels in this temple. General received false information. There are no rebels in our temple!"
"Lies! Please don't defend those rebels, Thian Cu Monk, if you want to see this temple safe!"
"Pin-ceng isn't lying, General. There really aren't any rebels in this temple!"
General Ciong's eyes widened. That old monk couldn't possibly be lying, he thought. He knew the Thian Cu Monk well and was certain that the Shaolin leader wouldn't be lying, so he turned to someone who had accompanied the group of officers. This person wasn't an officer, but someone dressed like a monk, a taoist monk! When he saw the General looking at him, he stepped forward, his voice loud as he pointed a finger at the Thian Cu Monk.
"Thian Cu Monk, it's truly unbecoming of you, as a leader, to still protect the rebels and speak lies! I saw with my own eyes that the rebels entered the temple this morning, and you dare to say that there are no rebels inside?"
Thian Cu Monk looked at the Taoist monk, his eyes gleaming. "Amitabha.... , I suppose there's a snake under the grass! Tao brother, whoever you are, pin-ceng explain once again that there are no rebels and no sycophants in this temple!"
The taoist monk's face turned red as he felt he had been called a sycophant. "Sadhu...! What an old monk, yet a master at lying. Thian Cu Monk, if you're not lying, do you dare swear that there are no rebels hiding inside this temple?"
"A monk's words never lie. No need swore an oath but the pin-ceng stated once again that in this temple there is no one who is a rebel!"
"Thian Cu Monk!" Taoist monk was now shouting angrily.
"Shaolin Temple really don't know good manners! Fixed by the government instead they are now opposing the government. That's the lesson your religion? Don't you know people's manners?"
"Tao brother, listen carefully. In our lesson, there isn't a term called debt of gratitude! If any of our disiples to oppose, it is clear that they are opposing the people who are not right! Whoever they are, even if they ever give good deeds, but if they acts evilly, my students will certainly oppose them."
"A person who is indebted and then helps his benefactor to commit a crime, is clearly not a good person, just a dangerous sycophant. We're not used to that! We don't want to involve ourselves in karma with debts and revenge!"
"General Ciong, never mind, there's no need to say much more with this old monk who is good at lying. Better carry out a search inside the temple. Pin-tao was sure they were inside. If pin-tao lies and they are not inside, pin-tao head will be their replacement!"
Hearing Taoist monk's words, General Ciong returned enthusiastic. He also stepped forward and with a tone threateningly he said to Thian Cu Monk,
"Thian Cu Monk, once again I warn you to hand over the rebel to me nicely. You listen, Look at this, i am coming in the name of the government, in the name of the Emperor!"
I've got orders to arrest the bastards rebel! I come not in my own name but as a representative of the government, a representative who upholds the Emperor's own orders!" He showed the dragon flag (the emperor's order flag) to Thian Cu Monk who was secretly shocked. If the emperor gives the order, it means destruction Shaolin Temple!
However, how could he possibly turn the Shaolin disciples in as rebels? And he never lied. In his eyes, the disciples were not rebels! They were opposing the officials who oppressed the people, not rebelling against the government to overthrow the Emperor and usurp his position! Although his face turned pale and he quickly saluted the banner of power given by the Emperor, he shook his head.
"Sorry General Ciong, there are no rebels in this temple, there are not a single rebel among us!"
The taoist monk suddenly shouted, "Old monk, don't deceive us! Those rebels are the disciples of Shaolin who came this morning and are now inside the temple! Tell us, there are any Shaolin disciples who aren't monks inside the temple!"
This taoist monk was indeed smart, and he understood why the Shaolin leader, who never lied, dared to insist that there were no rebels inside the temple. Of course, the leader didn't consider his disciples rebels, so he dared to say so.
Now it was the Thian Cu Monk who lowered his face. "Amitabha... Of course there are our disciples inside the temple, but they aren't rebels."
General Ciong also realized this, so he stepped closer. "Thian Cu Monk, step aside, let us in to conduct a search and arrest!" He signaled back, and his troops entered, filling the front yard and the front porch, their weapons at the ready.
Thian Cu Monk knew that the final moment had arrived, where he would have to make a decision, hand over his disciples to be arrested as rebels, or defend the honor of Shaolin, which was about to be violated. Now, General Ciong and his attendants were already moving forward, apparently intending to force their way into the temple.
"Hold on!" snapped the Thian Cu Monk.