The Female Cannon Fodder With Boundless Merits
Chapter 504 - 508: Peerless Under the Heavens (20)

Chapter 504: Chapter 508: Peerless Under the Heavens (20)

Master Wu Jin, despite his deep study of Buddhism and notable achievements in martial arts, admitted to himself that he couldn’t use his strength alone to effortlessly repel all the Hidden Guards surrounding Princess Zheng.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Su Li used her handkerchief to cover her mouth, then pulled out a small fragrance bag, taking a candied fruit from inside to sweeten her mouth, seemingly suppressing the taste of blood brought up by her cough.

From the perspective of onlookers, Su Li’s seemingly effortless movements had still brought a great burden to her frail body, causing her complexion to become even paler.

This gave Master Wu Jin a glimmer of hope; he recalled that when Miss Su was born, she was injured in the womb and born with congenital weakness, causing severe damage to her constitution.

Indeed, on closer inspection, the body of the woman opposite him was like a bowl with a large hole, incapable of retaining vitality.

It was unclear how she could still exert such formidable martial arts with such a damaged body, but it was clear that Miss Su’s days were numbered.

"Master Wu Jin, you should end it yourself, a filthy heart like yours is undeserving of serving before Buddha."

Master Wu Jin: "....."

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The most sensational news in the imperial dynasty recently has been the complete destruction of the Buddhist Sect by the Lotus Saintess in one fell swoop.

Not only that, but the Saintess also revealed that the Buddhist Sect’s inner court contained dungeons where hundreds of girls who had lost their innocence were imprisoned.

A place supposed to be bathed in Buddha’s light had been exposed for conducting fleshly trades.

Initially, everyone thought Master Wu Jin was merely overly intimate with the powerful, but little did they suspect that the revered Master was, like a brothel madam, arranging liaisons for various nobles.

As much as Buddhist believers once loved the Buddhist Sect, they now hated it equally.

Consequently, the entire Buddhist community became an object of scorn.

Walking on the streets, anyone dressed as a monk, whether innocent or not, would be subject to the ’welcoming’ of rotten leaves and spoiled eggs from the people.

For a time, Buddhism greatly declined, while the Taoist Sect took the opportunity to rise, seizing a large amount of spiritual belief.

Aside from that, the reputation of Miss Su and her title as the Lotus Saintess spread far and wide.

It was unfortunate, however, that Miss Su’s health was said to be extremely poor, and it seemed she would not last long after converting Master Wu Jin.

This news saddened many people, but it brought joy and excitement to others.

The ones rejoicing were those who had committed evil deeds.

Just when the Lotus Saintess had established her authority in the affair with the Buddhist Sect, they feared being sought out overnight and forcibly converted.

Knowing she couldn’t survive many more days eased their minds.

Those who were saddened were the people Su Li had inadvertently saved...

But whether they were sad or joyful, it did not change the fact that the politics and laws of the imperial dynasty were becoming more transparent.

With evildoers no longer daring to commit evil, the world naturally became much clearer.

As the incident continued to be hotly discussed, at the same time, there was also gossip circulating about other events that occurred on that day at the Buddhist Sect.

There were rumors, for instance, that Princess Zheng had been scared into madness and that Prince Zheng, who carried her out, appeared dazed.

People who heard of this couldn’t help but exchange glances; it seemed the facade of Princess Zheng being magnanimous and kind was not completely true.

The people who had heard the incoherent ramblings of Princess Zheng, although repeatedly warned, still let some information slip through.

Like how the private demeanor of Princess Zhen Nan did not fully match the image she presented.

Of course, these things were only whispered among a few; most people remained unaware.

A step behind, the Su Family members, having returned from Xu City without success, had not even had the chance to search for Su Li’s whereabouts when they were bombarded with news about her the entire way.

Old Master Su, with a face as dark as iron, returned home, only to be greeted by the anxious visage of Mrs. Su.

"Old Master, what should we do... The Chen Family, the Mu Family, and the Xu Family are all putting pressure on us to hand over Su Li, that unfilial girl."

Su Li had caused such a commotion in the Buddhist Sect, sweeping up half the circle of power and influence. Despite the Su Family’s earlier announcement of severing ties with Su Li, others still did not believe that Miss Su could be so heartless as to watch the Su Family be pressured without compromise.

The Chen Family had lost their only male grandson and swore to have Su Li’s blood pay for blood. The Mu Family and the Xu Family, being the maternal families of Princess Zheng and Princess Zhen Nan respectively, also harbored extreme disgust for Su Li.

Among them, there were many other clans lurking in the shadows, but these three families, harboring the deepest hatred, led the charge.

Su Li had indeed incited public rage; deeply impacting the cake of interests of the elites, no wonder their reactions were so intense.

For this reason, the Su Family members secretly wished Su Li dead. Though they had returned to the Capital and learned that Master Wu Jin was nothing but a charlatan whose actions that day counted for little, they still blamed everything on Su Li.

Truly, if she did not die, the Su Family would face misfortune.

Was Old Master Su genuinely unaware of the peculiarities of all the events of those years?

No, Su Li felt that he actually knew.

But whether he knew or not was no longer important, Su Li did not care.

Indeed, she was able to harden her heart, completely indifferent to the life or death of the Su Family members.

As the Su Family, squeezed by the Chen, Mu, and Xu families, found themselves unable to stand firm in the Capital, Su Li appeared leisurely.

She came to witness the downfall of the Su Family, to look upon the destitution of its members—a compensation for their scheming against her body for so long.

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Old Master Su, pushed aside by other ministers in the court, could only idle at home; the family finances were already in trouble since Su Li had taken most of the wealth, and now income failed to meet expenses.

The Old Mistress, born into poverty in her youth, didn’t even have a dowry to speak of; when she got married, she was simply covered with a red handkerchief and that was that.

And Mrs. Su was born a concubine daughter, having married a man meant for a legitimate daughter, so her family was already kind enough not to despise her, let alone provide her with a significant dowry.

In an instant, the Su Family quickly reverted to their pre-prosperous state, and even worse than back then.

Accustomed to a life of luxury, how could they tolerate the poverty they had once known?

Old Master Su cursed heaven and earth in his indignation, but most of all, he cursed Su Li, his eldest daughter.

After the news spread that the Lotus Saintess was frail and might not survive the winter, Old Master Su’s denouncement grew even louder, "This calamity, she truly is a calamity. It’s all her fault that the Su Family is in such a state. It would be good if she died, good if she died..."

Su Li silently appeared behind Old Master Su, quietly listening to his curses.

Somewhat puzzled and confused.

Did he hate her for not offering her life obediently? What kind of reasoning was that?

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Su Li covered her mouth lightly coughing, "Father, rest assured, I won’t be dying anytime soon."

Old Master Su turned his head sharply upon hearing this familiar voice, his eyes, red like a ferocious beast, filled with insane hatred.

"You’ve brought such misfortune upon the Su Family, why won’t you just die..."