Chapter 122: Gu Changqing

Gu Changqing lay prone on the tree trunk, intently watching the scene inside the temple, waiting for his opportunity. Then he saw An Guoxie suddenly turn his gaze to the right, and witnessed the young unconscious monk unleash a blade of light, not entirely pure yet shining vividly in his heart. This reminded Gu of his declining family and the strength he had long been scorned for, stirring up deep resentment.

Next, he witnessed An Guoxie being struck by the blade, his bones going limp as he barely managed to retreat and evade the monk’s knife. He observed the young monk unleash hidden weapons and pick up a longsword. He saw An Guoxie weakly swing out his left palm, causing the hidden projectiles to split into seven trajectories midair. Most of them bypassed An Guoxie’s defenses, disregarding his evasive maneuvers, and struck him directly.

Then afterward, he saw An Guoxie’s body swell, like an impending sandstorm. He saw the young monk wielding his sword in his left hand, thrusting forth a decisive, determined, and murderously sharp sword beam. He saw An Guoxie struck through the center of his brow, collapse weakly to the ground, lifeless.

Wait, struck through the center of his brow, and now lifeless?

Previously, Gu Changqing seemed to be watching a series of flashing images, only awakening to full awareness at this final scene. What exactly had happened?

“White-headed Vulture” An Guoxie struck through the brow?

The Nine-Orifice Master, renowned as one of the top martial artists, had actually been killed by a seemingly weak monk?

Gu Changqing’s mouth hung open, feeling as if he had just been dreaming. The actions of An Guoxie and the young monk replayed in slow motion in his mind, feeling utterly unreal.

Instinctively, he slapped his own cheek. The pain confirmed that everything was real. One of the most outstanding grand-disciples of the Crying Elder, a Nine-Orifice Master ranked thirty-sixth on the Martial Ranks, the “White-Headed Vulture” An Guoxie, had truly died before his eyes, slain by an unknown little monk!

And only moments before, An Guoxie had been the certain victor, torturing the young monk to the brink of death, leaving him unconscious and sleeping.

Who can tell me what’s going on here? He inwardly cried out. Yet one thing was certain: the young monk was definitely a master, far more powerful than himself!

After Meng Qi destroyed the blade and sword marks on An Guoxie’s body, he was about to search the corpse when suddenly he heard distant disturbances outside. Instantly, he turned toward the source, his voice deep and firm: “Who’s there?”

Not knowing whether it was friend or foe, he could only issue a warning.

Gu Changqing suppressed his shock, calmly leaping down from the tree, and walked toward the temple: “Young Master Monk, earlier in the inn you called for help, so I came to check things out, hoping to confirm your identity and invite some seniors to assist. I didn’t expect you to kill An Guoxie all by yourself!”

As he spoke the last half sentence, he still felt a subtle sense of unreality.

Meng Qi almost failed to recall who this frail-looking scholar was. For Gu Changqing, this was merely an event from this evening, just a few hours ago. But for Meng Qi, it was a story from nearly three months ago. It had only been a brief encounter, a slight plea for help. If not for his good memory, he might have blurted out, “Hey brother, who are you?”

Experiencing much in this time, Meng Qi remained composed and clasped his palms together: “Amitabha, due to matters concerning my master, I was captured by An Guoxie and endured great torment. Thus, when I saw those young heroes, I couldn’t help but call for help. May I know your noble name and title, Sir? I am truly grateful for your rescue.”

He deliberately avoided mentioning the recent battle, as he hadn’t yet figured out a suitable excuse.

Gu Changqing waved his hand, somewhat ashamedly: “I am Gu Changqing from the Gu Family Fortress. I merely came to check things out; how could I claim to be a rescuer?”

“To possess the heart and take action to save others is enough to prove that Master Gu is a chivalrous person.” Meng Qi sincerely said. At the same time, a thought crossed his mind: Gu Changqing seemed to be a local from the Western Regions, familiar with the vast desert. He would need his help to search for his younger martial brother.

He was not an ungrateful person, so after escaping danger, he immediately thought of searching for and rescuing his younger brother. As for his master, although Shaolin had not anticipated that the Crying Elder, who had been missing for years, would suddenly appear and intercept their master, they had definitely judged that he had sufficient ability to protect himself when they sent him to the Western Regions to question the Jin Gang Temple, the local “landlord.” Therefore, at most, he might have been injured by the Crying Elder—besides, in a battle between masters of the External Scenery realm, he himself could not offer any help.

Hearing the praise of chivalry, Gu Changqing couldn’t help but show a hint of joy and pride on his face: “This is merely what a righteous martial artist should do; I am undeserving of such high praise from the young master monk. May I ask for the young master monk’s Dharma name? One who can kill An Guoxie must not be an unknown figure in the Great Jin.”

From Meng Qi’s accent, he could tell he was a monk from the Great Jin.

“I am Dharma named Zhen Ding. Earlier, I merely relied on a secret technique to secretly unlock my acupoints, and I also carried a bottle of poison and a poisoned dart. Thus, when An Guoxie was healing and couldn’t focus, I managed to kill him. My strength is far inferior to his.” Meng Qi had already prepared an excuse, attributing it to a unique skill that could unseal acupoints. After all, An Guoxie was dead, and no one would know that he had once destroyed Meng Qi’s dantian and broken his arm. No one would know whether that slash and thrust were actually trophies from An Guoxie that Meng Qi had taken advantage of.

Gu Changqing recalled the earlier events. Apart from the initial part, everything else seemed to align. Moreover, the Dharma name “Zhen Ding” was indeed quite obscure. He nodded with a smile and said, “An Guoxie roamed the vast desert, cruel and formidable, yet in the end, he met his demise due to his own negligence. Truly, the heavenly Dao is cyclical, and retribution is inevitable.”

Who wouldn’t be careless facing someone like me who cheats… Meng Qi inwardly mocked.

Gu Changqing continued: “But Master Zhen Ding’s sword and knife techniques are also divine and wondrous. Even from afar, I felt immersed in illusions, my heart pounding. May I ask which sect you hail from?”

“I am a disciple of Shaolin.” Since Meng Qi intended to ask Gu Changqing to introduce a guide to help find his younger martial brother, he did not hide this fact.

Gu Changqing instinctively said “Oh”: “So you are a Shaolin disciple. No wonder, no wonder. Earlier, those knife and sword techniques must be A-nan’s Breaking-the-Vow Knife Method and Da Mo Sword Technique, right?”

Since the Jin Gang Temple was skilled in knife techniques, the Western Regions were known for their knife-wielding martial artists. Even though Gu Changqing himself used a sword, he had heard of A-nan’s Breaking-the-Vow Knife Method, which ranked among the top knife techniques in the world.

As for Da Mo Sword Technique, it was something he personally found interesting.

“Humble skills, unworthy of such praise.” Meng Qi answered with a default attitude, then changed the subject: “Master Gu, due to An Guoxie, I became separated from my martial younger brother. Have you seen a monk younger than me, dressed similarly?”

“No.” Gu Changqing shook his head. “Monks in the Western Regions dress differently from those in the Great Jin. I haven’t seen anyone like that. What exactly happened that caused you two to separate?”

Meng Qi pondered for a moment. Recalling how Gu Changqing had dared to investigate despite An Guoxie being a Nine-Orifice Master, he gave a general account of the events, leaving out only his own attempt to escape. Finally, he said, “I wonder how much you know about the terrain of the Vast Sea. Could you kindly offer some guidance so I can have a lead in searching for my martial younger brother?”

“Master Xuan Bei’s battle with the Crying Elder was truly earth-shaking. I deeply regret not being able to witness it myself.” After sighing several times, Gu Changqing said, “My family has lived in the瀚海 for generations, so I am somewhat familiar with the terrain. It is extremely complex and cannot be fully explained in a short time. If Master Zhen Ding does not mind, I would be willing to guide you.”

Meng Qi had originally intended to ask him about “geographical knowledge” and introduce a reliable guide, but was surprised when he volunteered, momentarily taken aback: “Master Gu, what about your companions?”

Gu Changqing’s face showed a hint of disdain: “I always thought they were also chivalrous people who would stand by me through thick and thin. But now it seems they are all timid and fearful. Compared to Master Zhen Ding’s bold search for his martial younger brother, they are truly not worth mentioning. Therefore, I would like to assist Master Zhen Ding.”

To find Zhen Hui, they would undoubtedly have to venture deep into the vast desert, where bandits ran rampant, Luo Ju’s forces held formidable power, and dangers lurked at every turn.

Hearing Gu Changqing’s evaluation of those three companions, Meng Qi decided not to seek out the disciples of the Snow Mountain Sect. If they were timid and fearful, they might even betray his whereabouts.

He clasped his palms together sincerely: “Amitabha, on behalf of my martial younger brother, I thank Master Gu in advance.”

“Master Zhen Ding, when shall we depart? I need to go back and bid farewell.” Gu Changqing was ready to act immediately.

Meng Qi waved his hand with a smile: “No hurry. Let’s wait until dawn. Then I will need Master Gu’s help to buy a few sets of clothes and a few hats.”

“That’s right. Your current attire is too conspicuous, making you an easy target for Luo Ju and You Huanduo’s men.” Gu Changqing suddenly realized.

You Huanduo was another Nine-Orifice grand-disciple of the Crying Elder, with the epithet “Standing Yama,” and was the leader of the seventy-two bandits of Helian Mountain. Although their main activities were around Helian Mountain, the Hanhai trade route was also an important source of their wealth.

Meng Qi added: “There may be bandit spies in the oasis. If I go to buy them myself, I might be followed. So I must ask Master Gu for help.”

“No problem, hehe. By the way, when we’re out, Master Monk should change your way of speaking. Don’t keep calling me ‘Master Gu’ all the time. Otherwise, people will still know you’re a monk.” Gu Changqing said with a laugh.

After finalizing their plans, Meng Qi bent down to search An Guoxie’s corpse. Unfortunately, the loot was meager. An Guoxie had come to assist his grandmaster, so naturally, he had no manuals or such items on him. Furthermore, he neither used weapons nor hidden weapons or poisons, so there were none of those either. Meng Qi only found a bottle of seemingly high-quality healing pills, a bag of silver coins, a few gemstones, and a string of brass keys.

“These are the ‘Soul-Nourishing Pills’ from the Crying Elder’s lineage. Although their healing effects cannot compare to the Hundred Grass Pills, they are still quite good.” Gu Changqing recognized the bottle of pills, though there were only two left.

He showed no sign of greed toward these items, watching Meng Qi collect them, as they were rightfully his spoils of war.

Meng Qi, on the other hand, thought about how he would repay Gu Changqing once he found his martial younger brother, making it easier for Gu to accept.

“What’s this string of keys for…” Meng Qi shook the string of brass keys, which jingled.

Gu Changqing pondered for a moment and replied, “An Guoxie was a notorious bandit in the Hanhai region with immense wealth, yet no one knows the location of his hideout. These are likely the keys to his various secret lairs.”

“No one knows… How are we supposed to find them…” Meng Qi lamented. If he could obtain An Guoxie’s treasures, he could live comfortably even after leaving Shaolin!

Gu Changqing carefully examined the keys and mused: “It’s not entirely without clues. Different countries and oases have different key shapes. We can narrow down the search range by the keys.”

“That makes sense.” Meng Qi praised, then temporarily set the matter aside. Together with Gu Changqing, he tied An Guoxie’s body to a stone and threw it into the small lake, erasing all traces.

…

The next day, Meng Qi changed into the white scholar’s robe he had “longed for,” donned a gauze hat, and left the oasis with Gu Changqing.

At noon, a shop assistant frowned. Something was wrong. Master An had entered the temple last night but hadn’t come out yet. According to routine, he should have come by for a casual visit!