Ever since, Meng Qi had been trailing You Hongbo from a distance, careful not to get too close and risk detection by the Xiang Shen. Only when the door shut behind You Hongbo did Meng Qi confirm the presence of the Xiang Shen. He then exerted his utmost to dash forward swiftly.
He leapt into the room leisurely, slowly closed the window, and waited for the Mao Rabbit to speak first, so as not to inadvertently violate any unknown rules of the Twelve Xiang Shen.
Seeing Shen Monkey’s relaxed demeanor, as if he were returning home, You Hongbo felt a mix of anger, frustration, and resentment. He had always prided himself on his intelligence, yet he had unknowingly drawn the attention of both the Mao Rabbit and the Shen Monkey simply by worrying over the missing cargo. In his haste, he had even let his guard down completely.
“What are you here for?” the Mao Rabbit inevitably spoke first.
Meng Qi chuckled. “Naturally to capture Mr. You in exchange for the jade Buddha statue. Otherwise, with dozens of martial experts surrounding the statue, even if I had three heads and six arms, I wouldn’t be able to steal it.”
He had already prepared his reasoning, though privately he mused that if he really did have three heads and six arms, he might as well have mastered the seventy-two transformations, allowing him to easily steal the statue even if the room were packed with experts.
“Why would you steal the statue so openly?” The Mao Rabbit didn’t doubt him, but instead asked about the note Meng Qi had left behind.
“It was part of a mission I accepted earlier. I couldn’t complete it without drawing attention,” Meng Qi vaguely replied.
The Mao Rabbit didn’t press further regarding others’ missions and simply nodded. “My mission is to take You Hongbo away. Don’t try to take him from me.”
“No problem. As long as You Hongbo disappears, You Tongguang will have no choice but to comply,” Meng Qi replied nonchalantly, suddenly narrowing his eyes toward the closed window and saying gravely, “White-robed Sword God…”
The Mao Rabbit was startled and turned to listen outside, but suddenly saw Shen Monkey’s figure flash forward like a ghost, lunging toward her and aiming directly at her chest’s vital points.
Caught off guard, she had no time to dodge and retaliated in kind, aiming her hands at Meng Qi’s chest.
She refused to believe that her skill in hand-to-hand combat would be inferior to Shen Monkey’s, who was only known for his blade techniques.
Her hands moved faster than Meng Qi’s, fingers glowing darkly as they struck several vital points on his chest.
Golden light flickered. The Mao Rabbit felt her hands strike something as hard as metal, causing her immense pain. Then, a numbness spread across her chest, leaving her frozen in place.
Meng Qi took several deep breaths, letting the numbness in his chest subside. The Mao Rabbit’s acupoint striking technique was indeed unique, managing to slightly penetrate his Golden Bell Shield and affect his acupoints. If he hadn’t deliberately avoided the vital point at his sternum, it might have ended in mutual harm.
“It seems I can never underestimate others’ martial arts techniques or rely too much on brute force,” Meng Qi reflected inwardly.
Knowing how little he understood about the Twelve Xiang Shen, he had never intended to trick the Mao Rabbit into revealing anything, as even a slight mistake might raise suspicion. Instead, he planned to capture her directly and interrogate her for the Twelve Xiang Shen’s secrets, codes, and dialogue details, so he could infiltrate smoothly and complete the side mission.
“What do you intend to do?” the Mao Rabbit asked in fear.
Meng Qi didn’t answer. He simply sealed her and You Hongbo’s mute acupoints and carried them as he moved outside.
This wasn’t a good place for interrogation.
As Meng Qi stepped into the courtyard, he suddenly stopped, his monkey-like grin masking a serious expression.
Under the parasol tree in the courtyard, leaves swirled in the air. Dressed in snow-white robes, a tall, thin figure held a sword gleaming with cold light, drawing all attention.
The swordsman had a tall, slender frame, with eyebrows like flowing dragons and a nose like a hanging gallbladder. His white robes were spotless, and his expression was cold yet decisive.
Though his appearance was striking, everyone would overlook it, focusing instead on his deep, sharp black eyes.
The White-robed Sword God—Luo Qing!
Meng Qi inwardly sighed at the name, almost as if he had jinxed himself by mentioning him.
Luo Qing stared at Meng Qi and coldly declared, “The Twelve Xiang Shen are grave offenders. They must be eliminated.”
Then he raised his sword and said calmly, “Draw your blade.”
Could he truly claim not to be the Shen Monkey? Unsure of Luo Qing’s position, Meng Qi naturally refrained from revealing his identity. He released Mao Rabbit and You Hongbo, drew his ring-pommel saber with his right hand, steadied his mind, and reached for the Plum Blossom Needles with his left.
The sword pierced forward, and all the light in the courtyard seemed to converge on the blade, its cold gleam reflecting on the skin.
In Meng Qi’s vision, there was only that blade of light. It filled all space, blocked out the sky, and came from all directions, unstoppable and overwhelming.
The power of a single sword strike was terrifying!
Meng Qi knew his senses were completely overwhelmed, but even knowing this, he couldn’t discern the true direction from which the sword was coming. Even if he erected a defense as solid as a copper wall, it would merely be an illusion shaped by his senses, leaving many vulnerabilities in reality.
Luo Qing must have also unlocked the Spiritual Secret Vault, which explains why he dared to challenge Cui Xu despite having just been promoted to Grandmaster!
Moreover, he was even more terrifying than Cui Xu—not because his body was like a ghostly shadow, but because his sword concealed all directions. The Plum Blossom Needles could only target one direction, making them helpless against this!
Meng Qi closed his eyes, shut off his hearing, and ignored the sensations on his skin. The world suddenly became quiet, as if he were chanting sutras in a Buddhist hall, entering deep meditation, or listening to the morning and evening bells.
Then, his blade rose, the Buddha statue collapsed, noise returned to his ears, and the bells and drums shattered!
His blade intent erupted, unobstructed, and miraculously, Meng Qi sensed the trace of Luo Qing’s sword strike.
Luo Qing’s expression flickered slightly, seemingly disturbed by Meng Qi’s blade intent, causing his sword to hesitate momentarily.
Just as Meng Qi was about to unleash the “Cutting Purity” toward Luo Qing, seven or eight figures suddenly flew into the courtyard. Some wielded bare hands, others carried long sticks, and their weapons varied, but they had one thing in common—they all wore masks shaped like rats, tigers, oxen, snakes, and so on.
The Twelve Xiang Shen?
Meng Qi was startled. He refrained from releasing “Cutting Purity.” These masked figures didn’t target Meng Qi. Taking advantage of Luo Qing’s brief hesitation, they attacked with swords and sticks, their killing intent overwhelming.
Luo Qing slashed his sword, and most of the Xiang Shen weapons miraculously changed direction, striking empty air. Only the Zi Rat managed to close in, his palms flashing as he lunged toward Luo Qing.
Luo Qing remained calm, lowering his sword and using the hilt to strike the Zi Rat’s palms.
They were using him to assassinate Luo Qing?
Realizing this, Meng Qi was shocked. Fortunately, he hadn’t truly unleashed “Cutting Purity.” It would have revealed his trump card, and after exhausting himself, encountering these ruthless Xiang Shen would have been extremely dangerous.
Now caught in the chaos, and unsure if there were more enemies waiting outside, Meng Qi decided to escape with You Hongbo.
Although he didn’t know where he had slipped up, the current situation proved that the Twelve Xiang Shen had already uncovered his identity and used it to set a trap. They used You Hongbo to lure Meng Qi into a confrontation with Luo Qing, then suddenly attacked to assassinate Luo Qing at the critical moment.
Therefore, whether or not he captured the Mao Rabbit no longer mattered.
The Xiang Shen present were all focused on the White-robed Sword God, leaving Meng Qi free to vanish in a flash. Only the Mao Rabbit slowly stood up, watching Meng Qi’s retreating figure.
Her acupoints hadn’t been sealed!
“Your acupoint striking technique is too weak. I was hoping to get the upper hand on you…” she gritted her teeth, but realizing the significant gap in their strength, she didn’t dare to pursue.
After leaving the Dabeisi Temple and circling around several times, Meng Qi finally slowed his pace, his mind filled with questions:
“How did I reveal myself?”
“Why were they so confident I could interfere with or resist Luo Qing, instead of being instantly defeated?”
“They actually dared assassinate a Zongshi openly…”
…
The next night, Meng Qi, acting as if nothing had happened, quietly approached the You residence. Looking around, he saw that every possible hiding place was filled with people!
Numerous martial artists had gathered to witness Shen Monkey’s theft of the Buddha statue—some to witness a tale worth boasting about, others hoping for a chance to capture Shen Monkey.
“Master Zhen Ding, over here, over here?” Le Shishi’s voice came from above. Meng Qi looked up and saw the four of them hiding on the beams beneath the eaves.
“Master Zhen Ding, this is the only spot left,” Ding Daogu whispered.
Meng Qi’s lips twitched. Was this a concert or a martial artist’s operation site?
Climbing onto the beam, Meng Qi looked toward the You residence and quietly asked, “Has Shen Monkey not arrived yet?”
“No. I heard that the Living Fortune God and twenty other experts have surrounded the statue in the center. No one can steal it,” Nie Yao relayed the information she had gathered.
…
Inside You Family’s main hall, a square table held the jade Buddha statue. Led by You Tongguang, twenty martial experts surrounded it, ensuring not even a bird could fly in or a bug could crawl through.
“Old You, what else are you worried about? Even a Zongshi would have to fight directly. How could Shen Monkey possibly be a Zongshi?” an elderly man dressed in a Fu Lu robe chuckled.
You Tongguang sighed. “I just feel uneasy.”
Before his words faded, a thunderous explosion shook the house slightly.
“The Thunder Clan’s Thunder Bomb?” an elder exclaimed.
“Watch out for a distraction!” You Tongguang warned loudly. Everyone turned their backs to the table, guarding the entrances and the roof.
Then, someone shouted from afar, “Master You has been captured!”
“Master You has been captured!”
You Tongguang’s face paled. “Please hold your positions. I must rescue my son.”
How could the jade Buddha compare to his son’s life?
The others had no objections, instead speculating whether Shen Monkey’s real target was You Hongbo, and the statue was merely a distraction.
As they discussed, You Tongguang had already rushed out, while the others remained vigilant.
After a while, the commotion subsided, and You Tongguang returned with a weakened You Hongbo. As he stepped inside, his expression suddenly froze, his eyes locked on something behind the others.
“Old You, what’s wrong?” someone asked uneasily.
You Tongguang pointed behind them. “The jade Buddha has been stolen…”
Everyone turned in shock, only to find the square table empty except for a single piece of paper.
“Grateful for the gift, Shen Monkey pays his respects.” Someone read aloud in confusion.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage