Chapter 86: “Calamity”

To the north of the “Liusha Collection,” there stood a small, not particularly high hill. Facing the vast Hanhai Desert, it had long endured the relentless sun and wind, gradually exposing its rocky surface, now strewn with gravel. Some areas had even darkened to a deep brown, their surfaces smooth and hard, exuding an eerie and unsettling aura.

On the opposite side of the hill, an underground river flowed, trees grew sideways, and the air was filled with the scent of spring. At the foot of the hill lay a lush green oasis, where nearby herdsmen grazed their livestock. It was evening, and they were driving their cattle and sheep back home.

Meng Qi and Zhen Hui walked slowly along the mountain path with their master, heading toward the not-so-high peak. As they walked, Meng Qi focused his attention and asked earnestly, “Master, since you told us to be cautious of the Crying Old Man and his disciples, could you please explain his characteristics in detail? At least this way, we won’t fail to recognize him when we meet, and risk exposing ourselves.”

Xuan Bei nodded slightly, “I was just about to tell you. The Crying Old Man is a black-clad old man with deep wrinkles. He likes to wear a black headscarf and a white robe. His most distinctive feature is his eyes—they have double pupils, oddly shaped. Whether he is smiling or angry, his expression always seems like he is crying. He is lustful for power, moody, and ruthless in action. You should avoid him at all costs.”

Zhen Hui listened with the expression of someone hearing a legendary tale, clearly fascinated. Meng Qi was also very focused, not wanting to accidentally run into his master’s archenemy. At his current level, the opponent wouldn’t even need to move or attack—just the pressure from his cultivation realm would be enough to kill Meng Qi.

“The Crying Old Man has three favorite disciples, all experts who have reached the ‘Outer Manifestation’ realm. Among them, the strongest one, ‘Tianhuang Sage,’ has already been killed by me,” Xuan Bei said, his tone briefly revealing a flicker of emotion as he mentioned “Tianhuang Sage.”

Meng Qi was surprised, “Master, does the Crying Old Man only have three disciples at the Outer Manifestation level?”

That seemed too few. Was his power really that limited?

“Too few?” Xuan Bei shook his head. “Shaolin is one of the greatest martial arts sects in the world, with a history spanning over a thousand years, and even we only have dozens of experts at the Outer Manifestation level. For the Crying Old Man to have three such disciples is already quite remarkable. Moreover, he also has connections with various evil and sinister figures, often collaborating with them.”

Since Shaolin had numerous monks practicing Ku Chan (ascetic meditation) and retreating in the “Wall-Gazing Pavilion,” the precise count of experts at the Outer Manifestation realm remained obscure to outsiders. Xuan Bei also found it challenging to elaborate the specifics to Meng Qi, who had not yet achieved enlightenment, so he simply summarized it as “dozens.”

Meng Qi chuckled awkwardly, feeling embarrassed for his ignorance, “Master, what I meant was, does the Crying Old Man really only have three disciples, all at the Outer Manifestation level?”

He tried to twist his meaning back.

Xuan Bei didn’t expose him, “The Crying Old Man is protective of his disciples but also cruel. Any disciple who fails to meet his standards ends up dead. Those who survive are naturally the best among them, hence their small number.”

“I see,” Meng Qi felt relieved. He was fortunate to have been reborn into Shaolin. If he had instead taken over the body of one of the Crying Old Man’s disciples, he might have already suffered endless torment and perished.

“Master, the Crying Old Man is so terrifying…” Zhen Hui, being a bit naive, was frightened. He had always believed that masters should treat their disciples kindly, and senior disciples should treat their juniors well. The reverse was also supposed to be true.

Hmph, you used to be so self-righteous. Now your worldview has been shattered, huh? Meng Qi secretly thought.

Xuan Bei comforted him, “The Crying Old Man is a wicked and ruthless figure of the evil path, naturally different from our righteous sect.”

He then went on, “The other two disciples of the Weeping Elder are Prince Yanshiche of ‘Hale’ and the horse bandit Zeluoju, who roams the vast desert. Both are top-tier martial artists…”

He proceeded to describe in detail the appearances and martial arts characteristics of Yanshiche and Zeluoju, so his disciples could recognize them. For example, Yanshiche had golden-yellow eyes, a red third eye on his forehead, and exuded a faint divine aura. Though in his forties, he looked like a young man, his handsome face resembling a statue of a god. Zeluoju, on the other hand, was skilled in using a horse saber, had a full beard, and had lost his left eye after doing something that displeased the Crying Old Man. He was nicknamed “Haihai Evil Blade.”

The term “top-tier martial artist” was a classification standard established by the imperial court of the Jin Dynasty when compiling the Heaven, Earth, and Human Rankings. Since it incorporated many commonly accepted conventions, many people adopted it.

After reaching the Outer Manifestation, one must cross three heavenly thresholds, with each set of three levels marking a qualitative leap. Once broken through, one’s power would be vastly superior to before, hence the saying “cultivation level suppresses all.” The seventh to ninth levels of Outer Manifestation are collectively known as “Grandmasters,” completely different from figures like Duan Xiangfei and Cui Xu, who are also called “Grandmasters.” The fourth to sixth levels are known as “Supreme Experts,” while the first to third levels are “Top-tier Experts.”

Above the peak of Outer Manifestation lies another realm known as “Half-Step Dharma Body,” also a qualitative leap, referred to as “Great Grandmaster,” while “Half-Step Outer Manifestation” is considered “Second-Tier Expert.”

Those who have opened all nine acupoints are called “Third-Tier Experts,” those with six, seven, or eight acupoints are “Fourth-Tier Experts,” and those with two or four acupoints are simply “Ordinary.”

Below the Acupoint Opening stage, depending on the amount of Qi stored and martial prowess, one is classified as “Ninth-Tier or Below.”

Earlier, when Meng Qi exchanged for the Iron Shirt skill, Jiang Zhiwei had joked that he was barely a “Below Tier” expert.

As Meng Qi listened, he carefully memorized the characteristics of Yanshiche and Zeluoju to avoid them in the future.

After finishing his description of Yanshiche and Zeluoju, Xuan Bei continued, “The Crying Old Man’s grand-disciples have also been killed down to only about ten. Among them, the strongest are two nine-acupoint experts: one is ‘Yandi the Earthbound,’ You Huan duo, leader of the seventy-two bandits of Helianshan, and the other is a lone bandit known as ‘White-Headed Vulture,’ Anguo Xie…”

He briefly introduced the remaining seventeen or so acupoint-opening grand-disciples, focusing on their appearances. For example, ‘Yandi the Earthbound’ looked simple and honest, like an old farmer, with a thumb-sized black mole at the corner of his eyebrow. ‘White-Headed Vulture’ Anguo Xie had white hair since youth and was now in his thirties, already with snow-white hair. He was cruel in nature and especially enjoyed torturing others…

Xuan Bei timed his speech precisely, finishing just as they reached the mountaintop. There were many straight, withered trees here.

With a heavy heart, he sighed and stopped in front of a twisted tree resembling a dragon, saying softly, “My two younger sons are buried here. If they hadn’t died, they would be about your age now.”

The atmosphere instantly turned sorrowful and oppressive. Meng Qi and Zhen Hui didn’t know what to say and could only silently accompany their master in his grief.

After an unknown length of time, Xuan Bei suddenly spoke with self-mockery, “I’ve been a bit absent-minded today. I forgot to bring some incense and candles, and I also forgot to bring the handwritten ‘Prajna Sutra’ to burn here. Zhen Ding, Zhen Hui, go back to the inn and fetch the ‘Prajna Sutra,’ and buy some incense and candles while you’re at it.”

“Yes, Master,” Meng Qi thought that his master wasn’t usually someone who cared much for formalities, but since this was the burial site of his two younger sons, it was understandable that he might be more sentimental. Suppressing his doubts, he readily agreed.

After descending the mountain and returning to the Liusha Gathering, Meng Qi’s mind suddenly became active. Wasn’t this a great opportunity to escape?

His master was far up the mountain, and his mind was distracted by mourning. If he could just get rid of his younger apprentice brother, he could be free to go wherever he pleased!

“Little apprentice brother, let’s split up. You go back to the inn to get the ‘Prajna Sutra,’ and I’ll go buy the incense and candles,” Meng Qi suggested, acting on his thoughts.

Although he felt a little guilty for taking advantage of the situation to escape, the opportunity was too rare to miss!

Zhen Hui, without a hint of suspicion, smiled and agreed, running into the inn. Meng Qi watched his back disappear, sighed, and quickly headed toward the outskirts in the opposite direction.

…

At the mountaintop, the wind was cold.

Xuan Bei gazed at the withered tree in front of him. At some point, a string of Buddhist prayer beads had appeared in his hand.

It was a string of dark golden prayer beads, among which were three pure black beads.

“I didn’t expect you to come here especially to ambush me,” he said calmly.

“An old man like me always repays his debts. As soon as I recovered from my injuries, I learned that you were going to the Vajra Temple, so I waited here. You were bound to come,” a thin, black-robed old man with a hunched back emerged from behind the tree, as if he had been standing there all along.

He wore a black headscarf and a white robe. Each of his eyes had two pupils, and the corners of his eyes drooped, giving him a crying appearance.

Xuan Bei replied indifferently, “Crying Old Man, you guessed correctly.”

“Do you think that by sending away your two apprentices, they will survive? Although I’m too lazy to deal with them myself, I have a few grand-disciples waiting below,” the Crying Old Man coughed a couple of times, feigning frailty.

His disciples were occupied with managing affairs in “Hale” and the Vast Sea, so he had only brought a few grand-disciples with him.

Xuan Bei remained expressionless, “If I hadn’t sent them away, they would have been caught in the aftermath of our battle and perished. Down there, at least they have a sliver of hope.”

He was at a lower cultivation level than the Crying Old Man. Although he was unafraid of fighting, he couldn’t protect his disciples from the collateral damage of their battle.

“You mean Jiuniang? Hmph, I doubt she dares to intervene!” The Crying Old Man was unconcerned. He raised his right hand, and instantly, countless black spirits emerged around him, wailing in agony, making people’s hair stand on end and their minds tremble. Those with weaker constitutions would immediately have their souls snatched away.

…

Meng Qi was just about to leave the gathering when he suddenly noticed that on the side of the vast sea, countless sand whirlwinds were rising. Within a radius of hundreds of miles, flying sand and rolling stones were surging toward the mountaintop.

At the foot of the mountain, the oasis instantly withered. The cattle, sheep, and herdsmen all stiffened and dried up like mummies.

Even from afar, Meng Qi could see the ground cracking inch by inch, as if a natural disaster had struck!