Meng Qi appeared fierce and forceful, yet he was exceptionally cautious when choosing his targets, mostly going after the bandits at the Qi-accumulation stage, ensuring each strike with his knife or sword was fatal, so that others would dare not resist.
As they pursued, the horse bandits were completely scattered. Combined with the spreading flames, the entire Evil Ridge camp descended into chaos, pulling even the unaware bandits into the frantic escape and further escalating the pandemonium.
Some fled back to their dwellings, hastily gathering valuables before rushing down the mountain. Others simply dashed out of the camp gates in panic, while a few set fires indiscriminately and looted the camp’s possessions, displaying a bold and reckless attitude.
The camp was instantly filled with wailing and howling, flames reaching the sky, resembling a hellish battlefield.
After cutting down a bandit, Meng Qi gradually stopped the pursuit, letting the rest escape. At this point, unless Ze Luo returned, no one could restore order. Given his current physical condition, it was sheer fantasy to think of killing every last one or most of them.
Within moments, the entire camp became empty, hundreds of horse bandits scattering across the hills and fields.
Meng Qi, clutching his precept blade with blood steaming off its surface, let out a resounding roar to summon his young disciple as he made his way back to Kang Zhi’s courtyard. He had neither the desire nor the energy to plunder the belongings of other bandits, yet he remained poised to “inherit” the “legacies” of the two Qi-opening masters—these three courtyards marked the epicenter of the dispersal. With Meng Qi standing as the formidable deterrent, not a single bandit dared to return for spoils.
“Brother, with your single-handed might, you’ve destroyed Xie Ridge, and your reputation will surely spread far and wide,” Zhen Hui popped out from a corner, his face brimming with excitement. He had always been deeply interested in such martial arts affairs.
Meng Qi looked at his soot-covered younger apprentice with a chuckle, “Not just me, it’s clearly the three of us. Little apprentice, you’re going to become famous too.”
“Really?” Zhen Hui became even more excited. To him, fame was simply fun.
“Of course. You set the fire that threw the camp into chaos—you’re a great hero,” Meng Qi didn’t hold back his praise.
Zhen Hui nodded cheerfully, his mind wandering, “I wonder what title I’ll receive. Brother, I heard them calling you ‘Thunder Blade Evil Monk’?”
“Hehe,” Meng Qi replied stiffly. This title was worlds apart from his ideal—shouldn’t it be something grand like “Breaking Thunder Blade” or “Red Dust Monk”?
As they spoke, the two returned to Kang Zhi’s courtyard, where Gu Changqing was glaring at Kang Zhi with twisted facial muscles, furiously venting his hatred.
“You’re back?” He turned his head slightly, still somewhat dazed.
Meng Qi nodded slightly, “I’ve driven off the horse bandits. Before the news spreads, the Xie Ridge camp is safe. Do whatever you must do, while I go look for spoils.”
He understood Gu Changqing’s desire to torture Kang Zhi.
Gu Changqing nodded heavily, turning back to Kang Zhi, “I know you have several children in the back room. I want you to experience the pain of helplessly watching your loved ones die before your eyes!”
As if justifying his actions, he added, “Eradicate evil completely…”
His face was illuminated by the firelight, shadows lingering, alternating between light and darkness, like a vengeful ghost from hell, exuding indescribable resentment and ferocity.
Wuwuwu, Kangzhi’s mute acupoint was sealed, so he could only make sounds like “wuwu.”
Meng Qi was stunned, opened his mouth, but didn’t know what to say.
“Brother Gu…” Zhen Hui’s face changed, about to speak, but Meng Qi covered his mouth, dragging him out of the courtyard and closing the gate behind them, leaving Kang Zhi inside for Gu Changqing.
“Brother, revenge is one thing, but killing innocents will burden you with sin and torment you in the eighteenth layer of hell!” Zhen Hui said solemnly. Compared to Meng Qi, he looked more like a monk.
Meng Qi’s expression darkened as he sighed, “I know, but I asked myself, if my entire family were killed, what would I do?”
“Brother, what would you do?” Zhen Hui’s attention was instantly diverted.
Meng Qi gritted his teeth, his face twisting, “I would kill his entire family.”
Zhen Hui opened his eyes wide, unable to grasp the power of hatred.
Meng Qi patted his shoulder, “Alright, little apprentice, let Changqing handle it himself. Only by taking revenge with his own hands, according to his own wishes, can he find redemption. Of course, we must advise him well afterward, so he won’t be blinded by such thoughts.”
“Alright.” Zhen Hui looked back with sympathy. A night breeze blew, bringing a rolling wave of heat.
Wanting to avoid seeing further, Meng Qi dragged two corpses a bit farther, squatted down, and began to search.
Since it was a sudden midnight battle, the two Qi-opening experts had nothing else on them except gemstone rings and jade pendants commonly worn by people from the Western Regions, as well as a saber made seemingly from cold iron, used for cutting horses.
Just touching it sent bone-deep chills, complementing the Ice Gate Sword.
Meng Qi removed his Red Sun Exorcism Blade, fastened it at his waist, and slung the horse-chopping saber over his back before making his way to the neighboring courtyard.
Inside the room of the Qi-opening saber wielder, Meng Qi discovered three bags of gemstones, some gold ingots and silver coins, and a handwritten manual.
“Cold Wind Saber Technique?” Meng Qi flipped through it casually and found it was a saber technique derived from the External Scenery Saber Moves by the Qi-opening expert. He had collected many saber techniques, combined them with variations of the External Scenery Saber Moves, and spent ten years creating a saber technique of his own, which was quite decent among Qi-opening techniques. Therefore, he planned to write it into a manual for future inheritance, leaving his name behind.
Meng Qi felt both satisfied and regretful. Satisfied because it filled the gap in his Qi-opening saber techniques, and regretful because the External Scenery Saber Moves were transmitted as true intent, not written down by the Qi-opening expert. Moreover, the collected saber techniques had been given to close subordinates after mastery, probably either taken away or destroyed in the fire.
As he flipped through the manual, a black piece of animal hide suddenly fell out. Meng Qi picked it up and saw it was covered with densely packed symbols, but their meaning was unclear.
Frowning, he searched through other papers in the room and finally figured out what it was.
The Qi-opening expert had once mistakenly entered a mysterious mausoleum, obtaining the true intent transmission of “Bone-piercing Cold” and this piece of hide, but afterward was never able to re-enter, nor could he decipher the meaning of the symbols on the hide. Thus, he simply tucked it into the manual, waiting for a future opportunity to investigate further.
Meng Qi smiled, putting the manual and the hide away. To others, uncovering the hide’s secrets might require a rare coincidence, but for him, it wouldn’t be so troublesome. As long as the next cycle mission opened, he could have it appraised by the Master of the Six Dao Reincarnation.
“Little apprentice, yours,” Meng Qi generously tossed a bag of gemstones, a bag of gold ingots, and silver coins to Zhen Hui. Since Zhen Hui practiced the Flower-picking Finger, he couldn’t divide his attention, and the manual would be useless to him.
Zhen Hui had once experienced the hardship of being penniless, so he deeply understood the importance of wealth. Thus, he happily accepted it, urging Meng Qi to move on to the next place.
Suddenly, low weeping sounds reached their ears.
“Ghosts!” Zhen Hui was startled, the prayer beads in his hand emitting a faint lustrous glow, peaceful and serene.
Half-hiding behind Meng Qi, excited yet fearful, he stared at the side room from which the sound came.
Meng Qi twitched his lips. You have the Deliverance Prayer Beads protecting you—what do you have to fear from evil spirits?
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, he tightened his grip on the Red Sun Exorcism Blade. After all, malevolent spirits were also classified as evil entities!
Listening carefully for a moment, Meng Qi exhaled in exasperation and glared at Zhen Hui without affection. Ghost indeed!
He pushed open the door and entered the side room, seeing a lightly dressed woman curled up on the bed, trembling and softly weeping.
“Please, don’t kill me. I’m not a bandit. I was abducted, waaah,” she cried in fear.
Seeing she had no martial arts skills, and knowing that the bandits often captured women when they raided, Meng Qi knew her words were true. He clasped his palms and said, “Amitabha Buddha, I am here to rescue you.”
“Rescue… rescue us?” She looked up, seeing two young monks at the door. Though covered in blood and wearing tattered clothes, they looked quite presentable.
“Amitabha Buddha, my fellow disciple and I are Shaolin monks,” Meng Qi replied gently.
The identity of a monk had its advantages. Hearing the chaos outside had subsided, the woman suddenly burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably.
“Miss, don’t cry. The fire is spreading. Quickly gather your belongings and follow us out of Xie Ridge,” Meng Qi urged. Her presence suggested that many women had been abducted into the camp, and they must be rescued from the flames.
If he hadn’t encountered this, Meng Qi wouldn’t have cared much. But since he had, he couldn’t ignore it. Simply put, he couldn’t bear to do otherwise.
The girl hurriedly stood up and bowed gracefully, “This humble girl is from the Great Jin Dynasty. I came to the Western Regions to visit relatives but was captured by the horse bandits and forced to become a concubine. Thank you, Master, for rescuing me.”
At this, she couldn’t help but feel sorrowful, her purity ruined, making it hard for her to face the world again.
She had a delicate appearance and graceful demeanor, no wonder chosen by the Qi-opening expert… Meng Qi sighed, “Miss, don’t worry about other things. Find some valuables to take with you. After returning to the Great Jin Dynasty, contact only your immediate family and tell outsiders you are newly widowed.”
“Yes!” The girl nodded firmly. No matter what the future held, it would be better than staying in the bandits’ den.
Meng Qi quietly left behind some gold ingots, silver coins, and a bag of gemstones. Walking to the center of the camp, he gathered his strength and loudly proclaimed, “Shaolin Zhen Ding has destroyed the Evil Ridge. Please, all innocent people, come forth and meet me.”
His voice rolled like thunder, carrying far. After three calls, women gradually emerged, crying and weeping in a chorus.
Meng Qi let the previous girl act as the leader, organizing these pitiful women to search for valuables in the other Qi-opening expert’s courtyard and in other intact dwellings, distributing them equally for their future survival.
As for Meng Qi himself, he only found three Qi-opening and five Qi-accumulation manuals—the Qi-opening expert specialized in eagle claw techniques and didn’t collect any weapons.
The girls worked enthusiastically and energetically when Gu Changqing finally stepped out of the courtyard gate, his body stained with blood, his expression calm yet liberated.
“Thank you for your help,” he bowed deeply.
Meng Qi helped him up, “With your great revenge fulfilled, you must live well and not disappoint your uncle’s expectations.”
“Yes, I will become a true great hero! Eradicate evil completely!” Gu Changqing nodded gently, his eyes regaining their luster. This was not only his own wish but also the hope of his late parents, which made him even more determined.
If only the latter half of that sentence hadn’t been uttered, Meng Qi sighed to himself. “Changqing, the Vast Sea is perilous. Return to Great Jin with me. Once you attain the External Scenery realm, you can come back to eliminate Ze Luo and his gang.”
“My mother was from the Great Jin. I was originally supposed to escort my parents’ memorial tablets to my maternal grandfather’s house,” Gu Changqing said calmly, a heartbreaking tone in his voice.
The horse bandits had fed his family’s bodies to wolves, leaving him unable to retrieve and bury them.
“Alright, if you ever face difficulties, come find me,” Meng Qi nodded, speaking boldly, “One arrow piercing the clouds, and thousands of troops and horses will come to meet!”
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