“Indeed, those who recognize the situation are the true heroes. Brother Da Dangzi is alone in a foreign land, yet he managed to raise a gang of horse bandits all by himself. That’s truly heroic!” Meng Qi withdrew his gaze and smiled at Shen Zui.
Shen Zui, his voice laced with fear and concern, said, “You must keep your word.”
“I swear upon the Buddha,” Meng Qi replied. In the past, making oaths was as easy as drinking water for him, but in this world where Daozun, the Buddha, and many other powerful beings exist, he had become more cautious about swearing. However, this particular oath didn’t matter much, as he was confident he could fulfill it.
Shen Zui took a deep breath and said, “Yesterday, a white-headed bird brought news that Yuan Mengzhi, the leader of the ‘Revolted Hound,’ captured your junior apprentice on the key route to ‘Bomi,’ called ‘Cheli,’ and plans to send him to ‘Evil Peak’ as bait.”
“Revolted Hound” was a notorious horse bandit chief who had submitted to Zeluo Ju, commanding hundreds of fierce men. He himself was a master who had opened nine orifices, dominating the Cheli area like a king. Although Zhen Hui was no fool, he lacked experience in the martial arts world and was unaware of the Evil Blade’s assassination decree, so it was natural for him to be captured.
“Evil Peak,” originally named “Kurzi Mountain,” is situated in the southeast of the Hanhai. It served as the stronghold of Zeluo Ju, after whom it was renamed. The peak was quite close to the oasis where Meng Qi had previously slain the evil monk An Guo. In fact, An Guo had chosen that route partly because he had planned to take refuge in Evil Peak if necessary.
“Preparing to send him to ‘Evil Peak’?” Meng Qi frowned. Shen Zui had no reason to lie about this. If Yuan Mengzhi truly intended to use the junior apprentice as bait, he would certainly spread the news widely, making it known to all.
Gu Changqing took a breath, trying to suppress his nausea, and thought, “We are much closer to Evil Peak than Cheli. Perhaps we can intercept them en route. However, Yuan Mengzhi might be setting a trap, trying to lure us into rescuing the junior apprentice.”
Meng Qi nodded. “I think the same. The Evil Blade’s assassination decree targets me specifically. Even if they capture the junior apprentice, they won’t gain Zeluo Ju’s promise. If Yuan Mengzhi wants to maximize his profit, he will surely try to capture me through the junior apprentice. How long will it take from Cheli to Evil Peak?”
He asked this question to Shen Zui, as Gu Changqing had never traveled this route and could only roughly estimate.
“If they don’t hurry, it would take roughly fourteen or fifteen days to travel from Cheli to Evil Peak. After all, the Hanhai is fraught with dangers, featuring three main routes, each with two or three unavoidable checkpoints. As long as you thoroughly investigate the route, there will be time to intercept them along the way.” Shen Zui wanted to wrap up the conversation quickly, eager to face his destiny.
Meng Qi pondered, “If Yuan Mengzhi wants to lure us into intercepting, he will certainly not deliberately conceal the route. If that’s not his intention, we can only intercept them before they reach Evil Peak.”
Evil Peak was Zeluo Ju’s stronghold, and Meng Qi and Gu Changqing dared not directly storm it. If they wanted to intercept the captors, the oasis before Evil Peak would be their last chance. However, if Yuan Mengzhi forced a fast march, with his strength as a nine-orifice master, he might bypass the oasis and cross the desert directly with Zhen Hui.
“Yuan Mengzhi is always arrogant, and time is pressing. He will definitely choose to parade the junior apprentice openly, luring you out to be captured.” Shen Zui suddenly wore a strange smile.
Meng Qi was puzzled. “Time is pressing?”
Wasn’t it *we* who were short on time?
Shen Zui, as if finding psychological comfort, chuckled, “Young Master Monk, you don’t seem to have the awareness of a disciple from a great sect at all?”
“Eh?” Meng Qi was even more confused.
Shen Zui smiled lightly, “Shaolin did not expect the Crying Old Man to suddenly reappear, trapping you and your master in a difficult situation. How could they not come to rescue you? Although they are far away in the Western Regions and cannot immediately receive the news due to their limited reach, there are always merchants and sand travelers close to Shaolin who will spread the message.”
“Calculating the time, the news will reach Shaolin within ten days at most. Then, monks of the highest level will certainly come to the rescue, and perhaps even one of the ‘Kong’ generation will arrive. At their speed, traveling day and night, they can reach the Hanhai in ten days.”
The reason Xuan Bei had taken half a year to reach the edge of the Hanhai was purely because he had to wait for other monks to inform the various sects about the matter. Additionally, he had Meng Qi and Zhen Hui, who were like burdens, slowing him down. If they had traveled directly, it would have taken only half a month. Just like now, he and the Crying Old Man had been fighting all the way and had already penetrated several thousand miles into the Hanhai in ten days.
Meng Qi nodded slightly, “Indeed, they are short on time. However, Yuan Mengzhi still dares to act this way, knowing that Shaolin will soon send reinforcements.”
Such an open act of using a Shaolin disciple as bait would not escape the rescuing monks’ notice. If they attracted monks of the highest level, or even half-step Dharma Body monks, the joke would be too big!
“What’s there to fear? If after fifteen or sixteen days they still haven’t lured you in, they’ll just kill the young monk, hide in Bomi, or in the various dangerous and secret places of the Hanhai. Do you think the monks will be able to find them? Once they leave, they can re-emerge, regroup their forces, and become another ‘hero’ again.” Shen Zui laughed heartily.
Gu Changqing explained to Meng Qi, “The Hanhai is vast, with countless hiding places. The senior monks from your temple cannot possibly remain here indefinitely. Unless a Land Immortal at the Dharma Body level personally comes to pursue them—but ‘Great Asura’ Mengnan would never allow other Dharma Body-level masters to enter the Western Regions.”
“Hmm.” Meng Qi nodded slowly. This was why the horse bandits were reluctant to provoke local great sects like the Snow Mountain Sect, while having little fear of Shaolin and other great martial sects from Central China.
“Therefore, our time is also pressing. We must rescue the junior apprentice before they kill him or send him into Evil Peak.”
Yuan Mengzhi was playing an open game, only waiting to see whether Meng Qi and his companions cared about Zhen Hui.
After finishing his words, Meng Qi stared at Shen Zui and asked, “You explained everything too thoroughly. What exactly is your purpose?”
Shen Zui laughed, “I’m almost a dead man. What purpose could I have? I just want to feel relieved! If you go to rescue him, you will surely die at the hands of Yuan Mengzhi and his horse bandits. If you don’t go, and sit back watching the young monk being killed, you will surely regret it for the rest of your life, blaming yourself endlessly!”
“Just thinking about you having a bad ending makes me so happy, hahaha!”
His laughter was filled with obvious hatred.
Meng Qi calmly waited for him to finish laughing, then said in a calm voice, “Which route do you think Yuan Mengzhi will take? Where is Zeluo Ju now?”
“You really want to go?” Shen Zui was eager for Meng Qi to go to his death to avenge himself and revealed everything without concealment, “The Crying Old Man is deeply engaged in a fierce battle in the desert, unable to pay attention elsewhere. ‘Hale’ has some unusual movements, and Yan Shiche is struggling to handle it himself. Therefore, the big boss Zeluo has gone to assist.”
“Hale” was not only guarded by Yan Shiche, an expert of the Outer Scenery level. Even among the Gobi horse bandits, there were four or five experts at the Outer Scenery level, not to mention the Western Region’s great nation “Hale.”
Gazing at Meng Qi’s expressionless face, he went on, “Since Yuan Mengzhi intends to lure you into rescuing the junior apprentice, he will undoubtedly choose a route where escape is difficult—specifically, the path from ‘Guan Yue’ to ‘Bo Da,’ then to ‘Bai Shan,’ ‘Yu Hai,’ and finally ‘Tan Han.’ Among these, ‘Yu Hai’ is a bustling region within the Hanhai, teeming with all sorts of people, making it convenient for you to hide and operate. Of course, Yuan Mengzhi must have considered this as well.”
Meng Qi asked a few more questions and received satisfactory answers. Then he nodded slightly and said, “Brother Da Dangzi, I’ll now send you west.”
Shen Zui, filled with hatred, shouted fiercely, “I’ll wait for you below!”
A flash of dark red sword light, and a bloodstain appeared on Shen Zui’s throat. Blood slowly spilled out, his eyes wide with fury, as if trying to see how Meng Qi would die.
Meng Qi lifted the Icequeen Sword, turned to Gu Changqing, and said, “Changqing, though this matter is perilous, I must attempt it. Otherwise, I will struggle to untie the knot in my heart and regret it for the rest of my life. You are an outsider; you shouldn’t take such a risk.”
For martial artists, once they develop a heart’s knot or heart demon, it means their martial arts will either stagnate or go astray, leading them to become completely demonic.
Gu Changqing clenched his teeth, his face full of stubbornness. After a while, he said, “I know my strength is not enough. If we fight, I will only be a burden to you. But I still want to go with you. I am very familiar with ‘Yu Hai,’ so I can help you find hiding places, arrange escape routes, and gather information. They don’t know me, so they won’t notice me. I will be safe.”
Meng Qi looked into his eyes and saw a pair of eyes burning with stubbornness and determination. After a moment of thought, he said, “Alright then. Just remember, apart from assisting, you should consider yourself an unrelated person. Regardless of success or failure, just be a bystander.”
This way, Gu Changqing would not be dragged into danger.
Gu Changqing nodded firmly, “I understand. You must also be careful and preserve your life, as there will still be opportunities for revenge.”
Meng Qi held the sword in his right hand and the sword in his left, smiling, “Rescuing and killing are different, and they require different abilities. I still have a chance.”
After that, Meng Qi and Gu Changqing, following the principle of “not wasting,” searched the tents of Shen Zui and the other masters who had opened their orifices. The result was a pleasant surprise for Meng Qi, as this fellow seemed to have brought most of his wealth with him!
“Three land deeds from Jiangdong, two house deeds from the Divine Capital. It seems Brother Da Dangzi had the intention to wash his hands of banditry and retire to Central China,” Meng Qi laughed, looking at the papers in his hand.
No horse bandit wanted to be a horse bandit for life. Their main purposes were wealth, women, and martial arts. As long as they had accumulated enough treasure, they would all want to stop being bandits and live peacefully as wealthy men. However, as the leader of a horse bandit gang, there were many restrictions. After all, how could they become rich themselves while abandoning their poor brothers?
Therefore, Shen Zui secretly exchanged most of the wealth he had looted into these five thin pieces of paper, representing vast fields and luxurious houses, enough for him to enjoy the rest of his life.
Moreover, horse bandits always had a habit of distrusting their companions. So, he also exchanged part of his remaining wealth into a bag of precious gems, which he carried with him, conveniently benefiting Meng Qi. Although it was not explicitly stated, Meng Qi and Gu Changqing had a tacit understanding between them: Meng Qi would take the items from Shen Zui’s body, while Gu Changqing would take the “inheritance” from the other four horse bandits. This was the reward for their chivalrous deeds!
Meng Qi carefully stored away the house and land deeds, his yearning for a life beyond Shaolin intensifying. He then picked up Shen Zui’s sword, wiped its blade, and sensed a restrained aura emanating from it. Beneath the seemingly ordinary iron surface, a faint bloodstain was barely visible, subtly pricking his fingertips. Recalling the peculiar sensation of his blood seemingly being drawn out when the sword had pierced him earlier, Meng Qi was convinced that this was indeed a formidable weapon, its quality on par with the Iceque Sword.
“Bloodthirsty…” Meng Qi murmured the inscription on the sword, his mood unusually delighted. This was indeed a good deed!
In this exhilarated and happy state, Meng Qi entered Shen Zui’s tent and saw the secret manuals he had been reading and had no time to hide!
“Horizontal Gully Sword Method… Two Extremes Wave Sword… Zhao Family Fast Sword… ‘Threefold Waves of Sunshine’… ‘Pure Bright Cultivation Method’…” Meng Qi read out the names one by one, overjoyed. A quick glance revealed that these were all cultivation methods and sword techniques at the Orifice Opening stage, totaling four books. The “Threefold Waves of Sunshine” was a sword technique used for last-ditch efforts by Shen Zui.
This made him unable to hold back and burst into laughter, looking up at the sky: “Haha, doing good deeds truly brings its own rewards!”
“No wonder great heroes start by eliminating bandits. The ancients truly did not deceive me!”
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