The City Lord’s Mansion occupied a vast area, nearly half of the southern part of the city. It contained a martial arts training ground used by the Cui family and their allied clans for practicing martial arts.
The training ground was paved with bluestone, facing directly toward the sky. On the eastern side stood a stone platform one zhang high, where elders usually watched martial arts displays and offered critiques.
Today, with the blazing sun overhead and not a cloud in the sky, the ten-zhang-long stone platform was filled with rows of grandmaster chairs. Many renowned martial arts elders and senior experts had already taken their seats, with disciples or juniors standing behind them.
This was a chance for them to witness the prowess of a Grandmaster-level martial arts duel, enabling them to better grasp the essence of the martial path and steer clear of unnecessary detours.
When Meng Qi arrived with Ning Daogu and others, the sun was directly overhead, and the duel was only half an hour away. Cui Xu was seated on a chair wearing a plain robe, his hair tied with a wooden hairpin. His eyes were closed, and his long sword rested across his knees. He seemed completely detached from the surrounding noise, maintaining a serene and tranquil presence.
Two Cui family disciples stood guard at the foot of the steps. After receiving Meng Qi’s invitation letter, they glanced through it and loudly announced: “Master Zhen Ding has arrived!”
Instantly, countless pairs of eyes were cast toward them. Many martial arts elders began to whisper in surprise:
“Is this really Zhen Ding?”
“He seems too young. How could he possibly defeat the Mu father-and-son duo?”
“I heard even the arrogant Shen Hou nearly lost his life at his hands!”
“Hard to imagine, hard to imagine! Truly, heroes emerge from the young generation!”
“Sigh, the younger generation always surpasses the older.”
Hearing these remarks, Meng Qi felt secretly delighted but maintained a composed expression. He softly chanted a Buddhist phrase and slowly ascended the steps. A servant girl led him to his seat, where he maintained an air of serene detachment.
Behind Meng Qi followed Ning Daogu, Yue Shishi, and the other Jiangnan Four Heroes, their skin taut with excitement, their steps unsteady, and their hearts pounding in exhilaration.
So many sect leaders, so many senior martial artists—people they could only dream of meeting yesterday—were now within arm’s reach. How could they not feel thrilled, nervous, and excited?
Even without witnessing the Grandmaster duel, this experience alone made their journey worthwhile. In the martial world, this was a valuable “credential”—at the very least, they had become familiar faces to the senior experts!
That was the Dragon Roaming Sect leader… That was the head of the Southern Eighteen River Gangs… One by one, famous figures appeared within Yue Shishi’s field of vision. They suppressed their excitement, kept their heads lowered, and followed Meng Qi forward without glancing sideways.
After observing Meng Qi for a while, the martial arts elders gradually turned their attention back, discussing the matter among themselves. Occasionally, new guests arrived and were escorted in by servant girls, while others left to check near the entrance for the arrival of the White Robe Sword God. The scene was somewhat casual and chaotic. After all, each of them was a person of high status, and with Cui Xu sitting silently with his eyes closed, neither Cui Jinxiu nor Fei Zhengqing had the authority to maintain order.
In this situation, Meng Qi suddenly stood up and smiled at the servant girl: “This humble monk wishes to take a brief walk. Might you point me in the right direction?”
The servant girl was quite surprised. She had always assumed senior martial artists wouldn’t have such “needs” in such a setting. Ning Daogu, Nie Yao, and others wore similar expressions of astonishment.
Despite her surprise, the servant girl led Meng Qi to the courtyard and pointed toward the latrine: “Master Monk, it’s over there. Do you remember the way back?”
“I do. You needn’t wait for me,” Meng Qi replied calmly.
The servant girl hurried back to serve other honored guests without further words.
Taking a deep breath, Meng Qi activated his martial arts technique, avoiding the servants in the courtyards, and stealthily made his way toward the secret prison mentioned by You Tongguang.
Perhaps because it was broad daylight, the guards were less vigilant. Meng Qi smoothly passed through the busiest courtyard and reached the secret prison in the southwest.
This area was deliberately planted with a grove of trees to separate the prison from the inner courtyard, making it appear particularly gloomy.
The prison’s outer wall was constructed from massive stones, and a heavy iron door sealed off the interior. Two burly men wielding sabers stood guard at the entrance.
Meng Qi picked up a stone, flicked it with his finger, and hit the opposite wall.
The sound (“Pa!”) caused the guards to simultaneously turn their heads toward the source of the noise.
At that moment, Meng Qi moved like a great roc spreading its wings, swiftly rushing forward. His fists shot out left and right, striking both guards on the head.
“Pa! Pa!” Though Meng Qi’s fists weren’t large, they packed considerable force, instantly knocking both men unconscious.
After bending down to press their acupoints and dragging them into the woods, Meng Qi walked brazenly up to the iron door. He grasped the door knocker and knocked rhythmically—three long knocks followed by two short ones, repeated three times.
After a short while, the iron door emitted a heavy creaking sound and slowly began to open.
As the door opened slightly, the person inside peered through the crack and immediately noticed something was wrong—the guards were missing! And who was this white-robed monk with an air of transcendence?
Their reaction was swift—they immediately tried to shut the iron door again.
Meng Qi placed both palms on the door and pushed forward with all his might.
“Open up!”
With a low shout, Meng Qi’s skin turned a dark golden hue, and his arm muscles swelled.
The two men behind the door stumbled backward, unable to resist the force of the opening door.
Too violent! Too barbaric!
Just moments ago, they had thought he was a refined, transcendent senior monk, a handsome and elegant monk. Now, he seemed more like a brute!
As the door opened, the two guards saw Meng Qi’s somewhat fierce expression as he exerted himself, feeling as though they had been deceived by his outward appearance.
Meng Qi leaped into the prison, sealed the acupoints of the two guards before they could cry out, searched for the keys, knocked them unconscious, and tossed them aside.
“Really damaging my image,” Meng Qi muttered, brushing off his white monk’s robe. Gripping his ceremonial knife tightly, he quickened his pace and dashed down the descending staircase.
All the way, Meng Qi had a clear objective—reaching the lowest level of the prison. Anyone he encountered was either struck unconscious with the back of his blade or had their acupoints sealed. Not a single opponent could withstand a single strike.
Perhaps no one had expected anyone to infiltrate the prison, so the scattered guards and martial experts couldn’t effectively gather and coordinate their efforts. Combined with Meng Qi’s strange martial techniques, he quickly broke through without causing the slightest ripple. Even areas outside his path remained unaware of the incident.
After descending three levels, Meng Qi saw the narrow iron door described by You Tongguang. He found the key on one of the guards nearby and inserted it into the lock to open the door.
As he touched the iron door, Meng Qi’s right hand felt a chill, as if what lay beyond wasn’t a prison but a freezer.
However, this had no effect on Meng Qi, who had endured the freezing cold of the ice turtle. He gently pushed, and the iron door slowly opened.
Beyond the iron door, frost covered the walls, and waves of cold air rolled upward from the bottom of the narrow corridor.
Meng Qi’s expression remained calm as he rushed into the corridor, heading downward.
The corridor was about ten zhang long, and within a few breaths, Meng Qi saw what lay at the bottom.
Indeed, it was a freezer. Blocks of ice were stacked here and there, glowing with a gorgeous, dreamlike luster under the torchlight from both sides of the corridor. Within the ice blocks stood a coffin made of bluish jade, emitting a faint glow.
Meng Qi slightly furrowed his brows and slowed his pace, for standing at the exit of the narrow corridor was a person—You Tongguang himself, with white hair, a rosy complexion, and a perpetually kind smile.
Behind him lay a young man, eyes closed, face tinged with blue, and faint wisps of steam rising from his head.
“You’ve come,” You Tongguang greeted with a smile.
Between him and Meng Qi was a transparent and nearly imperceptible ice wall separating the inside from the outside.
Meng Qi showed neither surprise nor anger, simply replying calmly: “I’ve come.”
“Judging from your expression, it seems you already know something,” You Tongguang said, hands behind his back, still smiling.
Meng Qi stroked his ceremonial knife and slowly spoke: “I know what I should know.”
“You know this might be a trap. Why come anyway?” You Tongguang extended his hands.
For the first time, Meng Qi smiled: “I had no choice but to come.”
“So, do you regret it now?” You Tongguang didn’t ask why Meng Qi had no choice.
Meng Qi sighed: “Some trials test your courage and judgment.”
“You have courage, but your judgment seems a bit off,” You Tongguang scoffed.
Meng Qi shook his head: “I’ve been wondering why the other Xiang Shen were so certain that Shen Hou was an impostor and why they believed I could threaten the White Robe Sword God.”
“Did you figure it out?” You Tongguang’s smile faded slightly.
“Of course, Master Zi Shu,” Meng Qi stared into You Tongguang’s eyes.
You Tongguang inhaled slightly: “Actually, I’ve always wondered why my fifth brother was so certain you could threaten Luo Qing. But since he said so, we had no choice but to believe. Can you tell me why?”
“Didn’t I already tell you I have a life-saving item? And didn’t Cui City Lord—oh, that is, Master Chen Long—know better and back down?” Meng Qi had no intention of foolishly revealing the Plum Blossom Needle secret, knowing that You Tongguang didn’t know about it.
It was precisely because the Xiang Shen used him to oppose Luo Qing that Meng Qi first connected the Twelve Xiang Shen with Grandmaster Cui Xu. Among the two abilities that allowed him to threaten a Grandmaster, the “Clear Severance” sword technique had never been fully demonstrated, and the Plum Blossom Needle had only been revealed once, seen only by the shadowy figure. Analyzing the situation, Meng Qi was nearly certain that the shadowy figure was Cui Xu himself.
With this in mind, the situation became clear. From the beginning, they had known that Shen Hou was an impostor—no one would foolishly attack their own people. The next day’s test was merely a performance, partly to prevent Meng Qi from realizing that most of those testing him were actually the Xiang Shen, and partly to gauge his martial arts skill.
However, Cui Xu had made a slight miscalculation. Meng Qi had already partially overcome sensory interference using just the Clear Severance sword intent, without needing to use the Plum Blossom Needle. Therefore, Luo Qing had suffered almost no loss of combat effectiveness, merely losing the element of surprise due to being caught off guard—back then, they had no choice but to attack, because if Luo Qing’s sword technique had faltered and Meng Qi had managed to block and escape, Luo Qing would have lost even the chance to catch him off guard.
Before You Tongguang could respond, Meng Qi continued: “I never expected Master Chen Long to be none other than City Lord Cui himself. No wonder he is a Grandmaster.”
“Sigh, ever since Xiao Min’s death, my fifth brother changed completely. He kept muttering about the boundary between humans and gods, about reviving the dead, and eventually formed the ‘Twelve Xiang Shen’ organization to gather martial arts secrets,” You Tongguang sighed. “What could we brothers say? No matter what, we would support him, and of course, we benefited greatly as well.”
At this moment, Meng Qi saw the cold air behind You Tongguang condense into several lines of text:
“Failed to infiltrate the Twelve Xiang Shen.”
“Successfully uncovered the secrets of the Twelve Xiang Shen.”
“Sub-mission completed, 150 Virtue Points awarded.”
“Sub-mission 2 triggered: Kill Master Zi Shu, 60 Virtue Points awarded. Kill Master Chen Long, 120 Virtue Points awarded.”
A more genuine smile appeared on Meng Qi’s face: “You’ve set up such a grand trap. Surely, it wasn’t just meant for a small monk like me?”
You Tongguang nodded and looked behind Meng Qi: “Master Xian Yin, please come out.”
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