All sides were under attack, but Meng Qi remained calm. He parried with his long saber, deflecting the peddler’s sword. Then, he crouched low, allowing the old man’s dagger to stab his back while dodging the crucial blow to his heart from the elderly man with the zither.
The woman of the couple thus lost her chance to strike his throat, merely hitting Meng Qi’s chin. The ground-fighting swordsman had no such issues and cleanly struck Meng Qi’s legs.
The peddler, though his attack failed, couldn’t help but smirk smugly. He had intentionally revealed flaws in his disguise earlier, successfully setting up this ambush!
But then came a series of dull thuds like striking leather, and the peddler’s smile froze.
He saw his companions’ weapons hit something as hard as iron, barely penetrating, drawing only a little blood. Meanwhile, the young monk’s long saber swung in a move called “Sweeping the World.”
A head flew, blood gushed like a waterfall, and the peddler’s vision turned red. He saw the woman of the couple, now headless, sway and collapse.
“He actually possesses such an iron-hard body!” The peddler regretted his decision, never imagining a young monk could cultivate such advanced physical prowess!
Meng Qi ignored the zither-wielding elder and the teahouse old man behind him, suddenly stepping forward diagonally, blocking the ground-fighting swordsman’s retreat. With a downward slash of his saber, more blood splattered, staining his white bindings.
Then, he slid his feet and strangely dashed backward, brushing past the teahouse old man.
Another head flew off, blood sprayed, while Meng Qi only bore a shallow wound on his chest.
Seeing this, the peddler was terrified, losing his usual composure, hastily turning to flee like escaping a demon.
Suddenly, his vision blurred, and he saw the handsome young monk blocking his path.
“Die!” He frantically lunged at Meng Qi’s forehead, unwilling to engage further.
Meng Qi, his chin injured, grinned ferociously through gritted teeth. He raised his left hand, gripping the peddler’s sword regardless of the blood pouring from his palm, pulled it back, and swung his saber.
“No…” The peddler’s scream abruptly ended, blood spurting onto Meng Qi’s head and face.
The zither-wielding elder from the other side trembled, shrieked, and fled, escaping Meng Qi’s pursuit.
Was this truly trading minor injuries for major ones? After the battle, Meng Qi exhaled heavily, wiped the blood from his face, and approached the remaining survivors in the teahouse.
The young nobleman, his maid, and guards stared in shock, unable to comprehend what had happened until blood sprayed and heads rolled. Only when the monk, seemingly emerging from hell, approached did they snap back to reality, trembling in fear and pleading for mercy.
“Master, Master, I have always been devout in my faith, please spare my humble life,” the young nobleman wept.
“Poor monk merely wishes to ask for directions. Could you tell me how to reach Shaohua Mountain?” Meng Qi smiled slightly, but covered in blood, his smile appeared terrifying and grotesque to the nobleman and others.
A guard, barely controlling his trembling, obediently informed Meng Qi of the directions.
Meng Qi nodded slightly, a mischievous thought arising: “Poor monk sees you all as having a connection with the Buddha…”
“No, Master! I don’t want to meet the Buddha yet! I have an eighty-year-old grandmother above and a three-year-old child below. Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you!” The young nobleman burst into tears.
“Poor monk merely wishes to borrow your horses. Would you be willing to form this good connection?” The more frightened they became, the more delighted Meng Qi felt playing the role of a “venerable monk.”
The young nobleman looked at Meng Qi’s blood-streaked face and dared not refuse: “Master wishes to form a good connection. I am more than happy to offer my horses.”
“Poor monk is no thief. Take this jade pendant as collateral for borrowing your horses,” Meng Qi said, no longer wishing to scare them further as time pressed.
The young nobleman immediately looked tearful again: “Master, I willingly offer them! This is an offering to the Buddha; how could I accept your collateral!”
He waved his hands frantically, refusing to take the jade, suspecting it was a test from the monk—if he truly accepted it, his head might be in danger.
Meng Qi hesitated slightly: “Amitabha Buddha, poor monk thanks you for your kindness.”
The young nobleman exhaled in relief: “It is I who should thank the Master for enlightening me.”
Suddenly recalling a famous line, Meng Qi looked half-smiling at the nobleman’s luggage: “Poor monk sees your possessions also as having a connection with the Buddha.”
The young nobleman, with a sorrowful face, tried hard to appear devout, handing Meng Qi the money pouch: “Please, Master, use this to mold the golden body of the Buddha and enlighten the people.”
He actually gave it… This was what begging felt like? Meng Qi smirked slightly but said nothing more, calling over Qi Zhengyan and others, and they began inspecting the bodies for food and water.
Moments later, Xiang Hui led four horses, tying the food and water first on the saddles, then beaming at Meng Qi who had just bandaged his wounds: “Holy monk, when shall we depart? We only have three days, better not delay…”
Meng Qi nodded slightly: “We depart now.”
Honestly, Meng Qi had thought that after witnessing the battle, Xiang Hui’s attitude toward him would change significantly. After all, his abilities had been fully displayed—he was merely a practitioner with basic Qi cultivation and iron-hard body techniques, at the same level as Xiang Hui. Yet, to his surprise, Xiang Hui remained as flattering as ever.
Perhaps he felt uncertain about defeating Meng Qi?
Upon hearing Meng Qi’s response, Xiang Hui immediately mounted a horse, skillfully holding the reins, waiting to depart.
Meng Qi looked at the horse before him somewhat nervously. Although he had never ridden before, he now possessed martial arts skills and was agile. For simple travel without combat, he wasn’t afraid.
“Ma, Master…” Suddenly, the girl Xiaozhi timidly spoke.
Meng Qi and Qi Zhengyan turned to look without speaking.
Xiaozhi, regretful and near tears, said: “Master, I… I don’t know how to ride a horse.”
This was indeed a problem. Meng Qi slightly frowned, looking at Xiaozhi. She was just an ordinary girl, unlikely to learn horseback riding quickly.
Suddenly, Meng Qi recalled Jiang Zhiwei’s advice about learning lightness techniques first, finding it very reasonable. If you couldn’t even keep up with others, how could they protect you in an emergency? Even if the other party truly had a compassionate heart!
Seeing Meng Qi and Qi Zhengyan frowning silently, Xiaozhi suddenly tensed, her voice trembling: “Master, I can learn to ride. Please don’t abandon me!”
In this unfamiliar place, she could only cling tightly to Meng Qi, who seemed relatively kind and compassionate, even though they had just met. Otherwise, if abandoned here, she would soon be captured and sold into brothels, completely helpless.
Meng Qi examined her up and down, noticing the bloodstains on her collar—he realized she had followed his instructions to inspect the corpses.
Recalling how Xiaozhi, despite her fear of the corpses, had gritted her teeth and completed the task, Meng Qi sighed inwardly. Heaven helps those who help themselves…
“Learning to ride now might be too late. Miss Xiaozhi, if you don’t mind, ride with me on the same horse,” Meng Qi intentionally recited a Buddhist chant to emphasize his identity as a monk, avoiding Xiaozhi’s hesitation about gender propriety.
Though this way, Meng Qi felt he could easily abandon her without burden, he decided to consider the details carefully since he wanted to be a good person.
Xiaozhi was momentarily stunned, then her pitch-black eyes welled up with tears: “Master, your compassion is greatly appreciated. I thank you in advance.”
Xiang Hui behind Meng Qi instinctively sneered. In his opinion, a girl unable to even tie a chicken shouldn’t have been brought along. He would have just enjoyed himself and left her somewhere.
Qi Zhengyan didn’t oppose Meng Qi’s decision, still maintaining his stern expression, merely nodding almost imperceptibly when looking at Meng Qi.
“Miss Xiaozhi, you sit behind and remember to hold my robe tightly,” Meng Qi helped Xiaozhi onto the horse.
Before he finished speaking, a sudden thought struck him—he was letting someone unfamiliar ride behind him, which seemed a bit careless. He quickly changed his mind: “Miss Xiaozhi, you’d better sit in front. I’m worried you might fall off.”
Xiaozhi had no objection, moving to the front of the saddle. Meng Qi mounted the horse, wrapping his arms around her to grab the reins.
Xiaozhi blushed but wasn’t overly shy, since Meng Qi was still a twelve or thirteen-year-old child.
Qi Zhengyan rode one horse and led another, slightly nodding: “Disciple Zhen Ding, I was worried about your lack of experience in the martial world.”
Meng Qi knew he referred to his decision to let Xiaozhi sit in front rather than behind: “Indeed, I lack experience. I was even deceived by that peddler earlier. But my biggest mistake was entering the teahouse to ask for directions. If we had simply stopped someone on the road, we probably wouldn’t have encountered those assassins…”
After the battle, he carefully reviewed the process, reflecting on his actions and realizing many childish mistakes.
Meng Qi clearly knew his talent couldn’t compare with Jiang Zhiwei, Zhang Yuanshan, and others. If he didn’t self-reflect thrice daily to improve, his future prospects would be bleak.
After silently listening to Meng Qi, Qi Zhengyan turned his head forward, murmuring: “I was also negligent.”
Meng Qi chuckled inwardly but said nothing more, taking off his jade pendant and tossing it directly to the nobleman.
Then, he rode forward, laughing aloud amid the clattering hooves: “This is payment for the horses.”
The nobleman stood there dumbfounded, clutching the jade pendant, watching as the gray-robed monk vanished into the distance amidst the swirling dust. After a long pause, he murmured to himself: “He actually paid…”
The jade pendant was translucent and warm, clearly valuable.
He hadn’t expected the young monk, who killed as easily as mowing grass, to actually pay fairly like an honest businessman!
Not even mentioning monks who often begged, even ordinary people would probably greedily take it!
“Master, he seems more like a monk than those visiting abbots usually do…” The beautiful maid murmured in the same bewildered tone.
…
“Not begging?” Qi Zhengyan looked slightly surprised as Meng Qi threw the jade pendant, “This is a cycle world; we can act flexibly in emergencies.”
After all, no one here knew them, and they would leave after completing the mission.
Meng Qi dropped his usual smile, speaking earnestly: “If, in lonely places and unfamiliar surroundings, we indulge our desires and violate our principles, what difference is there from having no principles at all? In this cycle world, I think we should stick to our principles. Otherwise, after repeated missions, we’ll inevitably change our nature, becoming demons, forever sinking into suffering.”
He didn’t have particularly complete or deeply ingrained thoughts, just feeling he should hold onto himself and not eventually become someone he himself would want to kill.
Besides, due to the Jade Buddha, he didn’t want to carry that jade pendant anymore.
Qi Zhengyan looked up at the road ahead, his tone slightly melancholic: “But can we hold on? If the ‘Master of the Six Paths Reincarnation’ issues a task conflicting with your bottom line, and non-completion means annihilation, would you choose to die for your principles? To stand firm and become a Buddha?”
“This…” The extreme scenario Qi Zhengyan proposed left Meng Qi unable to answer. He could only sigh: “It’s hard to imagine now. We’ll have to see when the time comes… But we also need to accumulate more good deeds to prevent deductions for mission failures.”
The sound of hooves and flying dust filled the air as Meng Qi and Qi Zhengyan fell silent again, focusing on their journey.
Two days later, the four were nearing Shaolin. Since they didn’t spare their horses, they seemed to have shaken off their pursuers, encountering no further battles.
“At the upcoming crossroads ahead, we’ll abandon the horses and enter the mountains. Once we cross this forest range, we’ll arrive,” Meng Qi told Xiang Hui and Xiaozhi about their decision with Qi Zhengyan.
Current signs indicated their pursuers hadn’t expected them to move so quickly and hadn’t caught up yet. However, Meng Qi and Qi Zhengyan believed the enemy would use carrier pigeons or other long-distance communication methods to notify nearby experts to intercept them on key roads. Therefore, they couldn’t continue on the main roads anymore.
If they traversed the mountains and forests, every place could become a “path.” Even if Du’ercha had numerous experts under his command, he couldn’t completely block all routes. Even if his army arrived, the same would apply!
For their decision, Xiaozhi and Xiang Hui naturally had no objections.
At this time, dusk approached, heavy rain poured down, and ahead was almost invisible. Suddenly, Meng Qi felt his horse trip over something, throwing both him and Xiaozhi into the air.
Then, dozens of white-feathered arrows, emitting eerie whistles, shot through the rain from the roadside woods, aiming straight at Meng Qi, Qi Zhengyan, and the others.
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