As Sun Busi’s deep shout echoed, a hazy green light descended from the sky. With a loud “Peng,” the jade tablet previously hovering midair shot down like a massive beam of light resembling a door panel, striking the puppet that had just merged into a single entity and sending it crashing to the ground.
The white-robed figure let out an extremely shrill scream, as if the blow had struck him directly. Blood seeped from his seven orifices, and his entire body swayed unsteadily. The figure who had followed him stepped forward to support him, preventing him from collapsing.
At this moment, everyone noticed that after the puppet hit the ground, it seemed to vanish. All that remained was a felt hat and a black robe on the ground, tied loosely with several ropes, yet no sign of the human body remained. As the crowd watched intently, a mass of writhing black mist emerged from the collar of the robe. The mist was extremely thin, like a wisp of smoke, struggling slightly on the ground before suddenly rising gently and entering the white-robed man’s chest, disappearing from sight.
As soon as the black mist entered his body, the white-robed man screamed again in agony, his body trembling violently, followed by a series of coughs. The person supporting him held him tightly, finally calming him down.
Only then did Mei Qing and others notice the figure beside the white-robed man—a short Taoist priest wearing dark robes, barely five feet tall, with messy hair and beard. At a glance, he looked like a mere boy.
At this moment, they heard Sun Busi’s bitter voice say, “Ah, what a pity! Brother, you’ve tricked everyone again by pretending to be a monk. Look at what you’ve done to this person…”
“Rubbish!” Sun Busan’s sharp voice shouted back, “Who said I pretended to be a monk? Did I ever claim to be one? Which ear of yours heard that? Among all these people here, has anyone heard me say so? Hey, you there, didn’t I just say I wasn’t a monk? Besides, it was my third younger brother who attacked you with the puppet. You should distinguish between friend and foe properly.”
“But Brother, you had a bald head, wore a Buddhist robe and bowl, and chanted mantras. Of course, everyone would think you were a monk!” Sun Busi said, his face full of bitterness.
“Just because monks are bald, does that mean every bald person is a monk? Monks wear robes, so does that mean everyone in robes is a monk? Monks eat food too—does that mean everyone who eats is a monk? If you keep acting like this, Third Brother, I’ll have to discipline you on behalf of Elder Sister!” Sun Busan retorted, seemingly with righteous indignation.
Everyone, witnessing this pair of brothers bickering again, no longer dared to look down upon them even slightly. From the moment the two brothers appeared, their words always seemed somewhat muddled, and although no one voiced it, many had secretly looked down on them. Even Mei Qing, who knew of the brothers’ formidable skills, couldn’t help but harbor some contempt, thinking them merely powerful but not too bright—just a couple of fools.
However, this time, the brothers had outsmarted a group of clever people. Sun Busan had initially hidden in the shadows, but once he appeared, he truly seemed like a great monk. Whether in appearance or in chanting the six-character mantra, even genuine Buddhist practitioners would have to admit his authenticity.
What surprised everyone most was that the seemingly holy monk was nothing but a ruse. Not only did it trick the white-robed man into recalling his puppet forcefully, injuring himself, but it also perfectly concealed Sun Busi’s secret attack. Finally, Sun Busi landed a decisive blow, severely damaging the white-robed man’s countless puppets and directly leaving him incapacitated.
“Who exactly are you people, and why have you attacked us?” the dark-robed dwarf Taoist beside the white-robed man asked.
Mei Qing smiled slightly and replied, “Didn’t we just say? We are members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, here to investigate the theft of items from the warehouse and track the culprits here. Now the criminals and evidence are both present—you needn’t feign ignorance anymore.”
“Dream on!” the white-robed youth roared furiously, exerting himself too much and coughing violently again. After a moment, panting heavily, he gritted his teeth and spat out, “You damned lackeys ruined our family, destroyed our conscience, and still won’t let me go! I’ll fight you to the death!”
“Calm down, Sect Leader! This is not the time to fight recklessly. We must focus on the greater mission!” As the white-robed youth prepared to charge, he was suddenly stopped by the dark-robed dwarf Taoist beside him. Though the youth refrained from action, his eyes remained fixed on Mei Qing and the others, filled with murderous intent.
“Greater mission! Hmph, at a time like this, you still harbor illusions?” Mei Qing felt puzzled in his heart. Earlier, the white-robed youth had shown intense hatred toward the Embroidered Uniform Guard, yet he had obeyed the dark-robed Taoist’s command so readily. What was this greater mission? Could it be related to the Seven-Star Inkstone?
Deep in thought, Mei Qing wished to uncover the mystery of the ancient inkstone and thus decided to provoke them by saying, “A couple of insignificant pests—what great mission could you possibly have? From your appearance, you’re likely nothing more than henchmen of a heretical sect, a pair of petty villains. If people knew the truth about your deeds, they’d be ashamed to even walk the streets—dogs wouldn’t acknowledge you. Who do you think you’re fooling?”
“You shut up!” the white-robed youth shouted furiously, “What shame? My family, the Yangs, has a clean reputation. If it weren’t for you damned…”
“Sect Leader! Don’t act rashly and jeopardize the greater mission!” The dark-robed Taoist beside him interrupted, his voice carrying a hint of authority. “We carry a heavy burden. How can you let yourself be provoked by these villains and speak recklessly?”
The white-robed youth’s face flushed red with fury, blood still trickling from his orifices, like a wounded wild beast howling in anguish, “Master Zheng, don’t interfere. Take that item and leave first. As long as my father’s soul can be saved, I’m willing to give my life to fight these people…” Just as he spoke, he suddenly stiffened and slowly collapsed to the ground—the Taoist Master Zheng beside him, seeing that his anger had caused him to reveal too much, had struck him to subdue him.
“Sir, you truly have a sharp mind. With just a few words, you’ve managed to provoke such chaos in Young Master Yang’s mind,” the dark-robed dwarf Taoist said coldly to Mei Qing. “I’ve observed your magic just now—it’s quite unique. May I ask if you have any connection to the Plum Blossom Sect?”
Mei Qing replied calmly, “I am merely a minor official in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, not a cultivator. There’s no need for you to speculate. Today’s matter must come to a resolution. Given the current situation, do you still harbor any illusions?”
The dark-robed Taoist’s facial muscles twitched slightly as he slowly replied, “A man of your cultivation claiming not to be a cultivator, willingly serving the Embroidered Uniform Guard—aren’t you deceiving yourself? I’ve cultivated for many years, and my name is Iron Robe Zheng Jiu. I hope you’ll grant me some leniency today so we may meet again in the future.”
Indeed, this dark-robed Taoist had long been in the cultivation world, possessing a sharp eye for danger, unlike the white-robed youth. Seeing that today’s situation could not end peacefully, he had already begun devising an escape plan. Observing that among the group, Mei Qing was the leader and relatively young, he hoped to engage in some conversation to see if any opportunity arose. Even if that failed, it could serve as a delaying tactic, giving him time to plot his next move.
Mei Qing, however, completely ignored him, stepping back a few paces and saying, “Elder Brothers, this so-called Iron Robe Zheng Jiu here seems to consider himself a high master unwilling to go quietly with us. I’m afraid we’ll have to trouble you two again.”
Upon hearing this, Sun Busan was the first to laugh shrilly, “With us brothers here, who dares call himself a high master? This dwarf is even shorter than Third Brother—how dare he boast? Just watch me capture him.”
Meanwhile, Sun Busi, hearing this, frowned and said, “What a pity! Brother, why drag me into this? Must a high master necessarily be tall?”
This time, Sun Busan didn’t seem offended. He continued laughing, “A high master isn’t necessarily tall, so why call him a high master? You shorty—ah, watch out!”
As the two brothers bickered, Zheng Jiu on the opposing side remained silent and acted first. He hurled a small cloth bag into the air, chanting incantations. A gust of cold wind rose, the bag’s mouth opened wide, and a mass of black mist spewed forth.
A loud buzzing sound followed. The black mist turned out to be a swarm of strange black insects, each with two pairs of wings, large eyes, and long beaks, flying directly toward Sun Busan and the others.
Sun Busan hastily shouted, “Lin!” and used his copper bowl to create a protective light dome to block them. Unfortunately, the insects seemed not to be conjured by magic. The dome failed to stop them, and in an instant, the insects broke through the barrier, rushing fiercely toward Sun Busan. Startled, Sun Busan shouted, “Oh no!” and quickly dove into the large copper bowl. Although he was tall, somehow he vanished inside instantly.
Seeing this, Sun Busi quickly formed a magical seal with his hands and shouted, “Li Mou Luo Zha!” The jade tablet in the sky transformed into another beam of green light—not targeting the swarm of insects, but directly aiming at the small cloth bag floating in the air.
Although Zheng Jiu saw Sun Busi’s jade tablet heading toward his bag, he understood that this strike would likely destroy the bag and the strange insects within. Still, no matter how painful it was, he had no choice but to gamble everything.
Zheng Jiu’s hair flew wildly as he gripped two magical seals in his hands and roared. The swarm of *jiao yi* insects, like fearless warriors, charged toward the copper bowl, crashing violently against it like hailstones, creating a series of explosive sounds resembling firecrackers.
At the same time, Zheng Jiu gently swayed his waist, his eyes fixed on Mei Qing. With a quiet shout of “Qi!” his dark waistband silently came alive, sneaking out behind the swarm of insects. Suddenly, it transformed into a massive snake, twelve feet long, with black scales and a red crown.
As soon as the snake reached midair, Zheng Jiu raised his left arm, his fingers spreading wide like the snake’s head raising high. Correspondingly, the airborne snake opened its huge mouth, its long red tongue flickering in and out, hissing loudly. With a sinister grin, Zheng Jiu swung his arm. The snake, accompanied by a foul stench and a gust of cold wind, dove downward straight at Mei Qing.
At this moment, Sun Busan was hiding inside the copper bowl, enduring the relentless bombardment from the蛟蚁 insects. Sun Busi was controlling the jade tablet to strike the bag. With Zheng Jiu’s sudden attack, no one remained to assist Mei Qing. The giant snake’s gaping maw was already rushing toward Mei Qing’s head.
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