Chapter 31

When Lu Zheng heard that someone was dueling, he immediately felt very curious. He had only heard the ascetic monk briefly mention how the great monk had driven away the snake demon, but he had never seen it with his own eyes. He very much wanted to see what it looked like for cultivators to duel, so he said to the ascetic monk, "Great Monk, shall we go and take a look?"

The ascetic monk pondered for a moment and said, "Very well. If there is a conflict outside the fence, it is likely caused by a monster. We should go and take a look; perhaps we can even lend a hand!" With that, he lightly tapped his toes and slid ten zhang away, then unfolded his divine movement technique.

After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, they saw a flicker of light not far away, and felt the waves of power generated by the clash of spells. The ascetic monk immediately stopped, and saw that at the cliff below the left front of the Two-Boundary Mountain, four people were engaged in a fierce battle. Three of them had their hair tied up, wore blue-green robes, and held long swords, indicating they were a group. As they wielded their swords, they alternated positions, continuously changing and thrusting out sword beams, forming a dense web of sword light that enveloped a large man dressed in gray animal skin.

The large man had disheveled hair and wielded a white stick. As he swung it, the tip of the stick emitted rings of blue light, which collided with the sword light of the three people, producing a fierce clashing sound. The large man used the white stick to block the sword light of the three people and roared at them, trying to break through several times but being pushed back by the sword light. The sword light was extremely sharp, and before long, the large man had several wounds on his body, bleeding profusely, which made him roar even more fiercely.

Not far from the four people, there was an old man with a goatee, dressed similarly to the three people, but his robe was black, and he had a piece of green jade tied around his waist. His hair was also tied up, but he had a green jade hairpin. The old man stood with his hands behind his back, watching the battle from a distance, occasionally stroking his beard with a satisfied smile.

From the situation, it seemed that the old man was part of the same group as the three people and had a higher status. He did not join the battle but watched from the side, clearly supporting the three people.

The ascetic monk and Lu Zheng, standing at a higher vantage point, could see the situation below clearly. Lu Zheng, seeing the bravery and defiance of the man in animal skin, felt sympathy for him as he fought against three people. He found it unfair that the three people were ganging up on one, and said indignantly, "Great Monk, they are three against one, that's really unfair!"

The ascetic monk shook his head and said, "Little Layman, you don't know. The three people in the robes are cultivators from the Water and Mountain Sword Sect. The old man standing aside is named Wu Zhenggong, the uncle of the current sect leader and an elder of the Water and Mountain Sword Sect. As for the man in animal skin, he is not a human but a tiger demon. He must have done some evil deeds, which is why he was surrounded by the Water and Mountain Sword Sect." The ascetic monk had already identified the man in animal skin as a white tiger demon using his Heavenly Eye technique.

Lu Zheng, realizing that the man was a harmful demon, and the three people were the good guys, lost all his sympathy for the man. He stuck out his tongue and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Great Monk, why doesn't their uncle go and help them fight the evil demon, instead of just watching?"

The ascetic monk smiled slightly and said, "The three people are likely young disciples of the Water and Mountain Sword Sect. They are using a sword formation called the Three Talents Sword Formation. Although the tiger demon's magical weapon is not weak, he cannot break through the formation, indicating he has not been in human form for long. The Three Talents Sword Formation is new to them, and they are using the tiger demon to practice it."

Hearing this, Lu Zheng, while watching the four people duel with curiosity, felt a vague sense that if they were truly exorcising demons, they should do it decisively and directly, rather than use it as a practice opportunity. However, he was not fully aware of this thought himself.

The ascetic monk, who was accustomed to such scenes of cultivators exorcising demons, found nothing unusual. After understanding the situation, he was about to leave with Lu Zheng when he heard a long whistle. The old man had turned and was looking in their direction. His right hand was shaped like a sword, and a red mist-like aura surrounded him, indicating he had sensed someone on Two-Boundary Mountain watching.

The ascetic monk quickly said, "I am Baitu Temple's Eight Sufferings, passing by this place. I see the Water and Mountain Sword Sect performing righteous deeds, exorcising demons and eliminating evil. I dare not disturb you!"

The ascetic monk recognized the red mist surrounding Wu Zhenggong as the Water and Mountain Sword Sect's famous protective tool, the Red Mist, and the sword-shaped hand gesture and condensed qi at the fingertips as the sect's ultimate skill, the Finger Sword Qi. Wu Zhenggong was preparing to act, so the ascetic monk quickly announced himself to avoid any misunderstanding.

The ascetic monk's voice was not loud, as if he were speaking to Lu Zheng. Lu Zheng was puzzled, wondering how Wu Zhenggong could hear such a soft voice from so far away. Unexpectedly, as soon as the ascetic monk finished speaking, a clear laugh came from the wind, and the red mist surrounding Wu Zhenggong dissipated.

Wu Zhenggong then approached them, his figure floating like mist, moving very quickly. The ascetic monk knew this was the unique divine movement technique of the Water and Mountain Sword Sect, and he had used his magical power to send his voice to Wu Zhenggong.

In no time, Wu Zhenggong reached the base of the mountain where they were standing. Lu Zheng knew that the old man would have to use some kind of magical power to climb the sheer cliff, which was smooth and had no slope. He stared wide-eyed, afraid to miss anything.

Wu Zhenggong, while running, stopped steadily, lightly tapped a large rock with his foot, and shot up to the middle of the mountain. He then lightly tapped an old pine tree extending from the cliff, using it to leap again, and landed in front of them, his sleeves fluttering like a descending crane, light and graceful.

However, despite his graceful posture, a crack was heard when he landed, as the rock under his foot could not withstand his weight and cracked.

The ascetic monk smiled slightly, pretending not to notice, stepped forward, and bowed, saying, "Amitabha, I greet you, Sir Water and Mountain. How have you been?"

Wu Zhenggong laughed heartily, straightened his sleeves, and performed a Daoist salute, bending slightly and saying, "Ha, Master Eight Sufferings, it's been a long time! I still remember the meeting with you at the Buddhist and Daoist conference ten years ago. Your demeanor has been on my mind ever since. I didn't expect to meet you here today, what a pleasure! Your cultivation has deepened, which is truly commendable and makes me feel inferior!"

He then noticed Lu Zheng sitting in a backpack and said in an exaggerated tone, "Oh, is this young man your disciple you found in the human world?" Lu Zheng, unaware that it was common for cultivators to seek disciples in the human world, and seeing that Lu Zheng had no signs of cultivation, made this guess.

The ascetic monk said, "To be honest, this young man suffered due to my carelessness and was poisoned by a snake demon. I am unable to help him, so I am taking him to the Sun and Moon Cottage to seek Mr. Le's assistance. I didn't expect to encounter your sect performing righteous deeds here."

Hearing the name Sun and Moon Cottage, Wu Zhenggong's eyes lit up, and he elongated his "oh" sound, glancing at Lu Zheng. Lu Zheng lowered his head, avoiding eye contact, and Wu Zhenggong smiled again, his eyes filled with enthusiasm. He said to the ascetic monk, "Oh, so Master is acquainted with the two elders of the Sun and Moon Cottage! I have heard that the two gentlemen in the Sun and Moon Cottage are great men of the present age, living in seclusion and rarely interacting with others. Only someone like Master would have the opportunity to enter the Sun and Moon Cottage and meet the two elders! I am truly envious! Master's compassion and effort to save this young man are truly admirable!" He then stroked his goatee and laughed heartily.

Lu Zheng, hearing for the first time that he was going to the Sun and Moon Cottage, where the ascetic monk was taking him to seek Mr. Le's help to treat the yin poison, was surprised. He had been a beggar for a long time and was used to reading people's expressions. This old man, Wu Zhenggong, who called himself Sir Water and Mountain, was about sixty years old, with triangular eyes, a downturned mouth, and a shiny goatee. He spoke beautifully and exaggeratedly, clearly a smooth and cunning person, far from the image of a cultivator Lu Zheng had in mind. He felt more like a hotel manager he had seen on the street, which made him very curious.

The ascetic monk, clearly not fond of this person's manner of speaking, changed the subject and asked, "Mr. Wu, you jest, but what evil deeds did this tiger demon commit to warrant your intervention?"

Wu Zhenggong stroked his beard, put on a serious face, and said, "Master's keen eye, you immediately recognized this as a tiger demon. To be honest, I was ordered by the sect leader to lead three disciples into the human world to gain experience. We didn't expect to encounter this tiger demon just after crossing the fence. The beast attacked us without a word, using very cruel methods. We were also confused and had no choice but to defend ourselves, using the Three Talents Sword Formation to trap him and try to understand his motives!"

The ascetic monk nodded and said, "I see. Since the fence was planted, over the past three thousand years, the spirits and demons in the cultivation world have gradually understood the great way and sought transcendence, rarely conflicting with cultivators. I wonder why this tiger demon would attack without cause. Could he be from the Broken Compassion Mountain?"

Wu Zhenggong glanced at the battle below and said coldly, "Monsters are inherently evil! Regardless of whether they are from the Broken Compassion Mountain, we must capture him first and then ask!" He then smiled proudly and said to the ascetic monk, "Master, these are the new generation of disciples of the Water and Mountain Sword Sect, using the sword formation for the first time in battle. Master's cultivation is deep, and your eyesight is extraordinary. I hope you can offer some guidance to the younger generation."

His words were humble, but Lu Zheng, listening, felt that if the ascetic monk really pointed out any shortcomings or flaws, this old man would be very unhappy.