Chapter 76

PS: Thank you to Xiaokan Liuxingyu, Chao Dahao Zhuantou, and Diqi Jun Du for your generous donations!

"……"

Yue Yuan stared at the drag marks on the ground, lost in thought. The donkey under him had calmed down and was sniffing the ground.

"Big Brother Yue, did you find something?"

Behind him, Lu Wushuang, who had not caught up, called out from a distance.

"Oh, nothing!"

"Let's go!"

Shaking his head, Yue Yuan turned around and responded, then pulled the donkey to turn it around and headed towards Dasheng Pass.

At the moment of turning, Yue Yuan glanced thoughtfully at the distant grass patch by the roadside, then ignored it and rode away.

In the grass patch!

Li Mochou, the Red练 Immortal, held the donkey, her face full of worry as she watched Yue Yuan's back as he turned to leave. Only after he completely disappeared from sight did Li Mochou let out a long sigh. At the moment, she was not yet fully prepared to face this Taoist.

"Let's go, Lingbo, we'll follow them too!"

But giving up the Five Poisons' secret techniques was not Li Mochou's intention. After Yue Yuan and Lu Wushuang's figures disappeared from sight, she said to Hong Lingbo, who was also hiding beside her.

"……"

Hong Lingbo blinked her eyes, looking at her master. Although she wanted to ask the reason, she could only nod and crawl out of the grass to follow.

Compared to before, this time the master and apprentice were more cautious, and the distance was even farther.

On the road, Yue Yuan and Lu Wushuang's donkeys did not move quickly. As they progressed, they frequently passed groups of martial artists riding tall horses or traveling by lightness skills.

Compared to Yue Yuan, they all seemed to be in a hurry, far from the leisurely pace of Yue Yuan.

Even when traveling, they were still at ease.

"Should we speed up a bit?"

Beside him, Lu Wushuang watched the martial artists riding tall horses disappear from sight and couldn't help but speak, her tone revealing a hint of worry. She was worried about not arriving on time.

"Hmm!"

"Sure!"

Yue Yuan thought for a moment, nodded, and agreed. Then both of them took out a carrot from their bags, tied it with a rope, and hung it on a stick in front of the donkey. Immediately, the donkey's pace quickened.

……

The distance from Xiangyang to Dasheng Pass was not short. By the afternoon of the second day, Yue Yuan and Lu Wushuang were approaching Dasheng Pass.

What a perilous pass!

Standing beside the donkey, Yue Yuan gazed at the flag-bearing pass not far ahead, his eyes filled with admiration.

While Dasheng Pass might not be as grand as the Great Wall, it was capable of blocking the Mongols, representing its significance and importance. And the Lu Family Manor was located here.

Moving forward.

Handing the donkey to the gate guards and giving them some silver to take care of the mount, Yue Yuan and Lu Wushuang entered Dasheng Pass one after the other.

Dasheng Pass was not an ordinary pass; inside, it was a small town.

Just as they entered, Yue Yuan noticed many ordinary merchants and families of soldiers wandering around the town. But what truly caught his eye was a large manor not far away.

This manor was quite large, occupying about a hundred acres of land, with countless peach trees planted around it. Unfortunately, it was autumn, so there were no peach blossoms, making Dasheng Pass a bit more desolate.

In the midst of the peach trees, a large gate stood.

On the gate's plaque, three large characters were clearly visible—Lu Family Manor!

This was the venue for the Heroes' Gathering.

Even before they approached, Yue Yuan could hear the lively sounds coming from the manor, indicating that the Heroes' Gathering was about to begin.

"Seems we're a bit late!"

Tying up his long hair, Yue Yuan muttered to himself, then led Lu Wushuang to enter.

At this moment—

A reckless sound of hooves came from behind, accompanied by numerous cries and scoldings.

Huh?!

Feeling the wind from behind, Yue Yuan quickly grabbed Lu Wushuang, spun around, and avoided it.

"Not bad, not bad!"

Amidst the neighing of the horse, a light and casual voice said from above.

Frowning, Yue Yuan slowly turned his head and looked at the source of the voice, seeing a group of fierce-looking men on horses. They looked more like soldiers than martial artists. The most noticeable thing about them was their hairstyles, which were very different from those of the people in Central China, with many small braids, some even with long, loose hair, and some even bald. Their clothing was mostly adorned with fur.

But even so, they could not hide their fierce and bloodthirsty aura.

This appearance...

They must be Mongols.

Glancing casually at the group, Yue Yuan's gaze fell on the young man who had failed to run over them but then praised their martial arts skills.

This was a young man dressed like a nobleman. Although he was wearing high-quality fur, he lacked the nobleman's demeanor, and Yue Yuan could sense the evil in his eyes.

He had a noble air, but no gentleman's demeanor.

With a disdainful look, Yue Yuan's gaze shifted to the young, fat monk on the horse next to the nobleman. The monk looked simple and honest, with a shiny bald head and a face full of flesh, exuding a sense of foolishness.

At this moment, the young, fat monk's gaze was not on Yue Yuan and Lu Wushuang but on the plaque of the Lu Family Manor.

Deep in thought, Yue Yuan once again shifted his gaze to the middle-aged man in the center. The man was wearing a yellow robe, extremely tall and thin, his body like a bamboo pole, his forehead slightly sunken, and his eyes sharp like an eagle's.

After observing the group, Yue Yuan knew their identity.

They were the Mongol Imperial Preceptor Jinlun Fawang and his disciples, Darba and Hudou. The one who had tried to run over them was Hudou, and the young, fat monk was Darba.

Truly arrogant!

Thinking of how they had barged in and run over people, one could imagine their temper. The Mongols had conquered and massacred countless cities, and their soldiers or martial artists were indeed all bloodthirsty, with a killing aura that treated life as grass.

Without avoiding, retreating, or speaking, Yue Yuan stood in front of Lu Wushuang, his golden Taoist robe fluttering, calmly watching Jinlun Fawang on the horse in the middle.

"Hudou, stop!"

"We are now facing Guo Jing!"

Just as Hudou was about to act out of impatience, Jinlun Fawang spoke, saying, "Dismount and enter the Lu Family Manor!"

"Hmph!"

Hudou closed his folding fan, angrily snorted at Yue Yuan's back, but he had to obey his master. The main reason he had tried to run over Yue Yuan was because he was extremely annoyed by his golden Taoist robe.

Moreover, Hudou felt that he had seen the meaning behind the Taoist's disdainful gaze, thinking that this Taoist was mocking his clothes.

Feeling as if thousands of grass mud horses were trampling his heart, Hudou could only suppress his anger under Jinlun Fawang's orders. He flicked his sleeves and angrily walked into the Lu Family Manor.

"Master! Monks who kill countless people will not enter the Pure Land!"

As they passed Jinlun Fawang, Yue Yuan said calmly.

"Taoist, Daoism emphasizes non-action. Besides, do you not know about the Buddhist Vajra?"

Facing Yue Yuan's calm advice, Jinlun Fawang clasped his hands and replied.

With that, Jinlun Fawang led his disciples into the Lu Family Manor, leaving Yue Yuan and Lu Wushuang standing outside in silence.

After a long time.

The autumn wind blew, and leaves fell.

Gently patting Lu Wushuang's shoulder, Yue Yuan infused her with his inner strength, dispelling the fear that had temporarily been instilled by the group's killing aura.

Yue Yuan looked back at the Lu Family Manor, knowing that the Heroes' Gathering, which would affect the martial world of the Song Dynasty, had officially begun with the involvement of Jinlun Fawang and his group.

And how could the Heroes' Gathering be without him?

In his golden radiance, Yue Yuan led the still somewhat frightened Lu Wushuang into the Lu Family Manor!

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