Chapter 29

As the scene before him gradually became clear, the trees shaded the sunlight, leaving patches of golden light.

Meng Qi, who was prepared, cautiously looked around, but found no signs of an enemy attack.

"Huh?" After observing the surroundings clearly, Meng Qi frowned, slightly surprised.

This was because he noticed that there were only three people around: Qi Zhengyan, who always had a stern face, the gang member Xiang Hui, and the delicate young girl Xiao Zi, who seemed unable to defend herself.

"Jiang Girl and Senior Brother Zhang are not here..." Meng Qi felt quite helpless. He had already recalled the main mission prompt—“split into two groups”!

However, Meng Qi did not hesitate. If it were the last time, he might have been terrified, but now, he had the basic ability to protect himself. If he still showed fear and hesitation, what kind of man would he be!

"Senior Brother Qi, we need to find out how to get to Shaolin first." Meng Qi ignored the trembling Xiao Zi and the anxious Xiang Hui, exchanged a glance with Qi Zhengyan, and said succinctly.

He realized he had no idea where he was or in which direction Shaolin was.

Qi Zhengyan looked up at the sky, then at the nearby trees, and after a moment's thought, said, "The forest is not dense, and I can hear the sound of carriages in the distance. We should be close to a main road. Let's go out and ask passersby for directions."

He knew Meng Qi had little experience in the world, so he tried to recall what he had learned to lead the group.

Meng Qi turned to Xiao Zi and Xiang Hui and asked, "Do you two want to go to Shaolin on your own, or follow us?"

A small evil thought in his heart told Meng Qi that without these two burdens, he and Qi Zhengyan would be much more at ease.

"Master, Master, I'll follow you!" Xiao Zi, as if struck by lightning, trembled and ran a few steps to Meng Qi's side, tightly gripping his sleeve.

Xiang Hui smiled and bowed, "Divine Monk, I will follow your lead."

Meng Qi, seeing their flattery, could guess their mindset. First, he was a monk, naturally giving a sense of compassion. Second, he often smiled, unlike Qi Zhengyan's stern and serious demeanor. Third, he had shown his martial arts skills, leaving a deep impression on them.

"Xiang, I didn't expect you to be an educated person?" Meng Qi said with a smile.

Xiang Hui hurriedly replied, "Divine Monk, you flatter me. I learned from the White Paper Fan in the gang."

This guy, initially, Meng Qi thought he was a reckless and rough person like Lu Zhishen, but it turned out he was a sycophantic type. Meng Qi sighed inwardly and turned to Xiao Zi, who was holding his sleeve, "Xiao Zi, if you want to follow us, don't do this. It will hinder us."

He originally had a bit of evil thought, but thinking of the last cycle mission, if Jiang Zhimi and others had looked down on his low martial arts skills and refused to take him, he would have been killed by the black-clothed men long ago. So, he felt a sense of empathy and compassion.

"Since my life was saved by Jiang Girl's kindness, I should also show kindness when it's not dangerous." Meng Qi sighed inwardly. Of course, even if he showed kindness, he wouldn't risk his life for strangers.

Xiao Zi let go of his hand, stepped back a few steps, and stood shoulder to shoulder with Xiang Hui. She then stopped crying and followed Meng Qi and Qi Zhengyan out of the forest.

The forest floor was uneven, with protruding roots and decaying leaves intertwined. Xiao Zi stumbled but did not complain, gritting her teeth and trying hard not to fall behind.

"Soft on the outside, strong on the inside." Meng Qi nodded slightly, observing her. If she continued to cry and refuse to endure hardship, he might have really left her behind.

He could bring along a burden for a while, but a liability would only harm himself.

Turning around, Meng Qi saw Qi Zhengyan's stern face and felt a sudden impulse.

This time, splitting into two groups, the strongest in his group was Qi Zhengyan. Although he was not afraid of him, sincere cooperation was better than fighting alone.

Hmm, he needed to build a relationship and get closer. After a moment's thought, Meng Qi had an idea and smiled, "Senior Brother Qi, how is your sword technique coming along?"

"A month is too short, but I guess I'm at the beginner level." Qi Zhengyan nodded slightly, still not smiling.

Meng Qi chuckled, "That's good. With the Long River Sword Technique, Senior Brother Qi, your strength should improve greatly."

"Until we have a real fight, I can't say for sure." Qi Zhengyan answered succinctly.

Meng Qi's mouth twitched, "Senior Brother Qi, why do you always have to be so serious and uncommunicative? Since we can't escape this cycle mission, why not face it with a smile? Relaxing will help your performance."

At that moment, Meng Qi felt like he was giving a psychological counseling session.

"Divine Monk, you are absolutely right." Xiang Hui forced a smile in agreement, but Qi Zhengyan remained silent.

"Everything that confuses and frightens you comes from the heart..." Meng Qi felt a bit smug and began a long lecture on the benefits of facing the cycle mission with a smile.

As he listened, Qi Zhengyan suddenly stopped, not turning around, and said in a low voice, "I was born this way..."

"Um, did Senior Brother Qi suffer any trauma in childhood? Or was the environment oppressive?" Meng Qi asked casually.

"I, in, my, childhood, was, very, good!" Qi Zhengyan still did not turn around, gritting his teeth, and then his voice rose, "True Ding, we are surrounded! Our ears are for listening to movements, not idle talk!"

"Ha ha." Meng Qi laughed dryly, resolving his embarrassment and sincerely said, "This monk has little experience in the world. Thank you, Senior Brother Qi, for your guidance."

Seeing that Meng Qi did not get angry, Qi Zhengyan was slightly stunned and slowly nodded, "Be careful."

Their conversation made Xiang Hui uncertain. The guy who seemed to owe the world five taels of silver seemed more formidable than the divine monk?

After walking for a while, Meng Qi and the others saw a dirt road, with carriages passing by, raising a lot of dust.

By the road, there was a teahouse with a canopy, also selling some food. It was not yet noon, and there were few resting guests.

Meng Qi looked over and saw that the teahouse owner was an old man, and there were four tables of people inside. One table was a dusty couple, one was a peddler, one was an old man playing a fiddle, and one was a wealthy young master with a beautiful maid and his guards.

"Senior Brother Qi, I'll go and gather information and buy some dry rations. You keep an eye on the surroundings for me." Meng Qi looked at Qi Zhengyan's stern face and decided to go himself. With Qi Zhengyan hiding behind, if they were ambushed, he could warn and help.

Qi Zhengyan carefully observed the people in the teahouse and the surroundings, and after a long time, said with a stern face, "The peddler looks too clean, not like someone who has been traveling for years. You need to be careful."

He actually had little experience in the world and was not very confident.

Hearing this, Meng Qi focused his gaze and noticed that the peddler indeed lacked the signs of hard labor, especially his hand holding the teacup, which had no cracks from years of sun exposure.

"I'll be careful." Meng Qi walked slowly.

As he approached the teahouse, Meng Qi suddenly heard a horse neigh and instinctively turned his head, seeing four brown horses and a luxurious carriage nearby.

"Um, if we ride horses, it would be faster than our lightness skills." Meng Qi thought. He knew his current lightness skills were good for short distances but would fall behind over long distances. Riding a horse would save energy and leave him with more strength to counterattack in dangerous situations.

"Um, I need to buy a horse later." He touched the jade pendant in his pocket, not yet having the idea of becoming a bandit—before entering the cycle world, he had worried about needing silver for the mission, so he brought the jade pendant.

As for who the horse owner was, Meng Qi could guess with his toes—it was definitely the wealthy young master with the delicate maid. Without a carriage, she would not have made it here.

So, Meng Qi subconsciously entered the teahouse near the wealthy young master, scanning and observing them.

"Hey, monk, what are you looking at!" One of the guards, arms crossed, walked over.

Meng Qi, seeing his heavy steps and aggressive attitude, found it amusing and imitated a rogue monk, hands clasped, "Amitabha, this poor monk sees a connection between you and the Buddha."

"Ha ha, you bald monk, what connection? You just want to beg for some money, right?" The wealthy young master laughed, stroking the maid's face, and then his expression turned serious, "Get lost! I hate monks and Taoists the most!"

"Last time, a monk tricked my lady for three hundred taels of silver..." the maid said with a smile.

"Hmph, if any monk or Taoist dares to approach our house, I'll break their legs!" The young master signaled the guards to drive Meng Qi away.

Meng Qi was not in a hurry, preparing to talk to the wealthy young master later. He walked around the tables and approached the teahouse owner.

"Teahouse owner, this poor monk has a question." Meng Qi clasped his hands.

The old man, bent and with sparse white hair, smiled and returned the gesture, "I have always believed in the Buddha. Please ask, Master."

Meng Qi lowered his voice to avoid the peddler hearing, "This poor monk wants to go to Shaohua Mountain. Which road should I take?"

At the same time, Meng Qi's attention was mostly on the peddler.

The old man smiled, "Follow this main road straight ahead for three days..."

Before he finished, his expression changed, and he looked shocked at Meng Qi's back.

The peddler had already pulled out a long sword from his pole and leaped at Meng Qi from behind.

He actually attacked directly? Does he have superhuman hearing? Meng Qi was surprised but not flustered, turned around, and swung his long knife to block the peddler.

Suddenly, Meng Qi felt a pain in his waist. The old man behind him had two daggers in his hands and stabbed fiercely at his waist.

Meng Qi took a step forward to avoid the daggers, but at that moment, the dusty couple also rushed out with their weapons, one aiming for Meng Qi's throat and the other sweeping his legs with a ground knife.

Sighing lightly, the old man playing the fiddle pulled out a thin short sword from his instrument and flashed to Meng Qi's back, stabbing at his heart.