Chapter 34

"Scholar of a Hundred Faces" was renowned for his disguise, camouflage, and agility. In a single breath, he darted and dodged within the confined space, desperately trying to evade the sword light that pointed directly at his brow.

However, he was horrified to discover that no matter what changes he made, the other party seemed to predict and hear them in advance, following with pinpoint accuracy. The cold sensation at his brow grew more intense and deeper!

How could there be such a formidable swordsman?

After arriving at the inn, he had quietly inquired about Guan Haoran, the "River Guardian." He knew that Zhang Yuanshan's martial arts were divine and had reached the innate realm, surpassing himself by a notch. Therefore, after ambushing and severely injuring Master Xinji, he chose to flee in a direction that avoided Zhang Yuanshan, not attempting to break through from Xiaozi, who had no martial arts skills.

Who would have thought that the often smiling, incomparably bright young girl was such a terrifying swordsman!

Absolutely stronger than the revered Young Master Zhang!

Much stronger!

Regret gnawed at the heart of the Scholar of a Hundred Faces, but he knew he couldn't delay any longer. Whether he could dodge this sword or not, once the Shaolin elders arrived, he would have no chance of escape. So, he gritted his teeth, his face flushed red, and he darted forward, then suddenly and strangely retreated, heading straight for the center between Meng Qi and Qi Zhengyan.

He was trying to use a "human shield" to escape from Jiang Zhewei's sword!

Seeing the Scholar of a Hundred Faces' agile and nimble movements, like a ghost or a fox, Meng Qi suddenly had a realization, thinking of his own "Eight Steps of the Divine Walker." He seemed to understand something, yet also seemed to understand nothing.

The Scholar of a Hundred Faces took a false step with his left foot, pivoted on his right, and turned strangely, trying to dodge behind Meng Qi to avoid Jiang Zhewei's relentless sword.

This step... Meng Qi suddenly felt it was familiar, similar to one of the steps in the Eight Steps of the Divine Walker!

Thus, he instinctively slid and turned, also dodging behind the Scholar of a Hundred Faces.

In front of him, the space was empty, and the Scholar of a Hundred Faces was both surprised and shocked, the cold sensation at his brow becoming even more intense.

He had to change his steps again, and under his influence, Meng Qi performed the best step of the Eight Steps of the Divine Walker since he had mastered it.

The two of them danced like partners, constantly changing directions but always facing each other, elegant and unpredictable.

This damned monk! The Scholar of a Hundred Faces cursed inwardly. If he had one more breath, he could guarantee to play this little monk to death, but after this brief delay, he already saw the sharp tip of the sword.

Beside him, Qi Zhengyan drew his long sword, and a faint cold starlight fell, enveloping the Scholar of a Hundred Faces.

By the time Zhang Yuanshan and the Shaolin monks arrived, the Scholar of a Hundred Faces was already in a desperate situation.

Meng Qi's martial arts were far inferior, and he feared being taken hostage, so he used the Eight Steps of the Divine Walker to slip out of the encirclement, wielding his precept knife, ready to strike the Scholar of a Hundred Faces with a surprise attack.

Thinking about how he had spent a day with this enemy without any suspicion, being deceived and walking on the edge of death, Meng Qi was inwardly furious and would not let go of the opportunity for revenge.

The Scholar of a Hundred Faces tried every trick, but it was all in vain. He received a palm strike from the head of the Discipline Hall, a sword from Jiang Zhewei, Zhang Yuanshan, and Qi Zhengyan each, his hair disheveled, blood streaming, staggering out, but his movements were slow, and he had no chance of escape.

Seeing this, Meng Qi stepped forward and slashed his back, cutting a deep wound.

Hmph, I'm just that petty!

The Scholar of a Hundred Faces could no longer support himself, fell to the ground, and was struck by a red robe, which sealed his acupoints.

"Namah Amitabha, Mr. Kuang, how are you? It has been ten years since we last met, and I, an old monk, failed to recognize you." Xinji's face was sallow, but he walked up without support.

After being captured, the Scholar of a Hundred Faces knew that begging for mercy would be futile, so he raised his head and laughed loudly, "Ha, the abbot's eyes are dim, not as they were in the past. But the general holds the abbot in high regard. If you lead the Shaolin to surrender, he will surely petition the emperor to grant you the title of National Master, making Shaolin the foremost temple of Buddhism, with endless incense and vast fields!"

"Leading beasts to eat people, the deeds of Asuras, I, an old monk, am ashamed to be part of it." Xinji's words were filled with righteous indignation.

"Hmph, the general only has concerns about the abbot. Now that the abbot is injured, who can stop the general? The dangerous mountain paths? They can only block ordinary experts and soldiers. For the general, they are like flat ground. At that time, the pass will be as good as open!" The Scholar of a Hundred Faces, failing to buy them over, began to threaten, "Abbot, do not let the thousand-year-old Shaolin be destroyed by your hands!"

Meng Qi nodded slightly, not agreeing with the Scholar of a Hundred Faces, but acknowledging one point: when there are experts who transcend the ordinary, if there is no one on your side to match them, ordinary mountain passes and fortresses are useless. These experts can easily bypass them, kill the guards, and open the passage for their allies.

"Amitabha, you need not say more. The foundation of Shaolin lies in the principles of Buddhism." Xinji raised his sleeve, and a withered hand swept over the Scholar of a Hundred Faces' head, "The battle is imminent, and I cannot hold back."

"You, you are going to kill me!" The Scholar of a Hundred Faces was both shocked and terrified, still imagining that Jiang Zhewei and Zhang Yuanshan would kill him while the Shaolin monks would stop them, only to disable his martial arts, "What about your precepts? What about your Buddha? The general is coming, and you will have no place to bury your bodies!"

"Amitabha, Buddha has a compassionate heart, but also a wrathful gaze." Xinji said calmly, his hand lightly sweeping over the Scholar of a Hundred Faces' head.

Instantly, the Scholar of a Hundred Faces' eyes widened in不甘, and he fell to the ground, limp.

Meng Qi suddenly felt that this old monk was quite to his liking. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly saw the golden Buddha statue smile and pick a flower again, flames rising, forming words and constantly changing.

"Side Quest 1: Kill the 'Scholar of a Hundred Faces,' one of the four innate experts of the enemy camp. Jiang Zhewei rewards 30 merit points, Zhang Yuanshan and Zhen Ding each reward 20 merit points, Qi Zhengyan and Wang Jin each reward 10 merit points."

"Side Quest Description: Kill one of the four innate experts of the enemy camp. Participants will receive corresponding merit points based on the difficulty of the task, the disparity in strength, and the degree of effort."

"Side Quest 2: Kill the General Duercha. Participants will receive 50 to 200 merit points based on their contribution."

"This, this is a side quest?" Meng Qi was a bit incredulous.

At this moment, Zhang Yuanshan used a secret transmission to speak to him and Qi Zhengyan, "I didn't have time to explain earlier. When I killed Guan Haoran, this side quest was activated. Because only I acted, based on the disparity in strength, I received 50 merit points. I think if you, Brother Zhen Ding, had completed this task independently, the reward would have exceeded 100."

Meng Qi nodded, in this environment, he couldn't ask more questions, so he waited for Xinji to speak.

Xinji looked at the body of the Scholar of a Hundred Faces and was about to speak when a white-browed old monk suddenly stepped forward, pointing at Meng Qi and the others with righteous indignation, "You traitors, you actually brought the Scholar of a Hundred Faces into the temple and harmed the abbot! What are your intentions?"

One by one, the head elders stepped forward, seemingly planning to capture Meng Qi and the others.

Before Zhang Yuanshan could speak in defense, Xinji waved his sleeve and said, "There's no need to be so agitated. These guests are not traitors; they were likely deceived by the Scholar of a Hundred Faces. If they were traitors, when the Scholar of a Hundred Faces ambushed me, if Jiang and Zhang had acted together, with their strength, I would have already passed away."

This reason was very convincing, and the agitated crowd calmed down. However, the white-browed old monk still had a stern face, "The origins of these guests are unclear. Perhaps most are righteous, but who can say there are no traitors like the Scholar of a Hundred Faces among them? If they didn't reveal themselves, it might be because their plans are deeper. Before we can clearly identify them, they should not stay in the temple for long."

"This will make the righteous who come to help feel disheartened." A middle-aged monk hesitated and said.

The white-browed old monk firmly stated, "The abbot was ambushed and injured. We cannot take any more risks. Moreover, with so many people, there are likely many barbarian spies among the righteous. It would be better to let them return home."

Xinji sighed and said to Zhang Yuanshan, "There are some disputes and discussions in the temple that are not suitable for the guests to hear. Please leave the mountain first, and we will notify you once we have reached a decision."

Although they felt wronged, Zhang Yuanshan, Jiang Zhewei, and the others, being from major sects and young, did not act rashly. They carried the body of Ke Bi Jun, bid farewell, and left the temple, returning to the foot of the mountain.

"If we can't enter the temple, how can we hold out until the last moment?" Wang Jin, who had not interacted much with Meng Qi and the others, suddenly said while walking on the mountain path.

Zhang Yuanshan pondered for a moment and said, "I hope the decision is a good one. Holding out at the foot of the mountain is also holding out for Shaolin, but it is very dangerous. Hmm, Brother Zhen Ding, do you know the secret passage to enter Shaolin?"

He didn't want to be too rigid and thought of entering Shaolin through a secret passage. This place was very similar to the Shaolin in the main world, so asking Meng Qi seemed appropriate.

"I have been in the temple for less than a year; how could I know such secrets?" Meng Qi replied helplessly.

Qi Zhengyan suddenly spoke in a low voice, "We can mix into Shaolin when the barbarian army breaks through the pass, but we need to be cautious beforehand."

Zhang Yuanshan sighed, "Master Xinji is severely injured, and I doubt Shaolin's determination to hold out. They might arrange for promising disciples to secretly leave with secret texts and relics. In that case, whether we are traitors or not is irrelevant, and we will definitely be allowed into the temple."

"I hope so, as Brother Zhang says." Qi Zhengyan nodded.

Jiang Zhewei, who had been silent, suddenly spoke, "If we can't enter the temple and complete the main quest, we will try to kill Duercha. That way, each of us will have at least 50 merit points, enough to cover the cost, plus our previous accumulation."

This, this is a typical Jiang Zhewei thought... Meng Qi muttered to himself.

At this moment, Zhang Yuanshan said solemnly, "Xiang Hui was replaced by the Scholar of a Hundred Faces, and we didn't know. We talked a lot about the cycle world in front of him. Why weren't we erased?"

"Perhaps in this situation, the Lord of the Six Realms would alter the Scholar of a Hundred Faces' hearing, as it cannot warn us about 'traitors,' and our mistakes were unintentional." Meng Qi speculated.

Given the current situation, with the Scholar of a Hundred Faces dead and they not erased, this was the only explanation.

As they discussed, they returned to the inn and found a gloomy atmosphere, with everyone silent and fearful.

"Master Wei, what happened?" Meng Qi called out to Wei Wujie, who was nearby.

Wei Wujie quickly walked over, looked at Zhang Yuanshan, and said with shock and fear, "Young Master Zhang, Lin Shaomen was murdered!"

"What?" Zhang Yuanshan, despite his composure, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. Lin Bixue, who had just shared tea and wine with him, was murdered?

"Yes, Lin Shaomen's servant saw that his meditation time had passed, so he went in to tidy up, but found him lying on the bed, dead in a strange manner." Wei Wujie said, still shaken.

"Take us to see." Zhang Yuanshan ordered sternly.

Meng Qi also found the matter very strange and did not object, following them up to the second floor and into Lin Bixue's room.

Inside the room, Lin Bixue lay silently on the bed, his face smiling, peaceful and serene, as if he had found liberation and a new life, without any pain. Below his neck, his skin and muscles were yellow and shriveled, like a mummy, and his death was extremely strange!

"This way of dying is somewhat familiar, yet different..." Zhang Yuanshan looked at Jiang Zhewei with confusion.

Jiang Zhewei nodded, indicating she had a similar feeling.

Bang, a sound came from the door.

Meng Qi and the others turned to see Xiaozi, her face pale, retreating backward, oblivious to hitting the opposite wall.

"Xiao Sang, Xiao Sang is here too..." she muttered, shaking her head.

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