Chapter 57

"True Chang, Senior Brother?"

"True Chang, Junior Nephew?"

The monks searching around the cliff could hardly suppress their shock, all blurting out in disbelief. They could not believe that True Chang, the most outstanding disciple of the "True" generation, would collude with people of ill intent, steal the sect’s secret manuals, and end up committing suicide after being caught. They also could not believe that True Ding, who had only achieved a small success in accumulating energy a year ago, could injure True Chang, who had reached the minor perfection of the "Arhat Subduing Demon Power" and the "Prajna Palm," even the "Xuan" generation monks who had opened six orifices could not guarantee they could injure him!

Amid their shock and doubt, their expressions towards Meng Qi became more speculative, suspicious, and fearful.

The will, hastily written and unfolded, was taken by Wu De, who scanned it and his expression immediately changed. He said to Xuan Bei, "Junior Nephew Xuan Bei, this matter is deeply involved. We must immediately report it to the abbot. You stay here and watch over things."

He was afraid there might be other accomplices among the monks, so he felt more at ease leaving Xuan Bei, who was also an elder, behind.

"Yes, Uncle." Xuan Bei stood beside Wu De and had already read the entire will, understanding that the situation was more serious than he had imagined.

Just as Wu De was about to step forward, he suddenly remembered something and spoke again, "Junior Nephew Xuan Bei, before the matter is thoroughly investigated, your two disciples must be temporarily separated from others and housed in a separate courtyard."

After all, the near theft of the *Yi Jin Jing* was a matter of grave importance. Although Meng Qi and True Hui had exposed the matter, they could not yet be cleared of suspicion, such as whether it was an internal conflict among accomplices or whether they had hidden a copy of the *Yi Jin Jing* out of greed.

Xuan Bei nodded lightly, "As you decide, Uncle."

Wu De slowly nodded and said to Meng Qi and True Hui, "Amitabha, True Ding, True Hui, you will have to bear with us for a moment. Once the truth is revealed, the Bodhi Courtyard will not fail to reward you. Xuan Zhuang, True Miao, take True Ding and True Hui to a nearby courtyard. No one can enter without the abbot’s command."

Thus, the previous attendant monk and True Miao led Meng Qi and True Hui away from the cliff and into a courtyard that had been neglected for many years.

Meng Qi was very curious about the content of the will. When Xuan Zhuang was guarding the outer gate and True Miao was watching the inner courtyard, he approached True Miao, pretending to be familiar with him, "True Miao, Senior Brother, do you know who ordered True Chang, Senior Brother? I can’t believe that a direct disciple like True Chang would betray us."

The will was not folded and was placed directly on the table, so True Miao and Xuan Zhuang, who discovered it first, had already read its contents. Hearing Meng Qi’s question, True Miao looked at him with a complex expression, "I don’t believe it either. True Chang, Senior Brother, had excellent talent and a steady temperament. Whether it was the 'Arhat Subduing Demon Power' or the difficult 'Prajna Palm,' he made rapid progress. After returning from his travels through the Copper Alley, he was even granted the first volume of the *Yi Jin Jing*. I really can’t understand why he would take such a risk and copy the secret manual for True Yong."

Although he was competitive and always wanted to surpass True Chang, as one of the most outstanding disciples of the "True" generation, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of sorrow at the loss of a peer.

"Perhaps True Chang, Senior Brother’s family was captured and he was coerced," Meng Qi speculated.

True Miao shook his head, "True Chang, Senior Brother, was an orphan who grew up in Shaolin. This place is like his home."

"Beauty trap?" True Hui said eagerly, recalling how many heroes in the stories his senior brother told had failed to resist the allure of beauty.

"How could that be? There are no women in the temple! True Chang, Senior Brother, has been helping True Yong steal the manual for a year, not just since his recent return from travels." True Miao rejected the idea again.

Now, Meng Qi couldn’t think of a better reason and asked, "Did True Chang, Senior Brother’s will not explain it?"

"True Chang, Senior Brother, only said he was tempted, broke the rules, and fell into corruption, but he didn’t specify what the temptation was." True Miao said, as the content of the will, though significant, did not involve any secrets that needed to be hidden.

Meng Qi took a light breath, "What about True Yong, Senior Brother? Did he mention why he stole the manual?"

"True Yong is a dead loyalist trained by the Vajra Temple from a young age, specifically to steal the manual." True Miao replied with a grim expression.

"Vajra Temple?" Meng Qi repeated in surprise. It was the Vajra Temple! Truly unexpected, yet within reason!

However, the ease with which True Yong could steal the manual still made the situation seem murky. What could he have used to tempt True Chang?

"Um." True Miao said no more, instead looking at Meng Qi with a complex expression, "True Ding, Junior Brother, the most surprising thing is you. How did you manage to injure True Chang, Senior Brother with a single strike, forcing him to confess and commit suicide? When did your swordsmanship reach such a level?"

If I were in True Chang, Senior Brother’s position, I wouldn’t just be injured! True Ding’s martial arts and swordsmanship must be terrifying and formidable!

In less than a year!

Was it because Uncle Xuan Bei taught well and secretly gave more resources, or does True Ding have another secret?

Meng Qi chuckled dryly, "True Chang, Senior Brother, was too eager to kill True Yong and exposed a weakness, which I seized with all my might."

That palm technique, which contained the essence of heaven and earth and sealed all changes, was indeed the Prajna Palm, living up to its reputation!

Yes, since True Yong is a spy from the Vajra Temple, the sword technique he used must be one of the three great sword techniques of the Vajra Temple, whether it’s the 'Cutting Suffering Sword Technique,' the 'Exterminating External Demons Sword Technique,' or the 'Severing Karma Sword Technique'... In any case, it was indeed intricate and profound, but True Yong had only grasped the surface, not the essence, and the changes were not fully detailed, likely a simplified version with little remaining power.

Meng Qi recalled the sword technique used by True Yong, trying to understand its intricacies and incorporate them into his own sword skills.

This was a rare opportunity, as the three great sword techniques of the Vajra Temple were among the few sword techniques on par with the 'Ananda Breaking Precepts Sword Technique,' revered as the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

"Is that so? True Chang, Senior Brother, wasn’t that careless a person," True Miao said, not entirely believing Meng Qi’s explanation.

Seeing this, Meng Qi pretended his injuries were not yet healed and walked back to the meditation room to rest and recover.

After a brief moment of closing his eyes, a grand and solemn voice suddenly echoed in Meng Qi’s mind:

"The third cycle has begun!"

"This time, the task is a solo mission for each team member."

A solo mission? Meng Qi was startled, then fell into a brief, true darkness.

...

A cool breeze blew, the river was vast, and the waves continued to crash.

Meng Qi, his left hand on his chin, gazed at the distant fishing boats, listening to the clinking sounds, momentarily lost in thought.

After the cycle task began, he found himself not entering the space but directly appearing on the bow of a three-story boat.

"At least the Plum Rain Needle was delivered... and I have the precept knife for defense..." When Meng Qi landed on the bow, he felt a weight in his chest, reaching in to find the Plum Rain Needle he had placed in the cycle space, and the precept knife he wore during patrols was also at his waist.

The clinking sounds continued, and Meng Qi gathered his thoughts, his left hand supporting his chin as he observed the battle on the deck with interest.

"Too monotonous steps..."

"This sword stroke is a joke!"

He muttered, keenly evaluating the fight between two men and a woman. One of them wore a black robe and a grinning monkey mask, wielding a precept knife fiercely, forcing the sword-wielding couple to struggle, their bodies frequently gaining new wounds, blood flowing, and it seemed they would soon be killed.

Meng Qi "transferred" to this scene, seeing a bloody battlefield with bodies scattered on the deck, men and women, old and young, mostly with throat wounds, and only these three were still alive, but the man in the monkey mask was clearly the murderer.

"I wonder what level this fight is in this world..." After watching for a while, Meng Qi, chin in hand, speculated as the river breeze made his monk’s robe flutter.

The young couple, though facing Meng Qi, were too busy struggling to notice him. After the man was hit again, the woman, with her hair in a bun, said hatefully, "You Twelve Beasts are devoid of conscience, and you will surely be punished one day!"

"Devoid of conscience?" The man in the monkey mask, his voice deliberately altered to a hoarse tone, laughed, "As long as someone pays the price and offers the reward, why shouldn’t we take the job? And this time, it’s your fault for possessing the treasure map. Hand it over, and we’ll leave you a complete body! We, the 'Twelve Divine Beasts,' have never failed a mission!"

He swung his precept knife, causing the woman to lose her balance and stagger forward. If not for the man blocking a strike with his sword, she would have been hit in the back and killed.

Staggering, the woman finally stabilized herself, about to turn and rejoin the fight, when she suddenly saw a gray-robed novice monk on the bow, smiling at her back.

He supported his chin with his left hand, sitting lazily, young but already handsome.

Who is he?

When did he appear on the boat?

The woman, startled and frightened, blurted out, "Who?"

The man in the monkey mask, hearing this, forced his opponents back with two strikes, glanced over, and without hesitation, lunged at Meng Qi.

The couple, Zhang Zongxian and his wife, were at the end of their strength and could not escape. The sudden appearance of the novice monk was more worrying!

He made a quick decision and, in a breath, reached Meng Qi, his precept knife slashing diagonally, fiercely, almost like an ambush.

Meng Qi, wanting to test the strength of the world’s experts, slightly turned his head, watching the precept knife land on his shoulder.

Seeing Meng Qi still sitting there, seemingly caught off guard, the man in the monkey mask felt a surge of joy, satisfied with his decision, and increased his strength, determined to split the meddler in two.

Clang!

He felt as if he had struck metal, a boulder, unable to penetrate, the counterforce almost making him lose his grip on the precept knife.

What kind of hard training is this?

He was filled with fear and disbelief, unable to believe that his full-strength strike only tore the fabric of Meng Qi’s shoulder, leaving a white mark.

This is too terrifying! It could rival the forty-year pure yang 'Childhood Skill' of the Dharma Xuan Sect’s compassionate monk! He is one of the seven great masters of the world!

Where did this little monk come from?

His soul fled, and he turned to run faster than when he attacked, but at that moment, a blade of light struck from an unexpected angle, blocking his first escape route.

Gritting his teeth, the man in the monkey mask turned again, opened his mouth, and a dark light shot straight at Meng Qi’s face.

This was his life-saving weapon!

Fast and close, Meng Qi closed his eyes, letting the weapon hit him.

Clang!

The weapon struck Meng Qi’s face, leaving no mark.

After firing the weapon, the man, one of the Twelve Beasts, took the opportunity to leap over Meng Qi, preparing to jump into the river. He never thought the weapon could penetrate such terrifying hard training, only hoping to distract him and find a chance to escape.

The waves crashed against the boat, and the man felt a surge of joy, about to jump, when a precept knife struck from an unimaginable angle, directly piercing his abdomen.

His legs gave way, and he fell forward, the sound of the waves growing fainter.

How can there be such a terrifying monster...

Meng Qi, his back to him, withdrew the precept knife, maintaining a graceful demeanor, but inwardly cursing. He had only intended to capture him for information, but the weapon had distracted him, nearly letting the man escape, so he had to use a deadly move to avoid further trouble.

The couple, seeing the handsome gray-robed monk remain unmoving, not even turning to look, casually killing one of the terrifying Twelve Beasts, were momentarily stunned, suspecting they were dreaming.

Apart from the seven great masters, perhaps only a few in the world could achieve this?

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