Chapter 58

With this strike, Meng Qi felt extremely good, completely meeting his requirements for being handsome and suave, so he remained silent, waiting for the couple to regain their composure.

After a moment, the man with the headscarf glanced at the corpse behind Meng Qi, swallowed hard, and said cautiously yet with excitement, "I am Zhang Zongxian, and this is my wife, Li Xinyu. Thank you, Master, for saving our lives. May I ask for your Dharma name?"

He did not dare to address this terrifyingly powerful young monk as "Little Master."

"I am True Stability, a monk who happened to pass by and saw someone in trouble, so I came to investigate," Meng Qi patted his monk's robe and stood up leisurely.

If only it were a white monk's robe!

"Ah, we owe our lives to you, Master," Zhang Zongxian sighed, and with his wife, they bowed deeply in gratitude.

Meng Qi clasped his hands together and said with the air of a high monk, "Amitabha, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda."

After speaking, he smiled at the couple, waiting for them to explain the situation.

Zhang Zongxian naturally did not dare to withhold the explanation. Since the other party had become involved in this matter to save their lives, he had to give an account. Moreover, "Monkey of the Year of the Monkey" had mentioned the treasure map multiple times, and he did not know how much True Stability had heard...

Thus, he said with a serious expression, "My wife and I accidentally obtained a treasure map, a legacy of the Snow God Palace, which once dominated the world. Somehow, the news leaked, and someone found out. They hired the Twelve Beasts to kill and rob. The enemy you just killed was one of the Twelve Beasts, the 'Monkey of the Year of the Monkey.'"

Meng Qi understood the general situation but was not very clear about the terms, so he frankly said, "I grew up in the far west and have just returned. Please explain the Snow God Palace and the 'Twelve Beasts' to me."

Oh... Zhang Zongxian and Li Xinyu both had an "ah, I see" look. No wonder such a terrifyingly powerful monk had never been heard of! There were no similar figures in the martial world!

Li Xinyu composed herself and said, "True Stability, the Snow God Palace was a sect that dominated the world fifty years ago. Unfortunately, it became arrogant and decadent, gradually falling into the path of evil, claiming to be descendants of deities, and treating other martial artists with disdain. Later, it was attacked by various sects and, after several ups and downs, finally disintegrated thirty years ago. Only a few secret lineages remain. However, it is rumored that the Snow God Palace's palace master anticipated this situation and secretly buried many treasures, secret manuals, and divine weapons, hoping to rise again one day."

"The 'Twelve Animal Deities' is a secret organization in the martial world with only twelve official members, each named after a zodiac sign. They are all extremely powerful. They are mysterious and accept various tasks. As long as you can pay their price, they will take the job. They also often get involved in major events in the martial world without a task, clearly with grand ambitions, and are known as the 'Twelve Beasts.'"

"Extremely powerful? How powerful?" Meng Qi asked straightforwardly.

The strength of "Monkey of the Year of the Monkey" was almost at the stage of opening the acupoints. The reason he could be easily killed was entirely due to the terrifying effect of the fourth level of the Golden Bell Cover.

This was a divine skill that directly targeted the Dharma body, and the fourth level was much stronger than most external martial arts at the same level. "Monkey of the Year of the Monkey" could not hurt him without a weapon like Jiang Zhimi's "White Rainbow Piercing the Sun Sword." Even a high-level expert with open acupoints would need to use at least eighty percent of their strength to injure him, and the damage reduction effect was very noticeable.

From the information about the Golden Bell Cover, Meng Qi deduced that a regular expert who had just opened the acupoints would need to use their full strength for three or four strikes to break his Golden Bell Cover.

Zhang Zongxian pondered for a moment, thinking about how to describe it appropriately. After a few breaths, he smiled and said, "The seven great grandmasters are the top experts, all of whom have opened the secret acupoints in the human body. Most of the 'Twelve Beasts' have touched these secret acupoints, making them top-notch experts, second only to grandmasters in terms of realm. Moreover, it is rumored that two of the 'Twelve Beasts' are also grandmasters who have opened the secret acupoints but remain hidden."

"So, True Stability, don't underestimate the 'Twelve Beasts,'" Li Xinyu reminded him.

Meng Qi nodded slightly, "Do you know which of the seven grandmasters is the strongest?"

The secret acupoints in the human body are similar to opening the acupoints, but I wonder if there are any special aspects...

He did not want to ask too many specific questions about martial arts to avoid appearing too ignorant, and Zhang Zongxian and his wife were not strong enough to reach this level.

"The seven grandmasters rarely fight each other, so we truly don't know. But they can crush other experts easily," Zhang Zongxian shook his head.

Li Xinyu also nodded, "Which grandmaster has opened which secret acupoint is a personal secret, and outsiders can only guess."

"Who are the seven grandmasters?" These were the key figures Meng Qi needed to focus on.

"The compassionate monk of the Dharma Xuan Sect, the city lord of Tian Ding City, Cui Xu, the 'White-robed Sword God' Luo Qing, the 'Ice Needle' Wu Caisha, the 'Snowfall Saber' Che Wanxiu, the 'Reincarnated Demon' Gai Yuan, and the 'Leisurely Hermit' Duan Xiangfei..." Zhang Zongxian roughly introduced the seven grandmasters, including their nicknames, appearances, and martial arts specialties.

After listening, Meng Qi smiled, "The rise and fall of fate, I won't delay your departure. But I wonder if you have a plan to deal with the 'Twelve Beasts' when they come again?"

He casually expressed his concern.

Li Xinyu's expression changed a few times before she said, "Master, the daughter of the city lord of Tian Ding City, Cui Xu, is my close friend. We were originally planning to seek refuge in Tian Ding City. I believe the 'Twelve Beasts' would not dare to act recklessly in Tian Ding City."

"That reassures me. How far is it to Tian Ding City?" Meng Qi was secretly wondering why there was no task prompt yet.

Could this task be triggered? Should he go to Tian Ding City?

Li Xinyu took a deep breath, "Down the river, it will take about an hour."

At this moment, Zhang Zongxian seemed to have made a decision and pulled out an old fur from his pocket, "True Stability, my wife and I were too greedy. How could we covet such a secret treasure? Please take this source of trouble and avert our disaster."

Previously, he chose to be honest because "Monkey of the Year of the Monkey" had already revealed the treasure map. Now, his rationality had returned, overcoming his greed, and he did not want to risk being killed by the monk in front of him.

Looking at the treasure map, Meng Qi smiled, "What's the point? If I were after the treasure, I would still kill you to prevent the news from leaking."

He was not yet used to calling himself "poor monk" in every sentence.

Hearing this, Zhang Zongxian and Li Xinyu's faces turned pale. They had witnessed the battle between "Monkey of the Year of the Monkey" and True Stability and knew they were no match for him.

He looked only fourteen or fifteen, barely an adult, but how could he have such terrifying martial arts? Even if he started practicing from birth, it would be impossible to kill top experts like slaughtering chickens and dogs!

Could it be that some old monster had broken through the limits of the human body's secret acupoints, touched the divine-human boundary promoted by the Snow God Palace, and returned to youth?

"So, you should leave," Meng Qi paused, then looked up at the sky with a slightly red face, "Um, copy the treasure map for me."

If there was spare time, exploring the treasure could increase the task evaluation, and many things inside could be exchanged for good deeds.

This was his first "true" journey in the martial world, and he had no similar experience in his "previous life," so he could not simply take by force, and it did not align with his character and principles.

"No, keeping it will only bring trouble to us," Li Xinyu said firmly.

Meng Qi waved his hand, "Without this treasure map, how can you stay in Tian Ding City with peace of mind? Copy it and leave it behind."

Exploring the treasure should be done by someone else first to check for dangers. Rushing in recklessly was not a good strategy, and he might not have the time to do it himself.

Seeing Meng Qi's sincerity, Zhang Zongxian tore a piece of white cloth from a corpse, copied the map with blood, and left the "original" on the deck. They bowed deeply again and set off in a small boat, drifting away.

Meng Qi put away the treasure map, but still received no task prompt. He squatted down, somewhat troubled, and removed "Monkey of the Year of the Monkey's" mask.

Behind the mask was a middle-aged monk with a remarkable appearance, his face frozen in fear and panic.

Meng Qi searched his body and found only a peculiar token, neither metal nor wood, cold to the touch, with a laughing monkey head carved on it.

"Is this the symbol of the 'Twelve Animal Deities'?" Meng Qi tossed the token, feeling playful, and put on the mask, walking around.

Before crossing over, he had a great interest in various mysterious organizations, especially those that were strange, secretive, and powerful.

"Um, in the future, I will also establish a mysterious organization and become the puppet master behind the scenes..." Meng Qi liked to use such self-entertainment thoughts to ease his mood, "What should I call it? 'The Holy Warriors of the Goddess'? That doesn't fit the style..."

At that moment, a weary voice came from the river, "Is this the 'Monkey of the Year of the Monkey' of the 'Twelve Animal Deities'?"

"Ah?" Meng Qi was stunned. Was he already mistaken for "Monkey of the Year of the Monkey"?

"I am Duan Xiangfei, the Leisurely Hermit. I have a task to entrust to you," a small boat drifted over, and an old scholar stood at the bow.

"Leisurely Hermit?" Meng Qi was quite surprised. It was actually Duan Xiangfei, one of the seven grandmasters! What task could he not complete himself that he needed the "Twelve Animal Deities" for?

Would denying his identity result in being silenced by Duan Xiangfei?

Meng Qi was not too afraid but decided to cautiously impersonate him. Once Duan Xiangfei left, he would discard the mask. Where would he look for him?

On the deck, the blood suddenly flowed, forming words:

"Main task triggered: Impersonate 'Monkey of the Year of the Monkey,' accept Duan Xiangfei's task, find his son Duan Mingcheng, and complete the task for 150 good deeds. Failure will result in the deduction of corresponding good deeds."

"Side task triggered: Infiltrate the 'Twelve Animal Deities,' uncover the secrets behind, and succeed for 150 good deeds. Failure will result in no punishment."

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