Chapter 59

Standing at the bow of the boat, Duan Xiangfei had a gaunt face and a leisurely demeanor, not resembling a martial arts expert but rather a learned scholar. However, at this moment, his face was deeply weary, and the wrinkles between his brows could not hide his helplessness.

"It is this old man," he sighed, clasping his hands together. The small boat seemed to have been weighed down by a thousand-pound stone, suddenly sinking and slowing down, eventually sailing alongside the large ship where Meng Qi was.

Meng Qi narrowed his eyes, assessing the strength of the seven grandmasters. From this move alone, he could tell that if he did not reveal all his cards, he would not fare well, as there was a significant gap in their realms: "Is Mr. Xianyin joking with me? Is there anything in this world that you cannot accomplish?"

He imitated the method used by "Shen Hou" earlier, deliberately lowering his voice to a hoarse tone, so that even acquaintances would not recognize him. After all, "Shen Hou" also used a false voice.

Duan Xiangfei shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Human power has its limits. In this vast world, there are countless things this old man cannot do. At least, the fleeting youth and the white hair of beauties cannot be reversed by human effort. Mr. Shen Hou, if it were not for dire circumstances, would this old man ever deal with you 'Twelve Animal Gods'?"

"Ah, I am somewhat interested in what could make Mr. Xianyin helpless." With a mission at hand, Meng Qi naturally accepted it, but he could not show too much eagerness, lest Duan Xiangfei suspect and ruin everything.

Duan Xiangfei sighed: "This old man had a late son, whom I spoiled too much. He is neither scholarly nor martial, only fond of socializing and living a life of luxury. If things continued this way, it would still be fine, as I have a family business for him to squander. However, disaster struck from the sky. Half a year ago, my son disappeared in Tian Ding City, and since then, there has been no news. Mr. Shen Hou, you should have heard about this. I hope you will accept my request and find that ungrateful son, alive or dead."

As he said the last eight words, his face twitched slightly.

Meng Qi, listening, felt something was amiss: "Mr. Xianyin, with your martial arts skills and status in the martial world, if you put out the word, many heroes would be willing to help. If there is a mastermind behind this, would they not be your opponent?"

Duan Xiangfei was silent for a moment, then smiled bitterly with a沧桑 (weathered) look: "If I could do that, why would this old man go to such lengths to track you down?"

He raised his right hand, revealing a palm with no fingers: "I have devoted most of my life to swordsmanship, but five years ago, I made a mistake and had my right hand's five fingers cut off. If this news spreads, many enemies will come. Therefore, after my son disappeared, I pretended to be angry, blaming him for his own misfortune and cutting off our father-son relationship. I also claimed to have retired, refusing any requests."

"Of course, having reached this realm, if real enemies come, I can still fight to the death."

He spoke calmly, as if telling someone else's story, then smiled: "For that ungrateful son, this old man had to take a risk and tell you about this. Sigh, as one grows old, one no longer cares about status or martial arts skills. All I want is for my descendants to be safe and free from disaster."

"Someone could cut off your right hand's five fingers?" Meng Qi asked, slightly stunned. If "Shen Hou" were here, he would probably react similarly. As one of the seven grandmasters, Duan Xiangfei's skills were undoubtedly at the top level. Yet, someone managed to cut off his right hand's five fingers, destroying years of hard training in swordsmanship. How terrifying must that person be?

Duan Xiangfei's eyes narrowed slightly, exuding a world-conquering aura: "This old man did not know there was such a master in the world. He must have opened the three major secret storages, approaching the boundary of human and divine..."

"Mr. Xianyin, you don't know who it is? Such a person would not be unknown in the martial world," Meng Qi asked, puzzled.

Duan Xiangfei shook his head: "This person appeared suddenly, with no reputation before our duel and disappeared afterward. He is not any of the famous masters, which is extremely strange. This is somewhat similar to your 'Twelve Animal Gods.' Ha, at the time, I even suspected he was the leader of your 'Twelve Animal Gods,' the 'Chen Long.'"

"I don't know about that..." Meng Qi's eyebrows raised slightly. The description of someone with an unknown background, no reputation, and disappearing after an incident sounded familiar. Wait, isn't this just like me? A reincarnated person completing a mission!

The more Meng Qi thought about it, the more he believed this was possible. For example, Gu Xiaosang was clearly not on the same team as him, having her own reincarnation space. However, due to some issues, she temporarily became a new person to avoid unexpected situations.

Yes, five years ago, and then disappeared. This reincarnated person must have completed the mission and left, so there's no need to worry.

Duan Xiangfei was not investigating who he had fought, so after explaining the reason, he said straightforwardly: "Mr. Shen Hou, what kind of reward would you need to accept the mission?"

Meng Qi, not knowing the "Twelve Animal Gods'" "收费标准" (收费标准 means "charging standards"), could only laugh strangely: "It depends on what Mr. Xianyin can offer."

"The most precious thing this old man has is my martial arts. If Mr. Shen Hou does not mind, after the task is completed, I will copy the 'Guan Lan Jue,' 'Bai Ju Guo Xi Jian Fa,' and my years of experience for you."

"Years of experience? Including the secrets of the human body's storages?" Meng Qi already knew from Duan Xiangfei's earlier words that the human body had three major secret storages, which was different from the method of opening acupoints. Even if he chose the Golden Bell Cover and the path of opening acupoints, he might not be able to open the secret storages in the future. However, it was still good to see others' paths, to gather the best from various sources and explore the essence, using others' strengths to improve himself.

Moreover, they could be exchanged for good deeds! This was an additional reward from the main mission!

Duan Xiangfei smiled wearily: "Of course, it will include the insights on opening the 'Yuan Qi Secret Storage' and the 'Jing Li Secret Storage.' As for the 'Spirit Secret Storage,' this old man has not opened it, so I cannot help much."

He knew that what a top expert like "Shen Hou" most needed was the insights and methods to open the human body's secret storages, so he was not afraid that he would not be tempted.

"I didn't expect Mr. Xianyin to have opened two of the three secret storages. You are indeed a standout among the grandmasters," Meng Qi insincerely praised, trying to gather more information. He had seen experts like Duo Er Cha, who could create storms and lightning with a single move, almost reaching the level of gods and demons. His master was even more powerful than Duo Er Cha, so he did not truly admire the so-called grandmasters.

Duan Xiangfei sighed and smiled: "Not so, not so. Among the three secret storages, the 'Spirit Secret Storage' is the hardest to open, involving the third eye, which is extremely mysterious. Once opened, one is almost a god or demon, able to kill without moving a finger. Even if Cui Lao Ren had only opened one secret storage, this old man could at most match him."

"Mr. Shen Hou, what do you think? Are you willing to accept the mission?"

"Not any reward can make one's heart move," Meng Qi said, standing with his hands behind his back, his monk's robe fluttering, giving him a somewhat transcendent appearance.

Duan Xiangfei narrowed his eyes: "What can make your heart move?"

"I am already quite moved, but it's still a bit lacking. I have a request," Meng Qi's monkey mask always had a smile.

Duan Xiangfei seemed relieved: "What is your request?"

"I would like Mr. Xianyin to collect some martial arts manuals, not too advanced, just ordinary ones, the more the better," Meng Qi planned to exchange them with the Six Realms Reincarnation Master. Although they would definitely be undervalued, accumulating a few dozen or a hundred good deeds was still worth it.

Of course, each martial art could only be exchanged once.

Duan Xiangfei frowned, unable to understand why "Shen Hou" made this request, but after a moment's thought, he said: "This request is not difficult. This old man agrees."

"Then it's a deal." Nodding, Meng Qi's monkey mask looked even more comical.

Duan Xiangfei sighed: "Mr. Shen Hou's quick agreement is somewhat unexpected, saving a lot of talk. In that case, after the task is completed, this old man will give you another gift. It is not valuable, but it is something I cherish, with a bit of mystery."

"What is it?" Meng Qi asked curiously.

Duan Xiangfei chuckled: "You will know when the task is completed."

Saying this, he threw a package to Meng Qi: "This contains information about the people my son interacted with before he disappeared."

Then his small boat suddenly sped up, disappearing into the vast river.

Meng Qi caught the package and scratched his chin in confusion. Do the "Twelve Animal Gods" not take a deposit when accepting missions?

The dead "Shen Hou" could not answer this question.

However, he felt a weight lifted from his heart. When he was negotiating and adding requirements, he was actually very nervous. If Duan Xiangfei thought the requirements were too high and decided to find another Animal God, he would have to cry and beg to sell himself cheaply. After all, this was the main mission.

"Tian Ding City, I didn't expect to really have to go to Tian Ding City. I must visit the Zhang Zongxian couple..." Meng Qi thought, looking at the rolling river in the dark night. They knew "Shen Hou" had been killed, so he needed to find a way to explain this.

After flipping through the information provided by Duan Xiangfei, he searched the bodies of "Shen Hou" and the many corpses on the deck for silver, put it in his pocket, and then found a ballast stone, tied it to "Shen Hou's" body, and pushed it into the river.

Plop, the waves rolled a few times, and "Shen Hou" disappeared completely.

After doing all this, Meng Qi hid his mask and token, lowered the small boat on the other side, and sailed downstream.

The river wind blew in his face, and the small boat was severely jolted, but Meng Qi, standing with his hands behind his back, felt very cool. The only regret was that he could not yet cross the river on a single reed.

An hour later, Meng Qi arrived at Tian Ding City, which was built by the river, resembling a giant dragon.

Since it was late at night, the water gate of Tian Ding City was closed, so Meng Qi disembarked at the dock outside the city.

Before he had taken a few steps, Meng Qi's eyes lit up. Zhang Zongxian and Li Xinyu were talking to a red-clothed girl at the water gate.

"Amitabha, the coming and going of fate, this poor monk seems to have a connection with you two," Meng Qi chanted from a distance.

Zhang Zongxian turned around, unsure whether to be surprised, happy, or puzzled: "Venerable Zhen Ding, you are also in Tian Ding City?"

Li Xinyu leaned over to whisper to the delicate and pretty red-clothed girl.

"This poor monk is here specifically to catch up with you two. It turns out that 'Shen Hou' did not die, but faked his death and escaped into the water when this poor monk was not paying attention," Meng Qi lied, "Therefore, this poor monk came to remind you two to be more careful and not to spread this news, to avoid more intense retaliation from the 'Twelve Beasts.'"

"Thank you, Venerable, for coming to warn us," Zhang Zongxian sincerely thanked him, as he did not think there was any need to lie about this. He could not imagine that the monk in front of him was pretending to be "Shen Hou."

After whispering, the red-clothed girl looked at Meng Qi with interest: "Venerable Zhen Ding, I am Cui Jinxiu. I came to meet Sister Xinyu and her husband after receiving the news. I just heard about your story. I didn't expect you to be so young and yet able to defeat 'Shen Hou' of the 'Twelve Beasts.' I'm a bit itchy, please give me a few moves."

Beside her was a white-haired old man, his eyes lowered, as if counting ants on the ground.

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