Chapter 6

"Amid Amitabha! This old monk, Yideng, seeks an audience, hoping Yinggu will grant me a meeting."

The voice traveled a thousand miles as if it were right beside them. Jiang Chen walked in the direction of the voice, and before long, Yang Guo and Guo Xiang also followed from behind. The three of them saw a figure standing on the snow, with a white beard reaching his chest, wearing a gray monk's robe—it was Master Yideng. Yang Guo then spoke loudly, "Disciple Yang Guo, I pay my respects to the master."

Master Yideng was already standing outside the mud of Black Dragon Pond. Upon hearing "disciple Yang Guo," his heart leaped with joy. Seeing Yang Guo bow to the ground, he quickly reached out to help him up, smiling, "Nephew Yang, it's good to see you well. Your martial arts have advanced so much, which is truly commendable."

Yang Guo stood up and saw a person lying on the ground behind Yideng, with a sallow face and closed eyes, seemingly a corpse. He was taken aback and looked closely, recognizing it as Master Cien. He exclaimed, "What happened to Master Cien?"

Master Yideng sighed lightly and explained that Cien had been injured by the Golden Wheel Dharma King. Guo Xiang immediately demanded that Yang Guo take revenge, but Master Yideng said that Cien's last wish was to seek Yinggu's forgiveness. They had pleaded for seven days and nights, but Yinggu refused to meet them.

"This Yinggu is too heartless," Yang Guo said immediately. "Master, I will be bold and force her to come out and speak clearly."

Yideng pondered for a moment, thinking, "We came here to seek Yinggu's forgiveness and cannot use force. But after days of pleading, she still refuses to meet us. If Yang Guo has another method, it's worth a try. Even if it fails, it will only mean she won't meet us." He said, "If you can persuade her to come out, that would be best, but you must not cause any harm or increase our sins."

Yang Guo nodded in agreement. Seeing that Jiang Chen had already torn off a piece of his clothing to plug his ears, he smiled slightly, took out a handkerchief, tore it into four pieces, and placed two pieces in Cien's ears, giving the other two to Guo Xiang with a gesture. Guo Xiang understood and plugged her ears. Yang Guo said to Yideng, "I will show my clumsiness, and I hope the master will not laugh."

Yideng clasped his hands together and said, "Nephew, your profound skills are rare in the world. I am eager to learn from you." Yang Guo humbly replied a few times, gathered his qi in his dantian, placed his left hand on his waist, and raised his head to let out a long howl.

At first, the howl was clear and bright, gradually becoming louder, like a thunderclap on a clear day. Although Jiang Chen had already plugged his ears with cloth, he was still shaken by the sound, his face turning pale. He felt as if he were in a vast wilderness, with thunderbolts chasing and striking around him, causing indescribable fear and panic, hoping that Yang Guo's howl would stop soon. But the thunder continued, and suddenly, the sound of a fierce wind was added.

Beside him, Guo Xiang shouted loudly, "I can't take it anymore!" But her shouts were completely drowned out by Yang Guo's howl, and she couldn't even hear herself. She felt as if her soul was flying away, and her bones were about to be shaken loose by the howl.

At that moment, Yideng reached out and held both of their hands. Jiang Chen calmed down, feeling a warm current from Yideng's palm, knowing that he was using his inner strength to help him. He then closed his eyes, bowed his head, and focused his mind. Although the howl in his ears still sounded like a thousand troops and horses, it was no longer as terrifying as before.

Yang Guo's howl continued for about the time it takes to eat a meal, showing no signs of weakening, and his qi and power grew even stronger. Yideng, listening, could not help but admire him, though he felt that his howl was too domineering and not purely positive energy. But even in his prime, he did not have such abundant inner strength, and now, in his old age, he was even less capable. He thought that this young nephew's inner strength was indeed unmatched by any contemporary master, and wondered how he had trained it.

After another half an incense stick's time, a black figure slowly emerged from Black Dragon Pond. Yang Guo flicked his sleeve, and the howl stopped. Jiang Chen and Guo Xiang let out a long sigh, still feeling dizzy and disoriented.

The figure said in a sharp voice, "Emperor Duan, why are you so tyrannical, forcing me to come out and meet you?"

Yideng replied, "It was this young nephew, Yang Guo, who invited you with his howl."

As the figure approached, it was revealed to be Yinggu. Hearing Yideng's words, she was both surprised and doubtful, thinking, "Apart from Emperor Duan, there is actually someone with such profound inner strength. Although his face is hard to discern, his black hair indicates he is no more than thirty years old. How can he have such power? His ability to withstand my three palm strikes without injury was already astonishing, and this howl is truly terrifying." The howl had shaken her, and she knew that if she did not come out, the other party's inner strength would cause her to lose her mind and suffer internal injuries. She had no choice but to come out, though her expression was reluctant.

She calmed herself and said coldly to Yang Guo, "The spirit fox is yours. Old woman admits defeat. Leave quickly."

Yang Guo said, "Wait, the spirit fox is a minor matter. Master Yideng has something to ask of you. Please listen to him."

Yinggu looked coldly at Yideng and said, "I will listen to the Emperor's command!"

Yideng sighed, "The past is like a dream. Why mention old titles? Yinggu, do you recognize him?" He pointed to Cien lying on the ground.

Cien had changed into monk's robes, and his appearance was much different from thirty years ago when they met on the peak of Huashan. Yinggu glanced at him and said, "How can I recognize this monk?"

Yideng said, "Who used the heavy hand technique to injure your child back then?"

Hearing this, Yinggu's whole body trembled, her face turning from white to red and then back to white. She trembled and said, "The evil thief Qiu Qianren, I would recognize him even if his bones turned to ash."

Yideng sighed, "After so many years, you don't even recognize his face, yet you still remember the old grudge. He is Qiu Qianren."

"What?!" Hearing this, two voices exclaimed in surprise, one of which was Yinggu's, but the other was...

They quickly looked in the direction of the voice and saw Jiang Chen, with a face full of anger, gritting his teeth and pointing at Cien, asking, "Master Yideng, is this person really Qiu Qianren? The Qiu Qianren of the Iron Palm Sect?"

Yideng said, "He is indeed Qiu Qianren. He realized his deep sins and has taken refuge in Buddhism, becoming a monk under me. His dharma name is Cien."

"Ha!" Jiang Chen sneered, "So, committing sins and becoming a monk can resolve them. No wonder there are so many monks and Taoists in the world."

Yinggu immediately agreed, "This young man is right!"

"Sin remains sin, and it cannot be resolved by becoming a monk," Yideng sighed. "Cien is gravely injured and on the brink of death. He is deeply troubled by the past injury to your child and cannot die in peace. Therefore, he endured and came here to seek your forgiveness for his sins."

Yinggu stared at Cien for a long time, her eyes filled with hatred and anger, as if all her life's pain and misfortune were to be released in this moment.

Guo Xiang, seeing her terrifying expression, was secretly frightened. She saw Yinggu's hands rise, ready to strike. Just as she was about to shout to stop her, Jiang Chen shouted, "Wait!"

Yinggu's movement paused, and she asked angrily, "Who are you, and why are you stopping me from avenging my child?"

Jiang Chen, though intimidated by her presence, replied firmly, "I am also an enemy of Qiu Qianren. You want to avenge your child, and I want to avenge my predecessors in my sect!"

Everyone was taken aback, and then Jiang Chen, with a mix of sorrow and anger, shouted at Cien, "Iron Palm Floating on Water, what a great reputation. Do you remember the Hengshan Sect you massacred?"

"Hengshan Sect?!" Cien's mind trembled, and he immediately recalled the event from decades ago when he had used his iron palms to kill many members of the Hengshan Sect, causing it to decline. "I never thought that in my dying moments, I would meet a descendant of the Hengshan Sect. This is my sin. If you seek revenge, I am willing to die."

"Good!" Jiang Chen stepped forward, "Since you have such courage, I will send you on your way. Your life will atone for the many lives of my Hengshan Sect predecessors. It's a bargain for you!"

Cien, seeing this, sighed and a faint smile appeared on his lips. He whispered, "Thank you, sir, for your kindness."

Jiang Chen approached Cien, ready to strike, but suddenly, Yinggu shouted, "Stop!"

Jiang Chen was slightly stunned and was immediately immobilized by Yinggu. He shouted, "What are you doing? If I kill him, won't I also avenge you?"

Yinggu waved her hand and sealed his voice, smiling coldly, "Don't you understand his intention? He wants to use one life to repay the many lives he took. There is no such cheap deal in this world."