Chapter 65: The Shaolin Temple

Mount Shaoshi is majestic and steep, with winding mountain paths. Gu Qing stood at the foot of the mountain looking up. He remembered that when he traveled in the modern era, the shuttle bus ride alone took a long time, but here, it was purely stone steps, relying entirely on one's own feet.

The current Shaolin Temple does not receive female guests, and Gu Qing did not insist on bringing his wife up the mountain. He walked alone on this mountain path, pacing up the steps and admiring the Shaolin scenery. Just as he neared the mountain gate, he saw many Mongols and some guest-receiving monks at the Shaolin gate, who had blocked the entrance entirely.

Gu Qing frowned and continued walking toward the mountain gate.

"Swish! Swish!"

The Mongols standing at the entrance immediately drew their scimitars. In an instant, cold light flashed, and without a second thought, they slashed toward Gu Qing.

"Master, hold your hand! Master, hold your hand!"

The guest-receiving monk in front of the mountain gate had originally been afraid that these Mongols would commit murder, so he hurriedly reached out and blocked the path in front of them.

A guest-receiving monk reached Gu Qing and said, "The Shaolin Temple has distinguished guests today and is not receiving pilgrims. Benefactor, you may head down the mountain first and return to the temple tomorrow." After saying this, the monk whispered, "These Mongols are not to be trifled with!"

This monk had an excellent attitude and tried to persuade Gu Qing with kind words.

Gu Qing lowered his head and eyes, whispering, "To tell you the truth, little monk, I killed over a thousand Mongols down the mountain. Recently, I have been plagued by inner demons and have contracted a sickness where I want to kill every Tatar I see. You had better hurry into the Shaolin Temple and tell these Tatars to leave quickly; I am the one who is not to be trifled with!"

As he spoke, Gu Qing's right hand was trembling uncontrollably, as if it were already itching to act.

The little monk looked at Gu Qing in astonishment.

At any other time, if the little monk had heard such words, he would have taken them as a joke. But today, the reason these Mongols came up the mountain was that a great demon had appeared at the foot of the mountain, killing Mongols indiscriminately. It was said he had already killed thousands, giving the Mongol lords a massive headache. Thus, this lord named Hulusun had come to Shaolin to ask the Shaolin masters to descend the mountain and subdue the demon.

Under these circumstances, the demon had come up the mountain, scaring the little monk into taking two steps back.

"Hmph!"

Those few Mongols brandished their long sabers again, itching for a fight.

"You cannot fight!"

The little monk hurriedly persuaded the Mongols to stop. They were no longer protecting Gu Qing; they were protecting the Mongols. After all, they were in front of the Shaolin Temple, and Shaolin was also within Mongol territory; they ultimately did not want any slaughter to occur.

"I will go inform the Abbot inside."

The little monk said, "There must be no fighting." This "there must be no fighting" was meant to tell the surrounding monks to keep the situation under control, while simultaneously whispering Gu Qing's identity.

The monks guarding the gate, upon hearing that Gu Qing was that demon, all began to look at him strangely.

After giving his instructions, the little monk hurried inside the temple gate.

Gu Qing stretched. He had walked all the way up, and his legs were indeed tired. He had wanted to sit on the ground, but the clothes he wore were sewn by Cheng Ying, and Gu Qing cherished them, so he ordered the gate-keeping monk, saying, "Bring me a chair."

The gate-keeping monk, upon hearing this, feared Gu Qing would develop a murderous intent, so he hurriedly ran into the courtyard, brought a chair for Gu Qing, and even specifically found a quiet place for him to sit steadily and enjoy the Shaolin mountain scenery.

That little monk moved very quickly. Before long, a great monk followed him in a hurry, arrived before Gu Qing, pressed his palms together in a salute, and asked, "Is this the Wu Lin Alliance's Gu Qing, Alliance Master Gu?"

Although the Shaolin Temple had sealed its gates, it was still well-informed about news in the Jianghu, especially since Gu Qing had been slaughtering people in Dengzhou, causing the Wu Lin Alliance's enthusiasm for resisting the Mongols to soar. Therefore, after Gu Qing revealed his identity as the murderous demon, the monks at Shaolin greeted him with the etiquette of the Jianghu.

"It is I."

Gu Qing stood up at this moment.

The great monk hurriedly introduced himself, saying, "This humble monk is Wuse of the Shaolin Temple."

Gu Qing sized up the great monk and knew that he was the head of the Arhat Hall, holding a high position in the Shaolin Temple. After exchanging pleasantries with Monk Wuse, he followed his lead toward the inner courtyard of the Shaolin Temple.

"The Shaolin Temple has long sealed its gates and does not tread in the dust of the world. Although this Mongol prince seeks our help with all his heart, the Shaolin Temple has absolutely no intention of descending the mountain to assist in the fighting."

Monk Wuse spoke to Gu Qing about the Shaolin Temple's stance.

With the Mongol prince arriving at the front door and the Wu Lin Alliance people arriving at the back, Shaolin was caught in a dilemma. Thus, Monk Wuse brought the Abbot's meaning, telling Gu Qing not to overthink things.

"It is best if the Shaolin Temple can have this intention."

Gu Qing smiled upon hearing this and said, "I came to Shaolin today purely as an individual. To tell you the truth, I come from the Quanzhen Sect. In our Quanzhen Sect, we emphasize the unity of the three teachings, and we also chant the Heart Sutra. Over time, I have developed an admiration for Buddhist studies. Recently, I have killed too many people, and my heart is truly unsettled. I have come to Shaolin specifically to study Buddhist teachings."

Gu Qing knew that Monk Jueyuan was easy to talk to, and Monk Jueyuan did not think the Nine Yang Manual was all that precious. Therefore, as long as he reached an agreement with the Shaolin monks, once he reached the Scripture Library, the Nine Yang Manual would naturally be his.

Upon hearing this, Monk Wuse hurriedly led Gu Qing toward the Scripture Library.

When Gu Qing was in the modern era, he had once visited the Shaolin Scripture Library; it was not very large. However, in this Martial Arts World, the layout within the temple had changed. Monk Wuse led Gu Qing along the mountain path, and after not walking far, he saw a group of monks standing on the path. In the middle was one who looked very old, wearing the most dazzling kasaya, sitting in the very center of the path up the mountain.

"Elder!"

Monk Wuse saw the old monk and bowed in salute.

The old monk did not nod, but stared at Gu Qing, saying, "The Quanzhen Sect is the leader of the world, and the Shaolin Temple is not a place to be looked down upon by others!"

Gu Qing nodded, agreeing with the old monk's words.

The Shaolin Temple has a long heritage in the Jin-universe, and can be called the longest river.

The old monk frowned slightly when he heard Gu Qing actually agree. To tell the truth, if it were normal times, when Gu Qing came to visit the mountain, the Shaolin Temple would greet him politely, and both sides would have interactions and build a relationship, which would be good for both. But today, the timing of Gu Qing's arrival was too coincidental.

It felt like he was here to hold them accountable.

Moreover, Gu Qing had made the Shaolin monks move a chair for him in front of the mountain gate; that imperious manner was not very friendly either.

It was just that upon reaching Gu Qing, his easygoing appearance made them find it unbelievable.

"You say you are the Wu Lin Vice Alliance Master Gu Qing, do you have any proof?"

The old monk watched Gu Qing's easygoing manner, leaned back, lowered his eyes, and asked, still maintaining a condescending air.

"I have proof!"

Gu Qing replied. In that instant, his figure flashed like a wisp of green smoke within the Shaolin Temple, incredibly swift. The old monk saw this lightness skill and felt it was troublesome. He frowned slightly, watching Gu Qing flash past the Shaolin pavilions and return in the blink of an eye, holding several human heads in his hands.

Wuse recognized them at a glance; these were the Mongols from in front of the Shaolin mountain gate, whose heads had been taken by Gu Qing in the blink of an eye.

"See how cleanly I kill Tatars!"

Gu Qing said with a chuckle.

For people he didn't know, Gu Qing only gave them face once. The old monk putting on airs for the second time was pushing it.

Furthermore, the Mongols at the gate had dared to draw their blades on him first; they had already paved their own way to death!

(End of chapter)