Chapter 413: This Monk's Life Has Been Worth It

"Master, aren't I the one delivering the visiting card?" Maeda Wang took a few steps forward, finally unable to resist looking back at Tang Luo and Ao Yulie and asking.

Why did I get caught up to by these two halfway through delivering the visiting card!

Even if he wanted to run, he couldn't just run off like that.

He would definitely have to make full preparations; how could he act on a sudden impulse and run off alone?

Besides, a small fry like him wasn't worth both of them coming together to tail him.

"Right, you deliver it, and once you're done we'll head to Moon Palace." Ao Yulie said, as if it were only natural, and with considerable anticipation.

Moon Palace's heroines? Are they female benefactors, female bodhisattvas, or female yaojing?

He carried a Coiling Dragon Staff slanted across his back, a Black Flame Yaodao at his waist, his peerlessly handsome face extremely conspicuous.

Add in two Holy Weapons that jianghu people coveted and passed down by word of mouth, and he drew the eye tremendously.

All along the way, many people were discussing in low voices, and cries of surprise rang out.

Like "Ah, that's Young Master Yulong, right! Young Master Yulong, right!"

"He looked at me! He looked at me! I declare that from today on I only like Young Master Yulong!"

"I declare your declaration valid."

"You said yesterday you only liked Young Master Lianhua."

"Fine, if Young Master Lianhua also gives me a glance, I'll keep liking him too."

"Why not Fourth Young Master, that white hair is so handsome too……"

"Shut up, that's Fourth Degree... Monk, he's Young Master Yulong's master. Don't look at his youth, it's because his internal energy is profound and he has face-preserving arts; his age might be as old as your grandfather."

"Ah, what martial art, I so want to learn it."

"Does that mean Young Master Yulong will stay peerlessly handsome like this in the future too?"

—The above comes from various jianghu heroines, as well as young ladies from great families who are not at all ladylike, and young ladies from modest families who are not at all modest.

"The Three Great Young Masters, judging by their bearing, they don't seem to be undeservedly famous."

"Too bad he follows a yaomo——"

The word "Monk" hadn't even been finished before the person beside them covered their mouth and dragged them away.

You bastard don't want your life, but we still want ours!

Everyone knows the other's master is a yaoseng, that even Hate Heaven Gate isn't taken seriously, yet you still dare speak ill of him?

You think whispering behind someone's back means they can't hear?

For a master, eavesdropping is as easy as listening to a sow squeal; did you know that? If you didn't know you still dared spout nonsense, drag him away and beat him first.

This is the jianghu, the aura of bloody romance.

"Deliver it and then show up at the door..." Maeda Wang wore a completely baffled expression; what kind of operation was this.

Speaking of visiting cards, shouldn't one explain the situation, wait for the other party's response, and then agree on a time and place?

Deliver the card and show up at the door on the spot — what kind of visiting card is that, at best it's a notification?

At most it doesn't count as forcing one's way in.

A place like Moon Palace has large numbers of jianghu people coming from afar every day.

Naturally it's impossible for just any random person to be able to visit Moon Palace.

Among the Four Great Holy Lands, Moon Palace is the second hardest to visit.

The hardest goes without saying — naturally it's Flying Sword Gate.

Because there are only two disciples, outsiders fundamentally don't know the sect's location; it's heard to be on some absolute peak, where master and disciple return only once a year to pay respects to the sect's ancestors.

It's called a sect address, but it's more like a ruin.

Sword Young Master is fine, he travels everywhere, his whereabouts aren't that secret.

Falling Petal Sword God is a dragon seen head but not tail, fully possessing a master's bearing.

Any master of that level is in one of two states: either secluded or holding down a place, never stepping out, and an appearance means a major jianghu event is happening or about to happen — more accurate than a weather forecast.

Or they wander everywhere, leaving behind nearly divine legends and stories in various places.

Moon Palace's Palace Master belongs to the former.

To show respect for the Four Great Holy Lands — mainly afraid of scaring the other three holy lands, in case running off with Holy Weapons would be unsightly.

So a visiting card is absolutely necessary.

"First the visiting card, then the visit — that's etiquette, you don't understand." Ao Yulie said to Maeda Wang.

Maeda Wang showed a smile uglier than crying; fine fine fine, your fist is big so whatever you say is right.

He no longer paid attention to the two behind him, focusing on delivering the letter.

In this incomparably bustling capital city, there is a great lake named Moon Lake, and in the lake lies an island shaped like a crescent moon.

Moon Palace is built upon this island.

This island has no name; Moon Palace is the island, the island is Moon Palace.

Because of Moon Palace, this capital is also called "Daughter City"; the streets teem with people, and women are not few in number.

The area around Moon Lake is extremely lively.

Restaurants and inns stand in rows, and there are many martial halls, even sects that have set up "recruitment points" here.

If they can recruit one or two good seedlings brushed off by Moon Palace, that's a good thing.

Moon Palace looking down on them doesn't mean other jianghu sects look down on them.

Moon Palace opens its doors widely every year to recruit disciples once; the number varies, depending on circumstances.

This year Moon Palace's recruitment time is in one month, but many people have already arrived early, afraid of missing the chance.

All kinds of people wanting to get in touch with Moon Palace in advance through all kinds of means are also very numerous.

Moon Palace has no road connecting to the outside world, at least not on the surface.

Just a small dock by the lake, a flat-bottomed boat that could seat five people at most moored beside it.

On the dock also stood a simple two-story building called the Moon-Viewing Pavilion, which could be understood as Moon Palace's external liaison office.

However, the "staff" were not what everyone imagined — whether dashing and heroic, or delicate and charming "Moon Palace fairies."

They were several aunties.

A jianghu sect composed entirely of women, and all of them are beauties?

Thinking too much. Such a vast Moon Palace — how could it possibly be all beauties? Miscellaneous chores need menials to do them.

Moon Palace's burly, rough matrons have left quite a few clueless, self-styled romantic young heroes with psychological shadows they could never erase in a lifetime.

Inside the Moon-Viewing Pavilion, several tiger-backed, bear-waisted aunties — not the least bit delicate-featured — dealt with the endless stream of jianghu people.

Their faces showed no pleasant expression either; for all kinds of visiting cards they didn't even spare a glance, just tossed them into the paper basket beside them.

Wait until evening to send them back; they would be uniformly reviewed by someone, and a decision made.

As for those "I am so-and-so from such-and-such sect, specially come to seek audience with Moon Palace's so-and-so" young heroes or not-so-young young heroes — all of them, scram.

Those who dare pester endlessly — all of them get planted upside-down into the dirt.

Why not throw them into the lake?

Naturally because throwing them into the lake would dirty Moon Palace's environment.

Just like dorm matrons under a girls' dormitory, deterrence at full strength.

Maeda Wang squeezed in the crowd, feeling like he'd relived his old commuting days — why become a god/demon walker and still have to do this?

Thinking about it made sorrow well up from within, unable to extricate himself.

But this was actually a good thing too — at least it proved that in the eyes of non-interested parties, he, Maeda Wang, was just an insignificant nobody.

Unlike Tang Luo and Ao Yulie, who were so eye-catching.

If one had heard the rumors and observed a bit, one could mostly determine the two's identities.

Maeda Wang, unable to extricate himself, spent quite some effort reaching the "dorm matron" and handed over the visiting card in his hand.

The auntie didn't even look, just about to toss it into the paper basket beside her.

Maeda Wang immediately prompted: "That's Master Xuanzang's visiting card."

The auntie reacted fast, hand snatching out, catching the card half-in-midair, looked at Maeda Wang and said: "What did you say?"

"This is Master Xuanzang's visiting card. Master Xuanzang and disciple Young Master Yulong, come to pay respects to Moon Palace, hope you'll relay the message."

Maeda Wang neither servile nor overbearing, tone steady.

No perfunctory going-through-the-motions — preparing to jump ship is one thing, not doing the job is another matter entirely.

"Sure enough they've come." The auntie murmured, a kite-turn in midair, her whole body spinning once in the air.

Left the Moon-Viewing Pavilion, dropped onto the flat-bottomed boat moored behind.

Figure light and nimble, forming a stark contrast with her tiger-backed, bear-waisted build.

Leaving quite a few young heroes dumbstruck, then thoughtful.

Before they could indulge in any fantasies, they were slapped awake by experienced elders beside them.

Wake up, young people. These aunties are real, solid aunties — no such thing as deliberately pretending to be ugly.

Don't tell me about jianghu disguise arts, martial arts, and such.

I know it can be done, but these aunties are just aunties, not Moon Palace fairies.

You're still young, haven't heard of the events twenty years ago.

Twenty years ago, there were imagination-rich young people like you, deceived by movement techniques, firmly believing that beneath the matrons' appearance hid beautiful heroines.

Gave chase, finally succeeded in embracing the auntie home.

Unexpectedly on the wedding night, discovered the auntie was just an auntie — everything stemmed only from his imagination.

In shock and anger, decided to abandon her after taking advantage, go down fighting, leave tonight.

Three days later caught by Moon Palace; as punishment for abandoning her after taking advantage, forced to sing at the top of his lungs "Cut the rooster cut the rooster cut the rooster cut the rooster."

Moon Palace's matrons — how ruthless are their methods?

Know how to peel an apple? Knowing is enough.

To this day, those in the know — men — all feel a chill rise from the crotch when this is mentioned.

One side heart like still water, one side sighing that today's young heroes are too young.

Beside him, Maeda Wang also listened and couldn't help moving his legs.

This is the jianghu — a sect entirely composed of women, able to gain a foothold in the jianghu and even become one of the holy lands.

What they rely on isn't beauty, not merely beauty.

Only clueless youths would harbor unrealistic fantasies about Moon Palace.

Of course, men are boys till death.

"Over there!"

Suddenly, a commotion came from the other side.

Everyone stretched their necks to look.

Only to see on the rippling Moon Lake surface, two figures walking toward the Moon Palace in the middle.

Unhurried, the two stepped on the water surface, as if on level ground, astonishing.

Treading waves, treading water — for jianghu people, not a rare thing.

Lightness skill a bit higher and you can do it; treading snow without trace, lightly stepping on slender branches and flashing past — all basic operations.

But these situations all share one commonality: speed.

What truly reflects superb lightness skill is standing on a slender branch, swaying with the wind.

Or like what's being seen right now.

Walking on the water's surface, unhurried, as if treading on level ground.

Few in the jianghu can achieve this; every one of them is a supreme master of lightness skill.

Who are these two now?

"It's Young Master Yulong! Look at the staff on his back! And the saber!"

"Such a handsome, carefree back! It's definitely Young Master Yulong!"

"I heard days ago that Master Xuanzang and his disciple were headed this way; didn't expect they'd actually come to Moon Palace?"

"Could it be they've come for the Holy Weapon?"

A single small boat with a black awning sailed from the Moon Palace side, soundless, extremely fast, and soon stopped before Tang Luo and the other.

Standing on the shore, one couldn't hear what the boatwoman and those two were saying.

Only saw the two board the boat; the small boat swayed slightly, drifting toward Moon Palace.

The crowd of jianghu people watched with endless envy.

A lifetime in the jianghu — if one could be like those two, walking on water, making Moon Palace come out to welcome them.

That would truly make this old man's life worth it.