Chapter 86: Master and Disciple Jueyuan

Lu Li and Guo Xiang quietly followed behind the two. By this time, Lu Li's internal energy was already peerless in the world; although he had never practiced top-tier lightness skills, his movements were silent, making it impossible for others to notice him.

Although Guo Xiang was troubled by matters concerning Yang Guo, she was naturally a quirky and eccentric person. Tracking others like this actually piqued her interest, causing her to cast her worries to the back of her mind.

They saw the two quietly ascend to the peak and hide behind a large rock. One of them whispered, "Brother Xiaoxiang, the mountains and forests of this Huashan are deep and dense. If we hide here, I reckon that bald donkey won't be able to find us no matter how high his martial arts are. Once he leaves, we can take out the divine skill from the *Lankavatara Sutra* to practice."

Hearing the mentions of the *Lankavatara Sutra* and the divine skill, Lu Li had already guessed that this matter was related to the *Nine Yang Divine Skill*.

This person addressed the other as "Brother Xiaoxiang," so this was likely the incident where Xiaoxiangzi and Yinxike stole the scriptures from the Shaolin Temple, and the monk they spoke of was likely Jueyuan, who was in pursuit of them.

Sure enough, Xiaoxiangzi said, "True, but let us not rashly go down the mountain. That bald donkey cannot find us, so he will surely guard the mountain path. Let us first find a desolate Taoist temple, slaughter the Taoists inside, and stay there for a few months. That monk will have no choice but to give up and return empty-handed."

"Brother Xiaoxiang's plan is excellent!"

Although the two spoke in low, secret whispers, Lu Li heard them clearly. Guo Xiang's internal energy had not yet reached a high level of mastery, so although she was beside Lu Li, she only heard a few words.

She pulled on Lu Li and whispered, "Hey, what are those two guys saying?"

Lu Li explained the situation to Guo Xiang, and she nodded, saying, "Xiaoxiangzi and Yinxike? I have heard Brother Yang mention these two. Like Jinlun Fawang and Huodu, they are all lackeys who aid the Mongols in their evil deeds. These two stealing scriptures is certainly not for any good reason."

Lu Li nodded; Guo Xiang had guessed correctly.

Guo Xiang continued, "However, Brother Yang also said that these two villains have unique martial arts. If the two of them join forces, only my maternal grandfather and the others could block them. If they are being chased by a single monk, I wonder who that monk is?"

Just then, a shout suddenly came from the mountainside, sounding like a great bell and shaking one's soul.

"The two friends who borrowed books without returning them, please show yourselves!"

This sentence, when shouted, caused the mountains to resonate; it was clear that the speaker's internal power was extremely profound, not inferior to that of Yang Guo and the others.

Looking toward the sound, they saw a gray-robed monk carrying a young boy, sprinting up the mountain. However, he had lost the trail of the two and could only wander about in confusion.

Seeing his flustered appearance, Guo Xiang

could not help but say, "Hey, big monk! Those two are here!"

As soon as her voice fell, Lu Li heard two sounds of air being pierced, and two Funeral Nails shot out from behind the rock where Xiaoxiangzi and his companion were hiding.

Lu Li had no sword in his hand, which meant most of his prowess was gone. But his cultivation was exceptionally high; with a mere flick of his sleeve, he deflected the two hidden weapons.

"Want to fight?"

Lu Li shouted, his True Qi erupting, and he charged toward the two's hiding spot like a cannonball.

He drew a circle in front of his chest with his right hand and struck out violently; it was the form of the "Regretful Dragon Subduing" he had learned, though he lacked the method of exerting force for it.

Yet, Lu Li's cultivation was so high that as his True Qi followed his palm strike, it erupted with a momentum no weaker than Guo Jing's *Xianglong Shiba Zhang*.

Hearing Lu Li's roar, Xiaoxiangzi and Yinxike were shocked, and seeing his *Split Air Palm* force was incredibly fierce, they had no choice but to jump out from behind the rock to dodge.

Lu Li's palm slammed into their original position, leaving several cracks in the mountain rock that was over a person's height.

Having missed with his palm, Lu Li thought to himself that while his swordsmanship was peerless, this palm technique was a bit of a mess.

During this moment of obstruction, the monk Jueyuan had already caught up and blocked Xiaoxiangzi and his companion.

Xiaoxiangzi and Yinxike exchanged a look, knowing they could not escape, and each drew their weapons. Xiaoxiangzi held a Mourning Stick, and Yinxike held a Golden Soft Whip.

The two glared at Lu Li and said coldly, "We have never met you, sir; why do you meddle in our affairs?"

"I meddle if I want to; what can you do about it?" Lu Li stood with his hands behind his back, not taking these two seriously at all.

Although the two were filled with hatred, they feared the powerful True Qi Lu Li had just unleashed and dared not strike rashly.

Jueyuan arrived at Lu Li's side at this moment. Instead of rushing to capture Xiaoxiangzi and his companion, he bowed to thank Lu Li: "This humble monk Jueyuan of Shaolin Temple, I thank you, benefactor, for your righteousness."

Only then did Lu Li see Jueyuan's appearance clearly; he was tall and upright, gentle and refined, looking less like a monk and more like a scholar.

However, compared to Huang Yaoshi's untrammeled, eccentric, and mountain-dwelling spirit, this monk Jueyuan looked more like a bookish blockhead.

Jueyuan pressed his palms together in a bow, appearing very respectful and rigid.

Not only that, he pulled the young boy beside him to bow to Lu Li and Guo Xiang.

"Junbao, quickly bow to the two laypeople."

The young boy stepped forward to bow. Lu Li knew this person was the future Zhang Sanfeng. This Zhang Junbao had not yet grown into the future founder of Wudang and was currently a boy two years younger than himself. Seeing Zhang Junbao bow to him, Lu Li suddenly had the urge to bully him.

It was just like knowing a tiger is fierce and mighty, but still wanting to pet it hard while it is still a cub!

Who pets cats if they are a serious person?

Tiger ×

Big cat √

Lu Li withdrew his thoughts of petting the cat and waved his hand, saying, "It was just a casual act."

After finishing his bows, Jueyuan pressed his palms together again and turned to persuade Xiaoxiangzi and Yinxike: "This humble monk oversees the *Cangjing Pavilion*; if the scriptures in the pavilion are lost, I will be held responsible. I ask the two laypeople to return the borrowed scriptures; this humble monk would be grateful for your great kindness."

Guo Xiang asked curiously, "Monk Jueyuan, you are such a strange person. They stole the scriptures, so why are you being so polite to them? Just knock them down and take the scriptures back."

Unexpectedly, Jueyuan shook his head and said, "Benefactor Guo, that will not do. In this world, nothing is more important than reason. If the two laypeople borrowed them, they should just return them to me; how can one strike others first?"

Hearing this, Lu Li and Guo Xiang were stunned, and they couldn't help but think to themselves: why is this monk Jueyuan so pedantic?

At this moment, Yang Guo, Huang Yaoshi, and the others also reached the peak. Hearing the shouts of Jueyuan and Lu Li, they thought something had happened and hurried over.

Xiaoxiangzi and Yinxike were like two deer surrounded by a pack of wolves; although they held weapons, they were trembling with fear.

Any one of the people around them was someone they could not handle, let alone this group gathered together.

Seeing everyone arrive, Lu Li introduced Jueyuan to them, and only then did everyone learn the cause of the matter.

It turned out that Monk Jueyuan had found the injured and unconscious Xiaoxiangzi and his companion on the mountain and saved them. Who would have thought that one night, while Jueyuan was meditating, the two pressed Zhang Junbao's acupoints and stole the four volumes of the *Lankavatara Sutra*.

Yinxike was about to argue, but seeing Lu Li's cold gaze, he did not dare to speak.

Yang Guo asked, "Master Jueyuan, these two villains would never truly devote themselves to Buddhist studies. Is there anything special about these four volumes of the *Lankavatara Sutra*?"

Hearing this, Jueyuan pondered for a moment and said, "A monk does not tell lies. Among these *Lankavatara Sutras*, there is indeed a scripture called the *Nine Yang Manual*."

Once these words were spoken, Huang Yaoshi and the others were stunned. They knew that the first *Huashan Sword Debate* was for the sake of competing for the *Nine Yin Manual*, and the subsequent bloodbaths in the martial arts world were mostly caused by that manual. How could there be a *Nine Yang Manual* now?

Nine Yang against Nine Yin—it was truly too coincidental.

Jueyuan did not seem to notice everyone's surprise and continued, "This *Nine Yang Manual* records some methods for strengthening the body. When I recited the Buddhist scriptures, I followed them one by one. Over these decades, I have not fallen ill, and in recent years, I have taught some of the easier parts to Junbao."

"That *Nine Yang Manual* only teaches methods for maintaining the body; it is a superficial path, so it does not matter if it is lost. But the *Lankavatara Sutra* is a great Buddhist classic, and since the two laypeople do not understand the Sanskrit script, it would be better to return it to this humble monk."

Huang Yaoshi raised an eyebrow and thought to himself: "This great monk has clearly practiced peerless martial arts by following the Nine Yang Divine Skill without even realizing it, thinking it is merely a method for strengthening the body. If I had not seen with my own eyes how pedantic and observant of etiquette he is, I would certainly have thought he was putting on an act. As he is, I fear even the monks of Shaolin Temple do not know the martial arts he possesses."

Lu Li shook his head secretly, unable to help but sigh that the Buddhist concept of karmic affinity truly had some truth to it. That such a dull-witted person as the monk Jueyuan could actually master a peerless divine skill.

A divine skill that looked down upon the martial arts world, yet he treated it as if it were radio calisthenics!

Xiaoxiangzi and Yinxike exchanged a glance, both shaking their heads and saying: "Everything must be governed by reason; I have cast aside all worldly desires, so how could I have any scriptures on me?"

Having said this, the two of them opened their robes and shook them out, and they were indeed completely empty.

Seeing this scene, Zhang Junbao immediately became anxious.

Truth be told, the scriptures had been snatched from his hands. But he knew that if punishment were to be meted out, Master Jueyuan would certainly block it for him.

In any case, he could not let his master suffer for his own sake.

"Let me search them!"

Zhang Junbao suddenly shouted, then rushed forward to search them.

That Xiaoxiangzi and Yinxike were also heroes of their generation; how could they let a small child search them?

With a wave of their hands, they easily deflected Zhang Junbao's arms and sent him tumbling.

Zhang Junbao was still young, and after climbing up from the ground, he was at a loss for what to do next.

"Pedantic!"

Just at this moment, Lu Li suddenly shouted. Unwilling to argue further with Jueyuan, he flashed forward and arrived instantly before Xiaoxiangzi and his companion.

He had no sword in his hand, so he extended two fingers, using them as a sword, and suddenly slashed out.

This sword strike was incomparably fierce and swift. Although it was merely flesh and blood, it was sharper than a steel sword.

Xiaoxiangzi and his companion only felt a chill run through their bodies, unable to dodge.

Having just witnessed Lu Li's Split Air Palm, they were already terrified, but they had not expected Lu Li's sword technique to be far superior to his palm technique.

In an instant, Lu Li's Finger Sword struck the shoulders of the two men respectively.

An incomparably sharp Sword Qi instantly penetrated their bodies, stabbing directly into their meridians.

The two felt as if countless tiny swords were pressing against their meridians and acupoints; if they moved even slightly, they would taste the pain of ten thousand swords piercing their hearts.

The two dared not move at all; this finger technique was more terrifying than any acupoint-sealing method in the world.

Lu Li said indifferently: "Now, you may search them. But I fear you will not find anything."

Xiaoxiangzi and his companion grimaced in pain, cold sweat pouring down, yet they dared not act rashly.

Zhang Junbao thanked Lu Li and reached out to search the two men inside and out, and indeed, there was no Lankavatara Sutra.

Guo Xiang said anxiously: "Impossible, I heard the two of them talking just now; the scriptures must have been stolen by them. Since they cannot be found on their persons, they must have hidden them."

Wu Xiuwen said: "Shall we use some torture to see if they will talk?"

Upon hearing this, Jueyuan suddenly blocked the two of them, saying firmly: "A sin, a sin, everyone, you must not! The loss of the scriptures is this humble monk's responsibility; one must never let others suffer for it. Amitabha..."

Huang Rong said: "Brother Lu's sword strike is already enough for them to bear. These two are desperate men; even if we were to cut off their hands and feet, I fear we would not be able to ask anything out of them."

The crowd shook their heads, all saying that the scriptures could not be found. Only Lu Li stared at the two, sneering slightly.

Just at this moment, a shrill cry of an ape suddenly came from nearby. The crowd turned to look and saw Yang Guo's divine eagle chasing and bullying a white ape.

That white ape was also a strange creature, but for some reason, it did not dare to fight the divine eagle. It could only flee desperately, emitting chirping cries of sorrow.

Guo Xiang found it pitiful, ran over, and called out to the divine eagle: "Big Brother Eagle, please spare this ape."

The divine eagle was extremely intelligent and immediately stopped its claws.

Yinxike and Xiaoxiangzi were being tortured miserably by Lu Li's Sword Qi; they beckoned to the white ape in a wretched state, and the white ape walked over with a staggering gait—it turned out to be one they had tamed.

Seeing the two men and the one ape in such a miserable state, the crowd felt a sense of pity and were unwilling to make things difficult for them anymore.

Master Jueyuan was an even more pedantic person, and sighing, he prepared to let the two leave.

But at this moment, Lu Li suddenly spoke:

"The scriptures are in the ape."

As soon as these words were spoken, Xiaoxiangzi and Yinxike were struck as if by lightning.