Chapter 88: Nine Yang Divine Art

Popular recommendation: The man's fingers gripping the stone trembled slightly; he was already in despair.

Relying on the stone in his hand, he might have been able to fend off refugees wanting to eat his child, but he could not fend off this group of vicious Yuan soldiers.

This group of Yuan soldiers numbered only a dozen or so, and they were not specifically targeting them; perhaps they had just happened upon this group of refugees while out foraging.

Yet such a coincidence from the heavens was a devastating catastrophe for the refugees.

"Another group of refugees, no profit to be made here."

One Yuan soldier said impatiently.

The eyes of the other Yuan soldiers also held mockery, as if what they saw before them were not people, but pigs and dogs.

"Hejiatuo, why don't we bet on who can take more heads? The loser treats the winner to a visit to Hongxiufang."

"Afraid of you?"

The Tatars grinned hideously, each drawing a long saber and charging over.

How swift were the warhorses; how could these refugees dodge? One saw a long saber thrust out, directly hoisting a person's body into the air; the powerful impact dragged the person's body for several yards, plowing a furrow in the ground.

The blade sliced a long gash in his body, then *crack! * it got stuck in the bone, emitting a harsh sound.

Blood flowed everywhere.

"One."

"Hahaha!

I just took two with this one."

These Yuan soldiers reported their numbers one after another, actually slaughtering refugees and keeping count for amusement!

One of them even used a long spear to pierce through the chests of two people at once, let out a roar, and hoisted both their bodies into the air.

The Yuan soldier who had only killed one refugee turned cold, hurriedly pulled out his long saber, turned his horse around, and charged back to catch up on his count.

Just at this moment, he suddenly heard the sound of something piercing through the air coming from far to near.

Before he could even turn his head, the next moment he felt a chill at his neck, and then the world before his eyes suddenly began to spin.

He saw his own body sitting upright on the horse's back, already headless.

Only then did his remaining consciousness realize that his head had flown off.

Even the horse between his legs had only just reacted, rearing up its front hooves violently and bucking his body off.

The surrounding Yuan soldiers were shocked, only to see a youth appear suddenly, no one knew from where.

He was dressed in green, one foot stepping on the horse's head, forcefully pinning the startled horse down so it dared not move at all.

Lu Li held a long sword, his eyes filled with ice.

"Both of the human race, yet you slaughter the common people for amusement; you are no different from demons."

"You deserve to die."

The next moment, Lu Li's figure vanished abruptly.

A chilling murderous intent and a biting Sword Qi erupted simultaneously, like a hurricane suddenly whipped up from blades.

Even the gloomy, heavy dark clouds could not obscure this sword light, which descended like thunder from the sky, carrying boundless fury.

The sword wind lasted for less than a single breath, and the sword light vanished in the blink of an eye.

The scholar held his wife and child in his arms, trembling as he shielded them, preparing to meet his end.

But suddenly, everything around them became deathly silent, with only the sound of his wife's teeth chattering together.

He secretly raised his head, only to feel as if he had seen the Shura underworld.

He saw that all ten or so Yuan soldiers had fallen to the ground, their heads and bodies cleanly separated.

A green-clad swordsman looked up at the low, heavy sky and said indifferently: "If all Tatars are like these, I shall surely drive them out."

Boom!

A thunderclap in the sky suddenly struck down, illuminating the earth with a blinding light.

The heavy dark clouds suddenly released large raindrops; there was no wind, and they pelted the ground alongside the scholar's tears.

"Amitabha."

A Buddhist chant came, and only then did the monk Jueyuan run over from the distance with Zhang Junbao and the white ape.

As it turned out, Lu Li, Jueyuan, and the others had been walking when they suddenly saw the Tatars committing murder for amusement without warning.

Jueyuan and Zhang Junbao had also seen this scene, and he too had wanted to step in to save the refugees.

But having lived deep in a Buddhist temple, they had not yet experienced the suffering of the human world; stunned by the tragic scene before them, they were momentarily frozen.

By the time the monk Jueyuan reacted,

Lu Li had already slaughtered all the Tatars!

Jueyuan had not expected Lu Li to be so resolute, reacting fiercely in an instant.

The sword showed no mercy, and blood flowed like a river.

Before he could even react, Lu Li had already drawn his sword and killed all these Tatars.

"Amitabha..."

The monk Jueyuan pressed his palms together; he hesitated for a moment, then still chanted prayers for the dead over the corpses of the Tatars and the refugees.

Beside him, Zhang Junbao clenched his fists tightly, his body trembling slightly.

At this time, Zhang Junbao was still young and not yet the future Grandmaster Zhang Sanfeng.

Seeing such a terrifying sight, he was inevitably a little afraid.

But since he would go on to become a grandmaster of his generation, his temperament surely possessed extraordinary qualities.

After only a moment, he endured and accepted everything before him.

Yesterday, Lu Li had helped Zhang Junbao defeat Xiaoxiangzi and his companion on Huashan, and Zhang Junbao was already grateful to Lu Li.

Seeing the cruelty of the Tatars and Lu Li's peerless sword technique today, his eyes were already filled with admiration.

"The Tatars deserve to die!"

Zhang Junbao swore to himself: "In the future, I too will drive out the Tatars, just like Brother Lu Li!"

Lu Li did not pay attention to Zhang Junbao's gaze; he turned his head and said to the crowd of refugees, "That group of Tatars should have some silver and dry rations on them; go find them yourselves."

Upon hearing this, the crowd stood stunned for several breaths before immediately pouncing on the corpses of the Yuan soldiers, like wild dogs that had been starving for many days.

At this moment, the number of refugees remaining was not even as high as the number of Yuan soldiers, so there was no need for them to fight over anything at all.

Even if their numbers were greater than the Yuan soldiers, they likely would not have dared to act rashly in front of Lu Li.

They stripped the dry rations from the corpses and swallowed them haphazardly, washing them down with rainwater.

Turbid water streaks flowed constantly down their faces, making it impossible to tell if they were tears or rain.

The crowd snuck glances at Lu Li, feeling that this person might be an immortal sent from the heavens, yet he seemed more like a soul-snatching judge who had walked out of the underworld.

That scholar who had also taken food did not swallow it immediately like the others.

He was seen supporting his wife as they walked over cautiously, and together they knelt on the ground before Lu Li.

"Many thanks to our benefactor for the grace of saving our lives; such great kindness and virtue cannot be repaid."

"If Benefactor has any orders, the family of Li Tong will not refuse even at the cost of death."

Lu Li lowered his head to look at Li Tong, the cold, sharp intent in his eyes undiminished.

The three members of Li Tong's family felt as if they were being pressed against by countless long swords, and they wished they could flee immediately.

The infant in the wife's arms cried incessantly, yet Li Tong kept pulling his wife to remain kneeling for a long time.

"Grateful and seeking to repay, knowing the difficulty yet not retreating—this is someone who can get things done."

Lu Li withdrew the coldness from his gaze and smiled gently.

At this smile, the family of Li Tong suddenly felt as if they were bathed in a spring breeze.

"Follow me from now on."

The family of Li Tong immediately bowed their heads in obeisance.

Seeing this scene, the remaining refugees all rushed over in a swarm.

"Immortal above, please save us!"

"Many thanks to the Immortal for the grace of saving our lives; take us with you!"

Lu Li's brows furrowed slightly, and a cold Sword Qi instantly enveloped them, causing them to fall silent at once.

"Scram."

Cold sweat poured down the crowd, and they scrambled away, rolling and crawling.

Some of the cowardly ones had already been terrified by the Sword Qi and fainted.

... In Huayin County, inside a medical clinic.

A physician carefully sliced open the white ape's belly, removed a bulging oilcloth parcel from inside, and then stitched the wound shut.

Zhang Junbao opened the oilcloth parcel and saw that the scriptures inside were indeed the four volumes of the "Lengjia Sutra." Finally, his face revealed joy as he said, "Master, it really is our set of scriptures."

The monk Jueyuan also revealed a relaxed smile; the master and disciple had run from Shaolin to Huashan and had finally recovered these scriptures.

"Lay Buddhist Lu, if not for your help, I fear we would not have been able to find these scriptures."

"This humble monk offers his sincere thanks."

The monk Jueyuan and Zhang Junbao bowed to Lu Li together.

Lu Li waved his hand and said, "You two are too polite; I also have a matter I would like to ask of you both."

"Please speak, Lay Buddhist."

"To tell you the truth."

"I am a seeker of the martial path and would like to borrow the Nine Yang Divine Art to take a look; I wonder if that is possible?"

Master Jueyuan said, "Lay Buddhist, you are attached to appearances."

"The so-called methods of strengthening the body are merely superficial minor paths..."

Lu Li knew that Jueyuan was not being stingy, but truly pedantic, so he immediately smiled and interrupted him, saying, "The martial path in my heart is greater than the Buddha in your heart, Master."

"Furthermore, the martial path can save people; can the Buddha do the same?"

Master Jueyuan was about to continue the debate, but Zhang Junbao directly shoved the four volumes of scriptures into Lu Li's hands.

"Master, let's just let Brother Lu see them."

Seeing this, Jueyuan smiled and said nothing more.

---Author's Note--- I overestimated my typing speed... I can only manage two chapters today... I will try to make up for one tomorrow, wuwu.