Chapter 127: Heading to Shaolin (Seventh update, seeking subscriptions, seeking monthly tickets)

A horse-drawn carriage moved slowly across the snowy ground.

The coachman was an old hand; even though the road was muddy and rugged, the carriage traveled very steadily, as if there were no bumps at all.

Yu Liancheng sat inside the carriage, his expression leisurely, with a pot of wine placed beside him.

Sitting opposite him was a withered, bald old man; it was none other than Xinmeiheshang.

Without his profound internal energy to support him, and having suffered injuries, he was aging far too rapidly, always giving one the feeling that he was on the verge of death.

Yu Liancheng looked straight at Xinmeiheshang, a faint smile on his lips, as if he were seeing something very interesting.

"Benefactor Yu, are you looking at this old monk?" Xinmeiheshang sat upright, his palms pressed together. This man was indeed worthy of being a world-renowned high monk; with his cultivation crippled and sitting in the same carriage as his enemy, he could still maintain his composure.

Yu Liancheng nodded.

Xinmeiheshang smiled bitterly: "I am a monk about to die, what is there to look at?"

Yu Liancheng laughed: "Because I think you are truly very interesting right now."

"You think this old monk is interesting?" Xinmeiheshang had never met anyone in his life who called him interesting.

Yu Liancheng said with a smile: "I have almost never seen a monk ride in a carriage or on horseback before; seeing it now, it is always a bit strange."

Xinmeiheshang said: "Monks are also people; not only must they ride in carriages, but they must also eat."

Yu Liancheng said: "Then why can't you sit comfortably? Watching you sit like that, I can't help but wonder if you've grown hemorrhoids."

Xinmeiheshang's face sank slightly, but this high Shaolin monk, aside from chanting "Amitabha," truly had no way to deal with the other party. After a long while, Xinmeiheshang could not help but ask again: "I wonder why Benefactor Yu is going to Shaolin Temple?"

"I thought you could hold back from asking," Yu Liancheng laughed: "But since you have asked, I will show great mercy and tell you: I wish to borrow the various unique skills of Shaolin Temple for a look. Shaolin masters have always been refined and understanding, and all living beings are equal; surely you will not let me return in vain."

Xinmeiheshang's expression changed, and he said decisively: "Absolutely impossible."

Yu Liancheng smiled faintly: "Don't be so decisive; I can make a deal with you all."

Xinmeiheshang said: "A deal? What kind of deal?"

Yu Liancheng smiled: "When we arrive at Shaolin Temple, you will naturally know."

Xinmeiheshang's expression remained cold: "Don't even think about this matter; no matter what the deal is, Shaolin Temple will not agree to it."

Yu Liancheng only smiled, offering no further explanation.

The carriage continued on its way, and when the sun set, the group found a quiet inn to rest.

Shaolin Temple's rules were strict; Xinmei and the other four disciples ate simple tea and rice, and while eating, they not only did not speak, but did not make a single sound.

Yu Liancheng never mistreated himself, naturally ordering a few exquisite dishes and a pot of good wine, placing them right in front of the Shaolin monks, preparing to let them watch him eat.

However, just as the dishes were served, Yu Liancheng paused and said: "You had best not eat; there is poison in the food."

Xinmeiheshang looked at Yu Liancheng suspiciously, because he had just said there was poison in the food, yet he was still using his chopsticks and drinking wine.

"Since there is poison in the food, why are you still eating?" Xinmeiheshang frowned, yet he still waved his hand to make the Shaolin disciples stop.

Yu Liancheng only said faintly: "I can eat it, but you cannot."

"Uncle-Master, we..."

The four Shaolin disciples wanted to speak but hesitated.

They had already been injured at Xingyun Manor, and today they had traveled for a whole day, exhausted and rushing about; their stomachs were growling with hunger. How could they stop eating just because of one sentence from the other party?

If this Benefactor Yu were to say "the food is poisoned" for several days in a row, wouldn't they starve to death?

"Don't be in a hurry to eat; caution is paramount." Xinmeiheshang had spent some time with Yu Liancheng and knew the other party was not someone who would joke about such things.

Just then, a dog kept by the innkeeper was chased out of the back kitchen by the cook, tail tucked and barking, seemingly hungry as well.

A monk's heart stirred; he picked up a piece of tofu and threw it to the puppy.

The dog had little interest in the tofu; it took one bite and then walked away listlessly.

Who would have thought that before it had gone far, it suddenly let out a wild bark, jumped up, collapsed on the ground, twitched a few times, and then lay motionless.

It was indeed poisoned.

And it was a very potent poison, lethal upon contact with blood.

Yu Liancheng laughed: "It seems all living beings are not necessarily equal; at least monks are much more noble than dogs, otherwise it would be the monk dying now, not the dog."

Xinmeiheshang's face sank, not because of Yu Liancheng's words, but because of the poison.

A hot-tempered monk had already darted out, grabbed the waiter nearby, and said sternly: "What poison did you put in the food?"

The waiter had noticed the scene earlier, and being frightened by the monk, his teeth chattered, and he could no longer speak.

Yu Liancheng could not help but shake his head: "Fool, if he had poisoned it, he would have run away long ago; why would he be here watching the excitement?"

Xinmeiheshang shouted: "Go to the kitchen quickly."

The four monks hurried toward the kitchen, but soon returned, reporting to Xinmei: "The cook in the kitchen has also been poisoned to death; someone threw a Poisonous Centipede into the oil used for stir-frying."

Yu Liancheng shook his head: "Stir-frying with a Poisonous Centipede, no wonder the taste was different."

Xinmeiheshang asked suspiciously: "Who is the poisoner? There are not many experts who can kill with snakes and insects invisibly."

Yu Liancheng said faintly: "It is Wudu Tongzi from Jile Tong in the Miao Border."

Xinmeiheshang exclaimed: "How could it be him? What is he doing in the Central Plains?"

Yu Liancheng laughed: "His four disciples died because of the Golden Silk Armor; he has come for me."

Those four disciples were actually killed by Afei, but everyone in the Edo knew that the "Six Absolute Mad Guest" had flaunted the Golden Silk Armor in public and killed his way to a fearsome reputation, so this debt was naturally counted on him.

Xinmeiheshang looked at Yu Liancheng again: "But you... but how can you still eat the food and drink the wine? Are you not afraid of his poison?"

Yu Liancheng nodded: "This bit of poison is really nothing to me."

Xinmeiheshang said: "How will you deal with Wudu Tongzi?"

"Although I am not afraid of his poison, having someone like that following behind is quite disgusting; I will deal with him tonight."

Yu Liancheng looked at Xinmeiheshang again and laughed: "As for you all, I advise you to gather in one room, do not eat, and do not drink water. Otherwise, if you are poisoned, I will not be responsible for saving you."

Xinmeiheshang could not help but ask again: "How do you plan to deal with Wudu Tongzi?"

Yu Liancheng smiled and took a faint sip of wine: "This mountain dweller has his own clever plan; I might as well tell you, I call this move 'using poison to fight poison'."