Chapter 156: Meeting the Ascetic Monk Again

Lu Fang smiled faintly and did not argue; instead, he changed the subject. "Just now I overheard something—Song Ce really ambushed you?"

Li Yu nodded. "Not long ago, he suddenly called out to me, saying he wanted to talk about Little Master Shu. So I spoke with him for a few words behind."

"I didn't expect him to suddenly attack, but I'd already sensed something was off and was prepared—he didn't succeed."

"He's only a Confucian of Sixth Rank, Third Tier, yet his strength was stronger than I imagined. He must have fallen into demonic influence—but I still thought he seemed lucid, not like someone possessed."

She looked at Lu Fang in confusion. "Little Master Shu, how did you know Song Ce had fallen into demonic influence? If he hadn't attacked first, I never would've suspected it."

Lu Fang thought for a moment, then smiled. "His demonic influence is unusual—he seemed to become someone else. I discovered it in the Trial Grounds. Luckily you didn't fall for it; otherwise, the consequences would've been dire."

"I see." Li Yu nodded, then shook her head. "But why ambush me? I'm only Fourth Rank, First Tier, yet I have many ways to protect myself—it doesn't make sense."

"I don't recall ever offending him before."

"Could it be he realized you'd seen through him, and wanted to capture me to threaten you—make you stay silent?"

This guess was very close.

Lu Fang said nothing, only smiled. "I'm not entirely sure, but it's probably because of that."

"In that case, when are you returning to Da Zhou? Maybe I'll go with you." Li Yu said casually.

"That's best," Lu Fang agreed.

But immediately after agreeing, he regretted it—bringing Li Yu back meant Lu Ling would see her and start thinking too much.

Lu Fang hesitated a moment, but ultimately said nothing to refuse. He felt Li Yu was safest traveling with them; as for Lu Ling, he could explain ahead of time—it shouldn't be a problem.

Now that it was decided, there was no point in wasting time.

Zhou Yi led Lu Fang and Li Yu away from the Buddha Capital in secret, beginning their journey back to Da Zhou.

The seven of them disguised themselves, joined an unremarkable merchant caravan, and headed toward Da Zhou's border.

Along the way.

"Young Master, would you like some water?"

Fang Chun asked softly, walking beside him.

Lu Fang shook his head, watching in puzzlement as Lu Ling and Li Yu walked close together, hands clasped. He didn't know what they'd talked about, but their bond had clearly improved—though they now avoided him.

"Find a chance to get close and listen. See what they're talking about—whether it's about me."

He whispered the instruction to Fang Chun.

Fang Chun nodded without expression. After waiting a moment, she made an excuse, slowed her pace, and soon blended into the two women's group.

At that moment.

Zhao Qingzhu and Liu Yifeng stopped at the front. When Lu Fang caught up, she smiled. "I forgot to mention earlier—when the Prison Grounds opened, the Righteous Blade vanished too."

Lu Fang nodded. "I saw it."

Liu Yifeng chuckled. "That Righteous Blade is truly a rare treasure. Too bad it can't leave the Prison Grounds—if it could, your strength would've grown considerably."

He paused. "By the way, you mentioned that ascetic monk before. She wants to meet him, to ease his guilt."

"That's good," Lu Fang agreed.

…

Western Frontier Town.

Inside a tavern.

A disheveled, unkempt old monk lifted a wine jar, gulped down several large swallows, then slammed it onto the table. He let out a loud belch. "Looks like my drinking's improved—I'm drunk on a thousand cups today, hahaha…"

"Hey," a regular customer laughed. "Old Drunkard, were you really an ascetic monk? I've never seen one like you—no taboo against wine or meat."

"Why would I lie?" The ascetic burped again. "It's not bad this way. Have you heard of Bodhi Fruit Wine?"

"Really? Last time you said you drank it too—I don't believe it. That stuff's too precious."

The ascetic said nothing more, drank a few more sips, wiped his mouth with a greasy, stained sleeve, and hummed a local nursery rhyme.

"May I sit here?"

A familiar voice sounded.

The ascetic froze, recognized the speaker at once, and exclaimed excitedly, "Of course! Sit, sit, sit! Last time you bought me wine—this time I'll buy you some."

The visitor was Lu Fang.

After their last conversation, Lu Fang had given the ascetic a thousand taels of silver, so he had the confidence to say so.

Lu Fang smiled and nodded. "Someone wants to speak with you."

"Oh? Looking for me?" The ascetic frowned, then stared in shock as Liu Yifeng and Zhao Qingzhu entered. "You're that…?"

"Yes," Zhao Qingzhu bowed. "I came to apologize. When we met in the Trial Grounds, I didn't know how dangerous it was—or I never would've called for your help."

"I heard you've been burdened by guilt over it. So when I passed through here, I wanted to meet you—to say sorry, and thank you."

The ascetic threw back his head and laughed. "No, no, no—I'm the one who should apologize. I promised to save you, but when I pushed open that door, I hesitated."

Zhao Qingzhu smiled. "In any case, I'm out now—and thanks to you. No one else would've known I was in that special place within the Trial Grounds."

Throughout their conversation, the ascetic never stopped smiling.

It was clear he was happy—he'd carried guilt over this for so long; now that he knew Zhao Qingzhu had been saved, how could he not be joyful?

After Zhao Qingzhu and Lu Fang left, the ascetic laughed loudly. With his guilt lifted, though he had little confidence he could quit drinking, he felt he should try cultivating while drinking—it was a return to his true self.

This experience, he sensed, would bring him great benefit in his future cultivation.

Meanwhile, Lu Fang's group of seven successfully returned to Da Zhou, spending a certain amount of crystal stones to teleport directly to the Imperial Capital.

He could only smile bitterly—Shu Ling Yan Chixia had impersonated him in the capital and written "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer," but since it wasn't him, he couldn't complete the final line.

When he reached the last chapter, he simply could not write the final sentence.

The Da Zhou Literary Gazette hadn't published a new installment in a long time.

Yet because "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" was so fresh and compelling, and so many in Da Zhou had absorbed its literary aura and cultivation methods from the text,

Even though the story had remained unfinished for so long, it still drew massive admiration.