Chapter 353: Today: Refining the Viscera (Monthly Ticket Bonus Chapter)

"Everyone disperse!"

After Brother Zhongli Wang Luan dispersed his true qi, Nie Xianshan swept a glance around, barked once, and the crowd bowed and scattered.

"......"

The two old servants struggled to their feet, not even finishing a sentence before Nie Xianshan flicked a finger and knocked them to the ground:

"Bind them all!"

Brother Zhongli Wang Luan and Yan Yan Chunyang did not resist, so naturally no one actually bound them; the other guards and old servants, however, were all tied up tightly and led away under escort.

Han Tong moved swiftly, hoisting the unconscious-or-dead Ding Xiu in one hand, and glanced at Yan Yan Chunyang, whose face was dark as water:

"Marquis Yan, come with me."

He cast a cold glance at Nie Xianshan. Yan Yan Chunyang forcefully suppressed the fury in his heart, tightly gripping his string of beads, and followed Han Tong.

Nie Xianshan was ranked fifth on the Heroes List, a Grandmaster at the Heavenly Gang limit — let alone him, even Brother Zhongli Wang Luan might not be able to take many of his sword strikes. Fury burned in his heart, yet he had no desire to taste the Pure Yang Sword either.

Both men were very cooperative. Han Tong escorted Yan Yan Chunyang to Hushan, Dou Yue invited Brother Zhongli Wang Luan to Long Peak, and Xin Xin Wenhua led away the guards and old servants.

"Martial Uncle!"

At this moment, Chu Hun Tian Zhu had just hurried over. Seeing the scene, he could only let out a long, wooden sigh, step forward, and bow in greeting:

"Disciple Chu Hun Tian Zhu of the Samadhi Cave, greets Sect Leader Nie."

Nie Xianshan's face was dark as water, his mood seemingly even worse than Yan Yan Chunyang's. He glanced at Chu Hun Tian Zhu:

"Bind him too."

"??"

Chu Hun Tian Zhu froze. He had just wanted to protest when he felt a stinging pain between his brows, as if pressed by the tip of a divine blade. His face full of bitterness, he dared not move again.

Li Mou looked around, saw only himself remained on the field, and could only cup his hands:

"Brother Chu, after you."

"Sect Leader Nie!"

Half a beat slower than Chu Hun Tian Zhu were a group of experts from the Zhenwu Hall waiting outside the memorial archway. Now sensing something was wrong, they surged over one after another.

"Bind them!"

"Bind them all!"

Nie Xianshan's way of handling things, like his swordsmanship, was clean and decisive. With a wave of his hand, patrolling disciples in the distance swarmed over with a great clatter, binding every Zhenwu Hall expert who had stepped into the mountain gate.

Li Mou, who had not yet left, was instantly somewhat dumbfounded.

"Anyone else?"

Nie Xianshan swept his gaze toward the onlookers gathered outside the mountain gate. At the sight, every one of them turned pale and scattered like birds and beasts.

"Escort the prisoners to the Main Peak, then come to the Dragon Tiger Pagoda!"

Nie Xianshan glanced at Li Mou, and without waiting for the latter to react, had already flicked his sleeve and left.

"Yes."

The man had gone, yet Li Mou still cupped his hands and replied. After that, he did not lay a hand on Chu Hun Tian Zhu either, only glanced at him. The latter gave a bitter laugh:

"Since Sect Leader Nie has spoken, this junior brother should do as he's told. Chu will not bear a grudge against you. Only, if possible, I hope you'll place me together with Martial Uncle Zhong."

So reasonable?

The man was being so polite, so Li Mou's attitude was naturally very good as well. It was less an escort than leading the way, as he brought him to the Dragon Gate Main Peak.

On the road, he took the initiative to ask about the cause and consequence of the matter. Learning that Brother Zhongli Wang Luan had only drawn his blade to help because he had picked up a madman by the roadside, he could not help but be astonished.

"Martial Uncle Zhong is chivalrous and righteous; Li Mou is impressed."

Toward those who surpassed him in any respect, Li Mou had always held a measure of respect.

"......"

Chu Hun Tian Zhu glanced at him, unable for the moment to tell whether he was praising or subtly mocking.

This matter of first offending Zhenwu Hall, then offending Dragon Tiger Temple, gaining not the slightest benefit, and even dragging himself into imprisonment — he truly could not see what there was to admire.

"Li... Junior brother's surname is Li?"

Chu Hun Tian Zhu caught on, looked him up and down, and was visibly moved: "Junior brother, could you be the Dragon Gate Master's prized disciple, second on the Dragon List, the prodigy of weapon-forging, the rising star of Dragon Tiger — Li Mou, Junior Brother Li?"

Good fellow......

Daoist Li's thick skin flushed ever so slightly:

"A trifling bit of fame,

and Senior Brother Chu actually knows of it too? Li Mou is ashamed......"

"Junior Brother Li is too modest."

Under Chu Hun Tian Zhu's stream of praise, Li Mou, well aware of his meaning, still brought him to find Dou Yue. After receiving permission, he settled him together with Brother Zhongli Wang Luan in a small courtyard.

Dragon Tiger Temple had its own place for confining prisoners, but these two clearly did not fall into that category. This small courtyard lay behind the Main Peak, only a short distance from Li Mou's own residence, and the surroundings were quite pleasant.

"Senior brother, how will these two be dealt with?"

Outside the courtyard, Li Mou inquired.

"How to deal with them depends on the Daoist Lord. But if no lives were taken and that Ding Xiu truly did harbor the fugitive, and Yan Yan Chunyang truly is a beast in human skin, then they should be politely invited out, with apologies and thanks offered."

Dou Yue's voice was very loud, enough for the two men inside the courtyard to hear. The latter half, however, only Li Mou could hear:

"Otherwise, it's hard to say."

"Indeed hard to say."

Li Mou nodded.

The two men in the small courtyard — one was an elder of the Samadhi Cave, the champion of the previous generation's Tournament of the Dao, a Grandmaster-level great expert; the other was the second-ranked true disciple of the Samadhi Cave's current generation.

These were not people one could deal with lightly. One misstep, and the Daoist sects might well come to blows.

"Given Brother Zhongli Wang Luan's temperament, the former possibility is greater. If it's the former......"

The two exchanged a glance, both sensing this matter was troublesome.

These two held special status, but Yan Chunya was even more extraordinary—he was the Marquis Marquis Jingxiao of Dayun, the sole disciple of the King of Zhenwu, a man favored by the Emperor.

Even secretly killing him would shake the Jianghu; how much more so if handled openly?

But this matter is likely already spread—how can Longhu Temple preserve its face if we do nothing?

"A troublesome matter indeed."

Both minds were sharp; they grasped the trouble inherent in this affair. Douyue glanced at the courtyard gate, his gaze turning sharply hostile:

"That Zhong has no good intentions!"

"Master Uncle, you've ruined me!"

Inside the small courtyard, Chu Hun Tian Zhu's face was grim: "I was counting on participating in the June 6 Alchemy Gathering—miss this one, and there may never again be a 'He Lian Sui Sheng Xue Dan' at any future gathering!"

"What's to fear?"

Zhong Zhong Liuan did not enter the room; he sat cross-legged beneath the tree in the courtyard, appearing utterly calm:

"When we walk out, don't say just one bottle of 'He Lian Sui Sheng Xue Dan'—ten bottles will be yours!"

"Hm?"

Chu Hun Tian Zhu froze, then immediately understood: "You mean, when we walk out, we demand the medicine from Longhu Temple?"

"I've unearthed this great menace for Longhu Temple, yet I'm locked up here—how can they escape paying a price?"

Zhong Zhong Liuan snorted, a faint smile appearing on his rugged face.

"So that's why you surrendered so easily?"

Chu Hun Tian Zhu was moved—he realized he had likely underestimated his own Master Uncle.

"Not exactly. Nie the Old Taoist's Spiritual Form, 'Pure Yang Sword,' is too sharp—if we truly fought, he'd take half my life in fewer than ten strikes. Fighting him isn't worth it."

Zhong Zhong Liuan reached into his robe, pulled out a meat pie, and began chewing slowly. To catch this thief, he hadn't slept for at least three days, nor eaten or drunk a thing in a full day.

"... Then what's your plan?"

"That Ding Xiu's mouth is too hard—I nearly beat him to death, yet he wouldn't utter a single word. I suspect Yan Chunya, but without proof, what can I do?"

Zhong Zhong Liuan split half the pie with him:

"Wan Wan Zhuliu's disciple—who dares kill him without proof? I thought it over: better to expose it outright. Before all eyes, Longhu Temple must take this hot potato, whether they like it or not."

He shoved the remaining half-pie into his mouth, then closed his eyes slightly:

"After all, this is Mount Hengshan's affair. Longhu Temple has been fed by the people for two thousand years—shouldn't they lend a hand?"

"This..."

Chu Hun Tian Zhu was startled; he stepped back several paces, suddenly finding his Master Uncle—who had trailed him this far—strangely unfamiliar.

But after careful thought, he felt something was off:

"But if we inform them privately, and let Longhu Temple act on its own, wouldn't that avoid offending both Zhenwu Tang and Longhu Temple?"

"Sure, if we inform them privately and let Dragon-Tiger Temple take the lead, then we won't offend either Zhenwutang or Dragon-Tiger Temple—wouldn't that be better?"

Zhong Zhong Liuan opened his eyes, glancing at him: "What if Longhu Temple, intimidated by Wan Wan Zhuliu, refuses to punish Yan Chunya? Wouldn't that make all our efforts useless?"

Brother Zhongli Wang Luan opened his eyes, glanced at him: "What if Dragon-Tiger Temple, intimidated by that Wan Wan Zhuliu, refuses to deal with that Yan Yan Chunyang? Wouldn't that be a wasted effort?"

Chu Hun Tian Zhu muttered twice before remembering Liu San was the madman they'd met on the road; he sighed helplessly:

"The imperial court doesn't matter—it's never been friendly with us anyway—but Longhu Temple has ties to us. Now we've offended them too."

"The imperial court is one thing—we don't have much of a relationship with them anyway—but Dragon-Tiger Temple has some history with us, and now we've offended them too."

Zhong Zhong Liuan seemed to sense something; he slightly bowed toward the sky:

"Will Master Long blame me?"

"You damned brat!"

On the sixteenth floor of Longhu Tower, Long Long Yingchan sat cross-legged; myriad true energies wove before him into a luminous screen, upon which Zhong Zhong Liuan's figure bowed slightly, respectfully.

On the sixteenth floor of the Dragon-Tiger Pagoda, Long Long Yingchan sat cross-legged; strands of true qi wove before him into a sheet of light, within which Brother Zhongli Wang Luan cupped his hands slightly, his manner respectful.

Helian Feng scowled, beard bristling: "That bastard Zhong—if he'd told us privately, couldn't we have handled it quietly?!"

"Private handling has its advantages; public exposure has its own."

Long Long Yingchan stroked his long eyebrows—not angry, but approving:

"This Zhong lad has truly matured. After Fang Fang Sanyun, the next Master of Sanmei Cave should be him."

"This boy Zhong has truly been tempered through experience. Fang Fang Sanyun has a worthy successor—the next Lord of Samadhi Cave should be him."

Helian Feng felt a headache coming.

"Handle it? What's hard about it? Even if Wan Wan Zhuliu is protective, will he openly demand justice for a worm who raped and murdered women?"

Long Long Yingchan released his eyebrows; they sliced through the screen with a sharp sound. The final image flickered: Yan Chunya's face, cold as water.

"Find evidence. Send a copy to his master. Then cut off his head and hang it on the city wall—as a warning!"

"Find the evidence, send a copy to his master, then cut off his head and hang it on the city wall as a warning to others!"

Helian Feng frowned—he didn't think this was a good idea.

"If Wan Wan Zhuliu wants to come, he'll come whether we kill this brat or not. If he doesn't want to come, killing him won't make him come."

Long Long Yingchan pinched his eyebrows again, rubbing them thoughtfully:

"Old Nie is in a foul mood. You handle his hospitality. I must go see that Li boy... I was so startled by the alchemical formula I nearly forgot."

As his voice faded, he vanished from his spot.

Helian Feng blinked, then heard rapid, heavy footsteps approaching—Nie Xianshan arrived in a rush.

Brother Helian Feng paused slightly, then heard the sound of low, quick footsteps as Nie Xianshan came striding in, all fire and bustle.

Inside Longhu Tower, Li Yuan felt the mist before him clear; the next instant, he stood beside the brook where he'd last met Long Long Yingchan.

Inside the Dragon Tiger Pagoda, Li Yuan only felt the clouds and mist before his eyes disperse, and the next moment, he had already arrived at the small stream where he had last met Long Long Yingchan.

"Dao Master."

Seeing it was not Nie Xianshan, Li Yuan gave a slight start, but paid it no mind, cupping his hands in greeting.

"Your true Qi is full — you should be able to refine it now."

Long Long Yingchan looked toward Li Yuan, his gaze deep and dark:

"The heat is about right — today, then."

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