Chapter 76: Bodhisattva Temple on a Rainy Night

Hush~

Shaking off the dust from his hemp robe, Li Yuan fumbled in the dark to change clothes, covering his face with rags. As he turned to leave, he saw a field mouse trembling by the bedpost, while his own reflection in the bronze mirror was wreathed in killing intent.

"Things have changed..."

Li Yuan paused slightly, pulled the rags on his face higher, and turned to charge into the rainy night.

Only after dying and being reborn did he know how precious life is.

In this foreign land, with no familiar faces in sight, whoever wants to kill me, this Daoist will kill them!

Crack!

A thunderclap exploded in the night sky; the heavy rain fell like a curtain.

Li Yuan ran through the rainy night, not forgetting to check the various weapons on the gray stone platform: the Wind-Breaking Hammer and the Six-Heaven Boots were arranged neatly.

At the same time, he sensed the changes within himself after cultivating internal strength.

With a wisp of internal strength born, the blood qi throughout his body seemed to gain a backbone; its circulation and flow sped up by an unknown amount, swirling around his body as if nourishing his physique at every moment.

Since his bone structure was altered, physical strength that had ceased growing for many days seemed to have started increasing again.

Especially in the waist, abdomen, hands, and feet, it felt as if clusters of blazing fire were burning.

"The explosion speed of internal strength is related to one's own blood qi circulation; only where the blood qi covers can it explode! The great circulation is far superior to the small circulation!"

"But there is only a wisp of internal strength, moving with the blood qi; there will be a momentary lag when it explodes. No wonder Qin Xiong couldn't explode his internal strength back then; it was simply too late..."

"When fighting an internal strength martial artist, one must be fast; killing in one strike is best. Even if that fails, one must strike like a violent storm, not giving them time to explode their internal strength!"

Hush!

Pushing off with his feet, he leaped forward; the swift wind and rain were knocked aside in an instant. Internal strength spread throughout his body along with the blood qi; wherever he exerted force, it could explode there.

"It's as if springs were installed under my feet; I can leap twenty or thirty meters in one bound! Speed has skyrocketed. No, it's not just speed; the coordination of my entire body and reaction speed have all increased..."

Only at this moment did Li Yuan truly feel the power of internal strength.

This is different from the boost of blood qi; internal strength can penetrate the body and burst outward!

Only now did Li Yuan realize how correct his ambush of Qin Xiong had been; if they had fought face-to-face, it would have inevitably been a bitter battle.

An internal strength martial artist explodes like a fierce tiger; whether in speed or explosive power, the only flaw lies in the lag of the internal strength explosion...

"Best to kill in a single strike!"

Li Yuan's mind was set.

Seeing the location of the weapon forge from afar, he exerted force underfoot, leaping three or four meters from flat ground, lightly pressing the eaves, and flipping himself up.

With another rise and fall, he landed on the courtyard wall.

"The back courtyard is behind the inner courtyard private school. Cao Yan is not here; Wang Ding resides in the back..."

The layout of the weapon forge was clear in Li Yuan's mind; with a mere thought, he avoided the areas where the night guards patrolled and arrived at the back courtyard glowing with faint light.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, he crouched low. Through the rain curtain, he saw two figures in black clothes, one following the other, climbing out of Yu Zhen's courtyard.

"Is that Yu Zhen?"

Li Yuan saw the long blade carried by one of them and guessed that person must be Yu Zhen, while the other...

"... carrying an iron spear... Besides Tang Tong, only Wang Ding in the inner courtyard knows the Green Snake Spear. When did these two get involved together?"

Li Yuan climbed onto the roof and looked through the rain curtain; the two figures clearly had a strong purpose, moving straight ahead, heading directly for the inner city.

"Waiting for him to return? Or..."

With a thought, Li Yuan quickly searched the room but couldn't find the Fundamental Diagram of the Green Snake. With a slight shift in thought, he chased after them.

Why would a decent person go out on a rainy night?

These two must have something fishy going on...

Whoosh, whoosh~

In the night rain, two black shadows darted across the eaves along the street; one rise and fall sent raindrops flying, covering over twenty meters at incredible speed.

"These Fuxiu Fuxiu Daoren are truly accustomed to sleeping in the wind and dew; they don't even wear a bamboo hat..."

Holding the long spear upside down and wearing a bamboo hat, Wang Ding fell behind, watching Yu Zhen sprinting wildly in the rain, and sighed inwardly.

He had grown accustomed to comfort; even wearing a bamboo hat, he found the rain hitting him very uncomfortable.

"The aftereffects of Bai Shen Fa are too severe! I must find a Wu Gong of at least middle grade, otherwise, sooner or later I will go mad and die..."

"... My Soldier Dao Battle-Hammer!"

The heavy rain struck his face, yet Yu Zhen only felt an unbearable heat throughout his body; the killing intent in his chest was almost impossible to suppress.

Who exactly killed Nian Jiu?!

Bang!

Yu Zhen suddenly stopped, turning back to look at Wang Ding:

"Did you kill Nian Jiu?"

"?"

Seeing Yu Zhen's reddened eyes, Wang Ding was startled and said in a low voice:

"Are you crazy? That day, all of us were together..."

"Then who was it?"

Yu Zhen turned around and muttered to himself in a low voice.

Has he really gone mad?

Wang Ding suddenly felt some regret about teaming up with Yu Zhen, but it was too late to regret now; gazing out from this eaves.

In the night rain, the Thousand-Eyed Bodhisattva Temple could already be seen.

"Go!"

Yu Zhen took a deep breath and vanished into the curtain of rain.

Wang Ding sighed inwardly and could only follow.

"The Thousand-Eyed Bodhisattva Temple?"

From a distance, Liang Liang Ashui saw the two; he did not leap across eaves or run along walls, but tracked them along the street, yet he still caught sight of their figures.

"Could Yu Zhen's Bai Shen Fa have been obtained from that temple?"

Gazing at the ancient temple in the rain, Liang Liang Ashui narrowed his eyes slightly.

Since that temple gave those two pendants to his sister-in-law, he had kept this Bodhisattva Temple in mind, originally planning to cultivate the Bai Yuan Jin before going to investigate.

"This is quite a coincidence..."

Sensing the Liuhe Boots on the gray stone platform, Liang Liang Ashui exerted force beneath his feet and gave chase as well.

For today, he had cleared out the Liuhe Boots.

With his current explosive speed, plus these boots, he reckoned he could advance and retreat at will.

"It seems quite lively tonight?"

In a small courtyard, beneath the eaves, Han Han Chuijun stood with hands behind his back, his gaze piercing the rain curtain to look at the night sky where thunder and lightning never ceased:

"With such a heavy rain, the autumn harvest should be unharmed."

"I didn't know Old Han also possessed a heart that pities the heavens and the people."

In the rain curtain, Fang Fang Yunxiu walked slowly to the eaves, removed her bamboo hat: "Cao Yan hid too well; I couldn't even find him. Brother Qiu's incident is largely related to this person."

"I am also from a farming family; how could I not have a heart that pities the heavens and the people?"

Han Han Chuijun shook his head:

"What heartlessness and ruthlessness, what cruelty and poison; these are merely the world's prejudices against me. I have always disliked strife, yet those people insist on forcing me; what can be done?"

"..."

Fang Fang Yunxiu had no words to reply.

Everyone in the sect knows you are heartless and poisonous, killing entire families at the slightest provocation...

"Cao Yan, I recall his ancestors were also disciples within our valley; because of poor talent, they only received the Bai Yuan Pifeng Hammer?"

Han Han Chuijun reached out to catch a few drops of rainwater:

"Little skill, but great boldness. I am curious, who gave him such confidence to dare kill disciples of the valley!"

"I will enter Qianyan Fa Zhu Mountain again tomorrow and capture him before saying anything."

Fang Fang Yunxiu was already somewhat impatient:

"I heard many 'Wutang' spies from the Zhe Long Fu have arrived; the Valley Master is quite displeased. We must return soon to avoid punishment."

"No rush."

Han Han Chuijun waved his hand: "Let us not speak of that. I heard the Yue Yue Yunjin you selected has a very poor character; when chasing Nian Jiu that day, a single scream shattered his courage, and upon returning he developed a fever, nearly dying?"

"..."

Fang Fang Yunxiu frowned slightly.

She did not hold Yue Yue Yunjin in high regard either,

but the Gao Liu counties truly had no outstanding youths, and she truly did not wish to waste time here.

"How about the one you selected, Old Master?"

"He is not capable either."

Han Han Chuijun glanced into the inner room, shook his head: "I taught him the Zhuang Gong of the Bing Dao Dou Sha Hammer two months ago, yet to this day there is not even a sign of entry..."

"You actually taught him the Bing Dao Dou Sha Hammer?!"

Fang Fang Yunxiu's expression changed, then she turned to a bitter smile:

"Among the five secret transmissions of the inner sect, the Bing Dao Dou Sha Hammer is the most difficult to learn and practice; not even a few within the sect can enter its basics. Coming here to search, isn't it a waste of effort?"

"Xun Ying, Xun Ying; are mediocre, ordinary people worthy of the character 'Ying'?"

Han Han Chuijun tugged at the corner of his mouth, his gaze cold:

"If there is truly no one, then send him to the sect, merely to complete the task, but I do not believe they are worthy of this character 'Ying'."

"You still haven't given up searching for the 'Shan Xuan Jing Hammer'? Then..."

"Silence!"

Han Han Chuijun lifted his eyelids, his eyes flickering like ghost fires: "You talk too much!"

"This disciple spoke out of turn..."

Fang Fang Yunxiu's body trembled; she lowered her head, yet sighed inwardly.

'Old Han's obsession is too deep...'

She even suspected that Nian Jiu's ability to steal the Bing Dao Dou Sha Hammer might have been deliberately allowed by this Old Han...

"Return to the Hui Lu Fu; remember to care for Qiu Da. If he dies, the ancestral incense of your Brother Qiu Long's lineage will be cut off!"

Han Han Chuijun swept his sleeve.

Fang Fang Yunxiu bowed slightly and departed.

"A very filial child, just lacking in talent..."

Han Han Chuijun walked slowly into the inner room, glanced at Liang Liang Ashui sleeping deeply, pressed his hand onto the back of the latter's head to ensure he was sound asleep, then turned, took the bamboo hat from the wall, and put it on.

"Quite lively indeed."

Han Han Chuijun walked leisurely into the rain curtain, glanced at the Thousand-Eyed Bodhisattva Temple nearby where fire blazed, then looked down at the corner of the wall not far away.

There, a few irregular scratches—ordinary folk who saw them would later think they were a mischievous child's doodles, but those in the know understood.

"Zhen Wutang…"

……

Awooo~

Inside the Thousand-Eye Bodhisattva Temple, firelight flickered, voices rose in chaos, and the barking of dogs overlapped.

"Someone else has snuck in?!"

In the rear courtyard of the temple, the old monk Kong Ding shook out his palm, his face dark:

"How did we attract people from Zhen Wutang? Could it be they sensed we are preparing the ritual?"

"I heard something major happened in Zhilong Prefecture, and Zhen Wutang's people are gathering in force—probably just passing through? But we can't be careless…"

Lu Lu Yunqing sat quietly behind a desk, leafing through a Buddhist scripture, not paying much attention:

"Has that so-called saber-wielder who called himself Li Ba been killed yet?"

"He took a White Cloud Palm strike from this old monk—even if he'd tempered his body to completion, he absolutely couldn't survive!"

Old monk Kong Ding gave a cold snort, turned and walked out the door, heading toward where the barking and voices came from, killing intent rolling off him—where was the kindly, benevolent look he'd worn in daylight?

"Anyone who dares break into the temple—kill without mercy!"

"Kill!"

"Take my saber!"

Behind the main hall, more than ten great monks—some wielding precept-blades, some holding monk-staves—surrounded two black-clad, masked figures in the middle, striking viciously, every move aimed to kill.

"Misunderstanding, it's a misunderstanding!"

His bamboo hat split apart by a saber strike, Wang Ding swung his long spear in a frantic parry, so frustrated he nearly spat blood.

He never imagined that tonight, other people would also break into the Thousand-Eye Bodhisattva Temple and make a huge ruckus—so much so that the moment they entered, they were taken for accomplices,

and caught completely off guard.

"Masters, we were only passing through!"

Wang Ding only defended, never attacked, wanting only to find a chance to escape—but in a blink, his eyes went wide with fury:

"Don't—"

"!"

Hiss!

A blade-light swept sideways, and a shaven head was sent up amid a pillar of blood.

Hearing the screams and roars, Yu Zhen felt only comfort throughout his body; the pent-up frustration of many days dissipated at once:

"Kill, kill, kill!"

"Junior brother?! You scoundrel, give me your life!"

"Not good—there's poison on his blade!"

"Kill them, kill them!"

……

Screams, roars, the clash of weapons…

Seeing this scene through the curtain of rain, even Li Yuan couldn't help but freeze.

"Are these two mad? They came to the Thousand-Eye Bodhisattva Temple in the middle of the night just to kill people?"

Crouched in a corner, Li Yuan was dumbfounded for quite a while before he pieced together the cause and effect from the monks' roars.

In the first half of the night, someone had sneaked into the Bodhisattva Temple, enraged all the monks, then fled in haste—and at that very moment, Wang Ding and Yu Zhen happened to stumble right into it…

How could so many people have their eyes on the Thousand-Eye Bodhisattva Temple?

"This is really—too wonderful!"

Li Yuan didn't move forward; he even retreated a few steps.

If Yu Zhen got killed by these vicious monks, it would save him the trouble of acting himself.

"This Yu Zhen's Wu Gong really is stronger than Qin Xiong's!"

Li Yuan watched the battle from afar and reached a conclusion in his heart:

"If I want to kill him, a sneak attack is still best…"

The great monks of the Thousand-Eye Bodhisattva Temple were every one burly and powerful, half of them good fighters who had cultivated internal force—but more than ten of them attacking in formation were still cut to pieces by Yu Zhen's single blade.

His saber technique was extremely seasoned and vicious, and he scattered poison from time to time—his real-combat experience was very rich.

But very soon, with a roar like a great bell, the tide of battle shifted in an instant.

"You scoundrel!"

At a great shout, even Yu Zhen—who had been cutting down all around him—felt his eardrums ring, and he snapped awake from the slaughter.

"How could I… that Bai Shen Fa!"

Looking around, Yu Zhen caught on quickly, but there was no way to explain, so he could only raise his blade to meet the great monk charging in to kill him.

Wang Ding, covered in blood, was nearly grinding his teeth to dust; he desperately wanted to escape, but was held fast by the remaining monks.

"That's… Kong Ding?"

Li Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly.

Yu Zhen, who had been cutting down all around, was intercepted by a vicious old monk; the two clashed fiercely, shockwaves flying, killing intent spilling in all directions.

"Every move vicious—these monks…"

Li Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly, but his attention couldn't help shifting to the other side.

With Yu Zhen's fierce fighting drawing all the temple's monks over, he swept his gaze across and saw only a single great incense burner standing forlorn in the rain.

That wasn't quite right either—there were also three vicious dogs barking madly.

"This Bodhisattva temple keeps so many vicious dogs; I'd guess they're here to stop others from sneaking in? No wonder this rainy night is so lively..."

Li Yuan understood at once.

He slapped the wall, flipped down, and upon landing, unleashed a burst of internal force, springing up like an arrow loosed from a string, darting forward.

Striking left and right, "Bang! Bang!" he sent two vicious dogs flying several meters, then flipped again, stomping the last dog into a mud pit before diving straight for the incense burner.

In the rainy night, visibility was extremely low.

Li Yuan quickly scanned the surroundings; seeing no one paying attention, he decisively reached out.

"Go!"