Chapter 1004

Who could have known that today the Damo Hall would be burned, and this Liaoku would also speak of the Sky Fragrant Cardamom being gone.

If not for Zhu Wushi's astonishing composure, he would have long since gone berserk.

At this moment he stared unblinkingly at Liaoku, who looked like a charred corpse, hoping only to hear a scrap of good news from his mouth.

792 Zhuge Shenhou, go easy.

"Cough, cough, cough…"

Liaoku coughed again, and slowly said to Zhu Wushi,

"Liaoku thanks Zhuge Shenhou for saving my life."

That flame was truly no ordinary fire.

It was the strongest strike of Bi Xuan's Blazing Sun Odd Art, further compounded by Zhou Zhiruo's Nine Yang Divine Art and the counterattack of the Nine Yin True Scripture.

With the two layered atop each other, whenever this flame met any mundane thing, it would not stop until it had burned it to ashes.

And if it met a practitioner of Wu Gong, it clung like a bone-rotting ulcer, refusing to stop until it had utterly exhausted that martial artist's true yuan and true qi.

Thus although Liaoku had escaped this time, his true yuan within had long since been burned clean away, leaving only this one broken life behind.

"No matter! What of the Sky Fragrant Cardamom?"

Zhu Wushi could only force down his temper and continue speaking with a pleasant expression.

"Junior brother, since Zhuge Shenhou is concerned about the Sky Fragrant Cardamom, just speak the truth."

Liaofan, seeing Liaoku glance at him—seemingly intentional, seemingly not—understood at once and said directly,

In any case, according to what Liaoku said, the Sky Fragrant Cardamom enshrined upon the Damo statue was already gone.

Then there was no need to keep this news hidden either.

Liaoku then slowly said,

"Just now two people of the Mount Emei Sect suddenly made an excuse to break into Damo Hall.

I, together with Junior Brothers Liaqing and Liaohong, stepped forward to block them.

We never expected these two's Wu Gong to truly be formidable.

Even taking two against three, they were still able to hold their own against the three of us."

The moment they heard two people of the Mount Emei Sect, the gazes of the Wu Lin people present immediately turned to Master Extinction and Gu Hongzi, who were currently engaged with the three great experts of the Eastern Depot.

Those present who belonged to the Mount Emei Sect and were also experts were only these two and Master Yeyu,

Master Yeyu, honored as a Yipaizhang Sect, had just been over at the front courtyard the whole time.

By every reasonable measure, she could not possibly have taken part in the great battle against the three of them, Liaoku included.

Thus by reasonable inference, it could only have been Master Extinction and Gu Hongzi.

At once, those Zhengdaozhang Sect who stood close to Master Yeyu looked toward her, as if to inquire.

Yet Master Yeyu's face was awkward; she pretended not to have seen.

After all, she had received Zhou Zhiruo's kindness, and her strength had risen considerably, so by rights she ought to stand on Zhou Zhiruo's side.

Yet these two were clearly people of the Zhiruotong Sect, and what they had done was truly infuriating.

Thus acknowledging them was wrong, and denying them was also wrong.

Master Yeyu could only play the fool for now.

"And then?"

Even though Zhu Wushi's composure ran deep, Liaoku had talked for so long without reaching the point.

It made Zhu Wushi, unable to help a touch of impatience, frown and urge him on.

Liaoku was at this moment grievously wounded, near death, and had moreover long dwelled in Yunzhou Shaolin, never having set foot in the mortal world.

Thus even though Zhu Wushi pressed him, he went on speaking at his own pace,

"But who could have known these two were merely a feint to the east.

There were two others who, taking advantage of the three of us being held up, slipped into Damo Hall.

My heart worried for the Sky Fragrant Cardamom, so I had the two junior brothers do their utmost to delay them.

Then I did my best to retreat slowly toward the inside of Damo Hall.

When I had retreated to the front of Damo Hall and poked my head in to look,

I happened to see a woman swallow that Sky Fragrant Cardamom whole in one gulp…"

"Ah? Truly?"

Zhu Wushi, hearing that the Sky Fragrant Cardamom had already been swallowed by someone, could hold back no longer.

His expression changed drastically, looking as though he were about to go mad.

"Cough, cough! Zhuge Shenhou, go easy…"

Liaofan was exceedingly embarrassed; watching Zhu Wushi, who had gone half-mad, lift Liaoku up as if about to devour someone, his heart quivered with dread.

Yet Liaoku was gravely wounded—how could he survive being tossed about like this?

He could only speak out to dissuade him.

For Zhu Wushi, the Sky Fragrant Cardamom was truly of the utmost importance.

Only because the person he loved most in his heart was still waiting for the Sky Fragrant Cardamom to call back her soul and keep her alive.

Who would have thought this one known Sky Fragrant Cardamom would be swallowed by someone just like that!

Put anyone in that place, and they probably could not bear it.

At this moment Duan Tianya also stepped forward and tried to persuade him,

"Foster-father, do not be like this; under heaven there is more than this one Sky Fragrant Cardamom…"

"Mm?"

Zhu Wushi, along with many gazes present, all turned toward Duan Tianya.

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Duan Tianya looked at Zhu Wushi's bloodshot eyes, his heart also trembling with uncertainty, and could only brace himself and say,

"When I was in Dongying, I heard the Yagyu family also has a Sky-Scented Cardamom…"

"…"

Zhu Wushi heard this and was instantly at a loss for words.

He had thought Duan Tianya had some news, but it turned out to be outdated news.

Hadn't that Sky-Scented Cardamom of the Yagyu family long ago been swindled away by someone?

What was even more hateful was that this person from the Yagyu family, Ma Shou, seemed to have done it under a false identity of his own.

Otherwise, how would that bastard Yagyu Tamamasa have obediently offered it up?

Only the ins and outs of this matter — how could Zhu Wushi possibly explain it clearly to Duan Tianya?

"What's wrong? Godfather?"

Duan Tianya noticed the strangeness in Zhu Wushi's eyes and could not help but ask.

"It's nothing…"

Zhu Wushi casually put down Liaoku, and said to Liaofan,

"I offended you greatly earlier; please, Master Liaofan and Master Liaoku, forgive me."

Ever since Zhu Wushi had stepped in to save Liaoku, Liaofan's grudge against him had eased considerably.

At this moment he also nodded and said,

"It's nothing."

"Do you recognize who that woman is?"

Zhu Wushi was still unwilling to let it go, and pressed Liaoku once more.

"This poor monk has long been in the Damo Hall, and rarely goes even to other parts of Yunzhou Shaolin, let alone some woman of unknown origins…"

On Liaoku's corpse-like face, a bizarre expression appeared.

"But in my view, those two from the Mount Emei Sect must know this woman."

Zhu Wushi heard this, and his eyes lit up.

He immediately looked toward Master Jueyuan and Gu Hongzi, then ordered,

"Shanzhuang of the Dragon Guard, hear my order — seize those two at once!"

For this trip to Yunzhou Shaolin, Zhu Wushi had long since brought no small number of Shanzhuang's top experts along.

Of the four great secret agents — Heaven, Earth, Mystery, and Yellow — three were present!

With this command, a group of Shanzhuang's top experts stepped out from the crowd, ready to pounce on Master Jueyuan and Gu Hongzi.

Shangguan Haitang, still gravely wounded, had all along been supported by a maid.