Chapter 188: Indian Monk, Shaolin of the Western Regions
The hibiscus flowers at the tip of the branches, blooming red calyxes in the mountains.
Li Mochou’s face was like peach and plum, her back figure hazy, her skirt cascading like a waterfall, and she stared intently at the flowers as brilliant as rosy clouds.
“Older Sister!”
“You scared me to death.”
Li Mochou turned around, pretending to pinch Little Dragon Girl’s cheek.
Her white skirt swished open like a blooming water lotus, and Little Dragon Girl ran away with a smile.
“Older Sister, you’ve been spacing out like this for the past few days. Master is looking for you.”
“Ah!” Li Mochou got up in a panic, “Did Master say anything?”
“No.”
She was uneasy. Lately, she had been constantly thinking of Zhou Yan, especially when she saw pairs of butterflies or birds. She was absent-minded during practice, and she wondered if her Master had noticed.
“I’m going. You practice well.”
“Mm.”
Li Mochou hurried towards the Ancient Tomb. Little Dragon Girl squatted in front of the hibiscus flowers, watching the paired butterflies dancing among them.
…
The sunlight receded from behind Li Mochou, and the lamplight emitted an orange-red hue as she entered the stone room.
“Master, you called me?”
“Mm.”
Lin Chaoying’s maid had a commanding gaze and a rather forceful personality, influenced by Lin Chaoying. Li Mochou feared her Master.
“Mochou, sit down and talk.”
“Thank you, Master.”
Li Mochou adjusted her skirt and sat on the stone stool. Lin Chaoying’s maid said, “Your cultivation has improved recently, and I am pleased.”
This was due to practicing the cultivation technique taught by the Head Escort, Li Mochou thought to herself.
As she was thinking this, she suddenly heard her Master say, “I am old. You have outstanding martial arts talent and your cultivation improves daily. It is time for you to inherit your Grandmaster’s mantle.”
Li Mochou said nervously, “Master, you are eternally young. This disciple dares not.”
“Nonsense. If that were the case, how would your Grandmaster have passed away?”
Li Mochou didn’t know how to respond to such a statement.
“My decision is made.”
“Master…”
“Listen to me. Guide your Junior Sister well and carry forward the Ancient Tomb’s martial arts.”
“This disciple understands.”
“Also, you must swear before your Grandmaster’s portrait that you will never leave the Ancient Tomb for the rest of your life.”
“Ah!”
Lin Chaoying’s maid’s expression turned cold, “What is it?”
“This disciple…”
“Could it be that you are thinking of that escort?”
“Disciple, disciple…”
“Speak.”
“There is a little.”
“Foolish. All men are faithless and fickle. Moreover, he is an escort who travels far and wide.”
“Head Escort Zhou is a man of his word, and he has been kind to the Ancient Tomb.”
“Are you saying my old eyes are blurry?”
Li Mochou quickly stood up, “This disciple dares not.”
Lin Chaoying’s maid’s expression softened slightly, and she said earnestly, “If you hadn’t gone down the mountain for training, you wouldn’t have encountered Head Escort Zhou and been so infatuated by his sweet talk.”
“This disciple did not.”
“Hmph, you often lose focus during practice. Do you think I haven’t noticed?”
Li Mochou secretly lamented.
“No man is good, especially those who appear honest and loyal. From today onwards, you are not to leave the Ancient Tomb for a single step. Reflect properly.”
Lin Chaoying’s maid stood up, her face cold and her eyes stern, and walked out of the stone room.
The stone door rotated and sealed perfectly.
Li Mochou’s body went weak, and she sat down on the stone stool.
A green lamp, its flame flickering.
Past events, one by one, surfaced.
“One year from now, meet at the Mountain God Temple outside Datong Prefecture.”
“Alright!”
“What if I win?”
“I’ll take you to Zhongdu for a tour.”
“It’s a deal.”
All the images of Zhou Yan in Li Mochou’s mind finally settled on their second meeting outside Datong Prefecture, when Zhou Yan came to keep his appointment and spat blood.
“He risked his life to keep his promise, how can he be a man of sweet talk? If it weren’t for him, my Junior Sister and I would have fallen into the hands of that thief Ouyang Ke. How can I forget such a righteous and loyal person? But I cannot disobey my Master’s command.”
Li Mochou’s expression was pained. Her name was Mochou (meaning ‘no sorrow’), but at this moment, a boat on her heart’s lake could not carry so much sorrow.
…
The sun sets over the long river, and smoke rises straight in the desert.
A wine banner lay askew on a wooden stake outside the inn wall. The tattered flag fluttered weakly in the wind, its ragged holes making it impossible to discern the writing on it.
This was the only inn within a radius of several hundred miles.
Traveling from Zhongdu, it was now the Dragon Boat Festival. Zhou Yan and his party had crossed the Yellow River from the Western Xia Kingdom and were traveling along the trade route leading to the Western Regions, finally arriving in a territory hundreds of miles from Wuwei.
Along the way, they had encountered their fair share of bandits who wanted to rob and kill.
The twelve runners were all skilled, including three who had accompanied Zhou Yan to Yueyang.
Most of the time, Zhou Yan could solve problems with a single ox horn giant bow and fifteen long arrows.
If things got a little tricky, Mu Nianci and Liang Xiaowu would step in and resolve it with ease.
In the past, when Zhou Yan escorted goods, his escort team would camp by rivers and forests and not stay in inns. Zhou Yan could hunt game with his bow to improve their meals. However, escorting goods to the Western Regions was different.
The sky was vast and the plains boundless, with endless Gobi Desert and deserts. After passing a water source, Zhou Yan didn’t know where to resupply in the current world.
Therefore, when he saw an inn within sight, he did not hesitate and ordered them to stop and rest.
Duan Huai’an was mostly unconscious and did not dismount from the carriage.
The carved carriage stopped. Liang Xiaowu led eight runners to guard it, while Zhou Yan and Mu Nianci led Madam Duan, Duan Zhaoxi, the maid, and others into the inn.
“Sir, what would you like?”
The shopkeeper, with sharp eyes, immediately identified Zhou Yan, who had an outstanding demeanor, as the leader of the group and greeted him attentively.
“Bring four pots of tea outside first.”
“Certainly.”
The shopkeeper called for a shop assistant to bring tea to Liang Xiaowu and the others, and then led Zhou Yan and his group to their seats inside the inn.
Zhou Yan habitually observed his surroundings.
The inn’s main hall was spacious and brightly lit. There weren’t many diners. At a table by the west window sat a monk and a Buddhist priest. The monk was about thirty years old, and the priest was older, with a high nose and deep-set eyes, his head wrapped with a flower ornament.
Zhou Yan quickly withdrew his gaze and made a judgment internally. The priest’s attire and appearance were from India, while the monk’s features were those of a native of the Central Plains.
There were also eight or nine other rough-looking men in the inn, who appeared to be from the Jianghu, eating with their heads down.
Zhou Yan, Mu Nianci, Duan Zhaoxi, and others sat at several wooden tables on the east side.
A pot of tea and a few small dishes were served at each table. The shop assistant brought rice, and Zhou Yan also began to eat.
He kept his eyes straight ahead, but his ears clearly picked up the subtle sounds inside and outside the inn.
The monk and the priest were likely meeting for the first time at the inn. The monk said, “Master, your journey to Western Hunan is long and arduous, and you do not know martial arts. Why not come to Shaolin Temple with me first? After I have settled my important matters, I will escort you there.”
The Indian monk said, “Thank you, Master, for your kindness. However, a very potent poisonous insect has appeared in India, harming people and livestock, and there is no effective way to eradicate it. I have medical skills but am helpless. I must go to the Central Plains to find Golden Dolls to breed and use as medicine to control it. This concerns countless lives, and I dare not delay.”
“What is a Golden Doll?”
“Broadly speaking, it is a special type of fish, found only in the Central Plains.”
“Master is benevolent.” The monk clasped his hands together.
Zhou Yan’s pupils contracted slightly. A flash of inspiration struck him, and he suddenly remembered someone.
In the world of the Divine Condor, Master Yideng’s junior brother, the Indian Monk who cured Yang Guo of the Love Flower poison.
In the world of the Legend of the Condor Heroes, when Guo Jing and Huang Rong sought medical help, they encountered Master Yideng’s four disciples. The Fishermen Hermit was fishing for Golden Dolls.
As he thought this, he suddenly heard the Indian Monk say, “Master, you cultivate in seclusion at Shaolin of the Western Regions. Why are you going to Shaolin Temple in the Central Plains?”
“It’s a long story.”
“Then you can tell it to the King of Hell.”
Suddenly, a change occurred. A big man wearing a felt hat at the table next to the monk and priest grinned, waved his hand, and sent the hot tea on the table flying towards them. The monk waved his wide sleeve, sending the tea, cups, and pot flying into the sky.
The big man, at the moment the monk brushed away the tea, lunged forward with the momentum of wind and thunder. His gray robe billowed like waves, and with his left hand crossed over his right, he struck the monk’s chest.
A dull sound of breaking wind echoed in the inn, making it buzz. The dust in front of the monk suddenly caved inward, and he was sent flying backward, crashing through the window behind him, and landing on the ground with a thud, rolling. Then, using his hands for leverage, he staggered to his feet and spat out a mouthful of blood.
Someone at the same table as the big man drew a steel knife from their bundle.
“No need for Master to trouble himself, I’ll take his head.”
As the man spoke, his body seemed to grow as he stood up. The light from the long knife in his hand spread outwards towards the window.
At the same moment, Zhou Yan, using the “Finger Flicking Divine Skill” with only two or three tenths of his power, flung the teacup in his hand. The porcelain cup spun and whistled away, and the moment it touched the big man’s cheek, it exploded with a bang.
The big man grunted, blood appearing on his face. He stumbled but steadied himself and continued to lunge at the monk.
Outside the inn, Liang Xiaowu and the others threw down their teacups and drew their swords, guarding the carved carriage.
“Xiaowu, stop that villain.”
The sun blazed like fire. Liang Xiaowu’s body sank, and the light from his long saber poured out like flowing water. He fiercely and violently slashed forward, blocking the big man’s decapitating blow aimed at the monk. The weapons clashed, and the air erupted with thunderous explosions, sparks flying.
“Protect Madam, Boss.”
Zhou Yan’s voice echoed in Mu Nianci’s ears. He charged towards the big man wearing the felt hat like an eagle.
Mu Nianci grabbed her spear, her red clothes flashing as she moved towards Zhou Yan.
Four runners drew their swords to protect Madam Duan and Duan Zhaoxi.
In an instant, all the men inside the inn who had been eating with their heads down suddenly sprang up.
