Chapter 252: Green Robe, Misty Rain, Huang Rong Changes Clothes
Bao Xian was no match for Zhou Yan and escaped. The desperate outlaws of the Western Regions Martial World, recruited by the Vajra Sect, scattered like frightened birds.
Zhou Yan’s figure transformed into a straight gray line, extending towards three Vajra Sect Martial Monks.
As the gust of wind stirred by his movement amplified like tearing silk and rapidly approached the monks, two of them shouted and turned, one fleeing wildly.
The moment Zhou Yan made contact, he forcefully broke through a path between the two blades, leaving the two Martial Monks behind and surging forward. The monk desperately fleeing turned back, his fists slamming towards Zhou Yan’s chest. However, Zhou Yan was faster. His right hand, like a willow branch swaying in the wind, pushed up between the opponent’s hands, directly smashing his jaw. The monk’s entire lower jaw, along with his teeth, was shattered instantly.
Zhou Yan’s right hand suddenly grabbed the opponent’s ear, dragged him a few steps, and pressed him towards the ground.
With a boom, the opponent’s head smashed into a pile of shattered stones and was pulverized.
Only then did Zhou Yan turn. In his sight, the two monks who had wielded their blades earlier had their back necks seized by a blood-stained monk. This monk, around forty years old, had bulging arm muscles. He brought his arms together, and with a “bang,” the two Martial Monks collided, their facial bones shattering. They spun half a circle as if drunk and then fell to the ground.
“Ah!”
A piercing scream rang out from afar. A fleeing black-clothed big man had been pinned to the ground by Huyan Lei’s thrown Tiger Head Hammered Gold Spear.
The brutal fight thus concluded in this bloody manner.
The monk stepped forward, hands clasped: “Amitabha, thank you, Young Hero, for saving me.”
The monk in Zhou Yan’s sight had a high nose and deep-set eyes, a typical Western Regions appearance. A tattered kasaya was wrapped around his scarred body. The monk had clearly endured many battles; with scabs and fresh wounds, he bore over ten injuries.
Yet, even so, the kasaya could not conceal the iron ingot-like bulging muscles of his body. He possessed a physique forged from tiger bones and dragon sinews.
Zhou Yan withdrew his gaze and said, “May I ask, Master, what is your name? And where is your noble temple?”
“Tianlong, Head of the Dharma Hall at the Shaolin Temple of the Western Regions.”
“Is Master Ku Hui here?” Zhou Yan asked urgently.
“And who might you be, Young Hero?”
“I am Zhou Yan. I once encountered Master Tiancong of your esteemed temple being besieged by the Vajra Sect near Wuwei. I delivered a letter to Songshan Shaolin and became acquainted with Master Ku Cheng.”
“Young Hero Zhou, please follow me.” Chan Master Tianlong’s face showed surprise.
“Thank you for leading the way, Master.”
The two moved swiftly, arriving at the stretcher where Chan Master Tianxiang, accompanied by five or six disciples acting as guards, was located.
Zhou Yan looked and saw an old monk with white eyebrows and a white beard, so thin that his bone structure was visible, sitting on the stretcher with his arms hanging limply.
Around the stretcher were over ten monks carrying scripture boxes.
“Abbot, this is Young Hero Zhou. He has delivered Master Tiancong’s letter to Shaoshi Mountain,” Chan Master Tianlong said.
“I am Zhou Yan. Greetings, Abbot.” Zhou Yan cupped his hands.
“Amitabha, well said, well said. Thank you, Young Hero Zhou, for your righteous assistance.”
Zhou Yan squatted down, “Abbot, what happened?”
Chan Master Tianlong answered on his behalf: “Half a month ago, the Vajra Sect launched a coordinated attack, poisoning the refectory and then launching a full-scale assault on the Shaolin Temple. We escaped and intended to head to Songshan, but the Vajra Sect pursued us relentlessly. While the Abbot covered our retreat, he was injured by the Vajra Sect’s leader, ‘Great Strength Vajra Finger’.”
“That wicked monk, Huo Gong Toutuo! Island Lord Huang should have smashed his brains in with a single palm back then,” Huyan Lei said resentfully.
Ku Hui was startled, “What do you mean by that, benefactor?”
The runners were clearing the corpses, and the monks guarding Ku Hui retreated, leaving only Tianlong and Tianxiang. Zhou Yan concisely explained the Vajra Sect’s southward advance, the great battle at Shaoshi Mountain, Huo Gong Toutuo’s defeat by Huang Yaoshi, his own meeting with Master Ku Cheng, and Ku Cheng’s intention to dispatch high monks to Shaolin of the Western Regions to discuss how to deal with the Vajra Sect.
Upon hearing this, Tianlong and Tianxiang sighed deeply.
Ku Hui clasped his hands: “All fruits arise from causes, all retribution arises from actions. This is the will of heaven.”
Zhou Yan said, “Buddhism speaks of the cycle of cause and effect. If Huo Gong Toutuo is killed, there will be no further cycle, and Shaolin Temple will be peaceful.”
“Abbot, Young Hero speaks with reason,” Tianlong and Tianxiang said in unison.
Ku Hui sighed, “Young Hero’s intentions are kind, but this old monk is now crippled. How can I possibly deal with Huo Gong Toutuo?”
“I can mend your broken bones,” Zhou Yan said, inwardly marveling that Huo Gong Toutuo, despite all his schemes, had never anticipated Huang Rong deceiving him out of a box of ‘Black Jade Continuing Bone Paste,’ which he now happened to have to help Ku Hui recover.
“Truly!” Tianxiang grabbed Zhou Yan’s hand urgently.
“Naturally. However, all you Masters will need to accompany me. I will take the Abbot to a place for treatment, and I happen to be going to Caizhou, so I can escort the Abbot to Songshan along the way.”
“Thank you, Young Hero!” Chan Master Tianlong replied gratefully.
Upon hearing that he was to follow Zhou Yan, Tianxiang seemed hesitant.
Ku Hui clasped his hands: “Thank you, Young Hero Zhou. This old monk will keep this mortal shell until I can see my fellow disciples in Songshan and see Huo Gong Toutuo descend into hell.”
Zhou Yan nodded inwardly. As expected of the former Head of the Arhat Hall who, in a fit of anger, ventured to the Western Regions to establish a sect. He understood reason and could bend with the times, possessing more character than Master Ku Cheng.
“Let us not delay. Abbot, please.”
“Good!”
Chan Master Tianlong immediately summoned two Martial Monks to carry the stretcher. The group quickly set off, heading towards the Ten Thousand Beasts Manor deep within the Qilian Mountains.
Along the way, Zhou Yan conversed with Tianlong and Tianxiang, learning more details.
Several senior monks of the “Ku” generation from Shaolin who had accompanied Ku Hui to the Western Regions years ago were poisoned. After covering the disciples’ retreat to the Sutra Depository to retrieve scriptures, they were left behind at the Shaolin Temple, their fate unknown.
The incident occurred during the evening meal. Most Martial Monks were incapacitated by the poison and became captives of the Vajra Sect.
Less than a hundred people managed to escape. They were pursued along the way, and most perished.
As Tianlong and Tianxiang spoke of these events, their eyes blazed, and veins bulged on their foreheads.
Zhou Yan said, “A million dice rolls are not regretted; a thousand li for revenge is as close as the palm of one’s hand.”
Tianlong and Tianxiang cheered loudly.
They traveled onward without further incident. Upon reaching a market, Zhou Yan purchased a horse carriage. Master Ku Hui traveled in the carriage, and the group’s pace quickened considerably.
Traveling day and night, ten days later, the group entered the lush and blooming depths of the Qilian Mountains. The Ten Thousand Beasts Manor was not far.
…
Light thunder fell like ten thousand threads, and the world was shrouded in a straw cloak of mist and rain, enveloping the empty mountains and the emerald lake.
Raindrops washed the sprouting vegetation and budding flowers clean and clear, vibrant with life.
A small boat was moored on the misty lake. A young girl, wearing a conical hat and with long hair cascading down her shoulders, was dressed entirely in green. The skin beneath her hat was as white as snow, exquisitely beautiful and dazzling.
In this peach paradise, like a fairyland, the young girl was like a celestial being.
The girl sat at the bow of the boat, fishing. Beside her, a fluffy little leopard poked its cat-like head out. The girl extended her slender, jade-like wrist and fingers, gently pushing its head down.
With a “meow” like a cat’s cry, the little leopard’s head reappeared. The girl said, “Don’t disturb me while I’m fishing.”
The little leopard extended its front paws and hugged the girl’s arm. The girl gently pushed it away, and the little leopard rolled over and jumped into her arms.
The girl, annoyed, reeled in her fishing rod. Then, with a “plop,” she laughed, “If I can’t catch any fish, I’ll stew you to welcome Zhou Yan.”
“Meow!”
The girl hugged the little leopard and skillfully massaged its neck a few times. The little leopard enjoyed it, and after a short while, it began to purr. However, in an instant, the little leopard’s ears perked up, and it turned to look towards the valley entrance.
A white light, like the snowline on a mountain peak, rapidly approached. As it reached the manor, its speed slowed. The ‘Night-Shining Jade Lion’ appeared in the girl’s sight.
Silver saddle reflects white horse, swift as a shooting star. The one arriving was Zhou Yan.
Zhou Yan, Huyan Lei, Mu Nianci, Ku Hui, and others arrived. Fearing that there might be lions or tigers in the valley, he had rushed ahead. He ended up seeing a figure in green robes amidst misty rain, a small boat in a storm.
The young girl saw Zhou Yan and quickly rowed her boat over. As they drew closer, her smile bloomed like spring, and her clothes fluttered gently in the wind.
“I heard someone resigned from their position as Head Escort to roam the martial world with a sword.”
Zhou Yan was quite surprised that Huang Rong was wearing women’s clothing. However, in disguise, she was indeed spirited and elegant, her face as lustrous as jade, her eyes as clear as water.
This was the first time Zhou Yan had heard Huang Rong’s female voice, which sounded like pearls falling on a jade plate.
“Did the Chief Escort say that?” Zhou Yan asked.
“Of course.”
Zhou Yan chuckled and looked at the fishing rod, “Any catch?”
Huang Rong instantly became dejected. “The monkeys trained by the Old Manor Lord discovered you approaching the valley. The fish in this lake are plump. I wanted to catch a few to welcome you, but the heavens were not in our favor.”
Zhou Yan chuckled, thinking to himself that if it were Yanbo Diaosou, he could fill a basket with fish in the time it takes to eat a meal.
His thoughts returned to the present, and he asked, “Do you have the ‘Black Jade Continuing Bone Paste’ on you?”
“Who is injured?”
“Along the way, we encountered Master Ku Hui, the Abbot of Shaolin of the Western Regions. He was injured by ‘Great Strength Vajra Finger’ and needs his bones mended.”
“Fortunately, I didn’t give the medicated paste to Father; he was going to take it back to Peach Blossom Island to research its formula.”
As Huang Rong finished speaking, she moved like a swallow, gliding over the misty waves, and landed beside Zhou Yan.
