Chapter 31#

Half a month later, Luoying Valley.

This secluded valley, abandoned by the world for twenty years, was now crowded with people like a tide. Petals were crushed by feet, flower branches were broken, and the dilapidated palaces submerged in dense fragrant grass were awakened by the crowd again, shaking their creaking doors and windows. Many of these people were martial arts seniors famous for a time, and even more were chivalrous heroes with righteousness reaching the sky. They stood at the forefront of the crowd, confronting the man standing in front of the main hall door whom no one dared to approach.

The clouds in the sky were dyed blood red and gray-purple by the setting sun, pouring down like splashed ink overhead. The wind shook people’s robes violently. Only the man in a blood-red brocade robe leaning against the hall door was still smiling lazily and wickedly, as if this enemy he gathered casually was something irrelevant.

“Hua Qianjue, you must not have expected this. There are so many people in the world who want to eliminate demons and defend the righteous path. Today is your death date!”

Hua Qianjue threw his head back and laughed loudly: “Indeed many have come! But I, Hua, can still afford to entertain.” As he spoke, he kicked his leg, and a head rolled down the stone steps along this end, rolling all the way to the front of the crowd. Like a drop of water falling into boiling oil, it exploded in an instant: “This is Temple Master Yan! This is… this villain! This demon!”

Hua Qianjue laughed even more wantonly, reached out to open the hall door, and laughed loudly: “Cut the crap. Everyone came here presumably for fame and profit. However, everyone wants fame and profit, but few have the guts to take it.” Speaking of this, he walked into the main hall that no one dared to approach as if no one was around, and laughed: “Those who dare to compete with me, Hua, follow me in.”

The crowd fell silent instantly, only everyone stared at the half-open hall door. After a long time, someone whispered: “This demon means that only by killing him can we get fame and profit.”

Another person snorted coldly: “Everyone has the right to punish this demon. Why don’t we all attack together? No worry about not chopping him into meat paste.”

As soon as these two sentences were spoken, everyone became restless immediately. The crowd was in chaos, and everyone actually wanted to rush into the hall. Seeing this commotion, the abbot of Jiaye Temple standing at the very front of the crowd frowned slightly, suppressed all the whispers forcibly with the Buddhist Lion’s Roar kung fu, and shouted in a low voice: “Everyone, please be calm. Fortress Master Hua’s martial arts are indeed superb. Everyone going in will only increase casualties in vain. Why don’t this poor monk go in with six sect leaders, and the remaining sect leaders guard here. Although fighting few with many is unfair, there might be heavy traps in that hall. For the sake of safety, we can’t care about it for the moment.”

After he said this, it was thorough and reasonable, and everyone couldn’t help nodding. The sect leaders of various sects all held divine weapons and sharp tools, responding: “What the Abbot said is very true. Although this trip is full of risks, for the sake of upholding righteousness, we are duty-bound.”

After the discussion was settled, the group circulated their divine skills to protect their bodies and kicked the door to enter, only to see the main hall empty, where was the shadow of a single person. This change was like a thunderclap on flat ground. The abbot’s face changed greatly, and he shouted in a low voice: “Bad!” He leaped out of the hall first. Before his voice fell, he saw a giant net falling in the hall, woven with fine Heavenly Dragon silver threads. One person couldn’t dodge in time and bumped into the net. In an instant, the tightened net cut him into countless pieces of meat paste along with his bones. The others crouched down in a hurry, but unexpectedly the floor trapdoor suddenly opened, revealing a huge hole of three zhang in radius. In the lightning flint, they didn’t even have time to struggle before falling deeply into this huge pitch-black pit.

Seeing such a bloody scene, the abbot of Jiaye Temple finally changed his expression abruptly and shouted sternly: “Demon, come out! Come out!”

Hua Qianjue walked out slowly from behind the hall curtain, sneering back: “Those who seek fame and profit die in the right place. Good, good.” Seeing the thunderous anger on the abbot’s face, he explained unhurriedly: “Abbot, don’t be angry. Actually, I, Hua, originally disdained using these means. I just felt that too many of you entered at once, which was a bit of an eyesore. If only one person entered at a time, and you and I fought alone, I wouldn’t have used these mechanisms.”

“Clever words and quibbling!” The abbot shouted and cursed: “It was all my moment of benevolence that caused the sect leaders to be in danger. Today I swear to break the precept against killing. After saving the sect leaders from fire and water, I will ask for forgiveness from the Buddha!”

Hua Qianjue sneered: “In danger? Aren’t you looking for treasure? I just sent them to the entrance of the treasure. If you call them back now, I’m afraid they won’t be willing.” Speaking of this, looking at the dumbfounded crowd, he laughed even more wantonly: “It’s just that this treasure is hard to find. I stumbled upon the entrance more than twenty years ago, so I went into the underground palace for a trip. The first time I escaped by luck and recuperated for several weeks. The second time I was bruised all over and lay for a month. The third time my bones were broken and tendons snapped, and I adjusted my breath for more than a year. The deeper I went, the greater the risk. Abbot, you’d better hurry back to chant sutras and worship Buddha, begging them to quit while they’re ahead, and never go deep.”

Hearing this, the abbot showed a slight hesitation on his face. A person next to him quickly advised: “Abbot, this demon has lost his humanity. How can you believe what he said? I think it’s the right principle to force him to tell the way of this underground palace quickly!”

Hua Qianjue laughed loudly: “What a smart person. You’d better think carefully about how to force me.”

Just when everyone was helpless, a person ran from the valley entrance from afar, squeezed to the abbot’s side in the crowd, took out a note from his bosom and handed it to the abbot. The abbot hurriedly unfolded it and saw a line of small characters written on the paper: “Danggui (Return) has been delivered, Hua Jinian will arrive here soon.”

Seeing this, the abbot couldn’t help asking in astonishment: “What does it mean?”

Seeing no one answer, he had to read the note again from beginning to end: “Danggui has been delivered, Hua Jinian will arrive here soon. Qiuyi survived the calamity, and under the order of the Villa Master, disguised as the Hall Master of Fusu Hall. Now the plan is successful, hope the Abbot makes good use of it.”

A rider in the dust.

Galloping all the way along the path in the suburbs of Bizhou, the thick and long horse mane rolled up with the wind. In the blink of an eye, he ran into the small woods. Hua Jinian had walked this road before. At that time, it was not such a solitary ride. The surrounding flowers, plants and trees naturally had many differences after two years, but with just a daze, he felt the branches shaking and flowers swaying in front of him, everything extremely familiar.

Not long after, a small stream appeared in front of him. The young man tightened his legs on the horse’s belly, and the fine horse under him leaped over the stream in the air. He vaguely remembered that time, the man in a red robe reached out his hand to him from afar. The voice and smile had been washed thousands of times in the river of memory. He originally thought it would gradually fade in color, but unexpectedly at this moment when the memory surfaced, those scenes became even more engraved in his heart.

That small packet of Danggui emitted a faint scent of Chinese medicine in his bosom. That person sent someone to deliver Danggui. He said, you should go back. Hua Jinian didn’t want to go back, wasn’t willing to go back, but now he had already set foot on the road back. Birds sang along the way, but he always felt that the person in his memory was still lingering beside him, laughing low and whispering. The farther he went, the more anxious he became; the faster he ran, the more impatient he was.

That person, Hua Jinian couldn’t help thinking in his heart, what did that person call him back for? What did that person need him to do? Could it be that there was some trouble in the fortress? But for so many years, that person had never needed him to do anything. In front of him, even if he had monstrous abilities, he would always be difficult to shoulder heavy responsibilities, always weak like a toddler with no strength to tie a chicken.

But that person seemed to need him this time. Just because of such a simple thought, a kind of frivolity mixed with pride and complacency was ignited, making his long-closed heart burned by hot blood, and even reason and intelligence were destroyed. Hua Jinian kept urging the horse, wanting to run faster, run faster again. Unexpectedly, just at this time, the fine horse struggled fiercely, fell forward, and threw Hua Jinian off the horse unprepared.

Tripping rope! This thought flashed through Hua Jinian’s mind in an instant. When he was about to fall, he quickly reached out to support himself on the tree trunk beside him, and flipped backward. Just as he wanted to escape, a young monk walked out slowly from the woods in front, wearing a jeweled kasaya, holding a purple gold Zen staff, indescribably solemn and dignified, and chanted a Buddha’s name to him in a low voice.

Hua Jinian was stunned, forced a smile and said: “Abbot, why block my way?”

The abbot looked up at him, frowned slightly with a pair of kind eyebrows, and whispered: “Benefactor Hua, when this poor monk studied Buddhist scriptures in his childhood, my master told me that a person’s life is heavier than Mount Tai, but compared with the lives of thousands of people, it counts for nothing. He also said that Buddhism forbids killing, but if taking one person’s life can exchange for the great happiness of thousands of people, even if the killer falls into Avici Hell forever, isn’t it also a kind of great wisdom, great perfection?”

Hua Jinian’s face stiffened, and he asked softly: “What do you mean? Does the Abbot want my life?”

The abbot whispered: “Benefactor Hua, when this matter is over, I will repay you with my life.” As he spoke, his hand had slowly raised the Zen staff. Hua Jinian thought for a moment and attacked quickly. The abbot blocked with the staff, neutralizing the move, and whispered: “Benefactor Hua, this poor monk knew at a glance that you are a martial arts prodigy, it’s just a pity that you strayed into the evil path.”

Hua Jinian saw at a glance the disparity in their skills, and couldn’t help feeling cold in his heart, but his attacks became more fierce, laughing loudly: “You all have the same face. What straying into the evil path? The righteous path is full of all kinds of shameful and detestable villains!”

The abbot lowered his head and chanted another Buddha’s name, gradually using seventy percent of his internal energy on his palm, and said indifferently: “You misunderstood. This poor monk meant that you strayed into the evil path in practicing martial arts. Do you think your current kung fu with a heart like still water is really invincible? You are wrong. In the last martial arts competition, I felt that although your skills were exquisite, I was more optimistic about Benefactor Ruan. Every move and stance of his makes people feel the graceful true meaning of life, whether it is the fragrance of flowers, plants and trees, or the vigor of birds and beasts. It is precisely because there are all things in the heart that one can use martial arts that look down on all things. The way of martial arts… is not about pure skills and moves. Only with a broad mind can one see everything clearly in the fight, use all things, and lift heavy weights lightly.”

Hua Jinian’s face changed greatly, and he shouted sternly: “Shut up!” He didn’t know how much he sacrificed to exchange for this vicious and unfeeling kung fu, but at this moment it was said to be worthless by this person. No rhetoric made him more angry out of shame than now. Once this anger was triggered, it spread like wildfire. Unknowingly, he was using desperate moves in his hands. The abbot smiled indifferently without changing his expression: “The great chivalrous person, precisely because he harbors the righteous path and has thousands of people in his heart, can defeat the strong with the weak and display kung fu several times his own. But you… your heart can no longer hold anything. Your heart is empty, your palm is empty. You don’t even know why you fight and why you live. What exactly are you still fighting for?”

Hua Jinian hissed and roared: “Shut up! You shut up! How painful and hard I practiced my kung fu! What right do you have to say—” Speaking of this, his body, which had been firmly suppressed, actually abandoned all moves and pounced forward, seeming to want to fight hand-to-hand with this person. Seeing the young man so crazy, his originally empty and clear eyes full of naked slaughter, the abbot became more determined to eliminate demons and defend the righteous path.

The abbot sighed, but struck down mercilessly on the back of his neck. Watching Hua Jinian faint limply on the ground, he chanted the Buddha’s name again, circulated energy in his palm, struck down slowly, and said softly: “This poor monk doesn’t know your distress, but from today on, you don’t need to be distressed anymore.”

“Abbot, spare him.” With this soft shout, the person who had been hiding behind the dappled tree shadows finally walked out.

The abbot of Jiaye Temple frowned: “Benefactor Ruan, what do you mean?”

That person was Ruan Xiyu. Hearing this, he laughed low: “The reason why Xiyu rode here for days is to do something for the martial arts world like my late father Duke Congyun. If the Abbot really wants to exchange his one life for the happiness of thousands of people, Xiyu thinks there is another more feasible method.”

The abbot raised his eyebrows and smiled: “It’s rare that you have such ambition in your heart. Please speak.” Ruan Xiyu smiled faintly upon hearing this, looked at Hua Jinian’s limp body on the side several times, then walked to the abbot’s ear and whispered a plan in detail.

Seeing the abbot nodding incessantly, Ruan Xiyu continued with a low laugh: “However, to prevent him from escaping and continuing to do evil in the future, for safety’s sake, the Abbot had better abolish a few layers of his kung fu first.”