Лан Инь Би Юэ

Глава 2

Today I'll teach this villain a lesson in the power of the Helian Divine Sword! He thought to himself, his body trembling with excitement, as if he could already see his master praising him when he got back.

With his left hand gripping the sword sheath, Helian Wu placed his right palm against the door.

※ ※ ※

Brother Magali's vision was blurred, and he could see nothing clearly. Teshi's strength was extraordinary. Of the seven monks who had come with them, Teshi was the youngest, the shortest, and the most frail. Only his faith in God had sustained him through the raging storms at sea. But now, Teshi's hands were like cast iron, and he was still murmuring the Lord's Prayer, but it was as soft as a whisper.

"May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven..."

As the voice sounded from behind him, Brother Magali suddenly felt a surge of power coursing through his body. Teshi's hand was still gripping his neck, but his voice suddenly grew louder, loud enough to be heard. Just as he was about to continue reading, Teshi suddenly grinned and said, "Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors."

"Impossible!" Magali's eyes widened in shock. Teshi was reciting the Lord's Prayer, but his tone had an inexplicable strangeness. Could this Satan-like Teshi still be a believer in the Lord? He felt his faith was as firm as a rock, but Teshi's words suddenly shook him. The words he was about to say caught in his throat, and he felt a sudden tightness in his chest. Teshi's thumb and forefinger snapped shut, severing his throat.

Teshi slowly withdrew his hand, his fingers still gripping Magali's skin. This hand, without a blade or edge, was like a swift knife, tearing a piece of flesh from Magali's throat. Blood gushed out instantly, mingling with the last breath squeezed from his lungs, frothing at the surface. Teshi brought his head close to Magali's throat, as if immersed in a clear spring, and took a deep breath.

When his head was severed from Magali's throat, his lips were stained with blood. Yet, Teshir seemed to still be smiling as he watched Magali's gradually cooling body, murmuring, "...lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen."

Magali's eyes were clouded with a deathly gray. It was the gray of the dead, yet his face bore a strange, ecstatic joy, as if he had seen heaven in his final moments—though no one knew for sure whether he had truly seen heaven.

Tie hope wiped his lips and said with a faint smile, "So it was you that Cassino wanted to see. I really didn't expect that."

The upstairs was still pitch black, but a figure could be vaguely seen. It was this same person who had just recited a line from Magali's Lord's Prayer. Now, the person remained silent and motionless, like a statue, making one almost doubt whether it was a real person.

Teshi held out his blood-stained hand as if admiring a painting, and said softly, "You can command Cassino, so you must be quite something. Come, follow me, and I will show you which one is the true god."

The man remained motionless. Teshi stood silently for a moment, then suddenly said, "You still want to follow your hypocritical god? It seems you don't intend to listen to my advice. Fine."

Suddenly, he stretched his arms out to the sides, forming a cross shape. He made a hissing sound, leaned forward, almost touching the ground, and swam up the building like a shadow. In an instant, he seemed to have no bones, turning into a black shadow.

Although he was pressed against the ground, his movements were extremely fast. He rushed up the stairs without the slightest hesitation, and could reach the person in the blink of an eye. But just as he reached the middle of the stairs, a sound suddenly came from the gap in the stairs, and a gleaming steel spear pierced through Tie hope's body.

With a "whoosh," a person rushed out.

The stairs were made of thick wooden planks, but the man's entire body was like an iron hammer, charging out with unstoppable force. Tie hope was pierced by the steel spear and was immediately thrown into the air, hanging on the spear tip like a fish.

The man was short, but so muscular he was almost square-shaped. As he burst out from under the stairs, he punched a large hole in the staircase. He leaped out, his face beaming with joy, and shouted, "Miss, I've caught him!"

Before he could finish speaking, the man upstairs cried out in alarm, "Get down!" His voice was filled with panic. The man was still somewhat bewildered when suddenly a flash of lightning illuminated the scene inside the room. He immediately realized that the object stuck in the tip of his spear was so light that it was almost weightless, and it didn't resemble a human body at all.

It was just a tattered monk's robe.

He was terrified and was about to jump down through the hole in the stairs when he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He looked down and saw a large black lump suddenly appear on his chest, and the dark shape was still pushing out.

"ah!"

These were his last words. The dark shadow pierced through his chest with incredible speed. He was struck as if by a heavy blow, and his body flew out violently. The steel spear, like an arrow shot from a powerful bow, pierced the ceiling, but he flew to the other side and crashed into the door with a bang.

A large hole appeared in his chest. It was as if he had been hit by a stone cannon at very close range, his entire chest was pierced through, and when he slid down the door to the ground, he was almost entirely left with only his limbs.

Emerging from the man's chest was Tie hope. He was covered in blood, his snow-white skin gleaming strangely. He slowly picked up his clothes, put them on, looked up at the man upstairs, and smiled slightly.

Suddenly, the door burst open with a loud bang, and a man appeared in the doorway, shouting, "You audacious thief, surrender now!"

Three layouts

"Are you Wuxin Zhenren?"

"It is indeed a minor path."

Wu Ming glanced at the letter in his hand, then looked at the young Taoist priest before him with a hint of suspicion. Although the letter, written in black and white, was indeed the work of Master Zongzhen of Longlian Temple, and highly praised the "Heartless Immortal," the young priest's eyes darted around, immediately darting towards the famous pure gold Acala statue in Shengjun Temple. This Acala statue was enshrined by the devout Buddhist Prince Anping, Buhualuer, and was the temple's most prized possession, weighing a full forty-seven jin and three liang. Since its enshrinement at Shengjun, more than a dozen people had coveted this golden Buddha, all notorious thieves in the martial arts world. Wu Ming had dealt with three such cases since becoming abbot. Although those thieves came to scout the place under the guise of fulfilling vows, their eyes were no different from the young Taoist priest's upon entering.

Could it be that Master Zongzhen had misjudged him? Or had the real Wuxin Zhenren been murdered by thieves, and this young Taoist priest was an imposter? Wuming felt uneasy, yet he dared not believe it. Master Zongzhen was one of the three great masters of Esoteric Buddhism, and those he praised were no ordinary people. If this young Taoist priest was truly an imposter, then his ability to kill the real Wuxin Zhenren must be unimaginably high.

He held the letter, but couldn't make up his mind.

In his letter, Master Zongzhen said he had entrusted the Taoist Wuxin to escort 10,000 taels of silver for disaster relief. In the past two years, natural and man-made disasters had been relentless, including the Yellow River breaching its banks, a dragon attack in Fujian, and two tsunamis, leaving hundreds of thousands of people displaced in the Quanzhou area. While busy providing relief to the victims in the Hetao region, Master Zongzhen heard this news and instructed the Taoist Wuxin to allocate 10,000 taels of silver to Shengjun Temple to set up a soup kitchen for disaster relief. 10,000 taels of silver weighed over 600 jin (approximately 300 kg), and the young Taoist priest arrived safely. To suspect someone based solely on his shifty, suspicious gaze was surely going too far.

"Master Wuming, the silver sheath has been removed from the temple. Please check it."

Seeing that Wu Ming was lost in thought and not knowing what he was thinking, Wu Xin quickly added a sentence. Wu Ming then came to his senses and said, "Good, Master, you are so kind and compassionate. Although Buddhism and Taoism are two different schools, they share the same origin. Please go to the guest room to rest. I will write a letter and ask you to deliver it to Master Zongzhen. Thank you for your kindness, Master Zongzhen."

Wuxin bowed and said, "Thank you very much."

Wuming summoned a novice monk and led Wuxin to a guest room to rest. This novice monk's Dharma name was Fenggan, which was the same as that of a poet-monk from the Tang Dynasty. He was also about the same age as Wuxin and had delicate features.

After Wuxin left, Wuming slumped into a chair, lost in thought. After a while, Fenggan's voice rang out at the door: "Master, that Wuxin Zhenren has been arranged to rest."

Wu Ming nodded and said, "Alright. Is he alright?"

A strange light flashed in Feng Gan's eyes. He stepped forward and said hesitantly in a low voice, "Master, he was recommended by Master Zongzhen. Are you really going to report this to Lord Gao?"

Wu Ming sighed, "Although Buddhism claims to be pure, it is still ultimately within the mundane world. Feng Gan, between the law of the king and the law of Buddhism, which should we ultimately follow?"

Feng Gan suddenly realized and said, "Master, you mean..."

"It's nothing. Shengjun Temple is a pure Buddhist place. I don't know anything about it."

Feng Gan nodded and said, "Yes, Master, you know nothing."

Although these words sounded like a cryptic exchange, Fenggan already understood his master's meaning. A few days ago, Judge Gao Tianci of the Huguang Province suddenly visited Shengjun Temple, saying that a Taoist priest named Wuxin might come and instructing them to inform him. Fenggan knew then that Shengjun Temple's tranquility was over. Judge Gao was acting on the orders of Tian Yuanhan, the Left Pingzhang of the Huguang Province, whose Darughachi had personally signed and authorized him to act expediently. No matter how powerful Shengjun Temple was, it couldn't withstand the official laws.

But who exactly is this Wuxin? As Fenggan walked out of the abbot's quarters and closed the door, he suddenly recalled the scene when he escorted Wuxin to the guest room. At that time, Wuxin had been stammering for a long time, and he was guessing what Wuxin was going to ask, but to his surprise, Wuxin asked about the weight of the Fudo Myoo statue.

"This Wuxin can't be a good person, can he?" He shook his head, his bald head reflecting the ray of sunlight streaming in from outside, bright as a mirror. But even though he thought this, for some reason, he also felt that Wuxin couldn't be a bad person either. He went to the stable, led the little donkey out, left the mountain gate, and slowly descended the mountain.

Judge Gao Tianci stayed in a guest room in Quanzhou City. Shengjun Temple was located on a mountain five miles outside the city. It was not easy for the monks of the temple to enter the city. Gao Tianci was a man who drank wine from large bowls and ate meat in large chunks. He only stayed on the mountain for one day before his mouth felt so bland that he could not stay any longer. He instructed the abbot of Shengjun Temple on matters and then took two servants to stay in the city.

Quanzhou was previously governed by the Persian Pu Shougeng. After the Yuan Dynasty destroyed the Song Dynasty, Zhang Shijie and Lu Xiufu fled south with the young emperor. Pu Shougeng, originally an official appointed by the Song Dynasty, refused to surrender, forcing Zhang and Lu to abandon the city and flee south. Ultimately, they were overtaken by the Yuan general Zhang Hongfan at Yaishan, and their entire army was annihilated. Quanzhou was a famous seaport during the Song Dynasty and had enjoyed relative peace for the past century. Now, it was even more prosperous. Gao Tianci, who had been in Hunan, was immediately overwhelmed by the sights and sounds of the city, almost forgetting Tian Pingzhang's orders. He secretly hoped that the Taoist priest named Wuxin would arrive as late as possible.

He leaned back in a recliner, pouring himself a drink. On the table were four small dishes, all famous Quanzhou delicacies. This restaurant was one of the best in Quanzhou. The four dishes were exquisitely prepared: one was scallops with jade platter, another was freshly made oyster omelet, and the third was thinly sliced mutton jelly, all extremely delicious. There was also a dish of seafood sashimi with three kinds of fish, the type of which he didn't know. Sea fish are much fattier than river fish. The three kinds of seafood—white, red, and yellow—were shredded and seasoned with ginger and vinegar, making them extremely pleasing to the eye. At first, Gao Tianci didn't quite like it, finding it fishy, but after eating it a few times, he became addicted and it became a must-have at every meal; he couldn't live without it.

He picked up a piece of sashimi with his chopsticks, put it in his mouth, and savored it slowly. The fish was incredibly fresh and delicious, with just the right amount of subtle fishy smell. It wasn't masked by the ginger and vinegar flavors, nor was it unpleasant; on the contrary, it was incredibly flavorful. It melted in his mouth almost like thin ice. He then took a sip of wine. This pleasure was truly indescribable.

After taking a bite of the Three Treasures Sliced Dish, I was about to try an oyster omelet when someone at the door suddenly said, "Sir, a master from Shengjun Temple requests an audience."

What bad luck. Gao Tianci almost blurted out "I won't see him," but then remembered his duty and said, "Alright, let him in."

The monk who entered was only a novice monk of eighteen or nineteen. Upon reaching the door, the monk did not enter but simply bowed his head and said, "This humble monk is Fenggan, greetings to Master Gao."

Gao Tianci stood up from his chair and said, "What's the matter, Fenggan?"

"That Taoist priest named Wuxin has arrived."

Gao Tianci felt a jolt run through him and said, "They've arrived?"

"Yes, sir."

Gao Tianci's spirits lifted, but a hint of regret lingered. It seemed he'd soon be returning to report, and he wouldn't be able to enjoy the delicious food of Quanzhou anymore. He rubbed his hands together and said, "Good. He didn't suspect anything, did he?"

“Your Excellency, he has no suspicions.” Feng Gan paused, then said, “Your Excellency, my master wishes that you consider the safety of our temple and refrain from taking action within the temple, so as not to damage the reputation of Shengjun Temple.”

Gao Tianci shouted, "Of course. Master Fenggan, you should go back. Tomorrow, lead that Taoist priest to the back mountain, and everything else is none of your business."

Feng Gan bowed and retreated towards the door. As soon as he left, an attendant rushed in and said, "Sir, that person has arrived?"

Gao Tianci sneered, "They've arrived. Where's Mr. Gu?"

The attendant said, "Mr. Gu has made all the preparations on the back mountain, just waiting for us to make our move." As he spoke, a hint of worry flashed across his face, which Gao Tianci noticed. He asked, "Little Liu, what are you worried about?"

Xiao Liu said, "Sir, although this matter was entrusted to Tian Pingzhang, the magic used by Master Gu is really too strange. I am really afraid of these unorthodox practitioners. Just thinking about Xiao Ma's fate makes my heart tremble."

Gao Tianci paused, recalling his encounter with Mr. Gu. Mr. Gu held Tian Pingzhang's edict, and as a subordinate, Gao Tianci naturally had to obey. However, Mr. Gu was truly chilling; not only Xiao Liu, but even Gao Tianci himself felt a chill whenever he saw him. At the time, Gao Tianci had two attendants with him. One of them, for slightly disrespecting Mr. Gu, suddenly contracted a strange illness. His face festered, leaving large sores, melting like candle wax, even his lips rotting away. Doctors couldn't diagnose him, but a physician suggested it might be a curse. Gao Tianci then suspected Mr. Gu's involvement and personally pleaded for the attendant's life. After this incident, Gao Tianci kept his distance from Mr. Gu. If it weren't for Tian Pingzhang's strict orders, he would have long ago distanced himself to avoid getting involved.

Hearing Mr. Gu let out a sigh, he realized that Tian Pingzhang's beloved daughter, who possessed extraordinary skills, was actually the leader of some kind of Zhushan Sect. And that Taoist priest named Wuxin, who was able to kill her, was most likely someone of Mr. Gu's caliber. Mixing with these unorthodox individuals, he wondered if he'd even see the sun rise tomorrow. He scratched his head and said, "Don't worry about it. Mr. Gu doesn't need our help anyway. Just go and inform him."

Xiao Liu hesitated for a moment, seemingly unwilling to face Mr. Gu. Gao Tianci noticed his expression and, displeased, shouted sternly, "Xiao Liu, you're not going? Do you expect me to go?"

Xiao Liu was startled and knelt down, saying, "Yes, yes, I obey." He kept thinking to himself, "It sounds nice, but can't you go?" But in the officialdom, a higher-ranking official can crush a lower one. Gao Tianci was appointed as a judge, while Xiao Liu was just a commoner. How could he dare to disobey?

Gao Tianci cursed, but his mood improved a bit. He said, "Go quickly, don't ruin things."

Xiao Liu agreed and went out the door. Watching his retreating figure, Gao Tianci sighed, sat down again, and picked up a piece of sashimi with his chopsticks. The sashimi was still tender and delicious, but there was a lingering bloody taste in his mouth. He lost his appetite, threw down his chopsticks, and leaned back in his chair.

Killing a person or two was commonplace for Gao Tianci. But killing this particular person was proving to be incredibly complicated. If Tian Pingzhang wanted revenge for his beloved daughter, he could have easily issued a warrant for a nationwide arrest, ordering the various local authorities to handle the matter. Why did he send him and Mr. Gu to do it? What unspeakable secret was behind this?

※ ※ ※

The mountain behind Shengjun Temple is very remote, but it has mountains and water, and the scenery is very beautiful. Xiao Liu reined in his horse and looked around.

There wasn't a single house on the back of the mountain; it was a deserted place, and the path was overgrown with weeds. The trees were towering, and wildflowers were everywhere. Occasionally, a bird's song could be heard, but it sent chills down one's spine.

Xiao Liu reined in his horse and looked around. No matter how he looked at it, it didn't seem like anyone was there. He couldn't understand how Mr. Gu had managed to hide in this place. He raised his head and called out, "Mr. Gu, are you there?"

A faint echo came from the woods. Xiao Liu felt a chill run down his spine, and his hand holding the reins trembled involuntarily. Just as he was about to call out again, someone suddenly said, "Has that person arrived yet?"

Following the sound, Xiao Liu saw a man in a green robe standing with his hands behind his back on a branch of a tall tree. The branch wasn't very thick, but it stood perfectly straight as the man stood on it. He dismounted, knelt on one knee, and said, "Mr. Gu, the master from Shengjun Temple just came and said that he will bring that man here tomorrow."

The man looked up at the sky. He was quite far away, and his face was obscured by the shadows of the leaves, so it was impossible to see what he was thinking. After a long while, he finally said, "Didn't he have any doubts?"

"Reporting to Mr. Gu, that person had no doubts whatsoever."

Mr. Gu stood motionless on the tree branch, like a wooden sculpture. Little Liu wondered to himself, "What is this sorcerer thinking? Am I ready to leave?" Suddenly, he heard Mr. Gu say, "Go back and report to Judge Gao that he should come here tomorrow evening to collect that person's body."

Xiao Liu had heard these words many times before, as he was an attendant of the Chenzhou Road General Administration. However, for some reason, hearing Mr. Gu say these words felt like a cold wind was blowing in his face, chilling him to the bone.

He whispered, "Yes," then mounted his horse, cracked the whip, and fled as if escaping. After a while, he looked back from his horse. Mr. Gu, dressed in a green robe that blended with the surroundings, had disappeared into the shadows of the trees; if he hadn't known where he was standing, he probably wouldn't have been recognized. Mr. Gu was still standing on that branch, gazing at the sky, lost in thought, seemingly preoccupied with something.

Four Ailao Mountains Sword Technique

Helian Wu blasted open the door with a single palm strike, letting out a loud shout. He was secretly quite pleased with himself, thinking to himself, "I'm really impressive. I'll go back and tell my brothers about it."

The Helian clan has many disciples, all of whom are members of the clan. Helian Wu is exceptionally talented and highly valued by the sect leader. However, he is still young, and many are dissatisfied with him, secretly saying that he is only ranked among the Twelve Earthly Branch Swords at such a young age because of the sect leader's favor. Helian Wu has long heard these rumors. If he can resolve this crisis and help those in distress through his own abilities, he can naturally boast about it when he returns, silencing those people.

Rushing inside, he immediately saw three corpses lying on the floor, the one by the door particularly mutilated. He had never seen a corpse before, and a chill ran down his spine. Looking up, he saw a person standing in the center of the room, dressing. It seemed that under the tattered outer robe, nothing was underneath; the person's skin was dazzlingly white, fiery red hair reached their waist, and their blue eyes shone brightly.

It seems he is a Semu person. Although Helian Wu lived in a remote place, his second uncle, Helian Chifen, was a restless person who often traveled the world. When he returned, he would boast to his nephews and nieces of similar age. Helian Wu also knew that among the four types of people in the world, Semu people were the second-highest class.

Helian Wu shouted, "You scoundrel! In this peaceful world, under the clear sky, you dare to openly commit such unjust and illegal acts! You are truly audacious!"

These were words that Helian Chifenruo often said when telling them stories. Helian Wu said them in one breath, feeling very proud and confident. However, despite his pride, he dared not be careless in the slightest, knowing that this man had killed three people and was definitely not someone to be trifled with.

Tie hope draped the tattered robe over his shoulders, wiped the blood from his lips, grinned, and said in Chinese, "Where did this barbarian come from?"

"Barbarian" was a derogatory term used by the Mongols to refer to southerners. Although Helian Wu was hearing it for the first time, he knew it was definitely not a compliment. In fact, the Helian clan were not Han Chinese; if ranked according to the four classes of people, they would be classified as Semu people. His anger flared, and he hooked his finger on his sword sheath, shouting, "You scoundrel, come with me to see the officials!"

Tie hope smiled faintly again. He didn't take the Han Chinese boy who had suddenly appeared seriously at all. He looked at Helian Wu, but thought to himself, "The Medici family must have their reasons for sending this person out. We can't underestimate him."

He had made up his mind and raised his hand. Although he had just killed one of the enemy's followers with his incarnation technique, the Medici exorcists always worked in groups of four. That person also had two followers, neither of whom were weak. Helian Wu had delivered himself to their doorstep, so he could use him to test that person's abilities.

As soon as he raised his hand, he suddenly let out a scream.

The scream was almost inhuman. Helian Wu had been completely focused, but he hadn't expected the thief to suddenly scream. The scream was like needles, piercing his eardrums. He felt an extreme discomfort in his chest, and before he could see anything, Tie Xi's hand was already at his chest, grabbing his shirt and lifting Helian Wu up.

So fast!

Helian Wu was very confident in his abilities, but he never expected Tiexi to be so fast. Although Helian Wu was a head shorter than Tiexi and weighed over a hundred pounds, Tiexi held him in his hands as if he were nothing, and his feet immediately left the ground.

Tie hope grabbed Helian Wu and flung him away. Helian Wu felt a sudden lightness in his body as he flew straight upstairs. The stairs of the Sanyi Temple were very steep, but Tie Xi's strength was extraordinary. Helian Wu was thrown out like a package, and it looked like he was about to crash into the railing. But suddenly, while in mid-air, Helian Wu bent his legs, grabbed the railing with his left hand, and turned his body around. His feet hooked around the bottom of the railing, and with a flick of his right hand, three cold stars flew towards Tie hope's face.