Chapter 2
For half a month, Ji Chun traveled continuously, encountering many people from other sects hurrying towards Jizhou along the way. During idle chats, he heard a widely circulated rumor in the martial arts world:
The new leader of the Demonic Sect, Su Ran, was attempting to unify the martial arts world, starting with the leader of the Martial Alliance, and then extending his demonic claws to various major sects. There were even whispers claiming that the current leaders of prominent sects such as Emei and Wudang had already been poisoned. Strangely, despite the widespread rumors, none of these sects had come forward to deny them, which was truly perplexing.
That day, Ji Chun arrived beside an official road. On one side was a dense and towering forest, with winding paths trodden out by martial artists. On the other side was a steep mountain wall that blotted out the sky. Looking up, he could only vaguely see the mountaintop shrouded in white clouds, unable to make it out clearly.
This avenue was the only route to Mao County, so simple thatched huts were set up near the road, offering tea and snacks to passersby in exchange for some loose change, a way to make a living in this chaotic martial world.
This small teahouse was located on one side of the road, at the edge of the forest, where the trees and weeds were relatively sparse and flat. The rustic thatched hut could barely accommodate a small group of people resting. Several martial artists were scattered around small tables, drinking tea and eating snacks, occasionally slamming the table and loudly commenting on the strange happenings in the martial world lately.
Ji Chun chose a quiet corner with fewer people, put down his baggage, and sat down, ordering a pot of cheap tea. He silently observed the surrounding martial artists, knowing that as long as he sat in a lively place for a while, all sorts of rumors would naturally reach his ears.
At the table in front, two burly men were hunched together, seemingly whispering, but their loud voices betrayed the content of their conversation. They wore lewd and obscene smiles on their faces, their eyes constantly glancing at the women around. Anyone with a bit of worldly experience understood what they were talking about, but everyone wore a fake smile, with only a hint of disdain in their eyes.
Having filled his stomach a bit, it was time to get back on the road. Ji Chun had just stood up and walked out of the teahouse when he was met by a large, bearded man. He exuded a cold and fierce aura, his eyes devoid of any unnecessary emotion, as if no one present was worthy of his attention. It was the first time the monk had felt such a palpable and heavy murderous intent from someone.
Although surprised, Ji Chun maintained a detached and solemn expression. He was only momentarily distracted before he stopped dawdling and continued forward.
He had only taken a few steps when he noticed that the man behind him, who had been about to enter the teahouse, had stopped and changed direction. In the blink of an eye, the man was already deep in the forest, where four ragged beggars lay at his feet, coughing up blood and groaning in pain.
Ji Chun pressed his palms together, his thick eyebrows furrowed. The severely injured beggars were on the verge of death, yet they were still kneeling on the ground begging for mercy. Looking at the man, half turned away, his expression was unclear. A gust of cool wind blew, and the corner of the man’s robe was lifted and fell, adding to the chilling atmosphere.
A thought struck him. He used his qinggong to leap in front of the man, blocking a fatal palm strike aimed at one of the beggars. With a stern face, he said to the man in a slow voice, “Benefactor…”
The man was clearly surprised that someone dared to stop him. A mocking smile appeared on the corner of his lips as he muttered with a hint of amusement, “A monk…”
The moment Ji Chun stood in front of the man, he clearly felt the man’s unfathomable internal strength. His body instinctively remained highly alert in the face of danger, not daring to be careless. He knew that only by giving his all could he fight this man for a while.
Leaves danced in the air, and several towering trees fell to the ground in response to the force of their palms, stirring up dust. The longer the fight went on, the more Ji Chun felt overwhelmed. The man before him was definitely not ordinary. Now he could only rely on dodging the man’s attacks to stay alive. Suddenly, a sharp whip struck his back with extreme force. The thin, simple monk’s robe tore with the blow, and blood quickly soaked the cloth along the wound. Taking advantage of the man raising the whip for a second strike, he gathered all his internal strength and attacked the man with all his might—
“Ugh—” The whip fell to the ground in mid-air. The man let out a painful cry and collapsed, his body trembling as if poisoned, his face flushed abnormally, his fists clenched tightly, and his sharp eyes suddenly turned to fear and vigilance. He pleaded in a hoarse voice, “Master… I was wrong…”
Ji Chun unconsciously took a step back, his face grim as he prepared to defend against the man’s next attack, while also greatly puzzled by what the man was doing. Was his appearance genuine, or was he waiting for an opportunity to kill him? The man who had been so arrogant and powerful just moments ago had changed his face and begged for mercy, putting on such a weak display in the blink of an eye. It was both shocking and frightening.
“You…” Ji Chun hesitated for a moment, about to tell him to leave, when a row of hidden weapons shot towards him in unison. He turned around and barely dodged the fatal assassination. When he looked back again, the man had disappeared.
Only then did Ji Chun finally breathe a sigh of relief. After simply bandaging his wound with a clean cloth, he didn’t linger and hurried to a nearby town to find a clinic. He finally reached Mao County near nightfall. He went to the clinic to treat his wound first, then found an inn to stay in.
At this time, Ji Chun was meditating and practicing his qigong on the bed. Although he had suffered a serious injury today, he was fortunate that his martial arts cultivation had advanced to another level. Thick and full internal strength flowed slowly through his seven meridians and eight extraordinary vessels, and his vitality was more abundant than before. He had planned to take advantage of the day to break through another level of cultivation, but rushing things in qigong practice was counterproductive, so he finally decided to go to sleep early and travel the next day.
Early the next morning, Ji Chun washed up and went downstairs for breakfast. He was pondering how many more days it would take to reach Jizhou when he suddenly felt increasingly dizzy. He frowned and shook his head uncomfortably, trying to suppress the drowsiness that had appeared in his mind, but the strength in his body seemed to have been drained away. His vision went black, and he collapsed in front of the table.
“Heh…” The man grinned, a chilling smile appearing on his face.
In a room around the corner of the inn, a monk was tightly bound with sturdy ropes. Sitting in front of him was a man with a thick beard, staring thoughtfully at the monk’s face, as if pondering a very serious question.
This man was none other than the leader of the Demonic Sect—Su Ran. At this moment, he was thinking about various methods of torturing the person. The enmity between this dead bald donkey and him was quite deep. How dare he save someone under Su Ran’s nose, and injure him while his medicine was taking effect? Now in this world, who has such a deep feud with Su Ran other than this ignorant monk! Su Ran had long grown tired of killing. To deal with a person, he had to start with their weakest point, destroying their faith bit by bit…
When Ji Chun opened his eyes, he saw Su Ran’s face clearly in front of him. The magnified features shocked him so much that he leaned back. Those eyes… seemed to contain hidden power, as if they were about to suck people in. Even while enduring the chill that came from the bottom of his heart, he still couldn’t look away.
“It’s you?” Ji Chun recognized the person and said coldly. The battle in the forest yesterday, the wound on his back still throbbed faintly. If this man hadn’t suddenly had some kind of problem and fallen into a disadvantage, he probably wouldn’t be alive now.
Finding that the monk was awake, Su Ran was not flustered, but slowly paced to the table, stretched out his slender white hand to pour himself a cup of clear tea, took a sip, presumably the taste was not very palatable, and casually threw the cup into a corner of the room, making a crisp cracking sound, which made the monk’s expression even more serious.
Ji Chun closed his eyes and silently chanted the Heart Sutra to relax himself. Life and death are determined by fate, and good and evil will eventually be rewarded. Everything was destined in the darkness. Suddenly, his chin was pinched hard by a hand, forcing him to raise his head and look into the man’s eyes again. He stared coldly.
“Chanting sutras to transcend yourself? Hoping to be born into a good family in the next life? Huh?” Su Ran said, the strength in his hand gradually increasing. Unknowingly, a purplish fingerprint appeared on the monk’s smooth chin, but he still didn’t utter a sound. Su Ran sneered in his heart, what a tough bone, this seat really has to look at you with new eyes!
Ji Chun still wore a calm handsome face, his facial lines were already deep, and the expression of pursing his thin lips and frowning was even more serious and indifferent. Even with the chin pinched by the man almost cracking, reaching the extreme of pain, there was not a sound in his throat.
Su Ran stared at the stubborn monk in front of him, his eyes slightly narrowed, emitting a dangerous light. Not afraid of death? Good, this seat likes people who are not afraid of death the most!
Suddenly withdrawing the hand that was pinching the monk’s chin, the next moment, he slapped the monk hard. Although he didn’t use internal force, the monk’s face still swelled up instantly, and some blood overflowed from the corner of his mouth.
At the same time, the sound of things falling to the ground came from the next room. Su Ran glared unhappily at the wall, as if he was about to tear down the wall and rush in to kill someone in the next moment. Sure enough, the sound reached the room again:
“Master, I don’t want to…” It was the voice of a charming woman, delicate, and somewhat hesitant, like a smooth, boneless beauty snake, winding around the man so he couldn’t stop. Then, embarrassing sounds came…
Strangely, at the moment when Su Ran had accumulated internal force in his palm to overturn the wall, he withdrew his internal force and changed his mind. A meaningful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he turned around and walked towards Ji Chun step by step.
The room finally heard the monk’s panicked and angry roar, “Get out!” Followed by a cry of pain, and then the rustling sound of clothes falling to the ground, and the monk’s inarticulate tone…
Ji Chun’s arms bulged with blue veins, but his body was tapped with xue points and could not move at all. His already almost dislocated chin was grabbed again, and the top of his head was pressed hard by a palm, forcing him to be manipulated uncontrollably…