A figure rode a flying sword like a bolt of lightning, shooting straight into the mountain gates of the Palace of Grand Beginning and plunging directly into the grand mountain-guarding array.
Such an arrogant intrusion naturally alerted the True Monarch on duty. With a point of his finger, the sword-riding cultivator froze in midair, unable to budge. Yet the cultivator remained standing ramrod-straight with hands clasped behind her back, not even deigning to look the True Monarch in the eye.
Anger flushed the True Monarch's face. He flashed before the intruder in an instant, about to reprimand her, when he suddenly froze. "Zhang Sheng?"
Zhang Sheng stood straight with hands behind her back, but her eyes were glassy—she had passed out long ago. A sweep of the True Monarch's divine sense revealed that her Dao power had been severely overdrawn. With a wave of his wide sleeve, Dao power transformed into rain, soaking into Zhang Sheng's body until she slowly came to.
A short while later, Zhang Sheng sat opposite Xuan Yue.
Zhang Sheng said, "...That is what happened. Jingmo took the full force of my strike; his dharma idol's foundation was damaged, and I fear it can hardly be restored. Your disciple was reckless and begs for Grandmaster's punishment."
Xuan Yue narrowed his eyes, musing, "Venerable Jiaxiang? There does seem to be such a figure in the Pure Land, but I've never heard of any great feats of his. Why did he suddenly want my grand-disciple's life?"
With Xuan Yue framing it like that, the nature of the matter changed entirely.
Zhang Sheng held out her hand. In her palm lay a bodhi leaf. "It may have some karmic connection to this object."
Xuan Yue took the bodhi leaf, examined it thoroughly for quite a while, and then placed it aside without a word. "Those bald donkeys employ insidious methods. For Jiaxiang to act so abruptly, he must have something backing him up. Mmh, I must find a helper. It just so happens the Hall Master of the Bright King has returned; no one is better suited to deal with those bald donkeys than him. Come with me!"
With a sweep of his wide sleeve, the two of them appeared inside the Hall of the Bright King, clean forgetting about the bodhi leaf. The moment they stepped through the gates, extraordinarily heavy footfalls echoed through the hall, as if an ancient divine beast were pacing back and forth, shaking the entire hall.
Xuan Yue didn't bother announcing his arrival and strode straight inside.
On the first floor of the hall, dozens of bare-chested disciples of the Hall of the Bright King were sparring in pairs, trading flesh-to-flesh blows. Heavy, dull thuds rose and fell, each strike jarring to the soul. From time to time, teeth went flying and clattered crisply across the floor, harmonizing with the thunderous cracks of breaking bones.
In the center of the hall, a hulking man wearing only a pair of shorts was pinned to the floor, taking a thrashing from three disciples who were likewise clad only in shorts. One of them possessed keen senses; a pair of eyes abruptly opened on his back, spotting Zhang Sheng and True Monarch Xuanyue.
He immediately shouted, "Stop hitting for a second, an elder is here! Get up and pay your respects!"
All three disciples scrambled up and bowed in unison. The hulking man who had been pinned down and beaten also rose to pay his respects, visibly standing at least a head taller than every other disciple around him.
Zhang Sheng blinked in surprise before recognizing the big fellow as Wang Hu. He was considered a top-tier genius among dharma idols, only he was fifty years older than Zhang Sheng and Ji Liuli's generation, counting as the prior generation.
Zhang Sheng looked at the three disciples again, only to realize in shock that they were all women!
Given the Hall of the Bright King's prevailing aesthetic, however, men and women looked much the same from behind. Feng Tingyu was a rare exception, which was why the Hall Master cherished her as a treasure—after all, a century on either side had produced only one such marvel presentable enough to adorn the hall's facade.
Traditional disciples of the Hall of the Bright King had always worn scant fabric. This was not due to moral degradation, but because their chests, backs, thighs, and knees all had to "see" people; putting on clothes was akin to blindfolding themselves, leaving them unable to perceive enemy movements.
True Monarch Xuanyue, unfazed by such sights, stroked his beard. "What are you all up to...?"
One female disciple replied, "Reporting to Grandmaster, today's drill subject is: Three Heroes Battle Wang Hu. My martial sisters and I managed to gain the upper hand just now by sheer luck, but to scatter Eldest Brother's physical body, we might need to pound him for a few more days."
"Oh, good, carry on then." True Monarch Xuanyue led Zhang Sheng up to the second floor, whereupon the Three Heroes clashed with Wang Hu once more.
The second floor was exceedingly vast and empty. A cultured, scholarly young cultivator was walking in circles across the hall, casually balancing an iron mountain over a hundred feet tall in one hand. The terrifying footfalls causing the entire hall to tremble came from him.
Seeing Xuan Yue arrive, the Hall Master of the Bright King set the nether iron mountain down gently in a corner of the hall and asked, "Brother Xuan Yue, what brings you to my Hall of the Bright King today?"
True Monarch Xuanyue did not reply immediately. Instead, he looked the Hall Master up and down, his expression turning solemn. "Have you lost weight again?"
The Hall Master flashed a radiant smile like a sunny young lad. "I didn't get to eat proper meals during this long journey—lost a full two thousand jin!"
The smile vanished completely from Xuan Yue's face. "Weren't you sent to reinforce the Northern Mountain Gate? Why didn't you eat properly?"
The Hall Master said, "Don't get me started. I received a message from Yanshi and set out at the crack of dawn. Reasonably speaking, I should have arrived at the Northern Mountain Gate in time for lunch. Who would've thought I'd lose my way right out the door? Then all sorts of bizarre things happened. I kept veering off course as I walked, wandering through deep mountains and wild forests for an entire year.
"After New Year's passed, I figured heading to the Northern Mountain Gate would be pointless anyway, so I came back. Once back, I gave it some thought: Yanshi summoned me, and I set out, yet I never reached the Northern Mountain Gate. Perhaps that was simply the intended outcome all along."
Standing nearby, Zhang Sheng listened in total bewilderment. Xuan Yue explained, "This fellow remains untouched by karma and eludes all schemes, averting tribulations purely on instinct. Every time he passes a major tribulation, his strength surges by leaps and bounds. He wandered blindly outside for a year because an immortal likely tried to plot against him, only for the scheme to fall flat.
"Having evaded that tribulation, his strength soared. Look at him, he's nearly caught up to me! Well, since he avoided the calamity, the immortal responsible won't have an easy time—they'll suffer the fall of at least a golden grotto-heaven."
"By the way, what did you come find me for?" the Hall Master of the Bright King asked again.
Xuan Yue said, "A bald donkey from the Great Treasure Radiance Pure Land tried to scheme against my grand-disciple. I plan to stake out their mountain gate, wait for that donkey to come out, and pin him down for a beating! Want to come with me?"
"Which bald donkey?"
"Venerable Jiaxiang."
"Venerable who?"
"Venerable Jiaxiang."
"Venerable Jia-what?" the Hall Master asked again, clearly still unable to catch it.
All at once, both men understood.
"Pardon the intrusion." Xuan Yue turned on his heel and left.
The Hall Master of the Bright King was left thoroughly baffled. He couldn't fathom why Old Bandit Chunqiu had suddenly dropped by, inviting him out for a fight, only to stubbornly refuse to say whom they were fighting. Had the old bandit found his conscience?
At that thought, the Hall Master spat several times. Even his toes knew that the old rogue didn't possess a shred of conscience. Yet the moment he took a step, his legs gave out, and he pitched forward onto his face.
After picking himself up covered in dirt, the Hall Master finally realized: his toes were protesting the discrimination.
Once out of the Hall of the Bright King, True Monarch Xuanyue cursed, "Those bald donkeys truly have more twists and turns than anyone! They've surely laid an ambush at their gates, just waiting for me to walk into the trap! Good thing I checked with the Hall Master; otherwise, I wouldn't have known how insidious they were!"
Zhang Sheng could not help urging, "Rescuing Wei Yuan is what matters right now. Retaliation can wait for later."
Xuan Yue said, "That is true. But being plotted against by a thieving bald donkey leaves a foul taste in my mouth. When you struck that monk, did you use your full strength?"
Zhang Sheng hesitated before saying, "Your disciple deployed all thirty-six Azure Silk Rain swords, so... the damage to the monk's dharma idol is likely irreparable. It is just that this won't become apparent until a few years down the line."
Zhang Sheng hadn't revealed the whole truth earlier, partly fearing her grandmaster's reprimand. After all, the monk had exercised some restraint, whereas she had gone straight for the kill.
Hearing this, Xuan Yue was overjoyed. "Good! Splendidly slashed! As expected of my grand-disciple! That's exactly how it should be done!"
Relieved, Zhang Sheng asked, "Then there's no need to stake out their mountain gate?"
Xuan Yue gave a sinister chuckle. "Those thieving bald donkeys think they're master schemers, unaware I've already seen through their game! Hah, I won't go today, but I will go seven days from now! Once the bald donkeys let down their guard, I'll catch them completely off balance!"
Zhang Sheng had nothing to say to that. She urged Xuan Yue to borrow the immortal treasure, then set off to return to Qingming.
Meanwhile, in a quiet chamber within the Great Treasure Radiance Pure Land, a portly monk bearing a pleasant smile slowly opened his eyes. Looking at the disciples seated before him—none of whom reached the height of his crossed legs—he said, "Seven days from now, an esteemed guest will arrive outside our mountain gate. Treat him well, and do not be remiss."
...
Given that Zhang Sheng was carrying an immortal treasure back to Qingming, Xuan Yue took no chances and escorted her personally. Only after watching her safely enter Qingming did he return to their home mountain.
When Xuan Yue returned to the Sky Azure Hall, six days had passed. According to his plan, he was set to depart tonight for the Pure Land's gates to ambush whichever monk descended the mountain.
Just as Xuan Yue was preparing to leave, he noticed a letter resting on his desk. On the envelope were written the words: "Open at the Rat Hour of the Sixth Day." It was strikingly in his own handwriting.
Xuan Yue found it strange—he had no recollection whatsoever of writing himself a letter. He opened the envelope and found a single line written on the paper:
*Today is suitable for restful convalescence. Unsuitable for travel, ambushes, or staking out gates.*
When it came to following his own advice, Xuan Yue was naturally compliant, so he abandoned his travel plans.
...
Wei Yuan looked up at the setting sun, then down at the brick in his hand, unable to comprehend why he was squatting by the school gate.
Turning his head, he saw a line of large characters inscribed on the school's weathered concrete gate:
*Daode Higher Academy.*
What was going on?
Before he could figure it out, a voice sounded beside him. "Brother Yuan, are we really charging in later? What if there are too many of them?"
Wei Yuan's mouth opened on its own. "Don't be scared. Pick the leader and beat him half to death. Just hit him and nothing else—focus solely on him!"
The words left his mouth before Wei Yuan blinked in astonishment. *Was that really me talking just now?*
He turned his head and saw a youth squatting beside him. Delicate-looking with a slight bookish frailty, his face was flushed red with nervous tension, his glasses periodically fogging over. He too clutched a brick in his hand.
Wei Yuan felt like a shadow gradually merging with this body. At last, he managed to ask a question under his own will: "What's your name?"
The youth looked startled. "I'm Xiao Kongque! Brother Yuan, are you kidding around?"
"Oh, Little Peacock..."
"Xiao Kongque!" the youth earnestly corrected.
Right at that moment, a piercing bell rang out. In the blink of an eye, countless students dressed in uniforms flooded the school gates. Wei Yuan looked down and realized he was wearing the exact same uniform. School hadn't even ended yet; how had he ended up squatting outside the gates already?
A voice suddenly called out from the crowd: "Look, the transfer student is coming out!"
Students were everywhere around the gates, preventing Wei Yuan from seeing what the transfer student looked like. But seven or eight students from the academy stepped forward to block the entrance. The one leading them said, "You're that transfer student, Bao Yun? You're my girlfriend now! From here on out, you'll be my one and only! Relax, as Li Tianci's woman, you can strut through this entire academy with your head held high!"
Before the words finished echoing, Xiao Kongque had already charged forward, swinging his brick and slamming it onto the guy's back.
*Turns out this guy doesn't know how to fight at all...* Wei Yuan thought.
By then, his body was already behind Li Tianci, his brick swinging toward his back as well. But Wei Yuan made an on-the-fly adjustment, landing the strike squarely on the back of the neck and knocking the fellow flat to the ground in a single blow.
Wei Yuan pounced immediately, raining blows down upon Li Tianci's head and face. In an instant, punches and kicks swarmed from all around amid a cacophony of shouts. Wei Yuan had no idea how many hits he took, but he certainly gave his opponent a brutal beating.
"The principal is coming!" someone shouted, and the crowd of students scattered like frightened birds and beasts.
Someone hauled Wei Yuan up only to toss him back to the ground, after which several students picked up Li Tianci and bolted.
Every inch of Wei Yuan's body ached fiercely, and blood from his face was blinding his eyes. Discerning a figure standing before him, he wiped the blood away with difficulty and saw a young girl.
She wore a neat school uniform, her hair tied in a simple ponytail. Her face was clean, bright, and crystalline; without a trace of makeup, she was already so beautiful that the entire world seemed brighter for it.
Wei Yuan noticed a detail: she had to lean down slightly for him to see her face clearly.
The girl was looking at Wei Yuan too. Suddenly, she said, "Daring to fight for me at the school gates on the very first day? Excellent. Starting today, you're my boyfriend."
With that, she turned and walked away, leaving an uproar in her wake.
Lying on the ground, Wei Yuan was completely at a loss, unable to fathom how things had turned out this way. Why had he been squatting by the school gate to fight in the first place? He couldn't remember, but it certainly had nothing to do with this transfer student. She had only transferred yesterday, and he hadn't even seen her before.
A wave of sharp pain made Wei Yuan groan. Then a thought crossed his mind: *If I'm her boyfriend, does that include breakfast? If it does, maybe that wouldn't be so bad...*
Chapter 758