Chapter 107

In Yunzhou City, in a luxurious mansion, the people of the Da Gan Imperial Court and Aojian Manor are staying.

Inside the room, Wang Wanru faced Wang Tianlong, her beautiful face filled with anger, her eyes blazing with fury.

“Father, tell me the truth, how much have you been hiding from me about this martial arts contest to choose a husband?”

“Wanru, don’t be anxious.” Wang Tianlong looked at his daughter with a kind expression. “Although the conference did not go as planned, it’s not a big deal. There are so many outstanding talents in the world. Your father will definitely find you a suitable husband who will satisfy you!”

“That’s not what I meant!” Wang Wanru said angrily. “It’s your original intention in doing this. Did you use me as a tool to cover up your actions and steal the martial arts manuals of the Shaoyue Sect and the Dachan Temple?”

“Wanru, how can you look at Father like that? You’re being outrageous!” Wang Tianlong sneered. “Father was chatting with Daoist Xuantian and Abbot Kongming that day, how could he have had the chance to steal anything? Besides, what don’t we have in our Daqian Imperial Palace…”

“But what about the others?” Wang Wanru said bitterly. “I asked Xiaocui once, and she said that when she brought snacks to her elder brother last night, he wasn’t there at all, and Wei Dongxiang wasn’t there either! What were they doing? Don’t you know?”

“Insolence!” Wang Tianlong roared. “There are some things you shouldn’t ask. Alright, it’s getting late, you should get some rest!”

Wang Wanru remained standing there, looking at him with a disappointed expression.

She had heard many rumors about how bad the Emperor was and how wicked Wei Dongxiang was, but she had never seen it with her own eyes. Now, seeing her father commit such despicable acts, she was extremely disappointed. This was a completely different person from the father she had seen when she was a child.

One is a gentle and loving father, the other is a vicious and despicable villain.

“Get out!” Wang Tianlong roared.

“You’ve disappointed your daughter so much!” Wang Wanru turned around, rushed out of the room, and left sobbing all the way.

“Father.”

A moment later, Wang Hongyu walked in from outside the door.

Wang Tianlong said with a stern face, “Have someone follow Wanru.”

Wang Hongyu said, “Just now, Consort Qi led her men to chase after them. I believe my sister will be alright.”

“Hmm.” Wang Tianlong nodded. “Get a good rest tonight, and be prepared for tomorrow. Make sure that no detail goes wrong.”

“Understood,” Wang Hongyu said in a deep voice.

“Go down,” Wang Tianlong waved his hand.

Wang Hongyu left.

Upon arriving at his room, a golden-armored dragon guard suddenly stepped forward and reported, “Your Highness, there is someone outside who requests to see you!”

Who is it?

“Yuan Fuyao”.

“Oh?” Wang Hongyu’s lips curled into a smirk. “He actually dared to come looking for me. Fine, I’ll send him on his way.”

With that, he called Wei Dongxiang over, and together with several golden-armored dragon guards, they stepped out the door.

Upon arriving at the gate of the mansion, they indeed saw a handsome young man dressed in a plain white Taoist robe standing there, looking anxious, with a long sword on his back. It was Yuan Fuyao.

Upon seeing Wang Hongyu arrive, Yuan Fuyao hurriedly stepped forward, grabbed his sleeve, and said angrily, “Brother Wang, we had an agreement from the beginning. I would provide you with clues about the ‘Wuwei Dao Scroll,’ and you would help me win the martial arts contest and marry Princess Wanru. Why are you going back on your word?”

Wang Hongyu shoved him away, looking puzzled, and said, “Brother Yuan, what are you talking about? What ‘Wuwei Dao Scroll’? What martial arts contest for marriage? What kind of nonsense is this? Have you taken the wrong medicine? Are you out of your mind?”

Yuan Fuyao was stunned upon hearing this. This guy actually turned his back on me and denied everything. He rushed forward in grief and anger, grabbed Wang Hongyu’s clothes, and shouted, “Wang Hongyu, you bastard! You used me to steal the ‘Wuwei Dao Scroll,’ and now you’re denying it! You…you’re untrustworthy! Are you even human? How are you going to survive in the martial arts world?!”

“Go to hell!” Wang Hongyu shoved him away again, dusting off his clothes. “You little bastard from the Shaoyue Sect, I was already showing you the highest courtesy by inviting you to a prostitute back then. How dare you yell at me like that? What are you? Just a well-dressed lecher. You think you’re worthy of Princess Wanru? Do you even deserve to be my brother? Bah!”

His words enraged Yuan Fuyao. He never expected Wang Hongyu to be so vicious and ruthless. He now deeply regretted colluding with this wolf, but it was too late to say anything. He had lost the “Wuwei Dao Scroll,” and he had let down his sect and his master. Things were completely out of his control.

“Wang Hongyu, you beast! I have no grudge against you, why did you harm me, why did you harm me!” Yuan Fuyao’s eyes were bloodshot. She drew the long sword from her back and used the Shaoyue School’s “Two Elements Sword Technique” to stab Wang Hongyu.

The golden-armored dragon guards around him wouldn’t allow him to act so recklessly, and immediately stood in front of Wang Hongyu, surrounding and attacking him.

However, Yuan Fuyao was a top expert in the Innate Realm, having cultivated Innate Qi. In addition, he was extremely angry at the moment. These golden-armored dragon guards were no match for him. With a few sword strikes, he killed and injured several people, and then charged towards Wang Hongyu again.

“Hmph.” Wang Hongyu stood motionless with his hands behind his back, coldly staring at the other party.

Just as Yuan Fuyao was about to pounce on Wang Hongyu, a blur appeared. An old man with white hair and a youthful face, holding a feather fan, appeared in front of Wang Hongyu. He clenched one hand into a claw and grabbed Yuan Fuyao’s longsword with his bare hands. With a “clang,” the gleaming sword broke into several pieces, turning into hidden weapons that flew towards Yuan Fuyao’s face.

It was Wei Dongxiang, the Ninth Prince, who made the move.

This old eunuch was ranked second on the list of martial arts masters by Bai Xiaosheng, below the four grandmasters. Yuan Fuyao was no match for him.

After a few moves, Yuan Fuyao was injured by Wei Dongxiang’s “Netherworld Ghost Claw” and fell heavily to the ground, spitting blood and looking utterly disheveled.

“I’ll fight you to the death!” Yuan Fuyao was furious and charged at Wei Dongxiang like a mad dog.

“Overestimating yourself!” Wei Dongxiang sneered, his hand transforming into a sharp claw, enveloped in a dense black light. The claw slashed down like lightning within the black light, cutting across Yuan Fuyao’s chest.

With a “hiss,” five deep ravines appeared on Yuan Fuyao’s chest, and blood gushed out!

Wei Dongxiang kicked Yuan Fuyao, sending him flying far away. With a thud, Yuan Fuyao crashed to the ground and lay motionless.

Wei Dongxiang snapped his fingers, his eyes indifferent, as if he had done something insignificant.

A golden-armored dragon guard trotted over, checked on Yuan Fuyao’s condition, and said, “Your Highness, she has passed away.”

“Bury him!” Wang Hongyu glanced disdainfully at Yuan Fuyao’s corpse. “What kind of thing is this? You think you’re good enough to play with me?”

“Yes!” Several golden-armored dragon guards immediately dragged Yuan Fuyao’s body away.

Wang Hongyu turned around, dusted off his clothes, and slowly walked towards the gate, with Wei Dongxiang following closely behind him.

When Qi Fei woke up in the morning, he found Feng Liyao still on his pillow. He felt a surge of warmth and quickly hugged her, afraid that she would suddenly disappear.

Feng Liyao opened her beautiful eyes and saw Qi Fei sniffing the fragrance of her hair. She couldn’t help but smile gently, sit up, and say, “Get up.”

“Yes, Mother!” Qi Fei sat up and watched as Feng Liyao fastened her bra, covering her snow-white and full breasts.

Qi Fei looked down again and watched as Feng Liyao slowly pulled up her panties. The narrow panties couldn’t cover her plump vulva at all. Apart from the slit in the middle, a large area of ​​her labia was exposed. Qi Fei swallowed as he looked.

After dressing, Feng Liyao patted Qi Fei’s hard and erect penis and said, “Don’t think nonsense.”

“Oh…” Qi Fei covered his genitals, got out of bed, and got dressed.

The mother and son stepped out of the room, where servants were already waiting, carrying hot water, towels, and mouthwash. After washing up, they went into the main room and had breakfast with everyone.

Qi Fei stayed by Feng Liyao’s side the whole time, and after she finished eating breakfast, he quickly put down his chopsticks as well.

Kazami Haru couldn’t help but say, “Why are you always following Mother around like a little tagalong?”

Yu Youyang laughed and said, “Is he worried that His Majesty will abandon him?” Qi Fei denied it and said, “No, I didn’t.”

Feng Liyao arrived at the door, turned to look at Qi Fei, and said, “I need to rush back to oversee the Kun Kingdom’s palace and cannot stay out for too long…”

“What?!” Qi Fei complained, “Why do we have to go back so soon after we just came out? It’s so boring!”

Ji Qiujun glared at Qi Fei and said, “If everyone ran around like you all day, chaos wouldn’t be far off. You’re sixteen now, you should be more sensible! Do you hear me? Leader Fang, quick, release the snakes to bite him—”

Fang Huaxian watched from the side and chuckled.

Seeing Qi Fei’s aggrieved expression, Feng Liyao stopped herself from taking the step. After thinking for a moment, she said, “How about this, Bai Lian Gang, Hua Xian, You Yang, and Qiu Jun, you four go back first. During this time, you stay in Kun Kingdom and do not let the enemy take any chances. I will stay in Da Gan for a while.”

“Great!” Kazami Haru jumped up happily.

Qi Fei was overjoyed.

Bai Lian Gang and the three women, Fang Hua Xian and Bai Lian Gang, looked at each other helplessly.

Feng Liyao said, “I suspect that the Da Gan court will make some moves in the near future, so I must stay and observe to avoid being tricked by them. You juniors will come with me.”

“Okay!” Leng Shuxue, Ye Ruiyun and Li Yuyao were all very happy.

Li Huiyu came to Qi Fei’s side and said, “I’ll stay too.”

Feng Liyao nodded.

After Fang Huaxian and the others left, Feng Liyao led Qi Fei and the others, dressed as ordinary people, to wander around Yunzhou City and experience the local customs and culture.

…

Daizen Temple.

This ancient temple, with a history of over a thousand years, is located atop Jinding Mountain, offering a panoramic view of the surrounding mountains.

The Dachan Temple features red walls and yellow tiles, with a magnificent main hall consisting of three halls: front, middle, and rear. There are rows of side rooms on both sides, with an ingenious layout that subtly conveys mystery.

Standing at the entrance of Dachan Temple, looking around, you can see the surrounding continuous mountain ranges, shrouded in clouds and mist, a truly beautiful sight.

Although Dachan Temple is built on a mountaintop, it is visited by pilgrims and tourists every day. On special days, such as festivals and the birthdays of gods and Buddhas, it is even more crowded. Its popularity is no less than that of Shaoyue Temple on Yuding Mountain.

As a long-standing sect with a history of thousands of years, Dachan Temple has a long history of continuous inheritance and has produced many masters. The number of its disciples has always been over a thousand. If you add the lay disciples at the foot of the mountain, the number is countless, already exceeding ten thousand, which is no less than that of Shaoyue Sect.

Although Aojian Manor is known as the number one sect in the world, it is still inferior in terms of its foundation compared to Dachan Temple and Shaoyue Sect.

The first thing Zen Master Kongming did upon returning to the Great Zen Temple was to gather all the monks together and inquire about the incident of the man in black breaking in and stealing the “Cihang True Scripture” the previous night. However, the inquiry yielded no substantial results and was of no help whatsoever.

The “Cihang True Scripture” practiced by Zen Master Kongming is similar to the “Wuwei Dao Scroll” of the Shaoyue School. It is also divided into two parts: the upper part is the internal energy cultivation method “Buddha’s Light Shines Everywhere” and the lower part is the external energy technique “Great Luo Buddha Hand”.

Master Kongming has cultivated the “Compassionate Voyage Sutra” to the seventh level. Throughout history, most abbots of the Great Zen Temple have reached this level. Almost no one has been able to cultivate to the ninth level and reach the Shattered Realm, but this is enough to make him stand out among the heroes of the martial arts world.

Master Kongming was deeply worried and hadn’t slept for two days. He was truly afraid that this peerless martial art would fall into the hands of evil people, which would surely be a great threat to the martial arts world.

The following afternoon, a woman dressed in a moon-white monk’s robe came to the Great Zen Temple, found Zen Master Kongming, and inquired about the theft of the “Cihang True Scripture”.

The one who came was Miaoyu, a nun from Cuiwei Nunnery. She was a nun who practiced Buddhism in disguise. She was as beautiful as a flower and as lovely as a peach blossom. When the monks of Dachan Temple saw Miaoyu, they all rushed out to see her, as if they had seen something rare.

Zen Master Kongming dismissed the monks and led Miaoyu to walk outside the hall.

Dachan Temple and Cuiwei Nunnery have a long-standing relationship and a close friendship. Suyin, a nun at Cuiwei Nunnery, is also a highly accomplished nun who often visits Dachan Temple to discuss Buddhism with Zen Master Kongming. Suyin is as famous as Xueshan Nunnery of the Qianshan School and is one of the two great nuns of the time.

In particular, the beautiful Su Yin was a natural beauty, which was widely known in the martial arts world back then, and she was even included in the list of beauties in the martial arts world by Bai Xiaosheng.

Upon learning that the “Cihang True Scripture” had been stolen, the Cuiwei Nunnery on the neighboring mountain immediately found out, and the Venerable Suyin sent her disciple Miaoyu to inquire about the situation.

After listening to Zen Master Kongming’s explanation, Miaoyu frowned and said, “Grandmaster, I think it’s unlikely that the thieves could succeed so easily. There must be an inside accomplice. Should we investigate the monks in the temple?”

Zen Master Kongming sighed and shook his head, saying, “No need. How could I not know that some monks in the temple are of impure hearts, not diligently practicing Zen and seeking enlightenment, but selling their conscience for petty gains! Alas, it’s all my fault for not properly nurturing them…”

Miaoyu said, “Grandmaster Uncle is compassionate, but if we indulge them too much, I’m afraid they will make the same mistakes again and again. My master once said that while cultivators should have compassionate hearts, they should also have ruthless methods!”

Master Kongming’s white eyebrows twitched slightly, and he said, “Venerable Suyin’s Buddhist teachings are profound, and this old monk admires them greatly.”

The two chatted for a while longer when a monk suddenly came to report: “Abbot, someone from the imperial court has come to visit, saying that there is news about the ‘Compassionate Voyage Sutra’…” “What?!” Upon hearing this, Zen Master Kongming immediately went out to check.

Upon arriving at the gate, they indeed saw several imperial guards clad in golden armor standing outside. They looked exhausted, covered in sweat, and panting heavily, clearly having just arrived in a great hurry.

The leader had lost an arm, but Zen Master Kongming recognized him as Wei Yimu, the leader of the Imperial Palace Dragon Guard, who was known in the martial arts world as the “Sword Demon.”

“Abbot, I’m so glad to finally meet you!” Wei Yimu strode forward.

Zen Master Kongming chanted a Buddhist prayer and said unhurriedly, “So it’s Commander Wei. I just heard from the guest monk that there’s news of the ‘Compassionate Voyage Sutra’ from the Daqian court. I wonder if it’s true?”

“Abbot, please allow me a moment to speak.” Wei Yimu glanced at the monks behind him and at Miaoyu.

Zen Master Kongming nodded and went with Wei Yimu to the pine tree nearby.

Wei Yimu took out a booklet wrapped in a yellow silk handkerchief from his bosom. When he opened the handkerchief, he saw a booklet with a golden cover inside, on which were written the four characters “Da Luo Fo Shou” (Great Buddha’s Hand).

“Ah!” Zen Master Kongming was immediately shocked upon seeing it, then took it with a mixture of surprise and delight. He flipped through a few pages, “Indeed, this is the lost ‘Compassionate Voyage Sutra’ of our temple, divided into two volumes, this is the second volume. Excellent, excellent…”

He hurriedly put the “Great Buddha’s Hand” into his bosom and asked, “Do you know where the first volume is?”

Wei Yimu sighed and said, “Last night, His Majesty discovered several suspicious women in Yunzhou City. They seemed to be from the Kun Kingdom. His Majesty is worried that this matter is related to the Kun Kingdom’s Empress. If so, it’s no small matter; it concerns the affairs of both countries… His Majesty ordered us to follow them. We followed them into a house, but they discovered us, and a fierce battle ensued. During the battle, we found this book, ‘The Great Buddha’s Hand,’ on them. At this moment, the Kun Kingdom’s Empress appeared. We fought and retreated until the arrival of Emperor Gan and the Sword Saint, who stopped the Kun Kingdom’s Empress. I think ‘Universal Light’ should be in the hands of the Kun Kingdom’s Empress!”

“Ah… So it really was the Empress of Kun Kingdom who did it?” Zen Master Kongming’s expression changed slightly.

“Indeed, it was the people of Kun Kingdom who did this!” Wei Yimu said solemnly. “His Majesty the Emperor is wise and selfless. He immediately ordered me to deliver this copy of ‘The Great Buddha’s Hand’ to the Great Zen Temple and return it to the Abbot. In addition, because the Empress of Kun Kingdom has greatly improved her martial arts, neither His Majesty nor the Sword Saint could stop her. Therefore… His Majesty hopes that you will go to Yunzhou City immediately to deal with the Empress and help us retrieve ‘Buddha’s Light Shines Everywhere’! I also need to go to the Shaoyue Sect to inform Master Xuantian. Perhaps the ‘Scroll of Non-Action’ is also in the Empress’s hands… Alas!”

Zen Master Kongming looked distressed and sighed softly, “Alas! Why must the Empress do this? The Feng Clan’s ‘Bright Moon Flying Phoenix’ is unparalleled in the world, so why covet the martial arts of us monks? What a pointless thing to do…” Wei Yimu said, “Human greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. Master, there’s no time to lose, come down the mountain with me quickly!”

Zen Master Kongming said, “The Empress of Kun Kingdom is highly skilled in martial arts, so I need to take more people with me…”

“No need,” Wei Yimu said. “With His Majesty the Emperor and the Sword Saint here, plus you, Master, the three of us working together will surely be able to capture the Empress of Kun! Let the monks stay here to guard the place, lest the female thief from Kun takes the opportunity to steal from us!”

“That’s true.”

Zen Master Kongming thought this made sense, so he instructed the monks to guard the mountain gate, while he himself followed Wei Yimu down the mountain without taking anything with him.

Seeing this, Miaoyu felt it inappropriate to stay there, so she followed them down the mountain, keeping a distance behind them.