With a few more horizontal and vertical slashes, Lin Jue swung his blade wildly without pause. The other strange monkey that had been tripped up was left covered in wounds and completely immobilized, reduced to lying on the ground and twitching continuously.
Only then did Lin Jue breathe a slight sigh of relief.
However, when he glanced to the side, he was startled.
The martial artist surnamed Luo was facing a siege from far more strange monkeys, including their leader. The creatures not only understood the tactics of group attacks quite well, but also threw stones. Yet, at this moment, not only was the man completely unharmed, but there were already two strange monkey corpses lying on the ground.
These strange monkeys were not human; instinct ruled them, and they lacked the nature to fight to the death. Seeing this situation, they were already so frightened they wanted to flee.
However, this man had previously dragged Lin Jue to this precarious spot. Originally, it was the troop of strange monkeys surrounding them in the corner by the stream, but now, with their positions swapped, it was this single man blocking the entire monkey troop.
Any that tried to flee could not escape the blade in his hand.
When they threw stones, he easily dodged them, and before long, there were no more stones left to pick up by the riverside.
He stepped forward with a steady pace, bringing his Edge-Breaking Sabre down in a massive frontal cleave. How could the body of an ape withstand such blade force? They immediately cried out and scattered in panic. Just as they dodged this chopping strike, the martial artist spun around, launching a horizontal sweeping slash aimed at their waists. The force of the blade didn't seem heavy, yet two strange monkeys were instantly sliced in half.
Intestines and innards spilled all over the ground.
The numerous strange monkeys not only lacked the power to resist, but had now lost all thought of doing so.
All of this happened in an extremely short period of time.
Only then did the strange monkey leader widen its eyes. Shrieking incessantly, it was momentarily at a loss for what to do. It suddenly bounded backward a short distance, its eyes glaring round, and actually opened its mouth to draw in a breath.
"Hiss..."
"Puff!!"
It actually spat out a mouthful of thick green smoke.
Although the strange monkey leader's position and the wind direction were unfavorable, its breath was full of power. As it spat out the mouthful, only a small portion was scattered by the wind. The grass-green smoke surged toward the martial artist surnamed Luo, gradually expanding as it closed the distance.
Lin Jue's gaze suddenly hardened.
What a creature; it actually knew Qi Exhalation.
At the same time, he also felt the blowing wind.
Lin Jue knew that the breath exhaled by most spirits, demons, and ghosts leaned toward yin energy, which was mostly countered by Yang Qi and fire. Therefore, without the slightest hesitation, he also opened his mouth.
"Fwoosh..."
A burst of flame sprayed out, crashing forward.
The green smoke collided with the fire. With an immediate sizzle, it dissipated into nothingness, leaving only a wafting stench.
"Huh?"
The effect exceeded Lin Jue's expectations.
No wonder this thing could use Qi Exhalation but was still so afraid of fire.
It turned out it was completely countered.
Meanwhile, the martial artist surnamed Luo had just used his footwork to dodge. In the midst of leaping away, he only heard the explosive roar of flames and a sizzling sound. By the time he landed and turned to look, both the fire and the green smoke had vanished.
Nearby stood the surprised strange monkey leader, along with Lin Jue, who had emptied his breath and was currently gasping for air.
The scorching heat had just surged over and washed against his body.
The martial artist surnamed Luo naturally understood what had happened. He couldn't help but glance at Lin Jue, yet his movements didn't stop. His steps were powerful and spinning, his long sabre sweeping across the battlefield like a full moon.
Slash! He slaughtered two strange monkeys, then swiftly advanced. Stepping forward, he delivered an upward slash. Even if that strange monkey leader could exhale a demonic mist, it was still made of flesh. How could it compare to this Refined Steel Hundred-Battle Sabre?
It was actually cleaved in half from the bottom up.
The scene was so bloody that for a moment Lin Jue couldn't bear to look.
Without their leader to restrain them, the remaining strange monkeys completely exposed their beastly nature and merely ran for their lives. During their flight, two more were slaughtered by the martial artist with a single strike each. In the end, only one actually managed to escape.
The martial artist, entirely unhurried, drew his bow and nocked an arrow.
"Swish!"
"..."
"Swish!"
His archery was truly poor; it took two arrows to land a hit.
"Hmph..."
The martial artist scoffed coldly and unhurriedly put away his bow. Holding his long sabre, he flicked the blood off it and took out a dry cloth to wipe it clean.
"I was wondering how a frail scholar like you dared to walk this path alone and confront this pack of beasts by yourself. So you were actually hiding such a trick up your sleeve."
"It is just a trivial skill, not worth mentioning. I cannot compare to a great hero," Lin Jue replied.
Lin Jue's words weren't born of false modesty; presumably, the old man who possessed the Fire-Spitting Art back then had thought the same way.
At this moment in particular, he was well aware that his bit of Stage Magic Art was completely unable to stand against this pack of beasts, let alone against this martial artist. Without him, he wouldn't even have been able to avenge the humiliation of being teased by these strange monkeys. Compared to the endlessly wondrous varieties of magical arts, what this martial artist wielded was a true, pure killing technique.
"The martial arts I practice are all for fighting people. When it comes to hacking down these beasts, I can't really bring out their full potential," the martial artist surnamed Luo said in a deep voice.
"Are martial arts truly this formidable..."
"I heard these beasts used to live deep in this mountain, but for some reason, they've run out recently. This one must have lived for a long time, or else it ate people; it was on the verge of becoming a spirit," the martial artist surnamed Luo said, continuing to wipe his long sabre while staring down at the largest and oldest strange monkey leader on the ground. There was a sigh in his tone and sorrow between his brows as he couldn't help but lament, "In recent years, there have been more and more spirits and demons on the roads."
"Do these count as spirits and demons?"
"These don't count. They should be extraordinary livestock from the mountains. There are still some records of them in ancient books, but they are becoming increasingly rare nowadays."
"Then what is this saying about 'more and more spirits and demons on the roads'?" Lin Jue couldn't help but ask, somewhat curious.
When he was in the village, he had also heard the village elders lament similar things, and some of his own experiences seemed to corroborate this point—
In the peaceful years of the past, many people might not see a spirit or demon even once in half a lifetime. Only when they grew old, their vitality waned, and their vision blurred would the chances of seeing one increase. Even then, it was hard to tell if their blurred eyes were mistaken or if their muddled minds had produced hallucinations.
But in recent years, even strapping men in their prime frequently encountered monsters and ghosts while walking at night.
"What else could it mean? Haven't you heard about what happened a few years ago?"
"What happened?"
"There was a great mountain that inexplicably moved from the southwest to the southeast all at once."
"What?"
Lin Jue's eyes widened. "Such a thing actually happened?"
"You really haven't heard?"
"I had been studying in the village before this, paying no attention to matters outside the window. I truly haven't heard of it."
Lin Jue couldn't help but be extremely surprised. Wondrous as this world was, had it actually reached such a wondrous degree?
"I can't blame you then. This matter was indeed quite sensational, though the Imperial Court also intentionally suppressed the news. It's said that less than a thousand miles from here, a mountain appeared out of thin air on the ground. The locals were all very shocked. It wasn't until a recluse who loved traveling the world and viewing all landscapes passed through that he discerned from the mountain's appearance that it was originally a mountain from the southwest. Later, someone went to the southwest to ask, and sure enough, a mountain was missing there."
Perhaps because they had fought side by side, this man was not stingy with his words. Chatting casually, he voiced his sorrows through these shocking words:
"The ancients said: 'When a mountain silently moves itself, the world will fall into the chaos of war, and the state will perish.'
"Another book states: 'When a mountain migrates, the sovereign does not follow the Dao, wise scholars do not flourish, or prosperity departs. Rewards and punishments of the state are not commanded by the sovereign, private factions form in droves. If not saved, the era will change and the dynasty will be renamed.'
"The world hasn't been peaceful these years to begin with. With internal strife and external threats, one must even worry about bandits and thieves while walking on the road. If this continues, I'm afraid there truly will be a great catastrophe, and the world will be turned upside down."
Lin Jue was beyond astonished. He listened carefully and pondered deeply.
A great mountain moving for no reason was already shocking enough, yet there were actually ancient sayings in this world specifically recording such things, even explaining in detail what they portended.
No wonder this martial artist, knowing of such a shocking event, felt sorrow that outweighed his surprise.
Perhaps in the eyes of people in this world, although this sort of thing was bizarre and shocking, it was not completely impossible. At the very least, it had already been recorded in ancient texts. Therefore, when it actually happened, their surprise wasn't as profound as Lin Jue's.
This was undoubtedly another event that peeled back a corner of this world and its people's perspectives for Lin Jue.
Immediately afterward, he astutely noticed something else—
Besides possessing formidable martial arts, this martial artist's knowledge was also quite good. Moreover, he worried about the nation and its people, caring deeply about worldly affairs.
"I wonder, Great Hero, you are..."
"What is it?"
"You aren't an ordinary chivalrous swordsman, are you?"
"It's nothing worth mentioning. My ancestors were originally from a family of generals, but we have declined now. Because I felt that this is a time when the winds and clouds of the world are gathering, I left my hometown for the capital. I want to rejoin the military ranks and use my martial arts to carve out a name for myself in this world, earning renown once more for my Luo Family between life and death."
Youthful spirit, soaring ambitions.
Lin Jue also couldn't help but feel a profound respect for him.
"Pardon my lack of manners."
"Don't mention it."
The martial artist surnamed Luo scoffed, sheathing his long sabre before taking the Firewood Chopper from Lin Jue's hand. "You killed two of these strange monkeys, and since you provided critical assistance, I'll give you two more." Visit g.com for the full chapter.
"That's inappropriate!" Lin Jue said. "I said before, the bounties for these strange monkeys are all yours. I've vented the anger in my heart and am already content!"
"Don't mention it."
"..."
"What about you? Why did you come out? Could it be you want to go to the Gathering of Immortals Bureau in the capital to seek fame and fortune as well?" the martial artist asked casually as he took Lin Jue's Firewood Chopper to hack off the monkeys' heads.
"Gathering of Immortals Bureau? What is that?"
"You don't know that either?"
"I don't."
"Then forget it."
"Please enlighten me, Brother Luo."
Lin Jue very naturally changed his form of address.
"...It's a place in the capital... similar to a yamen, I suppose. It draws in bizarre individuals, extraordinary talents, and great masters of Buddhism and Daoism from across the world. Once you enter, you become a guest retainer. You could barely be considered to be eating imperial grain; either way, the Imperial Court provides for you."
"I see," Lin Jue said, doing his best to memorize it as it was quite useful information. "I only know a bit of Stage Magic Art. How could I enter such a place?"
"That is true."
This martial artist did not mince words in the slightest.
"Then where do you want to go?"
He immediately followed up with another question.
"I only want to find a renowned mountain palace or temple first to seek immortals and inquire about the Dao, and to learn some proper Spiritual Methods of cultivation and magical arts."
"Which renowned mountain?"
"Have you heard of Qiyun Mountain?"
"Of course. I even passed by it on my way here."
"What about Mount Yi?"
"What Mount Yi?"
"It is said to also be an immortal mountain."
While they chatted and laughed, the martial artist had already chopped off all the strange monkeys' heads. After draining their blood cleanly, he packed them into several cloth sacks and hung them on his horse's back.
"Let's go, to the County Yamen."
"Alright!"
Lin Jue hoisted his scholar's book chest onto his back and followed him toward the County Yamen.
On the way, he would ask again how to get to Qiyun Mountain.
When the two of them entered the city in the afternoon and passed through it, the bloody cloth sacks on the horse's back attracted the attention of countless people. Some stepped back in fear, while others boldly came forward to inquire. Once they learned it was the strange monkeys from the road, any traveling merchants or pedestrians who needed to travel clapped their hands and cheered.
The process of claiming the bounty also went extremely smoothly.
This martial artist was truly free-spirited. He tossed eight taels of silver to Lin Jue, said they would meet again someday, and went out the door to ride off on his horse, claiming he wanted to go see that mountain that silently moved itself.
Lin Jue was left alone in the city.
With an extra eight taels of silver on him, reaching nearly eighteen taels in total, Lin Jue felt increasingly secure and confident. Compared to his poverty and confusion when he had just left Shu Village, he now felt a light, floating sensation, actually harboring the feeling that "despite the vastness of this world, there is nowhere I cannot go."
"It feels so good to have money!"
He needed to find an inn and take a hot bath.
He had to go return the Simple Saber.
At the same time, this experience also gave him a fair bit of inspiration:
In this world, besides magical arts, martial arts were also extremely useful; most demons were afraid of blades. He didn't have martial arts, but he could buy a blade. In these times, traveling abroad with just a small knife was not enough.
Of course—
The most pressing matter was to repair his scholar's book chest.