Three miles outside the city, at the Mountain God Temple, the twilight was dim and a fine rain fell like silk.
Nowadays, the Mountain God Temple does not receive many offerings, so few people come to worship, but many come to take shelter from the rain and stay.
Luocheng is located in the north, where snow falls in winter, making the Mountain God Temple unsuitable for the homeless to live in. However, now that the ice is beginning to thaw and the earth is reviving, around the time of the Qingming Festival, some beggars with disheveled hair and dirty faces were lying helter-skelter in the Mountain God Temple.
A small bonfire was burning in front of the Mountain God Statue, with an iron pot of unclear color balanced on top, stewing something unknown. Only a faint, strange fragrance drifted out. Wisps of smoke rose and escaped through a hole in the roof of the Mountain God Temple, while trickling water droplets also fell from the opening, forming a small puddle inside the temple. As the rainwater fell, it made a rhythmic dripping sound.
The real Ning Huaiyuan was among this group of beggars with disheveled hair and dirty faces. His clothes were tattered and his face was smeared with mud, making it impossible to distinguish his appearance from the other beggars.
He huddled in a corner, furthest from the fire and furthest from the other beggars.
Although the Organization known as the Beggar Sect is no longer as prosperous as it was in the early years, in the Luocheng area, the beggars have connections with each other. Since he had no roots here, it was better not to have too much contact with them.
In any case, after the rain stopped, he would continue his journey eastward until he reached the Shandong area. Once there, he would change his appearance and identity, and he would be a hero once again.
And the Martial Arts of the Penglai Pavilion of Shandong should not be like the Mount Hua Sect in Shaanxi, which mostly consists of empty forms that cannot be used in a fight.
Just as Ning Huaiyuan was thinking this, he saw the tightly closed gate of the Mountain God Temple pushed open from the outside. In the firelight, a sturdy man wearing a straw cloak and bamboo hat walked in. Water droplets dripped from his body as he looked around at the beggars lying helter-skelter. He was well-dressed and tall, clearly not a beggar.
"Everyone, get up quickly!" As soon as the man entered, his voice rang out like a thunderclap. Because he was using his Internal Energy, even those who were pretending to sleep felt as if a bronze bell were ringing in their ears, making it impossible to stay asleep.
At the sound of this voice, the beggars scrambled to sit up, looking at this unexpected guest who had suddenly broken in.
"I intend to rest here tonight," the sturdy man in the straw cloak said in a muffled voice from under his conical hat. His right hand moved slightly forward, and one could see a long sword inlaid with rubies beneath his straw cloak. Although only a portion of the sword hilt was visible, one could still sense the preciousness and sharpness of the long sword: "I hope you all will make some space."
A tall beggar immediately stood up from the pile. In the firelight, one could see he was six feet tall, with a fierce gaze and a scar on his face, clearly the leader of this group of beggars: "May I ask who you are, sir? This is the territory of the Mountain God Lord. Even if the Heavenly King Laozi came, he would not be greater than the Mountain God Lord."
"You want to rest your feet, and when walking in the Jianghu, one should always be accommodating to others. But it is raining outside, and my brothers have finally found a place to dry our clothes. You are a man of status, why not find an inn to rest? Why must you stay with us of the Lower Nine Streams?"
"And you even think we are unclean."
His words were sharp and biting, mixing both polite and harsh remarks; he truly had a formidable tongue.
However, the sturdy man in the straw cloak sneered, stepped forward, drew his sword in one motion, and then sheathed it. The Sword Light was blindingly bright.
"Mountain God Lord, please give guidance to this humble one's One Sword."
Almost no one could see the Sword Light of the sturdy man in the straw cloak in that instant, but they heard a sound behind them. The beggars turned to look and saw that the clay Mountain God Statue behind them had one arm severed, which had fallen beside the offering table.
The man's arm span was no more than three feet, and the sword in his hand was less than three feet long, yet he was a full ten feet away from the Mountain God Statue. The Sword Edge could not possibly have touched the statue, yet the arm of the Mountain God had fallen at the strike.
The lead beggar was dumbfounded and speechless.
He had previously mocked the man by saying this was the territory of the Mountain God Lord, and now the man had cut off an arm of the Mountain God Lord with a single sword strike. His sword technique was astonishing, and his intent was even more chilling.
"I thank the Mountain God Lord for the guidance," the sturdy man said, sheathing his sword and bowing respectfully toward the armless Mountain God Statue. But in front of him, the beggars were trembling like chaff.
"May I ask your name, sir?" The lead beggar set aside his previous insolence and asked earnestly with cupped hands: "Please leave your name, and we will make way for you, Master."
"I am Ning Huaiyuan of Mount Hua," the sturdy man said.
The many beggars looked at each other, and the lead beggar cupped his hands and bowed: "We did not know it was a high-ranking disciple of the Mount Hua Sect. We have been presumptuous."
Saying this, he took the lead and walked past the sturdy man: "Since a Great Hero has arrived, we will make room for the Great Hero."
With him leading the way, the rest of the beggars scrambled out.
Ning Huaiyuan was also mixed in among the beggars, not saying a word. However, just as he walked past the sturdy man in the straw cloak, he heard the man say coldly: "Junior Brother Ning, since I have come, why must you leave?"
Ning Huaiyuan stood still. The other beggars, not daring to provoke these two plagues, fled into the rain from both sides of the Mountain God Temple, heading toward other shelters. However, as it was late at night and the ground was slippery, some inevitably fell and tripped, leading to another round of cursing.
But the sound of the cursing grew further and further away.
Ning Huaiyuan turned around and looked at the man in the straw cloak without moving: "I did not think you would be able to find this place."
He was unhurried, and even though he had been cornered by a fellow disciple, his expression showed no fear.
Still, he was a little surprised.
"If you were willing to degrade yourself in such a filthy place, I naturally would not have been able to find you, but it is different when someone gives directions," the sturdy man in the straw cloak said coldly: "Since you have joined my Mount Hua Sect, do you know what the punishment is for murdering a fellow disciple and stealing secret manuals?"
"In the end, it is nothing more than a death sentence," Ning Huaiyuan said with a smile: "However, Senior Brother Yue, do you think you can kill me?"
Ning Huaiyuan's face was smeared with mud and his clothes smelled foul, but his speech was calm and elegant, with a faint hint of mockery. It was no wonder he had once been able to join the Mount Hua Sect.
"Whether I can kill you or not, we shall see," the man called Senior Brother Yue said calmly. He stepped forward, sat cross-legged by the fire, reached into his robe, and took out two bottles of wine, a plate of beef, and a paper cartridge of flatbread. He placed them all on the brick floor of the Mountain God Temple and looked up at Ning Huaiyuan: "I traveled thousands of miles from Mount Hua to kill you, but after all, we were fellow disciples. Have you eaten? If you don't mind, let's eat and talk."
"After we finish reminiscing, we shall decide who lives and who dies."
Ning Huaiyuan laughed out loud upon hearing this. He sat down in front of Senior Brother Yue and beckoned with his hand. A bottle of wine flew into his hand from three feet away. Without caring whether it was poisoned or not, he pulled off the cap and took three large gulps.
"In all of Mount Hua, I, Ning Huaiyuan, only respect you, Senior Brother Yue Pingshan."
"However, why must you travel thousands of miles just to come here and die?"
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