dognovel Chapter 125 The performance begins
Chapter 125 The performance begins
Cutting off the eaves of the house was just a spur-of-the-moment decision. Jian Feidao originally planned to wait until Lan Ying finished interrogating him and left before going over to rescue the old monk inside, so that there would be no chance of anything going wrong.
But plans can't keep up with changes. When the old monk said those words, Jian Feidao was also startled for a moment. Those who knew the truth about transmigrators were basically gods with official positions. It was really unexpected to be exposed by a seemingly ordinary old man.
Seeing that Lan Ying was about to take action, Jian Feidao could no longer "squat in the corner." He had to divert the attention below and take her away as soon as possible.
With few usable objects around, he could only aim at the eaves outside and use extra force to send the fragments flying as far as possible.
He decided to deliver the final blow when taking the old monk away, mainly because of Lan Ying's earlier performance. Several things resembling cursed insects flew out of her body, but he hadn't noticed any insects on her before.
Why didn't he notice the hidden cursed insects when he left the main hall, even though he had the ability to see clearly?
Jian Feidao suspected that this was related to Lan Ying's abilities. She had just said that if she wanted to, she could use it directly on people. The last sword strike she delivered before leaving didn't hit a person, but rather an insect that was next to the person and hadn't had time to retract.
The sword energy easily cleaved the cursed insect in two, then it moved freely to the ground, leaving a deep mark. The insect, now split in two, turned into two wisps of smoke and returned to Lan Ying's body, showing no signs of distress.
Unlike the insects placed on the group of scholars, these insects have no physical shells; they are the embodiment of Lan Ying's own incantation. There may be a large number of these insects inside this woman's body.
To take an even more extreme case, the inability of the super-bright eyes to detect the worms hidden inside the body might be because...
"I will take you to a safe place; it may be a bit bumpy."
After taking the old monk away from the temple, Jian Feidao led his men back to Meng Danqing's place, which was currently the safest spot, at least preventing illegal travelers from wandering into it.
"How's it going?"
Meng Danqing first heard Zhu and Meng say that the Yan family had surrounded the temple, and then saw Jian Feidao return with an old monk, realizing that the temple was not a simple matter.
“At least two high-ranking members of the White Lotus Sect also wanted to enter the murals, and so far they have not succeeded. They have also discovered that the murals have changed.”
At this point, the two of them looked at the girl who was with Zhu Xiaolian. Now that they had discovered the changes in the mural, the girl would definitely take other actions.
"Breaking the formation in the mural is not difficult; the key is how to deal with those two people."
The array on the mural has two functions: to erode the spiritual energy inside the mural and to block the entry of external spiritual energy. It is easy to break through, but the real problem is the two illegal intruders.
Now that we've captured them, Wan Jie's side might be doomed. Shuang Xiu's side also has someone with particularly troublesome abilities. Today, Lan Ying, who was beaten and ran around in circles, seems to have a backup plan. Coupled with that wisp of black smoke whose true identity is unknown, I have a feeling that if we make a direct move, we'll fail.
It's not that I'm afraid of a major accident, but I'm worried that these hidden suspects are all troublesome backup plans. If they escape, it will be even more difficult to find them next time. It's better to proceed gradually and then catch them all in one fell swoop, with the evidence on their hands.
"Grandmaster?"
Seeing Jian Feidao return with his men, Meng Longtan stepped forward. Although he knew the situation was special and that there might be unexpected events if he went back alone, he didn't want to stay with Zhu Xiaolian. Zhu Xiaolian and Zhu Xiaolian had a touching reunion, while he stood there like he was going to shine.
Upon closer inspection, they realized that these were the monks who had been staying at the temple and had been hosting them.
"Thank goodness, you're alright!"
When Meng Longtan saw the terrifying giant and learned that the Yan family's siege of the temple had other hidden reasons, he realized that the monks in the temple might also be in grave danger.
From the Flower-Scattering Fairy, Zhu and Meng learned that the murals in the temple were being damaged by villains. At that time, the old monk in the temple knew the condition of the murals very well. Now that someone wants to harm the murals, wouldn't the person who knows the truth become a target?
Seeing that the old monk was safe and sound, the two scholars were relieved. It seemed that the Yan family had not gone so far as to kill a monk in the capital.
"Master, I have a question to ask you."
Jian Feidao walked over and voiced the question he had asked at the temple.
"Regarding the 'heaven' you mentioned earlier... how much do you know about it?"
The illegal transmigrator wanted to destroy this world, but time itself wanted to live. So the Heavenly Dao and the system cooperated, and Liu Qingyuan arrived with an alias. This old monk seemed to know more than the gods in heaven.
"It's just that I've reached the age of fifty and unexpectedly seen some things."
The old monk glanced at the sky above and uttered these words. Meng Longtan couldn't understand the riddle the two were exchanging. He felt like an outsider, unable to connect with his friends' atmosphere, and unable to keep up with the thinking of these experts.
"Stop researching, something's happened!"
Inside the temple, after realizing that it was Jian Feidao who had rescued the old monk, Lan Ying didn't even care about the sword energy that had almost struck her. She immediately ran back to the main hall, and looking at the black smoke floating on the murals, she wished she could reach out and pull the other person down to talk to him.
"Weren't you going to interrogate that old monk? What could possibly happen?"
Yan's tone was impatient. The mural was like a seamless egg, and no matter how hard they looked, they couldn't find a way to get in. Lan Ying might be able to bring back some information by interrogating her, but before the information arrived, this person came running back in a fuss.
"It's... the sword immortal who chased me back then has returned and even rescued the old monk."
Lan Ying originally wanted to say "enemies on the system's side," but then she remembered that there were also natives outside, so she immediately changed her words to "sword immortals." In any case, according to the people of the capital, the term "sword immortals" referred to those two people.
"...Which one?"
"I don't know, I only saw sword energy, I didn't see anyone."
Actually, she was somewhat relieved. The two sides were completely irreconcilable, and avoiding direct confrontation meant there was still room for maneuver. The real confrontation would probably be when she was captured by the enemy.
Her abilities were simply not suited for a direct confrontation with a powerful enemy. Once a fight broke out, she would be unprepared and would only be able to take a beating and flee.
"Forget about the murals for now, let's notify King Asura first!"
In terms of sheer fighting prowess, the most skilled among them was actually a newcomer—it's quite ironic.
But at this point, she didn't care about being sarcastic or not. She wasn't a key combatant, so she wouldn't do something as stupid as sending herself up. The most important thing was to quickly get the people who could fight over.
"And that old monk... that old monk has a problem, a very big problem!"
The old monk's words were like a thunderclap. The illegal transmigrators knew that the gods of this world knew a little about the Heavenly Dao and the system, so they deliberately avoided high-ranking powerful beings and only caused trouble in the shadows.
Who would have thought that an ordinary-looking old monk, a completely mortal being, would know these things and even point them out directly? Where did this insider come from?
"That old guy knows about us. He's definitely not an ordinary monk. Now that he's been rescued, we're probably going to be exposed..."
To prevent any accidents, they even contacted the Yan family again, using rhetoric about cultivating immortality and achieving eternal life to lure them into cooperating. They surrounded the temple tightly, but unexpectedly, an accident still occurred in the end.
"Damn it, why am I always so unlucky?"
Every time something unexpected happens, and they often run into formidable enemies. Are they really just incompatible with this world?
"I have a feeling that you're the one who's really unlucky."
Lan Ying's whisper was overheard by Yan, who replied with this sentence.
"Those who go on missions with you will always encounter tricky situations."
The wisp of black smoke slowly grew larger, gradually forming a blurry human figure. A point of blue light emerged from his hand, transforming into a luminous blue-green cicada.
Both are uniquely shaped insects, but this cicada is much prettier than Lan Ying's cursed insect. This cicada flew away like a firefly and eventually fell into Shou Wanjie's hands.
"Oh?"
Upon receiving the distress call, "Asura King" made a somewhat surprised sound. Although he had mentioned that one could ask for help when encountering enemies, he had assumed that these people would be too proud to ask for help because of their attitude. He was surprised to find that they were quite proactive.
This is a good thing, it shows that in the hearts of these illegal transmigrators, the Asura King is someone they can completely trust... It's kind of funny to say that.
"In that case, let's go on stage and give a performance."
……
"Changes arise from the heart; a sincere heart transforms the illusory into the real, while a hypocritical heart makes every step difficult..."
When asked if he knew about the world on the other side of the murals and whether they would suffer similar damage due to external destruction, the old monk's answer remained consistent: he didn't give a direct answer, leaving room for careful consideration.
However, this time the listeners were no longer impatient villains. Among them were Zhu Xiaolian Meng Danqing, who had actually experienced the world of the murals, and the Flower-Scattering Celestial Maiden, who lived in the murals herself. They also had their own understanding and thoughts on this answer.
If we say that the change was driven by the heart, Zhu Xiaolian was attracted by the lively spirit of the girl in the painting after seeing her. In a daze, he became infatuated and entered the mural.
So it seems that he really went in because he was "moved".
Meng Danqing's reason was simpler: he was attracted by the exquisite craftsmanship of the broken mural and discovered that it possessed a spiritual energy. He felt it was a rare treasure and, as a painter, naturally did not want to see such a good work abandoned in the ruins.
Zhu Xiaolian was captivated by the celestial maiden scattering flowers in the painting, so the mural sent him to meet her; Meng Danqing wanted to restore the mural to admire it, so the mural directly showed him another world that was similar to the mural's content, but even more realistic.
The reason Lan Ying and the others couldn't get in wasn't because the formation blocked the spiritual energy—the spiritual energy in the murals wasn't as scarce as in Changqing County—but simply because their purpose wasn't pure; they were there to cause destruction.
Visitors with malicious intent will naturally not be allowed to enter. At present, it can be guaranteed that the mural world will not be invaded, but whether the world inside will be affected by the lack of spiritual energy is still unknown.
In fact, judging from the fact that the Flower-Scattering Celestial Maiden was injured when she bumped into the formation just as she was about to leave the mural, it can be seen that the formation is harmful to the residents in the painting, so it is best to resolve this matter as soon as possible.
Ren Pingsheng stayed in Changqing County to oversee the snake cave and did not come to the capital with them. Now, because of the murals, Meng Danqing and Jian Feidao both have to go there, so only ordinary people like Zhu Xiaolian remain here.
Of the four, two were scholars who were actually ordinary mortals. Although the Flower-Scattering Fairy was considered a spirit, she did not know any magic. She could fly, but that was all she could do. The old monk's words and speech were not simple, but judging from his physique, he was just a relatively robust old man. If they were left here, and someone were to launch a sneak attack, they would be able to steal from them one by one.
Fortunately, when they came to the capital, considering their special circumstances, they specifically chose a secluded place. Jian Feidao used the "transformation into light" technique several times, making it impossible for the enemy to find his trace. With a little concealment, they should not be discovered here.
Even so, Jian Feidao and Meng Danqing left behind something to call for help when they left, in case something unexpected really happened.
"When enlightenment comes, I see the ancient rivers and seas, and I walk all over the cliffs to visit the Xuanmen. I casually write about the human world in the pursuit of the Dao, with a flute, a sword and Kunlun Mountain."
The loud voice echoed above the temple. Those below could not see who was speaking, but felt that the voice came from all directions, like the voice of a celestial being.
Immediately afterwards, several sword shadows slashed down, accurately landing on the various formations that had been repaired around the temple. In an instant, the formations that the White Lotus Sect had just set up were rendered useless once again.
Jian Feidao appeared in mid-air, the wind around him billowing his cloak, his divine weapon unsheathed, and the white-robed sword immortal slowly landed in front of the temple gate.
"come out."
He stared at the gate, his gaze passing over the walls and the servants of the Yan family responsible for guarding the gate, it was unclear who he was looking at.
"I do not wish to resort to violence in the tranquil Buddhist sanctuary."
This was the original plan: Jian Feidao would make a high-profile appearance, forcing the two illegal transmigrators inside to come out, while Meng Danqing would take the opportunity to enter the main hall, decipher the array on the murals, and then enter to check the situation.
Lan Ying had been chased by Jian Feidao once. Although there was some element of acting involved, it still left her with considerable psychological trauma. She should just leave quietly; they would never stay in the temple forever.
Once the other party leaves the main hall, everything will be considered a success.
"It's happening again, it's happening again..."
No one knows what method Jian Feidao used, but his voice entered the temple very clearly. Even though he didn't say it explicitly, Lan Ying and Yan knew that he was targeting them.
"It's the one with a single shoulder armor."
Lan Ying and Yan both recognized Jian Feidao's voice. One of them had been chased like a mouse, and the other had been stabbed by Jian Feidao while running away. This encounter between the two was quite like enemies meeting on a narrow road.
"This place is no place to stay any longer, let's run!"
Unbeknownst to the two, Meng Danqing was lurking in the shadows, waiting for them to leave. In terms of combat strength alone, staying in the temple was the real danger. The person opposite them was a Taoist priest, and no matter how much respect one had for a Buddhist temple, one could still fight if pushed too far.
Fortunately, having learned from their previous experience, they combined the abilities of smoke and shadow to create many tools for escaping. So, in an inconspicuous corner, two wisps of black smoke quickly fled, completely ignoring the White Lotus Sect members still remaining in the temple.
Unfortunately, the two wisps of black smoke were too conspicuous in the daytime. Since the innate people had good eyesight, once they found their target, Jian Feidao decisively struck with his sword.
Then, an even more unexpected scene unfolded: a bright red figure suddenly appeared and easily blocked the sword. Lan Ying and Yan were thrown to the ground from the black smoke due to the impact of the clash of weapons, but they were unharmed.
The figure had bright red eyes, but the blade that blocked Jian Feidao's attack was a bluish-green blade. Accompanied by several cicadas, the contrast between the hot and cold colors made the red of the newcomer even more striking, as red as blood.
"You...uh!"
With a swing of his blade, Jian Feidao was sent flying several miles before regaining his footing, leaving a straight mark on the ground between them.
"The brave win every battle, the wise win every time, so why do those who are both brave and wise suffer endless calamities?"