Old Matters

"This Zheluoxing is a Buddhist disciple from India, and he is considered a figure in the local area. His martial arts skills are among the best in India. However, he is not the best in the world. After suffering a setback in a fight, he became disheartened and started to have wicked thoughts."

Xiao Feng understood immediately upon hearing this.

"So, did he come to Shaolin Temple to steal the Seventy-Two Ultimate Techniques?"

After all, Xiao Feng's father and Xiao Feng's mortal enemy Murong Bo, both did the same thing, which inevitably makes people draw parallels.

Ji Boying neither nodded nor shook his head.

"Although he didn't come to steal it himself, it was pretty much the same."

"Zheluoxing had a junior brother named Boluo Xing. Boluo Xing had a very good memory, so Zheluoxing sent Boluo Xing to the Central Plains. He imitated the story of the Journey to the West to Obtain Scriptures to obtain Buddhist scriptures, but actually came to steal the secret manuals. As a result, he was discovered by Shaolin Temple and imprisoned."

"Zheluoxing's attack on Shaolin Temple this time is because he sent people to pick up his junior brother several times, but Shaolin Temple turned them away each time, so he had no choice but to come in person."

After this explanation, everyone understood.

Xiao Feng remained silent, his expression not looking good.

After all, he was raised by the Shaolin Temple and the Beggar Gang' Sect. Although his identity and stance have changed, his personality and sense of right and wrong, which he has cultivated over the years, are difficult to change in a short period of time.

I already felt disgusted by doing such a thing.

This reminded him that his father had been instigated by Murong Bo using the same excuse.

Inevitably, the painful memories resurfaced.

The members of the Beggar Gang's Sect immediately started cursing.

These people still have a lot of prejudices.

They were particularly unhappy about foreigners stealing the secret manuals of the Central Plains.

Xiao Feng's father came as Khitan, and the two countries had been at war for many years, so there was naturally a lot of deep-seated hatred between them.

That's why the martial arts world in the Central Plains reacted so strongly.

Although this Zheluoxing is not Khitan, he is still an outsider. Especially judging from his behavior, he doesn't seem like a very upright person; he's a petty person, so naturally, he's not likable.

"Boss, we can't just stand by and do nothing."

Taking advantage of the situation, the Beggar Gang's Sect members stirred up trouble, urging Xiao Feng to join their side. They said whether or not he would become the sect leader could be discussed later; in any case, they had Xiao Feng entangled with them.

"Great Hero Ji, are you going to Shaolin Temple to see this spectacle?"

Duan Yu leaned closer and asked.

Ji Boying laughed and said, "Shaolin Temple was originally my destination. I'm going to Shaolin Temple to meet that old monk in the Scripture Depository and watch the excitement. That's fine."

"That's perfect, let's go together. Yanmei, Wanmei, Ling'er and I will also go and have some fun. Anyway, Second Brother definitely has to go."

Xu Zhu nodded repeatedly from the side.

"I absolutely cannot stand idly by in this matter."

Originally, it was just that Zheluoxing came to ask for people, and he invited so many virtuous monks to be witnesses. He thought that Shaolin Temple might not use this matter to pressure people, so the other side would not be able to take action casually and there would not be a big conflict. Xu Zhu did not expect that there would be much danger.

This prompted Li Qinglu to enlighten Xu Zhu.

If that Boluo Xing had been captured by the Shaolin Temple before they succeeded, the Shaolin Temple should have released him long ago. As long as he is not allowed to enter the Shaolin Temple again, that would be fine.

Not to mention his senior brother, who was far away in India, came several times to ask for him.

The reason Shaolin Temple is holding onto him is because Boluo Xing must have succeeded. Not only did he succeed, but he also knows all the secret manuals by heart. If they were released, the manuals would be leaked, which Shaolin Temple cannot accept. That's why they are holding him captive.

The Venerable Shenshan was already highly skilled in martial arts, even slightly better than Abbot Xuan Ci. Reverend Shenshan Mount Song with this Zheluoxing who had come from afar, not for any reason other than justice or personal friendship.

They were all clearly after the Shaolin Temple's secret manuals.

Since there are irreconcilable interests involved, conflict and violence are inevitable, especially since Abbot Xuan Ci of Shaolin Temple has just passed away, which is a blow to the temple. For those with ulterior motives, this is naturally an opportunity.

In addition, the Western Xia Kingdom had already made contact with the Tubo Imperial Advisor, Jiumozhi, who had a dignified appearance.

Jiumozhi was famous not only in Tubo and Western Xia, but throughout the entire Western Regions.

Everyone knows that Jiumozhi Buddhist with profound knowledge, but he loves martial arts the most.

This time, even Prince Zongzan abandoned his post and went to the Central Plains. The reason for this is obvious.

Jiumozhi was highly skilled in martial arts. Even when Abbot Xuan Ci was alive, he might not have been able to defeat him. Now that Abbot Xuan Ci is dead, Shaolin Temple may not lack experts, but dealing with him will always be more challenging.

These are all profit-driven sharks. When they saw the Shaolin Temple, they revealed their weaknesses and smelled blood, so naturally they wouldn't easily give up.

After listening to Li Qinglu's analysis, Xu Zhu was so anxious that he scratched his head and cheeks.

I can't even stay in that gentle, loving place anymore.

Finally, after lying in bed for several days, he got up, lifted the curtain, took out a brocade robe, and put it on his bare body.

After greeting Li Qinglu, he went out to find his sworn brother, intending to bring the people of the Vulture Peak Palace back to Shaolin Temple to help with the fight.

"I grew up in Shaolin Temple, and my master and the others raised me. Now that I have broken my vows and can no longer be a monk, it is I who have let Shaolin Temple down, not the Shaolin Temple around. How can I stand idly by when I see Shaolin Temple in trouble? I must go to Shaolin Temple."

Xu Zhu's tone was firm.

Duan Yu laughed and said, "That's great! Let's travel together, brother. Let's go and see what's going on."

Xiao Feng hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Several beggars knelt on the ground with their heads down, forcibly suppressing the smirk on their lips, not daring to laugh out loud. They all felt excited and clenched their fists tightly.

As long as Chief Xiao remains in the Central Plains, there will always be a chance, there will always be a chance.

Xiao Feng curled his lip and snorted coldly at the group of people who were enduring the hardship.

"I had already made a promise with A'Zhu to herd horses and sheep and live the life of an ordinary person, enjoying the scenery of the northern grasslands. But before going to the north, we also wanted to travel around and enjoy the scenery."

"This trip to Shaolin Temple has nothing to do with any grudges or feuds in the martial arts world. It's just a way to see the mountains and rivers, and to travel around the Central Plains with A'Zhu. Once we've had our fun, we should go back to the grasslands and live our own lives."

No one cared what Xiao Feng said anymore. Everyone stopped drinking and shared the remaining wine on the table.

Xiao Feng didn't have anyone return the several jars piled up on the corner of the table.

He opened the seal, grabbed the wine jar, and began to drink heartily. Before long, several jars of wine had disappeared into his stomach.

Despite drinking so much, he showed no signs of being drunk. On the contrary, he was even more energetic, with a ruddy complexion and an even more heroic air, captivating A'Zhu completely.

When the group left the restaurant, there were already more than a dozen servants and guards waiting outside with more than a dozen fine horses, arranged by Li Qinglu.

This really gave Xu Zhu a lot of face.

The group immediately mounted their horses and headed east.

Xiao Feng said he wanted to travel around and enjoy the scenery, but he didn't waste any time at all, traveling on horseback the whole way.

When the group arrived at the foot of Shaolin Temple.

Many wanderers from the martial world pass by on the main road.

Many disciples of the Beggar Gang had already gathered here.

The Four Great Elders: Song, Xi, Chen, Wu, somehow got wind of the news and all rushed to the foot of the mountain to welcome Xiao Feng.

After all, they were a bit pretentious back then. Xiao Feng never drank a farewell toast with them. He didn't hit smiling people and only chatted with them as a personal friend.

When talking about the past, it's natural to feel a mix of emotions, including some sadness and joy.

But Xiao Feng still snorted at the few Beggar Gang members who had been walking beside him all the way.

This caused a few people to laugh awkwardly.

Although the group felt embarrassed, they were still happy and proud, not ashamed.

He kept raising his eyebrows at the many excited Beggar Gang disciples behind the Four Great Elders: Song, Xi, Chen, Wu, boasting about his achievements.

"Master, those Tibetan monks came with great force. Shaolin Temple issued a call to arms, inviting heroes from all over the martial arts world to come and witness this. That's why everyone has gathered here, not to block you."

Elder Song offered a cryptic explanation.

Xiao Feng forced a smile, though he didn't really want to. "See if I believe you or not."

"I naturally believe Elder Song's words, but these are all matters for your Central Plains martial arts world. I'm just here to watch the show. If there's anything that needs to be dealt with, you should go ahead and take care of it. Don't call me leader anymore; I'm no longer the leader of your Beggar Gang."

Elder Song was speechless for a moment.

The red-faced man Wu Changfeng, didn't blush at all and continued shouting loudly.

"Boss, those monks have already gone up. Let's not delay any longer and hurry up to help them out."

Xiao Feng shook his head helplessly.

"Elder Wu, I am not your leader, please don't call me leader anymore. Treat Xiao Feng as a friend, and just call me by my name."

"Yes, Boss!"

Wu Changfeng's reply was extremely loud, but it was clearly nonsensical.

Xiao Feng shook his head and led A'Zhu and the others forward.

Ji Boying watched from the side with his arms crossed, finding it quite amusing.

The red-faced man turned around and grinned at Ji Boying, clearly pleased with himself and somewhat fond of Ji Boying, having received a favor from him in the past.

If Xiao Feng is angry, then let him be angry. If he feels that Wu Changfeng doesn't consider him a friend, then let him feel that way.

Wu Changfeng didn't care about this short-term thing.

As long as you can be shameless and persistent in keeping Xiao Feng with you, you'll have plenty of time to build a relationship and become brothers again in the Beggar Gang.

If you're not firm in your resolve at this point, and you're bound by a mere lip service to brotherhood, what's the point of being brothers if you end up scattered across the country, one in the Central Plains and the other in the northern frontier, perhaps only seeing each other once every few decades, and having no further contact with each other?

The group slowly made their way up the mountain.

There were many Shaolin Temple monks and young novices on both sides of the road to guide visitors.

Many martial arts practitioners carrying knives and swords would politely greet the Beggar Gang's Clan when they encountered them.

They were all skilled in martial arts, so climbing the mountain didn't take much effort, and Mount Song wasn't particularly steep.

Before long, they had entered the Shaolin Temple.

Originally, women were not allowed to enter Shaolin Temple, but because Shaolin Temple wanted to invite heroes from all walks of life to witness this event and issued a wide invitation to heroes, some of these martial arts masters inevitably became female warriors.

Of course, we couldn't turn people away, so we opened the door wide to let everyone in, and Wang Yuyan and the others no longer needed to disguise themselves as men.

Upon entering, they found the place to be quite imposing; the Mahavira Hall was already overflowing, so they had to gather in the courtyard.

There were over a thousand monks from Shaolin Temple alone, not to mention many martial arts figures who came to help.

The monks of Shaolin Temple opened the doors of the Mahavira Hall and lined up according to their seniority.

The leaders, a few of the "Xuan" generation, stood at the door.

The monks who came to cause trouble and those who were there to witness the incident stood below the steps.

Numerous martial arts figures, who had come to lend their support, lined up on both sides, leaving only a space of less than two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) in the middle.

Other places are already completely occupied.

The eight monks standing there were dressed differently from those at the Shaolin Temple, clearly indicating they were from elsewhere.

Apart from Jiumozhi, who looked dignified and imposing due to his mastery of internal energy, the other seven were all quite old.

The most conspicuous one is the curly-haired monk, who is clearly Zheluoxing.

Standing at the head of the group was a short, very capable monk, who was none other than the Xuan Ci Reverend Shenshan, who subtly outshone Abbot Xuanci.

"Shaolin Temple is a magnificent temple that I have longed to visit for a long time. Unfortunately, I was unable to become a disciple sixty years ago. Today, I see that everything has changed. What a pity!"

The Reverend Shenshan suddenly spoke; though he was small in stature, his voice was extremely loud.

He repeatedly said "what a pity," clearly trying to find fault and imply that the Shaolin Temple was getting worse with each generation.

In the past, the people of Shaolin Temple would naturally be more composed and would have barely tolerated it, but this time it was truly touching.

After all, Abbot Xuan Ci had just passed away.

For the Reverend Shenshan to speak like that, isn't it a bit like rubbing salt into someone's wounds?

It seemed as if they were deliberately mocking Abbot Xuan Ci's grave, which was indeed unacceptable to the people of Shaolin Temple, and everyone showed anger.

Xuan Ci died, and the leader was a monk named Xuan Sheng, who was Xuan Ci's junior brother.

He clasped his hands together and bowed to the Reverend Shenshan.

"It turns out that my senior brother once came to Shaolin Temple to become a monk, but unfortunately our temple was unable to accept him. We hope you will forgive us for any offense we may have caused. However, all temples under heaven are one family. Now that my senior brother is the abbot of Qingliang Temple, he is respected by all Buddhist disciples. Everything is due to cause and effect. The cause of that year has led to the result of my senior brother's success today. My senior brother has made great contributions to Buddhism by spreading Buddhism on Mount Wutai. It is a wonderful story."

Despite his age, the Xuan Sheng Xuansheng still retained some composure.

But the venerable Reverend Shenshan, instead of being pleased by the compliments, became even angrier and snorted coldly.

"Back then, I admired Shaolin Temple not only because Shaolin Temple was the leader in martial arts, but also because of Shaolin Temple strict laws."

As he spoke, he rolled his eyes and looked at the Buddha statue high above in the Mahavira Hall behind Xuan Sheng.

He sneered, "Who knew that everyone in the world was a hypocrite? I was fortunate not to have joined this sect back then."