Does Immortal Mother Truly Protect You

The two White Lotus Sect members lay on the ground, feeling their bodies burn as if on fire one moment, plunge into an icy cellar the next, and soak in corrosive acid the next—truly an unbearable agony.

Su Que walked over.

When the two saw Su Que approaching, fear flickered in both their eyes.

"Who are you?" Su Que asked.

"Spare us, great hero... we don't know..." Old Liu hurriedly explained.

At this point, they still didn't realize Su Que was the Mysterious Martial Artist; they only thought their sudden attack on him had enraged this man.

"I asked who you are!" Su Que repeated in a low voice.

The sound wasn't loud, but it landed like a heavy object hitting the ground.

Coupled with Su Que's suddenly sharp gaze, it jolted both men's hearts.

"I'm Liu Dalong!"

"I'm Gao Yibao!"

They each blurted out their names.

"Which faction are you from?" Su Que asked.

Gao Yibao and Liu Dalong exchanged glances, neither daring to speak.

The White Lotus Sect had too many enemies; they feared this man might be one of them. If they revealed their affiliation, they'd lose their lives on the spot.

Seeing the hesitation on their faces, Su Que knocked Liu Dalong unconscious with a single punch and said to Gao Yibao:

"You, tell me what sect you're from. I'll ask him later. If your answers don't match, I'll kill you."

Gao Yibao trembled in terror, his crotch involuntarily dampening, and he blurted out, "I'm from the White Lotus Sect!"

'So it really is the White Lotus Sect.'

Su Que's mind stirred; he had suspected as much before.

'They've already searched this far...'

Su Que asked again, "Besides you two, who else has found that cave?"

"No one, no one..." Gao Yibao said hastily, his heart pounding with alarm.

The way Su Que spoke made it all but certain he was the Mysterious Martial Artist.

Ever since hearing tales of the Mysterious Martial Artist, Gao Yibao had imagined him as a burly man in his forties, with a face full of rough flesh and a body of solid muscle.

He never expected this man to be a pale-faced young scholar.

And so young, yet already at such a level of strength—what had this scholar been through?

Thinking this, a chill ran down Gao Yibao's spine.

Bam!

Before Gao Yibao's thoughts could finish spinning, Su Que knocked him out with a punch; his vision went dark, and he lost consciousness.

Su Que infused true energy into Liu Dalong, who jolted awake with a start.

Fear filled his eyes as he looked at Su Que.

Su Que immediately asked him the same question he'd asked Gao Yibao, and got the same answer.

—They were from the White Lotus Sect, and no one else had found this place.

Bam!

Su Que's fist came down; Liu Dalong's vision went black, his skull shattered.

Since Liu Dalong was of no further use, Su Que saw no reason to spare his life.

Bam!

Su Que then struck Gao Yibao's head with another punch, ending the White Lotus Sect member's life as well.

After searching the two for a few pieces of silver, he grabbed their bodies and, along with their Thick-backed Blades, tossed them into the pit they had dug.

Then, using his true energy, he pushed the surrounding soil into the pit, burying them tightly.

Su Que slung a few bundles over his shoulder and, as he walked, channeled the true energy of the Wedding Dress Divine Skill to erase his footprints and other traces, leaving the place.

Back at the cave on Qinghua Mountain, Su Que saw his belongings scattered messily by those two men and frowned.

He thought to himself that he had let those two White Lotus Sect members die too easily.

As he tidied up his things, Su Que pondered.

The search area those two White Lotus Sect members had covered was almost certainly assigned by the White Lotus Sect in Jade Water City.

If they didn't return, the White Lotus Sect would surely react.

They would most likely increase the number of searchers in this area.

"Instead of sitting here wondering when they'll come searching, or if they'll come searching..."

"Might as well strike first!"

Su Que pondered to himself.

Moreover, with his strength breaking through to the Peak Blood and Qi Realm, it was time to lure Bai Wuji out.

First, he needed to obtain Bai Wuji's Minor Self-Harm Skill.

Second, he had to pry from Bai Wuji the cultivation method for the next martial realm beyond the Blood and Qi Realm.

With this in mind, Su Que decided to act immediately.

He swiftly shed his Confucian robes and all other clothes, then changed into the loose garments he had just bought.

Next, he channeled his true qi, merging it with his blood to form blood and qi, and forced it toward every limb and bone.

In an instant, his muscles swelled from the blood and qi, bulging into rocky mounds.

His frame stretched inch by inch, soon reaching nearly two meters in height.

The originally loose clothes were instantly filled out by his mountain-like physique, becoming a tight fit.

He untied his hairband, letting his long hair fall loose to cover his ears and neck.

Finally, he put on a mask, draped a cloak over himself, and pulled the hood over his head.

The hood cast shadows, concealing his mask.

"Around this time, that White Lotus Monk patrolling the streets should still be out there, deceiving the people of Jade Water City."

"I'll start with that monk and lure Bai Wuji out!"

Having made up his mind, Su Que left the cave, broke into a run, and turned into a blur as he sprinted toward Jade Water City.

Jade Water City, West City.

A White Lotus Monk, holding a white whisk, wearing a tall Buddhist crown, and clad in a white monk's robe embroidered with black lotuses, led a group of White Lotus Sect followers down the street.

The sun had already slanted westward, casting the long shadows of the monk and his group across the road.

Among the group, some chanted scriptures loudly, others shook copper bells, some blew suonas, and a few scattered copper coins.

Suddenly, they stopped in an open space.

One White Lotus follower stepped out from the group and, in the dead of winter, abruptly stripped off his upper garment.

His bare torso was packed with muscle, steaming with heat in the cold.

This was their final performance of the day, "The Immortal Mother's Divine Miracle."

This man had actually trained in hard qigong, and would soon put on a show of being impervious to blades and spears.

But before the performance, the White Lotus Monk would chant the White Lotus Sect's scriptures, telling the gathered crowd that they were blessed by the Immortal Mother, hence their invulnerability.

This was to lure superstitious commoners into joining the White Lotus Sect.

If any were drawn in, the sect would first have them practice some martial arts to test their aptitude.

Those with good talent would be kept, taught further martial arts, and developed into loyal followers.

Those with poor talent would mostly be sent straight to the battlefield, becoming part of the rebel army fighting the imperial court.

"The white lotus blooms, heaven and earth open, the Immortal Mother manifests her divine power~~~"

The White Lotus Monk formed a hand seal, pointed at the bare-chested follower, and chanted the scripture.

The follower trembled, putting on an act of being possessed by a deity.

After finishing the chant, the monk said to the surrounding crowd:

"This disciple of the Immortal Mother has received her blessing and is now impervious to blades and spears!"

"Any one of you may step forward, pick a sharp weapon, and stab him freely—he won't suffer a scratch!"

With that, several White Lotus followers came forward from the group, holding up weapons like knives, swords, and spears.

The crowd exchanged glances after hearing this.

Leaving aside whether they believed in invulnerability, none dared to stab these White Lotus members. If they accidentally killed one, they wouldn't survive either.

For a moment, no one responded.

The White Lotus Monk wasn't worried. From experience, there was always some ruffian who couldn't resist trying.

"How about I give it a go?"

Just as the monk's thought settled, a rough voice came from behind the crowd.

The monk's heart lifted, and he looked toward the source of the voice—only to freeze.

The crowd also turned to look.

As soon as the commoners turned their heads, they instinctively looked up, letting out gasps of surprise.

What they saw was a man in a cloak, very tall and burly, his build like a small stone tower!

Su Que, hooded and face hidden, stepped out from among the crowd under their awed gazes and walked up to the "invulnerable" White Lotus follower.

"Then let me see if the Immortal Mother truly blesses you."

Su Que took a sharp Red Tassel Spear from another White Lotus follower's hand.