The two White Lotus Disciples lay on the ground, feeling as though their bodies were being scorched by fire one moment, plunged into an ice cellar the next, and soaked in corrosive acid after that. The pain was truly unbearable.
Su Que walked over.
When the two saw Su Que approaching, fear filled both their eyes.
"Who are you?" Su Que asked.
"Hero, spare our lives... We didn't know..." Old Liu hurriedly explained.
At this point, they still did not know that Su Que was the Mysterious Martial Artist. They only thought that they had suddenly attacked Su Que and angered him.
"I asked who you are!" Su Que repeated in a deep voice.
His voice was not loud, yet it landed like a heavy object crashing to the ground.
Combined with the sudden sharpness in Su Que's gaze, it made both their hearts jolt.
"My name is Liu Dalong!"
"My name is Gao Yibao!"
The two gave their names one after the other.
"What faction are you with?" Su Que asked.
Gao Yibao and Liu Dalong exchanged a glance, neither daring to speak.
The White Lotus Sect had far too many enemies. They feared that the man before them was also an enemy of the White Lotus Sect, and that the moment they revealed their affiliation, they would lose their lives.
Seeing the hesitation on their faces, Su Que immediately knocked Liu Dalong unconscious with a punch, then said to Gao Yibao:
"You tell me which gang you belong to. I'll ask him afterward. If your answers differ, I'll kill you!"
Gao Yibao trembled violently. Before he knew it, his crotch had gone wet, and he hurriedly said:
"I'm with the White Lotus Sect!"
So it really is the White Lotus Sect.
Su Que's heart stirred. He had suspected as much before.
The White Lotus Sect has already searched this far...
Su Que asked again, "Besides you two, who else discovered that cave?"
"No one, no one..." Gao Yibao hastily replied, while inwardly reeling in shock.
For Su Que to say this meant that he was almost certainly the Mysterious Martial Artist.
Ever since hearing of the Mysterious Martial Artist's exploits, Gao Yibao had imagined him as a brawny man in his forties, his face full of vicious flesh and his body packed with muscle.
Yet he had never expected this man to be a young scholar with a fair, clean face.
And at such a young age, his strength had already reached such a realm. What exactly had this scholar experienced?
At the thought, Gao Yibao felt a chill creep down his spine.
Bang!
While Gao Yibao's thoughts were still racing, Su Que knocked him unconscious with a punch. Darkness flooded his vision, and he immediately lost consciousness.
Su Que injected true qi into Liu Dalong's body. Liu Dalong gave a shudder and woke up.
Fear showed in his eyes as he looked at Su Que.
Su Que immediately asked him the same question he had just asked Gao Yibao, and received the same answer.
—They were from the White Lotus Sect, and no one else had discovered this place.
Bang!
Su Que smashed down with a punch. Darkness filled Liu Dalong's vision as his skull shattered.
Since Liu Dalong was of no further use, Su Que had no intention of sparing his life.
Bang!
Su Que followed up with a punch to Gao Yibao's head, ending this White Lotus Disciple's life as well.
After searching a few pieces of broken silver from their bodies, he grabbed the two corpses, along with their thick-backed sabers, and threw them into the pit the two had dug.
Then he used true qi to push the surrounding dirt into the pit, burying the two of them completely and firmly.
Su Que slung several bundles over his shoulder. As he walked, he circulated the true qi of the Wedding Dress Divine Skill, erasing his footprints and other traces as he left the place.
After returning to the cave on Qinghua Mountain, Su Que found that his belongings had been rummaged through into a complete mess, and he frowned.
He thought that those two White Lotus Disciples had died far too easily just now.
As Su Que sorted through his belongings, he thought.
The place those two White Lotus Disciples had been searching had most likely been assigned by the White Lotus Sect in Jade Water City.
If they failed to return, the White Lotus Sect would certainly react.
Most likely, they would increase the number of people searching this area.
"Rather than sitting here wondering when they'll come search, or whether they'll search at all..."
"I might as well take the initiative!"
Su Que pondered inwardly.
Moreover, his strength had broken through to the Peak Blood and Qi Realm. It was time to draw Bai Wuji out.
First, he needed to obtain Bai Wuji's Minor Self-Harm Skill.
Second, he needed to pry from Bai Wuji the cultivation method for the martial realm beyond the Blood and Qi Realm.
Having thought this through, Su Que decided to act immediately.
He swiftly stripped off his scholar's robe and every other piece of clothing on his body, then changed into the loose garments he had just bought.
Immediately afterward, he circulated true qi and fused it into his blood, forming blood and qi, which he drove toward every limb and bone in his body.
The next moment, the muscles all over his body swelled under the force of blood and qi, bulging one after another like rocks.
His body grew inch by inch, quickly reaching a height of nearly two meters.
His originally loose clothes were instantly stretched taut by his mountain-like body, becoming a fitted martial outfit.
He untied his hair ribbon and let his long hair fall loose, covering his ears and neck.
Finally, he put on a mask and draped himself in a cloak, pulling the hood over his head.
The hood cast a shadow that concealed his mask.
"At this time as usual, that White Lotus Monk who patrols the streets will still be out there bewitching the people of Jade Water City."
"I'll start with that White Lotus Monk and draw Bai Wuji out!"
Once Su Que made up his mind, he left the cave at once. He unleashed his speed, his body turning into a blurred shadow as he raced wildly toward Jade Water City.
Jade Water City, West City.
A White Lotus Monk holding a snow-white horsetail whisk, wearing a towering Buddhist crown, and dressed in white monk's robes embroidered with black lotuses led a group of White Lotus Disciples down the street.
The sun was already slanting westward. The lingering glow of sunset fell over the street, stretching the White Lotus Monk's group into long shadows.
Among the group, some loudly chanted scriptures, some shook bronze bells, some blew suonas, and some scattered copper coins.
Suddenly, they stopped in an open space.
A White Lotus Disciple stepped out from the group and, in the bitter winter cold, abruptly removed his upper garments.
His bare upper body was covered in muscles, steaming in the winter air.
This was their final performance of "The Immortal Mother Reveals Her Divine Miracle" for the day.
This man had actually trained in hard-body techniques. Soon, he would perform a demonstration of being impervious to blades and spears.
But before the performance, the White Lotus Monk would recite the White Lotus Sect's scriptures and tell the watching commoners that they were impervious to blades and spears only because they were protected by the Immortal Mother.
This was meant to attract commoners who believed in gods and persuade them to join the White Lotus Sect.
If any commoners were drawn in, they would first be taught some martial arts, using that to test their aptitude.
Those with good aptitude would be kept, taught martial arts further, and developed into loyal disciples.
Those with poor aptitude would mostly be sent straight to the battlefield, becoming part of the rebel army fighting the imperial court.
"When the White Lotus is born, heaven and earth shall open; the Immortal Mother reveals her divine power~~~"
The White Lotus Monk formed a hand seal and pointed at the bare-chested White Lotus Disciple as he chanted the scripture.
The White Lotus Disciple's body trembled, putting on the appearance of a deity descending into him.
After finishing the scripture, the White Lotus Monk said to the surrounding commoners:
"This disciple of the Immortal Mother has received the Immortal Mother's protection and is impervious to blades and spears!"
"Any one of you may come forward, choose a sharp weapon, and stab him as you please. He will not suffer the slightest injury!"
As he spoke, several White Lotus Disciples stepped out of the group, carrying over weapons such as sabers, swords, and spears.
The commoners looked at one another after hearing this.
Never mind whether they believed in such a thing as being impervious to blades and spears—they did not dare stab members of the White Lotus Sect. If they truly stabbed one to death, they would not survive either.
For a time, no one dared respond.
The White Lotus Monk was in no hurry. In his experience, there would usually be some hooligan or rascal at times like this, unable to resist coming up to give it a try.
"How about I do it?"
Just as the White Lotus Monk's thought fell, a rough, booming voice came from behind the crowd.
Delighted, the White Lotus Monk looked toward where the voice had come from. Then his gaze froze.
The commoners also turned toward the voice.
The moment they turned around, they unconsciously raised their heads one after another, cries of alarm escaping them.
Before their eyes stood a very tall, powerfully built figure in a cloak, whose body resembled a small stone pagoda!
With his hood hiding his face, Su Que stepped out from the crowd amid everyone's upturned gazes and walked up to the "impervious to blades and spears" White Lotus Disciple.
"Then I'll see whether the Immortal Mother truly protects you."
Su Que took a sharp Red Tassel Spear from the hands of another White Lotus Disciple.
Before you continue