Hero Saves the Beauty

At three in the afternoon, the sun was already to the west.

The mountain stream gurgled, like a pleasant chime.

Two iron swords swung, and the flowers, grass, and trees along the way were all devastated.

"Senior brother, there's clearly a path, why do we still need to chop these things?"

"You've only been initiated for half a month, you don't know the rules of my Mount Song Sect."

As he spoke, his long sword continued to sway, and a morning glory vine that had been blooming beautifully was instantly cut in two.

"This move of mine is called 'Trace of Past Events'. If Uncle Ding personally pursues us, he'll also be able to see the results of our diligence."

"Brilliant, Senior Brother, brilliant! With your great wisdom, it's a waste for you to be an ordinary disciple. I think you'd be more than qualified to be an official."

The pockmarked man was pleased and intended to show off: "Think about it, even Uncle Fei was defeated and retreated. If we really encounter Wu Lianjiang, what use are you and I? That Flying Cloud Divine Ape isn't just for show. Let's just search that patch of mountain forest ahead and then report back."

Both of them wore light red outer garments and held long swords. An iron whistle hung around their necks.

After Fei Bin returned, heavily injured, Zuo Lengchan immediately dispatched Ding Mian, the head of the Mount Song Sect's Thirteen Protectors, known as 'Pagoda Hand', to lead the pursuit. Ding Mian arranged for his disciples to search in pairs, and as soon as they found any trace of Wu Lianjiang, they were to blow the iron whistle to form a encirclement.

"Senior brother, after we annihilate Cloud Water Hall this time, our Five Great Sword Sects will surely become famous throughout the martial arts world."

"Hmph, you say Five Great Sword Sects, but isn't it still our Mount Song disciples who are bleeding on the front lines?"

"Let's not even mention those nuns from Mount Heng. Daoist Tianmen of Mount Tai at least brought two hundred people. Liu Zhengfeng of Mount Heng crossed the river to reinforce us with just over sixty skilled fighters, which is understandable."

"And Sect Leader Yue of Mount Hua, who calls himself 'Gentleman Sword', only brought five or six disciples to the meeting. How dare he stand shoulder to shoulder with the sect leaders of the other four sects."

The hemp-clothed man commented on the Five Great Sword Sects, full of spirit, as if he were the alliance leader.

As the sect leader of Mount Song was the alliance leader of the Five Great Sword Sects, he and his disciples naturally felt a bit arrogant and self-important in front of the other four sects.

"Heh heh, those nuns from White Cloud Nunnery on Mount Heng are really quite attractive, rather charming. If they were dressed in silk and satin, with rouge and powder, they would definitely be no less than the top courtesans in a brothel."

The Mount Song disciple walking in front was about twenty years old, stout, with a pimple on the tip of his nose, and an ugly appearance. When he spoke of the Mount Heng nuns, his words were frivolous, showing no respect at all.

The pockmarked man was shocked: "Junior brother, I never expected you to have such refined tastes, to even be interested in Abbess Dingyi. Amazing, amazing, Senior Brother is not as good as you."

The fatty was displeased: "Senior brother, why are you deliberately teasing me? During the Five Sects' alliance meeting, weren't your eyes constantly darting towards those two novice nuns, Yiqing and Yixiu? Did you think I didn't see it?"

"Alas, you only see one side of the story. I only glanced a few times, and Abbess Dingyi glared at me like a bull. If our Sect Leader hadn't been present, my eyes might have been gouged out. You tell me, why is she angry if I'm not looking at her?"

The fatty chuckled wickedly: "Perhaps Abbess Dingyi is angry because Senior Brother isn't looking at her?"

The pockmarked man laughed and gave him a thumbs-up: "Junior brother has been down the mountain for a long time and has experience. You know women's hearts well."

The two of them chatted and walked for several miles when they suddenly saw a bamboo forest surrounding a dilapidated Guanyin Nunnery behind it.

The fatty quickly stopped and retreated a few steps, pushing his senior brother in front of him.

"Could Wu Lianjiang be hiding in the nunnery?"

"Look at your cowardly nature. It's just a nunnery. Where did your courage go when you were peeking at the nuns in White Cloud Nunnery?"

The fatty took the opportunity to instigate: "Then you go in, and I'll keep watch here?"

The pockmarked man hesitated for a moment, then had to say: "I'll go if I have to."

The fatty hid behind a rock, observing secretly, deciding to flee immediately if anything seemed wrong.

The pockmarked man felt uneasy, yet didn't want to lose face in front of his junior brother. He looked back repeatedly and finally reached the Guanyin Nunnery.

"Great Emperor Chong Sheng, bless me, Great Emperor Chong Sheng, bless me. There's no one in the temple, no one in the temple."

The surrounding bamboo forest obscured the light, making it dim inside. As soon as he crossed the threshold, he suddenly saw a recently extinguished campfire.

Someone was in the nunnery!

He was so scared that his soul almost left his body. He turned and ran, tripping over the threshold and dropping his iron sword.

The pockmarked man ran seven or eight meters out of the nunnery. Seeing no one chasing him, he looked back and saw a beautiful young woman in a green dress lying on the ground inside the nunnery, seemingly tied up and struggling to ask for help.

"A woman? There's a woman in this dilapidated temple in the deep mountains. Could it be that Great Emperor Chong Sheng has appeared?"

The pockmarked man stopped and turned to call his junior brother, but saw a figure already half a mile away. He hurried to catch up and stop the fatty.

"What a beautiful young lady."

When they entered the Guanyin Nunnery and saw Yue Lingshan, they were instantly stunned by her beauty.

Yue Lingshan looked at their attire, red clothes and iron swords, and thought they resembled Mount Song disciples. She was overjoyed and struggled to get up, making muffled sounds.

Seeing this, the pockmarked man reached out and removed the cloth gag from her mouth.

Yue Lingshan took a few breaths and said happily, "Are you two senior brothers from the Mount Song Sect?"

The fatty didn't answer, but asked with a smile, "Young lady, why are you here?"

"I am Yue Lingshan, daughter of the Mount Hua Sect Leader. I was captured and brought here by the Demonic Cult. When I inform my father, I will surely thank you generously for saving my life."

The pockmarked man asked, "The Demonic Cult? Was it Wu Lianjiang?"

"No, that person should have escaped." Yue Lingshan thought of that little thief and didn't want to say more.

The fatty was relieved, but a wicked thought arose. He looked at the pockmarked man, and they exchanged glances, understanding each other's intentions.

They were only low-level disciples in the Mount Song Sect, and had not been initiated for long. A woman of noble status like the daughter of the Five Great Sword Sects' sect leader was like a world apart from them. They wouldn't even dare to look directly at her usually.

And besides, the woman before him was truly too beautiful.

Her brows were naturally dark, her eyes held the autumn water, her slender waist could be grasped, and coupled with the demeanor of a young lady from a prominent family, she also possessed a bit of the chivalrous spirit of a martial world maiden, making one uncontrollably feel the urge to defile her.

Some thoughts, once born, are like autumn wildfires, impossible to extinguish. Even if one knows they will ultimately turn to ash, they must still follow their heart in the moment and seek a fleeting pleasure.

This is why Buddhism says, "From one thought arises, ten thousand fears are born."

The fat man swallowed and chuckled, "Repay us? Miss Yue, how do you plan to repay us brothers?"

"I'll have Father send more gold and silver to you two senior brothers."

The fat man chuckled, "Compared to saving our lives, gold and silver are like dirt. What's the point?"

"Then how about sending a plaque and banner to Mount Song, to bring you two senior brothers fame?"

The fat man still chuckled, "Fame is like floating clouds, merely a burden, not even as good as gold and silver."

Yue Lingshan was intelligent by nature. Seeing that the two men hadn't immediately untied her ropes and were instead staring at her with lewd expressions and swallowing, she inwardly thought, This is bad. Have I escaped one tiger's maw only to fall into another's?

She increased her offer: "The martial arts manuals on Mount Hua, you can choose from them as well. How about that?"

The pock-faced man grinned, "Martial arts manuals are good, but they can't be mastered overnight. We brothers can't endure hardship."

Yue Lingshan began to panic, "Then what exactly do you want?"