What If We Just Burned Him!

"My monastic name is Jiumozhi, and I come from Tubo, heading towards the Gusu Murong Family. May I ask if this young master is the young master of the Gusu Murong Family, Southern Murong Murong Fu?" Jiumozhi of Tubo looked at Li Hao, finding him handsome, dashing, elegant, and lovable. There were clearly female companions in the carriage, and by the sound of it, more than one.

Since they were near Hehe Village in Gusu, Jiumozhi mistook him for Murong Fu of Gusu.

"Yan Shun, am I, your young master, more handsome than Murong Fu?" Li Hao asked curiously.

"No, young master, you are the most handsome in this world," Yan Shun replied honestly.

"Sigh, Yan Shun, do you know why I value you so much?"

"Because I'm sincere and reliable in my work," Yan Shun boasted appropriately.

"Wrong, it's because you are honest and never lie. That's what I value most about you. Keep up the good work, I have high hopes for you," Li Hao said, flipping his bangs back with a smug air.

This ancient era isn't great; everyone has long hair, and without a miracle shampoo like Pantene, washing one's hair is a challenge.

However, this problem didn't stump Li Hao, as he knew that jasmine flowers and leaves had a smoothing effect on hair, and a rather good one at that.

"May I ask how this young master is addressed?" Jiumozhi asked politely.

To be honest, Jiumozhi's appearance was impeccable. He wore a yellow monk's robe and cloth shoes, his face radiating a divine glow as if imbued with a precious light, shining like a bright jewel.

Coupled with his naturally large earlobes, he looked like a Buddha incarnate, causing Li Hao to stare for a few extra moments.

"I am Li Hao, known in the Jianghu as The Amorous Swordsman," Li Hao said, cupping his hands.

Jiumozhi, all in all, was a learned master. If he hadn't been so devoted to martial arts, he could have been a generation's prodigy. It was a pity he was ruined by Duan Yu, a child of destiny.

"So it is Li Hao, the great hero Li. Your deeds have spread throughout the Jianghu and are widely known. Jiumozhi is in awe." With that, Jiumozhi actually clasped his hands in greeting to Li Hao.

"Master, you are too kind. It's just a false reputation, all false reputation," Li Hao chuckled. He hadn't expected his fame to be so great, nor that he'd have such a heroic reputation in the Jianghu. It seemed he wouldn't have heroes coming to uphold justice at every turn.

"Great Hero Li, save me! I was kidnapped by this villain!" a frail scholar following behind Jiumozhi shouted.

"Who are you!" Li Hao knew who this person was. His attitude was purely because he found the man annoying.

"I am Duan Yu, son of Prince Duan Zhengchun of Zhennan in Dali. This demonic monk came to Dali and kidnapped me. Please, Great Hero Li, save me. Afterward, I will surely have my father, the Prince, reward you handsomely," Duan Yu said quickly.

During the days he was held captive by Jiumozhi, he had suffered greatly. Even his exquisite silk clothes were ruined, his shoes had holes, and his feet were covered in blisters.

"Hmph, Master Jiumozhi is clearly a virtuous monk. How could he kidnap a young man like you? Even if he did, the Master must have had a reason," Li Hao sneered.

Jiumozhi was a Grandmaster at the peak of his cultivation, even more formidable than Duan Yanqing. To expect him to fight Jiumozhi? Dream on.

"What reason? He just wants to steal our Duan family's supreme martial arts… he…"

"Master Jiumozhi, this brat is so verbose. Why not strike him down with a palm, or at least seal his acupoint to render him mute? Carrying him around is too troublesome," Li Hao offered his opinion to Jiumozhi before Duan Yu could finish.

He was contemplating how to kill the man, and the man was begging him for rescue. Truly unbelievable.

"Benefactor, you may not know, but I am close friends with Murong Bo of the Gusu Murong Family. He once said that the Six Meridian Divine Sword is peerless in the world, but he never had the chance to see it before his death. To fulfill my friend's dying wish, I went to Tianlong Temple in Dali and gambled with the monks there for a day and a night." Jiumozhi paused here, clearly recalling the events.

"What was the result?" Li Hao, though he knew the outcome, still wanted to know if the plot in this world had changed, especially since he had already "dealt with" Yue Laosan.

"Hmph, those bald donkeys. They promised to lend me the Six Meridian Divine Sword manual for a look if I won, but before losing, they burned the manual," Jiumozhi said through gritted teeth.

"Shameless! I can't stand how those bald donkeys act. Whenever I encounter a bald donkey, I lose every bet. As long as I see a bald donkey, I won't enter a gambling house for half a month," Li Hao said fiercely.

"You clearly said last time that whenever you encounter a nun, you lose every bet," Yi Lin pouted. She was a good child and hated seeing people lie.

"Nuns and monks are all bald, aren't they? It's the same," Li Hao said with a grin.

"Then, Master, what do you plan to do? Without the sword manual, won't you have failed your friend?" Li Hao couldn't resist rubbing salt in the wound.

"This Duan Yu is the son of Prince Duan Zhengchun of Dali and possesses photographic memory. After the sword manual was burned, he saw the complete manual. That's why I brought him here, intending to take him to Mr. Murong's grave and have him transcribe the manual from memory, then burn it for Mr. Murong, thus fulfilling his last wish." With that, Jiumozhi clasped his hands.

"Master, I think this method is a bit inappropriate," Li Hao said, stroking his chin.

"What is inappropriate? Please enlighten this humble monk, Benefactor," Jiumozhi's tone was very polite and pleasant to hear.

"Master, think about it. Those old bald donkeys at Tianlong Temple are all members of the Duan family. Even as monks, they lack integrity. This Duan Yu kid is just a foppish, glib brat. If he deliberately reverses a few phrases in the divine sword's mental cultivation method while transcribing, wouldn't Mr. Murong Bo's spirit in heaven be greatly distressed?" Li Hao directly revealed Duan Yu's later mischievous actions.

"Uh, Young Hero Li speaks the truth. This brat doesn't look like a good person. If he really did that, he would truly harm the old gentleman's spirit in heaven. Then I would have done good deeds with bad intentions and would have no face to meet my old friend again after my passing," Jiumozhi gasped, taking a sharp breath.

Given the reputation of the Duan family of Dali, Duan Yu might very well write a fake sword manual.

It wasn't exactly fake; just reversing a phrase or two, or changing one or two acupoints, could lead to unimaginable consequences.

Li Hao voiced his thoughts, and the most shocked was Duan Yu, who had originally intended to do just that. But now that Li Hao had said it, Jiumozhi would surely be on guard, making it harder to execute his plan.

"Does Benefactor have any good suggestions?" One must learn from everyone. Jiumozhi was also someone who could take advice.

"Since this brat knows the divine sword manual, why not take him to Mr. Murong's grave and burn him directly? Let Mr. Murong in the underworld ask him himself."