What If We Just Burned Him!

"I'm the monk Jiumozhi, from Tubo. I'm on my way to the Gusu Murong Family. May I ask if this young master is the son of the Gusu Murong Family, Southern Murong, Murong Fu?" Jiumozhi of Tubo saw that Li Hao was handsome and dashing, charming and elegant, with the bearing of a jade tree in the wind. He was the sort of man everyone loved. There were clearly women in the carriage, and from the voices, more than one.

The place they were in was near Canhe Manor in Gusu, so Jiumozhi had mistaken him for Murong Fu of Gusu.

"Yan Shun, is Murong Fu as handsome as I am?" Li Hao asked curiously.

"No, young master. You're the most handsome man in the world," Yan Shun answered honestly.

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

"Because I'm a straightforward man who gets things done reliably." Yan Shun gave himself a modest boast.

"Wrong. It's because you're honest and don't tell lies. That's what I value most about you. Keep it up—I have high hopes for you." Li Hao flaunted himself, flicking the hair over his forehead.

One thing about ancient times was awful: everyone had long hair, and without Rejoice, that miraculous shampoo, washing it was a real problem.

But that didn't trouble Li Hao. He knew that jasmine flowers and leaves could soften hair, and worked quite well, too.

"May I ask this young master's name?" Jiumozhi asked politely.

To be honest, Jiumozhi's appearance was certainly nothing to scoff at. He wore a yellow monk's robe and cloth shoes, and his face seemed to glow with an inner radiance, like a precious pearl or jade shining of its own accord.

Combined with his naturally long earlobes, he looked just like a Buddha descended into the world. Li Hao couldn't help giving him a few extra looks.

"I'm Li Hao, known in the jianghu as The Amorous Swordsman." Li Hao cupped his hands.

All things considered, Jiumozhi was a true master. Had he not been so obsessed with Martial Arts, he could have been a rare genius of his generation. It was a shame that he had been ruined by Duan Yu, the son of destiny.

"So you're Great Hero Li Hao. Your exploits have spread throughout the jianghu, and your name rings like thunder in my ears. Jiumozhi is in awe." Having said that, Jiumozhi really did press his palms together and bow to Li Hao.

"Master, you're too kind. It's just a reputation, nothing more." Li Hao chuckled. I can't believe my fame has grown so much. I'm already quite renowned as a hero in the jianghu. Maybe now those so-called heroes won't keep showing up to deliver justice.

"Great Hero Li, save me! That bad man kidnapped me!" cried a frail-looking scholar behind Jiumozhi.

"Who are you?" Li Hao knew full well who the man was. He was acting this way purely because he couldn't stand him.

"I'm Duan Yu, son of Duan Zhengchun, Prince of Zhennan of Dali. This evil monk went to Dali and kidnapped me. Please save me, Great Hero Li. Afterward, I'll make sure my father rewards you handsomely," Duan Yu said hastily.

He had suffered plenty during the days Jiumozhi had kept him captive. His fine silk clothes were ruined, his shoes had holes in them, and blisters had rubbed raw on the soles of his feet.

"Hmph. Master Jiumozhi looks every bit a venerable monk. Why would he kidnap a young fellow like you? And even if he did, he must have had his reasons," Li Hao said with a cold laugh.

Jiumozhi was a late-stage grandmaster, even stronger than Duan Yanqing. Dream on if you thought I'd fight him.

"What reason? He just wants to steal my Duan family's supreme martial arts—he..."

"Master Jiumozhi, this kid is so irritating. Why not kill him with one palm strike? At the very least, you could seal his mute acupoint. It must be a hassle to keep dragging him around." Before Duan Yu could finish, Li Hao offered Jiumozhi his advice.

I was already thinking about how to kill him, and now he was asking me to save him. Unbelievable.

"Benefactor, you don't know the whole story. I was close friends with Murong Bo of the Gusu Murong Family. He once told me that the Six Meridian Divine Sword was peerless beneath heaven, but he never had the chance to see it before he died. To fulfill my friend's dying wish, I went to Tianlong Temple in Dali and fought the temple's eminent monks in a contest that lasted day and night." Jiumozhi paused, apparently lost in memories of what had happened.

"And how did it go?" Li Hao knew the outcome, but still wanted to find out whether the story had changed in this world. After all, he had already killed Yue Laosan.

"Hmph! Those bald donkeys promised to let me see a copy of the Six Meridian Divine Sword manual if I won. But before they could lose, they burned the manual!" Jiumozhi said through clenched teeth.

"Shameless! I can't stand the way those bald donkeys act. Whenever I run into a monk, I always lose a bet. If I see one, I won't set foot in a gambling house for half a month!" Li Hao said angrily.

"Last time, you clearly said it was nuns you always lost bets to," Yi Lin pouted. She was a good girl who couldn't stand seeing people lie.

"Nuns and monks are both bald, so it's the same thing." Li Hao grinned.

"Then what does Master plan to do? The manual is gone. Won't you have failed your friend?" Li Hao couldn't resist rubbing salt in the wound.

"Duan Yu is the son of Duan Zhengchun, Prince of Zhennan of Dali. He has a photographic memory and saw the complete manual before it was burned. So I kidnapped him and planned to take him to Mr. Murong's grave, have him write out the manual from memory, and then burn it as an offering to Mr. Murong. That way, I can still fulfill his dying wish." Jiumozhi pressed his palms together as he spoke.

"Master, I don't think that plan is entirely sound," Li Hao said, rubbing his chin.

"What's wrong with it? Please enlighten me, benefactor," Jiumozhi asked very politely. His tone was quite pleasant.

"Master, think about it. Those old bald donkeys at Tianlong Temple are all members of the Duan family. They became monks and still couldn't keep their word. This Duan Yu fellow looks like a slick, smooth-talking little playboy. What if he jumbled the lines of the Divine Sword's manual when he wrote it out? Wouldn't that leave Mr. Murong's spirit in the afterlife in a terrible state?" Li Hao had just described Duan Yu's later antics.

"Uh... Young Hero Li is absolutely right. This kid doesn't look like a good person. If he really did that, he could bring disaster upon the old gentleman's spirit. Then, despite my good intentions, I'd have no face to meet my old friend after I passed away." Jiumozhi drew a sharp breath.

Given the Duan family's track record for keeping their word, Duan Yu might well write out a fake manual.

Not that it would exactly be fake. If he jumbled just one or two lines and changed the acupoints along the way, the consequences could be disastrous.

The one most shocked to hear Li Hao say what he was thinking was Duan Yu. He had originally planned to do exactly that. But now that Li Hao had said it aloud, Jiumozhi would be on guard, and it would be much harder to pull off.

"I wonder if benefactor has any better ideas." There was something to learn from everyone, and Jiumozhi was willing to listen to other people's advice.

"This kid knows the Divine Sword manual, doesn't he? Why not take him straight to Mr. Murong's grave and burn him there, so Mr. Murong can question him himself in the underworld?"