"Alms Begging"

Enemies surrounded him on all sides, but Meng Qi remained unhurried. His long blade parried, deflecting the Peddler's sword. Then he lowered his body, letting the Old Man's dagger stab into his back and the Huqin Elder's thin sword miss his vital spot, striking slightly above.

The woman among the couple consequently lost her throat, striking Meng Qi's chin. The Ground Stance Saber had no issue, directly slashing Meng Qi's legs.

Though the Peddler in front hadn't succeeded, a trace of smug sneer involuntarily appeared on his face. He had deliberately exposed a flaw in his disguise earlier, planning this very ambush!

Puff puff puff, a series of sounds like striking rotten leather rang out. The Peddler's smile froze on his face.

He saw his companions' weapons all hit as if striking iron, only penetrating slightly, oozing a few drops of blood. Meanwhile, the Little Monk withdrew his long blade and smoothly executed a move, "Sweep the World."

A head flew up, blood spurting like a waterfall. Before the Peddler's eyes, everything was crimson. He saw the headless body of the woman among the couple sway and collapse softly.

"He actually has such an Iron Body Skill!" The Peddler regretted it too late, never imagining such a young monk could cultivate such profound Iron Body Skill!

Meng Qi paid no attention to the Huqin Elder and Tea Stall Old Man behind him. He suddenly stepped diagonally forward, precisely blocking the Ground Stance Saber man's retreat path. His long blade swung downward, and blood sprayed again, staining his white leg bindings.

Then, his foot slid, and he bizarrely reversed direction, brushing past the Tea Stall Old Man.

A head flew, blood sprayed, and Meng Qi only had a shallow cut on his chest.

Seeing this, the Peddler was terrified out of his wits, losing his usual composure. He panicked and turned, fleeing like a man escaping a demon.

Suddenly, his vision blurred, and he saw the handsome Little Monk blocking his path.

"Die!" He frantically thrust at Meng Qi's brow, afraid to tangle with him.

Meng Qi, wounded on the chin, grinned through the pain, his expression exceptionally ferocious. He raised his left hand, directly grabbing the Peddler's sword. Ignoring the blade cutting his palm and blood streaming, he yanked hard backward and swung his long blade.

"No..." The Peddler's scream was cut short. Blood from his throat sprayed all over Meng Qi's head and face.

On the other side, the Huqin Elder trembled all over, let out a strange cry, and fled, too fast for Meng Qi to pursue.

So this is trading small wounds for big ones? After the battle ended, Meng Qi exhaled a mouthful of turbid air, wiped the grime and blood from his face, and walked toward the survivors still in the tea stall.

The Rich Young Master, his Maid, and his Guards stared dumbfounded at the scene, not understanding what had happened. Only when streams of blood spurted, heads fell to the ground, and the monk who seemed to have walked out of the Blood Hell of Avici stood before them did they snap back to reality, trembling with fear, kneeling and begging for mercy.

"Master, Master, I have always been a devout Buddhist. Please spare this worthless life." The Rich Young Master wept, tears and snot streaming.

"This humble monk only wishes to ask for directions. How does one get to Shaohua Mountain?" Meng Qi revealed a faint smile. But with his face and body covered in blood and grime, the Rich Young Master and his group only found the smile exceptionally terrifying and ferocious.

One Guard barely suppressed his trembling and honestly told Meng Qi the information.

Meng Qi nodded slightly, a mischievous urge rising: "This humble monk observes that you benefactors have a karmic connection with the Buddha..."

"No, Master! I don't want to see the Buddha yet! I have an eighty-year-old grandmother at home and a three-year-old son! I'll give you anything you want!" The Rich Young Master cried in terror.

"This humble monk only wishes to borrow the benefactor's horse. Would the benefactor be willing to form this good karmic bond?" The more frightened they became, the more Meng Qi enjoyed playing the role of a "divine monk."

The Rich Young Master looked at the blood on Meng Qi's face and dared not refuse: "If the Master wishes to form a good karmic bond, this humble one would be honored. Take the horse."

"This humble monk is no bandit. Take this jade pendant as collateral for the borrowed horse." Seeing the time was late, Meng Qi stopped scaring them.

The Rich Young Master's face was instantly streaked with tears again: "Master, I offer it willingly! This is an offering to the Buddha! How can I take your collateral!"

He waved his hands frantically, refusing to accept the jade pendant even on pain of death, suspecting it was a test from the monk. If he actually took the pendant, his head might not stay on his shoulders.

Meng Qi was taken aback: "Amitabha Buddha. This humble monk thanks the benefactor for his kindness."

The Rich Young Master let out a long sigh of relief: "This humble one should thank the Master for his guidance."

Meng Qi suddenly thought of a famous line. He looked at the Rich Young Master's luggage with a half-smile: "This humble monk observes that the benefactor's wealth also has a karmic connection with the Buddha."

The Rich Young Master, face full of misery, forced a devout expression and handed his money pouch to Meng Qi: "Please, Master, use this to gild the Buddha's statue and guide the world."

He actually gave it... So this is what alms begging feels like? Meng Qi curled his lips, said no more, and called Qi Zhengyan and the others over. They split up to inspect the corpses, searching for dry rations and clean water.

A moment later, Xiang Hui led over four horses, first tying the found rations and water to the saddlebags, then beaming at Meng Qi, who had just finished bandaging his wounds: "Divine Monk, when do we set out? We only have three days. There's no time to lose..."

Meng Qi nodded lightly: "We set out now."

Honestly, Meng Qi had expected Xiang Hui's attitude toward him to change significantly after witnessing that battle. After all, this fight had fully revealed his strength—he was merely a Minor Qi Accumulation cultivator with an Iron Body Skill, on the same level as Xiang Hui. Yet he was still fawning and flattering.

Maybe he felt he couldn't be sure of defeating him?

Hearing Meng Qi's answer, Xiang Hui immediately mounted his horse, expertly gripping the reins, waiting to depart.

Meng Qi looked at the horse before him, a little nervous. He had never ridden before. But with his martial arts and agility, as long as he was just traveling and not fighting on horseback, he wasn't afraid.

"Mas... Master..." Suddenly, the Young Woman Xiao Zi spoke timidly.

Meng Qi and Qi Zhengyan turned their heads but said nothing.

Xiao Zi looked as if she might cry from frustration: "Master, I... I don't know how to ride a horse."

That was a problem. Meng Qi frowned slightly, sizing up Xiao Zi. She was just an ordinary girl; she probably couldn't learn to ride in a hurry.

At that moment, Meng Qi suddenly recalled Jiang Zhiwei's earlier advice about learning Lightness Skill first. It made perfect sense. If you can't even keep up with others, how can they protect you in an emergency? Even if they have a heart of compassion!

Seeing Meng Qi and Qi Zhengyan frowning in silence, Xiao Zi grew tense. Her voice trembled: "Master, I... I can learn to ride. Don't abandon me!"

She was a stranger in this place, with no one to rely on but Meng Qi, who seemed relatively kind and merciful. Even though they had only just met, if she were left here, she would soon be kidnapped and sold into a brothel, powerless to resist.

Meng Qi looked her up and down, noticing bloodstains on her collar. He realized she had gotten them while inspecting the corpses as instructed.

Remembering how Xiao Zi, though terrified of the corpses, had gritted her teeth and completed the task, Meng Qi sighed inwardly. Heaven helps those who help themselves...

"Learning to ride on the spot won't work in time. Miss Xiao Zi, if you don't mind, you can share a horse with this humble monk." Meng Qi deliberately intoned a Buddhist chant to emphasize his monastic identity, lest Xiao Zi hesitate over the impropriety of a man and woman sharing a mount.

Though this meant he could theoretically abandon her without guilt, since he had chosen to be kind, he might as well consider the details from the start.

Xiao Zi was taken aback, then a thin layer of mist veiled her jet-black eyes. She pressed her palms together and said, "Master has a bodhisattva's heart. This young woman offers her thanks in advance."

Behind Meng Qi, Xiang Hui subconsciously curled his lips. In his view, this kind of defenseless young woman shouldn't be brought along at all—find a place to have some fun, then just leave her there.

Qi Zhengyan didn't stop Meng Qi's decision, maintaining his usual stern, unsmiling face, though when he looked at Meng Qi, he gave an almost imperceptible nod.

"Miss Xiao Zi, sit in the back, and remember to hold tight to my monk's robe." Meng Qi lent a hand to help Xiao Zi onto the horse.

Before his words faded, his heart suddenly stirred. Letting someone he wasn't familiar with sit behind him seemed a bit overconfident, so he changed his tune: "Miss Xiao Zi, you'd better sit in front. This little monk worries you might fall off."

Xiao Zi had no objection and moved to the front of the saddle. Meng Qi mounted the horse, looped his arms around her, and grasped the reins.

Xiao Zi's face flushed red, but she wasn't overly embarrassed, since Meng Qi was still just a twelve- or thirteen-year-old boy.

Qi Zhengyan rode one horse while leading another, nodding slightly. "Junior Brother Zhending, I was worried your experience in the martial world was too shallow."

Meng Qi knew he was referring to the decision to have Xiao Zi sit in front rather than behind, and said sheepishly, "It really is too shallow. I was even fooled by that peddler before. But the biggest mistake wasn't that—it was that I shouldn't have gone to the tea stall to ask for directions at all. If we'd just stopped random people on the road to ask, we probably wouldn't have run into any pursuers..."

After the battle, he'd carefully replayed the whole process, reviewing his gains and losses, and spotted many childish aspects of his own conduct.

Meng Qi clearly knew his talent couldn't compare to Jiang Zhiwei, Zhang Yuanshan, and the others. If he didn't examine himself three times a day to make up for his shortcomings and improve, his future prospects would be grim.

After quietly listening to Meng Qi's words, Qi Zhengyan turned his head, looked ahead, and muttered softly, "I was careless too."

Pfft, Meng Qi laughed inwardly, said nothing more, took off the jade pendant from his body, and tossed it behind him, straight into the rich young master's arms.

Then, he spurred his horse forward, and amid the clatter of hooves, laughed aloud: "This is payment for the horse."

The rich young master caught the jade pendant in a daze, watching Meng Qi's gray monk's robe vanish into the distance amid the swirling dust. After a long while, he muttered to himself, "He actually paid..."

The jade pendant was translucent and warm to the touch, clearly worth no small sum.

He'd never imagined that in a situation like this, a little monk who killed as easily as cutting grass would pay so honestly, with no cheating!

Not to mention monks who often begged for alms—even an ordinary person would surely be tempted to take it by force!

"Young master, he seems more like a monk than the Abbot Monks who usually come here..." The Beautiful Maid was just as bewildered.

"Not alms begging?" Qi Zhengyan watched Meng Qi toss the jade pendant, a hint of surprise in his voice. "This is the Reincarnation World. We can bend the rules in an emergency."

After all, no one here knew who they were. They'd leave once the mission was done.

Meng Qi put away his usual smile and said very seriously, "If, in an unguarded moment, in an unfamiliar place, you indulge your desires and do things that violate your principles, then what difference is there from having no principles at all? In the Reincarnation World, I think we should hold even more firmly to ourselves. Otherwise, mission after mission, we'll eventually change in nature, turn into Asuras, and fall forever into the Sea of Suffering."

He didn't have a fully formed, deeply ingrained philosophy—he just felt he ought to hold onto himself a little, so he wouldn't end up becoming someone he'd want to kill.

Besides, because of the Small Jade Buddha, he didn't want to carry that jade pendant on him either.

Qi Zhengyan raised his head, looking at the road ahead, his tone a little wistful: "But can you hold on? If the Lord of Six Paths Samsara issues a task that goes against your bottom line, and failure means annihilation, would you be willing to die for righteousness? To attain Buddhahood on the spot?"

"This..." The extreme scenario Qi Zhengyan posed left Meng Qi unable to answer. He could only sigh and say, "I can't imagine it now. I'll only know when the time comes... But we should also save up Merit Points, just in case we need to cover deductions for failed tasks."

Hoofbeats sounded, dust flew, and Meng Qi and Qi Zhengyan fell silent again, focusing on the journey.

Two days later, the four of them were not far from Shaolin. Since they hadn't spared the horses, they seemed to have shaken off their pursuers, encountering no battles.

"At the fork ahead, we abandon the horses and enter the mountains. Once we cross this forest, we'll be there." Meng Qi explained the decision he and Qi Zhengyan had made to Xiang Hui and Xiao Zi.

From the current signs, it seemed the pursuers hadn't expected them to travel so fast and hadn't caught up yet. But both Meng Qi and Qi Zhengyan believed the enemy wouldn't lack long-range communication methods like carrier pigeons. They could easily notify nearby experts to intercept them at key passes, so they couldn't stay on the main road.

And if they crossed the mountains, every path was a "road." No matter how many experts Du'er Cha had under his command, they couldn't seal it all off—even if his army arrived, it would be the same!

Xiao Zi and Xiang Hui naturally had no objection to their decision.

At that moment, dusk was approaching, and the rain was pouring down so heavily that the road ahead was barely visible. Suddenly, Meng Qi felt his horse trip over something, sending it flying into the air and throwing both him and Xiao Zi off.

Then, several dozen white-feathered arrows let out strange whistling sounds, piercing through the rain curtain from the woods by the roadside, straight at Meng Qi, Qi Zhengyan, and the others.