Side Quest

The Shapeshifting Scholar was famed for disguise, impersonation, and Lightness Skill. Within the span of a single breath, he twisted and darted through the tiny space, desperately trying to shake off the sword light fixed unerringly upon his brow.

Yet to his horror, he discovered that no matter how he changed, his opponent seemed able to see and hear ahead of time, following him with flawless precision. The bone-piercing chill between his brows grew ever denser, ever deeper!

How could there be such a formidable swordsman?

After arriving at the inn, he had quietly inquired about Guan Haoran, Town River Luo, and learned that Zhang Yuanshan's martial arts had reached a miraculous level. Having entered the Exterior, Zhang Yuanshan surpassed him by a fair margin. Thus, after ambushing and gravely wounding Master Xinji, he had fled in a direction that avoided Zhang Yuanshan rather than attempting to break through from Xiao Zi, who seemed entirely without martial arts.

Who would have thought that the young woman who so often wore a smile, whose beauty could not be contained, was such a terrifying swordsman!

She was absolutely stronger than Young Master Zhang, whom everyone revered!

Much stronger!

Regret gnawed at the Shapeshifting Scholar's heart, but he knew he could delay no longer. Never mind whether he could evade this sword—once Shaolin's chief monks and elders arrived, he would have no chance of escape. Gritting his teeth, a flush of crimson flashed across his face. He swayed forward, then abruptly retreated in an eerie manner, plunging straight between Meng Qi and Qi Zhengyan.

He intended to use them as human shields to escape Jiang Zhiwei's sword!

Seeing the Shapeshifting Scholar's nimble, agile movement technique, like a ghost and a fox, Meng Qi suddenly Felt a Sense. He thought of his own Eight Steps of Divine Travel, seeming to understand something, yet also seeming to understand nothing at all.

The Shapeshifting Scholar made a feint with his left foot, pivoted on his right, and spun around eerily, about to slip behind Meng Qi and thereby evade Jiang Zhiwei's sword that clung to him like a maggot to the bone.

This step... Meng Qi suddenly found it somewhat familiar. It had the same marvelous effect through different means as one step of the Eight Steps of Divine Travel!

So he instinctively slid and turned, likewise darting behind the Shapeshifting Scholar.

Before him was Empty and Vast. The Shapeshifting Scholar was both shocked and aghast, while the chill between his brows grew increasingly intense.

He had no choice but to alter his footwork again. Drawn along by him, Meng Qi executed the finest step he had managed since gaining some mastery of the Eight Steps of Divine Travel.

The two were like dancing partners, whirling gracefully as they constantly changed direction, yet always remained facing one another—elegant and unfathomable.

Damn monk! the Shapeshifting Scholar cursed inwardly. If he had been given one more breath, he was certain he could have toyed this Little Monk to death. Yet after this brief obstruction, he had already seen that sharp sword tip.

At his side, Qi Zhengyan drew his longsword. Dots of cold starlight drifted down, enveloping the Shapeshifting Scholar.

By the time Zhang Yuanshan and Shaolin's monks arrived, the Shapeshifting Scholar had already been driven into a dead end.

Meng Qi's martial arts lagged behind by far. Afraid that the Shapeshifting Scholar would seize him as a hostage, he used the Eight Steps of Divine Travel and slipped out of the encirclement when the chance arose. Gripping his Monastic Blade, he prepared to throw a few peacekeeping punches and, when the opportunity came, give the Shapeshifting Scholar a slash.

At the thought that he had spent an entire day with this enemy without the slightest guard, had been deceived by him, and had walked along the brink of death, Meng Qi secretly fumed. Naturally, he would not let pass the chance for revenge.

The Shapeshifting Scholar exhausted every variation he possessed, but it was still useless. He took a palm strike from the chief of the Discipline Institute and one sword each from Jiang Zhiwei, Zhang Yuanshan, and Qi Zhengyan. His hair hung loose, blood streamed freely, and he staggered as he fled, but his body had slowed; he no longer had the ability to escape.

Seeing this, Meng Qi stepped forward and hacked his blade into the man's back, leaving a deep wound.

Hmph, I'm just that petty!

The Shapeshifting Scholar could no longer hold on and collapsed directly to the ground. The Red Kasaya swept over him, sealing his acupoints.

"Namo Amitabha. Benefactor Kuang, have you been well? Ten years have passed since we last met. This old monk truly failed to recognize you." Master Xinji's face was sallow, but he walked over without anyone supporting him.

Having been captured, the Shapeshifting Scholar knew begging would be futile. He raised his head and laughed loudly. "Hahaha! Abbot, your eyes have grown dim with age; you are no longer in your former prime. But Lord General thinks especially highly of you. If you can lead Shaolin in surrender, he will surely petition His Majesty to appoint you Imperial Advisor, making Shaolin the foremost temple of Buddhism, with incense offerings never ceasing and ten thousand qing of Fertile Fields!"

"To lead beasts to devour men is the work of asuras. This old monk would be ashamed to keep such company." There was no small measure of bold spirit in Master Xinji's words.

"Hmph! The only one Lord General fears is you, Abbot. Now that you have been wounded by me, who else can stop Lord General? Treacherous mountain paths? Those can only hinder ordinary experts and soldiers. To Lord General, they are as level ground. When the time comes, the passes will be no different from empty decorations!" Unable to buy him over, the Shapeshifting Scholar immediately turned to threats. "Abbot, do not let Shaolin's thousand-year foundation be destroyed by your hand!"

Meng Qi gave an almost imperceptible nod. It was not that he agreed with the Shapeshifting Scholar, but on one point, the man was quite right: when an expert who had surpassed the level existed, and one's own side had no one capable of contending with them, ordinary mountain paths and passes were utterly useless. Such an expert could simply circle around, kill the guards, and open the way for their companions to enter.

"Namo Amitabha. Benefactor need say no more. Shaolin's foundation lies only in Buddhist principles and Zen Intent." Master Xinji raised his Sleeve Robe, and a withered, skinny palm swept toward the Shapeshifting Scholar's crown. "With a great battle imminent, this old monk cannot show mercy."

"Y-you actually intend to kill!" The Shapeshifting Scholar was shocked and terrified. He had still imagined that if Jiang Zhiwei and Zhang Yuanshan wanted to kill him, Shaolin's monks would stop them and merely cripple his martial arts. "What of your precepts? What of your Buddha? Lord General will soon arrive—you will die without even a place to bury your bodies!"

"Namo Amitabha. The Buddha has a compassionate heart, but also the wrathful gaze of Vajra." Master Xinji spoke calmly, his palm lightly brushing over the Shapeshifting Scholar's crown.

At once, the Shapeshifting Scholar's unwilling eyes flew wide open, and he crumpled limply to the ground.

Meng Qi suddenly felt that this Old Monk suited his tastes quite well. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly saw the golden Buddha statue smile once more as it held up a flower. Flames sprang up and wove themselves into words again, changing continuously.

Side Quest One: Kill the Shapeshifting Scholar, one of the four Exterior experts in the enemy camp. Jiang Zhiwei receives thirty Merit Points; Zhang Yuanshan and Zhending each receive twenty Merit Points; Qi Zhengyan and Wang Jin each receive ten Merit Points.

Side Quest Description: Kill one of the four Exterior experts in the enemy camp. Participants receive corresponding Merit Point rewards according to the mission difficulty, disparity in strength, and degree of contribution.

Side Quest Two activated: Kill Great General Du'er Cha. Participants shall receive between fifty and two hundred Merit Points according to their contribution!

"This... this is a side quest?" Meng Qi found it somewhat hard to believe.

At this moment, Zhang Yuanshan used Sound Transmission to tell both him and Qi Zhengyan, "There was no time to explain earlier. When I killed Guan Haoran, this side quest was activated. Since I was the only one who acted, I received fifty Merit Points based on the difference in our strength. I think that if Junior Brother Zhending had completed this quest independently, the reward would probably have exceeded one hundred."

Mm. Meng Qi nodded. In such circumstances, there was no way to ask further questions, so he waited for Master Xinji to speak.

Master Xinji looked at the Shapeshifting Scholar's corpse and was just about to speak when a white-browed Old Monk suddenly stepped out from behind him. Filled with righteous indignation, he pointed at Meng Qi and the others. "You spies actually brought the Shapeshifting Scholar into the temple and harmed the Abbot! What other schemes do you have?"

One chief monk and elder after another stepped forward, seemingly intending to seize Meng Qi and the others.

Before Zhang Yuanshan could speak in their defense, Master Xinji waved his sleeve. "No need for such agitation. These benefactors are not spies; they were merely deceived by the Shapeshifting Scholar. If they were spies, when the Shapeshifting Scholar ambushed this old monk just now, had Benefactor Jiang and Benefactor Zhang attacked together, given their strength, this old monk would likely already have entered nirvana."

This reasoning was highly convincing, and the agitated crowd gradually calmed. Yet the white-browed Old Monk still wore a grim expression. "The origins of these benefactors are unclear. Perhaps most truly are righteous heroes, but who can say that no one like the Shapeshifting Scholar is hidden among them? Their failure to reveal themselves just now may only mean their plot runs deeper. Until they have been properly identified, they should not be allowed to remain in the temple for long."

"This would chill the hearts of the righteous heroes who came to aid us," a middle-aged monk said hesitantly.

The white-browed Old Monk said firmly, "The Abbot was ambushed and wounded. We cannot take further risks. Besides, with so many people, there are likely quite a few Barbarian spies mixed among those righteous heroes. It would be better to let them each return home."

Master Xinji sighed and said to Zhang Yuanshan, "There are certain disputes and discussions within the temple that are not convenient for several benefactors to hear. I ask that you first descend the mountain. Once we have reached a decision, we will notify you."

Though they felt wronged and stifled, Zhang Yuanshan, Jiang Zhiwei, and the others all came from major sects and were young; they could not bring themselves to turn hostile over this. Thus, they carried Ke Biqun's corpse on their backs, bade farewell, and left the temple, returning to the foot of the mountain.

"If we cannot enter the temple, how are we supposed to hold out until the final moment?" While walking down the mountain path, Wang Jin, who had hardly spoken with Meng Qi and the others, suddenly said.

Zhang Yuanshan pondered for a moment before saying, "I hope the discussion yields a good result. Holding our ground at the foot of the mountain is still holding our ground for Shaolin, but it is simply too dangerous. Hmm, Junior Brother Zhending, do you know of any secret passages into Shaolin?"

He did not want to be too bound by convention either. He wanted to infiltrate Shaolin through a secret passage, and since this place was exceptionally similar to Shaolin in the main world, it seemed right to ask Meng Qi.

"I have been in the temple for less than a year. How would I know such secrets?" Meng Qi answered helplessly.

Qi Zhengyan suddenly spoke in a muffled voice, "Then we can slip into Shaolin when the barbarian army breaks through the pass. Until then, we must be extremely careful."

Zhang Yuanshan sighed. "Master Xinji is seriously wounded. I doubt Shaolin's resolve to hold fast. Perhaps they will arrange for promising disciples to secretly leave with the manuals, sarira, and such. If that happens, whether we are spies or not will no longer matter. We will surely be let into the temple."

"I hope it is as Senior Brother Zhang says." Qi Zhengyan nodded.

Jiang Zhiwei, who had remained silent all along, suddenly said, "If we cannot enter the temple and complete the Main Quest, then we will do our best to kill Du'er Cha. That way, each of us will at least receive fifty Merit Points. Added to what we have accumulated before, it will be enough to cover the deduction."

This really was such a typical Jiang Zhiwei way of thinking... Meng Qi grumbled inwardly.

At this moment, Zhang Yuanshan said gravely, "Xiang Hui was replaced by Shapeshifting Scholar without our knowledge, and we discussed quite a few matters concerning the Reincarnation World in front of him. Why, then, have we not been erased?"

"Perhaps under such circumstances, the Lord of Six Paths Samsara alters Shapeshifting Scholar's hearing. After all, it cannot possibly warn us to beware of an 'inside traitor,' while we merely committed an unintentional mistake," Meng Qi guessed.

By now, Shapeshifting Scholar was dead, yet they had not been erased. This was the only explanation.

As they talked, the several of them returned to the inn, only to find it shrouded in gloom. Everyone was silent, fear faintly visible on their faces.

"Great Hero Wei, what happened?" Meng Qi called out to Wei Wuji not far away.

Wei Wuji quickly walked over. Looking at Zhang Yuanshan, he said in shock and fear, "Young Master Zhang, Young Sect Master Lin has been murdered!"

"What?" Even as steady as Zhang Yuanshan was, he could not help crying out in surprise. Lin Biexue, who had just been drinking tea and discussing wine with him, had been murdered already?

"Yes. Young Sect Master Lin's book boy saw that the time he usually spent meditating and regulating his breath had passed, so he went in to tidy up. But he found him lying on the bed, dead in a most strange manner." Wei Wuji spoke with lingering fear.

"Take us to have a look." Zhang Yuanshan ordered in a deep voice.

Meng Qi also found the matter exceedingly strange. He did not object, following them up to the second floor and into Lin Biexue's room.

Inside the room, Lin Biexue lay silently on the bed. A smile rested on his face, peaceful and tranquil, as though he had found release and gained new life, without the slightest pain. Yet the skin and muscles below his neck had yellowed and shriveled, as if he were a dried corpse of many years. The manner of his death was incredibly bizarre!

"This way of dying looks somewhat familiar, yet not quite the same..." Zhang Yuanshan looked at Jiang Zhiwei in puzzlement.

Jiang Zhiwei nodded, indicating that she felt much the same.

Bang! A sound came from the door.

Meng Qi and the others turned back, only to see Xiao Zi's face drained white as she staggered backward again and again. Even when she slammed into the opposite wall, she seemed to feel nothing.

"Xiao Sang... Xiao Sang came too..." She shook her head as if in a dream.