Wuxia 15

Zhang Wuji entered Shaolin Temple with the disguised Zhao Min. Yang Xiao, Fan Yao, and the others followed behind him.

After parting ways with Liu Zhong and the others outside Dadu that night, Zhang Wuji sneaked back into the city. He first fought Fan Yao, who had come looking for him, and then revealed his identity to him.

Afterward, Zhang Wuji met Zhao Min in a small tavern, where the two discovered traces of Golden Flower Granny and Spider.

Worried about Spider, Zhang Wuji chased after her.

Abbess Miejue was still alive, so Golden Flower Granny naturally wouldn't bully someone younger than herself by kidnapping Zhou Zhiruo.

But Spider was with her. For Spider's sake, Zhang Wuji set out to sea with Zhao Min and Xiao Zhao, following Golden Flower Granny to Spirit Snake Island.

After that, the story unfolded much as it had in the original. Xiao Zhao became the Persian Ming Cult's Holy Maiden and returned to Persia with Dai Qisi.

Zhang Wuji, Zhao Min, Xie Xun, and Spider were stranded on a deserted island.

This time, with Zhou Zhiruo absent, Zhao Min's subordinates brought them back to the mainland without incident.

But after they landed, Spider parted ways with them.

The person Spider loved was the Zhang Wuji in her heart, not Brother A-Niu.

Spider left on her own, leaving Zhang Wuji feeling dejected and Zhao Min delighted.

Both of her rivals had left of their own accord. Now Zhang Wuji had only her by his side.

Zhang Wuji had originally planned to take Xie Xun back to Bright Peak, but Chen Youliang ambushed them along the way. He captured Xie Xun and delivered him to Cheng Kun.

Using Xie Xun's name, Cheng Kun convened the Lion-Slaying Conference, gathering the heroes of the martial world at Mount Shaoshi so he could wipe them all out with the Yuan troops.

Zhao Min got news of Xie Xun first. She found Zhang Wuji and came with him to Shaolin Temple to rescue Xie Xun.

Zhang Wuji was grateful to Zhao Min, and he had always liked her. The two were very close as they walked together.

They didn't notice the look in Yang Xiao's eyes behind them.

Fan Yao was very much in favor of Zhang Wuji and Zhao Min being together, but Yang Xiao opposed the match.

The Ming Cult was the main force resisting the Yuan. How could Zhang Wuji, its leader, be involved with a Yuan princess? What would the brothers below him think?

No wonder even Zhang Wuji's elders didn't trust him and had told Yang Xiao to keep the Ming Cult's plans for the operation at Shaolin Temple hidden from him.

Sigh. Did that mean he was sidelining the cult leader?

But if the cult leader didn't break things off with the Yuan princess, he wouldn't remain in that position for long.

Liu Zhong and Song Qinghua searched the grounds of Shaolin Temple and its surroundings for anything suspicious.

Both were highly skilled in lightness kung fu, and the Shaolin monks wouldn't discover them.

At last, they found where the explosives had been buried.

Cheng Kun had been ruthless. He'd hollowed out the ground beneath Shaolin Temple and planted over a thousand pounds of explosives—enough to blow the entire temple sky-high.

The people inside wouldn't stand a chance.

The best way to render the explosives useless was to soak them with water.

Liu Zhong also found Zhang Songxi and Yu Daiyan, who had just arrived at Shaolin Temple after hearing the news. The four of them spent two nights hauling water and pouring it over the explosives, finally dealing with all the black powder beneath the ground.

The Lion-Slaying Conference officially began.

Shaolin Temple was already packed to the brim.

Some people had come for the Dragon-Slaying Saber, which could command the martial world; others had come to settle a blood feud with Xie Xun.

Master Kongzhi represented the Shaolin monks and presided over the Lion-Slaying Conference.

Many people wondered why the abbot, Master Kongwen, wasn't presiding. Only those who knew the truth understood what had happened.

Kongwen had been ambushed by Yuanzhen and taken captive.

Yuanzhen's attention was now entirely focused on the conference, so Zhang Songxi and Liu Zhong seized the chance to rescue Kongwen.

The two monks guarding Kongwen were highly skilled. They would have been top-tier fighters in the martial world, but they were no match for Zhang Songxi, let alone Liu Zhong.

The two easily took down the guards and made contact with Kongwen.

Kongwen had been drugged with Ten Fragrance Soft Tendon Powder and couldn't use any of his martial arts.

Fortunately, Zhang Songxi and Liu Zhong had expected this might happen.

After escaping Dadu, Liu Zhong had given Zhang Songxi the antidote to Ten Fragrance Soft Tendon Powder.

This time, Zhang Songxi had brought it with him.

Kongwen took the antidote.

Having done this once before, he quickly purged the poison from his body and regained his strength.

But Kongwen didn't act rashly. After discussing a plan against Cheng Kun with Zhang Songxi and Liu Zhong, he pretended he was still under Cheng Kun's control.

Zhang Songxi and Liu Zhong returned to the square. The bouts were already more than halfway over.

At last, Zhang Wuji stepped forward.

After that, no one who entered the ring could match him.

Song Qinghua couldn't hold back any longer.

He leapt out and stood across from Zhang Wuji.

"Senior Brother Qinghua." Zhang Wuji was startled. He couldn't understand why Song Qinghua had entered the ring.

Song Qinghua said coolly, "Zhang Wuji, do you know how many people Xie Xun has killed? How many families he's torn apart? How many people he's left living in hatred?"

"This..." Zhang Wuji had no answer.

He murmured, "But my godfather knows he was wrong. He won't kill anyone again."

Song Qinghua chuckled. "If a single apology could erase all your past wrongs, then I could kill you, say I was sorry, and promise never to kill again. How would that be?"

It wouldn't be all right!

When the Ming Cult members heard Song Qinghua's words, they all glared at him, eager to step forward and deal with him.

Song Qinghua said, "Look at your Ming Cult followers. Then look at the victims whose lives Xie Xun ruined. Do you really think it's all in the past just because he won't kill anymore?"

"But—but even Buddha said, 'Lay down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot.' If we keep seeking revenge, when will it end?"

Song Qinghua sneered. "What a fine thing to say, that revenge will never end. Zhang Wuji, if I kill your sweetheart right now, and kill your Ming Cult brothers, could you still smile and let bygones be bygones?"

"I, I..." Zhang Wuji couldn't bring himself to say he would forgive him.

If he said he didn't mind, Yang Xiao, Fan Yao, Zhou Dian, and the others would be disappointed in him as their leader.

"Ha." Song Qinghua laughed scornfully. "Don't urge others to be kind when you've never suffered what they have."

The martial artists whose friends and family had been killed by Xie Xun cried out in support of Song Qinghua.

Their shouts shook Zhang Wuji, leaving him unsettled. He understood that Xie Xun had done wrong, but—but how could he watch his godfather die?

Seeing Zhang Wuji in this state, Song Qinghua no longer felt like fighting him.

Zhang Wuji's mind was in turmoil. Even if Song Qinghua won, it wouldn't be an honorable victory.

So Song Qinghua stepped back.

Yu Lianzhou, Yu Daiyan, and Mo Shenggu each patted Song Qinghua on the shoulder.

All three agreed with him.

Although Xie Xun was Zhang Cuishan's sworn brother, they had no sympathy for his indiscriminate killing.

A person had to take responsibility for the wrongs he'd committed.

They understood how Zhang Wuji felt, too.

That was why they hadn't joined the bouts.

Xie Xun's fate would be left to Zhang Wuji and the assembled heroes of the martial world.

Song Qinghua didn't want to take advantage of someone when they were down, but some people would!

Abbess Miejue stepped into the ring.