Acting Their Hearts Out

"Benefactor Ning, what a clever scheme!"

As if sharing a single mind, the three men dropped the heavy iron chains in their hands the moment Ben Chen finished speaking, then each unleashed a different technique: Eagle Claw, Prajna Zen Palm, and Patra Leaf Finger.

Ning Qingyu, who had been at his ease just moments ago, immediately felt the pressure. Deep down, he was already cursing. Those three old monks were incredibly strong, yet they still played it so safe.

The three monks had always relied on the Vajra Subjugation Array to face their enemies, leading the outside world to overlook their own strength.

According to the intelligence gathered by the Mount Hua Sect, the three had broken through to the ordinary peak level by relying on rare treasures of heaven and earth. Their combat prowess ranked at the bottom among those of the same realm. Their advanced age and frail bodies weakened them further.

He had thought that as long as he denied them the chance to use the Vajra Subjugation Array, dealing with the three old men would not be much trouble. He had never expected things to turn out like this.

Fortunately, the three were already old, and could only bring seventy or eighty percent of their martial arts to bear. Otherwise, Ning Qingyu would have already lost.

Even so, Ning Qingyu was struggling. He could easily beat any one of them alone, and had a good chance against two, but he was having trouble holding his own against all three old men.

The three worked together too well, and when Ning Qingyu counterattacked, they simply ignored it, fighting as if they were willing to trade their lives for his.

Against enemies like these, Ning Qingyu could only suffer in silence. If he didn't pull back to defend, he could indeed take one of them down with him, but he would either die or suffer grave injuries himself.

As their attacks grew ever more fierce—Prajna Zen Palms raining down from every direction, Eagle Claw strikes sharp and fearsome, and Patra Leaf Fingers appearing and vanishing without a trace—Ning Qingyu had no choice but to leap out of the fight.

"Stop!"

"Masters, according to our agreement, the Vajra Subjugation Array has been broken. There's no need to continue this match, is there?"

He had to call a halt. The fight had already left his blood and qi surging. If his Purple Mist Divine Skill hadn't reached such a profound level, he would have been injured by now.

Ben Chen smiled faintly. Paired with his kind, benevolent face, it was enough to make anyone feel well disposed toward him. But his next words made Ning Qingyu feel as if he stood on the edge of an abyss.

"Benefactor Ning must be joking. We were only testing each other just now. How could that count as breaking the array?

"As everyone knows, our Shaolin Temple's Vajra Subjugation Array can only be broken by force from within. No other means count."

Hearing this answer, Ning Qingyu, his face flushed with purple qi, showed no surprise. When it came to shamelessness and lying, there were few in the martial world who could match these monks.

"Since Master puts it that way, I have no choice but to risk my life and try. But if we all remain here on Funiu Mountain, it's hard to say what might happen at the foot of the mountain.

"Still, the Shaolin Temple is a vast establishment, so I imagine it'll be fine. I hear Abbot Yuancong is exceptionally gifted and has already mastered the Muscle Tendon Changing Classic. He shouldn't be in any danger.

"My Mount Hua Sect, on the other hand, is in a sorry state. Junior Brother Great Wind has always been a carefree wanderer. My other senior and junior brothers are of little use, and the disciples of the Bu generation haven't yet come into their own..."

With Ning Qingyu sighing and lamenting like that, anyone who didn't know better would have thought the sky was about to fall on the Mount Hua Sect.

As he spoke, the two accompanying elders, Yue and Feng, appeared behind Ning Qingyu. Even the long swords in their hands had been drawn at some point.

The three monks, who had held the overwhelming advantage, immediately darkened their expressions. This was exactly what they feared most: Ning Qingyu turning the table on them.

Even without the Vajra Subjugation Array, the three of them could defeat Ning Qingyu together without much difficulty. But to kill him, they would have to pay a terrible price.

If they also had to face two Mount Hua elders at the peak of the first-rate realm, the risks would grow even greater. They might truly end up taking each other down.

For the three monks in the twilight of their lives, death itself was not frightening. But they could not ignore the consequences it would bring.

Ning Qingyu looked ready to fight to the death, which clearly meant he had made preparations. If they all died here and another battle broke out at the foot of the mountain, the crisis facing the Mount Hua Sect might actually be resolved.

With the Shaolin Temple as an outside enemy, the Sword and Qi Factions would very likely set aside their grievances when faced with life and death. After a great battle, there would be fewer disciples, less pressure on finances and resources, and fewer conflicts.

What's more, if fighting broke out at the foot of the mountain, the Guanzhong Martial Arts Alliance would be tied to the Mount Hua Sect's war chariot. With both sides stained in blood, the Guanzhong Martial Arts Alliance would have no choice but to follow the Mount Hua Sect and fight Shaolin to the bitter end.

They might not be able to win their way out, but they would likely be able to shut themselves away and maintain the status quo.

That would leave the Shaolin Temple in greater trouble. The Mount Hua Sect had only the impoverished Guanzhong region, which few major powers cared about. The Shaolin Temple, however, had vast holdings.

Without the three old men there to keep things in check, and with a great battle at the foot of the mountain leaving them badly weakened, all sorts of demons and spirits would surely crawl out of the woodwork.

If things went as Ning Qingyu threatened and something happened to Yuancong as well, the consequences would be even worse.

The three exchanged glances. Ben Chen stepped forward and sneered. "It seems Sect Leader Ning has no intention of honoring your agreement. But a threat like that won't frighten my fellow disciples and me.

"Our Shaolin Temple has stood for over a thousand years. What great storms have we not weathered? This little trouble won't stump us.

"But Sect Leader Ning, you dared scheme against the Shaolin Temple. Is your Mount Hua Sect ready to bear the consequences?"

Seeing this, the three Mount Hua Sect members all breathed a sigh of relief.

It was good that the monks were angry; it meant they were wary too. The real disaster would have been if the monks had kept smiling as if nothing were wrong.

"Master, you give us too much credit. My Mount Hua Sect wouldn't dare provoke your temple. But others might. For example, the one in the imperial palace!"

When he mentioned "the imperial palace," Ning Qingyu made sure to put extra emphasis on the words.

He wasn't making the threat up out of thin air. There were many martial sects in the world, but only a handful were powerful enough to draw the court's wariness.

Unlike ordinary martial arts sects, Shaolin had Buddhism behind it. The court kept an eye on them not only because of their strength, but more importantly because they had concealed a vast amount of temple land and property.

In a feudal agrarian society, land was the most valuable form of wealth. When the court and the various martial arts sects made their agreement, the sects were strictly limited in the number of tax-exempt acres they could hold.

The rules were strictly enforced for only the first few years. As the court's power to intimidate waned, the limits were soon broken.

The Mount Hua Sect was no exception. It had concealed hundreds of thousands of acres of good farmland from taxation. That was still relatively little, since the land around Guanzhong yielded little, and the Mount Hua Sect had never put much effort into it.

Shaolin was different. Its own holdings, combined with the lands placed under its name by others, had made it the greatest landowner under heaven.

The exact figure could no longer be calculated. In any case, it grew every year. They were constantly undermining the court, so it was only natural that the court would keep an eye on them.

As if Ning Qingyu had struck a sore spot, Ben Chen snapped angrily, "Words are useless. Let's settle this with our hands!"