Night Reconnaissance of the Jade Buddha

Night fell, and the cold moonlight filtered through the mountain foliage, casting eerie, flickering shadows upon the ground. The gloomy, terrifying atmosphere truly lived up to the name of Ghost Shadow.

Gao Xu and Lin Yueru walked one after the other in silence, though their faces betrayed different expressions.

One could judge the outcome of their second clash just by looking at their countenances.

When they first met, Lin Yueru had looked about with the pride of a peacock; after her defeat at the hands of Gao Xu in the Hidden Dragon Cave, her eyes had occasionally flashed with stubborn, unconvinced competitiveness. Now, however, she was pouting so hard one could hang an oil bottle from her lip, looking nothing but adorable.

In truth, although Tai Zhuonan ultimately died by Gao Xu's blade, Lin Yueru had broken Tai Zhuonan's blade technique a step earlier. If the victory were judged solely by their long-range exchange, Gao Xu had lost.

Of course, that was also because Tai Zhuonan's cowardly nature had taken over at the end. Instead of following Gao Xu's guidance, he had fled in a blind panic, only to collide with the sharp edge of the Flying Rainbow Sword, after which Gao Xu had finished him off with a Swift Decisive Strike.

Just like that, Lin Yueru's One Yang Finger had pierced through the chest only the moment Tai Zhuonan's life force vanished. Though the interval was less than a breath, it was fated that Gao Xu was the victor.

Logically speaking, Gao Xu had relied on immense luck to win this bout, yet Lin Yueru was convinced of her defeat.

Lin Tiannan had taught her that luck was also a part of one's strength. If one spent their days using others' good fortune as an excuse to justify their own failures, they would never achieve success.

Moreover, Gao Xu's ability to predict her attacks through Tai Zhuonan was far more sophisticated than his performance in the Hidden Dragon Cave. This level of insight was something Lin Yueru could never match, and it truly left a mark of Gao Xu in her heart.

In the original plot, had Li Xiaoyao not defeated Lin Yueru twice, this young miss would never have become so deeply attached to him. In stark contrast, Liu Jinyuan, who valued literature over martial arts, had fawned over her in every way, yet in Lin Yueru's heart, he remained a coward. It was clear that this was the nature of the young miss: one had to crush her spirit to achieve any effect; otherwise, no matter how beautiful or romantic the setting, it was all for naught.

Lin Yueru's favorability rising to 75 points was certainly a joyous occasion, but what surprised Gao Xu even more was that he had comprehended a new passive skill during the battle—Guidance.

Guidance: C-rank passive skill, low-tier. Allows the user to perceive the weaknesses of enemies and provide guidance to friendly units, enabling them to partially evade skill damage and preventing backlash effects. This skill requires an active Insight skill of the same or higher tier to function; otherwise, it will not take effect. The success rate is also dependent on the tier of the Insight skill. This skill can be upgraded. Status: Activated.

With this double blessing, Gao Xu swiftly dealt with the mountain bandits. After obtaining the Ghost Shadow Flower, he decided to strike while the iron was hot, taking the spirited Lin Yueru toward the Jade Buddha Temple.

Before long, the temple came into view in the distance, its dense rows of halls faintly visible in the darkness.

Lin Yueru leaned closer to Gao Xu and whispered, "Such a solemn and majestic temple—why do you say there are demons here?"

"When an obsession runs deep, one enters the demonic path..." Gao Xu sighed. If he had a choice, he would rather not face the existence within the Jade Buddha Temple.

The abbot of the Jade Buddha Temple, Master Zhixiu, was actually a small stone transformed from the Jade Buddha Beads held by the Buddha. Because of a misunderstanding of the Buddha Dharma, he stubbornly believed that forcing people to become monks was a way to save all living beings and accumulate infinite merit, leading him down a misguided path until Zhao Ling'er eventually enlightened him.

Master Zhixiu was one of the popular bosses from his previous life. Countless reincarnators had come to the Chinese Paladin world one after another, all to defeat him and obtain that accessory—the Jade Buddha Beads—which was at least of Dark Gold quality.

But while the wish was beautiful, reality was cruel. Aside from his signature skill, Boundless Buddha Dharma, his most powerful and shameless ability was summoning warrior monks.

The entire Jade Buddha Temple was filled with brainwashed monks, each possessing extraordinary strength and no fear of death. Once summoned, they would rush out in a swarm, much like the Scarlet Monastery in World of Warcraft. If one didn't clear the minions before engaging the boss, even the sturdiest tank would be drowned in a sea of people in an instant.

Although Gao Xu knew the method to break this move, it required a special item from another world. Without it, he was a clever housewife unable to cook without rice, and there was simply no possibility of success.

He briefly described the situation in the temple to Lin Yueru. While she was greatly intrigued, she also found it quite thorny. Human-wave tactics were sometimes the simplest yet hardest to resolve; unless one possessed overwhelming strength, one would truly be at a loss.

Gao Xu had considered that they could only win by wit, not force, which was why he chose to arrive at night. After all, aside from Abbot Zhixiu, the other monks were ordinary people who maintained a normal sleep schedule.

As they slowly approached the mountain gate, Gao Xu noticed several monks patrolling. A sudden idea struck him, and he turned his head to whisper to Lin Yueru.

Lin Yueru felt the heat of Gao Xu's breath against her earlobe, causing her to shrink her neck and blush. Her favorability toward Gao Xu had not yet reached the level of true affection, but she did not reject such slightly intimate behavior. In fact, this was already a very "dangerous" omen.

"Don't worry, leave it to me!" After hearing Gao Xu's plan, a look of eager anticipation flashed in Lin Yueru's eyes as she patted her chest to assure him.

Gao Xu watched her graceful back disappear into the darkness and let out a breath. Since her favorability had increased, Lin Yueru's attitude had changed significantly. Seemingly willful and arrogant, she was actually kind-hearted, both firm and gentle, and her clever, witty personality was truly endearing.

Soon, Lin Yueru returned, dragging an unconscious, fat monk. She dropped him in front of Gao Xu and laughed, "Mission accomplished!"

Seeing her panting, Gao Xu asked with concern, "Are you alright? Did you alert any other monks?"

Seeing that he was worried about her before asking about the mission, Lin Yueru felt a sweetness in her heart. She habitually lifted her chin, only to lower her head slightly and reply, "No problem, it's just that this monk was too heavy, it took a lot of effort."

In reality, Lin Yueru's internal energy was profound; carrying a few hundred pounds was no issue for her. It was mainly because this was her first time experiencing such an exciting event, and the mix of excitement and nervousness had caused her to lose her composure.

Gao Xu waited patiently for a moment. Seeing no major commotion in the temple, he picked up the fat monk and headed in the opposite direction.

Choosing a large tree, Gao Xu tore off a strip of cloth to gag the monk before pressing his philtrum to wake him.

Lin Yueru hadn't held back, and it took a long time for the fat monk to slowly wake up. Seeing two figures before him, he began to flail his arms in terror, moaning loudly.

Gao Xu held him down with one hand. He realized that despite the man's layers of fat, his strength was minimal; a mere six points of strength were enough to pin him down completely, and Gao Xu began to formulate a plan.

After struggling for a while, the fat monk seemed to realize that Gao Xu and Lin Yueru were not demons, and he finally stopped. Gao Xu smiled and performed a Buddhist salute. "Forgive my rudeness, Master, but once I say what I have to say, I fear you will no longer blame me!"

The fat monk blinked in confusion, unsure of what Gao Xu was up to. But before long, his expression froze, and he began to nod frantically.

Gao Xu asked only two questions: "Master, do you not wish to be a monk, yet find yourself unable to remember your past? Do you wish to leave the Jade Buddha Temple and return to a life of comfort and joy?"

The inability to remember the past was naturally the work of Abbot Zhixiu. In the original plot, there was a monk in the Jade Buddha Temple named Zhizhang, who had originally been a butcher who loved meat. After becoming a monk, he was driven mad by the diet of vegetables and would hack at anyone he saw.

This fat monk had fair skin and delicate hands, clearly the type who had lived a pampered life. His situation was likely similar to Zhizhang's, and Gao Xu's words had struck his core—no wonder he was so agitated.