"Yulong, you're a genius."
"Yulong, the future of the Shangqing Sect rests entirely on you!"
"Yulong, you're saying you've mastered the Supreme Purity Empathy Scripture? Good heavens, you're the pride of Shangqing, the Mystic Maiden of the Shangqing Sect!"
The poison in her body was gradually being expelled.
Shangqing True Qi flowed through both her hands. Ming Yulong flicked, tapped, and knocked with effortless grace, fending off two Western Xia soldiers who had charged at her. Though her strength had yet to return, she had undoubtedly shown the renown she'd earned as the Shangqing Sect's prodigy.
And yet, faced with this sight—
The girl who had always loved to smile still wore a 'sweet, innocent' smile.
Only now, it was strangely twisted.
She might have seemed utterly adorable, but inside... she was a completely different person.
She had nearly died!!!
She had almost died just like that.
From the corner of her eye, she glanced at the little monk lying in a pool of blood after killing Li Hui. She had once taken a little interest in him because of his talent. Remembering the fallen man's fierce swordsmanship, she knew that at his full strength, he was nothing to worry about. But in her current state, a few strokes would be enough to kill her.
Ming Yulong lightly bit her lip. Blood trickled from it, but she didn't stop.
She'd been saved!
She'd realized she could actually be driven into such a desperate situation, left utterly hopeless—and rescued by someone even younger than her.
The Shangqing Sect's genius?
The Shangqing Sect's pride?
Like a clown making a fool of herself onstage, Ming Yulong wore a broad smile, but inside, she couldn't smile. Not at all.
When had she become a weakling who needed someone else to protect her just to survive?
Carelessness had landed her in this predicament.
Weakness had turned her into someone who needed saving.
Hadn't she had enough?
Wasn't this enough already?
Ming Yulong slowly raised her head. A terrible emotion surfaced in her wide eyes.
You ants—just how much longer are you going to make me lose my composure? How far will you push me before you're satisfied?!
Her delicate hands lightly caught the blades the two men had swung at her. Ming Yulong smiled softly and sweetly, her expression gentle beyond compare. In a voice only they could hear, she said, "I'm sure your insides will be a lovely color!"
She released the blades and brought both palms forward, gently and tenderly pressing them against the men's chests, as if caressing them.
The two Western Xia soldiers shuddered and stumbled back two steps. Then they bent forward, mouths agape, and began vomiting uncontrollably.
Bright-red blood, mixed with strange chunks of something, spilled across the ground. They kept retching until they collapsed face-first in the blood and breathed no more..
Ming Yulong studied the bloodied ground carefully, then even more carefully. A moment later, her face once again wore the same smile as before.
"Jiejie, I'm finally back on my feet. Master was right, after all. When traveling the martial world, carelessness is the greatest taboo."
She clapped her little hands and skipped over to Xuankong. Her small, jade-like hand gently rested on his pulse.
Before long, she let out a breath, her smile growing even sweeter.
Little monk, I'll remember you..
Then Ming Yulong got up and ran straight to Xu Jing. She placed a hand on her shoulder and began channeling her energy to drive the 'poison' from her body.
******
Damn it!
What should have been an easy victory had turned into this?
Li Hui was dead, and the other two had been dealt with. The fury in Tuoba Xiong's heart surged ever higher; he was about to go mad. Those men had been such useless fools that, if he hadn't been tied down by the monk in front of him, he would have loved to seize the subordinates he'd once thought halfway decent and kill them all over again.
The more murderous his rage became, the fiercer his Eagle Claw Technique grew. As his hands swept through the air, even the very air seemed to be struck, shrieking sharply.
Die! Die! Die!!
Raging with hatred, Tuoba Xiong attacked the monk Tianming in a frenzy.
Amitabha Buddha..
Facing Tuoba Xiong's fierce assault, the monk Tianming remained as steady as a mountain, not yielding so much as half a step as he exchanged blows.
His opponent seemed furious. Very angry. According to Buddhist teachings, perhaps he ought to say something to calm him down...
But clearly, the monk Tianming hadn't given that a thought. There was only one question in his mind, one he kept asking himself.
What in the world was I doing???
As a first-rate master, as an elder to the young disciples gathered here, as the master of Xuankong and the others...
He should have guided them, letting them experience a little 'difficulty' while keeping them safe enough to gain valuable experience.
He remembered what he had said before they set out, the promise he had made to his senior brother abbot—and to himself.
"Rest assured, senior brother. I will bring them all back safely."
At the thought, the monk Tianming felt his heart nearly split apart.
If Xuankong hadn't noticed the danger, if Xuankong hadn't acted decisively, if Xuankong hadn't stepped in with such force, if that young girl from the Shangqing Sect hadn't dispelled the poison in her body...
What kind of situation would they be in now? What would the outcome have been?
Would they have died in helpless despair???
Despair, pain, regret.
Tathagata Buddha, all of these were things he, as their master, should have handled. Instead, his disciples and juniors had done it all. Worse still, when Xuankong stood up again and put himself between everyone and the First Rank Hall's expert, when Ming Yulong killed the last threat, the monk Tianming had felt joy rise in his heart—not once, but twice. He had felt relieved.
Good heavens.
Was that how a master was supposed to act?
Was that the mindset an elder ought to have?
The monk Tianming might have been a monk, but he was still a man. Besides, even a Buddha could get angry.
But a Buddha's anger was different from an ordinary person's.
The angrier he became, the calmer his heart grew.
'Holding the Great Brightness aloft to illuminate all living beings—this is the Immovable Wisdom King!'
The anger buried deep in his heart erupted like a volcano.
For the first time, the monk Tianming's expression changed dramatically, revealing a fury he had never shown before.
Wrathful Aspect!
He raised his left hand and pressed his thumb against the first joint of his index finger.
His right hand came down, its thumb likewise pressing against the first joint of his index finger.
In the space between their exchanges, where sparks flew, everything suddenly slowed. Only the monk Tianming's movement seemed to unfold.
Great Brightness Sutra, Womb Realm Threefold Wrath.
First Form: Immovable Venerable!
One hand came down!
The world fell silent.
Tuoba Xiong, raging with fury, abruptly changed color. Both hands shot out, and his scorching true energy burst forth in a wave of searing heat.
Nine-Turn Eagle Strike!
His body spun through the air, claw marks filling the sky. Nine claws formed a spiral; nine spirals turned as one.
A single strike unleashed eighty-one claw attacks.
Bang!
They collided with a thunderous crash. The space between them, three zhang across, seemed to become another world. Terrifying waves of force swirled and shredded everything in their path, sending sand and dust billowing into the air.
"Ah!! Damn it, damn it! You bald donkeys of Shaolin Temple, I, Tuoba Xiong, will remember you!!!"
Tuoba Xiong let out a piercing howl. The next moment, he leaped into the air and sped north. Before long, he had vanished.
Along the path he'd taken, bright-red droplets could be seen scattering one after another.
Phew!
The monk Tianming let out a long breath and silently regulated his true energy, quickly calming himself down.
He hadn't expected that his extreme fury would not only break through his cultivation, but also shatter the final barrier holding back his Great Brightness Sutra. He had actually performed the Immovable Venerable technique—a move he had never been able to use back at Shaolin Temple.
He could think about that later. His face showed not the slightest trace of joy. He immediately turned and rushed toward the others, Xuankong first of all.