A Flash of Red Maple

The Arhat Hall is a place where a group of senior monks practice their martial arts.

The ground of the training ground was hardened by countless footsteps, so naturally no grass grew there. The rooftops of the surrounding houses were also swept very clean, without any fallen leaves or petals.

The young man in black stood on the wall, his eyes sweeping across the scene. Unwilling to see the bald heads everywhere, he turned his gaze into the distance, his eyes reflecting the green trees and birds in the distance, his voice low and hoarse.

"People who don't care about your affairs; people who were unintentionally dragged into this; people who are even more reckless than monks..."

Chan Master Miaokong said in a deep voice, "You have infiltrated the vicinity of my Arhat Hall, a strategic location. Are you going to claim that you were unintentionally drawn into this?"

The Arhat Hall is a place where monks refine their martial arts skills. To prevent outsiders from stealing their secret techniques, it would naturally not be located on the outskirts of the Southern Shaolin Temple complex.

If this person accidentally wandered around to the back mountain, it's impossible for him to have ended up at the Arhat Hall. He must have deliberately avoided the monks guarding the area and sneaked in.

"I don't care what the Southern Shaolin is up to; we're just here to find someone. Monk, you don't need to be so wary."

The young man in black seemed to be backing down, but his next sentence caused a large group of monks to turn angry.

"Besides, the Southern Shaolin Temple has decent financial resources, but its martial arts skills are average, and there's nothing about it that I would covet."

Chan Master Miaokong had good composure; he calmed himself down and carefully examined his opponent, discovering a thumb-sized maple leaf-shaped mark on the opponent's sword sheath.

"Could you perhaps be a distinguished disciple of the Xiahou Mountain Manor in Red Cloud Valley?"

Chan Master Miaokong smiled, "Xiahou Mountain Manor is known for its strict family management and upright family traditions, enjoying Taihang. In particular, the head of the Xiahou Manor has a close relationship with my abbot."

He was lavish in his praise of the vast collection of books at my Southern Shaolin Temple. When his eldest son got married last time, my Southern Shaolin even presented him with a red coral tree as a congratulatory gift, showing that our friendship has not been broken.

"Judging from your extraordinary martial arts skills, may I ask if you are the eldest son Xiahou Chongshan, or the second son Xiahou Feishan?"

The old monk's words were veiled in barbs, bringing up the historical connections between the two factions and linking the most prestigious Xiahou lord of Red Cloud Valley, Xiahou Zhuang, with the Miao generation monks of Southern Shaolin.

Any disciple of the Xiahou Mountain Manor would inevitably appear less imposing when facing monks of the Miao generation.

The young man in black's expression changed several times after hearing these words.

That old bastard is a master of hypocrisy!

He suddenly became angry, his cheeks flushing slightly. "So you know, it was the old man himself who commented on me and my elder brother after returning from the Southern Shaolin."

"The monks of Southern Shaolin are diligent and hardworking, but unfortunately, their martial arts traditions are mostly mediocre. Even if they train for several generations, they will never produce a top-tier master!"

Chan Master Miaokong's face darkened.

Chu Tianshu's lips curled up slightly, a look that seemed both tense and firm.

Judging from his words, this person is most likely the second young master of the Xiahou Family.

This kid is a real pain. All the hard work his father put into building relationships in the underworld has been ruined by this one sentence.

"So it's the second young master of the Xiahou Family, known in the martial arts world as the Flaming Divine Eagle."

Chan Master Miaokong clasped his hands together and said in a muffled voice, "I heard that in your very first battle, you killed the infamous flower thief, the Smelling Fragrance from a Thousand Li Away White Butterfly."

"In the years that followed, you apprehended criminals and thieves around the Mount Taihang, earning widespread praise among the people. Your reputation even reached the emperor, who considered recruiting you into the Six Gates (a government agency), but was dissuaded three times by court officials before giving up the idea."

"Who knew that meeting him was not as good as hearing about him? The second young master turned out to be a person who barged into the temple and spoke without restraint."

Xiahou Feishan said frankly, "Yes, it's the father's fault if the son is not taught properly. It's all the Xiahou Family's fault for not disciplining their children properly, producing a disgrace like me. You should severely punish that old man."

He turned his gaze to Chu Tianshu, "And you, if you're not planning to kill me, I'm leaving."

Chu Tianshu chuckled lightly, "Why would I kill you?"

"You didn't want anyone to know that the Southern Shaolin was hiding such a great master, but I just happened to stumble upon this and overheard a few words."

Xiahou Feishan said calmly, "Those who achieve great things and wield power in the martial world are always ruthless. At your age, you can control the Southern Shaolin, which shows how deep your cunning is. If you want to silence me for this, it's not surprising."

Chu Tianshu said casually, "But I'm too soft-hearted to be ruthless. Besides, you were arrogant just now, but now you seem to lack confidence in yourself, thinking we can definitely kill you?"

Xiahou Feishan was very honest. "You pose a significant threat, and with their assistance, I'm not very confident I can escape."

"How about this then?"

Chu Tianshu stood up. "The monks aren't making a move; it's just me alone."

"If I can win you over, you'll have to answer three questions for me and work for me."

Xiahou Feishan, "Work?"

"You started out killing bandits, so joining us to kill Japanese pirates would be a good fit, wouldn't it?"

Chu Tianshu pondered for a moment, then added, "You don't need to work all the time. If you can kill three masters like Miaokong among the Japanese pirates, or kill a thousand real Japanese pirates, then our agreement will be considered valid."

Xiahou Feishan roughly understood what he meant, and he could also sense the certainty of victory in his tone.

"You're the truly arrogant one."

The anger on Xiahou Feishan's face faded, returning to its original pale and calm state.

"Okay, I agree."

Before he could finish speaking, his figure suddenly retreated and floated into the air.

That posture was like a leaf suddenly blown up by the winds of the sea and sky.

Chan Master Miaokong's lightness skill had been honed to the point that when he walked on water, only ripples appeared, and when he walked on snow, he could cover thirty or forty zhang without leaving a footprint.

But beyond thirty or forty zhang (approximately 13-23 meters), the monk would inevitably need to catch his breath or step on heavy ground.

Xiahou Feishan's lightness skill had probably reached the level of "walking on snow without leaving a trace," meaning he could walk for several miles without leaving any footprints.

No wonder Chan Master Miaokong hadn't noticed anything amiss when he sneaked into the vicinity of the Arhat Hall.

Call!!

As soon as Chan Master Miaokong looked up and saw this scene, he felt a movement of air around him and straightened his sleeves.

Chu Tianshu's figure had already disappeared from his side, and he stomped his foot on the wall.

That long wall, with a section about the width of a door in the middle, suddenly collapsed.

The blue bricks that made up this section of the wall were all broken into pieces the size of broad beans after Chu Tianshu stepped on them, and they spilled out in heaps.

Chu Tianshu had already soared into the sky, not only faster than Xiahou Feishan Xiahou Feishan, but even higher.

The way he stomped down was practically like stepping on Xiahou Feishan's head.

Xiahou Feishan, known as the Divine Eagle, was originally famous for his lightness skills and was also adept at fighting in the air.

Xiahou had never seen Chu Tianshu's style of "lightness skill" before.

One stomp shatters the wall, one step pierces the air and descends.

Xiahou Feishan, who should have drawn his longsword forward, was unable to fully unsheathe it in time, and his left hand, which was holding the scabbard, also rose up.

He held his sword horizontally with both hands to block the step.

BOOM!!!

The two figures separated as soon as they touched.

Xiahou plummeted to the ground, while Chu Tianshu leaped forward and landed on the rooftop.

Beyond this high wall of the martial arts training ground lies the large courtyard where the monks usually live.

The courtyard is paved with bluestone slabs, and three sides are surrounded by tall, ridged houses.

Chu Tianshu flew across the entire courtyard and landed on the roof of the opposite house.

Xiahou Feishan fell onto the bluestone slab, his back bent, his feet sinking into the stone, leaving several cracks in the slab.

The monks in the training ground all held their breath, watching the battle through the gaps in the wall.

Xiahou Feishan didn't straighten up; he simply adjusted his position quickly, tilted his head back, and stared at Chu Tianshu.

His sword was already halfway out of its sheath, but then it suddenly went completely back into its sheath, and he pulled it out again.

bass--

With each thrust and pull, it seemed as if a surge of heat was accumulating on the sword.

When the longsword was drawn, it emitted a bright, vivid red color.

In Red Cloud Valley, Xiahou Mountain Manor is known as one of the Four Great Aristocratic Clans, famous for its swordsmanship, with many different styles of swordsmanship passed down through generations.

In the last century, the most famous item in their Lineage was the "Severed Lotus Root, Connected Fibers Thousand Snake Sword".

This sword is an unusual weapon, its blade made up of hundreds of pieces joined together.

It uses only a single silver thread, winding and connecting from beginning to end.

When the sword is drawn, as soon as the silver thread loosens, hundreds of fragments burst forth simultaneously, injuring the opponent, like a long snake sweeping its tail, slashing through the air.

Combined with the Xiahou Family's unique swordsmanship, it was like a thousand snakes flashing wildly, fierce and unparalleled. The gathering, scattering, twisting and straightening of the sword moves were all perfectly controlled.

When Xiahou Feishan first debuted, he was carrying this sword.

But what he used today wasn't some strange weapon; it was just a very ordinary three-foot iron sword.

All that could be heard was the short, sharp, and incredibly fluent hum of the longsword being drawn from its sheath.

I knew this sword must not have any cracks or mechanisms inside.

However, the strange scene that unfolded when Xiahou Feishan drew this sword was far more astonishing than that of the mechanical snake sword.

His sword sheath seemed to contain hundreds or even thousands of fiery red maple leaves.

The instant he drew his sword, all the maple leaves sprayed into the sky and earth.

Red maple leaves danced wildly throughout the courtyard.

A gentle breeze suddenly brought a touch of heat.

Such a beautiful scene, like a dream, prompted many monks to pinch their own cheeks.

They couldn't understand where these maple leaves came from.

A small bell hangs from the front of each of the three eaves of the large house.

Every morning, the senior monk would ring this small bell to wake the novices.

As the maple leaves fluttered down, a few touched the iron chain, which was then easily severed as if it were nothing.

The bell fell to the ground with a loud clang.

Miaokong was startled, and suddenly realized that this was the true essence of the Red Cloud Valley Sword Technique.

Throughout the Xiahou Family's history, few have been able to master swordsmanship to this level, which is why they have had to rely on unusual weapons.

The Thousand Snake Sword is a physical object with a silver thread running through its center. Even if hundreds of fragments are released simultaneously, if a few are hit, the entire sword will still be affected.

If one could transform Sword Qi into maple leaves, they could float in the air and gather and disperse on their own.

This sword technique is far more difficult to defend against than the Thousand Snake Sword.

Xiahou Feishan is not composed enough, but his swordsmanship skills have probably surpassed his father's, and he has just entered the threshold of becoming a top master.

The fiery red leaves, like real tree leaves, flew towards the roof.

The trajectory of each leaf is different, seemingly left to nature, yet unpredictable.

Chu Tianshu clearly saw that some leaves suddenly overlapped and merged into one as they flew by, while others suddenly split apart as they flew by.

Xiahou Feishan couldn't possibly have dispersed his Sword Qi into so many streams; such Sword Qi would be too weak.

Even with Chu Tianshu's keen insight, he couldn't immediately distinguish which direction of the leaves was real and which was fake from among the ever-changing patterns.

Because Sword Qi itself has no physical form, this is much more difficult than distinguishing between a physical entity and an illusion.

"Good!"

Chu Tianshu's body suddenly plummeted downwards.

His internal energy sank down, pressing a hole in the roof before he plummeted to the ground.

While he was still in mid-air, he clapped three times at the gate.

The monks' sleeping quarters were very simply furnished, consisting of a large communal bed with pillows and blankets.

The doors and windows were also simple, with natural-colored wooden doors and a grid-shaped window frame on the upper part of the main door, covered with a layer of yellowish gauze.

Three cyan palm prints pierced through the air, their pure internal energy dissolving into the door like clouds.

Only Chu Tianshu, with his pure internal energy, could transform his palm print into a blessing and infuse it into a physical object after it was released from a distance.

Just then, a long sword pierced through the door and burst in.

Although Xiahou Feishan saw Chu Tianshu fall into the house, he could sense that Chu Tianshu was still locked on to him. If he tried to escape from elsewhere, he would be intercepted.

Only by seizing this moment, breaking Chu Tianshu's composed demeanor, and forcing him into a corner, can I escape.

The man wielding the sword, at the moment he smashed through the door, had sharp eyebrows and eyes as black as lacquer.

Those unstable emotions and youthful naiveté were transformed into a Sword Dao Divine Intent, burning and sharp.

However, when the monk's cell door was shattered into pieces, his steps faltered for a moment.

The feeling just now wasn't like a sword pointing straight at a wooden door and smashing it down; it was more like smashing through a thick steel plate.

Chu Tianshu's figure touched the ground at that moment, and he immediately approached, his palms crossed.

The longsword snapped instantly!

Xiahou Feishan hurriedly changed his move, but his wrist was struck again from below, causing the broken sword to slip from his hand, pierce through the roof, and disappear without a trace.

Two figures burst out of the room, crossed the entire courtyard, and rushed to the training ground.

The monks quickly dodged.

Red maple leaves fluttered in the air, following the two figures as they charged into the training ground, only to gradually become transparent and disappear in mid-air.

BOOM!!

Chu Tianshu suddenly flashed his right palm and pressed it on Xiahou's shoulder, causing him to sit down hard on the stone bench.

Xiahou Feishan swayed, his arms hanging limply, trembling uncontrollably, his face flushed with an unnatural redness from churning blood.

He looked up at Chu Tianshu, tried to hold back, but couldn't, and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

"You haven't even grasped the Divine Intent, yet you're... this strong!"

Xiahou Feishan coughed and said hoarsely, "You won."

"Just admit it."

Chu Tianshu smiled, grabbed his right hand, and wiped away the blood. "Perfect, let's sign this."

There were many papers on the stone table next to them.

Chu Tianshu pressed Xiahou Feishan's right hand upwards, leaving a handprint.

Xiahou Feishan's lips twitched slightly, and his back gradually hunched over, adopting a casual posture.

Chu Tianshu released his hand, picked up the paper, flicked the corner with his finger, and felt pleased.

These are migrant workers who have come to our doorstep.

Upon seeing this, Xiahou Feishan's gaze became even more unfocused, and he turned his head to face the distant mountains and forests.

"You're not seriously injured, why are you making that face?"

Chu Tianshu said, "Now answer my question."

(End of this chapter)