The Venture Not Yet Half Complete

You need to have presence.

However, the two senior monks were also reluctant to meet with the higher-ups of the Flowing Cloud Manor at this time.

As the ship gradually approached Kangshan Island, they calmly descended the mountain and left in a small boat.

Many people from the Southern Shaolin came and booked two inns.

They also took over the kitchen themselves, ensuring that all the dishes they made were vegetarian.

However, this kind of diet was not quite to the liking of the martial monks who practiced external martial arts, as there was not enough milk porridge available.

They followed the recipe left by Chu Tianshu, gathered some medicinal herbs, and used them to braise tofu.

The braised tofu, eaten along with the medicinal herbs, is said to be very good for invigorating the blood and energy.

To their surprise, after they had been there for two or three days, local residents came to inquire whether they sold this kind of dried tofu.

Although the soup contained medicinal herbs, one pot of broth could make a lot of tofu, so everyone divided it up, with the tofu containing the herbs being slightly more expensive.

Tofu without medicinal herbs tastes the same as the braising liquid, but it's sold cheaper.

The monks, with their heads wrapped in blue scarves, practiced their martial arts here, gathering information and, incidentally, doing business as well.

Miao Gao and Miao Ji were also happy with this.

When I returned today, I found several familiar-looking guests hurriedly leaving their inn, carrying dried tofu.

Seeing some gravy spilling from the oil paper package, Miaogao couldn't help but ask, "Gentlemen, why are you all in such a hurry?"

The man also noticed the braising liquid had been spilled, and regretfully wiped it away, saying, "Master, a few people came into your shop, and they don't look like nice guys."

"People are a bit hesitant to stay there, so please be careful too."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but glance into the inn, afraid of being overheard by those inside, before hurriedly leaving.

Miaogao frowned and walked towards the inn.

Sure enough, several elegantly dressed men and women stood in front of the counter, their postures upright, with swords at their waists.

The young monk behind the counter is explaining.

"Benefactor, you mentioned that your elderly mother is a Buddhist and vegetarian, and she wanted ten catties of dried tofu, without any meat. We have already packed it up."

"She also said she wanted to bring ten catties of meat and tofu for her father, without any vegetables."

"We definitely don't have that. Please try somewhere else."

The leader said in a deep voice, "We asked around as soon as we arrived, and your tofu is the best we've ever had."

"Why are you making such a fuss about making some meat tofu? Are you looking down on us?"

He chuckled and said, "Big shops bully their customers; it's been like this since ancient times. What's the point of keeping a shop like this around?"

If you won't sell anything, I'll smash up your lousy shop!

The group's deliberate provocation and taunts were obvious.

After the two senior monks entered, they glanced at them briefly and then shouted, "Come out, all of you."

Dozens of monks emerged from the backyard and guest rooms, each Shangdu an ironwood club.

Although the lobby was spacious, it wasn't enough for them to stand in, so some people stayed in the backyard while others stood outside the main gate.

All the monks were agile, and when they spread out in the hall, they did not touch the tables or chairs at all, and their footsteps landed silently.

The only sound in the hall was the rustling of clothes in the wind.

These were not people, but banners that floated down from the sky and took root on the ground.

The men and women carrying swords noticed the formidable formation and their expressions changed slightly.

The leader said, "Does the Southern Shaolin also want to gang up on the few? If you have the guts, fight us one-on-one."

"Benefactor, your words are quite unsophisticated."

Miaoji his hands together and chuckled, "Guanyin has three thousand incarnations, but her true nature is only one."

"As Buddhist disciples, as long as our hearts are united, no matter how many physical bodies we have, it's the same as fighting alone."

The leading man's face twitched; he had never expected this monk to be so shameless.

"Haha, Master, you've misunderstood."

The man chuckled dryly, "We were just joking with this young monk."

Miaoji nodded solemnly. "I see. Disciples, then let us see these benefactors out."

Under the watchful eyes of the monks, the group of people, filled with vigilance, slowly moved towards the door.

Miaogao, Miaoji, and Xiahou Yi all stepped back a few paces, letting them go out.

This isn't the first group of people to come looking for trouble.

These people all came from sects that wholeheartedly followed Flowing Cloud Manor. They heard that Chu Tianshu had not shown up when the Southern Shaolin arrived at Poyang Lake.

Furthermore, it is known that this Layman Tian rose to prominence too quickly, leaving few traces of his encounters with others in the martial arts world.

Only the monks of the Southern Shaolin who practiced external martial arts received much guidance from him.

Therefore, many people wanted to find fault with Chu Tianshu to test the style he had taught them and then report back.

They also wanted to see if Chu Tianshu's true form would appear.

Miaogao and Miaoji found the two of them quite difficult to deal with, and tried their best to restrain the kung fu that Chu Tianshu had taught them.

He repelled the enemy solely with his original Shaolin hard skills.

On another occasion, it was Xiahou Yi stepped in and helped them get away with it.

Therefore, the monks have made up their minds that if anyone comes again, they will beat them with sticks and drive them away.

Let's see if these people, under the onslaught of beatings, will still have the chance to observe any stylistic differences.

These people were about to cross the threshold.

The leader, with an embarrassed smile on his face, bowed to the two senior monks, a tiny speck of dust flicking off his little fingernail.

This tiny black fragment is half the size of an ant.

It looks like just a little bit of black residue that accidentally fell off the kitchen knife after it had been used for a long time.

When this object passes through the air, it's like dust particles that are normally suspended in the air; ordinary people can't distinguish it at all.

Miaogao felt a sudden tightness in his heart, and his stomach suddenly sprang forward.

This force was like a tendon, swaying back and forth.

The clothes on his stomach were stretched taut by his movements, becoming as round as canvas.

That tiny fragment struck the fabric, which was bulging outwards due to the vibration.

The fabric ripped instantly.

The tiny fragment seemed to harbor a powerful force, which was prematurely triggered, causing a small ring of energy to explode outwards.

Even so, Miaogao still felt a vital acupoint between her chest and abdomen, which caused her to feel numb.

If he had reacted even slightly slower, that single fragment might have killed him.

The leader's finger, however, had already pierced through the air currents and pointed at them again.

He didn't come here to test any martial arts style; he came to kill.

Before tomorrow's duel, kill the two most trusted Gan Jiang under Chu Tianshu who have worked with him the longest and who have taught him martial arts.

This would definitely unsettle Chu Tianshu.

Anger and impatience can be fatal weaknesses in a battle between experts.

Miaoji's figure suddenly swayed, and his right shoulder collided with Miaogao's left shoulder.

Miaogao was like an iron plate; after being hit, she was sent flying diagonally, dodging the finger strike.

A flash of sword light suddenly appeared from Xiahou Yi's sleeve.

It was just a small sword, about half a foot long, but a chain was attached to the hilt.

The sword light instantly struck the tip of the killer's finger, but was forced to stop by a finger force from a distance.

The assassin then closed his five fingers together, blocking Miaoji's incoming punch.

Miaoji slid back ten feet with a crash, destroying all the tables and chairs behind him.

Who exactly are you?

Xiahou Yi let out a low roar. Someone with such martial arts skills was definitely not an ordinary person.

"I am from the Flowing Cloud Manor..."

The assassin uttered five words and launched ten attacks, all of which were blocked by the sword's light.

Xiahou Yi's short sword had already broken into several pieces.

His sword light, however, now emanated from that thin chain.

But judging from the length of that chain, it would probably be completely destroyed if the assassin uttered just three more words.

"He is Tie Siming!"

Xiahou Yi's chains were destroyed, his sleeves were torn, and as he retreated, he heard this sound.

The assassin also heard the voice coming from the long street, and the fake smile on his face suddenly froze.

He knew that voice all too well.

Someone surnamed Jin?!

Is someone surnamed Jin trying to expose me?

The assassin turned his head in a rage, then froze, his gaze fixed on the spot.

Several people were standing on the street, one of whom was drifting towards the inn.

Judging from this person's appearance, he is none other than the legendary Layman Tian.

But he was carrying a knife in his hand.

A knife as blue as an eyebrow and as cold as the moon.

"Your schemes are hardly challenging."

Chu Tianshu spoke, "Since this is a challenge, then whether it's a fake challenge or a real challenge from the Flowing Cloud Manor, everyone better behave themselves and wait for this battle."

Everyone who was spying on the Southern Shaolin Inn saw the knife.

They felt as if those words were a knife hanging over everyone's necks.

Behave yourself, understand?

He looked at the assassin. "You set a bad example."

(End of this chapter)