Begging for Alms

Outside Shouchun City, a huge tree, as thick as a waist and almost as tall as a city tower, was carried by Buddha and erected outside the city.

The Buddha sat under the big tree.

His actions were extremely commotion-inducing; such a scene was bound to be terrifying. The tree was discovered two miles from the city wall.

After some useless warnings and obstructions, the city walls of Shouchun were already filled with people.

Two sharpshooters nocked their arrows at a distance, and as soon as the city guard gave a signal, the two archers drew their longbows to full draw.

Two arrows, one after the other, flew away like streaks of light.

Before the sound of the arrows whistling through the air could even bring a flicker of joy to anyone's face, the two arrows that had struck the target had already transformed into streaks of light and shot back.

The two archers fell straight down without uttering a sound, their heads pierced by arrows.

The archer, who could threaten all kinds of spellcasters and warriors, was killed instead of succeeding in his sneak attack. The city guard was horrified. It wasn't until someone mentioned it that he remembered the chaotic battle below the city wall a few months ago.

The target that required numerous skilled retainers from Huainan to assassinate was far beyond the capabilities of a single gatekeeper, especially since the opponent was impervious to swords and Technique Method. Even a battle of sheer numbers would not yield any advantage.

The city gates were quickly pulled up, and the urgent message was relayed up the chain of command.

"This humble monk comes from the Western land of Shendu State), and wishes to ask you all for alms. I need two thousand-year-old ginseng roots and one five-hundred-year-old he shou wu (Polygonum multiflorum). I hope you can grant me this blessing!"

When Lei Bei's figure appeared on the city wall, Tathagata slowly spoke.

His voice was loud and clear, almost ignoring the distance of over a hundred meters, as if he were speaking right next to him.

"Begging for alms? I have no such affinity!" Lei Bei shook his head repeatedly, saying, "I have absolutely no affinity!"

"Since you are not destined, then you are not the one I am looking for," Buddha replied. "Then summon the one who is destined!"

"You wicked foreign monk from some unknown little country, you've even come to take advantage of our Huainan Kingdom!"

Lei Bei spoke politely, but Crown Prince Liu Qian, who arrived in a carriage behind him, was furious upon hearing this.

The Huainan region was under the control of the King of Huainan, but the Crown Prince Liu Qian, who would inherit the Huainan Kingdom in the future, was also being groomed. All matters, large and small, concerning Huainan were managed by Crown Prince Liu Qian.

He was the first to arrive and deal with the urgent report from the city gate guards.

This urgent report almost made Liu Qian think that some vassal king had suddenly led his army to attack the city of Shouchun, and it also made Crown Prince Liu Qian extremely anxious.

When Liu Qian saw that it was Buddha who was causing trouble, he was unlikely to have a good temper.

"Guards!" Liu Qian roared.

His loud shout forced Lei Bei and several of the first retainers to take a small step forward.

Many people wore expressions of distress.

They couldn't defeat their opponent a few months ago, and now that the opponent has returned with great momentum, they still can't beat them.

Normal cultivators get injured and their strength depletes. Even the fiercest cultivator can be suppressed by a group of powerful cultivators working together. But the cultivator in front of him is a completely unreasonable monster.

The opponent was not afraid of swords, Technique Method, or pressure. He possessed immense strength and could run like a galloping horse. His physical strength never seemed to wane. Even in the thousands of years of the Eastern Land, there have been few great cultivators like him.

"Lei Keqing?"

"I really miss Tianjiu!"

When Ning Yu, who was also a first-class swordsmanship guest, asked Lei Bei in a low voice, Lei Bei couldn't help but feel a headache.

While he may have been superior to the swordsman in swordsmanship duels, this does not mean that Lei Bei could effectively suppress other types of powerful cultivators.

Perhaps the legendary vertical sword, known for its emphasis on killing and striking, could be used to test its edge, but his horizontal sword was no match for the Buddha.

Lei Bei could only think of Tian Jiu, who usually liked to show off. If that old swordsman were on the city wall and Liu Qian had spoken, Lei Bei felt that Tian Jiu would have already shot out a flying sword.

"Capture this wicked monk!" Liu Qian shouted.

"Only!"

Everyone bowed their heads in agreement, but couldn't help looking at the others.

"I want to fight that evil monk on horseback for three hundred rounds," Lei Bei, forcing himself to speak first.

"May!"

Crown Prince Liu Qian nodded, then whispered a call to the gatekeeper. Immediately, a servant quickly rode down the city wall in a basket to the stables to fetch a horse.

Lei Bei slipped out through a crack in the city gate.

There are thousands of fine horses in the stables outside the city. Among them are horses left by travelers, horses used by those who run carriage businesses in Shouchun City, and real warhorses.

Lei Bei left the city with his sword, and the bold servant brought two mounts for Lei Bei choose from a moment later.

Buddha sat under the big tree, unhurried and allowing Lei Bei and the others to make preparations.

He remembered Lei Bei, and he also remembered the other person's sword.

This is a rather interesting swordsman.

But that's all. If the opponent doesn't have a top-tier divine weapon, Lei Bei's sword can't break through his physical body.

He was exceptionally talented, had cultivated diligently for a century, and had fought against many top masters, so he was well aware of his own strength.

Tathagata rarely suffered such a great loss as he had a few months ago, but he had almost recovered his strength. With the protection of the Daoist Ran Deng, Tathagata's confidence was greatly boosted.

It's not in his nature to hold grudges. Buddha believed in karma in this life, and he would vent his anger on the spot if he could.

He had previously planned to fight all the experts from Huainan City who had made a move, but when the Daoist Ran Deng mentioned the conflict with the Western Sect and brought the Poison-Repelling Technique with 108,000 acupoints, Tathagata inevitably changed his plan to vent his anger into begging for alms.

One reason was to help the Daoist Ran Deng heal his injuries and nourish his body; the other was to strengthen his Qi and Blood and blood, which propelled the Poison-Expelling Technique to its rapid completion.

He sat quietly under the big tree, waiting for Lei Bei mount his horse.

"That tin-skinned monk, please enlighten me!"

In the distance, Lei Bei, carrying the Qingfeng sword gifted by the King of Huainan, extended his hand to the Buddha's disciple in a salute of swordsmanship duel.

Tathagata's body was not agile enough, so Lei Bei could only rely on the speed of the galloping horse to engage in a prolonged battle, hoping to exhaust Tathagata's stamina and force him to retreat willingly.

"After all, it's the horse that gets tired from a prolonged fight!"

He had his own agenda and decided to stick to this underhanded tactic.

If one galloping horse isn't enough to tire the opponent, Lei Bei feels he can switch to another, or even launch a war of attrition with other retainers.

Even if we can't defeat the Buddha head-on, we can still win by attacking from the side.

Having benefited from the influence of the King of Huainan's Household, Lei Bei was compelled to contribute manpower and resources during the war.

He patted his mount, and then the Buddha stood up.

The other person patted the thick tree trunk behind him, then reached out and hugged it, and the tree was now in the Buddha's palm.

When the six-zhang-long tree swept across, Lei Bei startled and couldn't help but spur his horse and flee.

He originally thought that Buddha was dragging a tree over to scare people and show how powerful he was, never expecting that Buddha would use such a tree as a weapon.

It can be easily swept away with a single blow. If Buddha were to hold a large tree and thrust it onto the city wall, all the people standing on the wall would be swept away by Buddha.

Not only Lei Bei being chased and forced to flee, but Crown Prince Liu Qian on the city wall also changed his expression.

"Sound the bell! Sound the bell! Call everyone over and let them fire! Then send five hundred cavalry to charge him! I refuse to believe his body is made of iron and can withstand wave after wave of attacks!"

Liu Qian drew his sword and shouted.

He urged the city guards to ring the bell, and then he saw Tathagata chasing after Lei Bei towards the stables two miles outside the city.

Before long, Liu Qian heard the sound of horses neighing echoing outside the city.

When Tathagata launched his attack, he leveled the stables outside the city, leaving the knights of Shouchun City without any support before they could even form ranks.

Go to your tiny, insignificant country, India!

Liu Qian couldn't help but unleash a torrent of curses, realizing he had encountered a troublesome character.

Shouchun City is a place of outstanding people and abundant resources in Huainan. It not only has thousands of troops stationed there, but also thousands of retainers with various skills. There are also many great cultivators living in the city, and even the King of King of Huainan is in charge.

Despite his many advantages, Liu Qian remained calm.