A Tale of Encounters with Immortals: A Peach Blossom Temple in the Martial World

"Next year will be just like the old year, when my flowers bloom and the birds return to their nests."

A woman was reciting two lines of poetry.

A horse-drawn carriage and a group of people on horseback were slowly traveling along the official road.

Inside the carriage were a woman and a dignified-looking child of about four or five years old.

Riding on horseback and walking beside the carriage was He Zhongzheng.

The Taoist priest's face must be given, and given fully. This rebellious son of mine has long been unable to hide his ambitions; he's restless and has one thought: to become a monk.

There's nothing wrong with becoming a Taoist priest. Scholars, and even the late emperor, were Taoists. They even gave themselves Taoist titles, calling themselves something like "Great Emperor"... So it's no problem for my son to want to become a Taoist priest.

As long as you don't become a monk.

However, a monk was following behind their carriage.

"Master, why do you think someone would harm us?" He Zhongzheng turned to look at the monk walking by. He thought the monk was quite skilled, and since he was also going to visit the Taoist priest, he had accompanied him.

The monk did not ride a horse, saying that walking would strengthen his resolve.

"The experts from Qingmu Cliff have been loitering around Lingzhou City these past few days, and the protectors of the Lotus Sect have also been lingering there for a long time. They didn't make any rash moves during the Mount Hua martial arts competition because the four masters suddenly reached a compromise and joined forces. So their focus has shifted to Lingzhou City."

"because I?"

“Your son is also the young master of Qingmu Cliff.”

He Zhongzheng bowed to the monk.

He also understood that the monk was with him to protect his family.

Inside the carriage.

The woman was a cook at Zuixianlou Restaurant, and He Xiuyuan always called her Aunt Yue.

"Are you really not coming back with your father this time?" the cook asked, patting He Xiuyuan's head.

He Xiuyuan nodded: "I don't know why, but I always feel that I have a connection with the Immortal Master. I absolutely cannot miss this heaven-sent destiny. In this life we ​​are master and disciple, and in the next life we ​​will be fellow Daoists."

"You believe in reincarnation too?"

"Everyone says so, so I say so too. We don't know about the next life or the future, but the Buddha does. But I know about this life, and the Tao knows it too. So when I seek the Tao, I am also seeking it in this life."

"You can see clearly."

"It's just that the opportunity to become a celestial being is precious, and it would be a pity to miss it."

The two chatted to pass the time inside the carriage. The journey would take two or three days.

Passing through a secluded spot on the official road.

This place is next to a mountain, and there are forests on the mountain.

The monk suddenly stopped, raised his hand, and signaled everyone to stop.

The mounted guards immediately dispersed, forming a protective formation to shield the carriage and He Zhongzheng. They stood guard with knives drawn.

Generally speaking, few people rob on official roads.

Unless there's a very clear goal and something absolutely necessary to do. After all, the official road is too conspicuous. The monk had experienced the last time that Grand Secretary Zeng was ambushed on the official road.

They are extremely vigilant.

"Whoosh-"

The sound of wind breaking.

"Protect the adults—"

The guards drew their weapons, the monk clasped his hands together, assumed a horse stance, and a surge of energy erupted, tearing his robes to shreds once more.

A volley of arrows rained down, and two guards were hit.

Immediately, figures moved about by the woods along the official road. Six figures soared into the sky, their movements as swift as arrows, clearly those of top-tier fighters. But who was this monk?

A master born with exceptional talent.

He shouted, "Well done!"

He reached out and unleashed the "Demon-Subduing Palm," striking with tremendous force.

The internal energy surged like a roaring dragon, sweeping towards the six people.

Several loud "bangs!" were heard.

Six men were hit and sent flying backward, landing on the ground. However, their injuries were not serious, and they were still capable of fighting. Without the slightest hesitation, the six men split up, and six knives simultaneously attacked the monk from six directions.

"The Buddha's light shines!"

The monk Yuanjue shouted angrily and announced the name of the move, which meant that he was angry.

With a wave of his hand, he seemed to descend like the Buddha, striking out with a palm. His entire body seemed to have three heads and six arms, and as he turned, countless palm shadows struck towards the six people.

"bang bang"

The sound of being hit repeatedly.

The six figures flew even further this time, each spitting out a mouthful of blood.

But before they could get up, a beam of light and a shadow suddenly shot out from the woods. Yuanjue swiftly unleashed his Demon-Subduing Palm.

The palm strike was like splitting mountains and shattering rocks, whipping up roadside stones and sweeping towards the shadow.

"Pfft!"

The sound of a sharp weapon piercing flesh.

Monk Yuanjue stumbled backward, crashing into a tree. He bounced back and knelt on the ground. He spat out a mouthful of blood, forcing himself to stay upright with one hand.

"Grandmaster?"

Monk Yuanjue slowly stood up, stubbornly facing the man in black who emerged from the woods carrying a long spear. Tall and slender, his black robes, like a spear, blended seamlessly with his weapon.

A drop of blood slowly dripped from the gleaming spear tip into the dust.

"You know your stuff!"

The man in black sneered, slowly walking towards Monk Yuanjue with a gun resting on his wrist.

"However... I will still send you to the Western Paradise. I will kill everyone here and go join you!"

The monk Yuanjue's palm had just been pierced by that spear.

The monk steadied himself and smiled at the man in black.

"What are you laughing at?" The man in black couldn't help but feel annoyed; he felt that the smile carried a contemptuous meaning.

The guards all huddled around the carriage, watching the duel between the two men warily.

They wanted to help, but there was nothing they could do.

Even grandmasters have come out; they'd all die anyway. Luckily, they still had some courage and didn't run away. Those who live in the martial world are all prepared to accept money and die for others.

"What a laughable person!"

Monk Jueyuan raised one hand to his chest, chanted a Buddhist prayer, and concentrated all his inner strength into that palm strike. For someone who roams the martial world, life and death are not the most important things.

"court death!"

The man in black brandished his gun and thrust it towards Monk Jueyuan.

The tip of a spear gleams; only a master can achieve this.

"Sigh, why are there always people so eager to seek death?" He Xiuyuan, sitting in the carriage, looked at the scene outside and couldn't help but sigh.

"Aren't you afraid?"

The cook was worldly-wise and remained calm.

Panic won't solve the problem; instead, calming down makes it more likely that you'll come up with a solution.

However, it seems I'm not having good luck today; I've run into a grandmaster.

"Yes, I'm scared, but what's the use of being scared?"

"I never knew you were so young, yet you had so much in your head. What a pity..." The cook's regret was perhaps referring to the fact that He Xiuyuan was going to die here.

He Zhongzheng, who was riding on horseback beside him, was holding his sword. No matter what, he would fight to the death to protect the people in the carriage.

"Puch!"

Another sound of a gun tip piercing into a body.

The man in black seemed to be enraged by the monk Yuanjue and wanted to torture him. The spear tip pierced through both of his arms and legs. He wanted the monk to crawl on his stomach and beg him to kill him.

As expected, Monk Yuanjue was unable to move, and his limbs writhed on the ground.

But he still had a strange smile on his face.

He vomited blood like a fountain from his mouth.

“I hate you like this. So… now you can die!” The man in black gritted his teeth, raised his spear, and thrust it into the monk’s chest, intending to pierce through the monk’s chest and then pull out his heart.

The Lotus Sect has a tradition that, after killing their most hated enemy, they would cut out his heart and liver to eat with wine.

The monk's heart and liver must taste delicious.

Just by looking at his pectoral muscles, you can tell he must be quite chewy.

Monk Yuanjue smiled as he watched the spear tip thrust down. That moment seemed very long, long enough for him to properly reflect on his entire life's experiences.

From birth to childhood, from fleeing famine to entering a temple, from learning martial arts to pursuing Buddhism, from pursuing Buddhism to pursuing the Way of Heaven...

There is great terror between life and death.

But there is also great wisdom in the face of life and death.

Therefore, stories of breakthroughs on the verge of death are frequently mentioned in the martial arts world, and some people even commit suicide in hopes of experiencing a sudden flash of inspiration to seek the feeling of near-death.

"Infinite Heavenly Lord!"

The monk suddenly uttered a phrase, as if he wanted to convert the monk to Buddhism.

As these words fell, a beam of light suddenly shot into the sky from He Zhongzheng's arms, piercing the black-clad man beside him who was holding a spear, intending to kill the monk and rip out his heart.

He instinctively raised his arm, trying to shield his eyes from the unusually bright light.

Arms are raised.

The light also penetrated his body.

He seemed to sense something, his mouth opened as if to shout or beg for mercy, but this was his last action.

The body slowly shattered within the light, transforming into fragments.

Then, amidst the light, it vanished completely, disappearing into the dust.

The six injured people who were watching and guarding the scene also transformed into light and shadow in the light and disappeared into the world.

The monk was stunned, He Zhongzheng was stunned, the cook was stunned, and the guards were also stunned, their mouths agape and they were dumbfounded.

Everyone was stunned.

Only He Xiuyuan, inside the carriage, spoke: "Amitabha, Father, why don't you take out the letter the Taoist priest gave you and take a look? Perhaps you'll find the answer."

The guards all went to help the monk, some to stop the bleeding, others to carry him.

He Zhongzheng took out the letter from his pocket, but the letter, which originally had writing on it, was now completely blank...

The monk was lifted onto the carriage.

But the monk was still smiling, despite being covered in wounds. This was merely a test from the immortal master on his path to immortality.