Fantasy: I Am the Villain.

Chapter Seventy-Six: Eighteen Riders

Seeing that Xu Zhu was quite concerned about Qiao Feng and the others' movements, Bai Ke didn't mince words and told Xu Zhu everything he had seen and heard.

"At that time, Bai hurried over, while the other members of the Beggars' Clan were waiting at the main entrance of the Sutra Pavilion. They were stopped by the monks of Shaolin Temple, who refused to let them in."

While they were making a ruckus, I secretly slipped through the ventilation shaft of the scripture pavilion, only to see Qiao Feng and his brother, along with their father, facing off against Murong Fu and his son. Then…”

Bai Ke excitedly told Xu Zhu about it, but when he mentioned the amazing skills of the sweeping monk in the Shaolin Temple's Sutra Pavilion, Xu Zhu's expression became extremely strange.

He remembered that, if he wasn't mistaken, the sweeping monk there must have been an old monk who would sometimes doze off and sometimes sweep the floor in the scripture pavilion.

When he returned from Lingjiu Palace, he always felt that someone was watching him at Shaolin Temple, but he couldn't find them no matter what. He also thought that his residence was not far from the Sutra Repository, so he must have noticed him back then.

Actually, Xu Zhu was overthinking it. The Sweeper Monk usually devoted himself to studying martial arts and had time to keep an eye on him, a young novice.

When he finally heard Bai Ke recount how the Sweeper Monk had killed Xiao Yuanshan and Murong Bo, Xu Zhu clasped his hands together and whispered a phrase.

"Amitabha, I never imagined that Brother Qiao would also have such a tragic fate." He thought of his own experience today, and when he turned back to look at the unconscious Master Xuanci, he couldn't help but sigh even more deeply.

Seeing that Xu Zhu was somewhat silent, Bai Ke tried to ease the atmosphere by teasing, "Little Master Xu Zhu, you've already returned to secular life and built such a large family business as Lingjiu Palace, so why do you still keep talking about Amitabha Buddha?"

"And another thing..." Bai Ke glanced at Ye Erniang, who was in tears, with a somewhat mischievous look, "Master Xuzhu, now that you have both parents, will you have to worship all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas when you get married and have children in the future?"

Xu Zhu looked extremely embarrassed. "Where...where did that happen?" Then he remembered Meng Gu, whom he had met when he and Tianshan Tonglao were hiding under the Western Xia Palace, and his heart skipped a beat.

"Haha, you still say you haven't? Everyone come and see! Our little Master Xuzhu has only just left the monastic life and he's already learned to lie, huh?" Bai Ke shouted smugly to the others.

Xu Zhu rushed over and covered Bai Ke's mouth to stop him from continuing. This was too embarrassing, and he didn't want everyone to know.

"Brother Bai... how did you know about what happened in Xixia?" Xu Zhu asked rather cautiously.

Bai Ke raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself that Xu Zhu was really stupid. He hadn't even said anything yet, and he had already exposed his brother completely.

"Western Xia? What's going on with Western Xia?" Bai Ke asked Xu Zhu, feigning ignorance. "What, Master Xu Zhu, do you also want to participate in the Western Xia princess's marriage contest?"

Although Bai Ke doesn't remember how Xu Zhu learned about the Western Xia's marriage proposal and went to participate, now that he's involved...

If he didn't speak up, Xu Zhu would probably take his parents back to the Lingjiu Palace and stay there. How could Bai Ke allow such a thing to happen?

So, our main character, Bai, took on the role of an intelligence agent and informed Xuzhu of this news.

He could then give a little encouragement, and Xu Zhu would surely be happy to go. Bai Ke, on the other hand, had no interest in the Western Xia princess and had no intention of participating in the Western Xia marriage selection.

However, according to the original story, Bai Ke could only learn the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms when Xu Zhu and Qiao Feng were both in Lingjiu Palace treating A Zi's eyes.

I imagine Qiao Feng is still at Shaolin Temple. I wonder if Xiao Yuanshan and Murong Bo have been ordained as monks yet.

If they headed straight for Lingjiu Palace now, they would likely have a hard time encountering Qiao Feng and his group on the way. Therefore, Bai Ke was thinking about how to make Xu Zhu and the others travel slower.

After thinking for a long time, Bai Ke set his sights on the unconscious Abbot Xuanci. He pointed to Xuanci, who was being carried by the crowd, and said to Xuzhu:

“Brother Xuzhu, how could you be so reckless? Your father’s meridians are not flowing smoothly, how can he endure such a bumpy ride? Why don’t we make a stretcher for him, that would make him feel better.”

Xu Zhu looked at the unconscious Xuan Ci and Ye Erniang, who was closely following Xuan Ci, with a melancholy expression, and sighed softly:

"I know I should make my father more comfortable, but we're in the middle of nowhere and there's no time to find a carriage, so we'll just have to make do."

Then, he asked Bai Ke curiously, "I wonder what kind of stretcher Brother Bai is talking about?"

Bai Ke slapped his forehead, realizing that at this time, in the world of Tian Long Ba Bu, stretchers didn't exist yet, and he had unconsciously "invented" something again.

Since he had already brought it up, he couldn't just make up an excuse, so he could only explain the simple structure of the stretcher to Xuzhu in detail.

Xu Zhu looked at Bai Ke with delight after hearing this, "It really is a good thing. In that case, this humble monk can rest assured."

Bai Ke nodded with a forced smile, but inwardly he was filled with regret. "I can't talk nonsense again next time, otherwise I'll end up becoming a great inventor!"

Regardless of how Bai Ke made his decision, after Xu Zhu returned, he ordered people to cut down some trees from the nearby woods.

Although Bai Ke had already told him how to make the stretcher simple and comfortable, it was his first time making one, so he prepared some extra materials.

Ye Erniang knew that rushing to heal Xuan Ci's injuries earlier was not good, but she had no other choice. After hearing Bai Ke's idea, she immediately nodded and looked at him gratefully.

Seeing this, Bai Ke repeatedly signaled Xu Zhu to stop Ye Erniang, who wanted to come over to express her gratitude. The Song Dynasty had many etiquette rules, and there were strict regulations for giving and receiving gifts. He didn't want to cause trouble.

They sent men to cut down trees, and Xu Zhu and Bai Ke stopped by the roadside to rest for a while. Unexpectedly, a sound of hacking and slashing came from the dense forest next to them.

Xu Zhu and Bai Ke quickly got up and ran into the dense forest. They saw swords flashing and shouts of battle, and even heard the neighing of warhorses, which puzzled them greatly.

As the two approached, they discovered that the 18 mounted guards that Qiao Feng had brought from the Liao Kingdom were surrounded by a group of Beggars' Sect members.

The 18 knights charged left and right, but couldn't break through the encirclement of the Beggars' Sect members. The disciples of Lingjiu Palace stood by, unsure of who to help.

Seeing that their palace master, Xu Zhu, had followed, they quickly turned their gaze to Xu Zhu, waiting for him to make a decision.

After a long silence, Xu Zhu waved his hand and ordered his subordinates at Lingjiu Palace to drive away the Beggars' Sect members, thus saving the 18 Khitan warriors.