Master 07 02

Fang Zhiyi smiled and said, "What can I do? This physical constitution is too poor. Since the conventional path is blocked, we must take a different route."

As he spoke, Fang Zhiyi suddenly felt a warmth in his dantian. The bottleneck that had never budged before loosened slightly. He was overjoyed. Don't underestimate this small change; in this world, even if he were only at the early Qi Refining stage, he could run rampant.

At the same time, a large number of people had gathered in a temple. It was a rare sight to see members of the Demon Sect present as well. Almost every sect was in attendance. They were all wary of each other, their expressions hostile. Some looked as if they would start fighting just from making eye contact.

In the very center lay a treasured blade and three secret manuals.

"Amitabha. Esteemed sect leaders," an old monk with long eyebrows said loudly, noticing the tense atmosphere. "This old monk ventures to convene this martial arts assembly today. You have been fighting over this treasured blade and the manuals for months, with each sect suffering heavy losses. This old monk cannot bear to see the martial world plunged into misery. Today, we must discuss a way to resolve this."

"What's there to discuss? The Demon Sect killed our master! This vengeance must be had!" someone shouted.

Members of the Demon Sect retorted, "Our hall master was also killed! What are you dogs barking about?"

"Hmph, the Zonghe Gang crippled our senior brother! How do we settle that score?"

"Pah! Your senior brother attacked first to steal the items! Were we not supposed to fight back?"

"Old monk! Where is the treasure map? I heard rumors outside that the treasure map is in your Fulai Temple!"

Changmei was taken aback. "We have never seen any treasure map."

"Even monks tell lies?" someone mocked.

"I don't care! Our Muyun Valley was the first to find the divine weapon! This blade rightfully belongs to us!" shouted Qian, the valley master, who had mostly recovered.

"On what grounds? This belonged to the vile scoundrel Sun Kui, not to you!"

Hearing Sun Kui's name, Changmei frowned. Seeing that the crowd was about to come to blows again, he chanted the Buddha's name once more. "Amitabha. Esteemed benefactors, this old monk has a few questions for you all."

Seeing them reluctantly quiet down, he asked, "Where is Sun Kui now?"

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent. Truth be told, over the past months, they had been solely focused on seizing the treasures. No one had really cared about Sun Kui's whereabouts. After all, the treasures had already appeared. Why look for Sun Kui? It wasn't as if they liked him.

Seeing their silence, Changmei sighed. "Does Sun Kui truly possess a treasure map and the elixir of immortality?"

The crowd began chattering noisily.

"I don't know. I heard it from someone in the Changle Sect."

"We heard it from the Beggars' Sect."

"We heard it from the Tingfeng Pavilion."

After a round of everyone talking at once, they realized that everyone had merely heard rumors. No one had actually seen these things.

Changmei's expression remained calm. "One last question. Have any of you benefactors considered who has benefited the most from this recent turmoil in the martial world?"

Everyone, for once, fell into thought.

Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted, "You bald donkey! Your sweet talk is just a ploy to monopolize the treasures!"

Changmei raised his eyes, and immediately many martial monks emerged from the surroundings.

But that person not only didn't shut up, but yelled even louder, "See! The old bald donkey had already planned to ambush us!"

Instantly, chaos erupted on the scene. With everyone harboring different thoughts, many drew their blades.

Fortunately, Changmei used his profound internal energy to voice his opinion: "This old monk has no interest in the treasures. It's just that the events of these past days have been far too strange. I ask you benefactors to consider whether you have fallen into someone else's cunning trap."

Many hesitated.

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

"A trap? What kind of trap?"

"I don't care! The treasured blade belongs to our Muyun Valley!"

Changmei let out a breath. "This old monk believes that this matter can be cleared up as soon as we find Sun Kui and confront him."

He shifted the focus back to finding Sun Kui.

"As for these manuals and the treasured blade, the one who finds Sun Kui shall obtain them. How about that?"

All the sects looked at each other. They were tired too. For months, they had practically slept with their weapons every day, and the frequency of fights had increased significantly. In the end, it was still Qian, the valley master, who agreed first. "Agreed! We ask Elder Changmei to hold them in safekeeping for us temporarily."

"But where is Sun Kui?"

"Exactly. We bought a lot of information, all of it false. Sun Kui seems to have vanished."

"We bought some too, with addresses, but when we got there, the place was completely uninhabited."

Changmei narrowed his eyes. "Everyone, do you remember my question? Over these past months, who has benefited the most?"

After a long while, someone suddenly realized. "The Cangyue Sect! Fang Zhiyi!"

"Huh?"

"Last time I was fleeing for my life, I hid in an inn and encountered disciples of the Cangyue Sect. That inn was run by them."

"Now that you mention it, I had a similar experience. During a chase, the carriage I hired bore the Cangyue Sect's mark."

"Hiss..."

Upon reflection, it seemed true. The Cangyue Sect had quietly been involved in quite a few businesses.

"Could it be...?" Qian, the valley master's expression shifted uncertainly.

Li Weiyang was currently squatting in a horse stance. The reason was that today in the marketplace, he had been flirting with a girl. His father witnessed this and flew into a rage. As his son, he was actually acting like a rogue teasing a girl!

Thus, Li Weiyang was punished. He wanted to ask his sworn father for help, but clearly, Sun Kui also thought his sworn brother's actions were justified.

When Yue found out, she was even more furious. Since starting business with Fang Zhiyi, she had absorbed many new ideas and gradually raised her standards for her son. She especially insisted that he study literature in addition to martial arts and placed great emphasis on his character. As a result, Li Weiyang was punished three times in one day. By dinnertime, his legs were trembling nonstop.

Fang Zhiyi saw it but pretended not to. The kid deserved it.

Soon, however, he received news. The sects of the martial world had gathered and were heading towards the Cangyue Sect.

Firstly, they suspected the Cangyue Sect of scheming. Secondly, they wanted to find Li Xiuyu and his wife to force them to reveal Sun Kui's whereabouts.

Sun Kui, who was currently shoveling rice into his mouth, looked utterly innocent.

Force me to reveal my whereabouts?

After all this time, they had more or less picked up some of Fang Zhiyi's habits. They wouldn't panic so easily when faced with trouble.

"Master, what should we do? Should we go out and hide for a while?" Yue added some vegetables to Li Xiuyu's bowl.

Sun Kui continued eating. "I'll go lure them away."

"No need." Fang Zhiyi didn't seem concerned at all. "They were bound to come eventually. Hiding won't solve anything."

Everyone fell silent.

Li Xiuyu looked at his master with some apology. "Master, we're sorry. We've caused trouble again."

Fang Zhiyi just smiled. "A few months ago, it would have been trouble. Now... it's hard to say."

Yue seemed thoughtful. Li Xiuyu was puzzled, but he could only follow his master's arrangements.

Dozens of sects traveled day and night, gathering at the Cangyue Sect. They were all slightly taken aback by what they saw.