From a refugee to a martial artist

Chapter 304 Old Friend
The entire battle lasted only a little over fifteen minutes.

The monks in Baoquan Temple were still fast asleep, and the loud commotion had not awakened them.

Following the itinerary agreed upon with Dugu Ying, Meng Yuan did not return the same way, but instead deliberately took a detour.

Holding Dugu Ying tightly, Meng Yuan activated the flow of light from all things, and everything around him seemed to transform into flowing light and follow behind.

Using this method of divine secrets, Meng Yuan did not hesitate to consume the jade liquid and headed towards the east gate of Ping'an Prefecture.

In less than a quarter of an hour, they arrived at the city gate. After crossing the city wall, Meng Yuan carefully hid and returned to the villa.

Pushing open the door, the candles in Dugu Ying's room were still lit. The furnishings were as they had always been, simple and austere.

Now that they were out of danger and no one was pursuing them, Meng Yuan finally felt a little relieved.

Having fled all the way, Meng Yuan had no other thoughts in his mind, and only now did he have the mind to look at the woman in his arms.

Dugu Ying was too petite, her body as light as paper. Moreover, she was very cold; even holding her in my arms, she wasn't as warm as Xiang Ling.

There was no red cloak or bamboo hat to cover her face; her innocent face was covered in blood, and her hair was stuck together with blood.

Dugu Ying's eyes were tightly closed, her face was extremely pale, and her lips trembled from time to time, as if she was enduring pain.

After closing the door, Meng Yuan first examined Dugu Ying's injuries. He saw that her left shoulder was ruptured, with flesh and bone mixed together, which was quite gruesome.

Such injuries would be extremely serious for ordinary people, even for a seventh-rank martial artist. Even if they survived, they would be crippled. However, for a fifth-rank martial artist, while the injury was not minor, they could fully recover.

The difference lies only in the speed of recovery. With Meng Yuan's physique, which has been tempered many times, he would recover in two or three days at most without the nourishment of his essence fire.

For a fifth-rank martial artist, the recovery period is at most half a month. If they have the assistance of healing-related divine abilities, their recovery will be even faster.

Aside from the external injury to his left shoulder, we still don't know what's wrong with Dugu Ying internally.

Meng Yuan saw that the wound was huge, and the fair neck was covered in blood and dirt, and he could not see the rest of the body.

Taking a deep breath, Meng Yuan grasped Dugu Ying's small hand, and his jade-like liquid slowly seeped out.

Only after this test did I realize that Dugu Ying's bones and flesh were far inferior to mine, perhaps even inferior to the bright moon at the bottom of the lake in the middle of the river.

When the jade liquid was applied again, it was different again. Many of the tendons and bones were damaged, and all the internal organs were also injured.

Within this small body, two streams of life are slowly repairing the numerous injuries within. One stream originates from the source, representing the body's own vitality; the other surges violently, clearly the result of external force.

Meng Yuan knew that this must be due to the effects of the elixir that Dugu Ying had consumed.

After examining Yu Ye closely, Meng Yuan saw that although Dugu Ying's injuries were severe, they were not life-threatening, so he went to examine her dantian.

Dugu Ying's two dantian were both extremely vast, only slightly inferior to his own.

The jade liquid had long since dried up, and there seemed to be signs of cracking in the dantian.

Moreover, Meng Yuan also sensed that there seemed to be some kind of energy surrounding Dugu Ying's body, which was suppressing Dugu Ying's recovery from her injuries.

"This older sister is good at attacking but weak at defending, and she excels at sneak attacks."

Meng Yuan muttered to himself, then softly called out Dugu Ying's name.

"Miss Ying?"

"Dugu Ying?"

"Yingmei?"

Finally, Dugu Ying opened her eyes. Her eyes lacked luster, but there was a clear hint of displeasure in them.

"How are you?" Meng Yuan still held Dugu Ying in his arms, as if he were holding a child.

Seeing that Dugu Ying remained silent, Meng Yuan fed her a few sips of water.

"Let me rest." Dugu Ying's tone was weak, lacking her usual imposing manner.

Meng Yuan obediently carried Dugu Ying into the bedroom and put her down.

Dugu Ying was very petite, and she was wearing Meng Yuan's clothes, with bloodstains all over her black inner garments.

She closed her eyes again, her chest heaving slightly, revealing that she was no ordinary girl.

Seeing that Dugu Ying didn't want to change her clothes, Meng Yuan didn't ask her anything and covered her with a thin blanket.

"What else do you want me to do?" Meng Yuan asked.

Dugu Ying kept her eyes closed, her breathing slightly rapid. "Wipe the blood off my face."

Meng Yuan was very obedient and immediately fetched water. He wet a face towel, parted the strands of hair on Dugu Ying's face, and gently wiped her face.

After washing for a while, the bloodstains on her obedient face finally disappeared, but her disheveled appearance was even more apparent, pale and bloodless.

"Guard me well, don't let anyone in." Dugu Ying still didn't open her eyes.

Meng Yuan thought the same thing, so he immediately brought over a chair, sat cross-legged on it, and stood guard by the bedside.

After a while, Meng Yuan saw that Dugu Ying seemed to have fallen asleep, and only then did he calm down.

Looking inward, the injuries were long gone.

One of his two dantian was already full, while the other was slowly generating jade liquid. His mind was free of any cloudiness; on the contrary, his spirit and energy were as if he had never experienced the great battle just now.

This battle yielded little result; they failed to ascertain the identity of Mingzhi and the person behind him, and they almost lost Dugu Ying in the process.

However, being a fifth-rank martial monk, his essence fire had already reached its peak.

Each tempering brought about a transformation in his body. After several tempering sessions, Meng Yuan's flesh, bones, internal organs, and even his dantian were far superior to those of the same level, and even stronger than those with higher cultivation levels.

Moreover, with each body tempering, his realm improved much faster than that of ordinary martial artists, with virtually no obstacles, advancing by leaps and bounds.

But this breakthrough is different. Unlike the opening of acupoints in the lower three grades, it requires anchoring to the ethereal "Dao" that is in harmony with oneself.

Meng Yuan sensed that with just a thought, the next time his body was tempered by the essence fire, he would suffer ten times more pain than the previous four times combined.

However, with this achievement, the body, both inside and out, will inevitably undergo another transformation.

Today, Dugu Ying withstood the Buddha's power to move mountains and rivers, and was severely injured. Meng Yuan thought to himself that if it were him, even with his indestructible golden body, he would have burned away the jade liquid in the blink of an eye, and would have had to endure it with his body.

However, if Meng Yuan were to endure the pain, he felt that his injuries were much less severe than Dugu Ying's, and he certainly wouldn't have suffered such severe internal and external damage. Moreover, his recovery would definitely be much faster than Dugu Ying's.

However, after undergoing the fifth body tempering, Meng Yuan thought that even if he withstood Zhihe's Buddha-moving Mountains and Rivers, he would be fine. He would definitely get injured, but he would not be in a sorry state.

After thinking for a moment, Meng Yuan did not rush to temper his body, but decided to wait a little longer.

Now that Lanruo Temple is in turmoil, we might as well take a look at the situation first.

After a peaceful night's rest, Meng Yuan opened his eyes the next morning before dawn.

With his two dantians filled with jade liquid, Meng Yuan recovered completely, except for a slight feeling of thirst.

Looking at Dugu Ying again, the paleness on her face had faded considerably, and she had regained some color.

Moreover, his body was no longer trembling slightly, and his chest was rising and falling smoothly, indicating that his injuries had healed considerably.

Meng Yuan reached out and pressed down on Dugu Ying's wrist.

Her skin was still icy cold, unlike that of an ordinary woman, much less someone who practiced martial arts; it must be due to some kind of celestial secret method she cultivated. Her pulse was strong, and her breathing was steady.

As the jade liquid penetrated, many of the fractures in the tendons and bones were repaired, but many fractures in the internal organs remained.

Jade liquid was being generated in both dantian, but it was far from full.

Meng Yuan took a quick look and immediately sensed that Dugu Ying's jade liquid was thick, firm, and extraordinary, and it also had a cool sensation.

Upon closer inspection, the energy suppressing Dugu Ying's recovery was still present within her body, seemingly omnipresent and difficult to sever.

"Miss Ying?" Meng Yuan called softly, while lifting a corner of the blanket to check the injury on her left shoulder.

Last night it was still a bloody mess with shattered bones, but now it has been completely repaired and has grown back with fair and tender skin.

This was by no means due to the vitality surging within Dugu Ying's body, but rather the extraordinary effects of the elixir.

"Miss Ying?" Meng Yuan called out again.

After being called a few times, Dugu Ying opened her eyes, her eyes already brightening, her spirit much better than last night.

"How is it?" Meng Yuan asked.

"It's nothing serious." Dugu Ying's voice was soft, less cold and more gentle.

It seems that women weakened by injury are indeed gentler, even the taciturn Dugu Ying.

"There is a strange energy in your body. Where does it come from? How can it be eliminated?" Meng Yuan felt that the energy was very strange, and he couldn't help but think of Bodhi's Extinction of the Dao and Nine Revolutions Returning to the Godhood.

The Bodhi Extinction Path, once activated, will cloud the mind; the Nine Revolutions Return to the Spirit, once used, will inevitably cloud the mind.

The fact that Dugu Ying's internal energy was not dissipated also seemed to be a consequence of some kind of celestial secret method.

"Don't worry about it." Seeing that Meng Yuan's concern seemed genuine, Dugu Ying explained, "It's just a comet hitting the moon."

"Is this method similar to the path of cessation of suffering and the attainment of enlightenment?" Meng Yuan asked.

"I suppose so," Dugu Ying said slowly. "A comet strikes the moon, unstoppable, its brilliance ablaze, burning itself out for a single strike."

Seeing Meng Yuan's expectant look, she continued, "This method is fast and swift. Once activated, there is no turning back. When it strikes the enemy's body, the victim will hardly survive. Their body will be covered in wounds and pulverized into dust. The victim will also suffer a backlash, losing all their blood, flesh, and vital energy, and their spirit will be depleted, causing their injuries to worsen and their thoughts to become insane."

Meng Yuan learned something new.

“You are not suited to cultivate Comet Assault on the Moon.” Dugu Ying’s tone was ethereal. “I am a person in the shadows, only for the fleeting moment of the comet. You are a person who holds fire, though faint, it will never be extinguished.”

Meng Yuan understood more; the celestial being that the red-cloaked Yingmei sought must be found here.

Without asking any further questions, Meng Yuan changed the subject, saying, "Your injuries have healed considerably, and I should head back now."

"Okay." Dugu Ying blinked, then said, "I'm thirsty."

"..." Meng Yuan got up, simply took the teapot, and pressed the spout against Dugu Ying's lips.

Dugu Ying's innocent face immediately furrowed, her lips tightened, and she glared angrily at Meng Yuan.

Meng Yuan took a teacup, poured in some cool tea, and then fed it to Dugu Ying.

Dugu Ying took two sips but didn't mention the matter of urinating.

"Go find Jie Kaiping tomorrow," Dugu Ying said.

"Give him a reward? How much?" Meng Yuan had been spending too much money lately and didn't really want to give him anything.

"Ten taels at most!" Dugu Ying was even stingier than Meng Yuan. She was very ruthless. "There will be many more things like this in the future. You and I are both martial artists. If we have a bald monk to help us, we will have a better chance of winning."

"He probably doesn't want to." Meng Yuan knew too well that Jie Kaiping was not good at direct combat, nor did he like direct combat, and he was even less willing to kill people.

Moreover, although Jie Kaiping was indeed poor, he did not try to make money through his own abilities, which shows that after breaking free from Qing Guangzi's control, he was not a bad person at heart, and was even a somewhat cowardly good-natured person.

You can get this kind of person to discuss philosophy, but you shouldn't ask him to help you kill.

“The matter of Zhihe will inevitably come to light. The people from Lanruo Temple and the Demon Suppression Division will investigate. First, pin it all on him! If he disagrees, arrest him!” Dugu Ying had clearly planned ahead. “You are a commander of the Demon Suppression Division. If you can’t handle this kind of thing, go find Lin Yan. He’s used to doing this!”

Meng Yuan was at a loss for words. The person who removed the screen had no ill intentions and had even helped a lot last night. Was it really appropriate to drag him into this mess?
"That's wonderful!" Meng Yuan exclaimed immediately. "Miss Ying, we're on the same page!"

The two exchanged a few more words of nonsense, and Meng Yuan even tried to provoke Dugu Ying with some words, attempting to learn from her so-called "sword in a box and lamp in a curtain," but Dugu Ying was completely unmoved and had no awareness of their treacherous intentions, offering her no benefit whatsoever.

“Then I’ll go find Miss Mingyue.” Meng Yuan stood up. “Speaking of which, I haven’t had a proper chat with Miss Mingyue since I left the capital.”

"I'll send it to you another day," Dugu Ying relented.

Knowing Dugu Ying's weakness, Meng Yuan stopped provoking her when he saw her give in.

After leaving the villa, it was already broad daylight outside.

After leaving Ping'an Prefecture, Meng Yuan headed towards Lanruo Temple.

Before long, Wang Buyi came rushing towards them.

"Commander!" Wang Buyi quickly dismounted. "Commander Lin sent me to tell you to go to Baoquan Temple immediately!"

"What happened?" Meng Yuan asked curiously.

"They say there was a fight at Baoquan Temple last night, and a high-ranking monk from Lanruo Temple died!" Wang Buyi clearly didn't know much.

"A high-ranking monk died?" Upon hearing this, Meng Yuan asked again, "Who went to investigate?"

“Commander Ding Chonglou, and an elder from Lanruo Temple!” Wang Buyi said without hiding anything, then whispered, “I heard that Lord Cangshan also went there; he knew that high monk who died!”

“Lord Cangshan.” Meng Yuan nodded slowly, and couldn’t help but recall the scene when he first met Lord Cangshan at Chongxu Temple.

At that time, Lord Cangshan had no intention of harming anyone; on the contrary, he chatted with Xiangling quite well.

The two talked as they hurried to Baoquan Temple.

Zhou Ying stood guard in front of the temple gate, holding a scroll in her hand, seemingly engaged in some kind of practice.

"What book are you reading?" Meng Yuan showed no concern for the death of the high monk at Lanruo Temple.

"The Heart Sutra." Zhou Ying smiled gently, showing no concern for the death of the high monk at Lanruo Temple.

"Junior brother!" Lin Yan came out of Baoquan Temple when he heard that Meng Yuan had arrived.

Lin Yan stepped forward, grabbed Meng Yuan's arm, and asked with a sly grin, "Did it work out?"

"Senior brother, there's nothing between me and Miss Ying," Meng Yuan said honestly.

"Hehe, still a coward!" Lin Yan said.

“Senior brother, I’m not that kind of person!” Meng Yuan said.

"That's right!" Lin Yan immediately changed his tone, "Maintaining moral integrity is a fine quality of a good man!"

After talking for a while, the two learned that the high monk Zhihe of Lanruo Temple had died, and that Ding Chonglou of the Demon Suppression Division was in charge of the matter, with Elder Zhichen of Lanruo Temple also in charge.

As for Lord Cangshan, he had already run to the back mountain and was even helping to track down the culprit.

"Lord Cangshan said the murderer's methods resembled those of an old acquaintance," Lin Yan said in a low voice.

(End of this chapter)