From a refugee to a martial artist

Chapter 355 Fighting
A light rain was falling, and a sudden gust of wind arose.

The world was dark and gloomy, as if everyone here had been thrown into hell.

A mournful wail drifted from afar, each sound a death knell.

As the high priest Shui Xiangsheng raved madly, the rain turned into poisonous rain, first pale yellow, then purple-gold, then red and green, until even the raindrops displayed various colors.

The sky was dark, and raindrops pattered on the surface of the deep pool, creating countless splashes. Fish and turtles turned their white bellies up.

Soon the land on the shore was flooded, and the grass and trees that were growing there withered when they encountered the raindrops.

The sisters Su Xin and Su Wen, along with Dugu Kang, were all Buddhists. Although they were bald, they were not lawless. Instead, each of them possessed a mysterious aura that kept the rain out.

The moon was surrounded by flowing jade liquid, and purple hues enveloped it, causing all the rain to recede.

Meng Yuan, however, paid no attention to external affairs and was focused on preventing Dugu Sheng from making a move.

The nobles and slaves of Xiangji Kingdom had clearly never seen such a scene before. They had already been so intimidated by Dugu Sheng's imposing aura that they could hardly stand up straight. Now, they were even more prostrate on the ground, completely forgetting to chant Buddhist prayers, and instead howling and wailing incessantly.

Heaven and earth are ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs. Just like this rain, whether it is a nobleman adorned with colorful feathers or a slave crawling in the mud, all are subjected to this poisonous rain.

This poisonous rain was strange; the raindrops of various colors, when they touched people, either corroded their clothes and flesh, or drove them mad.

The nobles and slaves had no way to protect themselves, and their bodies were covered with small wounds. The blood mixed with the rainwater, and this poisonous rain was not fatal, but only tormented them. These nobles and slaves were injured inside and out, their skin and flesh rotting in pieces, as if thousands of ants were biting them from the inside. They tore their clothes and rolled around incessantly on the muddy ground.

For a time, this place seemed to have become a living hell.

Dugu Kang had been standing with his hands clasped together, seemingly detached from the situation, but upon hearing the mournful cries behind him, he turned around. He saw that the world was dark, the rain was like swords, and everyone was in great pain. Not only did they have wounds caused by the rain, but their hands were also scratching and tearing at each other, even pulling out flesh and revealing bones.

These thousands of nobles and slaves rolled in the mud, where mud and blood mingled, and heart-wrenching cries escaped their throats, as if they were trying to grasp at any chance of survival, yet succumbing to their fate.

Dugu Kang's calm and composed demeanor as a high monk was gone, replaced by surprise and horror, even more so than when he had faced his own father.

The nobles and slaves all prostrated themselves on the ground and rolled around, heading towards the dark pool, still murmuring words of salvation from the high priest.

But the mud was slippery, and they were suffering. They could not see the high priest to save them, and the poisonous rain was getting heavier and heavier. They completely lost their minds. Perhaps they had a burst of courage before they died. When they saw nobles falling into the mud, they grabbed them.

In an instant, many of the nobles who had come were surrounded by ten or even a hundred times more slaves, and then these slaves went mad and began to devour the nobles.

Dugu Kang stepped forward, wanting to lend a hand, but found himself powerless to do anything about it.

"Dust to dust, ashes to ashes, covered in mud, no longer able to distinguish between top and bottom." Dugu Kang clasped his hands together again and chanted, "So the Master has so many fellow practitioners."

"Junior sister, how do we save her?" Su Xin, after all, came from Yunshan Temple. Just now she was thinking about running away, but now she was planning how to save her.

Suwen had little experience to begin with, and this was the first time he had ever seen such a large-scale scene, so he couldn't help but feel flustered and quickly went forward to check.

Upon seeing this, Su Wen felt confused again. After calming himself down a bit, he said, "Actually, the poisonous rain is nothing. It's just that these people consume a lot of spices and herbs. Once they encounter this rain, the two interact, and the poisonous rain becomes even more potent, even blurring their minds."

"Whether it's medicine or poison, it's all just a matter of a single thought." Su Xin followed Su Wen, and she couldn't help but feel lost as well.

Su Xin turned around and saw that the high priest was still hunched over, holding his dragon-headed cane high in his hand, his robes billowing, his white hair and beard intertwined, his whole body bathed in the poisonous rain, yet bursting with vitality.

"High Priest!" Su Xin, her body shielded from the poisonous rain, opened her eyes wide. Her newly styled bald head still reflected faint glimpses of the various colors of the poisonous rain in the gloom. She shouted at Shui Xiangsheng's back, "It's one thing for you to kill nobles, but what have these slaves of Xiangji Kingdom done? Why did you harm them?"

The high priest, Shui Xiangsheng, didn't even turn to look at Su Xin, but just laughed wildly, "A slave is considered a human being?"

Su Xin was speechless.

At this moment, Mingyue, with her hand on her sword, stood with Meng Yuan. She had no time to pay attention to anything else and was focused on waiting for the sword's edge high in the sky.

The sky was filled with dark, heavy clouds, and though there were countless raindrops within them, the clouds seemed to have no connection with the raindrops.

The dark clouds originated from Dugu Sheng, a technique of his creation of heaven and earth, which caused darkness to descend upon the world, obscuring the sun and moon.

Standing beneath the dark clouds that obscure the sky, one feels a sense of fear and urge to retreat for no apparent reason; this is the source of the oppressive aura of a fourth-rank martial artist.

Mingyue was worldly-wise and naturally unafraid of these nameless and insignificant so-called pressures. In fact, she felt excited and even looked forward to Dugu Sheng drawing his sword—this was due to her competitive spirit and the habit of martial artists killing enemies of higher ranks.

Looking around, the land resembled a living hell. The dark clouds high in the sky seemed like gods who controlled the life and death of countless living beings, and the endless rain was like divine punishment for foolish mortals.

Seeing the tragic scene, Mingyue dared not move, but instead focused her mind even more, waiting for Dugu Sheng to make a move.

However, simply defending is not advisable, but Mingyue wanted to find out where Dugu Sheng was hiding, but to no avail.

Mingyue felt that from the endless dark clouds, and even from the thousands of gloomy places here, a Dugu Sheng might suddenly appear.

Thinking this, Mingyue glanced at Meng Yuan. The two had slept together hundreds of times, and there was already a tacit understanding in their eyes.

In this battle, Meng Yuan was naturally the main force, with Ming Yue as his assistant.

As for the others, they are none of our business. Even though martial artists have a tradition of killing enemies of higher ranks, Dugu Sheng is no ordinary person. He is a fourth-rank expert who is only one step away from entering the upper three ranks.

Mingyue had never witnessed Dugu Sheng in action, but Meng Yuan had the privilege of seeing it.

At that time, it was still Qingtian County. Dugu Sheng didn't even show his face when he saved Xi Yisheng. He just slashed his knife and shocked everyone.

Although Dugu Sheng retreated during the Songhe Prefecture Incident, there is no doubt that he was already a top-tier martial artist among the fourth-rank martial artists of his time.

Meng Yuan pressed his hand on the knife, and tiny flames ignited on his body. His eyes and even his seven orifices seemed to contain a faint flame.

Dugu Sheng still did not show his face.

The high priest Shui Xiangsheng was delirious. He didn't care about the battle between Meng Yuan and the others and Dugu Sheng. He just stared intently at Gan Wulin.

Gan Wulin held the short ruler in his hand, but he was clearly still wary of Shui Xiangsheng.

“I don’t know how many people will die this time. Senior brother, killing too many lives will surely incur divine retribution,” Gan Wulin said. “We healers save lives and heal the wounded, which is already going against the will of Heaven. Why should we fear divine retribution?” High Priest Shui Xiang held up his dragon-headed cane in one hand and pulled out his long beard and white hair with the other.

Shui Xiangsheng was already extremely old, his face devoid of flesh and blood, only a layer of wrinkled skin covering his bones. But now, his face had come back to life, and his eyes were no longer cloudy and dull, as if he were experiencing a final burst of energy before death.

"My family still has this little girl. Let's fight to the death, my fellow disciples!" Shui Xiangsheng strode out, his body surging with azure light. He didn't care about the heavy dark clouds in the sky or the hidden Dugu Sheng. He stepped directly onto the dark pool.

Rainwater splashed on the deep pool, but for Shui Xiangsheng, fortunately, he was stepping on the broken bronze mirror, moving forward step by step, fearless and undaunted.

Gan Wulin smiled in response and said, "I would like to hear your brilliant skills, Senior Brother!"

As he spoke, Gan Wulin floated up and landed on the surface of the deep pool.

Through the rain, Su Xin watched from afar. She saw Meng Yuan and Ming Yue standing by the pool, waiting for their moment to strike, while the high priest Shui Xiang Sheng and Gan Wu Lin seemed to have turned the pool into a battleground.

The pool churned and churned, with water plants sprouting and fish and turtles leaping out. The two brothers moved gracefully, but their power seemed ordinary. Yet, every time they made a move, a strange aura emanated from them.

Su Xin felt that the two brothers seemed to be poisoned, desperately trying to get the antidote from each other.

"Junior sister, who do you think will win?" Su Xin asked Su Wen, who was busy saving people one by one.

Suwen had calmed down by now. She took the hands of each person in front of her, channeling her divine energy into them, and saved them one by one.

“We can’t win against any of them.” Suwen’s forehead was covered in sweat, her beautiful face was a little pale, and her monk’s robe was covered in mud. “Those fellow disciples are all too selfish. If they are not good doctors, how can they be good prime ministers?”

“Amitabha, a wise man’s opinion…” Dugu Kang was about to respond when he saw Su Xin frowning at him, so he swallowed his words.

Dugu Kang's realm was higher than Su Xin's, and his abilities were also greater. Even if Su Xin and Su Wen joined forces, Dugu Kang could still defeat them. However, Dugu Kang was a natural fool, even worse than Xiang Ling, so he didn't dare to say much to them.

"Junior Sister," Su Xin glanced at Dugu Kang with annoyance, then looked at Meng Yuan and Ming Yue by the pool and asked, "Junior Sister, do you think Senior Brother Meng can win?"

Upon hearing this, Suwen paused for a moment, then looked up at Meng Yuan in the dense rain.

Although Suwen was a nun, she had been a physician at Yunshan Temple since childhood, and her ability to see people and things was inevitably different from that of ordinary people.

Upon looking at him, Suwen felt that this Senior Brother Meng was in the wind and rain, with a faint flame on his body, yet it was harmonious and unified, as if his body and mind were in perfect harmony with this world, so much so that even the tiny flame on his body could resonate with the thousands of raindrops.

Suwen felt that if this world was sick, then Senior Brother Meng was the perfect medicine, and the most suitable one at that.

Dugu Kang also looked intently at this moment, and saw Meng Yuan and Mingyue standing side by side, the two like a golden couple, but their temperaments were distinct and different.

The bright moon was restrained, yet it could not suppress the sharpness of a sword, like a precious sword hidden in its sheath, waiting for its icy light to fill the world.

Meng Yuan stood there, his body ablaze with fire, as if he were the very essence of heaven and earth.

“We can win.” Suwen nodded firmly. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Many people have died in Songhe Prefecture, and Senior Brother Meng is taking the first step towards revenge. Besides, the benevolent are invincible. I’ve heard Benefactor Xiang say that Senior Brother Meng is the most benevolent and righteous.”

“Yes! Although Senior Brother Meng is a bit lecherous, he is a capable man. How could he possibly be a gigolo for Benefactor Ying San?” Su Xin felt much more at ease when her junior sister said this. Seeing Su Wen lower her head to save people again, she knew she couldn’t help much, so she put her hands on her hips, glared at Dugu Kang, and shouted, “Don’t try anything funny. I’m watching you!”

"..." Dugu Kang was scolded for no reason, but he didn't argue back. He just said, "It's good enough that I'm not being implicated. What ulterior motives could I possibly have? Don't wrong an innocent person!"

Dugu Kang felt extremely wronged.

Meng Yuan completely ignored the two brothers killing each other in the dark pool, and only waited for Dugu Sheng to make a move.

Sure enough, the dark clouds in the sky began to churn, with faint glints of sword light emanating from them. Each time the sword light appeared slightly, an overwhelming killing intent pressed down.

After a long period of preparation, Meng Yuan saw the dark clouds above the valley suddenly part and create a gap.

A faint, dark, and desolate sword light emerged from the crevice.

The sword light showed no power, but in an instant it became vast and boundless, as if it carried the power of heaven and earth, as if it had borrowed the power of the gods.

Mingyue stared blankly up at the sword light, feeling as if it had originated from the ripples of the dark clouds, yet seemed to come from all directions, making it virtually impossible to avoid.

In particular, this sword light contained absolutely no hint of righteousness or honor; on the contrary, it was eerie and terrifying, seemingly descending from the heavens as if it came from the depths of hell.

Sure enough, the sword light was extremely fast, and the dark clouds in the sky grew even thicker.

"I'll do it." Meng Yuan stepped forward and stood in front of Mingyue.

Mingyue saw Meng Yuan rise up, just as he had done to Zhu Zhenren and Liannu, transforming into a streak of flame.

The flames weaved through the myriad raindrops, but the rain did not extinguish the fire. Instead, it seemed to embrace all rivers, absorbing a great deal of rainwater, and the fire actually grew stronger.

Even so, the flame was reduced to a thin line, appearing extremely faint. Under the sudden rain and wind, it seemed like a wildfire in spring, about to be extinguished by the spring water.

Dugu Kang also sensed the commotion. He looked up blankly and saw the dim sword light covering a section of the sky and earth, pressing down with immense force, as if a single sword strike was about to cleave this place into the deepest hell.

The faint line of fire, like a red butterfly adrift in a storm, was rising upwards, determined to meet the sword light.

"Mayflies see the blue sky but are not afraid of it; they are born in the morning and die at dusk. Is he going to become a mayfly?" Dugu Kang muttered to himself.

"Mayflies have short lifespans; how can they see all the sun, moon, and stars in a single day? My life is finite, but knowledge is infinite. Meng Fei admires the wonder of the mayfly, but he would never become one." Suddenly, a gentle voice sounded from behind.

Dugu Kang felt that the voice was very familiar, somewhat annoying, yet also somewhat endearing.

Turning around, I saw a man dressed in a magnificent robe that only nobles of the Xiangji Kingdom could wear, draped in colorful feathers, but unfortunately, he was bald, making him look out of place.

"Unhook the screen?" Dugu Kang frowned.

"Good junior brother." Jie Kaiping bowed his head and put his palms together in a salute, but his clothes were too fine, and he didn't have the demeanor of a monk at all.

(End of this chapter)