From a refugee to a martial artist

Chapter 370 Senior Brother
Yongshui Prefecture is located in the southwest, far from the capital. News from the capital takes two months to reach here, let alone knowing the specific situation there.

Seeing that he couldn't get any information out of him, Meng Yuan decided not to stay any longer and was about to leave when Zhu Qianhu stopped him again.

“When Commander Meng passed by here last time, the Grand Eunuch already knew. She sent a letter half a month ago, saying that if she encountered you, she should pass it on to me.” Commander Zhu took out a wooden box and presented it with both hands.

"Why didn't you say so sooner?" Jie Kaiping loved watching the excitement, and now he was even more anxious than Meng Yuan and Mingyue.

Meng Yuan took the wooden box, opened it, and found a sealed letter inside.

Upon opening the letter, he only wrote a few words and didn't say much else, just that something had happened in the country and that Meng Yuan should return as soon as he received the letter and not delay.

The letter didn't mention any changes or the condition of the Ying family; it only said that Meng Yuan's family was safe and sound, seemingly to reassure Meng Yuan.

He gave the letter to Mingyue, who then gave it to Dugu Kang. Only after Dugu Kang untied the screen did he dare to approach and look at it.

Since Wang Er had sent a letter urging him to hurry, it was clear that the situation was urgent. Meng Yuan stopped arguing and immediately got up.

After bidding farewell to Commander Zhu and leaving the command post, Meng Yuan was about to hurry north when Jie Kaiping caught up with him and tugged at his sleeve.

Jie Kaiping grabbed Meng Yuan and pointed to the bustling street. There, a man wearing a linen robe, a wide straw hat, and a cane was sitting at a roadside tea stall, drinking tea.

It's already August, the height of summer, so it's not surprising that people on the street are dressed like this.

Meng Yuan hadn't paid much attention before, but after Jie Kaiping reminded him, he realized something was wrong.

"It's a bald monk." Dugu Kang was also the most capable of recognizing the aura of his kind.

Sure enough, as soon as Dugu Kang spoke, the man adjusted his straw hat and looked over in their direction.

He was an old man with a weathered face, as if he had experienced countless storms. His eyes were slightly cloudy, but his face looked kind.

“Master Jiu Jie?” Meng Yuan immediately stepped forward.

This person was none other than the Buddhist master of the fourth grade, ninth kalpa, who had come west with the Arhat Wusheng. At that time, he was defeated by Meng Yuan, his body was pierced by star fire, and he became a disciple of Lanruo Temple.

After the monk Zhitong broke through to the third level of cultivation, the abbot of Lanruo Temple, Zhiguan, left, and Jiujie also went far away with Zhiguan.

I thought they were just travelers on a long journey, but I never expected to meet them here.

Master Jiujie stood up, leaning on his wooden staff with one hand and bowing slightly forward with the other.

“I heard that you went to distant lands to seek the Dao. I thought you had suffered some setbacks because you had not returned for so long. But my senior brother said that you would definitely return safely. He was right.” Master Jiujie spoke kindly. After bowing to Meng Yuan and Mingyue, he looked at Jie Kaiping and Dugu Kang and bowed, saying, “Greetings, fellow Daoists.”

Jie Kaiping and Dugu Kang returned the greeting without saying a word, feeling quite curious.

"Is my senior brother here?" Meng Yuan asked.

“We have been here for several days, but have not had any dealings with the local garrison.” Monk Jiujie reached out and led the way.

Meng Yuan immediately followed without questioning, figuring that even if there was a trap, this person was no match for him.

Dugu Kang and Jie Kaiping followed behind Meng Yuan. The two of them treated the monks from the Western Buddhist Kingdom with more affection than they would their own fathers, and they had already pushed Mingyue to the back.

"I heard that you, Senior Brother, are traveling with Abbot Zhiguan of Lanruo Temple. What brings you here?" Jie Kaiping asked curiously. "This old monk is traveling with Senior Brother Zhiguan, intending to visit the Demon Kingdom. However, we encountered an unexpected turn of events. Elder Hua of the Demon Kingdom asked me to wait for Benefactor Meng here, and I happened to meet Benefactor Meng's senior brother." Monk Jiujie looked at the gourd at Meng Yuan's waist and smiled slightly, saying, "Congratulations on your further progress, Benefactor."

"Master, do you know what changes have occurred outside?" Dugu Kang asked.

"I can't say for sure." Master Jiujie was also a little confused. "Roughly speaking, it was some Arhat who came out of the mountain, wanting to take it a step further, to set up Buddha statues all over the world, and to attain the Bodhisattva realm."

Master Jiujie added, "This old monk is only guessing, so it can't be taken as fact. Benefactor Lin has already arrived. He is a key figure in the Demon Suppression Division, so he probably knows more than we do."

"Besides my senior brother, who else is there?" Meng Yuan asked.

"Mr. and Mrs. Lin have come hand in hand," said Master Jiujie.

That means Yuan Yaoniang has also arrived.

"Elder Hua sent you to wait for me here. What does she want to do?" Meng Yuan asked.

"Elder Hua only said that if you have crossed the three steps of Ascension to Heaven, please make a trip to the Demon Kingdom." As he spoke, Monk Jiujie took out two letters.

One letter was left by Hua Suzhi, only saying that there was a path to heaven for martial artists in the demon kingdom, a whetstone for sharpening their swords. The other letter was left by Elder Miaoyin, saying that there were many extraordinary women in the demon kingdom, and she hoped that Meng Yuan would visit them.

The letter was snatched away by Dugu Kang and Jie Kaiping, but Meng Yuan knew that these two elders from the demon kingdom probably wanted him to do something.

But Li Weizhen, a third-rank martial artist, has already left. What can a fourth-rank martial artist like himself do if he goes? Even if there is a real opportunity to break through the third rank and enter the upper three ranks, Meng Yuan's heart is still set on Qing Guangzi.

The group couldn't come up with a conclusion. After leaving Yongshui Prefecture through the north gate and traveling another half mile, they came to a low hill with lush trees and a Taoist temple.

The Taoist temple looked quite old, indicating that it had been there for many years.

The gate was half open, and before we even entered, we could hear voices coming from inside the Taoist temple.

"As long as the Third Miss is alright, there are tall people to carry the sky if it falls. Let's just treat this as an outing! Look at Junior Brother, he's been wandering around for half a year. I heard someone saw him riding a horse with a woman. Tsk tsk tsk, what kind of princess or noble lady can resist Junior Brother's coaxing!" This was clearly Lin Yan speaking.

Mingyue walked to the gate with her hand on her sword. She saw that the Taoist temple was very small, even more simple than Chongxu Temple. There was only one courtyard inside, with a wooden table and stools under a paulownia tree. Lin Yan was drinking tea and chatting with Yuan Yaoniang.

Meng Yuan also looked over, and saw that after more than half a year, Lin Yan still looked the same, but perhaps because he had been able to accompany Yuan Yaoniang for a long time, he seemed to have become younger.

The woman, Yuan Yaoniang, was dressed in a plain white dress and sat on a wooden stool.

Lin Yan held a round fan and smiled as he fanned Yuan Yaoniang.

"Why do I smell the scent of the little castrator?" Suddenly, a small creature jumped out of Yuan Yaoniang's arms. It was brown-skinned, white-bellied, and had a small bundle on its back. It was none other than Xiangling.

This time she didn't wear a hair accessory, perhaps because it was too hot.

Xiangling stood up, climbed onto Yuan Yaoniang's shoulder, and used her little paws as a sunshade to look around.

She stared blankly for a moment before noticing the people outside the gate. Then, she happily jumped off Yuan Yaoniang's shoulder and ran straight over.

Xiangling quickly arrived in front of Meng Yuan. Seeing that Meng Yuan was not missing any arms or legs, she jumped onto Meng Yuan's body, stood on his left shoulder, and stretched her little head to look at Meng Yuan. "Little castrator, how come you've become even more handsome?"

(End of this chapter)