Lady, let me explain.

Chapter 40 Shaolin
Guo Jing, Lin Yi and others went out to greet them, and saw a large group of people entering one after another.

Shaolin sent more than ten monks, led by two old monks who looked radiant and extraordinary.

The leaders of Wudang and Emei were respectively an old Taoist and an old nun, both of whom were not well-known.

Zhang Sanfeng of the Wudang Sect was not concerned with worldly affairs, the Five Heroes were trapped in the Western Regions, and Yu Daying was paralyzed in bed, so there was no one capable of taking on the important task.

The Emei Sect suffered even worse, as its leader and elites were all captured in one fell swoop.

In addition, there were some people from the underworld who came with them, most of whom came to watch the fun.

"I am a poor monk, Xuannan. I am honored to meet Mr. Guo, Gang Leader Huang, and Sect Leader Lin."

The old monks headed by Shaolin saluted one by one. Guo Jing heard that he was a senior monk of the Xuan generation, so he did not dare to neglect him and quickly returned the greeting: "Guo Jing greets Master Xuannan."

Lin Yi glanced at the dozen or so monks and saw that they were all skilled fighters. He was impressed by the profound heritage of Shaolin Temple.

In terms of the number and quality of masters, I am afraid that no other sect in the world can compare with Shaolin.

Everyone greeted each other and exchanged greetings.

Xuan Nan looked at Zhao Min beside Lin Yi and asked, "This noble lady must be Princess Shao Min, right?"

All eyes converged at once, and everyone in the martial arts world knew that the five major sects had been kidnapped by Prince Ruyang's Mansion. When they saw the culprit, Zhao Min, they all glared at her angrily!

Zhao Min fanned herself with her hands behind her back, smiling faintly, "Old monk, you have a keen eye."

When others saw her, a hostage among a bunch of Central Plains martial arts masters, yet she was unafraid and composed, even the enemies were amazed.

Xuan Nan then said to Lin Yi, "The five major sects are trapped in the Western Regions this time, and we are helpless. Fortunately, Sect Leader Lin was a mastermind and resolved the crisis. Sect Leader Lin is indebted to Shaolin."

Lin Yi said, "With the enemy at hand, the Central Plains martial arts community must work together to overcome this difficult time. I have only contributed my part, so it's not worth mentioning."

Seeing that Lin Yi had an extraordinary bearing and spoke in a dignified and appropriate manner, everyone was filled with admiration when they recalled the rumors about him.

"Master Lin is very righteous," Xuannan said, bowing, "but I have a request."

"Three days from now, it will be two months. Those Mongolian masters are already watching covetously from the shadows. If Princess Shao Min is rescued by them, all of Sect Leader Lin's plans will be wasted, and the five major sects will be in imminent danger."

"So, I request Master Lin to have the Shaolin people also protect Princess Shao Min. This way, we will be absolutely safe."

Although Xuan Nan's words were subtle, the smart people present could hear the deeper meaning in his words.

It’s more like surveillance than protection.

Shaolin must want to hold Zhao Min, the only bargaining chip, in its own hands to ensure that the situation does not get out of control.

But after all, it was Lin Yi who captured the person, so he had to give face to the Huashan Sect and compromised.

Zhao Min's pretty face turned cold, and she tugged at Lin Yi's sleeve calmly... She didn't want to be monitored by a few monks.

Even without her reminder, how could Lin Yi bear to let another man stare at Zhao Min all day long?

He smiled faintly: "Since it is an unreasonable request, why did Master Xuannan say it out loud?"

Everyone present, including Guo Jing and Huang Rong, were stunned. They did not expect Lin Yi to directly reject Xuan Nan and not show any mercy to Shaolin.

Suddenly, the monk beside Xuan Nan said coldly, "If this demon girl is rescued, and the five major sects have no hope of returning, what will Sect Leader Lin do?"

Suddenly, Lin Yi burst into laughter, and everyone was puzzled by his laughter. "She's been rescued, so forget it! Please think of another way to rescue her."

"My Huashan Sect traveled all the way to Bright Summit to annihilate the Demon Sect, suffering heavy casualties. Upon hearing of the danger faced by the five major sects, we immediately extended a helping hand. Even if our mission failed and we didn't receive any credit, would that still be a fault?"

Everyone present was from a respectable and reasonable family. After hearing what Lin Yi said, they could not find any fault with it and all agreed in their hearts.

The monk sighed again, "Master Lin, what you said is absolutely true. We are all grateful for Master Lin's kindness... but we are worried that Master Lin has lost his mind by spending so much time with this enchanting woman."

Zhao Min was furious when she heard this. Before she could open her mouth to refute him, she heard Lin Yi say, "As the saying goes, a gentleman seeks a beautiful lady. This enchanting woman is so stunningly beautiful that she can shame the moon and the flowers. It's not surprising that I'm captivated by her... But what does it have to do with an old monk like you?"

When Lin Yi said this in public, Zhao Min's anger disappeared instantly and she felt extremely ashamed.

Everyone present also had strange expressions. Originally, the monk said that Lin Yi and Zhao Min were in opposition between good and evil, and Lin Yi used the love between men and women to resolve the conflict... Everyone could only say that he was true to his nature.

Suddenly, Lin Yi's tone turned cold: "On the contrary, you, a monk, who has been practicing Zen and seeking enlightenment for many years, don't even know the three precepts of greed, anger and ignorance?"

"I haven't done anything yet, yet you're pointing fingers at me. How can you tell me what to do?"

"Now that the five major sects haven't been rescued yet and the external enemies haven't retreated, you're already trying to grab the credit? You want to challenge me!"

The yard suddenly became quiet!
Lin Yi's internal strength was so high that when he got angry he exerted an extraordinary pressure. The monk was already sweating profusely.

All the people in the martial arts world never thought that Lin Yi was so fierce. He scolded the old monk in public and did not give Shaolin any face at all!
I've heard that this guy is young and hot-tempered, and he's indeed a troublemaker... I must never provoke him in the future, otherwise I'll be scolded in public and lose face!

For a moment, everyone was afraid of getting into trouble, so no one dared to say anything. Only Guo Jing hurriedly tried to dissuade them.

"Master Lin, calm down. This master simply misspoke and never meant anything by that. With the enemy at hand, we must unite against them!"

Xuan Nan also hurriedly said, "I want to protect Princess Shao Min, and I only want to ensure that nothing goes wrong. I have no intention of stealing the credit. Since Sect Leader Lin is unwilling, then let's drop this matter."

Lin Yi smiled but said nothing.

Of course he knew what the Shaolin Temple was like. It was a place for people to worship Buddha and meditate, but in terms of its behavior, it was no different from other martial arts sects that were vying for fame and fortune.

Take the abbot Xuanci, for example. He pretended to be the leader and committed evil. He then evaded responsibility, resulting in the deaths of many innocent people.

He had an affair with Ye Erniang, who fell into evil ways and killed countless babies. However, Xuan Ci turned a blind eye to her actions and allowed her to harm the world in order to cover up the scandal.

So Lin Yi certainly wouldn't give Shaolin any good face. He knew that respect was earned through fighting, and blindly giving in would only make people get more demanding.

After such a farce, of course, the party ended on bad terms. They agreed to meet again in three days and returned to their respective inns.

Zhou Zhiruo had recovered from the cold poison long ago, so of course there was no reason for her to follow Lin Yi anymore. After saying goodbye, she left with the disciples of Emei Sect.

"Don't look, there's no one there!"

Lin Yi retracted his gaze and said with a smile: "Minmin, let's go back too."

Ever since coming down from Mount Hua, Yue Lingshan was not around, and he had called her that countless times. Zhao Min had no way of doing anything about it and had long been accustomed to it.

"Who are you calling? I'm a witch!" Zhao Min twisted her waist and turned away.

Lin Yi followed, scanning the crowd and silently paying attention to his surroundings.

(End of this chapter)