Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 187 White hair like new acquaintances, instant acquaintances like old friends
When Jiang Mingzhe was a child, he read a fable about a frog that envied a cow. So the frog inhaled and puffed out its belly, asking its companion if it was as big as the cow.

The companion said, "No, no, not at all!" The frog continued to inhale and puff out its belly, several times until its belly burst.

This fable illustrates a principle: frogs are good at inflating themselves!

Most of the Xingxiu School's kung fu is subtle and ruthless, with many feints, but this Toad Devouring Heaven Fist is a straightforward approach. It gathers energy and explodes in a very short time, just like a toad catching its prey, opening its big mouth and swallowing it whole.

The term "frog" is a general term for both frogs and toads.

Jiang Mingzhe's punch unleashed a burst of internal energy, truly giving the frog that had died from its disembowelment a chance to vent its anger!
If this were a comic strip, it would depict the moment he fought the bearded monk when a giant frog, bigger than an ox, puffed up its belly and smashed the ox's horns, causing the ox to collapse with a miserable cry.

Even so, Jiang Mingzhe held back, only using his internal energy and not his poison skills. Otherwise, with this move "Toad Opens Its Mouth," the poison gas would have sprayed out, and the monk would have died on the spot!
This bearded monk was the senior disciple of Pumen Temple in this generation. Among the monks present, he was the most skilled in martial arts. Unexpectedly, he couldn't even last a single move against Jiang Mingzhe, which greatly surprised the other monks.

Jiang Mingzhe did not pursue the matter, but simply smiled and said, "That's good. You've been spared the trouble of traveling. Now please return to your temple and meditate and chant sutras."

Several monks helped the bearded monk up. The bearded monk closed his eyes and regulated his breathing for a while. After catching his breath, he stared at Jiang Mingzhe with a complicated look for a moment, and said with a wry smile, "We monks have little experience in the martial world. Only today do we realize what it means to be narrow-minded. The Four Heroes of the World are indeed worthy of their reputation. We monks will remember them."

Having said that, he shouted, "Let's go!"

The monks, their faces flushed, helped their eldest brother and hurried away.

Jiang Mingzhe sighed and looked at Murong Fu, saying, "Brother Murong, someone in the martial arts world is maliciously distorting the facts. They want to turn Brother Xiao into a public enemy!"

Murong Fu frowned and nodded. He wanted to use the pretext of helping Xiao Feng to step on Shaolin Temple, but he didn't want to become the enemy of the martial arts world. Seeing the situation, he hesitated for a moment.

Deng Baichuan pondered and said, "This may not be a bad thing. If Xiao Feng harbors hatred towards the Song Dynasty warriors, he will be even more grateful for your help, young master. As for the Song Dynasty warriors, there is no need to worry. Those who maliciously target Xiao Feng are obviously plotting something big. If we expose their plot, the Song Dynasty warriors will not be fooled, but will also have to accept our favor."

Murong Fu was relieved and smiled, saying, "That's right!"

Wang Yuyan watched them talk and sighed inwardly: "My cousin is a bit hesitant. A real man should have no regrets once he's made a move. He wants to win over my older brother to serve him, but if he doesn't seem to have enough courage and determination, how can my older brother truly help him? No, I need to talk to him about this."

So that night, while everyone was resting, Wang Yuyan quietly came to Murong Fu's room and gently knocked on the door. Murong Fu asked, "Who is it?" Wang Yuyan said, "Cousin, it's me. Open the door, I have something to tell you."

Unexpectedly, Murong Fu remained silent for a moment before replying, "Yu Yan, although we are cousins, boys should avoid their mothers and girls should avoid their fathers, let alone cousins ​​like us. Well, you should go back. If Ming Zhe finds out that you came looking for me in the middle of the night, he will definitely be unhappy."

Wang Yuyan trembled. She had intended to tell Murong Fu that one needed the demeanor of a powerful leader to win over a genius like Jiang Mingzhe, but she hadn't expected him to say such a thing. A storm raged within her: her cousin clearly thought she was trying to seduce him! They had grown up together, yet he regarded her as a shameless person!
Her eyes reddened, tears streamed down her face, and without uttering a word, she turned and left.

Back in her room, still feeling miserable, she stood silently for a while. Suddenly, she went out and walked towards Jiang Mingzhe's place.

There weren't any large inns in this small town. The tavern where they stayed had about ten rooms, scattered around the garden, so they weren't worried about being overheard.

Wang Yuyan turned past two flower walls and came to Jiang Mingzhe's door. She knocked on the door twice in a fit of pique, and the door creaked open. Jiang Mingzhe looked at her and showed a hint of surprise: "Little sister, it's so late, why aren't you asleep yet? Are you afraid of the dark? If you are, why don't you go sleep with Zhong Ling?"

Wang Yuyan looked up at him and said, "As a woman, knocking on a man's door so late at night, do you think I'm frivolous and lowly?"

Jiang Mingzhe was visibly taken aback, then chuckled: "What nonsense are you spouting? I know you, why would I think that? You came to see me because you have something to say, right?"

His eyes were clear and his expression sincere, yet he spoke a seemingly pointless statement with such conviction that Wang Yuyan couldn't help but smile. She quickly composed herself and said, "You've only known me for a few days? Do you really know me that well?"

Jiang Mingzhe thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "I don't know much about you. Well, you're a genius girl, proud and arrogant, but also well-educated and reasonable. That's all I know. But whether it's your pride or your well-educated and reasonable nature, you don't seem to fit the description of frivolousness, do you?"

Wang Yuyan blinked, feeling her grievances and unhappiness vanish without her noticing. She whispered, "Genius girl, genius girl, that sounds nice. Big brother, tell me, why is it that some people, even after knowing each other for a long time, don't seem to understand each other as well as someone you've just met?"

Jiang Mingzhe laughed and said, "White hair can feel like new acquaintances, and instant acquaintances can feel like old friends. Isn't this a common occurrence in life?"

Seeing his gentle smile and calm tone, especially bathed in moonlight, which made him appear even more elegant and handsome, Wang Yuyan suddenly couldn't resist teasing him. She deliberately tilted her head and frowned, saying, "Is this normal? I don't understand why people who have grown old together can still seem like strangers, while those who meet for the first time can still feel like old friends?"

She thought that pressing the issue so relentlessly was already a form of unreasonable behavior, and she figured the other person wouldn't be able to come up with a reasonable explanation, so they would just try to coax her to sleep like a child.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Mingzhe casually said, "It's all about fate. If you're destined to meet, you'll meet even if you're a thousand miles apart; if you're not, you won't meet even if you're face to face. That's what it means to have a connection but not to have one. If you grow old together, you'll feel like new friends; if you meet someone for the first time, you'll feel like old friends. That's what it means to have a shallow connection but a deep connection."

"!" Wang Yuyan's eyes widened suddenly, thinking, "Yes, isn't that the truth?"
Little did she know that Jiang Mingzhe was just making things up to fool her. Otherwise, if he had talked to her about magnetic fields, values, or backward compatibility, would she even be able to sleep tonight?
She's just a little girl, don't take it so seriously. If she asks, it's fate. If she keeps asking, I might as well talk to her about astrology—you're a Virgo, and your cousin is a Leo. He'll get impatient with your seriousness and nitpicking, and you'll dislike his carelessness...

Wang Yuyan had no idea what Jiang Mingzhe was thinking. Reflecting on the phrase "deep or shallow fate," she felt a profound mystery. She thought, "No wonder Mom never liked my cousin, and Grandpa wanted to marry me off to my older brother. It turns out my fate with my cousin was shallow, while my fate with my older brother was deep. Sigh, I thought I was just shallow-minded, that I was falling for my older brother because he was handsome and talented. It scared me to death! It's all fate. I'll always be a good, honest girl..."

Thinking about it, she couldn't help but smile. Just as she was about to say a few more words to Jiang Mingzhe, she suddenly heard Zhong Ling shout fiercely, "Make way, make way, the boiling water is here!"

(End of this chapter)