Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 231 Unparalleled Female Power
Although the voice was female, its strength and boldness were no less than that of any man.

Moreover, the sound was like a rolling tide, overwhelming the entire area, and it was impossible to tell where the speaker was from.

Jiang Mingzhe narrowed his eyes, thinking that in this world, there was probably no one else besides the great female lead of the Tianshan Lingjiu Palace who possessed such skill and dared to call Ding Chunqiu a bastard.

Pretending not to know, he raised his voice and shouted, "Demons and monsters, you're just playing tricks! Show yourselves at once!"

His shout revealed astonishing internal strength, even affecting Azi, who covered her ears and complained softly, "Oh dear, what Big Ginger said is wrong. Only the wicked monk Fahai would say such a thing. We ourselves are demons and monsters. Do you expect me to reveal the true form of the Great White Snake?"

Then the same voice chuckled coldly, "Hehehe, very well, very well. It seems that no one takes Grandma seriously anymore since she hasn't shown her face in the martial world for so long. Fine, fine, today I'll use your blood to wash away the nameplate of Lingjiu Palace."

As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of string and bamboo music filled the air, and then the east and west walls lit up simultaneously. Hundreds of people, dressed in various strange and unusual ways, leaped onto the walls at the same time, each holding a huge lantern. The hundreds of lanterns shone brightly, making it as bright as day.

Then dozens of women wearing cloaks walked in pairs through the broken mountain gate. The first eight women scattered fragrant flowers, followed by more than ten women who played musical instruments as they walked, producing melodious and pleasant sounds.

Jiang Mingzhe blinked, thinking to himself that the old immortal Xingxiu in the original work learned his mannerisms from his senior uncle.
Then, eight more women entered and stood still. They turned around and waved, and golden brocades flew out from their sleeves, forming a glittering golden path in the air. Four women appeared carrying an extremely luxurious sedan chair. They used their lightness skills to step on the golden brocades and entered the door with an ethereal aura, gently falling down with the golden brocades.

After these procedures were completed, hundreds of people on both sides of the wall shouted in unison: "Welcome the Palace Master of Lingjiu Palace on Misty Peak of Tianshan, the Immortal Granny of Tianshan!"

The Lingjiu Palace made a grand entrance, and the crowd that was fighting fiercely was intimidated by its aura and stopped fighting and retreated. In front of the Vajra Hall were the Shaolin and Beggar Clan members, and on both sides of the wall were the heroes who had come at the invitation. Inside the mountain gate were a group of women from the Lingjiu Palace, with Jiang Mingzhe and others standing in the middle.

Murong Fu looked around, his expression changing slightly, and said in a low voice, "Brother, why do we seem to have become the target of everyone's criticism? How can we continue to be the leader of the martial arts alliance?"

Jiang Mingzhe said, "It's alright, it's all within my expectations. Everyone just follow my lead!"

He was just offering a casual reassurance, but Murong Fu believed him without a doubt, nodding his head and staring intently into his eyes.

Jiang Mingzhe glanced towards Lingjiu Palace, his eyes darting around, and shouted sternly, "Hey! This ancient temple, this solemn Zen forest, how dare you scoundrels trespass? If you know what's good for you, get out of here right now, or even Buddha has a temper, and I'm afraid you won't be able to withstand the thunderous wrath of my Shaolin monks!"

No one expected Jiang Mingzhe to utter such righteous and stern words, so even the music stopped, and the whole place was silent for a moment. Xiao Yuanshan burst into laughter, Kumārajīva couldn't help but smile, and Azi jumped up and down with joy: "Yes, yes, yes, drive all these women out! Our Shaolin Temple is not a place that just anyone can come to!"

They were still dressed as young novice monks. A'Zhu was extremely skilled at disguise. Although others heard her speak in a female voice, they wondered if it was because she was a young novice monk and her voice was androgynous.

Then a sinister laugh came from inside the sedan chair: "Women can't enter the temple? Little monk Xuanci, why don't you come and talk to your grandmother in person and see if women can enter your little temple?"

Jiang Mingzhe immediately roared, "Hey! Our Abbot Xuanci is a highly respected and virtuous elder, how dare you call him a little monk? Where are Xuanbei and Xuanku? Seize him!"

Xuanbei, nearly dying from the draining power, lay there for a long time before finally regaining consciousness and opening his eyes. Hearing this, he was so enraged that his eyelids rolled back, and he refused to live any longer. The person in the sedan chair sneered, "This old lady and Zen Master Lingmen are equals. When I visited Shaolin Temple, Xuanci even prepared foot bath water for me. How can I not call him a little monk? Little monk, tell me, can I enter your Shaolin Temple?"

Xuan Ci was initially confused by the names Lingjiu Palace and Tianshan Tonglao, but upon hearing that they had a connection with his master, Zen Master Lingmen, he suddenly recalled a mysterious and powerful figure he had received decades ago when he was just over twenty years old!
Recalling his master's evaluation of this person's martial arts skills back then, he was both surprised and delighted. He was surprised because this person was unpredictable and even his own master dared not offend him back then, speaking cautiously. He was delighted because this person's martial arts skills were superb, and he also had a good relationship with his master. Judging from what he just said, he was not on good terms with Jiang Mingzhe's sect.

He quickly replied, "In the eyes of Buddha, all beings are equal, and virtuous men and women are all the same. Senior, your esteemed presence is an honor to welcome you from the bottom of the mountain; that would be impolite of me to refuse you entry."

Jiang Mingzhe was greatly surprised and said, "Xuanci, how can you, the abbot, be so spineless? I know, back when you were fetching water for someone to wash their feet, did you see how beautiful their small feet were, and have been thinking about them for decades, which is why you were willing to make an exception? Oh dear, so you, a monk, actually had a child with a woman because you saw her beautiful feet back then and were tempted by worldly desires?"

Xuan Ci was furious upon hearing this and said, "Demon, this senior is a friend of my master. It's one thing for you to insult me, but how dare you speak nonsense and implicate the senior?"

Jiang Mingzhe shook his head and smiled, then looked at the sedan chair and complained, "Grandma, I said your feet are beautiful, but this monk said I was talking nonsense!"

Xuan Ci was secretly delighted: Brilliant! This beast brought it upon himself!
Unexpectedly, the old woman in the sedan chair was not angry. She chuckled softly and said calmly, "You little rascal, you don't need to bully the little monk. Although my feet are beautiful, he is not fortunate enough to see them, much less to wash them."

Azi secretly nudged Zhong Ling: "Did you hear that? Even the privilege of having your feet washed isn't something everyone gets. Tell me, am I good to you?"

Jiang Mingzhe laughed and said, "So this monk didn't wash Grandma's feet. I know now. He couldn't forget your face at first sight, but he couldn't resist his worldly desires and finally found a woman and had a child."

The old woman exclaimed in surprise, "This little monk has become the abbot of Shaolin Temple, yet he's so unruly?"

Xuan Ci blushed with embarrassment and whispered, "Senior, don't listen to this demon's nonsense!"

Granny Tong laughed and said, "What's wrong with talking nonsense? Life is long, and I, Granny, prefer to listen to people's nonsense to pass the time. This boy has a sharp tongue and a thick skin, and he's actually quite likable. It's a pity, a pity, that he's actually that beast Ding Chunqiu's apprentice, and he's even learned another scoundrel's lightness skill. But Granny cherishes talent. If you're willing to cripple your martial arts, I can spare your life, cut off your hands and feet, and keep you in a jar to keep Granny company and relieve her boredom."

When Xuan Ci first heard Tong Lao praising Jiang Mingzhe, his face turned ashen, but upon hearing the rest of her words, he couldn't help but smile.

Jiang Mingzhe's eyebrows twitched as he recalled an old story: Back in Wuliang Mountain of Dali Kingdom, Fu Minyi, the Holy Envoy of Lingjiu Palace, recognized his Lingbo Weibu and Sanyin Centipede Claws, and even guessed whether he was Li Qiushui and Ding Chunqiu's son!

Could it be that this woman's return to Lingjiu Palace was truly reported to Tianshan Tonglao, which prompted Tonglao to personally descend the mountain? If that's the case, then his previous boasting to Sangtugong that Fu Minyi had taken a liking to him was just a way of exposing himself.
Little did he know that the reason Tianshan Tonglao came down the mountain was to find out that Li Qiushui had left the Western Xia Kingdom.

Although Li Qiushui's martial arts skills were inferior to Tong Lao's, as the Empress Dowager of Western Xia, she had both geographical and popular advantages, making it difficult for even Tong Lao to defeat her. This time, she wanted to seize the opportunity of Tong Lao emerging from the mountains to settle decades of grudges, which is why she came to the Central Plains.

(End of this chapter)