Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 236 Master at Shaolin Temple?

Jiang Mingzhe immediately stopped and frowned, saying, "What kind of status does the master of Lingjiu Palace have? Why would he need to take a weak woman hostage to deal with a junior like me?"

Granny Tong said smugly, "Grandma captured this little slut to force that old slut to show herself, not to deal with you. But since you two know each other, it's clear that you have a very close relationship with that old slut and that little beast Ding!"

Jiang Mingzhe sighed, "No need for further explanation. I won't use the Seven Child Swords. How about a fair fight between us?"

The Old Woman scoffed, "So what if you use the Seven Child Swords? My methods are beyond your comprehension. But right now, I'm not concerned with killing you; I want you to tell me the whole story of how the Kun transforms into the Peng!"

Jiang Mingzhe's heart stirred. He thought, since this Kun-transformation-Peng technique can connect with Beiming, could it also connect with the Longevity and Immortality Technique and the Lesser Formless Technique?
Upon further reflection, I realized that the skills I possessed, whether in terms of variety, understanding, or mastery, were far inferior to those of this old woman. My ability to outmaneuver her was partly due to the immense power of the Seven Child Swords and mostly due to the Kun-to-Peng Transformation Technique. If the Child Granny were to use the same technique, I would undoubtedly lose.

Seeing that he didn't answer, Granny Tong stroked Li Qingluo like she was petting a dog, and said indifferently, "You can't bear to talk about it? Fine, then Granny will kill this little slut with one palm strike. When the news gets out, you, the old slut, and the little beast will have to explain yourselves..."

Tears streamed down Li Qingluo's face. She had a certain pride, and although her body trembled with fear, she did not beg for mercy.

Jiang Mingzhe sighed, "Alright, alright. Kung fu is static, but people are dynamic. I didn't call her 'Sister Qingluo' for nothing. How can I just stand by and watch her die? Please, have mercy and let her go. I'll tell you about this kung fu..."

Even with Tong Lao's shrewdness, seeing him submit, she couldn't help but feel a surge of joy and laughed, "You little rascal, you're quite loyal and righteous!"

Jiang Mingzhe continued, "Originally, Senior Xiaoyaozi made me swear not to pass it on to anyone. If you ever encounter the senior in the future, please explain the situation clearly. It's not that I, Xiao Jiang, am breaking my promise, but that lives are at stake."

Granny Tong froze, her smile as stiff as a mask. After a long while, she said, "...Do you think Granny is easy to bully? This skill...how could it possibly have been taught to you by my master?"

As she spoke, she panicked and shook her head repeatedly, saying, "Impossible! Either the cultivation technique left by Master fell into the hands of that bitch Li Qiushui, or you had some kind of fortuitous encounter and found the place where Master left the technique. In any case, it couldn't have been Master who personally taught it to you!"

Jiang Mingzhe said aggrievedly, "You don't believe me even if I tell you the truth. If you don't believe me, go ask me yourself!"

The old woman sneered, "My master's whereabouts are uncertain. Even if he hasn't become an immortal, we don't know where he's roaming freely. Asking me to go and ask him is like asking a toothache."

Jiang Mingzhe exclaimed in surprise, "What do you mean by toothache? If you don't believe me, go see for yourself. It's not far. You'll know once you go."

"Not far?" Tianshan Child Granny was almost stunned, and subconsciously scolded, "What nonsense are you talking about? Does that mean Master is also in Zhongzhou?"

Jiang Mingzhe shook his head and said seriously, "Senior Xiaoyaozi is in Shaolin Temple! Don't you all know? He sweeps the floor in the Shaolin Sutra Repository. If you want to see him, just go past the Great Buddha Hall and you'll find the Sutra Repository."

"impossible!"

Tianshan Tonglao's face changed, and her body trembled slightly: "Impossible, how could Master sweep the floor of Shaolin Temple? Besides, even if Master wanted to pass on martial arts, he would pass them on to us disciples. You, what makes you worthy of his favor?"

Jiang Mingzhe shook his head dismissively: "I can't answer your other questions, but I happen to know the answer to this one! The senior said that what we seek is freedom, to ride the righteousness of heaven and earth, to control the changes of the six qi, to roam in the infinite, without self, without merit, without fame—this is the ultimate joy! However, his few worthless disciples, after half a lifetime of cultivation, are trapped in the love between men and women and cannot transcend it, which truly disappoints him. The reason he hid in Shaolin was to comprehend the Buddhist principle of emptiness and impermanence, to see if he could pull you out of hell." The few literary sentences in these words were carved by Wuyazi on the cave wall when he retrieved the Seven Child Swords.

At that moment, Jiang Mingzhe casually placed the object on Xiaoyaozi, and Tonglao immediately became convinced.

Previously, when Jiang Mingzhe said that Xiaoyaozi had become the sweeping monk of Shaolin, she only believed half of it. But after hearing this, she immediately believed it to be seventy or eighty percent.

He murmured, "...Half a lifetime of cultivation, trapped in the love between men and women, unable to transcend...Yes, we unworthy disciples not only cannot transcend, but also become enemies with each other, locked in a life-or-death struggle. So Master knew all along...I...I have disappointed Master..."

Two streams of tears rolled down her cheeks. Remembering that her master had abandoned Taoism to seek scriptures from Buddhism in order to enlighten them, Tianshan Tonglao felt ashamed and heartbroken.

Suddenly, a sharp shriek rang out, and he leaped into the air, taking a step in mid-air. He shot towards the direction of the Scripture Pavilion like a sharp arrow, leaving only a rolling voice: "If you dare to lie to me, I will make sure you die a horrible death!"

Jiang Mingzhe curled his lip, thinking to himself that the guess that the Sweeper Monk was Xiaoyaozi was something many netizens had suggested in later years. He said it casually, whether you believe it or not, but if you really want to settle scores, do you think I'm afraid of you?

He immediately stepped forward and struck Li Qingluo on the back with a palm. A gentle internal force instantly flowed through her body, and Li Qingluo was released from the pressure point strike. However, she had been kneeling for a long time, and her limbs were stiff, so she was still unable to get up.

Jiang Mingzhe quickly helped her up, channeling his energy into his hands to massage her and improve blood circulation. Li Qingluo seized the opportunity to bury her face in Jiang Mingzhe's chest and cried, "Little brother, I came to Shaolin specifically to pave the way for you, but I encountered this cruel and rude old monster. I almost never saw you again..."

At this moment, Yan Longyuan looked over with a deep, unsettling gaze, his emotions complex and indescribable. Jiang Mingzhe felt a slight blush and quickly calculated in his mind—

Yes, Li Qingluo is the wife of Murong Bo's brother-in-law...

This relationship probably isn't as close as the one between my siblings and me, right? What does that have to do with him!
Having figured this out, Jiang Mingzhe picked up Li Qingluo in his arms and leaped away.

The women of Lingjiu Palace were furious when they saw him openly taking away Tong Lao's captives, but none of them dared to step forward to stop him.

Jiang Mingzhe entrusted Li Qingluo to A'Zhu's care, but Li Qingluo still clung to Jiang Mingzhe's sleeve and wouldn't let go. Jiang Mingzhe had no choice but to persuade her, "Sister, don't be afraid. I'll go deal with Tianshan Tonglao right away, and then we'll be truly safe!"

Xiao Feng had just watched them fight and was also amazed by Tianshan Tonglao's martial arts skills, so he immediately said, "I'll go with you!"

Before he could finish speaking, Yan Longyuan walked over and said, "No, you stay here and watch over everyone. I'll go with my brother Jiang!"

Jiang Mingzhe thought that Yan Longyuan probably had something to say to him, so he nodded and said, "Yes, Brother Xiao, you still need to cover for Uncle Xiao. This Brother Yan is the chief steward of the Murong family. He is highly skilled in martial arts. If I join forces with him, we will be safe!"

Upon hearing this, Murong Fu turned his head and looked around, full of confusion: How come I've never seen my family's head steward before?

(End of this chapter)