Arhats Subduing Demons: Starting with The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber

As Yun Changkong pondered the meaning of Chongxu Daoist's words, he heard a flurry of footsteps, each one a skilled martial artist. He couldn't help but curse his bad luck, knowing that trouble was brewing again.

Suddenly, a rough male voice came from outside the building: "Witch, where do you think you're hiding!"

Everyone was surprised. Yun Changkong was hosting a dinner party today; he's really making a scene.

Yun Changkong and Daoist Chongxu strolled leisurely, leaning on the railing and looking down. They saw many people carrying swords and clubs surrounding a pavilion opposite Taibai Tower.

This group of dozens of people were packed tightly together, and each of them was full of energy and looked like a master of martial arts.

Among these people were monks, and before I could get a closer look, I heard them cry out in pain.

Yun Changkong turned his head and saw two monks tumbling and crawling out of the pavilion, their waists and legs covered in blood and flesh, groaning loudly.

Yun Changkong noticed that there were also people dressed in yellow robes on the outer perimeter; they were from the Songshan Sect. Leading them were Yue Hou, Zhong Zhen, Teng Bagong, and others.

Suddenly, a monk shouted, "Witch! You killed my fellow disciples on Wubagang! The abbot issued a decree ordering us to invite you up the mountain to explain yourself. How dare you still commit violence and harm people?"

When Yun Changkong saw that the person was Jueyue, the middle-aged monk he had seen at Wubagang, he was a little stunned. He thought to himself, "That's right. In the original story, Ren Yingying should have gone to Shaolin Temple on Linghu Chong's back. In order to atone for her sins, she was willing to be imprisoned by Shaolin Temple. This time, Linghu Chong was brought back by Fang Sheng, but she came here. These monks have come to arrest her again?"

At this moment, Daoist Chongxu said calmly, "Do you understand now?"

Yun Changkong asked, puzzled, "Understand what?"

Chongxu Daoist shook his head and said, "There are demons from all sides gathering here. Zuo Lengchan has turned his duel with you into an attempt to eliminate the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Sect and the traitor Linghu Chong of Mount Hua. Tang Ying'e's words directly implicated Shaolin Temple for being compassionate but not avenging its own disciples."

Yun Changkong looked as if he had just realized something, and said, "Zuo Lengchan's move was brilliant. He forced Shaolin Temple to arrest the demonic cult's witch in order to protect its reputation and seek justice for the temple's dead and wounded. But this demonic cult's holy maiden is a hornet's nest. Wouldn't Shaolin Temple never have peace again?"

Daoist Chongxu nodded and said, "Zuo Lengchan is ambitious and has violated the ancestral teachings. He wants to dominate the martial arts world. Whether it is my Five Mountains Sword Sect, Wudang Sect, or Shaolin Temple, they are all stumbling blocks for him."

At this moment, these people, while outwardly generously aiding Shaolin Temple, harbored ulterior motives. The Songshan Sect and Shaolin Temple both resided on Mount Song, but the Songshan Sect was always overshadowed by Shaolin. The Left Alliance Leader, knowing his own inferior strength, had only been able to swallow his anger. Now, with an opportunity to use unorthodox methods against Shaolin Temple, how could he let it slip by?

Yun Changkong nodded and said, "He can also use Shaolin Temple to imprison the Holy Maiden, attracting heretical sects and evil forces. Then he can call on the martial arts world to eliminate evil. This will not only greatly enhance the prestige of the martial arts world, but also weaken the strength of Shaolin Temple."

This is killing two birds with one stone, that's excellent! No wonder he's the leader of the Five Mountains Alliance. If I had his mindset, I would have done the same!

Upon hearing this, Daoist Chongxu's facial muscles twitched, and he sighed, "Although you are intelligent, you are kind by nature. Zuo Lengchan's thoughts go far beyond this."

Yun Changkong thought to himself, "So if I'm kind, then you're not kind?"

Then all that could be heard was "Amitabha! Amitabha Buddha!"

Everywhere, the sounds of chanting Buddhist mantras filled the air, each voice loud and powerful, piercing the eardrums, and one could immediately tell that they came from the mouths of masters.

Daoist Chongxu frowned slightly and muttered, "Even the Four Vajras of Shaolin have arrived!"

Suddenly, Yun Changkong heard the sound of clothes fluttering in the wind; it was clearly a top-notch master using his lightness skill to run swiftly.
He turned his gaze and saw an old monk in a bright red robe rushing towards him on the street. He had just arrived in front of him.

Jueyue said, "Reporting to the head monk, we followed the Songshan Sect here and found the demoness. We asked her to return to the temple and give an explanation for the deaths of our three junior brothers, Xin, Huang, and Yi. Not only did she ignore us, she even attacked and injured people!"

The newcomer was Master Fang Ming, a member of the Fang generation of Shaolin Temple and the head of the Arhat Hall. Upon hearing this, he immediately shouted, "Witch, how dare you!" and lunged at her.

Zhong Zhen waved his hand and said, "Master, be careful. This demoness is highly skilled in martial arts. She was injured by my senior brother Zuo a few days ago, but was rescued by someone. Now, I don't know what kind of encounter she has had, but not only is she unharmed, it seems that her skills have improved. You should be careful. Why don't you go with the other masters?"

Upon hearing this, Master Fang Ming was filled with shock and anger. How could he, as a first-generation monk of Shaolin Temple, not handle a demoness? He immediately waved his sleeve and said, "Thank you!"

His right palm slowly extended out, and the sleeves of his kasaya billowed up, like a small red sail.

Suddenly, a loud bang was heard, and the window had been shattered by the force of the palm strike, flying straight inward.

Fang Ming's figure blurred as he leaped into the window. Given the width of the window frame, it would have been impossible for the old monk to fly straight in, but he flew horizontally, like a piece of paper fluttering in. Immediately afterwards, shouts and sounds of fighting came from inside the building.

For a moment, the sounds of clashing and clanging filled the air, clearly indicating a fierce fight. At this moment, many people on and off the Taibai Tower were filled with shock and thought to themselves, "If I hadn't come to Luoyang, how would I have known that such high-level martial arts existed in the world? Shaolin Temple truly deserves to be the number one sect in the world!"

Many of the martial arts figures who came today are usually powerful gang leaders or local bullies. They are ignorant and arrogant, thinking that they are some kind of great figures in the martial arts world.

But when he saw Yun Changkong, the skills of the Wudang masters were like a drop of water compared to the ocean, incomparable. Then, seeing a Shaolin monk open a window with a palm strike from a distance and float in, he felt both envious and ashamed. Only then did he realize that his own skills were really not worth mentioning.

Just as I was pondering this, a white shadow burst out of the window on the top floor and landed on the nearby eaves.

Everyone looked up and saw a woman in white with long hair on the roof. However, the woman was wearing a veil, so her face could not be seen, but her clothes were fluttering, making her look like a fairy.

Yun Changkong recognized Ren Yingying at a glance and thought to himself, "Zuo Lengchan has some schemes. For the sake of the sect's reputation, Shaolin Temple has no choice but to send people to chase after this woman. This time, she may not be able to kill all of them. It seems that she still cannot escape the fate of being imprisoned."

In a flash, a red shadow pounced from the side. Ren Yingying sneered, and a white light suddenly transformed into a huge ball. The old monk was running too fast, and all he saw was a cold light. With a wave of his sleeve, there was a whooshing sound.

Ren Yingying's arm went numb instantly, and she flipped off the roof. She rushed towards the northeast corner. There she saw two yellow-robed monks holding staffs, blocking her way.

Ren Yingying leaned to the side, trying to rush out to the left, but was stopped by two monks in yellow robes.

Two monks then approached from the right and two from behind, and the eight monks each pointed their weapons at Ren Yingying.

Ren Yingying paused, her body moving like a colorful swallow, as if she were about to leap out of the air.

Suddenly, a red shadow flashed, and Master Fang Ming stepped out of the pavilion, raising both palms and creating a whirlwind as he attacked Ren Yingying.

Ren Yingying felt the force as strong as a mountain. With a slash and a tap of her sword in her left hand, she used the force to lightly land on the opposite rooftop.

A cry of "Amitabha!" was heard, and a red figure swooped down from mid-air.

Ren Yingying reacted extremely quickly. With a flick of her right hand, her longsword was already thrusting towards the red figure. There were four loud clanging sounds as her longsword clashed with the enemy's dagger four times.

Ren Yingying landed back on the ground. Eight yellow-robed monks stepped forward in unison, followed by four elderly monks in kasaya robes. The encirclement was complete, and Ren Yingying had no chance of escape.

But these few moves were quick and swift, leaving everyone amazed that there could be such a skilled woman in the world.

Yun Changkong couldn't help but secretly admire her: "This woman is indeed beautiful. If her internal strength were a little deeper, these old monks really wouldn't be able to keep her in check."

Everyone else saw Ren Yingying's superb martial arts skills, but Yun Changkong only saw the beauty of her clothes fluttering in the wind. In particular, Ren Yingying had held a high position for many years, and her calm and composed demeanor was unmatched by ordinary people. Even surrounded, she still stood coldly and proudly.

Daoist Chongxu said, "Go and persuade him." This statement was completely unexpected by Yun Changkong.

Yun Changkong glanced at him sideways and said, "Aren't you more suitable?"

Chongxu said, "How can you still not understand Zuo Lengchan's intention in using this as a bet with you?"

Yun Changkong, with his keen mind, understood immediately. He said, "A life for a life. This woman killed someone else's person, and she was no match for him in martial arts. It's perfectly justified for her to make an explanation. What right do I have to stop her?"

Chongxu said, "I am not aware of the rights and wrongs between you and this young lady, but if Shaolin Temple were to capture her, it would not be a blessing for the martial arts world, nor would it be good for you!"

Yun Changkong thought to himself, "That's true. The Shaolin monks were killed, and Zuo Lengchan was determined to kill them, forcing the Shaolin Temple to investigate. But if they investigate, it will be endless. Someone needs to step in and stop it. Zuo Lengchan and I are betting on this. He is the leader of the righteous sects, so there's nothing wrong with him arresting Ren Yingying. If I arrest her, I'll be making an enemy of the unorthodox sects."

If we ignore it, I'll lose the bet, and Shaolin Temple will have a headache too. This plan is really effective! As for it not benefiting me, that's a bit of a stretch; I don't care.

While he was pondering, he heard Master Fangming say, "Are you coming back to Shaolin Temple with us?"

Ren Yingying sneered, "Master, your skill in breaking the robe is so superb, you must be Master Fang Ming, the head of the Arhat Hall of Shaolin Temple."

The old monk Fang Ming was taken aback, then nodded and said, "You recognize me?"

"I've heard a little about it," Ren Yingying said casually.

Fang Ming stared at Ren Yingying and said in a deep voice, "You are also a person of great status in Blackwood Cliff. We don't want to make things too difficult for you. You must go on this trip to Shaolin!"

Ren Yingying sneered, "Is Shaolin Temple a government office or a den of bandits? Why do you insist on making me go there!"

"Amitabha!" Master Fang Ming swung his arm, aiming for Ren Yingying's shoulder. Ren Yingying flicked her sleeve, severing his wrist.

Just then, someone shouted, "Stop!"

The sound was deafening, and both of them were jolted and each drifted back several feet.

Then an old monk arrived; it was none other than Master Fang Sheng of Shaolin Temple.

Master Fang Sheng put his palms together in greeting to Ren Yingying and said, "I am very pleased to hear that you are well, benefactor."

Ren Yingying snorted, "I thought you were a master, but I didn't expect you to be so bad. You said you weren't coming, so why are you bothering me?"

Master Fang Sheng put his palms together and smiled wryly, "We are all on duty. If we have been negligent in any way, we hope that you will be magnanimous and forgive us."

Ren Yingying pointed at the Shaolin monks and said, "Your Shaolin Temple has four Vajra and eight Dharma Protectors, and you are quite famous in the martial arts world. Why are you not even as good as these third-rate hooligans? Why should you forgive them, young lady?"

Master Fang Ming angrily said, "Junior Brother Fang Sheng, why waste time talking to this demoness? Let's just capture her and take her back."

Master Fang Sheng sighed, “Benefactor Ren, you have misunderstood. Young Master Linghu is currently a guest of our temple, as you know.”

Ren Yingying remained silent, lost in thought.

Master Fang Sheng said, "Our temple is willing to use all its resources to save his life, but alas, he..." "How is he?" Ren Yingying said calmly.

Master Fang Sheng sighed and said, "Our abbot intended to take him as his disciple so that he could help all living beings, but he insists on asking about your whereabouts and how to deal with your harm to our disciples!"

If this matter is not resolved, he really dares not enter this temple. Now, his injuries are severe, and he is unconscious. That's why the abbot asked us to invite you up the mountain, so that we can give an explanation for the deaths of his three nephews, Xin Guoliang, Yi Guozi, and Huang Guobai.”

It turns out that Master Fangzheng had Linghu Chong join the Shaolin Temple, change his name to "Linghu Guochong," and become his disciple. He would teach him the Yi Jin Jing (Muscle/Tendon Changing Classic) and twelve other unique skills that he was proficient in, and he could also teach him according to his abilities.

Unlike in the original story, where Linghu Chong, upon learning of his expulsion from the sect, acted indifferent and simply wanted to leave the mountain, this time he was determined to stop Zuo Lengchan's conspiracy and protect the Huashan Sect. Therefore, he agreed to Abbot Fangzheng's request to become a disciple. However, he worried about the Holy Maiden's killing of Shaolin people. If this matter wasn't resolved, how would he interact with her in the future? Should he seek revenge?
Shaolin Temple hadn't originally intended to investigate the matter further, but the Songshan Sect wouldn't let it go. They spread rumors throughout Henan that Ren Yingying had killed disciples of Shaolin Temple and Kunlun Sect, forcing Shaolin Temple to send people to hunt her down.

The Songshan Sect acted as a guide for the Shaolin Temple, finding Ren Yingying's hiding place.

After the Five Tyrants Gathering, Zuo Lengchan thought of using the Holy Maiden and Linghu Chong to make a big deal out of it. This would not only avoid a direct confrontation with Yun Changkong, but also give Shaolin Temple a headache. It was a win-win-win situation.

Everyone looked on with strange expressions after hearing Master Fang Sheng's words. Linghu Chong had already been rejected by the Huashan Sect, yet the abbot of Shaolin Temple wanted to take him as a disciple—this was a blatant slap in the face to Yue Buqun!

Yun Changkong thought to himself, "This old monk knows how to handle people. He knows that the Holy Maiden is not to be trifled with, but for the sake of Shaolin Temple's reputation, he has to pursue the matter of life and death. So he brought up Linghu Chong so that Ren Yingying would be willing to go to Shaolin Temple without losing face. Even a monk can play such tricks."

Chongxu Daoist said, "Now you understand, right? The Holy Maiden has entanglements with both you and Linghu Chong. Zuo Lengchan invited you to hunt her down. If you refuse, he can gain the reputation of victory; if you do, you will inevitably offend those unorthodox sects of the Demonic Cult. Furthermore, the Holy Maiden has an unclear relationship with both you and Linghu Chong. No matter who she gets close to, they are all hot-blooded young men. Who can swallow this insult? In the end, won't you two have a showdown?"

Yun Changkong smiled slightly: "What you said is all correct, except that Zuo Lengchan forgot one thing. My relationship with the Holy Maiden is clear. Once a woman like her falls in love with someone, she will not care about life or death."

Unfortunately, that person wasn't me, so I often flirted with her, but didn't care about anything else.

As for Linghu Chong, he was an emotional coward. No matter how much he liked a woman, he would never think of taking revenge on her lover; otherwise, Lin Pingzhi would have died eight hundred times over.

Daoist Chongxu laughed and said, "You're that confident?"

Yun Changkong said, "On this point, I never underestimate myself!"

"Haha..." Daoist Chongxu burst into laughter.

Yun Changkong also laughed.

The two of them laughed loudly on the rooftop, oblivious to everyone around them, and no one dared to approach them.
Ren Yingying remained silent for a long time, then glared at Yun Changkong with her beautiful eyes, and suddenly nodded and said, "Alright, alright, I was just worried that you wouldn't be willing to save Young Master Linghu. It would be better if I went up the mountain to see. But you'll have to wait for me a while, I need to see someone."

Zhong Zhen snorted and said coldly, "Witch, what tricks are you playing now!"

Zhong Zhen continued, "Masters, this demoness is stalling for time. She has a powerful expert by her side. That night at Wubagang, she was injured by my senior brother Zuo. Logically, she shouldn't have recovered in less than ten days to half a month. But now, after only a few days, she is full of energy and her skills have improved even more. Presumably, that expert is nearby. She is waiting for someone to rescue her!"

Upon hearing this, Daoist Chongxu looked at Yun Changkong and said, "Now you understand, right? This expert is referring to you, isn't he?"

Yun Changkong said, "So what?"

Chongxu Daoist said, "Zuo Lengchan is not only highly skilled in martial arts, but also incredibly cunning, with each scheme intricately linked to the next. In his letter, he clearly stated that he would use the Holy Maiden as a gamble. If you intervene in the Holy Maiden's matter, you are obviously making things difficult for the righteous martial arts world, led by Shaolin Temple. If you don't intervene, Shaolin Temple will be forced to remain a hot potato, allowing him to sit back and watch the storms rage on. The harm such a person poses to the martial arts world is immeasurable. You..."

Yun Changkong said, "What can I do? I can't beat Zuo Lengchan either!"

Chongxu said, "You don't need to be modest. Your internal strength is so profound that it is rare and unheard of. It is suspected to be from the Shaolin lineage, but so far, no one has been able to figure out the origin of your martial arts. Obviously, you are intentionally hiding it. You have the strength to suppress Zuo Lengchan, but you just don't want to."

Yun Changkong smiled slightly.

At this moment, Ren Yingying said, "The person I want to see is right here. You don't need to worry about me delaying things."

“Alright!” Master Fang Sheng immediately stepped aside.

Ren Yingying took two steps forward, looked up at Taibai Tower, and said, "Yun Changkong, come down!"

All eyes were on Yun Changkong, but the old Taoist Chongxu turned his body away.

Yun Changkong laughed and said, "You killed people from Shaolin Temple, yet you still risked your life to come see me. Have you fallen for me?"

Upon hearing this, everyone had an idea.

"shameless!"

"A real man!"

Everyone thinks that way.

Ren Yingying looked up at him, her cheeks flushed, but fortunately no one else could see it. Suddenly, she raised her voice and said, "Who likes you?" She flicked her sleeve and turned to leave.

Yun Changkong chuckled and said, "Everyone saw it. Getting angry out of embarrassment is a sign that a woman likes you."

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter.

Ren Yingying's cheeks flushed again. She stopped in her tracks and spat, "You shameless scoundrel with such a frivolous tongue! You don't even spare nuns! How despicable and shameless!"

Yun Changkong laughed loudly, "Well said, but you didn't just find out today."

Upon hearing this, Ren Yingying was furious. She gave a cold laugh and then remained silent.

Everyone felt that matters between men and women were truly beyond common sense and unbelievable.

Yun Changkong had clearly used this witch as a bet, but after meeting her, the two couldn't help but chat and laugh. As for the woman who had been so aggressive towards the Shaolin Temple earlier, she appeared quite docile in front of Yun Changkong. Some people couldn't help but sigh, "A capable person is indeed a capable person. He doesn't discriminate between nuns and witches."

In the martial arts world, the most taboo thing is lust. No matter how skilled or powerful you are, if you can't control yourself when it comes to women, you will be ridiculed and despised.

Therefore, many people who clearly love beautiful women pretend they don't. Unlike Yun Changkong, who practically says, "I love beautiful women, so what?"

Ren Yingying and Yun Changkong had met more than once, but to say that they fell in love at first sight was highly improbable given her pride and eccentricity. This was because she had always looked down on all men before meeting Yun Changkong and Linghu Chong; all men were considered worthless.

She fought Yun Changkong several times, but was always at a disadvantage, her pride was thwarted, and Yun Changkong kept teasing her. At first, Ren Yingying hated him to the bone, wishing she could chop Yun Changkong into a thousand pieces, but as she got to know him better, her inexplicable hatred gradually subsided. Although she still thought of Linghu Chong, she couldn't help but compare him to Yun Changkong.

Besides being a womanizer and ruthless, Yun Changkong possesses unparalleled handsome appearance, superb martial arts skills, and wit. Most importantly, even amidst his laughter, he subtly exudes a noble and upright heroic spirit.

Because he had never sought to repay kindness, Yun Changkong longed to see him again after their parting and wanted to become friends with him.

Ren Yingying knew this was wrong, but she couldn't stop herself. She didn't even know why, so she returned to Luoyang and waited at the place where Yun Changkong had made the appointment.

Unexpectedly, she first heard that the monk Bujie wanted to find her to be his son-in-law, and that Linghu Chong only had eyes for his little sister and was also involved with her, the witch, etc. Her heart was filled with sorrow, bitterness, and resentment.

Upon seeing Yun Changkong, she was at a loss for words.

Yun Changkong waited for a while, and seeing that she remained silent, he said, "Why aren't you saying anything? If you didn't have this thing with you, I could have taken a good look at you and stood with you for a whole day. What is this now?"

Ren Yingying snorted, "Yun Changkong, I came here for no other reason than to remember that there is something I forgot to return to you."

"Something?" Yun Changkong asked, somewhat puzzled. "What?"

Ren Yingying said calmly, "What, are you afraid that my identity as a demonic sect witch will make it difficult for you to establish yourself in the martial world, and that you dare not come down to meet me?"

Yun Changkong chuckled and said, "What are you saying? Having a beautiful woman to keep me company and make me laugh is such a delightful thing, what's there to be afraid of!"

With that, he leaped gracefully and tumbled down from the top floor.

The building was five or six zhang tall. Even someone with exceptional lightness skills would have difficulty escaping if they jumped down from it. Yun Changkong suddenly spread his sleeves in mid-air and brushed them aside. When he landed, he was as light as a feather and as swift as a flying catkin.

Everyone cheered and admired.

Chongxu, Fang Sheng, and the others secretly lamented, "They possess unparalleled divine skills but do not think about bringing blessings to the world. Instead, they spend their days mingling with this demonic witch."

Ren Yingying's eyes lit up. She thought, "I've gone through so much hardship to master martial arts, but compared to him, I'm worlds apart. Linghu Chong's swordsmanship is high, but he's already twenty-five or twenty-six. I'm at most twenty-one or twenty-two this year. Compared to him, I'm still worlds apart." She also thought, "If Lan Fenghuang follows someone like this, putting everything else aside, with this person backing her up, at least she won't be bullied by others anymore."

While he was pondering, Yun Changkong had already arrived. Master Fang Sheng put his palms together and said, "Greetings, benefactor."

Yun Changkong clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Greetings, Master." His gaze was calm, and seeing Ren Yingying staring blankly at him, he smiled and said, "What are you daydreaming about? What do you want to repay me for?"

Ren Yingying took out a book wrapped in oilcloth from her bosom and said, "This is the score for The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. Here you go."

Yun Changkong said, "Why are you giving this to me? This isn't mine. I'm giving it to you on someone's behalf."

Ren Yingying scoffed, "Nonsense. You were asked to do this, so why should I give it to you? Can't I just refuse?"

Yun Changkong was taken aback, and after a moment of silence, he said, "That makes sense." He reached out to take it, but before he could, he suddenly felt water droplets splashing on the back of his hand, still warm.

Yun Changkong was taken aback and blurted out, "You're crying again?"

Ren Yingying shouted, "Who's crying? Who are you to me? What right do you have to tell me what to do!" She turned and left.

Her words were strange, and Yun Changkong was baffled, saying, "You're crazy, who cares about you?"

Master Fang Sheng clasped his hands together in prayer to Yun Changkong, and together with a group of monks, they escorted Ren Yingying away.

Yun Changkong watched the group depart, a slight sense of loss washing over him. He blurted out, "Is it alright if we don't go to Shaolin Temple?" (End of Chapter)