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

Chapter 50 A blessing in disguise
The moonlight fell, illuminating Yun Changkong's face, making him appear even more like a dead man. Zhao Min's heart pounded. She slowly sat down, her eyes fixed on Changkong, and said leisurely, "Since you like playing dead so much, I'll grant your wish!" With that, she drew a long sword from Changkong's back.

The sword's blade was cold and dark, yet under the moonlight, it resembled a pool of autumn water, gleaming with a clear light.

Zhao Min's eyes flashed with light, and with a sharp cry, she lashed out with lightning speed, aiming straight for Chang Kong's chest.

But it stopped when it was still a foot away from his chest.

Zhao Min kept her eyes fixed on the sky while she was stabbing him, but he didn't even raise an eyebrow.

She had suffered a great loss and harbored a deep hatred for Yun Changkong, but she had never killed anyone with her own hands before, so she couldn't bring herself to stab him with her sword. Moreover, for some reason, she was extremely afraid!
She reached under his nose, but couldn't sense any breath. Zhao Min looked around; the night was pitch black, and strange noises echoed from the riverbank—she couldn't tell if they were owls or crows.
She wanted to go to the riverbank, but for no reason, she felt a sense of unease and fear. She thought to herself that she was always surrounded by people, and had never tried walking alone at night before. Yes, that must be it!

Lost in her thoughts, she noticed the bright moon shining beside her, which gave her a uniquely cool and serene feeling.

Suddenly a sharp shriek rang out, as if right next to her ear. Zhao Min looked around and saw green lights moving erratically along the riverbank.

"Will-o'-the-wisp?" Zhao Min's scalp tingled. She was only thirteen years old after all, and she was on the verge of tears. She shouted at the sky, "Hey, don't think I'll be afraid just because you're dead. You were a villain when you were alive, and you're a little ghost when you're dead. You have no skills other than lying and bragging. I'm not afraid of you at all!"

"If you're not afraid, why not stab me?" Yun Changkong's lazy voice rang out, and he had already opened his eyes.

Zhao Min trembled upon hearing this, and said angrily, "So, it's your tricks again."

Knowing that she was not easily fooled, Yun Changkong admitted it, saying, "I had no choice but to do this because I was in a dangerous situation. Please forgive me!"

Zhao Min stomped her foot angrily and said, "You southern barbarians are too cunning; you're all the same!"

Chang Kong was both angry and amused, and retorted, "You're just a Mongolian barbarian, yet you call me a southern barbarian!"

Chang Kong knew she was angry, but he still needed her help to protect him, so he said, "Besides, I am really injured, not faking it."

Zhao Min snorted, "You liar, I won't believe a single word you say anymore."

Chang Kong swayed as he stood up and said, "Since you didn't attack me just now, that makes things easier. Who I am in your eyes doesn't matter. As long as the medicine you gave me is real, that's enough."

Zhao Min said coldly, "If I refuse to give you the medicine today, what will you do?"

Yun Changkong smiled and said, "Only heaven knows!"

Chang Kong is telling the truth. Although Zhao Min is a Mongol and is an enemy of the Han people, she is only thirteen years old. How can we let her life be taken just because she will cause harm to the martial arts world in the future?

Harming young girls is the act of beasts!
Having mastered martial arts, I can't possibly imitate beasts!

This is his true nature!
But what will she do when she refuses to give in and can no longer bear it?

He wouldn't know until his life reached that point...

Zhao Min asked softly, "Do you want the Black Jade Rejuvenating Ointment to save Yu Daiyan of Wudang?"

She had inquired about Yun Changkong, so she naturally knew about the events in Jiangnan, and also knew that Zhang Songxi had saved the Yun family's life and that Changkong was going to treat Yu Daiyan.

"Hmm!" Yun Changkong saw that she had guessed everything correctly and was indeed clever. He said, "Since you guessed it, I hope you can grant my wish."

Zhao Min sensed the hidden meaning in his words, and her heart skipped a beat. Chang Kong then said, "I need to heal my injuries. If you want to leave, I won't stop you."

But if I take you away, your men will definitely track us down. There are other martial arts practitioners in Kaifeng right now.

With such a commotion, countless eyes will be watching. If you try to escape ashore and don't run into your men, but instead get caught by some lecherous scoundrel, well, you'd better think it through!

Zhao Min said coldly, "Is it that all you do is threaten and lie to me, and never talk to me?"

Chang Kong said, "Whether you want to be a woman who keeps her word or a woman who is no better than a villain, it's up to you."

Once inside the cabin, he took off his shirt, sat down, and began to regulate his internal energy, with wisps of white steam rising from his head.

Zhao Min snorted, "Isn't it up to me to decide?"

She knew that Chang Kong was right. If they went ashore and encountered bad people, she would be safe with Chang Kong by her side. He was a gentleman and would not harm her.

She sat knee-to-knee at the bow of the boat, pondered for a while, and felt a surge of heat emanating from the cabin.

His eyes darted around, and he got up and went inside. He immediately blushed and felt extremely ashamed.

Chang Kong had removed his clothes from his upper body, and white steam was rising from his head, as if a pot had boiled over.

As the candlelight flickered, a fiery red handprint and two coin-sized finger marks appeared on his back. It dawned on him: "He still couldn't neutralize the Vajra Prajna Palm and Vajra Finger. He really is just a braggart."

She remained silent and circled the sky once. She saw his face turn red and then green, the green fading away only to be covered by red light again.

As his expression changed, Zhao Min glanced again at the mark on his back. It wasn't as bright red anymore. She couldn't help but reach out and touch it, but the moment her fingers touched it, she felt as if they had touched burning coals.

With a soft moan, she let out a delicate cry, her body trembled slightly, her cheeks flushed, and her beautiful eyes stared at the sky, thinking, "I only touched him, and he's already in so much pain, how much pain must he be in!"

Zhao Min felt a mix of emotions and said softly, "Your thoughts are so deep, is it because of the ruin of your family?"

After Yun Changkong became famous in Jiangnan, she immediately learned about his family background.

She admired Yun Changkong's thoughtfulness even more.

He deliberately didn't use acupressure on himself to silence him in the courtyard, just to buy time. But as he was leaving, he immediately used acupressure, fearing she would order him to be intercepted. He suppressed his injuries like this all the way to the Bian River before finally collapsing from exhaustion.

What Zhao Min couldn't understand was that Yun Changkong was a Han Chinese and would definitely be her enemy in the future. Now was the best time to eliminate this great enemy, so why couldn't she bring herself to do it?

The more Zhao Min thought about it, the more confused she became, and finally ended by saying that she had never killed anyone.

While feeling angry at his own incompetence, he couldn't help but find it amusing, because the contrast between Yun Changkong's confident boasting and his current disheveled state was quite entertaining.

After being seriously injured, Chang Kong's internal energy was running wildly. He managed to catch his breath for a while, but it was only a temporary measure. He then ran wildly, and his injuries could no longer be contained.

However, he also knew that if he focused entirely on healing, he couldn't attend to other matters and needed someone to protect him. Otherwise, he would be completely unaware of any external changes and would be like a lamb to the slaughter. Therefore, he tested Zhao Min to see if she had any intention of harming him.
After all, if he had used acupuncture on Zhao Min, even an ordinary person like a boatman or fisherman would be powerless to resist if they harbored malicious intent. Seeing that Zhao Min didn't take the opportunity to kill him, he immediately circulated his inner energy to the fullest extent, subduing the "Prajna Vajra Finger" and "Mighty Vajra Finger" one by one!

Both of these techniques are powerful and vigorous, with the yang energy surging and turbulent within the body. He then uses the gentle and yin energy to neutralize them, and the yin and yang energies intertwine, causing his face to appear alternately blue and red.

When Ah Er and Ah San made their move, they attacked the enemy's most vulnerable spot, gathering all their strength; it was a move that could kill.

Although the Arhat Subduing Demons Technique is not of the same lineage as the two, it is of the same origin. As his true energy circulates throughout his body, each time he dissolves a portion of the force of the "Vajra Prajna Palm" and the "Great Vajra Finger," it will also be integrated into his own body, making his true energy more abundant. This can be considered a blessing in disguise.

Gradually, the palm prints and finger marks on Chang Kong's back disappeared without a trace.
Zhao Min knew he was getting better, and watched as Yun Changkong became radiant and clear-headed. She, on the other hand, felt sore and tired after a long day, and unknowingly fell asleep leaning against the cabin.

Several hours later, Yun Changkong finally awoke from his meditation. At this moment, his Yin and Yang were in perfect harmony, and his power surged. The intense burning pain in his back had also disappeared, replaced by an unparalleled ease, as if he had been freed from shackles. His limbs were light and agile, and there were no traces of internal injury.

Looking again, Zhao Min was sleeping soundly with her back against the wall, the entire cabin filled with a faint fragrance of her daughter.

Chang Kong chuckled to himself, thinking, "Damn, this girl really trusts me!" He put on his shirt, stepped out of the cabin, and saw that it was already dawn, with the sky just beginning to lighten. He saw that the boatman was still fast asleep.

He sat at the bow of the boat and took out the medicine bottle he had obtained the night before. The powder bottles were different; the antidote was given to him by Lu Zhangke, while the poison was given to him by Hebi Weng. It was easy to tell them apart.

But whether this black bottle is the Black Jade Broken Heart Ointment or not, we'll have to test it on a cat or dog first. Thinking about how I almost lost my life for this stuff, I couldn't help but sigh.

"Why are you sighing?" A voice suddenly came from behind. It was tinged with sarcasm.

Chang Kong turned around and saw that Zhao Min had already left the cabin.

She walked over confidently, smoothed her skirt, and was about to sit side by side with Changkong at the bow of the boat when she suddenly hissed and gasped.

Upon closer inspection, Yun Changkong noticed five bright red finger marks on Zhao Min's right wrist, and her arm was swollen. It turned out that Changkong had grabbed Zhao Min's wrist last night. Although he had no intention of hurting her, he was nervous and his internal force not only blocked her meridians and acupoints but also injured her delicate skin and bones.

Previously, they were all focused on their fierce battle and had no time to pay attention to each other. At this moment, Zhao Min's forearm swelled up, turned red and shiny, and was extremely painful to the touch.

Chang Kong had never seen or imagined such a situation before.

Zhao Min noticed his gaze and sensed something was wrong. She covered her arm with her sleeve, but her face contorted in pain as she said, "A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years. The net of heaven is vast, and though its meshes are wide, nothing escapes it. Evil people will eventually be punished. You'd better be careful."

Chang Kong laughed and said, "Alright, I'll wait. Give me your hand. I'll show it to you."

Zhao Min coldly replied, "I'm not afraid of this little injury at all!"

Chang Kong laughed and said, "When I captured you, I was seriously injured and could not exert my full strength as I wished. If I had accidentally damaged your meridians, you would have become crippled in the future. Don't blame me."

"Shameless!" Zhao Min felt a surge of heat rush to her head: "If I'm crippled, who else can I blame but you?"

She was naturally spoiled, and in the Prince of Ruyang's mansion, she was used to being bossed around and acting arrogantly. Unconsciously, she started to act out her temper again. But as soon as the words left her mouth, she suddenly remembered: "Now I can't be bossed around anymore. What if he really doesn't care about me, or if I become crippled?"

Then she said softly, "I'm feeling upset, so I might sound a bit impatient. Please don't be angry with me!"

Chang Kong laughed and said, "You don't need to be insincere. We all know each other!" He then pulled Zhao Min's hand over.
Zhao Min looked pained, but she did not resist.

She was afraid she would really become a cripple and hoped that Chang Kong would help her. However, apart from her father, she had never shaken hands with any other man. Her heart was pounding and she felt feverish. She pretended to rest and closed her eyes tightly.

But I felt a warm current flowing from Yun Changkong's hand, slowly rising from my wrist up my arm.

"Arhat Subduing Demon Skill" is a Buddhist divine skill containing the power of compassion and is most good at healing injuries. Zhao Min felt unusually comfortable all over her body.

She peeked out and saw that the redness and swelling on her arm were gradually subsiding. Then she glanced at Chang Kong and saw that his eyes were closed and there was a little sweat on his nose.

She also knew that the method of opening acupoints and meridians could easily deplete the practitioner's energy, and she didn't know whether Yun Changkong was recovering from serious injuries or was just nervous.

Just as he was pondering this, Yun Changkong released his grip: "Alright!"

Zhao Min waved her hand, feeling as if everything was normal, even more energetic than before. The joy in her heart was immense. She suddenly stood up, bowed deeply, her dimples flashing, and smiled broadly, saying, "Thank you, Yun..."

At this point, recalling the previous events, all because of him, his expression changed drastically, his eyes reddened, and he said angrily, "This is what you owe me! I won't thank you!"

Yun Changkong laughed heartily: "Hmm, alright, then will you give me the Black Jade Bone-Mending Ointment or the Seven Insects and Seven Flowers Ointment?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Min's heart skipped a beat, and she almost collapsed to the ground, trembling as she asked, "You even know the name of the Seven Insects and Seven Flowers Ointment?"

Chang Kong sighed, "It really is the Seven Insects and Seven Monsters Ointment. If that's the case, why bother with this pretense? Do you really enjoy playing games with people like this?"

Zhao Min, feeling guilty, pursed her lips and said, "You know how to use feints and capture the leader, so why can't I 'show weakness when I can, and act when I can't'? No matter how many tricks you use, I only need to use one trick."

Chang Kong nodded and said seriously, "A little girl has already started reading 'The Art of War' by Sun Tzu. Zhao Min, you are truly remarkable!"

"What?" Zhao Min exclaimed in surprise, "What did you call me?"

The voice was different from before; it was high-pitched and childish, like a little girl's voice, which sounded very eerie.

Her pretty face turned deathly pale, and only then did she act like an ordinary young woman: "This is the Han name I just chose. I hadn't even thought of telling my father and mother. How did you know..."

Seeing her like this, Yun Changkong found it amusing and thought to himself that it was good to make this girl rack her brains and make wild guesses.

Thinking of this, he smiled slightly and said, "Never mind how I knew. After dawn, you will send me the real Black Jade Rejuvenating Ointment. From now on, you go your way, and I will go mine!"

Zhao Min took a breath and gritted her teeth, saying, "How long have you been spying on me? Yun Changkong, you're watching a little girl like me in the middle of the night, how shameless! What gives you the right to laugh like that? What do you have to be so proud of? No matter how much you pressure me, I won't give you the real medicine. If you keep pressuring me, I'll still give you fake medicine, poison!"

It should be noted that Zhao Min's original name was Minmin Temur. The name Zhao Min was a Han name she chose herself. At this moment, she is not an adult Zhao Min. This name is newly chosen and has not yet been told to her parents, let alone others!
This was something she herself had only mentioned in her boudoir or while bathing, yet Chang Kong knew about it. He must have discovered it through spying, and instantly felt an unparalleled sense of shame.

Seeing her face filled with shock and anger, and her body trembling with rage, Yun Changkong had a sudden thought: "Hmm, she will grow up to be known as Zhao Min and travel the world. Right now, she's still a little kid, so her name is probably just being given out and is quite private."

He realized the problem, immediately stood up, bowed properly, and said with clasped hands, "Miss Zhao, I will not argue with you if you think I am a cunning and boastful person, but I would never stoop to spying on little girls, so you can rest assured!"

Besides, if I were truly so despicable and shameless, I doubt you would have felt at ease sleeping beside me last night, would you?

Zhao Min was stunned, thinking to herself, "Yes, if he had bad intentions towards me, last night..."

She actually knew that Yun Changkong wasn't a bad person in her heart; it was just that after her repeated defeats, she seized the opportunity to find fault with him. Besides, she wasn't a naive young girl anymore, and her heart wasn't set on romantic feelings, so she hadn't thought about it that way!
After pondering for a long time, Zhao Min stamped her foot and said, "Yun Changkong, fine, you said it. I'll give you the medicine, but you're not allowed to be my enemy from now on. If you break your promise, you'll be a despicable person!"

He smiled as he spoke.

Yun Changkong thought it was a smug smile, a clear sign of a successful conspiracy. He frowned slightly and said, "Miss Zhao, there is a difference between us, Han and Mongol. If you are an enemy of the Han people, I will inevitably be your enemy. There is nothing to say about that."

Zhao Min's eyes darted around, and she laughed, "Fine, then why don't you kill me!"

Chang Kong shook his head: "You Mongolian barbarians have a saying that you don't kill people smaller than a cartwheel. We Han people naturally consider it shameful to kill the old, young, women and children. You are thirteen years old this year, right?"

Zhao Min's blood boiled with rage. She raised an eyebrow and stared intently, saying, "Then you'd better kill me now. When I get old, I'll have to kill many people. My ancestors were Genghis Khan, the Great Emperor, and great heroes like Tolui, Batu, Hulagu, and Kublai Khan."

Even though I'm a woman, hehe, I'm still going to do something big and impressive!

"Hehe..." Yun Changkong laughed, "Are people like them really that good?"

Zhao Min exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't it good to hold the power of life and death over millions of people?"

"Life and death at your disposal? Heh..." Chang Kong sneered, "Temujin's father was killed when he was young. He wandered around and just when he had accumulated some wealth, his wife was taken away and gave birth to a son, Jochi. He didn't even know if Jochi was his own!"
Your Mongol dynasty has only been established for a century, and internal strife has been constant. Ultimately, isn't it the issue of the birth of his eldest son, Jochi, that caused the instability of the Khanate?

So what if Tolui destroyed the Jin dynasty and had the power to oversee the country? He was still killed by his own brother and sister-in-law with a cup of poisoned wine, and his own wife almost married his own nephew.

Do you think he thinks life is beautiful or not?
Batu led his eldest son on a western expedition and made outstanding contributions, but so what? As the son of Jochi, he was destined to be ineligible for the title of Great Khan of the Mongols and could only watch as Möngke and the others became Great Khans!
Furthermore, Kublai Khan destroyed the Song Dynasty, unified the country, and established the Yuan Dynasty, but his own younger brother wanted to overthrow him, and later he also turned against his own son.

They only trust themselves, dare not trust others, sleep with one eye open for fear of being assassinated, and are even wary of their own sons. Is this kind of life really so desirable?

"Hmph, nothing in life is perfect!" Zhao Min said in a low voice, "We can't throw the baby out with the bathwater!"

Chang Kong sneered, "That makes sense. But if you idolize them, you shouldn't just look at their achievements, but also consider whether you could bear what they went through."
Is there such a thing as a world where people only think about others' achievements and not about their suffering?
I almost lost my life today, all because Zhang Songxi saved my whole family back then.
The Genghis Khan you speak of, the pride of a generation, what if you were asked to be like Temujin, with your father dying immediately first? Would you be willing? Not to mention the matter of your wife being taken away and your sons fighting amongst themselves!

Take Kublai Khan, for example, who fought to the death with his own brothers. Would you kill your brother first, and could you accept that?

Zhao Min was naturally unwilling to hear this.

"At such a young age, you consider yourself clever, but you only care about one side and not the other. I can also tell you, what good is it if you give me fake Black Jade Broken Ointment? Wouldn't I test it on small animals beforehand? Can you really harm people?"
Regardless of my life or death, I have already notified all the major sects about the poison of your Ten Fragrant Softening Tendon Powder. If you are prepared to take precautions, do you think you can poison one or two people at once?

Cheng Kun is a traitor within the Shaolin Temple, and I will also inform him to be eliminated.

I'm only being lenient with you because you're young, a child, and haven't caused any catastrophe yet, so there's still a chance to reform you.

If you're still single after you've come of age, I'll tear your clothes off right now, and you won't be able to answer me for anything.
You really think you can control me?

So, you'd better watch yourself!

Zhao Min was stunned, completely baffled as to what kind of heart this wicked man had in order to thwart her plans.

Before she could ask any more questions, suddenly more than ten people on the riverbank shouted, "Yun Changkong, you despicable scoundrel!"

"Yun Changkong, get out here right now."

(End of this chapter)