Reborn as Lin Pingzhi, starting from escorting Daiyu to the capital.

Lin Pingzhi used her lightness skill to catch up with Cui Biaotou and the others in half an hour.

During this time, they did not encounter Linghu Chong or Hou Renying.

It seems these two have been misled by me, but I wonder when they'll realize it.

"Young Master Escort, are you referring to the people from the Huashan and Qingcheng Sects who are tracking us?"

Chief镖师 Cui was unaware of the Evil-Slaying Sword Manual, and was quite surprised upon hearing the news.

Chief镖师 Shi also said, "I've heard that Headmaster Yue of the Huashan Sect is an upright person. Why would he be following us for no reason?"

Lin Pingzhi reassured everyone, "Perhaps there are other reasons. There's no need to worry. Just continue as usual."

He wasn't worried that Linghu Chong would try to murder him for money.

However, Hou Renying is someone we must be wary of.

After walking another three kilometers, we saw a pavilion in the distance beside the main road.

"Let's all keep going and take a break in the pavilion."

"I am so excited!" Shi Biaotou shouted.

As I got closer, I noticed a monk standing in the pavilion, dressed in a yellow robe.

"Kumārajīva!"

Cui Baiquan recognized the other person's identity at a glance and exclaimed.

Kumārajīva's martial arts skills had left a deep impression on him.

Lin Pingzhi had already spotted Kumārajīva, and the man's appearance at this time and place filled him with an ominous premonition.

Kumārajīva spotted Lin Pingzhi at a glance, and overjoyed, he clasped his hands together and proclaimed loudly:

"Young Master Escort, this humble monk has been waiting here for quite some time."

Lin Pingzhi dismounted and bowed in return:

"Greetings, Your Majesty. I am honored by Your Majesty's presence. May I ask what brings Your Majesty to see me?"

He felt uneasy, after all, it was his idea to leave Kumārajīva behind at Qin Yun Xiaozhu that night.

Kumārajīva smiled and said, "When we last met, the young镖头 praised my martial arts skills, but I never had the chance to demonstrate them to him. As the saying goes, true friends are hard to find, and I have always regretted it since we parted last time. When I heard that the young镖头 had left Suzhou, I chased after him for a whole day and night before I was able to catch up with him."

Upon hearing this, everyone was moved by Kumārajīva's sincerity and happy that the young镖头 (bodyguard/escort) had made such a friend.

Lin Pingzhi said, "Your Majesty is kind-hearted. The most important thing in making friends is sincerity. Your Majesty's intention is enough."

Based on his understanding of Kumārajīva, he knew that things were not that simple.

Kumārajīva shook his head and solemnly said:

"As the saying goes, true friends are hard to find. In ancient times, Yu Boya traveled thousands of miles to play the zither for Zhong Ziqi. What is this little journey of mine compared to that? I hope you will not let my humble efforts go to waste, young镖头 (镖头 is a term for a bodyguard/escort).

There was definitely something fishy going on.

Lin Pingzhi said, "In that case, I'll have to take a good look at it."

Having said that, he crossed his arms over his chest, wanting to see what Kumārajīva was up to.

Without wasting words, Kumārajīva slowly walked to the roadside and picked a yellow wildflower.

It was early morning, and dew still clung to the petals of the wildflowers.

He gently pinched the flower stem with his right thumb and forefinger, a smile on his face, while his left hand flicked the petals lightly with his five fingers.

Apart from Lin Pingzhi, no one knew what Kumārajīva was planning to do.

Kumārajīva maintained a smile throughout, and flicked the petals more than ten times until all the dewdrops on the petals were flicked off.

Yet not a single mark was left on the petals.

"This monk's control over his internal energy is indeed terrifying." Everyone exclaimed in amazement upon seeing this.

However, the performance was not over yet.

Kumārajīva opened his mouth and blew on the petals. Instantly, the leaves on the petals scattered and slowly drifted down from the air.

In a short while, all that was left in Kumārajīva's hand was a bare flower stem.

"this....."

Chief镖头 and his men were amazed.

If it was somewhat understandable before, this performance has now reached an absurd level.

To what extent must one have mastered internal energy?

"Your Highness, the Ming King's finger technique is truly extraordinary!" Lin Pingzhi suddenly said.

It turns out to be the Flicking Flower Finger, one of the 72 Shaolin Arts. I had only heard of it before, but had never seen it.

Cui Baiquan and a few others finally realized what was happening.

Kumārajīva was also surprised by what Lin Pingzhi had seen and heard, and immediately pretended to be calm and said:

"I've made a fool of myself. My finger technique is far inferior to that of Master Xuandu of Shaolin Temple. I would appreciate your critique, Young Master."

He strode quickly to the stone bench in the pavilion, and with a rapid tap of his fingers, dust flew everywhere, and in an instant, the entire stone bench was riddled with holes.

But with a loud "bang," the stone bench shattered completely, scattering rubble everywhere.

Such profound inner strength.

If this finger pokes a person.

Everyone was startled.

"The Ming King's Dorothea Finger technique is indeed domineering," Lin Pingzhi praised.

Although Kumārajīva's performance was impressive, he felt something was missing because the young man in front of him had seen through it so directly.

At that moment, he held his breath and tucked his hands into his sleeves.

Suddenly, as if by magic, the pebbles on the ground began to jump.

Everyone watched this scene in disbelief.

Lin Pingzhi nodded repeatedly: "The Nameless Finger of Calamity is well-deserved."

It turns out to be one of the 72 Shaolin Arts.

Everyone secretly lamented their own ignorance, thankful that the young镖头 (bodyguard) was knowledgeable and experienced, otherwise they would have lost face.

One performed well, and the other guessed accurately; the two are truly kindred spirits.

However, it's never good for Central Plains martial arts to be learned by foreign monks.

Kumārajīva felt indescribably uncomfortable; he was the one performing, but Lin Pingzhi stole the spotlight.

He pondered to himself:

"That's right, these are all martial arts from the Central Plains, it's not surprising that this kid has seen them before."

"Next, I will use the secret esoteric technique 'Flame Blade' to see how this kid sees through it."

After saying that, he picked up some wood chips from the ground and piled them in the middle of the pavilion.

Lin Pingzhi sighed inwardly: "When you were showing off at Tianlong Temple before, you, Kumārajīva, had your subordinates hand you props. Now you have to do it yourself. Your prestige has dropped quite a bit."

Just then.

Kumārajīva suddenly rubbed his palms together a few times and slapped them towards the wood chips.

call!

Instead of scattering, the sawdust gathered together, with a wisp of smoke rising from the center.

Everyone's eyes lit up: with this skill, they could save on firecrackers when running escort missions in the future.

Kumārajīva held his palms as if embracing a ball, channeling his inner force. The green smoke condensed and did not dissipate, but slowly curved outward in the air and drifted gently toward Lin Pingzhi and the others.

Even more terrifying, Kumārajīva then split the blue smoke into several streams, which dispersed around him.

Everyone was amazed, feeling that this person's internal strength had reached an unbelievable level.

"Young Master Escort, you've made a fool of yourself!"

Kumārajīva withdrew his palms, and several wisps of green smoke immediately dissipated.

"I have long heard that the Tibetan Tantric 'Flame Blade' is a rare divine skill in this world. Seeing it today, I can confirm that it truly lives up to its reputation."

For the first time, Kumārajīva showed a shocked expression.

He had only performed his "Flaming Blade" technique at the Tenryu Temple; how could this young man know it?

Was he there at the time?

Or perhaps it was Duan Yu who told him?

Kumārajīva's expression was uncertain as he slowly spoke:

"Young Master Escort, what do you think of the skills this humble monk has performed?"

He had ulterior motives for blocking the road this time. He was originally full of confidence, but his arrogance has diminished considerably after being exposed by the other party several times.

"Absolutely amazing!" Lin Pingzhi exclaimed sincerely.

The others nodded in agreement.

"This humble monk is willing to exchange any one of these extraordinary skills for a sword technique, Young Master Escort. What do you think?"

After he finished speaking, he stared intently at Lin Pingzhi.

He had done this before, but failed. This time, he couldn't afford to fail.

He originally wanted to exchange four unique martial arts manuals, but then he thought that Lin Pingzhi was just one person, far inferior to the monks of Tianlong Temple.

It's already a great favor that they're willing to give up one of their special skills in exchange.