Chapter 319: Dark Armor Ambush

Chapter 319: Dark Armor Ambush

Chapter 319: Dark Armor Ambush
Nanyue is known as the Longevity Mountain.

In the southern suburbs of Hengshan City, at the foot of Zhurong Peak, there is a large temple called "Sitian Zhaosheng Temple". Emperors of all dynasties have offered sacrifices to the Five Sacred Mountains, and the Ministry of Works has allocated money for its repair and expansion. To this day, hundreds of halls, pavilions and towers are distributed along the Bailu Beach at the foot of the mountain, covering a large area.

The head of the temple was Yunhe Zhenren, formerly from Fushou Temple, who passed away half a year ago.

There is a wonderful thing about Fu Shou Guan, that is, they make delicious steamed buns, which are big, white, loose and soft, sweet and mellow, with a long aftertaste. Each bun is shaped like a longevity peach, plump, rich and round without any flaws.

Every day when the steamer is opened, the fragrance drifts three or four miles away with the wind.

People in Hengyang call it Fu Shou Bao. It is said that eating it will bring more blessings and longevity. Whenever there is a grand event, it is considered a great honor if one can invite the Taoist priest in the temple to come to the house to steam a few baskets of Fu Shou Bao.

As dusk approaches, smoke from the kitchen slowly rises, and the fragrance fills the Nanyue Temple.

"Brother, are you delivering food again?"

Eight cooks were carrying baskets, half of which were filled with food and wine, and the other half were freshly steamed longevity buns. They walked through the Gongyue Gate and were about to go to the backyard. Behind them followed a middle-aged Taoist priest holding a whisk. He had a yellow face, eagle eyes, and walked steadily. He was Wang Shuo, the eldest disciple of Master Yunhe.

He stopped and looked at the young Taoist priest standing by the pool with a smile on his face.

"Junior brother, I heard that you traveled to the Dongting Lake area. How did you get back?"

The young Taoist priest walked to the basket of the last cook, lifted the covering cloth, took a deep breath, and an expression of enjoyment appeared on his face.

“It’s still the same scent.”

He picked up a longevity bun, took a bite, and looked at Wang Shuo.

"The taste seems to have changed a bit."

"Junior brother likes to eat buns. Go to the kitchen and find some. There are three steaming buns on the stove, unopened. Wouldn't they taste better than this? Senior brother, I am busy with worldly affairs, so I will not accompany you."

After Wang Shuo finished speaking, he led the cook to the backyard.

"Big Brother!"

The young Taoist shouted.

"Brother, is there anything else?"

Wang Shuo asked without turning his head.

The young Taoist priest held the half-full of longevity bun, and his voice suddenly turned cold: "Big Brother, do you really want to destroy the Fushou Temple?"

"Chang Xin, what are you talking about? Senior Brother doesn't understand."

"I don't understand? Are those hundreds of people in the backyard the ghost soldiers passing through?"

Wang Shuo turned around and said, "You are right, they... are the Yin soldiers passing through the border."

Chang Xin sneered, "A ghost soldier passing through? How much benefit did Heibai Wuchang give you to make you willing to involve Fushou Temple?"

Wang Shuo said to the cooks, "Send the food to the backyard first."

"Don't leave!"

Chang Xin stepped forward and took a step three feet away, trying to bypass his senior brother and kick over the baskets.

"Nonsense!"

Wang Shuo snorted coldly, raised his palm and pressed down on his junior brother's shoulder from behind. His internal energy was as heavy as a mountain and seemed to have a force of a hundred kilograms. He threw it away casually, and Chang Xin's body flew backwards four or five feet. He rolled several times in the air and barely managed to stabilize his body when he landed.

"Brother, you have cultivated the Dragon-Tiger Power to the seventh level, right? You are not far behind Master."

Chang Xin saw that the cooks were carrying baskets and had already walked far away. He knew he couldn't stop them, so he simply gave up.

"Junior brother, 70% to 80% of your skills are in the swordsmanship. If you fight with bare hands, you will naturally suffer a loss."

Wang Shuo saw that he had empty hands and no sword at his waist, and sighed, "But... now that the master is gone, do you and I, brothers, have to fight?"

Chang Xin shook her head and said, "I really don't understand, what is your plan, Senior Brother?"

"what you do not understand?"

"When it's windy and rainy, even birds and animals know to hide in their nests. I have never seen anyone do the opposite."

Wang Shuo said, "I am not good at guessing, so please speak frankly, Junior Brother."

"The Jianghu is about to be in turmoil. The swords are about to rise. The century-old feud between the orthodox sect and the evil sect, the struggle for power within the orthodox sect, the contradictions between the two sides have been suppressed to the extreme. There are also Zuo Lengchan and Dongfang Bubai, two heroes who have never appeared in the world. They must fight to the death. Others are afraid to avoid them. Why do you want to bring trouble to Fushou Temple?"

After listening to this, Wang Shuo remained silent for a long time, and then sneered after a long time.

"Others are avoiding me as much as possible? Who are you talking about?"

Chang Xin said, "Of course it's Liu Zhengfeng of the Hengshan School. Why did he announce his retirement at the height of the Spring and Autumn Period? Why did he go to such great lengths to make the whole world know about it? Wasn't it because he saw that disputes were about to arise in the martial arts world? Rather than being in the blood and mud, he would rather get out of it as soon as possible and live a peaceful and wealthy life."

The sun in the sky gradually sets in the west, and the golden afterglow falls on the top of Zhurong Peak. People say that one should be blessed with good fortune as vast as the East Sea and live as long as the Southern Mountains, but life in this world is like morning dew, and decades of spring and autumn pass in the blink of an eye. As a monk, who can truly put aside the desire for fame and fortune?

Wang Shuo retracted his gaze and smiled at his only fellow apprentice: "If the nest is not strong enough, it is better to take the initiative to go out into the wind and rain. Even if it is difficult to escape the disaster of destruction, it should let the world know that the martial arts inheritance of my Fushou Temple is not necessarily weaker than the Hengshan School."

Chang Xin was a little surprised and said, "Brother, we are cultivators, why do we have such a strong desire for fame and gain?"

Wang Shuo sneered, "Fame and fortune? Hengshan is so big, only Nanyue Temple is the orthodox one, but they took away the name of Hengshan Sect! Master's martial arts are superb, not to mention Liu Zhengfeng, even compared with his senior brother Xiaoxiang Yeyu Mo Da, what's the result? He was unknown until the day he died. How many people in the world know that there is a Yunhe Zhenren in Fushou Temple?"

Chang Xin sighed and said, "You feel sorry for Master? That's just your thought. Little did you know that he is just like that. He doesn't fight or compete. He is calm and peaceful. He has lived a carefree life for the past 100 years."

Wang Shuo sneered: "What you said is just your thoughts."

tomorrow!

Tomorrow is the day Liu Zhengfeng will retire from the underworld.

Wang Shuo suddenly asked: "Junior brother, you still don't know why those people came, right?"

Chang Xin shook his head and said, "The ambushes are full of murderous intent and are here to kill people. No matter who they are, Senior Brother should not hide their whereabouts. If the disaster is brought to Fushou Temple, how can you and I be worthy of Master's spirit in heaven?"

Wang Shuo laughed and said, "Brother, instead of arguing endlessly, why don't we make a bet?"

"What do you want to bet on, brother?"

"Let's bet... whether Mr. Liu will retire tomorrow. If you win, I will listen to you and close the door to the mountain. I will never ask about the affairs of the martial arts world, and I will never accept friends from the martial arts world. I will just stay with Master and this Fushou Temple and live a pure and clean Taoist family."

"Master Liu San has sent out invitations to heroes, and half of the martial arts world has come to congratulate him. Even the Demon Cult should be happy that they have defeated a powerful enemy without a fight, so why would they send people to stop them? Could it be that Senior Brother thinks that Liu Zhengfeng is not determined to retire?"

"Why do you have to ask so many questions? Are you going to gamble or not, Junior Brother?"

Chang Xin thought for a moment and said, "Bet!"...

There were fifteen or sixteen side rooms in a row in the backyard of Fushou Temple, all of which were full of people.

The cook put down eight baskets in the yard, and men in black clothes came out from the wing rooms one after another, carrying wine, meat and buns back.

"Wait a minute!"

The cooks were about to leave when they were stopped by a voice.

Two men came over, with extraordinary bearings and swords on their waists.

The leading man, wearing a black robe and a black hat, had a thin figure, a long neck and slanted eyes. He was none other than Lu Bai, the Crane Hand, who had been lurking in Hengshan Mountain early on under the orders of Zuo Lengchan.

The redwood man with a curly beard at the back is Fei Bin, the 'Great Songyang Hand' who became famous for killing the Feiyun Divine Ape. The two of them are ranked second and third respectively among the Thirteen Guardians of Songshan.

In terms of martial arts proficiency, the Great Songyang Hand is still better than the Immortal Crane Hand, but because Lu Bai entered the sect earlier and his status was established earlier, he became the Second Guardian.

The head cook bowed and said, "My two lords, what else can I do for you?"

"Where's Mr. Wang?"

"Master Chang has returned from his travels, and Master Wang is reminiscing about the past. He cannot leave for the moment, so he asked us to bring the wine and food over first."

"So this is ah."

Fei Bin smiled, took out half a bag of silver coins from his arms and handed it to the cook.

"Please tell Mr. Wang to come and have a gathering when he is free."

"Thank you for the reward, sir. I will definitely pass on your message."

The cooks took the silver and left happily.

Lu Bai asked, "Brother Fei, the big event is tomorrow, nothing will happen, right?"

Fei Bin said: "Wang Shuo is ambitious and reliable, so there should be no problem."

Lu Bai was still a little worried and shook his head, saying, "I don't know what the headmaster was thinking. He suddenly transferred Senior Brother Ding to the northwest. We lost a helper for no reason and it disrupted our original plan. I'm afraid there will be complications."

Fei Bin's nominal status in the Songshan Sect is slightly lower than Lu Bai's, but he is meticulous and more trusted by Zuo Lengchan, so this operation is mainly based on him.

Fei Bin smiled and said, "Brother Lu, don't worry. I know Liu Zhengfeng's strength. I have also learned a lot about his disciples these days. Except for a few, the others are not worth mentioning."

Lu Bai asked again: "Tomorrow there will be so many people from the underworld present, and they may be friends with Liu Zhengfeng. What if they try to stop us?"

Fei Bin sneered and said, "It's easy. We just need to prevent Liu Zhengfeng from quitting his career."

"how do I say this?"

"As long as Liu Zhengfeng has not retired from the underworld, he is still a member of the Five Mountains Sword Sect. How to deal with him is an internal matter. Anyone who dares to interfere will become an enemy of the Five Mountains Sword Sect."

Lu Bai said worriedly, "What about the Huashan Sect, Hengshan Sect, and Taishan Sect? There are many masters in each of them who have friendships with Liu Zhengfeng."

"It doesn't matter. I brought the leader's flag. Even if they are dissatisfied, they can only follow orders. Otherwise, they will violate the covenant and betray Leader Zuo. Then he will be the next Liu Zhengfeng. They will understand such a simple truth."

As if he had left his brain in Songshan and forgotten to take it with him, Lu Bai asked again, "What about the Hengshan Sect?"

Fei Bin said firmly: "They won't do anything either!"

"Why?"

"Mo Da is a smart man. How could he risk the world's disapproval and let the century-old Hengshan Sect be associated with the four words "colluding with the Demon Sect"? Therefore, the Hengshan Sect can only watch from the sidelines. We are actually only dealing with Liu Zhengfeng's lineage. It is precisely because the Left Sect Leader knows this that he is relieved to transfer Senior Brother Ding away."

Lu Bai breathed a sigh of relief. Sect Leader Zuo's plan was interconnected and took into account every aspect. However, he did not discuss the plan with him when it was made. It seemed that Fei Bin was more trusted.

He asked, "By the way, Senior Brother Ding said he was going to the northwest. Could it be that he was going to monitor the Huashan Sect?"

Fei Bin thought for a moment, shook his head and said, "Maybe there is some clue about that matter."

"what's up?"

Lu Bai felt a little unhappy. It was obvious that the Left Sect Leader valued the Third Guardian Fei Bin, and many confidential matters in the sect were only discussed with Fei Bin. As the Second Guardian, he was neither civil nor military, and his position was a little awkward.

Fei Bin smiled and said, "It's not a big deal."

Lu Bai chuckled and said, "Brother Fei, is there something in Songshan Sect that I don't know?"

"Brother, you misunderstood. It is indeed a small matter."

"Since it's a small matter, then just tell me about it. Just treat us as brothers and help us relieve our boredom."

Fei Bin sighed in his heart and wanted to slap himself twice. Lu Bai was not an outsider, but Sect Leader Zuo had only told Senior Brother Ding and himself about this matter, and it was not good to let a third person know whether it succeeded or not.

But since Lu Bai had already said this, he couldn't hide it any longer.

"Brother Lu should also know that Sect Leader Zuo has recruited a large number of underworld masters. Their food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, as well as their monthly salary and post-war compensation, all require a huge amount of gold and silver. If we don't feed them well, how can they be willing to work for us? Outsiders may think that the Songshan Sect is prosperous because of its glamorous appearance, but in fact, it has long been unable to make ends meet. Sect Leader Zuo has been thinking of ways to make a fortune."

Lu Bai reacted, his eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, "Could it be that an unowned gold mine was discovered in the northwest?"

"It's not a gold mine, but it's almost a treasure."

"Treasure? What treasure?"

"Half a year ago, a group of bandits got a map that seemed to be related to the underground treasure of the Great White Gao Kingdom hundreds of years ago. One of them committed a crime in Songshan and fell into our hands. In order to save his life, he confessed all the information. The Left Sect Leader asked people to investigate and found that the treasure of the Great White Gao Kingdom was indeed real. It is very likely that a large amount of gold and treasure is buried in it. That is the power of an entire country, accumulated over hundreds of years. If it is moved back to Songshan Sect, it will take decades to use up."

"I see. I hope Senior Brother Ding can find that... treasure of the Great White Gao Kingdom."

"There is no need for Senior Brother Ding to look for it by himself. The vast expanse of yellow sand is endless. Even if the entire Songshan Sect were to mobilize, it might not be able to help."

"Hehe, we feed the captured thief poison and then release him back, forcing him to keep us informed in exchange for the antidote. This way, as long as the gang makes any unusual moves, we will know in advance."

Lu Bai lost interest and let Fei Bin talk to himself. If it was a gold mine, it would be ok, as an elder in the sect, he could also get a share of the profits. But he didn't expect it to be some treasure from the Great Baigao Kingdom. Something that happened hundreds of years ago sounded very unreliable.

"Hehe, Junior Brother Fei is highly valued by Senior Brother Zuo. You have worked hard and have been very busy. You will be busy tomorrow, so you should fill your stomach first."

As Lu Bai spoke, he walked to the remaining basket in the yard and lifted the covering cloth, only to find that there was half a longevity bun on the top.

The two looked at each other, feeling puzzled.

"Half a birthday gift, what does Wang Shuo mean?"

(End of this chapter)