coobybook Chapter 133: People are unpredictable
Chapter 133: People are unpredictable
As soon as the earth dragon stopped rolling for the first time, Shen Tianbao immediately ordered his brothers to move the goods outside the temple into the temple.
Four of the mules carrying the goods ran away, leaving six listless mules, which he ordered to be dragged to the central courtyard at the rear of the palace.
Natural disasters are unlikely to pass so easily, making it impossible to travel at this time.
Shen Tianbao took out the notes passed down to him by his ancestors from his bosom and carefully flipped through them by the dim firelight, hoping to find some useful clues.
Those from the Changchang Escort Agency who were more seriously injured rested on the ground after eating some dry rations. Those whose injuries were less severe followed Shen Tianbao's instructions and carefully searched the entire dilapidated temple, trying to find any clues about its origins.
Just as Shen Tianbao was engrossed in the notes left by his grandfather, the rumbling sound of the earth turning over for the second time outside the temple alerted him.
He looked up at the outside of the temple and saw that the ground seemed to be shaken violently by an invisible giant hand, with the earth trembling and dust filling the sky.
In a hazy, dusty fog, a black figure approached from afar, arriving at the outside of the dilapidated temple in an instant, intending to rush inside.
……
At the entrance of the dilapidated temple, the flash of a knife and the gust of wind from a fist came rushing toward Fei Xi's face.
Fei Xi held her breath, and before she could react, she grabbed her hand and threw her into the air.
He met the knife and fist with both palms; the palm wind was so powerful that even a thousand pounds of force could not match it.
With the roar of a tiger and the cry of a dragon, the palm strike was like a fierce dragon crossing a river, unstoppable!
"Who dares to use such underhanded tricks against an old man like me? They are simply overestimating themselves!"
Fei Xi, covered in dust and dirt, was caught by a pair of rough, large hands. When she stood on the broken temple bricks, her legs were still trembling.
That old geezer is really going too far!
She's a person, not an object!
If Fei Xi stayed with this old man any longer, she was really worried that even if she didn't have heart disease, he would cause her to develop sinus tachycardia.
"Senior, this is a complete misunderstanding!"
"I am Shen Tianbao from Changchang Escort Agency, and this Brother Zhao beside me is my companion on this trip. We were previously harmed by a demoness, and just now we mistakenly thought that demoness had returned, so we acted rashly. We had no intention of offending you, senior, and hope you will forgive us!"
Before the old woman could say anything, a sweet, charming voice suddenly cut between the two of them.
"Brother Shen!"
Fei Xi's enthusiastic greeting stunned Shen Tianbao, who hadn't even had time to wipe the blood from his lips before bowing in apology.
"Young lady, who are you?"
“I’ve heard Sister Wan mention you, Brother Shen. I am Fei Xi, the eldest disciple of the Qingcheng Sect. Brother Shen, you can call me Xiao Xi, just like Sister Wan.”
"Humph!"
Zhao Yi's cold snort brought Shen Tianbao back to his senses.
The moment the old man made his move, he knew that they were no match for him.
Therefore, after being injured by the old man's counterattack, he was not angry at all, but immediately clasped his hands in a gesture of apology.
The strange girl the old man brought was covered in dust, just like the old man himself, and she looked somewhat familiar to him.
Upon hearing that the other party was an old friend of Wan Niang, he couldn't help but wonder when Wan Niang had met the people of the Qingcheng Sect, and why he had never heard Wan Niang mention it before.
Just as he was pondering this, Zhao Yi's cold snort brought him back to his senses.
Regardless of the other party's origins, it's always better to be a friend than an enemy!
"Hello, young friend Fei."
"May I ask how this senior is addressed?"
Shen Tianbao bowed to Fei Xi with clasped hands, then turned around to continue asking the old man about his origins.
After returning the greeting, Fei Xi quickly surveyed the dilapidated temple while secretly listening to the origins of the mysterious old man beside her.
"So soon, you no longer recognize me? I stayed with you all in this temple last night!"
The old man's words instantly turned the previously relaxed atmosphere into one of tension.
Shen Tianbao and the others gripped their weapons tightly, ready to fight to the death. They were waiting for the old man to make the slightest move so they could strike.
Just then, a clear laugh, like the sunshine after a rainstorm, dispelled the gloom and brought a glimmer of hope to the despairing crowd.
"Grandpa, please don't frighten Brother Shen. I was kidnapped by that swordsman. Elder Qiu, who committed evil deeds in the temple last night, was killed by you."
"Elder Qiu? That demoness is dead?!"
"Are you the woman the swordsman brought last night?"
"Don't try to fool us!"
Seeing the crowd's surprise and delight, and their barrage of questions, Fei Xi smiled slightly and stepped forward to hold the hand of the old man who was about to scold her.
She discreetly placed her fingers on the old man's pulse, and while taking his pulse, she continued speaking with an innocent expression.
"That's right, I witnessed it with my own eyes. The old man killed the villain who harmed you with a single palm strike."
"This villain is Qiu Shuying, the daughter of Qiu Danbiao, the former leader of the Peach Blossom Sect."
"In the past, she harmed Qiu Xinjun, the senior disciple of the Peach Blossom Sect. When Lord Cui found out, she took advantage of her status as the sect leader's daughter to shift the blame onto Lord Cui."
"After that, she became an elder of the Peach Blossom Sect by virtue of her status as the daughter of the sect leader. Using her position as an elder of the Peach Blossom Sect, she repeatedly committed evil deeds in the martial arts world."
"Until recently, the Spirit Hall discovered that this person had been using the Cloud Ship left behind by the former leader of the martial arts alliance, Lady Hua, to extensively collect the secret techniques and manuals of various martial arts sects. Only then were the various evil deeds of this villain exposed."
Fei Xi's words contained a wealth of information. Even the hot-tempered old man forgot to pull his hand back, his brows furrowed as he tried to digest the information in Fei Xi's words.
"You are the Princess of Shouguang, recently bestowed upon you by Emperor Hua, and a martial arts genius jointly promoted by Zen Master Hongfa and True Lord Baoyi at the Three Teachings Origin Gathering?"
With a "slap," the old man, regaining his senses, shook off Fei Xi's hand, and as he spoke the last four words, a layer of coldness settled in his eyes.
Fei Xi seemed oblivious, and amidst the curious and astonished gazes of the crowd, she slowly withdrew her hand and took out a medicine pouch wrapped in oiled paper from the brocade pouch on her chest.
"Brother Shen, this is a packet of calming pills. Please distribute them to the heroes of the escort agency first. I will then administer acupuncture treatments to you all."
"I am a cripple with severed meridians in all four limbs and a damaged dantian, how can I be considered a martial arts genius? However, in the field of medicine, although my daughter is not talented, she can still be considered a dragon among men."
The woman's confident smile made her eyes, which were otherwise dull and gray, shine like stars. Her candor, devoid of any self-pity, showed everyone her fearless spirit in the face of her disability.
Deeply moved, Shen Tianbao stopped being coy, accepted the medicine pouch, and smiled back with a fist and palm salute.
"Very well, young friend Fei! On behalf of all the brothers, Brother Shen thanks you. If you ever need Brother Shen's help in the future, please don't hesitate to ask, and Brother Shen will do his utmost to help you."
After exchanging pleasantries with Shen Tianbao and the others from Changchang Escort Agency, Fei Xi turned her gaze to the old man in front of her who refused to reveal his background and who harbored hostility towards her after she introduced herself.
"Grandpa, why don't you ask me why I stopped you back then?"
"Hmph, if you won't tell the truth, then asking will only lead to lies."
"Ha, old man, what if a lie also comes from the truth?"
Fei Xi smiled, meeting the old man's sarcastic smile. Before the old man could answer, Fei Xi's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a serious expression.
She was unwilling to deceive the old man in front of her who had saved her time and time again, a man who was tough on the outside but soft on the inside.
But in a secluded corner where no one could see her, her gaze lingered on the distant horizon beyond the temple, a hint of bitterness she didn't want anyone to notice.
"Grandpa, although I am a cripple, I do have my own insights into the path of martial arts."
"In the path of martial arts, what matters is never the superiority or inferiority of the ultimate techniques, but whether the person's heart in seeking the Way is sincere when walking on this path."
"I know that people's hearts are unpredictable, and I cannot gain the recognition of true martial arts geniuses if I cannot be sincere. But my founder of the Qingcheng Sect said that the purpose of practicing martial arts is not to fight and kill for personal gain. We should be chivalrous and righteous, and take it as our responsibility to benefit all living beings."
"However, many things in this world cannot be accomplished by mere righteousness. When beasts are in power, what have good people done wrong? If it is to save people, even a lie can be a lie, and Fei Xi has a clear conscience."