Throughout this day, every person who fought Li Keji was defeated without exception. The worst among them was subdued within a single exchange, while the best managed to last only thirty moves. By evening, Shen Guangli and Meng Jianqing still could not determine Li Keji’s martial lineage. This was partly because Li Keji’s martial arts were too diverse and his strikes too fast, but mainly because his victories seemed to depend on his apparent ability to see through his opponent’s true qi circulation at a glance, allowing him to avoid their sharp attacks and strike when their energy flagged.
After Li Keji was escorted back to the small study, Shen Guangli sighed: “A bunch of good-for-nothings, completely disgracing the Imperial Guard’s reputation.”
Meng Jianqing remained silent.
Iron Arhat, who came from Xiaoxi Tian, had been able to recognize Li Keji’s martial lineage within just a few moves. Shen Muchen, who also came from Xiaoxi Tian, would probably be the best candidate to test Li Keji. Shen Guangli couldn’t have failed to think of this, yet he didn’t mention it at all. Meng Jianqing felt it was best to quietly await Shen Guangli’s next instructions.
Shen Guangli was also silent for a moment, then suddenly remembered something. He started and said as if to himself: “Why have we never considered that Li Keji might very well be an assassin carefully cultivated by the remnants of Zhang Shicheng, Chen Youliang, or Ming Yuzhen?”
With his martial skills and his opportunity to approach the Hongwu Emperor, he would indeed be an excellent choice for an assassin.
Meng Jianqing also started in surprise.
Why hadn’t they thought of this when facing Li Keji? Even that disgruntled informant, clever enough to write two accusatory letters that cornered Li Keji, apparently hadn’t considered this angle either.
Yet this was truly the move that could drive Li Keji into a desperate situation. Regardless of whether he could prove his innocence, he would be sent far from the Hongwu Emperor, never to have another chance in this lifetime.
Perhaps even the person who wrote those letters, despite being mad with jealousy, was unable to escape the influence of that strange, peaceful atmosphere surrounding Li Keji, subconsciously avoiding this truly lethal move?
Just as when they faced Li Keji, they had also unconsciously abandoned their habit of assuming the worst about everyone.
Shen Guangli sighed softly: “Well, that’s enough for today. Go arrange tomorrow’s personnel first.”
Just as Meng Jianqing was about to withdraw, someone outside the martial hall laughed strangely: “Commander Shen, why don’t you send a first-rate expert to test him instead of these second and third-rate characters? Aren’t you afraid His Majesty will blame you for losing face?”
Shen Guangli sighed helplessly: “Stone Monk, I know it’s you. Come out.”
A thin, elderly monk walked in from outside the hall, smiling cheerfully: “Knowing you were looking for me, I came back myself to avoid putting old friends in a difficult position. I’ve been watching all day. Among your subordinates, probably only Captain Meng here could match Li Keji. Why not send him? Can’t bear to part with him?”
Meng Jianqing hurriedly greeted him. Master Shi said, “Now I’m Laughing Buddha Stone Buddha, not any master.”
Meng Jianqing couldn’t help but start in surprise. He naturally knew of Laughing Buddha, Stone Buddha, the eldest among the famous Seven Stars of the Sea. But he hadn’t known that when Laughing Buddha wasn’t being Laughing Buddha, he was Master Shi.
Shen Guangli looked at him with narrowed eyes: “You think so highly of Jianqing?” He revealed his dual identity before them without hesitation.
Stone Buddha smiled: “The young phoenix’s song is clearer than the old phoenix’s, Commander Shen. It seems you still underestimate this young man. Why not send him down? Fighting for dozens or hundreds of moves would surely reveal Li Keji’s martial lineage.”
Shen Guangli said coolly: “I’m afraid you overestimate my man.”
The stone Buddha smiled without speaking. They all understood that precisely because Meng Jianqing might very well have this ability, they dared not send him into the arena. Shen Guangli then asked: “You’ve been watching all day—what have you observed?”
Stone Buddha said, “As soon as news of the Dongting Lake case spread, I knew there must be more to it. Once Iron Arhat had declared he would exchange the Sichuan candidates for his brothers, he would never release those candidates after the Yueyang Prefect killed his two brothers. If he yielded like that, he could never again rule Dongting Lake. Therefore, I went to find Iron Arhat. He dared not conceal that Li Keji had acted, knowing that if he didn’t tell me, others would. But he refused to reveal Li Keji’s martial lineage even unto death.”
Shen Guangli mused: “The people who could inspire such awe in Iron Arhat are quite limited.”
Meng Jianqing, beside them, said: “There are three possibilities. First, Iron Arhat’s master, Ouyang Buxiu. Second, descendants of Iron Arhat’s former lord Chen Youliang. Third, one of the Seven Stars of the Sea.”
Stone Buddha smiled approvingly: “Correct. I thought the same, so I sent my grand-disciple Shi Ganfeng to monitor Li Keji. Unexpectedly, that boy Shi Ganfeng acted on his initiative, trying to pose as an assassin to discover Li Keji’s martial school. He ended up wounded in the joints by Li Keji’s hidden weapons. If I hadn’t rescued him in time, Xiaofeng would have been captured.”
Shen Guangli frowned: “Shi Ganfeng? Is he the boy who bet with the Imperial Guard two years ago and stole the imperial seal? I remember his lightness skills were superb—the Imperial Guard’s nets couldn’t catch him. Yet he was hit by Li Keji’s hidden weapons? What kind of weapons?”
Stone Buddha opened his left hand, revealing a thin sewing needle with a piece of white cotton thread still attached to its tail.
Clearly this wasn’t a hidden weapon Li Keji carried with him, just an ordinary sewing needle. The innkeeper had probably been mending bedding or similar items and casually stuck it in a pillow or mosquito net, where Li Keji picked it up to use as a weapon. Because of its small size, and because the cotton thread slowed its flight, it lacked the whistling sound of ordinary hidden weapons, which is why Shi Ganfeng failed to guard against it.
Meng Jianqing picked up the sewing needle and weighed it in his hand, then smiled: “To shoot someone’s joints with such a tiny weapon—once it enters the body, it’s almost impossible to remove, and that joint would be ruined. Commander Shen, I didn’t expect Li Keji to strike so ruthlessly.”
Stone Buddha shook his head disapprovingly: “Young man, this matter probably isn’t what you think. This is entirely because the martial arts Li Keji learned excel at striking opponents’ vital points in the fastest and most effective way. Xiaofeng has excellent lightness skills, so his attack naturally aimed to prevent Xiaofeng from using his lightness skills again.”
Among those Iron Arhat feared, whose martial arts had this style?
Shen Guangli and Meng Jianqing exchanged glances. Thinking of what they had learned about Li Keji’s martial arts style throughout the day, they gradually gained confidence. Meng Jianqing tentatively asked: “Could Li Keji’s master be Iron Flute Autumn, Master Tie?”
Stone Buddha nodded: “It must be so. Iron Arhat once suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Iron Flute Autumn. He has always remembered Iron Flute Autumn’s fighting techniques and methods—not surprising at all. Moreover, don’t forget that Iron Flute Autumn was once close friends with Li Ruilin, Gao Qi, and the others. He might very well have assumed a false identity to care for Li Ruilin’s son and Gao Qi’s student.”
Even Shen Guangli’s expression changed slightly.
Iron Flute Autumn was the youngest and most talented among the Seven Stars of the Sea.
When the Song fell and the Yuan rose, many men of integrity fled overseas, generation after generation dedicating themselves to expelling the Mongols and restoring the Han dynasty. Their hiding places were constantly shifting, hence the saying “Suddenly heard there are immortal mountains on the sea, mountains existing in the ethereal void.” People generally called them the “Immortal Mountains of the Sea.” After the death of the Kublai Khan, the Yuan people fought over imperial succession. For over ten years, they changed emperors repeatedly in great chaos. When Emperor Shundi ascended the throne, bandits were everywhere, and the court was unstable. The descendants of these men heard the news and returned successively. The seven most renowned among them, because of their extraordinary talents and learning, and their hereditary friendships, were regarded by the world as the Big Dipper descending to restore the Han dynasty, collectively called the “Seven Stars of the Sea.”
As for Iron Flute Autumn, legend had it he was the reincarnation of an old mountain monkey, born different from ordinary people. He had photographic memory, was broadly learned, and had strong recall, knowing everything under heaven. He also mastered supernatural martial arts—people said he could move through thousands of troops as if entering an uninhabited realm, thereby gaining abilities that reached heaven and earth. His talent was certainly world-shocking, but his temperament was equally scandalous. He was accustomed to romantic affairs, claiming he refused any constraints and only wanted a carefree life. Though the Immortal Mountains of the Sea strongly supported the Hongwu Emperor, Iron Flute Autumn refused the Hongwu Emperor’s recruitment and associated closely with the Jiangdong literati recruited by Zhang Shicheng, finding them kindred spirits. Zhang Shicheng also tried to recruit him, but was likewise refused. When Zhang Shicheng was defeated, most Jiangdong literati entered the Great Ming dynasty. Those who stubbornly refused either died or fled, but Iron Flute Autumn continued to sing loudly and roam freely, as if unaware that the world had changed. At that time, the north was not yet pacified, and the court had no time to deal with him, allowing him to wander through Jiangdong as wildly as before. Later, when Gao Qi abandoned his office and returned home, and Yang Weizhen refused imperial summons, these men naturally gathered together, likening themselves to commoners who scorned kings and nobles.
After Yang Weizhen died and Gao Qi was executed by waist-cutting, the Jiangdong literati scattered like clouds. Iron Flute Autumn also disappeared without a trace. No one had imagined that for over ten years, he had been hiding in Qingcheng, teaching his disciple Li Keji.
When Iron Flute Autumn fought, he never ended peacefully. His martial arts were both high-level and ruthless—he often struck vital points and injured bones and tendons. Those who faced him as enemies were usually either dead or crippled, so in those days no one dared easily provoke this demon king. Combined with the reputation and prestige of the Immortal Mountains of the Sea, people throughout the great rivers and northern regions held him in extreme awe.
Shen Guangli murmured, “No wonder Iron Arhat obediently released the people once he recognized Li Keji’s martial lineage. Iron Flute Autumn is indeed someone he cannot afford to provoke. Guan Qinglong back then probably also knew that protecting Lady Ye and her son back to Qingcheng was Iron Flute Autumn’s idea, but wouldn’t dare tell us even if beaten to death that the masked man who threatened him was Iron Flute Autumn.”
Stone Buddha watched him, waiting for his response after learning the truth.
After a long while, Shen Guangli sighed: “What guidance does Master Shi have regarding this matter?”
Stone Buddha smiled: “You needn’t be so polite. I know this case has His Majesty’s attention, so naturally I dare not simply take the person away. I only ask that you take good care of him.”
Shen Guangli smiled slightly: “I dare not accept the word ‘ask.’ Master Tie’s disciple—who in the world wouldn’t treat him with special regard?”
Stone Buddha’s expression darkened slightly as he sighed: “That’s exactly what I’m worried about. If Li Keji weren’t Iron Flute Autumn’s disciple, things would be much easier to handle.”
They were all people who knew the Hongwu Emperor’s temperament well, so naturally they understood what the Emperor thought about Iron Flute Autumn, who had remained wild and unruly all these years, refusing to serve the Great Ming dynasty. Li Keji just happened to be his disciple.