A low cough came from the spacious courtyard, followed by a Beijing accent, rough and coarse.

“Lord Zhao, your sixth brother…” Jiang Chong cleared his throat. “Can he do it or not?”

Standing opposite was a tall, stout, fat man around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. He frowned and squinted, his broad face open, but his dialect was heavy—his official speech all jumbled together in a garbled mess. He said loudly, “Lord Jiang, though Zhao Xingshi is far in the south, he has some means of livelihood. Though not as prestigious as Shaolin or Wudang, others shouldn’t look down on us either.”

Hearing his displeasure, Jiang Chong immediately smiled, “Don’t get angry. The ‘Four Great Families of Fuyuan, Lingnan’s Zhao Xingshi’—though I’m a Grand Preceptor, I’ve heard of this for a long time. Who would dare look down on Brother Zhao?” He paused and continued, “But brother, I must put the ugly words up front—if your sixth brother loses face and gets captured this time, ruining my affairs, when the Emperor asks about it, I won’t be able to explain myself well.”

The sixth generation Zhao Xingshi was named Zhao Renyong. This Zhao Renyong was twenty-seven this year and had taken over as family head five years ago. This young hero from a hereditary family naturally had a bigger temper than most. Hearing the treacherous minister’s questioning, his face immediately darkened, his expression becoming somewhat cold.

The Zhao family had always held themselves in high regard. Even before powerful ministers, they showed no submissive yielding. Actually, it wasn’t that the Zhao family considered themselves above others—the Zhao clan had once been imperial descendants. If not for the Mongol cavalry sweeping south with burning and killing, the Zhao clan wouldn’t have migrated south to Huguang to become today’s Lingnan Zhao family. Even receiving court titles made this family feel they were settling for less—how could the Zhao descendants put Jiang Chong in their eyes?

Hearing Jiang Chong’s constant doubts and provocations, Zhao Renyong could no longer contain himself. His large body slowly stood up as he said, “Lord Jiang, let me tell you a story from the past.” Seeing Jiang Chong’s lips curl in a disdainful smile, he immediately pointed at the door couplet and said loudly, “This couplet has an origin. If you hear it, you’ll believe in my Zhao family’s abilities!”

“Oh?” Jiang Chong deliberately blinked his eyes, his face showing a smile.

The Central Plains was vast with countless wonders. Just picking any manor and throwing out a brick would often reveal three to five hundred years of history. The Zhao family was a respectable great household and naturally had endless stories. Seeing Zhao Renyong so confident, this door couplet probably had some miraculous aspect. Jiang Chong’s intention was merely provocation. Seeing him take the bait, he chuckled and looked up at the couplet.

The couplet had left and right sides with a four-character horizontal inscription above. At first glance, it didn’t seem particularly remarkable. Jiang Chong burped and read aloud, “From ancient times to now, dragon dancing and lion dancing claim first place.”

When the Zhao family migrated south to Huguang, their royal status was no more. Several hundred people lived off their savings, and no amount of family wealth was enough. Fortunately, the Zhao family had a martial arts master who incorporated Taizu boxing techniques into lion dancing formations, creating the lion dance troupe—this was the first generation “Zhao Xingshi” (Awakening Lion). The Zhao family practiced everything: Plum Blossom Formation, Strength Horse Formation, Eight Trigrams Formation, Centipede Formation—they excelled at all. No wonder they boasted “dragon dancing and lion dancing claim first place.” Though this statement was somewhat arrogant, the Zhao family’s lion dancing was indeed exquisite, so it couldn’t be considered excessive boasting.

Finding nothing strange in the first line, Jiang Chong burped again and leaned forward to read the second line. Suddenly he made a surprised sound and read out the absurd second line: “In heaven and on earth, playing god and ghost, I’m the best.”

Reading this far, anyone would look at each other in shock. When Jiang Chong looked at the horizontal inscription, he couldn’t help laughing and immediately burst into loud laughter.

“Never Look Back”—this was the Zhao family’s horizontal inscription.

This couplet was both crude and strange. Anyone who read it would be puzzled, not knowing what kind of confused person wrote it. Jiang Chong laughed loudly, “Never look back? Does your family also keep monsters?” Back in Shenji Cave, there was a “Chang You”—upon seeing strangers look back, it would immediately pounce and bite. He hadn’t expected the Lingnan Zhao family to have such mysteries, making Jiang Chong unable to contain his amusement.

“Lord Jiang, please don’t mock me. I wrote this when I took over five years ago. For this couplet, I even established a house rule.”

Jiang Chong glanced at the horizontal inscription and laughed, “What house rule? Never look back?”

Zhao Renyong spat, “Lord Jiang, stop joking. If we couldn’t turn our heads, how could we even ride horses? Our house rule is: ‘Strictly Forbidden to Frighten People from Behind’!”

Hearing these words, Jiang Chong only felt it was ridiculous, thinking he was intentionally joking.

But Zhao Renyong didn’t say much more. Whether it was a joke or not, only the Zhao family’s old grandmother knew.

The story begins from that stuffy, hot afternoon ten years ago… That year Zhao Renyong was only seventeen…

On a sweltering summer afternoon, it was perfect nap time. In the buzzing cicada sounds, an old grandmother lay on a cool bed in the back courtyard, snoring loudly in sleep. Looking at this old woman sleeping with drool flowing, with many maids beside her fanning for coolness—able to enjoy such fine comfort, this old woman was undoubtedly the Zhao family’s old matriarch.

The older people get, the more stubborn their tempers become, developing many inexplicable peculiarities. This old woman, past seventy-three, was strange among the strange, peculiar among the peculiar. Whether eating, drinking, relieving herself, or sleeping, her habits were vastly different from ordinary people. Among these, the back courtyard afternoon nap was the old woman’s greatest hobby. Regardless of wind, rain, warmth, or cold, she never missed a day—once past noon, she would go lie down. Everyone in the Zhao household knew the old lady had a bad temper, so they strictly forbade mischievous grandchildren from making noise in the courtyard.

The Zhao family had seven children. The eldest was the later famous Zhao Renyong who shocked South China. The second was Zhao Rentong, who would become the martial arts instructor for the lion troupe. The Zhao children had been accomplished since childhood and naturally wouldn’t violate family rules by troubling the old lady.

Heaven knows the trouble started from that afternoon nap…

That year, when the Empress Dowager celebrated her birthday, the lion dance troupe had just returned from Beijing, bringing back many palace rewards. Among them was a shuttlecock of considerable origin—made of white gold in the shape of a peacock, with peacock eyes set with two red gems and the tail made of real peacock feathers. Just looking at it, one could tell its value was extraordinary. Seeing it, the seven children naturally clamored loudly, all wanting their father to reward it to them.

The “Fifth Generation Awakening Lion” Zhao Quan smiled and looked at his children surrounding him: “Don’t quarrel, don’t quarrel. Our family has seven children but only one shuttlecock. No matter who father gives it to, it would be favoritism.” He patted the children’s little heads and smiled, “How about this—you compete to see who kicks it best, and father will reward that person.” With that, he threw the shuttlecock into the air and turned to leave.

The seven children cheered loudly and began kicking the shuttlecock in the courtyard. The Zhao family made their living from lion dancing, so regardless of gender or age, everyone practiced martial arts from childhood to strengthen their bodies. Shuttlecock was helpful for leg strength and movement techniques, so the elders had long taught them to play. Now with a wager, the children worked even harder.

The children played back and forth—you kick, I kick—with the older ones kicking to the younger ones in sequence. They had agreed beforehand that whoever let the shuttlecock fall would have to help Second Mother in the back kitchen—just hearing about this work sounded tiring, so the children naturally used all their strength.

With a whoosh, the shuttlecock flew toward Sixth Brother. Fifth Sister was a ten-year-old girl who always liked bullying Sixth Brother. This kick was both crooked and slanted, immediately flustering Sixth Brother Zhao Renzong. In desperation, he used his head to bump it forcefully. The shuttlecock flew into the air and fell straight into the back courtyard.

“Oh… you’re finished…” The other children all surrounded him, pointing at Zhao Renzong.

Zhao Renzong’s face turned red: “What do you mean finished? I received Fifth Sister’s move—next should be Seventh Brother’s turn. Where did I lose?”

Seventh Brother was the family’s youngest and had always been doted on by his parents. Hearing this, he immediately pouted as if to cry. Fifth Sister, born from the same mother, naturally came to his defense. She giggled and said, “Sixth Brother, you’re so foolish. Everyone said you’re finished, not that you lost. Are you deaf? How can you not even understand words clearly?”

Though Zhao Renzong was young, his temper wasn’t small. He pushed Fifth Sister and shouted, “What nonsense are you talking about, you cheap woman!” Third Brother rushed over and shouted, “What are you doing? Hitting people?”

Great households had many concubines. Zhao Quan had three wives who bore seven children together. Though the children were young, watching their mothers scheme against each other over the years, they had long formed factions based on their mothers’ relationships. Third Brother and Seventh Brother looked alike and were also born from Third Mother. Now seeing Sixth Brother threatening them, he naturally came to defend his siblings.

Zhao Renyong, as the eldest son, was seven or eight years older than his six siblings. Seeing them fighting, he naturally had to mediate. He coughed and said, “Stop quarreling. Sixth Brother, you kicked the shuttlecock into the back courtyard—you go get it back.”

Even the usually fair eldest brother said so, naturally frightening Zhao Renzong completely. Getting the shuttlecock was simple, but that ghost woman in the back courtyard wasn’t simple at all. Thinking of the hot-tempered old woman in the back courtyard, Zhao Renzong’s face turned pale, wanting to refuse. Fifth Sister’s tone was unfriendly as she sneered, “You lost the treasure the Empress Dowager gave us. When father asks about it, do you still want to live? Go get it quickly!”

Zhao Renzong made a bitter face. Thinking this shuttlecock was extraordinary—not only worth several hundred taels of silver but also a treasure bestowed by the Empress Dowager, it really couldn’t be lost. He could only sigh twice and nod.

After the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, Zhao Renzong crouched fearfully in the back courtyard, stealing glances at the situation in the courtyard.

A large banyan tree blocked the scorching sun. Under the tree shade lay an old woman, snoring loudly on a cool bed. Maids on both sides held palm fans, gently fanning for coolness, looking quite leisurely.

Sunlight shone down, shooting two red beams of light from under the cool bed—it was the peacock eyes of the white gold shuttlecock gleaming. Zhao Renzong was both happy and afraid. The white gold shuttlecock was right before his eyes—as long as he could crawl to the bedside, he could get the item.

But knowing is easier than doing, even for something as simple as picking up a shuttlecock. The old grandmother had a big temper and hot anger. In her life, she only loved her niece Third Mother, hating First Mother and Second Mother to the bone—cursing them whenever she saw them, and naturally showing no kindness to their children. Only First Mother, coming from the Huaixi Heavenly General’s Mansion with her older brother Gao Tianwei backing her, plus having given birth to eldest son Zhao Renyong—with this double protection, she feared no one. In the end, only poor Second Mother was left alone.

Zhao Renzong was Second Mother’s only son and had long been accustomed to being squeezed out and bullied by the family. Usually, upon seeing the old woman, he would immediately slip away. Who would have thought that today he would fall into her clutches?

Zhao Renzong took a deep breath. Looking at the old grandmother’s lazy appearance, she was probably sound asleep. He lay on the ground, took a lotus leaf to cover his head, pretending to be a large lotus flower, then slowly crawled toward the cool bed, wriggling toward the white gold shuttlecock.

In the sweltering summer day, the maids’ eyes were unfocused, fanning listlessly, not noticing the lotus leaf was actually crawling by itself. Zhao Renzong knew clearly that his main worry was only the old grandmother. The old woman had high martial arts and sharp eyes—if the old witch spotted him, she could pin the crime of disturbing the afternoon nap on him, and Sixth Brother might be finished. With this thought, Zhao Renzong immediately held his breath and crawled even more carefully.

Five feet, four feet, three feet—he was already within two feet of the cool bed. The white gold shuttlecock was within reach. Just as Zhao Renzong was about to extend his hand, the old woman’s body suddenly turned, her face rotating to look in his direction.

Zhao Renzong was greatly shocked, frightened until his whole body trembled. He immediately covered his face with the lotus leaf—whether he lived or died, in his panic he first tried to cover his ears while stealing the bell.

After a long while, he didn’t hear the old woman’s angry roar. Zhao Renzong boldly pushed the lotus leaf away and peered out, only to see the old woman sleeping in a sprawled position with an ugly sleeping posture, her legs spread wide—truly an extremely unsightly sight.

Zhao Renzong’s little mouth twisted. Thinking of how his mother was always bullied by this old woman, he immediately felt nauseated. Seeing the old grandmother hadn’t noticed him, he calmed down and reached out again toward the white gold shuttlecock under the cool bed. Once he found the shuttlecock, he would slip away immediately and could swagger around later.

After feeling around for a long time, he still couldn’t grasp anything. Zhao Renzong wrinkled his little brow and felt around under the bed again, but after searching everywhere, there was still only soft yellow earth. Zhao Renzong panicked and quickly lay down to peer underneath—this look made his body go half cold.

Under the bed was completely empty—not only no shuttlecock, but not even a single insect.

What happened? The white gold shuttlecock was gone? The thing he had just seen had somehow vanished without a trace? Thinking this item was a precious treasure his father had brought back, if it was lost in his hands, he didn’t know what great disaster would befall him. Zhao Renzong’s eyes welled with tears as he desperately searched on the ground.

“What are you doing?” A fierce voice suddenly rang out. Zhao Renzong knew he was finished. With red-rimmed eyes, he looked up at his grandmother and replied quietly, “I’m looking for the shuttlecock.”

“Looking for a shuttlecock? Looking for a shuttlecock brought you here? Damn little brat, I don’t know how your mother taught you!”

Accompanying the old woman’s scolding, his ear was already lifted up. Zhao Renzong screamed miserably, “Don’t do this… I’m just looking for the shuttlecock, just looking for the shuttlecock… shuttlecock… shuttlecock… wuu wuu… wuu wuu…” He was sobbing brokenly from the pain.

Shuttlecock…

Where are you!

The white gold shuttlecock just disappeared like that. Zhao Renzong was also beaten half to death. His father scolded him for being careless, his grandmother said he didn’t follow house rules, and his several brothers and sisters even said he was a thief who had secretly kept the white gold shuttlecock for himself. With her beloved son being called a thief, Second Mother’s status became even lower, and Zhao Renzong became more withdrawn, no longer playing with his brothers and sisters.

Three years later, his mother died of accumulated overwork and illness. On her deathbed, Zhao Renzong alone guarded her sickbed and quietly asked, “Mother, do you also think I’m a thief?”

Second Mother smiled slightly, caressed her beloved son’s cheek, and spoke her final words.

“Silly child, the shuttlecock was taken by grandmother. Haven’t you figured it out yet?”

Zhao Renzong burst into loud tears. In that moment, he suddenly grew up. As tears fell like rain, he secretly vowed in his heart that he would get the shuttlecock back, and he would tell everyone in the family that he wasn’t a thief—grandmother was the thief.

From then on, Zhao Renzong seemed to go mad. Every day he wore a heavy string of bells, wandering everywhere in the house. In the jingling and clanging sounds, the nickname “Bell Sixth Brother” spread without effort…

“How to get it back?” Two years later, his eldest brother, who had returned from the north, came to see him and asked his sixth brother this question.

“Of course, get it back openly and honorably.” In the twenty-eighth year of Jingtai, the now fifteen-year-old Zhao Renzong replied to his upright eldest brother in a deep voice. With the eldest brother being like a father, Zhao Renyong was the only person in the family who still cared about him.

Zhao Renyong sighed and shook his head, “Don’t be foolish. The old woman is fierce—your mother was tormented to death by her. Don’t go looking for trouble.”

Zhao Renzong’s voice became deeper: “Don’t worry, eldest brother. My qinggong is the best in the world. With this unique skill, I’ll definitely get the shuttlecock back.”

Zhao Renyong was stunned and immediately made a sound of amusement: “This kind of talk is fine at home, but don’t go out and embarrass yourself! Have you heard of Jiuhua Mountain? Their Azure-Robed Sect Leader is the one with the best qinggong! Sixth Brother, you’re young and don’t know how high the sky is—don’t talk so arrogantly.”

Zhao Renzong smiled coldly. In literature there’s no first place, in martial arts there’s no second—who’s higher or lower can’t be proven with empty words. One must compare to know, right? He said flatly, “Eldest brother, if we’re comparing flying high and leaping far, I naturally can’t compare to the Azure-Robed Scholar.”

Zhao Renyong made an “oh” sound and asked, “Could it be that you run faster than him?”

Zhao Renzong shook his head, “In terms of speed, I also can’t compare to Jie Tao of Jiangdong.”

Zhao Renyong couldn’t help coughing, “Then how dare you say you have the best qinggong?”

Zhao Renzong smiled slightly and continued, “Eldest brother… the reason qinggong is called qinggong is precisely because of that character ‘qing’ (light)…” Fire ignited in his eyes as he stared at his eldest brother’s pupils.

Zhao Renyong, having been away from home these two years, naturally didn’t know about sixth brother’s running around with bells everywhere. Seeing sixth brother’s persistent expression, he didn’t want to discourage him, so he just patted his shoulder as comfort. Zhao Renzong knew he didn’t believe him, but didn’t say anything more, just smiled. But his gaze remained persistent, filled with complete confidence.

“Give me back the shuttlecock.”

That day was beautiful with gentle winds. The old grandmother was eating breakfast in good spirits. Being advanced in age, she had always been hard of hearing, but somehow she clearly heard this strange sentence, then felt someone pat her left shoulder. She made a surprised sound and quickly turned around, only to see a maid in the distance humming and swaying—no one else was behind her.

The old grandmother angrily said, “How dare you! Who told you to touch me!”

The maid was immediately beaten with a broken arm and never dared approach the old lady again.

At noon, the old grandmother went to the toilet to relieve herself. This time she was humming a little tune when she suddenly heard that exact same sentence again:

“Give me back the shuttlecock.”

The old grandmother was greatly shocked. Suddenly her right shoulder was heavily struck again. She hurriedly turned around, but besides the toilet door panel, the surroundings remained empty and silent. The old grandmother had a bad temper—after cursing a few times, she decided to find a Taoist priest to exorcise ghosts.

In the afternoon, though the old grandmother was in an irritable mood, the afternoon nap on the cool bed still had to happen. With the previous examples of ghostly frights, she gathered ten maids to surround the bed on all sides. With layers of protection, she could finally sleep peacefully.

After falling deeply asleep, her body turned over with her face down, and she immediately heard that sentence again:

“Give me back the shuttlecock.”

Accompanying this strange phrase, her forehead was patted once. The old woman was furious to the point of madness. She immediately opened her eyes—no one was in front of her. She sat up and turned around, this time actually seeing a ghost. A ghost mask hanging on the banyan tree branch.

“Never look back”—the old grandmother was truly frightened to death. Among her belongings, people indeed found a shuttlecock. But no one knew how she died. According to the maids, that afternoon she suddenly sat up straight, then fell back down by herself and never moved again.

Afterward, Zhao Renyong called his sixth brother to ask, and Sixth Brother told him everything in detail, adding these words:

“Eldest brother, if you claim that for dragon dancing and lion dancing, you’re first in the world, then for playing god and ghost, I’m the best in heaven and earth.”

Watching sixth brother run back and forth in the training ground covered in bells, yet those bells made not the slightest sound, Zhao Renyong was naturally speechless with shock. Being both light and skillful, then moving silently at will, walking and stopping like a ghost—over the years, Zhao Renzong had practiced diligently without cease. Combined with his extraordinary natural talent, he had finally mastered this bragging capital without a teacher…

Zhao Renyong didn’t punish sixth brother, nor did he leak the matter. Sixth brother wasn’t the thorn in the old woman’s eye—if anyone was most hated by the old woman, it was himself, born of First Mother. Without the old woman’s support, the usually arrogant Third Brother could no longer act presumptuously. When Zhao Renyong took over the position of “Sixth Generation Zhao Xingshi,” he immediately wrote this strange couplet and established an odd house rule: strictly forbidding frightening people from behind.

Hearing the story, Jiang Chong immediately laughed heartily, “Lord Zhao is indeed shrewd. If your sixth brother ever covets the master’s position and pats your shoulder like that, it wouldn’t be fun.”

Jiang Chong was deeply calculating—just hearing the story once, he knew Zhao Renyong’s couplet was written for sixth brother to see. First, it showed respect for his qinggong skills; second, it also reminded sixth brother not to deal with him. Jiang Chong handled myriad affairs daily, and palace struggles were routine for him, let alone such trivial matters. In just a few words, he had seen through Zhao Renyong’s intentions.

Zhao Renyong coughed twice, “Lord Jiang jokes. But tell me, with my sixth brother’s movement technique, is there anywhere in the world he can’t enter?”

Jiang Chong looked at the couplet on the door and nodded. Suddenly a cold smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Back then, Liu Jing was so capable with such methods, yet wasn’t he still destroyed in my hands? A mere Tianjue monk—what schemes and strategies does he have that he thinks he can fight against me, Jiang Chong?

Hehe, no matter how deep that “Hidden Dragon” lurks, with capable people by the thousands under the throne, I can still drag out the divine dragon’s tail from the bottom of the sea…

A man emerged from a flock of sheep, his body covered with bells. Looking at him—half an inch from the mother sheep on his left side, not even a hair’s breadth from the lamb on his right—yet as he walked, the sheep weren’t startled in the least, just letting him move slowly forward.

The summer heat was sweltering, but it was quite cool under the tree shade. This place was already a hundred feet from Damo Temple, so extreme caution was necessary. The man stopped and stood like a silent ancient tree. He looked around several times, confirmed no one was nearby, then headed toward Damo Temple.

This person’s movement technique wasn’t necessarily fast, but it was extremely soft and quiet. Only with such skills would Jiang Chong regard him as a divine talent.

General of Great Han, Fourth-Rank Cloud Captain before the Emperor—this was the wealth and honor Zhao Renzong had obtained from Jiang Chong.

In the past, whether Liu Jing or Liu Angtian, both had heard of the Zhao family’s sixth brother and had sent people to inquire whether Zhao Renzong was interested in taking office. But the Zhao Xingshi family didn’t want to get involved in the court’s three-faction struggle and naturally didn’t want sixth brother to go to the capital for business. But heaven doesn’t follow human wishes—a year ago Liu Jing fell, Nucang rose again, and the moment of Jiang Chong’s dominance had arrived. Zhao Xingshi dared not disobey the powerful minister and could only recommend sixth brother for office.

Damo Temple was truly a legendary holy site of the martial world. Without Zhao Renzong’s skills, who would dare rashly break in?

Zhao Renzong looked at Damo Temple before him, repeatedly pondering Jiang Chong’s words. According to this powerful minister, Damo Temple held an important figure—the demon head who once made heroes throughout the world tremble in fear, the great military advisor known as “Hidden Dragon,” Zhu Yang. This time, Tianjue’s intervention and the willing arrival of Nucang heroes at Shaolin was precisely for this person.

But Jiang Chong was suspicious in his heart. This Tianjue monk had been in seclusion for many years, rarely associating with court ministers. Why was he suddenly so active? Could there be other hidden circumstances? To resolve these doubts, he had sent him to investigate and clarify the inside story. First, to check whether “Zhu Yang” was really in Damo Temple; second, to understand Tianjue’s intentions, lest the situation change and they be outmaneuvered instead.

To gather intelligence required entering the dragon’s den and tiger’s lair. But Shaolin Temple wasn’t like other places. Not to mention the Four Great Vajras’ high martial arts and Tianjue master and disciples’ combination of wisdom and courage—even “Hidden Dragon” himself was probably a terrifyingly formidable figure. Looking at how sinister Damo Temple appeared, who dared rashly break in?

Zhao Renzong smiled slightly. Wolves eat meat, dogs eat excrement—though thieves and scoundrels look ugly, they also have ways to survive. Though Zhao Renzong was only twenty-one or twenty-two, when facing those meat-eating wolves and tigers, he wasn’t afraid at all.

Zhao Renzong gathered his true qi, stepped on dry branches and withered leaves. Without using force in his shoulders and limbs, he lifted his qi to lighten his body and slid directly over the dead leaves. All along this slide, he was light as a feather and made not the slightest sound. When Jie Tao had once fought Yang Suguan, he had displayed the supreme skill of “standing on needles,” looking down on all heroes. If he saw Zhao Renzong’s silent qinggong now, he would probably have to admit defeat.

Silently floating over the wall top, a quiet black shadow drifted into the courtyard. Zhao Renzong surveyed his surroundings. Damo Temple was ancient, old, narrow, and small, with beams and eaves quite dilapidated. Such old, decaying buildings were most difficult to infiltrate—not only because the structures were rotten, but because there were many rats around. These rodents were extremely alert; the slightest carelessness would startle them into scurrying about, and the squeaking sounds would definitely alert people. For this reason, Zhao Renzong had brought tiny bells—these bells were famous for their low sound. Even when shaken violently, people nearby couldn’t hear them clearly. Zhao Renzong used them to monitor his own footsteps to avoid accidents.

Crossing the courtyard, entering the door, slowly entering the hall, Zhao Renzong hid behind the door panel and held his breath. Monk Tianjue was known as the temple’s foremost master, so his hearing must be extraordinarily sharp. If his breathing was slightly heavy, he would be detected. Now that he had entered the tiger’s mouth, he must be extremely cautious.

Zhao Renzong calmed his mind and heard the sounds of wind moving through forest tips and cicadas and birds singing in the courtyard. He listened more carefully and detected mice squeaking in rat holes under the wall. Though that chittering was very faint, to him it sounded deafening.

Calming his mind further—within a hundred feet radius, there wasn’t that cold, chilling aura. Monk Tianjue wasn’t in the hall.

Ears aren’t as useful as the mind. Since childhood, Zhao Renzong had lived under the scolding and beating of elders, early developing a wonderful method of reading expressions and moods. Before others even angrily scolded him, the hair on his body would stand up on its own. He could sense ordinary people’s moods, and when it came to those martial world masters whose killing intent was as thick as a fish market’s stench, he could feel his hair standing on end from a hundred feet away, making it much easier to avoid them.

Boldly walking into the hall, Zhao Renzong looked around and saw that inside Damo Temple, the beams were high and the courtyard deep. The walls were covered with court yellow proclamations—countless rewards and gifts from Taizu, the Empress Dowager, and the Emperor through the generations. This place was indeed a holy site the court relied upon.

According to information Lord Jiang had bought for five thousand taels of silver, there seemed to be a wooden fish mechanism in the hall. Just pulling it would open a secret passage. Zhao Renzong looked around for a while and found the wooden fish on the Buddhist altar. He listened to his surroundings again, confirmed no one was spying in the courtyard, then immediately pulled up the wooden fish, activated the mechanism, and made the secret door in the hall rise.

A secret passage indeed appeared below the wall, looking dark and deep. The corner of Zhao Renzong’s mouth curved in a smile. Shaolin Temple’s secret passages were famous throughout the world, yet they were about to be invaded by an outsider. It seemed all the monks on the mountain would lose face.

Zhao Renzong slowly stepped into the tunnel. He didn’t jump or leap, just honestly descended step by step. After walking only a few steps, he indeed saw several rats crouching beside the stairs in the darkness like guards. If he had just shown off his qinggong and leaped constantly, he would definitely have alarmed the rat pack now.

So hot…

This tunnel was made of green stone, both steep and long, and extremely stuffy inside. After Zhao Renzong walked a hundred zhang, suddenly a cool breeze blew, and his breathing became much smoother. He walked forward a few more steps, and his view suddenly opened up. He saw a natural stone cave ahead, spacious and wide. Looking up, he could see faint daylight above—this cave top was actually dozens of zhang high. From the sunlight shining through cracks, this stone cave must lead directly to the mountain top.

Zhao Renzong didn’t know what this stone cave was used for. He immediately reached out to feel the surrounding stone walls—they were quite slippery to the touch but had no moss. His heart trembled, knowing this place had been cleaned up. It was probably to deal with the Nucang bandits, though he didn’t know the specific mystery.

Knowing he couldn’t figure it out, Zhao Renzong shook his head and continued down the tunnel. Without daylight illumination, it became much darker ahead. The further he walked, the harder it became to distinguish the path. He took phosphorus powder from his waist pouch and scattered it in the air. Under the phosphorescent light, two paths appeared ahead.

Zhao Renzong was somewhat puzzled. According to Lord Jiang Chong’s instructions, this place was originally a dungeon specifically for guarding Nucang Mountain’s Hidden Dragon military advisor. Logically, the fewer passages, the easier to guard. Why dig out two passages?

Hehe, interesting. Zhao Renzong’s eyes flashed with light. He felt the rock walls—though he couldn’t see clearly, one area was covered with moss and mud, while another was quite smooth, apparently newly excavated. With limited time, he couldn’t explore each passage one by one and could only choose one to investigate. He looked at the two passages before him, calculating in his mind.

He was ranked sixth, which was an even number. Even was right, odd was left—so he’d go right.

Having made his bet, there was no need to think further. He simply proceeded stealthily. People in the martial world often depended on luck for life and death when traveling. He was confident that Heaven would surely favor him, so his heart was quite calm without any alarm.

After walking a hundred feet, the tunnel became increasingly dark, and the terrain went straight down. Suddenly, firelight flickered ahead. Zhao Renzong’s heart trembled, knowing there were people ahead. He immediately slowed his pace and dared not move carelessly.

Tap, tap, tap—footsteps sounded behind him. After listening for a while, Zhao Renzong knew the person was light in body. These steps were so dense and fine that it couldn’t be the reportedly tall and thin Monk Tianjue. Zhao Renzong held his breath, pressed his back against the wall, and hid his body in the darkness. No matter who was coming, there were no easily provoked figures in Damo Temple. If his tracks were discovered, he would surely die without a burial place.

The footsteps grew louder, and suddenly he smelled a delicate fragrance. Zhao Renzong’s heart trembled: “What’s going on? This monk smells so fragrant?” Just as he was puzzled, he suddenly saw a woman pass in front of him, carrying a bamboo basket. Looking at this woman’s beautiful face, about forty-something, she was a striking middle-aged beauty.

Zhao Renzong was greatly shocked, not knowing how there could be a woman hidden here when Shaolin Temple strictly forbade women from entering—and she was even a great beauty! This couldn’t help but make him extremely puzzled.

While Zhao Renzong was puzzled, the beauty didn’t notice him and just went down the tunnel. Zhao Renzong slowed his pace and followed behind, tracking her.

After walking only a few zhang, the woman reached out to push open a stone door and said softly, “Your Majesty, let’s eat.”

Your Majesty? Hearing that not only was there someone inside the door, but the woman was calling him “Your Majesty,” Zhao Renzong couldn’t help being greatly surprised. In his shock, the bells on his body rang.

Zhao Renzong’s face turned iron-gray, cold sweat streaming down his body. He quickly calmed his mind, fearing detection.

Fortunately, the bells only rang once or twice, and the sound was very faint, not alarming the people inside the door. He heard a man’s voice from behind the stone door sighing, “Sigh… how much longer must I stay here? I really want to go out and get some sun.”

The man’s voice was weak and listless, like a seriously ill person. Zhao Renzong was secretly surprised. Thinking of the woman’s earlier call, he wondered: “Who is this person? How could he be called ‘Your Majesty’? Could he be crazy like our great-grandfather?”

His Zhao family were imperial descendants. When he was small, his great-grandfather was crazy and liked to pretend to be emperor, even styling himself “Song Dezong” and making them juniors call him “Your Majesty.” Later, when the family received court titles when he was five, this stopped. It seemed the man inside the door was probably also a confused madman.

As he was thinking, the woman said, “Your Majesty, please drink some soup. Your appetite hasn’t been good these days—don’t ruin your health.” Suddenly there was a clanging sound, as if some bowl or plate had broken. The man said loudly, “I won’t eat! I won’t eat! I finally got out of Shenji Cave only to end up in Damo Temple—still not seeing daylight! Where is Master Tianjue? Call him over!”

The woman said anxiously, “Your Majesty, please calm your anger. The Nucang Mountain forces will arrive soon. The master is currently arranging for both sides to meet. Once matters are settled, you’ll be able to leave.” The woman stepped inside, her voice growing fainter. He faintly heard the man say, “Hiding for decades, I’m truly disheartened. Marquis Wude is dead, and General Manager Liu can’t accomplish anything either. If Master Tianjue fails again this time, I really can’t hold on…” The woman said quietly, “Your Majesty, rest assured. This time Master Tianjue found your cousin to help. That’s nothing to worry about. The master says he’s changed his name and hidden his identity, infiltrating the court for years. No one knows his true identity. His scheming is said to be even more formidable than Liu Jing’s, and he can definitely deal with Jiang Chong…”

The man made an “oh” sound and asked a few questions quietly. Then the woman closed the stone door, and nothing more could be heard.

Zhao Renzong thought over and over about those few sentences: “Hiding for decades, ‘I’ am truly disheartened…”

Thinking of that character “I” (zhen – the imperial “I”), Zhao Renzong felt his whole body shake greatly, truly horrified. When he was small, his great-grandfather liked to play emperor behind closed doors but never dared to consistently use “zhen,” because if he slipped up when going out to meet guests, wouldn’t that lead to beheading? But the person inside the door showed no pretense whatsoever—in casual conversation he repeatedly used “zhen,” appearing very natural. Without using this verbal habit for decades, how could he manage it?

Zhao Renzong was shocked and uncertain. This was Damo Temple, which should only house Shaolin monks. According to Lord Jiang’s words, at most there would be one more Hidden Dragon military advisor. When did a beautiful woman appear, followed by someone calling himself “zhen”? Zhao Renzong wanted to investigate thoroughly, so he went to the stone door and pressed his ear to listen. But his internal power was limited—he couldn’t hear the subtle sounds inside. He wanted to push open the stone door but feared alarming Master Tianjue. After thinking it over, the only option was to leave Shaolin quickly and face Lord Jiang to reveal everything that had happened here. With that contemporary powerful minister’s scheming, he could surely guess the mystery within.

As soon as Zhao Renzong made this decision, he immediately turned back. Suddenly his nose itched—a fragrant smell drifted into the tunnel. He sniffed and recognized it as a faint sandalwood scent, unique to monks. Zhao Renzong panicked, knowing Monk Tianjue was nearby. Though that bell sound earlier was faint, it couldn’t escape a supreme master’s ears and had probably drawn him here.

His heart was uneasy, knowing he had to leave immediately. He dared not retreat the same way. Seeing the tunnel continued straight down into the earth, there should be another exit. Zhao Renzong quickened his pace and ran down. Though his movement was swift, the bells on his body made no sound at all, showing his movement technique was so light it was almost like insects or flies.

After running for a while, there were points of light ahead. Looking at that bright, dazzling light—it was the scorching summer sun. Zhao Renzong was delighted, knowing the exit was only about a zhang away.

Zhao Renzong quickened his pace and was about to rush out when he felt a chill behind him. This killing intent was so oppressive, pressing from the tunnel, that he couldn’t help getting goosebumps all over. In his shock, knowing a master was within ten zhang behind him, he held his breath and threw his body forward forcefully. Suddenly his hands touched a cold stone wall. He pushed with his palms, and with a creaking sound, the stone door opened.

Zhao Renzong breathed a sigh of relief, knowing he had saved his life. Once he left Damo Temple, relying on his silent qinggong, he could hide anywhere in mountain forests and springs. In that vast world, who could catch a small flea? He let out a long breath and slipped sideways out of the stone door.

The scorching sun was oppressive, dazzling sunlight shining on his face. Zhao Renzong’s eyes blurred and he couldn’t see anything. He closed his eyes tightly, turned his back, and quickly closed the stone door. Then he relaxed slightly, slowly turned around, and was about to leave.

But at this moment, his body bumped into something warm.

Heaven help me! Someone was standing behind him!

“Who… are… you?”

Zhao Renzong’s voice carried terror and despair. With his quick mind, he hadn’t detected someone lying in ambush behind him? He wanted to see the other person’s face clearly, but the sunlight was dazzling. Having just come from darkness, his eyes couldn’t see. He opened his eyes blindly, waving and grabbing wildly with both hands like a blind man.

An aged, low laugh came to his ears, followed by a hand touching his throat, laughing, “And who are you?”

Since mastering qinggong at twenty, Zhao Renzong had always used evasive tactics against enemies, never engaging in direct confrontation, much less being caught at a vital point. As soon as that person’s finger touched his throat, in his alarm, Zhao Renzong’s feet touched down and he immediately leaped backward, wanting to escape that person’s grasp.

With a light thud, before his back could hit the stone door, he felt sharp pain. The pain went straight to his back heart, almost making him scream. This door was one he had personally closed, but only now did Zhao Renzong realize there was a sharp blade installed behind the door, aimed directly at his back heart’s vital point.

It was over. Just now his eyes were pained and he hadn’t noticed if there were mechanisms on the door. Who knew there was now a killing weapon behind him.

Fresh blood dripped from his back, the sharp blade ready to pierce through his heart at any moment. In this moment of life and death, the qinggong he had diligently practiced his whole life finally proved useful. Zhao Renzong’s body suddenly froze. He channeled power into both feet, relying on his extraordinarily agile body to forcibly stop his backward momentum. Looking at him with toes raised, body leaning back, arms spread wide, supported entirely by his heel strength—if his center of gravity fell backward, the blade would pierce through his body and he would surely die on the spot.

His forehead felt cold as a finger pushed against it, touching his forehead. He heard that person laugh and ask, “Want to live?”

This finger needed only slight force and his center of gravity would become unstable, causing him to fall backward and be stabbed to death on the spot. Zhao Renzong’s tears fell as he frantically nodded.

That voice said flatly, “Who sent you?”

Zhao Renzong came from a hereditary family and had no need to die for Jiang Chong. He choked out, “Lord Jiang.” That voice made an “oh” sound and said, “What did he send you to do?” Zhao Renzong was both afraid and shocked, holding back tears as he said, “He… he sent me to find the ‘Hidden Dragon’…”

That voice laughed heartily, “I see! You’ve worked hard—quickly go back and report.”

That finger applied slight pressure forward. Though it was merely the force of a fly or insect, Zhao Renzong’s form was already unstable, maintained only by qinggong mental techniques. When the finger suddenly pushed out, though the force was light, it caused Zhao Renzong to fall backward. He screamed, and with a thud, his back hit the stone door. Instantly his body felt cold as the blade pierced through his body.

“Help me!”

Zhao Renzong cried and screamed. He wasn’t dead—he had desperately lunged forward and escaped by rolling and crawling.

Zhao Renzong screamed wildly. In his pain and fear, he naturally didn’t dare look back. Behind him, the stone door was stained with blood, but there was no sharp blade—only a protruding nail less than an inch long. Looking at that nail, sharp on both ends—one end nailed into the stone door, one end protruding outward. The sharp point was less than an inch, so even if it fully entered the body, it wouldn’t be fatal. But Zhao Renzong had been frightened from death back to life. In his terror, his mind had already collapsed, and he only knew to flee with all his might, not daring to look back again.

Distant stream water gurgled, accompanied by Zhao Renzong’s screams, sounding particularly eerie. Looking at this captain’s excessive fright—hopefully he won’t go mad.

With a light creak, the stone door opened again. This time an old monk emerged—gaunt-faced and stern-looking, it was Tianjue’s arrival. Having suddenly emerged from darkness into such dazzling sunlight, his eyes naturally stung painfully. However, Tianjue was after all a martial arts grandmaster with rich experience. In this dangerous place, he simply closed his eyes tightly and sent out a surge of qi energy forward, making it impossible for anyone to approach within five feet. Even if there were large numbers of troops with bows and arrows lying in ambush, they couldn’t harm him.

Though Tianjue couldn’t see, he knew someone was hiding nearby. With eyes closed, he said coldly, “You’re late. According to our agreement, you should have arrived two days ago.” Despite facing the Four Great Grandmasters, that person’s tone remained fearless. He was heard to smile slightly and say, “Master, don’t make unreasonable demands. There were some matters at court—I was busy with official duties and couldn’t get away.”

Tianjue snorted, “When I let you go down the mountain years ago, this old monk didn’t make excuses.” Hearing him mention the past, that person’s laughter immediately turned sinister as he replied, “The past was the past, now is now—why mix them together? Master, let’s speak plainly—Ning Bufan handed the person over to you, which is the same as handing him over to me. You needn’t treat me as an outsider.”

Hearing this suddenly, Monk Tianjue’s eyes flew open, divine light blazing out. He immediately saw a trail of blood on the ground. His anger rising like a mountain, he said sternly, “You’ve killed again! When I let you go down the mountain, what oath did you swear?”

That person shrugged and smiled, “He ran into it himself—you can’t blame me.”

Monk Tianjue’s face was dark as he pushed open the door and gestured for the visitor to enter the cave.

Seeing Tianjue’s feet not moving, that person immediately smiled, “Master, even with your level of martial arts, are you afraid to walk ahead of me?” Tianjue wasn’t provoked. Putting his palms together, he said, “Hidden Dragon Phoenix Feather—with strategy alone you can kill…” As soon as the word “people” came out, his left hand had already grasped that person’s wrist, the technique swift as lightning. His tone became calm as he said, “Even if you were powerless as a trussed chicken, this old monk wouldn’t underestimate you in the slightest.” As he spoke, he applied pressure in his palm, seeming to want to severely punish that person.

But that person showed no panic. He was heard to laugh lightly, “Master, my wrist is coated with poison.”

Tianjue’s body shook, his face flashing with dark qi. Just as he was about to use divine kung fu to expel the poison, that person laughed again, “Just kidding.”

Tianjue was furious to the point of madness, his face becoming as heavy and stern as a mountain god, “Hidden Dragon… Hidden Dragon… why are you father and son both supremely intelligent…” He paused, released that person’s pulse point, but the killing intent in his eyes grew more intense: “Yet your temperaments are so vastly different?”

That person remained relaxed as before. He was heard to laugh coldly and ask in return, “What do you think?” With a flutter of his sleeves, he stepped through the door into the cave with extreme elegance.

Tianjue took a deep breath. He said no more and also entered the door, then gently pushed it closed behind him.