“Master, what should we do?”
When the eldest miss of the Gong family arrived, she was dressed in a striking red outfit that accentuated her delicate features, bright eyes, and pearly teeth, marking her as a true beauty. She despised evil with a passion—she could kick a beggar or lash him with her whip, scolding him for having perfectly good limbs yet refusing to work. But in her stubborn yet kind-hearted moments, she would toss him a silver ingot, enough for an ordinary person to live comfortably for three to five years.
Right now, her lotus-like face was flushed, her eyes soft as water as she sought advice from the eminent monk before her.
He was a young monk with handsome features that could grace a painting. He merely sighed, “Amitabha.”
Even in that sigh, his gentle voice brimmed with the compassion of Buddhism. Gong Mingzhu felt a sense of calm wash over her heart. She gripped the Mandarin Duck Swords hidden in her sleeve and vowed to stand or fall with the Clear Wind Fishing Ground.
“Master, if we resolve this crisis at the fishing ground, would you grant this humble girl one request…?” Gong Mingzhu asked nervously.
A young girl’s affections are always poetic. The youthful monk seemed puzzled but offered a gentle smile. “This monk is all ears.”
“Very well! I’ll go deal with that bunch myself!” Gong Mingzhu tightened her grip on her red-handled blade. With a few nimble leaps, a flash of vivid crimson darted out the door.
Meanwhile.
The closer Ruan Xuezong’s convoy got to the Clear Wind Fishing Ground, the more trouble they encountered. A hawk circled ominously in the sky. Its feathers were a sleek black-gray, its wings powerful and swift. When it spread them, it seemed to command the winds themselves. Intelligent as if it understood human intent, its sharp eyes locked onto the Heart Washing Manor carriages.
The players treated it like a dire threat, shielding Ruan Xuezong behind them.
Their game interfaces showed the hawk’s level at 60. What kind of terrifying figure kept a pet hawk on par with a top martial arts master?
It was absurd!
As soon as Ruan Xuezong made a move, the hawk swooped down with a whoosh. Its hooked talons were ferocious and strong, aiming straight for the starry black eyes beneath the Bronze Mask, intent on clawing them into bloody sockets.
It had clearly received orders from its master.
Ruan Xuezong didn’t flinch. With the demonic woman already acupointed by him, he simply grabbed her and used her as a shield against the vicious strike.
Tao Caiyan let out a shrill scream as her face was marred. She’d lit up at the sight of the hawk, thinking it her savior. Now, she unleashed a torrent of curses. “You beast! Look closely at who you’re attacking!”
The air filled with the metallic tang of blood, but the hawk showed no signs of backing off. Its next strike was even fiercer, clamping onto her neck in a spray of gore.
This black eagle, carefully trained by its owner, could strike foes from miles away. Once it attacked, death or severe injury was inevitable.
Tao Caiyan never imagined that Heart Washing Manor, a righteous sect, would have a lord as ruthless as any demonic cultivator. Ruan Xuezong showed no mercy to a beauty—he’d even used a captive as a human shield. Her vision spun in dizzying chaos. Before she could recover, the black eagle’s relentless assaults all landed on her.
She wanted to tear Ruan Xuezong apart and devour him alive.
The black eagle, sensing spirit, grew frustrated after repeated failures. Its piercing gaze burned with reluctance, but it could only cry out a few times before soaring back into the sky.
The first wave of attack had come to an end.
Heart Washing Manor’s group was thrown into slight disarray with horses rearing and people stumbling, but no one was seriously hurt. Next to appear was a red-clad swordswoman wielding the Mandarin Duck Swords. She cut a dashing figure, her eyes blazing with hatred toward Ruan Xuezong.
She seemed ready to die fighting, determined to take him down with her.
But when she saw the demonic cult’s enchantress covered in blood and looking utterly wretched, her hatred faltered for a couple of seconds. Bewildered by the scene, her strike hesitated for a moment.
That moment was all it took. Shen Jiangling pulled back the carriage curtain, revealing his unharmed, handsome face. He coughed softly and said in a warm voice, “Mingzhu, I’m fine.”
“Brother Shen?” Gong Mingzhu was stunned.
The situation flipped in an instant.
Gong Xiao, the master of Clear Wind Fishing Ground, heard the clamor of approaching forces and assumed the Demonic Sects had launched an assault, taking Shen Jiangling hostage.
From their previous provocations, it was clear this group was powerful and ruthless.
They mustered their forces to meet the enemy. Clear Wind Fishing Ground dominated the East Sea Bay area as a local powerhouse, but their strength was modest: only three or four dozen skilled fighters in the estate, plus a daughter whose martial prowess barely ranked second-rate in the Rivers and Lakes, with the rest mere ordinary thugs.
Gong Xiao had been fretting over this when his daughter rushed in with news: the arrivals were from Heart Washing Manor, Shen Jiangling was safe and sound, and the real hostage was a demonic cult enchantress—who now faced a pitiful fate. Gong Xiao went from shock to ecstatic joy, slamming the long table. “Excellent! Excellent! This is perfect!”
“Heart Washing Manor is an ally of this old man!”
Thus, Ruan Xuezong, who had escorted Shen Jiangling back safely, became an honored guest at Clear Wind Fishing Ground. Gong Xiao pulled out a fresh intelligence letter—or rather, a letter of persuasion—and shared it with him.
The letter warned that three days hence, on the night of the full moon, a mysterious Demonic Sect force would come demanding the sword. It urged Old Lord Gong to be sensible, hand it over quietly, and avoid unnecessary losses.
Heart Washing Manor’s sudden arrival had shocked them, making them think the Demonic Sects had reneged on the deal, advancing the timeline from three days. They cursed the sect for breaking promises as expected.
Who knew it was all a misunderstanding?
With the sword secure, Shen Jiangling alive, and Heart Washing Manor’s forces as reinforcements, Old Lord Gong’s mind raced with new possibilities.
Ruan Xuezong was no fool. He immediately offered to lend Clear Wind Fishing Ground a hand.
【Ding! Your decisive aid in their hour of need has boosted Clear Wind Fishing Ground’s favorability by +500.】 Though Ruan Xuezong wasn’t a player, decisions affecting relations between factions triggered such favorability prompts.
【Shall I report the Demonic Sects’ favorability as well?】
【No need.】 Ruan Xuezong replied coolly. He knew better—capturing a demonic cult enchantress had likely tanked Burning Heaven Palace’s favorability by thousands.
Next, he ordered Tao Caiyan confined.
Tao Caiyan was the Demonic Sect Saintess—or as the righteous folk scornfully called her, a demonic seductress. But Ruan Xuezong felt she lacked something: perhaps her face wasn’t alluring enough, or her figure fiery enough to match that legendary allure.
Maybe her reputation preceded her.
That was why, in his previous life, when she did what she did, no one suspected her—they suspected Ruan Xuezong instead.
Tao Caiyan sat coldly in the straw-strewn dungeon.
Not only acupointed but dosed with Soft Tendon Powder too. At that thought, her mentality nearly exploded. In her eyes, Heart Washing Manor suddenly seemed more demonic than the Demonic Sects themselves. Did righteous folk just casually carry Soft Tendon Powder like it was nothing—as if they’d used it many times before!?
“Elder Gong, the Demonic Sects are insidious and cunning. This woman’s temperament is restless too. You must ensure she’s secured without fail,” Ruan Xuezong said gravely, ignoring the saintess clawing at the dungeon door and glaring daggers at him.
Gong Xiao shared the concern. He ordered extra locks added and sternly instructed the servants, “Without my command, no one approaches the dungeon! And absolutely no speaking to her!”
“This lock is a Gong family heirloom. Only this old man has the key—no one else can open it. Manor Lord Ruan and Hero Shen, rest easy!”
Shen Jiangling’s curiosity was piqued. Known in the Rivers and Lakes for his refined tastes beyond mere martial prowess—proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and all manner of clever arts—he tried picking the lock himself. Failing, he conceded with admiration.
Ruan Xuezong had relaxed too—until he saw Gong’s eldest miss approaching with a mild-mannered young monk.
His heart sank slightly.
He spotted no flaws, just a trivial detail.
The innocent and radiant Gong Mingzhu was still warmly introducing them. With the fishing ground’s false alarm resolved, her attitude toward Ruan Xuezong was friendly and cordial.
“Young Master Ruan, this is Master Rulan of the ‘Ru’ generation from Myriad Laws Temple. His lay surname is Du. He’s traveling the world and entered our Clear Wind Fishing Ground territory. When he heard my mother was gravely ill and we couldn’t find peace, he often chants sutras for us. His compassion knows no bounds! Master Rulan, this is the promising young Manor Lord Ruan Xuezong of Heart Washing Manor. He’s brought reinforcements to aid us in our crisis.”
“Amitabha. Great merits to Benefactor Ruan,” the young monk said, clasping his hands and bowing slightly.
Ruan Xuezong didn’t budge, merely nodding faintly.
No one seemed to mind.
Though the young monk’s features were dignified and gentle, his bearing otherworldly. Draped in saffron robes, he seemed haloed in faint Buddhist light. His broad, compassionate smile was like a clear full moon in the sky or a bodhisattva illuminating all beings.
Far from unsightly.
The players went wild at the sight of the pair, snapping screenshots and flooding the forums like they’d been injected with adrenaline.
【Holy crap, what a golden couple! The stunning red-clad beauty and the compassionate young saint monk—their eye contact screams chemistry. Planners, can we ship this? Can we???】
【Everyone calm down—ancient Earth monks are celibate. Their most famous poem is ‘How rare to have it both ways in this world, faithful to Buddha yet true to my love.’ Unless he defrocks, no marriage! Stop shipping or it’ll end in tragedy.】
With the new map unlocked, the game forums buzzed with player debates. Even viewers without beta access dove into the recordings and joined the fray excitedly.
They weren’t just talking about the Demonic Cult Saintess Tao Caiyan or the commissioned sword-guardian Shen Jiangling. They dissected Clear Wind Fishing Ground and its new faces: the steady Elder Gong, the vibrant eldest miss, and Myriad Laws Temple’s enlightened Master Du Rulan.
The strategy teams were already at work, piecing together details from the provocations and the sword-demand plot.
They boldly predicted the Demonic Sects wouldn’t let Ruan Xuezong’s hostage gambit slide, speculating wildly on their full-moon countermove three days from now.
Even fools could outthink a strategist in numbers, and some player insights were refreshingly sharp.
Ruan Xuezong was browsing the forums when a voice called out.
“Benefactor Ruan.”
It took three calls for him to snap back. He learned it was time for the Gong family’s daily scripture reading. Gong Mingzhu invited him to join. Ruan Xuezong wasn’t devout—especially after dying and reviving, plus dealing with the game system.
Myriad Laws Temple might be renowned locally with throngs of believers and endless incense, and a high monk’s lecture a once-in-a-lifetime chance, but he had zero interest.
Yet the worldly players had eagerly filed in, leaving him a soft yellow cushion in the prime spot, surrounded by devout Gong womenfolk in pious poses.
Ruan Xuezong: “…”
With a flick of his robe, he sat down.
The session lasted half an hour. Gentle, compassionate tones echoed in his ears, elegant sandalwood wafted through, and everyone in the hall was entranced. As the young monk tidied his sutras, his every graceful movement exuded solemn beauty, drawing lingering gazes of admiration.
【awsl Master Rulan’s voice is so magnetic. Sorry Zongzong, wall-climbing for one second—I’ll climb back tonight, save me a bed!】
【Me too! Just one night on the wall. Zongzong, believe me—it’s his looks tempting me, but I love your soul.】
【LMAO, you said the same about Hero Shen!】
【I don’t get it all, but I’m blown away—look, Sudden Enlightenment buff on my head!】
Nearly every player overhead glowed with a new buff.
Sudden Enlightenment: Gained insight from the high monk’s sermon and bathed in advanced Buddhist dharma, awakening wisdom. Effect: Crystal-clear mind for six hours.
Almost everyone in the hall had it—except Ruan Xuezong, whose head was conspicuously bare.
“Amitabha, Benefactor Ruan. Did you have a good rest?” The young monk clasped his hands, intoning a Buddhist phrase. His thin lips curved elegantly, his serene eyes lowering as if effortlessly peering past the Bronze Mask to the true reaction beneath.
He ended with a impeccably polite smile.
“…It was adequate.” Ruan Xuezong cleared his throat, responding coolly. No embarrassment showed beneath the mask at being caught.
Martial artists even slept with eyes merely closed, lashes veiling their gaze, backs ramrod straight, never slouching. So for that half hour, aside from the preaching monk himself, no one noticed his nap.
Of course, everyone knew now.
The players muttered, “Zongzong seems uninterested in Buddhist lectures. He’s in the center seat but no buff! This guy’s always so damn unique!”
“You forgetting the purple lightness skill Flowing Moon Remnant Fragrance’s third segment? What did Zongzong do!”
It clicked for them. After Flat Ground Lightness Skill and Water Drifting, Ruan Xuezong had demoed Ascending Heights at the Azure Mountain Ancient Buddha.
The colossal Buddha statue, embedded in the cliffside and towering sixty or seventy meters, loomed solemn and majestic over the masses. Normal folk felt awe, even kneeling in worship. But Ruan Xuezong treated it like any training ground—a speck among mortals. His robes whipping in the wind, he leaped effortlessly up its heights in a fluid ascent. That carefree yet arrogant flair had countless players—male and female—shouting “hubby!”
Even System 007, recording the clip, thought it bold! But knowing Ruan Xuezong’s role as a heart-following villain, it made sense.
Players never learned to whisper.
“So Benefactor Ruan once practiced lightness skill before the Azure Mountain Buddha…” the young monk said softly. His words held no rebuke, just a faint, ambiguous smile. “This monk need only imagine it to feel that exhilarating freedom.”
It was like a sigh—or admiration.
Those amber eyes fixed on Ruan Xuezong. A flicker of red in their depths suddenly chilled to frost-white, sending chills down the spine.
