From a refugee to a martial artist

Chapter 311 Saving People
The snowstorm has not stopped.

Wang Er made his decision in a few words and was about to wave goodbye when Ding Chonglou stepped forward.

"Wait a minute." Ding Chonglou glanced at Meng Yuan before saying, "Chief Supervisor, our Demon Suppression Division has many sixth-rank martial artists, so why send Meng Feiyuan out to fight? I think Ding Qianyun is also a veteran of many battles, and he is more than capable of dealing with a martial monk of the same level."

This is a case of taking the lead! And what he said makes a lot of sense. Meng Yuan has no foundation in the Demon Suppression Division and has no achievements after breaking through to the sixth rank, yet he is the only one who is allowed to fight. There is indeed something to be dissatisfied with.

Wang Er didn't speak, but just looked at Ding Qianyun.

"Your subordinate is willing to fight to the death!" Ding Qianyun immediately bowed, then seeing Wang Er's expressionless face, he looked at Meng Yuan and asked, "Meng Feiyuan, do you dare?"

Meng Yuan held his sword in his arms and ignored Ding Qianyun.

"I'm telling you, Ding Qianyun, everyone who's standing here has risked their life," Lin Yan said irritably. "The Grand Supervisor chose my junior brother but not you because he thinks you're useless!"

"So, the reason we didn't choose you is because you're useless and worthless?" Ding Qianyun sneered.

"Yes," Lin Yan replied.

Ding Qianyun may appear rough, but he is actually quite meticulous. He used to be organized in his speech and actions, but he really couldn't deal with someone as shameless as Lin Yan.

Seeing that Ding Qianyun remained silent, Ding Chonglou continued, "We made preparations for the martial arts competition last time, so there's no reason for us to just let that guy surnamed Meng come without saying anything now."

“That’s right!” Ding Qianyun immediately followed up, saying, “Although Meng Feiyuan once fought a sixth-rank Kuru-rong master in Calabash Mountain without being defeated, and also killed Yang Yuping despite being of a higher rank, and during the Songhe Prefecture incident he killed the sixth-rank black-clad man holding the Mayfly Heaven and Earth, and also killed Xi Yi, a subordinate of Prince Xin…”

As she spoke, Ding Qianyun felt she couldn't say any more. The achievements were too dazzling, and saying so much would only boost the morale of the enemy and diminish her own.

Sure enough, as Ding Qianyun recounted Meng Yuan's achievements, everyone nodded in agreement.

"However, after Meng Feiyuan broke through to the middle level of the realm, he didn't have any notable achievements." Ding Qianyun finally got back to the point, "Outsiders only say that Meng Feiyuan is a womanizer, but they don't know how capable he is now."

"Then why don't you just ask your mother to give it a try?" Lin Yan was cracking walnuts and eating them. "My junior brother won't mind!"

Ding Qianyun completely ignored Lin Yan's provocation.

"Why don't we let the two of them have a match?" Ding Chonglou suggested. "Since the demon Buddha has come from the west, naturally the one who can fight should be the one to meet him."

“A contest is fine, but it’s unnecessary.” Wang Er chuckled after everyone had finished arguing. “It’s not that I personally appointed Meng Feiyuan, but rather that someone else requested to fight Meng Feiyuan.”

At this point, Wang Er looked at Meng Yuan and said, "The monk Jiu Jie told me that among the people accompanying us this time, there is a sixth-rank martial monk named Jin Hai."

"Is it that amazing?" Lin Yan asked curiously.

"The monk Jin Hai is eighteen years old and has opened three dantians. He must be known as the one who subdues dragons and tigers." Wang Er didn't mention the monk's achievements.

Once these words were spoken, everyone understood. That monk Jin Hai must be an exceptionally talented individual, and could not be underestimated.

There are many martial artists in the world who are at the sixth rank, but to be able to do this at the age of eighteen, and to have already opened three dantian, truly shows that one has unlimited potential.

Even if he is trapped in the third stage of the Ascension Realm, there would probably be few who can match him among those of the same level.

Such a person demonstrates talent, and even if they have many shortcomings, they will inevitably be cared for, supported, and even tempered and guided.

Like Meng Yuan, he also earned his reputation in his youth, and his cultivation level improved by leaps and bounds, reaching the sixth rank in just one year.

When Meng Yuan first showed his talent, Nie Yannian recognized his extraordinary abilities and quickly arranged for Nie Qingqing to marry him. Zhang Yannian even wanted his own nephew to be his concubine.

This is why Miss Ying repeatedly promoted him and even tolerated Meng Yuan's prying eyes at her beautiful feet. Dugu Ying and Dugu Mingyue were also willing to befriend Meng Yuan, even helping him to develop his dantian, or even colluding with him for evil purposes.

Now that Meng Yuan has made further progress, Wang Er has even personally appointed Meng Yuan to stay by his side, intending to personally teach him.

If Meng Yuan was treated this way, then Jin Hai, who was not much different from Meng Yuan, would certainly be treated with the utmost care.

This is the first time I've heard of Jin Hai's name, which shows that he's been keeping it hidden all this time. Only today has Jin Hai finally revealed his name.

"Why are you referring to me?" This was what puzzled Meng Yuan.

"Jiujie said that Xi Yisheng had been to the Buddhist Kingdom and had a contest of Zen with Jin Hai." Wang Er looked at everyone and continued, "Xi Yisheng was unfortunately defeated. Now that Xi Yisheng is dead, Jin Hai wants to find the person who killed Xi Yisheng to fight."

"Although Xi Yisheng has been stuck at the sixth rank for many years, his skills are actually quite good." Xiao Taotao sighed, "In fact, it's not unreasonable for others to praise him as the number one sixth rank martial artist. Our Demon Suppression Division has quite a few sixth rank martial artists, but there are very few who can defeat him."

As she spoke, Xiao Taotao glanced at Lin Yan.

"I am no match for him!" Lin Yan had personally witnessed Xi Yisheng defeat the masters of both Buddhism and Taoism.

"There's another reason. Monk Jinhai sought a battle with you, and it was through the introduction of an old friend of yours," Wang Er said with a smile, looking at Meng Yuan.

Meng Yuan had many acquaintances, but which one could be connected to the Western Buddhist Kingdom? Li Weizhen? But Li Weizhen was killing demons over there, so who else could it be?

"Dugu Kang?" Meng Yuan asked.

Wang Er nodded slightly, "The monk Jin Hai once served as a novice monk who held the lamp under the seat of the Buddha Zizai."

"The lamp? Qing Guangzi's lamp?" Xiao Taotao remembered it most vividly.

"I don't know. But Jin Hai and Qing Guangzi do know each other," Wang Er said.

"Where is Dugu Kang?" Xiangling wrote to me last time, mentioning the poetry club and talking about Dugu Kang several times. Meng Yuan has remembered it all.

"Once you win, go ask Jiu Jie." Wang Er waved his hand. "Everyone disperse, Meng Feiyuan stays."

Knowing that they couldn't change the choice of the final battle participants, Ding Chonglou and Ding Qianyun stopped worrying and left immediately.

The others knew that Wang Er wanted to give them instructions in person, so they didn't linger.

In the blink of an eye, everyone was gone. Wang Er stepped into the room, and Meng Yuan followed.

This courtyard was originally the meditation place of the head monk of the Zen Meditation Monastery. It was very simple and plain, with few furnishings, only a tea table and a meditation cushion.

Wang Er sat cross-legged in front of the tea table and beckoned to Meng Yuan, "Sit."

Meng Yuan sat down cross-legged opposite Wang Er without saying a word.

"I always feel you're a bit reserved around me." Wang Er smiled, picked up the teapot, and casually poured some tea. "What have you done wrong these past few days?"

"I just miss the Grand Eunuch too much," Meng Yuan casually made up.

"Hehe." Wang Er chuckled and said, "I heard from Wang Buyi that you had been in seclusion for a long time, burning yourself with fire every day. Did you gain anything?"

"No." Meng Yuan shook his head, took the teacup, and said, "I feel like I'm about to figure it out, but I'm still a little short."

"How difficult it is to find a perfect match! To obtain such a scroll of heavenly secrets is even more difficult. Either one must have a great opportunity to obtain it, or one must explore it oneself." As Wang Er spoke, he beckoned to Meng Yuan.

Meng Yuan reached out his hand, but Wang Er grabbed it.

"The texture is delicate, with an inner fire element, seemingly present yet absent. The muscles and bones are strong, brimming with vitality." After a brief examination, Wang Er immediately released the jade liquid. In an instant, Meng Yuan felt as if a towering mountain and a vast ocean were pressing down upon him.

The jade liquid appeared soft, yet it was extremely resilient, as sharp as a sword, yet as gentle as autumn water.

The jade liquid immediately circulated throughout Meng Yuan's body, and then, after a swirling motion, settled in Meng Yuan's dantian.

Wang Er's jade liquid seemed to carry some kind of true meaning, not only flowing freely in Meng Yuan's dantian, but also seemingly having the ability to guide it.

Not long after, the liquid in his dantian began to boil under Wang Er's guidance.

Meng Yuan felt a surge of heat rising throughout his body, and then the jade liquid was rapidly consumed, burning away completely after a few breaths.

Wang Er finally withdrew his hand and looked at Meng Yuan with a smile.

Meng Yuan's two dantians were emptied by Wang Er in one fell swoop, even faster than when he forcibly activated the Floating Light Cave Heaven twice.

In the past, if Meng Yuan had his jade liquid extracted so forcefully, he would have experienced a headache and felt as if his body was bearing a heavy weight.

However, after the fifth body tempering, Meng Yuan was only covered in sweat and felt slightly tired, which was nothing serious.

Wang Er carefully observed Meng Yuan's appearance. She knew that if an ordinary martial artist were to suddenly deplete all his jade essence, he would be dizzy, weak, and even more exhausted than if he had spent three days and three nights in a brothel.

The person in front of him was only slightly sweating; although he looked tired, he was clearly not exhausted yet.

"Would you like to learn about the mayfly's universe?" Wang Er suddenly asked.

This mayfly world is a method of accumulating power. It is a way for martial artists to suppress their abilities in ordinary times and unleash them in a moment of crisis.

When the time comes to exert their power, the earth will tremble and the sky will split, or the effort will be several times, or even dozens of times, greater than usual.

"When I first started learning martial arts, I felt like I was the only one in the world who could do it. But as I progressed and climbed higher, my horizons broadened, and I felt like a frog in a well trying to see the moon. It even gave me the feeling of a mayfly seeing the blue sky." For a moment, Meng Yuan thought of Li Weizhen's words and the man in black outside Songhe Prefecture.

"The mayfly's entire life is dedicated to soaring into the blue sky, to see the height of the sky and the vastness of the earth." Meng Yuan spoke slowly, saying, "But even if a mayfly rides the wind and glimpses the boundless blue sky, it is still just a mayfly. It cannot transform into a leopard, nor will it ever become a dragon."

"You look down on mayflies?" Wang Er asked.

“It’s not that I look down on you, but that what we seek is different.” Meng Yuan shook his head slightly. “Flying like a mayfly is not my path.”

"Where is the Dao?" Wang Er pressed.

“A mayfly sees the blue sky, and seeing the blue sky does not frighten it; it still strives to climb upwards.” Meng Yuan said very seriously, “The mayfly climbs to see the scenery of heaven and earth, and is indeed unyielding and persistent. But my way is not to take flight and then sit and look at this world.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Er remained silent, took a sip of his iced tea, and then asked, "Are you confident you can defeat Monk Jinhai?"

"Yes." Meng Yuan wasn't lying.

"Are you confident you can kill him?" Wang Er asked again.

"Yes." Meng Yuan still didn't lie, even though he hadn't met that Jin Hai monk yet.

"Then kill him!" Wang Er put down his teacup, clapped his hands, and said, "Such a young genius, if he cannot be used by me, will surely become a scourge. He should be eliminated as soon as possible!"

Meng Yuan always felt that Wang Er was not just referring to the monk Jin Hai, but to someone else.

Without asking any further questions, Meng Yuan immediately replied, "How dare I disobey!"

"Go back and get some rest," Wang Er said with a smile, urging him to leave. "Your two dantian are depleted, so recover quickly. Tomorrow is the first match, so you should also go and see the demeanor of the eminent monks from the Western Buddhist Kingdom."

"Yes," Meng Yuan replied, but then added, "I would like to go down the mountain to see Miss Mingyue first."

Upon hearing this, Wang Er looked Meng Yuan up and down, making Meng Yuan feel embarrassed.

“I remember Mingyue used to travel in men’s clothing, but it was mostly tight-fitting clothes, though there were also some looser Taoist robes.” Wang Er clearly recognized that Meng Yuan was wearing Mingyue’s robe. She smiled and said, “Mingyue has had a hard time, so it would be good for you to comfort her. Just don’t let things get out of hand.”

What is all this nonsense? Meng Yuan stood up to take his leave without saying anything more.

After leaving the courtyard, Meng Yuan was completely drained of his liquor, but he still had plenty of energy and showed no signs of weakness.

Jing Shan was still waiting for Meng Yuan, accompanied by Wang Buyi, and Lin Yan was also there with Zhou Ying and Fan Ye.

"Brother Meng, you've finally come out!" As soon as Jingshan saw Meng Yuan emerge, he quickly grabbed him and said, "Let's go now! Don't keep Junior Sister Suwen waiting!"

"Be careful!" Lin Yan, being the senior brother, was the most reliable. He took out a bottle of pills and said, "These were made by your sister-in-law."

“I don’t need it,” Meng Yuan said.

"This is to prevent women from becoming pregnant," Lin Yan warned in a low voice. "Yunshan Temple has the strictest precepts. You can't just think of your own pleasure and harm that young nun!"

"What is all this nonsense?" Zhou Ying angrily snatched the pill bottle away and said, "Jingshan said that it was Abbess Suqiu who invited Commander Meng, not Suwen, and there was no one else!"

"Who knows?" Jingshan interjected. "Brother Meng is skilled at seduction; Senior Brother Jingfeng has praised him!"

After exchanging a few words of nonsense, Meng Yuan was about to follow Jing Shan down the mountain when he saw Ding Chonglou leading Ding Qianyun and others out of the Chanding Temple. Beside him were the head monk of the Chanding Temple, Zhiqing, and the monk Juesheng.

"Amitabha." Juesheng smiled and stepped forward to greet Meng Yuan and Lin Yan with his palms together.

Meng Yuan and Lin Yan also knew that the reason why they were regarded with such respect was not because of their qualifications or positions, but because they were both former members of the Ying family.

"I heard you're going to go find that peacock?" Lin Yan asked with a grin.

"This humble monk may be useless, but I do have a heart to subdue demons and monsters." Monk Juesheng said humbly with a smile, "Since Commander Ding invited me, I will also go and see the demeanor of the disciples under the Holy King of Light."

"Peacock is a peculiar character. He's not much of a fighter, but he's an expert at escaping," Lin Yan added. "You just have to be careful, lest you fail to save him and instead let him save you."

“Amitabha Buddha, as long as it helps people, it is all considered meritorious,” Monk Juesheng said with a smile.

After exchanging a few words of nonsense, Meng Yuan and Jing Shan went down the mountain first, while Monk Juesheng took Ding Qianyun to invite several monks from Lanruo Temple.

After working for a while, Juesheng finally came down the mountain.

Upon arriving at the foot of the mountain, all that could be seen was snow-white, with only a narrow road.

"Amitabha." Juesheng saw the people below the city struggling, with many houses collapsed under the weight of snow, and they could only gather in makeshift thatched huts.

Monks from Lanruo Temple were distributing porridge to help people. Juesheng looked at several thatched huts and then came to the secret door of the gate where the screen was opened.

Ding Qianyun, who was accompanying him, smiled and asked, "What does the master think of the peacock?"

Juesheng sighed and said, "A venerable monk, an incompetent venerable monk."

(End of this chapter)