Starting with the divine power of the Great Vajra, he traversed the heavens.

Chapter 35 Dragon Boat Festival (Please read on, vote with monthly tickets and recommendations!)

When Ren Shaoyang returned to the restaurant, the sudden rain had gradually stopped, but he could see the remaining dew beads hanging from the eaves, and the gentle sunlight reflecting off the world.

From afar, you could see a head peeking out from the second floor of the restaurant, pointing and gesturing at the distant mountains and gardens.

Upon closer inspection, with her round face and round eyes, and a smile like a little fox, it was none other than Hongxiu.
When Ren Shaoyang went upstairs, he found that the fat chicken on the table hadn't been touched much, but the vegetables had been eaten quite a bit. He then looked at the two men with silly smiles on their faces.

He sighed, "Just eat when you're hungry."

"No, no!" Hongxiu waved her hand. "Once I start talking, I can't stop."

Ren Shaoyang laughed and tossed the satchel to the little beggar. He handed the Blood Saber Manual to Ding An and then invited the two of them to eat together.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the three of them left the building and found an inn to spend the night.

That night, the three of them shared a room. Little Beggar slept on the bed, Ding An slept on the floor, and Ren Shaoyang sat cross-legged on a stool.

They were used to this way when they were in their small family in the valley, and they continued to do so when they were away from home.

At this moment, Ding'an was carefully reading the "Blood Saber Manual" by candlelight.

Although I couldn't read any of the text, the illustrations and the lifelike depiction of the figures' meridians were incredibly detailed, even capturing the subtlest expressions.

The candlelight was rather dim, and Ding'an had difficulty looking at it, so he craned his neck to take a closer look and imitated the pose in the picture.

The left eye is wide open while the right eye is squinted, and the tongue is sticking out.

He had a constipated expression on his face.

Hongxiu clapped her hands and laughed: "Broken hand, are you making a face?"

Ding An blushed slightly, then chuckled sheepishly, "I was practicing martial arts, not making faces."

"But you're just so awkward."

"You~!" Ding An blushed, then showed her the secret manual. "Look!"

Hongxiu glanced at it and immediately understood what was going on: "Oh dear, you did it the wrong way!"

The current generation imitates this style, with a large right eye and a small left eye, and a tongue slightly sticking out, looking exactly like the person in the painting.

Ding An was stunned for a moment, scratched his head, and then adjusted his posture with Hong Xiu.

The effects are immediately noticeable, and the flow of energy in the facial meridians becomes smooth right away.

Then Hongxiu chattered on and on about the path of true qi circulation. Ding'an thought for a moment and carefully activated his inner strength. To his surprise, after a short while, he felt a warm and comfortable sensation all over his body.

"Eh~!"

Ding An was overjoyed: "Little beggar, you're amazing! You spotted the problem at a glance!"

Ren Shaoyang casually adjusted the wick of the oil lamp and laughed, "As the saying goes, what you see, you do. Little beggar was already very talented, and now that she has cultivated the 'Bright Eyes Technique,' she has become like a supernatural being. If you have any questions about your cultivation, you can ask her to correct them for you."

Ding An was overjoyed and said to Hong Xiu with a smile, "Little beggar, you can be considered my teacher now!"

Hongxiu chuckled and shook her head, looking quite happy.

After making a fuss for a while, it was already late at night.

When Ren Shaoyang woke up from his meditation, he saw Ding An sleeping on the floor in a strange position, perhaps cultivating while sleeping.

The little beggar lay on the table, his mouth slightly open, snoring.

Ren Shaoyang shook his head, stood up, walked over and picked her up.

"Hmph, leave the crippled chicken leg for me."

The movement was a bit too loud, and Hongxiu, still asleep, pouted and whimpered as if she had suffered a great injustice.

"No, that's all you think of me?"

Ren Shaoyang's face darkened, and he put her on the bed.

"Ok?"

Hongxiu woke up groggily, yawning, slurping her saliva, and rubbing her sleepy eyes. "Aren't you asleep yet?"

"The Dragon Boat Festival is coming up in a few days, let's go watch the dragon boat races."

"Mmm!" Hongxiu's eyes widened instantly. She craned her neck to look at the bright moon in the sky, clapped her hands, and laughed, "The weather has been wonderful these past few days. Heaven truly loves us!"

"Haha, go to sleep, go to sleep." Ren Shaoyang patted her head, tucked her in, and turned to wash up.

He muttered to himself as he walked, "These eyes can even read the weather? A human weather forecaster!"
-
Inside Jingzhou City, at the Wan residence.

Wan Zhenshan asked, "Who did you say saved you?"

Opposite him stood the woman who had been abducted by Bao Xiang. She was his concubine, Tao Hong.

Peach Blossom covered her face with her hands, sobbing and crying, "Master, after that lecherous monk captured me, I resisted to the death! Just as he was getting impatient and about to kill me, a man with a scabbard-like face wearing a tattered black robe appeared!"

Wan Zhenshan's eyes flashed like cold lightning as he swept his gaze across her face, and he said in a chilling voice, "Continue!"

Peach Blossom was startled and felt a chill run down her spine: "That knife-wielding monk came up and punched him several times, making the lewd monk vomit blood."

"How many punches?" Wan Zhenshan suddenly shouted, "This lecherous monk is Bao Xiang of the Blood Sabre Sect. His martial arts are no less than mine. How many punches did it take to kill him?"

Tao Hong's heart sank. She knew Wan Zhenshan rarely showed his emotions, so this question must mean something important. However, if she didn't say enough, Wan Zhenshan might be unhappy and take it out on her, and she might even get a beating.

So she quickly said, "I, I was thrown so hard I couldn't breathe. I only heard cracking sounds. The elephant roared deafeningly, but in the end I was, was beaten to death. I estimate, I estimate it was more than a dozen punches."

"A dozen or so punches?"

Wan Zhenshan's expression was gloomy and uncertain, and he fell silent.

Tao Hong continued, "Later, in my dazed state, I heard that person introduce himself."

Wan Zhenshan asked, "What's this person's name?"

Tao Hong said timidly, "He said his name is Ren Shaoyang."

"Ren Shaoyang!" Wan Zhenshan's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly leaned closer and shouted, "You didn't hear me wrong?"

Tao Hong quickly raised her hand and swore: "If I have uttered a single lie, may I be torn in two!"

Wan Zhenshan snorted coldly, his expression shifting.

After a while, he waved for the concubine to leave. Tao Hong breathed a sigh of relief and quietly left with small, quick steps.

After much deliberation, Wan Zhenshan picked up his pen and wrote several letters, which he then handed to his disciples.

"Deliver these letters to the four heroes of the South, saying that Ren Shaoyang, the 'Butcher' who murdered Feng Xiaoai, has appeared in Jingzhou and has specially invited the four heroes to our Wan Mansion to discuss the great plan to eliminate Ren!"
-
Three days later.

As the sun rises in the east, the warm spring breeze in Jiangnan makes one feel intoxicated.

Even the sun, as bright as a wheel, seems lively and adorable.

Wow, there are so many people!

Hongxiu stared wide-eyed, looking around.

Ren Shaoyang laughed and said, "After all, it's the Dragon Boat Festival."

Ding An chuckled and said, "Mhm."

The three walked along the riverbank, where the willows were lush and green, and on the main road beside them were a group of men dressed in red clothes and red hats.

They strung benches together, attached colorful paper lanterns to the outside, and raised them up to create a lifelike dragon dance float.

The leader either raises the dragon's head high or bends low, and the people behind him follow suit with various movements.

Along the riverside streets, more than a dozen dragon dances, accompanied by lively drumming and gongs, were followed by a large crowd of people, heading towards the Jiulongyuan Dragon Boat Race venue.

"Boss, I'd like a preserved vegetable and pork rice dumpling, with white sugar and red bean paste filling!"

Ren Shaoyang stopped in front of the stall, smiling as he took out his money to buy zongzi (sticky rice dumplings).

After the boss had served them, Ren Shaoyang gave the pork and preserved vegetable one to the little beggar, the red bean paste one to Ding'an, and kept the white sugar one for himself.

Rice dumplings? Hmph, heresy!
"good to eat!"

Hongxiu waved her little fist, then held the rice dumpling in both hands and followed closely behind them, making "heave-ho" sounds all the while.

Ren Shaoyang turned around, looking completely bewildered: "What are you doing?"

"To aid digestion!" Hongxiu finished her own meal and then stuffed the bite Ding'an had given her into her mouth. "The dragon boat race isn't until tonight. If you eat too much now, you won't be able to eat tonight."

Ren Shaoyang, hands on hips: "So, you're digesting while you're eating?"

"Mmm!" Hongxiu finished eating in two bites, then ran back and forth in front of them, laughing.

Ren Shaoyang slapped his forehead helplessly: "You, who can eat a lot and has high talent, why are your muscles and bones so weak? You can't even stand the hunger after making a single cut?"

“How can that be the same?” Hongxiu said seriously. “My strike is devoid of anything except the heart.”

"What I'm slashing isn't a blade, but my entire being!"

Ding'an, who had been chuckling innocently, was taken aback upon hearing this.

It felt like I'd been struck by lightning.

(End of this chapter)