Star Martial Soaring Cloud

Wang Xiao covered her forehead, feeling a sharp pain in her head.

How could this monk be so shameless?

But on second thought, what he said didn't seem to be entirely unreasonable.

They're not his junior brothers, and the senior brothers don't mind. They're just after money, not murder, so it seems... not unacceptable.

Su Qinhe was clearly too shocked to speak after hearing Yuan Kong's words.

She paused for a long while before hesitatingly speaking, "But I've heard that Master Yuanjie is in charge of the precepts in the Sumeru Sect. He's fair, just, and selfless, not the kind of person who would bully the weak or take advantage of others..."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Kong immediately chimed in, his face filled with righteous indignation: "Fairy Su, that's not right! Just because he's in charge of the Discipline Hall, which disciple in the sect hasn't been beaten by him with his staff? If he weren't in charge of the Discipline Hall, would he dare to lay a hand on me, his senior brother?"

He became increasingly agitated as he spoke: "He didn't spare those fellow disciples either! Even Buddha taught compassion, yet he was so ruthless! He beat us so badly, leaving us covered in wounds and screaming in agony. Isn't this bullying the weak and taking advantage of others?"

"Huh?" Su Qinhe was stunned by Yuan Kong's distorted words and couldn't say a word for a long time. She just stared at him blankly.

Looking at Yuan Kong's righteous and indignant demeanor, Wang Xiao felt a headache coming on.

If you don't break the temple rules and regulations, who would punish you for no reason?

Wang Xiao inwardly grumbled, but aloud he urged, "Alright, alright, enough talk, let's get started!"

Yuan Kong then put away his heartbroken expression and said to Su Qinhe, "Fairy Su, please keep watch for us. We absolutely mustn't show ourselves. It wouldn't be good if we were recognized!"

He then looked at Wang Xiao, a sly glint in his eyes: "Brother Lu Yang, you're a new face. When he comes out later, you're in charge of ambushing him. He doesn't know you anyway!"

Wang Xiao was taken aback, then realized what was happening.

So this is why the monk wanted to cooperate with me?

He glared at Yuan Kong, cursing inwardly, "Damn it, you shameless monk!"

Yuan Kong, oblivious to everything, instead put his arm around Yuan Kong's shoulder and leaned closer, pointing to the cave below and giving detailed instructions: "When he comes out, you go around to the left, and I'll go to the right. We'll attack from the left and right at the same time..."

He spoke with great conviction, clearly having done this kind of thing many times before.

The two of them, one on the left and one on the right, silently slipped into the valley below, each hiding on either side of the vines at the cave exit, concealing their presence completely.

Su Qinhe remained on higher ground, cautiously observing her surroundings.

Time passed second by second.

The sun had set a little further in the west, and the light in the valley gradually dimmed.

Slight footsteps came from inside the cave, and the vines suddenly moved.

A gray figure emerged from the cave; it was Master Yuanjie, who was holding a brocade box in his arms.

He had just stepped out of the cave entrance, and hadn't even had time to gather the vines—

Two figures suddenly leaped up!

Wang Xiao darted out from the left and struck the back of Yuan Jie's neck with a palm.

Yuan Kong rushed out from the right and punched Yuan Jie in the back.

The two moved with lightning speed and coordinated perfectly.

Before Yuan Jie could even let out a muffled groan, everything went black, and his body slumped to the ground.

Wang Xiao caught him and gently placed him on the ground. The movement was clean and swift, without making a sound.

Yuan Kong crouched down, checked his breath, and grinned: "It's done!"

Seeing that the two had succeeded, Su Qinhe quietly slid down from the high place.

She looked at the unconscious Yuan Jie on the ground, then at the excited Yuan Kong and Wang Xiao, and couldn't help but shake her head.

It's hard to believe that a disciple who is the head of the Discipline Hall of the Sumeru Sect could be so secretly plotted against by his own senior brother.

Yuan Kong walked to the brocade box first, picked up the fairy epiphyllum flowers and counted them. There were exactly five flowers, no more and no less.

The world is so wondrous. People spend half a month searching for a single Immortal Epiphyllum flower, yet Master Yuanjie possesses five.

It's like a piece of gold falling to the ground; thousands of people pass by, but only one person can get it.

Why would such a good thing happen to him?

Who can explain it clearly?

Time and life.

"It really is a fairy epiphyllum!" A hint of joy flashed in Wang Xiao's eyes.

Su Qinhe was also somewhat moved as she looked at the five fairy epiphyllum flowers.

"Let's divide the spoils! Brother Lu Yang, you and Fairy Su each get two Immortal Ephemeral Flowers, one is enough for me!"

As he spoke, he placed the four fairy epiphyllum flowers into Wang Xiao's and Su Qinhe's hands respectively, then waved to Su Qinhe, "Fairy Su, please step aside for a moment while I search my junior brother again. The rest of the things are all mine!"

Su Qinhe was taken aback, then realized what was happening, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she turned and walked to the side.

Wang Xiao looked at Yuan Kong in confusion: "What are you doing?"

Yuan Kong chuckled, rubbing his hands together as he walked over to Yuan Jie: "Search him! He's finished distributing the Immortal Ephemeral Flowers, but he might have other good stuff on him!"

As he spoke, he began to act.

Wang Xiao stood aside, watching helplessly as Yuan Kong stripped Yuan Ring almost completely naked.

"This is... the Vinaya Sutra!" Yuan Kong pulled a yellowed sutra from Yuan Jie's robes, his eyes gleaming. "This is the Vinaya Academy's closely guarded secret! We've struck gold!"

He then took out a fruit the size of a fist, pale purple in color, emitting a faint fragrance: "Bodhi Fruit! This is a treasure for tempering the physical body! Junior brother, you truly are my good junior brother!"

Then, he pulled a neatly folded purple kasaya from Yuan Jie's body: "Purple Orchid Kasaya! This is a precious Buddhist robe! It's impervious to swords and spears, and immune to water and fire!"

Yuan Kong hugged the cassock, his face full of admiration: "Junior brother, oh junior brother, how come you have everything on your body!"

"Eighteen agarwood prayer beads, strung with South China Sea agarwood; even the scent is calming!"

"A Zen-inspired pendant! A lotus-patterned heart-protecting mirror! Also, a monk fruit, a meditation bowl..."

He continued searching and found several more items—a lustrous relic, a handwritten copy of the Heart Sutra, and several bottles of high-quality healing pills.

Each time he turned out an item, Yuan Kong would mutter a few words, his smile growing brighter and brighter.

"Amitabha! Indeed, searching an entire city is not as valuable as waiting for one person! This trip was worthwhile!"

Wang Xiao's lips twitched as she looked at him, and she couldn't help but turn her face away.

So this monk had been lying in ambush for so long, not only for the Immortal Ephemeral Flower, but also for everything his junior brother possessed.

This monk truly embodied the word "shameless" to the extreme.

A moment later, Yuan Kong finally finished searching.

He stuffed everything into his coat, stood up, clapped his hands, and looked satisfied.

Wang Xiao glanced at the unconscious Yuan Jie on the ground and asked, "What should we do with him?"

Yuan Kong looked down at his junior brother and waved his hand, "Don't worry, he'll wake up in an hour."

As he spoke, he squatted down and pulled Master Yuanjie back into the cave.

"Amitabha Buddha, junior brother, I'm doing this for your own good. Let all the karma fall upon me, let me face the dangers of the world for you!"

Wang Xiao: "..."

The sun was setting in the west, and dusk was falling.

Three figures quietly left the valley, leaving behind only a disheveled monk lying alone in the cave, fast asleep.