While on Mount Hua, my mind is at peace!

Chapter 9: Uproar at the Drunken Flower Pavilion

In the main hall of the Drunken Flower Pavilion, many local martial arts figures had gathered. Upon hearing someone shouting in a Sichuan accent, they all became enraged and pointed their fingers at the person, cursing him.

"Who do you think you are, daring to cause trouble in Fujian?"

"Let me tell you, right next to us is Huangbo Mountain. The Wangfu Temple on that mountain is full of masters. Forget those high-ranking monks who only eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures, even a random lay disciple could give you a run for your money!"

Upon hearing this, the Sichuan man sneered and said to a young man next to him whose back was to the crowd, "Brother Deng Jun, if I remember correctly, you seem to be a lay disciple of Wangfu Temple?"

The young man named Deng Jun turned around, his cold, electric gaze sweeping over the faces of the martial arts practitioners.

All the martial arts practitioners recognized Deng Jun as the top master among the lay disciples of Wangfu Temple on Huangbo Mountain, and they immediately fell silent, the hall becoming quiet in an instant.

Just then, a tall, imposing figure slowly walked in from outside the door. This person was dressed in a finely crafted blue robe, his hands were empty, and he didn't look like a martial arts practitioner, but rather like a scholar. However, he wore a red Shura mask on his face, which looked incongruous and eerily sinister.

Under Deng Jun's pressure, the martial arts practitioners were at a loss as to how to conduct themselves. Suddenly, when this person entered, eight or nine out of ten people focused their attention on him.

After the man entered, he went straight to the table where Deng Jun and the Sichuan man were sitting and asked the Sichuan man, "Are you Hou Renying from the Qingcheng Sect?"

Hou Renying said, "So what if I am? Who do you think you are, daring to act all high and mighty in front of me..."

Before he could utter the last word "ghost," the man had already reached out and grabbed his throat. Everyone felt that the man's reach was unremarkable, as if he had no special moves, but it was incredibly fast. Hou Renying didn't even have time to react before he fell into the other man's palm.

The man tightened his grip, and Hou Renying's neck began to crack. He tried to draw his sword, but his throat was controlled, and the opponent's strength was so great that he couldn't even lift a finger.

The clapping grew louder, but Deng Jun, who was sitting at the same table as Hou Renying, didn't make a move. Instead, he took a sip of his drink and commented:

"Your internal strength is decent, but your palm technique is terrible. You are no match for me. Let him go, and I'll let you leave."

He had barely finished speaking when a sharp "crack" was heard, as if something fragile had snapped. The man released his grip, and Hou Renying's body slid softly to the ground.

"hiss--"

The martial arts practitioners all gasped in shock. Deng Jun flew into a rage, unleashing both palms, the force of which sent the cups, bowls, chopsticks, and plates on the table flying. The man, however, bent down and pulled a long sword from Hou Renying's corpse.

Deng Jun thought to himself, "So this person uses a sword. If I attack before he draws his sword, it would be dishonest to win." He hurriedly withdrew 50% of his 80% palm power. Even so, the remaining 30% of his palm power was enough to kill the man.

He was filled with regret, but there was nothing he could do. With a loud "bang," his palms landed squarely on the man's body.

Suddenly, Deng Jun felt two extremely heavy counterattack forces surge from that person's body, which made his hands, which had been tempered by countless battles, ache.

He was horrified, realizing that he had only used 30% of his strength. If he had used 80%, his opponent might not have been injured, but his own hands would definitely have been ruined.

He slowly rose to his feet and asked in a deep voice, "The Indestructible Vajra Body Divine Skill? Are you from the Shaolin Sect?"

The man did not answer, but simply raised the long sword in his hand.

Deng Jun kicked aside the table and chairs and shouted, "Good! I have already experienced your protective divine skill, now I will experience your wonderful swordsmanship!" With that, he unleashed his palm strike and took the initiative to attack.

The man stood still, as immovable as a deep pool and a towering mountain, using only his long sword to deflect Deng Jun's palm strikes. Aside from striking the man with his palm earlier, Deng Jun could no longer extend his palm force within a foot of the man's. After exchanging more than ten blows, he suddenly stopped, and the man's long sword naturally pointed at his chest.

"With a mighty spirit that can swallow ten thousand miles like a tiger, what a fine Songshan sword technique! Let's fight!"

The man gave a low hum, and without moving his wrist, suddenly shattered the longsword in his hand into a tiny piece.

"Since you held back just now, I will spare your life. Go back and tell your master not to get too close to the Qingcheng Sect. Otherwise, you'll be caught in the crossfire, and don't say I didn't warn you."

After the man finished speaking, he turned and walked out of the hall, leaving Deng Jun with a furrowed brow and the martial arts practitioners whispering among themselves.

……

On the second floor of the Drunken Flower Pavilion, Xuan'er hid in the shadows and watched what happened in the main hall. She quietly returned to her room; the candles had gone out, and she didn't relight them. She just sat there in the darkness, suppressing her sobs.

A gentle breeze blew in from outside the window, and a hand with distinct knuckles pressed down on Xuan'er's shoulder. Then, a heavy bag fell onto her lap.

"You've worked hard serving me these past few days. Take this money and go find somewhere to hide until this whole mess passes. I've already spoken to the madam. Life is tough, so stay alive."

The man whom Xuan'er both hated and longed for finished speaking softly and left on his own, leaving Xuan'er alone, unable to sleep all night.

……

Huangbo Mountain, Wangfu Temple.

Deng Jun knelt on the ground, and lying next to him was the corpse of Hou Renying, the chief of the Four Heroes of the Qingcheng Sect.

Yu Canghai sat in his seat, his face grim. An old monk paced back and forth in front of Deng Jun, asking as he went, "You said that person knows the swordsmanship of the Songshan School and also the Vajra Indestructible Body Divine Skill of the Northern Shaolin?"

Deng Jun calmly replied, "Master, that person did indeed use the swordsmanship of the Songshan School, and his skill was extremely high, far beyond what a second-generation disciple could achieve."

"As for his protective technique, I guess it is the Vajra Indestructible Body of the Shaolin School, because as far as I know, there is no other technique in the martial arts world with such power."

The old monk angrily retorted, "Guessing, guessing, what's the use of guessing? Sect Leader Yu's beloved disciple is dead, and we don't even know who the murderer is. What are we going to do? Take your life in exchange for his?"

Deng Jun kowtowed to the ground: "Master has given the order, and this disciple... dares not disobey."

"Abbot Guangxing, please calm down. The villain is highly skilled in martial arts and ruthless. You cannot blame your nephew Deng for this."

Abbot Guangxing glared at Deng Jun fiercely before returning to his seat.

Yu Canghai waved his hand, and several Qingcheng Sect disciples came forward and carried Hou Renying's body away. Yu Canghai personally went to help Deng Jun up, but Deng Jun lay motionless on the ground. Yu Canghai's anger flared, and he increased his strength, but Deng Jun only swayed slightly and still did not get up.

Yu Canghai was secretly surprised: "This kid's skills are really profound! Even he couldn't save Renying from the enemy. This bastard seems to be even more powerful than he was in Putian."

"What are you doing lying there? Get up right now!"

Guangxing shouted angrily, and Deng Jun straightened up and stood aside.