Chapter 13 

No matter whom he encountered, if he fought alone, he would meet his demise at their hands!

Even after a month of training, their talents were extraordinary, and they had become third-rate masters through their hard work, just to avoid being obliterated.

Thinking about the wolf and madness emblem on his chest, he knew he had to stand against everyone. The path ahead was treacherous and perilous.

Amidst the proclamation of the Buddha's name, a great monk swiftly arrived with several disciples, their sleeves fluttering.

"Amitabha, forgive us for our sins! Masters Yue and Yu, please cease your actions!" exclaimed Yue Buqun, Yu Canghai, and Lin Zhennan simultaneously, recognizing the approaching figure as Master Fangsheng from Shaolin Temple.

Master Fangsheng, one of the esteemed monks from the Fang generation in Shaolin Temple, had arrived with several Shaolin monks and lay disciples, including a familiar face.

It was the image of the White Tiger Descending the Mountain, a middle-aged man skilled in Tiger Fist!

In Du Yu's eyes, this former layman now appeared more resolute, with a mountain-like hunchback and an extraordinary aura. Clearly, his month of training at Shaolin had greatly enhanced his martial skills.

"I wonder why Master Fangsheng has come?" Yu Canghai inquired, concerned that Yue Buqun might accuse him first.

"Amitabha, my brother abbot learned from Shi Guoliang, a lay disciple, about the existence of the evil sword manual that threatens the world. If we talk about the evil sword manual and Yuan Tugong, they have a deep connection with Shaolin. Yuan Tugong is, in fact, Du Yuan, a disciple of Zen master Hongye in Shaolin. The evil sword manual possesses the wisdom of Shaolin martial arts. Although Shaolin does not covet supreme swordsmanship, we cannot bear to witness bloodshed in the martial world. Hence, I have come to discuss with Lin Zhennan if it is possible to temporarily entrust the cassock to Shaolin for safekeeping, allowing your Lin family to avoid the covetousness of the enemies," explained Master Fangsheng.

Yue Buqun, Yu Canghai, and the others' expressions changed simultaneously. They hadn't anticipated that Shaolin Temple, known as the righteous leader of martial arts, would also make a move on the evil sword manual. While the number of people from Shaolin this time was not significant, Master Fangsheng, being a senior master, possessed unfathomable martial arts skills. Silence filled the area.

Du Yu inwardly sighed, realizing that the adventurers were no ordinary individuals. The "Evil Resisting Sword Manual" had become a valuable commodity, up for sale to the highest bidder, whether it be the masters or others seeking personal gain. Truth be told, had he not been determined to acquire the sword manual, he would have sold it to Tian Boguang long ago in exchange for certain benefits.

Yue Buqun quickly devised a plan, laughing as he spoke, "Since Master Fangsheng is here to oversee the situation, there is nothing better. I, Yue, am alone and have been longing for a chance to test Master Yu's full abilities."

Sensing the diminishing hope of obtaining the sword manual alone, Yue Buqun shifted the conflict and distanced himself.

Yu Canghai's fate seemed sealed. He had assumed seizing the sword manual would be a straightforward task, but unexpectedly, one martial arts master after another emerged, even Shaolin Temple had made an appearance. He shouted, "Who else lurks in the shadows? Reveal yourself!"

A sinister voice responded, "Master Yu, as the Left Leader of the Five Sacred Sword Sect, I have been ordered to retrieve the Evil Resisting Sword Manual and return it to Mount Song, thus preventing bloodshed in the world."

A person pretending to be a master descended from above, brandishing the leader's token of the Five Sacred Sword Sect, adorned with gold and jade. Fangzheng extended his clasped hands, "So it is Fei Bin, the master of Dasongyang. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Fei Bin smiled and nodded in return, "Master and I set out on the same day, yet you have arrived swiftly."

With a signal, more than a dozen Songshan School masters descended simultaneously.

Yue Buqun, Yu Canghai, Master Fangsheng, Mistress Dingyi, Lin Zhennan, Fei Bin, and other prominent figures fixated their eyes on the object within the fire with anticipation.

It was a cassock, indeed!

Master Fangsheng reverently clasped his hands, "Amitabha... It is fortunate that this sacred item has been damaged."

Mistress Dingyi also nodded in agreement.

Regrettably, not everyone possessed the same magnanimity as these Buddhist disciples. Yu Canghai hurried to the scene of the fire, snatching the burning cassock, ready to flee.

Unwilling to let him go, Yue Buqun lightly chuckled and thrust his sword into Yu Canghai's arm.

Yu Canghai had no choice but to release his grip momentarily. Yue Buqun swiftly hooked the cassock with his sword and sent it flying towards Master Fangsheng.

Master Fangsheng, receiving the cassock, clasped his hands together, "Amitabha..."

Before he could finish his prayer, a peculiar figure dashed forward, seized the cassock, and swiftly disappeared over the wall.

It was Tian Boguang!

After setting the fire, he had been watching attentively. Unaware that the bag was Du Yu's, it was only natural for him to take it. Thus, he seized the opportunity and raced away with it.

Master Fangsheng frowned, "Benefactor Tian, this is impossible!"

Before he could continue, he swiftly pursued Tian Boguang, moving like a bird in flight. Despite the great monk's balance and stability, Tian Boguang's speed was no less impressive, his nimble movements resembling a gliding bird traversing the air.

Yue Buqun and Yu Canghai, enemies engaged in a life-and-death struggle mere moments ago, now attacked Tian Boguang together with their swords.

Tian Boguang evaded their attacks like a slippery eel, deftly maneuvering through the air. Although he managed to dodge, Yue Buqun's sword energy grazed him, causing him to cough up blood before he continued his escape.

Everyone hurriedly gave chase.

In less than five seconds, the once-crowded Lin family house became empty.

A mysterious figure stealthily entered the old house.

It was Du Yu.

He tossed the burden aside, originally hoping that the competitors would vie for it, allowing someone to leave with the burden and taking away this group of martial arts masters. Unexpectedly, it was his elder brother, Tian Boguang. That was fine; at least Yilin would be spared.

Once inside the old house, he began searching for Nadama's portrait.

But it was nowhere to be found.

In the plot, the direction the Bodhidharma portrait pointed to indicated the cassock's location.

Du Yu's mind raced, contemplating how Qingkong could have failed to inform Yue Buqun. How could Yue Buqun come out empty-handed?

Something must have changed.

He meticulously inspected every nook and cranny of the

 house, searching for any suspicious details.

Evidence of rummaging was evident everywhere, with torn futons and thorough searches in every corner, leaving nothing behind.

Yue Buqun had searched diligently. Being a seasoned individual with vast worldly experience, he wouldn't have spent so long searching if his thinking were rational.

Du Yu climbed onto the beam, only to find it empty, just like the rest of the house.

Frustrated, he struck the beam with his fist, causing a cloud of dust to descend.

Suddenly, a story from the past crossed his mind—the tale of "the house thief is hard to guard against, stealing the beam off the house." It was said that when Cao Cao raised an army, he desperately sought money from his family. However, his father scolded him, saying he sent money to others to raise troops while refusing to provide for him. To prevent Cao Cao from stealing, his father painted the gold bricks gray and placed them under the roof beams. Unexpectedly, Cao Cao's sharp eyes discerned the difference in texture and promptly stole all the gold bricks, replacing them with ordinary blue bricks. Unlike gold bricks, which are soft, the hard blue bricks gradually strained the beams, ultimately causing the collapse of the house. This story depicted the difficulty of guarding against a house thief who steals the beam off the house.