The white-robed youth sat up, frowning as he touched the tear in his clothes. If not for the large amount of bloodstains remaining, he would have almost believed he had never been injured.
He turned to look at Simon, "Little monk, do you know how long I've been unconscious?" His voice was gentle, but his tone was very firm.
"It's been about half an hour since you were knocked out by those bandits," Simon said with a smile.
The little blood left in the youth's body rushed to his cheeks, giving them a deep crimson color. He wasn't sure if it was due to anger, shame, or a combination of both.
"Ahem, you saw all that?"
"Saw? Perhaps."
The youth tidied his clothes, reached into his embrace, then his face darkened, and he sighed helplessly. He stood up and cupped his hands to Simon, "Please… do not speak of this. Mo Yun offers his respects." He hesitated, "I wonder if you saw who healed my injuries?"
Simon said, "Oh," and then, "I know."
"Please, you must tell me the esteemed name of that senior. I must repay this kindness." Mo Yun was very eager; people like him were most unwilling to owe debts.
"He told me not to tell you."
"Why is that? Is there truly someone who does good deeds without expecting anything in return? But even if he doesn't need me to repay him, I cannot act as if this never happened." Mo Yun bowed deeply, "If little Master could describe the senior's attire, appearance, and physique a little, Mo Yun would be eternally grateful. I am willing to do anything for you that does not go against my conscience, even if it means going through mountains of blades or seas of fire, without a single word of complaint!"
Simon nodded, "Alright, my condition is that you don't ask who saved you."
"Do not tease me so!"
"Alright, alright, you'll know when it's time to know. Don't be impatient." Simon patted Mo Yun's arm, then turned and jumped into the lake.
Mo Yun was startled by this sudden turn of events and quickly moved to jump into the water to save Simon. However, before he could even dip his foot in the water, Simon's head popped out of the lake.
"There's good stuff down here!" Simon laughed, his wet head sparkling in the sunlight. But the object he held in his hand was even more dazzling.
A silver ore, reflecting a beautiful, rich halo of light.
Mo Yun, with his exceptional knowledge, immediately named the ore: "Twelve-Colored Cloud Silver!"
Simon waded ashore. With a surge of inner force, not a single drop of water clung to him, which made Mo Yun frown slightly, his expression hesitant.
"This thing can fetch a good price," Simon said with a grin, stroking the ore in his hand.
"Naturally. This is a rare and exquisite material of over third-grade quality, worth a thousand gold. If not for the fact that I was robbed of all my money by those thieves, I would certainly buy it from little Master."
"You're very rich? That's great! When we charge up there and kill those bandits, you'll have money and can buy it!"
Mo Yun thought to himself, this little monk not only reeked of money but also treated human lives lightly. He probably wasn't from a good background. His excellent martial arts were likely learned from his master in some wild, unorthodox way, and the one who saved him must have been his master himself…
While thinking about how to repay the senior's kindness, he perfunctorily replied to Simon, "Little Master, you don't know. Most of my martial arts reside in my Mo Yu Broken Sword. Without my sword, I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to fight against many."
"Giving up so easily is not the way of a swordsman!" Simon waved his hand dismissively, "Since your sword was stolen, just buy a new one!"
Mo Yun saw his innocent and naive demeanor, so he patiently explained his predicament, how his broken sword was extraordinary, and how he was penniless.
It seemed that the sword was truly special to him.
Everyone has one or two things that hold emotional significance, like anchors in life. With them, one can walk with confidence; without them, one becomes lost and disheartened.
This swordsman, without his sword, seemed a bit indecisive.
Fortunately, the sword outside his body was not his backbone; in his heart, he had an upright longsword that helped him cut through thorns and brambles.
Simon interrupted his lengthy explanation, "Alright, less talk, more action! If we don't have money, we'll earn it!"
"How do we earn it? I'm not skilled in commerce, and you are young and a novice monk; no one would buy anything from you if you tried to do business."
"You're already this old, how can you not even have this much experience in the jianghu! Just follow me."
Simon tucked the Colored Cloud Silver into his embrace and led the way into the depths of the cave.
Mo Yun followed him, struggling through the tunnel, winding and stumbling, and also had to take time to gather his inner qi and recover his cultivation. It was not easy, but before dark, they returned to the surface from a mountain stream.
Looking at the hazy sunset and the snow-capped mountains, the swordsman took a few deep breaths and recited a poem by Layman Dongpo, "Ding Feng Bo."
"Do not listen to the sound of wind piercing the woods and rustling leaves; why not sing and walk slowly? Bamboo staff and straw sandals are lighter than a horse, who fears? A straw cape in the misty rain, let life be as it may."
"The chill of the spring wind sobers me, a slight coldness, but the setting sun on the mountain peak welcomes me. Looking back at the desolate places I've been, I return, with no wind, no rain, and no clear sky."
While he savored the poem, Simon had already quickened his pace down the mountain, heading straight for the main road.
Expressing his feelings through the grand scenery of heaven and earth, Mo Yun felt a great sense of relief, his heart unburdened. He immediately used his lightness skill to travel, like a swift arrow piercing the sky, his robes rustling like flags.
He didn't know why, but he felt an inexhaustible strength in his body, running more and more effortlessly, as if there was a vast lake within him, continuously replenishing his Consumption.
In the capital region, the official roads were built both wide and flat. The two, one in front and one behind, chased freely, faster than galloping horses. In an hour, they had covered three hundred li, and night had completely fallen.
"The capital is just ahead!" Mo Yun shouted, "I was going there anyway!"
Simon slowed his pace upon hearing this, stopping on a hillside to gaze at the magnificent city on the distant plain.
In the night, the capital, spanning a thousand li, was brightly lit. The towering mountains encircling it on three sides were like dark iron walls, while four or five slender rivers reflected the shimmering moonlight, like jade-colored ribbons flying into the city, flowing eastward after leaving it.
The world after the snow was confined by monotonous colors, but the capital was so extraordinary, with brilliant red light piercing the sky, like a bonfire in a white night, or the stars of midsummer, making one yearn for it.
Simon observed it with his Heavenly Eye. The number of superior affinity beads in the city was extremely large, and their quality was excellent, with many being giant stars like deep-sea whales. The dense glow of the superior affinity beads was dazzling, as if a small sun had opened on the plain. No wonder Xu Ranxue highly praised the capital as the most peerless, most exquisite, and most divine place in the world.
Simon nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Mo Yun and said, "This is This humble monk's treasure basin! Tonight, we'll find a place outside the city to make do, prepare our tools, and tomorrow, business will open!"
"What do you plan to do?"
"Hah! What should a monk or a Daoist do? Read palms, tell fortunes, and talk about feng shui, and the money will come pouring in!"
"You know these things?"
"My family's secret skill!" The little monk patted his chest, guaranteeing it, looking spirited.
Mo Yun stood beside him, wanting to speak but hesitating.
"Don't make that face! First, take off your clothes!"
"What is this for?"
"To make a long banner, of course! Anyway, it's already got so many rips in it. Just find a pole to put it on, and tomorrow I'll borrow some ink in the city to write a signboard. I guarantee wealth will come rolling in!"
"But if I take off these clothes, what will I wear to be seen?"
"I'm not sure," Simon mused, frowning, "How about I get some reed mats to wrap you in, and then go sell myself to bury you? Then we take the money and run, wouldn't that be wonderful?"
Mo Yun shook his head vigorously.
"Then we'll just have to steal or rob. You can get whatever clothes you want!"
The young swordsman looked at Simon's excited and arrogant expression and secretly thought: This little Bald Donkey… is truly strange.
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