Li Dingxun rode his horse beside the convoy, while Su Mo sat in the driver's seat of a carriage. Both looked ahead, continuously conversing.
After traveling for a month, they were almost out of Guangdong.
At each village or town, the group would stop to rest for half a day. However, people were scarce along the way, mostly natural wilderness, hills, and swamps.
They were currently in a canyon with steep cliffs on both sides. A dark river, Wuchuan River, snaked through it, and the carriages and horses moved on the rocky riverbank, making for a difficult and bumpy journey. Looking up, a strip of blue sky dotted with white clouds promised rare good weather. The mountains were covered with dense forests, the cliff faces full of yellow mud and scattered rocks, with vines hanging down, moss growing in clusters, and wild flowers and grasses. Amidst this beautiful scenery, there were also unwelcome guests disturbing the peace.
Li Dingxun smiled and turned to Su Mo. Seeing his worried expression, he said, "Mr. Su, there's no need to worry. If these petty thieves dare to attack the convoy, I can slaughter them with a wave of my hand."
Bandits were common in the mountains, always preying on travelers passing through. During the period before the Pure Land Era, such villains were exceptionally rampant.
"At that time, the world was already in turmoil, so the emergence of such bandits was understandable. However, there was an exception, and that was in the few years when the Buddha Child emerged," Su Mo and Li Dingxun often discussed history and figures in their casual conversations.
"Especially after the Buddha Child destroyed a sect with a single palm, all the evil demons in the world were terrified. The Bloodhowl Sect even disbanded on the spot, and those demoniacs went into hiding, only gradually resurfacing after the Buddha Child's Nirvana."
"Why was that?"
"Nothing else. It is said that when the Bloodhowl Sect was founded, they provoked Shaolin, and the Buddha Child was cultivating in Shaolin at that time."
The two recalled the sight of the Bloodhowl Sect members and others, unable to eat when they heard the news of the Buddha Child destroying a sect, and immediately burst into laughter.
In the afternoon, the wind picked up, and clouds once again covered the sky.
It rained at night, and the convoy got stuck in a meadow, unable to move.
Li Dingxun rested against the carriage wall, hearing scattered hoofbeats mixed with the heavy sound of rain.
"How audacious!"
A towering figure burst through the rain curtain, like a great whale leaping out of the sea. The group of bandits, who had come in the dark, only saw a black shadow flash, followed by a series of muffled firecracker-like sounds, suppressed by the night rain and inaudible.
Rain mixed with blood poured onto the withered yellow reeds of autumn. The damp, muddy earth emitted a fishy smell, like the foul breath of a predator, and human flesh and bones would eventually return beneath the roots.
The next day, several people from the convoy went out to relieve themselves and screamed upon seeing scattered limbs and broken arms, then ran back in a panic.
Li Dingxun held a bowl of water, chewed a few mouthfuls of white rice balls, and swallowed them with the clear water.
Su Mo's face was a bit pale. "You didn't have to exert yourself like that. The scene is quite unsightly now."
"I, Li, always adhere to a simple principle. Do you know what simple means?"
"What is simple?"
"One horizontal, one vertical: the strong live, the weak die."
"How can I discuss Zen with someone like you?"
"Zen is inseparable from the ultimate Dao. People live in the world like grass and trees for an autumn. My punch is the cause, their death is the effect. As for how unsightly their deaths are, I don't care."
"A boor."
"Indeed, a boor. But would a gentleman be willing to join a boor in accomplishing a great deed for the world?"
Li Dingxun's words were frank and heroic, captivating Su Mo, the scholar, who felt an unprecedented surge of passion.
"What great deed are you talking about?"
"Emulating the Buddha Child of old, to flatten the Heretical Faction."
"The Bloodhowl Sect?"
"Precisely! The Bloodhowl Sect, which worships Xiangzhu."
"Your martial arts, I don't quite trust."
Li Dingxun laughed heartily, then suddenly threw a punch!
His punch was like a drill, the wind from it whimpered like a ghost's howl, and its momentum was like a mountain collapse!
"What powerful force!" Su Mo praised, his ivory fan flying into his palm, opening like a jade shield.
On one side was a fist that could break steel, on the other was thin, resilient white paper. When they clashed, the punch's force hit a dense stream of true qi, its remaining power undiminished. Su Mo used the momentum to retreat, not daring to meet it head-on.
"I've long heard that the Supreme Truth Academy possesses the Six Arts of a Gentleman, profound and unfathomable. Is Li fortunate enough to witness them today?"
Su Mo shook his head. "A gentleman carries a precious sword, but does not easily display it."
"What a pity, a scholar spoils the fun," Li Dingxun sighed. "Since you're unwilling to fight physically, how about we have a literary contest?"
"Very well."
"Let's bet on whether I can eradicate the Bloodhowl demons."
"That's not a literary contest; that's gambling."
"Consider it a refusal. If I win, you will help me publicize this matter."
"Why do you want to do that?"
Li Dingxun chuckled, "People in the martial world, seeking fame and profit, isn't that how it always is?"
The scholar said, "If you win, I will invite you to a tavern for three days of celebratory drinking."
"It's a deal."
"It's a deal."
...
In Shi Yi Yue, they left Guangdong and entered Fujian.
Fuzhou was bustling and prosperous. It earned the name 'Rongcheng' due to the many banyan trees within the city.
Taking advantage of the convoy's rest, Li Dingxun and Su Mo enjoyed sightseeing and tasting the local cuisine.
From the renowned Buddha Jumps Over the Wall to street-side spring rolls and rice noodles, there was a dazzling array of dishes to feast upon.
In December, they left Fujian and entered Jiangnan.
"The land has beautiful lakes and mountains, the premier prefecture of the Southeast." Having arrived in Hangzhou, West Lake was a must-visit, and a dish of West Lake Vinegar Fish could not be missed. Renting a painted boat to cruise the lake and admire the scenery, a gentle breeze refreshed the spirit. Unfortunately, their timing was poor; for two days, the sky was overcast, and they couldn't see the Three Ponds Mirroring the Moon. It was a minor imperfection.
...
The twelfth day of the first month.
The two arrived at Bloodhowl Valley in Jiangbei.
The Bloodhowl Sect was located deep within a basin of swamps. After crossing a low hill, as far as the eye could see, there were murky mud pits emitting miasma, causing a layer of hazy mist to shroud the area. Under the sunlight, it refracted a faint rainbow halo, like the glistening scales of a group of pythons, evil and profound.
Within this impenetrable dense fog, stood a silent structure, like the towering shell of an old turtle. Clouds and mist flowed between the buildings' beams and pillars, like turbid, poisonous blood, pumping life into this core of the Heretical Faction.
"That is Bloodhowl Sacred City," Su Mo said, fanning himself. "The current Sect Master, Simon, a Vice Sect Master, and the Vice Sect Master's wife—these three are the pillars of the Heretical Faction."
"Then let's kill those three first."
"Not just them," Su Mo shook his head. "This Bloodhowl Sect has many mysterious aspects. It has inheritances from all walks of life, and even ancient witchcraft, shamanic spirits, and so on. Countless people have tried to investigate, but they all vanished without a trace. The Core figures within the sect are all those who have fallen into demonhood due to Xiangzhu; they cannot enter the Pure Land, nor can they attain transcendence..."
"Since they are unwilling to enter the Pure Land, it is only right to grant them a state of non-transcendence. Scholar, wait here. If I don't return in three days, then leave!"
Li Dingxun, clad in armor, stood on the mountaintop. He did not resemble a human, nor a living creature, but rather a city, a majestic city.
Su Mo watched him charge down the mountain, disappearing into the thick fog. The sounds of battle, interspersed with thunderous roars, reached him, like a war of ten thousand armies.
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