Upon reaching Xia’s mountain stronghold and finding the adjacent village, Zhong Shenxiu confirmed the route that Duan Mingyu and Jing Fan had taken into the mountains. He then gave his old horse to the stronghold and proceeded into the mountains on foot.
In fact, since embarking on his journey through Jianghu, he had changed mounts several times, but felt this old, alcohol-loving horse was the most suited to his temperament.
However, no matter what, horses can’t climb mountains, especially not through the pathless, dense forest!
Therefore, Zhong Shenxiu had no choice but to rely on his Qinggong skills, as arduous as it was.
Fortunately, the two men and their guide had just entered the mountains not long ago, and some traces could still be found along the way.
Half a day into the mountains, Zhong Shenxiu stumbled upon a corpse, presumably that of the local guide, whose head had been smashed open, and his brain matter had been utterly scooped out.
Nearby the body, there were also several carcasses of black-haired monkeys.
It was evident that Jing Fan and Duan Mingyu were in such a hurry that they did not have time to properly deal with their companion’s corpse.
"Given the strength of those monkeys and what I know of Jing Fan’s capabilities, it shouldn’t have come to this. Could it be they’ve encountered the mastermind behind the scenes?"
A thought flashed through Zhong Shenxiu’s mind as he continued the pursuit.
Venturing deeper into the forest, he was somewhat unsure of which direction to pursue.
Just then, a long and piercing zither melody suddenly came from a certain direction.
Zhong Shenxiu let out a slight smile and chased after the sound.
Duan Mingyu’s clothes were torn and disheveled as he placed an ancient zither on his knees.
With every pluck of his fingers, each note resonating emitted an invisible Sword Qi, shattering a charging Demon Ape.
But alas... the attacking Demon Apes were simply too numerous, easily numbering in the hundreds!
As he fought and retreated, he ended up in this valley, defending against the terrain, but he had also cornered himself.
Behind him was a steep cliff, dozens of feet high, with black rocks as sharp as knives.
Even for someone with exceptional Qinggong, trying to climb it would be quite dangerous, and a moment of inattention could lead to death.
Normally, Duan Mingyu, a master of both zither and sword, should have had no problem escaping, even if he couldn’t kill all the Demon Apes.
If he were alone, maybe he could have attempted to climb the cliff and escape.
He glanced at Jing Fan beside him, still unconscious and with a large stain of blood on his chest, and a bitter smile appeared on his face, "Master, I’m really being dragged to my death by you this time..."
If the chance of a single person using Qinggong to cross this deadly barrier was fifty percent, carrying an additional hundred pounds would reduce that probability to less than ten percent!
Despite this, Duan Mingyu had no intention whatsoever of abandoning Jing Fan and escaping alone.
He just kept on channeling his Inner Strength into sound waves and Sword Qi, fending off the swarms of Demon Apes attempting to close in.
But after dozens of strikes, the Demon Apes still recklessly swarmed, showing no sign of retreat.
Duan Mingyu himself was beginning to feel the depletion of his Inner Strength and shook his head, "It’s over this time... I never expected a journey to cost me my life, and to cause many senior sisters and junior sisters to be widowed..."
"Hearing what you just said, I don’t feel like saving you anymore."
Just then, Duan Mingyu suddenly heard a voice from above.
His spirits lifted, and looking up, he saw Zhong Shenxiu atop the cliff.
Zhong Shenxiu, looking down at the two, was somewhat at a loss for words. He casually tossed down a large amount of torches and rocks to fend off the Demon Apes, and then threw down a rope.
With one hand gripping Jing Fan and the other the rope, the two of them, working together, nimbly leaped out of the valley and made their escape deeper into the mountains.
Zhong Shenxiu stood with his hands folded behind his back, gently tapping a tree branch with his toe, and like a breeze, he flitted away several meters.
"You say, those monkeys are formidable, yet, if one is determined to flee, they are not much to speak of... How did you end up in such a plight?"
He looked at Duan Mingyu, somewhat puzzled.
Moreover, Jing Fan’s martial arts were superior to Duan Mingyu’s, so how did he end up being the one to sustain serious injuries and fall unconscious?
"It’s a long story... to put it shortly, the puppeteer behind the monkey horde is none other than Stone Buddha Temple’s renegade disciple, Jing Fan’s senior brother—Jingming Monk. I’ve observed him; he has gone mad, utterly insane. He appeared suddenly, took advantage of a moment when Jing Fan’s spirit was unsettled, and viciously attacked, wounding Jing Fan..."
Duan Mingyu’s expression conveyed his lingering fears, "To be honest, this person cultivates the secret texts derived from the Stone Buddha Scripture—the Fighting Victory King Scripture! His strength is truly no common feat, and even in a fair fight with Jing Fan, the odds of victory are even... It’s baffling why he was previously unknown on the people’s rankings..."
"Master Jing Fan also cultivates the Fighting Victory King Scripture, right? These two seem to share quite a bond..." Zhong Shenxiu said, chuckling.
"I’m afraid it’s not shallow; otherwise, Jing Fan wouldn’t have become so mentally disturbed upon seeing him, allowing Jingming to succeed in his sneak attack. Fortunately, something was wrong with that person. After injuring Jing Fan, he had a fit himself and fled on his own initiative. Otherwise, our chances of survival would have been slim... Even so, we nearly ended up with no escape from the chasing monkeys, as if there was no road to the sky and no door to the ground..."
Thinking back to the scene, Duan Mingyu still felt a chill down his spine.
Without a bit of luck, he might have been beaten to death by the monkeys and had his brain eaten raw.
"Amitabha... I heard from several of my uncles that Jingming went mad and deserted the temple when he failed to break through to Grandmaster level... I did not expect him to be here..."
From behind Duan Mingyu, came Jing Fan’s voice.
The monk had awoken without anyone noticing, but his face was full of confusion and dismay, "The temple sent me here this time, they must have known that the demon here was Jingming all along, yet they did not make it clear, it’s truly puzzling..."
He looked filled with doubt and was visibly shaken.
Seeing the monk , Zhong Shenxiu shook his head silently.
For a Blood Swapping Warrior, with strong vitality, as long as the injury wasn’t fatal or caused serious disability, recovery would come gradually.
The same applied to injuries that normal people would find hard to heal.
But a clouded spirit was another matter.
This Iron Arhat’s martial arts were originally superior to Yan Wushuang’s, it was just that he had faced defeat against Li Qinghe due to a shadow in his spirit and a flaw in his heart, and was then opportunistically challenged by the Goddess Constable, which led to his unfortunate loss of one move.
If he could get back into the right frame of mind, Yan Wushuang would likely stand no chance.
This was a testament to the importance of spiritual cultivation in martial artists, especially for experts of the Buddhist Sect.
And the senior monks of Stone Buddha Temple, knowing full well the good relationship between Jing Fan and Jingming, still sent Jing Fan to eliminate the demon, which was problematic from the start.
"Now there is no point in talking about this, we should leave the mountain first and find a place to recover..." suggested Duan Mingyu.
"No! This monk... I... I must see Jingming immediately!"
A determined look crossed Jing Fan’s face, "What you said before, Master Duan, was not wrong. Jingming must have already gone mad... During our fight, I realized it was the best chance to redeem him. If we miss this opportunity, there will be endless trouble later..."