Chapter 331 - 322: Princess Panxiang

Chapter 331: Chapter 322: Princess Panxiang

In the Yingjing East Suburbs, a black carriage adorned with golden bells on its four corners slowly came to a stop.

"Sir, we’ve arrived."

A man dressed in a long robe and mandarin jacket respectfully approached the carriage, bowed, and called out softly.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and a young man, not yet twenty years of age, slowly stepped out.

He wore a white shirt with black clasps, and an Ancient Blade hung at his waist, sheathed in exquisite black sharkskin, lending him an inexplicable Momentum.

Fu Juemin alighted from the carriage and gazed ahead.

Before him lay a village, and behind it, a small mountain. The mountain was bare and gray, save for some green on its peak, which was wreathed in clouds and mist.

"The Panxiang Temple you wish to visit, Sir, is on the mountain back there. I’ve already made inquiries. The Monk there almost never leaves the mountain. It’s been several years since he last came down..."

Mu Tingzhou trailed Fu Juemin like an attendant, respectfully reporting what he knew.

Fu Juemin had only brought a few people on this trip. Besides Mu Tingzhou, there was Cao Tian and Zhang Yi.

The group strolled into the village.

This small village in the Yingjing City East Suburbs was remote, yet it was surprisingly lively.

As they walked, they saw no shortage of able-bodied young men. For a place like Yingjing, where a single able-bodied man was worth thirty silver coins, this was simply incredible. The village was practically a hidden paradise.

The villagers were clearly living well. Their eyes lacked the particular panic and numbness characteristic of the city dwellers. When they saw Fu Juemin’s group arrive, they all sized them up with curiosity.

The group walked from one end of the village to the other. Just as they were about to enter the mountains, a young man with a hoe on his shoulder and deeply tanned skin came up to them and asked, "You heading up the mountain?"

"Obviously!"

Except when he was in front of Fu Juemin, Mu Tingzhou acted with an arrogant, punchable attitude toward everyone else.

"If we’re not going up the mountain, are we going down? Just spit out what you have to say!"

Taken aback by Mu Tingzhou’s harsh words, a flash of anger crossed the young farmer’s face, but he didn’t dare lash out. He simply said, "I’d advise you not to go up. Lady Panxiang despises outsiders..."

The young man paused, his eyes sweeping over the queue at the back of Mu Tingzhou’s head and the others’ clearly expensive, uncommon clothing. He then continued, "And she especially hates being disturbed by Manchus.

If you all go up there, you’re sure to get a beating!"

"Heh!"

Mu Tingzhou couldn’t help but laugh. "I’ve lived this long, and this is the first I’m hearing that Manchus get beat up on Yingjing’s turf."

"If you don’t believe me, then go on up and try."

The young man’s expression was earnest.

At this point, Fu Juemin spoke up. "Lady Panxiang?

Isn’t this mountain supposed to have a temple? I heard a Mad Monk lives in it. Where did this Lady Panxiang come from?"

The young man looked at him and explained, "There is a temple on the mountain, and a Mad Monk does live in it.

Before Lady Panxiang arrived, the temple was called Spiritual Light Temple. After she came, its name was changed to Panxiang Temple.

Lady Panxiang is kind and benevolent, beautiful and good-hearted. She often helps us poor villagers down here... Her Ladyship is wonderful in every way, she just has a bit of a temper, and she really, really hates Manchus..."

After listening, Fu Juemin nodded slightly. ’Spiritual Light Temple, Huai Hai of Celestial Blessing... it all matches. It seems I’ve come to the right place.’

’But as for how Huai Hai became the Mad Monk, and what the story is with this Lady Panxiang the youth mentioned, I’ll have to go up to find out.’

Fu Juemin casually instructed Cao Tian, who was beside him, to give the young man two silver coins as thanks for volunteering the information. Then, he turned and started walking up the mountain.

Seeing that Fu Juemin wasn’t listening, the young man tried to persuade him further, but Mu Tingzhou cursed, "Scram!" and the youth could only take the money and leave resentfully.

A small path on the mountain led directly to the summit.

During the climb, Fu Juemin was reminded of his experience climbing Purple Cloud Mountain in Shenghai to visit Huai Kong. He never actually managed to meet that old Monk before leaving Shenghai, which was, admittedly, a great regret.

The mountain path was steep and rugged. While it was nothing for Fu Juemin, Cao Tian, and Zhang Yi, it was utterly exhausting for Mu Tingzhou.

By the time they reached the summit, Mu Tingzhou, who was clearly out of shape, was as tired as a dog. He collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily with his tongue lolling out.

Fu Juemin surveyed the summit.

The summit wasn’t large, but it was lush and green.

A temple sat directly facing the end of the path. It looked quite old, though its roof and outer walls showed obvious signs of recent renovation and repair.

Next to the temple stood a small thatched hut with firewood scattered in front of it.

Fu Juemin’s eyes swept the area. He spotted a mottled, rusty Ancient Bell not far away and, after a moment’s thought, gave Cao Tian a meaningful look.

Cao Tian understood immediately and was about to step forward to strike the bell, announcing their arrival to those inside the temple.

But Mu Tingzhou, who had been sprawled on the ground, quickly scrambled to his feet, determined to snatch this opportunity to perform for Fu Juemin.

"Sir, I’ll do it!"

Although Mu Tingzhou smoked a great deal of opium, he also consumed a fair number of Human Pills, so his constitution was still a bit stronger than that of a typical pampered fop.

He scurried over to the Ancient Bell, strained to lift the Wooden Hammer hanging before it, and shoved it forward with all his might.

"DONG—!"

As Mu Tingzhou struck it, the long, resonating toll of the bell shattered the peace and serenity of the mountaintop.

The sound of the bell spread out across the mountain peaks, startling birds into flight and causing the clouds to roil.

Fu Juemin suddenly turned his gaze toward the thatched hut in the distance.

Deep within, his Martial Dao intuition sensed that something inside that hut was awakening.

"Who struck the bell?!"

Just then, a voice as clear and crisp as a silver bell suddenly rang out from the temple ahead.

Mu Tingzhou immediately put his hands on his hips and shouted back with a grin, "Who else but your grandpa!"

As he spoke, a figure strode out of the temple.

It was a young woman of sixteen or seventeen, dressed in red, with a lithe and graceful figure.

She had a perfect oval face, cheeks the color of fresh lychee, and bright eyes. With a wisp of bangs across her forehead, she was as pretty as a porcelain doll.

The young woman held a long, black whip. As she walked, a peculiar fragrance drifted toward them on the wind.

The fragrance was like sandalwood, but not quite; like musk, yet different. It was quite similar to the faint sandalwood body fragrance that Fu Juemin naturally exuded after reaching Perfection with his Pharmacist Skill, but this scent was far more intense.

"You blind fool!"

The young woman stared at Mu Tingzhou and cursed icily.

Then, with a flick of her wrist, the long whip in her hand shot through the air—

"CRACK!!"

"Oww!—"

As the crack of the whip subsided, Mu Tingzhou let out a pained yelp, clutching his face and screaming.

"Dammit, you dare hit me?!"

"You have a filthy mouth. I’ll whip it right off your face!"

The young woman snorted, whipping him relentlessly.

She had clearly trained in the martial arts. Mu Tingzhou, whipped until he was screaming and howling, lost all his bravado and scrambled toward Fu Juemin.

"Sir! Sir, help me!"

"WHOOSH!—"

The shadow of the whip flashed through the air, but this time, there was no sharp crack.

The end of the whip had landed in a rough, thick palm. Zhang Yi, who had suddenly moved to intercept it, gripped the whip tightly. He didn’t look at the young woman, but rather toward Fu Juemin.

"So you’re the Lady Panxiang the villagers below spoke of?"

Fu Juemin casually kicked the pathetic Mu Tingzhou aside, took two steps forward, and addressed the young woman.

The young woman tugged hard on the whip, but it wouldn’t budge, so she let go.

"What if I am?"

She looked at Fu Juemin, then at Mu Tingzhou, who was glaring at her with a hateful expression. Suddenly, she said, "He’s a Manchu, but you’re not.

Tsk. To think a Manchu would be a dog for an outsider. I’ve really seen something new today..."

"I do it because I want to!"

Mu Tingzhou screamed at her, "Is it any of your damn business?"

The young woman didn’t even bother to look at him, instead staring at Fu Juemin for a moment before smiling. "You’re actually quite handsome. But since you insisted on ignoring good advice and coming up here to disturb our peace, you can’t blame me for what happens next..."

With that, she took two steps back and clapped her hands.

"Zhong Yin."

A man walked out of the temple.

Without even raising her eyes, the young woman lazily pointed at Fu Juemin’s group and said, "Break one of each of their legs and throw them down the mountain."

"Yes."

The man who answered looked to be in his early forties. He was tall and powerfully built, with an ordinary face and unusually coarse skin.

The man slowly walked from behind the young woman to stand before Fu Juemin and his men. Though he had only moved a few feet, it was as if he had stepped out of the shadows and into the light.

He stood there in the clearing before the temple, his entire body seemingly outlined by a faint, transparent, glowing edge. To an onlooker, he possessed an incredibly strong and inexplicable presence.

"Heart Intent?"

Fu Juemin stared at the man before him, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

"The fact that you can recognize I’m in the Heart Intent Realm proves you’ve studied martial arts, and your attainments are not low."

The man looked at Fu Juemin and said calmly, "I’ll give you one more chance. Take your people down the mountain right now, and promise never to come back and disturb us again. If you do, you can spare yourselves a great deal of pain."

"I’m here looking for someone."

Fu Juemin shook his head with a smile.

The man replied, "The person you’re looking for isn’t here."

"No."

Fu Juemin pointed to the thatched hut in the distance. "I believe he’s right in there."

The man considered this for a moment, then said, "The person living there is very dangerous. He’s only lucid for about a single hour each month. The rest of the time, he is either sleeping or has gone mad.

You may have already woken him. When he awakens, he will most likely fly into a rage.

At that point, you won’t be able to leave even if you want to..."

"And what if I’ve arrived just in time for that one lucid hour?"

Fu Juemin said.

The man frowned and was about to speak, but the young woman beside him grew impatient. "Zhong Yin, why are you wasting so much breath chattering with him?"

"Yes, Mistress!"

The man answered respectfully. When he turned back to face Fu Juemin, his eyes were ice-cold. "Stubborn fool. You won’t learn to be afraid until you’ve taken a beating.

My Mistress has given her orders. I’m to leave you one good leg so you can limp back down the mountain.

Which one will it be?"

Fu Juemin casually unhooked the Exorcism Saber from his waist. His gaze swept over to the pair of fine, fair, and shapely legs visible beneath the young woman’s red dress. He smiled. "Can I choose that one?"

"You’re courting death!"

Killing intent instantly exploded in the man’s eyes. With a sudden movement, he strode straight toward Fu Juemin.