Chapter 32: This is No Place to Linger

The whispered conversation between the two drew envious looks from the single disciples of the Joyous Union Sect around them. Why didn’t they have such luck in finding a Dao Companion?

“Fellow Junior Brothers and Sisters from other sects! This humble monk’s Dharma name is Hui Neng. Please hear my words!”

A monk from Jinshan Temple clasped his hands together and spoke in a clear, resonant voice that echoed across all four shores of the lake. Everyone turned their attention toward him.

“What a handsome monk!”

A chorus of tinkling, flirtatious laughter arose from the Joyous Union Sect’s ranks. The female disciples looked with sparkling eyes at the bald monk. His skin was pale and smooth, as if coated in a layer of white wax, and his bare scalp shone with a slick gleam. His handsome face held an air that was seventy percent solemn and thirty percent roguish.

“Stalemating like this serves no purpose,” the monk continued. “This humble monk observes that the Mystic Yin Fruits are numerous. How about the five great sects divide them equally?”

Divide equally? The Outer Disciples of the various sects exchanged glances as low murmurs of discussion broke out.

“The Qingxu Sect has no objections!”

“Giant Sword Mountain agrees!”

“Thousand Crane Valley agrees!”

“Joyous Union Sect agrees!”

The four major sects voiced their agreement one after another. Hui Neng took a step forward. “Very well. Then let each sect select one representative to accompany me onto the island to pick the Mystic Yin Fruits!”

In the forest behind the Joyous Union Sect’s formation, Li Meng peeked out from behind a large tree. Seeing the sect was selecting their representative, he picked up a small stone and tossed it toward Yuan Baobao’s head. The pebble struck her with perfect accuracy.

Yuan Baobao rubbed her head, a look of confusion on her face as she turned around. Li Meng, still half-hidden, leaned out and waved at her.

“Li… Senior Brother Li?”

Yuan Baobao’s face lit up with delight. She hadn’t expected to be reunited with both Senior Brother Li and Senior Brother Xuan here.

“Senior Brother! Senior Brother!” She tugged on Xuan Hao’s sleeve.

Xuan Hao looked down at her. “What is it, Junior Sister?”

“Senior Brother Li wants us to go over there!”

Senior Brother Li Meng? A flicker of surprise passed through Xuan Hao’s eyes. Senior Brother Li was nearby too? “Where is he?”

“In the forest behind us!”

Xuan Hao turned to look. It really was Senior Brother Li! “Let’s go!” He took Yuan Baobao’s hand and pulled her toward the woods. Once inside, they found Li Meng behind a massive tree.

“Senior Brother Li, I never expected to meet you here!” Xuan Hao bowed respectfully with clasped hands.

Li Meng waved a dismissive hand. “I’ll skip the pleasantries. This place isn’t safe. We must leave immediately!”

Xuan Hao and Yuan Baobao felt their hearts tighten. They too could sense something subtly sinister about this place. “How did you know, Senior Brother?”

Li Meng glanced toward the mist-shrouded lakeshore. “I saw Giant Sword Mountain disciples being swallowed by the mist on the lake with my own eyes. If I’m not mistaken, this frozen lake is a trap set by Mist Demons. The Spiritual Power tide triggered by a ten-thousand-year Mystic Yin Fruit would be far more violent; its scale and commotion wouldn’t be so minor.”

Hearing this, Xuan Hao was already ninety percent convinced. It was true; the earlier Spiritual Power tide had been suspiciously weak. “Senior Brother, we are fellow disciples. I must warn them!”

Xuan Hao turned and hurried back toward the Joyous Union Sect group. Watching his departing back, Li Meng shook his head. Those disciples wouldn’t believe it. Enormous profit had already robbed them of their ability to think clearly. Even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, they wouldn’t let go of benefits within reach.

Li Meng turned to Yuan Baobao. “Junior Sister, have you encountered any dangers on your journey here?”

Under Senior Brother Li’s gaze, Yuan Baobao’s cheeks flushed pink. She glanced toward the shore, then took two steps forward and intimately linked her arm with his.

“Senior Brother, I’ve faced so many dangers! Just yesterday, I met a fellow Junior Brother. He was truly despicable! He proposed traveling together, and when I refused, he suddenly launched a sneak attack! He even used a ghost artifact—it was terribly sinister! Luckily, I had the talismans you gave me. That’s how I escaped unscathed. Thinking about it now still makes me shudder.”

Yuan Baobao patted her ample chest with lingering fear. Li Meng smiled warmly and reached out to ruffle her hair. “Don’t be afraid. Don’t be stingy with the talismans I gave you. There are more when those run out!”

Yuan Baobao’s eyes curved into happy crescents. She adored Senior Brother Li’s doting gaze; it made her feel safe. “You’re so good to me, Senior Brother!” She stood on her tiptoes and planted a quick kiss on Li Meng’s cheek.

Li Meng wrapped an arm around her slender waist. Yuan Baobao’s face flushed deeper as she peeked toward the lakeshore. Senior Brother Xuan was still trying to talk to their fellow disciples. After a while, he walked back over, his shoulders slumped in dejection. Seeing him approach, Yuan Baobao quickly put some distance between herself and Li Meng.

“Senior Brother, they refused to leave?”

The disciples on the shore showed no signs of movement. Clearly, the warning had failed. Just then, the representatives from the five great sects began crossing the lake. Some rode swords, some used artifacts, and some simply flew.

“What is that?”

“Be careful, Junior Brothers!”

The moment the five flew over the frozen lake’s surface, a sudden mutation occurred. The mist over the lake churned violently, forming massive misty hands that shot up toward the figures in the sky.

Monk Hui Neng reacted fastest. He formed a seal, his body erupting with golden light. A golden alms bowl appeared in his hand, spilling forth a sheet of light that struck the misty hand. The hand paused for an instant before pressing onward, grabbing for him.

Hui Neng’s face changed dramatically. He flung out his kasaya robe, which expanded more than tenfold to wrap around him. The misty hand seized the robe-wrapped monk and retracted back into the fog. As for the other four… they had already been dragged into the icy depths moments earlier.

The white fog over the lake seemed to come alive, forming wave after wave of mist that blotted out the sky as it rolled toward the shores.

“It’s coming this way!”

“Run!”

Panic erupted as the disciples fled in disarray, desperately mounting swords to put distance between themselves and the lake. But the rolling mist was too fast. One after another, the fleeing Outer Disciples were swallowed by the encroaching fog.

The three in the forest exchanged a look.

“This is no place to linger! Retreat!”

The instant Li Meng finished speaking, an Earth Shrinking Talisman appeared in each of their hands.