The branch manager of the Holy Lotus Sect, known by the nickname “Mad Tiger Fist,” twisted his body mid-air, delivering a fierce punch toward the right temple of Meng Qi.
Had the punch landed, it would certainly have been fatal. Unfortunately for him, his opponent was Meng Qi, whose swift and ruthless response made the attack seem as inconsequential as a willow branch, easily brushed aside.
The branch manager’s punch missed its mark, leaving him in disbelief. Throughout his years roaming the martial world, he had never seen anyone dodge a killing blow at such close range with such ease, as if lifting a child despite the child’s kicking and struggling, effortlessly nullifying the attack with a single hand.
“Your skill in sealing acupuncture points is impressive,” said Meng Qi, raising an eyebrow.
When Meng Qi had captured him, he had casually sealed the branch manager’s points, feeling his energy channels blocked like wood, which Meng Qi hadn’t taken seriously, assuming the branch manager practiced external martial arts.
This was a characteristic of external martial arts, with the body as hard as iron or wood.
The branch manager’s appearance also fit that of an external martial arts master, towering like a metal tower, his body all muscle. When Meng Qi had first subdued him, he hadn’t thought much of it; only when the branch manager suddenly counterattacked did Meng Qi realize this man had also mastered internal energy, not only resisting the sealing but also faking his initial reaction.
This was indeed rare.
External and internal martial arts are generally contradictory; one could dabble in both but mastering both was impossible. Even the legendary powers couldn’t achieve this, as no matter how Meng Qi and Mo Li transformed, once they took human form, they were limited by human constraints.
With a bit of thought, Meng Qi quickly understood the branch manager’s martial arts.
This rough-looking man, with a nickname suggesting a lowly status in the martial world, was actually an internal master of a sinister path.
“Mad Tiger Fist? It’s said in the martial world that there are only misnamed techniques, not misused nicknames, but it seems that isn’t always the case,” Meng Qi remarked with a half-smile, looking at Master Yin, whose face had turned pale and was beaded with sweat.
Initially confused, Mo Li observed Master Yin’s trembling demeanor and, after reflecting on the events, his expression darkened.
—Master Yin knew something about the branch manager’s background; his panic was real, as was his intent to harm. He despised the branch manager for ordering the arrow attack but wouldn’t readily side with Meng Qi. Knowing Meng Qi and Mo Li were formidable, he intentionally mentioned the nickname “Mad Tiger Fist,” deliberately only describing the branch manager’s achievements against lesser gangs to mislead Meng Qi. He had not managed to finish before Meng Qi acted.
For an average martial master, preconceptions could easily lead to a misjudgment upon seeing the towering branch manager.
The martial world is perilous, and one misstep could cost a life.
Mo Li, typically calm and gentlemanly, couldn’t help but become angry upon understanding these machinations.
“Merely a petty trick; there’s no need for concern,” Meng Qi spoke just in time.
Mo Li glanced away, puzzled. In theory, even if the scheme had succeeded, it wouldn’t have seriously harmed Meng Qi, who had easily deflected the branch manager’s forceful strike with minimal effort. Yet, Mo Li remained irate.
His expression was somber, his gaze icy.
Master Yin instinctively avoided Mo Li’s stare, shrinking into a corner of the carriage.
Mo Li knew that given the chance, this man would still harbor sinister intentions. Although Master Yin dared not look up, he saw Mo Li’s hand move and immediately became visibly terrified, begging for mercy.
Meanwhile, members of the Holy Lotus Sect caught up, dressed in brown and looking like nighttime assassins with their sleeves tied and faces covered.
They carried crossbows with a strange design. Mo Li, having witnessed the recent palace coup and ban on civilian use of such weapons in the capital, recognized that these were not crafted in the imperial workshops, which required each piece to bear the craftsman’s name and meet strict standards.
The ones before him clearly came from elsewhere.
Mo Li felt puzzled. The weapons they saw yesterday in Mr. Yin’s cellar were different from these; those were standard Qi dynasty equipment, assorted and of varying ages, as if gathered from various places. The Qi dynasty’s Ministry of War and Ministry of Revenue were both corrupt, and local embezzlement was severe, making it easy for old weapons to be stolen and sold.
The Holy Lotus Sect’s acquisition of weapons through corrupt officials was one thing, but their privately manufactured arms were a far more serious matter.
Meng Qi’s gaze also fell on the crossbows and bows. His lips curled slightly, revealing a mocking smile.
“Branch manager Liang, your sect does quite the extensive business, doesn’t it? You have Qi dynasty swords and weapons, but how come you also manage to acquire Chu dynasty crossbows and bows?”
He touched an arrow embedded in the carriage, clicking his tongue, “The penetrating power is passable. The Chu dynasty has been gone for sixteen years, yet you’ve maintained these weapons as if they were new.”
“…You got these bows and arrows from the south?” Mo Li asked Mr. Yin intently.
The Qi succeeded the Chu, and amidst the turmoil, bows from many years ago could not be in perfect condition.
It was either the Holy Lotus Sect had coerced the Chu dynasty’s craftsmen, or these bows came from the remnants of the Chu in the south.
Branch manager Liang struggled but could not break free from Meng Qi’s hold, fear swelling in him like a rising river tide. Now, hearing them outright reveal the origin of the bows, his suspicion deepened. Do ordinary people in the martial world know the differences between bows and crossbows? To the uninitiated, they all look the same.
“Who are you people?” Branch manager Liang couldn’t fathom Meng Qi’s origins.
When did such a master appear in the martial world?
Or is it a master at odds with the Holy Lotus Sect, possibly serving some unknown power?
Meng Qi threw Branch manager Liang beside the carriage wheel, stood with one hand behind his back, calm and collected, and said, “You shouldn’t ask who I am; you should ask what I want to do.”
“What… do you want to do?”
Branch manager Liang suddenly felt an ominous premonition.
Even though his men had surrounded the carriage and more than twenty crossbows and bows were aimed this way, Branch manager Liang felt an illusion of being utterly alone and unarmed.
A shadow flashed before his eyes, and Branch manager Liang instinctively gathered his inner strength for a desperate struggle, only to be pressed back down by an overwhelming force, nearly spitting blood.
“You—”
Branch manager Liang focused and realized he had been tricked.
Meng Qi stood still, the one who had acted was another person sitting on the carriage shaft.
These members of the Holy Lotus Sect were not highly skilled in martial arts but were like well-trained elite soldiers, capable of using crossbows and grappling hooks with agile movements and good at maneuvering high and low. They would automatically form formations when facing enemies, coordinating seamlessly.
Their attacks were interconnected, retreating immediately upon contact.
The inner circle always consisted of only three to five people, with others staying on the outer circle, shooting cold arrows and seizing opportunities to break into the inner circle.
Mo Li increased his force, and with one move, it resulted in broken tendons and bones. The formation of the Holy Lotus Sect followers, even with their comrades’ cover, could not mount a second wave of attack after escaping with injured arms, and the rain of arrows became sparse.
As everyone was busy and disoriented, a dim blade swept past, the inner force of the blade’s light piercing their eyes painfully, causing them to instinctively raise their weapons to block.
“Click… crack…”
The grating sound of wood splintering erupted in sequence.
As the group of Holy Lotus Sect followers came to a stand, ready to attack again, they were shocked to find that the crossbows in their hands were disintegrating, piece by piece, quickly becoming a pile of unrecognizable debris, impossible to grasp. Following closely, streaks of blood appeared beneath their brown garments—cuts from the blade wind.
The wounds were not deep, yet the sudden sharp pain and the gushing blood were the final blows that crushed the morale of the Holy Lotus Sect followers.
They dropped their fragmented crossbows, abandoned Branch manager Liang and Scholar Yin, and fled in panic.
Meng Qi: “…”
Watching Mo Li, who sheathed his bladeless sword and walked back to the carriage with an expressionless face, Meng Qi’s heart tightened.
Strange, there is a murderous aura.
Is the doctor angry? But why does this anger seem directed at me?
“Where do you think you’re going!”
Meng Qi immediately left Branch manager Liang behind and chased after the fleeing Holy Lotus Sect followers.
—This was to buy time, using the opportunity to run and ponder the reason for the doctor’s anger.
Scholar Yin saw Branch manager Liang and his men, powerless to fight back, fleeing like bereaved dogs within moments, his expression fluctuating before finally fixing into a furious glare at Branch manager Liang as he rose from the ground.
Branch manager Liang had only sustained some internal injuries, which were not apparent from the outside. Scholar Yin saw that Branch manager Liang’s acupoints were not sealed, clearly still capable of fighting, yet he cowered like a coward, unwilling to engage.
Both formidable foes had departed! What an opportunity! Scholar Yin was almost on the verge of cursing out loud.
Mo Li sensed something off and glanced in that direction, causing Scholar Yin’s limbs to stiffen instantly.
Mo Li paid him no mind; he stroked the horse’s mane and called out toward a distant dirt mound: “Come out!”
A head popped out from behind the dirt mound—it was Young Master Qiu from the earlier caravan, who had been interested in their horses and had tried to strike up a conversation but was ignored. He had heard the news from a small town nearby and chased after them.
Now exposed, he sheathed his sword and said awkwardly, “I heard from the escort agency that someone was using crossbows in broad daylight. Around here, probably only the Holy Lotus Sect would dare to be so bold. Well… when on the road, rely on friends, and help if you can, as a way to build good karma.”
Turns out, he hadn’t helped at all, only watched a spectacle unfold.
Young Master Qiu was caught in a dilemma, to hide and risk suspicion, or to leave quietly, which he somewhat regretted.
It was precisely because of his curiosity about Mo Li and his companion on the road that, despite various circumstances preventing a deeper engagement, he was now even more eager to make their acquaintance after witnessing such impressive martial skills. But such masters probably wouldn’t bother with others, just like before, right?
Young Master Qiu was torn and hadn’t sorted his thoughts when Mo Li called him out.
“Ahem, I have been presumptuous. I will take my leave now,” Young Master Qiu bowed and said.
At this moment, Meng Qi returned, with the Holy Lotus Sect followers piled up like a string of gourds.
He had also realized why Mo Li was annoyed—it was because he accused him of being careless and overconfident. While capturing Branch manager Liang, he completely failed to notice the anomaly, allowing Branch manager Liang to cunningly dodge the acupoint strike and counterattack.
Meng Qi, knowing he was at fault, prepared to come back and apologize, only to find an extra person on the scene.
Young Master Qiu had hidden quite far away; he knew martial arts and was very cautious, so Meng Qi hadn’t noticed him.
Recognizing the familiar face from the caravan, Meng Qi frowned slightly and casually asked, “Are these Holy Lotus Sect people wanted in the nearby prefectures?”
Under the daylight, daring to make a move, their criminal records cannot be thin.
Although the authorities have overlooked the threat posed by the Holy Lotus Sect, it is possible that Branch manager Liang and his group could be wanted as common bandits.
Young Master Qiu looked at Branch manager Liang with difficulty, recognizing the type of rugged face common on wanted posters; almost every prefecture had one, and the names varied. This was just the image people had of “strongmen” or “notorious thieves,” hence at least eight out of ten posters at the city gates bore this appearance.
“This senior.” Branch manager Liang was not foolish; instead of resisting, he greeted respectfully, “We are all fellow travelers of the jianghu. Could there be some misunderstanding with the Holy Lotus Sect?”
Meng Qi nodded, then asked, “Before the fight started, you neither wanted to know our identities nor ask further questions. Now you speak of misunderstandings?”
Branch manager Liang was at a loss for words. He could only shift the blame to Scholar Yin, saying vaguely, “We are merely making a living, contending with local powers over trivial profits. Obtaining crossbows and such was merely a fortuitous event. The discipline within the sect is lax, anyone who worships the Ziwei Emperor can claim to be part of the Holy Lotus Sect. Scholar Yin is a local gentleman, worlds apart from us, he was merely using our services to mitigate disaster, having heard that his acquaintance was abducted by some unknown persons, his friends paid a sum for our sect’s assistance.”
Meng Qi looked at him with a mocking smile.
Branch manager Liang knew this excuse wouldn’t suffice, but he had a backup plan.
“If the senior wishes to find someone within the Holy Lotus Sect, or… I can also help.”
The implication was that he was ready to betray his fellows for safety.
Scholar Yin’s pupils constricted. With Branch manager Liang saying this, it meant he had resolved to kill all his subordinates, and Scholar Yin couldn’t be spared either, otherwise the information about the Holy Lotus Sect’s various branches he was willing to reveal would not stay hidden.
“Nonsense!”
With the crisis pressing, Scholar Yin could no longer hold back, leaning out of the carriage and glaring furiously at Branch manager Liang.
Unexpectedly, Young Master Qiu, shocked, blurted out, “Yin shibo?”
Scholar Yin also froze, staring at Young Master Qiu for a good while without recognizing who he was.
Caught under everyone’s gaze, Young Master Qiu, realizing his slip, could only explain roughly: “I have seen Yin shibo at my uncle’s place. Weren’t you running a private school and teaching? How did you get involved with the Holy Lotus Sect, a group that deceives and misleads the public?”
As they recognized each other, Branch manager Liang’s eyes lit up, ready to speak again, but Mo Li suddenly made his move.
Branch manager Liang barely managed to respond, becoming increasingly terrified with each exchange. How could such profound and potent internal strength, seeming to possess the power of decades, be so commonplace? One is already too much, and here are two?
Branch manager Liang was no match; despite his desperate attempts to escape, he couldn’t last five rounds.
He was struck in the dantian point by a palm, vomiting blood continuously and nearly losing his life, barely able to speak, let alone fight. Without immediate treatment, his martial arts would be ruined.
Mo Li calmed his breath; he would not normally act this way. He looked at Meng Qi sternly.
Meng Qi was startled.
Is it too late now to burrow into the doctor’s arms like a desert mouse?
