Si Xuanyu trembled.
He was at a loss after he heard what Chen Xiaobei asked him. As a Baron-ranked blood descendant, he was not to divulge anything that could compromise himself, his mission or the covenant. However, he barely had a choice – his skull was at stake, and he had to do it if he wanted to live!
"I- I'll tell you… I'll tell you…" His composure having vaporized long ago, Si Xuanyu was but a blithering blob scared witless as he blurted everything out.
"The reward of Sanshi Martial Art Contest had attracted the attention of Lord Ye Linlong," he explained. "He needs Spiritual Qi to improve his cultivation as soon as possible, that's why he had decided to represent Baihe City in the upcoming competition..."
"What is Ye LinLong's combat power? Why would he send you here to kill his opponents before the competition? Could he be weaker than you?" Baffled, Chen Xiaobei frowned.
"No… No, no! Ye Linlong's combat power is around nine thousand – he is definitely more powerful than I am!" Si Xuanyu was almost pleading. "Lord Ye Linlong believed that no one is powerful enough to defeat him in all three cities, which was why he sent me here to kill everyone and spare him the fuss! He also wanted to recruit a few more Embraces to surrender to him on stage… It'll be the ultimate show of power!"
Every Crimson Cloud Jianhu elite were annoyed by Ye Linlong's plan to say the least. Still, they could not do anything to that vampire despite him being a top-of-the-line jerk.
In Jianghu, combat power is absolute – and none of them could have stopped Si Xuanyu if not for Chen Xiaobei. Otherwise, elites in three cities would have been severely wounded or turned into Embraces, and forced to grovel for their lives on stage. They would not have any place to hide their places!
"Bro Bei, how should we go about this? We need your guidance…" someone said, and everyone instantly turned their eyes to Chen Xiaobei. He was the only person they could rely on after all.
"I really need some Spiritual Qi!" Chen Xiaobei muttered. The blood descendant baron whose face was under his feet had a combat power of seven thousand, while the blood descendant viscount he might face in a few days had a combat power of nine thousand.
It would not be an easy fight. His own combat power was six thousand and three hundred, which he could increase to eight thousand and four hundred through Primordial Witch King Combat Enhancement Training. Even so, he would still struggle against Ye Linlong.
Still, he possessed the Blood Chaos Sword Essence which would allow him to defeat his opponent with ease, although it would be a bad idea for him to reveal his trump card in front of everyone. He would put himself in grave danger if the super elites caught sight of the Blood Chaos Sword Essence, which was why the only way to defeat Ye Linlong was through training and Spiritual Qi.
"You can only acquire Spiritual Qi at the holy land of Golden Dragon Temple," the mustached man said. "What do you plan to do?"
"I'm going to train!" Chen Xiaobei replied said.
"Train?" Surprised, the mustached man quickly shook his head. "The people from the temple would never allow an outsider like you to enter the holy land, and the competition takes place in two days! Even if you're permitted to use the holy land, how much could you improve?"
"That's right! What could you even do in such a short period of time?" The others were nodding; they appeared to agree with the mustached man. It was not without reason either – an ordinary Jianghu elite would need months, years, or perhaps decades to make significant improvements. Two days would not make any difference.
However, Chen Xiaobei insisted. "To me, two days would be more than enough." He said calmly. There was some truth to it too – with the Scripture of Heaven and Earth, two days of training for him was equivalent to decades of training for normal folk.
"Cripple this man and take him to Golden Dragon Temple!" Chen Xiaobei commanded as he placed more weight behind the foot he used to step on Si Xuanyu.
"Yes, Sir!" Everyone remained doubtful, but none of them would dare to question his decision now. At his order, the mustached man and several others walked towards Si Xuanyu and broke his limbs.
Naturally, it pleased them to do so.
Chen Xiaobei called for Song Qincheng and Old Wang to travel along with them to the Golden Dragon Temple in the vehicles of those Jianghu folks.
The temple was located in the heart of the borders between Crimson Cloud City, Baihe City, and Zijiang City, where the cities met in a triangular arrangement. It was not a particularly long drive – the terrain was rather clear too, and they arrived at the temple before sunrise.
Song Qincheng and Old Wang left to stay at a small town near the foot of the mountain where the temple was built upon because women were not welcome there. Chen Xiaobei took the precaution of leaving a few Jianghu elites behind to watch over them, while the mustached man and two others escorted Si Xuanyu to the top of the mountain with him.
"Bro Bei, that's Golden Dragon Temple!" The mustached man said as he pointed ahead. Chen Xiaobei stepped forward to get a better view.
Red bricks, yellow roof, green trees, and lush crawlers reflected the temple's ancient history and sanctity. The atmosphere around it was a solemn and awe-inspiring one too; it spread tranquility and commanded reverence in equal measure.
"Magnificent!" Chen Xiaobei drew a sharp breath, and his entire body quickly felt rejuvenated.
"Golden Dragon Temple is undoubtedly a fine place for training, but the monks never allow outsiders to set foot inside their temple under normal circumstances. I'm afraid this trip might be wasted..." Xuda[1] expressed his concern.
Nonetheless, Chen Xiaobei had decided to give it a shot.
"Who are you people? Golden Dragon Temple is a place for monks only, no outsiders are allowed in!" Two guards stopped them from entering the temple. They were clearly well-trained since they were only dressed in nothing but loincloths in the middle of winter. Wielding long poles as weapons, they resembled the famed Luohan.
"Good day! I'm the faction leader of Iron Palm; Xuda." Xuda had went closer to greet the guards politely. "We are not here to intrude – we are in dire need of the temple's help. Please, take a look at this man."
One of the men lifted Si Xuanyu's head to show his face to the guards. It shocked both of them, but they stood their ground.
"We are truly sorry," they apologized. "However, the Golden Dragon Temple does not concern itself with things that happen outside the temple. Please turn around."
"But…" Xuda was speechless and frustrated. Even a faction leader like him could not really stand his ground against Golden Dragon Temple monks. In fact, he might not even be powerful enough to defeat these two guards. Therefore, he simply relented.
"Actually, I'm here to look for an old friend of mine. Could you please help me pass a message?" Chen Xiaobei walked towards the monks and showed them a sander bracelet.
"This is… Please, wait a moment!" Both monks were shocked; one of them ran inside the temple with the sander bracelet immediately.
*Whoosh*
A huge man dashed out towards Chen Xiaobei at full speed.
Translator's Note:
1. Unidentified person. The author mentioned it for the first time in this chapter – he may be the mustached man.