The sudden voice startled both of them.
Brother Sun instinctively held his trident horizontally, ready to skewer someone.
Huang Donglai, too, suddenly became alert from his relaxed state, his hand instinctively reaching for the hidden weapon in his sleeve.
"What's the matter?" the voice in the darkness chuckled coldly, "Heh... you break in without permission, and you're going to attack an old monk like me?"
With the second sentence, the situation changed.
Because, from the sound of it, the speaker was a monk, and combined with the environment, Brother Sun and Huang couldn't help but think: could it be that there was still a resident monk in this dilapidated temple?
As they hesitated, they heard the sound of a match striking, and a spark lit up deep within the Buddha Hall.
They fixed their gaze and sure enough, there was an old monk standing there, holding a just-lit match, his bald head especially eye-catching in the flickering flame.
"Are you two mute?" The old monk said, moving a few steps to the side and casually lighting several candles placed around the altar.
The Buddha Hall suddenly became much brighter.
It was then that Brother Sun and Huang Donglai could clearly see the monk in front of them, apparently over sixty, with grey hair and beard, wearing a very tattered blue-gray monk's robe. A string of what seemed to be iron Buddha Beads hung around his neck, and beside his feet sat a fairly large cloth bundle.
"Er... Master," Huang Donglai, with a better cultural background, took the lead in negotiating, "My brother and I were passing by and happened to encounter heavy rain, so we came in to take shelter..." He paused here, glancing around the environment in the candlelight, then clasped his fists and bowed, "We originally thought this was an abandoned temple, and did not expect others to be here. We apologize for the intrusion."
"Yes, yes." Brother Sun also put down his trident, chiming in, "Please forgive us."
In most cases, they were reasonable people, and they didn't feel that flexing their muscles in front of an old monk amounted to much. Given his age and status as a monk, it was appropriate for them to be courteous.
After the monk had lit the candles, he returned to his original spot, sat down cross-legged on a cushion, and after sizing them up, he nodded and said, "Hm... quite polite, not bad."
Having said this, he seemed to remember something and let out a sigh before adding, "Ah, it's not easy to find young people with this much home training nowadays."
Although only a few words had been exchanged, Brother Sun and Huang could already vaguely feel... this old monk had a bit of a barbed tongue. Even compliments seemed thorny when spoken from his mouth.
"What are you spacing out for? Come over and sit," the old monk said, inviting them to sit down, after seeing their somewhat awkward stance. Meanwhile, he reached behind him and grabbed two worn-out cushions from under the incense table.
Brother Sun did not notice anything special about the monk's movement, but Huang Donglai was quite sensitive to the flow of Inner Strength and immediately noticed the trick—the old monk had first used Inner Strength to "draw" the two cushions into his hand, then grabbed them.
While the move looked inconspicuous, those in the know understood that this was far more frightening than shattering a large rock several meters away with a punch.
According to common knowledge among martial artists in this universe, unless one practiced some exceptional world-defying Martial Arts, achieving "external release of Inner Strength" would generally require over ten years of practice; to go further and allow the externally released Inner Strength to take form—becoming tangible for a period and manipulated at will—would take at least twenty years; and to reach the level where "Inner Strength can delicately influence" — after releasing Inner Strength, causing various effects on the surroundings without destruction... This was the realm of formless and soundless Inner Strength—a level that many people would never reach in their lifetime, and most Sect Leader-level masters could only barely touch the threshold. Once you cross this threshold, you're a "superior master," with a clear advantage over "first-rate" masters in one-on-one situations.
Of course, there were even higher realms, the "supreme" level; but such masters were scarce in the Martial Arts world, with only a handful known, and information about them was mostly enigmatic, for no one could fully test their strength.
At this moment, Huang Donglai realized that the old monk before him was at least a "superior master," which made him inwardly relieved: fortunately, we didn't irritate him just now; even if he wouldn't kill us, just "teaching us a lesson" would give us enough to worry about.
"Hm?" After only a moment, the old monk's expression changed slightly, and he turned to look at Huang Donglai, who had just sat down, "Heh, boy, you've got some discernment, I see."
Huang Donglai was shocked, thinking: Can this old man read minds? How did he know I had recognised his strength?
"What? Don't understand?" The old monk smiled, "Your heartbeat and breathing are all over the place, don't you know?"
Upon hearing this, Huang Donglai had an epiphany, but was also secretly alarmed: "He knows that? Then would he know if I farted?"
"What are you talking about?" Brother Sun, while not seeing through the old monk, saw his brother's expression and knew something was off, making him alert once again.
"Brother Sun." Huang Donglai had already guessed the identity of the old monk and so said, "This senior is probably... "
"Correct." The old monk, aware Huang Donglai had recognized him, interrupted, "I am indeed 'Iron Monk Yi Huai'."
"Huh?" Brother Sun's first reaction upon hearing this name was surprise.
"What do you mean by 'huh'?" Huang Donglai asked, "You've never heard of the 'Golden Beggar, Silver Dao, Bronze Confucian, and Iron Monk' known throughout the rivers and lakes?"
"Err..." Brother Sun hesitated, "I really haven't heard."
"Damn!" Huang Donglai spoke more casually with Brother Sun, no need for euphemisms, "Well, I'm telling you now, this master before us is known as 'Iron Monk,' part of the four great masters."
"Ah!" Brother Sun finally reacted, "The one nicknamed Iron Monk with the monastic name Yi Huai, right? Heh... I thought someone had the surname 'Iron Monk' and the name 'Yi Huai'." Saying this, he looked toward Yi Huai, "Long admired, long admired~ My apologies~"
For someone with such a thick face that he said "never heard of it" one moment and "long admired" the next, Yi Huai didn't know how to react, only giving an awkward smile, feeling his whole act of introducing himself as a great master had been ruined.
"Senior, my brother is new to the martial world, so if he said anything offensive, please do not take it to heart," Huang Donglai quickly covered for Brother Sun.
Yi Huai didn't bother to bicker with such junior figures, waving his hand dismissively, "No matter, there's no need for apologies. I could tell at a glance that both of you lack experience in the rivers and lakes." He paused for a half second, then added, "If you were old hands at traversing the rivers and lakes, you would have checked the condition of this Buddha Hall before taking shelter, and only then let down your guard."
His words were tantamount to imparting experience in the ways of the rivers and lakes, and indeed very useful, which Brother Sun and Huang both committed firmly to memory.
"Like me, for instance." Yi Huai continued, "When I arrived, I checked this temple thoroughly, not only for ambushes but also for traps, poisonous substances, and other threats. Furthermore, when spending the night in a strange environment, one must not sleep too deeply, nor light any lamps... These tricks are also things you should be aware of."
"Wait a minute!" Brother Sun picked up on something and interjected, "Master, you mean you're not this temple's monk, but also a passerby?"
"Yes? What about it?" Yi Huai retorted.
"Then why did you sound as if we had invaded your property when we entered?" Brother Sun, though he knew Yi Huai's name, didn't know his strength, so he dared to ask so brashly.
"Nonsense! Empty temple, I entered first, I am the host; you came later, you are the guests. Wouldn't guests greet the host upon arrival?" Yi Huai spoke without a trace of the dignified monk, completely blunt.
"Heh!" Brother Sun wanted to argue back.
But Huang Donglai immediately leaped forwards, covering Brother Sun's mouth: "Shut up for God's sake! What's there to argue about?!"
Knowing the monk's strength, Huang Donglai wanted to curry favor with the old man and get some benefits; he couldn't let Brother Sun ruin it with reckless talk.
"Pfft—" Brother Sun pushed Huang Donglai's hand away, "Fine, I won't say anything, why are you so agitated? Did you wash your hands after using the toilet before you covered my mouth?"
"I've been soaking in the rain for half the day, what more do you want me to wash?" Huang Donglai scoffed, "Say another word and see if I don't smear a 'sleeping pill' across your face?"
"Come at me! Do you think I'm afraid you'll pick on me?" Brother Sun retorted.
Watching their interaction, Yi Huai's thoughts also became chaotic... He started to think his initial impression that "these two are quite polite" might be a little off.
......
Brother Sun and Huang didn't quarrel for too long, as they were fatigued from traveling all day.
They subsequently introduced themselves to Yi Huai and talked about the purpose of their journey; in the course of the conversation, they took out dry food to eat and shared some with Yi Huai.
Actually, Yi Huai hadn't eaten anything for the whole day prior to meeting them, having only had water, so being able to eat a decent meal was something he truly appreciated. But being the type with a kind heart and sharp tongue, he didn't say anything pleasant even after consuming their food.
Brother Sun and Huang Donglai didn't mind. After finishing their meal, they chatted a bit more with the old monk about their experiences along the way, and as fatigue overwhelmed them, they each found a spot with dry straw to lie down with their cushions and slept.
After they had fallen asleep, Yi Huai thought it over, finding these two youngsters quite interesting, and their actions along the way certainly qualified them as men of chivalry.
Yi Huai thought to himself, the chance meeting of the three was fate, and the two owing him a favor for the meal. Since they were going to attend the Youth Hero Conference, he might as well secretly lend them a hand.
With this in mind, he opened the bundle he carried with him…