The burly man saw that Huo Yuanzhen didn't dodge or move, thinking the bald monk was looking for death. However, he was just a petty thug, not someone who had the guts to actually kill. He intended to tilt his knife slightly, but didn't want to lose face, and before he knew it, his strike had weakened. He planned to only cut a small gash on the monk's head, just enough to make him bleed, figuring his blade wasn't sharp enough for anything serious.
The force was much lighter, but the strike still landed on Huo Yuanzhen's head.
The others who had been fighting stopped at once.
The thugs were a little scared, thinking they might have killed someone.
The monks of Shaolin were shocked. They all shouted, "Abbot, watch out!" One monk, Jing, rushed over to help, but Huang Feihong wasn't worried. In his heart, he knew Huo Yuanzhen was a martial arts master, and his head was tough. There was no way a petty thug's knife could hurt him.
Clang!
The steel knife hit Huo Yuanzhen's head, and it made a sound like metal striking metal. The blade bounced off, almost flying out of the thug's hand.
Huo Yuanzhen's head didn't even have a mark on it.
Huo Yuanzhen had mastered the Iron Head Skill to perfection, and his head was now impenetrable to blades. He wasn't worried about this feeble strike. His only concern was whether the thug might miss.
Luckily, the strike was accurate.
Huo Yuanzhen pressed his palms together and recited a Buddhist chant: "Lay down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha right here, or else, I will be forced to act."
Everyone was stunned, including Jing, who had rushed to help. They all stared blankly at their Abbot.
The thug, still in shock, finally looked down at his knife and saw that the blade had been chipped.
He hadn't used much force, and yet the knife had been damaged. Was the monk's head made of iron?
Such a skill was beyond his understanding.
While he was still stunned, Huo Yuanzhen suddenly opened his eyes wide, locking gazes with him. He shouted in a thunderous voice, "If you do not drop the butcher's knife now, do you want me to exorcise you?"
The thug trembled and dropped his knife.
This is bad... I've messed with someone powerful!
Just as the thug was thinking about what to do, Huo Yuanzhen raised his hand, assuming a threatening stance, as if about to strike him with a powerful blow.
The thug couldn't hold back any longer. He screamed and turned to run.
The rest of the thugs were equally shocked by Huo Yuanzhen's power. Seeing their leader flee, they all followed suit, running faster than rabbits.
Huo Yuanzhen gestured for Jing and the others not to pursue. "Do not chase them while they are cornered. If we catch up and they fight back like cornered beasts, someone on our side might get hurt."
The thug ran all the way to the edge of the mountain path, and when he saw that Huo Yuanzhen wasn't chasing after him, he shouted, "Monk, don't get too proud! Wait until Boss Niu comes tomorrow, and you'll see what happens!"
As the thugs fled, the surrounding crowd erupted into cheers. The people had suffered under the thugs for a long time, and now that they had been bested by Shaolin, it felt like a huge relief.
However, some kind-hearted people warned Huo Yuanzhen, "Abbot, be careful. That Niu Er is a formidable fighter, and he's backed by Chen Ding. He's not someone to mess with."
Huo Yuanzhen waved his hand dismissively. "It's nothing to worry about. No matter who he's behind, I have Buddha's protection."
The crowd wasn't entirely convinced. People believed in Buddha, but many only saw it as something to pray to occasionally, not as something truly powerful.
Huo Yuanzhen continued, "Maybe you don't believe it, but come back tomorrow morning and see for yourselves. See if Buddha will show his miraculous power."
With that, the crowd slowly dispersed, but not before leaving a much larger donation in the offering box than usual.
When Huo Yuanzhen counted the donations, he found that they had earned more than thirty taels of silver that day.
But earning silver was no longer his primary concern. The safety of Shaolin was what mattered most.
With only a handful of people here, Shaolin was far from being a formidable force in the martial world.
As with any world, the strongest rule.
Tomorrow, that Niu Er would surely come. As the head thug of Dengfeng County, he had to reclaim his lost pride, and he would definitely be back.
Huo Yuanzhen knew that while his head had been able to take the blow today, his strength alone wasn't enough to face Niu Er tomorrow. If there was no miracle, he wouldn't make it through.
But in front of everyone, Huo Yuanzhen couldn't show any fear. If even Jing and the others saw him falter, the situation would be even worse.
His only hope was tonight's draw. If he could get a martial arts manual, he might have a chance against Niu Er.
The crowd had gone, and night had fallen.
Huo Yuanzhen waited in his room, watching the time closely, waiting for midnight.
Time in this world was measured with hourglasses, and it wasn't always precise. People generally guessed the time.
However, Huo Yuanzhen wasn't like others. He could track the exact time thanks to his system.
It was now May 25th. He had come here on April 25th, which meant it had been a month. In this month, he had gained a chance to draw during the fifth day of May. The next draw would be on June 25th.
This draw was crucial. If he didn't get a martial arts manual, he would have to find a way to leave Shaolin. But doing so would destroy all his efforts, and he would still have to repay his debt to the pawnshop, and no one would be willing to lend him money again.
He didn't want all his hard work to go to waste. The only thing left to do was rely on this critical moment.
If he got a martial arts manual, he could defeat Niu Er tomorrow, and everything would settle for now. His next crisis would be with the two village thugs who had harassed Lin Rou.
Those thugs had mentioned a brother who was a disciple of Zhongyue Sect and would return in August. That would bring trouble, but he had time. This time, however, time was running out.
Finally, midnight arrived.
The system's prompt appeared exactly on time: "The once-a-month draw is available. Do you wish to use it immediately?"
"Yes."
Thirty-six symbols appeared again.
Huo Yuanzhen carefully examined the options, making sure to note the items he wanted before spinning the system wheel. It seemed that by carefully choosing, he could make his wishes come true.
He looked through the options, and sure enough, six martial arts manuals, six construction tokens, six Buddhist scriptures, six silver pieces, six Buddhist relics, and six miscellaneous items were among the choices.
The six manuals included: Iron Broom Skill, Two-Finger Zen, Small Formless Skill, Great Compassionate Palm, Finger-Flower Technique, and Lion's Roar.
The six construction tokens were: Mountain Gate Construction Token, Thousand Buddhas Cave Construction Token, Drum Tower Construction Token, Prajna Hall Construction Token, Elder's Hall Construction Token, and Scripture Hall Construction Token.
The scriptures and silver weren't of much interest.
The Buddhist relics included: Bronze Bells, Big Drum, Incense Burner, Square Cauldron, Lotus Pedestal, and Prayer Beads.
Miscellaneous items included: White Horse, Dog, Carrying Pole, Water Jar, Crescent Shovel, and the Triad of Glowing Dots.
Huo Yuanzhen considered his options for a while. The martial arts choices weren't bad. Small Formless Skill was a great internal skill, and the Great Compassionate Palm was a powerful palm technique, though it wasn't particularly lethal. Finger-Flower Technique was an excellent finger technique, even surpassing One-Finger Zen.
The Lion's Roar was a signature Buddhist martial art, a sonic attack that could defeat lower-level martial artists and even disrupt other sound-based attacks.
Even Iron Broom Skill and Two-Finger Zen were decent, enough to deal with thugs like Niu Er. But Huo Yuanzhen had always been a bit too ambitious. After already getting Iron Head Skill, he hoped for something even more advanced this time.
But the chance of drawing a martial arts manual was only one in six.
So far, Huo Yuanzhen's luck had been good, but he wasn't sure if his good fortune would continue this time.
Of course, getting the Triad of Glowing Dots would be ideal, but he wasn't too hopeful—after all, the odds were one in thirty-six.
Taking a deep breath, Huo Yuanzhen spun the wheel.