Huo Yuanzhen didn't bother to look back at Yue Ying and the Princess. This matter had nothing to do with him. He had saved their lives, but it was mostly to intimidate those bandits and ensure his own safety.
Besides, he had no interest in witnessing the Princess's arrogant attitude at death's door. It was better to avoid trouble.
The bandits who attempted to assassinate the Princess had some background. The Yin-Yang fish-shaped Heart-Protection Mirror was a Taoist artifact. So, the masked leader of the bandits was very likely a Taoist priest.
The only Taoist sect on Shaoshi Mountain was the Zhongyue Sect. If the bandit leader was from there, he must have held an important position, since someone at the late post-heaven stage was definitely a formidable expert. Even the sect's leader, Master Aomiao, hadn't achieved post-heaven perfection.
Currently, Huo Yuanzhen's primary focus was on dealing with the Law King Temple, and he had no plans to confront the Zhongyue Sect just yet.
Checking the time, it was nearly midnight. According to the time system of this world, it was the hour of the Rat (zi time). But Huo Yuanzhen's system time read just after 11 p.m.
He rode his horse back to Shaolin, let the white horse leave, and returned to his room.
After the commotion and using the Lion's Roar technique earlier, Huo Yuanzhen felt physically and mentally exhausted. He collapsed onto the bed and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
As he slept, Huo Yuanzhen seemed to hear some system notifications, but in his drowsy state, he didn't wake up.
On the Qixi Festival, the night when the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl meet in the Milky Way, many lovers on Earth also choose this day to meet, believing it adds a touch of romance to their love. This sentiment was particularly strong among the Jianghu youths.
In these times, the heroic figures of the martial world were quite popular. A handsome young man with impressive martial arts skills, who seldom spoke but always had classic words, and carried a touch of melancholy, was a favorite of many Jianghu women.
In modern terms, he was the "cool guy" with a tragic allure.
At the foot of Shaoshi Mountain's rear peak, the terrain was extremely steep, and it was not an easy task to climb.
However, on the morning of the Qixi Festival, when the fog had not yet lifted, a young man in green, carrying a sword on his back, appeared at the mountain's base. He looked up at the towering peak of Yuzhai Mountain and smiled faintly.
"Yuzhai Mountain, a year ago I made an appointment with Miss Miao to meet at the highest peak of Shaoshi Mountain. This should be the place. I heard there's a Shaolin Temple on the mountain. I'll avoid them and go up from the rear. Miss Miao will definitely pass through the temple from the front. When she sees that I've already arrived without passing by Shaolin, she'll surely admire my lightness kung fu. Perhaps today, I'll have a chance to..." He grinned mischievously but quickly composed himself, adopting a cool demeanor. With a flick of his sleeve, he began walking up the mountain.
However, his thoughts were naive, and the climb wasn't as simple as he imagined.
The rear side of Shaoshi Mountain was unsuitable for climbing, or Huo Yuanzhen would have built a wall here. Even a top-tier expert in lightness kung fu would never take this route unless absolutely necessary.
Although the young man in green looked good, his lightness kung fu was far from impressive. At first, he moved with swift strides, but when he encountered steeper parts of the mountain, he had to jump repeatedly, looking somewhat graceful. However, as he reached the middle of the mountain, the terrain became even more treacherous, and he had to resort to crawling.
It was clear that this young man had no experience climbing mountains. Instead of conserving energy by choosing the easiest path, he rushed recklessly upwards, and by the time he reached two-thirds of the way, he was panting heavily and had lost all grace.
His motivation, however, was the thought of Miss Miao, whom he had agreed to meet at the summit on the seventh day of the seventh month at sunrise. The time was drawing near, and he had no choice but to push himself, even as he regretted his decision.
At Shaolin, the temple opened early, and Hui Ming was sweeping in front of the mountain gate. From a distance, he saw a young woman walking up the mountain road.
The woman was dressed in pale yellow, with a graceful figure and a bright, youthful appearance. She had a pair of swords on her back, indicating her martial prowess.
She approached Hui Ming, greeted him casually with one hand, and said, "Master, I wish to offer incense at your temple."
Hui Ming returned the greeting and said, "You must be here to see the Thousand Buddha Pagoda. Please come in. However, you'll need to wait a while, as the abbot is still resting after a late-night ceremony."
The woman nodded and said, "That's fine. I'll take a look around."
Although her attitude was a bit indifferent, Hui Ming, being a seasoned monk, did not mind and smiled as he continued sweeping.
There wasn't much to see in Shaolin at this time. The yard had only a wall and some newly planted trees, with the Thousand Buddha Pagoda in the distance.
The woman wandered slowly through the temple, eventually reaching the area near the pagoda. After a quick glance around to ensure no one was paying attention to her, she picked up the pace and began running toward the rear of Shaolin.
With swift movements, she leapt over a three-meter-high wall. Beyond the wall, she was no longer in the temple, but at the open space that Huo Yuanzhen had left for the pagoda forest.
She continued running, soon reaching the side of the Drinking Horse Lake. The scenery was beautiful, and from here, she could already see the highest point of the rear mountain.
Slowing her pace, she adopted a graceful demeanor, pretending to be a noblewoman as she made her way up the mountain.
After a while, she saw a figure at the peak. Her heart filled with excitement, thinking it was Liu Dage, the one she had longed for. She quickened her pace, eager to meet him.
Huo Yuanzhen woke up early, feeling refreshed, with all the fatigue from the previous night gone.
He washed his face, remembering faintly that there had been some system sounds the previous night, but he had been too tired to wake up.
He quickly checked the system. The notification was still there, and the system sounds continued.
"Qixi Festival: One extra draw opportunity. Would you like to draw now?"
"There are only ten minutes left before the draw ends. Would you like to draw now?"
"Draw time has ended. The system will now perform an automatic draw."
"Obtained the Clock Tower Construction Token. Qixi draw has ended."
Huo Yuanzhen realized he had made a huge mistake. He had missed the extra draw opportunity for Qixi Festival, but luckily, the system had done it automatically for him.
The Clock Tower Construction Token wasn't the most valuable item, but it was essential for Shaolin. The temple's bells were important for their daily rituals and were crucial for telling time to the local people.
Holding the Clock Tower Construction Token, Huo Yuanzhen didn't immediately use it. He decided to take a walk up the rear mountain instead.
He wasn't planning to steal herbs again—he wasn't capable of that now—but just wanted to take a leisurely walk.
However, as he reached the peak and stood at the highest point, he suddenly heard heavy breathing below. It sounded like someone was struggling to climb.
Huo Yuanzhen was puzzled and looked down. To his surprise, he saw a young man in tattered clothes, holding a gleaming sword and using it as a climbing axe, desperately trying to scale the mountain.
Huo Yuanzhen couldn't help but wonder what this young man was up to. Was he trying to ambush Shaolin? But it didn't look like it. If anything, he seemed more like an adventurer with a poor sense of preparation.
After observing for a moment, Huo Yuanzhen decided he couldn't just watch someone struggle. He called out, "Amitabha! What are you doing, my friend?"
The young man, startled, almost fell, but steadied himself and looked up, seeing a monk. Thinking he had encountered a Shaolin monk, he hurriedly called out, "Monk, help me! Throw me a rope and pull me up! I'll reward you handsomely!"
Huo Yuanzhen smiled and said, "I'll help you up, but first, can you tell me what you're doing here? Otherwise, how can I be sure you're not here to harm me?"
The young man thought for a moment and then said, "I'm just a fan of mountain climbing. I like to challenge myself. Climbing dangerous peaks is the pursuit of every Jianghu hero. Do you understand?"
Huo Yuanzhen chuckled, "Climbing dangerous peaks is a good pursuit, but as they say, 'a person who aims high must not slack off.' You've already climbed this far, don't fail at the last stretch. I'll support you mentally as you complete this great challenge."
With that, Huo Yuanzhen casually sat down, thinking to himself, "This kid thinks he can fool me with his excuses. He still has a lot to learn."
PS: Recommended vote: Essential for Shaolin construction.