After settling Puhang and Puyin, Guan Shanyue returned to Huo Yuanzhen's quarters.
"Abbot, I feel like these two monks have ulterior motives," he said.
Huo Yuanzhen nodded. "They certainly do have a purpose. I've been wondering what exactly they are planning by coming to Shaolin?"
Guan Shanyue replied, "Could it be that they are here to admire Shaolin's divine relics?"
"No," Huo Yuanzhen shook his head. "If they were here to see relics, they could have just come for a visit. There must be another reason for their presence. But what could Shaolin have to offer, aside from its relics, that would attract them?"
Huo Yuanzhen began pacing, deep in thought. Suddenly, a realization struck him.
Ning Wan Jun had sent Tie Niu to Shaolin, and the tiger was still wandering around the back mountain. Huo Yuanzhen had initially thought that Ning Wan Jun might know there was someone in the back mountain capable of refining Shaolin's Great Pill, which is why Tie Niu—or the tiger—was sent to investigate. It was also possible that Ning Wan Jun had only heard rumors but didn't know the specifics.
Now, with two monks from Wutai Mountain appearing and clearly having their own agenda, Huo Yuanzhen had to consider the situation more seriously.
But for now, the situation wasn't urgent. Even without worrying about Shaolin's true strength, with experts like Guan Shanyue—who was about to enter the Innate realm—Shaolin had plenty of power. Even if someone managed to find that hidden cave, they would likely never return, given the dangers inside.
Huo Yuanzhen believed the old man in the cave, who was refining pills, was stronger than even Guan Shanyue.
Yet, Huo Yuanzhen still felt that something wasn't quite right. There was more to the situation than met the eye.
In Dengfeng, there was an old tavern called Xian Ke Lai, known for its history spanning over a century. Its white-cut chicken and marinated beef were legendary, and their homemade Huadiao wine was considered a top-tier drink, beloved by locals.
On the second day of his arrival in Dengfeng, Yue Shan, the Iron Walker, visited this tavern.
Yue Shan was not a monk; he was a wandering practitioner who drank and ate meat freely. He had been repeatedly rejected by the Buddhist Order, not just because of his violent nature, but because of his habitual drinking and eating, which he could never quite give up.
The reason Yue Shan came to Dengfeng to help Chen Ding was twofold: one was due to some personal connections, and the other was because the monk Li Xuan had promised that if they defeated Shaolin, Fa Wang Temple would become the only Buddhist sect in Mount Shaoshi, and Yue Shan could become an elder there.
While Yue Shan didn't care about becoming an elder, entering the Buddhist fold had always been his dream.
He entered the tavern, immediately attracting the attention of many.
Yue Shan was a towering figure, over six feet tall by modern standards, with thick, wild hair and an iron hoop around his head. He carried a five-foot-long cudgel on his back, which was forged from cold iron, weighing a hundred pounds, with copper bands at both ends. It looked almost identical to the Ruyi Jingu Bang of the legendary Monkey King.
His body was massive, with beastly arms bulging with muscle, his skin darkened from the sun, exuding an intimidating aura. His physique, in that era, would be considered the epitome of a strong man. While Iron Bull might have been bigger, he didn't have Yue Shan's animalistic presence.
The young tavern attendant, standing at the door, was immediately intimidated by Yue Shan's imposing figure. He stammered, "G...guest, are you here to stay, or to eat?"
"Drink. Got a good spot?" Yue Shan's massive eyes locked onto the attendant, who trembled in response.
"W... We do have a window-side seat, but it's been reserved by Young Master Liu," the attendant stammered.
"You a fool? What do you mean 'we don't have it'?" Yue Shan leaned closer, his voice like a thunderclap. "Do you have it, or not?"
"G...Great Sir, we do have a seat, but... it's been reserved by Liu Gongzi…"
The attendant wiped the sweat off his forehead, barely able to speak, feeling like he might be crushed at any moment.
Yue Shan laughed heartily. "That's fine. I'll wait. When that Liu Gongzi comes, tell him to speak to me directly."
With that, Yue Shan made his way upstairs, his heavy footsteps echoing. The attendant wanted to stop him but couldn't muster the courage.
Meanwhile, at a nearby teahouse, Su Can set his cup down and whispered something to a small beggar beside him. The beggar nodded quickly and ran off.
He arrived at the city gates and rushed into a house where Huang Feihong was practicing his martial arts in the courtyard.
"Brother Feihong, it's happened! Yue Shan is at Xian Ke Lai, and there's going to be trouble soon. Su Dage told me to tell you, hurry back and report to the Abbot."
"Got it!" Huang Feihong responded. He dashed out of the courtyard, mounted his black horse, and galloped towards Shaoshi Mountain.
Back at Xian Ke Lai, Yue Shan found a seat by the window with a view of the street below. He laughed loudly and called for the attendant, "Give me a chicken, two pounds of marinated beef, and ten jin of Huadiao wine, quickly!"
The young attendant sighed in distress. This seat had been reserved for Liu Gongzi, the son of Liu Wuhong, Dengfeng's wealthiest man. Liu Wuhong had spent a fortune sending his son to Mount Song to study martial arts, but his son, Liu Yunhe, was mediocre in martial arts. Despite that, Liu Wuhong's connections made Liu Yunhe's return an event, and he had brought several friends along. These friends were all formidable martial artists and frequently caused trouble in town.
The young attendant feared that Yue Shan would soon clash with Liu Yunhe's group.
About half an hour later, laughter rang from downstairs. The attendant hurriedly ran down to see Liu Yunhe and his entourage entering the tavern. They were followed by a middle-aged man with a sword, clearly someone of importance.
"Ah, Liu Gongzi, you've arrived! Welcome, welcome!" The attendant hurriedly greeted them.
Liu Yunhe let out a grunt and flicked a silver coin into the attendant's hands. As they made their way upstairs, the attendant hesitated but blocked their path.
"Liu Gongzi, please wait. There's a situation with the seating."
Liu Yunhe's expression darkened, "Who do you think you are, trying to tell me where to sit?"
"Please, Liu Gongzi, it's just that... there's a big man who took the window seat you reserved," the attendant explained.
Liu Yunhe's companions immediately became alert. These were men of action, and a confrontation was inevitable. They all knew their own strength, and many had already fought Liu Yunhe's rivals, always emerging victorious.
Liu Yunhe turned to the middle-aged man in their group. "Master, what do you think?"
"Let's go see for ourselves," the middle-aged man responded arrogantly. He led the way, followed by the others.
The young attendant followed behind, praying he could convince Yue Shan to relinquish the seat.
Upon reaching the top floor, Liu Yunhe and his group stood before the table. Liu Yunhe stepped forward, addressing Yue Shan. "Who is this wild man taking my seat? Get up and let Liu Gongzi have his place."
This was meant as an intimidation, but Yue Shan, already offended, stood up in anger. "Who are you calling a wild man!"
Before Liu Yunhe could respond, one of his companions sneered, "And what if I said it's you?"
Yue Shan roared and swung his iron cudgel, sending it crashing toward the person who had spoken!