First Steps into the Ethereal Void 116. The Monk Captured

Yang Yifei sighed and said, "Alas! My heart is no different from yours. You can see that the Master’s kindness toward me is merely a pretense for his own ulterior motives. My own subservience to him is not born of sincerity, but is a defensive strategy."

Xing Zailiang smiled and replied, "Since you, Senior Sister, have the heart to leave the Master, this is the most precious opportunity. Let us flee together!"

Yang Yifei knit her delicate brows. "Brother Xing, do not blame me for being blunt. You have courage but lack strategy. As long as the Master lives, even if we flee to the ends of the earth, we would be no better than Sun Wukong, who could somersault a hundred thousand miles yet never escape the palm of the Buddha."

Xing Zailiang nodded. "You are right, Senior Sister. I am but a crude man of brawn and no brains. Alas! When will we ever be rid of this leaden weight upon our hearts and reclaim our freedom?"

Yang Yifei said, "Do not despair. The opportunity has arrived; it only depends on whether you have the resolve."

Xing Zailiang raised his head. "Senior Sister, please trust us. We are willing to trade our lives for our freedom."

Yang Yifei whispered, "The Master’s eyes have been poisoned by the masked stranger, and he cannot see."

Xing Zailiang leapt up. "Wonderful! Senior Sister, please quickly unseal the acupoints of our brothers. We must act immediately before further complications arise."

Yang Yifei stood up straight and struck the brothers one by one to wake them. "Brother Xing, plan this carefully. It must succeed; failure is not an option. I will go ahead to observe the situation and bring you further news."

Xing Zailiang and his brothers gathered in a circle to discuss in hushed tones. The third brother, Xia Xinren, said, "I am determined to kill the Master, but after it is done, if you intend for the Senior Sister to lead us, I object. I will not have a woman ruling over us men."

Xing Zailiang chuckled. "Which of you brothers is interested in the Senior Sister? We will all do our best to help make it happen."

Xia Xinren shook his head. "That won't work. Whichever brother claims her, the rest of us will fall under her licentious tyranny and never be able to hold our heads high again."

The fourth brother, Ma Shangda, gave a cold smile and made a throat-slitting gesture.

Xia Xinren agreed, "I support the fourth brother’s wisdom. I have observed the Senior Sister; she is not truly righteous. We are born wanderers—without wine, meat, and beautiful women, we are miserable. To ask us to uphold benevolence and morality is worse than death."

Xing Zailiang interrupted, "Discuss the Senior Sister later. The immediate priority is to eliminate the Master."

Although the "Meat and Wine Monk" was hanging upside down from the tree, the Old Beggar, Gao Yunxiang, and others dared not approach, nor could they think of a way to subdue him. They remained hidden in the woods, resting and waiting for the poison to claim his life.

However, the Monk’s martial arts had reached a pinnacle. Aside from his sensitive eyes, his body was immune to all poisons. He hung motionless, black blood dripping from his eyes like rain.

The Old Beggar and Jie Yuhua, hidden opposite him, were shocked to see him forcing the toxic blood from his eyes. "The heavens favor this demon! Instead of dying, he turns disaster into fortune. Hanging upside down to circulate his energy is even more effective than sitting in meditation to purge the poison."

Jie Yuhua looked terrified. "If he recovers his sight after purging the poison, how can we ever escape his clutches?"

The Old Beggar listened and peered into the distance. "Where has my nephew gone? Why is he nowhere to be seen? This child has been clever since he was young; perhaps he can devise a way to subdue this demon."

Jie Yuhua asked, "What about the young woman the young hero Gao was carrying? She said she had a way to deal with the demon. Why is there no movement from her?"

Yang Yifei had left the brothers and sat beneath a pine tree. Using internal voice transmission, she called out, "Master, Master! I have a secret to report."

Before long, she heard the Monk, Luo Mingyuan, reply, "My dear girl, what is this secret? Speak quickly."

Yang Yifei said, "Brother Xing and the others are plotting to betray you. You must be careful."

Luo Mingyuan scoffed, "They wouldn't dare. Even if they didn't betray me, they wouldn't survive. I ordered them to fight earlier, and they fled in fear. What use is there for such cowards?"

Yang Yifei added, "Before they betray you, they might use some devious scheme against you."

Luo Mingyuan retorted, "If they can pull off a trick, the sun will rise in the west. How are you?"

Yang Yifei lied, "My attack failed; the masked man saw through me, and I am still in danger."

Luo Mingyuan said, "I was misled by rumors into thinking the masked stranger had god-like powers. When I traded blows with him, I felt his skill was limited. His pen and fan are lethal, but if his martial arts were truly poor, he wouldn't have let you risk your life. Once I purge this poison from my eyes, I will slaughter them all. Will you be happy then?"

Yang Yifei whispered, "I fear I may not see you again."

Luo Mingyuan growled, "If they touch a hair on your head, I will take their lives in exchange."

Yang Yifei warned, "Brother Xing and the others are coming. Be careful not to fall into their trap."

Xing Zailiang and the others approached, seeing their Master hanging from the tree. They were elated, but noticing Yang Yifei was absent, they wondered where she had gone.

Yang Yifei whispered to herself, "Brother Xing, we have shared years of brotherhood. It is wrong of me to betray you, so please do not blame me."

Xing Zailiang stepped before the Master and asked intentionally, "Master, what has happened to you?"

Luo Mingyuan feigned unconsciousness.

Xing Zailiang suddenly drew his judge’s pen and lunged at the Master’s nostrils.

Luo Mingyuan, relying on sound to navigate, caught the movement. He pulled himself up, grabbed Xing Zailiang’s shoulder with his left hand, and twisted—tearing the shoulder clean off.

Those watching from the shadows were terrified by his cruelty.

Xia Xinren and the others drew their weapons and attacked. Luo Mingyuan threw his head back and pushed his palms outward; the sheer force of his energy sent two of them flying into the air, where they fell to their deaths.

Ma Shangda, being more cunning, leapt onto the tree trunk. He threw five-inch flying knives at the Master’s "rear eye." Knowing the Master wore armor, he targeted the soft spot. Though Luo Mingyuan was iron-skinned, one knife pierced the soft flesh, causing him to cry out in pain.

Luo Mingyuan, despite his agony, used his right hand to grip his golden staff and his left to push against the tree, vaulting his massive body into the air like a gymnast.

Ma Shangda tried to dodge, but Luo Mingyuan, while spinning, threw his golden staff with peerless speed. It struck Ma Shangda in the back of the head, shattering his skull and killing him instantly.

Luo Mingyuan’s strength spent, he hung still once more, eventually falling into a faint.

Li Hao, who had been protecting his Senior Sister, saw his enemy helpless. "When, if not now, shall I take my revenge?" he thought, and leapt forward.

Gao Yunxiang, fearing a trap, tried to stop him. "Third Brother, be careful! This demon is cunning!"

Li Hao replied, "His staff is gone; now I can test the effectiveness of my Reaction Palm."

Gao Yunxiang cautiously approached with his brother. Hearing no breathing, he whispered, "He is either dead or unconscious. He wears human-skin armor that is impervious to blades. We must take him with strategy."

They approached from either side and grabbed his hands. Luo Mingyuan woke, but was too weak to struggle. "Take me down!" he roared.

Gao Yunxiang and Li Hao held him fast. Seeing the Old Beggar emerge, they called for help.

The Old Beggar and Jie Yuhua rushed over. As the Old Beggar moved to untie the whip, Gao Yunxiang warned, "Uncle, wait! First, strip off his human-skin armor, then seal his acupoints."

Luo Mingyuan barked, "Who told you I was wearing armor?"

Jie Yuhua replied, "One who commits too many evils cannot hide from the eyes of justice."

The Old Beggar found a seam under the armpit and sliced it open with Jie Yuhua’s sword. The skin split apart. "Alas!" the Old Beggar sighed. "If I had not seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed such a craft existed."

Luo Mingyuan suddenly screamed, "Take me down! I need to relieve myself!"

The Old Beggar ignored him, sealed his acupoints, and climbed the tree to untie the whip. Gao Yunxiang and Li Hao lowered him to the ground.

Li Hao suddenly moved to snatch the sword from Jie Yuhua. She retreated, her blade flashing like lightning in a defensive maneuver. Li Hao dodged, his palm striking out with the force of a landslide. Jie Yuhua parried, her sword sweeping toward his legs. Li Hao leapt back, drawing his pen to spray a mist of poison toward her head.