Chapter 310
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This dock had once been a fine harbor—large and medium-sized sea vessels could berth directly against the shore. It had been a bustling hub in its heyday, yet in recent years, it had fallen into desolation, which many found rather strange. Still, merchants prized profit above all. Since Pingning Port offered equally safe shipping lanes, who would bother investigating the reasons behind this dock’s decline?
The sea vessel slowly drew up to the dock, but Zhang Xiaohua’s cabin door remained shut. Bai Yonggui was torn between joy and anxiety. He was glad the ship had finally reached shore—he could finally hand over this hot potato to the reinforcements sent by the Sect Master. Yet he worried, for the young man with unparalleled qinggong still had not emerged. Could it really be, as Junior Brother Li had speculated, that he had secretly slipped away during the night?
Even so, Bai Yonggui didn’t have the courage to open Zhang Xiaohua’s cabin door himself.
Glancing at the four figures waiting on the dock, Bai Yonggui couldn’t help but wipe the cold sweat from his brow. After a moment’s thought, he called his group, then leapt ashore in a single bound.
On the dock stood four people in a row. Two of them were young men in their early twenties, dressed in grey long robes and wearing caps. One held a long sword, the other a long crescent moon spade. Flanking them were two men in tight martial garb, likely in their forties, each also wielding a long sword. Though the older men were clearly more senior in age, they showed exceptional deference to the two in the center, keeping their heads low and speaking respectfully.
Of the two in the middle, one kept his eyes closed and said nothing, while the other would occasionally respond with a word or two—neither arrogant nor warm, merely indifferent.
Bai Yonggui led his men ashore and first saluted the two young men at the center. “Greetings, Masters.”
One of them gave a slight nod. The other, eyes still closed, paid no heed.
Then Bai Yonggui turned to the two men in martial attire and saluted again. “Hall Master Li, Deacon Chen, you’ve come in person.”
The stout, dark-skinned man burst out laughing. “Little Bai, don’t go calling me Hall Master—‘Deputy Hall Master Li’ will do just fine.”
Bai Yonggui grinned and replied: “Calling you Hall Master just rolls off the tongue. If this mission goes smoothly, I’m sure you’ll climb another step up that hundred-foot pole. Then this title won’t be off at all.”
“You little rascal, Little Bai. You sure know how to sweet-talk. But your contribution this time isn’t small—this old man won’t forget it. And those behind you, they’ll all be handsomely rewarded.”
The group broke into smiles at that, cupping their fists in thanks.
Bai Yonggui stepped forward, about to speak further, when he caught a glance from Deputy Hall Master Li. The latter asked: “Little Bai, where’s the expert you mentioned? I see all of you disembarking, but not him?”
“This…” Bai Yonggui didn’t know how to respond.
“Hm?” Seeing his hesitation, Hall Master Li frowned. “Don’t tell me he’s slipped away?”
Bai Yonggui quickly explained: “Hall Master Li, there’s been a misunderstanding. We’ve been watching him closely—how could we have given him the chance?”
“Then it’s strange—where is he?”
“This…” Bai Yonggui hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward to speak in a low voice.
At that moment, the younger man snapped impatiently: “If you have something to say, speak up. What’s the point of whispering?”
Hall Master Li also scolded him: “Little Bai, just say what you’ve got to say. Our Xinrong Sect has nothing to be ashamed of.”
Bai Yonggui said awkwardly: “ Hall Master Li, that young man hasn’t escaped—he’s just hiding inside the cabin and refuses to come out. None of us dared to go call him.”
Upon hearing this, Hall Master Li understood at once, though he cursed aloud: “Useless fools, not even a shred of courage—how do you expect to survive in the jianghu like this?”
Still, his gaze turned toward the two young men. One of them, sensing something, gave a faint smile and said: “No matter. Hall Master Li, since your sect leader invited us here, allow us to handle this matter.”
Hall Master Li grinned and replied warmly: “Excellent, then I shall trouble you, Master.”
Just then, a voice suddenly rang out: “Master? Which temple do you monks belong to?”
Everyone turned to look, only to see a seemingly ordinary youth standing tall at the prow of the ship.
Bai Yonggui’s heart jumped, and he hurriedly said: “ Hall Master Li, revered masters, that’s the young man.”
As soon as he spoke, he signaled with a wave of his hand. The dozen or so men behind him immediately leapt back, forming a semicircle that enclosed the entire dock.
Seeing Bai Yonggui’s swift response, Hall Master Li’s face finally showed a smile. He thought to himself, Not bad—this one is teachable.
Then, he stepped forward and cupped his fist to Zhang Xiaohua, saying: “Young friend, I am Li Min, Deputy Hall Master of the Luoshui Hall under the Xinrong Sect. By order of our sect leader, I’ve come to invite you to visit our humble sect.”
His tone made no mention of Zhang Xiaohua’s alias, as if he were certain “Ren Xiaoyao” was not his real name at all.
Zhang Xiaohua didn’t buy it for a second. He replied loudly: “Deputy Hall Master Li, I appreciate your sect leader’s kind intentions. However, I’ve spent many years overseas, and I would much prefer to enjoy a bit of carefree wandering in this bustling world for another year or so. Perhaps I’ll pay a visit to your sect when I have the time. How about that?”
Then he added with a faint smile: “As for the kindness your sect showed by rescuing me from that deserted island, I have not forgotten it. Rest assured, I won’t speak a word of it to anyone.”
Originally, Zhang Xiaohua had assumed that the so-called “masters” invited by the Xinrong Sect were powerful elders from within their ranks. Only now did he realize these “masters” were actually two monks—their caps clearly meant to conceal their shaved heads. Understanding that the Xinrong Sect wanted to keep the matter of the sheepskin scroll under wraps, Zhang Xiaohua deliberately left no gaps in his words. His statement made it perfectly clear that he would not leak any information about the scroll.
Though Deputy Hall Master Li caught the hidden meaning behind the words, the order he had received was absolute—there was no room to go easy. All he could do was maintain a smiling face and say: “You overthink it, young friend. Our sect leader is especially fond of young talents like yourself. When he received word from his disciples, he was delighted, and thus sent me to personally welcome you. If you refuse to come, wouldn’t that be a disappointment to his well-intentioned efforts?”
Zhang Xiaohua let out a cold chuckle and was about to speak again—
When the thinner monk by the side interjected: “Benefactor, I suggest you heed Deputy Hall Master Li’s words. If this humble monk is forced to act, it would be most unfortunate should you suffer injury.”
Zhang Xiaohua chuckled and said: “If I go with you, is there to be any formal procedure? Or do I just walk away like that?”
“Ahem.” Deputy Hall Master Li gave a dry laugh and said: “Well, to demonstrate your sincerity, we’d ask this master to seal a few of your acupoints. Of course, just a few simple points—it won’t harm your body. Once we reach the sect, we’ll immediately unseal them. Our sect leader is already waiting there to offer his apologies and host a welcome feast for you.”
“Hahaha—” Zhang Xiaohua threw his head back and laughed, as if he’d just heard the most ridiculous thing under the heavens.
The thinner monk beside him frowned and said: “Deputy Hall Master Li, why waste words with him? Just seize him directly.”
“Courtesy before force, courtesy before force.” Master Li replied, still trying to smile.
Zhang Xiaohua finished laughing and was just about to speak when a ruckus suddenly arose nearby. Looking up, he saw a large weeping willow on the shore, where a murder of crows was noisily cawing.
That so many people had gathered without scaring off the crows—now that was curious.
Zhang Xiaohua’s eyes turned, and he suddenly said in a loud voice: “Where did these crows come from? So noisy! Utterly grating to the ears.”
With that, he rose tall, drew the longsword from his side, and leapt from the high deck of the ship toward the weeping willow.
The thinner monk’s eyes lit up at the sight, and he exclaimed: “Excellent Qinggong!”
Even the other monk, who had kept his eyes closed the entire time, opened them for a brief moment, a flash of brilliance gleaming within, before closing them once more.
That massive weeping willow stood just outside the circle of Xinrong Sect disciples. When Bai Yonggui saw Zhang Xiaohua leap outward, he instinctively led the others to move with him, following his figure as he flew out. When Zhang Xiaohua landed, it was at the edge of the weeping willow—but still within the circle of their encirclement.
Zhang Xiaohua didn’t seem the least bit concerned. He gripped his sword and thrust it into the ground. Looking at Deputy Hall Master Li, he smiled and said: “These crows are terribly noisy—spouting all kinds of nonsense. Let’s see how I deal with them.”
With that, he stepped up to the willow, bent slightly, and wrapped both arms around the thick tree trunk. Though the trunk was massive and his arms could barely encircle even half of it, Zhang Xiaohua didn’t mind. He took a deep breath, shouted loudly, “Rise—!”
As his arms tensed, the ground trembled slightly—and to everyone’s shock, the enormous weeping willow was actually lifted several inches off the earth. The tree was gargantuan, its canopy wide enough to cover several rooms, and its roots spread thickly beneath, almost blanketing the entire dock. Zhang Xiaohua’s exertion sent tremors through the whole pier, like a small earthquake.
Zhang Xiaohua had originally intended to uproot the entire tree. But after lifting it a few inches, he realized the root system was too vast—even his great strength wasn’t enough to pull it out completely. So he changed tactics, gave it a shove, and the great tree collapsed sideways with a rumbling crash. The nests atop it tumbled to the ground, and naturally, the crows had long since scattered in fright.
Clapping his hands, Zhang Xiaohua said: “Now, at last, the world is quiet again.”
Seeing this, the dozen or so men of the Xinrong Sect who had surrounded him were all stunned, their eyes wide and nearly popping out of their heads.
The four people outside the encirclement, including the two leaders, were left speechless, their eyes wide in disbelief as they stared at the fallen giant tree. The monk who had kept his eyes closed all this time finally opened them, his gaze now filled with a fiery intensity. The thinner monk, however, looked not only shocked but also a hint of regret.
“I thought this young man would use his Qinggong to leap and strike down the crows to establish his authority. I never expected such a crude display. His strength, indeed, is monstrous, but had I known this would be the case, I should’ve seized the opportunity to strike his acupoints while I could.”
His thoughts were not without reason, but Zhang Xiaohua’s actions had already revealed his awareness of the situation. After failing to uproot the weeping willow, he had immediately pushed it over—this was exactly the reason behind his actions. With his Piaomiao Steps and divine sense, he had no fear of being ambushed in that brief moment.
When the entire dock fell silent, Zhang Xiaohua was quite pleased with the outcome. He smiled and said: “Now that the crows are gone and everyone has calmed down, may I leave now?”
Deputy Hall Master Li finally managed to close his gaping mouth, but his speech was still unsteady as he stammered: “This… this… Master…”
Although the young man’s martial prowess was still unclear to him, the strength in his arms had long exceeded his expectations. For the moment, all he could do was turn to the monk beside him for help.
