Chapter 74: Wrath Rising to the Crown

The sky was a dull gray, with heavy rain tapping loudly against the roof. The once-bustling Shaolin Temple now stood eerily silent.

Huo Yuanzhen had lost his focus on training. Standing by the window, he gazed at the rain outside.

On the bell tower, Yijing was striking the bell—this was a rule set by Huo Yuanzhen: no matter what, the bell of Shaolin must never stop ringing, once in the morning and once in the evening.

Through the downpour, Yue Shan hurried up the mountain, his wet figure quickly making its way to Huo Yuanzhen's room.

Entering, he said urgently, "Abbot, something's wrong. The Daoist priest is dead."

Huo Yuanzhen frowned. "How did he die?"

"Yesterday, you brought him back, and I was keeping watch in the cellar. There was no movement all night. But just now, I heard him moaning, so I pulled him out. Moments later, he spat blood and died."

Huo Yuanzhen stared out the window, irritated. It must have been the heavy blow from when he'd stomped the man from the sky yesterday. With the dampness of the cellar and the rain during the night, the injuries only worsened, and now the man was dead.

A lecherous scoundrel who intended harm to Ning Wanjun—Huo Yuanzhen didn't care about his death. Even if he had survived, Huo Yuanzhen would have eventually dealt with him.

The problem was, the man died without revealing anything of value. Huo Yuanzhen had hoped to learn more about Zhongyue Sect's plans, but now that hope was dashed, leaving him feeling a little regretful.

"Forget it. Let him be. Dispose of the body."

Yue Shan nodded and left. As a former outlaw, he was no stranger to killing or handling corpses.

Not feeling very cheerful, Huo Yuanzhen grabbed an umbrella and went out, climbing up to the top of the Ten Thousand Buddha Pagoda.

At the top of the pagoda, almost as high as the back mountains, Huo Yuanzhen stood, looking out over the vast, mist-covered landscape, breathing in the cool air. His mood lightened slightly.

"Hair standing on end, facing the railing! The rain is lightening!"

He looked at the downpour, feeling a surge of excitement, and was about to recite a line from Yue Fei's Manjiang Hong. But just as he began, he suddenly stopped, touched his bald head, and awkwardly closed his mouth. The imagery of "hair standing on end" just didn't suit him anymore.

Suddenly, far off in the distance, a burst of fire shot into the sky, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, and a loud explosion echoed through the air.

"A signaling arrow!"

Huo Yuanzhen's brows furrowed. Signaling arrows were typically used to send calls for help or summon allies. Military forces used them, but the martial world often relied on them as well.

"A single arrow piercing the clouds, a thousand troops and horses meeting. Could it be the Axe Gang?"

He craned his neck, trying to see in the direction of the flare. However, the opposite mountain peak was several dozen miles away. It was impossible to spot anything with the naked eye.

After a long moment of fruitless searching, Huo Yuanzhen reluctantly withdrew his gaze, muttering to himself that a telescope would've been nice.

"Or better yet, if I could summon the Golden-eyed Eagle, at least it would transmit what it saw."

But without any clues, Huo Yuanzhen left the pagoda and returned to his room to continue his training.

The rain continued for two full days, finally stopping on the evening of the third day.

With the rain gone, the Shaolin monks began cleaning the courtyard. The rain had kept the visitors away, but tomorrow, a large number of pilgrims would likely come, and preparations had to be made.

Yijing again climbed the bell tower to ring the bell.

Over the past few days, several important events had occurred. First, Guan Shanyue had successfully opened his Ren and Du meridians, achieving the congenital realm and solidifying his position as the second strongest in Shaolin.

Although many people believed the abbot to be the strongest, even with his newfound strength, Guan Shanyue admitted that he still wasn't a match for Huo Yuanzhen.

Huo Yuanzhen had always been cryptic about his own abilities, often downplaying them, claiming that he had no special skills. While that was the truth, no one believed him. His occasional display of lightness kung fu, powerful palm strikes, or his thunderous roar and indestructible Iron Head had all left people in awe.

Possibly influenced by Guan Shanyue, Yue Shan had also broken through and reached the peak of the postnatal realm, securing his position as the third strongest in Shaolin.

Other monks in Shaolin, including Guan Shanyue, had begun to practice the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill, a martial technique that was open to all disciples.

The first volume of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill was complete and could be used by anyone. Without having yet drawn any internal martial arts techniques from the system, this skill would be the primary focus of the monks' training.

Moreover, the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill didn't conflict with internal techniques, so it could be practiced alongside other forms of martial arts.

Although powerful in their own right, masters like Guan Shanyue and Yue Shan had internal energy, it was not a perfect fit with Shaolin's teachings and therefore wasn't suitable for wide dissemination.

Huo Yuanzhen's Pure Boy Skill was the most refined inner energy method, but it took decades of hard practice to show its true power, which wasn't practical for widespread use among the disciples in a short period.

Thus, Huo Yuanzhen hoped to acquire a higher-level inner energy technique that would provide faster progress and be more suitable for teaching.

For now, everyone was focused on the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill, though if Huo Yuanzhen could extract an internal skill in the future, they wouldn't abandon this foundational technique.

Tonight, at midnight, the August draw was approaching, and Huo Yuanzhen was filled with anticipation. He had a strong feeling that something unexpected might happen this time.

As the minutes ticked by, unable to calm his mind, he walked around the courtyard to pass the time. Just as he neared the bell tower, someone knocked on the temple gate.

"Is anyone there? Open the door! Help! Master, please open the door!"

It was past eight in the evening, and Yijing had just finished ringing the bell. Who could be at the door at this hour, and why were they asking for help?

Huo Yuanzhen exchanged a glance with Yijing. "Brother, go see who it is."

Yijing nodded and hurried to the gate. When he opened it, two people, a man and a woman, stood outside. Both were disheveled, the man covered in multiple wounds, holding a bloodstained sword. The woman appeared faint, supported by the man, clearly ill.

"Two benefactors, what's going on?" Yijing asked, keeping his guard up. He didn't open the door fully but peered cautiously at the man holding a weapon.

"We aren't bad people!" the man said urgently. "We're being chased by villains. We heard the temple bell and made our way here. Please, my companion is sick, and we've been caught in the rain for days. Can you let us in to rest? We'll leave once she's better. I'll pay you."

The man was growing frantic, and to show his sincerity, he reached into his clothing as if to take out money.

Huo Yuanzhen approached, hearing the voice, and quickly recognized them. They were the man and woman he had saved a few nights ago—the woman was Princess Zhao Yuanji, and the man was her bodyguard, Yue Ying.

"Amitabha, it seems we have a karmic connection," Huo Yuanzhen said, smiling at them.

The bodyguard, Yue Ying, looked shocked with joy when he saw Huo Yuanzhen. "Master, it's you! Thank you, thank you! We're saved! The Tang Empire is saved!"

"Princess, Princess, wake up! Look! It's the master! It's the one who saved us!"

Princess Zhao Yuanji, weak from days of fleeing, managed to open her eyes and saw Huo Yuanzhen. A look of gratitude and relief filled her face, and with Yue Ying's help, she tried to bow in respect.

The constant pursuit, the near-death encounters, and the intense pressure had worn down the princess's once-proud demeanor. All that remained was the will to survive and her hope to deliver the news of Guan Tianzhao's conspiracy to Chang'an.

But both she and Yue Ying knew that they probably couldn't make it back to Chang'an. In the days since they fled, many martial artists had entered the deep mountains in search of them, and several battles had already taken place. Luckily, Yue Ying was skilled, and they had narrowly escaped death, but they both knew that it was only a matter of time before they were caught.

The rain had been a blessing, helping to mask their trail, but now they had reached Shaolin, and it felt like a miracle.

Both of them fell to their knees in front of Huo Yuanzhen, pleading for help.

However, Huo Yuanzhen did not immediately grant them refuge.

The woman was the princess, the

most precious thing in the Tang Empire. Huo Yuanzhen had no way of knowing if Guan Tianzhao's subordinates were after her specifically. She might not be able to stay in Shaolin for long without attracting unwanted attention. But to leave her stranded was not an option.

Taking a deep breath, Huo Yuanzhen muttered to himself, "I can't let things go on like this. Shaolin is already involved, so there's no turning back."