Chapter 86: The Green-clad Young Man Appears Again

In the Zen Forest Inn of Luyè Town, Mo Lan was brushing her hair, with the chubby girl Xiao Wei attending to her. As she combed, Xiao Wei said, "Senior Sister, your hair is truly beautiful."

"Really?" Mo Lan gently stroked her long hair, gazing at her alluring face in the mirror.

"Of course! Among everyone at Tianya Haige, only you and Autumn Rain are the most beautiful."

"Then why did I fail?" Mo Lan lowered her head, feeling a bit downcast.

"Senior Sister, don't be upset. That monk is just a blockhead, an idiot who can't see the treasure in front of him. There are thousands of men who dream of having you, and you even tried to show him some grace. But he's too ungrateful. We don't need to care about him."

Mo Lan glanced back at Xiao Wei and said, "But the abbot is close with Ning Wan Jun, who lives next door. Since he's a monk, why is he so close to her? Is she better than me?"

"No way!" Xiao Wei waved her hand, "That Ning Wan Jun is just a seductive fox, always showing off, pretending to be some kind of immortal. I bet the abbot likes that kind of act, that's why he's trying to get close to her. But Ning Wan Jun is definitely not as beautiful as you, Senior Sister."

Mo Lan sighed and lightly twirled her long hair around her finger, speaking softly to herself, "Maybe I've been a bit too aggressive. After all, he's just a little monk. He probably doesn't like it when I'm too forward. But he did respond, which proves he cares about me. Perhaps I just need to change my approach."

Xiao Wei nodded in agreement, "Yes, Senior Sister, as long as you adjust your method a little, that little monk will definitely fall for you."

Mo Lan thought for a while, "I've been studying how Ning Wan Jun and Yi Jie interact. Although they don't say much, there's a certain understanding between them, and they genuinely seem happy together. Their eyes communicate unspoken feelings. If Yi Jie weren't a monk, they'd probably have been together by now. But from this, I can tell Yi Jie is the kind of person who responds to gentleness, not force. If I push too hard, it might backfire."

"But Senior Sister," Xiao Wei said, "Zhu Huan wants us to deal with Yi Jie as soon as possible. If we fail, he'll send someone from the branch to handle it."

"Hmph, I, Mo Lan, have never failed. How could I be defeated by a little monk? Go tell Zhu Huan that even though he's the branch leader of the Demon Sect, we, Tianya Haige, don't take orders from the Demon Sect. Since I've made a move, I won't return without success. Yi Jie will fall at my feet, and if they send someone from the branch to deal with him, Tianya Haige will never agree!" Mo Lan's tone was fierce.

"Yes, Senior Sister. I'll go tell their messenger right away."

As Xiao Wei left, Mo Lan glanced at the room next door. There were three women living there, and Ning Wan Jun was one of the two most beautiful women in the evil sect, alongside her junior sister, Mu Rong Qiuyu.

Mu Rong Qiuyu and Ning Wan Jun, the two most beautiful women in the evil sect, had always been a thorn in Mo Lan's side.

In terms of appearance, Mo Lan didn't think she was any worse than them. Why did their names echo so loudly while she couldn't even capture the heart of a little monk? And this monk, of course, had gotten so close to Ning Wan Jun. Mo Lan couldn't help but feel uneasy.

This task of seducing Yi Jie had become incredibly important to her. To surpass Ning Wan Jun, she had to succeed, she couldn't afford to fail. Even if the Demon Sect's branch stopped funding her, she was determined to see this through. She wouldn't allow anyone to sabotage it.

"Ning Wan Jun, I, Mo Lan, will prove that I am better than you. Let's show Mu Rong Qiuyu that you are not the most outstanding of Tianya Haige. Even the Master can be mistaken at times."

Li Yuntian and a group of Tian Dao Meng members arrived at the entrance of Shaolin Temple.

"See? I told you, Shaolin Temple is the best Buddhist temple in Henan, in the whole country! Look at how well this mountain road is paved. And the mountain gate, so grand! Those characters written on the door—who could do that? And the temple doors, magnificent, right?"

Behind Li Yuntian were a dozen martial artists from Tian Dao Meng, the weakest among them being at the mid-stage of the acquired realm, with the strongest having reached the perfected stage.

But none of them dared contradict Li Yuntian. They all nodded in agreement.

Among them, the martial artist at the perfected stage said to Li Yuntian, "Young Master, no matter how impressive Shaolin may be, our Alliance Leader has given orders to find Yue Ying's whereabouts. Yue Ying is a martial artist, and it's most likely that he's hiding in one of the martial sects. Although Shaolin is a Buddhist temple, it is still a martial sect. We should go in and take a look."

"Ugh, I'm so tired of hearing this. I've already told you, the abbot of Shaolin is an enlightened monk, someone who can communicate with Buddha directly. I've seen the miracles he performed right in front of me. What could be wrong with Shaolin? There's nothing wrong with them! It's a waste of time!" Li Yuntian exclaimed.

"Yes, yes, Young Master, you're right. But the Alliance Leader's orders are orders. We must go in and investigate," the martial artist replied reluctantly.

"Fine, fine, you go knock on the door, but I'm telling you, make sure to explain things clearly. Be polite. Don't let the abbot think I'm trying to search Shaolin's treasures. That would be a crime!"

The martial artist at the perfected stage frowned. Ever since Li Yuntian returned to Tian Dao Meng after his previous trip, he had become a bit eccentric, constantly speaking about how amazing Shaolin was. If not for the presence of Lady Huang, the martial artist thought, Li Yuntian might have even wanted to become a monk.

When they arrived at Shaolin Temple, the martial artist was about to knock on the door when suddenly, the sound of bells rang out from within.

"Wait, wait, listen. The bell is ringing! Did you hear that? This is Shaolin's bell. It's the same bell I saw during the miracle at the bell tower. Such a resonant sound!"

"Young Master, should we still knock?" the martial artist asked.

"Knock? No need! Wait. The bell is ringing, which means Shaolin is about to open the door. We don't need to rush!"

Under Li Yuntian's commands, none of the Tian Dao Meng experts dared to move, obediently waiting outside.

After the bell rang, an abbot came out and opened the door.

"Amitabha, good morning, benefactors."

The abbot greeted them, and under Li Yuntian's lead, the Tian Dao Meng members returned the greeting.

Once the door was opened, the abbot left, and the group slowly entered Shaolin Temple's courtyard.

"See, it's this bell tower! I stood right here when I saw the abbot Yi Jie. The miracle happened right here. This bell tower appeared out of thin air!" Li Yuntian excitedly gestured, narrating the events as if Shaolin's miracle had made him seem particularly important.

However, the martial artist at the perfected stage remained alert, his senses heightened. He had learned through experience that when entering an unfamiliar environment, especially one with martial sects, one must be 120% cautious. Shaolin, being so famous, couldn't be simple. He had to remain vigilant in case anyone tried to harm the Young Master.

"Everyone, spread out! Don't let anyone get too close to the Young Master!" he ordered.

Seeing Li Yuntian becoming increasingly excited, the martial artist immediately commanded the others to protect him and scanned the surroundings carefully. After all, since the princess had been taken by a bird, both the government and martial sects in Henan had been on high alert. Even the Alliance Leader had become paranoid, fearing the imperial army might come and wipe out the Alliance.

They couldn't catch the princess, but there was still Yue Ying to track down. The Alliance Leader had been obsessed with finding him, as if capturing Yue Ying would somehow bring peace to his mind.

The investigation had already covered many places, with no sign of Yue Ying. Today, it was time to search Shaolin Temple.

However, since Shaolin wasn't under Tian Dao Meng's jurisdiction, they had no right to search it. Initially, they had planned to come at night quietly, but when Li Yuntian heard about it, he immediately objected.

Li Yuntian insisted that they couldn't disrespect Shaolin. If Tian Dao Meng had to search Shaolin Temple, it had to be done politely, with him leading the group, so as not to disturb Shaolin's tranquility.

This type of search wasn't likely to uncover anything, but due to the Young Master's special status, the Alliance Leader didn't dare disobey. Thus, they went along with Li Yuntian's plan.

And so, here they were, the Young Master leading the group in, almost like a religious visit, but in reality, they were there to search—only after asking for permission from the abbot.

Li Yuntian's enthusiasm had clearly blinded him to the potential dangers. The martial artist at the perfected stage, however, was on high alert, keenly aware of how dangerous the situation could be.

Suddenly, an elderly monk appeared, sweeping a broom in the distance. His slow movements, the way the broom danced and gathered the fallen leaves into a spiral, raised a feeling of unease in the martial artist. Something was off about this monk.

"Be careful of that old monk. He's suspicious! Watch and see if he's coming this way."

Following his orders, the Tian Dao Meng members all grew tense, hand on their weapons, watching the sweeping monk carefully.