Chapter 93: Enhanced Lion's Roar

Ho Yuan's earth-shattering strike stunned everyone, including the group of Wokun Ronin.

Especially when Ho Yuan told them that the wall needed to be torn down to pull the person out, it wasn't a lie.

The person was embedded in the wall, blood streaming from all seven orifices, and their life was uncertain. If they tried to forcefully pull them out, they would die even if they succeeded.

The Ronin were left dumbfounded. Tear down the wall? How could they?

As martial artists, they could create a hole in the wall, but the problem was, there was a person embedded inside. It wasn't an easy task to break it down.

With no choice, the group rushed to Wu Chaotian, bowing and pleading for tools.

Wu Chaotian, after some dramatic posturing, finally handed over some axes and chisels. The Ronin worked for a long time, chipping away at the wall, finally pulling the almost dead leader out of the wall.

As they walked some distance away, one of the Ronin shouted back, "Monk, we will come for you!"

Ho Yuan didn't respond, glanced at Mo Lan, then turned to leave.

As soon as Ho Yuan turned to leave, the townspeople immediately began clapping in unison.

Ho Yuan had become accustomed to this kind of treatment. He walked alone outside the courtyard to unfasten his white horse.

Mo Lan followed closely, while Wu Chaotian tried to persuade the monk and the female knight to stay and thank him, but both of them ignored him.

"Master, I want to go to Shaolin and offer incense. Will you take me there?"

"Isn't that red horse yours?"

Ho Yuan pointed to a red horse nearby.

"What? That's not my horse."

Mo Lan quickly denied.

Ho Yuan smiled. "When I arrived, the red horse wasn't here, nor were you. The red horse was tied outside and seemed terrified of my white horse, staying far away. Once you came out, the red horse got excited and wanted to come over but was hesitant. Perhaps you should not disappoint the poor creature and ride it away!"

Mo Lan pouted, "Seriously, why are you so smart? I really wanted to stay at Shaolin. Think about it, those Ronin can't beat you, but they could overpower me. What if I stay here and they bully me?"

Ho Yuan paused. It wasn't impossible that they might bully her. Though Mo Lan had come with an agenda, he didn't have an obligation to help her, but seeing her being bullied by those pirates, Ho Yuan couldn't turn a blind eye.

"Then stay at Greenwild Town. If anyone causes trouble there, I'll know."

"Greenwild Town is still over ten miles from Shaolin. By the time you arrive, it will be too late."

Mo Lan muttered, unconvinced.

Ho Yuan sighed and couldn't explain that everything around them was under the surveillance of the Golden-Eyed Eagle, even her clothing changes had been observed.

Riding the white horse, he slowly moved forward, planning to check on the Shaolin's properties.

The properties that had been transferred from Chen Ding to Shaolin had been managed by his lay disciples, Huang Feihong and Su Can. The business was thriving. Ho Yuan had previously instructed them to manufacture some items, and it was about time to check on them.

After a while, Ho Yuan turned around and saw that Mo Lan had disappeared. He let out a sigh of relief and arrived at the blacksmith shop.

Huang Feihong was there, and upon seeing Ho Yuan enter, he hurriedly welcomed him into the back room.

"Master, the weapons are all finished, and we're preparing to transport them to the mountain."

"Let's take a look."

The two walked into the back warehouse, where everything Ho Yuan had requested was stacked neatly.

Five hundred戒刀 (Monk's knife ), five hundred staffs, one thousand bows, and countless arrows—this was the result of a project Ho Yuan started after obtaining the blacksmith shop. It was finally completed.

The戒刀 (Monk's knife ) were made of fine steel, incredibly sharp.

The staffs were made from white waxwood, with iron bands at both ends—not heavy, but with significant striking power.

Ho Yuan had often seen monks using wooden staffs, which would take a long time to cause serious harm, so he had insisted on upgrading the weaponry for Shaolin.

The戒刀 and staffs were understandable, but Huang Feihong was puzzled about why Ho Yuan wanted so many bows and arrows. Was Shaolin preparing for war?

Ho Yuan explained it as "home defense."

In addition to these, there were hundreds of Shaolin monk robes from the silk store, ready to be transported as well. Ho Yuan had arrived just in time, so they began loading everything onto the carts.

They hired several large carts, and by the afternoon, the loading was complete. They set out toward Shaolin.

At the city gate, the situation had been taken care of. With Shaolin's increasing prestige, even the soldiers did not dare to trouble the monks. They passed without any difficulty.

The caravan slowly made its way out of the city toward Shaolin, expecting to arrive by nightfall.

About halfway, Ho Yuan heard the sound of galloping hooves behind him. He turned and saw Mo Lan riding the red horse, catching up to him.

She hastily arrived beside Ho Yuan and said, "Master, it's bad! After those Ronin returned, their leader died. Now, one of their other leaders is coming here to take revenge at Shaolin!"

"How many leaders do they have?"

"Five. There are five leaders among the Ronin in Dengfeng, one is a congenital master, and the other four are at the peak of acquired mastery. The congenital one isn't in the city, but one of the acquired ones is here now, leading the others to come for revenge."

Ho Yuan's heart moved. He had already cultivated the first half of the Wuxiang Divine Skill, reaching the peak of the acquired stage. Though his main martial art was the Pure Boy Skill, which made his cultivation appear to be mid-acquired, a real acquired peak martial artist had come, and it was the perfect opportunity to test his skills.

However, he needed to make sure the caravan continued forward. He couldn't delay them on the road, as that could cause accidents.

"Then, since they're coming, I will meet them."

Ho Yuan instructed Huang Feihong to continue toward Shaolin while he turned back to confront the Ronin.

Mo Lan followed behind Ho Yuan on horseback, but he paid her no attention.

After walking for a few miles, the sound of hooves grew louder. About twenty Ronin were rapidly approaching along the official road.

Ho Yuan furrowed his brow. "They're on horseback. They might catch up to the caravan. I'll have to dismount them."

Looking around, he saw a dead tree by the roadside. He walked over, peeled off the bark, and fashioned it into a trumpet-like cone.

Mo Lan didn't understand what Ho Yuan was up to and watched curiously.

Ho Yuan turned to her and said, "Lady, stand behind me."

Mo Lan couldn't help but feel a little giddy, wondering if he was planning to protect her.

She obediently stepped behind him as Ho Yuan brought the makeshift trumpet to his mouth, waiting for the Ronin to arrive.

Moments later, the Ronin approached. One of them shouted, "That's the monk and the woman!"

"Kill!"

The leader waved his hand, and the Ronin charged forward, drawing their weapons and shouting as they rushed at them.

Mo Lan's face changed slightly. With more than twenty Ronin attacking at once, even if Ho Yuan could win, he wouldn't be able to protect her in such a short time. She was in danger.

Yet she still stood firmly behind Ho Yuan, having chosen to trust him, and her character wouldn't allow her to waver.

Ho Yuan felt some relief seeing her steadfast. This woman had her admirable qualities.

As the Ronin drew closer, Ho Yuan turned to Mo Lan and said, "Cover your ears."

Mo Lan didn't know why but followed his instructions and blocked her ears.

Looking back, the Ronin were now only about twenty paces away. Ho Yuan positioned the trumpet and let out a roar.

His internal energy had reached the peak of the acquired stage, far surpassing what it once was. In an instant, Ho Yuan's roar was amplified by the trumpet. The sound wave surged forward, visibly flattening the grass, sending birds flying into the sky, and causing the animals to scatter as if the end of the world had come.

The first wave of Ronin were out of luck. Their horses shrieked and fell to the ground, convulsing. The Ronin were thrown off, blood flowing from all seven orifices, unable to move.

Only the Ronin at the peak of acquired mastery staggered, trying to regain his balance but failing miserably.

Mo Lan's ears rang from the sound, and the horse beneath her was startled, forcing her to hold on tightly to avoid falling.

After a long pause, Mo Lan stared at Ho Yuan in awe. She shouted, "Master, you killed over twenty people, including several peak acquired masters, with a single roar? What kind of power is this?"

The Ronin who had remained conscious, his body trembling, looked at Ho Yuan in disbelief.

"Amitabha! You're here to find me?"

"Yah!"

The Ronin, nearly mad with rage, screamed, "Monk! What sorcery are you using? How dare you kill my empire's warrior!"

"Empire?"

Ho Yuan smiled lightly. "In that case, you should fulfill your duty to your empire."

"I'm going to kill you!"

The Ronin was nearly insane. With his people all down, there was no excuse to go back. He drew his battle knife and charged toward Ho Yuan desperately.

Ho Yuan, sitting on his horse, clasped his hands, extended his two index fingers, and calmly whispered, "Wuxiang..."

The Ronin leapt high, his battle knife raised above his head, aimed at Ho Yuan.

"Wu Wo."

A burst of white energy surged from Ho Yuan's fingers, shooting forward as a streak of light, striking the Ronin's chest.

The battle knife was halted mid-air, and the Ronin's body shook before he dropped to the ground.

Yet, the peak acquired master wasn't finished. Despite being hit by Ho Yuan's Wuxiang Strike, he struggled and tried to resist with his internal energy.

Ho Yuan's fingers met again, energy erupting as he called out, "One Finger Orchid!"

In the Ronin's vision, a blooming orchid appeared from Ho Yuan's fingertip, fleeting as it bloomed and withered. At the sight of the flower, his consciousness blurred, his eyes glazed over, and his body crumbled to the ground, charred. He muttered, "What a beautiful flower..."

Seeing the Ronin drop dead with just two flicks of Ho Yuan's finger, Mo Lan was stunned. After a long while, she asked, "Master, you killed them?"

"Amitabha, all beings have feelings, and only those with feelings are truly beings. These barbarians are cruel, ruthless, and without compassion. They are nameless on the death register. Killing them is not truly killing."

Ho Yuan recited a Buddhist verse and then justified his actions with an illogical explanation, his face showing no trace of guilt.