When masters clash, the outcome can be decided in an instant.

With a loud "bang," the seemingly strong and robust man, whom Jing Zhe considered as solid as a yak, was sent flying to the ground like a piece of paper.

They climbed up quickly, and retreated even faster…

Jing Zhe rushed over to help him up, only to see that Hanhan's face was pale and he had coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"Silly boy!"

"Young Master, don't worry. I just couldn't catch my breath, and her punch was really powerful, which is why I was knocked away. After spitting out the blood, I feel much better. I haven't had such a satisfying fight in years. I can even get up and exchange a few more blows with her!"

Sure enough, after Hanhan wiped the bloodstains from the corner of his mouth, his pale face quickly recovered, and his eyes became much brighter.

"It's good that you're alright," Jing Zhe finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But he said, "If we can't win, why bother fighting?"

Just as Hanhan was about to speak, Jing Zhe interrupted him.

"Don't talk, you look ugly when you vomit blood!"

"..."

Standing up, Jing Zhe cupped his hands in greeting to the veiled woman and said with a smile, "As the saying goes, first come, first served. Since you came first, I won't take what belongs to you. All the silver at the feet of the Bodhisattva is yours!"

"You don't want it anymore?"

The woman's eyes narrowed into crescent moons, and her voice was as clear and melodious as a silver bell, but it sounded extremely harsh to Jing Zhe's ears.

"No, I don't want it."

"Not playing anymore?"

"Let's stop fighting—it won't sound good if word gets out that two grown men are bullying a woman like you!"

Jing Zhe waved his hand and said magnanimously.

"Giggle..."

A silvery laugh rang out again, and the masked woman squinted at Jing Zhe, slowly saying, "You're quite an interesting person!"

"Really? That's what everyone says."

"He doesn't have much skill, but he's certainly shameless."

"..."

"We have nothing to say to each other! My dear, may our friendship endure as long as the mountains and rivers flow on. Farewell!"

After saying that, Jing Zhe helped Hanhan up and prepared to make a run for it.

Tonight, I had planned to take Hanhan and rob all the silver under the Bodhisattva to teach the fat Taoist priest and his gang a lesson. But now the situation has changed, and I have no choice but to hand over the silver to them. The key is that the enemy is strong and we are weak, so he has no choice but to give it up!

However, the goal of teaching the fat Taoist priest a lesson was achieved.

"Wait!"

Before he could take a step, the masked woman's voice came from behind him.

"You can leave, but first, fill this sack!"

The masked woman pointed towards the large pit at the feet of the Bodhisattva.

"..."

Although extremely reluctant, Jing Zhe still walked over, thinking as he went: I shouldn't have been in such a hurry just now. Wouldn't it have been better to watch her for a while longer and wait for her to finish her act before jumping out?

...

The night breeze was slightly cool, but Jing Zhe was sweating profusely.

The fat Taoist priest had been running the temple for over a month, but he had received quite a lot of incense money, roughly estimated to be over a thousand taels. One sack was simply not enough to hold it all, but fortunately Jing Zhe had brought another one, which came in handy at this time, filling two large sacks.

When they dragged the sack out of the pit, Jing Zhe collapsed to the ground, exhausted. On the other hand, Han Han, who had just vomited blood, was full of energy. It seemed that he was right; his injury was not serious.

"Miss, we're all done decorating. Can we leave now?"

Wiping away his sweat, Jing Zhe asked.

"Want to leave? Dream on!"

"..."

Jing Zhe's face turned a deep purplish-red. He was having a headache dealing with such a powerful yet unreasonable woman.

"Heroine, your martial arts skills are excellent, you must be no ordinary person in the martial world. How could you go back on your word? If word gets out, how will you maintain your standing in the martial world?"

"Giggle..."

The masked woman laughed again, "You were a young lady just now, and now you're calling me a heroine. When it comes to going back on your word, I can't compare to you!"

Witch!

Jing Zhe cursed inwardly.

"You're right, it's really not good if this gets out."

"In that case, why don't you release us, heroine!"

"I won't let go!"

The veiled woman glanced at him and said in a low voice, "Because you are all dead, this matter will not get out!"

As she spoke, a flash of cold light appeared, and a sharp dagger appeared in the masked woman's hand.

"You've been spying on me for so long, you deserve to die!"

"..."

Damn it, I was wearing such thick clothes, my face was covered, and you only looked at my butt from behind, and you killed me? Isn't that unjust?

Do you think you're a princess?

Pshaw, I saw the princess, and she's still perfectly fine.

That's too narrow-minded!

Thinking this, he looked at the masked woman's chest and compared it with Su Mochen's chest in his mind. The result was that hers was indeed not as big as Su Mochen's!

Ugh... You're in the mood to think about these things at a time like this? Are you crazy?!

The masked woman wasn't just talking; she was actually planning to kill!

The next moment, she thrust the dagger at me!

With quick reflexes, Hanhan grabbed the shovel from the ground and charged forward. Even when unarmed, Hanhan was no match for the masked woman. Now, the weapon he was holding—which could hardly be called a weapon and was extremely awkward to use—split in one round. Hanhan was also kicked hard in the chest by the masked woman, and he lay on the ground unconscious.

Seemingly obsessed with killing him, the masked woman turned around and walked towards him.

We both saw it, so why did you only knock out the idiot but try to kill me?

Jing Zhe was backing away when he tripped over an iron shovel and fell to the ground.

Despair gripped him as the cold, sharp dagger drew ever closer, and a sense of utter desolation filled his heart.

I've never felt death so close to me before.

He was scared.

Even when Lin Wenyao captured him and brought him back to the government, even when his troops were at the gates of Mangshan, he was never afraid. But now, he is afraid.

His eyes were closed, as if he had resigned himself to his fate.

...

"Bang!"

The sounds of weapons clashing were almost within reach.

Then, the oppressive feeling vanished instantly.

Jing Zhe opened his eyes curiously and saw that a Taoist nun had appeared in the courtyard at some point. She was wearing the same sky-blue Taoist robe as the fat Taoist, but the style was very different.

The fat Taoist priests wore loose, shapeless robes, while the Taoist nuns wore tight, form-fitting robes.

At this moment, she stood under the eaves of the main hall, her upper body shrouded in shadow, only her outline could be seen, her features were not clearly defined.

Her sky-blue Taoist robe swayed gently in the moonlight, and the plain-colored Taoist scarf that held her hair fluttered softly, making her look like a fairy riding the wind.

Are you sure you want to get involved in tonight's events?

The masked woman had already put away her dagger and stood facing the Taoist nun.

"Since we've already intervened, why do we need to confirm anything?"

The Taoist nun's voice was calm, but to Jing Zhe's ears, it sounded like heavenly music!

————