Chapter 57 The Heart of the True Orange
"He dared not put himself on the list, yet he was unwilling to admit that he was inferior to the women he looked down upon. So he brazenly excluded all female masters in the martial arts world."
"Then just randomly pick a few famous experts to list, to make yourself seem very authoritative."
Showing off his extraordinary encounter, he sneered: "What martial arts prodigy? He's just a cowardly piece of trash."
Lin Xian'er was taken aback.
In her mind, women were indeed inferior to men in martial arts and could not wield power alone, so they naturally shouldn't appear on the weapons ranking list.
However, men are also easy to control. As long as she sacrifices a little of her charm, she can control power and money by controlling men.
This has always been her idea.
No one ever told her that Bai Xiaosheng's weapon ranking was wrong.
It was not arranged in a fair and impartial manner.
This is inconsistent with her understanding.
"But people in the martial arts world all recognize the authority of the weapon ranking."
"They don't identify with the Weapon Ranking, they identify with the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets, Shangguan Jin Hong, and Li Xun Huan."
"What they acknowledge is the status of Li Xunhuan and his ilk as experts, not Bai Xiaosheng's weapon ranking list."
"If Bai Xiaosheng is truly so authoritative, then why didn't he re-rank the weapons list and add my name when I single-handedly killed Shangguan Jin Hong, who was ranked second on the weapons list?"
Lin Xian'er blurted out instinctively, "Because women aren't listed on the weapons ranking?"
"snort!"
Showing off his extraordinary encounter, he scoffed, "Then what should it be called? Wouldn't it be more reasonable to call it the Men's Compendium?"
She only realized how ridiculous it was that she had been so smug in front of Bai Xiaosheng.
He must have been laughing at himself for a long time, right?
Turning to look at the extraordinary encounter, Lin Xian'er suddenly remembered the rumor circulating in the martial arts world.
"Did you really kill Shangguan Jin Hong?"
"Of course, we can easily take down Shangguan Jin Hong."
Lin Xian'er was persuaded and had nothing more to say.
The thought that Bai Xiaosheng had gained so many benefits through her power, yet looked down on her from the bottom of his heart, made Lin Xian'er still feel murderous towards Bai Xiaosheng, even though she knew he was her ally.
same,
She looked up at the person walking ahead of her, and saw her extraordinary adventure.
She deserves to die too!
How can she possess such great power?
Why is she allowed to act so recklessly?
Why should she be able to get everything she wants on her own?
Damn it, damn it, damn it!
Go to hell, all of you!
Lu Xiaofeng, who had been silently listening to the conversation between Xiu and Lin Xian'er about their extraordinary encounter, keenly sensed a hint of murderous intent emanating from Lin Xian'er and couldn't help but turn around to look at her.
"Young Master Lu, what's wrong?" Lin Xian'er smiled gently, her beautiful face was truly stunning.
Lu Xiaofeng smiled.
"It's nothing, I was just bored on the road, so I thought I'd look at some beautiful women to refresh my eyes."
But in my heart I was silently admonishing myself.
"The more beautiful a woman is, the more ruthless she is. Lu Xiaofeng, have you forgotten the lessons of the past?"
Unaware of Lu Xiaofeng's thoughts, Lin Xian'er's smile became even more genuine.
"Although he's an unknown guy, but,"
She glanced at the same "福" (fortune) character pasted on Lu Xiaofeng's face as the one used to show off his extraordinary adventure.
And that kid who always kept his sword at a distance.
Lin Xian'er gave Lu Xiaofeng another beautiful smile.
"It's not that we can't use it."
We talked a lot on the way, but it didn't take long.
In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the group arrived at the front courtyard room.
Showing off his extraordinary encounter, he casually stopped a passing young novice monk and asked softly, "Little monk, do you know which room Bai Xiaosheng lives in?"
The young novice monk glanced furtively at the "Fu" character on Xiu's face, which seemed to have been adorned with auspicious symbols, before slowly speaking, "Is the female benefactor looking for the all-knowing benefactor, Bai Xiaosheng?"
He left a quarter of an hour ago.
"Left?" Showing off her adventure tilted her head. What a coincidence?
Did he say where he went or when he'll be back?
The young novice monk shook his head.
"Benefactor Baixiaosheng did not give any instructions. However, I noticed that he was not carrying any luggage, so he was probably just going for a walk nearby or to take care of some business. He should be back soon."
Hearing this, Xiu Chuqi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
It's good that they didn't leave.
She smiled and thanked the young novice monk before turning to look at Lu Xiaofeng.
"The person isn't here, what do we do now?"
"Should we go find him, or wait here for him to come back?"
Lu Xiaofeng stroked his beard and pondered for a moment: "Why don't we split up?"
"Split up?"
“Yes!” Lu Xiaofeng nodded and said tactfully, “Go out and find Bai Xiaosheng. If you run into him outside the mountain gate, you can take the opportunity to get things done.”
“Afei and I will wait here. If he comes back first, I will have Afei inform you.”
"I want to go out too."
Afei took the initiative to speak and express his attitude.
Seeing this, Lu Xiaofeng nodded.
“That works too,” he said, then looked at Xiu Chuqiyu: “Do you have anything on you that can be used to send messages?”
"If I find Bai Xiaosheng, I will send you a signal."
"Something to deliver messages?" Showing off his extraordinary encounters, he tilted his head and thought for a moment before taking out a True Orange Heart from his backpack and handing it to Lu Xiaofeng.
"If Bai Xiaosheng returns, release it. Then, no matter how far away I am, I will be able to see the message notification."
Lu Xiaofeng took the Heart of the True Orange and examined it closely; his expression immediately became somewhat strange.
"Okay, then you should go and come back soon."
"Don't forget we still have important business to attend to."
"I know, I can't forget it."
Showing off his adventure, he casually waved his hand, opened the focus list, and grabbed Afei, using the Seven Show's dual-person light-foot technique to fly away.
Lu Xiaofeng was left dumbfounded as they walked away.
"Young Master Lu?"
Lin Xian'er's voice brought Lu Xiaofeng back to his senses. He turned to look at Lin Xian'er, who was watching him with concern, and gave her his usual smile.
"What brings you here, Miss Xian'er?"
"Can't I call you if there's nothing wrong?" Lin Xian'er said coquettishly.
"How could that be?" Sensing a kindred spirit, Lu Xiaofeng immediately uttered sweet words: "I just don't like Miss Xian'er's coldness towards me."
"You can actually just call me Lu Xiaofeng."
Lin Xian'er blushed slightly, lowered her head, and softly called out, "Lu Xiaofeng."
But his eyes were filled with indifference.
Lu Xiaofeng smiled and put his hand on Lin Xian'er's shoulder, his smile not reaching his eyes: "Miss Xian'er's voice is so beautiful."
The two seasoned lovers exchanged flirtations and soon became very close.
On the other side, Showing off her extraordinary encounter, she used the Seven Shows' dual-person lightness skill to fly around Shaolin Temple with A Fei, but she still didn't see Bai Xiaosheng's name appear in the focus list.
Seeing that his strength was about to run out, and fearing that he might accidentally drop Ah Fei to his death, he quickly chose a random spot to land.
"You, you, you..."
Having been personally led by Xiu Chuanyu to fly around in the sky, and watching the large fan and umbrella in his hand appear and disappear out of thin air, A Fei exclaimed in shock.
"Are you perhaps a fairy from heaven?"
Just as he was about to meditate to recover his energy, Show-off heard this and couldn't help but chuckle.
"Yes, we Qixiu are like little fairies."
"Can you see past lives and present lives?" Afei asked, his eyes sparkling. "Can you help me see if my mother has been reincarnated?"
"How is her reincarnation? How is she now?"
Seeing Ah Fei's shining eyes, Xiu Chuqi remained silent for a moment.
"Can't you see?" The light in Afei's eyes slowly faded.
Showing off his extraordinary encounter, he quickly said, "I can see it, wait for me a moment."
He then opened the toy box, selected the "replica" gourd from the Golden Horn and clicked to use it.
If you're going to put on a show, you have to do it all.
She was unexpectedly sucked into Golden Horn's gourd. She patiently waited for the toy's effect to end and reappeared in front of A-Fei before slowly speaking.
"I saw it."
"Your mother did not accumulate enough merit, so she was reborn into a relatively poor family."
Under Afei's worried gaze, Xiu continued to speak.
"But she is exceptionally talented, and a reclusive master recognized her talent and took her as his disciple. She is currently learning her skills in a reclusive sect."
"Once she has mastered her skills, she will surely become famous far and wide."
As Xiu recounted her extraordinary adventure, Afei's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
He had no doubt that the story of his miraculous encounter was a lie.
If it's a lie, why not say that his mother was born into a good family and had a smooth life when showing off his extraordinary adventure?
This story of someone who dedicates themselves to a poor family and rises to prominence through their own efforts is more in line with his mother's character. Therefore, Afei believed it without hesitation.
"Thank you."
Showing off his extraordinary encounter, he looked at Afei's favorability rating, which had suddenly risen from close friends to inseparable companions, and spoke with a somewhat guilty conscience.
"It's nothing, it's just a small matter."
I was just doing a good deed!
He quickly convinced himself, told himself about his extraordinary encounter, and then continued meditating.
The two circled around the Shaolin Temple again and again, but still couldn't find any trace of Bai Xiaosheng. Just when Xiu Chuqi thought he had already left the Shaolin Temple and was preparing to inquire about Bai Xiaosheng again, a system message suddenly appeared above their heads.
"A swift report from the martial arts world! The chivalrous Lu Xiaofeng used the legendary [True Orange Heart] on the chivalrous Lin Xian'er at Shaolin Temple! With this, he proclaims to the world: Lu Xiaofeng's love for Lin Xian'er is pledged by the sun and moon, witnessed by heaven and earth, testified by mountains and rivers, and acknowledged by ghosts and gods. From now on..." (Note 1)
"Has Bai Xiaosheng gone back?"
With their energy fully restored, Xiu revealed their adventure and, pulling A-Fei along, flew back to the front courtyard of Shaolin Temple.
On the other side, Lu Xiaofeng and Lin Xian'er were testing each other, their feelings for each other visibly growing stronger.
It's remarkable that Lin Xian'er could still act as if they were deeply in love despite having a huge "Fu" character sticker on Lu Xiaofeng's face.
Lu Xiaofeng was not to be outdone, and he coaxed Lin Xian'er until she was all smiles.
During their conversation, Lu Xiaofeng, with his exceptional hearing, heard that Bai Xiaosheng had returned, and then smiled at Lin Xian'er.
"Miss Xian'er is such a beautiful woman, I have something to give her."
"Oh? What is it?"
Lin Xian'er, who had received too many gifts from men, was not very interested, but still pretended to be very surprised.
Seeing this, Lu Xiaofeng took out the True Orange Heart that Xiu had given him before leaving after his extraordinary encounter, and began to set it on fire for Lin Xian'er.
The dazzling fireworks burst at Lin Xian'er's feet, but not a single spark harmed her.
She gazed at the magnificent scenery with near fascination until the effects of the True Orange Heart wore off, before turning to look at Lu Xiaofeng.
Just then, Lu Xiaofeng's "Joyful Hour" time limit expired.
A gentle breeze swept by, and the ridiculous "Fu" character sticker fell off Lu Xiaofeng's face, revealing his handsome features.
Lin Xian'er's heart skipped a beat.
It felt like I'd been burned by something.
He immediately looked away.
Before Lin Xian'er's heart could calm down, Xiu Chuanyu descended from the sky, landing directly between Lin Xian'er and Lu Xiaofeng with A Fei.
"The All-Knowing Scholar is back?"
Lu Xiaofeng shifted his gaze from Lin Xian'er to Xiu Chu's extraordinary encounter.
"Yes. I heard the young novice call him."
"Then let's hurry up and go find him." After saying that, he pulled Lu Xiaofeng and the others into the side room.
The forgotten Lin Xian'er: "..."
Frustrated, Lin Xian'er pounded her weak heart, her eyes turned cold, and she turned and left.
After being led along a short distance by Xiu Chu's extraordinary encounter, Lu Xiaofeng remembered Lin Xian'er, whom he had forgotten. He quickly turned around and saw Lin Xian'er's departing figure.
Lu Xiaofeng: "..."
All that work for half a day was for nothing!
With things having come to this, Lu Xiaofeng sighed deeply and then turned around and followed Xiu Chuqi and the others away from the place.
Mingming returned quickly after receiving the message, but when they arrived at Bai Xiaosheng's room after their extraordinary encounter, he was nowhere to be seen.
"Strange, where is he?"
Lu Xiaofeng stroked his beard, equally puzzled.
“I clearly heard the young novice monk calling out to Bai Xiaosheng. Judging from his back, he was a thin middle-aged man. And since I didn’t know what Bai Xiaosheng looked like, I kept an eye on everyone who came in and out.”
"No one other than the monks was seen leaving."
Show your puzzled encounter by clicking on the focus list to confirm that the All-Knowing Scholar is not there.
"Could there be other passages here?"
With repeated taps on the focus list, showing off unexpected encounters, the focus target was accidentally switched from NPCs to items.
He quickly switched back to his original pose, showing off his adventure, but suddenly felt something was wrong.
"Huh?"
Switching back, an item called "Damo Yijin" appeared in the focus list.
After moving a few steps, he showed off his adventure and looked at the [Damo Yijin] whose coordinates were almost overlapping with his own, and slowly spoke.
"Lu Xiaofeng, do you remember what Master Xinshu said before about the name of the stolen Shaolin Temple scriptures?"
Lu Xiaofeng nodded: "The stolen item is a martial arts manual called [Damo Yi Jin Jing].
A slight smile appeared on his face as he recounted his extraordinary encounter.
“I think I’ve found the thief who stole the scriptures.”
As he spoke, he turned to look at Ah Fei.
"Ah Fei, could you help me find Abbot Xinhu of Shaolin Temple? If not, you can ask Abbot Xinshu or Abbot Xinmei."
"As long as it's not a matter of conscience."
"Tell them I've found the stolen Shaolin Temple manual."
Afei nodded, and without asking any further questions, turned and left.
Lu Xiaofeng was left speechless with shock, asking, "You found the [Damo Yi Jin Jing]? Where is it?"
Before he could even reveal his extraordinary encounter, Lu Xiaofeng asked again, "You suspect that Master Xinjian stole it? Is that why you didn't let Afei look for him?"
Showing off his extraordinary encounter, he shook his head: "It's not that I doubt Master Mind Analyzing."
"only……"
Showing off his extraordinary encounter reminded him of the fleeting red name he had seen when he left the abbot's meditation room.
"His name has turned red."
"What?" Lu Xiaofeng didn't quite understand at first.
Before he could explain his extraordinary encounter, he recalled that he seemed to have mentioned it before: both the red shoes and Xue Bing were red names.
The similarities between the two are easy to summarize.
"He intended to kill you?"
Showing off his extraordinary encounter, he nodded.
"That shouldn't be the case!" Lu Xiaofeng was very puzzled. "We haven't been here long and have never had any contact with Master Xinjian. Why would he suddenly harbor murderous intent towards you?"
After carefully recalling their conversation, Master Xinjian realized that he had only spoken one sentence to Xiu Chuqiyu.
He asked, "What important matter do you have with Bai Xiaosheng?"
Looking around, this is Bai Xiaosheng's private room.
Showing off her extraordinary encounter, she suddenly spoke up, saying that she had discovered the stolen "Damo Yijin" from Shaolin Temple.
The fog in Lu Xiaofeng's mind was completely cleared up.
"Master Xinjian colluded with Bai Xiaosheng to steal the secret manual!"
"Nonsense!"
Abbot Xinhu, who had rushed there, happened to overhear Lu Xiaofeng's last words. He couldn't help but rebuke him, "That's utter nonsense!"
“Junior Brother Xin Jian already has the authority to access the [Damo Yi Jin Jing], so why would he need to collude with outsiders to steal the manual?”
Being caught red-handed gossiping behind someone's back, Lu Xiaofeng couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.
He also knew that Master Xinhu would not explain the red name that showed off his extraordinary encounter, so he did not mention it, but analyzed the problem from another angle.
"The Treasure Pavilion is heavily guarded. Stealing the secret manual from it without anyone noticing is simply a pipe dream."
"Therefore, there is only one possibility: someone colluded with the book thief to steal the secret manual without alerting anyone."
"And Abbot Xinhu just said that Master Xinjian has the authority to access the [Damo Yijingjin], so isn't it reasonable to consider him a suspect?"
Abbot Xinhu was somewhat speechless.
But he still shook his head.
"Besides Junior Brother Xin Jian, anyone else who could obtain the [Damo Yi Jin Jing] is me, Xin Shu, or Xin Mei. How can you be so sure it's him?"
"Furthermore, since Junior Brother Xin Jian is already able to consult the [Damo Yi Jing Jin], why would he have any need to steal the scriptures?"
Master Xinhu's words were not without reason, and Lu Xiaofeng was speechless for a moment.
Or perhaps he should mention his extraordinary encounter and speak up at the opportune moment: "Who said he stole the scriptures for his own sake?"
"Couldn't it be that someone offered him a favor, and he helped them steal?"
"Nonsense!" Abbot Xinhu's face darkened: "The [Damo Yi Jin Jing] is the Shaolin Temple's most treasured manual. Who could possibly pay the price to take it away?"
"The all-knowing scholar!"
He boasted about his extraordinary adventures and spoke with self-righteousness.
"The reason I sent you, Abbot of Xinhu, here is because you found the lost secret manual of your Shaolin Temple with Bai Xiaosheng, right?"
As he spoke, he drew his sword and swung it above his head.
The box hidden on the roof beam was knocked away by the sword energy and landed on the ground.
Ah Fei quickly picked up the box, opened it, and handed it to Abbot Xinhu for a look. Inside was the lost "Damo Yijin" from Shaolin Temple.
"this……"
Abbot Xinhu was so surprised he didn't know what to say, and Master Xinshu next to him exclaimed in surprise.
He reached into the box, took out the secret manual, and opened it.
"This really is our stolen [Damo Yijin Jing]!"
Upon hearing this, Abbot Xinhu quickly took the manual from Master Xinshu to confirm that what he said was true, and then looked curiously at Xiu Chu's extraordinary encounter.
"How did the female benefactor know that the stolen manual was here?"
Showing off her strange encounter, she gave a half-true, half-false answer: "I don't know either. I just came to find Bai Xiaosheng, but I didn't see him. However, I accidentally discovered that there was something hidden on the top of my head."
"Remembering that you mentioned the theft of the Shaolin Temple manuals, and the timing of Bai Xiaosheng's arrival was so coincidental, and his movements were so suspicious, that's why I became suspicious of him."
"Who knew that what he secretly hid was actually a secret manual?"
Abbot of Xinhu: "..."
"So, they contacted us before anything was even confirmed?"
"What if the all-knowing scholar is hiding his own things?"
Abbot Xinhu was speechless, but since the strange encounter had indeed led them to find the secret manual by accident, he had no choice but to accept this favor.
Thinking of this, his gaze toward the person who had shown off their extraordinary encounter became much kinder.
"We are indeed very grateful to the female benefactor for helping our Shaolin Temple retrieve the secret manual. It has allowed us to see the true face of the All-Knowing Scholar."
"However, the existing evidence is not enough to prove that Junior Brother Xin Jian is involved. Therefore, please keep this a secret for the time being and do not reveal the matter of the retrieved manual."
"Afraid of alerting the enemy, right?" Showing off his extraordinary encounter, he nodded: "I understand."
"But if it really is your junior brother Xin Jian colluding with Bai Xiaosheng to steal the secret manual, then you all need to be careful."
"I searched for Bai Xiaosheng inside and outside the Shaolin Temple several times today, but I still couldn't find him."
"Lu Xiaofeng also saw Bai Xiaosheng enter, but then mysteriously disappeared. Perhaps it was the traitor who helped him steal the book who told him about the secret passages of your Shaolin Temple."
"He might suddenly emerge from the secret passage at any time and stab you."
"What!"
Upon hearing this, both Abbot Xinhu and Master Xinshu were greatly shocked.
"Does the female benefactor truly believe this? Is it true that Bai Xiaosheng only goes in and never comes out, yet disappears without a trace?"
"More real than gold!"
The two looked around and realized that the room where Bai Xiaosheng was located was where one of the secret passages was hidden.
Abbot Xinhu and Master Xinshu exchanged a glance, their expressions equally solemn.
With so many coincidences combined, it can no longer be considered a mere coincidence.
"Abbot, we can't wait any longer."
Abbot Xinhu sighed, pondered for a moment, and then turned to look at the group who had shared their extraordinary encounters.
"In that case, please come with me to be my witnesses."
As he spoke, he walked to a corner of the room and the abbot of Xinhu groped along the wall for a moment.
It is unknown how Abbot Xinhu triggered the mechanism, but with a click, the bed in the side room slowly moved aside, revealing an underground passage.
Lu Xiaofeng and Xiu Chuqi, who had witnessed everything, exchanged a glance, called out to Afei, and then followed Abbot Xinhu and the others into the secret passage.
There were no traps or mechanisms in the secret passage, but as soon as Abbot Xinhu and the others went down, their expressions immediately turned very ugly.
The switch that closed the secret passage was very clean, indicating that it had been used frequently.
However, the last time the secret passage was inspected was before the Lunar New Year, so it should have been covered in dust by now.
All signs indicate that there really is an inside traitor in Shaolin Temple.
Not only did they steal the secret manuals for outsiders, but they also revealed the location of the secret passage that runs through the entire Shaolin Temple.
Most importantly, Master Xinhu, who was the leader of the sect, knew nothing about this.
He looked up and exchanged a glance with Master Xinshu, both of them feeling a chill in their hearts.
He grew increasingly disgusted with that traitor.
If it weren't for the serendipitous discovery of the flaw today, and if the book thief had harbored malicious intentions or revealed the location of the secret passage, Shaolin Temple might have been destroyed without anyone noticing.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Note 1: Quoted from the system announcement after using the game item True Orange Heart in JX3.
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