Chapter 58 Another Celestial Being Appears
Although the secret passages were interconnected and had many forks, the group still easily found traces of the thieves.
The secret passage had been unused for a long time and was now covered in dust.
The group only needed to walk along the less dusty areas to find the traitor by following the thief's route.
However, as they walked, the expressions on the faces of Abbot Xinhu and Master Xinshu became somewhat strange.
Lu Xiaofeng asked curiously, "Abbot Xinhu, what's wrong with you?"
The abbot shook his head solemnly: "This path does not lead to Junior Brother Xin Jian's room, but to where Junior Brother Xin Mei is."
"Logically speaking, this shouldn't be the case. Junior Brother Xinmei is the most steady and intelligent among us. How could this be?"
He then turned to look at Xiu Chuqiyu: "Why do you doubt Junior Brother Xinjian?"
Showing off his extraordinary encounter, he couldn't explain the red name to them, so he could only try to put it another way: "When I left your meditation room before, Master Xinjian asked me why I went to see Baixiaosheng."
“When he opened his mouth, I sensed his murderous intent toward me.”
Upon hearing this, Master Xinshu's expression suddenly changed.
"Oh no! Xinmei is in danger!"
As he spoke, he used his lightness skill to run forward quickly.
The others were taken aback by this turn of events and quickly followed.
"stop!"
Before they even escaped the secret passage, they heard Master Xinshu exclaim in surprise, followed by the sounds of fighting.
The group quickly quickened their pace.
The secret passage is narrow, allowing only two people to walk side by side at most. Once running begins, only one person can pass at a time.
Once everyone had run out of the secret passage, they happened to see the man in black throw Master Xinmei in the direction of Master Xinshu before fleeing.
Lu Xiaofeng quickly gave chase. Xiu Chuqi had also run halfway when he stopped at the exclamation of Abbot Xinhu.
"Xinmei has been poisoned!"
"What should we do? This poison is extremely potent. If we can't find an antidote within fifteen minutes, I'm afraid Xinmei..."
He turned and walked up to Master Xinmei. He showed his extraordinary encounter and checked his character status, discovering that he was indeed carrying a highly poisonous buff.
"Highly poisonous: Continuous blood loss, death is inevitable within three minutes."
"Luckily, there's only one floor."
He took out the miraculous Huagong San from his backpack, showed off his extraordinary encounter, and directly forced Master Xinmei to drink it.
"This is……"
Before Abbot Xinhu could ask for clarification, Master Xinmei spat out a mouthful of black blood, and his complexion visibly returned to its rosy hue.
"Xinmei, how are you feeling?"
Master Xinshu called out in delight.
At his call, Master Xinmei slowly opened his eyes.
He grabbed the hand of the Heart Lake Sect Leader: "Abbot, it's Heart Mirror!"
"Although his face was covered, I recognized him; it was Xin Jian!"
"He colluded with Bai Xiaosheng to steal the secret manual and even revealed the location of the Shaolin Temple's secret passage. Go after them!"
Abbot Xinhu's heart sank; he hadn't expected that it was indeed his junior brother Xinjian who had betrayed Shaolin Temple.
Despite feeling heavy-hearted, he gently advised Master Xinmei to rest.
"It's alright. Now that we know the truth, we won't let Xin Jian and Bai Xiaosheng escape."
"As for the secret passage," Abbot Xinhu looked back at the place they had come out of and sighed deeply.
"Since the secret passage has already been revealed, let the disciples in the temple fill it in."
"It was something we didn't need anyway, so there's no need to keep it and make people panic. It's like eliminating a potential threat."
After calming Xinmei down and instructing his disciples to help him to bed, Abbot Xinhu turned to look at Xiu Chu's extraordinary encounter.
"Thank you for your help today, benefactor."
"If the female benefactor hadn't informed me and the Heart Tree Manual of its whereabouts beforehand, we wouldn't have been able to enter the secret passage and rescue Junior Brother Xinmei in time."
“I remember the female benefactor mentioned before that we could hire her for 20,000 gold to retrieve the secret manual for us.”
He then beckoned in a disciple and whispered a few words in his ear.
The disciple received the task and ran off quickly. A short while later, he returned carrying a box.
Abbot Xinhu took the box and handed it to Xiu Chuqiyu.
"There are 30,000 taels of gold in here. 20,000 taels are to thank the female benefactor for helping to find the secret manual, and the other 10,000 taels are to thank the benefactor for giving medicine to save Xinmei."
"Really giving it to me?" Showing off her extraordinary encounter and extending her hand.
Shaolin Temple is indeed rich!
Upon seeing this, Abbot Xinhu took the initiative to place the box in Xiuchu Qiyu's hands.
“This is what the benefactor deserves.”
Having won three bricks, he boasted about his extraordinary encounter.
"Abbot Xinhu, rest assured, since I have accepted your money, I will definitely catch the book thief for you!"
On the other side, Lu Xiaofeng chased after the man in black.
Perhaps it was a coincidence, but Master Xinmei's meditation room was located at a corner.
Lu Xiaofeng saw the man in black leap out of the corner. He paused, deciding not to follow directly but to take a gamble and secretly follow behind.
After all, he had already witnessed the martial arts of Shangguan Jin Hong, who ranked second on the Weapon Ranking, before coming here. Putting aside everything else, he was certain that his own lightness skill was far superior to Shangguan Jin Hong's.
Although Li Xunhuan had never specifically competed with him, he could still tell during their journey that Li Xunhuan's lightness skill was inferior to his.
Lu Xiaofeng strongly suspected that the masters in this world did not value lightness skills and movement techniques, and he was confident that he could keep up with the man in black without being detected.
Things turned out exactly as he had predicted.
Although the man in black was agile and swift, his pace was not fast. Lu Xiaofeng had ample time to catch up.
I followed the man in black around and around, and saw him enter one of the meditation rooms.
Lu Xiaofeng carefully landed on the roof, lifted a small tile, and peered inside silently.
As soon as the man in black entered the room, he immediately tore off the black cloth covering his face, revealing a face that Lu Xiaofeng had seen once before.
He truly is a master of discerning the mind!
At that moment, he was yelling at a thin old man.
"What exactly did you do? How did you manage to attract that female demon here?"
"She can even kill Shangguan Jin Hong, how could the two of us possibly be a match for her?"
"Not to mention Li Xunhuan. The Little Flying Dagger is no joke."
The old man turned out to be the all-knowing scholar who had shown off his extraordinary encounters and searched everywhere in vain.
At this moment, Bai Xiaosheng was also very puzzled.
"I've never even seen her before, how could I possibly have gotten involved with her?"
"Besides, this is a crucial moment in our plan, and she's Li Xunhuan's friend. I'm trying to avoid her as much as possible, how could I dare to provoke her?"
Xin Jian clearly did not believe Bai Xiaosheng's explanation.
He risked everything to assassinate Xinmei today because he overheard Xiuchu Qiyu and the others' suspicions about him in the secret passage. If he could kill Xinmei and frame Xiuchu Qiyu, he could use the abbot and the others to get rid of Xiuchu Qiyu.
From now on, you can rest easy.
I never expected that Xinshu and the abbot would come out of the secret passage.
Thinking of this, Xin Jian immediately regretted that he shouldn't have succumbed to temptation and agreed to let Bai Xiaosheng steal the scriptures.
"What do we do now? Whether Xinmei is dead or not, the abbot definitely suspects me. Fortunately, this place is usually deserted, so he shouldn't guess that we are here for a while."
"But Shaolin Temple has many disciples. Once he realizes what's happening, he'll find us sooner or later. What should we do then?"
Bai Xiaosheng was also somewhat anxious, pacing back and forth in the same spot.
"You're asking me? How would I know what to do?"
"The only way now is to strike first and kill Abbot Xinhu and Master Xinshu before things are exposed."
A melodious female voice rang out, and a woman of unparalleled beauty pushed open the door and walked in.
Lu Xiaofeng's heart skipped a beat: "Why would Lin Xian'er come here? Judging from her tone, she seems to have a special relationship with Bai Xiaosheng and the others."
Concealing his breathing, Lu Xiaofeng continued eavesdropping.
Lin Xian'er smiled and looked at Xin Jian: "Once they are dead, you will be the only one in Shaolin Temple who is most qualified to make decisions."
"When the time comes, you can just make up whatever you want about who killed Abbot Xinhu and the others."
"We can conveniently frame Xiu Chu and her group for their deaths. Do you think those Shaolin disciples will believe you, Master Xin Jian, or those unknown people?"
Upon hearing this, Xin Jian's eyes immediately lit up.
He stepped forward happily and embraced Lin Xian'er.
"Xian'er, you're so smart."
"No wonder you are the most beautiful woman in the world, while the other women can only become the victims of the Plum Blossom Thief."
"The Plum Blossom Thief?"
Lu Xiaofeng perked up and continued to listen attentively.
Xin Jian paused abruptly as he spoke, looking at Bai Xiaosheng with a suspicious gaze.
"Speaking of the Plum Blossom Thief, I remember now. Could it be that your identity was exposed, which attracted that ruthless woman who showed off her extraordinary encounter?"
"Could it be that among the people you've harmed, there are some that female demon knows?"
Bai Xiaosheng's expression changed: "Impossible!"
“I always act in secrecy, so she couldn’t possibly know that I am the Plum Blossom Thief.”
"Moreover, all the targets were chosen by Lin Xian'er. She had checked them in advance, and there was no one among their interpersonal relationships who had shown off their extraordinary encounters."
The two people in the room immediately turned their gaze to Lin Xian'er.
Lin Xian'er rolled her eyes inwardly, but her face remained smiling.
"What? You doubt me?"
"If I had intended to leave a flaw and harm you, why would I have risked coming here to offer you advice?"
"Instead of having time to doubt me, you should make plans to get rid of Abbot Xinhu and Master Xinshu first."
Xin Jian and Bai Xiaosheng then withdrew their suspicious gazes and began to discuss in detail how to launch a sneak attack on Abbot Xin Hu and his group.
Lin Xian'er listened patiently for a while, making sure she knew their entire plan, before slowly speaking.
"Alright, what's the use of all your plans? It's almost dawn, and Abbot Xinhu and the others won't wait for you."
"If you ask me, we should act sooner rather than later, before they reveal your identities."
Upon hearing Lin Xian'er's concern, Xin Jian immediately smiled.
"Xian'er, don't worry."
"I have a complete map of the secret passage and have also prepared poison in advance. I am sure I can succeed in one strike."
"When I become the abbot of Shaolin Temple, you will be the secret wife of the Shaolin Temple's leader."
Lin Xian'er subtly left Xin Jian's embrace and opened the door.
He turned back and said.
"You should get the abbot's identity first."
After saying that, he left the place.
Leaving Xin Jian and Bai Xiaosheng behind, they quickly tidied up, took the poison and map, opened the secret passage, and went back inside.
*********
Lu Xiaofeng waited until they left before using his lightness skill to fly towards Master Xinmei's meditation room.
There was just someone who was faster than him.
On his way back, Lu Xiaofeng encountered Lin Xian'er again.
She stood gracefully in the path Lu Xiaofeng was sure to take, and the young monks passing by couldn't help but turn around to look at her. She, however, remained oblivious, simply standing there gently, as if waiting for someone.
Before Lu Xiaofeng's thoughts had even settled, Lin Xian'er noticed him.
Her eyes lit up, and a surprised smile appeared on her face as she walked towards Lu Xiaofeng.
Such a beautiful woman, with a gentle smile. Even though Lu Xiaofeng had overheard Lin Xian'er and Bai Xiaosheng's conversation and knew their true nature, he couldn't help but feel a jolt in his heart.
"No wonder even a monk like Xin Jian couldn't resist her temptation."
The thought flashed through Lu Xiaofeng's mind, but an appreciative smile unconsciously appeared on his face.
"Lu Xiaofeng, I've finally waited for you."
Lin Xian'er walked up to Lu Xiaofeng and spoke shyly.
Although he wanted to return immediately to inform Abbot Xinhu and the others, he knew that Bai Xiaosheng and his group wouldn't act so quickly. He also had great faith in Xiu's ability to find people through extraordinary encounters, so Lu Xiaofeng decided to stop and listen to what Lin Xian'er had to say to him.
"What business does Miss Xian'er have with me?"
"Why do you still call me Fairy?" Lin Xian'er didn't answer directly, but instead gave Lu Xiaofeng a coquettish look.
Lu Xiaofeng immediately changed his tune: "It was my fault. I was afraid of being too forward, young lady. How about I call you Xian'er from now on?"
Lin Xian'er lowered her head: "Of course it's good."
He then looked up at Lu Xiaofeng and said, "I have something important to tell you. Can you come with me?"
Since he had already decided to see what she was up to, Lu Xiaofeng naturally wouldn't refuse.
"I would never refuse Xian'er's request."
*********
Having received the reward from Abbot Xinhu, he excitedly went out after showing off his extraordinary encounter, intending to capture Bai Xiaosheng and Xinjian and bring them back to Abbot Xinhu.
"Ah Fei, how about you..."
Just as he was about to ask Ah Fei to stay, Xiu Chu suddenly thought of a question.
"Without the help of system tasks, it seems I can only kill people, but I can't capture them alive!"
Thinking of this, Xiu, who had just experienced a strange encounter, decisively changed her tune.
"Ah Fei, you're coming with me. And bring a rope with you."
Afei nodded, and without hesitation tore off a piece of the curtain, twisted it into a rope, and hung it around his waist.
Showing off her extraordinary encounter, she glanced admiringly at Afei's exceptional execution skills before opening the focus list and activating a feature she rarely used before - adding a focus target.
After adding Bai Xiaosheng and Xin Jian to the game and showing off their adventures, he took A Fei out to search for them again.
Adding a focus target is so convenient; before you even notice their names when you share your adventure, the focus target has already indicated your location.
Following the clues, the person who had the adventure arrived near the target.
There was still no one here.
But having learned from his experience, he now knows about the existence of the Shaolin Temple's secret passage.
"They must be in the secret passage right below us!"
"How about I go back and ask Abbot Xinhu for a map of the secret passage, and find the nearby entrance on the map?" Afei sincerely suggested.
Showing off his extraordinary encounter, he shook his head and gave a mysterious smile.
"No need, I have a better way."
As she spoke, she opened her backpack and took out the Celestial Immortal Manual that Ye Gucheng had given her at the beginning.
Click to use.
The Celestial Immortal skill naturally replaced her original skill bar.
She pulled out the dragon carp from her unexpected encounter, her eyes shining as she looked at the ground beneath her feet. She still remembered the scene when she first tested the "Flying Immortal from Beyond the Heavens" skill.
Besides being useful for traveling, this trick is also great for digging holes.
"A celestial being descending from the heavens!"
As the skill announcement ended, a huge crater appeared on the ground.
Showing off his extraordinary encounter, he peeked out and discovered that he was still a little short of breaking through the secret passage. Without hesitation, he once again unleashed his Heavenly Flying Immortal technique.
"Boom!"
With a loud bang, and as dust fell from the sky, the original crater was completely pierced.
Afei curiously craned his neck to look inside.
There, Xin Jian and an old man were huddled to one side, dusting themselves off. The old man must be the all-knowing scholar who had shown off his extraordinary encounter but couldn't find it anywhere.
"They're down there!" Afei exclaimed excitedly.
Startled awake by his voice, Xin Jian and Bai Xiaosheng immediately tried to run into the secret passage.
Unfortunately, no matter how fast they are, they can't outrun a celestial being descending from the heavens.
This skill, which had always been used to speed up travel and dig pits by showing off adventures, has finally revealed its true power.
With a single move, under the shroud of sword light, Xin Jian and Bai Xiaosheng fell to the ground.
"Huh?" Showing off her unexpected encounter.
"Is he dead?"
He quickly jumped down the secret passage and had just reached Xin Jian's side when he saw him suddenly throw out a handful of black sand.
This time, thanks to a timely click, Nie Yun escaped the red frame, dodging the sneak attack from the Heart Mirror. However, before Nie Yun's skill could cool down, a cold arrow flew from another direction, piercing straight into her heart.
"careful!"
Afei exclaimed in surprise, severing Bai Xiaosheng's wrist with a single sword strike, then anxiously turned to look at Xiu Chuqiyu.
"How are you? Are you alright?"
Showing off his unexpected encounter, he noticed his health bar had dropped by half, and casually checked his character status. Finding no negative status effects, he shook his head.
"I'm fine."
As he spoke, he looked at Xin Jian and Bai Xiaosheng, whose legs had been broken by the celestial being.
"Their legs are broken, no wonder they only dare to ambush but don't run away."
After glancing at their health bars, Xiuchuqiyu confidently finished them off with a Sword Break. Seeing their health bars drop by more than half again, leaving only a sliver of health, Xiuchuqiyu nodded in satisfaction.
“They should be powerless to fight back now. Afei, go and tie them up, let’s go back to find Abbot Xinhu.”
They each dragged one back to Abbot Xinhu's place. As soon as they entered, they attracted everyone's attention.
It's simply because the way they appeared was rather terrifying.
A beautiful woman was dragging a rope made from a window curtain, behind which was tied a ragged, blood-soaked person. The person's hair was disheveled and face was obscured, but judging from their breath alone, it was clear that they were both nearing their end.
Such a scene is extremely rare at Shaolin Temple.
Recalling the way he first met Xiu and experienced the extraordinary encounter, Abbot Xinhu closed his eyes and tried to keep his voice calm.
"What is this, benefactor?"
Showing off her extraordinary encounter, unaware of what others were thinking, she spoke in a lighthearted tone.
"He's Master Xinjian? Don't you know Abbot Xinhu?"
He then pointed to the one that Afei was dragging: "This is Bai Xiaosheng, you should have met him before."
"What?"
Abbot Xinhu was utterly shocked!
Although Xiuchu had mentioned before leaving that he would help him find the book thief, Abbot Xinhu never expected it to happen so quickly.
Is another 15 minutes since she left?
He walked quickly to Xin Jian, and Abbot Xin Hu removed the cloth covering his face, revealing that Xin Jian was indeed under the cloth.
Unlike his previous vibrant self, Xin Jian was now covered in dust and dirt, his clothes were all torn, his leg was broken, and he was on the verge of death.
Ah Fei's "Hundred Knowledgeable Scholar" isn't much better than "Heart Insight."
He even had one less hand than Xin Jian.
Abbot Xinhu shifted his gaze to Xiu Chuqi's face and asked curiously.
"How could they be like this?"
“Oh,” Showing off his adventures explained casually, “They were hiding in a secret passage, and since I didn’t know the entrance, I just violently broke through the ground. Maybe they couldn’t dodge in time, which is why they got all covered in dirt?”
"As for their wounds," Showy said nonchalantly, "I inflicted them, so they wouldn't have the strength to escape."
"I cut off Bai Xiaosheng's hand; he attacked me from behind," Afei explained succinctly.
Abbot of Xinhu: "..."
Although he hated Xin Jian for colluding with outsiders to betray Shaolin, he looked so miserable that even Abbot Xin Hu couldn't be angry with him anymore.
With a sigh, Abbot Xinhu looked at Xinjian.
"If you had known this would happen, why did you do it in the first place?"
Xin Jian was in excruciating pain, but upon hearing Abbot Xin Hu's words, he couldn't help but let out a cold snort.
"The victor is king, the loser is villain. You only won because you had someone helping you. What right do you have to say such things to me?"
"If it weren't for this female fiend's intervention, you would be dead under my blade tonight."
Master Xinshu, who had been standing to the side, could no longer contain himself. Hearing Xinjian spouting nonsense, he couldn't help but curse.
"Do you have any conscience at all? If it weren't for the abbot taking you in back then, where would you be today?"
"Not only has he colluded with outsiders to betray Shaolin, but he has also tried to kill his fellow disciples. What has Xinmei done to offend you that you would kill him so cruelly?"
Xin Jian's voice lowered as he was scolded by Xin Shu. Forgotten memories resurfaced.
"He did nothing wrong to me. It's just that he was too smart and perceptive and discovered that someone was hiding in the secret passage."
"In order to keep the secret, and also to frame someone else for stealing the manual, I had no choice but to kill him to silence him."
"You!" Master Xinshu exclaimed in anguish, "How could you have become like this?"
"You have the authority to access the resources and scriptures of Shaolin Temple, so why did you collude with outsiders to steal the secret manuals?"
"There's no way around it, lust is a double-edged sword."
Lu Xiaofeng's voice came from outside the door. Everyone turned around and saw him walking in, holding a beautiful woman in his arms.
The beauty had a serene expression, skin as white as jade, and a slender figure; she was so beautiful she seemed unreal. She was none other than Lin Xian'er, the most beautiful woman in the world.
Her appearance was like a ray of light, illuminating the originally dim meditation room.
Those present shifted their gaze from Lin Xian'er to Lu Xiaofeng.
Before Abbot Xinhu could even ask what he meant by his previous words, Xinjian suddenly burst into a tirade of curses.
"You bitch! How dare you betray me?"
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