Shaolin Temple.
The Songshan Sect and the Sun Family returned in defeat, and within half a day, some began to realize something was amiss—where in the martial world had this "Jade Flute Mountain Treasure Vase Venerable" come from? Moreover, Tang Lici was a man of immense influence—how could he have been captured so easily? Besides, the forest was littered with weapons, yet how many had actually fought that day? Where had so many weapons come from? And though the surrounding trees were shattered, there was no trace of blood.
This "Golden Cicada Sheds its Shell" ploy was not only poorly executed but also glaringly obvious, as if deliberately leaving behind evidence to ensure everyone knew Tang Lici had already escaped along the way.
Tang Lici’s decision to head to Shaolin Temple was itself illogical. Escaping en route was far more reasonable than fighting his way all the way to the temple. Thus, when the martial world heard that Young Master Tang had vanished, the reaction was one of "as expected." With his reputation in ruins and becoming a target for all, wouldn’t it be natural for Tang Lici to flee in disgrace rather than march to his death at Shaolin Temple?
Yet, ten days later, deep in the night.
Before the main gate of Shaolin Temple.
A gentle evening breeze stirred as the solemn shadows of the stone carvings beside the gate stretched across the ancient flagstone path. The trunks of the old pines and cypresses stood motionless, only their tips swaying slightly. The surroundings were tranquil and serene, with nothing but the lingering scent of sandalwood in the quiet night—not even the chirping of insects.
A plain cloth shoe stepped silently onto the flagstones before the gate, pausing there for a moment without a sound.
Shortly after, the gate creaked open, and out strode a towering monk with a shaved head and a face framed by curly, bushy sideburns, hinting at some foreign ancestry. This monk was none other than Dabao Chanshi, who had once discussed Buddhist teachings with Pu Zhu and had traveled far and wide, guiding thousands toward virtue.
That night, it was Dabao Chanshi’s turn to keep watch. Fond of nature, he sat cross-legged by the gate, breathing in the natural air. Unexpectedly, during his midnight meditation, he sensed a faint disturbance—as if a guest had arrived.
Stepping outside, he found the area utterly deserted, as though nothing had ever been there.
Dabao Chanshi was no ordinary martial artist. Placing a hand on a pine tree, he attuned himself to the forest’s energy and opened his eyes wide—someone had indeed been here!
Not just anyone, but a master with controlled breath and nimble movements. This person had lingered for some time before suddenly vanishing. The flagstone path before the gate had no loose soil—but wait—
Dabao Chanshi spotted a faint shoe print in the sandy soil at the base of an old pine. Looking up, he saw a brocade bundle hanging from the tree, stained with blood. Leaping up, he snapped the branch bearing the bundle and carefully lowered it to the ground, gently unwrapping it.
Inside the bundle was a copy of The Three Character Classic .
One page had been torn out.
Dabao Chanshi frowned deeply. What was this? And what did it mean?
Scanning the surroundings, he noted that among the pines, only this one bore a hanging bundle. After inspecting the area thoroughly but finding nothing else amiss, he picked up the branch with the bundle and hurried back into the temple to report to Dahui Chanshi.
Dahui Chanshi, the monastery’s supervisor, had already retired for the night. Dabao Chanshi made his way to Dahui Chanshi’s quarters while ordering the patrolling Staff Monks to conduct a thorough inspection and remain vigilant against intruders. Especially the pine grove before the gate—who knew what other strange things might be hidden there? They needed to intensify their search.Just as Dabao Chanshi and Dahui Chanshi began examining the Three Character Classic and the thirty-six Staff Monks lit torches to search the woods outside the courtyard, Tang Lici silently entered the passageway of the stone tablet forest.
He wanted to see Pu Zhu.
Pu Zhu was close friends with Yu Konghou, who went by the alias Xifang Tao. After becoming abbot, Pu Zhu had confined himself within Shaolin Temple—an act that defied reason.
Yu Konghou must have arranged something for him.
To dismantle the scheme at Bodhi Valley's Drifting Brow Garden, Tang Lici needed to uncover what had truly happened to Pu Zhu.
The tablet forest was eerily silent. Normally guarded by Staff Monks, they had been summoned to the pine woods by Dabao Chanshi.
Tang Lici moved cautiously through the shadows of the tablet forest. Shaolin Temple had played a pivotal role in Li Shimin's campaign against Wang Shichong, earning them the privilege to maintain Monk Soldiers for self-defense. Unlike other temples, Shaolin housed not only formidable warrior monks but also a sizable contingent of temple guards. While not all guards were martial arts masters, their numbers were considerable—the Staff Monks in the pine woods being among them.
Past the tablet forest, Tang Lici advanced quietly.
The Scripture Storage Pavilion was a heavily guarded area of Shaolin, flanked by a row of monastic quarters housing both Buddhist scholars and martial arts experts. Proceeding with extreme caution, Tang Lici held his breath as he passed halfway through the quarters when he suddenly sensed something amiss.
He halted and slowly turned his gaze toward the quarters beside the pavilion.
Silence.
Not even the faintest sound of breathing.
Even if some quarters housed supreme masters whose breathing was nearly imperceptible, others were occupied by non-martial Buddhist monks. How could every room be deathly silent, where even a dropped pin would echo?
No guards outside the Scripture Storage Pavilion?
Were these quarters completely uninhabited?
Facing the row of silent, austere dwellings, Tang Lici took a deliberate step back.
Then, atop the Scripture Storage Pavilion—where no one should have been—a faint glow of candlelight appeared. Someone had climbed up and was now peering down, holding a candle. Unless Tang Lici retreated into the pavilion, his only option was to hide in the opposite quarters. After a brief hesitation, he chose the latter, slipping into the shadows of the monastic dwellings.
Shaolin's meditation quarters were simple structures built from neatly stacked stone blocks. He took cover beneath the eaves of the first room on the left.
A scent of flowers reached him.
In the cold, dark depths of night, amid the quarters beside Shaolin's Scripture Storage Pavilion, beyond the expected sandalwood, lingered a subtle floral fragrance.
According to intelligence from the Central Plains Sword Association, only four senior monks of the "Da" generation remained at Shaolin: Dahui, Dabao, Da Shi, and Da Cheng. These monks, originally Monk Soldiers, were all formidable martial artists. The "Miao" generation, devoted to Buddhist studies, currently comprised three monks: Miaozhen, Miaoxing, and Miaozheng.
The first room on the left should belong to the eldest of the "Miao" generation—Miaozhen Chanshi.
As Tang Lici stepped beneath the eaves, the half-open window of the silent quarters revealed Miaozhen Chanshi slumped cross-legged on his bed.
—That was clearly not a meditative or sleeping posture.
A chill ran down Tang Lici's spine. He moved forward a few steps. Next to Miaozhen's quarters was Miaoxing Chanshi's room. Miaoxing was absent, his whereabouts unknown.
But someone was inside.
An unexpected figure.
Plum Blossom Numerology.
Plum Blossom Numerology lay motionless across Miaoxing Chanshi's desk.Tang Lici stared at Plum Blossom Numerology's red outer robe—in the eyes of others, Tang Lici was Liu Yan's accomplice, the mastermind behind the Nine Hearts Pill, and the leader of Dissolute Shop—while Plum Blossom Numerology was one of the "Seven Cloud Traveling Guests," a renowned expert within Dissolute Shop.
Though Plum Blossom Numerology had been controlled by Xiao Hong's needles and later rescued by Azure Fall Palace, few in the martial world knew the full story. Moreover, after recovering from his injuries, he had left on his own, hardly forming any significant ties with the Central Plains Sword Association. Tang Lici and his allies knew Plum Blossom Numerology held a grudge against Yu Konghou, but outsiders were unaware.
And so now, Miaozhen was dead.
Miaoxing had vanished without a trace.
Plum Blossom Numerology had died in Miaoxing's quarters.
Tang Lici suddenly turned his gaze toward the row of monks' quarters outside the Scripture Storage Pavilion. The cold night and biting frost seeped into his bones, and even he was nearly convinced... that it was Tang Lici who had led the night raid, slaughtering the eminent monks of Shaolin Temple.
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