ragginovel Chapter 576 Snowstorm at Shaoshi Mountain (Part 2)
Chapter 576 Snowstorm at Shaoshi Mountain (Part 2)
Chapter 576 Snowstorm at Shaoshi Mountain (Part 2)
"Master Jifu truly lives up to his reputation as the head of the Bodhidharma Academy. Even with such a rudimentary palm technique as the Weituo Palm, you were able to unleash such terrifying power. It is truly admirable."
A moment later, another masked man stepped forward and came before Ji Fu.
The aura emanating from this person was completely different from that of the masked man who had suffered a loss in their palm strike earlier.
Although this man was only thirty-five or thirty-six years old, the majesty and confidence emanating from his refined features, and the composure and imposing presence that naturally flowed from his speech and manners, were incomparable to the impetuous fellow from before.
“Amitabha, since you recognize this old monk, you must be a person of some standing in the martial arts world…” Ji Fu could not possibly respond to the other party’s praise at this moment. What he had to do was to try his best to negotiate with the other party and save as many lives as possible. “You have done such a thing today. Aren’t you afraid that if it is exposed in the future, your family’s foundation built up over many years will be destroyed in an instant?”
This statement is risky, but it is indeed the best negotiation proposal that Jifu can offer under the current circumstances.
Master Jifu was indeed quick-witted. The moment the masked man called him by his Dharma name, he immediately realized that the other party was most likely a fellow martial artist he had dealt with before, for three reasons:
First, Master Jifu has never announced his Dharma name since he rushed out.
Secondly, the monastic robes worn by Master Jifu were not unique; all monks who reached a certain level wore them.
Third, the palm technique that Master Jifu just used was only a basic palm technique that most Shaolin monks had practiced—the Weituo Palm.
Considering these three points, even if the other party could try to guess his identity based on his skill and age, the range would not be small. After all, there are so many heads and managers in the Shaolin Temple, including the One Pavilion, Two Halls, Three Courtyards and Four Palaces, plus some unappointed masters of the Ji generation. How could an outsider be sure that the one who struck this palm was definitely you, Ji Fu?
Having figured this out, the next step for Ji Fu is to try and guess the other party's identity...
In today's martial arts world, it's hard to say whether there are any organizations or forces that can gather so many masters "secretly," or how many there are... It's impossible to say, and there's no way to discuss it. In any case, there are only a few "openly."
Among them, the most famous should be "True Hero Hall".
However, the True Hero Hall has always represented "martial arts justice," and they have no reason to attack Shaolin. Even if they did come, they would never do something like hiding their identities by wearing masks, since many of them are too famous. Once these people use their unique skills, their identities will be immediately exposed.
Of course, there's an even simpler reason: the youngest members of the True Hero Hall are all approaching sixty, which doesn't match the age of the masked men in front of them at all.
Then there's the former "Two Great Manors Under Heaven," Shendao Manor.
As you can probably tell from the word "once," this option is unlikely to be available.
Originally, after the destruction of Wujian Villa, only Shendao Villa remained of the "Two Villas Under Heaven". The prestige of the villa master, Song Wudi, was unparalleled and he could command a large following. He was vaguely regarded as the leader of the Northern Martial Arts World.
However, not long ago, when the power of Shendao Manor reached its peak since its establishment, Manor Lord Song suddenly announced that he would retire from the martial arts world.
At first, everyone thought he was just "going through the motions," seemingly retiring while actually stepping down to the second line to hand over the position to his daughter, Song Zhixiu. He himself would probably still be assisting her, which could be considered as preparing for a smooth transition.
Unexpectedly, at the "Golden Basin Washing Hands Ceremony," Song Wudi announced that he would disband the Divine Blade Manor, all his retainers would leave, and he and his family would not stay. In the future, the manor would be donated to the local government, and whether they demolished or sold it was none of his business. Song Wudi would retire to the countryside and no longer concern himself with any matters of the martial world. As for his daughter, if she wanted to travel the martial world on her own in the future, he would not interfere.
This incident caused an uproar in the martial arts world.
On the day Song Wudi washed his hands of the martial arts world, many of the allies of Shendao Manor and many martial arts masters who were on good terms with Master Song found it hard to believe after hearing about his future plans. However, seeing that Master Song was determined to leave and did not seem to have any difficulties, no one dared to say or ask any more questions... let alone try to persuade him.
Ultimately, in this world of martial arts, if someone can leave peacefully and safely in the end, as their friend, you shouldn't stop them.
Of course, as we imply in the book, Song Wudi actually had his own "difficult reasons," and these reasons had been there for more than just a day or two. He had no choice but to relinquish a heavy "responsibility" and choose to spend the rest of his life with his family in peace.
This "responsibility" that he has silently borne for many years is something that most people in the martial arts world are unaware of.
However, we shouldn't go into the details of this matter now. In a later chapter, there will be a section titled "The Three Questions of the Hunyuan Sword to Song Wudi," which will mention some things that happened between Song Wudi and Lin Yuancheng on the night he washed his hands of the Golden Basin. We'll leave that aside for now.
Continuing on, an organization that can gather so many experts, and one that is openly known to everyone... After eliminating the first two, "Yuxiu Manor" becomes a suspect.
Now, let's talk about the young master Meng Qi. His ancestors were also relatives of the emperor, but by his grandfather's generation, they basically had no titles or ranks left. However, they still had money and power... a lot of it.
So his grandfather invested all these resources into the "martial arts" field and quickly became a powerful figure in the region.
Seeing this, many people are probably already thinking: Isn't this just like Chai Jin, the Little Whirlwind?
Yes, that's it.
In short, by the time it reached Meng Qi's generation, "Yuxiu Manor" had become a well-known force in the martial arts world. However... compared with other prestigious sects, Yuxiu Manor had a major problem - it did not have its own martial arts lineage.
In the martial arts world, even a low-level sect that only knows one type of martial art, and even that is a third-rate one, still has a "lineage"; even Xiao Zhun's "exchanging swords with swords" model also has a lineage, because his Wujian Villa also has its own unique martial arts.
However, Meng Qi's Yuxiu Manor only has a manor owner who has been passed down through generations and a constant stream of retainers. There is no so-called "Yuxiu Manor martial arts", let alone any master-disciple relationship.
For this reason, Ji Fu believed that the group of masked men whose martial arts style he couldn't even understand were likely from Yuxiu Manor.
Furthermore, the masked man speaking to him at this moment possessed an extraordinary air about him, and his physique and age were very similar to Meng Qi's. That's why Master Jifu uttered that ambiguous second half of his statement, attempting to trick the other party.
The phrase "a family's years of hard work destroyed in an instant" can be interpreted differently by people in different situations, depending on whether the person in question will take it personally; and what if the other party is actually fooled? Then wouldn't Jifu have room for negotiation?
After all, the other side should also know that Shaoshi Mountain is so big and there are so many Shaolin disciples. Whether they are hiding or running away, there will definitely be survivors today. Even if you find thousands of soldiers to surround the mountain, you can't say that not a single one will escape. Let alone these few dozen people. If they are really 100% confident that they can kill everyone today, who are they trying to fool with their masks?
Therefore, Ji Fu believed that using the possibility that "the other party's identity may have been discovered" as a breakthrough point to negotiate with the other party might give him a chance to repel the enemy.
Upon hearing this, the masked man couldn't help but praise Ji Fu once again.
“Master, not only is your martial arts superb, but your wisdom is also extraordinary. I only said one sentence, and you have thought of so much.” The masked man then said, “But, I can say this… No matter who you think I am, no matter if your guess is right or wrong, it doesn’t matter; firstly, you have no evidence, and you are about to die; secondly, even if you do find a way to prove my identity and make this news public, I will have other countermeasures.”
These words extinguished even the last glimmer of hope for Ji Fu.
"Amitabha..." As Ji Fu recited this, he began to circulate his energy for the second time, and this time, he used a different method. "Since you are so stubborn, there is no need for further words... Set up the formation!"
He shouted those last two words so that the other monks behind him could hear them.
The Shaolin Arhat Demon Subduing Formation is supposed to be formed by eighteen people, but in reality, it doesn't matter much whether there are more or fewer people. As long as everyone understands the concept of the formation, they can set it up just the same. For example, you can have three people perform acrobatics in front and fifteen people behind to fight, and the effect of the formation will not be much different.
In an instant, the monks scattered swiftly through the snow, their figures flitting about, their staffs clashing, and in the blink of an eye, they formed an imposing and powerful wall of steel.
But the masked leader seemed to take the formation lightly; he simply raised his hand slightly and made a few strange gestures.
After he finished, the group of masked men behind him moved as ordered.
Most of them, including the one who had suffered internal injuries after the earlier exchange of blows, dispersed to both sides, bypassing the formation formed by Jifu and the group of martial monks, and rushed deeper into the temple to begin their slaughter.
Only two people remained, standing side by side with the masked leader.
The three of them did not wait long; after observing for a moment, they went to meet the enemy.
One of them was as still as a tiger crouching on a mountain, and as fierce as a beast running wildly. In a flash, he rushed to the front of the monks. His two large hands opened into claws, breaking the staff as if breaking a twig, and splitting the body as if tearing a piece of coarse silk. In the blink of an eye, he had killed several monks, leaving them with broken staffs and dead bodies.
The other, wielding a strangely shaped short knife, moved with unpredictable and elusive speed, advancing like lightning, his blade leaving no trace. As his blade flashed, crimson petals bloomed in the snow... Life rapidly perished in this red, falling helplessly into the cold white beneath his feet.
The masked man at the head of the group strolled leisurely forward, step by step. Every few steps, he would use the smallest movements to casually execute some basic punches and kicks. Yet, these simplest moves were deadly, and no one could stop them.
Within moments, the Arhat Subduing Demon Formation crumbled, and more than ten monks fell forever.
At this moment, Master Jifu, who had been silent for a moment, finally made his move and used his strongest technique - "One Finger Zen".
Unlike the previous Vajra Palm strike, which relied on profound skill and a burst of anger, Master Jifu had to use a special "Iron Finger Zen Force" to activate this skill, so he needed a certain amount of time to gather his energy.
This finger technique is the number one finger technique of Shaolin. It is one of the very few superior martial arts that does not require top-level internal energy to forcefully activate, but can injure people from a distance simply through specific internal skills and techniques.
Even though the three masked men might not be defeated by Jifu in a one-on-one fight, they did not overestimate themselves out of caution. Instead, they used their lightness skills to quickly disperse and form a triangular encirclement around Master Jifu.
Master Jifu's finger technique is based on using stillness to control movement, making it an advantageous technique for fighting multiple opponents. Unfortunately... the three people he faces today are simply too strong. Moreover, these three powerful individuals are cautious and restrained while surrounding him, which forces Master Jifu to not only consume more energy but also makes it difficult for him to hit his target with a single finger.
Finally, under the pressure of this encirclement and attack, Master Jifu gradually exhausted himself and finally revealed a weakness...
Fists, palms, and knives intertwined to form a deadly web, tightly enveloping him.
The first splatter of blood signaled that Master Jifu had lost the ability to resist, but the three masked men relentlessly attacked his still-standing body, as if afraid he would launch a desperate counterattack.
Gradually, the clothes of the three were covered and soaked with blood, and Master Jifu was also reduced to a motionless corpse lying on the ground.
Only then did they slowly stop.
The wind was still not strong.
The snow was still falling.
After a moment of silence, another figure emerged from the snow.
This was also a masked person.
He was dressed in a simple black robe, with a fair complexion and a slender build. Although he was only in his early forties, his temples were already gray.
He followed behind the masked men, seemingly waiting until they had finished killing the people in front of him before leisurely catching up.
"It took quite a while," the man in black said to the masked man at the head of the group as he approached.
“Master Jifu is one of the top three experts among the Ji generation. It’s always better to be careful. I don’t want anyone else to get injured and suffer for months because of overconfidence,” the masked leader replied.
At this moment, the masked man with the short knife next to him couldn't help but laugh: "Heh... that embarrassing thing about 'Bai' will probably keep you nagging about it for a year or two, young master."
"Hey, this isn't our own territory, why are you talking nonsense?" The masked leader, Meng Qi, didn't need to keep them in suspense any longer and immediately reminded the masked man with the short knife in a reproachful tone.
"Yes...it was my slip of the tongue." The man immediately stopped smiling and quickly lowered his head to admit his mistake.
"Alright, besides us, I don't see anyone else around here." The man in black then smoothed things over, walking forward through the snow as he spoke. "The three of you, come with me... let's go a few more steps in."