Spare Me, Great Lord

The ferry crossing, once known as the Spring Breeze Crossing, was renamed Wuyi Crossing thirty years ago after a destitute scholar passed through here and went on to become the top scholar in the imperial examinations. He later entered the central court, rising to the rank of prime minister, and took on the title of the Wuyi Scholar.

A mere hundred paces from the crossing stood the Wuyi Inn. It was an ordinary inn, and if not for the occasional high-ranking official from the imperial court staying here, this remote place nestled between mountains and rivers might not see a single customer for a month or two.

Shen Li tossed the horse feed into the crude stable and dashed into the back kitchen. The cook was a woman with a slender waist and perky buttocks. From behind, she would undoubtedly make any man’s heart itch with desire. Unfortunately, half of her face seemed to have been scorched by a great fire, resembling a sinister blue-black demon.

“Fed the horses?” she asked.

“Do you still doubt me, good sister?”

“Go to the front hall and serve carefully.”

With a water jug in hand, the young man put on a beaming smile and merrily addressed the guests in the front hall as “sir” with a honeyed tongue. Some noticed his handsome features and tall, slender figure, thinking that if he weren’t in this remote wilderness, he could easily be mistaken for a young master from a wealthy family in the capital.

“Boy! You’ve got a way with words. Hearing you call me ‘sir’ makes my heart feel at ease.”

“Hehe, thank you for your praise, sir.”

“What’s your name?”

“Shen Li, as in the ‘li’ of carp.”

“What’s your relation to the innkeeper?”

“She’s my elder sister.”

“You siblings are doing business in this remote wilderness. Aren’t you afraid of bandits raiding your place? Or perhaps, you are the bandits?!”

Shen Li cautiously poured hot water for the most esteemed elder in the group, and the aroma of tea instantly filled the air. The elder secretly sighed at the crude mountain tea, yet it still tasted delightful even after four steeps.

When he reached the donkey-faced middle-aged man who had questioned him, Shen Li smiled while holding the water jug, “No need to fear. In recent years, the military of our Great Wu has swept through the nearby mountains, and the outlaws and bandits have long been eradicated. My sister and I have slender arms and legs. If we were truly bandits, you could easily kick us to death with one foot, sir.”

The middle-aged man glanced at the elder from the corner of his eye, noticing that he was preoccupied with drinking tea and seemed unaware of the inn’s peculiarities. Suppressing his murderous intent, he asked, “You have a point, kid. Let me ask you, did a group of foreigners pass through Wuyi Crossing about half a month ago?”

“Foreigners?” Shen Li scratched his head. “Yes! Their accents were definitely not from Great Wu. They must have been barbarians from the northern countries.”

“Where did they go?” The middle-aged man stared intently at Shen Li.

Shen Li was startled. “They... they went in the direction of Woxia Temple.”

“Woxia Temple.”

All sixteen or so people in the inn silently repeated the three words “Woxia Temple.”

There’s a saying that goes, “In the Southern Dynasty, there are four hundred and eighty temples, among the misty towers and terraces.”

Woxia Temple, in the land of Great Wu where the worship of Buddhism flourished, could be counted among the top three revered temples.

In ten days, on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, it will be the Buddha’s birthday.

The abbot of Woxia Temple had announced half a year ago that the entire temple would spare no effort in hosting this grand event, with the temple’s supreme and wondrous Xiang Lu Wan medicine as the prize.

“Smack!”

He slammed the table heavily. “Boy, don’t just stand there like a fool. Quickly go to the kitchen and tell your sister to serve the food promptly. We need to fill our stomachs before hitting the road.”

“Yes, yes, yes.” Shen Li humbly took the water jug and trotted back to the rear kitchen.

Sitting beside the elder with a teacup in hand, he whispered, “My lord, I can’t help but feel that something isn’t right. You heard what the young servant said. What if...”

“With you, a fourth-rank Vajra from the Bug-Catching Department, can’t you ensure my safety?” The elder’s expression remained unchanged as he savored his tea. “Moreover, in the territory of Great Wu, those northern barbarians dare not act recklessly!”

This donkey-faced man was Pang Hu, a fourth-rank Pacification Commissioner from the Bug-Catching Department of the Southern Wu’s spy agency. According to the martial arts realm classification in the jianghu, he was also a genuine fourth-rank Vajra warrior.

“My lord, it’s not that I’m overly suspicious, but this journey is truly crucial. We must be cautious and on guard!”

“The tea is not bad.” The elder remained calm and unconcerned.

“Taking advantage of the Buddha’s birthday celebration at Woxia Temple to meet with the envoy from the Shu Kingdom, few in the court are aware of this. Besides, if the northern barbarians dare to set up an ambush, wouldn’t poisoning the tea and food be killing two birds with one stone?”

“...”

Pang Hu was momentarily speechless. He had carefully inspected every corner of the inn, including secretly observing the half-face-burned innkeeper and the young servant, but found no signs of any impropriety.

He had even drunk a cup of tea himself to ensure its safety before allowing the elder to drink it.

Dejectedly returning to his seat, he urged impatiently for the food to be served quickly.

Outside the inn.

Someone arrived without a sound.

“Wang Chunfu, the Minister of Rites praised for his majestic and vigorous demeanor, as well as his upright and unyielding character, is avoiding the main roads and taking the back routes. Could it be that he’s engaged in some shady dealings?”

The man pulled down his conical hat to conceal his face. His clothes were dark green and coarse, and he appeared travel-worn. His words dripped with sarcasm.

Pang Hu couldn’t discern the martial arts realm of the newcomer. He quickly stepped in front of the elder, his eyes flicking, and the Bug-Catching Department’s members immediately understood, forming layers of protection around the elder. Wang Chunfu was greatly shocked that this person could directly identify his identity. However, he believed that Pang Hu and the others could protect him, and he secretly had high-level experts covertly lurking nearby, so he suppressed his shock.

He simply laughed and said, “Where this official goes has nothing to do with you jianghu people. Don’t think that just because Great Wu’s control over the jianghu is rather lax, you can disregard the supreme ruler and the court. Suppressing you lot is just a matter of a word from the supreme ruler. Quickly scram, don’t make a fool of yourself and lose your dog life.”

“Heh, Minister Wang, oh Minister Wang, what if I don’t know my place?” the conical hat man retorted coldly.

Wang Chunfu replied indifferently, “This official wants to see what you’re capable of!”

“As expected of the Minister of Rites, even in this bird-shit mountain and river crossing, you’re still sharp-tongued. It’s just that I am not under the jurisdiction of your Southern Wu.”

The conical hat man’s words were full of disdain.

“I am Left Pu of Northern Sui.”

Pang Hu was on high alert, mustering his full attention. The name Left Pu of Northern Sui was resounding! In recent years, enthusiasts in the northern jianghu had ranked martial artists based on their strength, and Left Pu had made it onto the list, ranking tenth.

Upon hearing that the visitor was Left Pu, the well-preserved Wang Chunfu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he had thought of something, and he frowned as he glanced towards the rear kitchen.

Suddenly, the spring rain started. The rain’s momentum changed from gentle and delicate to swift and urgent. In an instant, the inn by the crossing was swaying in the wind and rain.

Shen Li peeked out to observe the situation in the front hall, full of interest. “Good sister, these fools have drunk my Lu Hua Nong. They’ll soon suffer greatly.”

Taking the stamens of nineteen kinds of poisonous flowers and grinding them into a paste, colorless and tasteless, it was named Lu Hua Nong.

The woman sighed softly, “Clouds long for the clothes, flowers long for the face; the spring breeze brushes the railing, Lu Hua Nong is thick. Not only were you born with the body of a Vajra and Nagaraja, but are you also a banished immortal poet?”

He chuckled, “Just casually made it up, casually made it up.”

“Still pretending with me? Master Jingjie was right. You have an ingenious heart and the talent of eight dou.”

Shen Li playfully said, “I have already been envied by the heavens, and my life will not last long. If I fail to seek life, good sister, you must write on my tombstone: Possessing the talent of eight dou, drinking the regret of ten thousand hu.”

“Shut up! Nonsense!!”

“Since Left Pu of Northern Sui has shown himself, those secretly protecting Wang Chunfu should be getting restless.” She nimbly exited through the rear kitchen window.

Once again confirming that there was a hidden mechanism beneath the Wuyi Crossing, she vanished into the water like a ghost.

Pang Hu sensed something. “I’ll deal with Left Pu. You all quickly go to the rear kitchen and kill whoever you see!”

The Bug-Catching group was confused, but facing a great enemy, they still followed orders and turned to kill their way to the rear kitchen.

Just then, the Lu Hua Nong took effect, and they immediately collapsed in pain, their formation crumbling.

Wang Chunfu was sweating like rain, his internal organs feeling as if they were being hacked by axes and halberds.

Even Pang Hu, with his Vajra warrior’s body, found the pain unbearable.

“The tea was poisoned!!”

“Damn it!”

Pang Hu’s donkey face turned ashen with anger as he cursed.

“Choosing a secluded dwelling, delighting in the wild feeling; all year round, neither sending off nor welcoming. Sometimes directly ascending to the lonely peak; under the moon, parting the clouds and letting out a howl.”

Without waiting for the Bug-Catching group to kill their way to the rear kitchen, Shen Li strolled out with his hands behind his back, reciting poetry, appearing carefree and aloof, with the air of a banished immortal.

Pang Hu glanced at Left Pu, who hadn’t taken a single step from the doorway, then at Shen Li, who was playing tricks. He couldn’t help but angrily shout, “Little bastard, how dare you poison the tea? I’ll flay you alive!”

Shen Li laughed. “How is it? The taste isn’t bad, right?”

“What are you waiting for? Kill him!” Pang Hu didn’t dare to act rashly.

Left Pu was as steady as Mount Tai, his gaze sweeping towards Shen Li.

The young man was even more calm and composed than him in the face of this situation.

Star Constellation Sect, the assassin organization spanning north and south, had an exceptionally formidable young man with a natural Vajra body.

He couldn’t help but become even more curious about that horrifying-looking woman. His friend had said that the young man with the natural Vajra body had always followed Pojun, one of the seven great assassins of the Star Constellation Sect.

Shen Li swept a smiling glance at the motionless Left Pu and made a hand seal. “The people from the north have put down quite a bit of money, to be able to request the tail of a top ten expert of Northern Sui like you to move.”

Left Pu laughed. “A friend’s enthusiastic invitation is hard to refuse. Everything has been arranged anyway, so it’s like touring the mountains and playing in the water.”

“Quite the touring and playing.”

As they spoke, Shen Li’s move had already been set.

He lightly commanded.

“Four Duty Officers!”

Four mechanical men over a zhang tall, clad in armor and wielding sharp weapons, nimbly and agilely yet fiercely and mightily crashed through the walls and barged into the inn, their speed so fast that it made everyone click their tongues.

The talismans attached to the mechanical men shone with brilliant light, dazzling and resplendent, like deities from the heavens.

On a daily basis, apart from practicing Daoist life-nurturing techniques, Shen Li had also flipped through many texts on mechanical arts in the Star Constellation Treasury. These Four Duty Officers were mechanical men created using Daoist god-summoning techniques as a foundation, taking a different path.

Pang Hu knew he couldn’t delay any longer. He picked up Wang Chunfu, who was sweating beads of yellow sweat from the pain, and with his other hand tightly gripping a single saber, he suddenly charged straight ahead, forcing Left Pu to retreat step by step.

After all, he was a fourth-rank Pacification Commissioner from the Southern Wu’s Bug-Catching Department, a genuine Vajra warrior. His realm and even his moves were extremely solid.

Shen Li breathed slowly, mobilizing his internal energy.

The Bug-Catching group that had been poisoned by Lu Hua Nong didn’t need him to take action. They were scattered in all directions by the assault of the Four Duty Officers.

He also wasn’t worried about Pang Hu escaping on horseback with Wang Chunfu. When feeding the horses earlier, he had tampered with the horse feed. At this moment, the horses were already dying one after another.

Without a fast horse, how could a fourth-rank Vajra warrior escape while carrying an old man who couldn’t even truss up a chicken?

Left Pu, seeing the mechanical men who had finished killing the Bug-Catching group, said in amazement, “The Four Duty Officers are a mechanical art of our Daoist sect that has long been lost. How do you know how to make them?”

Shen Li didn’t answer.

Unable to find a single good and fast horse, Pang Hu put down Wang Chunfu and said through gritted teeth, “Little brat, today I will definitely flay you alive a thousand times.”

The woman who had infiltrated the Wuyi Crossing emerged from the water, her clothes clinging to her graceful figure, further accentuating her curves and the frightening half of her face.

She sensed a faint and elusive energy in the water. After searching around in the water for a while, she found nothing. There were no high-level experts secretly protecting Wang Chunfu.

Left Pu chuckled lightly, confidently saying, “Here they come.”

Everyone present felt a vast energy rushing towards them in a flash.

She sighed softly and was the first to look towards the northern mountains and forests...

A monk with a bare chest, carrying a lifeless corpse.

“This poor monk is Hengwu from Woxia Temple, here to escort Lord Wang, the Minister of Rites.”