300 Internal Strength (1/2)

Chapter 300: Internal Strength

Translator: TransnEditor: Transn

Carrying a cinerary urn in his arms, Monk Lianye went unaccompanied into Rouge Forest. The crowd automatically parted a narrow walkway and bowed their heads in respect as he passed. Many machetemen held up their weapons, hoping that the holy monk could bless it.

The anger in Lianye did not diminish, but reproached himself for enjoying the this feeling of being held in high regard, even indulging in the fond memory of leaving home to become a monk.

He ha once been an infamous bandit in the Western Region. Lianye had killed, robbed and stopped at nothing until he was cornered by his enemies. He had sought refuge in Four Truths Temple and had converted to Buddhism under his senior, Lianhua's, influence.

He was a tiger beside Master Lianhua. Although he possessed a heart of Buddhism, his claws still remained.

With Lianhua gone, the claws of the rash monk gradually lost their steel.

The thought of revenge tormented him to the point of insanity. It was like a tiger drawn to the scent of blood again, eager for the taste of fresh blood and the feeling of biting.

Dragon King had not arrived yet. Lianye walked up to the arena and placed his senior, Lianhua's, cinerary urn respectfully at the side. He then sat cross-legged and began chanting quietly as if there was no one around.

It was as though a sacred halo was radiating from the fierce-looking and brusque monk. Everyone thought they heard a low chanting voice. Devout believers knelt down first. More and more people joined in the worshipping crowd, making the others who were still standing feel uneasy, as if they were committing some offense. They too, knelt down involuntarily.

This was the scene that Gu Shenwei and his entourage were greeted by when they arrived at Rouge Forest.

”Things don't look so good.” Lin Xiaoshan, the macheteman, was slightly worried, ”This is just a competition organized by several wealthy organizations. Dragon King ... It's alright if you don't want to participate.”

” Go about your business.” Gu Shenwei would never run away at the last moment. The military counselor, Fang Wenshi, reminded him, in order to win the hearts of people and unite all forces to fight against Golden Roc Fort, he needed to be the exact opposite of what Supreme King was.

”Fair, honest and magnificent.” Gu Shenwei muttered these strange words while contemplating whether there were any loopholes in today's plan.

Lin Xiaoshan bowed to accept the order and quickly disappeared into the crowd.

Dragon King's arrival caused a stir among the crowd, like ripples in the ocean. The people who had knelt stood up once again and gave way to a much wider pathway. They stretched their necks and tiptoed so as to catch a glimpse of Dragon King's real appearance.

”He's really young.” Most of them shared the same first impression, before speculating about his sickly appearance. ”Look how weak he is. I doubt he'll be able to block a punch from the holy monk.”

Gu Shenwei went to the stage and handed his sword and saber to Chu Nanping before going up the arena.

Lianye stood up and clasped his palms together. He muttered a few more words to the cinerary urn before turning to face Dragon King. There was nothing left of the Buddhist halo. Now, he was just a ferocious tiger with ruffled hair.

An old renowned macheteman said a few words on stage. He emphasized the purpose of ”meeting friends with martial arts, stopping when appropriate”. The spectators were tired of it. They had come to watch the duel between the holy monk and Dragon King. If there was no bloodshed or death, what was the point of watching?

This was the same group of people who had, after kneeling down to worship the ways of Buddhism, cheered at the sight of massacre.

Someone brought two sabers up to the stage and the old macheteman raised his voice to announce the start of the duel. Applause and cheers were heard from the spectators, as they surged forward.

Lianye took the wooden saber, broke it apart and threw it down the stage. He took off his sleeve and revealed his muscular right arm. This caused the spectators to cheer loudly again.

Gu Shenwei held the wooden saber in his hands. He could not muster that feeling of being true to life as he had during practice. Without the weight and chill of the steel, he felt his kung fu had deteriorated drastically.

Both of them stared at each other. No one wanted to make the first move. The spectators grew impatient and started to jeer.

”You shouldn't have killed Senior. You were indebted to him.” The audience could not hear a word as Lianye spoke softly.

Gu Shenwei had already explained everything that night and did not intend to repeat himself. So he replied, ”Do monks avenge by killing as well? It seemed like Master Lianhua's Breaking Obsession did not have an effect on you.”

Breaking Obsession was a scripture, which was written by Lianhua and his brother, Lianxin. Frequent reciting of the scripture could weaken the killing desire. Gu Shenwei had once fell victim to it. Lianye spent years reciting it, but his competitiveness and desire to excel was not so easily removed. Gu Shenwei rubbing salt on Lianye's wound only made him angrier. The monk let out a bellow before attacking.

The duel had begun. The excited yells of the spectators rustled the trees and caused the snow to fall.

However, they would be disappointed.

Many people still remembered the match between Killer Yang Huan and Sword Sacrificer Ye Silang a few years back. It had also happened in winter, with the entire Rouge Forest as the arena. The spectators suffered from the cold but saw nothing exciting. In the end, the killer carried the injured swordsman out of the forest.

This time, was an open duel. Everybody thought it would be a story worth spreading. The rash Monk Lianye had already proved his invincible body and Dragon King was known to kill without batting an eye. It should be an exciting fight.

But as they looked on, the monk had never made any more powerful moves apart from that roar. His pace was as slow as an old cow as though he was carrying a mountain. Even a child could easily avoid him.

However, Dragon King did not take this opportunity to attack. Instead, he squared his shoulders and merely brandished the wooden saber. He refused to approach the monk.

Both of them circled the arena a few times without making a single move. They did not even touch each other.

”What is this!” Finally, someone yelled discontentedly, ”I can put up a better fight if you let me go up.”

”Quick, go for it!” More and more people egged on.

Gu Shenwei had pushed all the blame for the past month of killings to Wildhorse. Although he no longer bore the hatred of the residents of Jade City, it also had its side effects: the fear of the real Dragon King was gone.

”Dragon King. Don't run!”