Following the sigh, a large and tall monk slowly walked in from outside the Qing-Yun Sect. He appeared to be walking very slowly, yet the speed at which he traveled was extremely fast, with a single gentle step easily covering a thousand feet. Within the blink of an eye, he’d already passed the sect doors and Yunyin Summit to head towards the Peak of Flying Stone. When his voice had first been heard, it sounded as though it came from outside the sect, but the speaker arrived in person before the sentence was even finished.
Throughout the process, Granny Qian from the Fuyao Palace had her hand frozen mid-air. As the voice rose, a peculiar feeling of danger had covered her like a curse, bringing fear to her and preventing her from continuing the strike; she knew if she continued with the blow, she would immediately be reduced to ashes.
Everyone in front of the cave looked on in astonishment towards the monk. He was nearly ten feet tall and had a wide body, yet was left with only skin and bone. His eyes and brows hung low and showed a calm appearance, and although there wasn’t any particular strong sense or Qi surrounding him, soon no one dared to speak at all.
"Me— Meat… Meat-Wine Monk?" someone let out a startled cry after a long while before quickly covering his mouth. The person who’d called out his name was precisely Xiao Jianming, who had seen this monk once before. When he’d been returning to the sect, his good friend Hou Guimen asked him to listen to a sermon at the Wind-Moon Temple, and the speaker at that time had been this Meat-Wine Monk. Back then, he needed to spend a hundred mid-grade Spirit Stones to even be eligible to enter the Wind-Moon Temple; what was such a mysterious and powerful master doing here now?
Xiao Jianming was full of questions, but he did not dare to ask. He had occasionally boasted about how he’d attended the sermons of the Meat-Wine Monk, but of course the monk himself didn’t know who he was.
"Meat-Wine Master, why are you here?" a soft voice rose up. It was Xuan Si’nyang, with an expressionless face and a tone of indifference. As she spoke, she took a step forward to stand between the Meat-Wine Monk and Granny Qian, and the frozen-solid Granny Qian immediately released a long sigh before nearly falling to the ground.
Fang Xing also struggled back to reality and away from the illusion of the sky falling upon him. He turned his head and was shocked at what he saw. ‘What’s this bald donkey doing here? Was he the one who saved me?’ he wondered, but he didn’t speak a single word; he simply blinked while quietly watching, as he felt the current atmosphere was a bit abnormal.
The Meat-Wine Monk did not look at anyone else, and it was only after he heard Xuan Si’nyang’s question that his lips began to move. "The reason Lady Fourth is here is the same reason this poor monk is here."
Xuan Si’nyang’s glare chilled. "Looks like the Spirit Mountain Temple has sensed the same thing."
"At the movement of the ancient coffin, the world is thrust into chaos," the Meat-Wine Monk calmly replied.
"Indeed so! Since I’m at the Qing-Yun Sect, and you just so happen to also make an appearance here, are you trying to stop me from making the Square Diagram of Jambu? Spirit Mountain Temple, are you sure you want to have the Fuyao Palace as your enemy?" Xuan Si’nyang answered coldly.
The Meat-Wine Monk showed a bitter smile. "You have misunderstood, Lady Fourth. If Fuyao Palace wishes to craft the Square Diagram of Jambu, then it is your freedom to do so. Of course, if we—the Spirit Mountain Temple—wished to craft the same Square Diagram, we would spare no effort, either. It just so happens that you are collecting the information through all the sects and powers within the area, while this poor monk here is collecting all of the information by walking through these mountains and rivers with his two legs. Although we share the same final goals, the method is different, and this would still be considered as us minding our own business."
Xuan Si’nyang was a little confused after seeing the monk’s genuine demeanor. "Then what is your purpose now?"
The Meat-Wine Monk released a sigh before suddenly pointing in one direction. "For him!"
The finger led towards Fang Xing picking his nose while still standing in front of the stone door to Bai Qianzhang’s cave. Seeing the Meat-Wine Monk pointing at him, Fang Xing immediately took his finger from his nose and straightened his back.
Xuan Si’nyang was surprised when she saw what he was pointing at. "You’re here for this kid?"
It was not just her, but everyone from the Qing-Yun Sect was surprised as well. The name of the Meat-Wine Monk was incredibly famous, as he was one of the most powerful masters of all Jambu. Not even Sect Master Chen Xuanhua was in a position to even qualify for friendship with him; why would such a character acquaint with a mere Spirit Stage boy?
The Meat-Wine Monk looked at Fang Xing once more and sighed. "Indeed. This poor monk is here precisely for him!"
This caused even more confusion for Xuan Si’nyang. "With your status, why are you looking for this child anyway?"
The Meat-Wine Monk bitterly smiled. "To pay him back!"
"With your status as a master, why would you owe this child anything?" Xuan Si’nyang sneered with a cold expression, her defensiveness rising once more.
The monk sighed again. "I do indeed owe him my repayment. Three days ago, when this poor monk was crossing the forest of the Taiheng Mountains and was starved to my wit’s end, I was fortunate enough to have this little fellow friend kindly offer me some meat and wine. He said at the time that since he offered this poor monk a meal, this poor monk should return compensation. This poor monk felt what he said was reasonable, but since I didn’t have a single silver on me and could not recite a sutra as my payment, I could only flee in a panic…."
The Meat-Wine Monk actually recounted exactly what had happened, greatly surprising Xuan Si’nyang and everyone else. A number of these people—Xiao Jianming included—even looked to Fang Xing as though the boy was an imbecile.
Xiao Jianming knew all too well how difficult it was to be able to listen to the sutras spoken by this Meat-Wine Monk; he himself had needed to pay a good hundred mid-grade Spirit Stones before he was eligible to enter the Wind-Moon Temple during the time of the monk’s sermon, after all. Yet this boy received such a great chance and had refused….
Fang Xing sensed the unfriendly looks sent his way by the people around him and he looked right back. He still didn’t speak his mind, however, as his thoughts were turning quickly to try to think of a way to use this monk to help him with the current situation.
Xuan Si’nyang laughed this time. "So, seeing how the master is here, you must have prepared the money for him?"
The Meat-Wine Monk let out another sigh. "As for money, I still have none. However, as I was passing by the Qing-Yun Sect, I saw that this little fellow friend was in danger and decided to use this opportunity to pay him back. With this, my debt to him would be cleared!"
When Xuan Si’nyang finally understood what the Meat-Wine Monk was here for, her expression dropped and her voice turned stern. "After going in so many circles, it seems you are harboring ill intentions. Monk, by what you just said, are you planning on stopping me from knocking?"
The Meat-Wine Monk did not answer. Instead, he simply looked at Fang Xing.
Fang Xing was overjoyed and yelled out, "Big monk, if you help me this time, all our debts will be cleared!"
The Meat-Wine Monk smiled and turned to Xuan Si’nyang. "Lady Fourth, I believe you heard that?"
Xuan Si’nyang ground her teeth together as frost flickered in her eyes. "You really think I’ll believe the bullsh*t about you paying back some debt? Meat-Wine Monk, don’t you dare think I—Xuan Si’nyang—am easy to fool. I know your Spirit Mountain Temple would never send an eagle without catching sight of the hare, and you monks all stand wherever it is beneficial for you. Let me ask you, what is your relationship with the person inside this cave? Why are you trying to stop me from my visit?"
The Meat-Wine Monk shook his head. "This poor monk does not have any relationship with the person inside. As was said before, all of this is for the sake of paying back my debt."
Xuan Si’nyang still did not buy it, and the hatred in her heart only grew. "I will go in there today. Can you stop me?" she coldly exclaimed.
Surprised, the Meat-Wine Monk showed a bitter smile. "If Lady Fourth must go inside there today, how could this poor monk say she can’t?" This caused Xuan Si’nyang to relax slightly, but his following words caused her face to pale. "... But this poor monk will also return payment today, and if I am left with no other choice, then I can only kill you all." His expression was a little bit dull, but it gave his words a sense of sincerity as he began to explain a little further, "A dead person isn’t able to visit anyone, so this method may actually work."
With such words, not only did the faces of those from the Fuyao Palace drop, but everyone from the Qing-Yun Sect as well. Even Fang Xing—who was complacently watching the show from the side—was startled by this. ‘This big monk is a bit murderous!’
Xuan Si’nyang’s anger began to grow as she recovered from her surprise, and her murderous intent began to spike as she hatefully replied, "Monk, how dare you speak such arrogant words! Do you think you can kill me just because you say you can?"
The Meat-Wine Monk smiled faintly as he looked towards her. "Yes."
There was no trace of murderous intent in his look or smile, nor were there any skills used; the Meat-Wine Monk had simply said a single word: "Yes". However, that single word held in it an enormous amount of confidence and belief.
Xuan Si’nyang was pushed to the peak of her anger. Her palms began to shake as though she was going to attack at any moment, only for someone to grab ahold of her wrist. It was Granny Qian who had by now regained her senses from the shock of the Meat-Wine Monk, and her face was darkened as she lightly shook her head towards Xuan Si’nyang, signaling not to start a physical altercation.
Although Xuan Si’nyang’s battle prowess was not low by any means, Granny Qian knew all too well that she was still too young to face this monk.
"Heh heh, alright, big monk," Xuan Si’nyang coldly spoke after a long while. "Seeing as how you’re so confident, have you already mastered the Diamond Sutra Form?"
The Meat-Wine Monk did not reply. He simply folded his hands together in a praying gesture without speaking a single word, showing silent affirmation.
Xuan Si’nyang’s complexion grew even more unsightly at this. She considered it for a while before finally saying, "Well, fine. This person might not be the one we of the Fuyao Palace had been searching for, anyway. If you want to protect that person, you will have to take on the anger of the entirety of that clan. Hopefully you’ll still be able to protect that person once the Jiang clan arrives from the eastern soil, as we Fuyao Palace were merely helping them search for that person’s whereabouts. I have already done everything within my power, so I won’t continue to involve myself with this matter any longer!" When she finished speaking, she waved her sleeve and turned to leave while everyone from the Qing-Yun Sect dejectedly watched on with the implication.
Faced with Meat-Wine Monk’s threat, the high and mighty Fuyao Palace revealed their intent to concede. "Sect Master!" Xuan Si’nyang suddenly paused and looked towards Chen Xuanhua. "I’m already bored of your place, so I shall return to the palace. Prepare the maps of the ten-thousand-mile radius for me, and I shall send someone from the Fuyao Palace to pick it up three months from now." She paused once more and coldly declared, "You’d best make sure all the landscapes are precise. If there are any mistakes, I cannot guarantee the Qing-Yun Sect won’t be annihilated."
This caused Chen Xuanhua to sweat quite a bit, and he hastily gave a polite bow. "Understood, Your Highness."
Without saying another word, Xuan Si’nyang began flying towards the Breakwater Grand Hall. The old women saw this and quickly began following close behind.
Elder Qin’nyao and Xiao Shanhe both looked at the remaining people, and—after some hesitation—they soon followed along towards the Breakwater Grand Hall as well. Sect Master Chen Xuanhua showed some hesitation as well, but he eventually gave a bitter smile, moved in front of the Meat-Wine Monk, and dropped to his knees with his body nearly flat against the ground. "Great master, please help…."
Hearing such words caused Fang Xing some surprise. He didn’t quite understand why the sect master had done this.
The Meat-Wine Monk replied, "I have already stopped the Fuyao Palace from interrupting your elder’s seclusion. Why is the sect master saying such a thing?"
Chen Xuanhua let out an even longer sigh before lowering his body even further. "Great master, you saved the life of Elder Bai, but now… I’d like to beg the great master to also help save the thousand lives of the Qing-Yun Sect…" he pleaded, his voice filled with grief.
The Meat-Wine Monk nodded. "Are you worried the Jiang clan of the eastern soil will send someone here once the news spreads?"