"Master? Just call me Monk!"

"Yes, Grand Monk!"

Half a day later, the two arrived at a town downstream. The town wasn’t large, with only a single, somewhat bustling street.

The street was lined with noodle shops, braised chicken stalls, and other common eateries.

The two picked a noodle shop and walked inside.

The customers who were eating paused, taken aback by the two who had just entered.

A monk and a Daoist!

Although Zhao Rui was a fake Daoist, his robe was real.

Such a strange pairing still caused everyone in the shop to turn and stare.

"Two bowls of noodles, with egg, tofu, and greens..."

"And a chicken leg, and a sausage! The all-meat kind."

"My Daoist friend, is it really appropriate to be eating a chicken leg in front of a monk?"

"You’re right, it isn’t. Waiter, I’ll have another..."

Zhi Sheng grabbed his arm and sighed. "I haven’t yet reached the realm where ’wine and meat pass through the gut, while Buddha remains in the heart’!"

"For a monk so young, your Martial Arts are incredible. I wonder, between you and Nun Lejing, who has the higher seniority?"

"Liao Jing?"

"In terms of seniority, she’s of my grand-disciple’s generation. However, we don’t stand on ceremony. The Sword Sect and the main Mount Emei sect don’t have a direct chain of command."

"Oh! So that’s how it is!"

Zhao Rui nodded and started chatting with him about things related to Mount Emei.

The monk seemed reluctant to discuss it. After a few brief replies, he changed the subject to Martial Arts.

Their mastery of Martial Arts was so profound that even their casual chitchat contained insights unattainable by ordinary people.

Most of the patrons in the restaurant were ordinary people. Unable to understand the technical jargon they were spouting, they quickly lost interest and went back to eating their noodles.

Most couldn’t understand, but one person did.

This person was sitting at an adjacent table. He carried a long saber on his back, one with a long, narrow hilt and an equally slender blade.

It bore a strong resemblance to a katana from East Woguo.

At first, his expression was relaxed, as he assumed Zhao Rui and his companion were just an ordinary monk and Daoist.

Or even fakes.

’What kind of Daoist openly eats a chicken leg and orders sausage in front of a monk?’

But when the two began discussing Martial Arts, oblivious to their surroundings, his expression turned grave and his narrow eyes narrowed.

A strange glint flashed in his eyes. He stood up, carried his noodle bowl over to Zhao Rui’s table, and spoke with a smile.

"Your insights into Martial Arts are truly profound. I am filled with admiration. I wonder if I might join your conversation?"

The man spoke stiffly, with a strange, unnatural accent.

Zhao Rui recognized the accent at once. ’An Eastern Barbarian.’

"Sorry, I’m not particularly fond of barbarians. Please leave."

Zhao Rui’s concise reply was remarkably blunt.

"How regrettable. I had thought the people of the great nation of Huaxia would be broad-minded, but I didn’t expect you to be so parochial. To be constrained by worldly concepts in a Martial Dao exchange is truly disappointing."

The Easterner’s face darkened at his words, and he couldn’t help but sneer.

"Oh? So you agree that you barbarians are in the wrong?"

"Not at all. Killing is unavoidable on the battlefield. I am merely a warrior; I don’t get involved in such things."

"Oh? Then how do you explain the Huaxia people you’ve killed?"

"You... Don’t spout such slander!"

The Easterner’s expression changed, and he immediately denied it.

"Hmm, you’re right. I was being too constrained by worldly conventions. A Martial Artist cultivates their heart; they should forge ahead and act on their true instincts. Enough talk!"

Zhao Rui said, smiling.

The Easterner relaxed upon hearing this. But just as he was about to speak again, he saw Zhao Rui raise his right hand, sending a bolt of True Qi shooting toward his forehead.

The Easterner’s pupils contracted. He tilted his body just enough to dodge the sudden finger strike.

Before he could right himself, Zhao Rui was already on his feet, striking with his palm.

The Easterner’s Martial Arts were impressive. He dodged again, twisting to send a palm strike of his own.

They exchanged a palm strike from a distance. Both men swayed, apparently evenly matched.

"Such an act! Don’t you feel you lack the decorum of a master?"

"I am following my Martial Dao’s true nature."

Zhao Rui sneered. He was all too familiar with the feigned morality of the Easterners.

’That’s just their national character,’ he thought. ’They’ll preach about principles when it comes to trivial matters, but when it’s time to kill and commit evil, all of it goes out the window.’

Zhao Rui wasted no more breath on him. He directly unleashed the Profound Yin Sword Pointing, aiming for the man’s vital points. Each move was vicious, radiating Demon Intent.

Enraged, the Easterner drew the long saber from his back and sent a wave of Sword Qi slashing through the air.

At this moment, he completely disregarded the other patrons in the restaurant.

The so-called grand principles he had just spouted vanished without a trace.

Zhao Rui grabbed a nearby dining table, holding it up to block the wave of Sword Qi and stop the attack.

At the same time, he pressed forward, not giving his opponent a chance to unleash more Sword Qi.

The two fought as they retreated, bursting out of the noodle shop and leaping directly onto the rooftops, continuing their battle all the way toward the barren outskirts of town.

The surrounding residents saw them and scattered in terror. Before long, police sirens began to wail.

In the wilderness, miles from the small town, Zhao Rui and the Easterner were locked in a fierce, deadlocked battle.

The Easterner’s strange Martial Arts were truly something else.

"Copying Flowing Ninja Swordsmanship: Thousand Crane Slash. Progress: 20%."

"Young Daoist friend, do you need me to step in? You look like you’re having a bit of a hard time!"

Zen Master Zhisheng brought one hand up in a prayer gesture and said with a smile.

"What’s the rush? I won’t keep you from your noodles for long."

"This man’s Demon Skill is impressive. I’d like to test it out myself!"

As it turned out, from the moment they had entered the noodle shop, Zhao Rui and the monk had sensed the aura of blood qi unique to the Demon Sect.

This aura was the remnant left behind by a bloodthirsty Demon Skill. It was extremely faint; if not for their unique Cultivation Techniques, even a Martial Dao master of equivalent cultivation would have had difficulty sensing it.

That was why the two of them had openly discussed profound Martial Arts in front of everyone—to attract their target’s attention.

"No need. I can handle him alone!"

Zhao Rui still wanted to copy the man’s Martial Arts, so he naturally didn’t want the monk to interfere.

"My Daoist friend, you seem to have quite the grievance against the Easterners. Have they done something wicked?"

Seeing that Zhao Rui wouldn’t let him interfere, the monk asked out of curiosity.

"You don’t know?"

"I have never left my mountain, so I am unaware."

Zhao Rui paused, taken aback. He then briefly explained how the Easterners were throwing Huaxia into chaos, causing immense suffering among the people and destabilizing the nation.

"Holy shit! Today, even this Buddha is feeling wrathful!"

Zhi Sheng bellowed and, without waiting for Zhao Rui to finish, leaped directly into the battle.

"Monk, you have no martial honor!"

Zhao Rui was exasperated. But since things had come to this, there was no reason to hold back. It was best to end this quickly and avoid any further trouble.

Given their level of cultivation, the Easterner was no match for them, even with his formidable Saber Technique—especially not when they were both attacking at once.

In just over a dozen moves, he was struck in the back by Zhao Rui’s palm, and blood began to pour from his seven facial orifices.

"Damn it! You bastards!"

Seeing that the two were merciless and bent on killing him, the Easterner was filled with bitter resentment.

’So what if I killed a few Huaxia people to practice my Demon Skill? What was the big deal?’

’What Martial Artist hasn’t killed anyone?’

"I’ll fight you to the death! Demon Ninja Asura Slash!"

The Easterner wiped the blood from his face and smeared it on his saber, causing the blade to immediately emit a red glow.

Then, the Easterner’s body suddenly moved like a marionette, his limbs twisting into unnatural positions.

"You had a trump card and didn’t use it sooner? Too late!"

Zhao Rui had no intention of giving him the chance to unleash his big move. He executed a Dipper Step, appearing in front of the man in an instant.

The Seven-Star Divine Palm erupted. The ferocious Seven Stars Power, amplified by his Divine Void Realm True Qi, slammed into the Easterner’s body with a thunderous impact.

It blew the man’s body to pieces.

Just then, a streak of red light shot out of the dead Easterner’s head, flying toward Zhao Rui with a WHOOSH.

"A Demon Sect fiend, just as I thought!"

Zhi Sheng threw his string of Beads, shattering the red light.

The red light attempted to corrupt the Buddha Beads, but after only a moment of contact, it was completely incinerated by the Buddha’s Light.

"Amitabha Buddha. Even at my great age, I still can’t control this fiery temper. What a sin, what a sin."

Zhi Sheng lowered his head and chanted the Buddha’s name, as if in repentance.

"Cut the act! You’re no saint of a monk."

Zhao Rui shook his head with a smile and bent down to pick up the man’s long saber.

Then, using his True Qi, he carved a message into the dirt: "Woguo spy, slaughterer of Huaxia people, deserves death!"

When he was done, he threw the long saber into the ground. The entire blade instantly sank into the earth, vanishing without a trace.

"Let’s go, Monk!"

"My Daoist friend, you and I are really starting to see eye-to-eye. Why don’t you join Mount Emei and become my junior brother? Then even the Liao Jing you mentioned wouldn’t be able to order you around."

"So that was your ulterior motive, Monk!"

"Haha! This monk has no tail, but I do have a pair of discerning eyes!"