Chapter 356: Chapter 177: Witch Venerable (2)

The Guest Monk was no fool. Seeing this, he turned to look at the woman.

"I’m also here as a tourist."

"The Buddha is merciful, and our gates are always open. If you two are thirsty or tired, the temple has a place for you to rest..."

The Guest Monk’s portly face wore a warm smile.

"Thanks!"

The man thanked him and stepped into the temple.

This Shaolin Temple boasted a thousand-year heritage, a first-class ancient monastery. However, after experiencing the ravages of war, the original had long since vanished into the river of time.

The current temple was built by later generations in imitation of the ancient ruins.

The entire temple was vast and solemn. Inside, buildings like the Great Hero Hall stood majestically, exuding a dignified Buddhist air.

Incense smoke curled through the courtyard, the sound of chanting rose and fell, and a tide of people surged about, making it incredibly lively.

The man strolled leisurely through the temple, occasionally looking at the statues and scriptures.

’This is a far cry from the Shaolin I remember from my past life. It seems much more commercialized.’

The man shook his head slightly and muttered to himself.

From his words, it was clear this man was none other than Zhao Rui.

He had assumed that after Gui Xu Shaolin’s return, Shaolin Temple would, like Qingcheng and Mount Emei, reduce the disturbances from ordinary worshippers.

But to his surprise, not only had Shaolin failed to dial things back, they were even using Dharma Masters with Martial Arts Dharma Aspects to create the illusion of a Buddha manifestation, all to enhance the solemn atmosphere.

They used this to attract devout worshippers to come and pay homage.

This really took Zhao Rui by surprise.

’But that has nothing to do with me. I’ll just look around Shaolin for now.’

’Might as well treat it like a vacation.’

Just as he was leisurely playing the part of a tourist, wandering around with the flow of the crowd, the woman from before was stopped by several monks.

"Miss, why did you immobilize my junior brother?!"

the monk said, his face stern.

"Who told him to spy on me?"

The woman replied casually, not taking them seriously at all. Her eyes didn’t even glance at the monks; instead, she was engrossed in tracing the carvings on a nearby wall.

She looked utterly unconcerned.

"Miss, this is Shaolin. You possess extraordinary skills, so we naturally cannot allow you to wander around as you please."

"Oh? Then how come he gets to wander around freely?"

The woman pointed casually, indicating Zhao Rui, who had just peeked out from another courtyard.

The monk looked in the direction she pointed, then quickly turned back and said, "He’s a tourist!"

"..."

The woman rolled her eyes. "I’m a tourist too."

"He hasn’t made a move."

"How annoying!"

The woman was growing impatient. Her eyes flashed, and the monks’ bodies froze, their acupoints sealed in an instant.

The monks sent to shadow the woman were hardly novices.

Yet, they were immobilized by a single glance. It was unclear if her speed was simply too fast, or if she had used some kind of wicked art.

The tourists walking around were completely oblivious to this strange sight, continuing to browse the sights of Shaolin on their own.

"How boring."

The woman was in a foul mood. She glanced at Zhao Rui, saw him still strolling leisurely, and with a flash, appeared right in front of him.

With a light wave of her fair hand, an invisible stream of True Qi shot toward his body.

"Fuck, what’s wrong with you?!"

Zhao Rui cursed, hastily executing Dipper Step to evade. He leaped a good seven or eight meters away, his eyes fixed warily on the woman.

"Eh?"

The woman let out a sound of surprise, clearly not expecting Zhao Rui to be able to dodge her attack.

"Looks like I underestimated you. You’ve got a few tricks up your sleeve."

"Did I do something to provoke you?"

"You ruined my mood!"

"Damn it, you’re seriously nuts. This is Shaolin’s territory. Why don’t you go bother them?!"

"I am here to cause trouble for the monks. I just didn’t like the look of you, so I decided to rough you up while I’m at it."

The woman tilted her head up slightly, her face a picture of arrogance and self-importance.

"I can’t be bothered with you!"

Just as Zhao Rui was about to leave, a suffocating pressure from a Divine Soul suddenly descended from above the long corridor.

Then, a Kasaya instantly transformed into a giant sack, completely enveloping the area.

"Amitabha Buddha. Forgive this humble monk’s discourtesy, you two."

At that moment, the surroundings emptied. Zen Sound arose, and all the tourists, as if they had lost their souls, instantly moved far away from the area.

Only the three people under the Kasaya’s cover remained.

Zhao Rui focused his gaze and saw that the newcomer was an old monk with a wrinkled face and enormous ears. It wasn’t the one he had briefly met on Emei Mountain.

"You’re from Shaolin’s Hui generation?"

the young woman asked.

"This old monk is Hui Kong. Greetings, Miss. Your Martial Arts are profound. May I ask your purpose in coming to our Shaolin? If there is anything Shaolin can do to help, we will certainly not hesitate."

"I just came to have a look. I heard your Shaolin is the strongest in this region."

The woman said nonchalantly.

"The Martial Dao is endless; who would dare claim to be invincible? My Shaolin is but a Jianghu Sect with shallow skills. We cannot compare to the Gui Xu Witch Venerable’s profound Magical Power."

"Oh? As expected of the leader of the Central Plains Martial Arts. That’s quite an insightful perspective."

"For the Witch Venerable to come from so far away... isn’t that a bit reckless?"

"Reckless? I don’t think so. In this world, I come as I please and go as I please. Or what, are you looking to start a war?"

"In that case, might I ask the Witch Venerable’s purpose for this visit?"

The old monk’s lowered brows twitched upward slightly. His aura was condensed and focused, showing he was not nearly as relaxed as his words suggested.

"Just strolling! If you monks weren’t so unobservant, I couldn’t even be bothered to show myself."

"In that case, it was Shaolin that was presumptuous. We hope the Witch Venerable has an enjoyable stay!"

The old monk Hui Kong spoke with his palms pressed together, clearly wishing the woman would leave immediately.

"Hmph. I didn’t expect you Shaolin folk to be so reasonable. My brother even told me to be careful of you bald donkeys."

"Alright, since you’re all being so well-behaved, I’m taking this man with me. You are not to interfere."

After speaking, the woman pointed at Zhao Rui, a mocking smile playing on her lips.

’See? And they said I wouldn’t dare to mess with Shaolin Temple.’

’Shaolin Temple is scared of me.’

Zhao Rui’s expression froze. ’I really am a trouble magnet.’

’This woman is a complete psycho. There’s no use trying to understand her with logic.’

He couldn’t be bothered to hope the Shaolin Monk would uphold justice, so with a flash, he shot outward.

Hui Kong hurriedly withdrew his Kasaya Dharma Aspect, which was, in a way, helping Zhao Rui. Of course, he also hoped Zhao Rui would quickly take this woman and leave Shaolin—the farther, the better.

"Trying to run!"

The woman snorted coldly and quickly gave chase.

Although Zhao Rui didn’t know how skilled this woman was, hearing the old monk address her as the Gui Xu Witch Venerable told him she was not someone to be trifled with.

’Only an idiot with nothing better to do would pick a fight with a woman like her.’

Zhao Rui opened all the Acupoints in his body, unleashing his Power to its fullest extent. Once out of the temple, he leaped directly off a cliff, using the mountain forest for cover to make a quick escape.

The woman pursued him relentlessly, her speed no slower than his in the slightest.

Moreover, from her composed appearance, it seemed she still had strength to spare.

’Is she just toying with me, like a cat with a mouse?’

Anger flared in Zhao Rui’s heart. Ever since getting his system, he had never been toyed with like this.

His speed increased more and more.

Eventually, he was practically flying through the air, his Lightweight Skill pushed to its absolute limit.

But the woman still followed unhurriedly behind, even offering a few comments on Zhao Rui’s Lightweight Skill.

"Your Power is quite impressive, but why is your Sky-controlling Skill so terrible?"

"Oh my, are you relying purely on your True Qi for flight? What a waste of your abundant True Qi."

"You’d be faster running on the ground. Are you afraid you’ll use too much strength and crush the pretty little flowers? HEE HEE!"

The woman was bent over laughing, but it didn’t affect her movement in the slightest as she rushed toward Zhao Rui like a bolt of lightning.

Zhao Rui’s heart skipped a beat. Though the woman’s words annoyed him, the problem she pointed out was worth pondering.

Currently, Zhao Rui’s Martial Arts—aside from the miraculous Dipper Step which was compatible with Dharma Power—consisted of Light Body Techniques from before the Grandmaster Realm. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

They mainly relied on Inner Strength to reduce his body weight, while using the force from his steps to increase speed and achieve mid-air leaps.

Later, although he learned the Charming Maiden Formless Celestial Demon Great Method, which allowed for rapid doppelgangers, that was only when he was actively circulating the Cultivation Technique.

When it came to actual travel, he still used his old methods.

A thought suddenly sparked in Zhao Rui’s mind. His past Martial Arts flashed through his brain one after another, like a slideshow.

Bow to the Primal Dawn, where myriad Qi have no name.

Wind shatters the marrow of Nine Abysses, burning the Three Lights to their core.

Jade dust rains from violet skies, star-bones forge into a blade.

Gods cry a tide of rust, as the Great Dao rings through the void!

Zhao Rui pointed a finger mid-air. A flash of sword-light streaked across the sky, and his figure flickered, vanishing from the woman’s sight in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, his body had become like a longsword, streaking away through the sky.

"This..."

The woman’s pretty face froze for a moment. Then, with a light stamp of her foot, she huffed, "Such a perceptive little thief."

With that, her body transformed into a stream of light as she gave chase at extreme speed.