Chapter 1467 - 795: Mutual Worship

Three people descended step by step along the steep stone stairs, leaving the dazzling architecture of the Golden Summit far behind above them. The mountain wind grew stronger, causing their clothes to flutter. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, they arrived near Bao Guo Temple.

There is wind in the sword, and a sword in the wind.

Yin Weiyin's fingertips slightly contracted, moving closer to Chen Yi, only to see him tilt his ear, seemingly reminiscing.

Who did he remember?

Behind them, Donggong Ruoshu stopped her steps on the stone stairs, sensing something, her expression slightly surprised.

She instinctively touched the Yanling Saber at her waist.

The wind passed, and the saber hummed in its sheath, emitting the Sword Intent of a Murder Sword.

The temple opening time had arrived, yet the doors of Bao Guo Temple remained tightly shut. Several groups of incense customers waited idly outside, chatting and occasionally reciting Amitabha Buddha, completely unaware of the happenings inside the temple. The monk guarding the door, however, had furrowed eyebrows and clasped his hands in ceaseless prayer.

Chen Yi raised an eyebrow, surprised to find an acquaintance here in the mountains. He glanced back at the curious Miss Donggong, pondered for a moment,

and decided to wait for a stick of incense.

He walked to the open space ahead, where a monk was breaking cakes to feed the Emei Spirit Monkeys on the cliff edge. About a dozen monkeys scattered around. These monkeys were quite intelligent, for after eating the cakes, they clasped their hands together in thanks toward the monk.

The monk returned the gesture, continuing to scatter more cake.

The group of monkeys, having eaten the cakes, clasped their hands again, begging for more.

The monk began reciting a Buddhist Scripture, its specific passage unknown, only the phrase "Thus have I heard, Buddha was in the Lonely Garden..." could be discerned. As he recited and made gestures, it seemed as though the monkeys understood the Buddhist Law, as if enlightened by it.

Those who chant Amitabha Buddha with empty mouths — how are they different from the monkeys? Before Chen Yi could articulate his thoughts, the image of Little Fox quietly reciting Amitabha Buddha flashed in his mind. He thought, if it's for the sake of keeping kindness alive, holding onto a thread of hope, why be so critical…

Before long, the cakes were all distributed. The monk turned and left, the monkeys hopping behind for a bit, tugging at his trousers and sleeves, but finding no more cakes, they returned, chattering noisily.

It was quite a commotion.

Chen Yi disliked the noise, so he pulled out some cakes from his pocket and tossed them to the monkeys. They immediately bowed to him as if he were a Buddha, doing so for their own benefit.

The crumbs scattered like snowflakes, inciting a chorus of excited squeaks from the monkeys as they bowed repeatedly.

Bam!

Suddenly, a loud crash scattered the monkeys in a panic.

The temple doors suddenly burst open, as if hit, and before anyone could react, a dark figure was catapulted from inside like a stone bullet from a catapult. The massive momentum pushed the shadow, causing it to roll down the sloped mountain path, in a most ungraceful manner, dust flying wherever it passed, frightening nearby incense customers into jumping away.

The dark figure rolled over seven or eight times before it slowed slightly, then slid a short distance more until it collided with a stone post used for tethering horses on the open ground, finally coming to a stop, collapsed there.

Feeding the monkeys, Chen Yi turned his head to look and saw a large-framed man.

His hair was disheveled.

It was the Lonely Smoke Sword.

Previously, Chen Yi had sensed a trace of Sword Intent scattered by the mountain wind, and now seeing the man, it indeed was an old acquaintance.

Years ago, after parting at Shantong City, the group of Western Jin spies either were captured or killed, except for the Lonely Smoke Sword, who, obsessed with swordsmanship, had a fight with him and then vanished. Chen Yi did not pursue, nor could he, thinking it was a farewell in Jianghu, never to meet again.

Unexpectedly, he had traveled from Shantong City to the Sichuan region and now met again in front of Bao Guo Temple.

The Lonely Smoke Sword groaned softly, moved his arm, pushing against the ground, and shakily stood up. His dirt-stained face made him look more like a wild man, yet he still wore tattered clothes, layered, likely for protection against wind and sand. Seeing this detail, Chen Yi couldn't help but suspect that he wore the same outfit since leaving Shantong City.

At the temple entrance, the monk was apologizing to the startled incense customers, saying simply that someone had come seeking the abbot for a martial arts challenge, and then led the customers inside the temple.

The Lonely Smoke Sword looked around dazedly, his gaze swept past the retreating customers, the trembling monks, the scattering monkeys... and finally fixed on the face of the man not far away, who had just finished throwing cake crumbs and was clapping his hands watching him.

His eyes, originally somewhat clouded and confused, shortly widened in shock upon recognizing Chen Yi's face.

"Yiya yiya?!"

He burst out with a strange cry from his throat, recoiling slightly, then tensed up, his dirty face lit up with excitement.

Chen Yi nodded slightly and said, "We meet again."

The Lonely Smoke Sword let out two more strange cries, louder this time, as if responding. After the cries, his gaze suddenly sharpened, and without pause, he reached back to grip the hilt of the extremely long sword.

The sword's blade was dull gray and unremarkable, but once the Lonely Smoke Sword's grip shifted, his entire aura changed instantly. He stood with legs not too close nor too far apart, the sword tip slanting downward, pointing to the ground, his starting posture already set.

The earlier odd cries were something of a greeting.

Seeing this, Chen Yi did not draw his sword, only quietly watched the stance of the Lonely Smoke Sword, nodding slightly a moment later.

Acknowledging it.

A flash of sword light on the open ground.

Ding.

The Lonely Smoke Sword pushed both hands forward, intending to apply force, then widened his eyes in astonishment upon discovering that the thrust-out sword was now caught between that person's two fingers.

The sword's momentum scattered halfway.

Chen Yi raised an eyebrow and asked, "Have you grown weaker?"

"Yiya."

"Hmm, you indeed have weakened." Chen Yi paused, then asked, "Who made you weaker?"

When he first encountered the Lonely Smoke Sword back then, this unspeaking wild man clearly was a Third Rank, otherwise, he wouldn't have drawn so many Jianghu experts to encircle him. But now, even though Chen Yi's Martial Arts had advanced, he still felt the Lonely Smoke Sword had declined somewhat compared to before.

"Yiya yiya, jiji yaya, mu mu gugu gaga."

Chen Yi did not understand but gathered from his gestures that he had been made weaker by sparring.

He withdrew his hand, and the Lonely Smoke Sword's expression was quite bewildered, yet he did not overstep himself by challenging again. He took strips of fabric from his body and wrapped up the long sword for safekeeping.

"Yiyi yaya."

After securing the sword, he made a strange sound, circling Chen Yi once with much curiosity about the latter's transformation.

Chen Yi threw out more cakes, and the monkeys who had just dispersed came around again. As he tossed, he said:

"I've comprehended new insights and gained some fortuitous opportunities. It's no surprise I won over you, not to mention you've grown weaker."

He wasn't sure if the Lonely Smoke Sword understood, only watching the monkeys catching the cakes while bowing.

The surroundings quieted for a moment.

Chen Yi turned to glance, only to find the Lonely Smoke Sword surprisingly clasping his hands, imitating the Emei monkeys by bowing.

The monkeys on the open ground saw his bow and followed suit with another bow.

Man and monkeys, bowing to each other.