Chapter Forty-Five: The Clouds and Mist in Her Eyes

  Meng Yuanhou's training methods were quite controversial within the Pong Mountain, but he had been insisting on his own ideas for years, only giving guarantees to the masters and the first seats: absolutely no one would die, the Taoist root was rare, and he would take care of it carefully to prevent accidents.

  He became a Douchi six years ago, and indeed nothing unexpected had happened on the Spiritual Peak. Unexpectedly, his guarantee was broken when he went down the mountain for the first time to train new disciples in the temple.

  Meng Yuanhou's surveillance cannot be said to be not strict, and his reaction cannot be said to be not swift. As a Daoist of the Cangxia boundary, a group of children with just-ignited Dao roots are as slow and weak as newborn babies to him, except for Shen Geng.

  Shen Gang's club had just changed color, and Meng Yuanhou had already turned around to make his move. The vast majority of the audience hadn't even noticed that the situation had changed, yet he had already pushed Shen Gang back several steps, but it was still too late.

  Shen Geng's stick lightly tapped Shen Xiuyi's chest with a gentle touch, like a dragonfly touching water.

  Shen Xiuyi's body trembled slightly, his hands still holding the stick, he looked down in confusion and fell to the ground with a thud.

  Things happened too quickly, and it wasn't until the fight had been going on for a while that the crowd finally reacted. Several female disciples let out shrill cries, while more of them looked on in shock, completely unprepared for such an unexpected turn of events.

  "Zhang Lingsheng, take care of this." Meng Yuanhou picked up Shen Xiuyi at the same time and gave instructions, then looked towards Shengeng.

  Shen Gang stood seven or eight steps away, his left hand pressed on the spot where he was pushed, his right hand gripping a deep yellow club, his face full of resentment and suppressed anger, like a child who had suffered great injustice and unfair treatment. He was indeed a child, but not an ordinary child, not the kind that could be easily pushed around.

  "What's wrong with my brother?" Da Liang Shen Xiu Ming rushed into the field, stumbled and almost bumped into Du Jiao.

  "I'll send him up the mountain." Meng Yuanhou said as he withdrew his gaze and flew swiftly towards the northeast, heading for Laozu Peak.

  Dah Ryong Shen Xiū Míng looked around in a daze, seemingly unable to comprehend what had just happened. Suddenly, he asked: "Aren't there healing medicines in the lodge? Why go up the mountain? Little Autumn Brother, why did you take Second Ryong away?"

  The courtyard is quiet.

  Xiao Qiu concentrated on the martial arts competition and didn't see the scene at that time, but he knew that something terrible had happened to Er Liang. He couldn't answer Da Liang's doubts, so he picked up his staff and walked towards Shen Geng, only to be intercepted by Zhang Lingsheng halfway.

  "Go back to your room." Zhang Lingsheng gave the order sternly, but no one moved. All the children stayed where they were, as if they had also been beaten, staring blankly in confusion.

  "What did you do to Er Liang?" Xiao Qiu asked Shen Geng across Zhang Lingsheng, and he was surprised that his voice could still be so calm.

  "I've told you, go back to your rooms, and let the teachers handle this matter properly." Zhang Lingsheng raised his voice, and some of the children finally listened and turned around, but as soon as Shen Geng spoke up, they stopped in their tracks again.

  Shen Gang's voice was no different from usual, and his tone didn't change at all. "The Pongshan Taoist sect doesn't need useless people, let alone traitors with demonic blood. Getting rid of one is to eliminate a trouble."

  This is the first time Sheng Gang has expressed his views on the demon species, and most people's feelings are unexpected and shocked. When he just arrived at the museum, he even pulled in three children from Ye Lin Town, and at that time, there was no sign of hostility.

  Zhang Lingsheng was particularly surprised, turned around and looked at Shen Geng, shocked for a long time without closing his mouth, and didn't even notice someone walking by.

  Two people faced each other, Xia Qiu calmly asked: "Did you kill Er Liang?"

  Shen Gang's response was equally calm, "If he can still come out alive, I would be surprised."

  Suddenly, a crying sound came from nearby. Xiao Qingtuo leaned on Fangfang's shoulder and cried loudly. She, who usually spoke in a low voice in front of others, was now crying unrestrainedly.

  Da Liang Shen Xiu Ming's eyebrows furrowed even tighter, as if he had just come back to his senses. He said in a low voice, "Killed? Killed? This is impossible! None of us have the ability to kill someone! Moreover, Meng Du Jiao would not let Er Liang die, and there are also the Zong Shi and the Shou Zuos!" He suddenly turned towards Zhang Ling Sheng, "Is that right?"

  "Of course, of course, no one has ever died in this temple. You two are not allowed to fight." Zhang Lingsheng comforted.

  The children present looked nervously between Mu Xiangqiu and Shen Geng, few people thought that Zhang Daoshi's warning would have an effect on the two in the field. Fangfang held the still crying Xiao Qingtong, biting her lip tightly.

  Shen Geng let out a short, cold laugh. "Mu Xingqiu, opening your ears and eyes makes you think you're very formidable, huh?"

  Xiao Qiu was stunned, he had never revealed the fact that he could hear through his ears to anyone before, how did Shen Geng know?

  "Don't talk nonsense." Zhang Lingsheng retorted in annoyance. "He hasn't even started practicing yet, how can he possibly enlighten?"

  Shen Gang's face was no different from that of a ten-year-old child, but his expression was as cold and unfeeling as an adult. He ignored Zhang Lingshen and continued to speak to Xia Qiu: "You actually dared to eavesdrop on me, didn't anyone tell you not to use magic on someone stronger than yourself?"

  On the first night Xiao Qiu opened his eyes, Meng Yuanhou had already warned him that eavesdropping on others in Pong Mountain would be discovered. Superhuman hearing was also a kind of magic trick, and for the owner, this ability was extremely hidden. However, in the eyes of stronger Taoists, all low-level magic tricks left traces to follow.

  "Have you opened up the seven orifices?" Xia Qiu recalled many rumors about Shen Geng, and seeing Zhang Lingsheng's fearful gaze towards Shen Geng, he immediately realized that he had underestimated Shen Geng. "You have already unblocked the three fields."

  Hu Tong San Tian is a higher level of attainment than the opening of the seven apertures, after which one can condense the breath into an elixir. Zhang Ling Sheng has been studying Taoism for many years and still hasn't reached this stage, but 10-year-old Shen Geng already has.

  "Of course." Sheng Kang's gaze shifted to Xiao Qiu's staff, finding it had also turned a deep yellow color. "Do you think I would be on the same level as you?"

  His calm voice had a hint of sarcasm, in this yard, he was the only strong one, he was willing to stand here and answer questions, it was already a great concession. "I gave you an opportunity to be my friend, but unfortunately, you chose to degenerate and rather be with non-humans. I think that's because the influence of the demon kind has not been completely eliminated, so you're afraid to interact with real Taoists. I gave you another chance to be my opponent, but instead, you let your followers challenge me, using this way to humiliate me, or are you too afraid to face me directly?"

  The courtyard is quiet.

  Xiao Qingtao stopped crying, and Da Liang Shen Hui Ming was stunned like a wooden chicken. Zhang Lingsheng anxiously looked towards the northeast direction of Laizu Peak, at this time, the masters and the first seats should have sent someone over.

  Xiao Qiu had encountered many challenges since he was young, and there would be even more in the future. However, only this one encounter left a lifelong impression on him. He remembered the boy opposite him, who was half a head shorter, speaking with a tone that was contemptuous to the bone, as if standing on high ground like an old master; he remembered the surrounding silence, where many children just watched and blended in with the rigid houses; he remembered his own heartbeat being calm and powerful, but hatred burning like a wildfire in midsummer, sweeping through the grass and trees, leaving everything charred and black wherever it passed.

  The atmosphere in the field began to change, Zhang Lingsheng subconsciously took a step back, "You..."

  Two deep yellow sticks collided in front of Zhang Lingsheng, emitting a piercing sound that almost burst his eardrums. Then dozens of fragments flew over, and he hastily dodged.

  Xia Qiu's staff had exploded, leaving her with only a short stump in her hand.

  Shen Gang's staff was intact, but he wasn't satisfied and didn't rush to attack. With one hand, he turned the staff around in a circle, then slowly took a step forward. The color of the staff had changed to green, indicating that it wasn't necessary to use too much strength against Xiao Qiu.

  Several children from the village of Ye Lin were terrified and urged Xiao Qiu to run quickly, while Zhang Ling angrily shouted: "Stop, don't dare move!"

  These voices had no effect on Shen Geng, nor did they have any impact on Xiao Qiu. He threw away the stick in his hand, stretched out his right arm, with his palm facing Shen Geng, and calmly recited five words: "Wrong or weak, don't fall."

  "Wrong or fall weakly." Another voice chanted the spell at the same time as him - Fangfang had somehow appeared beside him, her posture identical to his, her tone flat.

  Almost 140 new disciples of the Pong Saan Taoist sect, upon hearing for the first time the incantation left behind by Crazy Plum An, were all shocked. Some turned pale, some covered their ears, and a few even looked around nervously, thinking that demons would appear out of thin air with this incantation.

  Shen Gang's mouth corners slightly raised, revealing a hint of a smile. He saw that a small block of air two feet away was trembling twice in succession. As someone who had broken through the Three Fields, he could see it more clearly than ordinary people. "Is that all?" he said, raising his staff and stabbing into the air to verify the falseness and powerlessness of this curse.

  Boom!

  The other end of the stick seemed to be tightly grasped by two invisible strong giant hands, twisting at an extremely fast speed. Shen Gangchu initially tried to resist hard, but only lasted for a breath's time. His whole body was suddenly swung up, spinning twice in mid-air before heavily falling to the ground, and the stick instantly turned into powder.

  The courtyard was once again possessed by silence, so that the singing voice of a farmer outside the village was clear as if in one's ear.

  Xiao Qiu walked up to Shen Geng's side, lowering her head to look at that exquisite and beautiful face. Even after receiving an unexpected blow, it didn't show any signs of panic.

  Xiao Qiu gazed into the depths of those eyes, hoping to find a reason. Everything should have a reason. Sheng Geng's "coming true" was actually a murderous intention. Er Liang Shen Xiuzi admired and even worshiped this child. Even after leaving that table, he never said anything bad about him, but Sheng Geng still struck with a deadly hand.

  There must be a reason for this.

  Those eyes were filled with impenetrable mist, and Xia Qiu couldn't find any reason or motivation; everything seemed like an insignificant game, a child's play.

  Xiao Qiu understood that this was indeed a game, and Shen Geng was indeed a child. He had the naivety of children of the same age, as well as their cruelty. The only difference was that he chose humans as the objects of his game: he killed Er Liang just like an excited child killing a beetle that happened to pass by.

  Xiao Qiu rode on Shen Geng's body, clenched his fists and struck at those two melancholic yet beautiful eyes in turn. He wanted to shatter the mist inside, he wanted to see if there was still a thread of pity and sympathy behind the mist. He hit hard, treating those two eyes as his playthings, his beetles.

  The crowd screamed, Xia Qiu plugged his ears and didn't hear a thing, the open ear canal was useless at this time, countless hands came over to pull and grab, Xia Qiu's fists were completely unaffected, he was striking the target with the power of holding up a giant rock on Lao Zu Peak, even Zhang Ling Sheng couldn't hold him back.

  Blood splattered everywhere, clouds and fog dispersed, Xia Qiu saw that there was nothing in those eyes, a vast emptiness.

  (Collection needed, recommendation needed)