Chapter 48: The Young Man with the Surname Ling

  "What a great opportunity you missed, if it were me, I would have tricked them onto the boat and then sneaked away." Listening to what Random Wind was saying about his experiences over the past few days, Liang Zei covered her mouth and chuckled.

  "What should we do now?" Feng asked in a bad mood.

  He first learned the secrets of the auspicious signs, and then heard that Fujiwara no Tokihira was trying to win him over with some kind of plot. Without hesitation, he set out before dawn, without disturbing anyone in the mountain villa. Then he hurried on alone, using a whole ten days, until he finally arrived at the foot of Mount Song.

  However, at that time, Liang Tou'er bid him a hasty farewell, only saying he was going to Songshan to find him, without mentioning the exact location or method. After inquiring at the tea house inn for several days with no results, Feng had no choice but to leave many notes with the words "Luo Yun" on the streets, and it wasn't until three days later that Liang Tou'er finally found him by following the marks left behind by Feng.

  Liang Ze's smile faded, and he said seriously: "Let's not rush into the matter of auspicious signs for now. If I'm not mistaken, the He family's yin-yang pendant is currently in Bi Han's hands. Even if it fell into the Murong family's hands, they wouldn't know that the auspicious sign is in Longyou. Even if they knew it was in Longyou, Longyou is a vast place, how could he possibly know its exact location? And Li Linfu only knows where the auspicious sign is, but doesn't have the yin-yang pendant. Moreover, we are currently in Henan, and to return to Zhejiang, this time without the Water Dragon's escort, I don't know how long it will take."

  As he listened to him say this, his analysis was thorough and clear, and he nodded in agreement. "So what's your plan next?"

  Liang Ze raised his head, looked at Sui Feng and said: "As I mentioned earlier, I have a friend named Zhai Xingzi. We've been planning this for a long time, and in just a few more days, we'll be making our move."

  "Xue Xing Zi!" With a sudden shock, this person was also one of the world's most notorious thieves, just like Liang Tou Er. He had been wandering the rivers and lakes, stealing countless treasures, never once having failed. In the Jianghu, no one knew his true name, only that he called himself Xue Xing Zi, meaning "Plucking Stars from the Sky".

  Looking at the surprise on his face, Liang Ze'er smiled and said: "We're all in the same line of work, how could we not know each other? But looking around the whole world, among all thieves, only the two of us can be considered as close friends, while others are mostly mediocre."

  Although it's just a casual conversation, there's still some unease in my heart. I asked: "Are you confident? After all, the Shaolin Temple is a sacred place of Buddhism, and there must be many masters. It's not easy to steal the relic from within, it's like trying to climb to heaven."

  Liáng Tuō's face gradually turned solemn, and he sighed: "Everyone else in the entire Shaolin Temple is not worth worrying about. Only the so-called Four Great Ming Kings and the Abbot are each a renowned master of the Innate Realm. It is said that the Shaolin Abbot, Master Xuán Dēng, is already an Innate Earth-level high-ranking master, and can be called invincible in this world, not below Huā Jiǔ Gōng. The strength of his spiritual awareness is not something we can guess. Zhāi Xīng Zǐ has been guarding here for nearly a month and finally barely figured out where the ?arīra was located. Originally, we received news that the Shaolin Abbot would take the Four Great Ming Kings on a visit, but somehow, when it came to the crucial moment, he changed his itinerary again, and only the Abbot went on the trip alone. However, Yuè Xī could not wait any longer. Even if there are only five of us this time, we can only try our luck."

  "Is the Moon Evening the one you want to save?" asked Su Feng.

  Liang Ze nodded and said, "Ling Yue Xi is Xue Xing Zi's sworn sister. Both of them have been lonely since childhood. After meeting Xue Xing Zi, she has always been taken care of by him. Xue Xing Zi is like me, wandering the world without any attachments, only caring about Yue Xi. Unfortunately, she has had a severe case of internal cold energy since childhood, and in the past, Xue Xing Zi would steal high-quality snow ginseng for her every year to drive out the cold. Later, it was discovered that she had contracted a rare disease called Jiu Yin Han Mai. In recent years, Yue Xi's illness has worsened, and when I saw her last time, her body surface was almost frozen with a layer of thin ice. Even the medicinal effect of snow ginseng can't do much now, it can only temporarily sustain her life. So this time, no matter what, we must try."

  Another heartbreaking story, and my heart is filled with a sigh. I couldn't help but think of Yun Shui Jian, who was with me admiring the moon in front of Penglai Palace back then. A genius blessed by heaven, yet unfortunately limited by his physical body, he may not be able to reach the realm of immortality in this lifetime. But compared to Ling Yue Xi, he is fortunate - he can run, jump, and has martial arts skills; even without them, he can still live a peaceful life. Is Ling Yue Xi unfortunate? She has an older brother who takes care of her, and Xue Shan's medicine that can prolong her life. The more I think about it, the more I realize that there are too many suffering people in this world, and all I can do is let out a long sigh, unsure of how to express my feelings.

  "Is it only Sheli who can save her in this world?" Feng asked with some doubt.

  Liang Ze's voice replied, "I specifically asked Master, and Master thought for a long time before saying that only the purest Yang object in the world can break it. The best is the golden relic of the high monk's body. It's not that there's no substitute, but the effect will be much worse. Now, if we fail, I'm afraid we won't even have a second chance to try again. Xue Xingzi and I are both planning to take this gamble."

  Liáng Tuōér suddenly seemed to remember something and asked, "By the way, did you see Huā Qiānbei when you went to Penglai? Did you learn the Huitian Gong?"

  He nodded along with the wind, and then recounted all the things that had happened after parting ways with Penglai and Murong Qingfeng. Liang Tou'er was shocked and couldn't believe it. "I didn't expect him to have such a deep brotherly bond with your father, to be able to give you this divine secret manual without hesitation. But thinking about it, how many people in the world would have thought that there would be such an agreement between them?" After being shocked, he suddenly said: "No wonder I saw that your whole body's aura was hidden, it turns out it's the effect of the Return to Heaven Technique."

  He nodded slightly, and since the Taiji in his body had been transformed into yin and yang, it seemed that the whole person's momentum outside had changed a lot, covering up all the previous sharp edges. If he was an unpolished jade before, then now he is like an ordinary stone, with all his vital energy hidden inside, and it would be hard for someone without a discerning eye to discover him.

  Liáng Tuó's eyes suddenly lit up and he said, "I don't know if your internal energy can conceal the aura of the treasure. If it can, our chances of success will increase by several fold this time."

  Dazed by the wind, he didn't understand: "The breath of hiding treasures? How can this be done?"

  Liang stole a glance at her and smiled: "Follow me, I'll take you to see Star-plucker."

  Following the wind, Liang Ze and his son left the inn and headed towards Mount Shaoshi. The small town was originally built at the foot of Mount Shaoshi, and before long, they could see the quiet and majestic figure of Mount Shaoshi. In terms of height, Mount Shaoshi is not much different from Mount Tai, but its overall posture is vastly different. Mount Tai is famous for its steepness and grandeur, with a reputation as the most revered of the Five Sacred Mountains, while Mount Shaoshi has more dense forests, more quietness, and less majesty.

  Liáng Tuōér pointed to the road: "Further ahead, about three to five miles away, there is a vast and flat area. Originally, several farmhouses were located there, but for some reason they all moved away. Xuě Xīngzi and I lived there, making it convenient for us to frequently go up the mountain to gather information. Sometimes, the monks from Shaolin would pass by our place when they came down the mountain to fetch water."

  The more Sui Feng heard about Liang Ze, the more curious he became. What kind of person would this great thief be, who was as famous as Liang Ze in the Jianghu? Wasn't he just a young man like Liang Ze?

  Not long after, they bypassed a dense forest and indeed saw a low-lying mountainous area with two to three simple wooden houses built on it. A young man with a cold expression was holding a dagger in his hand and chopping firewood in the empty space in front of the house. The dagger was originally very short, and using it to chop firewood was simply inappropriate. However, the young man's movements were extremely fast, and with one swing of his hand, the firewood had already been split into two segments. In her heart, Shuiyue felt a shock, "This person's martial arts skills are truly immeasurable."

  Liáng Tuōér smiled and shouted: "Líng big brother, I'm back."

  The young man heard the shout and slowly raised his head, smiling coldly, saying: "Is that the son of Su Tian?"

  Suī fēng hé Liáng duō ér zǒu dào jìn qián, zài suī fēng kàn lái nà ge zhèng zài pī chái de qīng nián jiù xiàng shì yí kuài gǔ bù huà de jiān bīng yì bān. Suī fēng dàn rán yī xiào, fǎng fú méi yǒu chá jué dào qīng nián yán yǔ lǐ de lěng dàn, dào: "Zhèng shì zài xià, gé xià jiù shì hè hè yǒu míng de zhāi xīng zǐ?"

  The young man looked at him and said, "My surname is Ling. Just call me Ling, don't call me Zhai Xingzi."

  Liáng Tuóér pulled a random wind and said in a low voice: "Ling Dage is a very righteous person, it's just that he looks cold on the surface." Then he said to Ling: "Ling Dage, although Suī Fēng is no longer a disciple of Huā Jiǔ Gōng now, but he has learned Huā Jiǔ Gōng's Huí Tiān Gōng. If you can..."

  Liang Ze was not yet finished speaking when Ling suddenly let out a startled cry, raised his head and stared at Sui Feng, exclaiming: "You've actually learned the Return to Heaven Technique? You've actually learned the Return to Heaven Technique...... Yue Xi is saved!"

  Ling, who had just been expressionless and cold, suddenly jumped up, threw his head back and laughed loudly, looking like a madman.

  Liáng Tuōér wasn't surprised at all, and calmly said: "Ling Dàgē is always like this, extremely cold to everyone else. Only Yuèxī can make him so crazy. These days, because of Yuèxī's illness, he has been in a very low mood."

  It was a bit strange, and he thought to himself: "But what does this have to do with me learning the Heavenly Return Technique?"

  Just as he was pondering, Ling took a step forward and stood in front of him, saying seriously: "Even I didn't notice the aura inside you, it must be real. You guys come with me."

  Liáng Stole nodded slightly, already understanding Líng's thoughts. He followed the wind with a soft voice: "Let's go, this time the success or failure is all up to you. Although I had heard rumors before, I didn't expect the Huítian Gōng to be so incredible. Luckily, you came here. You should know that the difficulty of this operation isn't stealing the ?arīra from Shaolin, but rather evading the spiritual awareness of those few Innate Experts. To be honest, although our two light skills are each unparalleled in the world, we may not necessarily be able to defeat an Innate Expert. So..."

  Liang Zei said this, and Su Feng suddenly realized, continuing: "So you want me to seal the breath of the Sharira, to deceive those few Ming Wang?"

  Liang Ze nodded, "However, whether it can be done or not still needs to be tried out, after all, innate masters are different from others and should not be underestimated."

  The two of them walked and talked, following Ling into a wooden hut. The interior was very simple, with only a square table and several stools, nothing else. Ling stretched out his hand, indicating for them to sit down, then took out the dagger he had used to chop firewood earlier from his pocket.

  As the wind blew, he suddenly realized that this dagger was not ordinary. The blade was crystal clear and transparent, like a piece of cold ice. Ling placed the dagger on the table, and instantly a chill emanated from it. Ling glanced at Suifeng and said, "This dagger is the most precious treasure I've ever stolen in my life. It was originally a magical instrument of Tai Shan Miao Zhen Dao. There was a Taoist priest inside who had achieved enlightenment, and he defeated me with three moves, leaving me severely injured. For some reason, he didn't pursue me, allowing me to escape with the dagger. Later, I learned that this dagger was carved from North Domain's cold jade, emitting a chilling aura that could harm both the user and others if one's power is not strong enough. If you can seal all the chill on this dagger without my noticing, it should be possible to deceive those monks in Shaolin Temple."

  Su Feng's heart skipped a beat, first shocked that the dagger actually came from Miaozhen Temple, he still remembered the Taoist priest inside with an extraordinary demeanor; secondly, even more astonishing was that his previous chopping of firewood with the dagger was not only to practice swordsmanship but also to practice hiding his aura.