Volume Two: Inheriting the Legacy, Embroidered Uniforms Stained with Blood Chapter 133: Desperate Straits

The dazzling exchange of palms was overwhelming. Yang Ning sighed in admiration, realizing he had underestimated Chi Danmei; the flirtatious woman had not revealed her true skills at the start, clearly testing Jingkong's foundation first.

Suddenly, Jingkong let out a low shout. His hands began to sway slightly, and before Yang Ning could react, Jingkong’s palms multiplied—two became four, four became eight. In a mere instant, a flurry of palm shadows filled the space before him, interlacing and shifting in a myriad of ways.

Someone in the crowd gasped, "The Great Mercy Palm!"

Chi Danmei let out a soft cry, retreating like a fluttering butterfly. Jingkong, who had been stationary, surged forward, launching a barrage of strikes. The shifting palm shadows made it seem as if countless hands were descending upon Chi Danmei. She retreated repeatedly, clearly outmatched.

Excitement flickered across Yang Ning’s face.

Even as Jingkong unleashed his ultimate technique, Yang Ning, though not an expert in palm arts, could see the brilliance of the moves. He smirked inwardly, thinking that the old monk was not as simple as he appeared; he was a man of hidden depths, saving his true strength for the final moment.

Everyone present could see that Jingkong had the upper hand. Chi Danmei, suppressed by his palm wind, could only rely on her agile footwork to dodge, devoid of any chance to counterattack.

Suddenly, Jingkong’s movements slowed. Despite his abundant internal energy and exquisite martial arts, Chi Danmei was intent on evasion; for a moment, Jingkong could not even graze her clothing. After another short while, the phantom palm shadows gradually dissipated, and Jingkong’s movements became not only slower but strangely sluggish.

The monks in the hall exchanged confused glances. It was obvious that Jingkong had been dominating the match. Although Chi Danmei had been dodging nimbly, she had been completely enveloped by his palm wind; anyone could see she was at the end of her rope, and Jingkong should have been moments away from victory. No one expected him to suddenly retract his palms, handing her a chance to catch her breath.

Some wondered if the monk was simply too old and exhausted. Yet, given the depth of his internal energy, he should have been able to sustain the fight much longer.

Suddenly, Chi Danmei twisted her body. Moving like a feinting strike, she lunged toward Jingkong. Jingkong attempted a clumsy strike, but Chi Danmei arched her back, her full chest taut, her bodice standing out like a mountain peak. She bent her knees, slid beneath him using the momentum, and thrust two fingers against his waist.

Jingkong groaned, stumbled back several paces, then vomited a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the floor, his legs giving way.

Chi Danmei flipped to her feet, her robes hanging loosely off her shoulders. She gave a charming smile and said, "Master, your martial arts are exquisite. I was nearly defeated. It is only thanks to your compassionate and humble nature that I have been lucky enough to win this round."

Jingkong Neng flew forward to support Jingkong, crying out in alarm, "Brother Jingkong, you...!"

Jingkong struggled to sit up, sighing bitterly, "Benefactor Chi possesses extraordinary wisdom. This old monk... this old monk admits defeat!"

The hall of the Great Brightness Temple fell into shock. No one had expected that Master Jingkong, whose martial arts were second only to the Abbot, would lose to such a young, flirtatious woman. Since Jingkong had never been at a disadvantage, the onlookers could not comprehend how this had happened.

Yang Ning frowned, feeling equally astonished. He realized the turning point had occurred in that split second. Jingkong had been clearly suppressing Chi Danmei with the Great Mercy Palm; why would he suddenly stop? Chi Danmei’s sliding maneuver was graceful but hardly brilliant. Given Jingkong’s level, it was impossible for him to be caught off guard by such a move, yet in full view of everyone, he had clearly failed to react.

"You... you cheated!" Jingneng shouted, grabbing Jingkong’s hand. "This scratch on Brother Jingkong's hand—was this your doing?"

Chi Danmei chuckled, "Master, your words are truly unreasonable. While we agreed to spar and avoid fatal injuries, does that mean not even a scratch is allowed? In any duel, let alone minor injuries, broken bones are common occurrences, are they not?"

Jingneng argued, "Brother Jingkong had the upper hand, but his strength suddenly failed him. Do you mean to say that has nothing to do with you?"

"It has everything to do with me," Chi Danmei laughed. "In a fight, doesn't everything revolve around the combatants? Master, we concede the first round, and we do so fairly; we aren't even questioning the protective techniques your monks used. Now that I have luckily won a round, are you going to renege on your word?" She glanced at Jingkong with alluring eyes, "Master Jingkong himself admitted defeat—he has more of the demeanor of a high monk than you do."

Jingneng barked in anger, "There must be something wrong with your fingernails! We—!"

"Junior Brother Jingneng, say no more," Jingkong sighed. "It was my lack of vigilance and my own insufficient skill. Benefactor Chi has won this round."

"Brother, you have lived in the temple for years and do not know the wickedness of the human heart. They are devious and use underhanded tactics. You wanted a fair fight, but she—!" Jingneng persisted, but Jingkong waved him off.

"Oh, that is a harsh thing for a master to say," Chi Danmei giggled, her chest heaving as she spoke in a syrupy voice. "Are you implying that I am indecent? How can a monk speak of others this way? You have only just met me today and have never spent time with me alone, so how would you know if I am indecent or not?"

Jingkong, assisted by Jingneng, sat on a cushion and pressed his palms together, "Benefactor Chi, my junior brother did not mean it that way. You need not misunderstand."

Suddenly, the statue-like Bai Yuhe finally stepped forward, his voice cold and clear: "Pray, enlighten me!"

With those three words, the hall fell into a deathly silence. The Great Brightness Temple was now in a desperate situation. Everyone had assumed they would win the first two rounds, leaving no need for Bai Yuhe to even enter the fray. Everyone knew that if a third round of swordplay were forced, the temple would essentially be defeated. Neither Jingkong nor Jingneng had ever practiced swordplay, and they had no foundation to fight back. Of the five hundred monks, fewer than twenty practiced the sword, and they were all disciples of Jingtong, who was not present.

"Pray, enlighten me!" Bai Yuhe repeated. Though the fight had not begun, his aura had already seized the initiative.

The monks looked at each other in frustration. Seeing Bai Yuhe’s imposing presence and the fact that the great temple had no one to wield a sword, they felt utterly dejected. Some were burning with indignation and wanted to charge out, but upon seeing the freezing chill beneath Bai Yuhe’s calm exterior, no one dared to move.

Jingkong sighed and exchanged a look with Jingneng. They knew the situation was irreversible. They had given their word that a disciple from White Cloud Island would be allowed to stay in the Heart-Clearing Pavilion for three days. To the temple, the pavilion was the heart of their existence; letting an outsider in was like being stabbed in the chest. While three days was not enough to read every classic, the visitors were prepared and knew exactly what they were looking for. If they memorized even a portion of the high-level techniques, the lifeblood of the Great Brightness Temple would be in their hands.

Jingkong had initially agreed to the duel to avoid enmity between the two factions and to maintain the stability of the relationship between the nations of Eastern Qi and Southern Chu. He had been confident in his ability to repel the challenge. But human calculations are no match for heaven’s will.

Jingkong never expected to be defeated by the cunning Chi Danmei. Further words were useless. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Although I have long remained within the temple, I have heard of Benefactor Bai’s reputation. It is said that among the rising stars of swordsmanship, you are surely ranked in the top three—!"

Bai Yuhe’s eyes twitched, and a cold smile appeared on his lips, but he remained silent. Yang Ning thought to himself, *So this cool guy is actually that formidable.*

"My junior brother, Jingtong, has some insight into the sword... but he is not in the temple at the moment, so this last round need not—" Just as Jingkong was about to concede, a commotion erupted. He looked up to see a person stumbling out from the crowd.

All eyes turned to the intruder. Some felt a glimmer of hope: *Is there someone in our temple with the guts to fight? Who is this hero?*

But as they looked closer, they saw the man was wearing monk’s robes but had long hair. Many frowned, and some immediately recognized him as the same troublemaker from the canteen.

Jingneng frowned and asked, "Qi Ning, what are you doing?"

It was indeed Qi Ning who had rushed out. He wore a cold expression, turned back to the crowd, and cursed, "Damn it! Who kicked me out from behind? If you’ve got guts, get out here!"