Chapter 366: Culprit

Chapter 366: The Source of Calamity

Li Jun stared at those teasing eyes, stunned for a moment, then suddenly reached out and pulled the brass knuckles from his bosom.

Li Hua hung on Li Jun's chest lapel, glanced back and forth between them, instantly understood, and shouted loudly: 'Sister, I was wrong.'

'Ah, truly obedient.'

Li Jun coughed embarrassedly twice, responding with his gaze to Li Hua, who lifted her head seeking credit.

'You know something even Su Ce doesn't—how did you find out?'

'Although he is a martial sequence three of the sect, he has stayed in the Wa region all these years, far from the imperial heartland. Moreover, due to his own sequence, he has been cut off from the Yellow Liang Dream, so it's not strange that he doesn't know some things.'

Yuan Mingfei's explanation did not convince Li Jun.

'Who is Su Ce? A grand commander of the Wa region's Embroidered Uniform Guard, a thousand-household officer.'

'Although his rank is low in the imperial court system, in the Wa region he is a figure who can cover the sky with one hand.'

'Furthermore, intelligence work is the lifeblood of the Embroidered Uniform Guard; even if the Wa region is isolated overseas, it certainly isn't to the point of being blind and deaf.'

Yuan Mingfei read Li Jun's expression: 'Do you really want to ask?'

'It's of great importance.' Li Jun said, word by word.

'Alright.'

Seeing Li Jun insist, Yuan Mingfei no longer hesitated, sighed and said: 'You just asked me where Cao Cang went, didn't you? When we were in Chongqing Prefecture, this kid, to protect me, was beaten by Long Tu until only a mechanical heart remained.'

'Such an injury would be fatal even for a soldier sequence, but since he is still my guardian deity, as long as my Buddha realm remains unbroken, there is still a chance for him to live.'

'When he returned to the Buddha realm, the 'Mind Ape' had already completed its evolution. To find a body capable of exerting the 'Mind Ape' ability for him, and also to give myself more life-preserving ability in the future, I daringly went back to Xifan.'

Yuan Mingfei's tone was flat, but Li Jun secretly clicked his tongue.

'You know she herself was a traitor who fled Xifan; after killing the people of the Great Zhao Temple, she quietly turned back—truly audacious.'

'Don't look at me like that—I didn't go to the Great Zhao Temple's territory, but to the Sangyan Temple, far removed from it.'

'Sangyan Temple?'

Li Jun had never heard that name before.

'A nunnery, full of fierce women.'

Yuan Mingfei's explanation was brief and to the point: 'There, I saw some people walking the same path as you.'

Li Jun's thoughts surged, his brows furrowed: 'The solitary martial sequence?'

'Exactly. Have you ever thought that, compared to sect martial sequences, you focus more on the individual and care little about inheritance and succession?'

Yuan Mingfei said solemnly: 'But as one of the oldest and most tenacious sequences, with the empire's vast population, even if there is the Buddha-Dao extermination plan, it is absolutely impossible for only you to walk this sequence. Moreover, with the existence of martial arts injectors that keep up with the times, your sequence should be spreading like wildfire.'

'But reality is clearly not so.'

Yuan Mingfei's gaze was scorching: 'Nowadays, the number of solitary martial sequences is extremely scarce; perhaps you have never even met a second one?'

Having said that, the reason is self-evident.

Li Jun slowly exhaled a breath hot with killing intent: 'Is it capture or domestication?'

'The two words you mentioned are not two different choices, but a single, nested process.'

'Skinning and boning, taking strengths to compensate weaknesses—this is commonplace in the Buddhist sects of Xifan; the genes of the Buddha sequence have flourished to this day thanks largely to them. In the study of original physiques, only the Buddhist transmission of Xifan can barely keep pace with the agricultural sequence.'

'Capture, dissection, union, gestation, cultivation, until finally being drawn into the Yellow Liang Buddha Realm to become causal computation. The whole process is thoroughly perfected; obviously this has been going on for a considerable time.'

Yuan Mingfei looked at Li Jun: 'Every newly evolved sequence becomes prey to the old-established sequences, so your steady rise to this level is either due to great luck and a benefactor, or someone lurking in the dark, waiting like a mantis to catch a cicada.'

Li Jun did not ponder that deeply; he asked directly: 'Then how do you know the ritual of the solitary martial sequence five?'

This time, Yuan Mingfei did not rush to answer, but slowly placed her hand on the sash at her waist.

Amid the rustling of the sash being undone, Li Jun frowned, pressing his hand firmly against the brass knuckles inside his chest.

With his suddenly intensified breath, a terrifying body stripped of skin was revealed.

Li Jun remembered that Yuan Mingfei had never been implanted with synthetic skin.

So this is skinning.

'When I was looking for a body for Cao Cang, I was captured by that gang of mad old nuns.'

Yuan Mingfei fastened her clothes, saying lightly: 'Perhaps they intended to use me as a test subject for sexual union, so they locked me together with a man who had lost his wisdom and become a foolish puppet of the solitary martial sequence six.'

The warrior who halts war, his sequence rank is the same as Li Jun's.

'Perhaps it is karma's cycle, misfortune turning to fortune. The Buddha realm mainframe buried in my body was not found by them, so I used the Buddha realm's illusion to try to redeem that solitary martial sequence. Although the final result was failure, I accidentally awakened that martial sequence once more.'

'What happened next you can guess. A solitary martial sequence discovering he had become another's captive stud naturally could only wash away his shame with the enemy's blood.'

'He smashed the experimental field called 'Ga Wu He' with a pair of fists, killing three Buddha sequence six stationed there, and I escaped in the chaos.'

Yuan Mingfei's description is not detailed, but Li Jun could hear, from between the lines, the sound of blood spurting from torn vessels.

'In that battle, I personally saw him, surrounded layer upon layer by guardian deities, complete his sequence promotion, slaughtering all the Buddha sequence there, then heading straight for the Sangyan Temple garrison.'

'When I left Xifan, I received news that he had already died at Sangyan Temple, skinned and boned, all his parts pulled out and laid in order before the temple gate.'

Yuan Mingfei's tone paused—'It is said the deed was done by two Buddha sequence four Mahakalas. But before that, he had already slain five Buddha sequence five guardians, and countless lower sequences beyond.'

'This incident, in the proclamation transmitted throughout the Buddhist populace of Sangyan Temple, is called the 'Blood-Colored Calamity,' the worst loss Sangyan Temple has suffered in nearly ten years.'

The woman pointed at her own nose, smiling mockingly: 'And thus I too have been placed on Sangyan Temple's wanted list. The Great Zhao Temple, hearing that I dared return to Xifan, was naturally furious and unhesitatingly joined the hunt. Now you know why I dare not remain in the imperial heartland, right?'

Yuan Mingfei placed her hands behind her head, leaned back, her long legs crossed and resting on the table—'There is no longer any foothold for me there.'

'After hearing all this, if you feel you cannot endure and want me to leave, I will certainly not drag my feet. The joint pursuit of the two major Buddha sects sounds enough to make one's scalp tingle. But you need not worry; the ritual that martial sequence told me, I will still tell you.'

She lowered her gaze to look at Li Jun, the corner of her mouth curling into a careless smile: 'After all, that girl called me sister; let it be my gift to her for our meeting.'

The words had barely fallen, and there was not the long silence Yuan Mingfei had expected.

A laugh rang out immediately.

'Yuan Mingfei, who are you cursing here?'

Li Jun laughed: 'I know the wanted business better than you; when have you ever seen me afraid?'

'Really not afraid? Rest assured, even if you speak frankly, I won't spread it.'

The woman teased, her eyes curved like a crescent moon.

'I am not targeting you.'

Li Jun mimicked her motion, putting his legs on the table—'Buddha sequences, I love killing them the most.'

A small head popped out from his chest, eyes wide, cheeks puffed, a youthful face brimming with killing intent!

'Then I say, you listen?'

'You should have spoken earlier; do you really think that girl's "sister" was called for nothing?'

'Ruffian's courage, red blood solidifies heart, lone husband refines spirit, halting war sharpens the blade.'

Yuan Mingfei's voice echoed in the room; Li Jun lifted his head, expressionless, staring at the ceiling.

'As that martial sequence said, in peaceful ages, the solitary martial sequence never gets its turn on stage. Since everyone regards you as enemies, let us stir up a calamity and settle all problems with our fists.'

Li Jun grinned, his face brightening with a mischievous gleam.

"It seems Old Mr. Su was right; I have indeed been too restrained," he mused.

"Ming Fei," Li Jun called out, his voice echoing through the corridor.

The woman paused, her eyes widening, and whispered, "Hmm?"

"The fifth entry of the solitary martial arts—what is its name?" he demanded.

Yuan Ming Fei's lips curled upward, revealing a row of gleaming white teeth.

"Of course, it is the culprit!" she declared.

"So it is the mastermind," he replied, his voice steady.

Li Jun rose to his full height, strode out the door, and proclaimed, "Then let us begin with murder!"