Chapter 146 — From Alley's End to Alley's Head
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 4
The wall collapsed all at once, and Monk Yunque, Buddha-light blazing from his whole body, sent Yue Qinghong flying out of the wall, laughing aloud: "Senior Sister Yue, leave this one to me! " Yue Qinghong, flying through the air, said angrily: "Monk, you are no good—go up there and you are only begging for a beating!
" "I am no good? " Monk Yunque was enraged.
His moves were fierce and domineering, like a dragon-elephant charging; he attacked Shen Mu, rubble flying beneath his feet, whole green bricks shattered to powder by his savage strength. "Senior Sister, do not say the monk is no good—the monk is good!
" A dull, dreadful thud came from between the four palms where Shen Mu and Yunque collided.
Monk Yunque laughed aloud: "Shen, you did not expect this, did you?
I have already refined Imperial Teacher Jingping's sword art into my palm force—my Great Strength Five-Terrace Seal. . .
" Before he could finish the sentence, he suddenly felt a force like mountains toppling and seas overturning crushing down on him, wildly violent, shattering his primal qi and his Great Five-Terrace Seal like withered branches.
Monk Yunque grunted, staggered back, and unleashed the Dragon-Elephant Demon-Subduing Seal.
With a thunderous boom, Monk Yunque's garments flew and fluttered, shaken into a sky full of white butterflies. He stood there stark naked, no scrap of clothing to cover him, only a pair of white shorts left, and those tattered and torn.
Monk Yunque saw Shen Mu strike at him with another fist—a fist that actually broke the air and burst out with a world-shaking thunder, the fist trailing lightning like a thunderbolt; as it came, a round ball of white mist burst from around it and spread out on every side.
"Damn. . .
" That was the only thought left in his mind. He took Shen Mu's fist head-on, and sure enough, his white shorts split into four and scattered as he had expected, transforming into flying white butterflies—his body was utterly clean.
Monk Yunque was blasted flying backward by that unmatched force. The monk's cultivation was mighty, after all; in midair he spun at once so that he faced the wall.
Smack— He stuck face-first into the wall, his backside sticking out behind.
"Good thing I did not hit the wall back-first. . . " Monk Yunque thought with relief, and happily passed out.
Shen Mu shook out his robes, knocking off the dust.
Then a timid voice came from behind him, quavering: "Brother Shen. .
. " Shen Mu turned.
Wei Yong came trembling from the end of the alley, his two legs still shaking, a sword case on his back.
"Brother Wei, what is it?
" Shen Mu asked, puzzled.
Wei Yong opened the sword case, and with a sob in his voice, quavering: "You go against heaven's way, and I shall act on heaven's behalf, and exchange a few moves with you, and teach you the height of heaven and the depth of earth. .
. That was too cruel.
I did not dare say it.
. . " Shen Mu did not know whether to laugh or cry.
"Brother Wei, you want to spar with me? Sparring between senior and junior brothers is common enough—and besides, ours is a friendship that has passed through life and death. How about this: we stop at the first touch.
" Only then did Wei Yong set his heart at ease. Flying swords left their sheaths one by one; he steadied himself and said: "Brother Shen, only do not beat me like that monk.
" His sword began to wind and coil; he used the Winding Sword Art passed down by Imperial Teacher Jingping. Since Imperial Teacher Jingping's lectures on the sword, many cultivators had been practicing the three basic sword forms he taught, and clearly Wei Yong had gained some understanding of them too. The cultivators of the Imperial College were no fools; more or less, each could grasp some subtlety.