https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-283-I-m-Only-Interested-in-You-Now/12536464/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-285-The-Four-Great-Masters-of-Tang-Sect/12536466/
Chapter 284: Lamas in the Land of Shu
Chapter 284: Lamas in the Land of Shu
One had to admit that Ma Xiuzhen had a pair of long, captivating legs that Su Shaoying adored.
"Would you like to leave the mountain with me?"
"Never mind. Since the second and fourth seniors have just left, and you, the senior master, are also departing, I'll stay here with the master," she replied.
"Who would have thought that the eldest would be the most sensible?"
"Where are you putting your hands?" Ma Xiuzhen asked with a giggle.
"I'm just checking if you're the biggest," Su Shaoying said with a smirk.
"Who else have you touched?!" Ma Xiuzhen exclaimed.
"I've touched plenty," Su Shaoying boasted. "There are at least four or five more famous than you—"
Ma Xiuzhen laughed softly, "I don't believe you. The four infamous tigresses of the jianghu are all acquainted with Lu Xiaofeng."
Su Shaoying snorted, "What tigresses? They're not even worthy of carrying my women's shoes!"
Not to mention Yao Yue and Lian Xing, but even Ding Baiyun and Lan Yueyi were beyond the capabilities of Xue Bing and Jiang Qingxia. Perhaps only Gongsun Lan could match them.
Ma Xiuzhen bit her lower lip, her phoenix eyes sparkling with emotion, thinking that Su Shaoying was referring to her. In a moment of excitement, she snuggled closer into Su Shaoying's embrace.
...
"How are you traveling?" Su Shaoying asked.
It was already early morning of the second day, and he had descended Emei Mountain with Zhang Yingfeng and arrived at the junction of the Qingyi River and the Dadu River.
"Of course, I'll be heading north from Hanzhong to Shaanxi," Zhang Yingfeng replied.
"Why don't you take the waterway to Jiangnan and then enter the capital via the Grand Canal? That would save you a lot of effort!" Su Shaoying asked.
Zhang Yingfeng looked at him as if he were foolish. "How much time would that take?"
Su Shaoying proudly raised his thumb, "You have light work skills. Impressive!"
Zhang Yingfeng chuckled, "Since you're heading to Huguang, I guess we'll part ways here."
Zhang Yingfeng intended to head north to the capital, while Su Shaoying was drawn to the juicy gossip about the Embroidered Bandit. His destination was the Sheep City in Lingnan, and his first stop outside of Sichuan was the Three Xiang region of Huguang.
Naturally, they would be traveling in opposite directions.
"Then..."
Before Su Shaoying could finish his sentence, he spotted a large boat drifting downstream on the Qingyi River. A five-colored prayer flag stood erect at the bow, and several Tantric lamas stood on the deck.
"Where did these lamas come from in central Sichuan?" Su Shaoying asked curiously. "Are they guests invited by the temples on the mountain?"
In addition to the Taoist abbeys, there were also temples on Emei Mountain, inhabited by many skilled practitioners, although they couldn't compare to the Emei Sect.
Moreover, most of them followed the Huayan School lineage, distinct from the Tantric lamas.
"I haven't heard of them," Zhang Yingfeng shook her head.
The two hid aside and watched as the large boat reached the junction of the two rivers. Instead of turning west toward Emei Mountain, it sailed downstream on the Dadu River, apparently intending to enter the Min River and continue southward.
Zhang Yingfeng was speechless.
Su Shaoying was equally puzzled.
"Looks like they're not heading to Emei Mountain after all," Zhang Yingfeng remarked.
Su Shaoying rubbed his nose awkwardly and nodded, "Alright, then we'll part ways here."
After bidding farewell to Zhang Yingfeng, Su Shaoying hired a boat in Leshan and continued his journey southward.
In no hurry, Su Shaoying allowed the boatman to row leisurely downstream. However, their small boat was faster, and they soon caught up with the large boat, spotting the lamas standing on the deck.
The lamas noticed Su Shaoying as well.
An elderly lama appeared at the stern and bowed with his hands pressed together, "Greetings, young hero of the Emei Sect. May I ask if you have any business with us?"
The old lama's voice was not loud, but each word was clear and resonant, revealing his profound internal skills.
"Greetings, Master," Su Shaoying replied with a respectful bow. "I'm merely passing by on my way to Jiangnan. No particular business."
"I see." The elderly lama nodded, his eyes flashing, and gestured, "Young hero, your boat is faster, please go ahead."
Su Shaoying raised an eyebrow, neither confirming nor denying his affiliation. However, by not denying it, he had essentially acknowledged his association with the Emei Sect, giving this elderly lama some face.
He had thought that the old lama would inquire about his lineage and then invite him onto the boat to forge a connection and make friends. But instead, the lama was asking him to go first. What was the meaning of this...
Could it be that they didn't want him getting too close?
Was there some secret on their boat?
Su Shaoying nodded, not giving it much thought, and instructed his boatman to quickly pass by.
The small boat swiftly overtook the large one, soon leaving it behind. As Su Shaoying turned to look back, he noticed two more fast boats emerging from the opposite bank of the Min River, approaching the large boat.
The old lama frowned, preparing to drive them away as well.
"Whoosh!"
In the next moment, several figures emerged from the small boat's cabin, brandishing their hands. Poison needles, darts, and caltrops filled the air, and several unsuspecting lamas were struck by the hidden weapons, crying out in pain as they fell into the water. Even the eldest lama barely avoided being hit.
What was going on?
Su Shaoying's eyes narrowed as he recognized the figures at the bow of the two boats. They wore brocade clothing, with fish-skin gloves on both hands and leopard-skin pouches hanging at their waists.
Experts from the Tang Clan!
Why were experts from the Tang Clan attacking this boat of lamas?
"Slow down, slow down!" Su Shaoying hurriedly signaled to his boatman. "Move aside and give way! Keep your distance!"
"Nizhazabu! You severely injured my third uncle years ago and fled to the Tibetan border. If you had stayed away from the Central Plains for the rest of your life, I might have let it go. But now you dare to enter Sichuan again. Do you think the Tang Clan is nothing?"
The old lama's face darkened as he glared down at them. "My duel with Tang Jingyi years ago was fair. Is the Tang Clan unable to accept defeat?"
"Nonsense! Where is the fairness when you waited for my third uncle to exhaust his hidden weapons before dueling fairly? Are you not ashamed to say such things?" A young man shouted back, throwing a flying knife that aimed straight for the old lama's chest.
Faced with a Tang Clan hidden weapon, the old lama dared not catch it with his hands and could only dodge to the side, instructing the other lamas to take cover.
The four young men from the two boats reached into their leopard-skin pouches, grabbed a few hidden weapons, and leaped onto the large boat, intent on pursuing and killing their target.
"Buzz, buzz, buzz!"
In the next moment, the sound of bowstrings being released filled the air, and over a dozen feathered arrows shot out from the cabin of the large boat, aimed at the four young men.
"Arrows!"
"Watch out!"
The four young men were no weaklings themselves. They twisted and turned in mid-air, blocking or evading the arrows. Although they avoided being hit by the arrows, they ultimately failed to board the large boat and had to fall back.
However, as they fell, they threw the hidden weapons in their hands, and several more cries of pain rang out from the large boat.
In the next moment, as the four young men fell back, two of them managed to land on their small boat, while the other two plunged into the water.
The small boat had no choice but to stop and rescue their companions, and the large boat seized this opportunity to increase the distance between them. With their sails unfurled, they rode the current downstream, quickly passing by Su Shaoying's boat, which had moved to the side.
"The Tang Clan!"
The old lama reappeared at the stern, his eyes dark as he glared at the two small boats trailing behind. His gaze swept over Su Shaoying, and he couldn't help but shoot him a fierce look as well.
If it weren't for him letting his guard down the first time, how could he have been so careless the second time?
(End of Chapter)
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