Chapter 113: The Rogue Zhou Yi

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Seeing the Miao tribesman setting fire and producing smoke at the cave entrance, the two hurriedly covered their mouths and noses with their clothes.

"What do we do now?" Mu Chen, momentarily distracted, loudly asked Baozi.

Baozi coughed a few times and shouted back, "What can we do? If we don’t go out, we’ll choke to death; if we do, we’ll be beaten to death. What do you suggest?" Baozi had never been one for ideas and retorted.

"Damn it, it’s just a few Miao tribesmen. Let’s go out and fight them," Mu Chen said, bending down as if to leave.

Baozi grabbed Mu Chen from behind, coughing as he said, "Are you crazy? Going out now is just asking for death!"

"Then staying in this cave means choking to death," Mu Chen said with a grimace.

"Yesterday it was too dark inside the cave, and there were forks in the path. I didn’t reach the end; let’s quickly find a way out," Baozi said, pulling Mu Chen further into the cave.

"You said there were no forks? And you still dared to leave that flying corpse in here? Baozi, you’re really losing your mind. If this delays Brother Yi’s important mission, I’ll skin you alive when we get back," Mu Chen scolded, coughing as Baozi remained silent.

"There are unclean things in here; I’m scared!" Baozi said, feeling wronged.

Some things never change; Baozi had always been timid. Though he now possessed blue spiritual energy, he still instinctively feared ghosts and monsters. That fear was unshakable.

After advancing several dozen meters, the ground began to sink, and the mud deepened the farther they went. Ahead was a ninety-degree turn; from a distance, it looked like a dead end. No wonder Baozi said it was a dead end—he had simply turned back before reaching the end.

"The smoke can’t get in here anymore. Don’t go further; who knows what’s inside!" Baozi tugged at Mu Chen.

Mu Chen looked inside; the passage descended into darkness with no visible end. If the flying corpse had fled, it had long since vanished, and chasing it was pointless.

"Let’s wait here for Brother Yi. I don’t know if those Miao tribesmen will leave. If they keep waiting outside, we’ll have to keep moving or suffocate in this cave."

"I wonder where Brother Yi is now. If only he were here," Baozi muttered.

Outside, the Miao tribesmen, after fumigating the cave entrance for a long time without seeing the two emerge, placed the burning branches around the entrance again, and together they rolled a large stone to block the cave entrance before turning to leave.

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The Miao tribesmen dared not enter the cave. They had fumigated for a long time without any sign of the two, who had originally been audible speaking but were now silent. They assumed the two had been suffocated by the smoke.

Besides, the two were not important figures; the real important person, Zhou Yi, had already been taken away by someone named Xu Hua.

Speaking of Zhou Yi, after enduring five days of howling wind, his thin clothes had worn away. Although he now cultivated with spiritual energy protecting him, he could not withstand the biting wind.

Awakening from meditation, he felt the surging spiritual energy within and marveled at how much it had advanced in just a few days.

He attributed this to the wild wind by the cliffside. Though harsh, this place was a rare gem for cultivation.

Turning, he saw Fu Gege supporting her chin and staring at him.

Smiling faintly, he called out, "The wind is strong here; what are you doing? Why not rest inside the temple?"

He had to shout because the place was so quiet that normal speech couldn’t be heard.

"I hate the monks inside the temple, and besides, the wind here keeps me clear-headed," Fu Gege shouted back toward the cliff.

Zhou Yi smiled at her and said no more, turning to look across the cliff. After a moment, his ears twitched as he listened intently.

Fu Gege looked at Zhou Yi, puzzled. "What’s wrong?"

Zhou Yi put a finger to his lips, signaling silence. "Don’t make noise; listen carefully."

Fu Gege listened hard but heard nothing. When she looked back at Zhou Yi, she saw his expression had grown even more serious.

"There’s something below this cliff!" Zhou Yi said after a long pause.

"Maybe it’s just some small animals. How come your ears are so good? I can’t hear a thing," Fu Gege laughed.

Just as Zhou Yi was about to explain it wasn’t animals, he faintly heard someone roaring beneath the cliff. The sound was made using spiritual energy and could carry for miles, but the strong wind muffled it before it reached the cliff top.

If not for Zhou Yi’s keen hearing, he wouldn’t have noticed it. Wondering who could be down there, he was about to go look when the little monk Sha Ni from Mount Wutai returned.

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"The abbot asked me to bring you back to the temple," Sha Ni bowed to Zhou Yi and said.

Zhou Yi glanced down at the cliff, leaving his questions unspoken, and followed the young monk back to the temple.

Unlike last time when the whole temple knew everything, Sha Ni directly led Zhou Yi to the guest chamber of Mount Wutai, where Xu Hua was already waiting.

Seeing Zhou Yi’s disheveled state, Xu Hua couldn’t help but grin. Zhou Yi looked utterly bedraggled—his clothes were reduced to just the front collar and two sleeves, the fabric on his back worn away by the wind, and his hair whipped into a tangled mess.

"You bald donkey, what are you laughing at?" Zhou Yi snapped.

Xu Hua shook his head and sighed, then said, "Your mouth always stinks. I had to stay in bed for three days to recover and begged the master constantly until he agreed to investigate the truth. If it truly wasn’t your fault, you’d be allowed to leave Mount Wutai. But since you show no remorse, my efforts were in vain. We’ll have to involve Uncle Huicong from the Discipline Court."

After speaking, Xu Hua theatrically began to leave.

Zhou Yi felt a surge of joy. He hadn’t expected Xu Hua to plead for him—what a fortunate surprise. "Master bald… Xu Hua, let’s not go. Let’s just chat here while waiting for Huiming…"

Calling Xu Hua “bald donkey” was a slip of the tongue he couldn’t easily correct.

Master Huiming entered from outside and immediately said, "This is no place for idle chatter. Tell me why my disciple Zuo Zheng offended you and suffered harm. If your reasons are justified, I will let you leave. If not, the Discipline Court’s punishment is unavoidable."

Zhou Yi chuckled dryly, feeling parched but recalling how he had once used dry mouth as an excuse to tease a monk in the Discipline Court. He swallowed hard.

Then he recounted in detail how the two had become enemies and how despicable Zuo Zheng’s actions were. The more Huiming listened, the deeper his frown grew. Finally, he slammed the tea table, which shattered instantly.

"Enough! You scoundrel, how dare you insult my Mount Wutai lay disciple! Xu Hua, hand him over to the Discipline Court!"