I Grind to Martial Saint

Following the old monk’s directions, Han Yuan left the dining hall and quickly spotted a row of empty guest rooms.

Han Yuan picked a random guest room and lit the oil lamp inside.

He did a quick mental calculation. There were enough rooms for one person each, so he wouldn’t have to share.

He set down his saber and sword, then sat cross-legged on the bed to meditate.

A short while later, he heard footsteps outside his door.

However, the people outside saw the light from Han Yuan’s room and were sensible enough not to disturb him.

After all, Han Yuan’s appearance suggested he wasn’t someone to be trifled with, and no one wanted to share a room with him.

Night fell quietly.

Huian Temple gradually grew silent, creating a somewhat grim and eerie atmosphere.

「Late into the night.」

A figure quietly slipped through a window, leaping out from a guest room.

This person was none other than the Blade Master who had been hiding in the corner of the dining hall.

His name was Wang Yang, and his true identity was that of a ruthless bandit who specialized in robbery and murder.

His target for the night was, naturally, the noblewoman staying at the temple.

During dinner earlier, he had seen that the jewelry she wore was worth at least several hundred taels, and it had immediately sparked his nefarious intentions.

Wang Yang’s plan was simple: after the murder and robbery, he would leave Huian Temple immediately.

However, the noblewoman wasn’t in the guest rooms on this side, but on the other.

Wang Yang crept over cautiously.

As he moved through the deserted temple, he felt a strange sense of dread.

’I’ve heard people say that temples are heavy with Yin Qi.’

’And now I see it’s true!’

Wang Yang took a deep breath.

He was, after all, a bandit who killed without batting an eye. How could he lack courage? He quickly suppressed the feeling of panic.

He crept cautiously into the courtyard of another set of guest rooms.

Wang Yang knew the noblewoman had two Guards with her, so he had to be careful.

The moonlight was bright tonight.

When Wang Yang looked, he found that there were no Guards standing watch outside this row of guest rooms.

’Maybe because this is a temple, they let their guard down.’

Wang Yang came up with a reason.

He quickly sneaked up to one of the rooms and poked a small hole in the window paper, but he saw no one inside.

He moved to the next room and found it empty as well.

The third... the fourth... the fifth...

After checking all the guest rooms, Wang Yang hadn’t seen anyone.

The noblewoman and her two Guards weren’t here.

’Weird... If they aren’t here, where could they be?’

’It’s the middle of the night, so they couldn’t have left the temple. Could there be other guest rooms?’

Wang Yang frowned, deciding to search other parts of Huian Temple.

Just as he turned around.

A pale, ancient, and gaunt face suddenly appeared before him!

!!!!

Wang Yang was so frightened he felt his heart was about to burst from his chest. He was just about to draw his blade and strike.

"Amitabha."

"Patron, why are you not asleep in the middle of the night?"

Monk Huiming asked with a frown.

Only after hearing this did Wang Yang calm down, realizing it was Monk Huiming.

"Old monk... then what are you doing up in the middle of the night, scaring people?"

Wang Yang heaved a long sigh of relief.

"When one gets old, their Essence, Qi, and Spirit are insufficient. It becomes easy to lose sleep at night."

Monk Huiming explained.

"Me too... I guess I’m not used to this place, so I thought I’d take a walk."

Wang Yang offered a casual excuse.

"I see."

Monk Huiming nodded, seemingly believing Wang Yang’s words.

"Well, I’ll be heading back to sleep then." Wang Yang didn’t want to talk with the old monk any longer.

"Patron, take care..." Monk Huiming hadn’t finished his sentence.

But Wang Yang gave a sinister laugh and suddenly struck, viciously plunging his blade into Monk Huiming’s heart.

"You..."

Monk Huiming stared at Wang Yang, unable to speak, and then breathed his last.

"If you must blame someone, blame yourself for seeing something you shouldn’t have."

"Besides, you’re an old man already. I’m just sending you to see the Buddha a little early."

Wang Yang sneered.

He knew his recent actions had been suspicious and that the old monk had surely seen everything, yet showed no sign of questioning him.

Clearly, the old fellow was trying to lull him into a false sense of security before going to get help against him.

After struggling to survive in the Martial World for so many years, Wang Yang naturally wasn’t that careless.

Besides, to him, it was just one more person to kill. It made no difference.

Wang Yang quickly cleaned up the bloodstains, dragged the old monk’s body into a guest room, and stuffed it under the bed before leaving.

He still couldn’t get the noblewoman’s jewelry out of his head, and he decided to see if there were any other guest rooms in Huian Temple.

Just as he was rounding a corner in a corridor, he bumped right into a figure.

"Oof!"

"What kind of monk are you, not watching where you’re going!"

Wang Yang cried out in pain.

"Amitabha."

"It was this old monk who carelessly bumped into you, Patron. My apologies."

But Wang Yang’s face suddenly turned deathly pale. His eyes filled with terror, and his legs began to tremble.

This monk... was Elder Monk Huiming!

"Patron... why aren’t you speaking?"

Elder Monk Huiming asked, puzzled.

"N-nothing..."

"I bumped into you, Master. My apologies."

Wang Yang said, his expression stiff.

"No, it was my fault."

"But Patron, why are you not asleep in the middle of the night?"

Monk Huiming asked.

"I... I’ll go back to sleep right now!"

Terrified, Wang Yang turned and fled.

He dashed frantically through the temple, as if fleeing from something terrifying.

’Something’s wrong with that old monk, and something’s wrong with this temple... I’m afraid it’s haunted!’

’No, I have to get out of here right now!’

The mere thought of the old monk’s face made his scalp tingle with fear.

He was about to rush out of the corridor and reach the temple’s main gate.

A monk, seemingly unable to sleep, was sweeping the ground with a broom.

The moonlight spilled down, making the monk’s face look exceptionally pale and dreadful.

"Patron... can’t you sleep in the middle of the night?"

Elder Monk Huiming raised his head and asked, a look of confusion on his face.

In that instant.

An expression of utter despair and fear washed over Wang Yang, and he froze on the spot.

....

"AHHHH~~~"

A bloodcurdling scream shattered the silence of the temple.

Han Yuan, who had been sitting cross-legged in meditation in his guest room, opened his eyes. ’So, it’s finally begun?’

From the moment he entered the temple, he had felt that something was amiss.

The place gave him a deathly still feeling.

He had originally intended to wait for whatever ’things’ were here to come find him, but it seemed someone else had run into trouble first.

He got off the bed, pushed open the door, and walked out.

It wasn’t just him.

The Scholar and the two merchants who were business partners also pushed open their doors at almost the same time.

Clearly, they too had been woken by the scream.

"What’s going on?"

The Scholar, Li Da, was a little panicked.

"I don’t know... Should we go take a look?"

The merchant Li Xilun suggested it in a low voice.

"Wait... we’re missing someone."

"Where did the Blade Master go?"

The other merchant, Zhang Qiang, was very observant and had noticed a person was missing.

"That’s right... I remember he’s staying in the room right next to mine."

This reminder made Li Da recall the fact immediately.

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