The Shaolin Abbot Born in the 1980s

Chapter 34: Ambush

Huo Yuanzhen had obtained a gourd full of the Elixir of Immortality, which was quite a windfall, but he didn’t yet have the courage to risk his life again. He suspected the old man in the underground chamber had surely stashed the Elixir of Immortality in a corner, and retrieving it would mean facing him head-on. Huo Yuanzhen didn’t think he stood a chance against the old man, so he decided to set the matter aside for the time being. After all, he had the Abbot System. Once he’d grown strong enough, he’d rally the monks from all the Shaolin halls, set up a staff formation, the Eighteen Bronze Men Formation, and the Five Hundred Arhats Formation—nesting large formations within smaller ones—and send a sea of people charging in. Then he’d see just how tough that old geezer really was. For the next three days, Huo Yuanzhen didn’t set foot outside, locking himself in his room to devote himself entirely to cultivating the “Child’s Art.” His current offensive techniques and internal cultivation methods were his weak points, and the internal cultivation methods were a particular source of frustration. During the lottery, he’d at least managed to get two offensive manuals, but for internal cultivation methods, he’d receive at most one manual each time—sometimes none at all—and the chances of winning were very slim. Moreover, Huo Yuanzhen felt that even if he did cultivate an internal cultivation manual, he might not be able to reach the pinnacle of mastery as quickly as he could with other martial arts. This was because the “Virgin Art” within his body acted as a constraint, and the system also required him to master it to perfection. Given all these circumstances, successfully cultivating the “Virgin Art” was no easy feat. If he could instantly reach perfection by drawing other internal cultivation manuals, wouldn’t he soon be invincible under heaven? That’s why Huo Yuanzhen was willing to spare no time or effort to prevent potential problems before they arose, seizing every moment to cultivate the “Child’s Art.” It wasn’t until the evening of the third day that Huo Yuanzhen decided to go out for a walk. Moonlight, as smooth as water, cascaded over the blue-stone pavement of the Shaolin Temple, casting a faint silvery glow. Huo Yuanzhen’s slender figure cast a long shadow in the moonlight. The only fly in the ointment was that the flowing hairstyle of his past life was long gone; only a gleaming bald head reflected the Moon, a constant reminder of his identity. The reason he had come out today was simple: today was the sixth day of the seventh lunar month, and tomorrow would be the seventh—the Qixi Festival. During this time, Huo Yuanzhen found himself feeling a bit nostalgic for his past world. It was a source of regret for Huo Yuanzhen that he had arrived in this world just as he was starting a relationship in his previous life. Looking back now, his past life felt like a dream; sometimes, Huo Yuanzhen could not even tell the difference between dreams and reality. The only thing sustaining him was his desire to return to lay life, but the path to that goal seemed far too distant. But Huo Yuanzhen quickly pulled himself together. He was the kind of person who could let go of things easily; no matter how much he dwelled on it, life would go on as usual, and he had to steadfastly continue on this path to becoming an abbot. Upon reaching the vicinity of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Pagoda, Huo Yuanzhen paused to think. A thought flashed through his mind, and he mentally summoned the White Horse. Sure enough, the White Horse soon galloped out of the woods outside the temple, its hooves clattering crisply and its neck bell jingling. Ever since acquiring the White Horse, Huo Yuanzhen had never ridden it—mainly because he felt that if he did, he would certainly not resemble a “Prince Charming,” but rather bring to mind Tang Seng. But tonight was dark, and the surroundings were quiet and deserted, so Huo Yuanzhen was struck by the urge to gallop off on his horse. Leading his White Horse to the temple gates, he found himself facing a long flight of blue stone steps leading down the mountain. The blue stone steps were certainly not suitable for galloping, so Huo Yuanzhen prepared to lead the horse down the mountain. But the White Horse suddenly nipped at his sleeve and snorted. Since the White Horse was created by the system, Huo Yuanzhen could easily sense its thoughts. He understood what the White Horse meant: it was dissatisfied. As a horse, its destiny was to be ridden by its master, Huo Yuanzhen, yet since its creation, Huo Yuanzhen had never ridden it—a fact that greatly displeased the White Horse. “There are steps all the way down—are you up for this?” Huo Yuanzhen couldn’t help but ask in doubt. The White Horse snorted again, proudly tilting its head back to signal Huo Yuanzhen to mount it quickly. Seeing this, Huo Yuanzhen’s interest was piqued, and he leaped straight onto the horse’s back. “White Dragon Horse, hooves pointing west, carrying Tang Sanzang… ahem, Giddy-up!” Huo Yuanzhen sang a couple of lines but realized it didn’t sound right, so he quickly let out a loud shout, telling the White Horse to gallop freely. The White Horse spread its four hooves and instantly transformed into a streak of white light, charging straight down the mountain. As the horse galloped, its landing was precise to the millimeter—as if calculated by the most sophisticated system—always landing exactly on the steps. Sitting in the saddle, Huo Yuanzhen felt not a single jolt, save for his body tilting slightly downward. “BMW! Truly magnificent!” Huo Yuanzhen couldn’t stop marveling. His “Crossing the River on a Reed” lightness skill was already quite advanced, but when it came to speed, it was two levels below that of the White Horse. He estimated that if it were running on flat ground, it would almost rival a Ferrari. Before long, the White Horse galloped out of the Shaolin Temple’s mountain gate and headed toward the open countryside. Huo Yuanzhen didn’t try to control the White Horse; he simply let it gallop freely. After galloping for about half a shichen, an Official Road appeared ahead. There was only one Official Road in the Shaoshi Mountains—it ran from Dengfeng County through the Zhengzhou Prefecture Office. The road was wide enough for four carriages to travel side by side; though bustling with pedestrians during the day, now that night had fallen, not a soul was in sight. Looking at this ancient “highway,” Huo Yuanzhen decided to let the White Horse run at full speed to see just how fast it could go. But before the White Horse could reach its top speed, Huo Yuanzhen thought he saw a procession of carriages and horses approaching from the distance along the Official Road. In the moonlight, the convoy was at least five or six li away; it was only the faint shouts in the night that caught Huo Yuanzhen’s attention. Huo Yuanzhen had merely wanted to experience the White Horse’s full gallop and had no intention of causing any trouble. So he led the horse off the Official Road and into the dense woods by the roadside, intending to wait until the procession had passed. After waiting for a while, the convoy gradually drew nearer. But then Huo Yuanzhen suddenly noticed that, coming from the direction he had just traveled, a group of horsemen was galloping toward him. There appeared to be about fifty or sixty of them, all dressed in black and with their faces covered by black scarves, looking just like ghosts. This group of horsemen stopped on the Official Road not far from him, as if they were deliberately waiting for the carriages and horses coming from the opposite direction. One of them said to a burly-looking rider who appeared to be the leader, “Chief, they’re here.” The leader nodded, then waved his hand at the riders behind him: “Brothers, the time has come. Remember this well: not a single person in that convoy is to be spared—kill them all! Especially the people in the wagons—under no circumstances must any of them be allowed to survive.” “Yes, Chief!” The knights behind him replied in unison, clearly not a disorganized mob. “Get ready!” At the lead knight’s command, the dozens of knights behind him all drew their gleaming steel swords, casting a flash of light in the moonlight. Huo Yuanzhen watched coldly from a distance, saying nothing. Gradually, the two carriages and their escort finally drew near the knights. The convoy was escorted by some twenty or thirty soldiers, along with another carriage—one that was lavishly decorated and seemed to carry a faint scent of cosmetics. The soldiers also spotted the group of horsemen blocking their path and drew their weapons one after another. The man who appeared to be their commander bellowed, “Who dares to block the path of the imperial army!” The leader of the knights burst out laughing: “I carved out this mountain; I planted these trees. Everything within the bounds of Shaoshi Mountain falls under my authority. If you know what’s good for you, lay down your weapons and let us search you. If we find any valuables, we’ll keep them, and then you can go. Otherwise, you’ll die!” The officer’s face turned pale, and he snorted coldly, “You bandits! Do you realize you’re committing a capital offense? Do you know who you’re stopping?” “Who cares who it is? It can’t possibly be His Excellency the Military Governor!” The black-clad bandits roared with laughter, dismissing the officer’s words with contempt. The officer thought for a moment, returned to the carriage to consult with someone, then turned back and said to the bandits, ““Listen up. Although the person inside the carriage is not the Military Governor himself, she is his wife—the daughter of His Majesty the Emperor, Her Highness the Crown Princess. She is returning to Henan after an audience with the Emperor in the capital. You bandits, if you know what’s good for you, come over immediately to pay your respects to the Crown Princess, the Military Governor’s wife. Perhaps Her Highness might consider sparing your wretched lives. Otherwise, you’ll face the punishment of exterminating nine generations of your clan!” Over here, Huo Yuanzhen heard the officer’s words from a distance and couldn’t help but shake his head inwardly. Both this officer and the Crown Princess inside the carriage were far too foolish. If they hadn’t revealed their identities, things might have turned out better, but now that their identities were out in the open, even if those bandits didn’t want to kill them, they’d have no choice but to silence them. Besides, these bandits had come prepared; they likely already knew the identities of the people in the carriage. If they didn’t try to escape now but instead flaunted their status here, they’d probably find themselves unable to run even if they wanted to in a moment. “Haha! Kid, stop spouting big talk to scare me. Princess this, princess that—do you dare hand her over so this big shot can take a look?” The officer’s face turned pale, and he roared, “You bandits are asking for death!” “Hmph, calling me a fool even as death approaches? Brothers, let’s not waste words on these soldiers—charge! Take them out!” The black-clad bandits behind him let out a Qi Qi war cry. Each spurred his horse forward, steel swords in hand, as they slowly closed in on the convoy of carriages and horses. As dozens of horses moved forward, the dull thud of hooves echoed. These bandits were extremely seasoned; they did not rush into action but slowly formed a包围, placing immense psychological pressure on the people inside the central convoy of wagons and horses. Huo Yuanzhen watched from a distance, knowing that if no outside help arrived today, Her Highness the Crown Princess and her escort would likely meet their ends in the wilderness.