Unintended Immortality

Chapter 165: There are Six Instead of Five Heroes of Angzhou

“Daoist priest.”

“Hmm?”

“I've read it a hundred times, yet I still don't understand its meaning.”

“Really?”

“Really! I was afraid of miscounting, so I read it over a hundred times!”

“I see.”

“Why do I still not understand its meaning?”

“It’s my mistake.” The Daoist thought for a moment before recalling, “I forgot to tell you that in ancient sayings, numbers like ‘hundred’ and ‘thousand’ are generally used metaphorically.”

“Metaphorically!”

“It doesn’t mean its literal meaning; one hundred doesn’t actually mean one hundred, and one thousand doesn’t mean one thousand either.”

“Then what does it mean?”

“It refers to a large quantity.”

“A large quantity!”

“Reading a hundred times means you should read it many times, not literally a hundred times.” The Daoist patiently explained, “Sometimes it could be a hundred times, sometimes more than a hundred, or even ten thousand times.”

“...!”

“However, you don't need to worry. First, this matter is like cultivation; it cannot be rushed. If you want to finish in a day, no matter how many times you read, it may not work. It should follow the natural flow.” As the Daoist spoke, he reached out to pat the little girl’s head, feeling warm in his heart.

“Secondly, poetry doesn’t always have to have a clear meaning. Sometimes, just understanding the artistic conception within is enough.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You’ll slowly understand it naturally.”

“Okay...”

At that moment, a few people from the jianghu appeared ahead.

They were all dressed in coarse linen clothes, wandering along the mountain path, looking left and right. Occasionally, one of them would dash up to a nearby height and stretch their neck to peek into the dense grass.

They appeared to be searching the mountain, hoping for luck.

“There are people ahead.” The heroine lowered her voice to remind Song You.

“This group of people looks somewhat familiar.”

“I ran into them yesterday afternoon.”

“I see.”

The heroine wanted to remind him not to show any signs of weakness, to be more composed; perhaps they could muddle through. But when she glanced at the Daoist, she found him as calm as ever, his steps and breathing unchanged. There was no need for her to remind him.

She still wanted to discuss a strategy for how to handle any potential conflict that might arise, to find the simplest, quickest, and cleanest way to resolve it. However, after sizing up these people, she figured that even if they weren’t small fry in the jianghu, they didn’t seem like top-notch experts either.

With the backing of the Grand Commander’s estate and the Daoist’s calm demeanor, she felt there was no need for her to worry. So she just walked alongside him, looking ahead.

When Song You and his group saw these few jianghu heroes, they noticed them as well.

At first, they didn’t think much of it, just feeling that this group seemed somewhat familiar. But they quickly realized something was off when they spotted the long wooden box wrapped in oilcloth that Song You was carrying on his back—jianghu people coming to this mountain were wary of such long, wrapped packages.

Someone immediately nudged a companion next to him, gathering the group together. They stopped and exchanged glances, then turned their attention to the approaching group.

There was a young Daoist leaning on a staff and a masked woman wielding a long knife. There was also a small, cute girl, blowing a whistle and looking at them with pure eyes, as well as a short horse that was hardly bigger than a donkey.

The group continued to close the distance between them.

The jianghu heroes stood their ground, almost rotating their heads in unison as the others approached. Some were scrutinizing the group, while others kept their eyes fixed on the package behind the Daoist, their roles clearly defined.

Heroine Wu could keenly sense that although none of these people had their hands on their weapon hilts yet, they were all tensed and ready to spring into action.

“Hey, you...”

No one was willing to risk their lives blindly, so an older jianghu hero stepped forward, his face beaming with a smile as he clasped his hands together and asked, “You just went up the mountain yesterday, and now you’re coming back down?”

The techniques of cultivators from the Daoist sects were indeed mysterious, leaving jianghu heroes defenseless, but they themselves struggled to withstand the swords and blades of those jianghu heroes.

Even if there were Daoists who could summon wind and rain with their prayers or call forth thunder with a wave of their hand or easily subdue vengeful spirits, as long as they lacked the skill to be impervious to blades and bullets and had no other means of self-preservation, they could still be killed by a single strike to the head or shot through the body by an arrow.

They might think that Daoists would attain enlightenment after getting killed by weapons, but how many Daoists truly achieve enlightenment after dying by swords and clubs?

Life was but a hundred years, and mastering Dao was difficult; few could excel in all aspects.

Therefore, while this heroine appeared relaxed on the surface, she remained vigilant. She was prepared for a sneak attack, fearing that this powerful Daoist might be shot dead by a hidden arrow.

Although Song You did not need to be saved, he should be grateful to her.

Moments later...

Accompanied by a series of pleading voices, Heroine Wu returned, dragging a burly man whose arms were thicker than his legs. She casually tossed the man at Song You's feet and replied, “You’re welcome.”

Song You looked at the man on the ground and smiled, asking, “Are you also one of the Five Heroes of Angzhou?”

“Yes... Yes...”

“Turns out there are six heroes instead of five heroes of Angzhou.” Song You nodded and remarked, “You all are quite clever.”

“Spare me, Daoist elder!”

“That arrow was aimed directly at my heart; how could I let you off the hook?”

“Spare me, Daoist elder! Ah, right! I aimed for your leg! I aimed for your leg! It's all because I'm not skilled with a bow!” The burly man repeatedly bowed his head, pleading, “Spare me, Daoist elder, spare me...”

“Clever indeed.”

“Everything I said is true! Spare me, Daoist elder!”

“I don’t enjoy killing; I’ll only ask you one question. Answer correctly, and I’ll let you go,” Song You stated, “Answer incorrectly, and it’ll be an eye for an eye. I’ll make you return to the earth and sky as dust.”

“Spare me, Daoist elder!”

“Just answer correctly.”

“...”

“Have you killed anyone?” Song You paused for a moment before adding, “Innocent people.”

The burly man was taken aback, and he quickly began to bow his head even more fervently, answering, “Daoist elder, please see clearly! I’ve mostly only done things like stealing or causing trouble for others; how could I have killed any innocent people...

“Though, there was one time when we encountered mountain bandits by the roadside who wouldn’t let us pass. We fought back and ended up killing a few, but if we hadn’t killed them, we would have died ourselves.”

“Are you lying?”

“I’m telling the truth! I’m not lying!”

“Raise your head.”

“...” The burly man nervously lifted his head to look at the Daoist.

As soon as their eyes met, he was startled. The Daoist’s gaze was as calm as water, yet as vast as the sea.

“Have you killed any innocent people?” the Daoist asked again, his tone unchanged.

In the burly man's heart, it seemed as if a sea had emerged. At first, the waters were calm, but soon waves began to rise. The smaller ones were ripples, while the larger ones were surges, countless layers crashing against each other, each one splashing water as they echoed the Daoist's question. This left him stunned, unable to tell a lie.

“I have...”

“How many?”

“Two... three...”

“Boom...”

A surge of flames erupted from within, engulfing him.

“Ah...!” A scream immediately echoed.

The little girl was very close to him and found it strange; there was clearly fire, yet it didn’t feel hot. She couldn’t help but cautiously reach out to touch it but found she couldn't touch it at all. When she looked again, the Daoist had pulled her close and covered her eyes.

Yet the fire was indeed real, burning the burly man as he rolled on the ground, crying out in pain.

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