Li Wu looked at Chen Zui.
Although his new brother certainly possessed fine looks, it wasn't like he himself was much worse!
Why was the monk so exceptionally attentive toward him, yet treated Li Wu with mere standard politeness?
Li Wu pondered this all the way without coming up with any clear answer.
What he did not know was that Master Yuanzhen had his own motives for inviting them to the temple out of the blue.
Although Guang'en Temple was not the most bustling with incense among the Buddhist temples in Grand Shuo, it belonged to the most orthodox lineage.
The monks of the temple prioritized their cultivation above all else, neither befriending nobles nor currying favor with martial world factions.
Yet Yuanzhen was an anomaly in the temple.
Since childhood, he had loved martial arts far more than Buddhism.
The abbot once remarked that “if he had not donned the monastic robes, he would have become a grandmaster in his own right.”
Over the years, whenever he encountered a martial arts expert, he would always invite them back to the temple for a sparring match and discussion. The juniors in the temple had long become accustomed to this.
His active invitation this time was by no means a sudden whim.
When he arrived earlier, he happened to catch a fleeting aura.
In the instant that rusty sword was on the verge of being drawn, the young man named Chen erupted with an exceptionally fierce aura.
Though it was reined in within a split second, with Yuanzhen's Mountain-Viewing Realm perception, he could never mistake it.
That was an aura unique to a Martial Arts Grandmaster—a true Second Rank realm.
Meanwhile, the gray-robed old man had been too low in realm to perceive that aura at all, swaggering about and blustering to take the two young men's lives.
Yuanzhen had appeared at that critical juncture, claiming compassion with his words, but he knew full well in his heart—
His intervention had not saved the two young men; it had saved the gray-robed old man.
Had he arrived a moment later and that rusty sword truly unsheathed, there would have been a sixth corpse on the grassland today.
Although he did not know why this Benefactor Chen deliberately concealed his cultivation, since the young man was unwilling to reveal it, Yuanzhen found it improper to expose him.
He had seen plenty of experts hiding their identities in the martial world: some did so to evade enemies, some to temper their state of mind, and others simply because they were too bothered to deal with the trouble that came with fame.
Regardless of which category the young man fell into, Yuanzhen did not want to miss this rare opportunity.
For someone of the Mountain-Viewing Realm to host a Martial Arts Grandmaster in the temple for a short stay could even be considered aspiring above his station.
However, he was a monk. He did not tell lies, nor did he engage in worldly convolutions.
If he wished to seek guidance, he simply extended the invitation—nothing more.
After walking for about half an hour, the outline of gray tiles and white walls finally emerged at the end of the grassland.
Guang'en Temple sat on a low slope. It was not large, nor were its buildings grand, but backed by a mountain and facing water, it possessed an unpretentious, quiet elegance.
Looking closely upon approach, the courtyard walls were constructed from coarse stones gathered locally. Above the main gate hung a wooden plaque bearing three large characters, “Guang'en Temple,” written in a simple, unrefined hand that lacked polish yet exuded a rugged Zen quality.
Yuanzhen pushed open the half-closed temple gates and led the two inside.
As they crossed the courtyard, several young monks who were sweeping paused their brooms and pressed their palms together to bow to Yuanzhen.
Then, their gazes drifted over to Chen Zui and Li Wu, giving them only a casual glance before turning away, showing not a trace of surprise.
Li Wu had expected his wretched appearance to draw a few disdainful looks, but to his surprise, these monks did not care at all, which made him feel rather unaccustomed.
How could he know that over the years, Yuanzhen frequently brought all kinds of odd martial artists back from the grassland every few days?
However, this time, a few monks could not resist stealing an extra glance or two.
Because they truly could not tell which of the two young men their martial uncle brought back was the martial arts expert worthy of seeking guidance from.
Both were caked in grime, possessing not an ounce of an expert's air anywhere on them.
Yuanzhen was entirely oblivious to the disciples' gazes, or rather, he had long gotten used to them.
Without pausing, he crossed the courtyard and headed straight toward his meditation room.
In his heart, he was already figuring out how to ask this Benefactor Chen for guidance regarding his doubts in the Martial Dao.
For the past five years, he had been stuck at the mid stage of the Mountain-Viewing Realm. Although he was clearly touching the threshold of the late stage, he had consistently lacked that tiny spark of opportunity to break through.
His senior martial brothers in the temple always said he was overly obsessed with martial arts and burdened with too strong an inner demon, advising him to chant scriptures more to calm his mind.
Yet he knew that chanting scriptures could not resolve a bottleneck in cultivation techniques; the only person who could clear the confusion in his heart was someone who stood higher than him.
He was just about to invite Chen Zui to step into his meditation room when, before he could speak, a woman's angry shout echoed from the main hall ahead.
“Impossible! Take another good look! How could he and I possibly be a match made in heaven?!”
Yuanzhen paused, his brows knitting slightly.
The voice came from the fortune-telling stall beside the main hall.
Although Guang'en Temple was small, its fortune slips were remarkably accurate, earning it quite a reputation among the people within a hundred miles.
At this moment, a young woman stood before the fortune stall. She wore neatly tailored martial attire, two short swords tucked into her waist behind her back, and her hair, braided in numerous strands, was adorned with silver bells that chimed noisily with her fury.
With both hands planted on the desk, she glared down at the fortune-telling monk behind the desk, who shrank back in fear.
The monk held the fortune slip in his hand, fine beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead, yet he still read with a beaming smile:
“Calm your anger, female Benefactor. It is written plain as day on the slip.
“‘The Hongluan Star moves, the Tianxi enters the court; a match decreed by Heaven, a perfect pair created by nature.’
“This fortune slip does not lie. You and Young Master Xiao are indeed a match made in heaven.”
“You!”
The woman slammed her palm onto the desk, so hard that the bamboo fortune tube jumped.
“Who is a match made in heaven with that Xiao Chengyan?!
“You definitely read it wrong!
“Pure nonsense!
“If not out of respect for the Buddha, I would smash your useless fortune tube right now!”
Standing in the courtyard, Chen Zui took in the entire scene, a subtle curl forming at the corner of his lips as his interest was piqued.
“That kid Xiao Chengyan has truly had an eventful year.”
From the periodic prompts given by the system, Chen Zui knew that over the past year or so, Xiao Chengyan's cultivation had reached the great perfection of the Inquiry Realm, only a single step away from the Mountain-Viewing Realm.
He hadn't expected that besides making leaps and bounds in the Martial Dao, the kid's private life was rather lively too.
Chen Zui turned his gaze back to the young woman who was slamming the desk and arguing with the fortune-telling monk.
The silver bells on her braided hair jingled furiously with her movements. Her willow-leaf eyebrows were raised and her almond eyes wide; though she was throwing a fit, she didn't seem fierce at all, resembling instead a little bristling beast that was adorably angry.
He had to admit that while this young woman had a somewhat domineering temperament, both her appearance and air could be considered top-tier.
She was not a delicate flower raised deep within a lady's chamber, but a wild rose grown amid the northern winds of the grassland, radiating an unyielding spirit from head to toe.
Could Xiao Chengyan's smiling, mild-mannered disposition really tame such a wild horse?
Chen Zui touched the hilt of his sword at his waist, his lips curling up involuntarily.
Then, he turned to ask Monk Yuanzhen beside him:
“Master, what is this young lady's background?”
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