Chapter 4: The First Encounter with Yilin

Hearing this, Linghu Chong looked up to the sky and spat out a small amount of blood, thinking: My junior apprentice is still young and has lived alone on the mountain for many years; he truly does not understand the boundaries between men and women. Such a shout could easily lead the girl to misunderstand that we are both lecherous. Looking again at the little nun, her face was as red as blood, as if she were about to die. Linghu Chong shouted, "You first cover her with clothing and help her unblock her acupoints." Yue Po shouted back, "I only have one piece; if I take it off, others will think I am doing something bad!" Linghu Chong was speechless for a long time before finally saying, "You first help her unblock her acupoints." After a while, Yue Po's voice came, "I don't know which point it is; should I feel around a few acupoints?" Linghu Chong felt a bit of an impulse to hit someone and said, "Ask her where she was hit!" Yue Po scratched his head and asked, "Little nun, where were you hit?" After a long pause with no response, Yue Po shouted, "Senior brother, the little nun might have been hit on the mute acupoint; she can't speak." Linghu Chong finally got angry and shouted back, "Nonsense! When Tian Boguang came out, I still heard her crying."

While waiting outside for a moment, the nun, dressed in the clothes given by Linghu Chong, came out and greeted us, saying, "I am Yilin from Mount Heng, thank you both for your rescue." Linghu Chong returned the greeting, saying, "So it is Junior Sister Yilin. I did not know how you came to encounter that solitary traveler, Tian Boguang?" Yilin replied, "I was with my master and the other senior sisters heading to Hengyang. On the way, I went to wash my hands in a mountain stream, and suddenly felt a pain in my back; I had been struck on a pressure point by him. He then brought me here, saying that I looked good and wanted to... sleep with me." Yue Po choked on a mouthful of water upon hearing this, coughing incessantly. Yilin looked worried and hurriedly used her internal energy to gently pat her chest, allowing her to catch her breath before she felt better.

Upon entering, one could see a flicker of fire inside. A remarkably delicate and beautiful young nun lay there motionless, seemingly immobilized by acupoint pressure. A closer look revealed her graceful and slender figure. When the nun noticed Yue Po's gaze upon her, her face flushed with embarrassment. However, Yue Po, having grown weary of naked women, found her partially covered state even less appealing. He turned and called out, "Senior Brother, there is a half-naked and very beautiful young nun inside, and it seems she has not been violated yet. She is currently immobilized by someone. Should we do something about it?"

Yue Po felt a surge of gratitude in his heart, realizing that this nun was not only pure and lovely but also had a kind heart, at least better than Linghu Chong. He casually asked, "So, have you all gone to sleep?" As soon as the words left his mouth, the three of them were taken aback. Yue Po苦笑, recognizing that this was not genuine concern but merely a casual question. Linghu Chong shook his head helplessly, while Yilin, although her face turned red, bravely replied, "No."

"Young man, do not go too far." As Tian Boguang smashed his wine cup, he was about to draw his sword. Yue Poyan, unfazed, replied, "I am ready, you may speak!" Tian Boguang took a deep breath, slowly calming himself, and said, "I only allowed you to sit here because I found you two agreeable. This little nun has already ingested my unique poison; without my antidote in two hours, she will surely die..." Yue Poyan scolded fiercely, "You have such thick skin, claiming to be a renowned figure in the martial world, yet you would stoop to such underhanded deeds." As he spoke, he casually threw a plate, but the person slipped under the table, clasping his thighs with both hands, pulling back slightly to dislocate his left thigh. Tian Boguang was also a seasoned veteran of the martial world, but unfortunately, he had never encountered a young man who could be considered a true expert. As soon as they found common ground in conversation, they immediately began to fight. Losing the initiative, he realized that without relying on his swift blade, this young man was certainly not his match.

Linghu Chong said, "We are just heading to Hengyang City; why not go together?" Yilin nodded and replied, "That would trouble the two senior brothers." The two men turned around to grab their bundles, when Tian Boguang jumped out from the side of the cave, pressed on Yilin's acupoint, threw her over his shoulder, and ran off. Yue Po, sensing something was amiss, did not turn back but instead clawed with his left hand, managing to tear off a piece of Tian Boguang's clothing. The two wanted to give chase, but it was too late; Tian Boguang, known for his solitary travels, was exceptionally skilled in lightness techniques.

Yue Po looked at him in anger and said, "What so many reasons, just let it go quickly." Tian Boguang thought to himself that it would be better if he just said the word 'nonsense' directly. He suppressed his anger and said, "You sit down first." Yue Po, with a face full of suspicion, remembered what Linghu Chong had taught about the ways of the Jianghu underworld, first crouching down to inspect the seat, then checking the wall behind him before finally sitting down. Tian Boguang was furious, saying, "I, Tian Boguang, am a well-known figure in the Jianghu, how could I possibly engage in such petty actions?" Yue Po verbally agreed, but he took a silver needle to test the wine that had been poured earlier.

Upon arriving in Hengyang City at dawn, I inquired with the gate guards. Half an hour ago, a man and a nun had entered. The nun's target was significant, and the two separated to gather information. Yue Po, however, learned first that the person he sought was at the Returning Swallow Tower. He then entered the tavern and ascended to the second floor, where he indeed saw Tian Boguang and Yilin seated by the window. As he rushed forward to strike, Tian Boguang had already noticed Yue Po coming up the stairs and said, "Hold on a moment." Unbeknownst to him, Yue Po had no intention of heeding such a request, cursing internally, "Hold on my foot," and moved forward. Tian Boguang, sensing the urgency, quickened his blade, slashing several times to force Yue Po back. Enraged, he exclaimed, "How can you not understand the rules of the martial world? When I say 'hold on,' you should let me finish speaking. Who charges in without regard for the situation like you? And to ambush me from the bushes, is that the conduct of your so-called righteous sect?"

Yue Po, in a fit of rage, turned and shouted, "Senior Brother, that nun has fainted. If you don't come in now, who knows what will happen." Linghu Chong, filled with anger, entered the room, suppressing the impulse to kick Yue Po, and took a piece of clothing from his bundle to drape over the nun, saying, "She is my junior sister from Hengshan." Upon hearing this, Yue Po understood, as all the Five Mountains Sword Sect members were interconnected. He asked, "What should we do now? Should we carry her? If we leave her here, people will think we are lecherous thieves, and we can't just abandon her." Linghu Chong replied, "Then we will stay here and guard her." Yue Po inquired, "What if we have to wait a long time?" Linghu Chong looked at the nun and said, "It won't be long; it will be over soon." As they spoke, the nun had already awakened, and upon seeing two men sitting beside her staring at her, she immediately fainted again from embarrassment.

The two exchanged glances, and Yue Po asked, "What is the situation now?" Ling Hu Chong shrugged and replied, "We can only continue to wait." Yue Po said, "What if..." "There is no 'what if.' I will go outside to wait, so as not to frighten her again. You stay inside and keep an eye on things, and take the opportunity to apply some medicine to yourself." Yue Po watched as Ling Hu Junzi went out and sighed. It was not until the third watch of the night that the nun finally woke up. Her acupoints had already been released, and she tightly clutched her clothes in front of her chest, her small face flushed as she stared at Yue Po. Yue Po had long been tired, and upon seeing the nun awake, he was overjoyed and was about to shout, but fearing that it might frighten her into fainting again, he hurriedly said softly, "I am Yue Po from Mount Hua. My senior brother is outside. Have your acupoints been released? Can you get up now?"

The two looked at each other again, helplessly realizing that there was no point in sleeping; they should continue on their journey! Yue Po felt somewhat at ease, but Linghu Chong was filled with self-reproach. His junior disciple, lacking experience in the martial world, was still able to grasp a piece of clothing, while I, Linghu Chong, could only watch as my junior sister Yilin was taken away along with the *illustrated book*? As they traveled, when comparing their lightness of step, it was Yue Po who had the advantage. This was due to his diligent practice, as well as the fact that he had to go up and down the mountain three times a day. Most importantly, Yue Po's internal strength was significantly higher than Linghu Chong's, yet he still did not dare to unleash the second level of the Purple Hero technique.

Once again, the sound of mosquitoes disturbed the journey, and I was so fatigued that I hadn't closed my eyes until now. In my anger, I exclaimed, "Speaking loudly can be deadly." The effect was immediate, as the nun raised her voice, saying, "Shixiong, please step outside; I need to change my clothes." I was taken aback and replied, "Your voice is beautiful, and you are lovely; it's such a pity that you became a nun." The young nun was at a loss for words, just as Linghu Chong called from outside, "Little Shidi, she has awakened; you should come out first." I scratched my head, realizing that it was indeed inappropriate for her to change clothes in front of me since her clothes were torn, and I hurriedly ran outside. The nun raised her voice again, saying, "Shixiong, please step outside; I need to change my clothes." I was taken aback and replied, "Your voice is beautiful, and you are lovely; it's such a pity that you became a nun." The young nun was at a loss for words, just as Linghu Chong called from outside, "Little Shidi, she has awakened; you should come out first." I scratched my head, realizing that it was indeed inappropriate for her to change clothes in front of me since her clothes were torn, and I hurriedly ran outside.

Yue Po turned around and scrutinized, making the nun even more uncomfortable. She emitted a sound akin to that of a mosquito. Upon hearing "unyielding and steadfast," Yue Po doubted the condition of his ears, but upon listening more closely, he realized it was actually "shoulder and spine." After a while of pushing blood through the palace with no effect, he turned and shouted, "Senior Brother, I can't resolve this, you need to come in. There's no difference between one person looking and two people looking." It was unclear how Linghu Chong felt upon hearing this, but the little nun was nearly fainting. Yue Po gently reassured her, saying, "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. Besides, exposing a large area of white shoulder is a bit much, but there’s nothing inappropriate exposed, so there’s no need to feel embarrassed." Upon hearing this, the nun fainted directly.