Chapter 44: A Gentleman Hides His Tools Within

Qi Wu and the others watched in disbelief as the clay statue of the mountain god came to life, wielding a sword to expel the demon!

“The mountain god has shown his spirit!” Ah Yue said dumbfoundedly.

Qi Wu reacted the fastest: “No, there’s someone hiding inside the statue!”

Indeed, as the sword-wielding mountain god fought with the tiger demon, clumps of clay fell away, revealing the true face of the person hidden within.

It was Lu Yang.

“Damn it, I’ve waited five days for you! It wasn’t in vain that I pretended to be a statue for five days. Take my sword!” Lu Yang said fiercely, kicking out.

For someone as quick-witted as him, who enjoyed roaming around, it was extremely difficult to stay motionless inside a statue for five days to avoid detection by the tiger demon.

Before the others could react, the literary and martial mountain god statues also came to life: “Lu Yang, we will lend you a hand!”Gett your favorite novels at no/v/e/lbin(.)com

Meng Jingzhou and Barbarian Bone broke free from their clay encasements, displaying their magical powers to eliminate the tiger demon.

...

Five days earlier, the mountain god temple welcomed three uninvited guests. They took pills that allowed them to fast, hollowed out the mountain god statues, and climbed inside.

The statues were several sizes larger than an average person, easily fitting one inside.

“Are you sure this will work?” Meng Jingzhou and Barbarian Bone skeptically asked Lu Yang.

“Based on the information provided by Brother Barbarian Bone, our only option is to lie in wait for the tiger demon to come... Let’s go inside first.”

Barbarian Bone pondered, was this what the books meant by “a gentleman hides his tools within himself”?

“Exactly, exactly. This must be the meaning. Indeed, one must travel ten thousand miles after reading ten thousand books.” Barbarian Bone was overjoyed. He had never understood the meaning of this phrase until now, after undertaking a mission with Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, achieving such enlightenment.

The master was right; to learn well, one must first find a good role model!

The three chose their respective statues, entered them, and maintained the same posture as the statues, only their eyes visible.

“Hey, can you hear me?” Lu Yang communicated using telepathy.

Telepathy was a spell the trio had just learned on the road. At close range, it required no spiritual energy, relying on thoughts alone for communication. It was easy to learn and use with a bit of mental training.

“I can hear you,” Meng Jingzhou and Barbarian Bone replied.

“Is the carriage alright?” Meng Jingzhou worried about their carriage and old horse.

“See, I was right, the ghost sent her away.”

Lu Yang was more calm: “On the contrary, with the female cultivator here, the tiger demon wouldn’t appear. How long would we have to wait?”

Meng Jingzhou suddenly exclaimed, “Did you notice the jade pendant on the green-dressed girl’s waist?”

“What’s with the pendant?” Lu Yang and Barbarian Bone knew many pendants symbolized identity but weren’t clear on the specifics.

“That’s a token from Laurel Immortal Palace.”

Laurel Immortal Palace, one of the Five Great Immortal Sects.

A continuous snow mountain stretches east-west between the Central Continent and the far north, perennially covered in snow, rarely seeing sunny days. Known as the highest peak in the Central Continent, it’s closest to the moon.

Within the snow mountains lies a magnificent immortal palace, the Laurel Immortal Palace.

“She must be at the Foundation Establishment stage. When we fight the tiger demon, let’s make as much noise as possible to alert her, and see if she’s willing to help.”

The opponent was definitely not at the Golden Core stage; a cultivator of that level from the immortal sect would have immediately seen through the old hunter as a ghost, unlike now, being deceived.

After a while, the three watched as Qi Wu and the others fell into a deep sleep, envying their peaceful rest.

Barbarian Bone recited sage quotations to fight off sleepiness: “The sage says, ‘I examine myself thrice a day.’ Are you sleepy? I’m not sleepy. Are you sleepy? I’m not sleepy...”

“Stop reciting; you’re making me sleepy even though I wasn’t,” Meng Jingzhou asked Barbarian Bone to recite silently, unable to resist yawning.

“But I am reciting silently,” Barbarian Bone replied using telepathy. (He’s technically right xD)

“Listen carefully!”

Lu Yang ignored their banter, forcing himself to stay alert to any sounds outside.

“There’s something stepping on the grass... the tiger demon is here!”

Hearing Lu Yang’s alert, Meng Jingzhou and Barbarian Bone stopped bickering, immediately bracing for battle.

“Finally, this beast shows up!”

Lu Yang no longer concealed his presence, his body shaking the mountain god statue to pieces, holding the Green Edge Sword with glowing sword light, illuminating the entire temple.

(End of the chapter)