Chapter 51: Mysterious Atmosphere, Bald Youth Meng Chong

The appearance of the Golden Finger signified that there was a payoff to reap. As expected, “Your disciple single-handedly defeated the army of ten thousand, increasing the effectiveness of his Descending Dragon Palm, and you garnered battle experience from it!” Battle experience! In Li Xuan’s mind, images of countless battles appeared in a flash, directly imbuing him with the knowledge, elevating him from a neophyte with untapped potential to a seasoned warrior. “From now on, I am no longer an inexperienced rookie.” Li Xuan’s hands clenched into fists. Just a moment ago, he was a novice who had never engaged in a battle. Now, he’d become an experienced martial artist. “My foolish disciple did well, single-handedly defeating the army and advancing his Descending Dragon Palm technique. This indicates he fought with superior command and used it as an opportunity to hone himself.” Since his protege, Xu Yan, had managed to refine the Descending Dragon Palm amid battle, it indicated that the overall situation was under his control. “Your disciple’s formidable martial arts have stunned the city, made you famous, and added an aura of mystery around you, the mentor, thus you gained the aura of mystery.” The Golden Finger appeared once more. An ultra-mysterious, unpredictable aura emerged. It made Li Xuan seem increasingly mystical. With a profound aura enveloping him, he was inscrutable and unfathomable to the onlookers! With this mysterious aura surrounding him, anyone who saw him would be convinced that he was a hidden sage. “My foolish disciple indeed performed remarkably!” Although this mysterious aura seemingly didn’t possess any power-enhancing function. But it could make one appear mysterious, which in itself was an emblem of strength at times. With a thought, Li Xuan concealed his mysterious aura, returning himself to his ordinary guise. Another thought, and the mysterious aura returned, immediately making him appear mystical again. “I must take on disciples, I absolutely must!” Li Xuan grew restless. Just having Xu Yan as a disciple brought him such immense spoils; having another one would surely bring even more, wouldn’t it? “That reigning goddess of the Goddess Church is a viable candidate. Let the martial experts of the Church notify her to rush over to Yunshan prefecture city.” Li Xuan rose and left the room. I wonder if Yunshan Prefecture City has any suitable candidates. I hope I find one.” His expectations of a disciple were quite high; they needed to have a nimble mind and a high comprehension capability. Only then could they successfully cultivate the techniques he taught. Xu Yan was a prime example. He had a beautiful and bright mind and was extraordinary in comprehension, otherwise, he wouldn’t have succeeded in cultivation. “When it comes to disciples, quality trumps quantity. The more exceptional the disciple, the more feedback I get, which makes it easier to cultivate the techniques I’ve created.” Li Xuan had a rough standard for accepting disciples now. Stepping out of the courtyard, he leisurely strolled around Yunshan Prefecture City. The Goddess Church had already seized control of Yunshan Prefecture City. The civilians were either followers or devout believers of the Goddess Church, every household worshipped the goddess. Suddenly, sounds of a commotion reached his ears. “Meng Chong, stop running and surrender!” The voice was loud, and it sounded familiar. Indeed, it belonged to Shi’er, one of the experts from the Goddess Church whom he’d met last night. “Why are you trying to catch me?” A young voice echoed out. “Of course it’s for the bounty!” The sounds of conflict echoed from a small alley, one person fleeing, another fighting off the chase. Two figures dashed out of the alley. The one fleeing was a muscle-bound lad, tall and sturdy, wielding a thick-spined chopper. Li Xuan gazed at the young man and was immediately taken aback. What was with that shiny, bald head? He looked quite young, around sixteen or seventeen. Why would he shave his head? And so shiny that it reflected light! It seemed like he was naturally bald, with no hair growth at all! Neither the Qi Country nor the Wu Country adhered to Buddhism, and there were no sects that required shaving one’s head. “Could it be that he was born bald?” Li Xuan murmured. With a stirring in his heart, a mysterious aura emerged, making him seem enigmatic within moments. The bald youth and Shi’er, one chasing and the other fleeing, soon ran over. “Venerable… Venerable one!” Shi’er’s face turned pale, he hastily stopped in his tracks, lowered his head, and respectfully bowed. His heart was nonetheless shocked beyond belief. His elder was too mysterious, unfathomable! Meng Chong abruptly halted, his eyes wide as he stared at Li Xuan, unable to look away for a long time. “Eccentric! Unprecedented eccentric!” This was the only thought in his mind. He was an enigmatic, unworldly eccentric! “What has happened here? Why are you fighting in the street?” Li Xuan asked sternly. “Venerable one, I am pursuing Meng Chong, a fugitive with a bounty issued by the Wu Country,” Shi’er said in a low voice. “You would assist the imperial Wu court in apprehending fugitives?” Li Xuan was taken aback. The Heavenly Mother Sect, with their heads filled with thoughts of rebellion, would help the Wu court apprehend fugitives? “Primarily… Primarily because the reward is too large!” Shi’er admitted with an awkward expression on his face. “How large a bounty?” Li Xuan’s brows furrowed, looking interested. “One… One million taels of gold!” Shi’er’s eyes fervently blazed, With one million taels of gold, the funds needed for rebellion would greatly increase. Li Xuan was astounded. Looking at the bald youngster, Meng Chong, he was amazed. “Young man, what kind of heinous crime have you committed to have a bounty of one million taels of gold?” Meng Chong felt the man before him was enigmatic and likely a grand master. He became serious and reverently said, “Venerable… Venerable one, I… I avenged only. The Emperor of Wu is a benefactor who helped me exact revenge.” Li Xuan listened and became somewhat bewildered. If it was mere revenge, and if the Emperor of Wu even helped him exact revenge, then why was such a major bounty placed on him? “What happened?” He asked out of curiosity. Meng Chong rubbed his bald head, looking somewhat embarrassed. His bashful appearance made him seem like a sincere and straightforward lad. “It’s like this. I, Meng Chong, am the legitimate son of the Meng family of the Tien Ping frontier of the Wu Country…” According to Meng Chong, he was born bald and had a much stronger body and greater strength than most people. He belonged to those with innate divine strength. At the age of five, he was sent by his parents to a martial arts school within a society of rivers and lakes, to eventually serve the imperial court as a martial officer. However, when Meng Chong returned from learning martial arts, he found both of his parents dead. Since the day he returned, everyone in his family, from the elderly to young children, began to discriminate against him, branding him as a plague demon, saying that his baldness was an ominous sign. They deemed his presence would bring about the downfall of the Meng family. He was the plague demon that had to be driven out of the Meng family to preserve its prosperous heritage. Instigated by his uncles and aunts, even the children in the family came to despise him and would spit at him whenever they saw him. His family took his parents’ inheritance, not only refusing to give him a share, but also attempting to drive him out of the Meng family. Meng Chong secretly investigated and suspected that his parents had been murdered. When he sought justice, the family elders had him beaten up and chased away by the family protectors. Meng Chong, severely injured, threatened that he would take revenge! However, his uncles and aunts didn’t take him seriously, brazenly challenging him to come back, saying that if he dared to return, they would kill him and bury him then and there! According to the normal logic of vengeance, one would strive to learn martial arts, align oneself with a powerful faction, and even join the imperial court after attaining sufficient strength, before taking revenge on the Meng family. However, Meng Chong’s approach to revenge was unprecedented, groundbreaking, and left Li Xuan dumbfounded, causing him to see Meng Chong in a different light..