80s Shaolin Abbot

In the bustling market of Dengfeng County, a young man stood amidst the crowd, passionately recounting the events of the previous day.

"I tell you, you didn't see it, but those ten people from Mount Song were attacking this guy from Mount Yue on the second floor of Xiankelai, and it was like the heavens were turning upside down, with no sunlight or moonlight."

He was talking about the fierce battle between the Yue Mountain disciples and the Song Mountain disciples at Xiankelai, a story that had spread throughout the streets and alleys of Dengfeng. Everyone had heard about it, and no one could get enough of it. As the young man spoke, more people gathered around to listen.

The young man, a skilled storyteller, was energized by the growing crowd. Standing with his hands on his hips, he continued, "At first, they fought on the second floor, and suddenly, that Liu Yunhe—Liu Gongzi—was kicked off by Yue Shan and fell onto a pancake stand below, knocked out cold."

"Then," he continued, "those Song Mountain disciples set up a sword formation, led by that old man. They arranged a Nine Palaces Sword Formation, and when that happened, Yue Shan was under a lot of pressure. After all, they're the top sect in Henan. You really think their formation would be weak?"

Someone next to him interjected, "Yeah, these Song Mountain disciples have been causing trouble around Dengfeng lately. Many brave heroes have tried to teach them a lesson, but they were all defeated. Even if their martial skills were impressive, they couldn't stop their sword formation."

The young man nodded. "Exactly! So once that formation was in place, it seemed like Song Mountain was going to win. But, unexpectedly, Yue Shan endured a few sword strikes and broke through the Nine Palaces formation. And the wounds he suffered? Just minor cuts. That's when the Song Mountain disciples realized Yue Shan was skilled in external martial arts—ordinary blades and swords couldn't do much damage."

"What happened after he broke the Nine Palaces formation?" someone asked.

"After he broke it, another disciple was thrown down from the second floor, crashing into the pastry stand, and we didn't know if he was alive or dead," the young man continued.

"But Yue Shan made a miscalculation. Even though he broke the Nine Palaces formation, the Song Mountain disciples immediately set up a Bagua formation and attacked again."

"Song Mountain really knows a lot of formations," someone commented.

"Right. Losing one person wasn't a big deal. But now, Yue Shan was in trouble."

The young man's voice grew more dramatic. "Yue Shan, with blood pouring from his wounds, broke through the Bagua formation. He fought back fiercely, injuring another disciple, and shattered the formation again."

"Then Song Mountain was done, right?" someone asked, clearly intrigued.

"Not at all! Even though they lost another person—he fell from the second floor and hit a tofu stand..." The crowd laughed.

"Stop it! By then, the place was in chaos. The first Liu Gongzi fell on a stand, and the rest of them had already run far away. The others just landed on the ground. No tofu or pastry stands were around!"

The young man laughed awkwardly but carried on. "They lost another one, but the remaining seven quickly set up a Seven Stars formation."

"Wow! So many formations!"

"Yeah, now Yue Shan had his work cut out for him."

The young man's eyes widened. "Who said that? Let me tell you! Yue Shan is a hero, not only did he break the Seven Stars formation, but he also fought with everything he had, shattering the Six Harmony formation, the Five Elements formation, the Four Symbols formation, and the Three Talents formation!"

People nearby gasped in amazement. "Wow, the Song Mountain disciples are so good at formations!"

"Right, even three of them could set up a formation! But then what happened?"

"After that, Yue Shan was severely injured, his body riddled with hundreds of sword wounds. By the time only two Song Mountain disciples remained, Yue Shan used a flying staff technique to knock the last disciple off the second floor."

"That must have been the end of Song Mountain, right?" someone asked, still unsure.

"Not yet. They lost another disciple, but the rest quickly set up another formation. Yue Shan was forced to keep fighting, and despite being severely injured, he destroyed all their remaining formations."

The crowd murmured in awe.

"Then what happened?" someone asked.

"Well, at this point, Yue Shan had no weapon left. He was battered and bruised. It looked like he wouldn't stand a chance against the last Song Mountain master. But in a last desperate effort, he grabbed the sword of the Song Mountain master after being struck, and together, they jumped from the second floor."

"Only the two of them remained, right?" someone whispered.

The young man nodded eagerly. "Yes! They both hit the ground hard. The Song Mountain master wasn't injured much, but Yue Shan was nearly unconscious. However, the Song Mountain master stood up and was about to finish him off."

The crowd leaned in, knowing the climax was near.

"At that moment, no one dared to stop the Song Mountain master from killing Yue Shan. Even the officials didn't dare intervene. I was right there, and everyone was terrified. A murder was about to take place on the street!"

"Then what happened?" someone asked, holding their breath.

"Just then, as if the heavens couldn't bear to let such a tough man die, the wind began to blow. Dark clouds gathered over Dengfeng, and the sky seemed to crack open! And then—what appeared? A white horse, like a flash of lightning, weaving through the storm clouds!" The young man's voice became filled with excitement. "Who was it? Who could it be?"

The crowd murmured in unison, "It was Master Yijie!"

"Yes, it was Master Yijie!" The young man's voice dropped as he imitated the dramatic moment, "Master Yijie rode in like a streak of lightning, shouting 'Spare him!' Everyone turned to look, and it felt like the world lost all color, except for Master Yijie, his bald head shining like a guiding light, leading us lost souls back to hope and faith in life!"

The crowd was silent for a moment, then some of them couldn't help but laugh. "Bald head, guiding light? That's a bit much, don't you think?"

Realizing his exaggeration, the young man hurriedly corrected himself. "Okay, okay. Master Yijie rode over and saw what was happening. He furrowed his brow and said, 'The world is blind. You are killing each other. Since I've arrived, I will not allow any further fighting. Disperse!'"

The Song Mountain master was furious and said, "Why? We've already wounded so many people, this boy must die!"

The crowd rolled their eyes. "He's just embarrassing himself. Master Yijie doesn't want to hurt anyone, but if he had to, no one would be able to stop him."

"Exactly! Yesterday, Master Yijie was a bit angry and said, 'If you think you still have the strength to fight, come at me.'"

"Did the Song Mountain master dare to fight?" someone asked.

"Well, he was about to, but then he saw something. Master Yijie reached out with his left hand, grabbed Yue Shan like he was a chicken, and easily lifted him onto his white horse. Then, he paused for a moment and scratched his head. That one gesture made the Song Mountain master freeze."

"Wow, how strong must Master Yijie be?" someone marveled.

The young man smiled, "Strong? Let me tell you, Yue Shan must have weighed over 200 pounds. But Master Yijie picked him up like he was nothing, without breaking a sweat. He even had time to scratch his head while holding him! How strong do you think he is?"

The crowd sighed in admiration. "Master Yijie is truly a god-like figure."

"The Song Mountain master was stunned. He didn't dare to move for a long time. Finally, he asked, 'Monk, who are you?'"

"Before Master Yijie could answer, the people around him spoke up for him. 'You don't even know Master Yijie of Shaolin? What a fool!'"

The young man concluded, his tone finally softening. "Master Yijie took Yue Shan away, but he didn't bother with the remaining Song Mountain disciples. We all thought, with his compassion, that he would save them too, but he didn't. He knew they were evil, and they wouldn't die without his help."

"Master Yijie was right to do so," the crowd murmured, nodding in agreement.

"Now, the Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon, and the Dengfeng arena is about to start. I can't wait for that day."

At the Shaolin Temple, in the room of Huo Yuanzhen, Yue Shan lay unconscious in bed, weakened from blood loss and numerous injuries. Though none of his wounds were life-threatening, the continuous battle had accelerated his blood flow, causing him to bleed heavily. His normally dark skin had turned pale.

Currently, it was Guan Shanyue who was tending to him. After all, he was more knowledgeable and had higher internal energy.

"The external wounds have been treated, and the bleeding has stopped. The main issue is the internal injuries. The most severe was when he jumped from the second floor with that Song Mountain master. The impact caused internal trauma, and the

sword wounds aggravated his condition." Guan Shanyue's voice was low as he examined Yue Shan.

Yue Shan slowly woke up. He squinted, and his vision blurred for a moment before it slowly focused.

"What's wrong with me?"

Guan Shanyue smiled, "You're awake. You're lucky. If Master Yijie hadn't intervened, you wouldn't have made it through."