80s Shaolin Abbot

After Yue Shan was saved by the abbot from Shaolin, Chen Ding did not immediately go to Shaolin to demand his return.

The battle that day had left Yue Shan in a miserable state. Chen Ding had been among the crowd, but he did not intervene to help Yue Shan, because Yue Shan's opponent was from the Songshan Sect.

In the Henan region, the first largest power was the military governor, and the second was the Tiandao Alliance.

The leader of the Tiandao Alliance was Hua Wuji, the head of the Songshan Sect. Hua Wuji was also a frequent guest at the military governor's residence, meaning they were essentially in cahoots—while the military governor represented the government, Hua Wuji represented the martial world. The two forces controlled both the legitimate and the underworld in Henan, effectively ruling with an iron fist.

Whether in Zhengzhou or Dengfeng, no one dared challenge the Songshan Sect. Not to mention Chen Ding, even the Zhongyue Sect on Mount Song would never provoke them.

Furthermore, Zhongyue Sect itself was part of the Tiandao Alliance, so they would never have any conflict with the Songshan Sect.

Yue Shan was indeed his friend, and it was true that he had invited him. If Yue Shan had fought or had a dispute with someone else, Chen Ding would have stepped in to help. However, the Songshan Sect was different.

He couldn't afford to provoke them, so he chose to watch coldly, determined that even if Yue Shan died, he would pretend not to see it.

But things turned out unexpectedly. Yue Shan, in a fierce display of strength, not only severely injured several members of the Songshan Sect but was eventually rescued by the abbot of Shaolin.

When the abbot of Shaolin lifted Yue Shan, Chen Ding saw it with his own eyes.

He hadn't expected to misjudge the situation so badly. When he had first encountered the little monk at the money exchange, he had thought him weak. But now, seeing this display of strength, he realized his mistake. This abbot was no ordinary person; with that display of power, even a small amount of martial skill could make him a formidable opponent.

Since the abbot had saved Yue Shan, Chen Ding wasn't in a hurry to seek him out. First, Yue Shan's injuries seemed quite severe. Even if he had been saved, it was uncertain whether he would survive, and even if he did, he would likely be crippled for a long time, no longer of any use to Chen Ding.

Moreover, by saving Yue Shan, the abbot had drawn the attention of the Songshan Sect. They would definitely not let this matter slide, which might make the task of eliminating Shaolin much easier.

However, after waiting for several days, there was no movement from the Songshan Sect. In fact, Yue Shan's condition seemed to improve, and he was even said to be teaching Shaolin's lay disciples the basics of staff fighting.

What was even more absurd was that Yue Shan had decided to become a monk and was now officially a member of Shaolin.

The original plan had been for Yue Shan to help secure victory in the Dengfeng competition, after which he would be appointed as an elder of the Fawang Temple. But now, things had taken a completely different turn.

Chen Ding was well aware of Yue Shan's strength. If Yue Shan fought, no one on their side would be able to defeat him. With nine matches in total, one win and one loss would already be a two-match difference, so the originally secure victory in the Dengfeng competition had become uncertain, something that Chen Ding could not accept.

For the past few days, Chen Ding had been hesitating whether he should go to Shaolin to find Yue Shan. He believed that, given their years of friendship, he could invite Yue Shan to become an elder at Fawang Temple. There was a good chance that Yue Shan would return.

The only problem was that if the Songshan Sect came after him, it could bring trouble.

After thinking it over, Chen Ding decided to seek advice from his uncle, Duan Shui Jian, Chai Xian.

Chai Xian gave Chen Ding an idea. He suggested that they let Li Xuan take the lead, and he would follow. Li Xuan could go and speak to Yue Shan. After all, if they were bringing Yue Shan back to join Fawang Temple, Shaolin could take the responsibility if the Songshan Sect pursued the matter later.

With Chai Xian's advice, Chen Ding had a clear plan. He immediately sought out Li Xuan.

Li Xuan had already resigned himself to the situation. Since Fawang Temple was in such a dire state, he wasn't afraid of the Songshan Sect's retaliation. Worst case, after retrieving Yue Shan, they would just leave after the Dengfeng competition, and everything would be fine once they had taken their revenge on Shaolin.

However, they could not force the issue. All signs pointed to the fact that the Shaolin abbot was not someone to be taken lightly. If they acted recklessly, they could end up being overwhelmed by the monks.

The two of them thought long and hard and finally came up with a ruthless plan.

"Abbot, do you think there's anything wrong with my posture?"

"Abbot, is my punching technique correct?"

Today, Huo Yuanzhen had finished practicing the Pure Boy Skill and felt that he was at a critical point. With just a little more opportunity, he would soon reach the middle stage of the Post-Heaven Realm.

In a good mood, he was not in a hurry. He walked out to observe the lay disciples practicing martial arts.

Usually, the Shaolin disciples practiced their martial arts in the morning and at dusk, by the Yinma Lake. Only the especially diligent lay disciples would sneak off to the training ground to practice during their free time.

Today, Huang Feihong, Su Can, and several other lay disciples were gathered at the training ground, practicing their fists. Huo Yuanzhen walked over, and the disciples immediately sought his guidance.

In their minds, the highest martial artist in Shaolin was certainly the abbot. Receiving guidance from the abbot would greatly benefit their martial arts progress.

But they had no idea that the abbot himself was the weakest in martial arts, not even able to perform a single move.

However, Huo Yuanzhen would never reveal his lack of skill. Since coming to this world, he had been determined to establish the abbot's invincible reputation to inspire confidence and strength in the disciples. Therefore, Huo Yuanzhen was always cautious, making sure he didn't reveal any flaws.

Seeing Huang Feihong seeking his guidance, Huo Yuanzhen walked over calmly and gestured for Huang Feihong to continue.

Huang Feihong, invigorated, performed the Fuhu Fist with great vigor and strength.

After Huang Feihong finished, Huo Yuanzhen nodded. "Did Master Yijing teach you this fist technique?"

"Yes, Abbot. Master Yijing taught us the Fuhu Fist at the start. But no matter how hard we try, we never seem to be as powerful as Master Yijing. Especially lately, his punches can even crack stones. We don't know when we will reach his level."

"Power is important, but it's not the deciding factor for victory."

Hearing Huo Yuanzhen's words, the lay disciples looked at each other in confusion. This was because whether it was Master Yijing's teachings or those of Guanshan Yue and later Master Huiwu, all of them had emphasized the importance of power. Especially when internal energy was not strong enough, physical strength often played a decisive role, particularly in fist techniques.

Swordplay and blade techniques were somewhat better, but without power, fist techniques were just empty forms.

But now, the abbot was saying that power wasn't the most important factor. This made the disciples suspicious. Could it be that the abbot himself lacked power, which is why he said so?

But Huang Feihong and Su Can, who had long revered the abbot, would never question his authority.

Seeing the doubt in the disciples' eyes, Huo Yuanzhen didn't show any sign of being disturbed. Instead, he walked over to a pile of broken stones beside the training ground, which the disciples used for practice.

"Martial arts techniques have no good or bad. Strength and speed should complement each other for it to be a good technique. That's why I said strength is not the deciding factor. I don't want you to fall into the trap of thinking it's all about power. Watch closely."

After saying this, Huo Yuanzhen picked up a stone the size of a bowl and casually punched it. With a light strike, the stone shattered into pieces!

Seeing this, the lay disciples' mouths fell open in surprise. Good heavens, what kind of strength does the abbot have? Even an iron bull couldn't shatter a stone like that!

But if he had such power, why would he say that strength didn't matter?

Huo Yuanzhen picked up two more stones and said to the disciples, "The stone I just punched was in my hand, so it didn't count. Let's see what happens with these."

He threw the stones into the air, then swung his hand to strike. However, his aim was slightly off. One stone was too far away to reach, and the other was too close, hitting only the corner.

After the demonstration, Huo Yuanzhen said, "Do you see? Having power but lacking speed and accuracy means you can't hit a moving target. This is why you must develop all aspects of your martial arts. Don't neglect any one area."

Although the disciples didn't understand the term "neglecting one area," they still clapped and saluted, showing their respect.

They didn't think the abbot had missed the stones on purpose. They assumed he had deliberately shown them the technique to teach them a lesson. His intentions were clearly good, and they admired him deeply.

After his demonstration, Huo Yuanzhen stopped showing his skills and quietly watched the disciples practice, pondering whether he could learn a couple of moves for emergency use.

The disciples, seeing the abbot standing by and watching, were all extra diligent, calling out as they practiced, their fists and feet flying.

Just then, there was a disturbance at the mountain gate. Huo Yuanzhen and the others turned to see around a dozen officers armed with wooden clubs and iron chains rushing in.

Some of the lay disciples, who were from Dengfeng, recognized the head officer and turned to Huo Yuanzhen. "Abbot, I know that officer. Let me go ask what they want."

Huo Yuanzhen nodded, and the disciple went up to the officer, calling out, "Isn't this Officer Wang from the county office? What's he doing here at Shaolin?"

"Enough nonsense! Who is the abbot? Come out! The county magistrate has issued an order for your arrest. You must come to the county office for questioning!" the officer shouted.