I Grind to Martial Saint

”Since they won’t let us in, let’s go,” Han Yuan said softly.

If they lingered too long, he was afraid it would arouse unnecessary suspicion.

The two of them and the cat left just like that.

They went to find the Shopkeeper of the inn they had stayed at before.

The courtyard they had previously rented happened to be empty, so they rented it again.

This time, however, Han Yuan paid for a full month’s rent upfront.

.....

Inside a side hall of the Mountain King Temple.

Ah Qing and Brother Long were kneeling on the ground.

Before them stood the Temple Priest, who looked impossibly old.

”So... Ah Gu has likely met with a mishap,” the Temple Priest said softly.

”Yes. But the one who broke into the tomb burned everything.”

”We still don’t know who did it,” Brother Long said cautiously.

”Fortunately, we had already moved the King’s body.”

”There were no clues left in the tomb.”

”The intruder shouldn’t have been able to discover anything,” the Temple Priest said nonchalantly.

”Temple Priest... but did Ah Gu just die for nothing?” Ah Qing couldn’t help but ask.

He and Ah Gu had grown up together in the Mountain King Temple, and their relationship was like that of blood brothers.

Now that Ah Gu had died a horrible death, he naturally couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

”No... it’s just that we have more important things to do right now.”

”We’ll set Ah Gu’s matter aside for now.”

”In the future, we will naturally avenge him,” the Temple Priest said softly.

”Yes!”

Ah Qing immediately kowtowed.

”Alright... you two can go back for now.”

”Don’t mention this to anyone. For now, pretend it never happened,” the Temple Priest instructed.

Ah Qing and Brother Long naturally nodded emphatically and took their leave.

’For something to happen at a time like this... How vexing.’

’I hope there won’t be any complications.’

The Temple Priest muttered to himself, then closed his eyes and began to meditate.

....

In another courtyard in Ping’an Town.

Zhou Shentai, leader of the Ghost King Bandits, was drinking tea in the courtyard.

A young man sat across from him.

”Father... the Mountain King Temple’s sudden repairs are suspicious. I’m afraid it’s a trick,” the young man smiled faintly.

His face was fair and his build was slender; he had the strong air of a Scholar.

Who would have thought he was Zhou Shentai’s son, Zhou Luo?

The world believed he had died at the hands of some unknown assassin.

But who could have known that he wasn’t dead, but alive and well?

”There aren’t many days left until the Middle Spiritual Land emerges.”

”The Mountain King Temple naturally has to seal itself off to prevent outsiders from discovering the anomaly within,” Zhou Shentai said softly.

”It’s a shame that no matter how cunning that old fox of a Temple Priest is, he never anticipated Father’s scheme.”

”First, you had me fake my death, then used the pretext of searching for my killer to conduct searches within Ping’an Town.”

”It’s just a pity that in the end, we still found no useful intelligence.”

Zhou Luo’s gaze hardened.

”That’s why you shouldn’t underestimate that old fox, the Temple Priest.”

”He’s been the Temple Priest at the Mountain King Temple for so many years. He’s incredibly deep and calculating; no one knows what he’s truly planning.”

”Even I... can’t figure out what he’s doing.”

”We must keep a closer watch on him,” Zhou Shentai said in a low voice.

In the Ten Thousand Mountains, power struggles were everywhere.

For bandits like them to claim a mountain as their own kingdom, they naturally had to drive out the original tribes.

This process was inevitably a very bloody one.

This led many of the Primitive Tribes in the Ten Thousand Mountains to be exceptionally hostile toward them.

The various bandit strongholds in the Ten Thousand Mountains were naturally aware of this.

Thus, they banded together for mutual protection, vaguely forming an alliance.

Recently, Zhou Shentai had noticed the major tribes of the Ten Thousand Mountains making a series of unusual movements.

He had gathered the leaders of the other major bandit groups to discuss it, but they couldn’t come to any conclusion.

Just then, a strange phenomenon appeared, heralding the emergence of a Middle Spiritual Land.

This made Zhou Shentai and the others even more worried.

In the Ten Thousand Mountains, the only power Zhou Shentai could think of that could unite so many tribes for a coordinated movement was the Mountain King Temple.

So he had set up a ploy to test the Mountain King Temple’s reaction.

But unexpectedly, he failed to uncover anything in the end.

Helpless, he could only use the excuse of searching for his son’s killer to remain in Ping’an Town and secretly gather information about the Mountain King Temple.

Now, the sudden closing of the Mountain King Temple made Zhou Shentai feel even more uneasy.

”Father, how about I go to the Mountain King Temple myself and see what’s going on?” Zhou Luo said seriously.

”No... your Cultivation is still a bit lacking.”

”Tonight, I will go myself.”

Zhou Shentai was willing to take the risk himself.

”If something happens to you, with my current prestige, I won’t be able to control the Ghost King Bandits at all.”

”So let me go instead,” Zhou Luo said, shaking his head.

But Zhou Shentai smiled and said, ”If something happens to me, you are to leave Ping’an Town immediately, get far away from the Ten Thousand Mountains, and find a place to focus on your Cultivation.”

As he spoke, he suddenly struck, landing a sharp Hand Blade strike on the back of Zhou Luo’s neck.

Zhou Luo never thought his own father would strike him. He felt a sharp pain in his neck and instantly lost consciousness.

”Don’t blame me... I promised your mother.”

”I won’t let anything happen to you,” Zhou Shentai said softly, looking at the unconscious Zhou Luo.

........

「Late at night.」

Han Yuan and Ding Zihu were conferring in the courtyard.

”I plan to infiltrate the Mountain King Temple... see what the hell they’re up to,” Han Yuan said in a low voice.

”It’s too dangerous for you to go in... why not let the Fat Thief go?”

”Even if that fellow is discovered, he won’t be suspected,” Ding Zihu suggested.

The Orange Cat shot him a glare.

”Not necessarily... The Mountain King Temple is not simple...”

”If the Orange Cat is discovered, it might not be able to escape. It’s better if I go,” Han Yuan shook his head.

”Alright, then.”

”I have a Qi Concealment Talisman here.”

”Wear this on you, and I guarantee no one will be able to detect your aura.”

Ding Zihu took out an Apricot Yellow Talisman.

”Thanks.”

Han Yuan took the Spirit Talisman.

Next, he returned to his room, changed into Night Clothes, and put on a plain, white, smiling mask.

To hide his identity, Han Yuan didn’t even bring his Dragon Sparrow Cloud-Splitting Saber, opting to travel light.

The moon was dark and the wind was high tonight, and the light was extremely dim.

After leaving the courtyard, Han Yuan made his way toward the Mountain King Temple.

After nightfall, the Mountain King Temple seemed gloomy and sinister, exuding an unsettling aura.

Han Yuan naturally wouldn’t enter from the front.

Like a phantom, he prepared to vault over a side wall.

But suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching from ahead and quickly ducked into the nearby shadows.

A few breaths later, a five-man patrol passed by.

All five men had faces covered in tattoos. Even in winter, they were bare-chested, holding torches, their gazes constantly sweeping the surroundings, not missing a single corner.

Fortunately, Han Yuan was hidden in a blind spot and wasn’t discovered by the patrol.

’These must be the Mountain Ghost Soldiers of the Mountain King Temple.’

’According to legend, these guys grow up in the Mountain King Temple, consuming special potions daily for Body Refinement. They have a very low perception of pain and possess Infinite Strength,’ Han Yuan muttered to himself inwardly.

There were many legends about these Mountain Ghost Soldiers in Ping’an Town.

In short, no one in Ping’an Town dared to provoke the Mountain Ghost Soldiers.

Of course, the Mountain Ghost Soldiers rarely appeared outside the Mountain King Temple.

So in the eyes of many, the Mountain Ghost Soldiers were shrouded in mystery.

However, the appearance of this Mountain Ghost Soldier patrol only made Han Yuan more curious about the situation inside the Mountain King Temple.

The fact that even the perimeter was being patrolled by teams of Mountain Ghost Soldiers meant that the defenses inside must be even tighter.

So, after the patrol passed, Han Yuan didn’t rush to climb the wall into the Mountain King Temple. Instead, he continued searching for a better spot to infiltrate.

The Mountain Ghost Temple occupied a huge area; even with the Mountain Ghost Soldier patrols, there were bound to be gaps in their coverage.

Sure enough.

After the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, Han Yuan found a blind spot.

He pressed himself against the wall and listened for a moment. After confirming there were no footsteps or breathing sounds inside, he silently vaulted over the wall!