Though Zhu Zai sighed, he knew this was no time for delay.
He turned to Li Miao and said, “Aren’t you skilled in martial arts and strong?”
“Perfect, go level this entire area.”
“Wan Tianzong still has a few days before he dies, and these traces cannot be left behind.”
Li Miao raised his eyebrows: “What about Lao Bu and Cheng Yuanzhen? Should I kill them too while I’m at it?”
Zhu Zai waved his hand: “Keep them.”
“Right now, the focus is on how to pin the blame on the Ming Cult.”
“Wan Tianzong and Cheng Yuanzhen must both die by Ji Tianrui’s hand. Wan Tianzong usually stays in his sedan chair, so it’s normal for him not to be seen. However, Cheng Yuanzhen must remain alive and then die by Ji Tianrui’s hand to help cover things up.”
“Alright.”
Zhu Zai looked at Li Miao.
“You can’t appear near me anymore, or it will inevitably be linked to Wan Tianzong’s death.”
Li Miao rubbed his fingers, thought for a moment, and said, “Perfect.”
“You depart tomorrow, find someone to pretend Wan Tianzong is still alive.”
“Three days later, I will arrive at Shaolin. On that day, Master Xing Chi will be inviting martial arts experts to witness him passing on his position to his disciple.”
“I will cause some commotion, letting everyone know that I only arrived at Shaolin that day, passing by you without meeting.”
Zhu Zai understood and tacitly added.
“The Ming Cult launched a large-scale attack on Shaolin a few days ago, and with so many people, they couldn’t have gone far.”
“It’s normal for me to set off tomorrow to pursue them.”
“Once the matters here at Shaolin are concluded, you can secretly follow along.”
“I’ll find someone to impersonate you elsewhere and leave traces.”
Li Miao nodded.
“Thus, once Ji Tianrui is found and killed, and Cheng Yuanzhen is also killed, this matter will be declared concluded.”
Zhu Zai nodded: “Let’s do it this way.”
“You clean up this mess, I’ll go find someone to impersonate Wan Tianzong and also deal with Bu Lei’s corpse.”
“If anyone inside Shaolin hears any commotion from here, you deal with it as you see fit.”
With that, he was about to leave, carrying Bu Lei’s corpse.
Li Miao, however, called out to him: “Hey, wait a moment.”
“That messenger from earlier today, Elder Yin of the Hengshan Sect, have her come back to find me.”
Zhu Zai paused, turned to look at Li Miao, and sized him up.
“Oh, Elder Yin, Yin Minjun, right.”
“Hmm…”
“Of good background, and her martial arts are decent. She’s just a bit older, but still suitable for you.”
“Mei Qinghe and Gao Ling, whom you sent to Shuntian Prefecture, are also quite good.”
Li Miao chuckled: “What are you thinking?!”
“She came to Shaolin with me; many people at the Miao King's Tomb saw us, so she can’t go with you.”
“Three days from now, she must arrive at Shaolin with me.”
“Anyone who saw her and Yongjie today, you’ll have to deal with them beforehand.”
Zhu Zai snorted coldly.
“This isn’t allowed, that isn’t allowed. Why can’t it be convenient for both public and private matters?”
“If it weren’t for the circumstances, I shouldn’t have let you stay at Shaolin Temple.”
“Oh, right!”
Zhu Zai seemed to remember something and glared fiercely at Li Miao.
“What’s this about a ‘confidante’ you said tonight, whom I have to greet respectfully!?”
The situation was urgent then, so Zhu Zai didn’t ask further.
But now, as they spoke, he suddenly remembered Li Miao’s words.
Li Miao spread his hands: “You don’t need to worry about that. It’s mutual consent, a fleeting romance.”
“Hmph!” Zhu Zai snorted coldly.
“Do as you please. It’s not like this is the only thing that could cost me my head.”
With that, he used his Qinggong and sped away.
Li Miao smiled, watching the old man fade into the distance and disappear from sight.
After a long moment, he turned to look at the messy scene, sighing.
“A Celestial Human Realm expert, with three paths merged into one.”
“After fighting, I still have to clean up my own mess.”
“Truly, the world is degenerating.”
With that, he pushed out a palm, leveling the deep pit that contained Wan Tianzong’s minced meat.
— — — — — — — —
By dawn, with the morning light faintly visible, Li Miao finally stopped his work.
He looked around and nodded.
“That should be good enough.”
The traces of his battle with Wan Tianzong last night had vanished without a trace.
In one, one-error-free version!
In its place was a flat expanse of ground, half a foot lower than the surrounding area, with the soil pressed as smooth as a mirror.
Li Miao flashed to the edge of the flat ground, raised his palm, and slowly blew out his true qi.
This blew the surrounding loose soil onto the flat ground, gradually making it level with the surroundings.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Li Miao stopped.
The area was now indistinguishable from its surroundings.
Yin Minjun walked over, handed him a pot of tea and some pastries, and draped a large cloak over Li Miao.
“My Lord, you’ve worked hard all night. Please rest for a bit.”
“It’s cold, don’t catch a chill.”
As she draped the cloak, her hand seemed to smooth the fabric, touching Li Miao’s shoulder a few times. The pastries were taken from Yin Minjun’s bosom; they were still warm when Li Miao took them, faintly emitting a fragrance.
Li Miao smiled, not exposing her intentions.
With his internal cultivation, even if he lay in a snowdrift for three days and three nights, he wouldn’t catch a chill.
Yin Minjun was doing it on purpose.
He didn’t know what Zhu Zai had said to her last night, but ever since she returned from there, Yin Minjun was no longer as shy as before, becoming much more proactive.
Li Miao didn’t refuse, took the items, and leaned against a tree to eat.
Yin Minjun held the teapot, saying nothing, and like a dutiful wife, she poured tea for Li Miao.
After Li Miao finished the pastries, he clapped his hands.
Yin Minjun then took out a handkerchief from her bosom, intending to wipe the crumbs from Li Miao’s mouth.
Li Miao glanced at her, raised his hand to stop her, and with a swipe of his hand, he used his true qi to remove the crumbs.
Then he stood up and looked in the direction of Shaolin.
“Elder Yin, I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you to rough it with me for a few days.”
“We can only appear in front of people two days from now.”
Yin Minjun put away her handkerchief and said.
“I’ll follow my Lord’s every command.”
Li Miao said, seemingly intentionally or unintentionally.
“It has been hard on you these past few days.”
“Once the matters here at Shaolin are concluded, I will go resolve the Ming Cult issue.”
“After that, perhaps I’ll return to Shuntian Prefecture, or perhaps I’ll wander around Great Shuo, from north to south.”
“At that time, Elder Yin can return to the Hengshan Sect on her own. The Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) will naturally reward you for your hard work these past few days.”
Li Miao didn’t state it explicitly, but Yin Minjun understood.
He was telling Yin Minjun to think carefully and not be deceived by Zhu Zai, that bad old man’s few words.
He truly had no immediate plans for marriage, nor did he currently have the conviction for a lifetime with one person.
He also wouldn’t stay long in Huguang.
Yin Minjun was the second-in-command of the Hengshan Sect. No matter how much she was moved, she would never, like a teenage girl, abandon her sect and run around with Li Miao.
After a moment, Yin Minjun chuckled softly.
“Very well.”
“I am also happy to travel with my Lord for a while.”
Then she just quietly watched Li Miao’s back, no longer speaking.