Hong Kong films: Starting from Shaolin Temple

Page 228

The first rays of dawn pierce the darkness before daybreak like a sharp sword, gilding the city with a hopeful golden hue.

Long Yan picked up the still weak Huan Ji again, and used his lightness skill to transform into a faint golden shadow, rushing towards Wulong Academy.

When they finally landed in front of the familiar and welcoming gate of Wulong Temple, the morning sun was shining brightly on the entire forest, making every leaf glisten.

At that very moment, a tremendous commotion erupted in the courtyard.

"Oh no! Master! Huanji has disappeared!!" Uncle Da's distinctive hoarse voice shattered the morning tranquility like thunder.

Immediately following was Wen's dramatic wailing: "Waaah—! The pretty lady has been kidnapped by a monster!"

Long Yan looked down at Huan Ji, whose cheeks had flushed from hearing the sounds and who was secretly burying her face in his arms. A gentle smile, unnoticed even by himself, appeared on his lips.

"We're home."

Chapter 206 The arrogant Wenxian Yinqing, blowing the breeze for the pretty lady!

In the mornings at Wulong Temple, people usually wake up to the sounds of the morning bell, birdsong, and the noise of two adorable little children.

But today, the usual "lively atmosphere" was completely gone, replaced by an unprecedented panic. The entire courtyard was filled with an anxious atmosphere as if "the sky had fallen."

Just as Long Yan carried Huan Ji through the courtyard gate...

The previously deafening noise seemed to have been suddenly muted, coming to an abrupt halt.

The chaotic crowd froze instantly, their movements and expressions frozen in that moment.

Uncle Da was still holding a feather duster he had casually taken from the chicken coop, which he was preparing to use to "exorcise demons."

Two glistening tear tracks clung to Chou Pi Wen's face, his mouth still agape in the shape of "Wow."

Xiao Long frowned deeply, clutching a slingshot tightly in his hand, looking worried like a little adult, as if he were ready to charge into battle at any moment to save his beautiful sister.

Their gazes, like searchlights, fell unblinkingly upon the Huan Ji in Long Yan's arms.

Huanji's current condition is indeed not optimistic.

Although the deadly poison in her body had been completely purified by Long Yan's pure Yang true energy, the enormous mental strain and the weakness of her body's essence made her appear pale and fragile, as if she could be broken at the slightest touch.

　07 Her once clean and crisp black outfit was now stained with dust and dried blood. Her eyes, which were once as clear as a spring, were now dull and lifeless due to extreme exhaustion. She could only weakly rest her head on Long Yan's strong shoulder, seemingly without even the strength to lift her eyelids.

"Miss Huanji!" Uncle Da was the first to snap out of his petrified state.

He dropped the feather duster with a clang and rushed forward quickly, taking three steps at a time.

His face, which usually wore a frivolous smile, was now filled with an exaggerated yet incredibly genuine worry.

"Good heavens! What happened to you? Did some blind monster bully you? Tell Uncle Da quickly, which mountain is it from? I'll go avenge you right now and beat it so badly that even its own mother wouldn't recognize it!"

Although his words were loud and boisterous, his heartfelt concern was genuine and undeniable.

"Pretty sister!" Wen, the stinky one, came running over with his short legs.

He saw Huan Ji's weak and helpless appearance, and tears began to fall again from her eyes hidden behind small sunglasses.

"Waaah... Sister, are you hurt? Does it hurt a lot? Let me blow on it and it will feel better..."

As he spoke, he actually puffed out his chubby cheeks, stood on tiptoe, and gently and earnestly blew air towards Huanji's direction.

That innocent yet somewhat clumsy appearance added a touch of heartwarming childlike fun to the originally solemn atmosphere.

Long Yan gently put Huan Ji down and let her sit comfortably on the stone bench in the courtyard.

Then, he took off his monk's robe and carefully draped it over Huanji's shoulders.

He then explained to everyone simply, "Miss Huanji is fine, just a little exhausted. She'll be fine after a few days of rest. What happened last night is a long story."

Just then, Master Long Eyebrows also heard the commotion and slowly walked out of the meditation room, leaning on his staff.

When he saw Huan Ji's appearance, a subtle glint flashed in his wise old eyes, which, though cloudy, seemed to see through everything.

Unlike Uncle Da, he didn't shout and yell, but instead walked forward slowly with steady steps.

His calm demeanor seemed to possess a magical power, bringing peace to the entire courtyard.

"Amitabha Buddha," Master Changmei softly chanted the Buddha's name.

Then, he extended his withered yet remarkably steady hand and gently placed it on Huanji's cold wrist.

A gentle, pure, and enduring Buddhist internal energy, like a trickle, slowly flowed into Huanji's body.

This internal energy helped to regulate her slightly disordered breathing, which had become erratic due to overexertion.

Huanji felt a warm current flow through her limbs and bones, and the deep-seated fatigue seemed to lessen a bit.

"The girl's vital energy was severely depleted, and her mind was also greatly disturbed, but fortunately her foundation was not damaged."

Master Long Eyebrows withdrew his hand, his expression becoming more serious than ever before.

He slowly turned his head to look at Long Yan and asked in a deep voice, "Long Yan, what exactly happened?"

Long Yan made no attempt to conceal anything, briefly recounting how the Ghost Clan used the "Source of Life" to create the "Happiness" drug in an attempt to establish a "Demon Beast Paradise," and how Huan Ji disregarded her own safety and ventured alone into the Rakshasa Palace, nearly getting killed.

"This is outrageous!" Upon hearing this, Master Long Eyebrows's beard and hair parted slightly.

For the first time, his usually kind and gentle face revealed a truly fierce and wrathful expression.

He slammed his staff heavily on the ground, and a tiny crack appeared on the bluestone slab.

"Such a monster dares to steal the power of creation from heaven and earth, and commit such heinous and devastating acts. It is a great disgrace to us cultivators!"

"That bastard Gui Zhongdao!" Uncle Da was so angry that his face turned red, and he jumped up and down.

"How dare they bully the people of our Wulong Academy! It's like lighting a lamp in an outhouse—they're asking for death! Master, let me go! I'll definitely raze his lair to the ground! I'll teach him a lesson about how powerful Uncle Da is!"

"Big Brother is right! Kill him! Shoot his butt with my slingshot!" Little Dragon waved his little fist, looking indignant.

His small body seemed to be filled with an infinite sense of justice.

Just then, the witch Xiaozhen also happened to come out of her room "hearing the sound".

When she saw the scene in the courtyard and heard the conversation, her beautiful face immediately showed just the right amount of shock, worry, and sympathy.

"Oh my god, Huanji, how could you... how could you be so badly injured?"

　700 She walked quickly to Huanji's side, her eyes full of "sincere" concern, and her voice carrying a just-right sob.

As she spoke, she reached out to grasp Huanji's hand, "It's all my fault for not taking good care of you. Don't worry, with me here, I'll never let you suffer like this again."

Huanji instinctively pulled her hand back to avoid being touched.

He simply shook his head slightly and didn't say anything.

She could clearly sense the falsehood in Xiao Zhen's words.

Beneath that excessive concern lurked a barely perceptible hint of schadenfreude, and... a deep jealousy of Long Yan's life-risking rescue.

Just as the atmosphere in the courtyard was heavy and everyone was united in their hatred of the enemy.

The roar of a car engine could be heard again outside the mountain gate.

The iconic black SUV of the Monster Special Police Team sped over like a steel beast.

With a graceful drift, it came to a smooth stop at the gate of the yard.

Zi Luo's dashing figure jumped off the car.

Her complexion was even worse than the night before, and her eyes were bloodshot, clearly indicating that she hadn't slept all night.

"Master Longyan!" She didn't exchange any pleasantries, her tone urgent and rapid-fire.

"The situation has worsened! After escaping, the Ghost Clan has frantically spread a new type of 'happy' dust that can be transmitted through the air! In just one night, the infection area in the city has expanded tenfold! Our defenses... are about to collapse!"

Chapter 207 Oolong Temple Prepares for Battle!

"Airborne transmission?" Master Longbrow's long eyebrows trembled with shock. He had lived for over ninety years and seen countless demons and monsters, but he had never heard of such a bizarre and domineering method. "In that case, wouldn't everyone be in danger and unable to defend themselves?"

"Yes." Violet's face was filled with undisguised exhaustion and deep helplessness. She leaned against a pillar to steady herself.

"We have activated the highest level of the city's emergency defense plan. The SWAT team has sealed off several severely affected areas and begun citywide disinfection. However, this dust is almost ubiquitous and has an extremely short incubation period. According to our monitoring, once ordinary citizens inhale it, they will be completely transformed into monsters with only bestial instincts within ten minutes. Last night... in order to evacuate the public and establish isolation zones, we have already... sacrificed dozens of elite team members."

Her voice was tinged with an overwhelming grief and tremor. Those who had sacrificed their lives were her comrades-in-arms, with whom she had spent every day and fought side by side.

The entire courtyard fell into a deathly silence; even the wind seemed to have stopped. Everyone understood that this was no longer a simple monster incident, but an unprecedented catastrophe capable of upending the entire city.

Huan Ji's face grew increasingly pale. She gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force.

Each cold, hard number of sacrifices was like an invisible dagger stabbing into her heart, making her feel suffocated by the pain.

"Our only hope," Violet took a deep breath, forcing herself to rally, her sharp eyes, like a hawk's, fixed intently on Long Yan and Huan Ji, "is to find the Ghost Path's final laboratory and completely destroy the 'Happiness' production line at its source. But he's extremely cunning; all technological tracking methods are completely ineffective against him..."

"I……"

Just when everyone was at a loss, Huan Ji suddenly raised her head. In her clear eyes, there shone an unprecedented, resolute light, like the burning stars.

“I can find him.”

In an instant, everyone's attention was focused on this seemingly frail girl.

“My ‘Source of Life’ is the core and root of all his ‘happiness’ drugs.” Although Huanji’s voice was still somewhat weak, every word was spoken with unparalleled clarity and determination. “No matter how deeply he hides himself, as long as he continues to use my power to create evil, I can sense his location. This is an innate and unbreakable bloodline connection of our Ancient Tree of Life clan.”

"no!"

Wang Xian'er was the first to stand up and vehemently object. She had also come into the courtyard at some point, and upon hearing these words, her face was filled with undisguised worry and lingering fear. "This is too dangerous! You just came back from the brink of death, and your body is so weak. How can you risk your life again!"

“Yes, Miss Huanji,” Uncle Da hurriedly stepped forward to advise, he rarely put away his usual playful smile and looked serious, “The fighting and killing involved in tracking demons can be left to us tough old men, you are a girl, just stay in Wulong Courtyard and take good care of your health!”

"Do not."

Huan Ji shook her head gently, yet with unwavering determination. She slowly stood up, her gaze sweeping over everyone present, over the genuine concern on their faces, before finally settling on Long Yan's calm and composed expression.

“This disaster started because of me, and I can’t let more innocent people sacrifice themselves for me.” Her voice no longer contained the self-doubt and pain of before, but instead, a sense of enlightenment and responsibility like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon. “This is my responsibility, and I must end it. Otherwise, even if I survive, my soul will never have peace.”

Long Yan gazed at her silently. From her seemingly frail, even slightly trembling body, he saw a powerful will capable of shaking mountains. He knew that at this moment, Huan Ji no longer needed anyone's protection or sympathy; she had found her reason to fight.

He nodded slowly, without uttering any unnecessary words, and simply said one word: "Okay."

Then, he turned to Zi Luo, whose expression was complicated, and asked, "When do we depart?"

A hint of indescribable admiration and gratitude flashed in Zi Luo's eyes: "The sooner the better."

This is the eve of the decisive battle.

Seeing this, the members of Wulong Temple didn't say anything more to dissuade her. They chose to respect Huanji's decision and offered their sincerest blessings to the two who were about to embark on their journey in their own ways. Master Changmei solemnly handed Huanji a string of prayer beads that he had worn for over seventy years and which had been blessed with supreme Buddhist power.