Chapter 18: Blocking the Door
Outside the cell, the two martial monks exchanged glances. This was their first time encountering such a situation, and they didn’t know how to proceed. One of them went off to find someone.
Soon, a middle-aged monk with a kind face descended, holding a candle. Seeing Ben Zhi inside the cell, he sighed repeatedly. “Blessings, blessings. Is this the law of cause and effect?”
“You two young patrons are brave and resourceful. It’s our failure not to recognize your worth. Cheng Xin, Cheng Hui, open the door.”
The martial monks were startled. “Senior uncle, if we open the door, those two brats will definitely escape!”
“These patrons are naturally connected, able to communicate and understand one another, which is why they saw through the trap at the Compassionate Relief Institute. Clearly, they are no ordinary individuals. It’s better to resolve enmity than to deepen it,” the middle-aged monk said. “This time, they have hostages. We admit defeat. Let them go.”
“To you two patrons, once you regain your freedom, please speak no more. Let everyone go their separate ways peacefully. If you insist on causing trouble for Anguo Temple, no one will believe you, and you certainly cannot stay in Chang’an forever. Open the door—send these distinguished guests on their way!”
An Liu watched the middle-aged monk speak, then slowly said, “We will not leave.”
“Why not leave, patron?” The monk looked puzzled. “Weren’t you here to rescue your twin brother?”
“Don’t play dumb, bald monk. Even if we got out of this cell, so what? Outside, Anguo Temple is a huge prison. The bald heads there already told us—if anyone tries to escape, they’ll seal off the entire temple. We can’t destroy the buildings, and being caught by you is only a matter of time.”
The martial monk panicked. “I didn’t say that… Senior uncle, I really didn’t say anything!”
An Liu said, “You never intended to let us go. You just lied to clear the way to get Ben Zhi out.”
The middle-aged monk’s expression remained unchanged. “Patron, you are too suspicious. But if you don’t leave, what then? Do you intend to stay here forever?”
“Yes.” An Wu and An Liu blocked the cell door together. “We’ll block this door. Even if we can’t defeat you bald monks, we’ll starve this accomplice Ben Zhi to death!”
Surprise flashed across the monk’s face. After a moment, confirming An Liu’s resolve, he laughed out loud. “Starve to death? Ha! In a few days, when you’re too weak to move, forget blocking the door—you won’t even be able to stand!”
“Sigh, I thought they were a rare pair of brothers who could communicate mind to mind. Turns out they’re just two fools. Fine, let them block the door. Starving a few days won’t kill them, and they’ll have to sleep eventually. When that happens, find an opportunity to let Ben Zhi escape.”
One martial monk showed a vicious look. “Why don’t we just…”
The middle-aged monk snorted coldly, flicking the candle in his hand. Hot wax droplets fell on the monk’s skin, burning, causing his mouth to twitch, but he dared not pull away.
“Kill? Kill? We are monks, not killers! There’s so much merchandise inside. What if they take others down with them? If the noble wants the goods, we have none. Are you going to step up? Besides, Ben Zhi is the best liar. You two combined aren’t as useful as him!”
“Also, you come to look at the cell and still talk back? Do you not want your tongue?”
The two martial monks immediately knelt. “Senior uncle, please calm your anger. We won’t dare again!”
“Watch them carefully. Find a chance to rescue Ben Zhi!”
The middle-aged monk glanced at An Wu and An Liu. “Two stubborn bones… but that’s good. The nobility likes those who stand firm…”
After the middle-aged monk left, the two scolded martial monks both looked at An Wu and An Liu with hateful expressions.
“Like causing trouble, huh?” Each grabbed their candles and flicked drops of wax at An Wu and An Liu. “You asked for it!”
An Wu and An Liu didn’t foolishly endure. Seeing the wax droplets, they dodged, which only made the monks try harder.
“Dodge? Let’s see how much energy you have left to dodge!”
“Drain their strength. Then let’s see how they block the door!”
“Two prisoners trying to block the cell? Never seen such fools!”
An Wu and An Liu didn’t respond. They simply continued dodging and blocking as before.
Suddenly, a faint voice came from behind them: “Stop.”
“If you keep this up, you’ll run out of strength soon. If you want to escape, save some energy. Find another chance outside…”
An Liu turned and saw a young master with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes speaking softly, seemingly not wanting the monks to hear. An Liu smiled and said, “Don’t worry. We’re fine.”
“And we will escape.”
The young master didn’t understand why An Liu was so determined or who exactly he meant by “we”…
But soon they would see that An Wu and An Liu could indeed hold out—when the monks changed shifts, despite spending the entire night without water or food, they still stood at the door with sparkling eyes, their dodging steps becoming even more agile.
...
“You have mastered the ‘Basic Footwork,’ now at Level 7!”
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After Yan Qing got up, he checked the game console and saw that An Wu and An Liu’s basic footwork had reached level 7. He hadn’t expected training with the monks to have such an effect.
He examined the underground prison environment again—candles, lamp oil, monks, hostages, Anguo Temple...
Dragging Ben Zhi into the cell was not just revenge but also a way to prevent the monks from setting fire. If only deceived victims were inside, the monks might ruthlessly act, but since Ben Zhi was one of their own, they’d hesitate.
The reason for preventing arson was because Yan Qing needed An Wu and An Liu to hold the monks’ attention for three more days.
He had a plan—a flawless scheme for their heist—and An Wu and An Liu were key pieces in it.
Besides, there was another reason: earlier, Yan Qing hadn’t noticed the abducted victims in the cell, but now that he had, he would not allow the monks to take them away. So the door had to stay blocked.
They might be rescued by Yan Qing’s plan—or they might perish sooner.
But no matter what, Yan Qing would no longer feel uneasy about standing by.
Switching to the “Night Four” account, he was about to enter the secret realm of Zheng San Shan and Zheng Shan. This trip went smoothly. Gai Louxian personally led the team and explained the precautions. Yan Qing picked up 1,800 spirit jade, a manual to master basic blade techniques, a token of a white iron straight sword, and several healing pills—apparently, the white iron straight sword was a guaranteed boss drop, and the mastery manuals varied.
In Yan Qing’s plan, the gains from the Pingcheng secret realm were indispensable pieces. Seeing the haul surpass his expectations eased the tension in his heart.
By noon, the Black Wolf, White Fox, and Red Snake returned. As soon as they sat, Yan Qing took the initiative.
“I have planted people inside Anguo Temple; someone will help us lock the hall doors.”
“Locking the hall doors, opening the golden cabinets, escaping pursuit—these three steps are all fully planned.”
“If you have better ideas, please suggest them.”
“If not, follow my arrangements.”
This mortal, not yet advanced in his profession, spoke thus to three messengers of second-tier cultivation.