Meng Qi saw Cui Xuan in a place that was neither the main hall of the city master's mansion nor the study, but the garden between the inner and outer courtyards.

  Choi Seung is a slender middle-aged man, who can be seen as absolutely handsome and elegant in his youth, and even now, with a long white beard, he has a refined and dignified demeanor that exudes a calm yet elegant temperament.

  There were four people around him, two of whom Meng Qi had met before. One was the delicate and pretty Cui Dajie, Cui Jinxiu, who was wearing a red dress, and the other was the horse-faced and long-bearded General Catcher Fei Zhengqing.

  The two remaining men were slightly taller than Fei Zhengqing. One was a wealthy old man with white hair, many wrinkles, but a ruddy face and straight back, often smiling, making people feel close and friendly. The other was over fifty years old, with a reddish-brown face, a swept-back brow, and luxuriant whiskers.

  When he saw this combination of five people, Meng Qi was slightly stunned. There was actually Big Sister Cui, but no Young Master Cui Jin Hua. Could it be that he had something to attend to outside?

  "Zhen Ding Fa Shi, Cui Mou ventured to invite you, please forgive the offense." Although Cui Xuan had always appeared very cold and stern, as a righteous Dao master, he did not lose his courtesy.

  Meng Qi clasped his hands together and said straightforwardly, "Amitabha, the Twelve Beasts have wreaked havoc on the rivers and lakes, with blood debts piling up under their hands. They are all guilty of grave sins. I heard that Shen Hou committed a bloody crime in Tian Ding City, and even if the city lord didn't invite me, this poor monk would still come on his own."

  Chui Xing nodded with a solemn expression after greeting, "The true Dharma Master has a compassionate heart, Chui certain represents the people of Tian Ding City to thank you."

  After the pleasantries, Fei Zhengqing smiled and took over the conversation: "Master Zhen Ding, you've come from afar as a guest. I'll introduce you to a couple of people. My name is Fei Zhengqing, and I'm the chief of the Tian Ding City police department, responsible for capturing Sun Hou. This gentleman is You Tongguang, also known as 'Living God of Wealth', he's the sworn brother of the city lord."

  He pointed at the old man who was always smiling.

  He was You Tongguang... Meng Qi remained expressionless and paid his respects, committing the other's appearance, build, attire, and grooming to memory.

  "This is Old Man Mu Shan, the overall leader of the eighteen rivers in the south, and also the sworn brother of the city master, known as Mu San Ye." Fei Zhengqing introduced the old man with a date-red face and luxuriant beard.

  Mu Shan nodded slightly, his eyes fixed on Meng Qi were filled with suspicion.

  "Fei Mou didn't introduce his cousin, you must be familiar with her." Fei Zhengqing put away his smile and said sincerely, "Zhen Ding Fa Shi, your ability to subdue the Monkey King is one of the best in the world. This time, please assist us in capturing him."

  "Hey." Mu Shan smiled slightly, with a hint of disdain, but didn't make any extreme moves.

  "Fei Zong caught the head despite asking questions." Because he is now one of the most common heights, this point is similar to Shen Hou, Meng Qi does not worry that Fei Zheng Qing Guang can judge himself as "Shen Hou" just by observing his figure.

  Fei Zhengqing nodded: "Please don't mind Fei's questioning, I'm just making a habit of it."

  Having received Meng Qi's affirmative answer, he began to ask: "I wonder where the Dharma Master came from and where he met Sun Wukong?"

  "The poor monk returned from the far west, wandering around the world. When he was traveling by boat on the river, he happened to see Shen Hou killing Zhang Shi's husband and wife... Along with Fei Zhengqing's question, Meng Qi truthfully and falsely described the process of events, boasting about his exceptional knife skills, and with one move, severely injured Shen Hou again, but Shen Hou had practiced the horizontal exercise skill, so he pretended to be dead and escaped."

  Fei Zhengqing kept asking about the details, but Meng Qi had already carefully considered everything and made sure it was consistent with what Zhang Zongxian and his wife had described, without revealing any contradictions.

  "Zhen Ding Fashi is indeed a master of the knife path, and Shen Hou's impressive horizontal exercise skills and knife techniques were defeated by your hands. To say that it's embarrassing, from Jin An Cheng Lou Zhu being easily killed, there weren't many signs of struggle at the scene, I'm afraid Fei Mou isn't even a match for Shen Hou." Fei Zhengqing smiled in praise, but his expression still held a hint of doubt.

  Even if Shēn Hóu's injuries were not severe due to his horizontal practice, he had only been injured for half the night and was able to recover and defeat himself in the second half of the night, which is too incredible to be believed. Unless Shēn Hóu's martial arts skills have reached a level where he can unlock the secrets of the human body with just one more step.

  But then, being able to defeat him head-on, at least True Determination is a high-level expert of this level. At his age, it's terrifying!

  Meng Qi had not yet responded when Mu Shan let out two humorless laughs, his eyes piercing like an eagle's as he stared at Meng Qi: "True Determination Monk, your story is well-told, but this old man doesn't believe it. Even if one is a genius from heaven, they can't do without the grind of hard work!"

  "Let old me weigh you!"

  As they spoke, he had already drawn the long knife from his waist and rushed forward. Cui Xing, Fei Zhengqing, and You Tongguang did not stop him, but instead gazed intently at Meng Qi.

  Meng Qi sat on the stone bench with a faint smile, motionless. With a light knife stroke, as swift as a deer hanging its horns, Mu Shan's blade sliced through the most sensitive part of his body just as it was about to unfold.

  This is not the Blood Knife Technique, nor is it the Five Tigers' Broken Gate Knife Technique. Rather, it's Meng Qi's creation over the past seven months, where he repeatedly refined and extracted simpler variations from "Ahnan's Broken Precept Knife Technique", using his own two knife techniques as a framework, and developing several moves that don't involve knife intent.

  With time and effort, Meng Qi hopes that this will become a complete set of knife skills, a decent opening move.

  Even without the intent of a knife, the changes have lost their divine charm, and are less brilliant. However, by the standards of the air-gathering period, these few moves can be considered exquisite and unparalleled, with an inexplicable flavor hidden within.

  In this world, apart from the seven unchallenged Grand Masters, Meng Qi felt that the top-notch experts were only at the level of having cultivated their internal energy to near perfection - for some reason, Meng Qi felt that cultivating in this world seemed to be missing something, and had added many constraints, with an efficiency far inferior to when he was in his own Shaolin.

  Witnessing Meng Qi's incredible knife work, Cui Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly, while Fei Zhengqing and You Tongguang simultaneously wiped away all other expressions from their faces, shock hidden beneath their focus.

  The blade's momentum was interrupted at a critical moment, Mu Shan only felt his blood churning and his breathing becoming labored, but he was old in body yet young at heart, gritting his teeth to change direction, sidestepping Meng Qi with a slanted stride, making a lateral slash.

  Meng Qi's foot didn't move, his body didn't shift, and with a casual swing of his knife, it was like a waterfall hanging upside down, making a loud noise that shook the sky. He directly slashed at the weak point of Mu Shan's long knife, forcing him to retreat a step back.

  Mu Shan let out a loud roar and once again charged forward, but each of his three consecutive attacks were met with Meng Qi's seemingly casual slash, which made the thunderous sound and heavy rain disappear.

  "Third Brother, don't try to test him anymore. Meng Qi's knife skills are truly divine." Cui Xuan spoke up to stop Mu Shan from making another move, and used the phrase "truly divine" to describe the few knife moves that Meng Qi had come up with.

  Mu Shan stopped and panted heavily, recalling what had just happened, his self-supporting pride suddenly shattered.

  Meng Qi smiled slightly: "I don't deserve Master City's praise."

  These few knife techniques are still too scattered, not yet a system, and the changes aren't smooth enough to connect front and back. If I keep fighting like this, I'll lose the amazing effect I have now. After a few moves, Mu Shan will inevitably find out where the problem lies, force me off the stone bench, and engage in close combat with his body technique. And once "Divine Movement Hundred Changes" is displayed, how could Fei Zhengqing not recognize it? Last night, when I was desperately holding on under Hei Yingjian's sword, "Divine Movement Hundred Changes" was indeed performed to perfection.

  So, Choi's call for a halt was just in time.

  Choi Seung turned his head to look at Fei Zhengqing, and Fei Zhengqing shook his head in shock and solemnity, indicating that this was completely different from Shin Woo's knife skills, belonging to two entirely different levels.

  Shen Huan's swordsmanship, apart from the usual grandeur and magnificence, carries a hint of eeriness. Whether it is his sword strikes or footwork, everything is unpredictable and unconventional, unlike orthodox methods. In contrast, True Void Master's swordsmanship has a long-lasting charm, containing profound principles, and is exceptionally exquisite.

  Cui Dajie Cui Jinxu had not closed her mouth since Meng Qi drew his sword, staring blankly at the two as they exchanged blows. Only now did she murmur, as if in a dream: "Master, it turns out that when you fought me, you never used your full strength..."

  I thought I wasn't much different from Fa Shi and Shen Hou...

  Chui Xuan stood up and cupped his hands, saying: "Since Shen Hou was already injured earlier, I suspected that the Shen Hou from last night was actually a fake impersonated by you, Master. Now it seems that I used a villain's mind to measure a gentleman's heart. Please forgive me, Master."

  He spoke candidly and apologized.

  "The lord's anxious mind, I can understand." Meng Qi replied sincerely.

  Just as he was about to ask "Shen Hou" about the case, a servant suddenly came in from the garden outside, with a look of shock and terror on his face.

  "Lord of the castle, Lord of the castle, something terrible has happened!" He waved the red notice in his hand, unable to find the main point.

  Including Meng Qi, everyone looked over and Cui Xuan said in a low voice: "Speak slowly."

  The man took two deep breaths, presenting the red letter while speaking: "City Lord, this is a challenge letter from the White Robed Sword God. In seven days, he will come to your gate to challenge you."

  The matter had already been spread far and wide, so he didn't care that Meng Qi was present.

  "White-Clothed Sword God" Luo Qing?

  This is one of the seven great masters!

  This will be one of the rare showdowns between two masters!

  Meng Qi and others were shocked, but Cui Xuan's expression didn't change: "Cui has long wanted to experience Luo Da Xia's swordsmanship."

  With just one sentence, it's settled then - the battle between masters is unavoidable!

  "It's really a troublesome autumn..." Yu Tongguang and Fei Zhengqing both sighed at the same time.

  Because of this matter, their attention was diverted from Shen Hou, and after exchanging a few words with Meng Qi, they sent him out of the mansion.

  "They're still using the rumors from outside, what are they trying to cover up? Or are they afraid of startling the snake by hitting the grass?" This matter was mysterious and confusing, making Meng Qi scratch his head.

  "But today something big happened, and Yu Guang will probably be late getting home, which gave me an opportunity."

  Because Yu Tongguang might be a remnant of the Snow God Palace and possibly grasp strange martial arts like "Fantasy Shape Great Method", Meng Qi didn't directly find him like he did with Jin Ancheng, but instead planned to take a detour.

  Moreover, Meng Qi also wanted to take this opportunity to find a way to complete the branch mission.

  …………

  As night fell, Meng Qi, who had been keeping an eye on the You mansion and confirmed that You Tongguang had not returned yet, changed into his nighttime attire, put on a mask, unfolded his body technique, and quietly slipped into You Tongguang's study.

  There was nothing special in the You Tong Guang study, only a Buddha statue carved from white jade looked like it was worth a fortune.

  Meng Qi searched around for Yu Tongguang's bedroom, but didn't find any clues related to the Snow God Palace. He returned to the study and found a piece of white paper, intentionally changing his handwriting to imitate that of Thief Chivalrous Chu Liuxiang as he wrote:

  "I heard that you have a white jade Buddha statue, exquisitely carved by your skilled hands, with craftsmanship so divine it's as if the gods themselves had a hand in its creation. My heart has long been yearning to see it, and today I finally do, and indeed it does not disappoint me."

  However, taking something without permission is not the way to treat a guest. I'm leaving this letter to inform you sincerely that after six days, I will come to take it back on the 15th of the month. You are a refined and understanding person, and surely you won't let me make a futile trip back and forth.

  "Monkey King pays his respects."