As soon as the words fell, the mist swayed and quickly dispersed. Meng Qi's eyes were no longer on the person in white clothes and high hat. The boat was still sailing on the lake, with Gu Changqing and Zhen Hui still meditating beside him. The boatman at the back seemed to be unchanged for thousands of years, rowing the oars at an extremely high frequency, borrowing the wind, like a sharp arrow.

  Looking at the rippling lake surface, Meng Qi had a dreamlike feeling, as if his previous encounter with the person in feathered clothes and high hat was just his own illusion. When he woke up, there was no trace of it, but the yellow talisman in his hand, with its intricate and difficult-to-decipher patterns, reminded him that someone had indeed come before, without startling Gu Zhiqing and Zhen Hui, nor making himself feel any alarm or awareness.

  Such strength is no longer ordinary!

  "What organization is it after all..." Meng Qi furrowed his brow in thought, quietly putting the token away in his bosom, having an extra way out was always good.

  For this organization, Meng Qi had some vague guesses, and it was very likely that it was the mysterious organization behind Xie Jiu. After all, among the mysterious organizations he had come into contact with, there was only this one for the time being, and other organizations would not pay attention to him without reason.

  "Is Qu Jiu Niang also part of this organization...?" Meng Qi thought of the beautiful proprietress of the first inn by the vast sea, if she really had the strength to be an external scene expert and belonged to this organization, then the power of this organization was indeed not trivial. Having a strong external scene expert as an inn owner was no ordinary luxury.

  After racking his brains for a while, Meng Qi was still clueless and had no choice but to calm down, close his eyes, and meditate to recover his energy.

  Most of the night had passed, and Meng Qi had recovered some of his strength, and was now capable of fighting again. At this time, the wind stopped, the rain ceased, the bright moon broke through the clouds, casting down a sheet of clear radiance, like a dream or an illusion.

  "We're here." The boatman docked the small boat by the shore and stared at Meng Qi woodenly.

  Meng Qi painfully took out the bag from Shen Zui, poured out some gems and handed them to the boatman: "Is it enough?"

  Bandits carried gold and silver, which was inconvenient, so they would often exchange some of their loot for precious stones. As a result, various gems were considered to be the hard currency of the Western Regions, with more or less uniform valuation standards. Of course, there would always be differences in this matter, and prices determined by different people in different places would inevitably fluctuate. In urgent situations, Meng Qi couldn't afford to quibble over such details.

  The drunken gem quality is better than the loyal tooth's, the boatman took a closer look, counted, and handed two blocks back to Meng Qi: "Too many."

  It's still honest... Meng Qi felt a bit better, after all, it was an unexpected fortune, and the loss was just a loss. His previous heartache was that his plans didn't change as quickly as he had hoped, and he couldn't continue to squander the wealth of Zhong Ya.

  "Senior brother, where are we going? Master is still broadcasting in secret." Wait until the boatman rows the boat far away, Zhen Hui looks at Meng Qi with eager eyes.

  "Meng Qi said with a headache: 'Little Shidi, don't rush for now. Master's strength is high and he can rival the heavens. It's not that he can't take down Crying Old Man right now. Let's hide in Tanhuang for a few days to avoid this storm, then we'll find out his whereabouts again.'"

  Since both sides have been fighting for over ten days without a clear victory, Meng Qi believed that there wouldn't be any drastic changes in the short term. With Shaolin reinforcements on their way, Old Crying Face would choose to retreat if he wasn't foolish.

  The problem now is how to send his younger brother back to their master without getting caught himself... Meng Qi was extremely worried.

  Zhen Hui, although a bit foolish, could also listen to reason and knew that her brother had risked coming to rescue her, which would definitely stir up trouble. She didn't want to put off the danger for several days, so she nodded: "Alright, let's go to Gan Han."

  After finishing speaking, he stared at Meng Qi with a piercing gaze: "Senior brother, when will you invite the thunder? Isn't this an external technique?"

  I'm going, you're just reacting now! Meng Qi was speechless and looked up at the sky, it turned out that this guy's calm and collected face earlier was due to his slow reflexes.

  Meng Qi's expression of disdain was replaced with a gentle tone: "Brother, I had an unexpected encounter when I was being pursued."

  "Oh, what a coincidence." Zhen Hui's eyes sparkled even brighter, as in his experience of listening to stories, traveling the world would inevitably be accompanied by coincidences.

  Gu Changqing nodded thoughtfully beside him. It turned out that the heavenly thunder was indeed summoned by Xiao Meng, which was almost beyond his ability to comprehend. He wondered what kind of strange encounter it was.

  Watching the two of them with a curious expression, Meng Qi couldn't think of anything to say and could only laugh loudly twice, trying to shift the attention.

  "Xiao Meng, what are you smiling at?" Gu Changqing asked in puzzlement.

  Meng Qi pointed ahead and said, "We rescued Little Shidi, escaped the Ma bandits' encirclement. From now on, we can roam freely like a fish leaping in the vast ocean, soar through the sky like a bird flying high. Isn't that worth laughing about?"

  "Haha, it's indeed worth laughing." Gu Changqing felt that he had completed a heroic act of chivalry and righteousness, made friends with someone who shared his sense of justice, and was in high spirits.

  Meng Qi suddenly felt something was off, the conversation just now seemed like Cao Mengde, and he didn't want a group of horse bandits to suddenly appear in front of him, blocking his way, that wouldn't be fun!

  He shook his head, shaking off the bad idea, and laughed loudly: "This place is not suitable for a long stay, let's go to Khan quickly. After today, the vast sea will surely leave our names!"

  Gu Changqing also laughed and said: "How we will be is still unknown, but Xiao Meng, this experience of yours will spread far and wide, you will surely top the list, and the world will look up to you."

  No matter what means were used, the fact that two of the nine orifices' perfect masters were defeated by Meng Qi shows how terrifying he is. He will definitely be listed on the ranking list based on combat strength, and it's another story whether others think there's water in the ranking or if they think challenging him has hope.

  I hope I can have a good nickname... Meng Qi thought silently, and the three of them launched their lightness skills, rushing towards the edge of the oasis.

  …………

  The wind and sand were violent, blowing on the face and causing pain. Meng Qi opened his eyes and ears, but it was still difficult to perceive the situation five zhang away.

  Less than half a day after leaving the Fish Sea, the three of them encountered a real sandstorm on their way to Khan. The power of heaven and earth was terribly frightening, with winds and sands swirling everywhere, blocking out the sky and sun, as if trying to bury people alive.

  Meng Qi's body was surrounded by a dark golden aura that blocked the invading sand and dust. Due to the existence of the Golden Bell Shield, the initial damage from the sandstorm had little effect on him. However, symptoms such as dehydration, dry throat, and difficulty breathing could not be alleviated by the current Golden Bell Shield, and he could only endure and hold on.

  Compared to him, Zhen Hui and Gu Changqing were even more unbearable. They didn't have the Golden Bell Shield or the experience of cultivating in front of the Fire Crow. Their faces were covered with a cloth, and their footsteps were difficult.

  "We need to find a place with weathered rocks and small hills to hide..." Meng Qi said in a low voice to Zhen Hui and Gu Changqing, he himself was not a big problem, but if the sandstorm got any stronger, the three of them would be blown away.

  Zhen Hui quietly hid behind Meng Qi, using her senior brother as a shield to block the wind and sand, and suddenly said: "Senior brother, it seems like there's a light in front!"

  "What's that light?" Meng Qi was taken aback, and he looked into the distance. Indeed, after layers of wind and sand, he saw a vague black shadow, which seemed to be a house, with a faint light shining through.

  "This shouldn't be an oasis, how can there be buildings? Meng Qi was very puzzled, but looking at Zhen Hui and Gu Changqing's current state, he felt that continuing like this wasn't a good idea either. So he nodded and said: 'Let's go there to take shelter from the wind and sand, but be careful.'"

  "Perhaps it's a relic of the past oasis building..." Gu Changqing guessed.

  In the Western Regions, as water sources shifted and sandstorms swept in, some oases were buried under dust and abandoned by humans. Gu Changqing found this to be nothing out of the ordinary.

  "It is." Meng Qi slightly put down his worries, using himself as a shield, opening up the wind and sand, advancing like a war chariot.

  After braving the heavy wind and sand, Meng Qi suddenly froze, because the building in front of him was not a relic, but a Buddhist temple that looked still quite new. The temple was not large, only one hall, and it didn't look luxurious, just ordinary Gobi rocky construction, gray and dull, without any spirit.

  But at this moment, in the midst of the vast and boundless sandstorm, seeing it, seeing a small green lamp inside, it has an unimaginable sense of peace of mind.

  It shouldn't be a place where people are eaten, right? Meng Qi's senses were affected and he could only take a quick look before walking to the temple door and knocking lightly.

  "Amitabha Buddha, the sandstorm is fierce, no need for excessive courtesy." A clear and melodious voice echoed from within the temple.

  Meng Qi pushed open the temple door, and the first thing he saw was the stone statue of the Buddha with a compassionate and merciful face. It had a clear and clean seal, and in front of it, a green lamp swayed back and forth, illuminating the entire room.

  At the second glance, he saw a young monk sitting cross-legged in front of the Buddha statue. He was about twenty years old, and his facial features were not particularly impressive, but gave off an air of freshness and detachment, like Meng Qi's efforts to portray yet always fell short of perfection.

  "Amitabha Buddha, thank you Master for taking me in." Meng Qi joined his hands together.

  Although it had been over ten days since he last shaved his head, a thin layer of black hair had already grown back, but subconsciously he still performed the Buddhist rituals.

  That young monk smiled blandly and said, "Younger brother, no need to be overly polite. This humble monk built a Buddhist temple in this desolate Gobi Desert to provide a place of refuge for those who have lost their way. The pure land is everywhere, not just in the Western Paradise, but also in one's heart, and beside every devout monk."

  "Big brother, is this the Buddhist temple you built?" Meng Qi asked in surprise.

  When Buddhists meet each other, if they don't know each other's Dharma name, they can directly address each other as "Dharma Master" or refer to each other as "senior/younger fellow practitioner".

  The young monk pointed with his right hand, indicating that Meng Qi and the others should sit down. Then he smiled and said: "I have been in this place for more than half a year, building this Buddhist temple with my own hands."

  "Brother Shi, this is a virtuous and meritorious act." Zhen Hui said with admiration all over his face.

  Meng Qi slightly furrowed his brow, was he a Buddhist monk?

  The young monk still had that calm and detached smile: "On the day when I, a poor monk, descended from the mountain, I made a great vow before the Buddha to build forty-nine Buddhist temples in the desolate Gobi Desert and desert of Western Regions, providing travelers with a place to rest and avoid the wind."

  He paused and smiled self-deprecatingly, "I suppose it's also for the sake of merit. My Buddhist name is Hongnang, I wonder how you two fellow disciples are called? And what about this donor?"

  "Ben seng zhen ding, ta nai ben seng shi di zhen hui, gu jia bao gu chang qing." Meng qi yi yi jie shao zhao, "bu zhi shi xiong shan men he chu?"

  Translation:

  "This is Ben Seng Zhen Ding. He is my junior fellow disciple Zhen Hui from Gu Jia Bao, Gu Chang Qing." Meng Qi introduced one by one, "I don't know where our senior brother's mountain gate is?"

  Hong Nang was about to speak when he suddenly smiled and said: "This place does not ban demonic creatures, please come in, sir."

  What a monster? Meng Qi and Gu Changqing turned their heads in shock, looking towards the door, could it be that there was a monster?

  Her eyes sparkled with excitement, and she seemed quite thrilled.

  The door opened and a man carrying a bundle walked in. He was slender, his face gaunt, with furrowed brows that gave off an icy feeling.

  "True Master!" Zhen Hui exclaimed in surprise.

  Meng Qi also recognized the man, who was Zhen Guan, the one who had been expelled from the temple for his sudden madness and attack on himself. He was Zhen Guan from the secret path behind Shaolin Temple, the one who had become a half-demon according to Master's words!