Volume One: The Young Monk Returns to Secular Life Chapter Forty-Eight: The Star-Absorbing Technique

If the abbot of Golden Mountain Monastery was terrifying, Mu Chen could still understand it, but why would his master be so frightened by a young monk named Xiao Yan? Could it be that this Xiao Yan was secretly a formidable expert? With a look of utter confusion, Mu Chen turned to Da Vinci and asked.

“No, at that time, his internal strength was only at the fifth level,” Da Vinci replied, always with a tinge of melancholy whenever this topic arose.

“Then why…” Mu Chen pressed, puzzled.

“Don’t ask. If you ever see this man, remember—run as far as you can… and never look back…” Da Vinci shook his head with a sigh and went on, “But if you truly can’t escape, watch his expression. The moment you see the faintest smile curl at the corner of his mouth… drop to your knees and beg for mercy! Don’t hesitate…”

“Why?” Mu Chen was still at a loss.

“Because whenever he smiles like that, something terrifying always happens… Don’t ask me how I know…” At this, Da Vinci’s voice trembled as if old humiliations were rising unbidden to his mind; he sounded as though he might burst into tears at any moment.

“But Master, now that we have our ultimate trump card, do we still need to fear him?” Mu Chen straightened his back, pointed confidently at a prominent part of his own body, and spoke full of assurance.

“Hmm? That does seem to be the case,” Da Vinci nodded thoughtfully, pondering the possibilities in silence for a moment. Finally, his face brightened into a broad smile. “Right… we have nothing to fear! If we really run into Xiao Yan, we’ll just treat him to fried chicken! Hahaha…” Da Vinci burst out laughing, sounding for all the world like a child.

Was it finally possible to take revenge?

“But our ultimate technique isn’t perfected yet—you’ll need to pair it with the Star-Absorbing Method to unleash its full power. I’ll take you to learn the secret manual first. But until then, if you encounter Xiao Yan, you’d best still be wary…” Da Vinci warned with a stern expression.

“I understand, Master. But there are so many monks at Golden Mountain Monastery. I wouldn’t even recognize him if I saw him… What if he’s right in front of me and I don’t know it?”

“That’s true… Hmm…” Da Vinci pondered for a while before replying, “I remember he has a rather peculiar weapon—a rod-shaped object with a cap at the end. That should be easy to recognize.”

“Uh… and does he wear a flashy monk’s robe that hardly looks like something a monk would wear?”

“Yes, yes, exactly…” Da Vinci hadn’t noticed anything strange and was about to praise Mu Chen.

“And his bald head is especially shiny!” Mu Chen continued.

“Right! How did you know that?”

“He… he’s right here… behind you…” Mu Chen said, frowning.

Da Vinci fell silent.

“Hey there, Vinci! Fancy meeting you again! You promised to visit Golden Mountain Monastery for tea and to watch a human pyramid, but I haven’t seen you around… Say, you’ve lost weight, haven’t you?” an irreverent voice suddenly sounded behind him.

At the sound of that familiar, ever-concerned voice, Da Vinci’s first instinct was to run, but his legs had gone weak.

Seeing Da Vinci speechless, the voice rang out again, “Surprised? Didn’t expect this, did you? If you won’t come looking for me, I’ll come find you… Here, your token—I’m returning it. Honestly, this place is hard to find, but there’s no shortage of treasure… hahahaha…”

The young monk finished speaking, pulled out a token that Zhuge Yixiu had once taken from Da Vinci, and handed it back.

“You… you scoundrel! I… you… why won’t you just leave me alone… I’ll kill you…” Da Vinci’s voice quivered. Even though his strength was fully restored, the shadow cast upon him at Golden Mountain Monastery was indelible.

“Hey, calm down. Where’s your composure?” The young monk glanced around, then noticed a young man staring intently at his face. He nodded politely and said, “Hey… are you Vinci’s new apprentice? Nice to meet you!”

“Hel—hello…” Mu Chen stammered, his heart pounding, eyes fixed on the young monk’s mouth. He dared not let his gaze waver—at the slightest upturn of those lips, he would drop to his knees on the spot. He’d even rehearsed his plea for mercy; Da Vinci had taught him that wisdom lies in quick wits.

The ultimate trump card was still unperfected; he couldn’t use it yet. Besides, even if it were ready, he couldn’t use it lightly… One only gets to set off such an explosion once in a lifetime…

Yet, Mu Chen found it odd—this young monk didn’t seem so fearsome after all. He looked friendly, spoke pleasantly… and, inexplicably, felt somehow connected to him.

“Is anyone else here? Show yourselves!” Da Vinci suddenly shouted.

Ever since losing his sight, Da Vinci’s hearing had become especially keen. From the moment the young monk arrived, he’d realized there were two more people whispering in the secret chamber.

“Brother, does that young monk really know the Master Thief Da Vinci? I heard Da Vinci was ruthless, but he looks like he’s about to cry. Am I imagining things?” Chen Shuwan whispered from the corner.

“I… I’m not sure. But I do know that, back at Golden Mountain Monastery, we heard that the Chen Family Swordplay was snatched from him by our benefactor,” Chen Buqun whispered back.

“No way, is that young monk really so formidable? By the way… I still don’t know his name…”

“Xiao Yan!”

“…”

Chen Shuwan stared in disbelief, admiration welling up despite herself. But then she remembered it was her own brother who’d been reduced to such a sorry state…

Her feelings grew complicated. Her thoughts were becoming stranger by the minute—for instance, if she had to choose between her brother and Xiao Yan, she realized she could pick Xiao Yan without the slightest hesitation…

Could this be what people called being bewitched? She couldn’t make sense of it…

…

Let us return to half an hour earlier…

By a twist of fate, the three of them had entered Da Vinci’s secret passage.

No sooner had they entered than they realized it was a veritable treasure trove, with gold and silver scattered everywhere…

Of course, they had no idea these were the fruits of Da Vinci’s years of painstaking thievery.

At that moment, Xiao Yan’s gaze landed on an old, conspicuous book at the center of the treasure.

“What’s this?” Chen Shuwan asked, puzzled, as she walked over and picked up the ancient book.

Its cover bore a few bold, simple words:

“Star-Absorbing Method.”

Hmm?

“Isn’t this the supreme manual known as ‘the evil art’ in the martial world?” Chen Shuwan’s brows knitted in alarm, and she hastily dropped the book. As the daughter of the Chen clan, she had heard many martial tales—this manual was infamous, and she knew some of the rumors.

She wondered how such a legendary manual had ended up here.

The martial world said this Star-Absorbing Method belonged to the Demonic Alliance. It was said to be ferociously powerful, but only a rare few could cultivate it, and practitioners risked exploding at any moment.

Thus, it was reviled by the martial world, yet countless people still dreamed of obtaining it—fame and glory being every martial artist’s dream.

Xiao Yan had no particular interest in the manual, until the old fellow inside him suddenly howled with excitement, as if he’d taken a dose of expired aphrodisiac.

Fahai: “Ohohoh… go snatch that manual… it’s a treasure…”

“They say it’s an evil art!” Xiao Yan shook his head, ignoring Fahai.

Fahai: “Foolish boy! It’s evil to others, but… haven’t you considered… you’re different…”

“…” Xiao Yan pondered, then suddenly said, “Because I’m more handsome?”

Fahai nearly choked with rage, then said in exasperation, “Think! Others worry about exploding from the Star-Absorbing Method, but what about you… you have me, a true expert… Listen, if you learn it, you’ll be able to recharge me…”

Isn’t that exciting just to think about?

“Hmm?” Xiao Yan’s eyes widened.

It did seem rather useful.

He’d never have to worry about his power bank running out again…

…

Just then, something happened on Chen Buqun’s side. He was clutching another manual he’d found in the secret passage, face flushed with excitement.

“Look what I’ve found… this is incredible…”