The one-armed monk appeared out of nowhere.
Literally—he stepped out from behind a dead tree that absolutely did NOT have enough space to hide him.
No footsteps.No presence.No rustling leaves.
Just—pop—he was there.
The horses nearly flipped the carriage, throwing Han Tianci onto the dirt.The general shielded the prince, the others braced, but all were safe.
Han Tianci choked on his own breath and rage.
"BALD DONKEY!! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?! DON'T MATERIALIZE LIKE A DAMN GHOST!"
The monk squinted at him.
"Bald Donkey … still alive? I thought starvation finally succeeded."
The monk pressed his palms together serenely.
"Amitabha."
Han Tianci nearly lobbed his sword at his bald head.
"You donkey monk—THE NEXT TIME YOU APPEAR OUT OF NOWHERE IN FRONT OF ME, I WILL SEND YOU INTO REBIRTH WITH MY FOOT!"
The prisoners behind them snorted.
Han Tianci spun around dramatically.
"You laugh NOW?! I, Han Ti—"
His own eye twitched so violently his soul nearly escaped his body.
The monk pointed at Tianci's empty sleeve.
"Look at you. Lost an arm and somehow got more useless. Heaven truly dislikes you."
Han Tianci pointed right back.
"Says the Bald head who lost his arm exactly like mine!"
The monk nodded with deep, monk-like wisdom.
"And you're still stupid."
"SEE?! Even the monk agrees—"
They lunged at each other like two starving dogs fighting over a rotten bone.
Kicks.Elbows.Headbutts.
Dust clouds.
The monk swept Tianci's legs.Tianci hooked the monk's ankle.Both fell.Both hit the ground like sacks of disappointment.
A dusty silence settled.
The monk lifted his head.
"…Tianci?"
Han Tianci blinked.
"…Donkey Monk?"
A long breath.
Recognition.Realization.Friendship.Mutual disappointment in each other's life choices.
Then both frowned.
"You got uglier."
And round two started.
The monk slapped Tianci with prayer beads.Han Tianci threw dirt at the monk's face.
"Bald fraud!"
"Brainless cripple!"
"You smell like fermented donkey piss!"
"You fight like a drunk chicken!"
"You walk like one!"
"You ARE one!"
The fight grew louder, dumber, and somehow more affectionate.
Finally the monk wiped his nose.
"Good to see you, Tianci."
"I missed punching your face."
Han Tianci spat blood and grinned.
"Good to see you too, Bald Monk."
"The feeling is mutual."
Pause.
Han Tianci squinted.
"So. Which idiot chopped your arm?"
The monk scoffed.
"Which idiot let you keep yours until now?"
They pounced at each other again.
Because some friendships begin with fists.
They eventually entered the carriage, the soldiers marching outside.
Inside, Han Tianci cleared his throat with theatrical dignity.
The monk talked non-stop until nightfall.
A tent was raised.A formation activated—soundproofing them from the world.
Only the circle remained.
The monk looked around slowly.
"Brothers. Sisters. Gather."
The air thickened instantly.
Not peaceful silence—but the kind where even breathing felt dangerous.
A few sat stiff.The four trusted subordinates waited outside, guarding but knowing nothing.
The room held only those allowed to hear the truth.
The monk frowned at the prince, the general, then at Tianci.
"Tianci… who are these people?"
Tianci sighed.
"Our new help."
The monk's face contorted.
"You're going to kill them. And YOU—yes, YOU five—go home. Return wherever you crawled from."
The prince straightened.
"I refuse. My army can help subdue Li Qiong."
The monk froze.
Then laughed.
Not a happy laugh.
A laugh loud enough the soldiers outside gripped their weapons.
"You? WITH YOUR MEASLY ARMY?! YOU ALL HEAR THIS CHILD?!"
He leaned forward, voice dropping to a deadly calm.
"Did Tianci not tell you how ALL of us died back then?"
The prince instinctively stepped back.The commander forced his arms to stay crossed, even though his knuckles were white.
The monk spoke like someone who had once stood inside Li Qiong's killing range and survived only by luck.
"Since you two want to join… listen. This is not a story. This is reality."
The prince swallowed.The commander nodded.
The monk continued:
"Li Qiong… he's not human. Not demon either. He's something in between. Something worse."
The lantern flame dimmed as if afraid of something.
There are certain rules to face him on the battle
"When you face him," the monk said slowly, "never blink. Once you blink— you never wake up again."
A cold draft slid under the tent flap.
"And never look back. Not even once. If you feel something behind you—ignore it. If you hear him behind you—pray. Because once you look back… you're already dead."
…you are already dead."
Han Tianci stayed silent, his jaw tense.
The monk exhaled, voice grave:
"And most important—
never piss him off.
Avoid him.
Avoid speaking to him.
Avoid looking into his eyes."
He tapped his chest.
"His killing intent doesn't need a reason. It only needs a direction."
The prince trembled.
"The devil never chases cowards," the monk said."But the strong?He enjoys chasing them Breaking them."
Silence crushed the room.
"You want to know how people died?" he said softly.
Both prince and commander nodded.
The monk inhaled deeply.As if swallowing poison.
"First to die was Brother Wei.
He blinked to avoid mud."
He snapped his fingers.
"His head exploded before he opened his eyes again."
The commander stiffened.
"The skull didn't crack.It shattered.Blood sprayed so far I tasted it from thirty steps away."
He gestured an arc.
"And the body ran ten more steps.Without its head."
A suffocating silence fell.
"Second was Senior Lin.He panicked and turned around."
Senior Lin—got scared and turned around to run.
Stupid.
The moment he looked back—Li Qiong grabbed him." The monk clenched a fist. "One hand. He grabbed him with ONE hand… and tore him straight down the middle."
He spread his hands apart. "From shoulder to hip. Clean. Like tearing wet paper."
The prince's face drained of color.
The commander's throat bobbed as he swallowed.
The monk's voice dropped lower. "You think that's the worst? No…"
He shook his head slowly.
"The worst was a young Nascent Soul genius. Barely twenty."
Han Tianci's eyes dimmed.
"He was crawling. Didn't even scream—just sobbed under his breath.
He thought if he didn't make noise, Li Qiong would ignore him."
The monk's voice trembled.
"He was wrong."
The commander asked, voice cracking, "What… what happened to him?"
The monk shook his head slowly.
"Li Qiong grabbed him by the ankle…and dragged him back."
A pause.
"Then he tore his flesh off with a single pull."
The prince flinched.
"No cutting. No blades.Just his hands."
"With his bare hands. Like peeling fruit."
just flesh and nothing else
The monk's fingers twitched. Like they were remembering the sound.
"Piece.By piece.By piece."
Pulled his tongue out broke his teeth.
The monk swallowed ready to throw up.
"When Li Qiong stood up…what was left wasn't a body."
He looked at them.
"Just a skeleton."
The prince's voice cracked:
"A skeleton?!"
"Yes."
"Clean.White.Bones shining in sunlight."
"And the boy lived through all of it."
The commander's breath faltered.
"Alive?!"
"Alive?! How does someone—?!"
The monk cut him off. "Because Li Qiong wanted him alive. That's the only reason."
The silence grew sickeningly thick.
The tent felt smaller.The air thicker.
"No one dies fast around Li Qiong," the monk said. "He chooses how you die.
"Never run," the monk added."Never move."
"If you stay still…he might leave you."
Han Tianci finally spoke, voice cold:
"That's why —if he remembers everything…
Cultivate to Nascent Soulwe die."
No one argued.
Because now they understood:
These people weren't telling a story.
They were holding back the parts too terrifying to say aloud.