Chapter 44: Exhilarating and Unrestrained

When Gao Lishi came, he told him that the Tibetan Buddhist monks were ignorant of the Central Plains culture and extremely arrogant and unreasonable, yet Li Longji preferred not to lower himself to their level. As a lofty emperor, brawling with a brute who could not understand their language was like playing the lute to a cow, and it would only demean his status. Gao Lishi’s words were also meant to prompt Pei Min to strike ruthlessly and teach the Tibetan barbarians a lesson with sheer strength.

The "alliance between uncle and nephew" that the envoy had mentioned earlier was laced with sarcasm and veiled insults without using outright vulgarities. If one were not well-versed in their Central Plains tongue, how could one possibly comprehend the deep meaning hidden within those words?

The prestige of the Great Tang extended across the four seas, and its culture spread throughout the realm; thus, understanding the Central Plains language was nothing extraordinary. However, Pei Min had previously used allegories to disparage Tibet, yet the red-robed Grand Lama had somehow managed to smile faintly. That was rather suspicious.

Seeing Pei Min pressing aggressively, Shang Zanduo originally wanted to save face, but considering the grand objective in his heart, he held back his breath and said, "Verbal skills do not count as true ability. Whether one can laugh last depends on the actual duel. Let us see whether the brave warriors of Tibet or the warriors of the Great Tang are truly fiercer." With that, he rattled off a string of guttural syllables to the red-robed Grand Lama.

Ancient Tibetan was like Chinese or English; none of their intonations were alike. Those unversed in the Tibetan language could not understand a single syllable or phrase.

To Pei Min, it sounded entirely like heavenly script. His gaze fell upon the red-robed Grand Lama named Xizuo.

Xizuo showed no unusual reaction. He muttered a few words in response with a solemn expression and stepped forward.

Pei Min smiled and said, "What is the point of using merely fists and feet? Those are just flashy routines and embroidered fists, not true kung fu. Let us engage directly with weapons!" As he spoke, without giving Xizuo a chance to hesitate, he drew his sword from its scabbard first.

Today's battle concerned the dignity of the Great Tang, not personal honor or disgrace. He was certainly not foolish enough to fight using hand-to-hand combat, which was not his forte.

With Li Longji's permission, Shang Zanduo had someone bring forward Xizuo's weapon.

Xizuo’s weapon turned out to be a long Vajra pestle, three chi in length and resembling a sword. It gleamed with a golden light throughout, apparently forged from brass mixed with genuine gold. It was undeniably heavy, and a strong Tibetan man looked slightly strained just holding it with both hands.

Xizuo, however, picked it up with a single hand and flashed a grim smile at Pei Min. His martial arts were eclectic, covering fist techniques as well as sabers and swords, but his absolute specialty was the Vajra pestle. Pei Min’s proposal to fight with weapons fell right into his area of expertise. He held the pestle horizontally across his chest, striking an opening stance that combined both offense and defense, much like Skanda presenting his pestle.

Seeing Xizuo's posture, a look of surprise flashed in Pei Min's eyes. Intent on testing him, he said, "Please..." The Qin Emperor sword in his hand vibrated, and he slashed fiercely at Xizuo. His sword momentum was magnificent, accompanied by the roaring sound of wind, carrying an indomitable and unstoppable spirit.

Xizuo sneered inwardly, utterly fearless, and swung his Vajra pestle to parry the blow. Weighing sixty-four catties, his Vajra pestle was one of the rare heavy short weapons of the era, relying entirely on brute and peerless force. How could he possibly fear a direct clash?

With a crisp clang, the weapons met!

Xizuo actually shuddered, his weapon unable to advance even a fraction of an inch. Instead, he felt an overwhelming pressure, as if his opponent's strength surpassed his own. Had it not been for the advantage of his weapon's weight, he might not have withstood the direct clash. He felt immensely surprised, unaware that Pei Min was employing the Tiger-Slaying Sword Technique. The profound mystery of the Tiger-Slaying Sword Technique lay in the unity of body and form, gathering all of one's strength into a single strike to prevail through sheer power. Compared to relying merely on physical muscle, it elevated the realm by several tiers.

Pei Min was also secretly startled by Xizuo’s immense divine strength. Realizing that he could withstand Xizuo's ferocious strike without any ill effects, his spirit soared. He once again slashed fiercely at Xizuo, his force so heavy and fierce that it possessed an overwhelming, heroic aura.

Xizuo refused to yield either, spinning his golden pestle into a blur of yellow light as the howling wind grew increasingly loud.

Within the span of just a few breaths, the sword and the pestle clashed over twenty times.

Throughout the grand hall, only the sounds of clashing steel rang out. Amidst scattering sparks, a burnt, scorched smell of heated steel even drifted through the air.

Li Longji and the ministers of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices were left dumbfounded, unable to utter a single word. They had never imagined that the clash between the two powerhouses would be fought with such intense ferocity.

Shang Zanduo was also stunned into silence. Xizuo was among the very top-tier fighters in Tibet, particularly renowned for his heavy and powerful strikes that no one could match. Yet that young man whom he had looked down upon was actually holding his own in a direct, head-on clash without losing the upper hand—it was truly unbelievable.

Pei Min suddenly shouted, "You perverted, depraved monk! Compared to your senior martial brother, your Skanda pestle looks like something learned from a woman. Do not disgrace yourself any further!"

Hearing this, Xizuo's expression darkened instantly, and the Vajra pestle in his hand grew even more ferocious.

"What? Angered? Refusing to admit it?" Pei Min had suspected from the very beginning that this Xizuo was up to no good. When he saw that Xizuo's posture while holding the pestle was precisely the opening stance of the Skanda pestle, his suspicions had only deepened, and now he could confirm it. As it happened, Pei Min had crossed paths with the mad monk Baoyang not long ago, and Baoyang had also used the Skanda pestle. Back then, they had exchanged a few words; Baoyang had specifically sought him out to challenge him because he had a favor to ask—to help find the whereabouts of his junior martial brother.

He still remembered Baoyang's words from back then: "Benyuan is the only martial monk in our temple whose talent in a century could rival the Martial Ancestor Tanhong. He was deeply valued by the abbot and was taught the cultivation techniques passed down by generations of martial monks. At a young age, he had already mastered six ultimate techniques, and within the Shaolin Temple, only three elders could compare to him. Yet, just as his martial arts reached perfection, Benyuan suddenly decided to renounce his vows and left the Shaolin Temple on his own. Half a month later, news came. Benyuan murdered his elder brother and defiled his elder brother's wife, resulting in three deaths across two lives. Neither my master nor this humble monk could believe that our junior brother would commit such a vicious act, so we descended the mountain to investigate the cause. Little did we expect that our benevolent master would be ambushed by the rebellious disciple and die on the spot. This humble monk, though slightly older, could not defeat him and jumped into a river to save my life. Benyuan, driven mad, slaughtered all eleven members of the woman's family and vanished without a trace. I searched for three years without finding his trace, but then I accidentally heard that foreign monks could alter the household registration of wicked criminals, so I came specifically to Chang'an to investigate. Benefactor Pei holds a position in the imperial court, yet possesses the chivalrous spirit of the jianghu. This humble monk shamelessly begs you..."

At this point, Pei Min raised his thick eyebrows, his eyes radiating a sharp, brilliant light as he pierced his gaze directly at Xizuo and shouted angrily, "What a treacherous monk! Your sister-in-law and elder brother were deeply in love, yet you harbored wicked desires and delusions, blaming your sister-in-law for being unfaithful to you and resenting your elder brother for stealing the object of your affection. You defiled your sister-in-law, murdered your brother, and subsequently committed the crime of destroying your master and ancestors—a sin so monstrous that heaven and earth will not tolerate it..." Every single word rang out like a great bell, firm and powerful. The招招 of his Tiger-Slaying Sword Technique were unstoppable, and that indomitable momentum, coupled with his righteous condemnation, made him look like a stern celestial deity.

Conversely, Xizuo's eyes were already bloodshot, filled with rage and fury. He wanted to retort, but Pei Min's continuous strikes gave him no room to speak whatsoever, and his movements gradually fell into disarray.

Li Longji and the officials of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices listened as Pei Min detailed Benyuan's atrocious crimes and watched Xizuo's loss of emotional composure; how could they still fail to understand the truth? If this Tibetan Grand Lama truly did not understand the Central Plains language, how could he lose his composure like this? To be able to understand, yet remain speechless under the other's severe denunciations, proved that the matter was entirely true.

Defiling a sister-in-law, murdering a brother, and betraying one's master and ancestors!

In an era where Confucian virtues reigned supreme, these were crimes of towering proportions.

Pei Min shouted sternly once more, "You are disloyal to your country, unfilial to your master, unrighteous to your brother, and unprincipled toward your sister-in-law. Such a beast in human form—how do you even have the face to step foot into my Great Tang... Today, I will let you know that although the world is vast and conceals much filth where you might find a hiding place, my majestic Great Tang is certainly not one of them..."

Growing bolder with every clash, he stepped forward and swung his sword in a diagonal slash toward Xizuo's face. The wind whistled sharply and piercingly, and even more startlingly, this sweeping strike carried the tragic, desolate sensation of thousands of horses and soldiers locked in mortal combat on a battlefield.

The Qin Emperor sword unstoppably deflected the sixty-four-catty Vajra pestle, leaving Xizuo's center completely unguarded. Pei Min closed in and used the hilt of his sword to deliver a heavy, devastating blow to Xizuo's chest and lungs.

With a loud thud!

Xizuo crashed heavily to the ground, choking up a mouthful of fresh blood. Pointing a trembling finger at Pei Min, he managed, "You..." He wanted to say that Pei Min was talking sheer nonsense. In the depths of his mind, there had always been only one conviction: that his elder brother had stolen the one he loved, that they had wronged him, and that they deserved their fate. But Pei Min detested people like Benyuan who lacked loyalty, righteousness, and filial piety above all else. He had struck with extreme ruthlessness, directly severely damaging Xizuo's lungs. Before he could catch his breath, Xizuo passed out cold. Even if he did not die today, he would remain a cripple for the rest of his life, plagued by stabbing pain in his lungs with every breath he took.

Standing like a vajra warrior god, Pei Min had prosecuted every single attack with overwhelming force, winning with such exhilarating and satisfying flair that thunderous applause immediately erupted throughout the hall.

As for Shang Zanduo, his face turned ashen. He never expected that Xizuo would lose so disgracefully, nor did he ever anticipate that Xizuo would have his true identity exposed. The Great Tang abounded with talent, boasting countless extraordinary individuals and unusual scholars. Although Tibet was the hegemon of the southwest, when it came to human resources, it fell far short of even a ten-thousandth of the Great Tang. In order to attract talent from the Great Tang to defect, Tibet asked neither about background nor origin; as long as someone possessed a specialized skill, they were sought after with heavy rewards. Xizuo was a talent who had entered Tibet three years ago and, owing to his peerless martial arts, had been deeply trusted. Entrusted with heavy responsibilities during this diplomatic mission alongside him, he never foresaw today's disaster.

Pei Min sheathed his sword, bowed to report his success to Li Longji, and then turned to look at Shang Zanduo with a smiling expression. " Esteemed Envoy, this is rather improper of you. It is your freedom if you wish to associate with such a beast in human form, and I offer no opinion on the matter. However, this person is a wanted fugitive of the Great Tang; how did he suddenly become a native warrior of Tibet? Could it be that your Tibet lacks brave warriors and suffers from a shortage of talent, forcing you to use a heinous monster as your warrior just to showcase your nation's splendor?"

Shang Zanduo's face turned a bruised purple. After a long moment, he said to Li Longji, "Great Emperor of the Great Tang, there must be some misunderstanding in all of this."

Li Longji said triumphantly, "Naturally, We know this is a misunderstanding, and We also trust that your Tibet is not a place that harbors filth. You were merely deceived, and in Our magnanimity, We shall not hold it against you."

Just as Shang Zanduo breathed a sigh of relief, he heard Li Longji say in a chilling tone, "Benyuan committed countless crimes within my Great Tang and even dared to deceive Us—his crimes are unforgivable. Guards, take him away to the Dali Temple and have him executed on an auspicious day."

Shang Zanduo wanted to speak up, but catching the cold, mocking gaze in Li Longji's eyes, the words stuck in his throat, and he could utter not a single syllable.

Li Longji arranged for Pei Min to take the highest seat of honor, inviting him to attend the banquet alongside the imperial retinue.

While song and dance filled the air, Shang Zanduo found the food completely tasteless.

When the banquet dispersed, Li Longji kept Pei Min behind to stroll through the central courtyard of the Wude Palace, with Gao Lishi naturally following close behind.

Li Longji sighed and said, "Today we owe it all to Jingyuan, otherwise the dignity of our Great Tang would have been swept into the dust. We never imagined that Tibet would possess such lethal hidden cards..."

Pei Min came to a halt and asked, "Your Majesty, would you like to hear the truth?"