Chapter 135: Understood

Mingyu and Xika were only three or four years old at the time and had no recollection of the past events. Perhaps the people of White Village were also reluctant to bring it up too often. The reason they agreed to accompany Yuan Wuji was simply their strong desire to witness the outside world.

"Do Mingyu and Xika really not know?" Yuan Wuji asked, looking at the two children who were still eating voraciously, and turned his gaze toward the village chief of White Village with a puzzled expression.

"Have you never told them?" Hearing Yuan Wuji's words, the village chief wore a slightly embarrassed expression. Indeed, they had never mentioned the matter to this generation of children.

They understood the depth of that humiliation, and the elders of White Village wished to spare innocent children from bearing such a heavy burden so early in life. Although the children would inevitably learn the truth eventually, the elders still hoped they could enjoy a happy childhood.

"You need not explain; I understand your intentions. However, this is a world of the jungle law, where the strong prey upon the weak. Telling them early on does no harm, and it can even become the driving force for them to grow stronger," Yuan Wuji said, stopping the chief who was about to speak, and gestured toward Mingyu and Xika, who were still eating.

"Great General, I understand."

The village chief of White Village found a sense of affirmation within his heart. He looked at Mingyu and Xika with a resolute gaze. Startled by the chief's sudden change in demeanor, the two children lowered their food and looked up at him.

"Village Chief, what is the matter?"

"Mingyu, Xika, the chief has something to tell you," the village chief said after taking a long, deep breath.

"Let's talk on the way!" Yuan Wuji suggested.

Yuan Wuji took the lead and stepped out of the inn, while the others followed closely behind him.

The moment they left the inn, the three of them were enveloped by Yuan Wuji's divine power. When they opened their eyes again, they were standing high above the drifting white clouds.

Though they already knew of Yuan Wuji's formidable powers, experiencing it firsthand once more still filled their hearts with involuntary shock.

"Mingyu, Xika," the village chief called out softly.

"Yes? What is it, Chief?"

Without holding anything back, the village chief recounted every detail of the past events to Mingyu and Xika. However, the outbursts of rage and tears that he had anticipated did not happen.

"You..." the village chief said with a hint of anger. Was this simple childish ignorance, or a genuine lack of care?

"Village Chief, we understand what you mean. Just like when we hunt wild beasts in the mountains—beasts that are no match for us can only be devoured by us, and their offspring either become our food or our mounts. We understand all of this."

"But..." The chief wanted to say more, yet he realized he had no grounds to continue. It was true; the tragedy of the past occurred simply because they lacked strength. If they had possessed immense power back then, would those Daoist priests of the One-Character Temple have ever dared to act in such a manner?

"Unlike the beasts, we possess strength, and we know how to exact revenge. We are going to wipe them out right now."

Mingyu and Xika's twisting logic made the chief look at them with a sense of unfamiliarity. It was not that the two children failed to understand, but rather that they grasped the law of the jungle even more thoroughly than the chief himself.

As expected of the two with the greatest innate talent, they had fully comprehended the laws of survival amidst the mountains and forests. Children like these possessed even greater potential for growth.

"The One-Character Temple has arrived."

Midway up the grand mountain stood a magnificent Daoist temple shimmering with gold and jade, even its gates inlaid with gold and silver. As Yuan Wuji approached, he could clearly sense a faint trace of malevolent Qi emanating from the temple.

"Mingyu, Xika, go on. Show them your best."

Yuan Wuji did not go himself; instead, he instructed Mingyu and Xika. The village chief wanted to accompany them as well, but a single glance from Yuan Wuji stopped him in his tracks.

"Understood."

Receiving Yuan Wuji's signal, Mingyu and Xika showed no hesitation whatsoever, swiftly darting toward the gates of the One-Character Temple.

The two junior Daoist guards at the gate, seeing the menacing aura of Mingyu and Xika, instinctively pointed their swords at the approaching children.

Even though Mingyu and Xika appeared as mere children, the murderous intent radiating from them was enough to make anyone shudder.

"Halt!" the young Daoist shouted loudly, hoping to stop the children's charge.

"Go to hell!"

Mingyu and Xika did not retreat in the slightest. Blinding rays of golden and crimson light erupted from their hands, giving the two guards no time to react before obliterating them entirely beneath the radiance.

The commotion was hardly subtle, instantly drawing out the rest of the Daoist priests from within the temple.

"Where did these brutes come from? How dare they cause a disturbance before the gates of the One-Character Temple!"

"Where are Dao-Five and Dao-Six? How could they let mere children run amok right at our doorstep?"

Since the two junior guards had already been vaporized by Mingyu and Xika without leaving even a trace of debris, the other priests naturally had no way of knowing that Dao-Five and Dao-Six had perished at the hands of these two children.

"Let's go toss them out, or Master will blame us for incompetence again."

"Right. Who knows whose kids from down the mountain these are. Coming here to cause trouble means they're just plain unlucky. By the time their parents find them, they'll already be corpses."

Five or six Daoist priests cast malicious glances at Mingyu and Xika, clearly demonstrating that this was not their first time committing such acts.

"Wait."

An aged voice echoed from deep within the temple, causing the group of priests to halt in their steps with a trace of unease in their eyes. It was clear they harbored deep fear toward the figure inside.

"Bring those two inside."

"Yes."

The priests visibly breathed a sigh of relief, though their pace in rushing toward Mingyu and Xika did not slow down at all.

"Little brutes, come here!"

Seizing the opportunity, the priests lunged straight at Mingyu and Xika with practiced, practiced movements.

Just as they thought they were about to succeed, Mingyu and Xika moved. Their speed, surpassing that of the priests manifold, caused them to instantly vanish from the attackers' range.

Thud!

The half-dozen priests crashed face-first into the ground. Wheeling around in fury, they drew their swords to launch another assault.

"We'll hack off your legs first, let's see how you run from us then!"

Yet, the only response they received was the crushing fists of Mingyu and Xika. These priests were nothing more than ordinary mortals who had merely practiced some elementary Qi-refinement techniques; their physical bodies were utterly incomparable to those of Mingyu and Xika.

Consequently, when the children's fists landed upon them, they were entirely unable to withstand the force.

Bang!

Six figures were blasted backward, spewing mouthfuls of blood mid-air. Upon hitting the ground, they lost all ability to stand and could only collapse helplessly.

"Just by yourselves, you thought you could capture us?"

Mingyu walked up to one of the paralyzed priests, blood-red Qi converging fiercely around his right foot as he delivered a brutal kick.

The half-dozen priests were sent flying toward the steep hillside, tumbling uncontrollably down the slope. Whether they survived would depend entirely on their own luck.

Judging by the steepness of the slope and the severity of their injuries, however, eight out of ten they would not survive. Even if by some miracle they did not die, the reek of blood would surely attract countless wild beasts, and how could they possibly survive in their crippled state?