Chu Li turned to the other women and Lu Yushu, smiling. “Young Master is here too.”

　　Lu Yushu scoffed. “You finally came back to life!”

　　Chu Li nodded. “I’ve been asleep for a little too long.”

　　“This isn’t sleeping. It’s called dying,” Lu Yushu said, “You looked like you were already dead. Luckily, Little Sister refused to bury you. Otherwise, you would’ve already been buried in the ground, and you wouldn’t even be able to come back to life!”

　　Chu Li smiled and looked at Lu Yurong. “You sensed that I wasn’t dead?”

　　Lu Yurong gave a slight nod. “You couldn’t have died so easily.”

　　Chu Li said, “I’ve only survived by the skin of my teeth, but one is bound to have good fortune after surviving a great disaster. Our good days are ahead of us! … Let’s talk later. I shall return first. You should also treat your injuries properly. We’ll definitely get our revenge someday!”

　　Lu Yurong slowly nodded.

　　This time, they had been beaten up very badly and had almost lost their lives. They had to seek revenge for this.

　　Chu Li gave a fist salute to the girls. Then, he leaped onto the treetop and left with the wind, vanishing into the night sky.

　　Lu Yushu scoffed. “He’s leaving just like that!”

　　He observed Lu Yurong’s expression to see if there was any hint of reluctance that would indicate that she had really fallen for Chu Li.

　　He ended up feeling disappointed, however, to find a calm expression on Lu Yurong’s face. There was no hint of emotion in her expression suggesting that she had any feelings for him at all.

　　If even this incident could not touch Little Sister’s heart, it seemed that Little Sister really did not like men after all. Father had to be very worried then, for it would be impossible for Little Sister to find herself a man now.

　　Lu Yurong withdrew her gaze and looked at the nine women. “From today onwards, we’ll start training in isolation.”

　　“My Lady, your injury…?” Xiao Mei said worriedly, “Is it very serious?”

　　Lu Yurong shook her head. “I’ve fully recovered!”

　　Xiao Mei was astonished. “Was it because Young Master Chu had healed you just now?”

　　Lu Yurong urged. “Let’s go!”

　　That palm hit from Chu Li was marvelous indeed. It had not only absorbed the Great Light Scripture’s inner energy but had also injected a rich force into her body that allowed her to rapidly recover from her injuries. Within an instant, she was almost completely healed.

　　This extraordinarily fast recovering speed was truly amazing. As for the incredible force he had channeled into her body, its effect was almost equivalent to that of the Adversity Surpassing Pill.

　　It was no wonder he could escape this mortal danger and return to life.

　　For him to improve his skills so rapidly within two years, he would certainly have some big secret of his own. This rapid healing technique should be that big secret of his, and yet he was willing to use it on her this time. This meant that his trust in her had grown.

　　…

　　Chu Li soon appeared at the Tianshu Courtyard.

　　The sound of the guzheng rang loudly, its messy rhythm indicating the preoccupation of the person playing the guzheng. The sound of the guzheng was detached from the person’s thoughts and feelings as they wandered about their separate ways.

　　Xiao Shi was dressed in white with her beautiful hair resting over her shoulders and was sitting in front of the stone table in her gazebo with her head lowered as she played the guzheng. Ru Menglan and Yang Xu were standing by her side, watching her in a concerned manner.

　　Chu Li appeared before them in a flash.

　　The two women looked over in surprise. “Chief!”

　　Chu Li nodded at them with a smile before turning his gaze to Xiao Shi.

　　Xiao Shi raised her head abruptly as the sound of the guzheng came to a sudden end.

　　Chu Li smiled. “My Lady, I’ve returned.”

　　“I thought you’ve forgotten about this place!” Xiao Shi threw him a cold glare and lowered her face, continuing to play the guzheng while ignoring him.

　　Chu Li smiled but did not reply.

　　Yang Xu and Menglan looked at him excitedly, not knowing what to say. Chu Li remained smiling as he waved his hand, gesturing for them to leave.

　　The two women curtsied and left quietly.

　　In the courtyard, Chu Li and Xiao Shi were left by themselves.

　　Xiao Shi went on plucking the guzheng with her head lowered. This time, the sound of the guzheng was loud and clear, creating an entirely different atmosphere from before.

　　Chu Li came and sat at the stone table, positioning himself right across Xiao Shi and looking at her gorgeous face.

　　After returning to life after death this time, he saw the world with greater clarity as he perceived its richness and wondrous colors, and right now, Xiao Shi appeared to be even more beautiful than before.

　　Xiao Shi lifted her face to glance at him. Her deep, clear eyes twinkled and gleamed in a most charming manner.

　　Chu Li smiled and said, “We have to leave.”

　　“Leave…?” The sound of the guzheng stopped again as Xiao Shi stared at him, frowning in confusion.

　　Chu Li explained. “This time, I’ve gravely upset the Holy Church of Light. I believe they’ll be coming here to seek revenge very soon!”

　　“You’ve upset this bunch of madmen again!” Xiao Shi exclaimed. “Are you tired of living, or have your life been too uneventful!”

　　Chu Li sighed. “I didn’t have a choice this time. The Minister Counsellor of the Ministry of War, Gu Qi, who was a disciple of the Holy Church of Light, wanted to escape to the Li Dynasty. If I didn’t kill him off, then the Ji Dynasty wouldn’t be able to enjoy peace… Let’s get you to Qing Yun Town to seek refuge first.”

　　“… Alright then.” Xiao Shi huffed. “What about you?”

　　She, too, knew very well how level-headed yet decisive Chu Li could be. Although he did not wish to offend the Holy Church of Light, he would not hesitate to do so either if he had no other choice.

　　Chu Li replied, “I’ll be waiting for them right here!”

　　“What happened this time?” Xiao Shi asked, “Were you injured?”

　　Chu Li replied, “Let’s make a move first. I’ll explain everything to you later.”

　　Xiao Shi nodded in understanding.

　　Soon, Chu Li brought the three women to a courtyard in Qing Yun Town.

　　It was already night-time when Chu Li could settle down and talk to Xiao Shi, recounting the whole incident to her.

　　Xiao Shi was exceptionally intelligent and was very well-read and well-informed. Her experience was richer than his, and although his thinking was quicker than most people, he still could not compare with Xiao Shi in terms of experience and knowledge.

　　Xiao Shi was always able to offer some useful ideas, so Chu Li usually would not hide anything from her and would discuss with her whatever problems he had instead.

　　The bright moon looked like a luminous jade as it shone down. There were only two lanterns dimly illuminating the courtyard.

　　Under the silvery moonlight, Xiao Shi looked as pure and holy as a goddess.

　　“Priest…” Xiao Shi frowned. “In the Holy Church of Light, there are four Guardian Priests, sixteen Alter Leaders, and thirty-six Patrols. A Priest is already a top-notch master. You were very fortunate to have been able to escape alive!”

　　“Is there anyone above the Guardian Priests then?” Chu Li asked.

　　Xiao Shi replied, “That would be the Saint, and above her, the Bishop.”

　　Chu Li frowned. “So the Saint is actually more skilled at martial arts than a Priest?”

　　“Yes.” Xiao Shi gently nodded. “Just because the Saint is a woman doesn’t mean that she’s weak at martial arts. I heard that the Saint’s level of martial arts is almost unparalleled in the world. Below the Enlightened Masters, she’s nearly invincible. The Saint is an official disciple of the Holy Church of Light’s Bishop and is to become the next Bishop.”

　　Chu Li became bewildered. “The Bishop of the Holy Church of Light is a woman?”

　　“Of course, the Bishop is a woman.” Xiao Shi’s eyes gleamed as she scoffed. “Didn’t you know that?”

　　Chu Li protested. “But this is the Great Light Scripture that we’re talking about. It requires one to visualize the Buddhist martial arts of the Maha-Vairocana. How could it be a woman?”

　　“Why can’t it be a woman!” Xiao Shi retorted. “Can’t women practice Buddhist martial arts?”

　　A sudden realization dawned upon Chu Li, who now seemed to be deep in thought.

　　He had always thought that since the Bishop of the Holy Church of Light was an Enlightened Master, the person would have to be a man of great talent. He had never imagined that the Bishop could actually be a woman!

　　“A female Enlightened Master.” Chu Li shook his head, sighing. “It’s truly hard to imagine.”

　　Xiao Shi scoffed lightly. “At the end of the day, you still look down upon women. This will put you at a great disadvantage. Let’s not mention Little Sister first. We’ll take Lu Yurong as an example. How many men can actually go up against her?”

　　Chu Li slowly started to nod.

　　“If you can’t defeat a Priest, don’t even think about fighting the Saint then,” Xiao Shi said, “That’s why it’s not realistic of you to think about standing against the Holy Church of Light. It’ll be better for you to train and cultivate your skills first, so don’t do anything rash!”

　　Chu Li forced a smile.

　　Although he had achieved a breakthrough in his cultivation of the Life and Death Scripture, he was still not confident that he could defeat Fang Qingyang.

　　If he could not defeat Fang Qingyang, he should not even consider going up against the Saint of the Holy Church of Light. If she were to intervene personally, it would be very hard for him to flee. His God’s Limbs might be restrained and if her body movement technique was faster than that of Fang Qingyang, then it would be very likely for him to be killed.