Chapter 18: Blocking the Door
The two martial monks outside the cell looked at each other in confusion.
It was the first time they had encountered such a situation and didn’t know what to do, so one of them went to get someone.
Soon, a middle-aged monk with kind eyes and benevolent brows came down, holding a candle.
Seeing Benzhi inside the cell, he sighed repeatedly, “Alas, alas, is this the retribution of karma?”
“You two benefactors are young yet brave and resourceful. It was our failure to recognize the hidden dragon. Chengxin, Chenghui, open the door.”
The martial monks were alarmed.
“Shishu, if we open the door, those two brats will definitely escape!”
“These two benefactors share a natural bond, able to communicate with each other, which is how they saw through Ciji Courtyard’s trap. This proves they are not ordinary people. It’s better to resolve enmity than to deepen it.”
The middle-aged monk continued, “This time, since they hold a hostage, we’ll admit defeat and let them go.”
“Benefactors, I hope that after regaining your freedom, you will not speak of this matter. Let us part peacefully. If you insist on causing trouble for Anguo Temple, first, no one will believe you; second, you can’t possibly stay in Chang’an forever. Open the door, open the door, let our honored guests leave!”
An Liu watched the middle-aged monk speak and only replied slowly after he finished, “We’re not leaving.”
“Why don’t you leave, benefactor?”
The middle-aged monk looked confused.
“Aren’t you here to rescue your twin brother?”
“Don’t play dumb, baldy. Even if we can get out of this cell, what of it? Anguo Temple itself is a giant cage. That bald guy already told us—once someone tries to escape, you’ll lock down the entire temple. We can’t destroy the buildings, and if we get caught, it’s only a matter of time.”
The martial monk panicked.
“I didn’t say that… Shishu, I really didn’t say that!”
An Liu said, “You never intended to let us go. You just wanted to trick us into stepping aside to release Benzhi.”
The middle-aged monk’s expression didn’t change.
“Benefactor, you’re too suspicious. But if you don’t leave, what do you plan to do? Stay here forever?”
“Yes.”
An Wu and An Liu blocked the cell door together.
“We’ll stay right here and block the door. Even if we can’t deal with you baldies, we’ll starve Benzhi, the accomplice, to death!”
Shock appeared on the middle-aged monk’s face.
He observed for a moment and, realizing An Liu was serious, couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
“Starve him? Hahaha! In a few days, when you’re too weak to move, you won’t be blocking any doors— You won’t even be able to stand!”
“Ah, I thought you were a rare pair of brothers who could read each other’s minds, but you’re just two fools. Fine, fine. If they want to block the door, let them. A few days of hunger won’t kill them. Besides, they’ll have to sleep eventually. When they do, find a chance to let Benzhi escape.”
The martial monk showed a vicious look.
“Why not just…”
The middle-aged monk snorted coldly, flinging his candle.
Drops of melted wax landed on the martial monk, making the corners of his mouth twitch, but he dared not dodge.
“Kill, kill, kill— We are monks, not murderers! There are so many goods inside— What if they decide to die together with the others? What if the nobles want the goods and we have none— Will you be the ones to take responsibility? Besides, Benzhi is the best liar— Even the two of you together aren’t as useful as he is!”
“And you— I told you to guard the cell, and yet you’re gossiping. Don’t you want your tongues anymore?”
The two martial monks immediately knelt down.
“Shishu, please calm your anger. We won’t dare do it again!”
“Keep an eye on them. Wait for a chance to get Benzhi out!”
The middle-aged monk glanced at An Wu and An Liu.
“Two hard-headed ones… but that’s good. The harder they are, the more the nobles will like them…”
After the middle-aged monk left, the two scolded martial monks turned to glare at An Wu and An Liu with hatred on their faces.
“You love causing trouble, huh?”
They each lifted their candles and flung hot wax at An Wu and An Liu.
“Take that for causing trouble!”
An Wu and An Liu weren’t foolish enough to just stand there and take it.
They dodged, but that only made the martial monks more aggressive.
“Dodging? Let’s see how much strength you have left to dodge!”
“Drain all your stamina— Let’s see how you block the door then!”
“Two prisoners trying to block the cell— Never seen such foolish idiots!”
An Wu and An Liu didn’t respond.
They just kept dodging and blocking the door as before.
Suddenly, a weak voice came from behind them.
“Stop it.”
“At this rate, you’ll run out of strength soon. If you want to escape, save your energy and find another chance once you're outside…”
An Liu turned around and saw a young man with sharp brows and bright eyes speaking.
His voice was soft, as if he didn’t want the monks to hear.
An Liu smiled at him and said, “Don’t worry. We’re fine.”
“And we will definitely escape.”
The young man didn’t understand why An Liu was so determined, nor did he know who exactly An Liu meant by ‘we’...
But soon, they would all realize—
An Wu and An Liu could indeed hold out.
When the monks changed shifts, An Wu and An Liu had gone the whole night without a drop of water or a single grain of rice.
Yet they still stood energetically at the door.
Even their movements to dodge the wax became more agile and precise!
……
…
「You have comprehended 《Basic Footwork》, current level: 7！」
After waking up, Yan Qing glanced at the game console and found that An Wu and An Liu's Basic Footwork had both reached level 7.
He hadn’t expected that having the martial monks as sparring partners would yield this effect.
He checked the underground prison's environment again—candles, fire oil, martial monks, hostages, Anguo Temple...
Dragging Benzhi into the cell wasn’t merely to take revenge on him.
It was also to prevent the monks from daring to set a fire.
If there were only deceived victims locked up, the monks might steel their hearts and make a move.
But Benzhi was one of their own, after all, so they would hesitate.
The reason for preventing a fire was because Yan Qing needed An Wu and An Liu to hold the monks’ attention—
And keep it for three full days.
He had a plan—
A plan that would make their theft flawless.
And in this plan, An Wu and An Liu were critical pieces.
Besides that, there was another reason.
Before, Yan Qing hadn’t seen it, but now that he had seen those victims deceived into the cell,
He wouldn’t allow them to be taken away by the martial monks.
So the door had to remain blocked.
These people might be saved because of Yan Qing’s plan, or they might die even faster.
But in any case, Yan Qing would never again feel uneasy from standing idly by.
He switched to the “Ye Si” account, just in time to enter the secret realm of “Zheng Sanshan Zheng Shan.”
This time the trip went smoothly—
Gai Louxian led the team himself and explained the precautions inside the secret realm.
Yan Qing picked up 1800 Spirit Jades, a Basic Blade Technique Mastery manual, a Token: White Iron Straight Blade, and several Healing Pills—
It seemed the White Iron Straight Blade was a guaranteed drop from the boss,
And the mastery manual could be one of several types.
In Yan Qing’s plan, the rewards from the Pingcheng secret realm were also an indispensable puzzle piece.
Seeing that the rewards were even better than he expected, he finally relaxed a bit.
By noon, Black Wolf, White Fox, and Red Snake arrived again.
As soon as they sat down, Yan Qing took the initiative.
“I’ve already placed people inside Anguo Temple. When the time comes, someone will help us close the temple doors.”
“The three steps of shutting the door, opening the golden vault, and escaping the pursuit— I have a complete plan for all of them.”
“If you have a better plan, feel free to propose it.”
“If not, then follow my lead.”
This still-unclassed mortal spoke like this to three second-stage messengers.