A month later, two monks sat opposite each other in a small pavilion, having plain tea as they chatted.1

If Xiao Nanfeng were present, he would immediately have recognized one of the monks as one of the three Wingform-realm cultivators that had been lying in wait to ambush Xiao Nanfeng outside Taiqing Island, whom Ku Jiang had dispatched before heading to the draconic palace. That monk was Monk Xu Kong of the Jingang Temple.0

Monk Xu Kong had been dealt a devastating spiritual injury by Ku Jiang's guqin, and had been recuperating ever since. By now, his wound had healed.0

Monk Xu Kong put down his cup and asked curiously, "Senior Brother Xu Ming, why are you suddenly bringing up General Ma today? Do you intend to seek revenge for him?" [1]0

Monk Xu Ming shook his head. "General Ma's not particularly strong. He thinks that he's all that just because he was once a soldier of the Xiang clan, and he's been trying to reap benefits all over as a result. He secretly brought his subordinates to Yongding without us in an attempt to excavate the draconic vein...0