A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 10 Nine Suns
Gu Xu slowly drew his longsword and demonstrated some basic Wudang sword moves. They looked unremarkable and their power was not apparent.

Wei Bi and the other two observed carefully, but their faces showed disappointment. Zhu Changling, however, saw through some of the tricks of the trade: "Although Wudang sword moves do not appear fierce, they have a dense and continuous momentum. Once you are entangled by it, you can only follow the rhythm of your opponent if you use your internal strength to suppress it. In the end, you will only face defeat and death."

In the arena, Gu Xu unleashed the final move of his sword technique. The longsword flew from his hand with lightning speed, its hissing sound reaching everyone's ears. Under Zhu Changling's horrified gaze, the longsword pierced the granite boulder in the courtyard as easily as cutting tofu. When Gu Xu removed the longsword, the boulder had a smooth cut on its surface, and its body was covered with cracks.

Seeing Gu Xu's skill, Zhu Changling was filled with respect and admiration, and exclaimed, "What superb skills!" He knew that if he exerted his full strength, he could also do something like that, but it would be difficult to do it as easily and effortlessly as Gu Xu.

Wei Bi and the other two were stunned by this move. It took them a while to come back to their senses. They were so excited that their faces turned red. They rushed to Zhu Changling's side and pestered him, saying that they wanted to become Gu Xu's disciples.

Zhu Changling, having witnessed Gu Xu's exquisite martial arts, also considered having him take him as a disciple, but it was not the right time. So he whispered, "You should study with Master Gu Xu for a few days and see if your martial arts have improved. Then I will ask you about it." Upon hearing this, Wei Bi and the other two stopped and hurriedly ran to the boulder to take another look.

Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Gu Xu sheathed his sword, exchanged a glance with Zhu Changling, and went to the living room. Zhu Changling spoke first, "Master Gu Xu's martial arts are superb, I am far inferior to him." "Master Zhu is too kind. Your family has a long history of martial arts training. As long as you concentrate on your training, your martial arts will surely improve greatly," Gu Xu replied humbly.

After exchanging compliments, Zhu Changling got down to business. "Yesterday I sent Brother Wu out with his men. If nothing unexpected happens, we should hear from him within three to five days. Please be patient, Daoist."

“I can wait three to five days. In that case, after Wei Bi and the other two have breakfast, they can start practicing martial arts with me. But let me make this clear: I will do my best to teach them, but how much they learn is beyond my control.”

Zhu Changling dared not blame him and immediately said, "I dare not, I dare not."

After breakfast, Gu Xu began to teach the three martial arts. In response to Wei Bi's flashy but impractical swordsmanship, Gu Xu broke down and integrated the sword moves, leaving only twenty-one moves. Not only were they easier to practice without any obstacles, but their power was also greater than before. This made Wei Bi very happy and strengthened his desire to become his disciple.

Zhu Jiuzhen and Wu Qingying both practiced the same style of martial arts, so they were taught together.

Within just four days, Wei Bi and the other two had made considerable progress in their martial arts under Gu Xu's guidance. Zhu Changling and Wu Lie could tell at a glance that the three were much better than before, which made them believe that Gu Xu had really put in a lot of effort, and they admired him even more.

After the three were seated, Zhu Changling said, "Daoist, I am very grateful for your hard work these days. Yesterday, Brother Wu returned and said that there was news of the White Monkey." "Your manor is indeed powerful, having received news so quickly." Gu Xu then looked at Wu Lie.

“Based on the location of the two white monkeys we captured earlier, we searched the vicinity carefully for several days. Yesterday, we discovered several white monkeys emerging from a deep valley, but they soon returned to the valley. I was afraid of disturbing them, so I didn’t take any action,” Wu Lie replied, cupping his hands in greeting.

Gu Xu's eyes flickered, and after a moment of contemplation, he said, "Master Wu's move is a cautious one. Now that the white monkey's whereabouts have been revealed, Masters, I cannot stay any longer and will take my leave."

Seeing that the two were about to speak, he changed the subject, "Although I have only taught Wei Bi and the other two for a few days, I can still be considered a half-master. For the sake of our future reputation, I ask the two manor lords to teach them well and not let them develop bad habits. If they cultivate martial arts but not morality and tarnish the reputation of Wudang, I will turn my back on them." As he spoke, he looked at the two with lightning speed.

Zhu Wu and his companion broke out in a cold sweat under that intimidating gaze, and immediately promised to do as Gu Xu said.

Gu Xu was quite pleased to see the two men looking terrified. He then said, "I think Wei Bi is a promising child. If you two lords agree, I can arrange for him to be taken into the Wudang sect. What do you two think?"

The surprise came so quickly that Zhu Wu and Zhu Changling were at a loss. Zhu Changling reacted quickly and said, "It is a great opportunity for Bi'er to join Wudang. We have no objection. We will have to trouble Daoist Gu Xu to take good care of this boy."

“That’s very good. I can discuss it with the two lords. It will take three to seven days. After I finish dealing with the rest of the trivial matters, I will take Wei Bi back to the mountain. During this time, let Wei Bi practice that sword technique properly and lay a solid foundation.”

Zhu Changling and Wu Lie remembered his words. With one thing on his mind, Zhu Changling said to Gu Xu, "Daoist, it's getting late now, and it won't be easy to find the white monkey. Why don't we stay another night to rest and recharge? Even if we're in a hurry, it'll only be one night. We can go look for the white monkey tomorrow morning." Wu Lie also chimed in with his advice.

"Very well, if I refuse again, then it would be my fault, and I will trouble you." Seeing that Gu Xu had agreed, the two quickly sent someone to prepare a fine feast. The three of them then toasted each other and enjoyed themselves immensely.

After resting for a night in the manor, Gu Xu bid farewell to Zhu Wu and the other man early the next morning. Although they were reluctant to part, they did not try to persuade him to stay. Instead, they had ample dry food and water prepared, personally saw him off, and assigned a clever and capable servant to guide him.

The two set off in the morning, riding eastward for half a day. The sun had already risen when they arrived at a precipitous peak. Its summit was perpetually covered in snow, which, when exposed to the sunlight, formed a stream that flowed down into a bottomless ravine. The servant led Gu Xu to the edge of the ravine and said, "Daoist, this is the place the Second Master mentioned the other day." Gu Xu nodded, looked at the ravine, and turned to the servant, saying, "Thank you for leading the way. Please tell the two Masters that their promise remains unchanged; they await news." The servant remembered the words, clasped his hands in a salute, mounted his horse, and quickly disappeared.

Gu Xu looked down at the ravine, where the clouds and mist obscured the view, making it impossible to see the true form. He then took out the rope he had prepared, tied one end to a large tree and the other end to his waist, and slowly slid down with his pack on his back. Gu Xu silently calculated the time in his mind, and three quarters of an hour had passed. At this moment, the clouds and mist below were getting thicker.

After slowly sliding down for another fifteen minutes, we finally reached the bottom of the valley safely. After untying the rope, we then observed our surroundings.

The scenery at the bottom of the valley is completely different from that above. It is warm like spring, with a refreshing fragrance of flowers that soothes the soul and ethereal birdsong that cleanses the spirit. It makes one forget fatigue and wish to spend the rest of one's life here.

Gu Xu strolled slowly through this paradise on earth, feeling utterly captivated, but he quickly came to his senses. "This place is beautiful, but it's too detrimental to one's will; it's not what I'm looking for."

After walking for a while, Gu Xu saw a sizable blue lake, clear and bright, reflecting the scenery at the bottom of the valley, and many animals drinking water.

Gu Xu carefully surveyed the surrounding area and found a cave where he could take shelter. Finding no danger, he settled down there temporarily.

Just as Gu Xu was preparing to boil water, he suddenly noticed several white monkeys coming down from the tree and drinking water at the lake.

"If the white monkey is here, then the white ape should be not far away."

Gu Xu suppressed his thoughts and quietly followed the white monkey after it left. The white monkey did not notice that someone was following it. Gu Xu calculated the time and followed for about half an hour. Then, the white monkey took a few fresh peaches and they went into the cave next to the cave.

Upon entering the cave, Gu Xu discovered that it was not damp or smelly at all; instead, it felt dry and refreshing, which he assumed was due to the spirit-possessed white ape.

"Squeak squeak squeak!" Gu Xu had only taken a few steps forward when a white monkey spotted the intruder. It shouted loudly and picked up whatever was around it, throwing it at Gu Xu. Although Gu Xu was not afraid, the monkeys were really persistent, so he took a few quick steps and broke through the encirclement.

Upon reaching the depths of the cave, one sees a large white ape lying on a boulder, while a white monkey feeds it peaches.

Although the cave was dark, Gu Xu's sharp eyesight allowed him to immediately spot a large, bowl-sized scar on the white ape's abdomen, from which yellowish pus was still oozing.

When the white ape saw the newcomer, it bared its teeth and tried to intimidate him, but it was powerless to do so. Gu Xu knew that the white ape was already spiritually aware, so he said calmly, "I know you can understand what I'm saying. I'm here to heal your injuries, but I need that thing inside your abdomen."

The white ape blinked, seemingly understanding Gu Xu's meaning. It then growled softly at the white monkeys around it that were pretending to fight. The white monkeys put down what they were holding and quickly left the cave. Soon, there was only one person and one ape in the cave.

Seeing this, Gu Xu came to the white ape, carefully examined the wound, pondered for a while, and took out a dagger, needle and thread, and wound medicine from his pack. He first used the dagger to cut the thread, lifted the fur, and took out an oil paper package. Then he used the sterilized dagger to cut away the rotten flesh, poured on the wound medicine to stop the bleeding, and after a while, he stitched the wound up again.

During the treatment, the white ape remained silent. Once Gu Xu finished treating it, the white ape let out a comfortable groan and looked at Gu Xu with eyes full of gratitude.

"White Ape, I'll heal your wounds so you don't die from the pain. Take the treasure, and we'll be even," White Ape glanced at Gu Xu and then nodded.

Gu Xu took care of the white ape for another night and, finding nothing amiss, said goodbye and left the cave.

As soon as he stepped outside the cave, a group of white monkeys presented him with various fresh fruits in their hands, squeaking and chattering. Gu Xu knew this was a gift of thanks, so he bowed and accepted all the fruits. The white monkeys were delighted to see him accept the gifts, scratched their heads, squeaked a few more times, and then dispersed.

(End of this chapter)