A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 12 Beggar
Gu Xu walked inside for a while and then saw Zhu Changling and Wu Lie coming towards him. After exchanging a few words, the three of them sat down in the living room. Zhu Changling said, "It's only been three days since Daoist Gu Xu returned. Things must have gone very smoothly. But where is Bai Hou? Could the information be wrong?"

Zhu Changling discovered that the white monkey was not with Gu Xu. He had absolute confidence in Gu Xu's martial arts skills and capturing the white monkey would have been a piece of cake. The fact that the monkey was not there must be another reason.

Upon hearing this, Gu Xu calmly replied, "The information provided by the Second Master is accurate, and the servants did not give wrong directions. It was simply due to my fault." Zhu Changling and the other man were even more puzzled after hearing this.

Seeing their puzzled looks, Gu Xu said, "It's not something that can be explained in a short time. It's getting late, so why don't we talk about it tomorrow?"

Zhu Changling sighed inwardly at his own foolishness, quickly stopped talking, ordered someone to take Gu Xu to stay in the original guest room, and instructed the kitchen to prepare food and deliver it to the room.

Gu Xu had walked all day and fought Yang Xiao. Although he wasn't exactly exhausted, it was good to be able to rest.

The next day, after having breakfast, Gu Xu came to the living room, where Zhu Wu and the other man were already waiting. Gu Xu said while drinking tea, "Yesterday, Master Zhu asked me why I failed to capture the white monkey. The reason is that I witnessed a strange event."

Hearing Gu Xu recount the strange events, Zhu and Wu became even more eager to know what had happened. "What strange tales did you encounter, Daoist Master? Would you be so kind as to tell us?" Wu Lie asked impatiently, while Zhu Changling stared intently at Gu Xu.

“What’s there to hide? That day, following the clues provided by the Second Master, I went down into a deep valley and went through many hardships before finally meeting a group of white monkeys. Those white monkeys seemed to be very intelligent and weren’t afraid of me when they saw me coming. In fact, one of the white monkeys tugged at my clothes, as if it wanted something from me.”

Although Gu Xu's tone was calm, saying that he had encountered some hardships, it was probably quite dangerous. When Zhu Wu and Gu Xu heard that the white monkey was asking for help, they became more interested and listened attentively.

Gu Xu continued, "The white monkey grabbed my clothes, and the other monkeys also crowded around me. I wanted to know what the white monkey wanted to do, so I followed them to a forest, where I saw a badly injured old monkey."

After taking a sip of tea, Gu Xu said, "Now I understand. It turns out that the white monkey asked me to treat the old monkey's wounds. After examining the wounds, I found that it had been attacked by a ferocious beast. The wounds were festering and bleeding profusely, and the old monkey was on the verge of death." Zhu Wu and the other man were increasingly surprised as they listened.

"Since I have encountered this situation, I would have saved the white monkey even without his help. Our ancestor often said that creation is mysterious and that every innocent creature has the right to live. After healing the old monkey and seeing them enjoying each other's company, I could no longer bring myself to harm the white monkey. I could only break my promise to Junior Brother Qing Shu." After saying this, Gu Xu sighed deeply.

After listening, Zhu Wu and Zhu Changling pondered for a moment. Zhu Changling cupped his hands and said, "Daoist Master's kindness makes me feel ashamed. It is truly rare for a mere white monkey to have such thoughts. It seems that the white monkey that left the valley earlier was looking for someone to ask for help. I did not expect to find Daoist Master. This is also the will of Heaven."

Then he remembered that there were two white monkeys in his own estate. After sending someone to fetch them, he said to Gu Xu, "As the saying goes, one should not trouble two masters with one matter. Since you have a connection with the white monkeys, please release them back into the valley. This will reduce some of our sins."

In fact, Zhu Changling didn't care much about these white monkeys. However, he could use them to sell to Gu Xu and make a good impression on him. Moreover, with Gu Xu's help, Wei Bi's martial arts training in Wudang Mountain would be much smoother. In the future, when he took over Lianhuan Manor, he could also use Wudang's name. No matter how you look at it, it was a profitable deal.

Zhu Changling's plan was well-thought-out, and Gu Xu understood it perfectly. However, these petty tricks were no match for the grand scheme of things. "In that case, I thank you for your generosity, Master. However, I would also like to add that if your manor encounters similar spiritual objects and no damage is caused, I hope that you two will show leniency," Gu Xu solemnly reminded the two of them in the end.

"Easy to say, easy to say"

"We've been downstream for a long time and will be returning soon. Is Wei Bi there?"

Zhu Changling sent someone to summon Wei Bi. Wei Bi heard from his servants that Daoist Gu Xu had arrived, so he ran over. Upon seeing Gu Xu, he knelt down and kowtowed, offering him a teacup. "Please have some tea, Master." Gu Xu accepted the greeting and then said to him, "Now you are considered my disciple. When we arrive at Wudang Mountain, I will introduce you to other elders."

Seeing that the apprenticeship ceremony was complete, Zhu Wu and his companion finally felt relieved. With this connection between the two, their ancestral legacy was safe and sound.

Gu Xu took Wei Bi to the backyard to check on his martial arts progress. Zhu Changling, seeing that everything was done, instructed Wu Lie, "Second brother, you personally prepare Bi'er's apprenticeship gift. The more valuable the better, but don't pack those fur goods. Prepare more medicinal herbs and easily preserved mountain products."

Wu Lie said he understood and went to make preparations.

At lunchtime, everyone gathered, laughing and chatting. However, Zhu Jiuzhen and Wu Qingying were not in a good mood. With Wei Bi gone, only the two of them remained, and they felt annoyed with each other. After lunch, Gu Xu took his leave, taking Wei Bi and a large cart of gifts with him as he left Lianhuan Manor. Zhu Jiuzhen and Wu Qingying watched Wei Bi leave and immediately burst into tears and a fuss. The two of them comforted him for a while, saying that he would come back when Bi'er had mastered his skills. They warned him that if he continued to cry and make a fuss, he might go up the mountain to become a Taoist priest and never come back.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Jiuzhen and Wu Qingying stopped crying and reluctantly returned to the manor.

Considering Wei Bi's young age, Gu Xu thought that riding a horse would be too strenuous for him, and given the large amount of luggage, they decided to use a carriage instead.

When passing through the rift valley, Gu Xu released the two white monkeys. The white monkeys squeaked at Gu Xu a few times and then ran away.

As Gu Xu drove, he talked to Wei Bi inside the car, "Bi'er, how are you feeling? Is there anything wrong?" Gu Xu was worried that it was his first time traveling so far and might cause him health problems, but he didn't expect the boy to be so lively.

"Master, your martial arts are so high, will I be like you in the future?" Children always admire strong people and fantasize that one day they can be like them and become a famous figure in the martial arts world.

Upon hearing this, Gu Xu smiled and said, "As long as you don't slack off and practice diligently through the coldest and hottest days of winter, you can graduate after more than ten years." Given Wei Bi's aptitude, with Gu Xu's guidance, more than ten years would barely be considered acceptable.

Upon hearing that it would take more than ten years, Wei Bi was disappointed and asked, "Master, is there any quick way to learn a skill, the kind that can make you very powerful in just six months?" Wei Bi was just asking casually, but his master's tone suddenly became more serious.

“Bi’er, remember this: any skill that can be learned quickly will have flaws. Practicing martial arts is like building a house. If the foundation is not solid, no matter how high you build it, it will be in vain. The famous masters in the martial arts world today have all cultivated through years of hard work. Those quick-learning evil skills are only practiced by small sects. As a Wudang disciple, you must remember not to learn them, otherwise your master will not let you off easily.”

Wei Bi is at a crucial stage in shaping his values, and it is essential to guide him onto the right path. That is why I have been constantly instilling correct ideas in him.

After hearing his master's words, Wei Bi felt a little aggrieved at first, but then he thought that his master had such power because he practiced Wudang kung fu, and he couldn't help but yearn for Wudang Mountain.

"Once we return to Wudang Mountain and receive permission from my master, I can teach you a profound skill. But remember, after you've mastered it, you must not act recklessly and tarnish Wudang's reputation." Gu Xu gave Wei Bi a stern rebuke and a sweet treat, making Wei Bi very happy.

Looking at Wei Bibi, who was still a bit impulsive, Gu Xu shook his head. He needed to improve his composure in the future, otherwise learning Wudang kung fu would be much more difficult.

After driving for three days, the master and apprentice entered SC province. They had used up a lot of their food, so Gu Xu decided to stop in a town to replenish it.

Leading the carriage into the city, they encountered many beggars along the way. One of the beggars, with shifty eyes, saw the things in Gu Xu's carriage and his eyes lit up. He gave an order to the other beggars beside him. Gu Xu glanced at them and then looked away. If they wanted to take his things, they would have to see if they were alive to do so.

Upon arriving at an inn, after having their belongings moved to their room, the master and apprentice ate downstairs. While eating, Wei Bi whispered to Gu Xu, "Master, I saw several little beggars staring at us." Gu Xu told him not to pay attention and continued eating.

Wei Bi, with his childlike heart, saw the little beggars drooling over the chicken leg in his hand and couldn't help but feel a surge of kindness. He took a few meat buns from the table, glanced at his master, and seeing that there was no objection, went outside to distribute the meat buns to them.

"These meat buns are for you..." Before Wei Bi could finish speaking, several little beggars pounced on him, snatched the meat buns from his hands, and ran away quickly. This startled Wei Bi quite a bit, and it took him a while to come to his senses. Several black marks were left on his fair hands.

Distracted, Wei Bi returned to the table, looking dejected. Gu Xu asked, "How are you? Do you feel anything?" "Master, how could they do this?" Wei Bi looked at Gu Xu, puzzled.

"Once you see it more often, you'll get used to it. Even if you give them all the food on the table, they'll still be ungrateful. Look at the people eating downstairs; they're all used to it. You're just kind-hearted, but remember, kindness should be directed at others as well."

After saying that, he looked at a few beggars sneaking around in the southeast corner, a few dozen meters away.

(End of this chapter)