A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 16 Opening the Meridians

For the next period of time, Wei Bi practiced martial arts continuously. After obtaining the consent of his senior uncle, Gu Xu passed on the Pure Yang Limitless Skill to Wei Bi. As long as he practiced diligently, he would surely have a place in the martial arts world in the future.

Since Wei Bi came to Wudang Mountain, the two, who were close in age, had been having a great time together. Now that Wei Bi had started practicing martial arts and no longer played with him, Song Qingshu felt a little down.

That day, Song Yuanqiao brought Song Qingshu to Gu Xu's residence. Gu Xu invited them in and asked, "Uncle-Master, is there anything you need to tell me?" Song Yuanqiao smiled and said, "Uncle-Master does have something to ask you to help with, which is about Qingshu's martial arts training."

"Qingshu?" Gu Xu was a little puzzled. Wouldn't it be better for his martial arts to be taught by his master? But then he thought, "Master is in charge of worldly affairs, so he probably doesn't have much time." Just as he was thinking, Song Yuanqiao continued, "Firstly, I really can't spare the time, and secondly, your martial arts are already far superior to mine. Wei Bi has already shown his talent under your tutelage, so I feel at ease entrusting Qingshu to you."

Song Yuanqiao entrusted his beloved son to Gu Xu for the second reason: a good teacher can better discover a disciple's potential. As a parent, he naturally hoped that Qing Shu's future achievements would surpass his own.

"Uncle-Master, you are too kind. Since that's the case, let Qingshu come to my side. However, I hope you will promise me one thing: you must not interfere in this matter." Gu Xu thought that since he was teaching one person, he was teaching two people anyway. The two of them together could inspire their fighting spirit. However, he was worried that his uncle would be too fond of Qingshu and might give up halfway.

"Don't worry, nephew. I'll hand Qingshu over to you and won't interfere anymore." Song Yuanqiao was a man who was cold on the outside but warm on the inside. He was strict with his son on the surface, but he was a loving father at heart. For the sake of Qingshu's future, he had no choice but to play the bad cop.

Song Qingshu listened to his father and senior brother talking, and he didn't feel any resistance. Besides being able to practice martial arts and play with Wei Bi, he didn't want to disappoint his father.

"Qingshu, you should practice martial arts diligently with your senior brother Gu Xu and not be playful," Song Yuanqiao said calmly. "Father, I understand," Song Qingshu replied softly.

After the father and son discussed some more matters, Song Yuanqiao left Song Qingshu behind and went back to handle his own affairs.

Looking at Song Qingshu, Gu Xu said gently, "Qingshu, from now on, follow your senior brother and practice your skills diligently. When you have learned a lot of skills, it will definitely make your father happy."

They led Gu Xu to a wooden house on the back mountain, which was where Wei Bi practiced his skills. Wei Bi was practicing a set of basic Wudang sword techniques when he saw his master leading Song Qingshu over. He was so excited that he almost made a mistake with his sword moves. He quickly calmed himself down, finished practicing the sword techniques, and then ran to the two of them, covered in sweat.

"Master, Junior Uncle, you've arrived!" Gu Xu looked at him and said, "Starting tomorrow, Qing Shu will practice martial arts with you." Wei Bi was overjoyed to hear his master's words. It was really boring to practice martial arts alone in the back mountain. With a junior uncle of similar age to him, the days ahead shouldn't be so difficult.

After tidying up Song Qingshu's belongings, Gu Xu said to Wei Bi, who was standing to the side, "Bi'er, I'm going to open up Qingshu's meridians. You stay outside and guard him. No one is allowed to come in without my permission." Wei Bi obeyed and went out.

Song Qingshu's aptitude is much better than Wei Bi's. He has also consumed many precious medicines since childhood, accumulating a large amount of medicinal power. Now, as long as he opens his meridians, he can transform it into internal energy and build a solid foundation.

It must be said that the direct disciples of major sects have a real advantage. They have no shortage of resources and are taught by famous teachers. As long as they are good at it, they will be better than those from small sects. So from the beginning, the two are not on the same starting line. Of course, there are some people with extraordinary talent, but such people are very few and far between.

"Qingshu, your senior brother is going to open up your meridians. If you feel pain, you must endure it, otherwise it will be difficult for you to achieve great things in the future," Gu Xu said, placing his hands on Qingshu's back while channeling his true energy to open up his meridians.

At first, Song Qingshu felt two streams of heat rush into his body, followed by a sharp pain that felt like it was tearing him apart. He wanted to scream, but then he remembered his senior brother's instructions and gritted his teeth. Cold sweat poured down his face. After an unknown amount of time, Song Qingshu felt the pain lessen, his body felt light and airy, as if he had been reborn.

This situation is different from Wei Bi's. In addition to opening up his meridians, it took a lot of effort to ensure that all the medicinal power was absorbed into his dantian, so that it would become the resources for his future martial arts training.

Seeing Gu Xu's somewhat tired appearance, Song Qingshu asked worriedly, "Senior brother, are you alright? Am I too useless, causing you so much trouble?" He felt that Gu Xu must have expended a lot of effort, and he felt very ashamed.

"Qingshu, don't overthink it. Your senior brother just wants to do his best. This is a good thing for you. As long as you don't let me down in the future, all I've done will have been worth it." Gu Xu felt sorry for Song Qingshu's future fate, which is why he kept instilling in him the idea that with him around, he would not go down the path of destruction.

After saying that, Gu Xu led Song Qingshu out the door, and Wei Bi, who was guarding outside, watched the two of them come out and went to greet them.

Gu Xu looked at Wei Bi and said, "Bi'er, you have been practicing for quite some time now. The sword technique you just used was agile but lacked power. Watch carefully." He picked up the wooden sword from Wei Bi's hand and demonstrated the sword technique one by one, deliberately slowing down to accommodate the two of them.

Wei Bi and Song Qingshu watched Gu Xu wield his sword without blinking. The sword wind swept across the land, and the force was immense. After seeing Gu Xu's sword moves, Wei Bi quickly realized where he was lacking and would pay more attention to it in the future. Song Qingshu, on the other hand, only felt the word "powerful".

A moment later, Gu Xu sheathed his sword and returned the wooden sword to Wei Bi, asking, "Have you understood it?" Wei Bi nodded. Gu Xu continued, "If there's anything you don't understand, be sure to ask immediately. Don't try to figure it out on your own. If you go astray, it will be too late to regret it." After saying this, he turned to Song Qingshu, who was standing to the side, and said, "Qingshu, from now on you will practice with Bi'er. I will personally come to guide you every two days. If you practice well, your senior brother will reward you. Of course, Bi'er will receive the same reward." The two were overjoyed upon hearing this.

After explaining everything, Gu Xu went to Zixiao Palace to find Song Yuanqiao, where Yu Lianzhou and Yin Liting were also there.

"Gu Xu, you've come at the right time. We were just discussing something," Song Yuanqiao said, quickly inviting Gu Xu over. It turned out that the group was discussing which direction to search for Zhang Cuishan.

Since Zhang Cuishan disappeared, Wudang has sent people to search for him. At first, they didn't have enough manpower, so they couldn't search many places. Later, they gradually increased the search area. In recent years, they have searched all the places that could be searched on land, but there is still no news.

“Since there’s no news on land, they must be at sea. However, Wudang is weak in the Jiangnan region. Why not visit the Eagle Sect? I heard that the Eagle Sect leader’s daughter also disappeared at the same time,” Gu Xu suggested.

Song Yuanqiao agreed with Gu Xu's idea, "But asking the Sky Eagle Sect for help..." In recent years, he hadn't paid much attention to those sectarian prejudices. Besides, the Jiangnan region was very stable and rarely suffered from war, which was mostly due to the Sky Eagle Sect. After thinking it over, Song Yuanqiao said to Yu Lianzhou, "Second brother, you and sixth brother should go and visit Sect Leader Yin. Just state your purpose directly. He is a senior in the martial arts world, so you should be respectful, but don't disgrace the name of Wudang."

If Zhang Songxi hadn't been in Hunan dealing with some business and couldn't come back anytime soon, he would actually have been a better choice.

Yu Lianzhou nodded. He knew he probably wouldn't be back for two or three years, so he said to Gu Xu, "Nephew, since your master can't teach Mu Hua and the others for a while, I'll have to trouble you to take care of them." He knew that Gu Xu was indeed skilled at teaching disciples, and he wasn't worried that Gu Xu would corrupt his disciples.

"Uncle-Master, rest assured, leave the junior brothers' studies to me, I guarantee they won't fall behind." Gu Xu then changed the subject, "Uncle-Master, if you receive news of Fifth Uncle or see him, remember not to act rashly. You must first send a message back to Wudang and wait for our support."

Song Yuanqiao pondered for a moment and then asked, "Gu Xu, from what you just said, do you have news of your fifth brother?" He then looked at him expectantly.

Upon hearing this, Yu Lianzhou and Mo Shenggu were even more excited. The latter immediately grabbed Gu Xu's hand and asked eagerly, "Nephew, do you really have news of Fifth Brother?"

"Seventh Brother, let go of Gu Xu's hand and let him explain himself," Yu Lianzhou said, eager to know the whole story, and told Mo Shenggu to step back.

"Uncle-Master, I won't lie to you. When I was traveling down the mountain, I accidentally saved Bai Guishou of the Eagle Sect. Before he died, he told me that Fifth Uncle and Yin Susu were captured by Xie Xun, the Golden Lion King, and ended up on a boat heading north." Gu Xu made up a casual excuse so that they wouldn't suspect anything.

"However, Second Uncle, you must be mindful of your actions when you go to the Eagle Sect. Although Bai Guishou did not die at my hands, it is better to avoid trouble. Try to avoid letting anything slip. Your goal is to find Fifth Uncle. Once he appears, he will definitely attract the attention of all the sects in the martial arts world." Gu Xu had to remind them to avoid getting too excited.

Upon hearing this, Song Yuanqiao and Yu Lianzhou thought of the Dragon-Slaying Saber and Xie Xun, realizing that this matter was of utmost importance and would surely lead to disaster if not handled properly.

"Second brother, now that we have news of fifth brother, things are much easier. You should take your men and stay temporarily in the Jiangnan area, just do as Gu Xu said." Song Yuanqiao was worried that if Zhang Cuishan appeared, the other sects would definitely move in response, and the journey back to the mountain would be full of twists and turns. However, as long as someone could meet them along the way, everything would be fine once they reached Wudang.

"Don't worry, senior brother," Yu Lianzhou said, and then left with Mo Shenggu.

After watching the two leave, Song Yuanqiao slapped his forehead and said, "I was really confused. I have to tell my master about this as soon as possible so that he can be happy too." He then turned and left, but after taking a few quick steps, he turned back, grabbed Gu Xu's hand, and pulled him to see Zhang Sanfeng.

Gu Xu did not object, thinking to himself, "It would be a good thing to let Grandmaster know, at least he won't have to worry about Fifth Uncle's safety anymore, and he can put his mind at ease."

The two used their lightness skills to quickly arrive at Zhang Sanfeng's secluded cultivation place. After knocking on the door and entering, they found Zhang Sanfeng studying the "Nine Yang Manual". Song Yuanqiao whispered, "Master, there is news of Fifth Brother."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Sanfeng's robes fluttered without wind, and the force that rushed towards them almost made the two of them lose their footing. However, the force quickly disappeared, and Zhang Sanfeng got off the cloud bed and asked urgently, "Really? Where did you hear this from?"

Song Yuanqiao then had Gu Xu recount the story, and Zhang Sanfeng burst into laughter upon hearing it, feeling incredibly pleased with himself.

(End of this chapter)