A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 20 Reputation
Xianyu Tong raised his hands and clasped his fists. “Hero Song, we came here today to celebrate Master Zhang’s birthday. We never expected such a thing to happen. Let’s put aside the Longmen Escort Agency massacre for now. However, Xie Xun is one of the four great Dharma Kings of the Demonic Sect, Yin Susu is a demoness of the Demonic Sect, and Zhang Wuxia is a disciple of a prestigious family. Not only did he marry her, but he also became sworn brothers with Xie Xun. I really cannot condone such behavior.”

Xianyu Tonghua turned his head and said, "Master Zhang is a martial arts master, and the Wudang School is famous throughout the martial arts world. If he really gets entangled with the Demonic Sect, wouldn't that tarnish Master Zhang's reputation? I have a solution that satisfies both sides. As long as Zhang Wuxia severs his sworn brotherhood and reveals Xie Xun's whereabouts, we will no longer pursue the matter of Zhang Wuxia and his wife. What do you think?"

Xianyu Tong spoke at length, which not only drew contempt from the Wudang sect, but also caused the members of the six major sects to blush slightly upon hearing his words. His words were truly shameless.

On the surface, it's about protecting Wudang's reputation, but the real meaning is that if Zhang Cuishan doesn't respect himself, not only will he be in danger, but Wudang will also be smeared. It seems like a win-win solution, but in reality, there's only one way out.

"As expected of Shenjizi, he can utter such righteous words. I have witnessed it today. But what right does Sect Leader Xianyu have to say such words? As the saying goes, if you are not upright, how can you lead others?" At Song Yuanqiao's prompting, Gu Xu stepped forward to question Xianyu Tong, determined to make him shut his mouth. However, Gu Xu's goal was not only to shut him up, but more importantly, to ruin his reputation.

Xianyu Tong, as expected of a man of deep cunning, remained calm and composed even after hearing such humiliating words, which made people admire his exceptional self-control.

Faced with Gu Xu's questioning, Xianyu Tong lightly shook his folding fan and said calmly, "Daoist Gu Xu, what do you mean by this? Is there anything wrong with me that you are questioning? Don't speak nonsense and sow discord among the six major sects. I'm afraid you can't bear the consequences."

When Gu Xu heard Xian Yutong accuse him of such a serious crime, he couldn't help but sigh. "Shamelessness pays off," he thought. "It's truly shameless of a person to say such things; it makes me feel ashamed."

"Xianyu Tong, even now you're still so cunning and deceitful. If you hadn't concocted the 'Golden Silkworm Gu Poison' to kill Bai Yuan, how could you have become the head of the Huashan Sect?" Gu Xu was too lazy to argue with him and directly exposed the scandal of the Huashan Sect. Other sects were only shocked by this, but the Huashan Sect was in an uproar.

When the tall and short old man heard that Bai Yuan's death was related to Xian Yutong, he was first incredulous, then suspicious. Seeing Xian Yutong's face as pale as paper and his fingers trembling, he made up his mind, but still asked in a deep voice, "Daoist Gu Xu, do you have any evidence for your words? I will not allow you to slander Mount Hua. Please provide evidence."

"That's easy. Xianyu Tong's folding fan contains the 'Golden Silkworm Gu Poison.' Senior can easily tell the truth by carefully examining it."

The tall and short old men exchanged a glance and prepared to take the folding fan, but Xianyu Tong suddenly sprang to his feet, his face contorted with rage as he charged toward Gu Xu. He swiftly opened the folding fan in his hand, pressed the mechanism, and a cloud of golden powder rained down on Gu Xu, intending to kill him.

"You little beast, die!" Xianyu Tong roared. He knew that once the truth was exposed, he would surely die, and before he died, he wanted to take Gu Xu down with him.

Seeing the unexpected turn of events and noticing the golden powder, the onlookers sensed something was wrong and quickly backed away. Just as Song Yuanqiao was about to step forward, Gu Xu hurriedly said, "Uncle-Master, please do not take a step forward! This poison is extremely potent!"

He then raised his hand, removed his robe, and infused it with his inner strength, causing it to swell. The powder in mid-air immediately flowed into it like a gentle stream, before returning to his body. A shrill scream brought everyone present back to their senses.

After being poisoned, Xianyu Tong was in excruciating pain all over his body. His hands clawed at his flesh, leaving a bloody mess. There wasn't a single unscathed spot on his body, making it a sight too painful to behold. The Emei disciples even turned their heads away. After a while, Xianyu Tong died with a terrible scream, his eyes wide open.

Seeing this, the tall and short old man's face immediately turned ugly, filled with anger and shame. He ordered several disciples to wrap Xianyu Tong's corpse tightly with their robes, then raised his hand in a salute and led the Huashan disciples down the mountain without saying a word, having no face to stay any longer.

Seeing the Huashan Sect leave, Kongwen of Shaolin chanted a Buddhist prayer, "Amitabha, well done, well done," and Kongzhi and the others also chanted the same prayer repeatedly.

When Kong Wen saw Gu Xu's skill of gathering, dispersing, and transforming with such ease and fluency, he immediately felt that the situation was troublesome. Now that Kunlun and Huashan had been defeated, among the remaining two sects, only the Kongtong Sect was still of use. However, to Kong Wen's surprise, the five elders of Kongtong remained unmoved, as if it were none of their business.

Kong Wen thought about it again and realized that the Kongtong Sect was probably more concerned about Wudang and was afraid of following in the footsteps of Huashan. It seemed that he still had to take action himself.

The Huashan Sect was humiliated. Everyone present looked at Gu Xu with worry in their eyes, fearing that he might reveal some earth-shattering secret. Therefore, they remained motionless, thinking it best to let Shaolin take the spotlight.

Kong Wen knew it was his turn to step forward. He put his hands together and said to Song Yuanqiao, "Hero Song, since your sect wants to decide the winner by martial arts, then Shaolin will accept this battle. If we are lucky enough to win by even a single move, we ask your sect to hand over Zhang Wuxia to settle the bloodbath at Longmen Escort Agency and to reveal Xie Xun's whereabouts. If not, Shaolin will no longer concern itself with this matter."

Having said that, he led his men to set up a battle formation. Shaolin knew before they came that a battle was inevitable, and they were worried that Zhang Sanfeng would take the stage, so they immediately used the Arhat Formation.

Seeing that Shaolin had already left the arena, Song Yuanqiao greeted the crowd. The Six Heroes and Gu Xu stepped forward with their swords, and in an instant, they set up the True Martial Seven Intercept Formation. The two formations each had their own merits. It was the first time that the crowd had seen such a large-scale formation from the two factions. They all stared intently at the arena, afraid of missing anything.

Kong Wen breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Zhang Sanfeng had not appeared. If he were to face Zhang Sanfeng, he would have no confidence at all. Now, facing Song Yuanqiao and the others, the pressure was less, and the outcome was only fifty-fifty.

Kong Wenlang said, "Great Hero Song, please." As he spoke, he activated his formation, and his monk's staff and long stick flew around, striking towards the seven people. The heaviest attack was directed at the direction where Mo Shenggu and Yin Liting were located.

"That's a clever plan, but how do you know that this weak point is actually the most heavily guarded spot?"

The heavy Zen staff came straight at him. Mo Shenggu dared not take it head-on. He used his longsword to protect himself and moved back. Yin Liting then used his sword to deflect the staff from the side. Although he successfully deflected it, the force of the staff made him pause slightly, revealing an opening.

A glint flashed in Kong Wen's eyes. He exerted force in his hand, and his staff spun continuously, sweeping towards Yin Liting. A strong wind rushed towards him. Yin Liting thrust out his longsword, using the Soft Sword Technique, and the sword force barely entangled the staff. At the same time, Mo Shenggu, who had moved back to the side, arrived with his sword. With the combined force of the two swords, Kong Wen's attack missed, and his weapon was instead restrained.

However, Kong Wen was highly skilled. With a forceful twist of his staff, he easily deflected the two swords. The two hurriedly retreated, but Kong Wen was relentless. He slammed his staff into the ground with a loud crash, shattering the stone slabs. With a sweep of his sleeve, Kong Wen grabbed a few pebbles and swiftly threw them at the two men.

The hissing sound of the pebbles, imbued with internal force, cutting through the air made Yin Liting and Mo Shenggu wary. They swung their swords to parry, and the force of the impact made their wrists tingle and go numb.

Seeing this, Gu Xu, who was ready to help at any time, immediately injured three monks of the Yuan generation and turned to join Yin Liting's battle. Meanwhile, Song Yuanqiao and the others adjusted their opponents according to the changes in the formation. In an instant, the battle turned around. The Wudang people, who were originally in the outer circle, turned from defense to offense, while the Shaolin people in the inner circle turned from offense to defense. This made many spectators really worried about Shaolin.

The couple, He Taichong and his wife, who were outside the arena, were experts in formations and had devoted themselves to practicing the Two Elements Sword Technique. They saw that the Wudang sword formation was very clever, combining movement and stillness, yin and yang, offense and defense, and it could also be repeated. If the opponent could not break through it in a short time, he would become more and more powerless as time went on, and in the end he could only wait to be killed.

Currently, Kongwen, the strongest Shaolin disciple, is entangled with Gu Xu, while Kongzhi and Kongxing are engaged in combat with Yu Lianzhou and Zhang Songxi. Of the remaining nine, three are injured, and the other six are unlikely to achieve great things; their defeat is only a matter of time. Seeing Gu Xu engage him, Kongwen, in the midst of the battle, dared not be careless. He spun his staff around himself, attacking Gu Xu, determined to expand the battle. Gu Xu, however, dodged and weaved, seizing upon Kongwen's illusory hand movements, and struck his left wrist with his sword. Kongwen cried out in pain, slamming his staff into the ground.

This sword strike did not cripple his right hand, but he would be unable to fight for a month. The empty formation revealed an opening, and the Arhat Formation showed a flaw. Song Yuanqiao quickly defeated four people, and the situation became uncontrollable. The onlookers knew that the outcome of the battle was no longer in doubt, and they all sighed inwardly.

Seeing that the battle was going badly, Kong Wen still refused to give up. He withdrew his staff and struck out with his palm, a fierce palm wind rushing straight towards Mo Shenggu, trying to break the Wudang formation and turn the tide.

Mo Shenggu, however, was resolute. Instead of retreating, he advanced, thrusting his sword forward. The cold blades clashed with the fierce palm winds, and with a crisp sound, the longsword in Mo Shenggu's hand was broken by Kong Wen.

Seeing that Kong Wen's Dragon Claw Hands were vicious and clearly aimed to kill, Gu Xu was furious. He immediately used the "Flying Dragon from Beyond the Heavens" move, thrusting his longsword at Kong Wen's chest and abdomen. Kong Wen was about to injure Mo Shenggu when he suddenly felt a sharp sword aura coming towards him. He quickly dodged, but his longsword missed and pierced the floor, leaving only the hilt above.

As the longsword saved the man, Gu Xu immediately closed in, channeling his power into his right palm. Without hesitation, Kong Wen also channeled his palm energy. The two clashed, and with a loud bang, Kong Wen coughed up blood and flew backward, while Gu Xu remained unmoved.

Kong Wen's defeat shocked Kong Zhi and the others, causing them to lose their footing and be knocked out of the sword circle one after another. The Shaolin side suffered a crushing defeat.

The onlookers were astonished to find that Shaolin had been utterly defeated in the blink of an eye. Looking at Gu Xu in the arena, they were filled with fear. Even the abbot of Shaolin was no match for him, so they decided it was best not to provoke such a person.

Song Yuanqiao and the others sheathed their swords and looked at Kong Wen, who had just caught his breath. They said calmly, "Master Kong Wen, a monk does not lie. He is willing to accept defeat." Kong Wen's face was already pale, and he looked even worse after hearing this. Kong Zhi and Kong Xing glared at Song Yuanqiao, but dared not say anything more. Now that Shaolin had been defeated by Wudang, its reputation was ruined.

"Amitabha, we have been defeated by you all in this battle, and we are convinced of our defeat. As for those two matters, Shaolin will certainly keep its promise. It is getting late, so I will not disturb Master Zhang's birthday banquet any longer. I will now descend the mountain." After saying this, he led the Shaolin monks away, and his back looked rather lonely to He Taichong, Zong Weixia and the others.

He Taichong and Zong Weixia watched Shaolin leave, and dared not linger any longer. After exchanging a few words, they took their leave one after another.

When Abbess Jingxuan of Emei saw Gu Xu display his divine power and defeat Master Kongwen, she was shocked beyond words. How could a third-generation disciple defeat the abbot of Shaolin? If she had told others beforehand, she would definitely have been considered crazy.

Now the facts are clear: Gu Xu has become famous in one battle. In addition, I heard from my junior sister that he defeated Yang Xiao and that top experts from both the righteous and demonic factions were defeated by him. He is truly someone to be respected and feared.

Wudang's reputation soared after this battle, and the marriage alliance between Emei and Wudang was truly beneficial and harmless.

“Master Song, we have been away from the mountain for a long time, so we will take our leave now. Regarding the marriage between Junior Sister Ji and Sixth Hero Yin, my master said that the sixth day of the sixth lunar month would be an auspicious day. I wonder if your sect agrees to it?”

Master Jingxuan glanced at Ji Xiaofu, who was fussing over Yin Liting, and shook her head with a light laugh. It's true that fools are often blessed.

"Since Abbess Miejue has set a date, Wudang will definitely make preparations. Sixth Brother will be going to Emei soon." Song Yuanqiao also wanted to settle Yin Liting's marriage as soon as possible. His master had mentioned it many times before. Now that there was still enough time, they could make the wedding beautiful.

After exchanging a few more words, the group from Emei descended the mountain. Yin Liting was reluctant to part with Ji Xiaofu and escorted her all the way down the mountain, but in the end, he could only watch her leave.

"Still watching? The person has already gone far away. Sixth Brother, I have some good news for you. Do you want to hear it?"

"What good news?"

"Your wedding date has been set for the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, and your master has given his approval."

Upon hearing his senior brother say that the wedding date had been set, Yin Liting's eyes widened in surprise, followed by overwhelming joy, and he hurriedly ran up the mountain.

Looking at his junior brother's appearance, Song Yuanqiao chuckled and shook his head.

"Sixth Brother is still too impulsive. He should be better after he gets married."

"Sixth Uncle's childlike innocence is rare. It would be bad if he really changed his personality," Gu Xu said, praising this kind of character.

As dusk fell, the Zixiao Palace was brightly lit, with members of Wudang and Tianying Sect seated in rows.

"Master Yin, thank you very much," Zhang Songxi bowed to Yin Yewang. The reason why the Kongtong Sect did not take action was because the Tianying Sect was restraining them. Wudang could not refuse this favor.

"You're too kind, Zhang Si. To be honest, even without my intervention, Wudang could have easily handled it. It would have made me seem like I was meddling." Yin Yewang was shocked and envious when he saw Kong Wen being sent flying by Gu Xu. With such a talented person, Wudang would surely surpass Shaolin's prestige in the future.

"Master Yin is too kind." In any case, with Yin Yewang backing them up, it puts considerable pressure on the Kongtong Sect.

At the table, Gu Xu became the focus of attention, with everyone offering him a toast. Gu Xu accepted all the toasts with great courtesy and humility, which earned him goodwill. Even Yin Wufu and the other two showed rare smiles.

As night deepened, everyone returned to their rooms to rest. Zhang Sanfeng then led Gu Xu to his secluded cultivation spot, took out a book, and handed it to Gu Xu. Gu Xu took it and saw that the cover had the words "Pure Yang Profound Skill" written on it.

(End of this chapter)