A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 30 Beheading
"Senior brother, what did it say that made you so happy?" Song Qingshu was very puzzled. In his memory, he had never seen Gu Xu like this before.

Gu Xu laughed and said, "The Prince of Ruyang's army was defeated and all 50,000 troops were wiped out. The Ming Cult has made a comeback, and the future situation may change again."

Gu Xu had expected the Yuan army to be defeated, but he was somewhat surprised that all 50,000 elite troops had been annihilated. He knew that the Yuan army could only muster 200,000 elite troops at present, and losing so many at once meant that it would be a major blow.

"Senior, it seems your task will be even more demanding. Such a fierce battle will surely result in considerable casualties. I would appreciate it if you could prepare more medicine and send it to your sect. It would be a small token of Wudang's goodwill." Although the letter did not specify the exact number of casualties, it was good to prepare in advance to avoid being caught off guard.

"I understand. Wuji and Qingshu are perfect to be my medicine boys. Without further ado, I'll go and make the preparations now," Hu Qingniu immediately agreed and left with Zhang Wuji and Song Qingshu.

"The Grand Master and the others must have already received the news that the Yuan Dynasty is in decline, the Ruyang Prince's Mansion has been severely damaged, and a storm is about to break out in the martial arts world. How can Wudang stand firm in this chaotic world?"

After pondering for a while and clarifying his thoughts, Gu Xu focused his attention on Tai Chi.

Practicing Tai Chi is actually a process of picking up and putting down. Gu Xu has only just begun to learn it, and there is still a long way to go before he can truly master it.

Inside the Zixiao Palace, Song Yuanqiao was reading a letter. After reading it, he handed it to Yu Lianzhou, and it eventually ended up in Mo Shenggu's hands.

"The 'Wumu Legacy' is truly extraordinary. In just four short years, it has greatly improved the fighting strength of the Ming Cult's lower ranks. This time, the Yuan court suffered a great loss."

“Senior brother, this letter says that the Prince of Ruyang and his son are dead, and only his daughter escaped. Could this be…” Zhang Cuishan was worried that Zhao Min’s escape would cause a lot of trouble. After all, intelligence over the years revealed that this girl was cunning by nature and had all sorts of vicious schemes. She had even bribed the elders of the Beggars’ Sect. If it weren’t for the unexpected turn of events, the entire Beggars’ Sect would probably have become a lackey of the Yuan court. It was truly alarming that she was so vicious at such a young age.

"Fifth Brother is right. However, the Ming Cult has already laid a net of heaven and earth. It will not be easy for this woman to break through the blockade. But we cannot be careless. Second Brother, give the order that all strange women appearing in Hubei should be closely monitored. If there is anything unusual, report it immediately. Do not act rashly."

Song Yuanqiao never dared to underestimate women. Just recently, the Purple-Robed Dragon King burned Butterfly Valley, which was truly terrifying. If it weren't for the timely rescue by the Wudang disciples, the fire would have burned down the entire valley, and even the nearby villages would have been doomed. Song Yuanqiao was both shocked and furious at the sight of such a woman who had no regard for the lives of living beings.

It was lucky that Abbess Miejue failed to kill her. If she had run into me, I wouldn't care about her being the Ming Cult's Dharma King; I would have killed her with a single sword strike.

"Senior brother, the Yuan court has suffered a defeat and will certainly not let this go easily. What should we do?" Zhang Songxi was a little worried. After all, some of the Yuan court's masters had died at the hands of Wudang, which thwarted their plot to assassinate important figures of the Ming Cult. If the Yuan court were to act desperately, Wudang's foundation would be in danger of collapsing.

"Fourth brother, there's no need to worry too much. Over the past few years, I've gradually dispersed Wudang's strength. On the surface, it only appears to be Wudang Mountain as its foundation, but in reality, many disciples have been secretly planted there. Even if Wudang is attacked, it won't suffer a major blow. Once the situation stabilizes, Wudang will be rebuilt."

After getting involved in this situation, Wudang always acted behind the scenes, providing supplies and cleaning up messes to ensure that Ming Cult had no worries. Even if they failed, Song Yuanqiao had already arranged a way out so that they wouldn't suffer a complete defeat.

"Second brother, tomorrow you and your fifth and sixth brothers will go down the mountain and deliver that batch of supplies to the Ming Cult, especially those hemostatic and healing pills and medicinal herbs. You must not let anything go wrong," Song Yuanqiao instructed. With these things, fewer people from the Ming Cult would die, which would allow them to kill more Tartars.

Yu Lianzhou agreed, saying that the martial arts world was in turmoil. Although the six major sects had joined forces to suppress it, some restless people were still taking advantage of the chaos. The situation was better in Hubei, but in more remote areas, theft and robbery were commonplace, and Wudang was powerless to stop them.

After giving a few more instructions, everyone dispersed, while Song Yuanqiao went to the back mountain to find Gu Xu.

"Uncle-Master, is there something you need me to do?" Gu Xu knew that Song Yuanqiao would not usually bother him unless it was something important.

“Uncle-Master, there is indeed something I need your help with. You must have heard that the Prince of Ruyang’s army has been defeated, but the Yuan court has begun to gather troops to prepare for a counterattack. The intelligence says that the commander is Koto, who is extremely skilled in warfare. I am worried that the Ming Cult will suffer losses, so I would like to ask you to kill him and disrupt the enemy.”

Song Yuanqiao had originally planned to go alone, but intelligence indicated that Koto had several people from other regions around him with very strange martial arts. The Ming Cult had failed in several assassination attempts and lost many skilled fighters. He was worried that he was not strong enough to succeed.

He also thought that Gu Xu's martial arts were far superior to his own. If he made the move, even if he failed, it would not be difficult for him to escape unscathed. Moreover, if he succeeded, it would also benefit Gu Xu's reputation.

Gu Xu pondered for a moment, then immediately agreed, "Senior Uncle, please give me all the information about Koto and the experts around him. Only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you be effective." Although he was somewhat confident in his martial arts skills, he remained cautious to avoid being caught off guard and having no chance to turn the tide.

Song Yuanqiao nodded. "I will send someone to deliver the things in a little while. Also, regarding Abbess Miejue's invitation for Wudang to attend the ceremony, you will go on behalf of Wudang. There is still plenty of time; it will be on July 13th."

Gu Xumo calculated that today was the seventh day of the fifth lunar month, and there were still two months left, which was plenty of time.

"Disciple understands," Song Yuanqiao said a few more words and then left.

After dinner, Gu Xu continued to study Tai Chi, occasionally practicing a few moves, but he always felt a sense of disharmony.

Originally thinking that he hadn't understood it thoroughly enough, Gu Xu read it several more times, and suddenly four words flashed into his mind: "perfect harmony and unity".

Tai Chi is a skill that uses slowness to overcome speed, aiming to strike first after being attacked. If one cannot achieve a state of perfect harmony, one will only be vulnerable to being beaten.

Once his thoughts were clear, Gu Xu slowly began practicing Tai Chi outside the house. With the Pure Yang Profound Skill combined with the meaning of Tai Chi, the air around his body seemed to be drawn in, forming a transparent air shield that made it difficult for anything outside to disturb him. When Gu Xu finished practicing Tai Chi, the leaves in the air fell down one after another, forming a Tai Chi pattern around his body.

"This counts as completing the first step. If you can take it, the next step is to put it down." Gu Xu felt somewhat pleased after understanding the first step. After finishing his practice and returning to his room, Gu Xu picked up the intelligence that Song Yuanqiao had sent.

The above highlighted three people, two men and one woman. According to reliable sources, these three were from Persia. Gu Xu knew that these were the Three Envoys of the Ming Cult of Persia, namely the Wind, Cloud and Moon.

To say that their martial arts skills are superb is not necessarily true. In a one-on-one situation, they would be no match for the six sect leaders. The main reason is that their strange martial arts are hard to defend against. If you really figure out the three of their martial arts styles, defeating them is not difficult at all.

What puzzled Gu Xu was how the Persian Ming Cult members could be entangled with the Tartars.
Suddenly, Gu Xu thought of the "Great Shift of the Universe" martial art. The "Great Shift of the Universe" practiced by the Persian Ming Cult was incomplete. In order to find this martial art, they must have gone to Bright Peak, but it had become ruins. The Yuan Dynasty might have obtained this item, so they deliberately spread the news to the three of them, using this martial art to exchange for Persian assistance in order to suppress the Ming Cult.

"It seems that it is really necessary to make a trip." Putting aside other matters, we must also deal with those three envoys to prevent the Persians from getting involved.

Two days later, Gu Xu disguised himself and left Wudang Mountain, heading north towards Dadu (Beijing). Intelligence indicated that Kuo Tuo was leading troops stationed at Womian Mountain. (Womian Mountain Yuan Army Camp)

As night fell, in the main tent, Marshal Kuoto was entertaining the three envoys, Feng, Yun, and Yue. At the head of the table was the tall and handsome Feng Envoy with a bushy beard and blue eyes; next was the Liuyun Envoy with a yellow beard and a hooked nose; and at the end of the table was the Huiyue Envoy with black hair, light eyes, and a beautiful face.

Koto looked at the Radiant Moon Envoy, raised his cup to the three and said, "Thank you for helping me defeat those rebels. I would like to offer you a toast." He then swallowed the wine in one gulp.

Miao Feng made the three of them frown, and they picked up their wine glasses but only dipped them lightly before putting them down.

"Marshal Koto, what about the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth you mentioned?" Miao Fengshi didn't want to argue with him anymore. If it weren't for the martial art, the three of them wouldn't have stayed here to act as his henchmen.

"Master Miaofeng, please be patient. I'll entrust the 'Great Shift of Heaven and Earth' to you now," Koto said, taking out a piece of cowhide covered with writing from a box beside him and having his attendant hand it to Master Miaofeng.

They hurriedly took it, and after reading it, Miaofeng was furious. "Marshal Kuoto, this is not in accordance with our agreement. Why is there only the first three levels? What about the rest? Do you intend to go back on your word?" After saying that, she stood up, took out the Sacred Flame Token, pointed it at Kuoto, and glared at him angrily. Liuyun and Huiyue also stood with their weapons in hand, ready to make him bleed if he did not give an explanation.

"Three envoys, please do not be angry. Please hear me out. In truth, I am only following orders from above. It is not my decision to hand over the first three levels of the mental cultivation method. Even if you kill me, it will be in vain. However, if you can help me eliminate the Ming Cult, I will definitely petition the court and deliver the rest of the mental cultivation method to you. How about that?"

Koto had grasped the three's weakness. As long as he had the technique, he wasn't afraid of them not cooperating, and he wasn't in a hurry.

The complete "Great Shift of Heaven and Earth" manual was given to Koto by the Prince of Ruyang in exchange for 20,000 elite troops. Now that the Prince of Ruyang is dead, only Koto remains in the know.

Miao Feng was furious inside, but he remained outwardly calm. He waved for the two to sit down and said, "Marshal Kuo Tuo is truly remarkable. Since that's the case, I agree. However, we will only stay for another month. Once the time is up, you must fulfill your promise regardless of whether you succeed or not. Otherwise, we will not show any mercy."

Miao Fengshi was unwilling to become someone else's weapon, but for the sake of "Qiankun Great Shift", he had no choice but to compromise. As for eliminating the Ming Cult, he didn't care. Although the two cults had some history, he could only give it up in the face of interests.

Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Koto laughed heartily, "It's a deal, then I'll have to trouble you all."

Inside the tent, people were drinking and making merry, but outside, all was silent except for the sound of burning firewood. At this moment, the Wind Envoy inside the tent sensed something was wrong. He exchanged a glance with the Cloud Envoy, who then stepped out of the tent. As soon as he came out, he saw a white light pierce straight into the tent. By the time he reacted, a scream came from inside the tent. The Cloud Envoy rushed back and was shocked to see a horrifying scene.

Koto died with his eyes wide open, his eyes still agape, a wine glass still clutched in his hand.

The Wind Envoy and the Moon Envoy were too late to stop it, which shocked and angered them. Now that Koto was dead, who would they ask for the remaining cultivation manual? Moreover, his death might make the Yuan court suspect that they had killed him and stolen the treasure, which would cause even more trouble.

As the three were pondering, they suddenly saw a dark shadow flash by, and Miao Feng instructed them to hurry after it.

Following the trail, the three arrived at a deserted valley, where a Taoist priest holding a long sword stood not far in front of them.

"You killed Koto, you must give us an explanation," Miao Feng said in a deep voice. He guessed that the newcomer must be a martial arts master from the Central Plains, and judging from his fearlessness, he must have something to rely on. But the three of them were not easy to bully.

Miao Feng called out to the two, grabbed the Sacred Flame Tokens, and rushed forward. He swept the tokens across the ground, but Gu Xu remained unmoved, letting the Sacred Flame Tokens attack him. Miao Feng was delighted to see that his opponent did not dodge or evade, but the tokens could not advance any further than a foot outside Gu Xu's body. With the energy surging back, Miao Feng was shocked, his blood churned, his wrists went numb, and he staggered back several steps, turning pale with fright.

Since arriving in the Central Plains, the three of them had found it difficult to find a worthy opponent. They never expected that the newcomer's martial arts were so superb, probably even surpassing the ever-victorious Treasure Tree King of the sect. Tonight, they had encountered a formidable foe.

Seeing the defeat of the Wind Envoy, the Cloud Envoy and the Moon Envoy behind them were shocked. But they had no time to think. Iron tokens flew like arrows from all sides, trying to stop the approaching party. The Wind Envoy responded at the same time.

With the enhancement of internal energy, the six-sided Sacred Flame Token pierced through the air with a piercing sound. The patterns on the token were as dazzling as flames, and they were beautiful in the dark night. However, beneath this gorgeous appearance, there was a shocking killing intent.

Gu Xu looked at the flying Sacred Flame Token, rotated the sword sheath with his right palm, condensed it into a ball of air, and then pushed it hard. The sword sheath collided with the Sacred Flame Token. With a few clangs, the six Sacred Flame Tokens scattered. Under the impact of the internal force, Miao Fengshi was immediately seriously injured and fell to the ground. Liu Yunshi and the other two coughed up blood and looked weak.

In just two moves, the three were defeated. Looking at Gu Xu who was slowly approaching, Miao Feng asked with a pale face, "Who exactly are you?" Gu Xu remained silent. Liu Yun and Hui Yue exchanged a glance. When they were only two steps away, the two of them mustered their inner strength, channeled their palms, and struck at Gu Xu.

This palm strike uses the ultimate technique of penetrating bone needles. Once the energy enters the body, it feels like needles are stuck inside. It's not so bad normally, but as soon as you try to circulate your energy, the pain becomes unbearable. If this continues, the meridians will be damaged, and your martial arts will be ruined. It is truly a vicious and insidious skill.

However, to Miao Fengshi's horrified gaze, Gu Xu countered with a swift palm strike, hitting Liu Yunshi and the other two in quick succession. After two miserable cries, the two crashed into the mountain walls on either side like kites with broken strings, and died upon landing.

“You have already killed two of my companions. Do you really intend to wipe them out completely? I am an envoy of the Persian Ming Cult. Aren’t you afraid of my cult’s revenge if I die? If you can let me go, I will give you a treasure.”

Miao Feng threatened, his words a mix of bravado and cowardice. He was terrified; the opponent was far beyond his capabilities. He had just obtained the treasure and didn't want to die like this. A bright future awaited him back in Persia. Seeing that threats were useless, he resorted to bribery.

Unfortunately, no matter what Miao Fengshi said, Gu Xu had no intention of letting him go. Ever since they helped Yuan Ting, they had become enemies. With a swift sword strike, Gu Xu killed Miao Fengshi, took the parchment from his pocket, retrieved the Six Sacred Flame Tokens, and then left the valley.

The bright moon hung high, cold and silent. In the quiet valley, there were only three cold corpses.

Meanwhile, the garrison camp was in chaos. The marshal had been killed, and the three envoys had gone missing. The head of the guards dared not act on his own and reported the matter to his superiors. Three days later, people finally arrived from Dadu.

The head guard initially thought it would be a marshal taking over, but unexpectedly it turned out to be a beautiful young woman with a young man by her side. The head guard recognized the young man; he was the only son of the Seventh Prince, named Zha Yadu.

This seventh prince is highly valued by the Khan and holds real power in the court. Now his only son has come and is standing next to a woman. I wonder what her background is.

(End of this chapter)