A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 35: Sect Leader
After Zhu Yuanzhang completely controlled the Ming Cult, he spent six years quelling uprisings in various places. He had now established his capital in Nanjing and named his country Ming. It was now the third year of the Hongwu reign.

On Mount Wudang, the place was bustling with activity as leaders from various sects gathered to attend the Wudang Sect Leader Succession Ceremony.

Inside the Zixiao Palace, Song Yuanqiao personally tied up Gu Xu's hair and put on a crown, passed on the sect leader's token, the golden seal, and the Zhenwu Sword to him, and read out the Wudang laws one by one.

"Gu Xu, I now formally pass on the position of Wudang Sect Leader to you. From now on, you will be the third-generation leader of Wudang. I hope you will dedicate yourself to promoting Wudang..."

Gu Xu bowed solemnly and kowtowed to Zhang Sanfeng and Song Yuanqiao.

"This disciple hereby promises that as long as I live, I will never bring shame upon Wudang."

Zhang Sanfeng and Song Yuanqiao nodded with smiles. Although Gu Xu only said this much, it carried great weight.

After the succession ceremony, the leaders of various sects came forward to offer their congratulations, among whom Abbess Miejue was the most enthusiastic.

"Sect Leader Gu Xu is truly a genius. He is only thirty years old and he has already taken charge of the sect. Few among the six major sects can compare to him. Moreover, Song Qingshu and Zhang Wuji are also rising stars. It seems that for the next thirty or forty years, the martial arts world will belong to Wudang," sighed Zong Weixia of the Kongtong Sect. He lamented that his sect was facing a talent shortage and had few outstanding disciples. He wondered who would be able to take charge of the Kongtong Sect in the future.

"Our sects are doing alright. You didn't see Master Kongwen and the others. Although they still had smiles on their faces, they must have been very uncomfortable inside. Wudang is the only one that stands out, and Shaolin can't do anything about it." The old man from the Huashan Sect had long given up on competing with Wudang and focused his energy on the next generation. Over the years, he has produced a few outstanding disciples. With proper training, they will surely be able to carry on the Huashan lineage in the future. He can say that he has done right by his ancestors even in the afterlife.

Since Ban Shuxian's death, Kunlun Sect Leader He Taichong has not visited the Central Plains for a long time. If it weren't for the invitation from Wudang, He Taichong really wouldn't want to come here again.

Looking at the increasingly prosperous Wudang Sect, He Taichong felt very envious. He decided that after returning, he would carefully train a few disciples. Even if they could not compete with Wudang, they would try their best to make up for the gap. If one generation was not enough, then two or three generations would be enough. One day, they would be rewarded.

Gu Xu and the leaders of various sects paid their respects, and also exchanged a few words with the smaller sects. This made the leaders feel flattered. Zhu Changling and Wu Lie also had a lot of people gathered around them because of Wei Bi.

Just as everyone was talking, a disciple rushed in and bowed to Gu Xu, saying, "Sect Leader, someone from the Imperial Court has arrived." The leaders of the various sects were puzzled. Why would the Imperial Court send someone to the Wudang succession ceremony?

It should be noted that since the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, all factions have been trying to consolidate their power and were unwilling to antagonize the court, so the two sides have had almost no contact since.

Gu Xu said calmly, "Since the imperial court has sent people, all sect leaders, please come with me. What is meant to be will be."

Gu Xu took the lead and walked out of the Zixiao Palace. The others exchanged glances and followed closely behind.

Outside, a palace attendant led a group of elite soldiers. Upon seeing Gu Xu's figure, he took a few steps forward, produced an imperial edict, and read aloud: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Gu Xu, the leader of Wudang Sect, has rendered meritorious service in pacifying the region, suppressing rebellions, eliminating harm, upholding righteousness, and warding off evil. He is hereby granted the title of Manifest Righteous True Man. This is the imperial decree." After speaking, the palace attendant closed the imperial edict with both hands and presented it to Gu Xu.

When they arrived, Zhu Yuanzhang specifically instructed the eunuchs not to be disrespectful to Gu Xu and the others. He said that the imperial edict only needed to be read aloud and that the kneeling ceremony was unnecessary.

Gu Xu accepted the imperial edict with both hands, thinking to himself, "Is Zhu Yuanzhang trying to win over the Wudang Sect? Before the new year, Zhu Yuanzhang had already bestowed titles upon Zhang Sanfeng, Song Yuanqiao, and others, so his intentions were quite clear."

After completing his task, the eunuch sent someone to deliver the gift list and then left with his entourage.

Master Kongwen witnessed all of this and felt very bitter. Shaolin was not lacking in imperial honors, but the fact that this emperor valued Wudang so much meant that Shaolin's future was likely to be difficult.

Thinking back to how he ignored Song Yuanqiao's letter and refused to do anything good for the Ming Cult in order to protect himself, he realized that he was now reaping the consequences. After Zhu Yuanzhang came to power, he took back most of the land at the foot of Shaolin Mountain under various pretexts. On the contrary, Wudang was very clever and submitted all the land to the government.

Seeing this, the leaders of the other sects each had their own thoughts. Was Zhu Yuanzhang's open and aboveboard praise of Wudang a form of flattery to kill, or was it a genuine gesture?

After the banquet, the various factions took their leave one after another.

Gu Xu arrived at Zhang Sanfeng's secluded retreat with the imperial edict, as he needed to inform the patriarch about this matter.

"Master, is the emperor acting with sincerity?"

“Gu Xu, you don’t need to think so much. As the saying goes, we should respond to each move as it comes. We don’t need to pay attention to it. Just stay calm,” Zhang Sanfeng said calmly.

Gu Xu also had some guesses in his mind. Now that the Ming Dynasty has just been established, there should be no chaos in the martial arts world. Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to bring out Wudang to suppress the other sects, which actually contradicted the strategy that Gu Xu had set in mind.

Gu Xu insisted on not allowing Wudang to participate in court affairs, and this would be written into the sect rules in the future.

"Disciple understands," Gu Xu said, and after saying a few more words, he returned to the Wuwei Hall where the sect leader resided.

For the next period of time, Gu Xu began to deal with mundane affairs. In order to improve efficiency, Gu Xu handed over some unimportant things to Qing Shu and Wu Ji, while he himself took control of the allocation of resources.

Nowadays, Wudang's income mainly comes from farmland, medicinal herbs, forests, fisheries, and restaurants, as well as tributes from many wealthy gentry in Hubei. All in all, it can bring in 300,000 taels of silver annually.

Wudang currently has only three hundred disciples, and such income is more than enough. Gu Xu did not want the imperial court to be wary of him, so he decided to set aside 50,000 taels of silver every year. In addition to helping the elderly living alone and orphaned children, he also built many clinics.

In the sixth year of the Hongwu reign, Yin Tianzheng, the leader of the Tianying Sect, passed away, and Zhang Cuishan and his family of three went to Jiangnan to mourn him.

Gu Xu on the mountain received a message from Zhang Cuishan via carrier pigeon, saying that a group of Persians had come from the sea and were fighting with the Eagle Sect, and that several important figures were heading towards Wudang, warning him to be careful.

A few days later, intelligence kept coming in along the way, and Gu Xu felt that these must be people from the Persian Ming Cult who wanted to retrieve the Sacred Flame Token.

Now that the Sacred Flame Token has been forged into three precious swords, how can it be returned to them? Gu Xu passed down the order: do not stop them, let them go up the mountain.

Seven days later, the Everlasting Treasure Tree King, the Evil-Suppressing Treasure Tree King, and the Wisdom Treasure Tree King led their followers to the foot of Wudang Mountain.

Looking at the group of Wudang disciples in front of him, the Wisdom Tree King was not surprised. Their whereabouts were not a secret at all, and it was normal for Wudang to be prepared for this.

"Everyone, my sect leader is waiting on the mountain. Please follow me up the mountain." Cheng Xu bowed and gestured. Chang Sheng and Zhen E glanced at Zhi Hui, who nodded. Then, led by Cheng Xu, they led the followers up the mountain. Although the scenery along the way was beautiful, the three had no time to appreciate it. Their only goal was to retrieve the Sacred Flame Token.

The Persian Ming Cult sent the three envoys, Wind, Cloud, and Moon, to the Central Plains to obtain the "Great Shift of Heaven and Earth" mental technique. Now, not only did they fail to obtain the technique, but the three envoys also died, and even the sect's most treasured artifact was lost. It can be said that they lost both their wife and their army.

After the other party investigated and examined the already decomposed corpse, they discovered that the cause of death was a burst of intense internal energy. In the current martial arts world, only the Nine Yang Divine Skill possessed this skill. After further investigation, the Persian Ming Cult listed Wudang as a suspect, which led to today's scene.

After Chang Sheng and the other two entered the Zixiao Palace, they saw a young Taoist sitting on a wooden chair. Cheng Xu quickly walked a few steps to Gu Xu's side and said, "Sect Leader, these are the Chang Sheng Treasure Tree King, the Zhen E Treasure Tree King, and the Zhi Hui Treasure Tree King of the Persian Ming Cult. This is our sect leader, Taoist Master Gu Xu." He introduced them to Gu Xu as he spoke.

"Gentlemen, you have come from afar, please sit down and talk," a clear voice reached the ears of Chang Sheng and the other two. The Wisdom Tree King did not think much of it, but Chang Sheng and Zhen E were greatly shocked. The calm voice was full of profound internal strength. With just one sentence, the two men's faces turned serious.

After the three were seated, the King of Wisdom Trees took a sip of tea and said, "Sect Leader Gu Xu, I will not beat around the bush. My disciples, Miao Feng, Liu Yun, and Hui Yue, died under your sect's divine skills, and the Sacred Flame Token has also disappeared. I wonder if Sect Leader Gu Xu is aware of this?"

The King of Wisdom Tree stared intently at Gu Xu, who remained calm and said in a low voice, "Those three deserved to die. The affairs of the Central Plains are none of the business of outsiders. Your sect's three envoys killed my fellow martial artists and colluded with the Tartars, committing numerous evil deeds. Does your sect simply turn a blind eye to this?"

King Zhen'e Baoshu was the most short-tempered. Upon hearing Gu Xu's words, he immediately stood up angrily and said, "Even if the three envoys have committed evil deeds, I will deal with them myself. What is the reason for you to interfere?"

"Your Excellency is mistaken. Since the three have already stepped into the Central Plains, their actions are related to the Central Plains. We have the right to deal with them. Please do not say such things." "Alright, let's put the matter of the three envoys aside for now. I wonder if Sect Leader Gu Xu could hand over our sect's Sacred Flame Token? Our sect's most precious treasure cannot be lost." The King of Wisdom Tree was already certain that the three envoys had died at Gu Xu's hands, and the Sacred Flame Token must have fallen into his hands.

"To be honest, the Sacred Flame Token was indeed in my possession before. However, I once showed it to Leader Yin of the Sky Eagle Sect. Leader Yin was very excited at the time, saying that it belonged to the Ming Cult and had been lost for some reason. He even produced the Ming Cult's records, which confirmed that such a thing had indeed happened. So I handed the token over to Leader Yin and asked him to return it. It should now be in the hands of the Ming Cult."

Gu Xu had already prepared an excuse. Now that the Ming Cult had disbanded, it was obvious who had ended up with this item. If they had the ability, they should go to the palace and find Zhu Yuanzhang.

King Wisdom Tree was very dissatisfied with these words, but Gu Xu's words were watertight and left no room for doubt. Now that Yin Tianzheng was dead, there was no way to verify the story.

Seeing this, Changsheng Baoshu Wang, who had been silent all along, said, "Sect Leader Gu Xu is just toying with us. It is an indisputable fact that the three envoys died at your hands. Since you have no sincerity, then we can only ask you for some pointers."

"King of the Everlasting Treasure Tree, watch your words. Wudang is not a place for you to run wild," Cheng Xu said angrily, looking as if he were about to draw his sword.

“Chengxu, step back. I think you all haven’t realized the reality. This is the territory of the Ming Dynasty, not Persia. Besides, I have already made it very clear. If the three of you don’t believe me, then there’s nothing I can do. Since you want to learn from me, then let’s see what you’re capable of,” Gu Xu said calmly.

Seeing that the two sides were on the verge of war, the King of Wisdom Tree was also eager to try his luck.

"Master Gu Xu, please enlighten me," Chang Sheng Bao Shu Wang immediately stepped out, followed closely by Zhen E Zhi Hui. When Gu Xu came out, Chang Sheng was already standing in the field, and many Wudang disciples around him watched with great interest.

Seeing Gu Xu stroll over with an air of ease, the King of Everlasting Treasure Trees immediately clenched his fist and struck. Gu Xu straightened up and clenched his fist tightly with one hand. As he exerted more force, the King of Everlasting Treasure Trees' face began to turn red. The King of Suppressing Evil Treasure Trees, standing to the side, sensed something was wrong and immediately swept his leg out. Gu Xu leaped up, using Everlasting as a pillar, and with a soft shout, the bricks and stones on the ground sank half a foot.

As he landed, he struck Chang Sheng with a palm, sending him flying. The King of Wisdom Trees rushed to his rescue, preventing him from falling.

After knocking Chang Sheng away, Zhen E launched a fierce offensive, employing all sorts of insidious and strange moves. Gu Xu easily deflected these attacks with Tai Chi. Zhen E appeared imposing and unstoppable on the surface, but in reality, he had already fallen into a disadvantageous position. He was merely using offense as a substitute for defense.

The Bone-Penetrating Needle technique reappeared. Gu Xu's eyes sharpened. Without dodging or avoiding, he met the attack with a palm. Under the backlash of the energy, the King of the Evil-Suppressing Treasure Tree groaned and retreated. With swift fingers, he hurriedly pressed the vital acupoints all over the body.

The two great Treasure Tree Kings were defeated one after another. The Wisdom Treasure Tree King sighed, realizing that this trip to the Central Plains had been a disastrous failure.

"Sect Leader Gu Xu's skill is superb, and we are no match for him. As for the Sacred Flame Token, we will report to the sect and await the decision of the various authorities. We will take our leave now," Zhen E and Chang Sheng said in silence.

Just as the three were about to leave, a distress signal suddenly came from the back mountain of Wudang.

Gu Xu gave Cheng Xu a signal, then quickly used his lightness skill. The closer he got, the clearer the sound of weapons clashing became.

The patriarch and all the senior masters and uncles have already gone into seclusion, so they must not be disturbed at this time.

A sword formation composed of fourteen Wudang disciples was fighting against an old woman holding a cane. The sword formation had already trapped her, but the coral gold cane in her hand was so powerful that it broke the long sword.

With a snap, another longsword broke. Granny Jin Hua sneered, "The Wudang disciples are nothing special." With a sweep of her crutch, the sword formation was instantly broken.

They came to Wudang this time to take advantage of Changsheng Baoshu Wang and his group attracting Gu Xu's attention, so they secretly came up from the back mountain to steal the Dragon Slaying Saber and take care of Hu Qingniu.

Unfortunately, they were trapped by the Wudang disciples as soon as they reached the top of the mountain. Seeing that the distress signal had been sent, Granny Jin Hua showed no mercy. In no time, all fourteen Wudang disciples were injured and fell to the ground.

Just then, a burst of energy shot from mid-air toward Granny Golden Flower. She became alert and hurriedly dodged. When she looked up, she felt a chill in her heart. She didn't care about the Dragon Slayer Saber anymore and launched more than a dozen golden flower hidden weapons with her fingers before retreating.

"Those three couldn't even last a quarter of an hour. All the clues I provided were for nothing. They're useless." Granny Jin Hua knew perfectly well that she was no match for Gu Xu and had no intention of fighting him.

"Granny Jin Hua, since you're here, why rush to leave?" As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Xu flicked his sleeve, knocking away the hidden weapon, and then instantly moved to block her path.

The Wudang disciple who had fallen to the ground saw Gu Xu arrive and exclaimed with delight, "Sect Leader!"

Seeing that they were all injured, Gu Xu calmly looked at Granny Jin Hua. Under his gaze, she felt immense pressure and involuntarily tightened her grip on her cane.

The two faced off silently. A fierce glint flashed in Granny Jin Hua's eyes, and she swept her cane horizontally. At the same time, she used the Golden Flower Sword to kill. Gu Xu dodged to the side, grabbed a broken sword, and with a flash of cold light, Granny Jin Hua felt her hand lighten. Half of her cane was gone, and the sword light extending from the broken sword in Gu Xu's hand made her pale with fright.

With a flash of sword light, Granny Jin Hua immediately threw half of her crutch at Gu Xu, and then seized a Wudang disciple.

After knocking away the cane, Gu Xu said calmly to Granny Jin Hua, "Surrender and I might spare your life, but resisting will only lead to your death."

Granny Jin Hua said coldly, "Your martial arts are unparalleled, and I can't do anything to you. But don't you want the lives of the Wudang disciples? Get out of the way immediately, or else..." As she spoke, she tightened her grip, leaving a bloody mark on the disciple's neck.

"Okay, I'll step aside," Gu Xu glanced at her and made way.

Granny Jin Hua cautiously retreated. At this moment, Song Qingshu and Zhang Wuji received the news and rushed over. They happened to see this scene and pressed down their long swords.

Just as she was about to escape, Granny Jin Hua struck the hostage out with a palm strike and took the opportunity to flee towards the back of the mountain.

Gu Xu, with his hands poised to strike, casually tossed out his long sword, which silently pierced through Granny Jin Hua's thigh and fell to the ground. Song Qingshu and Zhang Wuji rushed forward and bound her.

After checking that his disciple was unharmed, Gu Xu went to Granny Jin Hua's side, flicked his finger, and sent his energy through her dantian, crippling her martial arts.

"Qingshu, Wuji, take her with you. Let's present a grand gift to the guests from Persia." Since Granny Jinhua doesn't know what's good for her, let's send her to where she belongs. Upon hearing this, Granny Jinhua's expression changed drastically.

At this moment, Chang Sheng and his two companions were unable to leave the square, while a large group of Wudang disciples drew their swords and confronted each other.

"Disciples, step back!" The tense situation immediately dissipated, and the King of Wisdom Trees saw Gu Xu and his two companions approaching with an old woman.

"King of the Tree of Wisdom, this is a great gift I give to your esteemed sect." She reached out and tore off Granny Golden Flower's human skin mask, revealing a bright and beautiful face that was nowhere to be seen from her previous withered appearance.

The three of them, Dai Qisi, exclaimed in unison.

The Purple-Robed Dragon King and the Golden Flower Granny are merely aliases of Dai Qisi. She was originally a holy maiden of the Persian Ming Cult, but later betrayed the cult and disappeared. Unexpectedly, she encountered them here, which can be described as losing one thing and gaining another.

"Sect Leader Gu Xu, this person is a traitor to our sect. Thank you," said the King of Wisdom Tree sincerely.

“Since you are traitors to your sect, then please take them away. Cheng Xu, please see them off for me.” After saying this, Gu Xu left with Song Qingshu and Zhang Wuji.

The three kings of the Wisdom Tree took Dai Qisi down the mountain and then sailed away.

(End of this chapter)