A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 37 Five Years
Time flies, and five years have passed since the reform of Gu Xu. During this period, Wudang's strength has been growing steadily, with nearly three hundred more disciples, many of whom are highly talented and have been carefully selected and trained.

In addition, Wudang's wealth was so great that it was no exaggeration to say that it made a fortune every day. Some rare items flowed from Hubei to the surrounding areas and then to the whole country, causing a series of trends. The imperial court seemed to tacitly approve of Wudang's actions.

"Sect Leader, news came the other day that several strangers appeared at the foot of the mountain, and their whereabouts were secretive. They didn't seem to be martial artists," Cheng Xu reported to Gu Xu, sharing some important information he had received recently.

"As long as they don't cause trouble, we don't need to bother with them. They should be people from the imperial court. It's no wonder the emperor doesn't trust Wudang. Just look at Wudang's development in the past few years; it's truly alarming." Gu Xu didn't regret being so high-profile. Since Wudang had already caught the emperor's eye, they should openly display their strength. The more low-key they were, the more likely they were to arouse his suspicion.

"Now Shaolin is almost half closed. Among the six sects, besides us, only Emei is still active in the martial arts world. Most of the Emei sect members are women, so the emperor is not worried about any problems. It's just that our Wudang sect is too conspicuous."

Cheng Xu admired the sect leader immensely. In just five years, he had brought about tremendous changes to Wudang. Now, Wudang disciples are highly regarded when they travel, all because of the existence of the Zhengqing Academy.

A year after the Zhengqing Academy was established, several disciples violated the rules of the academy. Acting impulsively, they used their martial arts skills to fight each other in the streets, causing injuries to civilians. These disciples thought that the matter had been covered up and no one knew about it. However, when people from the Zhengqing Academy came, they realized that disaster was imminent. They were stripped of their martial arts skills, expelled from Wudang, and their names were posted on the discipline wall for public display.

As such, in recent years, the vast Wudang sect has maintained a relatively upright reputation, with few people taking advantage of its prestige to cause trouble outside.

"Junior brother, have Qing Shu and Wu Ji arrived at Changbai Mountain by now?"

Although Wudang has always avoided friction with other martial arts sects, there are always some unknown sects and some rogues who are ungrateful and insist on confronting Wudang head-on. The most talked-about event recently was that Tianxiang Valley in Changbai Mountain intercepted a batch of medicinal herbs that were being transported to Wudang and killed several Wudang disciples.

The matter was originally carried out quietly, but for some reason, it quickly spread throughout the martial arts world. As soon as this news came out, the entire martial arts world became lively. Since the destruction of the Yuan Dynasty, the martial arts world had been quiet and devoid of any vitality. Now, such explosive news suddenly emerged, which was truly shocking.

In recent years, under the leadership of Gu Xu, Wudang has grown rapidly in strength, even overshadowing the Shaolin School. It is nominally the leader of the martial arts world, and the other schools have tacitly accepted this. So what is Tianxiang Valley thinking, daring to provoke such a behemoth?

Some people are watching to see how Wudang will handle the matter; some are sneering, laughing at Tianxiang Valley for overestimating its own strength; and some are indifferent, thinking it has nothing to do with them and will simply be spectators.

Upon receiving the news, Gu Xu immediately ordered Song Qingshu and Zhang Wuji to lead their disciples to Tianxiang Valley to demand an explanation, and granted them permission to act as they saw fit.

"The message sent by carrier pigeon says they have entered Changbai Mountain. I reckon they should be in contact with Tianxiang Valley by now. Senior brother, this matter is actually a bit strange." Cheng Xu glanced at Gu Xu cautiously. The latter said calmly, "No matter what the reason, as long as it is proven that Tianxiang Valley killed my disciple, there is nothing to discuss. Even if it is a conspiracy, I will take the blame. If Wudang is dragged into this situation, it will have to pay the price."

Gu Xu's primary suspicions were the imperial court and, secondly, Shaolin. The former had always wanted to bring Wudang into their camp, making it an ally to stabilize the martial arts world. Once Wudang was labeled as part of the imperial court, the attitudes of other factions towards Wudang would be quite intriguing. As for Shaolin, if it was the mastermind behind it all, there was only one reason: they were unwilling to lose their position but were powerless against him, so they could only try to undermine Wudang through these means. If it succeeded, great; if not, they would suffer no loss to themselves.

Seeing Gu Xu's worried expression, Cheng Xu comforted him, "Sect Leader, don't worry. Qing Shu and Wu Ji are considered top-notch martial artists, and those thirty-odd disciples are also quite skilled. Plus, there are Grand Master Uncle and Fifth Uncle protecting them in secret, so there won't be any problems. Sect Leader, you can relax."

Previously, Gu Xu intended to train the two, but Cheng Xu suggested that they also be secretly protected. Qing Shu and Wu Ji could not afford any mishaps. However, the secret protectors should not show themselves when there is no crisis. In this way, they can both train the two and prevent accidents from happening.

Therefore, Gu Xu specifically discussed it with his eldest grandmaster and fifth grandmaster, asking them to make the trip.

Changbai Mountain Tianxiang Valley
Nie Yi put down the letter in his hand with a livid face and glared at the young man beside him.

With a slap, a hand was placed on the table, snapping the absent-minded young man out of his reverie.

"Now look what's happened! Wudang has come knocking on our door. Why did you insist on getting entangled with the Western Regions Shaolin? Not only did you steal Wudang's things, but you also killed people. You're pushing Tianxiang Valley to its doom!" Looking at this wretched child, Nie Yi gritted his teeth. If he didn't only have this one son, he would have handed him over to Wudang to deal with long ago.

"Father, those people clearly said they were just teaching the Wudang Sect a lesson. I never expected them to kill people. Father, what should we do now? I don't want to die!" Nie Lei knelt beside Nie Yi and wailed.

Nie Yi sighed, "If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have done it in the first place. It was because I spoiled you too much that you grew up with this kind of personality. What about those people from the Shaolin Temple in the Western Regions?"

For the sake of his son, Nie Yi had to make plans as soon as possible. Now that Wudang was in a bad mood, this matter could not be resolved peacefully, and Tianxiang Valley could only go down a dark path.

Nie Lei stopped crying and whispered, "They've been in the valley all along." Upon hearing this, Nie Yi's expression darkened even more. These Shaolin monks from the Western Regions were truly shameless. They killed the Wudang people and still dared to live in his valley. Wasn't this just handing Wudang a handle for nothing? Now he was completely on these monks' pirate ship.

"Go and call the person in charge here. Tell them I have something important to discuss with you. Hurry up and go!" Nie Yi shouted angrily, and Nie Lei hurriedly retreated.

Nie Yiyue and the others felt increasingly uneasy. The foundation built by their ancestors through hard work might very well be ruined in their hands. They wept with sorrow, wondering what sins they had committed.

"Amitabha, Benefactor Nie is so despondent, it seems he is doomed to die," a deep voice reached Nie Yi's ears, startling him awake.

Looking up, he saw an old monk in a kasaya, holding prayer beads, smiling at him.

Unable to fathom the other's true strength, Nie Yi stood up, clasped his hands in a respectful bow, and asked, "May I ask your Dharma name, Master?"

"This humble monk, Kongyi, greets Valley Master Nie."

After inviting him to sit down, Nie Yi coldly questioned, "Master, you went to great lengths to have my son kill the Wudang disciples. What exactly is your intention? Is it for the public good or for personal gain?"

Nie Yi didn't believe the old monk would do something that would lose money; he was sure the monk had a backup plan.

"Since Valley Master Nie is so straightforward, I won't beat around the bush either. This matter is not only the Western Region Shaolin involved, but even Shaoshi Mountain got involved. Otherwise, how could I have the audacity to provoke Wudang?"

Before Kong Yi arrived, he had already gotten information about Nie Yi from Nie Lei. Now that they were on the same side, he was open and honest with him.

"Master, aren't you from the Shaolin Temple in the Western Regions? I've heard that your two sects haven't had any contact for a long time. This time, Shaoshi Mountain persuaded your sect to lend its strength. I wonder what price you paid."

"Amitabha," Kongyi chanted a Buddhist prayer, then fell silent. Nie Yi sneered inwardly; this monk was still putting on an act, which was truly disgusting.

“Master Nie, the people from Wudang this time are Song Qingshu and Zhang Wuji. These two are highly valued by the Wudang Sect Leader. Now you have no way out. You should think about how to deal with them,” Kong Yi said calmly, twirling his prayer beads.

"Master, do you have a solution?" Nie Yi wanted to see what this old monk could do; the people of Wudang were not so easy to deal with.

"Actually, it's not difficult. We just need to keep all the people sent by Wudang in the valley, and we won't have to worry about the rest."

"Master, you're really skilled. You're afraid I'm not dark enough, so you're going to keep adding color to me." Nie Yi's eyes sharpened. This old monk had a good plan. If there was still a glimmer of hope before, after doing this, it would truly be a fight to the death. At that time, the Tianxiang Valley lineage would be doomed.

"Valley Master Nie, please calm down. As long as your sect promises to agree to this matter, your safety will be guaranteed. Moreover, after the matter is accomplished, we will take you under our wing. Would that be alright?"

Kong Yi has now found Nie Yi's weakness and is pressuring him with words at every turn, leaving him no choice but to agree.

Nie Yi's face grew increasingly grim. Looking at the smiling Kong Yi, he felt a surge of anger with nowhere to vent it. If it weren't for the evil deeds committed by these monks, things wouldn't have developed to this point. Oh well.

“Since the master has said so, I can only agree. However, Song and Zhang are skilled in martial arts. Do you have the ability to defeat them?” Kong Yi smiled slyly upon hearing this, “Fighting with martial arts is a low-level tactic. If you can achieve your goal with a plan, why resort to violence?”

"Oh, I'd like to hear more."

"Valley Master Nie can hold a banquet in Tianxiang Valley, adopting an apologetic posture. Once they arrive in the valley, immediately seal off the exit. As long as you put drugs in their food, you can capture them alive and do whatever you want with them."

After listening to Kong Yi's plan, Nie Yi nodded. The plan was simple, but as long as it worked, that was fine. He might as well let that bastard suffer some physical pain.

"Let's do as the master says, and the master will also attend."

"Since the Valley Master has extended such a warm invitation, this old monk will certainly come." Kong Yi understood that Nie Yi was not letting him stay out of it. In any case, he had never thought of getting away unscathed. After completing the task that person had given him, he could go and meet the Buddha.

After Kong Yi left, Nie Yi wrote a letter and sent it to Song Qingshu. Then he gave Nie Lei a severe beating, leaving the latter with torn skin and screaming in agony.

After opening the letter and reading it, Song Qingshu sneered and said, "This Nie Yi is really incorrigible. Does he think I'm a three-year-old? Saying that everything is a misunderstanding. Junior brother, look at what this Valley Master Nie has to say." Song Qingshu handed the letter to Zhang Wuji.

After carefully reading through the document, Zhang Wuji said angrily, "Senior brother, Nie Yi's offer to host a banquet to apologize sounds nice, but it's clearly a scheme to deceive us. Little does he know that we have already investigated this matter thoroughly before we arrived."

Although Wudang's intelligence network outside Hubei is relatively weak, the past few days have seen the integration of information from various parties, and the details of the matter are already clear. The involvement of the Western Region Shaolin Temple is somewhat unexpected, but in Wudang's view, this can be considered a direct move by the Shaolin Temple.

“Since he wants to invite us, let’s go openly and honestly. This man is not a problem. The only troublesome ones are the Shaolin sect in the Western Regions. Wuji, give the order to have our junior brothers bring the antidote pills prepared by Mr. Hu. This banquet is not a pleasant one.” Zhang Wuji responded and went to carry out the order.

The following evening, outside Tianxiang Valley, Nie Yi led a group of people to welcome the Wudang people. Nie Lei was tied up and thrown on the ground, his flesh and blood mangled, and he dared not shout loudly.

When Song Qingshu and his group arrived outside the valley, they saw Nie Yi in the distance. Song Qingshu turned to Zhang Wuji and said, "Wuji, this Valley Master Nie is putting on quite a show. I wonder if he can protect Tianxiang Valley."

Song Qingshu's initial plan was to destroy Tianxiang Valley, but after consideration, he gradually gave up on the idea. After all, not everyone in the valley was evil, and he also needed to find out who was behind them. Acting rashly was not a good habit.

"Young Master Song, Young Master Zhang, you must be tired from your journey. I have prepared a feast for you both. Please do me the honor," Nie Yi said with a smile. Zhang Wuji felt disgusted by Nie Yi's two-faced manner. Such hypocritical people were the most annoying.

"Valley Master Nie, you're too kind. If that's the case, then I'll gladly accept your offer. Oh, who is this brother? How did you get so badly injured?"

Song Qingshu glanced at Nie Lei lying on the ground and asked, feigning confusion.

“Alas, this is my good-for-nothing son, Nie Lei. He made a terrible mistake before. As the saying goes, if a son is not taught, it is the father’s fault. I can only do this. It has made you two young heroes laugh at me.” Nie Yi glanced at Song Qingshu, his smile gone, replaced by indifference.

"So he's Nie Lei, the one who killed Wu Shidi and the other two. He's really skilled."

Hearing Song Qingshu's cold words, Nie Yi felt a chill and broke out in a cold sweat.

"Amitabha, Young Hero Song, Valley Master Nie's actions were also a matter of putting righteousness before family. If it weren't for the fact that he was an only son, Valley Master Nie would probably have already gone to Wudang and handed this son over to Sect Leader Gu Xu."

"Who is this master?" Kong Yi was deliberately ignored by Song Qingshu in the crowd. If it weren't for these words, Song Qingshu would have been too lazy to pay attention to him.

"This is Master Kongyi from Moyun Temple in the Western Regions. He recently passed through this area."

Song Qingshu nodded. "So it's a master from Moyun Temple."

Kong Yi was not annoyed by his attitude and remained amiable.

"Master Nie, when will the banquet begin? I'm starving!" Zhang Wuji shouted from the side.

“It was my fault, Nie. The banquet in the valley has already been prepared. Young heroes, please,” Nie Yi gestured and led the group into the valley. As for Nie Lei, who was lying on the ground, he was lifted up and carried into the valley.

Nie Yi led everyone to the flower hall, where tables and chairs had been neatly arranged. After everyone was seated, Nie Yi raised a cup of wine and said apologetically to Song Qingshu, "My son has caused a great disaster. Originally, he should have been handed over to your sect for punishment. However, I only have this one son, and it is really hard for me to part with him. Therefore, I am willing to offer five thousand taels of gold and thirty boxes of precious medicinal herbs as an apology. I wonder what Young Hero Song thinks?"

If this matter could be resolved, Nie Yi wouldn't care about money; once a person dies, everything is gone.

Upon hearing this, Song Qingshu said, "If Valley Master Nie says such things, does he mean that the people of Wudang are people who can be bought and sold at will? Let alone a thousand taels of gold, even if there were more, it would not be worth the lives of Junior Brother Wu and his two companions. It is better not to say such things, lest you lose face."

Upon hearing Song Qingshu's words, Nie Yi's expression changed, and he sneered, "It seems there is no turning back on this matter. Then don't blame me for being impolite."

The Wudang disciples drew their swords and glared angrily at Nie Yi.

"Master Kongyi, what are you going to do now?" Song Qingshu asked, looking directly at Kongyi. The latter remained calm and slowly stood up, saying, "Everyone from Wudang should sit down properly, otherwise the poison will take effect as soon as you circulate your internal energy."

Song Qingshu and Zhang Wuji's expressions changed. They silently circulated their inner energy and felt a slight obstruction in their breathing. When they exerted force, it was clearly a sign of poisoning. However, they hadn't touched the food on the table, so how could they be poisoned?

"It's good that you all act cautiously, but being so focused on the food on the table has caused you to subconsciously overlook the candles for lighting."

Song Qingshu glanced at the burning candle and then thought of the signs of poisoning. He suddenly remembered a poison that Hu Qingniu had mentioned before, called "Su Meng". This substance evaporates when heated and will cause weakness after being inhaled. However, this substance is rarely seen in the Central Plains.

"Heh, Valley Master Nie is quite capable, even managing to obtain 'Su Meng'. I wonder if it was the work of Master Kongyi?" Song Qingshu secretly took out a wax pill from his sleeve.

"Young Master Song has good insight, but what good is knowing? You are all powerless to do anything now." Nie Yi was somewhat surprised when he heard Song Qingshu reveal the origin of the poison, but he quickly calmed down. Without an antidote, it would all be in vain.

After a while, Nie Yi watched as the Wudang disciples collapsed one after another, with only Song Qingshu and Zhang Wuji, who had deeper skills, still barely holding on.

"Valley Master Nie, send men to capture Song Qingshu and Zhang Wuji, lest things get complicated," Kong Yi said, worried that something might happen as Song and Zhang remained standing.

Nie Yi waved his hand, and several skilled fighters immediately rushed forward with their weapons, intending to injure Song and Zhang.

Song Qingshu and Zhang Wuji had already taken the "Restoration Pill". The medicinal power dissipated the poison. The two looked at each other, one rushed towards Nie Yi and the other rushed towards Kong Yi. At the same time, a large number of hidden weapons were scattered all around, and a group of people fell down with a clatter. Only four people were left standing on the field.

The sight of these two caused Nie Yikong's expression to change drastically; judging from their appearance, they were clearly not poisoned.

(End of this chapter)