A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 4 Guan Xiu
After traveling west from Wudang Mountain for most of the day, Gu Xu rode his horse to a small town called "Dangyang". Seeing that it was getting late and that both he and his horse needed to rest, he led his horse toward an inn with few customers.

The waiter, seeing the man's dashing appearance, his weapon, and the magnificent horse he was leading, hurriedly went out to greet him warmly. Gu Xu gave him two taels of silver, asking him to prepare a guest room and some food. He also gave him half a tael of silver, instructing him to take good care of his horse.

The waiter took the silver, beaming with delight. "Don't worry, sir, I'll make sure your mount is well taken care of," he said, as he invited Gu Xu inside.

After the accountant recorded the transaction, the waiter carefully led Gu Xu upstairs and pushed open a room door. "Sir, this is the inn's first-class room. Please see if you are satisfied." Although the room was not large, it was well-equipped and had a faint fragrance, presumably used to purify the air and remove moisture. Gu Xu nodded and said, "Not bad, this is the room."

"Please rest, sir. Your dishes will be served shortly. I'll go and take the horse to the stables right away," the waiter said. Seeing that Gu Xu had no further instructions, he quietly left the room and closed the door behind him.

Although Gu Xu had traveled for most of the day, he was still in good spirits. After putting down his bundle, he didn't intend to meditate or practice breathing exercises; instead, he sat on the bed and meditated. A moment later, a knock on the door interrupted him. "Sir, your meal is ready."

"Come in," Gu Xu said as he got out of bed. The waiter carefully pushed the door open and placed several dishes and a bowl of rice on the table. "Please enjoy your meal, sir," he said, not daring to disturb Gu Xu's meal, and tactfully left.

After eating, Gu Xu sat cross-legged on the bed, silently meditating and circulating his pure Yang energy throughout his body. His robes billowed as he circulated the energy. Half an hour later, Gu Xu finally sank his energy into his dantian, and his eyes opened to reveal a pair of incredibly bright eyes.

"The Pure Yang Limitless Skill has finally been mastered. Such martial arts skills can be considered top-notch, no less than that of the Grandmaster Uncle."

Master Uncle Song Yuanqiao is a master of the sect level, famous for many years, but he has also cultivated for more than forty years. For me to reach such a level in just over ten years, I can be considered a genius among one in ten thousand.

After washing up, Gu Xu fell asleep peacefully, and the night passed without incident.

The next morning, after Gu Xu finished washing up, he was having breakfast downstairs when he saw three people enter: an old man with a long face and a pipe in his hand, a dark-skinned, burly man carrying a large axe, and a young man with a sword.

The three sat together, and the old man lit his pipe and began to puff out smoke.
"Yesterday, the Liu family still suffered the wickedness of the villain Guan Xiu. Although the youngest daughter of the Liu family was not kidnapped, the group of guards that the family had carefully recruited suffered heavy losses. Even Yue Yilou, the 'Divine Spear of Hexi,' was seriously injured and is now on his last breath. I heard that Guan Xiu sent another wedding invitation to the Liu family, saying that he will come to the Liu family to pick up the bride in three days." After saying this, he sighed repeatedly.

Master Liu was a renowned philanthropist in Dangyang City. He built bridges and roads, distributed porridge during famine, and helped the young and the elderly. His good deeds were countless, and even martial arts practitioners admired him greatly. However, this philanthropist was caught in a disaster because his beautiful youngest daughter was coveted by "Magic Flute" Guan Xiu.

Guan Xiu, from who knows where, learned a strange skill called "Soul Cleansing Scripture," which captivated people and ruined countless young women. Although he attracted the pursuit of many martial arts heroes, he always managed to escape danger thanks to his amazing lightness skill. Instead, many people fell for his trick and died at his hands without knowing why.

As soon as the old man finished speaking, the dark-skinned man was furious and shouted, "This villain is too much! How dare he do this? If he hadn't come, it would have been fine, but if he has, I, Wang, will definitely chop off his head with my axe. Master Liu saved the three of us back then, and he must capture that villain Guan Xiu this time. Otherwise, how can we stand in the martial arts world?"

“That’s right, Brother Wang is right. Such villains should be killed. Count me in. Old Qi, what do you say?” The young man with the sword stared intently at the old man, waiting for his opinion. After taking a few puffs of his cigarette, the old man slowly said, “I’m not an ungrateful person, but Guan Xiu’s martial arts are strange and he can appear and disappear unpredictably. We still need to think of a foolproof plan. We’ll go to the Liu residence after dinner.”

The three then exchanged a few more words, finished their meal, and left immediately.

Although the three spoke in hushed tones, Gu Xu, who was sitting next to them, heard their conversation clearly and took the name Guan Xiu to heart.

He thought to himself that he should go to the Liu residence to see what was going on. It would have been fine if he hadn't heard about it, but now that he knew there was such a villain, he should eliminate him completely to live up to his martial arts skills. After finishing his meal, Gu Xu went upstairs to pack his luggage. The waiter busied himself serving him and personally went to the stables to fetch his horse.

Gu Xu asked him if he knew where Liu the Great Philanthropist lived. The waiter immediately replied, "Sir, go south from the inn for fifty zhang, then turn right and go for another five zhang and two zhang. You will see two large pine trees that take two people to encircle. The large house next to them is Liu the Great Philanthropist's home. However, something has happened to Liu the Great Philanthropist recently, so you should be careful, sir."

Gu Xu said "thank you" and, seeing that he was thin and his hair was dry and yellow, obviously malnourished, he took out half a tael of silver and gave it to him, then led the horse south.

Just as Gu Xu's figure was about to disappear down the street, the waiter clenched the silver in his hand and solemnly kowtowed to him.

Walking down the street, although it was bustling with people and very lively, it couldn't hide the atmosphere of decadence. Gu Xu led his horse, stopping and looking around. After half an hour, he finally arrived at the house of Liu Dashan, whom the waiter had mentioned.

Besides the two large pine trees, the most eye-catching thing is a large mansion with blue bricks and gray tiles. It is exquisite and simple yet grand and magnificent. There are two stone lions at the entrance and a plaque with the words "Liu Mansion" written on it. The characters are vigorous and powerful. All of this makes it clear that the ancestors had a distinguished background.

At this moment, the main gate was wide open, and some martial arts practitioners were walking inside, while more than a dozen servants and a steward-like person were waiting outside to greet them.

When the steward saw Gu Xu leading his horse over, and saw that he was dressed in a green robe and carried a sword, with a tall and handsome figure, he dared not be negligent. He quickly walked a few steps, clasped his hands and said, "Greetings, young hero. May I ask what brings you here?" Gu Xu saw that his temples were slightly bulging and his eyes were bright and piercing, so he must have considerable internal strength.

"My name is Xu Gutong. I heard that Master Liu has gathered men to deal with the villain Guan Xiu, and I would like to do my part as well," Gu Xu said, not wanting to reveal his identity so quickly, so he gave a pseudonym.

Upon hearing this, the steward was even more pleased and exclaimed with admiration, "Young Master Xu is so righteous!" He immediately invited him in and sent someone to inform the master. He was extremely hospitable, had one servant lead the horse, and instructed another servant to lead him to the living room to serve tea.

Gu Xu observed that the steward and servants did not act arrogantly or bully others. From this small detail, he could see that Liu Dashan was truly extraordinary.

After the servant led him to the living room, he immediately left. At this moment, six of the seven tables in the living room were already full of people. When they saw Gu Xu enter, although they saw that he was young, no one said anything to mock him. Instead, they clasped their hands in greeting or nodded.

Gu Xu clasped his hands in greeting, found an empty table and sat down, and then a maid served him tea.

Gu Xu looked around and found that the people who came were of varying skill levels. The most skilled were only on par with the steward, while the least skilled could only grasp the basics of martial arts and were considered second-rate in the martial arts world.

The ancient man, the dark-skinned giant, and the sword-wielding youth I saw today were all quite skilled. Among the people who came today, they were the strongest in martial arts besides myself.

After sipping tea for a while longer, a weary-looking, well-off old man walked in, followed by his butler. Gu Xu knew that this was the philanthropist Liu.

(End of this chapter)