A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 5 Soul Song
As soon as the portly old man entered the living room, everyone stood up, clasped their hands in greeting, and the old man returned the greeting. After everyone was seated, Master Liu said with emotion, "You heroes have come from afar for my sake, and have gone to great lengths. I am ashamed."

No sooner had these words been spoken than a gruff voice rang out, “What are you saying, Master Liu? Your affairs are our affairs. Everyone here has received your kindness in some way. If we don’t help you when you are in trouble, wouldn’t we be ungrateful? What hardship is there to speak of? Besides, the villain Guan Xiu has done all sorts of evil deeds. We have long been determined to eliminate him. Now that we have gathered together, are we afraid of his little demon flute?”

Gu Xu looked over and saw that it was the dark-skinned giant. He never expected that such a rugged man could say such polite words. It really shows that you can't judge a book by its cover.

“What Master Wang said is true. Now that we have Senior Hengyan, the outstanding disciple of Diancang, and the Three Swords of Qingcheng here, we are more than enough to fight that villain Guan Xiu. With us in tow, we are destined to make him never return. Master Liu, please put your mind at ease.”

The speaker was Nie Bin, a renowned martial arts expert in the area, whose Cloud-Turning Palm technique was incredibly skillful. Upon hearing this, Master Liu glanced at Wang Yi and the other two, as well as the three middle-aged men with swords sitting in the southeast direction. He relaxed slightly, and then noticed Gu Xu's presence.

Although Master Liu himself did not know any martial arts, he had a discerning eye. Seeing Gu Xu silently drinking tea, remaining calm and composed, he narrowed his eyes slightly and suppressed his thoughts.

"Thank you all for your help. I thank you again. Guan Xiu said he would come in three days, but I can't guarantee that he won't be treacherous and untrustworthy and will show up early. I can only ask you all to work hard for these three days. After the matter is done, I will not only give each of you five hundred taels of silver, but also three three-hundred-year-old ginseng roots as a reward."

As the saying goes, wealth moves people's hearts. Leaving aside the amount of silver, just the century-old ginseng alone has the effect of strengthening the body's foundation, replenishing vital energy, and nourishing the spirit. It is a treasure that martial arts practitioners dream of. The three swordsmen of Qingcheng, the three dark-skinned men, and Nie Bin all had their eyes shining with a sharp light, looking determined to get it.

Gu Xu was slightly moved upon hearing this. There were only a handful of ginseng trees in Wudang Mountain that were a hundred years old, let alone a three-hundred-year-old one. It was a priceless treasure. This Master Liu was truly generous.

"We must obtain one of these three ginseng roots. In this way, we can combine it with the other collected medicinal herbs to refine the 'Rejuvenation Pill'."

Looking at the crowd below, who were discussing animatedly, Master Liu revealed a satisfied expression. Money is just an external thing. If it can be used to exchange for family happiness, then it is worth it. For someone like him, he gave it away without even looking at it.

As night fell, drinks were exchanged in the living room, but everyone only sipped the wine. No one knew when Guan Xiu would arrive. The Liu family was outwardly relaxed but inwardly tense, with countless people lurking in the shadows.

As everyone chatted and laughed, dawn broke before they knew it. Guan Xiu still hadn't appeared, so they didn't dare to be careless. They decided to take turns on duty and immediately raise the alarm if anything happened.

The next two days were uneventful, but everyone knew that the hidden currents were beginning to stir up big waves.

These past two days, Gu Xu has been meditating and practicing his breathing exercises in a methodical manner, striving to keep himself in the best possible condition to deal with any attacking enemies.

Two days later, the day that Guan Xiu had agreed upon with Master Liu arrived. As time passed, lanterns were lit all over the Liu residence, and everyone's expressions were no longer as relaxed and carefree as they had been two days ago.

Although the crowd didn't take Guan Xiu seriously, his reputation preceded him. His past achievements made them extremely cautious. Losing face was a minor matter; the real fear was losing their lives in a muddle.

Old Qi was still exhaling clouds of smoke, but if you looked closely, you could see that the smoke was getting thicker and thicker. The dark-skinned man stood his large axe in front of him, staring wide-eyed at the door. The young man with the sword silently wiped the blade with a white cloth. The three swordsmen of Qingcheng sat on the ground in a circle. Nie Bin and the steward were both resting with their eyes closed. The others were also in various poses, staring intently at each other.

Not wanting to reveal himself prematurely, Gu Xu casually found a corner and sat down with his sword in hand.

As the hour of Hai (9-11 PM) was drawing to a close and everyone was feeling a bit tired, a strange flute melody came from outside. Old Man Qi was the first to notice it and exclaimed, "They're here!" This alerted everyone, who grabbed their weapons, channeled their inner energy, and prepared to kill the enemy.

As the melody grew increasingly eerie and soaring, some of those with less skill collapsed to the ground. After a short while, only Gu Xu and a few others remained conscious. With the requiem finished, Gu Xu thought to himself, "The main culprit should show up soon." Old Qi frowned and said, "What a powerful piece of music! Everyone be careful." As soon as he finished speaking, a red figure silently appeared on the opposite rooftop. In the lamplight and moonlight, Gu Xu could clearly see that the person was handsome, but his eyes gleamed with an evil light, ruining the overall aesthetic and making one feel very uncomfortable.

Holding the iron flute, Guan Xiu looked at the crowd. Gu Xu and the others were nothing but trifles in his eyes. The only ones who posed a threat to him were Old Man Qi and the steward. He then sneered, "Liu Antai really has quite the entourage. He even invited Qi Yan Gui, but it's still useless. The people I, Guan Xiu, want to take away cannot be stopped by these good-for-nothings."

The burly, dark-skinned man had long disliked Guan Xiu, and when he heard Guan Xiu mocking him again, he could no longer hold back. Without saying a word, he raised his great axe, leaped through the air with a light touch of his toes, and unleashed a powerful "Splitting Mount Hua" move, determined to cleave Guan Xiu in two.

In contrast, Guan Xiu remained calm and composed, his figure flashing as he easily deflected the attack. He brandished his iron flute and simultaneously struck the man's back with his left palm.

A shrill sound rang in the ears of the dark-skinned giant, causing him to lose his composure slightly. Old Man Qi cried out in alarm, gathering his inner strength. A thick plume of smoke billowed from his pipe, heading straight for Guan Xiu. Meanwhile, the sword-wielding youth Zhao Zhen thrust his sword straight at Guan Xiu's back, his swordplay fluid and unrestrained, employing the "Seeking Straightness in Curves" technique from the Nine Swords of Diancang.

The two men's strategy of "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao" succeeded. Guan Xiu was confident that he could kill the dark-skinned giant before the two men could attack together, but he would also be seriously injured. So he withdrew his palm, turned around, avoided the thick smoke, and swept his iron flute to block Zhao Zhen's sword move.

The four men fought briefly and appeared unharmed, but the fight was extremely dangerous; a single misstep could have resulted in them dying on the spot.

With the help of the two men, the dark-skinned man was finally unharmed. The group exchanged glances, and the dark-skinned man, Wang Yi, took the lead, using wide and powerful moves to force Guan Xiu to fight him head-on. Old Man Qi, Zhao Zhen, Nie Bin, and the steward coordinated with his offensive, constantly blocking the battle. The Three Swords of Qingcheng and Gu Xu were on high alert to prevent Guan Xiu from escaping.

After a brief struggle, Guan Xiu once again evaded the encirclement. Impatient, a cunning glint flashed in her eyes, and she began to play the "Soul Cleansing Music" on her flute. Beneath the soothing melody lay a deadly intent. Wang Yi, who had already exhausted much of his inner strength and was mentally and physically drained, was the first to be affected. The demonic sound pierced his ears, and his eyes instantly turned bloodshot.

With red eyes, Wang Yi seemed to have lost his mind and become Guan Xiu's puppet. As he continued to play the flute, Wang Yi actually wielded a large axe and slashed at Old Man Qi and Zhao Zhen.

Caught off guard, Old Man Qi and Zhao Zhen were slashed on the arms, bleeding profusely and temporarily losing their fighting ability. Wang Yi continued his attacks, his axe spinning, and with a move called "Sweeping Through a Thousand Armies," he caused Nie Bin and the steward, who were completely unprepared, to fall to the ground with double injuries. Just as Wang Yi was about to strike the two of them again, the Three Swords of Qingcheng rushed over to block Wang Yi, while Gu Xu took the opportunity to attack Guan Xiu.

In the blink of an eye, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse. The five-man siege was broken, and Guan Xiu gained the upper hand in the battle.

Gu Xu understood that the key to this battle lay in Guan Xiu's strange melody; once he subdued this man, the attack would naturally dissipate. So he struck without mercy, unleashing a "Thirteen Swords of the Divine Gate" that pierced Guan Xiu's wrist with lightning speed, forcing him to drop the iron flute in his hand.

As the saying goes, skill is revealed in a single move. Guan Xiu hadn't taken Gu Xu seriously at first, but seeing the fierceness of his swordplay and the overwhelming momentum that surged forth, surpassing even Zhao Zhen and the Three Swords of Qingcheng, it was like a firefly compared to the bright moon.

"How could there be such a master? That old bastard Liu Antai actually had a trick up his sleeve. Damn it!" Guan Xiu pondered a plan. He dared not let Gu Xu's sharp sword succeed, so he could only use his lightness skill to maneuver. As long as Wang Yi dealt with the three swords of Qingcheng, and the two of them joined forces, then they would be almost certain to win.

Seeing that Guan Xiu dared not confront him directly, Gu Xu understood immediately and smiled faintly, "Your attempt to delay is a foolish move."

Before Guan Xiu could understand the meaning of those words, Gu Xu unleashed the "Ladder to the Clouds" technique, changing the sword's stance to the "Soft Sword that Wraps Around the Finger." The sword's body twisted and turned as it pleased, sometimes up, sometimes down, sometimes east, sometimes west, making it impossible to see where the sword was pointing. Guan Xiu was terrified and retreated repeatedly until he had nowhere to avoid it and was about to be forced into a corner.

(End of this chapter)