A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 58: Open Dispute
Upon hearing this, Murong Zhong clasped his hands in a respectful bow, saying, "Young Master Hua, thank you very much."

"No need to be polite. It's only right to help those in need. Besides, I do have some connection with these people."

After leaving the capital, Hua Wuque inquired along the way and learned from Hongye Zhai that Jiang Biehe, who was using the alias Jiang Qin, was participating in a martial arts tournament in Huangshan. That's why he rushed over. However, by the time he arrived, the incident had already occurred, and Hua Wuque was attacked by several masked men, which led to this scene.

Hua Wuque then recounted his grudges with these people, and Murong Zhong nodded repeatedly upon hearing this.

“Young Master Hua has also suffered an undeserved misfortune. It’s getting late. If Young Master Hua has nowhere to go, why not come with me?” Hua Wuque wanted to refuse, but Murong Zhong’s next words made him change his mind.

"I am not pleased with you, Young Master Hua. I am the young master of Murong Manor. If you wish to find Jiang Biehe, I may be able to offer some assistance."

Hua Wuque hesitated. Although the Yihua Palace was renowned in the martial arts world, this matter was ultimately a training exercise, and he could not use the palace's power. Apart from the Yihua Palace, the Murong family was the most powerful. With their help, they could achieve twice the result with half the effort.

"Then I'll have to bother you," Hua Wuque said, bowing to Murong Zhong.

"Brother Hua, you're too kind," Murong Zhong chuckled, and then the two headed towards Huangshan.

Murong Manor
After Gu Xu finished his cultivation, he came to the living room. When Murong Wudi saw Gu Xu arrive, he hurriedly said, "Brother, Zhong'er and the others sent out a letter saying that something unexpected has happened at the martial arts conference..."

After hearing Murong Wudi's words, Gu Xu smiled and said, "Brother Murong, the opportunity has come."

"What opportunity?" Murong Wudi asked in confusion. The Eastern Depot had already made its move openly, and their next target was undoubtedly their own family. Although he was not afraid, it would still be a calamity for them. Where would such an opportunity come from?

“Brother Murong, according to what Zhong’er and the others said in their letter, the strength of various sects has been greatly reduced, and Tie Ruyun and Jiang Biehe have disappeared one after another. The martial arts world is leaderless. Isn’t this the time for Brother Murong to make a move?” Gu Xu said to Murong Wudi.

Murong Wudi was taken aback upon hearing this, then gave a wry smile: "Brother, I understand what you mean, but I know that I am not strong enough to shoulder such a heavy responsibility. Brother, your martial arts are superb, but I cannot rely on your power to do this. Moreover, the most important point is that Shu'er is already a member of the royal family. If the Murong family continues to control the martial arts world, that would not be a good thing."

"Brother Murong, there's no need to worry. In fact, even if you don't want to take this position, you should at least nominate someone else. If you don't fight for it, Liu Xi will just take it for free. When he integrates the court and the martial arts world, Liu Xi's power will be even more difficult to control."

Murong Wudi pondered for a moment, "What you say makes sense, but my Murong family really doesn't have anyone to recommend right now. I wonder if you have any advice?"

"Brother Murong, you might want to keep an eye on Wudang recently. Didn't Zhong'er's letter say that Master Yuanyang has gone missing? When this news gets back to Wudang, it will surely cause a huge uproar. At that time, Brother Murong, you can choose to support someone. Once he becomes the sect leader, you will naturally benefit from it."

"Wudang," Murong Wudi naturally knew that Yuan Yang Zhenren had already sided with Liu Xi and secretly suppressed many people. It could be said that Wudang was now almost entirely suppressed by his martial arts skills. Now that he had disappeared, Wudang would probably be in a very turbulent situation.

"Judging from your words, my brother, you must already have someone in mind," Murong Wudi thought. He knew that his brother never boasted, so if he came up with this plan, he must be quite confident.

"The older generation of Wudang figures are not very useful. Not only are their martial arts mediocre, but they are also stubborn and inflexible. However, among the younger generation, that Cangmu is a promising talent."

Gu Xu had long wanted to rectify the Wudang sect's reputation, and this was a good opportunity. Cang Mu's martial arts skills were now no less than those of Yuan Yang Zhenren, and he had also won over a group of his own people. With the help of the Murong family, they were more than capable of stabilizing the situation in Wudang.

“Since you already have someone in mind, then I’ll give you a hand,” Murong Wudi said readily, glancing at Gu Xu.

“Brother, you come from Wudang. It seems you are taking this opportunity to clear obstacles and pave the way for Cangmu. This time, your assistance should be purely altruistic and not based on any expectation of repayment,” Murong Wudi thought to himself. Regardless of Gu Xu’s purpose, as long as it did not harm the Murong family, he would let him do it.

"Master, sir, a letter from Hongye Studio," Fang Ren hurriedly walked in and handed the message to Murong Wudi. The latter took it, opened it, and his expression changed drastically.

"Brother, take a look," Murong Wudi handed the note to Gu Xu.

“Brother, these three children are so reckless and dare to venture into the Tower of Death. What kind of place is that? It’s a place where you’re almost guaranteed to die,” Murong Wudi said in a deep voice.

Others may not know how powerful it is, but do you think we don't? This is a prison secretly built by Liu Xi, full of traps and guarded by experts. Ordinary people would die if they went in, let alone three juniors.

“Brother Murong, Zhong’er has always been steady. Since he has decided to challenge the tower, he must be confident. However, just in case, I will go in person. But if we do that, we will completely break ties with Liu Xi.”

“Brother, I can only feel at ease if you go now. As for Liu Xi, I have tolerated him for so many years, it’s time to fight back,” Murong Wudi said fiercely. He had been tolerant of Liu Xi before because he was not strong enough. Now that Shu’er is in charge of the court and his brother is in charge, he has no need to be afraid of him.

Moreover, if the Death Tower can be destroyed this time, not only will it eliminate a major ally of Liu Xi, but it will also rescue martial arts masters. The prestige of the Murong family will naturally rise to a new level. With this shift in power, the Eastern Depot will no longer be a threat.

"Brother Murong, there's no time to lose. Let me pack up and we'll set off immediately," Gu Xu said, also somewhat worried about the safety of Murong Zhong and the other two.

After Gu Xu returned to Qiulan Courtyard, a servant handed him a bamboo tube. After examining it, Gu Xu chuckled.

"Zhong'er used the Red Leaf Token well." After a quick tidying up, Gu Xu immediately left the manor, rode his horse north, and headed towards the capital.

Wudang Mountain

Cangmu coldly watched the elders in the hall arguing endlessly. Since the disappearance of Yuanyang Zhenren, there has never been peace on Wudang Mountain, with three conflicts occurring in the past five days.

"I am the most senior, so naturally I should take on the position of sect leader," said Lingyang Daoist, whose hair and beard were completely white, staring wide-eyed at the other two.

"Senior Brother Lingyang, only the person with the highest martial arts skills can be the sect leader. You are mediocre and you can't even practice the Two Elements Sword Technique properly. What face do you have to be the sect leader?" Su Yang Daoist said with a look of disdain, and immediately attacked the other party's weak point. Since everyone had already torn off their masks these past few days, there was no need to be polite.

“Brother Su Yang is right. Brother Ling Yang, you’re practically half-buried in the ground. Instead of resting in the back mountain, you insist on getting involved. You’re old in years but young at heart,” Lin Yang Daoist said without holding back.

This Lingyang Daoist is used to bullying others in Wudang, but his martial arts skills are lacking. Relying on the influence of Yuanyang Zhenren, he has bullied the two of them a lot, suppressing them so much that they dared not utter a sound. This time, when the sect leader went missing, the two thought their opportunity had come, but unexpectedly, he jumped out halfway, which was extremely disgusting.

"You guys, cough cough," Lingyang Daoist's face turned red with anger, and the disciple next to him hurriedly patted him on the back to help him catch his breath before he calmed down.

“Senior brother, no matter what, you can forget about becoming the sect leader. In terms of martial arts and character, how can you compare to the two of us?” Su Yang Daoist looked around. The disciples gathered around him accounted for about 50%, Lin Yang’s side about 30%, Ling Yang Daoist’s side less than 10%, and as for the few people left behind.

Su Yang Daoist glanced at Cang Mu in the crowd, noticing his unhurried demeanor, and asked in a deep voice, "Nephew Cang Mu, do you have any thoughts?"

Lingyang and Linyang both turned their gazes to Cangmu. This junior disciple had always kept a low profile, but they hadn't expected him to have secretly won over quite a few people. After all, the three of them were senior figures, and the position of sect leader was not something a junior could decide.

“My three senior uncles, I wish to become the sect leader. I urge you all to step down,” Cangmu said calmly, which infuriated the three of them.

"My three senior uncles, please don't be angry. I think what Senior Uncle Su Yang said makes a lot of sense. In the end, everything still depends on strength. Since you three senior uncles all claim to be highly skilled in martial arts, then I, your humble servant, would like to ask you for a few moves. If I am fortunate enough to win, I would like to ask you three senior uncles to retire to the back mountain and not interfere in the affairs of the sect again."

It wasn't that Cangmu was arrogant; it was simply that the three men's martial arts skills were rather lackluster. Their skills were only passable in the martial arts world. Furthermore, they were obsessed with power and neglected their martial arts, while Cangmu, under Gu Xu's guidance, was making rapid progress. This difference in skill level widened the gap between the two sides.

Let alone these three, even if Yuan Yang Zhenren were here, Cang Mu would be confident that he could take him down.

"Arrogant, fine, then let me, your senior brother, teach you a lesson!" Su Yang Dao Ren, with a fiery temper, roared and drew his sword to attack, unleashing a deadly move. Ling Yang and Lin Yang, however, watched with amusement.

Looking at Su Yang's sword style, Cang Mu shook his head inwardly. This move, "Unstoppable Advance," emphasizes nine parts offense and one part defense. Although it is imposing, it must ultimately leave some room for retreat.

On the other hand, Su Yang used all his sword skills on offense, completely ignoring the defense behind him. If he encountered someone weaker than him, he would naturally be invincible. But unfortunately, his opponent was Cang Mu.

Cangmu, sword still in its sheath, turned sideways just as the blade was about to strike, and tapped the hilt of Suyang's sword with his own. Suyang's wrist went numb, and he cried out in pain as the sword fell to the ground with a clear sound.

Lingyang and Linyang had hoped to witness Cangmu being severely injured, but fate played a cruel joke on them.

"How is this possible?" the two exclaimed at the same time. Among the three, Su Yang was the best in martial arts. Even he had been defeated by Cang Mu, let alone themselves.

However, he would never agree to give up the position of sect leader so easily.

"Nephew Cangmu, be careful!" Lin Yang was the first to react, leaping up and rushing towards Cangmu with his long sword like a dragon.

Ling Yang was not to be outdone, and he also rushed forward, the two of them joining forces to fight against Cang Mu.

Su Yang was defeated by Cang Mu in one move and was in a daze. It was the sound of the two fighting that woke him up. He was both ashamed and angry. He didn't care about his status. He picked up his sword and joined the battle.

The three elders joined forces to attack Cangmu, but their momentum was suppressed by the younger generation, which made some disciples with wavering stances have second thoughts.

"Senior Brother Cangmu is young and vigorous, unlike the three elders who are all old and frail. Moreover, his martial arts skills and character have been proven. Following him, we might be able to go further," some disciples thought to themselves as they watched the three fighting in the arena.

The people Cangmu had won over were even more excited. "Senior brother is indeed amazing. As long as he can completely subdue these three elders, the position of sect leader will be his. We supporters will also rise in rank and will at least become elders in the future."

Suddenly, a muffled groan was heard from the four people fighting, and a figure was knocked away.

(End of this chapter)