Sword from Songshan

Chapter 88 New List of Thirteen Guardians
The trees are all autumn, and the hills and mountains only fall.

Lu Nanxing has seen the autumn scenery of Songshan Mountain three times. In two months, it will be his eighteenth birthday.

In ancient times, people were crowned at the age of twenty, but according to the customs of previous lives, people became adults at the age of eighteen.

"Senior brother."

A light shout interrupted Lu Nanxing's thoughts. Zhao Guangjin walked up to him and opened a bundle, which contained a pile of bottles, jars, oil paper bags and the like.

"These are what my fellow apprentices have been looking for in recent days. Please take a look and see if they are suitable for you."

"Well, thank you for your hard work, brothers."

Lu Nanxing nodded and said lightly.

"It is an honor for us to serve you, brother."

Zhao Guangjin smiled with a flattering look on his face.

Lu Nanxing stopped talking, and Zhao Guangjin had nothing else to do, so he understood and left.

After a while, Lu Nanxing reached into the bundle and picked up a palm-sized oil paper bag. After opening it layer by layer, he found only some lime-like white powder inside.

This powder may seem insignificant, but it is actually a deadly poison that kills instantly upon contact with blood!
Not only this bag of powder, but every bottle, jar, or oil paper bag in this bundle contains all kinds of highly poisonous substances!

In the battle of Hengshan City, Lu Nanxing turned the tide and saved the heroes from danger, and his fame rose instantly.

A heavy sword is indestructible, and its punches and kicks are also extremely exquisite, so it is called Songyang Heavy Sword!
A person's reputation is like a tree's shadow. In Songshan Sect, Lu Nanxing's reputation also greatly increased.

Not only the outer disciples, but even some of the weaker disciples came to join him.

Among the second generation disciples of Songshan Sect, Lu Nanxing is now second only to Zuo Feiying in terms of strength!

You must know that Zuo Feiying is not only the son of the leader, but he is already over 30 years old. He has been operating in the Songshan Sect for many years and has built up his current reputation.

And Lu Nanxing, in just two years, went from being ignored to being the most popular person today.

Since he was trying to curry favor with someone, he naturally had to show some appreciation. Lu Nanxing didn't need any token of allegiance, he just asked Zhao Guangjin to spread the word that he was studying poisons recently and lacked various poisons as sample materials.

He was not afraid of high demands, but was afraid of not being able to please Lu Nanxing. For a while, no matter whether they were disciples who had already been attached to Lu Nanxing or those who just wanted to curry favor with him, they all went to great lengths to collect various poisons and present them to Lu Nanxing.

“It is true that there is strength in numbers.”

After all the poison in the bag was consumed, the remaining seven pictures on the small wooden tripod were lit up a little bit each.

Lu Nanxing smiled and was very happy.

At this rate, he would soon be able to light up the remaining seven pictures one by one!

Every time you light up a picture, you can open up a strange meridian, and even evolve magical internal skills that can be learned.

If all the eight extraordinary meridians are opened, even if one cannot ascend to heaven, one can be reborn.

The inner strength and mental skills contained in each of the extraordinary scriptures are no less than a superior martial art. The eight methods combined are enough to equal a unique martial art!

Collecting toxins and lighting up images is of great importance.

"It was really stupid before."

While looking forward to it, Lu Nanxing was also annoyed, regretting that he had not discovered the true meaning of these eight pictures earlier.

Toads, snakes, martens, cranes, centipedes, plants, minerals, and smoke.

Lu Nanxing originally thought that the drawn picture referred to a specific species, so in the process of lighting up the snake picture, he just racked his brains to find various poisonous snakes.

It was not until he was attacked by the Five Saints Formation outside the Poison Dragon Cave of the Five Poison Sect that he suddenly realized that this was not the case.

These eight pictures do not refer to eight single things, but eight major categories!

In Journey to the West, Buddha Tathagata once said that within the universe, there are five immortals: Heaven, Earth, Man, Gods and Ghosts; and five insects: Ying, Lin, Mao, Yu and Kun.

Leaving aside the five immortals, these five insects represent all living things in the world.

Naked, hairless and scaleless creatures are called insects, such as humans, earthworms and toads.

Creatures with scales, such as fish, lizards, and snakes, are called scale insects.

Animals that have fur are called caterpillars.

Birds with feathers are called feathered insects.

Insects and aquatic animals with shells are called insects.

The five pictures in front of the small wooden tripod, toad, snake, marten, crane and centipede, actually represent the five major categories of Yinglin, Maoyu and Kun!

In other words, the image can be lit up by simply looking for toxins that correspond to a broad category.

This is why, in the Five Saints Formation, if you are bitten by a spider, scorpion, or centipede, the image of a centipede will light up, because these three are all insects.

Therefore, the snake diagram does not refer only to snakes, but to scaly creatures.

If he had realized this earlier, Lu Nanxing would not have gone through the trouble of looking for various poisonous snakes. Compared with the entire scaly species, there are only a few types of poisonous snakes.

But he had to be thankful that the snake picture was lit up first. If it was a marten picture, and if Lu Nanxing was only looking for the poisonous marten, he would never be able to light up the entire picture in his lifetime.

Apart from Yinglin, Maoyukun, the remaining three pictures of plants, minerals, and smoke are easier to understand, representing plants, minerals, and natural gas toxins respectively.

"almost!"

The snake map has been lit up. Among the remaining seven categories, insect, plant and mineral toxins are the most common, so these three maps are progressing the fastest.

Especially insects, there are countless spiders, centipedes, scorpions and various poisonous insects. In just one month, more than 80% to 90% of them have been lit up!
At this rate, it won’t take too long for it to be fully lit.

By then, a new extraordinary meridian will be opened and a new mental method will be obtained.

In addition to being happy, Lu Nanxing couldn't help but feel emotional.

It is better to be an official.

The reason why he was able to collect so many kinds of poisons in a short period of time was precisely because of his current status in the Songshan Sect.

If he were still the little disciple that no one cared about, who would be willing to pay attention to him, let alone collect poison for him.

This is the basic law of this world. The higher your status, the more resources you occupy!
People go to high places and water flows to low places. This is true.

If Lu Nanxing wants to collect toxins faster and even acquire higher martial arts, he must climb to a higher position!
The underworld is not the imperial court. If you want to climb up, both fame and martial arts are indispensable.

"There's news!"

Early in the morning, Lu Nanxing had just finished washing up and was about to have breakfast in the courtyard when Zhao Guangjin hurried over.

Lu Nanxing sat in front of the stone table and pointed at the hot soup dumplings and spicy soup that had just been served.

"Let's eat something together."

"Thank you, Senior Brother. I have already eaten."

Zhao Guangjin declined, then took a step forward and said in a deep voice.

"The list of the Thirteen Protectors is out!"

Lu Nanxing picked up a boiled egg and peeled it carefully bit by bit without saying anything. Songshan Taibao, the highest-ranking person in Songshan Sect except the head of the sect, is a first-class master and the backbone of Songshan Sect.

After Zuo Lengchan became the head of the sect, he established this system and promoted his fellow apprentices one after another. In the following ten years, a total of thirteen people became Taibao, and the number was eventually set at thirteen.

When you are in the underworld, life and death are unpredictable, and the same is true for Songshan Taibao.

As early as a few years ago, four guardians died one after another. Three years ago, Sun Dazhong was killed by the Demon Cult. In the recent battle of Hengshan City, even the second guardian Lu Bai died.

As a result, there are thirteen Songshan Taibaos, six of them have been removed, and now there are only seven left.

With nearly half of them killed, how can they still be called the Thirteen Guardians of Songshan?

After discussing with the other Taibao, Zuo Lengchan decided to promote six people to fill the positions of Taibao.

There was much speculation as to who the six people were, until last night when the exact news came out.

"The magic whip Deng Bagong of the Jiangxi branch and the golden-haired lion Gao Kexin of the Zhejiang branch will fill in the twelfth and thirteenth positions respectively. The peripheral masters Zhao Sihai, Zhang Jingchao and Sima De will fill in the seventh, eighth and ninth positions."

"It's pretty much the same as I guessed before."

Lu Nanxing nodded slightly, his eyes suddenly becoming deep.

"The only thing left is the most important position of the Second Protector."

"This position, you definitely can't imagine it. I'm afraid not only you, but also everyone in the sect can't imagine it."

Zhao Guangjin snorted coldly, knowing that Lu Nanxing didn't like to beat around the bush, and spoke quickly.

"Zuo Feiying! According to the news, he will take over the position of Second Protector!"

"..."

Lu Nanxing stuffed the peeled egg into his mouth and chewed it with big mouthfuls, seeming to be thinking about something.

Although Zuo Feiying is a second-generation disciple, he is already in his thirties and has practiced martial arts for many years. His skills are not weak. He has mastered the nine-section whip to perfection. His martial arts are not inferior to Zhang Sihai, Gao Kexin and others.

Besides, Zuo Feiying is Zuo Lengchan’s biological son!

The purpose of promoting a new guardian this time is, firstly, to stabilize the power framework of Songshan Sect, and also it is a means for Zuo Lengchan to balance Ding Mian and others.

Among the five people, Zhao Sihai, Gao Kexin and others, three were from peripheral families and two were from side branches, and they were all easy to win over and control.

And as Zuo Feiying is Zuo Lengchan's biological son, wouldn't he be even more determined to stand on Zuo Lengchan's side?

It was unexpected, but actually reasonable.

What is truly shocking is that Zuo Lengchan actually gave such an important position as the Second Protector directly to Zuo Feiying!
Obviously, this was intended to support Zuo Feiying to check and balance Ding Mian.

But many people were already dissatisfied with a second-generation disciple becoming the Taibao, not to mention that he was ranked second right from the start.

Zuo Lengchan is worthy of being a hero of his generation, and he is indeed decisive in doing things.

At this time, he still had the final say in Songshan Sect. Even if there were many people who were dissatisfied, he could still force Zuo Feiying to take the position. When Zuo Feiying took the position of the second Taibao, Zuo Lengchan, the head of the sect, was still as stable as a mountain. Who could say anything?
On the contrary, Zuo Lengchan was timid and cowardly, and power gradually fell into the hands of others. If he wanted to make up for it, others might not give him the opportunity.

The winner takes it all, and the right to speak always lies in the hands of the winner.

"What merits and abilities does Zuo Feiying have! Why does he deserve to be the second best protector?"

Zhao Guangjin's face was full of indignation, and he continued.

"Since the second-generation disciples can already be promoted to Grand Guardians, you should be the first choice! In terms of martial arts, you are the best among the second-generation disciples. In terms of reputation, who in the martial arts world doesn't know about the Songshan School's Songyang Heavy Sword?"

"That's what you think."

"It's not just me! My brothers all think the same way!"

Seeing Lu Nanxing taking over, Zhao Guangjin hurriedly continued.

"Not many brothers know the news now, but everyone thinks that the position of the Second Protector should belong to you, senior brother, and not Zuo Feiying!"

"What do you mean by the leader of the second generation of disciples? As for martial arts, Zuo Feiying and I have never fought each other, so it is still unclear who will win."

"Is there any need to compare? In Hengshan City, you single-handedly fought against the imperial court's heavy troops and saved the city from collapse. Can Zuo Feiying do it? Zuo Feiying has only killed some low-ranking villains in all these years since he entered the martial arts world. What outstanding achievements does he have?"

"I'm new here, and I don't have enough experience in any aspect."

"This is even more ridiculous. It's only been two years since you became famous in the martial arts world and earned the name of the Songyang Heavy Sword. In the past ten years, Zuo Feiying has only gained the reputation of the Nine Tribulations Whip because of his father. The difference is obvious in comparison!"

"After all, Zuo Feiying is the son of the headmaster, and I am just a direct disciple."

"The leader is nepotism, how can he convince the brothers?"

Zhao Guangjin became more and more indignant and shouted in a deep voice.

"Once the brothers know about this, they will definitely not be happy about it and will definitely make a scene!"

"When making a fuss, be careful about your behavior."

Lu Nanxing said this, dipped the soup dumpling into the spicy soup, stuffed the whole thing into his mouth, and chewed it in big mouthfuls.

"Don't worry, brother. I understand."

Zhao Guangjin understood, smiled slightly, and then took his leave.

Soon, the list of new candidates for the Thirteen Protectors spread throughout the Songshan Sect.

No one had any objection to Zhao Sihai, Gao Kexin and the other four.

After all, although they were of humble origins, they had been members of the Songshan Sect for many years and were already first-rate masters. Regardless of martial arts or seniority, it was their turn.

This is also a kind of encouragement for the disciples in the periphery and side branches, so that everyone can see the hope of making a name for themselves.

Another thing is that the five of them are ranked after the sixth place, and are guards without much real power, so there is no value in arguing about them.

Only Zuo Feiying replaced the Second Guardian, which immediately caused an uproar in the sect!
After all, Zuo Feiying was only a second-generation disciple. It would have been fine if he had set a precedent for a second-generation disciple to become a Taibao, but how could he convince the public if he was promoted directly to the second Taibao?

For a time, the news that Zuo Feiyingde was unworthy of the position and that the sect leader was nepotism spread like wildfire within the sect.

Zuo Lengchan had to strictly prohibit people from discussing this, but how could he stop people from talking about it? Everyone continued to discuss it in private.

At the same time, another rumor spread.

There is no problem for the second-generation disciple to become the guardian, but it should not be Zuo Feiying, but Lu Nanxing!
Before Lu Nanxing left, Zuo Feiying was the undisputed leader of the second generation disciples both in terms of his status as the son of the sect leader and his own martial arts skills.

But Lu Nanxing joined the Songshan Sect, and from going through the mountains alone with a sword to accepting the successor of the Exorcist Sword Technique, especially after the battle of Hengshan City, in the minds of many people, he has replaced Zuo Feiying and become the new leader of the second generation of disciples.

There are indeed no masters among the first generation. As the new generation pushes forward, it is time for the second generation to take the lead. But the first one should be the strongest Lu Nanxing, not Zuo Feiying.

Once this rumor leaked out, it quickly spread throughout the Songshan Sect and even gradually spread to the martial arts world.

To outsiders, it was just a fun show, but to the Songshan Sect, it was a real struggle!
As the son of the sect leader, Zuo Feiying has been in the sect for a long time and has a large number of followers. Among the second-generation disciples, his power is second to none, even surpassing many of the lower-ranked disciples.

In the past two years, Lu Nanxing has risen like a comet. Starting with Zhao Guangjin, he has quickly gathered a large number of vassals under his command, and his power is approaching that of Zuo Feiying.

When one person succeeds, everyone around him will benefit. Who between Zuo Feiying and Lu Nanxing can become the second best protector? Only those who rely on them can gain more benefits.

For a time, the two factions were confronting each other, and the atmosphere was full of gunpowder.

(End of this chapter)