Poor Taoist Qiu Chuji

Chapter 9 The Golden Man Searches the Mountain
In early autumn, although the leaves have not yet turned yellow, the cold wind has already swept across the mountains.

Mount Zhongnan is about to enter a cold and desolate season. Migratory birds are migrating south, and small animals in the mountains and forests are beginning to store food for the winter... or are being stored as food.

On an ancient pine tree near the cliff, Qiu Chuji sat cross-legged on the treetop. His body was like floating hair, swaying along with the branches. No matter how the treetop swayed, he sat firmly on it without any sign of falling, and looked particularly relaxed.

Taoist Jingshu not only taught Qiu Chuji the "Zhou Gong Sword Technique", but also taught him the Quanzhen Sect's "Golden Goose Kung Fu" after knowing that he had not yet practiced Qinggong.

It's just that the original "Golden Goose Kung Fu" is good at climbing high and jumping far, and is excels at running long distances. It is a kind of quick-moving technique. After Qiu Chuji understood the trick of light Kung Fu, he figured out some body movements on his own. Although it does not involve the complex changes and applications of Yin and Yang, Five Elements, Eight Diagrams, and Nine Palaces, it is based on the laws of nature, changes according to changes in air flow, and can adapt to changes.

If he encountered a strong enemy, Qiu Chuji would sense it and avoid it before the enemy's fists, feet or weapons arrived, which could be said to be an anticipation of the enemy's moves.

However, this body movement technique is far from being top-notch, because if there are masters who are proficient in techniques such as the "Silent Palm" and the "Windless Fist", the usefulness of this body movement technique will be greatly reduced.

A willow swaying in the wind is ultimately not as good as a thousand-foot-high wall.

Suddenly, Qiu Chuji opened his eyes, with a gleam of light in them.

Although he had been practicing internal skills for less than a month, and had only operated the four cores for half a month, Qiu Chuji's internal strength had already achieved some success. In comparison, his level was already comparable to that of mainstream disciples from many first-rate sects.

"Brother Qiu! Brother Qiu! The hunters at the foot of the mountain reported that the Jin people are going to search the mountain again, and now they have reached the Xiaoqiong Pond at the foot of the mountain." Liu Chuxuan ran all the way, jumping between the rocks like a clever monkey.

Qiu Chuji floated down from the treetops and asked: "What did Taoist Jingshu say?"

"According to the previous rules, everyone should prepare their bedding and dry food, and hide in the caves. The whistle will be used as a signal."

"This is not the first time that the Jin soldiers have entered the mountains to search. Each time, it takes no more than ten days. This time will definitely be the same."

Qiu Chuji shook his head: "It's not that simple. In the past, the search must have been when the master returned to the mountain. The Jin soldiers who searched the mountain were mostly in anger and returned in frustration."

"This time the Grand Master is not here, but they are here. It's obvious that they have some plan."

Mount Zhongnan and the Qinling Mountains are actually one mountain range. They are deep and secluded, with many ancient trees and lush forests, as well as countless poisonous insects and ferocious beasts, hiding countless dangers. Since ancient times, it has not only been a place for ascetics to practice meditation and escape from the world, but also a hiding place for thieves and criminals wanted by the government.

Today, the Jin people have almost occupied all of Qin's territory, but they can do nothing to the Quanzhen Sect hiding in the mountains. This is because even if tens of thousands of troops were sent into the mountains, it would be like a drop in the ocean, and it would be difficult to balance the effort and reward.

The occasional brief search into the mountains is just a show to express one's attitude.

"You hide first, I'll go take a look." Qiu Chuji suspected that there was something wrong, so he would not sit idly by.

Liu Chuxuan said: "In that case, Wang Chu and I and a few other fellow disciples will meet you near Tianfeng Gorge. If you encounter a strong enemy, you will retreat to Tianfeng Gorge."

There are many wonderful sights and places in the mountains. Tianfeng Gorge is actually a narrow passage. Just tie up the fallen rocks with vines on the top of the mountain to form a natural pass. Cut the vines and let the rocks roll down to block the pursuers.

After bidding farewell to Liu Chuxuan, Qiu Chuji carried the iron sword given by Taoist Master Jingshu on his back and practiced the "Golden Goose Skill" all the way to the foot of the mountain. His dark green Taoist robe blended in with the mountains and forests. From a distance, he looked like a ghost in the mountains floating among the grass and trees.

Before reaching the foot of the mountain, on a path known only to Quanzhen disciples and porters, we heard the rustling sound of bushes and grass being cut down.

Qiu Chuji jumped to a high place, hid in the tree canopy and looked down. He saw several men with short shirts opened to their bellies, holding broadswords in their hands, dressed like hooligans, clearing the way in front, followed by a team of dozens of armored Jin soldiers. These people left marks on the road as they came along, and they were obviously the vanguards of the large army.

"It's them!" Qiu Chuji's eyes showed coldness.

"It's a good thing you came. I was driven down the mountain by the Grandmaster before, so I can't be too ruthless."

"Now that they have come to our door on their own initiative, and brought with them Jin soldiers, they are our running dogs. It will not be unfair to kill them." Although murderous intent was boiling in his chest, Qiu Chuji did not act impulsively. Instead, he quietly retreated, preparing to wait until they arrived at Yinfeng Valley before taking action.

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Yinfeng Valley is actually a natural wind tunnel with dense forests, lush vegetation, and is sandwiched between two mountains with strange rocks overlooking it. Whenever a strong wind blows, it seems as if thousands of ghosts are howling.

Now is the time when the autumn wind blows, and the Yinfeng Valley is like a ghost town on earth.

"Damn it, every time I pass through this Yinfeng Valley, I feel uncomfortable all over. Let's set it on fire someday and burn it to the ground." The leading scoundrel said, rubbing the goose bumps on his body. This man was the former leader of the pyrotechnicians. After going down the mountain, he led a group of restless pyrotechnicians to do their old business.

The Jin soldiers behind him heard the whistling of the wind, which sounded like the howling of mountain ghosts, and they all started shouting and cursing in the Jurchen language.

A Jin soldier shouted to the leading ruffian in awkward Chinese: "Did you...take the wrong road?"

"Why is there a Song thief hiding here?"

When the leading scoundrel turned his back to the Jin people, his lips moved and he cursed silently, but when he turned around, he was full of smiles: "This is the cunning of those evil people from the Quanzhen Sect. They deliberately hid in a place like this to avoid being hunted down by the Jin people. However, the Jin people are all heavenly soldiers and generals, and they will definitely not be fooled by them."

Whoosh!
A stone, carrying internal force, was originally aimed at the teeth of the ruffian leader, but the person who threw the stone had poor technique and the stone was deviated a lot.

After one... or two crisp sounds, the leader of the hooligans opened his eyes wide, clamped his legs together tightly, and made a strange giggling sound. His voice was trembling and low. Even his strength was wiped out by this sound, and cold sweat covered his forehead in an instant.

"There are enemies! Form a battle line!" the Jin soldiers shouted in Jurchen.

However, their military formation was obviously not effective in this densely forested area.

Once Qiu Chuji discovered an error, he no longer sought accuracy, but instead won by quantity.

A large amount of rubble turned into locust stones and hit the Jin soldiers.

The Jin soldiers held up their round shields to cover their heads and faces. Some stones hit the armor on their bodies but did not cause much damage.

Qiu Chuji's wave of probing attacks had very mediocre effects.

However, when the Jin soldiers' formation was slightly disrupted, Qiu Chuji pounced down from the treetops with his sword in hand. He did not use any complicated sword moves, but instead slashed the throats of two Jin soldiers with a quick, accurate and ruthless sword. Then he turned into a gust of wind, flew up to the treetops and changed his position.

In the shadows, where Qiu Chuji disappeared, several arrows were nailed to the tree trunks, and the tail feathers kept shaking.

Qiu Chuji followed the same method, launched several surprise attacks, and killed six people in a row, causing the Jin soldiers to lose morale and become frightened.

"It's a trap! This is a trap!" someone among the Jin soldiers shouted.

The leading Jin soldier, without caring whether it was true or not, rushed forward, grabbed the ruffian leader who was still rolling around, cut his neck with a knife, then half-lifted up his head with flesh and skin, and dragged the corpse.

"This is what you get for deceiving us."

"Don't be afraid, our army will catch up soon."

"Gather together now, don't let him attack us one by one."

(End of this chapter)