The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 172 Wudang and the Yang Family
The twentieth day of the twelfth lunar month in the twenty-third year of Jiajing.

Yuzhou Province, Xiangyang Prefecture.

late at night.

On both sides of the road, there are mountains and forests, and the grass is yellow.

There had been a heavy snowfall a few days ago. Although this place was remote, it was the only way from Xiangyang Prefecture to Chengtian Prefecture, with many merchants and bodyguards traveling back and forth. The snow on both sides of the road had mostly melted, except for the snow on the road, which had been crushed into a piece by passers-by and had become increasingly hard due to the freezing.

It was close to the New Year and late at night. There were no pedestrians on the road and it was completely quiet.

And in the woods on one side of the road, a faint glow of fire could be seen.

Three people dressed as Taoist priests sat around a campfire.

An old man was eating a piece of bread, and a middle-aged man was poking the campfire with a branch.

A young man was sitting cross-legged nearby, as if he was practicing internal energy in a meditative manner. But looking at his eyeballs rolling under his eyelids, one could tell that he was not in a meditative state at all and was just pretending.

After a while, the middle-aged Taoist priest spoke.

"Uncle Zhisheng, are we just going to Shaolin on foot? How about I carry Junior Brother Li Miao on my back, and we can use Qinggong to travel faster, and we can still arrive before the New Year."

The old Taoist shook his head.

"Master Xingchi has passed away for some time. There is no time limit for us to go and pay our respects. We won't be able to return to Wudang Mountain in time for the New Year, so why not just walk slowly and temper Li Miao's temper."

"But I'll have to trouble you, Junior Brother Li Qing, to accompany me on the road for a while."

The middle-aged Taoist priest named Li Qing waved his hands repeatedly, not daring to respond to his humble words.

The seniority of Wudang has now been passed down to the sentence "When the master and disciple return to their ideal state at the full moon, they will hold a tube of elixir in their body." This Taoist Zhisheng is already one of the only two "Zhi generation" in Wudang sect, and he is the only top master besides the Wudang leader.

Although he was the master's direct disciple, he did not dare to be arrogant in front of Zhisheng.

Li Qing turned around and looked at the young Taoist priest named "Li Miao", but couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

This Junior Brother Li Miao is truly enviable.

Just when he had built up a solid foundation of internal strength, a top master took him around the world and even showed him in Shaolin. It was obvious that he was being trained to be the next leader.

However, he also knew that his qualifications could not in any way compare to Li Miao's.

He had practiced for many years and had a calm temperament, so he would not let this secret thought stay in his mind for too long. He gathered his mind, went to the side to cut some more branches, and threw them into the bonfire.

Just as the three were preparing to rest, they heard faint voices coming from the mountain path.

Li Qing frowned.

It's already the hour of Hai, who would be traveling on this mountain road?

Since ancient times, those who act at night do so to avoid being seen, and most of them are not good people.

Li Qing dispersed the bonfire to prevent anyone from seeing the flames, and then got up to investigate.

"I'm with you."

Zhisheng also stood up.

"From the sound I heard, I estimated there were about 30 or 40 people. And their steps were in unison, like soldiers on the march. But soldiers don't march at night."

"I have some bad guesses. If it's true as I think, I'm afraid you won't be able to handle it."

Li Qing's face also darkened.

He is the direct disciple of the Wudang master, a top master for many years, and a well-known figure in the martial arts world. If even he can't handle it, and Zhisheng, a top master, is required to investigate it personally, it's probably not a small matter.

The two men held their breath, used the forest to hide their bodies, and approached the mountain path.

With the help of the moonlight reflected from the snow, the two looked towards the group of people.

The leader was very tall and his face could not be seen clearly.

There were a total of 37 people following behind, all dressed in tight clothes, carrying swords and sabers. Some of them were carrying large bags, which were clearly filled with weapons, judging by the bulges on them. The team was neat and tidy, and they walked quickly along the mountain path, and soon they had walked a long way.

As he watched, Li Qing frowned.

"Uncle Master, why can't I understand the martial arts foundation of these people?"

"His muscles and bones are obviously strong, so he should have achieved success in horizontal training. But his movements are so stiff, and I don't see any footwork or Qi circulation. What kind of method is this?"

He finished speaking but didn't hear Zhisheng's response.

Li Qing was surprised and turned to look at Zhisheng.

But I was shocked.

Zhisheng's face was as gloomy as water at this time, his lips were tightly pursed, his eyes were fixed on the leader's back, and his hand was tightly gripping the hilt of the sword.

"It's just as I expected...it's a big deal." "The leader is from the Yang family."

"Yang family?"

Li Qing was confused for a moment, but after a while, he suddenly realized what was happening and his face darkened.

"That Yang family member from the Ming Cult!?"

Zhisheng nodded.

"Looking at his body shape, an ordinary person would probably only be able to reach his chest. He has a broad frame and his hands almost hang down to his knees, which is exactly the body shape of the Yang family. Yang Lixuan was like this back then. Most of the previous Ming Cult leaders, except for a few, had this body shape."

Li Qing first looked at it carefully and found that it was just as Zhisheng said. But then he was puzzled.

"But, since Ji Tianrui took over the Ming Cult thirty years ago, shouldn't the Yang family have been exterminated? Where did this person come from?"

"do not know."

Zhisheng shook his head.

"We shouldn't stay here for long. Let's go back and pick up Li Miao and return to Wudang."

The two of them quietly retreated into the forest, using their light skills to return to their resting place.

As they walked, Zhisheng said to Liqing.

"Since the founding of Dashuo, the position of leader of the Ming Cult has always been passed down from father to son, and the surname has always been Yang. These people are closely related to the Ming Cult."

"What I thought before was that the Ming Cult disappeared after they broke through the Shaolin Mountain Gate, and maybe they fled here. Sure enough, these people should be the people of the Ming Cult, but I don't know why they came to Xiangyang."

Li Qing nodded.

If it was someone from the Ming Cult, he might not be able to handle it.

The resting place was not far away, and in just a few moments, the two of them were nearby.

The two of them stopped suddenly.

Through the woods, the two of them vaguely saw the light of a fire and heard Li Miao talking to someone.

"Uncle Master?"

Li Qing looked at Zhi Sheng.

Zhisheng's face was as gloomy as water, and he raised his sword to push away the branches in front of him.

The bonfire that had just been extinguished by Li Qing had been reignited. A man was sitting by the fire, talking to Li Miao.

This man looked to be in his early thirties, with a heroic face. He was dressed in black tights and a dark black bear-skin cloak. He was holding a branch in his hand and gesturing at Li Miao, speaking as he gestured.

"Taiyi Xuanmen Sword, your leader really doesn't understand it as well as I do."

Li Miao looked unconvinced.

"You are bragging! My master is a top master, and Taiyi Xuanmen Sword is my Wudang unique martial art! How can you know more than my master?"

The man smiled mischievously.

"Then come and see."

After saying that, the branch in his hand shook suddenly, and it actually danced a sword flower in the air.

Then he made a few empty strokes.

Li Miao didn't understand how powerful these attacks were and was about to speak.

Zhisheng and Liqing, however, looked horrified.

Those few casual moves were clearly the essence of Taiyi Xuanmen Sword. It had already broken away from the moves, and the intention was there, the form was scattered, and it was not clichéd. He had thoroughly mastered the essence of it!

I’m afraid that the contemporary Wudang leader cannot do it so effortlessly!

Who on earth is this person! ?
Seeing Li Miao was about to refute the sarcasm, Zhisheng spoke quickly.

"Li Miao!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the two people beside the campfire looked up at the same time.

"Master!"

"Ok?"

The man frowned and looked at Zhisheng, rubbing his fingers, and almost pointed at him with Xuantian's finger.

Are the local sects so rude?
Call me by my first name?

Do you deserve a beating?
(End of this chapter)