The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 124: The sudden change in the situation at Jade Maiden Peak

Purple cloud strength.

Back then, the eunuch Dou Shenbao combined his family martial arts with some techniques from Shanhai Temple to create the miraculous Sunflower Manual.

Later, he competed with the Taoist master Chen Tuan, and the outcome was unknown. But not long after, the Zixia Jin, a martial art that was incompatible with other techniques, was added to the collection.

Li Xian said that it was co-created by Dou Shenbao and Laozu Chen Tuan. Although both were internal skills, they did not conflict with the Sunflower Qi. He suspected that Zixia Jin could balance the rising yang fire of the Sunflower Manual, and based on this, he could directly practice the manual. However, this Zixia Jin had been lost in the palace since Guo Huai was beheaded.

At this moment, Helian Tieshu went to Huashan Mountain to obtain Zixia Jin, which made Zhao Ti doubt in his heart. If Li Qiushui really sent him here, did it mean that when Li Qiushui assassinated Li Xian, she used Xiao Wuxiang Gong to simulate the Sunflower Manual, and left some sequelae?

If a man forcibly uses the simulation book, the consequences can be predicted. However, if a woman forcibly simulates, the consequences are unpredictable...

In fact, Zhao Ti tends to believe that this Zixia Jin was created by the Taoist master Chen Tuan to fill in the gaps in Dou Shenbao's Sunflower Manual. As for whether it has any relationship with the later Zixia Magical Skill, he does not know.

Taoist master Chen Tuan combined Confucianism and Taoism, and he entered Taoism on Mount Huashan. He was known as Mr. Xiyi and called himself Taoist Chen Tuan.

He was famous throughout the world at the end of the Five Dynasties and the beginning of the Song Dynasty, not only because he almost refused invitations to the imperial court and the rumors about his relationship with Taizu, but also because of his doctrines.

He wrote three diagrams, namely "Xiantian Diagram", "Wuji Diagram" and "Yilong Diagram", and also wrote the scripture "Guankong Pian", which depicts the creation of all things and the sixty-four hexagrams, and created the theory of Xiantian Yixue.

Zhou Dunyi and Shao Yong, two of the Five Masters of Neo-Confucianism, further deduced the innate Yixue of Chen Tuan, making it an important part of Confucian Neo-Confucianism.

The descendants of Chen Tuan are divided into two branch, the inner and outer branch. The most famous outer branch is the line of the great Confucian scholar Zhong Fang, who is the ancestor of the Zhong family, a family of generals in the northwest. He passed the "Xiantian Diagram" to Zhong Fang, who passed it to Mu Xiu, who passed it to Li Zhicai, who passed it to Shao Yong.

Shao Yong's Huangji Jingshi book was deduced based on the "Yi Long Tu", one of the three diagrams of Taoist master Chen Tuan.

At this time, we were walking towards the top of the mountain. We were already close to it and soon reached the upper platform. We saw Zhou Tong jogging back from the house.

Seeing that his expression did not change unusually, Zhao Ti understood that he had been informed, and then he heard Zhou Tong say to Helian Tieshu: "General, there is indeed someone in the house ahead. I greeted him and came back to report."

Helian Tieshu nodded with satisfaction. With his status, someone would definitely pave the way for him wherever he went. Seeing that Zhou Tong looked good, he felt relieved.

"Then I'll go over and take a look. Someone should be coming out." After Zhou Tong saluted, he ran towards the houses again.

At this time, two people came out of one of the rooms, a man and a woman.

The man was in his forties, wearing ordinary mountain dwelling clothes, with a silk belt tied around his waist. He looked dignified, with slightly protruding temples.

The woman was of the same age, dressed rather simply, had a gentle and soft face, and held a long sword in her hand.

As they got closer, they saw the man cupping his fists and saying, "Dear guests, Huashan Hao Guanghong greets you."

Helian Tieshu slightly cupped his hands and asked doubtfully: "Aren't you from the Chen family?"

Hao Guanghong was not annoyed when he heard this, and said with a smile: "I followed my master to the mountain to learn skills, and my wife is from the Chen family." After saying that, he looked at the woman next to him.

The woman asked, "Where are you from, and what are you doing at the Jade Maiden Peak of Mount Huashan?"

Helian Tieshu was self-respecting and just nodded. Liang Xingyun beside him stepped forward, clasped his fists and said, "My husband has come from afar and wants to discuss something with the master of the Chen family."

The woman asked curiously, "What's going on?"

Liang Xingyun laughed dryly twice: "Look, the mountain mist blowing on our faces here is like a knife cutting us. It's not easy to say..."

Hao Guanghong said, "Since you have come from afar, Sanniang, I think we should go inside and talk."

The woman, Chen Sanniang, nodded and said, "Everyone, come over and talk."

The two men led the way to the front of the house, then opened the door and went in. They saw that the house was very spacious, with tables and chairs fully equipped.

Hao Guanghong said: "Please take a seat, everyone. Please tell me what we are discussing."

Chen Sanniang said, "I'll go make tea." Then she turned and left.

Helian Tieshu considered his words at this time: "I don't know if your master is from the Chen family..."

Hao Guanghong was also sitting in the chair at this time, and said with a smile: "My master's Taoist name is Chengyangzi, and he is the grandson of the old ancestor. He has seven disciples in total. I am the first disciple, responsible for the reception and delivery. However, there are not many people coming to the Jade Maiden Peak, so I have no time to rest every day."

Helian Tieshu said "Oh" and was silent for a moment: "Is your master on the peak now?"

Hao Guanghong said: "Master is here, but he is in seclusion and will not come out within the year."

Helian Tieshu took a breath and said, "I came here to discuss an important matter with the Chen family. Although you are a disciple of the Chen family, I am afraid it will be difficult for you to make the decision. It would be better for your master to come forward, or for other members of the Chen family to be present, so that we can make a decision."

Hao Guanghong pondered, "I don't know what's going on. If I really can't make the decision, it won't be too late to ask other elders to serve the guests."

Helian Tieshu nodded: "If that's the case, then I'll be frank. I came to Huashan this time because I was asked by a nobleman. I learned that the Chen family in Huashan has a martial art called Zixia Jin. I want to obtain it. No matter what the price is, gold, silver, jewelry, or other martial arts are all acceptable."

"Purple Cloud Strength..." Hao Guanghong smiled as if to say, "I really can't make the decision on this martial art."

At this time, Chen Sanniang came in with a teapot and asked, "Would the guest like Zixiajing?"

Helian Tieshu said: "That's right."

Chen Sanniang glanced at Hao Guanghong and shook her head: "I'm afraid this won't work."

Helian Tieshu said, "I can pay any price, gold or silver, or other skills in exchange. You should ask your elders to come over and discuss it."

Chen Sanniang smiled and said, "From what the guest said, it seems that he is determined to win. But there is no rush. It is not too late to call after I pour tea for the guest."

As she spoke, she poured tea for everyone and then walked out slowly.

Hao Hongguang smiled and said, "I will go and call the elders. Please be patient, my guest."

Helian Tieshu nodded. He was indeed thirsty at the moment. He picked up the tea bowl and took a sip. He asked curiously, "What kind of tea is this? It tastes so special."

Hao Hongguang said: "This is the cloud tea from the mountain. I picked tea from an old tree in Yunv Peak. It has remained unchanged for more than a hundred years. I usually drink tea from this tree."

Helian Tieshu took another sip of the tea and said, "I've never tasted this cloud tea before. The old tree tea should have a different taste."

Hao Hongguang smiled and said, "This tree looks like an upright palm. Our ancestors named this tree Daoshou." Helian Tieshu pondered the meaning of this, looking thoughtful.

At this time, footsteps were heard outside the door, and an old voice sounded, which seemed quite impatient: "Who are these guests? Why did they ask me to come here? How can the Zixia Jin technique be passed on to others? But it is also strange, where did they know about it..."

The door creaked open and a thin and skinny old man came in.

The old man was dressed in coarse cloth and looked like a woodcutter. Although he was thin, he was full of energy, with a ruddy face and bright eyes.

"Young Master is here." Hao Hongguang stood up and offered his seat: "These are guests from far away, and they want to exchange for a purple cloud power."

The old man glanced at everyone unkindly, and Hao Hongguang introduced them again: "Everyone, this is my junior uncle, and he is also the one who can make the decision in the Chen family."

Helian Tieshu nodded slightly: "I'm sorry for disturbing you so abruptly, please forgive me."

The old man looked at him and said, "Are you the leader of these people?"

Helian Tieshu said: "Yes, they all follow me to do things at the top."

The old man thought for a moment and said, "How did you know that there is a Purple Cloud Power skill at the Jade Maiden Peak of Huashan Mountain?"

Helian Tieshu said, "To be honest, the Purple Cloud Power was obtained by the nobleman behind me. According to the nobleman, the elders of the sect had an intersection with the ancestors of the Huashan Chen family, so they knew about this matter. The nobleman heard it from the elders."

"Oh?" The old man raised his eyebrows: "You said that the noble elders behind you had an intersection with my ancestor? Doesn't that mean it happened about a hundred years ago?"

Helian Tieshu said: "I don't know this, and I don't know who the noble elder is. It was the noble elder who told me. If the Chen family is willing to exchange Zixia Jing, I can give you gold, silver and treasures, and I can also exchange it for other skills."

The old man shook his head: "If it's other skills, we can discuss it, but this one is out of the question."

Helian Tieshu asked, "Why is that? Could it be that this Purple Cloud Power is the core martial art of the Chen family, so it won't be exchanged?"

The old man smiled and said, "What kind of core martial arts is Zixia Jin? This martial arts is of average power, and not many people in my family practice it. It's just that this martial arts was created based on another martial arts, which is the core. Although the reference is limited, there are always some clues, so it can't be passed on to others."

Helian Tieshu said with an unhappy face: "Your sect is really a bit rigid. I have several magical skills secret manuals here, which may be better than Zixia Jin. If you don't exchange it, it will be a loss for your sect!"

The old man said, "My Chen family can't even practice their own martial arts completely. It's hard to master any one of them, so how can we covet external skills?"

Helian Tieshu remained silent upon hearing this, his expression looking extremely ugly.

The old man sneered, "From your accent, you must be from the west. Although my Chen family does not interfere in worldly affairs, we still have no good impression of you. You should take your people away."

Helian Tieshu snorted. He didn't expect that the other party could see his background. However, since the conversation had come to this point, there was no point in staying any longer. He stood up and said, "Get off the mountain!"

The old man watched him lead everyone out, stroked his goatee, and said to himself, "This is strange. Apart from the Imperial Palace of the Great Song Dynasty, how could anyone else know about Zixia Power? It is said that the elders had some interactions, so who was the master in the west a hundred years ago?"

At this moment, a purple flash appeared on Hao Hongguang's face, and he said, "Uncle Junior Master, I'm afraid Master will know about this."

When the old man heard the word "Master", he immediately said in displeasure, "He hides in Xiyi Cave and won't come out. He asks me and the Second Master to take care of everything outside. It's so annoying. If there's any trouble like this in the future, go find your Second Master and don't call me!"

Hao Hongguang nodded and smiled, "I understand, Junior Master."

The old man walked to the door and suddenly turned back and said, "By the way, be careful at night. I think the leader is still thinking about it. I'm afraid he will come to steal your skills or rob people in the middle of the night. You have practiced Zixia Jin, so don't catch you and torture you again."

Hao Hongguang bowed hastily: "Disciple understands..."

Helian Tieshu led everyone down the mountain with a cold expression and knitted brows: "This Chen family is too stubborn."

Liang Xingyun said, "That's right. That old man said that Zixia Jin is not a very powerful martial art, but he still cherishes it so much. It's really ignorant."

Zhuo Tongshu, the leader of the Black Water Twins, said, "General, why don't we just rob it."

Helian Tieshu glanced at him and said, "Do you know where the secret book of Zixia Jin is hidden?"

"This..." Zhuo Tongshu shook his head.

Helian Tieshu said: "We may not find the technique, but we can capture the person. If he has practiced it, we can interrogate him. If he has not practiced it, we can force the Chen family to exchange it for Zixia Jing."

Liang Xingyun said: "General, this is indeed a brilliant plan. I admire you."

Helian Tieshu pondered and said, "This is why I brought you guys here. There must be experts among the Huashan Chen family. Ordinary warriors would definitely not be able to accomplish anything. Let's go down the mountain to rest now, and then go up to the peak to act in the evening."

There is a small town at the foot of the mountain, named Taixi, which is under the jurisdiction of Huayin County. Several people found an inn in the town to rest. Around midnight, they went out and headed straight for the Yunu Peak.

At this time, the mountain wind was cold and all kinds of rustling noises were heard in the forest, and no one knew what kind of wild animals were making these noises.

When I reached the top of the mountain, I saw no lights, and there were no lanterns hanging in front of the houses. However, there was a moon in the night sky, and the white light was dim, allowing me to make out objects.

According to the plan made before, Helian Tieshu led the Xinnan people, Zhuo Tongshu led Liang Xingyun, and Zhao Ti led Zhou Tong and Wang Chengzong, and they moved in different directions.

There were about twenty or thirty houses in this row. Zhao Ti followed Zhou Tong and went straight to the house at the back.

Zhuo Tongshu and Liang Xingyun went to the middle. When they arrived at the window of the house, Zhuo Tongshu listened and heard the regular breathing sounds coming from inside. He nodded to Liang Xingyun.

Liang Xingyun took out a bamboo tube from his body, opened the plug in front, and blew gently twice. Sparks flickered inside. Then he licked the window paper, pointed the bamboo tube at the damaged part of the window paper, and blew hard.

After a while, there was nothing unusual in the house. Liang Xingyun bent over and walked to the door. A blade as thin as a cicada's wing appeared in his hand. He quietly inserted it into the gap in the middle of the wooden door and gently cut downwards.

The blade was extremely sharp, and Liang Xingyun used his inner strength to strengthen it, and after a few breaths he actually cut through the wooden bolt inside the door.

He slowly pushed open the door, turned around and signaled Zhuo Tongshu, and the two of them tiptoed into the room one after the other.

Just as the two entered the house, a strong wind suddenly blew above the door beam. It turned out that someone was hiding at the top. At this moment, he clapped his hands and enveloped the two...

Over there, Zhao Ti followed Zhou Tong into the last house and saw a small hall with tables and chairs, but no one was there.

Zhao Ti looked around and saw a painting hanging on the wall behind the table. It was a vertical scroll. He walked a few steps closer and looked at it in the moonlight outside the window. In the painting, there was an old man who was half Confucian and half Taoist, walking in the mountains. Behind him followed a small black donkey with four snow-white hooves.

Zhao Ti couldn't help but squint his eyes. Why did this donkey look so familiar?

(End of this chapter)