Under One Person: Dressed as Lü Liang, with vests all over

Chapter 181 The Truth About the Jia Shen Year, Lü Liang's Plan
"You mean... the Five Elements?"

Upon hearing the crucial clue revealed in Xu Xin's words, Lü Liang blurted out a counter-question.

Xu Xin met Lü Liang's gaze steadily, nodded slowly, and said:

"The art of Bagua is inherently related to the Five Elements, and the Eight Gates are the directions of the Bagua, so they naturally need to be coordinated with the Five Elements."

"After guarding the eight gates, one must use the appropriate Five Elements method to activate them in order to witness miracles."

"Of course, these are all words spoken by Wugensheng at the time; I did not witness them myself."

"However, I believe what he said is true."

Xu Xin's expression was very confident.

"Tang Clan disciples have always focused on cultivating the art of killing, and are indeed not proficient in numerology. However, the Tang Clan's Five Treasures Protective Technique also follows the principles of the five elements' mutual generation and restraint, and I have some understanding of these."

"Moreover... none of the warlocks present at the time raised any objections."

Upon hearing Xu Xin's explanation, Lü Liang's eyes lit up, and excitement shone through them.

His carefully planned trip to the Tang Clan was originally intended to inquire about matters related to Xu Xin and Zhang Huaiyi, while also creating an opportunity for Huang Ning of the Seeking Truth Society to join the Ten Elders Society.

But to my surprise, I gained so much crucial and unexpected additional information during this conversation.

Previously, he had been puzzled that in the ceremony that year, all the seemingly necessary conditions were in place, and the eight sacred objects and the eight disciples guarding the eight gates were all in place, but the ceremony was still not very successful.

Although the eight participants successfully "comprehended" the eight extraordinary skills, almost all of these skills had fatal flaws.

Even the sacred Qinghe Gu used in the ritual was lost in other dimensions.

Now it seems that the problem most likely lies in the Five Elements theory.

……

Thinking of this, Lü Liang couldn't help but continue to ask:

"Senior Xu, since the Tang Clan's martial arts belong to the metal element, which schools' martial arts correspond to the five elements of wood, water, fire, and earth?"

Because Lü Liang's voice sounded somewhat urgent, Xu Xin looked up at him before slowly saying:
"The essence of Tang Clan's martial arts lies in this killing intent, which can both kill others and harm oneself."

"Therefore, the Tang Clan's methods belong to the metal element."

"As for 'wood,' the most suitable one is the Tiangong Hall's technique, which says, 'With a little ingenuity, even rotten wood can be carved.'"

"Tiangongtang?"

Upon hearing this, information about the Thirty-Six Thieves immediately came to mind for Lü Liang.

Among the list of the thirty-six thieves, the Heavenly Craft Hall occupied three spots.

They are Zhao Pingshan, Zhao Tianhai, and Ma Benzai, who finally comprehended one of the Eight Extraordinary Skills, "Divine Refinement of a Hundred Techniques".

Originally, the disciples of the Heavenly Craft Hall met the requirements for guarding the Eight Gates, but now they've become involved with the Five Elements as well...

Therefore, it is no coincidence that Tiangongtang became the sect with the highest proportion among the Thirty-Six Thieves.

After a moment's thought, Lü Liang composed himself, suppressing the turmoil within, and focused his gaze back on Xu Xin, continuing to ask:

"Senior Xu, what about 'water'? Which sect's martial arts does it correspond to?"

"Fujiyama School."

Xu Xin gave an answer that Lü Liang had never expected.

But in fact, Lü Liang was no stranger to the Tengshan School.

He recalled that the Tengshan Sect was an extremely special sect that only accepted female disciples and had unique expertise in the fields of "medicine" and "incantations".

Fang Ying, one of the Thirty-Six Thieves, came from this mysterious sect.

Back then, there was a powerful superhuman in the Quanxing sect who was respectfully called "Mother Wu." Before joining the Quanxing sect, she was also a disciple of the Tengshan sect.

In the battle at Longhu Mountain caused by Wugensheng, the Quanxing sect members were able to arrive in time to save Wugensheng thanks to Wu Mama's magical "curse" technique.

Moreover, Lu Linglong's astonishing ability to "control blood" was awakened with the help of the Tengshan Sect.

Moreover, Lü Liang's act of disguising himself as a zombie at Jishetang was also to avoid Tengshan's "name curse".

The abilities displayed by this sect are full of strangeness and mystery. However, no matter how much Lü Liang thought about it, he could not connect it with the "water" element.

……

The doubts in Lü Liang's mind kept surging, and he directly posed his questions to Xu Xin:
"Senior Xu, why is the Tengshan School's martial arts attributed to 'water'?"

A faint smile appeared on Xu Xin's face as he explained:

“Curses have no fixed form; they can attach themselves to all things, like water.”

"So that's how it's understood..."

Lü Liang's eyes widened slightly, a flash of sudden realization crossing them, and he exclaimed:

"From this perspective, the key to the so-called Five Elements theory lies not in its outward form, but in its inner spirit."

"Exactly."

“That’s right,” Xu Xin replied affirmatively, then added, “However, among the Five Elements, the method of ‘fire’ possesses both an external form and an inner spirit, combining both form and spirit.”

Upon hearing Xu Xin's description, Lü Liang had a sudden flash of inspiration and immediately guessed the sect's martial arts technique corresponding to "fire".

He guessed, "So, the sect whose cultivation method belongs to 'fire' is the Fire Virtue Sect?"

Xu Xin nodded slightly and said, "Extremely yang and pure, extremely hot and blazing, it perfectly matches the characteristics of 'fire' in the Five Elements."

“Metal, Wood, Water, Fire…” Lü Liang silently counted, “In that case, only ‘Earth’ is left.”

“The Mohist school belongs to the ‘Earth’ element,” Xu Xin offered the answer. “Their techniques excel in defense rather than offense, making them fortified and difficult to destroy, which aligns with the characteristics of ‘Earth’.”

"I see."

A look of realization flashed across Lü Liang's eyes, and his thoughts gradually became clearer.

"Tang Clan, Tiangong Hall, Tengshan Sect, Huode Sect, Mo Clan... the cultivation methods of these sects correspond exactly to the Five Elements... this must be the important reason why Wugensheng gathered disciples from these sects."

However, soon, new questions quietly emerged in Lü Liang's mind.

His hand unconsciously tapped lightly on his knee, his gaze fixed on Xu Xin's face, and he spoke slowly and deliberately:

"Senior Xu, as far as I know, most of the people from these sects among the Thirty-Six Thieves did not participate in the second summons or the final ceremony."

Xinwei nodded slightly, a hint of melancholy in her eyes, as if she were lost in memories of the past:

"After Brother Dong and I left the Qinling Mountains, we soon encountered our fellow disciples who came looking for us. They escorted us back to the Tang Clan, and we have never left this place since."

"As for others, I imagine many have encountered similar situations."

After listening, Lü Liang nodded in agreement and added:
"At that time, the situation was turbulent and unstable. The leak of the list of the Thirty-Six Thieves caused a huge uproar and resulted in many deaths and injuries."

"However, I've always had a question in my mind..."

Lu Liang fixed his gaze on Xu Xin and pressed for an answer:

"Since most of the sects corresponding to the Five Elements didn't go, wouldn't the Five Elements techniques be incomplete? So why was the ceremony ultimately able to proceed?"...

Upon hearing Lü Liang's question, Xu Xin subconsciously reached out and touched his disheveled beard, his eyes instantly filled with memories of the past, a hint of reminiscence appearing on his face.

"This question, back then someone actually asked Wugensheng to his face."

Xu Xin spoke slowly, his voice carrying the vicissitudes of time.

"At that time, Wugensheng was leisurely drinking wine and telling everyone about the ceremony. Everyone's reactions were different, among whom Fengping of Huodezong was the most active."

"He jokingly asked Wugensheng if he could just slip away using fire escape, wouldn't all of Wugensheng's preparations be in vain? After all, he was the only one from the Fire Virtue Sect who participated in the sworn brotherhood."

"And then?" Lü Liang pressed.

"Then... Wugensheng smiled and looked at the others, saying, 'The Five Elements Method is certainly important, but the sects mentioned earlier are the best choices. If Fengping really has no interest in this matter, we can settle for second best.'"

"Settling for second best?"

Lu Liang's brows furrowed instantly, a look of deep thought flashing in his eyes as various possibilities raced through his mind.

"But no matter how much we compromise, in the end, only those eight people will participate in the ceremony, right?"

"Could it be that the person in charge of guarding the Eight Gates can also play two roles?"

"Moreover, among these eight people, five of them happen to have cultivation methods that match the requirements of the 'second best' Five Elements method? Isn't that too much of a coincidence?"

Filled with doubt, Lü Liang simply threw out a series of questions at once.

Xu Xin listened quietly to Lü Liang's question, then nodded slightly and said:
"Over the years, I have often thought about this question, especially after hearing the news of the appearance of the Eight Extraordinary Techniques. I have repeatedly analyzed it in my mind."

"Based on the information Wugensheng revealed at the time, I concluded that it was feasible for one person to hold both positions."

……

"The technique used by the person who finally comprehended the Eight Extraordinary Skills also conformed to the Five Elements..."

Before Xu Xin could give his detailed analysis, Lü Liang already had a guess in mind. He then began to list the points one by one:
"If we delve deeper into this line of thought, the element of metal in the Five Elements... Zhang Huaiyi's Golden Light Mantra might be a substitute."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xin nodded slightly, his eyes revealing approval, signaling Lü Liang to continue.

A glint of shrewdness flashed in Lü Liang's eyes as he continued his analysis:
"As for the element 'wood' in the Five Elements, it should be the simplest, because Ma Benzai just happened to come from the Tiangong Hall."

"Next are 'water,' 'fire,' and 'earth'..."

Lu Liang paused for a moment, his brow furrowing, unable to recall the connection between the remaining six people's techniques and the Five Elements.

Just then, Xu Xin spoke up softly, reminding him:
"The art of the Five Elements can be imitated by sorcerers..."

"Warlocks?" Lü Liang's eyes suddenly lit up. "Zhou Sheng and Gu Qiting are both warlocks!"

“If they each simulate one of the five elements, for example, Zhou Sheng simulates ‘water’ and Gu Qiting simulates ‘fire’, then there will still be ‘earth’ left.”

Lu Liang recalled the list of the remaining people in his mind and asked in confusion:
"Zheng Zibu, Duanmu Ying, Ruan Feng, Feng Tianyang... the techniques of these people don't seem to have anything to do with the 'earth' attribute..."

Upon hearing Lü Liang's analysis, Xu Xin's lips curled up slightly, revealing a faint smile, and he said:
“You forgot, during the second gathering, besides those eight people, there was one other person there as well.”

"You mean... Wugensheng?"

Lu Liang suddenly raised his head, looking directly at Xu Xin, a flash of realization crossing his eyes.

“That’s right,” Xu Xin said. “His divine spirit can dissolve all spells composed of complex Qi. Conversely, if this spell is used in reverse, it can theoretically simulate the Five Elements spell for a short time.”

At this point, Xu Xin stared blankly into the void ahead, his eyes vacant, as if he had fallen into a memory.

After a moment, he withdrew his gaze and slowly said:
"Of course, these are just my speculations, and there is no solid evidence."

Lü Liang nodded slightly, his mind racing.

Although Xu Xin's analysis is mostly based on speculation, it is quite reasonable upon closer examination.

Based on the information he had gathered today, he had a new theory about the final ritual:

As expected, something went wrong during the ceremony.

It could be because one person was holding two positions, which led to a lack of ability and mistakes, or it could be because the replacement was ultimately not up to par.

But in either case, this deficiency prevented the final ceremony from achieving its desired effect.

And that was his chance.

This trip to the Tang Clan was not in vain; at least, he now has a direction for his next investigation.

……

"Thank you for telling me this, Senior Xu Xin."

With a sincere smile on his face, Lü Liang thanked Xu Xin, then changed the subject, asking with a hint of probing:
"Today's chat went much more smoothly than I expected. Senior Xu, I'm actually quite curious, why are you willing to tell me all this?"

"Because I also want to know the answer, I want to know why Wugensheng did that back then."

Xu Xin's eyes revealed deep contemplation as he slowly said:
"His reason at the time was that he had witnessed a divine miracle and gained divine knowledge."

"But I don't actually believe that claim."

"Leaving aside the fact that the Divine Spirit itself is already close to a 'divine skill,' judging from my several past encounters with Wugensheng, he is not someone who is obsessed with powerful strength."

"Therefore, I think the reason he gave at the time was not his real purpose."

"Moreover, I even think that what he really wanted only appeared later. I don't think that he initially befriended the thirty-five of us to prepare for this ceremony."

Xu Xin shook his head slightly, his tone carrying a hint of certainty.

Lu Liang listened quietly to Xu Xin's answer and quickly and keenly perceived the key point.

"You mean that when Wugensheng first started dating you, he didn't intend to hold this ceremony, and the idea only came to him later?"

"Yes." Xu Xin nodded, his gaze firm.

“Even if his final call had other purposes, during our previous interactions, Brother Dong and I both felt that he was a sincere person. If it weren’t for that, we would never have kept that appointment in the Qinling Mountains.”

At this point, Xu Xin sighed, glanced in Tang Miaoxing's direction, and continued in a low voice:
"Over the years, my senior brother has told me about the aftermath of the Jia Shen Rebellion."

"There are many rumors about the Eight Extraordinary Techniques, but the specific details of that ritual have never been revealed. For this reason alone, I have done right by Wugensheng, and everyone else has done right by Wugensheng as well."

"I just want to know what exactly made him have that idea, which ultimately led everyone to that situation."

"I also want to know what he did with that ritual at the end..."

Hearing Xu Xin's words, Lü Liang nodded slightly and promised:
"If I find any relevant information later, I will let Senior Xu know."

"However, I have another important question I would like to ask Senior Xu."

"what is the problem?"

Xu Xin raised his head and looked directly at Lü Liang.

Lü Liang also looked up and met Xu Xin's gaze, and said earnestly:

"Besides gathering the sacred objects, guarding the eight gates, and mastering the Five Elements, how exactly should that ritual be performed?"

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(End of this chapter)