Zhu Tian: A journey of spiritual practice starting from Joy of Life

Chapter 242 Shaolin Temple's Letter: The Western Xia Invasion
After finishing copying the Lesser Formless Skill and handing it to Su Xinghe, Leng Feibai returned to his room and leaned against the bed in a daze.

He had already handed over those few Ice Silkworm Gu to a new clone, instructing him to leave them in the Twelve-Story Tower to cultivate the Five Elements Gu.

"The matter was settled quickly. All that's left is to find a good time to kill Yelü Hongji and Wanyan Aguda, and then provoke a war between the Khitans and Jurchens!"

As Leng Feibai finished speaking, his thoughts quickly shifted elsewhere.

The Heavenly Child Granny went so far as to rob the Shaolin Temple for her newly accepted female disciple, which shows that she values ​​that disciple quite a bit.

Thinking of this, Leng Feibai couldn't help but purse his lips.

With his current cultivation level, apart from the Sweeper Monk, there is no one in this world who can rival him.

If we had to count, we could add Liu Haichan, one of the Five Patriarchs of Quanzhen in the official history.

After all, that person was going to teach the Purple Sun Immortal the method of cultivating the Golden Elixir in two years, so the current founder of Quanzhen should still be in this world.

"Apart from these two, whoever else is, they're just a matter of a slap to me!"

As Leng Feibai finished speaking, he left a clone inside the room and entered the Twelve-Story Tower once more.

It has been some time since he finished reading the introductions to weapon crafting and formation, but he has yet to enter the eighth, ninth, and tenth floors of the Twelve-Story Tower.

The forging room on the eighth floor was no different from the alchemy room on the sixth floor. In the center of the room, there was a set of various equipment for refining weapons, as well as a complete set of equipment manuals.

Deeper inside, there are six rooms, each with a sign hanging above it.

"Attack-type magical artifacts"

"Defensive magical artifacts"

"Auxiliary magical artifacts"

"Attack-type Spirit Treasures"

"Defensive Spiritual Treasure"

"Supportive Spirit Treasures"

If Leng Feibai wasn't mistaken, the six rooms contained blueprints for crafting various magical artifacts.

Leng Feibai, who had no immediate plans to refine weapons, did not linger there and turned to go up to the ninth floor.

The ninth floor was a place similar to a viewing platform. As soon as Leng Feibai went there, he saw a series of continuous mountain ranges and forests appear in his eyes.

Beside the viewing platform is a light and shadow distribution map, which marks the distribution of various ores, rare woods, and refining materials such as silk.

Out of curiosity, Leng Feibai raised his hand and pointed to a place on the map marked with gold and silver veins.

The next moment, the surrounding scenery suddenly changed, and Leng Feibai was teleported directly into a mine.

Upon entering, Leng Feibai was almost blinded by the dazzling golden light before him.

On the walls on both sides of the mine, there were countless gold and silver ores embedded.

Out of curiosity, Leng Feibai picked up a pickaxe and swung it at the wall.

With a few swings of the pickaxe, seven or eight pieces of ore fell from the wall, each inlaid with glittering gold.

"I rely on!"

Leng Feibai couldn't help but swear, "So there are gold and silver mines right here? Then I don't need to..."

Leng Feibai didn't say the rest. He used his mental power to pick up the ore on the ground, and at the same time, the thought of returning to the observation deck arose in his mind.

As he expected, almost instantly, Leng Feibai returned to the observation deck with the gold ore he had dug out.

"This floor has at least one advantage: you can come here to mine ore when you're short of money!"

After Leng Feibai finished speaking, he went up to the tenth floor.

The tenth floor is exactly the same as the fourth floor's Divine Weapon Pavilion. The entire floor is filled with shelves, but there is nothing on them.

If Leng Feibai is not mistaken, this should be the warehouse used to store magical artifacts in the future.

"No wonder this place can only be opened after I've mastered the basics of weapon crafting!"

Leng Feibai muttered to himself, "It seems there's still a lot to learn in the future."

After venting his frustrations, Leng Feibai turned and returned to the eighth floor of the Twelve-Story Tower to study the art of weapon crafting.

Half a month later, a letter from Shaolin Temple accompanied the visitor into Xiaoyao Valley.

Inside the reception hall of Xiaoyao Valley, Leng Feibai, who had rushed over after receiving news of the clone, saw a monk in his early thirties, dressed in a yellow robe, chatting with Su Xinghe as soon as he entered the room, while Gou Du stood behind Su Xinghe without saying a word.

"Master Huilun!"

Su Xinghe stood up and introduced, "This is my junior brother, who is also the current Valley Master of my Xiaoyao Valley."

"Amitabha!"

Hui Lun bowed and said, "This humble monk Hui Lun greets the Valley Master of Xiaoyao Valley."

Leng Feibai looked the monk up and down. Although the man was not well-known, he was the first master of Xu Zhu, the second male lead in the novel.

"Master Huilun, you're too kind!"

Leng Feibai stepped forward and helped the man up. As Su Xinghe's junior brother, he was of the same generation as the Shaolin monks of the Xuan generation in the martial arts world, so he naturally did not need to return a junior's greeting.

Leng Feibai sat down in the main seat and said calmly, "I wonder what brings Master Huilun to my Xiaoyao Valley?"

Upon hearing this, Huilun quickly took out a red invitation card from his robes and said, "The fifteenth of next month is the day when our Uncle Xuanku will take over as abbot of our temple. I have been ordered to come and deliver an invitation to Xiaoyao Valley and to Shaolin Temple to attend the ceremony!"

Upon seeing this, Leng Feibai flicked his hand, and the invitation in Huilun's hand flew out, which he then began to read.

Upon seeing Leng Feibai's methods, Huilun's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He hadn't expected that this Valley Master of Xiaoyao would have such strength, managing to take the invitation from his hand from a distance.

It seems I need to give a proper report to my fellow monks after returning to the temple, so as not to offend anyone.

After reading the invitation in his hand, Leng Feibai said, "I'll trouble Master Huilun to make the trip. On the fifteenth of next month, my Xiaoyao Valley will definitely send someone to Shaolin Temple to attend the ceremony. Gou Du, take Master Huilun to the dining hall for a vegetarian meal."

"Thank you for your kindness, Valley Master!"

Huilun rose and declined, saying, "This humble monk still needs to deliver invitations to the sects in the Luoyang area, so I will take my leave!"

Seeing this, Leng Feibai did not insist on keeping him, but simply arranged for Gou Du to escort Hui Lun out of the valley.

After the two had gone, Leng Feibai turned to Su Xinghe and said, "Senior brother, what does Shaolin Temple mean by this? Our Xiaoyao Valley has only been rebuilt for a little over a year now. As for reputation, if it weren't for your and Junior Nephew Xue's names, we would probably be completely unknown in the martial arts world!"

Su Xinghe laughed after hearing this, "In August of this year, the Thirty-Six Bandits of Shaanxi committed a major crime near Luoyang. If it weren't for your intervention, Junior Brother, it might have taken much longer to catch them. After that battle, the government really publicized your name. You've become quite well-known in the martial arts world."

Leng Feibai looked helpless after hearing this. Although the population of Xiaoyao Valley was not large, people still needed to eat.

Besides the dozens of acres of farmland that Xue Muhua originally purchased.

The entire Xiaoyao Valley, including Leng Feibai, regularly goes up the mountain in batches to hunt, gather herbs, and fish in the surrounding forests to increase the sect's income. Of course, in special circumstances, such as handling wanted posters entrusted to Xiaoyao Valley by the government or killing bandits, they can also earn a considerable amount of money.

In addition, the winery, inn, Xue Muhua's clinic, and Feng Asan's carpentry shop in Forget-Worry Village are enough to cover daily expenses.

Just as Leng Feibai was discussing with Su Xinghe who should attend the ceremony at Shaolin Temple, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door.

The next moment, Xue Muhua walked in with a middle-aged man dressed in official robes.

"Lord Feng!"

Leng Feibai and Su Xinghe stood up at the same time and stepped forward to greet them, "What brings you here?"

This official surnamed Feng was none other than Feng Ziyi, the prefect of Luoyang. He was a diligent and good official.

Six months ago, Leng Feibai was invited by him to capture the Thirty-Six Bandits of Shaanxi.

After that, the two became acquaintances.

"Mr. Su, Valley Master Leng!"

Feng Ziyi cupped his hands in greeting to the two men and said, "I have urgent business to attend to and have come to ask Valley Master Leng for help!"

Upon seeing this, Leng Feibai quickly said, "Lord Feng, please don't rush, tell me slowly!"

Feng Ziyi took a couple of breaths and quickly said, "The Western Xia army has invaded the Qin Prefecture border. In addition to dispatching troops to resist, the imperial court has also ordered local governments to recruit as many martial arts masters as possible to go to the border to assist in the battle! Valley Master Leng, would you be willing to make a trip to Qin Prefecture?"

Upon hearing this, Leng Feibai frowned.

He doesn't remember that the Western Xia army invaded the Song Dynasty in 1067.

On the contrary, in 1068, when Yang Wenguang was ordered to repair the city of Bili in Qinzhou, he fought a battle with the Western Xia and won.

Yang Wenguang also received armor and other items as a reward from Emperor Shenzong of Song.

Thinking of this, Leng Feibai quickly said, "Lord Feng, as the saying goes, the greatest heroes are those who serve their country and its people. Now that the Western Xia are invading the borders of our Great Song Dynasty, it is only right that I, Leng, should go out of the valley to lend a hand, but..."

Upon seeing this, Feng Ziyi quickly pressed on, "Valley Master Leng, if you have any requests, just let me know. As long as they're not too unreasonable, I'll do my best to help you get them!"

"I don't have any requests!"

Leng Feibai scratched his head and said, "But Lord Feng, do you know who the marshal is in command of the troops in Qin Prefecture?"

"This one is quite famous!"

Feng Ziyi said with a smile, "Since Valley Master Leng is a person of the martial arts world, you should have heard of the Yang Family Spear, right?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Leng Feibai immediately thought of someone and quickly said, "Could it be a descendant of General Yang Ye?"

Feng Ziyi nodded and said, "It is indeed General Yang Wenguang, the grandson of the old General Ling Gong!"

A glint of light flashed in Leng Feibai's eyes, unlike in the novel.

The only members of the Yang family recorded in Song Dynasty history are Yang Ye, Yang Yanzhao, and Yang Yanzhao's eldest son, Yang Wenguang.

As for characters like Yang Zongbao, they are fictional characters created in storytelling and entertainment.

"Then I'll trouble Lord Feng to give me a certificate, and I'll set off for Qin Prefecture immediately!"

Seeing Leng Feibai's expression, Feng Ziyi breathed a sigh of relief and quickly took out a letter from his pocket, saying, "I've already written the letter, Valley Master Leng, I'm entrusting everything to you!"

Leng Feibai took the letter, nodded, and turned to Su Xinghe, saying, "Senior brother, I'll leave the matter of Shaolin Temple to you."

After saying that, Leng Feibai handed the invitation to Su Xinghe without giving him a chance to say anything. He went back to his room, packed his luggage, and immediately set off for Qinzhou.

In just ten days, Leng Feibai traveled at breakneck speed and finally arrived at the Qin Prefecture garrison.

Qinzhou may sound unfamiliar, but during the Three Kingdoms period, it was called Tianshui.

After making inquiries along the way, Leng Feibai spent two or three days finding the location of the army's garrison and headed straight for the military camp.

Along the way, Leng Feibai encountered many martial arts practitioners who were heading towards the military camp. They were probably from various parts of the Song Dynasty and had come to deal with the Western Xia army.

When Leng Feibai arrived outside the military camp, the area outside was already in complete chaos.

A large crowd gathered outside the military camp. A man dressed as a general looked at the crowd before him, swallowed hard, and quickly said, "Gentlemen, you have come from afar to support us. I am deeply grateful, but this is a military camp, and outsiders cannot be allowed to enter without permission. Please rest at the inn in the city. When Marshal Yang has time, he will naturally summon you all."

Upon hearing the general's voice, several hot-tempered individuals in the crowd immediately began to curse.

"Damn it! I came all this way to help you. Two or three horses died from exhaustion, and you won't even let me into the military camp. Are you trying to make a fool of me?!"

"That's right, that's right! If it weren't for the county magistrate of my hometown repeatedly inviting me, I wouldn't have come here!"

Listening to the group's back-and-forth conversation, Leng Feibai's face darkened. If no one intervened, a large-scale conflict was bound to break out.

Just then, a loud voice rang out.

"Amitabha Buddha, dear benefactors, please calm your anger!"

His voice was extremely loud and steady, with a faint trace of true energy emanating from it.

A sharp shout stunned the arguing crowd of martial arts outlaws.

"This is the Lion's Roar of Shaolin Temple!"

Leng Feibai looked around and saw an old monk wearing a yellow robe and a monk's hat leading two bald young monks toward the military camp.

Beside him were three middle-aged men of similar age.

One of them immediately shouted, "Isn't that Master Xuandu from Shaolin Temple and Vice Chief Ma from the Beggars' Sect? Even they've come!"

Upon hearing this, Leng Feibai raised an eyebrow, surprised that even these two had come.

Xuan Du, a high-ranking monk of the Xuan generation at Shaolin Temple, has cultivated the Yi Jin Jing to the third level, the Azure Floating Pagoda. His defensive power is superb, making him impervious to swords and spears, as well as water and fire.

As for Ma Dayuan, although his kung fu skills were not very good, his reputation in the martial arts world was top-notch.

Since Wang Jiantong stopped interfering with the Beggars' Sect's affairs in recent years, Ma Dayuan has been handling all the big and small matters within the sect.

When the group of martial arts practitioners saw these two arrive, they all fell silent. After all, Shaolin Temple and the Beggars' Sect were the most powerful forces in the martial arts world, and they were not people like them who could afford to offend them.

"Amitabha!"

Xuan Du put his hands together and said, "Esteemed benefactors, we have all come here to defend our territory. Why cause trouble here and do things that will hurt our friends and please our enemies?"

"Master Xuandu is right!"

Ma Dayuan continued, "Since Marshal Yang isn't in the camp, everyone should go back and rest. When the Western Xia army arrives, you'll all have your chance to go to the battlefield. Don't back down then!"

Seeing the two of them singing and dancing in harmony, the martial arts practitioners nodded in agreement and turned to disperse to find a place to rest.

(End of this chapter)