Devouring Evil Martial Arts, Eliminating Demons from All Heavens

Chapter 224 Hanoi Sima
The Jin Dynasty, from Sima Yi onwards, has become worse with each generation.

Even Sima Yi himself was a person who treated public oaths as mere farts and had absolutely no credibility.

Even in his own family affairs, he could claim to cherish his wife, but in the end, he favored his concubine over his wife.

"but……"

Chu Tianshu asked doubtfully, "When the ancient dragon veins were still there, wouldn't each generation be able to forge their own path after inheriting the power of the original text?"

"This shows that the original text of the Dragon Vein has a very limited ability to interfere with the world."

Huo Ming sighed.

"That's because the ancients' interference with the dragon veins was a continuous process from generation to generation, while what we are facing is the original text of the dragon veins, which has just returned after nearly two thousand years."

Huo Ming said, "The solidified trends that have settled in the dragon veins today are far greater than the pressure faced by the ancients."

"This is what the Grand Commander and his men summarized from various events."

"Coincidentally, the original text that the Grand Commander obtained was none other than that of Zhuge Liang."

"That...the wise and virtuous prime minister who devised plans to go to war, was repeatedly thwarted by Sima Yi, and was eventually outlived by Sima Yi."

The sunlight streaming through the window is serene.

After saying these words, Huo Ming drank several mouthfuls of tea.

Chu Tianshu seemed to be deep in thought, so he also picked up his tea and took a sip.

"So, you're here to see Sima Yi?"

Seeing the other party nod, Chu Tianshu spoke again.

"However, Zhuge Liang was farming in Nanyang, while our General Cai was farming in Yunnan."

"You came all the way to Hanoi to seek the blessing of Sima Yi's original text, surely it's not just because the historical Sima Yi was from Hanoi, right?"

Huo Ming nodded.

He finished his tea and whispered, "It was a message secretly sent back by our friends in the capital."

"After the Yuan family declined, the Cao family inherited most of the power in the north. They also researched the original text of the dragon vein and paid special attention to Sima Yi."

"It was the Cao family who discovered that there is a person in Hanoi who has most likely obtained Sima Yi's original texts."

Indeed, since he was a member of the Cao family, Sima Yi naturally deserved special attention.

Chu Tianshu asked curiously, "Who is this person?"

According to the information Huo Ming received, this person's surname was Chen and his given name was Xuewen.

During the late Qing Dynasty, a famous person named Li Tangjie emerged from Hanoi County.

He served as an official during the reigns of Emperors Daoguang, Xianfeng, and Tongzhi, successively holding positions such as Minister of Works, Minister of Rites, Grand Councilor, and Minister of Revenue.

After his death, the emperor posthumously granted him the title of Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince and the posthumous name Wenqing.

This person once taught at the Hebei Academy for thirteen years.

Chen Xuewen is his grand-disciple.

Among the literati of Yuzhou, Chen Xuewen was quite famous, having inherited many connections left over from the late Qing Dynasty.

After all, although the Qing Dynasty was overthrown, there are still quite a few people serving in various places in Yuzhou who are former Qing officials who have simply changed their official titles.

There was a joke that circulated here back then.

It is said that a county magistrate cut off his queue (braid) and used a bamboo pole to poke down two tiles in front of the yamen (government office), indicating that a battle had taken place there and a revolution had taken place.

In the past few days, he finally dared to go back to the yamen to take charge, but he stepped on a tile and fell face-first into the mud.

He had forgotten about the incident and flew into a rage. Someone nearby had a sudden inspiration and reported it to the authorities.

"Reporting to the county magistrate, this was done by the county magistrate himself."

There are also rumors that this county magistrate, who had repeatedly failed the imperial examinations, got his position through Chen Xuewen's connections.

Despite his advanced age, he still had to treat Chen Xuewen with the respect due to a disciple.

Huo Ming said, "There's another thing, which I only found out after I got here."

"This Chen Xuewen is from Chenjiagou, the very Chenjiagou famous for its Tai Chi."

Chu Tianshu's heart stirred.

Yes, Chenjiagou is also located in Hanoi. Uncle Zhong once said that he was proud of his knowledge when he was young, but he only realized it when he got older.

The Tai Chi Chuan of the Golden Toad School is actually much inferior to that of Chenjiagou.

At that time, the leader who was chasing Cai Shanjun used a set of sword and shield techniques, which were also the Tai Chi style of Chenjiagou.

Their actual combat skills are quite impressive.

Chu Tianshu was in a hurry to kill someone and didn't have the leisure to wait for the other party to use all the subtleties of Chen Family Tai Chi.

"During the Daoguang era, Li Tangjie was attacked by court officials and demoted three ranks. He was not promoted again until the Tongzhi era, when he became a Grand Councilor."

"The reason for his demotion was that when he was in charge of the imperial examinations, he admitted a group of elderly martial arts students, which violated the old practice of the Qing Dynasty."

Huo Ming said, "The most orthodox way of practicing Tai Chi in Chenjiagou requires thirty or forty years of accumulation, and the older you get, the stronger you become."

"The first batch of people admitted were all from Chenjiagou. At that time, Li Tangjie already had a close relationship with Chenjiagou."

This incident involved collusion between civil and military officials, which violated a major taboo of the emperor. This was the main reason for his demotion by three ranks.

Fortunately, Li Tangjie maintained a good reputation and was known for his integrity; otherwise, things might have been even worse.

It was also because of those elderly martial arts graduates that they were eventually stripped of their official titles.

Chenjiagou then devised another group of people to pursue civil service careers.

Chen Xuewen was the ringleader among them.

"I originally thought I could handle this on my own."

Huo Ming said, "But before that, I went to Chenjiagou to observe, and there are indeed quite a few experts there."

“Although I’m not afraid, if I alert Chen Xuewen and he realizes that someone is watching him, things could get more complicated.”

As he spoke, Huo Ming took out a piece of paper from his hat, which unfolded to reveal a black and white portrait.

Chu Tianshu glanced at it: "This is Chen Xuewen. Don't you have a photo?"

Huo Mingdao said, "He never takes photos, so it won't be easy to get this portrait."

"interesting."

Chu Tianshu gently rubbed his fingertips on the teacup with great interest, and said, "I remember when you had two guns in your hands, you were still easily knocked unconscious by that knife and shield assassin."

"There must be some people in Chenjiagou whose strength surpasses that assassin's."

"You just said you weren't afraid, did you also obtain some kind of original text?"

Huo Ming had no intention of hiding anything, but his expression seemed a little complicated when the topic came up.

"When a stray bullet ripped a piece off my scalp, my mind went blank."

"On that battlefield where blood flowed like a river, I became unable to distinguish between near and far, high and low, I only knew that I had to rush over and grab the machine gun."

"At that moment, I felt something coming from all directions, amidst the deafening sounds of gunfire, and descending upon me."

Huo Ming sighed.

"Afterwards, I was happy, but also a little flattered and ashamed."

“I am but a lowly guard, yet I have obtained the original text, Zhao Yun.”

Chu Tianshu picked up the teacup, drank it all in one gulp, and stared intently.

"What's there to be ashamed of? It wasn't you who tricked or deceived Zhao Yun; it was the original text that chose you!"

Chu Tianshu grinned and said, "Let's have a fight."

Huo Ming quickly waved his hand: "The Dragon Vein Origin is just a sum of deeds, a kind of interference force, not a heroic spirit."

“I know you martial artists like to debate ancient and modern times, but if you fight me, it doesn’t mean you’re sparring with Zhao Yun himself.”

Chu Tianshu laughed even harder.

"I understood just now. The current proposal is to have a friendly exchange with 'you'."

At this point, Chu Tianshu deliberately sighed.

"Xiao Huo, are you really going to reject me?"

(End of this chapter)