Liver into a martial arts legend: starting with Embroidered Spring Blade

Chapter 140: Shaolin Temple Closes, Plum Blossom Robbery Case Ends, Princess of Izumo Kingdom! [Guaranteed Two-in-One]

Jiang Xuan ultimately did not pursue the matter to the bitter end.

Firstly, since Shaolin Temple has voluntarily submitted, his goal has already been achieved. Directly annihilating the entire sect would be of little significance and would instead provoke hostility and backlash from other Shaolin Temples.

Jiang Xuan was particularly wary of the Shaolin Temple on Mount Song.

The Three Masters and the Four Great Monks are all renowned figures in the martial arts world for decades. There might even be a Celestial-level expert hiding among them. He didn't want to put himself in danger and end up not daring to leave the capital in the future.

Although there is a legitimate reason for the action, it is still advisable to know when to stop.

Secondly, Jiang Xuan was not confident that he could suppress Li Xunhuan as well.

Li Xunhuan's throwing knife technique had reached an extremely terrifying level. Although they hadn't directly clashed, Jiang Xuan still felt a deep sense of threat.

He was unwilling to take the risk.

Including the case of the Plum Blossom Thief, after investigating the situation, he could have taken action directly.

The main reason why they went to so much trouble to wait for Long Xiaoyun to fall into the trap before exposing Lin Xian'er's disguise and having her reveal the truth was because they were afraid of Li Xunhuan.

These so-called heroes are all very rigid.

Until they see conclusive evidence, they will only trust their own judgment. If they believe they are in the right, they will not surrender even to law enforcement agencies like the imperial court.

This is also human nature.

Not to mention, the couple Long Xiaoyun and Lin Shiyin in this case were close friends with Li Xunhuan.

If they take action without first revealing the evidence, Li Xunhuan will definitely not stand idly by.

Therefore, Jiang Xuan preferred to spend more effort so that he could spread the word through those martial arts figures, thus proving that the imperial court had a legitimate reason for its actions and avoiding a backlash from other martial arts forces, while also minimizing the risks.

As it turned out, his decision was correct.

With Lin Xian'er and Long Xiaoyun both revealing their identities, no one in the martial arts world present, except for Li Xunhuan, dared to intervene or offer assistance.

Even Li Xunhuan only intervened to protect the Shaolin monks, and dared not utter a single word about Long Xiaoyun and Lin Xian'er, whose evidence was irrefutable.

Of course, perhaps it was also after learning that his sworn brother, whom he had always respected, had been plotting to kill him all these years that he was completely disappointed.

In the end, Li Xunhuan saved Lin Shiyin and her child by offering a million taels of silver, promising to help the imperial court three times without charge, and a copy of the "Pitying Flower Mirror".

The silver was naturally the wealth accumulated by Xingyun Manor over the years, including the rewards offered by the noble families who were harmed by the Plum Blossom Bandits for revenge. It took a lot of piecing together to raise a million taels of silver.

The Lianhua Treasure Mirror is Shen Lang's martial arts legacy.

Back then, before setting sail, Shen Lang compiled his knowledge into this Lianhua Treasure Mirror and entrusted his friend Wang Lianhua to deliver it to his old friend's son, Li Xunhuan. However, Li Xunhuan had already gone beyond the Great Wall, so Wang Lianhua entrusted the secret manual to Lin Shiyin for safekeeping.

This matter was a secret, known to no one except Lin Shiyin herself.

Jiang Xuan naturally remembered this and directly asked for it during the negotiation.

Although Lin Shiyin was shocked, she had no choice but to yield in the face of a life-or-death threat for the sake of her son, Long Xiaoyun, and handed over the 'Lianhua Precious Mirror' with both hands.

And so, this secret manual that Shen Lang passed on to Li Xunhuan fell into Jiang Xuan's hands before Li Xunhuan even had a chance to see it.

The case of the Plum Blossom Thief has come to a perfect end.

Three days later, Jiang Xuan, along with Long Xiaoyun and Lin Xian'er, and the Imperial Guards, went to Shaolin Temple to receive the spoils offered by Shaolin after their surrender.

Before they left, countless commoners and martial arts practitioners gathered at the entrance of Xingyun Manor to watch. Looking at the listless and disheveled Long Xiaoyun and Lin Xian'er, who were imprisoned in the prison cart, people discussed and cursed them endlessly.

No one expected that the so-called chivalrous hero, who was quite prestigious in Baoding City, was actually the mastermind behind the Plum Blossom Robbery case. He was truly a beast in human form.

And then there's Lin Xian'er, who's known as the most beautiful woman in the martial arts world. Behind the scenes, she's so lewd and shameless, impersonating Mei Hua to steal and harm people. She's equally despicable and contemptible.

The Plum Blossom Thief has been around for less than six months, and dozens of people have already been killed, including not only martial arts practitioners but also ordinary citizens.

The victims were mostly beautiful women.

Now that the real culprit has been arrested, it is naturally a cause for celebration.

The members of the Money Gang were also in the crowd and had not yet left.

Shangguan Fei looked at the lifeless Lin Xian'er in the prison cart with a complicated expression. He hadn't expected that the woman he had just fallen for would be such a person in private.

The thought filled him with anger and resentment.

Seeing the Imperial Guards about to disappear into the distance, he gritted his teeth, suddenly stepped forward, blocked the middle carriage, cupped his hands and said, "Sir, I am Shangguan Fei, the young master of the Money Gang. I have a favor to ask, and I hope you can grant it."

The carriage stopped, and A-Fei was still driving. Jiang Xuan did not appear; he sat inside the carriage, flipping through the 'Lianhua Baojian' without saying a word.

"I am willing to offer ten thousand taels of gold to humbly request that Your Excellency hand over Lin Xian'er to me for disposal!" Shangguan Fei gritted his teeth, glanced back at Lin Xian'er in the prison cart, and a cruel look flashed in his eyes.

She dared to deceive his feelings; he would make that vile woman wish she were dead!
The crowd was in uproar. Ten thousand taels of gold, all for a woman who was promiscuous?

Some people in the martial arts world looked on with sarcasm, secretly laughing at Shangguan Fei for being foolish and rich.

"Young Master..." Zhuge Gang and the others' expressions changed, and they hurriedly stepped forward to dissuade him.

But Shangguan Fei ignored him and remained resolute.

A moment of silence.

Jiang Xuan's cold voice came from inside the carriage: "Get out."

Shangguan Fei's face stiffened.

Afei glanced at him sideways, flicked his whip, and the carriage continued forward.

Zhuge Gang reacted quickly, pulling Shangguan Fei away and preventing him from being trampled by the horses' hooves.

Shangguan Fei's face was grim, but he dared not say anything. He could only watch helplessly as the prison cart drove away and disappeared into the distance.

The crowd gradually dispersed, but the discussions continued.

At the entrance of Xingyun Manor.

Two figures watched silently as the Imperial Guards marched away, listening to the lively discussions around them, their expressions incredibly complex.

“Over the years, I’ve rarely interfered in his affairs, but I never imagined that he would do so many despicable things behind my back…” Lin Shiyin murmured with a sorrowful look in her eyes.

"I never expected that after all these years, he would still hold a grudge against me..." Li Xunhuan sighed softly.

Lin Shiyin looked up at him, and thinking of what Long Xiaoyun had said that night, her heart trembled slightly. She couldn't help but ask, "What are your plans next?"

"I……"

A hint of confusion flashed in Li Xunhuan's eyes, then he shook his head with a wry smile: "I don't know. Perhaps, we should continue to the area beyond the Great Wall."

Lin Shiyin bit her lip and said, "You...you really have the heart to keep abandoning me?"

Li Xunhuan's body trembled, and he abruptly turned to look at Lin Shiyin. His face was filled with a mixture of grief, regret, and joy. He said in a trembling voice, "Shiyin, I..."

Lin Shiyin said in a low voice, "Xingyun Manor, let's change it back to 'Li Garden' from now on. This place was originally your home. If anyone should leave, it should be me."

"No!"

Li Xunhuan said excitedly, "Shiyin, it was my fault back then. I made all these mistakes. Please... give me a chance to make amends."

Lin Shiyin's eyes relaxed, as if she breathed a sigh of relief, and she murmured, "It's all over, it's all over..."

Li Xunhuan was extremely excited.

……

The case of the "Plum Blossom Thief" of Xingyun Manor has come to an end.

The details of the various events involved in this matter gradually spread through the mouths of those who witnessed it firsthand.

Instantly, the clouds stirred in all directions, and the martial arts world was shocked.

In Wenzhou Prefecture, Jiangnan, there was the Money Gang.

A middle-aged man in a long gold robe finished reading the letter in his hand and handed it to someone behind him. Then he put his hands behind his back, looked north, and his eyes flickered, as if he was thinking about something.

This man was none other than Shangguan Jin Hong, the leader of the Money Gang, who was famous throughout Jiangnan.

Behind him, the aloof young man, also dressed in a golden robe with a drawn sword tucked into his belt, silently looked at the letter in his hand, without uttering a word, just like Shangguan Jin Hong's shadow.

"What do you think?" After a long while, Shangguan Jin Hong finally spoke, his voice calm, like a stagnant pool, seemingly devoid of any emotion.

"A master." The young man spoke, casually tossing the letter into the brazier beside him, where it burned to ashes.

"He is a master, but I'm not referring to him."

Shangguan Jin Hong calmly said, "He was able to kill the Great Joyful Bodhisattva, so he is naturally considered a master. The fact that the four grandmasters of Baoding Shaolin were defeated by him is surprising, but it is not enough for me to take him seriously."

"Then what do you mean?" A hint of doubt flashed in the young man's eyes.

"The conditions he proposed."

Shangguan Jin Hong looked into the distance, his eyes narrowed, and said, "Shaolin Temple is very popular and must have accumulated a lot of wealth, but he did not ask for money. Instead, he asked for the land under the jurisdiction of Shaolin Temple. This is very strange."

The young man frowned: "What does this have to do with us?"

"Do you still remember what happened in Kaifeng when the imperial court last suppressed the White Lotus Sect?" Shangguan Jin Hong asked.

"of course I remember."

The young man nodded: "Thirteen gentry families in Kaifeng Prefecture were raided and their clans exterminated, and their land was confiscated..."

At this point, the young man seemed to realize something, his expression changed slightly, and he said, "You mean, the imperial court wants to confiscate the land held by aristocratic families?"

Shangguan Jin Hong nodded: "A few days ago, the court was in an uproar over this matter, and no result has been reached yet."

"But it seems that the emperor has not given up on this plan yet."

The young man frowned; he understood what Shangguan Jin Hong was worried about.

In recent years, the Money Gang has grown rapidly, expanding its territory to almost all the prefectures and counties in Jiangnan, and naturally, it has illegally occupied a considerable amount of land.

If the imperial court really intends to confiscate the land and fields seized by powerful families, will the Money Gang hand them over or not?
"It shouldn't be possible."

After a moment of contemplation, the young man shook his head and said, "This matter is too far-fetched. If the court really dares to do this, it will inevitably cause turmoil throughout the country. The eunuch faction has only recently been destroyed and the situation has just stabilized. The court cannot afford the consequences."

Shangguan Jin Hong shook his head slightly: "In the past two years, the imperial court's actions have been too drastic, which makes me somewhat uneasy."

"You're afraid too?" The young man looked at him, his tone calm but without any sarcasm, simply asking.

Shangguan Jin Hong was already used to his personality, so she didn't think much of it and said calmly, "Everyone has fears, and I'm no exception."

"The world is vast and unfathomable. Before we have absolute power to look down on everything, we should still have some sense of awe."

The young man said, "But in the past few years, you haven't had many concerns, and we've made quite a stir."

Shangguan Jin Hong said, "That's because I know that there is currently no one in Jiangnan that can make me feel afraid."

"People should have self-awareness and do only what they are capable of."

"With our strength, we've already reached the limit of how far we've built the Money Gang."

"Pass down the message: from now on, restrain yourselves a bit and stop expanding outwards. Let's see how the court moves first." "Also, the task that Zhuge Gang and his men were tasked with has been botched. Li Xunhuan has returned, and Shen Lang's legacy has most likely fallen into his hands."

Shangguan Jin Hong narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "In a few days, you will come with me to Baoding."

"If I can obtain Shen Lang's inheritance, I might be able to advance further and have fewer constraints."

The young man nodded in agreement.

……

As night fell, the air grew even colder.

Shaolin Temple in Baoding.

All the monks gathered behind the four great monks, including Master Xinhu, watching helplessly as the Imperial Guards carried out the Shaolin Temple's scriptures and classics. Their faces were grim, but no one dared to speak up and stop them.

The entire temple was surrounded by a dense swarm of Imperial Guards. The captains, clad in armor and wielding long swords and crossbows, looked fierce and menacing, their eyes even filled with anticipation, as if they hoped someone would resist so they could test the sharpness of their swords and arrows.

These henchmen of the imperial court are simply too brutal.

Everyone stood quietly outside, waiting for Jiang Xuan, who was sitting at his desk in the main hall, to take stock of the scriptures and classics.

Jiang Xuan carefully read through each and every scripture.

It wasn't until late at night that he put down the last book of scriptures, sighed, and realized he hadn't found the Yi Jin Jing and Xi Sui Jing he was looking for.

The Yi Jin Jing and the Xi Sui Jing are known as the two top internal martial arts of Shaolin.

However, to date, he has only learned a portion of the Yi Jin Jing from Gu Santong, and it is not complete.

He has recently started practicing this unique skill in his spare time, hoping to use the system to complete this internal skill and then pass it on to Yan Shisan and others.

However, the incomplete martial arts skills are extremely difficult to master through self-exploration.

If one could obtain the complete Yi Jin Jing (Muscle/Tendon Changing Classic), the process of learning it would definitely be much faster.

Part of the reason for demanding Shaolin scriptures this time is because of this matter.

But the result disappointed Jiang Xuan.

Let alone the Yi Jin Jing and Xi Sui Jing, there isn't even a top-tier internal skill for a grandmaster or higher. Of the 72 Shaolin Arts, there are only a dozen or so, with the rest being mostly second-rate martial arts.

"That's true. If there really were top-tier internal martial arts like the Yi Jin Jing and Xi Sui Jing, how could the Shaolin Temple in Baoding have failed to produce any masters above the Grandmaster level for so many years?"

"Perhaps, those top-tier internal energy cultivation techniques are only found in the main temple of Shaolin Temple on Mount Song..."

Jiang Xuan shook his head, got up, and walked out the door.

In the end, he only acquired a few master-level internal martial arts techniques and a few high-level external martial arts techniques.

As for those Buddhist scriptures, they were useless to him, so he returned them all to the Shaolin Temple.

The Shaolin monks immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and their expressions softened considerably.

These scriptures are the foundation of Shaolin Temple. Although they have memorized most of them, they can still copy them again even if they are taken away.

But if the original can be preserved, that would be the best outcome.

In the end, Jiang Xuan signed an agreement with Shaolin Temple to close the mountain and transfer the land under its jurisdiction. After obtaining the land deeds, he led his men down the mountain overnight.

Watching the group of killers finally leave, the Shaolin monks were on the verge of tears.

From then on, the Baoding Shaolin Temple had to abide by the agreement and was not allowed to leave the mountain or accept incense offerings from the people for ten years.

Even the land surrounding them, which originally belonged to them and was rented out to the local people for cultivation, no longer belonged to them.

This means they have completely lost their source of income from outside sources.

Of course, the Shaolin Temple in Baoding has accumulated a lot of wealth over the years due to its continuous incense offerings, so even without external income, it wouldn't starve.

But after this incident, with so many disciples killed or injured and such great losses suffered, no one could possibly be happy.

However, faced with the behemoth that is the imperial court, and knowing that they were in the wrong and the court had a legitimate reason to act, they were powerless to do anything about it and could only swallow their anger.

"Close the door."

Watching the Imperial Guards depart, Master Xinhu sighed and said, "Tomorrow, issue a notice that we will no longer receive pilgrims, close the mountain and the temple, and focus on our spiritual practice."

"Senior brother, are we really going to let this go? Let's go to the main temple on Mount Song and ask Master Kongwen to uphold justice for us. I refuse to believe that the main temple can sit idly by while the imperial court is so oppressing our Buddhist community!"

Xin Jian gritted his teeth, feeling extremely aggrieved, but still wanted to seek justice.

Master Xinhu shook his head and sighed, "Forget it. Although we belong to the same Shaolin lineage, we have been passed down for many years and our relationship has become distant. The main temple is unlikely to provoke the imperial court for our sake."

"Let's leave it at that. There's no need to make a big fuss about it."

"Moreover, this is not necessarily a bad thing."

Master Xinhu looked at the monks and said, “I hope this matter will serve as a warning to you. In the future, you should be careful and cautious in your actions, and plan things out before acting. Do not provoke trouble in the secular world. Focus on Buddhism and improve your spiritual practice. This is what we Buddhist disciples should do.”

The monks bowed respectfully and said, "We will remember the abbot's teachings."

Master Xinhu nodded slightly, sighed, and left.

……

The Imperial Guard rested for one night in Mancheng County, at the foot of Shaolin Temple in Baoding, and continued their journey back to Beijing the next day.

As early spring approaches, the snow has stopped, and the daytime weather has warmed up a bit, with the sunshine dispelling some of the chill.

Jiang Xuan remained seated in the carriage with Ren Yingying, taking stock of the tangible gains from their trip.

Aside from the Golden Silk Armor and the two divine weapons forged by Hidden Sword Manor that I obtained at the beginning, the only other items I received were 1.1 million taels of silver from Golden Lion Escort Agency and Xingyun Manor.

In addition, there were about ten martial arts manuals.

As for the thousands of acres of land under the jurisdiction of Shaolin Temple, they were to be handed over to the imperial court for redistribution and resettlement; they did not belong to him.

He has no use for the land.

Just then, Zhu Youjian was preoccupied with the matter of reclaiming the land that had been seized by powerful clans, and reclaiming this land would be the perfect opportunity to bring it back and report to the emperor.

As for the recovery of the land that has been seized nationwide, this matter needs to be considered in detail. We should first see what new policies Zhu Youjian has come up with.

After Jiang Xuan finished counting, he casually tossed the golden silk armor to Ren Yingying as a reward.

Ren Yingying was somewhat surprised: "This precious armor is priceless, don't you want it yourself, sir?"

"It's no use to me." Jiang Xuan shook his head.

Although this golden silk armor is valuable, it can only block attacks from ordinary masters who have just entered the Grandmaster level. Against a Grandmaster with slightly stronger true qi, even if it can block sword attacks, it will be injured by the true qi shock, so it is not very useful to him.

In terms of defensive capabilities, it's not even as good as his Vajra Body.

If even the Vajra Body can't withstand an attack, then this Golden Silk Armor is even less likely to be able to.

"Thank you, sir."

Upon hearing this, Ren Yingying did not refuse and immediately thanked him and accepted the item. Her eyes showed joy, and it was clear that she liked this treasure very much.

The gold-threaded armor is as thin as a cicada's wing and is made of a blend of special refined iron and gold. It is not only highly defensive but also aesthetically pleasing. Its size is also adjustable, making it ideal for wearing as inner armor close to the body.

Moreover, the fact that this armor is useless to Jiang Xuan does not mean it is useless to her.

At least in the future, her safety will be greatly guaranteed. With her martial arts skills, as long as she doesn't encounter a master or above, even if she can't win, she can ensure a safe retreat.

Lan Fenghuang's gaze shifted, and she teased in a low voice, "Miss, why don't you change in front of the adults?"

"Are you trying to kill me?!" Ren Yingying blushed slightly and slapped her.

Jiang Xuan ignored the two women's playful fight, took out the Lianhua Baojian (a book about pitying flowers), and continued to read it.

This book records the martial arts that Shen Lang practiced when he was young. It is not only a single internal energy cultivation method, but also includes a lot of external skills.

Techniques such as palm strikes, swordsmanship, acupoint striking, and light footwork are all of high quality.

Among them, there is even a light-foot skill at the innate level—Treading Snow Without Leaving a Trace.

Martial Arts: Treading Snow Without Leaving a Trace (Beginner Level)

【Progress: 0/500】

After watching it only once and memorizing the key points, it was automatically added to the system panel.

Lightness skill is also a type of external martial art, but when combined with internal strength and true qi, it can unleash even greater power.

However, even first-class or above lightness skills are extremely rare, let alone those that surpass first-class.

It is evident that Shen Lang was quite skilled in martial arts when he was young, at least at the level of a grandmaster, or even a great grandmaster.

Now, ten or twenty years have passed. If he were still alive, I wonder what level he would have reached.

Celestial beings? Or beings beyond celestial beings?
Jiang Xuan sighed inwardly for a moment, shook his head, and continued to study martial arts. He memorized all the martial arts he had acquired and added them to the system panel, practicing them slowly.

For others, trying to do too much at once and being a jack of all trades and master of none is not a good thing.

However, Jiang Xuan was not worried about this issue because of the system panel.

As long as the martial arts can be included in the system panel, he will eventually be able to master them all and eventually accumulate the progress of the same martial arts. Through the fusion practice function, he can deduce stronger martial arts.

"Xilulu——"

Just as Jiang Xuan was diligently studying martial arts, the carriage stopped, and then the sounds of fighting came from afar.

"careful!"

"Protect the governor!"

An Jianqing shouted, then immediately rode his horse to the carriage and reported loudly, "Reporting to the Commander, there is a fight between martial arts practitioners ahead, and we do not know the details yet!"

"I heard."

Jiang Xuan put away the manual, pulled back the side curtain, and looked into the distance.

In the distance, the fork in the road was blocked by a group of carriages and horses, and a group of men in black, armed with various weapons, were chasing a man and a woman.

There were many corpses lying on both sides of the road. They all seemed to be the same group as the two people being chased, but they were obviously no match for the group of men in black. At this moment, they suffered heavy casualties. The remaining man was also wounded, and the woman was anxiously fleeing while the man was stalling for time. She looked very disheveled.

Clearly, this was a premeditated ambush!

Upon seeing the group in the distance, the fleeing woman's eyes lit up with hope, and she quickly called out, "Lord Karasuma, there are people ahead! They look like they're from the Ming Dynasty!"

Wu Huan, who was fighting the assassin, turned around and his face lit up with joy. He said, "Great! Those are the Ming Dynasty's Imperial Guards! Princess, we are saved!"

As he spoke, Karasuma, while fending off the assassins' attacks, shouted for help: "My lords, the Imperial Guards of the Great Ming Dynasty, we are envoys from the Kingdom of Izumo. This is Princess Toshihide of our Kingdom of Izumo. We have come here to establish a marriage alliance with your dynasty. Please, my lords, save the princess!"

"How could the Imperial Guards be here? Damn it!"

One of the men in black who was fighting with the Wuhuan suddenly changed his expression and shouted in a low voice, "No need to leave any survivors, kill them and get out of here as soon as possible!"

(End of this chapter)