The Legend of the Condor Heroes: From Being Expelled from Peach Blossom Island

Chapter 220 Portrait
The moment the name Wanyan Qing was uttered, the Seven Masters of Quanzhen changed color, for everyone knew what the name Wanyan represented.

The Quanzhen Sect is currently within the territory of the Jin Dynasty. Generally speaking, they are law-abiding citizens. At most, Qiu Chuji would sneak out to kill a few people, or, like last time, they would intervene to save people when Jin cavalry were harming civilians. They no longer dare to openly resist the Jin.

But that doesn't mean they're willing to be subservient to the Jin Dynasty. Now that a disciple they had high hopes for has suddenly revealed his surname to Wanyan, they can't help but wonder why.

Wu Chengyu continued, "I arrived at Zhongnan Mountain after dark yesterday. Not wanting to be an unwelcome guest trespassing at night, I spent the night at the foot of the mountain."

Unexpectedly, they happened to run into these two making their meeting. The other person was Wanyan Qing's brother, who was also a member of the Jin royal family. Their purpose was self-evident.

Master Ma, Daoist Qiu, and several other True Immortals—Is this generous gift from me acceptable?

The others remained silent, but Qiu Chuji burst into laughter: "It's passable, of course it's passable. Brother Wu has done my Quanzhen Sect a great favor. I wonder if these two can be handed over to me for disposal?"

Wu Chengyu lifted the two men up, released his inner force, and gently placed them into Qiu Chuji's hands.

"I didn't interrogate him in detail, but since he was able to sneak up the mountain under an assumed name and evade your sect's investigation, there must be more to the story. I'll leave the rest to you real masters."

It seems today is not a good time for a friendly spar. You gentlemen must have more important matters to attend to. Could you perhaps reserve a guest room for me at Chongyang Palace so I can rest for a few days?

Ma Yu said, "Of course, thank you for your understanding. Datong, you will be in charge of receiving Benefactor Wu."

As soon as he finished speaking, Hao Datong took two steps forward and extended his hand to welcome the guests. Qiu Chuji and Wang Chuyi each grabbed a spy, while the other six bowed to Wu Chengyu, then turned and left without further formalities.

Hao Datong said with a polite smile, "Brother Wu, this is truly a great gift. The entire Quanzhen Sect will be grateful. Chongyang Palace has a special courtyard for honored guests. Please come this way."

"I don't know what to do so early in the morning. To be honest, Daoist Master, besides wanting to learn about the extraordinary skills of Zhong Shentong, I am also interested in the Daoist scriptures of Quanzhen Sect. How about you take me to see the scriptures first?"

“I never expected that Brother Wu would also admire Taoism. He is truly a good friend of my Quanzhen Sect. This is a good thing. I, Hao, can make the decision. Please come this way.”

The Quanzhen School, known as the Northern School of Taoism, was a mainstay of Taoism in this era, and its scripture library on the mountain filled two floors.

Of course, Hao Datong only brought Wu Chengyu to places where ordinary Taoist scriptures were kept. The martial arts manuals of the Quanzhen Sect were never kept there, and Hao Datong would never bring Wu Chengyu there.

Accompanied by Hao Datong, Wu Chengyu arrived at the Sutra Repository. The first floor of the Sutra Repository was a flat, single-level floor without any partitions, and its depth was more than ten meters. In the center of the first floor was a shrine, on which were enshrined the tablets of many Taoist deities.

The rest of the room consisted of rows and rows of bookshelves, with many desks placed in one corner of the first floor, where several young Taoist priests were sitting and copying scriptures.

The scriptures on the first floor are all popular ones, including the Tao Te Ching, the Qingjing Jing, the Zhuangzi, and even the Confucian classic "Classic of Filial Piety" and the Buddhist "Heart Sutra". Wang Chongyang was one of the few masters who integrated Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism into the Quanzhen School of Taoism, incorporating all the doctrines of the three teachings into the doctrines of the Quanzhen School.

This place contains not only scriptures, but also different commentaries on each scripture. The Tao Te Ching alone and its commentary versions fill an entire bookshelf. In order to perfect his nameless divine skill, Wu Chengyu has been constantly memorizing Taoist scriptures for years, but he has never been able to grasp the method. A large reason for this is that there are too many commentaries, and the viewpoints are different. Wu Chengyu is completely overwhelmed by them, which is why he has never been able to enter the door.

Or perhaps he was also influenced by his past life, by the various strange and different ideas instilled in him by the internet in later generations. The more things he had in his mind, the less he could understand the true meaning of Taoism.

He had no interest in learning Taoism in the first place. He was forced to learn it only to improve his skills. His real purpose in coming to the Quanzhen Sect this time was to discuss Taoism. After all, this was a famous Taoist mountain and the ancestral home of the Northern School. He wanted to struggle a bit more. Fighting was secondary.

Instead of immediately taking down a scripture to recite, Wu Chengyu strolled to the second floor of the scripture pavilion.

The second floor also has rows of bookshelves, but the area is much smaller than the first floor. The scriptures inside are all Taoist scriptures compiled by Wang Chongyang, containing the doctrines of the Quanzhen School.

For example, there are many scriptures such as "Collection of Teachings by Chongyang", "Fifteen Treatises on the Establishment of Teachings by Chongyang", "Heart Transmission of Master Chongyang", and "Collection of Ten Transformations by Chongyang". Many of these scriptures have become incomplete or have been lost in later generations.

There are also memorial tablets on the wall in the center of the second floor, and three paintings are also hanging on the wall.

The memorial tablet was naturally Wang Chongyang's, and the middle one of the three paintings was also a portrait of Wang Chongyang. It can be seen that Wang Chongyang was very tall, and the painting depicts him as having a Taoist and otherworldly air. It is just unknown whether this painting and the one in the ancient tomb that was specifically used for spitting were painted by the same person.

The painting on the left likely depicts the story of Wang Chongyang converting the Seven Masters of Quanzhen. The seven Taoist priests, six men and one woman, are kneeling before Wang Chongyang.

The painting on the right was originally ordinary, but it immediately caught Wu Chengyu's attention. The painting depicted a panoramic view of Zhongnan Mountain and the entire Chongyang Palace. However, the outline of a tomb could be vaguely seen in the lower left corner of the painting. An ordinary person would have glanced at it and overlooked it, but Wu Chengyu was a man with a keen eye.

This picture is like a map of Zhongnan Mountain. The lower left corner, on the mountainside behind Chongyang Palace, is likely the ancient tomb, which is one of Wu Chengyu's targets this time.

I originally planned to explore the location of the ancient tomb slowly. After all, Zhongnan Mountain is so vast and there are so many Quanzhen Sect disciples. With so many people around, it would take some effort to find the ancient tomb. Who would have thought that they would just hang it on the wall so openly?

Of course, only the Seven Masters of Quanzhen knew about the existence of the ancient tomb and its relationship with the Quanzhen Sect. They usually designated the ancient tomb as a forbidden area and did not allow their disciples to set foot in it.

Many years later, when the story of The Return of the Condor Heroes unfolded, Li Mochou claimed to be a successor of the Ancient Tomb Sect and spread the news that Xiaolongnü was choosing a husband, which exposed the existence of the Ancient Tomb. At this time, very few people knew what the Ancient Tomb represented.

Apart from Wu Chengyu, a person from a later generation, no one could have paid such attention to the simple outline of a tomb in this painting.

In front of Hao Datong, Wu Chengyu lit three incense sticks to pay homage to Wang Chongyang, who was, after all, a Taoist sage and the undisputed number one master in the Legend of the Condor Heroes. He had met Bai Yuchan, but did not know who was superior between Bai Yuchan and Wang Chongyang. However, he would never have the chance to admire Wang Chongyang's prowess again.

At the same time, Wu Chengyu also memorized the portrait of Zhongnan Mountain, thinking about how to explore the ancient tomb, or at least find the pool of water that could lead deep into the tomb.

(End of this chapter)