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

Chapter 404 Passing Three Tests

The next morning, Wu Chengyu woke up to a group of beautiful women lying around, their bodies exposed. He parted her smooth, white thighs and lotus-root-like arms, feeling dazed. It seemed that he had never been so unrestrained since he came into this world.

It must be said that the beautiful maids sent by Wanyan Honglie were of high quality; they could easily be top courtesans in any brothel. After all, this was Daxing, the capital of the Jin Dynasty, and the most powerful and extravagant place in the entire land of China before the rise of the Mongols.

Of course, he would never admit that he was driven by lust; in short, he had a perfectly valid reason.

Only by showing his desires would Wanyan Honglie feel at ease with him, believing that he could be recruited, that he had weaknesses that could be controlled, and that his self-description matched his true identity as a fake Taoist priest yearning for earthly bliss.

It has to be said that although it's a fake character, this character seems a bit too good. Last time, when he was Nie Feng in Xixia, he had a really frustrating time, but there was nothing he could do. After all, this identity was set up for him by Hong Niangzi, so he had to understand her good intentions.

After he washed up briefly and went out the gate, he was surprised to see Yang Kang standing in the courtyard with a serious expression. Wu Chengyu had been standing very straight before he came out, and he didn't know how long he had been waiting, but his attitude was definitely commendable.

Upon seeing Wu Chengyu, Yang Kang immediately bowed respectfully. He wasn't wearing any fancy clothes today, but rather a white outfit, and his expression was respectful, making his etiquette impeccable.

"Wanyan Kang greets Mr. Tian. I apologize for disturbing you."

"It seems that Your Highness has arrived quite early. I, Tian, ​​have been somewhat negligent and have been impolite."

"Not at all. Since I wish to become your student, I will naturally observe the proper etiquette between teacher and student. You may call me Kang'er, just as my father and mother do."

"Whether we can become master and disciple is still unknown. Since you are so eager, let's begin. Young prince, let me ask you, are you afraid of pain?"

Wanyan Kang hesitated for a moment, then immediately replied, “Reporting to you, sir, I am actually afraid of pain. When I was young, I was a bit naughty and liked to fight with other children. Whether I won or lost, I would inevitably be in pain all over my body. However, if I could become your disciple, sir, I could endure it.”

"Well said. We are all made of flesh and blood. Of course, it hurts when we get injured. It's not a pleasant feeling. But being afraid of pain doesn't mean it's wrong. If you say you're not afraid, I won't like it. You should be more honest."

Since you say you can endure it, then I'll give it a try and see if you can get through this second hurdle—extreme pain.

Just as Yang Kang was about to ask a question, he noticed that Wu Chengyu's figure suddenly disappeared from his sight. The next second, he felt a hand on his back, followed by a sentence.

"If you can endure the pain without crying out for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, you'll pass the second test." As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Chengyu channeled his internal energy into Yang Kang's body, using the Life and Death Chain that he had mastered.

Of course, his purpose was to act like a master, to let Yang Kang know how difficult it was to become a disciple, and to teach this spoiled young man a lesson. Therefore, the chain of life and death was not very strong, just enough to make him writhe on the ground in pain.

At the moment the Life and Death Chain was entered, Wu Chengyu also sealed Wanyan Kang's speech acupoint. This speech acupoint is a hidden acupoint recorded in the Nine Yin Manual, which is different from the acupoints commonly used by martial arts practitioners, and Wanyan Kang could not identify it.

Wu Chengyu couldn't guarantee that Wanyan Kang would actually not shout. Guo Jing might have been able to, but Yang Kang was, after all, a pampered noble youth, and he didn't have that much willpower. So he simply made sure that Wanyan Kang couldn't shout.

Yang Kang had no idea that his speech acupoint had been sealed; he simply thought he was unable to speak due to the excruciating pain.

The outcome is self-evident: even a reduced intensity of the life-and-death chain is beyond the tolerance of ordinary people, and at most it will not harm the body's fundamental structure.

Yang Kang initially tried his best to endure it, but gradually he could no longer stand upright and squatted on the ground. His face was bulging with veins, his fists were clenched, and he was covered in sweat. Finally, he lay on the ground convulsing and rolling around in pain.

He had actually wanted to speak up and beg for mercy; he wasn't usually that strong, but the intense pain made him think he couldn't make a sound at all.

The time it takes to drink a cup of tea passed quickly. Wu Chengyu patted him, removing the Life and Death Talisman and also releasing his speech acupoint. Only then did Yang Kang let out a painful groan.

Wu Chengyu, on the other hand, sat leisurely, only to have a maid bring him a pot of tea, which he sipped leisurely while waiting for Yang Kang to slowly recover his strength.

Yang Kang groaned on the ground for a long time before finally getting up. The excruciating pain had finally passed, and he knew he had overcome a hurdle. He felt somewhat proud, thinking he was truly a tough guy.

"Mr. Tian, ​​I didn't cry out in pain, so I've passed the second hurdle."

"I sealed your speech acupoint, of course you can't cry out in pain. Do you really think you're a tough guy? Let me ask you, did you pee?"

"Ah, no, no, of course I didn't pee," Yang Kang stammered, his face flushed.

Actually, his crotch was a little wet, but not much was showing, and his pants were thick, so it wasn't noticeable on the surface, but Yang Kang would definitely not admit it.

Wu Chengyu, with his incredibly sensitive nose, actually caught a faint whiff of the smell, but since his purpose wasn't to prevent Yang Kang from becoming his disciple, he simply didn't point it out.

"It's good that you didn't pee. This hurdle is not easy to overcome. Many people have lost control of their bladder on the spot due to the pain. You're a tough guy."

"Now for the third challenge: if you can endure the pain, you shouldn't be afraid of being tickled, right?"

Hearing this, Yang Kang became a little excited: "Sir, I'm really not ticklish. My mother used to tickle me when I was little, and I wasn't afraid."

"It's good that you're not afraid. But if you're not itchy on the outside, what about inside?" Wu Chengyu launched another surprise attack. The teacup in his hand instantly turned into ice. He crushed a piece and threw it out. The small ice cube flew to Yang Kang's neck and instantly turned into water, seeping into Yang Kang's body.

After the Chain of Life and Death comes the Talisman of Life and Death. In the world, only Wu Chengyu has tasted the bitterness of both the Chain of Life and Death and the Talisman of Life and Death. Now, Yang Kang is the second.

This intense itching was even more unbearable than the excruciating pain of the Chain of Life and Death. Wu Chengyu had been forced to use the Chain of Life and Death on himself to suppress the intense itching with the excruciating pain, which was how he escaped this calamity.

But Yang Kang was different. Soon, he started rolling around on the ground again. His white outfit that he was wearing today was now filthy. This time, Wu Chengyu did not seal his speech acupoint. Yang Kang started yelling and scratching his body, but he could not stop the itching at all.

After only a few breaths, Yang Kang finally begged for mercy: "Mr. Tian, ​​I can't take it anymore, please spare me."

"Do you still want to learn martial arts from me? As long as you say you don't want to anymore, I'll spare you immediately."

When asked if he still wanted to learn martial arts, Yang Kang couldn't speak for a moment. He genuinely wanted to learn Wu Chengyu's unparalleled martial arts. Despite his young age, he was extremely ambitious. He managed to suppress the intense itching on his body for the time being. In this hesitation, Yang Kang endured a few more breaths.

Wu Chengyu immediately flicked his finger, sending a surge of internal energy into Yang Kang's body to remove the Life and Death Talisman. Yang Kang was now itchy and weak all over, but he looked utterly hopeless. In his opinion, he had not passed the third test.

However, Wu Chengyu's original intention was just to play a trick on him. He originally intended to pretend to take him as a disciple, so he had already prepared a set of excuses.

"Congratulations, Your Highness, you've passed the third test. It seems we truly are destined to be master and disciple."

Yang Kang looked up in astonishment. In his view, since he had begged for mercy, how could he possibly get away with it?

"It's normal for you to beg for mercy, kid. I couldn't stand this itch back in the day; it's unbearable for a human."

However, when I asked you if you still wanted to learn martial arts, you hesitated and didn't answer immediately. That's the condition for you to pass the test.

If you immediately say you don't want to learn martial arts from me without even thinking about it, then you've lost this round. It shows that you weren't sincere to begin with and didn't have a real desire for martial arts.

If you hesitated for even a fleeting moment, it showed your sincerity, and I would consider you to have passed the test.

Yang Kang was completely bewildered. He really didn't understand Wu Chengyu's standards. The first test, which required him to endure excruciating pain without crying out, was actually to see if he wet his pants. The second test, which required him to beg for mercy without hesitation, was to see if he hesitated.

Although Yang Kang could not produce any evidence, he instinctively felt that Wu Chengyu seemed to be just messing with him, and that the methods were so strange and insidious.

"What if I can hold on and not beg for mercy?"

"Then you're an idiot. I won't take an idiot as my apprentice. This feeling is unbearable. If you try to endure it, you'll be worse than dead. Why are you being stupid? I'm just testing you, not trying to kill you. Why don't you beg for mercy?"

Yang Kang was speechless. The reason was too far-fetched. He once again felt that Wu Chengyu was out of his mind and was simply enjoying the fun of tormenting people. For a moment, he looked at Wu Chengyu as if he were looking at a devil with a sinister smile.

However, Wu Chengyu's series of bizarre actions left a mark on Yang Kang's mind. He began to instinctively fear the man in front of him. He was unpredictable, moody, and used strange methods. He began to hesitate about whether it was a wise decision for him to become Wu Chengyu's disciple.

Wu Chengyu had no idea what Yang Kang was thinking. If he knew, he would tell Yang Kang, but it would be too late. Right now, Wu Chengyu was just enjoying the way Yang Kang looked at him. This kid was probably cursing him in his heart, but he was also probably very afraid of him.

"Alright, you have passed the three trials riding a white horse. Our master-disciple relationship is now established. From now on, you are my disciple and the successor of the Quanxing Daoist sect."

Go and report to Prince Zhao. There's no need for any formal apprenticeship ceremony; all those formalities are meaningless. I don't care about any of that. Just kowtow to me now.

Upon hearing this, Yang Kang did not hesitate any longer and knelt down to kowtow three times to Wu Chengyu.

With a gentle wave of his hand, Wu Chengyu lifted Yang Kang up, and his pupils dilated. He was even more convinced of Wu Chengyu's methods.

"Master, you are truly amazing. Can I be like you in the future?"

"That depends on your own abilities. I will teach you divine skills, but no matter how powerful the skills are, it depends on the person using them. You have a long way to go."

Look at the mess you've made. Take a bath and change your clothes before you go see your father, so he won't hold a grudge against me if he sees you being tortured.

Then at noon, he came over to have lunch with me and told the cook that the roasted lamb leg last night was good, and asked for another one.

Also, prepare twenty roasted lamb kidneys for me, remove the kidney fat, and roast them well with cumin. Don't use too high a heat; roast them until they're tender. I really need them right now.

"Master, what does it mean that he's riding a white horse?"

"It's meaningless. I'm just making things up. I often say nonsensical things to make others think I'm unfathomable. Do you understand? You can get lost now."

(End of this chapter)