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

Chapter 438 Grandma Mo
Three days later, outside Suzhou, a dozen or so boys who looked to be only sixteen or seventeen years old, traveled a long way. Their faces were tanned dark, but their eyes shone brightly. They were all quite tall and full of energy.

They did not enter the city, but found a pattern resembling a Qiankun Ring outside the city gate. Next to the pattern were some strange symbols, which later generations would immediately recognize as the twenty-six letters of the English alphabet.

However, it's not called letters here, but pinyin. This is a communication method that Wu Chengyu specifically taught to the children he trained. He had no interest in teaching English, but rather popularized it among these children in the form of pinyin.

Compared to learning English, Pinyin is simpler. Of course, the biggest reason is that Wu Chengyu has almost forgotten his English from his previous life. He can't remember many words, and he doesn't have the leisure to create new words. So Pinyin is the best choice.

"Our master has arrived. He told us to meet him at Yanyun Manor, which is thirty miles west of Suzhou. Now we'll go find the main force and go see our master together."

The leader was Song Mu. Among the five hundred Beiwei soldiers trained by Wu Chengyu, he, Xiao Lu, and Li Geda were three leaders of the Beiwei Army. Compared to Xiao Lu, who was more suitable for military affairs and had better strategy, Li Geda was like a lone wolf, skilled in assassination and unapproachable to strangers.

Song Mu is the one who is most like a soldier. He hated the Jin people to the bone because his family was destroyed by the Jin army when he was young. He expressed his desire to resist the Jin to Wu Chengyu at an early age. He studied hard with the instructors sent by the righteous army and is now the most suitable candidate to lead the Beiwei Army.

He was also the oldest of all the children, about to turn eighteen. After practicing the Heaven-Mending Technique taught by Wu Chengyu, his foundation was restored, and he displayed a powerful talent for strength. Although he was not born with divine strength, he was far superior to his peers.

Wu Chengyu also taught him according to his aptitude, passing on the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill. In this respect, Wu Chengyu also regarded Song Mu, Li Geda, and Xiao Lu as his successors. Although he paid more attention to Guo Jing because of his past life, Song Mu and the other two could be considered to have received the true teachings.

Song Mu currently focuses on cultivating the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill and also practices the Dragon City Heart Method. The main reason is that only by cultivating the Dragon City Heart Method can he unite his strength when fighting alongside his companions. However, he started practicing the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill three years earlier than Guo Jing and has now reached the fourth level.

According to Wu Chengyu's deduction, if one has good innate aptitude and a solid foundation, the first five levels of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill are not difficult. Only the cultivation time for the last five levels will be long. With Song Mu's foundation and talent, the first five levels will probably take six or seven years, but the last five levels will take at least twenty years.

Song Mu was already incredibly strong. The fourth level of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Technique was equivalent to 400 jin of strength. With his original strength, Song Mu could exert 600 jin of force with every move. If he charged up and struck with all his might, he could exert 800 jin of force, making his attack power astonishing.

He was particularly fond of swordsmanship. Hengjiang swordsmanship emphasized momentum and power, which complemented Song Muzi's style perfectly. However, ordinary steel swords could no longer match his strength. Wu Chengyu found a master craftsman under Madam Wen in Tongguan County and used the remaining black iron and refined steel to forge a horse-slaying sword for him that weighed 50 jin.

If Song Mu were to don heavy armor and wield a horse-slaying sword now, he would undoubtedly be a fierce general who could charge in and out of enemy lines seven times and be invincible.

Song Mu led a dozen or so companions back to a small grove about two miles away. There, the three hundred young Beiwei soldiers he had brought were waiting, along with many elderly, weak, women and children, totaling more than two hundred people.

After the two sides met, they headed west of Suzhou City. The journey was thirty miles long, and with the addition of the elderly, women, and children, it took them until it was almost dark before they arrived outside the so-called Yanyun Manor.

At this time, Wu Chengyu was waiting at Yanyun Manor. He had come here the day after leaving Wujiapo. Wu Zhengliang personally led people over and handed over the land deed of the manor to him, along with a lot of supplies.

The manor is not small, covering several hundred acres. The original owner's family fell into ruin and moved away. Wu Zhengliang bought it for only two thousand taels of silver. Considering the land area, this price is suspected of being extortionate.

But when Wu Chengyu arrived at the manor, he found it to be in a state of disrepair. The manor was large, but there were not many buildings. There were even two training grounds inside, which were really suitable for training soldiers.

According to Wu Zhengliang, the manor belongs to a family surnamed Peng. Their ancestors were generals under Xin Qiji in their early years and also took it upon themselves to resist the Jin dynasty. Therefore, they had a strong martial spirit, and most of the manor was reserved for their family members to practice martial arts.

However, this family followed the path of attaching themselves to the Southern Song Dynasty. Generations of them were military generals, and the clan leader also served as an official in the court. Later, when the Song Dynasty failed to resist the Jin Dynasty, most of the clan members died on the battlefield. The clan members in the court were suppressed by Shi Miyuan after Han Tuozhou's death because they were pro-war. In the end, they were all imprisoned and beheaded.

If Wu Chengyu hadn't assassinated Shi Miyuan early on, the remaining members of the Peng family would probably not have survived. In the end, they couldn't bear the burden any longer and sold their roots in Suzhou, moving to who knows where.

The name "Yanyun" now seems more like a lament left behind by generals of Xin Qiji's generation. During the Northern Song Dynasty, military generals often took it upon themselves to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. In the Southern Song Dynasty, the name "Yanyun" was no longer mentioned.

The saddest thing is not that people are ashamed to mention it, but that they completely ignore and forget it.

But Wu Chengyu thought this place was very good. It was big enough to accommodate his current men for a short time. It was next to Xiaonan Mountain, and there was a river valley at the foot of Xiaonan Mountain, which was very suitable as a place for military camps.

Wu Chengyu's fourth uncle, Wu Zhengliang, was very insightful. The place he provided saved Wu Chengyu a lot of trouble in organizing the local militia in the future.

As for the name Yanyun, Wu Chengyu has no intention of changing it. Yanyun has become a disgrace to the military generals of the Song Dynasty, and it will surely be washed away by Wu Chengyu.

When Song Mu led his men to Yanyun Manor, Wu Chengyu sensed it early on and came to Song Mu and his group.

He still had Andy Lau's face. Song Mu cautiously stepped forward and asked, "May I ask who you are, sir?"

"My name is now Murong Xiu. From now on, you shall call me Master and no longer Master. You shall not mention my original name again."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Chengyu's face instantly returned to its true form, only to revert back to its original appearance after just two breaths, but this was enough for Song Mu and the others to confirm his identity.

"Greetings, Master."

Wu Chengyu nodded, then looked at the elderly, women, and children hiding a few hundred meters away from them: "What's going on with them?"

"Reporting to the Lord, these people are the elderly and weak who were captured from the mountain bandits and strongholds we raided on the way. Apart from some who have a place to go, the rest of them are all alone and helpless. If they are not taken care of, they probably will not survive. So I dared to bring them all here."

Wu Chengyu knew that Song Mu had lived a precarious life like these poor people when he was young, so he felt compassion for him.

He always encouraged his subordinates to do good deeds. Only an army that cares about the common people has true cohesion and fighting power. This has been proven by later generations. If Wu Chengyu's army could have the backbone of that later army, wouldn't that be a good thing? "It's a minor trouble, but nothing serious. You need to carefully assess these people. If there are any with ulterior motives, get rid of them as soon as possible. The others can stay in this manor and do some cleaning and chores, so they can survive. As for whether those children are worth nurturing, you should consider it yourself."

"Yes, Master." Song Mu waved his hand, and immediately someone brought over several boxes.

"Master, this is the silver we obtained when we wiped out those mountain strongholds. I distributed some of it to the local people who were victimized, and I sold the rest that was difficult to carry. I brought a total of five thousand taels here."

"Alright, this silver is enough for us to use for a while. You can manage it for now. It's obviously not enough to train troops. We'll consider military expenses after I've taken care of everything here."

There are some empty houses in this manor. Although they are dilapidated, they can still provide shelter from the wind and rain. I have asked someone to send some supplies. If it is not enough, you can take the silver to Suzhou to buy more.

It's early winter now. Tomorrow, take the men and repair the manor. Clear away all the weeds and rubble, and make sure the houses are properly repaired and heated. You have experience with all of this, and I don't want any of these people to freeze or starve to death here.”

"I understand. Back then, the Hidden Dragon Cave was built from scratch, bit by bit. We brothers learned some skills from the craftsmen back then. You can leave the manor to me."

"You should settle down with your brothers and those people first. About a month later, five hundred people will come from the north. They are all veterans sent by Hong Niangzi. They are not young and have some disabilities, but I will use them. You should be prepared and not be negligent."

I will be leaving the resort tomorrow on business; the exact return date is uncertain, but it will likely be one or two months. I'll be leaving everything here in your care.

The next day, Wu Chengyu left Yanyun Manor alone. Song Mu was capable and clear-headed. Wu Chengyu didn't have to worry about repairing the manor and settling these people. This was the result of his three years of dedicated training of them in Qianlong Cave. With capable subordinates, there was no need to do everything personally.

Wu Chengyu needs to put everything aside for now. He really misses A-Ku. A-Ku left Wujiapo with Hong Qigong and they haven't seen each other for four or five years. He doesn't know how she is now. Wu Chengyu just wants to bring his sister back.

There was also a branch of the Beggars' Sect in Suzhou City. Wu Chengyu was quite familiar with the place, which was located in a dilapidated Guandi Temple in the southern part of the city.

At this time, a group of beggars had gathered in the Guandi Temple. The weather was cold, and these beggars huddled in the temple to warm themselves by the fire. Beggars are generally lazy and will not go out to beg for food until noon.

Before Wu Chengyu even entered the Guandi Temple, he heard people shouting inside, especially what seemed to be news of Aku, which made him stop immediately.

"I heard that the branch in Jinhua had a really bad day recently. Their leader was secretly involved in human trafficking and was discovered by our Granny Mo. Now everyone in the Beggars' Sect knows that Granny Mo hates human traffickers more than anything else in her life. This time, she's really caught red-handed."

"That's right. I heard that the leader of that branch is skilled with a swift knife and is also a master in the martial arts world. After being caught red-handed by Granny Mo, he tried to resist, but she directly shattered his sternum with a single move, 'Dragon Appears in the Field.' Everyone in the Jinhua branch who was involved in trafficking children was killed by her."

"Ever since Chief Hong appointed Granny Mo as our Beggars' Clan Inspector, those scoundrels have been in trouble. Granny Mo is beautiful, but she is ruthless and intolerant of any dishonesty. I must say, the atmosphere of our Beggars' Clan has improved a lot."

"When do you think Grandma Mo will come to our Suzhou branch?"

"What's there to be afraid of? Ever since our branch leader defected to the imperial court a few years ago and tried to betray Old Master Hong, the Suzhou branch has been thoroughly purged from top to bottom. Now, I dare not say anything else, but we are absolutely law-abiding and never dare to violate the gang rules."

"I'm not afraid, I'm just craving it. Grandma Mo grew up in Suzhou and used to give us a lot of food back in the alley behind Wuweilou. It was always big meals with fish and meat. Even now, if you go to Wuweilou, the food you get is better than in other places."

It's said that as long as there aren't any problems in the branch headquarters, Grandma Mo will personally cook a few delicious meals. Even Old Master Hong praises her cooking skills highly. I really want to eat her braised pig's face again!

"Then it's hopeless. If there's no problem here, Grandma Mo won't come. If she doesn't come, we won't be able to eat her cooking. But if she does come, it means someone here is going to be in trouble. It's a real dilemma."

Wu Chengyu, who was listening outside, couldn't help but chuckle. With A-Ku's exceptional talent, she should have already mastered martial arts, and probably even mastered the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms. Ordinary martial artists would definitely not be her match.

However, Hong Qigong promised A-Ku that he would not join the Beggars' Sect and would only be his successor. Now he has become some kind of inspector, which is obviously the head of the Beggars' Sect's disciplinary inspection team. The Beggars' Sect has a large sphere of influence, so A-Ku will probably have to run around everywhere. Old beggar Hong is treating Wu Chengyu's sister like a donkey.

Just as Wu Chengyu was about to go in, he heard someone inside shouting urgently.

"Master, a message has arrived by carrier pigeon."

"Master, it's cold, I don't want to go out. How about we roast this pigeon?"

"Go ahead, I've been thinking about this for a long time, but I haven't dared to make a move. You're quite bold, though. Let me see what kind of news it is this time."

"Hmm?" The leader of the helm suddenly fell silent after seeing the contents of the note.

"Master, what happened?"

“Get up, all of you. The message from the carrier pigeon came all the way from Zhejiang. It says that Grandma Mo was caught in a trap by the enemy in Zhejiang and is now missing. She was originally going to come north to Jiangsu. We need to find out the news immediately.”

　I originally wrote Anhui, but then I realized I remembered the location wrong, so I've changed it to Zhejiang. Please forgive me.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)