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

Chapter 544 Useless, Seeking Fame and Reputation
An unprecedented duel of sonic skills had to stop when Guo Jing called out "Grandma" to his mother. There was no other way; Huang Yaoshi had broken his defenses.

Wu Chengyu felt a little regretful. He had asked Guo Jing to prepare five songs, but he didn't expect the dignified Eastern Heretic to have such poor endurance. There were still two songs left to sing before the old man couldn't take it anymore.

Seeing Huang Yaoshi's ashen face, his long, narrow face looked even more like a horse's face. He couldn't care less about speaking at this moment and kept adjusting his internal energy. He had forcibly stopped his practice earlier, and now his internal energy was surging, and his blood was almost rushing backward. This feeling was not pleasant.

It's a pity that Guo Jing didn't get a chance to perform "Learn to Meow" and "Love You Till I Die". It took a lot of persuasion to get him to agree to sing and learn these five songs. He used both threats and inducements, as well as the principle of respecting the teacher, but in the end, he still failed.

Wu Chengyu looked at Huang Yaoshi as if he were a good-for-nothing. How come you couldn't even last five songs?
Guo Jing stopped, realizing the danger. The remaining two songs were actually even more perilous. He had even felt the urge to betray his sect because of singing them. Guo Jing vowed that from the moment he left Peach Blossom Island, he would never sing them again in his life; it was just too embarrassing.

The last two songs are quite different. One requires you to shout "I love you!" in public, and according to your master's requirements, you have to sing until your voice breaks to feel truly satisfied. This is too much of a rip-off in this day and age.

Another so-called "meowing like a cat" task, Wu Chengyu even asked him to add actions, to be cute, charming, and disgusting. Guo Jing really couldn't do it. Fortunately, Huang Daozhu didn't insist. Thinking of this, Guo Jing breathed a long sigh of relief.

Just then, Huang Rong and Qu Yun, who were standing nearby, couldn't help but cover their mouths and burst out laughing. Huang Rong, in particular, looked at Guo Jing with mischievous eyes, as if she had seen a very fun toy and was just short of picking it up and playing with it.

The girls' laughter made Qu Lufeng and the other two, along with Lu Guanying, look strange and almost vomit blood, but they dared not laugh out loud. This made the tense situation in the room suddenly become somewhat awkward.

Guo Jing couldn't help but sigh. He had made a huge fool of himself. He looked at his master with some resentment. His master was good in every way. He had taught him divine skills and had done great favors for the Guo family. However, his personality was really strange. He would occasionally come up with a wicked idea that made people want to die.

Wu Chengyu knew that Guo Jing must be thinking something very interesting right now. As a disciple, Guo Jing was too obedient. He was thinking the same thing as Huang Rong: it was really funny. But now was not the time to pay attention to this silly disciple.

He waved his hand: "Jing'er, step back." Guo Jing quickly stepped back a few steps to Mo Ku's side. A Ku looked at Guo Jing with a bit of pity, and rolled her eyes at her husband. She wondered if having a master like Wu Chengyu was a good thing.

Just as Huang Yaoshi was about to finish his meditation, Wu Chengyu spoke up, "Those were just some little tricks to amuse people. I wonder if Island Master Huang is satisfied?"

"A mere trifle, an insult to culture. You actually came up with such an eyesore. Even if you reach the pinnacle, what good will it do? You'll never amount to anything."

Huang Yaoshi used the Azure Sea Tide Melody for another reason: to confirm whether Wu Chengyu had truly reached the level of subtlety and become a top master before actually fighting him.

Only those at the Microscopic Level can neutralize the sonic attack of the Azure Sea Tide Song. However, he did not expect that Wu Chengyu would also use a sonic technique. Although it seemed to be a rudimentary creation, its intent was extremely high. He also did not expect that Wu Chengyu would seize the opportunity to disgust him.

Although Huang Yaoshi now regards Wu Chengyu as an opponent of the same level, he still maintains a high attitude. Some initial impressions are hard to reverse. In his eyes, Wu Chengyu is still the same crybaby from back then, a junior who can be taught a lesson.

Wu Chengyu understood Huang Yaoshi's mindset very well, so he wasn't in a hurry and took his time: "Island Master Huang is wise. It is indeed a trivial skill, but it's good to use it to insult someone as refined and elegant as you occasionally, since you are useless anyway."

Huang Yaoshi's eyes flashed like lightning: "Nonsense! You're just spouting nonsense. I, Huang Yaoshi, have never been inferior to anyone in my life. I have roamed the world and no one dares to say that I am a useless person."

Wu Chengyu shook his head and clicked his tongue repeatedly: "In terms of talent, I, Wu Chengyu, have to admire you. You are the dignified Eastern Heretic, with superb martial arts skills, and you are proficient in everything from music, chess, calligraphy, painting, medicine, divination, astrology, mathematics, strategy, and Qimen formations. But you really are a useless person."

Why do you learn so many things? Music, chess, calligraphy, and painting are just for self-entertainment. Since ancient times, scholars and literati have liked to be good at these things, but it's just to show off. To use a new term, it's all for showing off.

If you truly master these four skills to the extreme, you'll be remembered for eternity. But you've been hiding on Peach Blossom Island, entertaining yourself. Ask anyone in the martial arts world who knows you—it's only because you're the Eastern Heretic, with your high martial arts skills. Outside the martial arts world, who among the musicians, chess players, or masters of calligraphy and painting knows you?

No matter how superb your skills are, a hundred years later you will only have a desolate grave. Even if you leave behind some paintings and calligraphy, and write your signature as Huang Yaoshi, in the eyes of future generations you will only be an unknown painter. No matter how well you paint, without fame you will not be able to sell your work for a good price.

You've studied medicine, divination, and astrology for many years, and your medical skills are superb, but apart from the people of Peach Blossom Island, who have you ever cured? You couldn't even keep your own wife.

In this world, divination is all about psychology. If you have such abilities, you might be able to foresee that Wu Mianfeng, whom you broke the leg of and banished from Peach Blossom Island, will come back to settle scores with you today.

The study of astrology is profound and extensive. Humans look up at the starry sky and record the trajectories of planets, but now we can't go to the heavens or reach for the moon. We can only accumulate experience for future generations. But what about you? Have you left behind a work like the "Gan Shi Xing Jing"? You only read but don't write, so reading is a waste of time.

And then there's arithmetic and strategy. I was thinking of giving you a few questions, but then I thought better of it. Bringing out those things would just be bullying you. How far is it from the ground beneath our feet to the moon in the sky? I'll tell you, it's 384,000 kilometers, or 768,000 li (approximately 33,500 kilometers). Don't ask me how I know; I can guarantee the number is roughly accurate. But can you calculate it?
And the so-called strategies are even more ridiculous. You hide on Peach Blossom Island and never see the world. You only have a few disciples. What's the point of learning military strategy if you never go to the battlefield? If you're so capable, go to the Song-Jin battlefield and use your strategies to plan and win battles from afar.
You can't learn from Zhuge Liang, and you can't be like Yue Fei. Without military strategy and tactics that you've actually experienced in battle, you might not even be as good as Zhao Kuo, who only talked about war on paper.

Finally, there's the formation. The Peach Blossom Formation is famous throughout the world, but my apprentice said that two hundred archers could wipe it out in three volleys by coating their arrows with oil.

Master Huang, my dear uncle, may I ask you, in the past half of your life, what have you done that has benefited the country and the people, or what classics have you compiled that are worthy of being passed down through the ages? If you have done none of these, even if you are exceptionally talented and unmatched by anyone, may I ask if you are a useless person?

Even if you were to go to Gushan and find a fisherman or a farmer, their daily labor, timely tax payments, and regular grain contributions far surpass those of you, the Peach Blossom Island Master, the Eastern Heretic.

At this point, Huang Yaoshi was at a loss for words. Wu Chengyu had limited the topic to contributions to the world and the dissemination of knowledge, things he had always disdained, but he had indeed never seriously pursued them.

The Peach Blossom Island disciples standing nearby were filled with righteous indignation by Wu Chengyu's words, especially Lu Chengfeng, who admired Huang Yaoshi the most.

"Shut up! My esteemed teacher is a man of unparalleled learning, revered by all. How can you be allowed to slander him like this? Wu Chengyu, stop talking nonsense."

Wu Chengyu didn't even glance at him: "Respected by the world? Who knows him except those in the martial arts world? Even among those in the martial arts world, the name 'Eastern Heretic' is more of a bad name. Who really respects him? He's just seeking fame and fortune."

Huang Yaoshi took a deep breath: "You say I am useless to the world, which makes some sense. I have indeed never done anything to benefit others. Although I disdain doing so, I accept it. But to say that I am seeking fame and fortune, you should know that worldly fame and fortune are like fleeting clouds to me. I have never cared about them in the slightest."

Wu Chengyu laughed loudly, "Since you regard fame and fortune as fleeting clouds and act so indifferently, I ask you, where did you get the name 'Eastern Heretic'? And why did you want to go to Mount Hua to compete in swordsmanship back then?"

And what about the Nine Yin Manual? If you really didn't care, why did you fight for it in the first place? Why did you use my aunt's help to trick her into giving you the Nine Yin Manual? Why did you fly into a rage after the Nine Yin Manual was lost, causing my aunt to exhaust her efforts for you? Why did you keep the Old Urchin trapped on the island for so many years?

A person who is indifferent to fame and fortune is known as one of the Five Greats in the martial arts world, famous throughout the world, and known to everyone. Master Huang, don't you think this is a contradiction?

If you truly don't care about these things, then you should stay on this Peach Blossom Island and remain unknown. Tell me, how did you even acquire this reputation?

Faced with Wu Chengyu's scathing words, Huang Yaoshi was speechless once again. Wu Chengyu's words were actually somewhat unreasonable, and even if refuted, they would not be without flaws. However, he never bothered to engage in verbal disputes with others, and he remained so at this moment.

"Words are useless. Since you've come here to cause trouble, let's fight. Let me see if that cowardly, incompetent boy from back then is more skilled in hand than in words."

"Well said. No matter how much we waste words, we still have to fight. Martial arts are always your proudest skill. If you win, everything you say will be right."

"I just witnessed Island Master Huang's 'Azure Sea Tide Melody,' and it was truly eye-opening. I'm not good at music, and I only crammed for a few days, so I'm no match for you. That's why I used some tricks; in reality, I lost."

Wu Chengyu's mastery of sonic power is indeed inferior to Huang Yaoshi's. Huang Yaoshi has been immersed in this art for decades, which is far beyond what Wu Chengyu can achieve in a few months of practice. He should admit defeat if he can't beat him; he still has that much magnanimity.

Of course, if you can't win, you'll resort to underhanded tactics to manipulate the opponent's psychology, try your best to gain an advantage, and never suffer a loss. This is also Wu Chengyu's code of conduct.

"I've known about Peach Blossom Island's martial arts since I was a child. The Azure Wave Palm Technique and the Azure Wave Heart Technique are still in my mind. As for the other martial arts, I've already experienced the fist and palm techniques a couple of days ago, and with the Azure Sea Tide Song just now, there are only two special skills that I haven't truly mastered yet."

"This junior would like to first test Island Master Huang's weapon skills; I believe his Jade Flute Swordplay will not disappoint me."

As soon as he finished speaking, without Wu Chengyu making any move, two strange weapons, one black and one white, flew out from his lower back and hovered above his head.

"I call these two Qiankun Rings Black and White Impermanence. They are my personal weapons. They are made of strange metals such as Xuan Tie and Wu Jin. They are extremely sharp and can cut through iron like mud. Moreover, they have a magnetic force between them, making them unpredictable."

"Today, I'll use the Black and White Impermanence to teach you the Jade Flute Sword Technique. Island Master Huang, be careful!"

(End of this chapter)