Arhats Subduing Demons: Starting with The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber

Chapter 12 Self-Deception
Yunhe took a bundle off his back, drew a long sword, and said, "Practice the Weituo Subduing Demon Sword once."

Yun Changkong took the sword and saw that the scabbard was neither gold nor leather, and it subtly revealed wind and clouds; he wondered what it was made of.
Then Yunhe said, "This is a precious sword that I obtained ten years ago, named Autumn God."

Chang Kong saw the two seal characters "Autumn God" carved on the hilt of the sword. With a whoosh, he drew the sword from its sheath. The blade was more than three feet long and only two fingers wide. There were deep blood grooves on both sides. The sword was silvery white and slender. Under the setting sun, it was like the afterimage of the setting sun and the ripples of autumn water.

Chang Kong ran two fingers across the sword's surface, flicked it lightly, and a sound like a dragon's roar rang out. He laughed and said, "Autumn Water is divine, truly a fine sword."

Yunhe said, "This sword is three feet six inches long, about one inch and eight-tenths inches wide, and weighs eight pounds and one ounce. It can cut through gold and jade, and ordinary steel swords will break upon contact. It is definitely a rare weapon in the martial arts world. However, although the sword is excellent, it is also a cause of death, so I have never dared to take it out to use."

Yun Changkong laughed and said, "It seems that Father has really saved up a lot of good things over the years. Tell me, where are you hiding the funds for rebellion? When I gather a group of people, overthrow the Yuan Dynasty, and make you an emperor emeritus!"

Yunhe snorted, "Let me tell you, martial artists cherish their weapons as much as their lives. People like the Yin brothers, who came from bandit backgrounds, needless to say, even many righteous heroes might be tempted by a fine sword. If you didn't possess great supernatural powers, I wouldn't dare give it to you!"

Yun Changkong made a slashing motion with his longsword, producing a hissing sound, and laughed heartily: "Then thank you very much, Father!" He suddenly leaped into the air.

A flash of cold light appeared as he wielded his sword with fierce speed and power, thrusting, slashing, coiling, and chopping in a continuous stream, as powerful as the Yangtze River. Leaves were cut into pieces and flew around like butterflies, and even pebbles on the ground were stirred up by the wind from his sword.

Yunhe's happiest moment now is watching his son practice martial arts. Because he has watched so many times, his own martial arts skills have improved without him even realizing it. He immediately retreated two zhang away.

At first, Yun Changkong's sword strikes were slow, but gradually he became more excited and his sword flew swiftly, as fast as lightning and a meteor. A circle of silver light had already engulfed him, and trees and grass within a radius of several feet were broken.

Yunhe retreated again, gradually moving to a distance of five zhang. He still felt the chilling aura, so he stood behind a large tree to watch. He tried his best to keep up with Yun Changkong's figure and see his swordsmanship clearly, but the more he looked, the more dazzled he became and the more blurred his vision became.

Several feet behind him, the yellow figure kept watching Yun Changkong practice his sword, but his eyes were as cold as ice, devoid of any life. However, when he saw Yun Changkong's swordsmanship getting faster and faster, he let out a very soft sigh.

Suddenly, a long howl was heard from Yun Changkong. The man and his sword stopped abruptly, and they looked up at the sky, staring into the void.

Yunhe exclaimed, "Smooth and flowing swordsmanship, excellent swordsmanship! I'm relieved to see you come out of seclusion like this."

Yun Changkong was pondering something amiss in his swordsmanship when he heard this and asked curiously, "Why did you come down from the mountain?"

Yunhe said, "Have you forgotten that you once said you would go to Wudang in five years?"

Yun Changkong said, "Of course I haven't forgotten, but I want to practice my kung fu for a few more years!"

Yunhe said solemnly, "A true man should keep his word. You have said this yourself. Perhaps some of your senior brothers and servants will fall into the hands of the Sky Eagle Sect. If you do not keep your promise, what will become of them?" These words were spoken with righteous indignation.

Yun Changkong was taken aback and said, "Have you ever heard the saying, 'Plans are no match for change'?"

In his previous life, let alone saying a word, even swearing oaths were commonplace. People even took Sima Qian's oath by the Luo River as their creed.

Therefore, although he understood the noble spirit of keeping one's promise in the martial arts world, he thought that only a fool would abide by it.

If Zhang Cuishan had simply said that Xie Xun was on Icefire Island and asked those martial arts practitioners to find him, how could he have suffered such disgrace and committed suicide?

If Qiao Feng had verbally agreed to Yelü Hongji's request but actually fled, how could he have died at Yanmen Pass?
If Linghu Chong had confessed about Feng Qingyang, how could he have aroused everyone's suspicion? Even his junior sister believed that he had stolen the Lin family's Evil-Repelling Sword Manual, and in the end, he ended up holding his childhood sweetheart's corpse, unable to repent!

Therefore, in his mind, whether or not something needs to be followed depends on the situation, and that is the correct course of action.

When Yun Changkong spoke back then, he was confident that with the "Jade Pendant," he could master the Arhat Subduing Demon Skill, find the ancient tomb, and surely have the power to sweep across the martial arts world. He could show off in front of the natives whenever he went out. But now, the "Arhat Subduing Demon Skill" is not yet complete, and his fist and foot skills are not necessarily powerful. As his skill deepens, he feels that this "Weituo Subduing Demon Sword" is not quite right.

Because it was passed down by Yunhe, this sword technique is known for its speed.

But Yun Changkong felt that this shouldn't be the case. Some techniques should be slower, and rushing to be fast would not seem to bring out the subtle and profound aspects of these sword techniques.

In fact, Yun Changkong was right.
The reason why the "Arhat Subduing Demon Skill" is the most exquisite internal skill in the Shaolin School is that it is the most profound martial art that outlines the essence of the Shaolin School. The eighteen Arhats and their eighteen images are the foundation of Shaolin martial arts.

Therefore, among those older, highly skilled Shaolin monks, there are often kind and gentle people, cold and stern people, fierce and strong people, and some with withered faces, looking like dead people, simply because of the different methods they practice.

Although Yun Changkong's divine skill was only slightly mastered, the fist techniques taught by Yun He were like climbing Mount Tai and looking down on the world, so he could easily fill in the gaps.

However, this "Weituo Subduing Demon Sword" is an extremely superior sword technique of Shaolin Temple. Some moves are slower, and the changes are more subtle and profound. In some places, speed is combined with slowness, and slowness is combined with speed.

However, Yunhe's father had never mastered the intricacies of the art, and Yunhe was no different; they could only grasp the concept of speed.

Because in martial arts, speed is the ultimate weapon. As long as you strike fast enough, a single move can decide the outcome and determine life or death!

This principle is known not only to martial arts practitioners but also to ordinary people. Therefore, it's the simplest, clearest, and easiest to learn. However, it's also the most difficult!
The reason is that it is extremely difficult to be so fast that the other party has no time to react!
It's like you throw a punch with the force of ten thousand pounds; no one can withstand it. But the key is that you can actually do it.

Furthermore, being able to hit someone is fundamental.

Even if you are incredibly strong, if you can't hit anyone and someone easily seizes an opening and strikes your vital points, it's all for naught.

Therefore, the speed of lightning can be as swift as lightning without being extremely violent, and the gentleness and control can be as ruthless as possible, leaving the enemy nowhere to hide. This is the highest level of martial arts, and also the true essence of this "Weituo Subduing Demon Sword".

However, to achieve this, one must have extremely high internal strength. Even after decades of training, few Shaolin disciples who have grasped this level can actually do it.

This is the reason why there is a saying in martial arts: "Practice the knife for a hundred days, the spear for a thousand days, and the sword for ten thousand days."

Swordsmanship is easy to learn but difficult to master.

Because sword moves are easy for anyone with a decent memory to understand, but the real challenge lies in mastering the art of channeling energy—knowing when to direct true qi to which acupoints and meridians, and when to exert force. That is the true essence of knowledge.

If one could elevate a sword technique to a superior level solely through sword moves, that would be far too easy.

Although Yun Changkong sensed something was wrong with the sword technique due to the "Arhat Subduing Demon Skill", it was impossible for him to improve it based on his current martial arts knowledge.

He just sets too high a standard for himself. Once he has mastered martial arts, he will sweep across the martial arts world. How many sects will he bring with him?
He knew his situation; he had only superficially learned the skills and had not fully mastered the "Arhat Subduing Demon Skill." He had also never fought any enemies, so he decided to wait until he had obtained the martial arts from the Ancient Tomb.

Seeing that Yun Changkong remained silent, Yunhe knew that he had his own thoughts. He sighed and said, "You once said that you would break your oath in five years. That doesn't mean that you would break it by going to Wudang Mountain once. It means that the person who made the oath with my father should know that you have the ability! The people of the martial arts world should know that Yunhe's son has washed away his father's shame before I have the face to set foot on Wudang Mountain!"
"If it were just a matter of showing off my cunning, I could simply go to Wudang Mountain myself and break my oath. Surely the Wudang Sect could drive me out of there?"

Yunhe wasn't just boasting. He was very famous in Shanxi and Shaanxi. Back then, when the three chief镖师 (bodyguards) went to Wudang, Zhang Songxi was the only one who was warm and respectful to Yunhe, admiring his character and integrity.

Song Yuanqiao, Yu Lianzhou, Zhang Cuishan, Yin Liting, and Mo Shenggu noticed that Zhang Songxi's attitude towards him was completely different from that of the other two chief镖头 (bodyguards/escorts). After inquiring, they learned about his actions.

Mo Shenggu was shocked to learn of Yunhe and others' disrespect and rudeness towards Zhang Sanfeng when they came up the mountain. Upon learning of Yunhe's character and conduct, he immediately ran down from Wudang Mountain to apologize to Yunhe in person and reconcile with him.

Therefore, when Yunhe wanted to go to Wudang Mountain, the heroes of Wudang would certainly welcome him. However, he was not as skilled as the others and had made a vow to the three brothers, Yin Wufu and Yin Wufu, that he would not have the face to go if he could not defeat them.

Seeing this, Yun Changkong could no longer remain hidden like a tortoise, waiting until he had mastered his martial arts before venturing into the world. He grunted and said, "I understand. I will descend the mountain on time and meet with the Sky Eagle Church."

Yunhe patted his shoulder and said, "Son, don't blame me for saying so much. I've failed on the path of the martial world, and I'm afraid you'll repeat my mistakes. Once you go down the mountain and fight someone, you'll immediately become famous in the martial world. That will be the real crisis. You must not take what I'm saying to heart."

Yun Changkong smiled lightly and said, "You don't need to worry. I have the ability to handle those paths in the martial world."

"Arrogant!" Yunhe roared, "You're just talking nonsense! Throughout history, there have been countless people with superb martial arts skills, brilliant strategies, and unparalleled talents. Would they dare to say such a thing?"
Master Zhang of Wudang has cultivated for over ninety years. Isn't he more powerful than you? His seven disciples are all highly skilled, yet Zhang Cuishan alone provoked the entire martial arts world to attack him. What was the result?
If Zhang Cuishan had not committed suicide, the Wudang Sect would have been wiped out, and the martial arts world would have been plunged into a great catastrophe!

"You're so deceitful! If your grandmother and I don't die, we'll be collecting your corpses!"

Yunhe knew that his son had spoken up, breaking his vow after five years. Whether it was to protect others or out of love for his father, it was the true nature of a chivalrous person.

In recent years, in addition to practicing martial arts, I have also told him about the ways of the martial arts world, taboos, and martial arts sects.

But Yun Changkong always said things that were hard to understand, such as, "What harm is there in a man drowning, why should he be confined to a life of leisure?"

Shaolin Temple claims to be the number one sect in the world, but in reality it bullies the weak and fears the strong. Wudang Sect claims to be chivalrous and righteous, but at times it's all just for show. Emei Sect, from top to bottom, has no lovers and is full of unreasonable crazy women!
The leaders of the Kunlun and Huashan sects are a bunch of ungrateful wretches. The Kongtong sect doesn't even have a sect leader; it just has a few elders who have ruined themselves by practicing martial arts to maintain appearances.

The Eagle Sect was created by Yin Tianzheng himself because he couldn't become the leader of the Ming Cult and offended the Five Elements Banner of the Ming Cult. He was resentful and decided to go it alone. He didn't have any capable subordinates!

The Ming Cult may seem powerful and numerous, but it's nothing more than a cuckolded cult that could be wiped out with a mere flick of a finger!

They say the Yuan Dynasty was on the verge of collapse, yet they sent out a "love-struck" person to do things, so there's nothing to fear.

Even if Yunhe didn't understand clearly, he knew that his son simply didn't care about the martial arts world or the world at all.

Yun Changkong knew that Yun He was really angry, but what he said was true. Strategically despising the enemy while tactically taking them seriously is not contradictory at all.

Furthermore, Xie Xun could insult everyone from Yue Fei to the Eastern Heretic, Western Poison, Southern Emperor, Northern Beggar, and Central Divine. Guo Jing and Yang Guo could insult Zhang Sanfeng. There's no reason why he couldn't do it too.
Yun Changkong laughed and said, "Father, what's wrong? Why are you so sentimental..." Suddenly, he heard a sobbing sound.

(End of this chapter)