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

Chapter 134 He who eats another's food is bound to do his bidding

Yun Changkong hesitated slightly. If he went with them, Zhao Min would be waiting for him. He said in a low voice, "The two young ladies know about my past with Sister Yang. It would be better not to meet."

Xiao Hong pouted and said, "So you knew everything, but you still did it knowingly. How can you face my girl?"

Yun Changkong was speechless, sighed, and lowered his head.

Xiaoling suddenly turned her head, her gaze fixed on Xiaohong's face, and said, "Xiaohong, what nonsense are you talking about?" Then she looked at Yun Changkong, her face suddenly covered with a solemn and fierce aura, and said arrogantly, "We know that Master Yun is renowned throughout the martial arts world, and we two maids cannot invite you to come, but you are also considered half a disciple of my young lady. Is it so difficult for her to see you?"

Yun Changkong slowly raised his head and laughed heartily, "That's right. As the saying goes, 'a single word is a teacher,' and Sister Yang's guidance to me goes far beyond just one word! I should pay my respects!"

Yun Changkong felt uneasy, but everything had to come to an end. Running away was not the solution, so he had no choice but to follow behind the two women.

After a short while, they passed through a thicket of trees and came to a small river. Under the shade of the trees, two women dressed in black and two women dressed in white were playing the zither and the flute, while two other women had set up an iron stand to boil water and brew tea.

A woman in a yellow dress sat by the stream, with a small table in front of her.

Feeling guilty, Yun Changkong was quite uncomfortable when he saw the woman in yellow. He slowly approached, bowed, and said solemnly, "Sister Yang, how have you been?"

The woman in yellow didn't even glance at him, her voice rang out leisurely: "On such a beautiful moonlit night, I hope you won't think it's presumptuous of me to invite you, Master Yun, for a meeting?"

Yun Changkong laughed and said, "Sister Yang, what are you saying? If I have been impolite, it is my fault. Please punish me as you see fit!"

The woman in yellow slowly turned her head. She still had that cold and aloof expression, her face calm as still water, yet unable to conceal her captivating beauty. She wore a pale yellow dress, and under the moonlight, she truly resembled a fairy treading on water.

As Yun Changkong gazed at her face, a flood of memories rushed back to him: "No wonder I was determined to marry her back then, she's truly beautiful!"

"Xiao Cui, serve tea to Hero Yun."

A girl in black served him some tea. Yun Changkong had been on guard at every turn in the Ruyang Prince's mansion, fearing an ambush. At this moment, he felt parched. He picked up the teacup, and as soon as he lifted the lid, a fragrant aroma wafted out. He took a sip and found it refreshing and sweet. He praised, "As the saying goes, 'Spring water is the best, river water is in the middle, and well water is the worst.' Sister Yang is truly an expert, using a live fire to cook live water!"

The woman in yellow smiled slightly and said, "Aren't you afraid I'll poison you if you raise your cup to drink?"

Yun Changkong laughed and said, "I am where I am today entirely thanks to Sister Yang's magnanimity. If you want to kill me, I am willing to offer my neck for execution. Besides, I am able to taste such fine tea before I die. Sister Yang has treated me quite well."

Xiao Cui glanced at Yun Changkong sideways, her eyes slightly mocking, thinking to herself, "Here we go again. This time, I won't fall for your tricks."

The woman in yellow said, "I've been traveling all the way from Chang'an and have heard that the Ming Cult has launched an uprising with great momentum, and that some heroes have indeed emerged from within the cult. However, their leader, Zhang Wuji, has gone overseas and is not in charge of the overall situation in the Central Plains. Do you know why?"

Yun Changkong thought to himself, "Zhang Wuji must have gone to pick up Xie Xun." Holding his teacup, he said, "Sister, did you come down the mountain this time for Zhang Wuji?"

The woman in yellow said calmly, "You are happily married and deeply in love, but do you know that your grandmother and father have both passed away?"

Yun Changkong nearly choked on his water, and asked in surprise, "What did you say?"

The woman in yellow looked up at the bright moon in the sky and said casually, "A year ago, your grandmother was nearing the end of her life and was worried about your marriage. Just then, the Beggar Clan leader, who was also known as Dog-Beating Stick, came to me and asked me about it. He said he intended to pass the position of Beggar Clan leader to you."

My ancestor received kindness and guidance from two successive leaders of the Beggars' Sect, and left a will instructing me to take care of the sect. Naturally, the current leader of the Beggars' Sect also needed to inform his successor about the Tomb of the Living Dead, which is why he came to inquire about me.

I also think you have potential, otherwise I wouldn't have taught you martial arts. Hearing about your deeds in the martial world, and how you didn't let personal grudges lead you astray, I know you're a capable leader. That's why I directed him to find your father.

Yun Changkong pondered the matter and vaguely guessed the truth.

The woman in yellow, discerning her appearance, continued, "You guessed correctly. Your father wanted to fulfill your grandmother's wish before she passed away."
This led to Chief Shi's proposal to Abbess Miejue after discussing it with your father. Later, upon hearing of your affair with the Mongol princess, your grandmother passed away. Your father entrusted the Beggars' Sect with the locations of his accumulated weapons and supplies. He became deeply depressed afterward, and recently, he too passed away.

Yun Changkong's head was spinning. He understood that his father and grandmother's hatred for the Mongols was ingrained in their bones, and that they were upright people, unlike his own extremely flexible moral values. Therefore, his marriage to Zhao Min would be a great misfortune for the Yun family!
My grandmother is old, over seventy years old, and her life is coming to an end; there's nothing I can do about it.

Yunhe swore an oath by cutting off his arm and endured humiliation to survive, all for the sake of his elderly mother and young son. Now that his mother has passed away and his son has become disobedient and unfilial, it's inevitable that he will feel disheartened and desperate. How can this situation last?
Yun Changkong remained silent for a long while, then murmured: "In the end, this body cannot escape that day. Of a hundred years, few live to seventy. Coming like flowing water, departing like the wind, we know not where we came from, nor where we will end."

These are lines from a poem by a famous Persian poet named Omo. He memorized them after hearing the Purple-Robed Dragon King and Xiao Zhao sing them so often.

The woman in yellow said calmly, "I thought you would cry when you heard this news, but I didn't expect you to be so indifferent. Do you take life and death as nothing?"

Yun Changkong sighed, “The hardships of life are like the flowing water of a river. It comes from nowhere and wants to go east to the sea, but the process is slow and the road ahead is full of difficulties.”

No matter how heroic or skilled a person may be, they will eventually die. Who can escape that day?
"To live is not a glory, to die is not a disgrace; perhaps this is a relief for them, a good thing. Why be sad and grieving!"

The woman in yellow nodded and said, "Yes, it's comforting to do things while you're alive. If you die, no one will know if you cry and grieve! But what you've done is truly disappointing!"

Yun Changkong remained silent for a long while before saying, "Sister Yang, did you come here because you feel that the divine skill was not passed on to a worthy person, and you want to question me?"

The woman in yellow shook her head: "I taught you martial arts willingly. You did not use it to kill innocent people or harm the martial arts world. It cannot be said that you taught the wrong people. As for who you married, I am not your father, and I do not think it is a big deal!"

Yun Changkong nodded. Back then, everyone was dissatisfied with Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu's marriage, but it still went well.

The woman in yellow smiled slightly and said softly, "But do you still remember what you did to me that day, what you said to me?"

Her voice was soft and gentle, yet there was no warmth in it. But hearing it, Yun Changkong's heart warmed. He recalled that day on Zhongnan Mountain, when he held her soft body in his arms and smelled her unique fragrance. That feeling of exhilaration, though brief, he had never forgotten! And his bold words that if he couldn't marry her, he would have lived in vain. But when he thought of Zhao Min and saw the icy face of the woman in yellow, he felt embarrassed and speechless.

The woman in yellow said, "I'll ask you again. If I said that if we ever meet again, I would kill you, do you remember?"

Yun Changkong was startled. Sure enough, she had come. He said, "Sister Yang, I am deeply grateful for your kindness and will never forget it. My offense back then was truly unintentional!"

The woman in yellow smiled faintly and said, "So, those who swore to marry me, even if I married eighteen times, would marry you on the nineteenth time, and those who wanted to steal me as their wife if their martial arts were better than mine, were all unintentional?"

Yun Changkong blushed and stood up, cupping his hands in greeting, saying, "Sister Yang, I was rude and impudent in the past, and I hope you will forgive me."

The woman in yellow said, "It's fine if you talk nonsense, but it's a pity that you said these words to me and that you were willing to die at my hands, but you can't die because you haven't avenged your family's great hatred. I'll help you take revenge, but you're marrying a Mongolian woman."

"Then I must ask you, Master Yun, were you lying to me all along, or were you intentionally insulting me?"

Her two cold, electric gazes, like swords, were fixed on Yun Changkong's face.
Feeling ashamed, Yun Changkong lowered his head, not daring to meet her gaze, and said, "I have always held my sister in the highest esteem, how could I dare to accept such a statement? What I said that day was entirely from the bottom of my heart!"

"Hehe..." The woman in yellow sneered, her left hand flashing out suddenly and incredibly fast.

Yun Changkong possessed extraordinary martial arts skills. When attacked, his hands moved faster than his heart. However, when he raised his hands to parry, a feeling of weakness and soreness rose in his meridians, and his limbs felt unsteady. He was unable to exert any strength at all.

Yun Changkong's heart skipped a beat. In a battle between experts, victory or defeat can be decided in an instant. He couldn't unleash his move. The woman in yellow extended her right hand and, with a series of sharp movements, struck several acupoints on Yun Changkong's chest and abdomen.

Yun Changkong swayed and fell to the ground, slowly saying, "You poisoned me?"

The woman in yellow cast two cold, lightning-like glances at Yun Changkong and said icily, "Your martial arts are too high, I can't beat you. Fortunately, to wash away this humiliation, we don't need to follow any martial arts rules!"

Yun Changkong sighed and said, "What kind of poison is this? It's so potent!"

"Master Yun!" Xiao Cui held up a porcelain bottle. "Do you recognize this?"

Yun Changkong's expression changed slightly, and he slowly asked, "Where did you get it from?"
Xiao Cui smiled and said, "I heard that this thing is called Ten Fragrance Softening Powder. If any living being in the world takes it, their whole body will become weak and sore. I don't know if it's true or not. I just tried it. It seems that even with the profound internal strength of Hero Yun, he is not immune. Obviously, this is true."

It's important to know that poisons are mostly transmitted through the bloodstream, causing instant death upon contact with blood. Some poisons are also transmitted through the skin, where the toxicity develops slowly and leads to death. Another type is transmitted through the air, via inhalation.

However, these kinds of poisons are of very low effectiveness against a master like Yun Changkong. Even the deadly poisons that kill upon contact with blood cannot kill him. As for transmission through the skin, that is even more difficult, as he has true qi protecting his body.

To make his breath penetrate and bewitch Yun Changkong, one must use a rare and potent poison, while ensuring he remains completely unaware and does not need to stop breathing by holding his breath.

The "Ten Fragrant Tendon-Softening Powder" is like water; it enters the stomach with food and drink, blending with the blood and qi without the person realizing it. By the time they realize something is wrong, they are already poisoned and powerless.

Yun Changkong slowly said, "Have you seen Quanmin?"

Zhao Min always carried this bottle with her and never let it out of her sight. Now that it has fallen into their hands, Zhao Min will inevitably encounter a great change.

The woman in yellow sneered, "If you knew this would happen, why did you do it in the first place? You should have known this day would come!"

"Yes!" Yun Changkong laughed. "As the saying goes, 'He who takes a man's money is bound to him, and he who eats a man's food is bound to him.' I spoke rashly back then without thinking much, and now I've fallen into your hands. This is just retribution, and I have no complaints. But Minmin has nothing to do with this, so please don't make things difficult for her!"

The woman in yellow stared at him blankly with her clear, icy eyes. Yun Changkong was under her control, so whether she killed him or tortured him was no big deal. Instead, he felt at ease.

After a long while, the woman in yellow sighed and said, "Yun Changkong, is that Mongolian woman really that good? Is she worth your disobedience and filial impiety? Is she worth your passionate love?"

Yun Changkong said, "I don't know how to respond to what you've said!"

Xiao Cui snorted, "Girl, this man is a master of empty talk, it's better to just kill him!"

"Yes, girl, kill him!"

The eight maids naturally knew about Yun Changkong's sweet words to the woman in yellow back then. Considering his subsequent behavior, they labeled him with all sorts of terms, such as ungrateful, heartless, and abandoning his lover.

As for whether it's suitable or not, that's none of our concern.

Anyway, if he makes a girl angry or unhappy, then he deserves to die!

Therefore, the eight girls surrounded him, their cheeks flushed, their eyes gleaming coldly as they stared at Yun Changkong.

Yun Changkong hadn't expected them to hate him so much. He chuckled awkwardly to cover his embarrassment, then looked up at the sky and said, "Actually, what I'm saying doesn't represent my love for her; it's just fulfilling my duty. It's like this 'Ten Fragrant Tendon-Softening Powder'—it's powerful, but it depends on who uses it on me. It's the same principle!" He sighed, feeling utterly dejected.

The woman in yellow's eyes flashed with a cold light: "You let your guard down on me, and that's your own fault!"

Yun Changkong was silent for a moment, then said, "Of course, it's my own fault. But Miss, you've been kind to me, and I've never repaid you. If I'm being too cautious around you for my own safety, and I don't even dare to drink a cup of tea, I don't care if I lose face!"
But wouldn't you be sad? Even just a little bit?

(End of this chapter)