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

Zhuxian Town is where Yue Fei defeated Jin Wuzhu, which Yun Changkong naturally knew. This place also reminded him of his first meeting with Zhao Min, and naturally, he also thought of Zhou Zhiruo.

In fact, he saw that the two women were only one day apart, but everything that happened between them was completely different.

Upon realizing this, Yun Changkong immediately abandoned his boat and disembarked at the dock.

He revisited the place and soon arrived at a large temple with the four golden characters "General Yang Temple" written on the temple's lintel.

This temple was different from the one I had seen before, so I didn't go in, but just stood there motionless outside.

Recalling the past, Yun Changkong couldn't help but sigh: "Everyone in this world has their own difficulties. It goes without saying that Linghu Chong fell ill and was injured because of Yue Lingshan. He even gave up on himself and risked his life, but he could only watch his 'white moonlight' drift further and further away."

Yue Lingshan clearly liked Linghu Chong and called him "good sister," but she couldn't escape the interference of someone with ulterior motives. She ended up being accused of having fallen in love with someone else, and her love was unrequited, leading to her untimely death.

And how many disappointments and how many unexpected gains exist among the people of this world?

For example, some couples are mismatched, but their children are exceptionally well-behaved; some couples have a good relationship, but their health is always problematic.

Those in excellent health worry about money every day; those with immense wealth worry about their children not being good enough.

Some people achieve great success at a young age, but don't live past thirty; others waste half their lives, but become successful in their old age.

The idea that devoted lovers always encounter unfaithful men, while cynical people meet devoted lovers, is a true reflection of the lives of Yue Lingshan and Linghu Chong.

Children who are too smart often fly far away, while those who are less intelligent tend to stay by your side. Those who are as diligent as ants will toil their whole lives just to make ends meet; those who are as cunning as foxes will flaunt their power when they gain a moment of advantage.

Those with genuine talent and ability are buried in the marketplace, while those who rely on opportunism and trickery ultimately suffer setbacks.

Scholars and writers are bound by fame and fortune; even those in officialdom, who rule the world, have to scheme and fight every day.

Merchants worry about not being able to sell their goods, while farmers hope for a good harvest. They say that God is unfair, but sometimes they also feel that God is very fair, after all, no one is perfect.

To be fair, in this vast world, all living beings are merely pawns in the hands of the Creator, at the mercy of his will!
Even if one possesses a miraculous destiny of time travel, the outcome is still the same; all the trouble and struggle might just be seen as a joke by others.

Yun Changkong stood there for a very long time; if it weren't for the wind ruffling his clothes, he would have looked like a stone statue.

It wasn't until sunset that I arrived at the Temple of General Yang. I touched the weathered stone tablet with its inscription blurred by time, and couldn't help but sigh: "The general's spirit lives on, but his beauty is hard to find. Life is like a dream, how sad and lamentable!"

He took out a jade flute, raised it to his lips, and began to play "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer." However, it did not contain any internal energy; the sound was melodious and varied, as he played.

Images flashed through my mind: the beautiful and charming Zhao Min, the radiant and fair-skinned Purple-Robed Dragon King, the gentle and considerate Zhou Zhiruo, and the understanding and graceful Xiao Zhao. The days I spent with them were truly the greatest joy in life. What a pity, what a pity.

He had only played half a song when suddenly he heard a loud cawing noise. Looking up, he saw that the General's Temple was full of crows, cawing at him in a shrill and strange way.

A short, fat man stood blankly by the roadside, sobbing, "Stop bragging."

The clouds in the sky seem to hear but not listen, while the sound of the flute continues unbroken.

As the old man listened, he suddenly collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, pounding the ground and crying out, "My whole life, ah..." He wept bitterly.

It turns out that the theme of "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" is profound and complex. Even a master like Ren Yingying could not understand the main idea of ​​the song. Her playing was not as good as that of Qu Yang and Liu Zhengfeng. Moreover, the melody of the zither is the main melody of this song. Therefore, the two masters Qu and Liu told Yun Changkong that if he wanted to fully appreciate the beauty of the song, the two of them should play it together and inspire each other.

Yun Changkong had been exploring on his own, and since music originates from the heart, he always felt lonely and saddened by his inability to control his own destiny, so he tried his best to make himself happy.

Teasing Yue Lingshan, Yilin, and Ren Yingying, meddling in other people's business, and having some fun with Lan Fenghuang—all for this purpose.

In truth, the underlying feeling is loneliness, and the sound of the flute is filled with sorrow, desolation, and loneliness. Even the crows are affected by it, and people naturally feel a pang of sadness, recalling painful memories.

Fortunately, he didn't use his internal energy, otherwise people and animals within several miles would have been affected.

Just then, Yun Changkong heard a very low, long sigh.

This sigh was almost inaudible. But to a master like Yun Changkong, it was no less than a thunderclap.

It felt as if it were right next to him, but he knew there was no one around. Suddenly hearing it, he turned around and saw that there was no one else around except for the old man who was pounding the ground and crying.

Yun Changkong put away his flute and asked, "Old man, is something troubling you?"

The old man looked up and glared at him, then shouted, "You're the one who's sad! Your whole family is sad! You're so young, what are you doing here crying your eyes out?"

Yun Changkong saw that the old man had an enormous head and a wisp of rat whiskers. He was on the ground with tears in his eyes, shaking his head and looking extremely comical. He went over and helped him up, laughing, "Sorry, go home now!"

The old man shouted, "You'd better stop playing this flute. You're ruining your health and the music!" He then reached out to snatch the jade flute.

Despite his short, chubby appearance and unremarkable looks, his movements were surprisingly fast, and the wind from his fingers was sharp and whistling.

But he was fast, and Yun Changkong was even faster. With a flick of his wrist, he pointed his jade flute at the other's palm.

This move was quite ordinary, but it was executed so quickly that the old man didn't even have time to think about dodging or changing his move.

The old man's palm went numb instantly. He frowned, clutched his wrist, and retreated more than ten feet. His expression was shaken, and his eyes flashed with a cold light as he glanced at Yun Changkong's face. Suddenly, he sighed, "Good, good. The world is going to the dogs these days. It's hard to be a good person!" With that, his figure swayed and disappeared into the distance.

Yun Changkong watched his short, stout yet incredibly agile back as he turned into the mountain valley, shaking his head and smiling bitterly. The world is truly full of hidden talents; such an old man actually possesses such skill.

You see, his strike just now hit the opponent's "Laogong acupoint." Although he didn't use his full strength, most people would be numb from the touch, let alone be able to use any light-footed skills. He glanced at the distant jungle and strode towards Kaifeng City.

After walking a few miles, they saw a teahouse. Yun Changkong, who was also a little thirsty from blowing on the windows, went in and ordered a bowl of tea. As he was drinking it...

Suddenly, a strange voice said, "Put me down! I'm not a vegetable!"

Yun Changkong heard that the voice was extremely loud and the internal force was very strong. He turned his head to look, but there was no one on the road. Then he heard a hoarse voice say, "If you don't want to live, I'll put you down!"

The voice was hoarse and dry, but Yun Changkong could still tell it was a woman's voice. As soon as she finished speaking, he saw a figure move, and his brows furrowed in surprise.

The woman arrived very quickly, stopping abruptly in front of the tea stall. She was tall and thin, appearing to be around forty years old, with a square face, large ears, and deep-set eyes. Her face was completely pale, but that wasn't unusual. However, her left hand was outstretched, carrying a stretcher with a person lying on it.

You'd say this stretcher has to be carried, how can you just use a carrying pole?

But that's absolutely right.

The woman was carrying the stretcher with only one hand.

To put it simply, it was just like an ordinary person holding a wok while cooking, but what was even more remarkable was that her arms were outstretched, and there was someone lying on the stretcher. This is what surprised Yun Changkong.

The woman had just carried a wooden stretcher and a person in one hand, running quickly without moving an inch. You couldn't even imagine doing that without immense strength.

This woman's strength and agility were truly rare, and Yun Changkong couldn't help but admire her.

Then the man on the stretcher pointed to the sky and said, "Haha, here I am, a young man dressed in blue who looks a lot like me!"

Yun Changkong carefully examined the man. The man looked strange and extremely ugly. His face was bumpy and full of wrinkles. Yun Changkong's appearance was completely different from the man's. How could he be similar to him? He never thought there was anyone in the world more shameless than himself.

The woman's eyes flashed with lightning as she swept her gaze across Yun Changkong's face. She hissed, "Was it you who made my husband cry?"

Yun Changkong truly admired this woman. He didn't mind her rambling words, stood up, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "May I ask your honorable name, elder sister, and who your husband is?"

The strange man on the stretcher said in a soft voice, "Look, she doesn't even know her husband, and you're asking her? That's just shallow, naive, and ignorant of the ways of the world."

The woman shouted, "If you say another word, I'll throw you into the Yellow River to feed the turtles!"

The person on the stretcher quickly covered their mouth, their eyes darting around.

Seeing that he was at least fifty or sixty years old, yet acting like a child, Yun Changkong suddenly found it amusing.

The woman said, "My husband's surname is Ping. How shall I address you?"

A thought flashed through Yun Changkong's mind, and he blurted out, "Could that short, fat man be the one who refused to help Ping Yizhi in his time of need?"

"Haha..." The strange man immediately burst out laughing.

The woman snorted, "My husband is indeed Ping Yizhi, but some people call him the 'murderous doctor,' yet he has never said he would stand by and watch someone die!"

Yun Changkong said "to stand by and watch someone die" only because he had confused Hu Qingniu's nickname with Ping Yizhi's. After all, these were minor characters, so he didn't take them too seriously and just blurted it out. When the woman corrected him, he immediately laughed and said, "I am ignorant and made a mistake. Please forgive me, madam!"

Madam Ping said, "You hit my husband. As his wife, I can't pretend nothing happened. Tell me your name!"

It turns out that Ping Yizhi, the "murderous doctor," was a well-known physician in the martial arts world due to his superb medical skills.

He was terrified of stealing business from the King of Hell and being purged later, so he always adhered to the principle of "killing one to save one".

Therefore, those in the martial arts world who live on the edge are afraid that one day they will need to ask him for medical treatment. They dare not offend him, because his principle of killing one person to save another makes others not dare to ask him for medical treatment unless absolutely necessary.

Before treating an illness, Ping Yizhi always required the patient to make a solemn oath that after recovering from the illness and injury, the patient must kill a person designated by him, which is called an exchange of lives.

If he were to kill an unrelated person, that would be fine. But if he were to designate someone to be killed—a close relative or friend of the person seeking treatment, or even their father, brother, wife, or children—wouldn't that be extremely difficult?
Of course, in modern times, most people would just consider such oaths as nonsense and feel free to ignore them!

But people in the martial arts world believe in keeping their word, and even the most ruthless individuals refuse to go back on their word. Therefore, this man, who is clearly a divine healer, always bringing the dead back to life and dedicated to saving lives, has earned a reputation in the martial arts world as "unpredictable and morally ambiguous."

To put it nicely, he's an extraordinary person; to put it bluntly, he's an oddball.

Ping Yizhi's greatest fear in life was being "henpecked".

This woman is strong-willed; she is determined to stand up for her husband and save face!
Yun Changkong was no fool and naturally understood the woman's intentions. He smiled calmly and said, "I have long admired Doctor Ping, but I regret that I am unlucky and have not had the chance to meet her. Now that I know that I have exchanged a few blows with Doctor Ping, I consider it an honor to have met her. Madam Ping's strength is amazing, and I am even more ashamed of my own inferiority!"

The woman laughed and said, "It's easy, it's easy, but you hit my husband, you can't just let it go with a single sentence, can you?"

Yun Changkong smiled and said, "Then what does Lady Ping intend to do?"

The strange man suddenly grinned and said, "This little kid looks almost exactly like me. You couldn't find another one like him anywhere in the world. He must be a good person. Let's hurry up and go find my brother!"

When Yun Changkong saw that this person was making jokes again, he smiled. Before he could speak, he heard Madam Ping say, "You can beat this old man, so you must be no ordinary person. If I don't ask you to teach me in person, this old woman will not be happy!" After saying that, she slapped him with her palm.

Yun Changkong stretched out his palm to block, but felt that the force was strong and heavy, truly extraordinary. How could a sickly woman have such strength?

In a flash, Madam Ping took three steps back before she could stand still. She felt as if her palm had struck cotton, soft and unyielding, yet the rebound force was enormous.

With this one palm strike, the difference in skill between the two was immediately apparent.

The strange man shook his head and said, "This won't work. Put it down and I'll try again!"

Hearing the old man's disdain, Madam Ping flicked her left hand, and the strange man flew straight into the sky, shouting, "Oh dear, I'm a patient!" He was so frightened that his face turned deathly pale.

Suddenly, a figure flashed past, grabbing the old man by the collar like an eagle snatching a chicken. Madam Ping put down the stretcher and was about to make another move when she saw this sudden change and was also startled.

Then Yun Changkong descended slowly, carrying the strange old man, and laughed, "Which of the Six Immortals of Peach Valley are you?"

The strange man laughed and said, "I am Peach Immortal. Brother, you are a good person. Hmm, people who look like me are all good people."

Before the words were even finished, the two of them had already landed lightly.

The old woman shouted, "You half-human, half-ghost thing, how dare you say you're the same as me? I shouldn't have cared about you, I should have thrown you into the Yellow River to feed the turtles!"

This strange old man, who was like a child, was none other than Peach Immortal, one of the Six Immortals of Peach Valley. He had stabbed Ning Zhongze with a sword at Mount Hua, suffering a fatal wound. His five older brothers brought him to treat Ping Yizhi.

Ping Yizhi performed surgery on him, gave him a miraculous medicine, and infused him with his true energy. Tao Shixian immediately got up and started walking.

But having lost too much blood, he fainted again after walking for a short while, so Madam Ping suggested that he go home to recuperate. His five older brothers had disappeared again.

This Peach Fairy was extremely timid. She was following the doctor's orders. Even when Madam Ping shook her into the sky, she didn't dare to use force, fearing that she would tear open her wound and lose her life. That's why she screamed in fright.

At this moment, with Yun Changkong's help, Tao Shixian said, "Why do you say I'm neither human nor ghost? Isn't this what my parents gave me? You're not exactly a genius either. I think Doctor Ping wasn't beaten to tears, but scared to tears by you!"

Madam Ping's eyebrows shot up, and she lunged forward. Tao Shixian, hiding behind Yun Changkong, shouted, "You resort to violence when you can't win an argument! You're the one who made Doctor Ping cry. What does this have to do with this brother? Little brother, I'll be your witness!"

Yun Changkong smiled slightly.

Knowing that her martial arts skills were far inferior to Yun Changkong's, Madam Ping fixed her sharp gaze on Yun Changkong's face and said in a deep voice, "You must be the Yun Changkong who has been the talk of the martial arts world recently?"

Yun Changkong was somewhat surprised that she recognized him, and said indifferently, "How can a little name be worthy of widespread fame!"

Lady Ping bowed and said, "Yun Changkong's reputation is well-deserved. I admire him greatly. My husband invites you to join me!"

Yun Changkong was taken aback and asked, "What does Doctor Ping want with me?"

This was somewhat unexpected.

Madam Ping snorted, "Go ask him yourself. This old man is so strange. Since he recognizes you, why doesn't he invite him himself? Why does he make me come?"

Peach Immortal peeked out from behind Yun Changkong and said, "You don't believe me when I say you're naive and shallow. Doctor Ping was beaten up and was crying, and you still have the nerve to ask for help?"

Madam Ping sneered, "If your brother doesn't kill you, you won't know how to shut up!"

Tao Shixian suddenly jumped three feet away, pointed at Yun Changkong and shouted, "Go ahead and invite him, I won't say another word!" He quickly covered his mouth and lay down on the stretcher.

Yun Changkong found it amusing and said, "Please lead the way, Madam!"

Madam Ping picked up the stretcher and strode out, with Yun Changkong following behind. (End of Chapter)