Observing Wanfa from the martial arts school servants

Chapter 145 Visitors from Heyuan

"I don't know much either."

Yan Zifeng twirled between Quan Feng's fingers. "But some people know."

No sooner had the words been spoken than footsteps echoed along the bamboo path outside the pavilion.

Two figures emerged from behind the artificial hill.

The man walking in front was dressed in a gray-blue short brown outfit, with a well-worn gourd hanging from his waist; he was none other than the eldest disciple, Bai Yungui.

The young lady followed behind him, wearing a pale yellow shirt and a small yellow flower pinned in her hair.

"Senior Brother, Miss, what brings you here?" Lin Mu's face lit up with a smile.

"It's like my cousin wrote a letter saying she misses me and asked me to come to Qingzhou Prefecture to see her."

"My father sent my eldest brother to accompany me," Hu Xiaoying explained.

Lin Mu's brows twitched slightly. The old man of the Zou family was currently in a state of uncertainty, and it seemed unsafe for the eldest brother and the young lady to go to the Zou family.

I'll accompany them on that trip.

Lin Mu invited the two to sit on the stone bench. "How is Master's health?"

"Still the same as always."

"The old injury hasn't fully healed, but I'm full of energy."

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"I was just talking about you a few days ago, saying that you didn't even bother to write a letter back."

Hu Xiaoying added from the side, "Dad said that if you don't pass the martial arts examination, you can go back to the martial arts school and become an instructor. He has reserved a position for you."

"Okay, haha."

"What about my second uncle and aunt?" Lin Mu asked again.

"Your second uncle now runs a millet shop in town. The business isn't big, but it's enough to make a living."

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"Your second aunt talks about you every day, saying that the yard has become much quieter since you left."

"Your cousin received some guidance from Haoran next year and actually passed the imperial examination. Your second uncle was so happy that he set off firecrackers in the yard for three days."

""

"Your aunt is still the same as before, but she also lives in the courtyard."

"How are Senior Brother Zhou and Junior Brother Liu?"

"They stayed behind to look after the martial arts school, and now they are the pillars of the school."

Bai Yungui took a swig of wine. "That kid Zhou Yu has made great progress. Ever since you succeeded, he's like a different person. He's always there at dawn and practices boxing more diligently than anyone else."

"What about Wen Haoran?"

Bai Yungui's smile slowly faded. "He's not called Wen Haoran anymore."

"I have expelled myself from the Wen family, and my surname is Hao and my given name is Ran."

He paused for a moment, then said, "He changed a lot after the Battle of Heyuan."

"Let's start from the beginning," Lin Mu said.

"After you left Heyuan, the monsters were suppressed and returned to the Eternal Night Forest."

"Wen Haoran discarded his surname but kept his given name."

"Later, he invited many boxers to the inner city, from the town, the outer city, and even retired veterans."

"He spends money to watch them box, and he often watches for an entire day."

"Everyone thought he was crazy at the time."

"About seven or eight more days passed." Bai Yungui's voice turned somber. "He locked himself on the city wall, refusing to eat or drink, and not speaking to anyone."

"At midnight, the guards on the city wall saw him suddenly stand up, bite his finger, and drip blood onto the Book of the People."

"After the Book of Ten Thousand People absorbed his blood, all the words on its pages turned dark red."

"Those dark red lights surged out from the bamboo slips."

"Immediately afterwards, the will of the sages who had been buried beneath the walls of Heyuan for countless years was awakened."

"Haoran drew upon the will of the sages and rushed into the Eternal Night Forest."

That night, the earth shook violently.

"That night, the roars of monsters were incessant."

"It is said that someone witnessed Hao Ran unleash a punch that turned all the demonic beasts below the Gang Jin level into ashes."

"According to later generations, that was the beginning of the cultivation of both literary and martial arts, and the initial formation of martial intent."

Lin Mu frowned. It actually worked?

He possessed all the techniques of martial arts, yet he only managed to throw a single punch by chance.

Haoran listened to his description, and realized that others had mastered boxing after only a few days of practice?

Is he a genius who has no cultivation in literature or morality?

"And then?" Lin Mu asked.

Since both literary and martial arts cultivation are forbidden in sects, the resurgence of martial intent is a major event that could shake the entire world.

When Haoran threw that punch, it was clear that he could no longer stay peacefully in Heyuan.

Two days later, the imperial court arrived.

Bai Yungui's voice became somewhat hoarse, "The people who came are from the Palace Guard. The one leading them is called Lu Chenzhou, a Xiantian Realm expert and the Deputy Commander of the Palace Guard."

"The Innate Realm?"

"I heard it from someone else."

"The Innate Realm is completely different from the Core Formation and the罡劲 (罡劲 is a type of internal energy cultivation)."

Bai Yungui's fingers traced patterns on the wine gourd. "Whether it's '罡劲' (gangjin) or '凝丹' (ningdan), it all boils down to the word '劲' (jin, meaning strength/intensity)."

"The innate realm is different."

"The innate realm is the complete integration of the body's essence, energy, and spirit with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. It is no longer about using the strength of the body, but about becoming one with heaven and earth."

"When Lu Chenzhou arrived, a sense of oppression enveloped the entire Heyuan County."

"What's he here for?" Lin Mu asked.

"Initially, we asked Haoran to return to Beijing."

"Lu Chenzhou said that the imperial court appreciates Haoran's talent, and although pursuing both literary and martial arts is against the ancestral rules, an exception can be made."

"As long as Haoran is willing to return to the capital to take up his post, he will speak to the Wen family, and the court will clear his name."

Haoran did not agree.

Lin Mu nodded. Once Hao Ran returned to the capital, he would surely be in shackles.

"Then what."

"Then Lu Chenzhou forcibly took Haoran back to the capital."

"The people of Xianzong want to protect Haoran."

Lu Chenzhou took out a badge from his sleeve and showed it to Yue'er's father.

"Moon's father's expression changed drastically, and he led his men away."

"What badge could make the idle sect members back down?"

"I don't know." Bai Yungui shook his head.

"Later, Haoran awakened the will of the sages, held the Book of Ten Thousand People in his hand, unleashed his fist intent, and faced off against Lu Chenzhou head-on."

"And then what happened?"

"Haoran used the force of Lu Chenzhou's recoil to retreat into the Eternal Night Forest."

"Lu Chenzhou didn't dare to give chase; the Eternal Night Forest was too dangerous."

The pavilion fell silent.

Lin Mu wanted to ask more questions, but a crisp sound of a copper bell came from the bamboo path.

A tall figure was walking out from the depths of the bamboo forest, carrying a small figure on his shoulder.

Xiaoxiao rode on Jiang Wang's shoulders, her two crooked ponytails bouncing high, holding a half-eaten candied hawthorn in her hand, with several sugar stains smeared on her cheeks.

She spotted Lin Mu in the pavilion from afar and waved frantically, the bamboo skewer from the candied hawthorn almost poking Jiang Wang's forehead.

"Big brother! What are you doing at the Quan family's house?"

"Xiaoxiao kept asking to see you, so Yanniang asked me to bring her to the Quan family to find you," Jiang Wang said, scratching his head.

Xiaoxiao slid off his shoulder, ran into the pavilion with her short legs, grabbed Lin Mu's leg, and stuffed the candied hawthorn into his hand.

"Big brother, eat! The biggest one on top is for you!"

Lin Mu gently pinched her little nose, about to praise her for being cute, when she heard her say, "Make me stewed goose in an iron pot after you finish eating."

"I asked Uncle Qin Wu to catch two more demon geese."

Lin Mu looked at Quan Feng: "Is there a venue?"

Quan Feng waved to the crowd, "Let's go, my courtyard should be big enough."