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墨書 Inktalez
At the peak of Wudang Mountain, countless swords clashed, dancing like dragons, hovering high above.
Everyone was taken aback, never expecting that someone could simultaneously control so many swords. The sword light sliced through the clouds, shooting towards us, comparable to the Wudang Mountain Guardian Sword Formation.
"Gather around me," I called out.
The crowd assembled as I gathered all my Dao Qi to perform Time Walk. In the next moment, everyone vanished from their original spot and reappeared at the foot of Wudang Mountain.
Looking up at the summit of Wudang Mountain, we saw thousands of swords falling in all directions, accompanied by Dongfang Jiu's frantic shouts.
A hearty laugh echoed nearby. Following the sound, we saw Yu Xuanliang approaching us.
"Mr. Yu?" I asked in confusion.
Li Fugui replied, "I brought Mr. Yu out for a walk."
Yu Xuanliang said, "Yang Shao Xia, after all the effort put into designing the Eastern Nine Sins' scheme to obtain the Seven Star Sword, you just snatched it away. He's getting on in years; he might be so furious that it could take half his life."
"Dongfang Jiu and his Wolfish Ambition want to gather all Ten Famous Swords to forge something. Now that Wudang has been destroyed, it seems that as Mr. Yu wishes, chaos will arise within the Daoist Sect," I said.
Yu Xuanliang replied, "I have nothing to do with the Daoist Sect's affairs. Even if wealth and honor are involved, I won't participate. As long as the Daoist Sect doesn't affect the livelihood of the secular world, it’s none of my business."
I didn't delve deeper into that topic and said, "Mr. Yu, these are my friends."
I introduced Huzi and Douding to him one by one and then turned to everyone and said, "This is Yu Xuanliang, Mr. Yu."
They clasped their fists in greeting to Mr. Yu. Mr. Yu quickly returned the gesture, saying, "You young talents are the pride of the Daoist Sect. In the future, the winds and clouds will surely be dominated by you."
Wudao replied, "Mr. Yu, you flatter us. We are not from any major sects, but you, a mere mortal, dare to walk among the Daoist Sect. Could it be that your cultivation has reached a level we cannot perceive?"
I frowned and looked at Wu.
Wu pouted and said, "I didn't mean any disrespect; I was just curious."
Yu Xuanliang said, "The Old Man indeed knows nothing about Daoist Arts, including wealth and prosperity, but that doesn't mean he lacks means of self-defense."
"I see, my apologies," Wudao said.
Huzi turned to Li Fugui and asked, "Grandfather, what brings you to Wudang Mountain?"
Li Fugui snorted and replied, "I haven't asked you yet. You learned a bit of Daoist Arts and ran off to Wudang Mountain. If I hadn't received secret news that everyone from Sword Pavilion was heading towards Wudang Mountain, you might have ended up dead under a flurry of swords!"
"It seems it was Haozi who saved us," May Day said nonchalantly.
Huzi slapped Wu on the backside and scolded, "What’s wrong with you? Why are you going against my grandfather?"
"How could I dare?" Wudao said as he stepped aside.
Yu Xuanliang chuckled and said, "It seems that young hero Wu has some prejudice against our military. Fugui, I won't interfere with these young people's gathering; let's go."
Li Fugui nodded respectfully, turned back to give Huzi a few instructions, and then left with Yu Xuanliang.
After the two left, Iron Bull excitedly shouted, "Boss, it's great that you're not dead!"
I replied, "How could you be fine? I clearly saw you were..."
Huzi interjected, "Uncle Yang survived because of the Mangshan Secret Technique within him."
Huzi then punched me on the shoulder and said, "Even like this, you're still Immortal. You're really strong against Immortals."
Everyone was happy about my return. I patted Douding's bald head and called out to Wudao, who had his back to us, "Wu, why are you playing dead?"
Wu turned around, awkwardly smiling, and said, "I can't pretend as convincingly as you."
"Alright, now that we're all gathered together, let's move while we talk. Otherwise, if the Sword Pavilion people find us, we'll be in for a tough battle. I can't keep using Daoist Arts to transport so many people," I said. "And Wu, why were you so sharp-tongued with Yu Xuanliang and Huzi's grandfather?"
"Exactly! My grandfather hasn't offended you," Huzi added.
Wu retorted irritably, "The military has been suppressing the Daoist Sect for so many years. My Yin Yang View had to be dismantled under persecution, forcing my master and me to wander everywhere. If it weren't for my shamelessness in stealing and conning, that old guy would have starved long ago."
"I have no reason to be angry with you," Huzi said.
"However," Wu suddenly became serious. "I always feel something is off about Yu Xuanliang. A mere mortal shouldn't have such composure; his demeanor is too grand. Not only does he show no fear at all, but I also felt a bit uneasy when I saw him."
I said, "Yu Xuanliang is indeed not an ordinary person. Recently, I was at his residence in the Imperial Capital. He called me over just to discuss matters regarding the Daoist Sect and express his views; he didn't ask for anything else."
Huzi replied, "When my grandfather took me to the military camp before, I met him. A person like that has never been mentioned among the national leaders, and there are no reports about him at all. It's quite strange."
I said, "Let's not talk about him anymore. For now, he is a friend, not an enemy. But how did you all come together?"
As we walked out of the Wudang territory, Douding suddenly said, "By the way, Brother Yang Hao, I saw Sister Yunxi."
Hearing Yunxi's name made me feel uneasy. I stopped and asked, "You saw Yunxi? Where is she?"
Douding shook his head and said, "I don't know. She wasn't with me. Sister Yunxi is so beautiful; I like her too."
Smack!
"What do you know about liking someone, you monk?" May Day slapped Douding on his bald head. "We also saw Yunxi in the Dunhuang Desert; she obtained the Supreme Artifact, Tai Xu Ling. We don't know where she went after that. And we also saw... Senior Sister Yu."
"How is Senior Sister Yu?" I asked. That day, Rain Master Luo fought against the major sect leaders to save me and was thrown off a cliff, suffering from Three Swords. I thought she would surely die; even if those Three Swords had pierced me, I wouldn't have survived.
Huzi nodded and said, "She seems to be doing well. Senior Sister Yu's skills are truly impressive; those Elders treat her with great respect, as if we are not even in the same dimension."
"Do you think it's easy to master the One Sword Technique?" Wudao chimed in.
"That's good to hear," I nodded and then asked Chang Liulang, "Brother Liu Liang, have you discovered anything during your time at Leiyin Temple? Like what they might be secretly doing?"
Chang Liulang shook his head and said, "The people at Leiyin Temple have been quite nice to both me and Douding. I haven't noticed any secret activities, except that the Three Divine Monks seem to have gone out."
I nodded and replied, "Then they probably don't have any ill intentions towards Douding. Back when I rushed into Leiyin Temple in a hurry and killed a disciple guarding the outer courtyard, I offended several important inheritors of Leiyin Temple. I was worried they might target you."
"The abbot has been very good to us," Douding said. "He even helps me take care of Big Cat."
"Big Cat?"
"Oh right, I almost forgot. Douding has tamed a Qiongqi, a fierce beast guarding Desert Ancient City," Huzi added.
Upon hearing this news, I flicked Douding's bald head and said, "Not bad at all! A Qiongqi is among the top-ranked Ancient Fierce Beasts in terms of combat strength. Having it as your guardian makes me feel much more at ease. Any other good news?"
Wudao replied, "There aren't any other good news, but Brother Yang and Aunt Jiyao heard you were in Dunhuang looking for you. We didn't see them after we got there."
"It's been so long; they should have gone back by now," Huzi said.
"The news of Wudang's destruction will soon spread throughout the Daoist Sect, causing unrest. Every sect will be on edge. I haven't heard Brother Yang mention anything significant he needs to deal with, so we might as well return to our residence in Jiangnan and wait for them."
I nodded and said, "Let's go take a look then. Just be careful not to be followed on the way back; after all, Sword Pavilion is also in Jiangnan."
We arrived at the old residence in Jiangnan, which had been Yang Sanqian's home for the past twenty years. The old house was large, with one room filled with various Daoist Sect scriptures and another room piled high with empty wine jars. It seemed that Yang Sanqian had used these wines to drown his sorrows while missing his wife and children over the years.
We stayed in the old residence for seven or eight days. During this time, I guided Huzi and the others in their cultivation while also reflecting on my own path. The unease in my heart grew stronger each day.
When the beast in my arms woke up, it would burrow into me, sometimes resting on top of my head, clearly fond of me.
One afternoon, while a few people were playing in the courtyard, I was in the kitchen cooking. Suddenly, someone shouted, "Haozi, come see who’s back!"
I paused my work, washed my hands, and stepped out of the kitchen to find Yang Sanqian and Jiyao standing in the yard.
Yang Sanqian said, "It's good that you're back."
Jiyao was in tears. I remarked, "Mom and Dad, if you keep looking at me like that, I'm going to get shy. Come inside and get ready for dinner."
Jiyao quickly nodded, and Yang Sanqian added, "I still have a bottle of good wine hidden away—wine that can't be bought anywhere."
At the dining table, we chatted for a long time. I shared stories from my years in Futu Ridge, but when I mentioned my mother, an uncomfortable feeling suddenly washed over me.
I still remembered how my mother would hide away and cry when she didn’t want me to see her upset. I recalled the anger I felt when she was mistreated, a fury that made me want to eliminate all the bad people.
I set down my chopsticks and walked out of the room. The others paused their conversation, glancing at each other.
Yang Sanqian followed me outside. I said, "I need some time alone to think; my mind is a bit chaotic."
Yang Sanqian replied, "Your adoptive mother actually died years ago. I used a secret technique to bring her back to life, but she could only exist as a Living Dead. I couldn't take you away from her; seeing her knowledgeable and kind-hearted later on, I entrusted you to her care."
"I know; I understand all of this. You were worried she would be too far from me, so you restricted her from leaving Futu Ridge even a step," I said softly.
"At that time, I didn't think too much, I just..."
"What do you mean 'just'?" I suddenly felt an inexplicable anger rising within me. "You left me all alone in the deep mountains, expecting everything to go smoothly? Twenty-four years of cultivation, and if it weren't for my luck in falling into the Medicine King's Cave, I'd still be worthless. I might have even been killed by some laborers in the Azure Cloud Sect. Did you really think everything was under your control? Do you know what it feels like to watch my mother burn to death by your Dao Fire? With your abilities, even if you had taken me with you, what difference would it make? You could have just gone on a killing spree and eliminated everyone who dared to cause trouble. But you didn't dare, because you're a so-called Divine Hero who preaches Benevolence. A Daoist Sect Divine Hero? How ridiculous."
"I am sorry for you and Xiumei," Yang Sanqian said.
I turned to look at Yang Sanqian and said, "For over twenty years, even if you had just glanced at her instead of ignoring me, she wouldn't have had to suffer so much. Do you know how painful it is for me to see her lost in thought? She had a chance to start anew. When I came of age, she was afraid that I wouldn't be able to find her back in the Village and would be heartbroken, so she begged Guo the Blind to keep her soul in the Yang Realm. If you hadn't selfishly placed restrictions on her, with my current abilities, I could have brought her back to life. And now? I'm living well while her soul has scattered. Aren't you a Divine Hero? Was it really necessary to be so cruel?"
"Hao, your father did wrong, but he also had his difficulties. Back then, when Yaochi was destroyed, your father's branch of the Yang Family was slaughtered. Then I was imprisoned, and you were poisoned with no cure. If you died, I wouldn't want to live either. That's why your father disregarded morality and placed restrictions on a good woman. If you want to blame someone, blame your mother," Jiyao stepped out from the room with red eyes.
I replied, "It's fine; now that things are out in the open, I'm just looking for some peace and quiet. Please don't follow me; thank you."
With that, I disappeared into the courtyard. Yang Sanqian and Jiyao exchanged glances filled with helplessness.
Five came out of the house holding a bowl of rice and said, "Brother Yang, Aunt Jiyao, Haozi will be fine. He's just a rare emotional person; he just needs some time alone. You two eat; I'll go find him."
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