Martial Arts World Assassin

Chapter 160: The Past of Jiashen

Without further ado, Huang Sixi immediately set off for Mount Wutai.

He and Fei Hongjin were not familiar with the terrain, but Jiunan often traveled around the world and was a monk. He had lived in Mount Wutai for several years, so he was not affected even if he had to travel at night.

Wu Yuanying did not send anyone to act as a guide.

On the way to Mount Wutai, Fei Hongjin asked, "The owner of Wu Yuanying Manor is also a hero of the Dragon Subduing Society. Why didn't he accompany the head of the manor to assassinate the prince of the Qing court?"

Huang Sixi didn't know much about the Dragon Subduing Society.

Jiunan replied, "Master Wu is the leader of the Jin branch. He only takes orders from the chief leader of the Dragon Subduing Society. The current chief leader, Li Xihua, hates his subordinates assassinating high-ranking officials of the Qing court. Master Wu probably didn't want to anger Li Xihua, so he only provided a place for the head of the manor to stay and did not participate in the assassination."

Fei Hongjin asked curiously, "Assassinating the Qing court officials is very satisfying, why doesn't the chief leader agree?"

"I don't know the specific reason. Li Xihua may have considered everything." Jiunan herself is not a member of the Dragon Subduing Society. She cannot access the top secrets of the Dragon Subduing Society:
"I've heard Master Zhuang mention this before. Li Xihua often complained that even though the former Dragon Subduing Hero stabbed the Qing emperor and more than a dozen princes and nobles to death, he still failed to stop the Qing court from taking control of the Central Plains. This shows that the path of assassination is not feasible and is not the best way to fight against the Qing Dynasty!"

Jiunan couldn't help but glance at Huang Sixi while speaking on the horse.

She continued, "Ever since the Qing Dynasty seized the Central Plains, the heroes of the Dragon Subduing Society have launched assassination attempts time and again. Over the past twenty years, hundreds of Qing nobles and officials have died in the Dragon Subduing Society, including the Qing Emperor Shunzhi. However, this did not shake the Qing Dynasty's rule. Instead, the Dragon Subduing Society suffered bloody revenge from the Qing Dynasty, and had to move its headquarters to the southern wilderness of Burma, and has not been able to move back to the Central Plains to this day!"

Huang Sixi immediately asked for confirmation: "Is Shunzhi really dead?"

Jiunan nodded, "Almost all the martial arts masters in the Central Plains gathered together to assassinate Shunzhi. The leaders were Yuan Chengzhi, the Golden Snake Hero, Zhuo Yihang, the Wudang Hero, Shan Sinan, the Wuji Divine Sword, and my senior brother Yisheng, the Dragon Slayer Monk, and Hu Guinan, the Plowing Courtyard Divine Bee. Shunzhi was beaten to death by Yisheng's palm and his head was cut off on the spot. After Shunzhi's death, his son Kangxi succeeded to the throne. There has been no news of Shunzhi for more than ten years. He must have died in the assassination and it is impossible for him to be alive!"

She was certain that Shunzhi was dead.

When Fei Hongjin heard this story, he felt his blood boiling: "I only regret that I was far away from the Great Wall. If I were in the Central Plains, I would definitely follow the heroes Zhuo and Yuan to deal with the Qing emperor!"

After she finished sighing, she asked Jiunan: "Since the martial arts heroes were able to kill Shunzhi, why didn't they kill Kangxi as well?"

Jiunan said: "Kangxi was only two or three years old at that time. It is impossible for Yuan Daxia and Zhuo Daxia to assassinate a child. They are also unwilling to attack the women of the Qing court!"

Jiunan said with a hint of regret, "But it is precisely because of their soft-heartedness that the great cause of overthrowing the Qing Dynasty and restoring the Ming Dynasty has become increasingly difficult!"

Fei Hongjin didn't understand what this meant, so he asked, "What do you mean?"

Jiunan said to her, "After Shunzhi's death, the power of the Qing court fell into the hands of Empress Dowager Bumbutai. This woman was very scheming. She issued an edict that taxes would never be increased, and she won the hearts of the people in the world!"

Fei Hongjin didn't understand: "What does it mean to never increase taxes?"

Jiunan’s explanation was very straightforward: “It is to make sure that the people of the world will never rebel against the Qing government again.”

Her tone turned helpless. "Since the Chongzhen reign of the Ming Dynasty, the Central Plains has been in constant war. The world has long wanted peace and stability. People everywhere hope to live and work in peace and do not want to fight again. After the Qing court announced a policy of never increasing taxes, people all over the world regarded Kangxi as the Holy Son of Heaven and were no longer willing to overthrow the Qing and restore the Ming!"

The Bumbutai she was talking about was Huang Taiji's concubine, Empress Xiaozhuang Dayuer.

This was a woman with considerable political skills. When Huang Sixi assassinated Qing nobles in Liaodong, Empress Xiaozhuang had been living in seclusion in the deep palace and had never met Huang Sixi.

If Huang Sixi had met Empress Xiaozhuang at that time, he would never have let her live.

Huang Sixi asked, "You just said that the Dragon Slayer Monk Yisheng and Hu Guinan are your senior brothers. What's going on? Did your master, Taoist Musang, accept them as his disciples?"

Fei Hongjin was also in awe. She never thought that Jiunan was actually the junior sister of the Dragon Slayer Monk and the Liting Shenfeng. She had often heard of the reputation of these two people when she was at the border.

The Dragon-Slaying Monk and the Li Ting Shen Feng hated the Qing Dynasty the most. After assassinating Shunzhi, they assassinated Qing nobles in various places, causing the Qing Dynasty to send heavy troops to hunt them down. The Dragon-Slaying Monk eventually fled to the border of Tibet, but no one knew where the Li Ting Shen Feng went, and he has not been seen in the world in recent years.

Jiunan said, "I didn't formally accept any disciples. When Master passed through Jingzhou City, he met Senior Brother Yisheng and Senior Brother Hu. Master knew that the two Senior Brothers were close friends of the Dragon Subduing Hero, so he taught them all the unique skills of the Iron Sword Sect, and even taught Senior Brother Hu the unique Bee Controlling Skill. He didn't even teach me!"

Yisheng and Hu Guinan originally wanted to become disciples of Taoist Musang, but Taoist Musang believed that he and the Dragon Subduing Hero were fellow disciples, and it was inappropriate to recruit them as disciples, so he was unwilling to accept the master-disciple ceremony.

However, the two still call themselves disciples, which is why Jiunan calls him senior brother.

When Fei Hongjin learned of this connection, he thought that when Taoist Mu Sang heard that the Dragon Slayer Monk and the Li Ting Shen Feng were close friends of the Dragon Subduing Hero, he would immediately teach them all his life's skills. The Dragon Subduing Hero's prestige would be so great that there would probably be no one else in the world who could match his reputation.

She thought again. Chu Zhaonan once said that the Hero Subduing the Dragon used to be the leader of the Iron Sword Sect and he and Taoist Mu Sang were originally brothers in the same sect. Taoist Mu Sang passed on his skills to the Hero Subduing the Dragon not only because of his fame, but also because they were from the same sect.

She couldn't help but ask again: "What kind of martial arts is the Bee Controlling Technique?"

Jiunan introduced: "This is a unique martial art that can control bee colonies. It was created by the Dragon Subduing Hero and passed on to my master, who then passed it on to Brother Hu! When Brother Hu accompanied the Heroes Yuan and Zhuo to assassinate Emperor Shunzhi, it was because Brother Hu brought a large number of bee colonies to block the siege of the Qing soldiers that Shunzhi was successfully assassinated! Every time Brother Hu assassinated, he used poisonous bees to clear the way, and countless Qing soldiers died at his hands!"

Fei Hongjin finally understood: "So this is the origin of the Liting Divine Bee!"

In fact, the bee-driving technique was passed down to Hu Guinan by Huang Sixi. But Taoist Mu Sang had helped Huang Sixi transport poisonous bees and knew some bee-controlling techniques. When he passed on the technique, Hu Guinan, perhaps out of respect, did not point it out and still accepted the kindness of Taoist Mu Sang.

Of course, it is also possible that Jiunan was not around when Taoist Musang was teaching her the skills. She had long known that Taoist Musang knew how to control bees. When she saw that Hu Guinan could also control a swarm of bees, she subconsciously thought that it was Taoist Musang who taught her the skills.

Regardless of the truth, no matter how many Qing soldiers Hu Guinan killed using the bee swarm, he never caused any serious damage to the Qing court and did not save the situation in the Central Plains.

Huang Sixi saw that Jiunan had such a clear understanding of the situation in the Central Plains in the past, so he asked Jiunan: "Back then, the Dragon Subduing Hero had almost wiped out all the Tartar nobles. How did they come to rule the Central Plains?"

Jiunan sighed immediately: "During the Jiashen year, the rebel Li Zicheng broke through the capital and forced the Ming Emperor Chongzhen to hang himself. After Li Zicheng stole the capital, he plundered everywhere like a bandit. He robbed the concubine Chen Yuanyuan of the Ming frontier general Wu Sangui. Wu Sangui surrendered to the Qing court in anger, opened Shanhaiguan to allow the Qing court to settle in, and defeated Li Zicheng's rebels outside Shanhaiguan."

Huang Sixi immediately asked, "After Li Zicheng's defeat, did the Qing government invade the capital?"

"No!"

Jiunan shook her head: "Although the Qing government defeated Li Zicheng, they were afraid of the assassination attempt by the Dragon Subduing Hero, so they stayed in Shanhaiguan and waited for several years before entering the pass!"

When Huang Sixi assassinated Qing nobles at Harsa Mountain, Prince Yu Duoduo once detonated gunpowder in an attempt to die together with Huang Sixi.

Since then, Huang Sixi disappeared from the bloody world.

People in the Central Plains believed that Huang Sixi was killed by gunpowder, and the Qing court also thought so.

However, Huang Sixi's deterrent power was too strong. The Qing court nobles were worried that Huang Sixi was not dead, so they hid in Shanhaiguan and dared not send troops to the Central Plains.

During this period, the situation in the Central Plains changed drastically.

Li Yan, the former chief of the Dragon Subduing Society, took advantage of Li Zicheng's defeat at Shanhaiguan and suddenly led his troops to attack the capital, expelled Li Zicheng's rebels, rescued Chongzhen's Crown Prince Zhu Cilang, supported Zhu Cilang to ascend the throne and began to control the core of the Ming court.

It was also at this time that Jiunan was rescued by the Dragon Subduing Society. Li Yan sent masters such as Mu Sang to enter the capital in advance, waiting for an opportunity to rescue Chongzhen's children.

Jiunan, as a person involved, personally experienced the national disaster of Jiashen that year. She said to Huang Sixi: "Li Yan supported Zhu Cilang as the emperor in order to hold the emperor hostage to control the princes. The Ming court officials far away in Nanjing did not recognize the Ming emperor supported by Li Yan. They were worried that Li Yan would usurp the throne and establish a new dynasty in the future. So they jointly nominated Zhu Yousong, the son of Prince Fu, as the emperor and established the Southern Dynasty in Nanjing. They began to confront Li Yan from north to south. The two sides fought for several years and finally both suffered losses!"

Li Yan was unable to unify the Central Plains and died in the war between the North and the South.

After Li Yan's death, the Dragon Subduing Society became leaderless and became a loose group. They soon withdrew from the fight for the Central Plains. They protected Li Yan's son Li Xihua and retired to the world.

The Qing government, which had been stationed in Shanhaiguan, sent troops to attack the capital after learning that the Dragon Subduing Society had withdrawn from the capital and the capital had no master.

Because Li Yan and the Southern Ming court had been fighting for years at that time, both sides suffered heavy losses. After the Qing court entered the pass, it easily occupied the Central Plains.

During the Jiashen year, the situation was turbulent and the Dragon Subduing Society also attempted to take control of the Central Plains, but unfortunately failed.

Huang Sixi could sense that Jiunan did not agree with the Dragon Subduing Society.

Jiunan continued, "Li Xihua, the chief leader of the Dragon Subduing Society, has always been resentful of the Southern Ming for killing his father, Li Yan. After he took over as the chief leader, he immediately drew a clear line with the Ming court. From then on, the Dragon Subduing Society only opposed the Qing Dynasty and did not restore the Ming Dynasty. By doing so, he excluded all the heroes and righteous men who missed the previous dynasty. As a result, the Dragon Subduing Society has been fighting against the Qing Dynasty for more than 20 years, but has not achieved any results so far!"

Precisely because the Dragon Subduing Society rebelled against the Qing Dynasty and was unwilling to restore the Ming Dynasty, Jiunan had a deep connection with the Dragon Subduing Society, but was unwilling to join it. She only went her own way as a disciple of the Iron Sword.

By the time Jiunan finished describing the Jiashen national disaster, they had already arrived at their destination, Mount Wutai.

As we all know, Mount Wutai is a holy place of Buddhism, where the Green Temples from the Central Plains and the Yellow Temples from foreign countries gather together.

Once you enter Mount Wutai, you will encounter a temple every mile.

Tailu Temple, Shifo Temple, Puji Temple, Gufo Temple, Vajra Temple, Baiyun Temple, Jindeng Temple, etc. are all famous Buddhist temples in Mount Wutai.

However, after nightfall, the monks of these temples went to bed early, and no lights could be seen along the way.

Jiunan led Huang Sixi and Fei Hongjin and traveled through Mount Wutai in the dark. When they passed the Golden Pavilion Temple and walked west for several miles, they suddenly found that torches were erected everywhere on Qingliang Peak.

These torches stretched from the foot of the mountain to the top, and it was obvious that something big had happened.

They quietly reached the foot of the mountain and found that the people holding torches were all Qing soldiers. They immediately captured several soldiers and learned after interrogation that Prince E Dogduo led his troops to station in Qingliang Temple on the top of the mountain, but was assassinated. The Qing soldiers surrounded the entire mountain in order to capture the assassin.

Huang Sixi looked up at the mountains and estimated the number of torches to be about one or two thousand. He planned to climb the mountain alone and let Jiunan and Fei Hongjin wait at the foot of the mountain.

Jiunan said, "The Iron Sword Sect's Qinggong is unparalleled in the world. I guarantee that I can avoid the eyes and ears of the Qing soldiers and reach the top of the mountain without being noticed. Young Master Huang, don't worry that I will drag you down. Let me accompany you to climb the mountain!"

Seeing that Jiunan was determined to go along, Fei Hongjin was unwilling to fall behind and immediately agreed: "Since we are here together, we should go to Qingliang Mountain together. Brother Huang, don't worry, the nun and I will definitely be able to help you!"

(End of this chapter)