Mang Shusheng's Ink Painting Practice

Chapter 164: Request from the Netherworld
After receiving the great news, Zhao Yifu and Liang Zhongzhi decided to head north as soon as possible.

At the same time, he also told the news to the leader Qiu Yuzi, which forced Qiu Yuzi to prepare for the trip north in advance.

Zhao Yifu was very puzzled. He said, "Master, according to Master Xinju, this is already known to everyone in the cultivation world. Why is our sect still kept in the dark?"

Liang Zhongzhi sighed and said, "Our sect's ambition is not to be in the martial arts world, so there are some things we cannot do comprehensively."

Zhao Yifu felt that his master was worthy of being a master and would flatter him.

Translated, doesn't this mean that no one likes to play with Danqingmen?
Because even the other branches of the Chunyang Sect did not issue any warnings, their presence is really lacking.

Zhao Yifu said, "This matter doesn't seem to have anything to do with us. After all, we are from the Wen Clan, and the Demon Subduing Sect is looking for a battle of magic."

Liang Zhongzhi said, "This is the entire Chunyang Sect's business. How can you say it's unrelated?"

Zhao Yifu remained silent. Overall, he didn't really feel involved in this matter.

Blade and sword techniques were merely vehicles for him to display his strength. In his heart, they weren't as dear to him as the Crane Claw he'd practiced since childhood, and he invested far less energy in them than in calligraphy and painting. Even the newly learned 'Boundless Universe Technique' seemed far more interesting to him.

Why bother?
Speaking of the 'Boundless Universe Technique', they are now preparing to go to the ferry to cross the river.

In order to prevent the donkey cart from causing trouble, Zhao Yifu simply put it into his sleeve.

The sleeves of this Haoran robe already have hidden secrets, and now he has learned the 'Boundless Universe Technique' to expand it, and the effect is very outstanding.

Even Wu Zhong and Li Nuer were taken in, and his sleeves seemed to have become a "different world".

They were waiting for the boat at the ferry when suddenly a man wearing a conical hat, holding a long sword with his arms crossed in front of his chest stopped them.

"But the Crazy Taoist and his disciple, Ghost Seer?"

the man asked coldly.

Liang Zhongzhi didn't say anything. He didn't like communicating with these martial artists because he felt they were too reckless and straightforward, without any sense of aesthetics.

Zhao Yifu stepped forward and said, "Move aside. My master and I are going to take a boat to cross the river. Please don't block the way."

Liang Zhongzhi: ...

He suddenly felt that his own apprentice also had no sense of aesthetics.

The man said, "Leave? You're leaving after doing something evil? There's no way it's that easy!"

Evil things...

Zhao Yifu thought about what he had done. Wasn't it just breaking some people's hands and feet and injuring some people's heads?
If this is considered an evil thing, then he is an evil person.

So he didn't bother to pay attention. He stretched out his left hand and the emerald green bamboo stick flew out from his sleeve.

The man's sword was still in its sheath, and he blocked the bamboo stick with a handsome move.

The next moment, Zhao Yifu had already grasped the bamboo pole in his hand, and struck it down again...

The man still blocked in a handsome posture.

However, the next moment his expression suddenly changed.

Because at this moment he felt an extremely terrifying force.

The force was transmitted from the bamboo stick, lightly hitting his scabbard, and instantly shattered the hardwood scabbard.

The subsequent force hit the sword again... The black iron sword body could not hold on and shattered.

At this moment, the shattered fragments of his beloved sword passed by the swordsman's eyes as if in slow motion, making him feel as if his heart had stopped.

The next moment, the bamboo stick had hit his shoulder, and he flew sideways before he could react.

The force of this stick was so strong that he was completely unable to resist.

He flipped rapidly three times before landing suddenly on the ground.

But the amazing thing is that neither the shoulder that was hit by the stick nor the legs that suddenly fell to the ground felt any discomfort.

He quickly checked his internal organs again, but still found nothing wrong.

When he looked up again, he saw Zhao Yifu and Liang Zhongzhi had already boarded the boat and were preparing to leave the shore.

"and many more!"

He shouted and tried to catch up.

As a result, as soon as I took a step, I found something wrong with my foot.

When he looked down, he saw that his boots were completely shattered!

At this moment, the swordsman's forehead broke out in sweat, and his back was also wet with sweat.

He stood at the back, not daring to say a word. No matter how handsome he was before, he looked like a lackey now.

It was really that Zhao Yifu's control over strength had exceeded his imagination, and he didn't dare to say anything more.

As for the "evil deeds" committed by "Ghost Sees Sorrow"? That's not the case. It was clearly those idiots who offended the master!

Liang Zhongzhi said with a smile: "Yes, that's all it takes to solve the problem, and it also gives me some peace and quiet."

He now felt that Zhao Yifu's handling of the matter was very much in line with his wishes. As expected, it didn't matter if things were simple and rough. This wasn't an official matter...

Liang Zhongzhi felt a simple and straightforward happiness.

However, the accident happened again.

The ferry they were on suddenly stopped in the middle of the river.

Liang Zhongzhi asked, "Boatman, why is this happening?"

The boatman suddenly broke the oar with a palm, then laughed and said, "A distinguished guest has invited us. Please be patient."

Then he just dived into the river and ran away.

Zhao Yifu blinked and said, "This way of inviting people is really annoying."

Liang Zhongzhi said: "If you hate me, then don't meet me. Don't waste your time."

Zhao Yifu laughed and said, "Then I'll row the boat."

As he spoke, he took out his emerald green bamboo stick from his sleeve again and gently tapped the river surface behind the boat...

The next moment, the force burst out.

A wave immediately appeared on the river surface behind the boat, and the ferry was pushed rapidly towards the other side under the reaction force.

Liang Zhongzhi pointed to a large ship that appeared on the river in the distance and said, "If my guess is correct, then this is the person who invited us."

Then he suddenly stood still in the boat.

But in the blink of an eye, he revealed a look of understanding and said, "It turned out to be Lu Zhao... He has quite a few skilled warriors around him."

"It seems that we have been too conspicuous along the way and have attracted the attention of this person who wants to recruit us."

Zhao Yifu nodded repeatedly after hearing this, then looked up in surprise and asked, "Master, can you leave your body during the day?"

Then he realized something and said, "Master, have you also started practicing Yang Shen?"

Liang Zhongzhi was about to say something proudly, but he noticed a word Zhao Yifu used. What did "也" mean?
Good heavens, this is terrifying when you think about it, he is really going to be surpassed by his apprentice!
A strong sense of urgency came over Liang Zhongzhi's heart.

Not good, very bad.

At the same time, although he maintained a mysterious smile when looking at Zhao Yifu, in his heart, his disciple was really a "ghost-fearing" person.

He said: "In cultivation, avoid being too eager for success and rushing into things. Don't deliberately chase after progress. The foundation is the most important thing anyway..."

Liang Zhongzhi began to talk earnestly.

Zhao Yifu listened seriously.

But his hands were not idle either. He slapped the water with his emerald green bamboo stick, and the ferry rushed out a long distance and reached the other side in just a few seconds.

They landed and came to the north of the river.

Of course, this area is still the southwest of Beijing.

But north of the Yangtze River, it is under the jurisdiction of Xiangzhou in the southwest of Beijing.

Xiangzhou is sandwiched between the Yangtze River and the Xiang River, with the majestic riverside city of Xiangyang as its capital, supporting the most important point in the Southern Dynasty's defense system.

At the same time, Xiangyang City will also be the place where Zhao Yifu’s teacher Zhou will be transferred.

Zhao Yifu looked at the majestic city with its high and thick walls and suddenly understood something.

He said: "As long as the Zhou army can gain a foothold in Xiangyang City, Lu Zhao's authority in the southwest of Beijing will naturally decline."

"The Sect Leader and his men are quite calculating, but the importance of Xiangyang is self-evident. When Master Zhou arrives, he will undoubtedly be targeted by Lu Zhao..."

"Fortunately, my second uncle and the others are here."

Liang Zhongzhi said, "That's right. As long as we control the Xiangjiang waterway, even if Lu Zhao doesn't want to send supplies to your Xiangzhou, the neighboring Mozhou can still send supplies directly through the waterway."

Zhao Yifu nodded calmly upon hearing this and said, "In that case, I can't wait to be transferred here."

"Master Zhou is good in every way, but he's a bit old-fashioned. I'm afraid he's unwilling to do some of the dirty work..."

Liang Zhongzhi gave him a chestnut in a bad mood and said, "Who asked you to do the dirty work?"

"Are you someone who can do the dirty work?"

Zhao Yifu readily replied, "Yes, yes, fortunately, my Zhao family has plenty of people who can do the dirty work."

He paused, then said, "In that case, I will write a letter to my second uncle and explain the pros and cons to him. He should be able to find a way to resolve this matter."

Of the three Zhao brothers, the third, Zhao Yehe, was essentially a thug. Though well-liked, he wasn't actually that important at Shenhe Villa. The second, Zhao Guhe, spent years among the pirates, even earning a reputation among them as a man of unwavering righteousness, clearly a natural fit for the underworld.

At the same time, he has a good talent for marching and fighting, and he must be a hero of the time.

But the eldest brother Zhao Yunhe is different. Zhao Yifu's father has good organizational skills and vision, and his way of handling things is very satisfactory.

To be honest, if this were a time of chaos, with Zhao Yunhe as the leader, Shenhe Villa would definitely be able to put together a well-organized team to conquer the world.

Unfortunately, with the confrontation between the North and the South, the three Zhao brothers can only find their own position within the framework of the Great Xu court.

Liang Zhongzhi smiled and said, "Alright, stop worrying about your master. Don't forget his true identity. How could such a person be stumped by such a question?"

Zhao Yifu thought about it and felt that it made sense, so the two of them did not stop any longer and continued to pass through Xiangzhou, preparing to cross the Xiangshui River and officially enter the territory of the Northern Dynasty.

The Xiang River is not as turbulent as the big rivers, and it irrigates thousands of hectares of fertile fields on both sides of the river.

In theory, there should be a busy scene on both sides of the Xiangshui River, at least it is very busy in Daxu. The people are carefully tending their land and looking forward to the year's harvest.

But to the north of the Xiang River, what Zhao Yifu saw was a vast wasteland.

Even if there is farming, the seedlings are scattered all over the ground in a mess, and it is difficult to tell which are the weeds and which are the crops.

Zhao Yifu asked in confusion, "Even if the Northern Dynasty relied on cavalry and archery to establish itself, it shouldn't have neglected farming, right?"

The shabby condition of this place is not even comparable to Zhao Yifu's small Fenglin County in the southwestern border area.

Liang Zhongzhi said in a somewhat depressed mood: "It wasn't like this back then. In just a hundred years, the world has changed to this point..."

He gathered his feelings and said, "The Liao Kingdom originated from the Qiang and Hu tribes in the north, and has always treated the people of the Central Plains as if they were human beings."

"This is the front line of the battle. I'm afraid they've committed many murders to gain credit for their crimes."

Zhao Yifu was stunned and could only sigh.

There was nothing he could do about it.

He and Liang Zhongzhi walked slowly northward, but everything they saw was depressing.

Zhao Yi Fu stayed here for one night and gathered all the wandering ghosts nearby before he gave up.

It wasn't until they passed the battle zone that they saw the situation improve.

Farmers cultivate the land according to the season, and life seems peaceful but bearable.

Zhao Yifu said, "It seems that the Qiang and Hu people of Naliao still want to rule properly. At least they know that they need the labor of the people of the Central Plains to support their extravagant life."

Liang Zhongzhi nodded and was about to say something.

Suddenly Zhao Yi Fu frowned slightly, then took out the Netherworld Messenger's Order.

"But is there something going on in the underworld?"

Zhao Yifu nodded and said, "Yes, there is something, but isn't it said that I'm a 'temporary worker' and generally people won't come to me for help?"

He muttered to himself, then his mind swept over the Netherworld Messenger's Order.

The next moment, the information he got from it made him feel speechless.

This is asking him to join the war!

The underworld summoned all the ghost officials to prepare to attack a ghost country.

Zhao Yifu was helpless, but fortunately, because he was a temporary worker, he only needed to send his ghost into the underworld to participate in the battle at night.

The Yin God joins the battle...

Without a strong physique and various Taoist methods driven by pure Yang Qi, he felt very insecure.

He told Liang Zhongzhi about the matter, and Liang Zhongzhi also felt it was difficult to deal with.

"There's no way to hurry. Let's find a place to rest and think about this carefully."

They stopped and had no intention of using the Infinite Universe Technique to mess with the hidden 'Mustard Seed Camp'. Instead, they set up camp on the spot and let Wu Zhong take charge of logistics, while the master and apprentice discussed what to do in the evening.

"Have you studied the function of this token carefully since you got it?"

Zhao Yifu shook his head, indicating that he didn't take it to heart at all.

Then he smiled bitterly and said, "If I had known this would happen, I would not have accepted the token."

Liang Zhongzhi said, "It's no use regretting now. Let's think about how to deal with it tonight."

"But there's one good thing. Because you've practiced 'Frost Steps on the Sky,' you have a pretty good understanding of the transformation of yin and yang, as well as the use of cold and yin energy."

"Combined with illusion and sealing techniques, I finally have some means of self-defense."

Zhao Yi Fu nodded repeatedly after hearing this, but it was too frustrating that after all his skills were put to use in the underworld, only illusion, sealing and the use of cold power could be used.

Liang Zhongzhi added, "Don't worry. The underworld can't let you go to the battlefield with bare hands, right?"

"But I do need some suitable things to protect myself..."

Liang Zhongzhi began to scratch his head.

This aspect is indeed beyond his knowledge.

However, he quickly thought of something and said, "The magic weapon you refined can be integrated into the Yuan Shen, and naturally it can also be controlled by the Yin Shen."

Zhao Yifu smacked his lips and said, "But I don't have any magic weapon."

Liang Zhongzhi was, after all, a man of much experience. He laughed and said, "Really?"

Zhao Yifu was stunned for a moment, then he thought of something and took out his killing knife.

Liang Zhongzhi said: "Magic weapons have two major characteristics: one is that they are self-contained systems; the other is that they possess spirituality."

"Your sword already has a system, and it has a subtle spirituality, so it is the embryo of a magic weapon."

Zhao Yifu hesitated and said, "But this knife is too evil. I'm afraid..."

Liang Zhongzhi laughed and scolded: "There are no wrong magic weapons in this world, only wrong people."

"Come, I will teach you how to refine it, so that this killing knife can be used completely for your own benefit."

After hearing this, Zhao Yifu immediately continued studying.

In fact, this refining method is not difficult. It only requires the use of true fire, true energy, and divine consciousness to completely synchronize the instrument with the primordial spirit.

There are difficulties in refining every magic weapon.

The difficulty in refining the Killing Sword lies in the fact that Zhao Yifu must subdue the resentment within the sword and touch the true core of the sword.

Great, problem solved.

The resentment of the Killing Sword comes from the things that were killed by Zhao Yi Fu, and its core is the heavy black iron sword that he melted with the Pure Yang True Fire.

The life of this sword was conceived in the yang iron.

Now that Zhao Yifu's Yin Spirit also possesses a little true Yang, he has all the capital to refine it.

Or perhaps it could be said that this killing knife was tailor-made for Zhao Yifu, and refining it was just a matter of finding the right method and then thinking about it.

After the refining was completed, the knife fell into Zhao Yifu's hands.

Feeling the completely different touch, he just felt eager to try and chop something.

Liang Zhongzhi looked at Zhao Yifu and smiled, "It seems that you are not opposed to going to the underworld to fight now."

Zhao Yifu was embarrassed and said nothing.

It was normal for him to feel insecure, after all, he had never had a serious ghost outing before.

He spent the rest of his time studying the Netherworld Messenger's Order.

Then came a rather surprising discovery.

That is, this order of the underworld messenger actually has a certain effect of gathering and purifying yin energy, but the yin energy is thin in the world of the living during the day, so it is not very obvious.

But its effect is more obvious at night, which is why Zhao Yifu has been particularly popular with ghosts recently.

At the same time, this Netherworld Messenger Order has a special function, which is to store all items with yin attributes.

Its original purpose was to contain spirits, but Zhao Yifu thought of the old Yinxian meat...

I tried it and found that it could be put in.

And this Netherworld Messenger Order can be worn directly on the Yin Spirit when the Yin Spirit travels...

In this way, the killing knife, the Netherworld Messenger's Order and the old Yin Immortal Meat hidden in the token are all the things Zhao Yifu can bring into the underworld.

After making these preparations, the sky gradually darkened.

A faint light immediately appeared on the Netherworld Messenger's Order, reminding him that it was time to "go to work."

He reached out and touched the token.

In just a moment, his physical body fell into a deep sleep, and then his Yin Spirit was pulled out by the token.

There was a sense of compulsion, but it wasn't strong, and he could still resist if he wanted to.

The Yin Spirit left his body and soon felt a kind of guidance. He looked at Liang Zhongzhi and said, "Master, I'll go take a look first."

Liang Zhongzhi nodded: "Be careful."

Zhao Yifu responded, and then his Yin Spirit disappeared from the spot, escaping into the unknown illusion...

(End of this chapter)