Starting with the divine power of the Great Vajra, he traversed the heavens.

Chapter 546 I respect you as a man

Inside the Chengdao Palace of the Quanzhen School.

Ren Shaoyang held the ancient book and paced back and forth in the room.

The ancient book is called "Xuanyi". It was compiled by Feng Heng, a man from Longxi during the Eastern Han Dynasty, who organized the methods of many Qi practitioners.

This man, known as the Green Ox Taoist, practiced the art of fasting and consumed Coptis chinensis and Atractylodes macrocephala to prolong his life and avoid hunger.

Later, he entered Bird and Beast Mountain and received the "True Form Map of the Five Sacred Mountains" from an immortal.

This ancient book is the original work by Feng Heng, a Daoist treasure obtained by the Old Daoist Chunyang from the cave of the Fire Dragon Immortal. Its rarity is no less than that of the "Hun Tian Yi" (a type of celestial globe). For twenty years, no one else had even heard of it.

In other words, Ren Shaoyang had saved his life and needed his help, which is why the old Taoist priest Chunyang opened the Taoist canon for the white-robed man to browse.

This gave Ren Shaoyang a lot of inspiration, and his desire to go into seclusion grew stronger.

However, a sudden challenge disrupted his plans.

"You want to challenge me to a duel?"

Ren Shaoyang took the challenge letter from the old Taoist priest Chunyang. He glanced at the signature—Li Qiushui of Western Xia.

“Her, ah…” Ren Shaoyang raised an eyebrow and laughed, “The dog’s owner couldn’t sit still.” He then looked at the letter, “This old hag is quite cautious. She challenged us to a duel outside Chang’an City. If she wanted to escape, she could simply disappear into the mountains. With her lightness skill, no matter how many people were there, they couldn’t stop her.”

Chunyang Daoist was very worried and hesitated, saying, "Mr. Ren, although Li Qiushui is not well-known, her martial arts skills are actually so high that they are like those of a god or an immortal, far surpassing those of Ding Chunqiu."

Ren Shaoyang stuffed the challenge letter back into the envelope and said with a smile, "That's perfect."

The Pure Yang Daoist was taken aback: "What do you mean, 'just right'?"

Ren Shaoyang laughed and said, "It's a good opportunity to learn about the methods of cultivating immortality."

The Pure Yang Daoist nodded, then suddenly realized, "You also want to cultivate immortality?"

“No, that’s not it.” Ren Shaoyang shook his head. “I just want to clarify some things.”

Master Chunyang nodded repeatedly, then smiled and said, "Mr. Ren, have you made any progress in studying the Daoist scriptures these past few days?"

Ren Shaoyang glanced at him and saw the old Taoist priest with white hair and beard smiling like a flower, so he smiled and said, "Old Taoist, please say whatever you want to say."

"Good, you're indeed quick-witted and outspoken!"

The Taoist Chunyang gave a thumbs up, then rubbed his hands together and chuckled, "I once used the 'Hun Tian Yi' to cast a divination."

"Oh?"

The divination text reads: "Endless calamities, vast and boundless, near death encountered in white robes, the Double Ninth Festival transforms into the Nine Yangs."

"Hmm." Ren Shaoyang smiled, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "Pretty accurate!"

"Of course it's accurate!" The old Taoist priest Chunyang bowed repeatedly. "Mr. Ren, what I want to ask is, what exactly is the meaning of 'Double Yang transforms into Nine Yang'?"

"Those who attain the Double Ninth Festival are those who have left the maze of delusion, crossed to the other shore, and attained the true principles of reality. The Great Dao is represented by the number 'nine,' which is why the three teachings (Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism) unite to harmonize Yin and Yang and the Five Elements to solidify the foundation of the elixir. In order to cure diseases, achieve longevity, and transcend the Three Realms, the 'Nine Yang' cultivation method was created!"

Ren Shaoyang stood up gracefully and bowed to the old Taoist Chunyang: "Congratulations, old Taoist! In the future, Quanzhen will have a grandmaster."

The old Taoist priest, Chunyang, was so overjoyed that he scratched his head and could barely speak: "Really?"

Ren Shaoyang grasped his hands and smiled, "I, Ren, never lie."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" The old Taoist Chunyang grasped his hand and laughed heartily. But after laughing for a while, he suddenly remembered something and quickly asked, "Mr. Ren, when can we meet this Taoist Chongyang?"

"You old Taoist priest, you're really greedy." Ren Shaoyang laughed loudly and strode out the door.

The old Taoist priest Chunyang heard a voice coming from outside: "Wang Chongyang will be born eighteen years later. After the Jiazi year, he will enter the Taoist path and become a monk."

"Oh dear, I still have to live another sixty years," Master Chunyang muttered to himself. "I'm sixty this year, and my Golden Gate Locking Jade Technique is now incredibly refined. I can afford to wait!"
-
With the Great Cold approaching, the Central Plains region should be bitterly cold.

However, the atmosphere in Chang'an suddenly changed, with a steady stream of martial arts practitioners gathering there.

These江湖人士 (jianghu figures) were extremely excited, and the restaurants and teahouses were already full of them.

Some of the newly arrived burly men even opened their single-layered jackets, revealing their strong chests, seemingly unafraid of the cold.

These men ordered three catties of baijiu (Chinese liquor) and several fat chickens, and drank by themselves, having a great time.

Just as they were drinking, someone suddenly shouted, "I heard that the Empress Dowager of Western Xia is coming to Chang'an to challenge the Sword God! Is that true?"

Upon hearing this, the restaurant fell silent.

An old man with a long beard stroked his beard and said, "How could it be false? Even Chunyangzi of Quanzhen has confirmed it."

Upon hearing this news, many martial arts practitioners from other places became excited.

The long-bearded old man said, "It will be in three days in the western suburbs."

"I heard that Ding Chunqiu is an underling of the Empress Dowager of Western Xia. If a mere Xingxiu Old Monster is this powerful, then the Empress Dowager of Western Xia must be incredibly powerful!" a burly man with a Northeastern accent exclaimed.

The old man glanced at him and laughed, "You haven't seen the Sword God, so you don't know how powerful he is! The Starry Constellation Old Monster roamed the Central Plains, and no one could subdue him. But when the Sword God arrived, his human skin was hanging on the city wall for more than ten days. Now, what thief in Chang'an would dare to cause trouble?"

The local experts all cheered after hearing this.

"So, no matter how powerful the Empress Dowager of Western Xia is, it's all for naught when she encounters the Sword God. In the end, her human skin will be hung on the wall!"

The man from Northeast China was stunned for a moment, then whispered, "Skin people alive? Is this what the righteous way is to do it?"

Seeing everyone discussing excitedly, he swallowed his complaints and started drinking in silence.

Chang'an was an ancient capital of all dynasties, the most prosperous place in the Central Plains, and a gathering place for people from all over the country.

The Empress Dowager of Western Xia's challenge to the Sword God of the Central Plains has truly ignited everyone's anticipation, drawing crowds in droves.

Since Jin Tai defeated seventy-two opponents in Bianjing and became invincible, there have been very few battles of this magnitude in the martial arts world.

Moreover, in recent years, the imperial court has suffered repeated defeats in its military campaigns against the Western Xia, which is infuriating.

Therefore, the battle between the two was no longer a simple duel between martial arts masters; it had become a martial arts contest between the Western Xia and the Song Dynasty.

It has been given extremely high significance and value by martial artists all over the world.

Before the great battle, the moonlight was bright. At Meibei Lake at the foot of Zhongnan Mountain, a man and a woman sat in a small pavilion by the lake.

Azi looked at the white-robed man beside her and said with a grin, "Young master, your jade flute is so beautiful."

Ren Shaoyang asked, "You want to learn to play the flute?"

"Yes, I want to!" Azi's eyes lit up. "Actually, I'd rather learn to play the zither." She cupped her face in her hands, her eyes dreamy. "Then, when we're traveling the world, you'll play the flute, and I'll play the zither. That elegance, that carefree spirit—just thinking about it makes me happy!"

Ren Shaoyang smiled and said, "It's always good that you want to learn."

"It's a deal!" Azi leaned closer, hooked her arm around his, and held out her hand. "Pinky promise!"

Ren Shaoyang frowned and said, "I never lie."

Ah Zi laughed and said, "But I always lie to people."

Ren Shaoyang asked curiously, "So?"

Azi extended her little finger and took Ren Shaoyang's little finger, saying earnestly, "If we pinky swear, it means that Azi will never give up halfway and will not let you down!" Then she let go of his hand, blushing as she looked at him, "If I am very clumsy, I can practice more. Just don't scold me all the time, young master."

Ren Shaoyang laughed and said, "Anything can be done if you take it seriously. As long as you take it seriously, I won't scold you." As he spoke, he casually waved his hand, and a bunch of reeds, bamboo branches and water plants flew over from the shore.

Azi didn't understand why he was making these things, and stared blankly at him.

Ren Shaoyang smiled and skillfully wove a wreath with his hands, which he then handed to her.

"This is for me?" Azi took it blankly and pointed it at her nose.

"Of course it's for you."

Azi bit her lip, put on the flower crown, and suddenly poked her head out, smiling radiantly: "Does it look good?"

Ren Shaoyang examined it for a moment, then frowned and said, "It's missing something."

Azi hurriedly asked, "What's missing?"

The man in white suddenly made a hand gesture and touched the flower wreath on her head: "It's lacking in color."

hum!
Ripples spread across the void, and Azi felt the world suddenly distort, as if in a dream.

The feeling was fleeting; she was jolted awake and quickly touched the flower wreath on her head.

This touch startled her again, and she quickly brought her face close to the lakeside to look, where she saw an extremely beautiful young girl appear before her.

The wreath on her head was originally made of reeds and bamboo branches, but for some reason, in the dead of winter, tiny yellow flowers peeked out and swayed in the wind. The snow-white reeds and tiny yellow flowers, paired with her satin-like shiny black hair, created a perfect harmony that was truly eye-catching.

Without thinking, Azi blurted out, "What beautiful flowers!" Turning to the white-robed man, she asked, "Young master, am I pretty?"

Ren Shaoyang smiled and said, "Of course."

Azi blushed slightly, but couldn't help but say with a touch of pride, "Hehe, you have good taste." At this moment, she was filled with boundless pride, having swept away the gloom of a few days ago and regained endless hope.

"Son!"

Suddenly hearing Azi call his name, Ren Shaoyang looked over and saw the girl coughing and sitting by the lake, occasionally revealing her small, white feet.

"What are you doing in this freezing weather?"

"Ha, I haven't washed my feet for several days!" Azi said, lifting her two little feet. All ten toes were pale pink, smooth as jade and soft as water, playfully bending and stretching.

Ren Shaoyang shook his head and said, "If you're washing your feet, then wash your feet. Why are you showing me?"

Ah Zi said smugly, "The moonlight is just right, won't you play a song for me?"

Upon hearing this, Ren Shaoyang looked up and saw the bright moonlight, as gentle as falling snow. Looking down again, he saw two blurry figures reflected in the water, entwined around each other, seemingly close yet distant.

The man in the white robe smiled slightly and said, "Alright."

He cleared his throat, raised the flute to his lips, and in a moment, a clear and melodious sound of the flute rang out.

Like a gentle breeze on the face, like the moon shining on the pine mountains, it is expansive and refreshing, making people feel happy and warm in their hearts.

Azi couldn't help but walk over and sit down beside Ren Shaoyang, gazing absently at the illusory reflection in the lake. Suddenly, the ripples became chaotic, and the moonlight turned into shattered silver.

Looking over, Ren Shaoyang had already put down his jade flute, his expression indifferent, gazing absently at the moonlight.

Having seen him like this so often these past few days, Azi thought to herself, "He must be thinking about that Ren Hongxiu again!" With that thought, the girl sighed softly, feeling a pang of sadness in her heart. She lowered her head, fidgeting with the hem of her clothes, and remained silent.

That night, the moon was bright and the stars were few, the sky was cloudless and clear.

The two sat facing each other for a long time. Ren Shaoyang stood up, looked into the distance, and saw that the mountains in the distance were silhouetted against the moonlight. He said softly, "Let's go."

Seeing the white-robed man walk towards Chang'an with his hands hanging down, the girl bit her lip again, unsure whether it was frustration or something else, and hurriedly chased after him.

But when she came to his side, she had already put on a beautiful smile.

The two walked along the lake under the starlight.

Suddenly, the sound of splashing came from the river. Ren Shaoyang's expression froze, and he turned to look.

A tiny, flickering light appeared on the river, gradually drawing closer with the sound of oars paddling.

As the boat drew closer, Azi realized it was just an ordinary fishing boat with an old fisherman standing on it, rowing it towards the two of them.

"Wow, that old geezer, in the middle of the night, he's going to scare me to death!"

Whether influenced by Ren Shaoyang or simply venting her resentment, A Zi put her hands on her hips and started cursing.

The old fisherman was stunned by the scolding, and even dropped his pole.

Ren Shaoyang looked at Azi with a strange gaze and remained silent for a long time.

"Young Master," Azi said awkwardly, smoothing her hair and fidgeting with the hem of her clothes, her cheeks flushed slightly, "What... what's wrong with me?"

"Nothing."

Ren Shaoyang gave him a thumbs up, "I respect you as a true man."

(End of this chapter)