Starting from Tianlong, Wudu Tianxia

"We can't even bring back our own senior brother's body. The people we raise in Penglai are a bunch of bastards. If we can't catch him, according to our sect's rules, next time we will cripple your martial arts and demote you to menial disciples."

"Get out!"

Everyone was overjoyed to hear the sect leader speak.

"Yes, yes, disciple thanks the sect leader for his mercy!"

They breathed a sigh of relief, fearing that the sect leader would cripple them right now, and hurriedly slunk out of Huiqing Courtyard.

After they left, Juechenzi advised again, "Senior brother, please don't be angry anymore. Bo'er died for Penglai. He became your disciple at a young age and was exceptionally sensible. If he saw you so angry, he would not be at peace in the afterlife."

The middle-aged man turned to face him, his words still tinged with lingering anger:

"Don't say any more. His death was due to his own lack of skill. He has no one to blame but himself. It's despicable that they ruined our sect's important affairs and caused Junior Brother Du Lingzi's plans to fail."

"Now that everyone knows that we are plotting against you, it may be dangerous for Dulingzi to remain in Xichuan Road."

The only threat to him is naturally their arch-enemy.

"Send a message by carrier pigeon to inform him that all parties should refrain from making any moves for the time being. Firstly, such actions would be ineffective, and secondly, they would easily confirm our scheme."

"If this young man is not from a prestigious family, he must be someone with exceptional martial arts talent. Whatever the reason, since we already have a grudge, we must nip it in the bud."

Jue Chenzi, standing outside the pavilion, was slightly taken aback, but immediately realized what was happening.

Yan Bo's martial arts talent is not weak. In less than ten years, he has surpassed all the disciples in the inner sect and also has the Heavenly King Heart-Repairing Needle.

Although it cannot compare to martial arts leaders like the Beggars' Sect or Shaolin Temple, it has no shortage of martial arts resources, and the elders in the sect provide guidance.

In terms of skill, although he cannot compare to the young beggar surnamed Qiao from the Beggar Clan who has gradually gained fame in recent years, or the young master of the Murong family, he can still firmly hold a place in the top ten among young people of the same age in the martial arts world.

The boy, who was thirteen or fourteen years old, was even younger than Yan Bo. But upon closer examination, his talent and potential were indeed not to be underestimated.

Just as the sect leader said, since we've already become enemies, we can't give him any more chances.

His mind raced: "Since even the three of them, including Junior Nephew Yan Bo, couldn't defeat him, it's possible that no one in our sect, besides the few of us, can match his moves."

"Once Junior Brother Dulingzi returns, you will split up and lead your men to search in the east and west directions."

"Yes, senior brother."

Jue Chenzi immediately clasped his hands in acceptance of the order and quietly withdrew from the courtyard.

After he left, the middle-aged man gripped the fishing rod with mixed feelings.

What they did was something that the seventh leader of Penglai had actually plotted more than eighty years ago.

His grandmaster was an outstanding talent from Penglai, whose wisdom and martial arts surpassed his own. He carefully studied the strengths and weaknesses of the martial arts of Penglai and Qingcheng, and knew that with his own cultivation, it would not have been difficult for Penglai to surpass Qingcheng during his lifetime.

But after my death, if a brilliant and talented person emerges in the Qingcheng Sect, he will surpass the sect again.

To ensure a lasting peace of mind, the grandmaster sent his most prized disciple, who was also his master, to infiltrate Qingcheng and secretly learn martial arts, so as to know himself and his enemy and win every battle.

However, before he could fully learn the martial arts, the Qingcheng Sect discovered this and immediately executed him.

This only deepened the animosity between the two sides.

The feud over the murder of the master and the grudges between the sects have brought Penglai and Qingcheng to the point of no return.

As for the deaths of some disciples and some innocent people...

Death is not so bad.

Everyone has to die sooner or later, as long as the death is worthwhile.

As long as Penglai regains its glory, as long as I can avenge my master, everything will be worthwhile.

He knew from a young age that being soft-hearted would not bring glory to Penglai.

Now, Du Lingzi has finally found a promising talent from Xichuan and plans to trick him into joining the sect and then have him become a disciple of Qingcheng under the guise of a local bigwig with a Sichuan accent, but an unknown kid has ruined his plans.

How could he not be angry?

……

The fifteenth day since the Penglai ambush.

Gao Yuan left Huainan East Road and entered the territory of Yongxingjun Road, whose capital was Jingzhao Prefecture (Xi'an), known as the ancient capital of thirteen dynasties.

This place is more than 600 li away from Fengxiang Prefecture.

Horses were led along the streets of Jingzhao Prefecture, where silk shops and medicine shops stood on the street, and grain ships shuttled back and forth at the canal wharf.

It was early morning at the market, and the streets were bustling with people. The sounds of vendors hawking their wares mingled with the clatter of abacuses and the laughter of children, creating a lively and vibrant atmosphere.

It truly deserves the title of the premier prefecture in the Northwest.

Having moved away from Penglai's control, he felt much more relaxed and no longer urged his horse to run away.

After spending a day strolling around the bustling Jingzhao Prefecture, tasting the local preserved meat, and eating some glutinous rice cakes and ring-shaped cakes at a street stall, it was already late afternoon before I knew it.

Later that evening, he changed into a newly acquired white shirt and sat in a private room on the second floor of Guanhe Tower, drinking and listening to storytelling.

Storytellers in the Northern Song Dynasty were an active group in the cultural life of the people at that time, and theaters, inns and teahouses were their main venues.

It tells stories of love and hate, the rise and fall of dynasties, and tales of chivalrous heroes in the martial arts world.

A group of people were gathered on the first floor, more than a dozen of them eating and drinking. They were listening intently to a thin old man speaking.

The gaunt old man was in his fifties, wearing a faded blue cloth robe.

He tapped the wooden board a few times, and then struck a small drum with a bamboo stick.

"Young chivalry, indignant at the injustices of the five capitals, courageous and bold, hair standing on end, in a single conversation, life and death are shattered."

He tapped the wooden board a few more times and said:

"This poem is about a young knight-errant who, upon seeing injustice, bravely sacrifices himself for the greater good."

"I was just saying that the young man surnamed Kuang made a slight misstep, used the 'Snow-Treading Without a Trace' technique to evade the bandits, and then turned around and shattered their dantian with a palm strike. The remaining bandits, seeing that he was difficult to deal with, even pulled out hidden weapons to launch a sneak attack."

"He took off his outer robe and caught them all in mid-air, then swung it back and struck, the hidden weapons turning upside down and embedding themselves in the tree trunk, scaring the strongman to death."

His emotions overwhelmed everyone, and the room fell silent.

He continued:

"The bandits dared not linger and immediately dropped their weapons and fled into the deep mountains. Duan Weng and his daughter bowed down and offered silver as thanks, but the young man politely declined. Fearing that the bandits would return, he simply escorted the father and daughter all the way to Bianjing."

"As he was leaving, Duan asked him his name with tears in his eyes. The boy smiled but did not answer, and then turned and disappeared into the twilight."

He would sing a passage, then perform a song, and everyone who heard it felt genuinely pleased.

"More than thirty years have passed in the blink of an eye. The story of Duan Weng seeking kindness, which caused a great stir in the martial arts world before the New Year, originated from this story."

"At that time, the young lady of the Duan family secretly harbored feelings for the young man, but her desires were not fulfilled."

"A young man surnamed Kuang attained enlightenment about life and death at the age of thirty, entered Shaolin Temple to cultivate, and his martial arts skills improved by leaps and bounds, making him famous throughout the martial arts world. Do any of you know who he is?"

Seeing his deliberately mysterious manner, someone guessed, "Hey, storyteller, why are you keeping us in suspense? Could it be some virtuous monk?"

He chuckled and said in a clear voice:

"Listen, everyone! This is none other than Abbot Xuanci of Shaolin, whose robes are not yet adorned with Bodhi, whose chivalrous heart is born of youth. The true meaning of Buddhism lies not in the new robes he wears!"

Gao Yuan was leaning against the railing, pouring himself a drink, feeling happy.

Good guy!

The Shaolin monks compiled all the gossip.

When the wooden plank was lowered again, some cheered while others scoffed.

Those who cheered were nothing more than inexperienced newcomers. Xuan Ci and the Divine Mountain Master were known in the martial arts world as the Dragon Subduers and Tiger Tamers, and their reputation was so high that everyone in the martial arts world looked up to them.

The old man's fabricated, melodramatic stories about martial arts masters were exactly what the chivalrous young men wanted.

As for those who are disdainful, they are all seasoned veterans; their martial arts skills may not be very high, but they are certainly knowledgeable.

Master Xuanci had been studying Buddhism and practicing martial arts diligently under the guidance of eminent monks of the Lingmen School since childhood. How could he have been wandering the martial world with a sword in his twenties as described in the story?

Moreover, it is almost impossible for someone who becomes a monk later in life to become the abbot of Shaolin Temple.

There's no other reason than that Shaolin is the leader of the martial arts world. Even ordinary people's skills such as ironwork and carpentry require apprenticeship from a young age to receive the true teachings.

A self-taught newcomer, yet expects to receive special training and trust?

Keep dreaming.