The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

Chapter 460 Shangqing Qigong

Hai Dafu was extremely skilled in martial arts. After all, he was the chief eunuch during the Shunzhi era. Except for the absence of the Eastern Depot and the inability to extend his power, he was the Qing court's Cao Zhengchun...

The news that Shunzhi left a letter and became a monk was known to only six people in the world. The first four were people who had no choice but to know—the Empress Dowager, the Grand Empress Dowager, Shunzhi himself, and the sacred mountain where Shunzhi was ordained.

The Empress Dowager has already died.

The other two who knew were the chief of the imperial guards, Hebacha, and the chief eunuch, Hai Dafu!

This demonstrates the importance of his position and the high level of his martial arts skills.

Although he is certainly not as good as Cao Zhengchun, the Grand Eunuch of the Song Dynasty, Chu Luren judged that, judging from his current skills, if he hadn't gone blind and hadn't had a sudden enlightenment, he would probably only be slightly better...

When Chu Luren doesn't suddenly realize his mistakes, he's probably a mid-tier first-class person, while Hai Dafu is probably a lower-tier first-class person!

Unfortunately, he is now blind and has suffered internal injuries, which has greatly reduced his strength. Especially when he encountered Chu Luren, who not only has strong movement skills and can remain silent, but can also directly pour the "Nine Netherworld Sound Soul Technique" into his ears, leaving him no chance to fight back.

Chu Luren appeared to be doing nothing, but to Hai Dafu, it felt as if he were being besieged by several masters...

There are Shaolin, Wudang, the Demonic Sect, Quanzhen, the Beggars' Sect, the Five Mountains Sword Sect, the Dali Duan Clan... and many others whose styles are hard to discern, but whose members are clearly not novices!

For a moment, Hai Dafu even wondered if the same people who had attacked Ao Bai were now attacking him as well. That didn't make sense, did it?

However, Hai Dafu quickly realized—he hadn't touched anything...there was no one at all!

Or perhaps it's simply that someone is using sonic techniques to mimic the moves of various schools of martial arts.

Hai Dafu was even more shocked, and at the same time, he guessed who the newcomer was—his martial arts were very high, his sound techniques were extremely insidious, and he was also proficient in many different schools of martial arts...

Isn't this the Chu Lu people?

Moreover, he had previously learned from Wei Xiaobao that this person was among those who besieged Ao Bai!

As Hai Dafu called out the names of the Red and White Tai Sui, he tried to remain calm and barely ignored the sounds of various martial arts techniques attacking him. However, he couldn't help but twitch from time to time, instinctively trying to defend himself.

Upon hearing Hai Dafu reveal his identity, Chu Luren, as a righteous master and a giant of chivalry, naturally had his own identity baggage and stopped his righteous ventriloquism.

“Greetings, Eunuch Hai. I have some business with Xiao Guizi. Seeing how angry you are, and since I can’t stand fighting and killing, I tried to persuade you,” Chu Luren said, speaking up as a righteous citizen.

Hai Dafu: ...

Hai Dafu remained silent for a moment because... he didn't know how to refute it.

In the end, Chu Luren really only moved his mouth!

"Chu Taisui wants to find Xiao Guizi, hehe, cough cough cough... that won't be easy," Hai Dafu said sinisterly.

“Easy. I’ll find the young Gui Zi behind you, the one Kangxi trusts. The other young Gui Zis are useless to me.” Chu Luren didn’t give him a chance to argue.

"Then you should be careful, Chu Taisui. That kid is full of nonsense. You never know when you might fall into his trap!" Hai Dafu said, half warning and half provoking.

"No nonsense, no nonsense! I always speak human language to humans, and only speak nonsense to old turtles. When I see someone as handsome, dashing, chivalrous, and righteous as Young Master Chu, I only speak human language!" Wei Xiaobao immediately ran behind Chu Luren to hide.

Although he didn't know what Chu Luren wanted to see him for, and even if it were two quarters of an hour ago, if he had known that Chu Luren was looking for him, he would have been terrified and tried every means to avoid him, but now... Wei Xiaobao just wanted to say, please be sure that you have something important to tell me that I can't do without!

"Very well, since Chu Taisui wants to see him, then this old servant will take his leave!" Hai Dafu knew he was no match for Chu Luren, so he didn't linger or even call out to the guards.

Because... he had something more important to do!

"Ouch...it hurts so much..." Wei Xiaobao suddenly cried out in pain.

Hai Dafu, who had originally turned to leave, suddenly stopped and turned his head sharply.

"Young Master Chu... I really want to help you! But... but I'm useless. I've been poisoned by this old tortoise and I'm not going to live much longer. I'm afraid... I'm afraid I can't do anything for you!" Wei Xiaobao clearly hinted.

"Hmph! You've been poisoned with a slow-acting poison. You won't die anytime soon, and there's no antidote. If you want to get rid of it, you either need to eat lots of nourishing foods every day to get through it, or you need a master to use their powerful internal energy to force the poison out!" Hai Dafu coldly interrupted Wei Xiaobao's attempt to play the victim.

Upon hearing Hai Dafu's words, Wei Xiaobao immediately stopped pretending.

"It doesn't hurt anymore, it doesn't hurt anymore. Young Master Chu, what can I do for you? I'll take care of it perfectly!" Wei Xiaobao thought that Chu Luren, who could easily toy with the old sea turtle, must be among the "experts".

"No rush. I'm actually a little curious now. Why is Eunuch Hai in such a hurry to leave without even properly bandaging the wound on his hand?" Chu Luren asked with interest.

"No need to trouble yourself!" Hai Dafu said, waving his hand to reveal his palm, which had just been pierced by a dagger, and then making a gesture as if he were channeling his inner energy.

Hai Dafu's internal energy was so powerful that the traces of its circulation were almost visible. Streams of cyan true energy gathered from all parts of his body and then into his palm, and the wounds gradually healed!

Of course, Chu Luren could tell that this was not a real healing, but only a temporary connection of the wound with his true energy. If he were to act now, it would probably burst open again.

However, this single move was already quite remarkable. If Chu Luren hadn't been so confident that his martial arts were far superior to Hai Dafu's after his enlightenment, this move could have truly served as a deterrent...

Chu Luren narrowed his eyes and said, "Eunuch Hai, could this be the long-lost Shangqing Qigong of the Kongtong Sect? Good! Just looking at Eunuch Hai's move, the mystery of this sect's supreme technique is no less than that of the Quanzhen Sect's Xiantian Gong!"

Coincidentally, Chu Luren had initially thought that the Kongtong Sect was colluding with the Manchus, and that Zong Weixia's words were unpleasant to hear. That's why he paid attention to the whereabouts of Zong Weixia and Chang Jingzhi. As a result, he found that they were indeed still in Manjing, but they seemed to be secretly investigating something.

This left Chu Luren uncertain whether Hai Dafu was actually a member of the Kongtong Sect—though in the original work, he undoubtedly used Kongtong martial arts.

Chu Luren didn't want to ask Zong Weixia and Chang Jingzhi directly, so he looked up some basic information about the Kongtong Sect at Qunyu Academy.

Therefore, I still have some impression of the Shangqing Qigong, which was lost after the disappearance of the first leader of the Kongtong Sect, Daoist Yiqing!

Hai Dafu, on the other hand, looked surprised. Normally, if it were anyone else, and they didn't know beforehand that Hai Dafu's martial arts style was from the Kongtong lineage, even if they knew about the Shangqing Qigong, they wouldn't be able to make that connection just by seeing this scene...

Chapter 461 The Famous Detective Hai Dafu

Upon hearing Chu Luren reveal the origin of the martial arts he practiced, Hai Dafu was startled.

"What is Grand Duke Chu talking about? This old servant doesn't understand!" Hai Dafu said, turning to leave. After turning back, he said to Chu Luren, "If Grand Duke Chu has something to discuss with this kid, then you'd better hurry up and do it! Otherwise, if the palace guards are alerted, things won't end well!"

Chu Luren naturally understood that Hai Dafu was threatening him—it was best if no one interfered in anyone else's business, otherwise no one could expect to succeed.

Originally, Hebacha and Hai Dafu were both at Mount Wutai, taking care of and protecting Shunzhi. In recent years, Hai Dafu, because of Shunzhi's "unresolved grievances," was ordered by him to return to the palace to secretly investigate the death of Consort Dong'e.

Consort Dong'e was Emperor Shunzhi's favorite concubine, but she died suddenly and was posthumously honored as Empress Duanjing...

The direct reason why Emperor Shunzhi became a monk was that after Consort Dong'e's death, he became indifferent to power and disgusted with the disputes that led to her death!

However, he couldn't see through the illusions of the world and couldn't help but send Hai Dafu back to investigate the matter.

After Hai Dafu returned, he delegated all the duties of the Imperial Kitchen Directorate given to him by the young emperor to his eunuchs, ignoring Ao Bai's usurpation of power and focusing only on the tasks given to him by Shunzhi.

Now that we're almost at the truth, just waiting for the final confirmation, Hai Dafu is about to silence Wei Xiaobao.

But since there's no chance to eliminate them, Hai Dafu still needs to prioritize his mission!

Hai Dafu didn't want to cause any more trouble before executing the murderer on the spot.

"Eunuch Hai, which formidable enemy are you going to confront? I advise you not to push yourself too hard. Even with the protection of 'Shangqing True Qi,' your eagerness to cultivate the Seven Injury Fist and your forced internal energy training with drugs will likely lead to your demise even without fighting. And if you do fight, you certainly won't last long." Chu Luren was speaking the truth.

All martial arts have commonalities. With Chu Luren's current level of insight, even without having practiced the Shangqing Qigong or the Seven Injury Fist, he could easily see through Hai Dafu's true intentions.

The Kongtong Sect originally had two major martial arts techniques, one internal and one external. The internal technique was the Shangqing Qigong, and the external technique was the Seven Injury Fist. The former has been lost for a long time, and as for the latter... it is notoriously dangerous!

It is based on the correspondence between the five internal organs and the five elements, and the spirit and yin and yang. First train the five internal organs, and then seek the spirit. Because the practice is too dangerous, it is described as "one practice, seven injuries, all seven are injured". The general outline of the boxing manual also says: The five elements regulate yin and yang, damage the heart, lungs, liver and intestines, store away essence, lose mind and become confused, the three jiaos are reversed and the soul and spirit fly away.

Once mastered, it can not only unleash different forces simultaneously, whether fierce or gentle, but legend has it that it can also shake the opponent's will when it strikes, somewhat like a "phantom sword" or "mind-controlling technique," making it incredibly versatile and powerful.

but……

It's not easy to master, especially after losing the Shangqing Qigong, an internal skill that complements this dangerous external skill. Later, eight or nine out of ten people who practiced the Seven Injury Fist would injure their heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. The other one or two out of ten would also fall due to "mental confusion" and "soul flying away"—like the Golden Lion King Xie Xun, who went mad after he obtained the Seven Injury Fist!

Hai Dafu practiced the Shangqing Qigong and was able to control the Seven Injury Fist normally, but...

Two years ago, he uncovered some clues about the death of Consort Dong'e.

The initial discovery was made by finding the coroner who had resigned from his post and left years ago, who revealed that when Consort Dong'e was buried, all her bones were brittle...

Later, he explored the imperial tombs himself and discovered that not only Consort Dong'e, but also her sister Consort Zhen, Consort Dong'e's son who died young, and Emperor Kangxi's birth mother, all had bones that were not decayed but were brittle.

Following this clue, Hai Dafu discovered the "Bone-Melting Palm" of the Divine Dragon Cult. Then, by chance, he learned that Wei Xiaobao and the young emperor often sparred. By teaching the young emperor some Shaolin martial arts techniques, he discovered that someone was teaching the young emperor martial arts, and that person was none other than the Empress Dowager, who should not have known martial arts!

Especially since the Empress Dowager's reasons for wanting to kill these people were so compelling, Hai Dafu was already 80-90% certain that the Empress Dowager was the murderer.

Hai Dafu judged that the Empress Dowager's martial arts skills were not weak, and that he himself... especially after losing his eyesight, probably had no chance of winning.

As for asking for help?

Firstly, she was the Empress Dowager after all, and Hai Dafu felt that reporting to the young emperor would not be of much use, especially since he was only speculating and had no solid evidence; secondly, Shunzhi's order was for him to handle the matter discreetly and to execute the murderer himself once it was confirmed... Shunzhi probably guessed that the murderer was the Empress!

Therefore, Hai Dafu took a risky approach. He not only practiced the Seven Wounds Fist, but also mastered the first five moves: "Heartbreak, Lung Damage, Liver and Intestine Destruction, Seclusion, and Essence Loss." Instead of following the established order, he practiced the last two moves: "Intent Confusion" and "Soul Soaring." Instead, he transformed the Yin and Yang energies of the Five Elements into a special true energy that could obliterate the power of the hidden palm strike.

Therefore, he suffered internal injuries. He usually suppressed the injuries by using poison to fight poison and forced himself to cultivate, but the damage was already too great to be reversed!

"Cough cough cough... If Chu Taisui also wants the Shangqing Qigong, he can look for it in the crevices of the bed... You don't need to worry about this old servant's body!" Hai Dafu said impatiently.

Chu Luren could see it, which was certainly due to his keen eyesight, but Hai Dafu himself was not unaware of his own situation.

One of the reasons for choosing to act now is that Hai Dafu already knows he is not long for this world, which is why he is eager to get rid of the Empress Dowager!

For this reason, he even proactively told Chu Luren the location of the Shangqing Qigong manual—clearly, Chu Taisui's thirst for knowledge was well-known in the martial arts world.

"Does Eunuch Hai think I'm just obsessed with the Shangqing Qigong? Fine, good advice is useless to a damned fool. Eunuch Hai, you may leave now!" Chu Luren said unhappily.

Upon hearing this, Hai Dafu immediately turned and left.

Then Wei Xiaobao looked at Chu Luren and asked ingratiatingly, "Grand Duke Judgment, is there anything I can do to help you?"

"Hmm, this Eunuch Hai..." Chu Luren sighed, then stared at Wei Xiaobao.

Wei Xiaobao was taken aback at first, but he quickly realized what was going on and said, "Ah! That's right! I... I have a few things to offer as a tribute to the Grand Duke!"

Then Wei Xiaobao returned to the room and, following what Eunuch Hai had said, broke open the hidden compartment in the bed board, took out the bottles and jars, as well as a secret manual, and handed them to Chu Luren.

"Nonsense! I came to you for a job, what do I have to offer in return?" Chu Luren said righteously.

Wei Xiaobao was taken aback upon hearing this, unsure of what to do. Seeing this, Chu Luren silently withdrew his thoughts from comparing him to Xiaoyuer—he was merely quick-witted; in reality, he was worlds apart from Xiaoyuer.

"Fine, I need you to do something very dangerous for me. Since you don't want to learn the Evil-Repelling Sword Technique, then I'll teach you this internal energy technique instead!" Chu Luren said with a pleasant expression.

"Thank you, Grand Duke Jupiter..."

Wei Xiaobao was deeply moved and handed over the "Shangqing Qigong" to Chu Luren.

Chapter 462 Night Battles in the Deep Palace

"The matter I need you to do for me is extremely dangerous! It's that I want to see Ao Bai... You need to come up with a foolproof plan first. I'll go and see what that eunuch Hai is up to, all mysterious and secretive."

After Chu Luren finished speaking, he used his movement technique to leave.

Wei Xiaobao looked troubled—Ao Bai…is that someone you can just meet whenever you want?

The former Ao Shaobao was not so bad, but the current Ao Bai, that old scoundrel, is even more difficult to deal with...

Chu Luren, however, had already left Wei Xiaobao with a worried expression and disappeared into the night sky above the palace!