Chapter 8 Chapter 7 Secret Practice
Yao Lianzhou woke up from the deep meditation and returned to the real world.
When he opened his eyes, he saw a blur in front of him.
No, it's not just because the eyes were closed for too long, but because the eye sockets were wet.
He stretched out his hand to touch it, only to realize that there were two lines of tears streaming down his face.He couldn't remember why he was crying.It was obvious that the spirit had entered a state of emptiness before.
The entire "Golden Palace" is a copper-cast building, which is not much warmer than the outdoors in the middle of winter.There was a small charcoal fire in the corner of the hall, and the sound of "must peel" was clearly audible.Everything was so still except for the wind blowing through the panes.
Yao Lianzhou looked at the falling snow outside the window.
Nearly a year has passed since the Battle of Xi'an.Although he has signed a five-year "no-war agreement" with the major factions, Yao Lianzhou will not stop and wait for them.Since returning to Wudang Mountain, he has devoted himself to training again, intending to integrate the experience gained in that battle with what he has learned in his life, and then create new martial arts.
——There is no room for relaxation, this is the destiny of being a king.
But things didn't go well.Yao Lianzhou has realized in the past two or three years that it is impossible for him to make continuous and rapid progress like before.
This is actually a very natural thing, just like exercising strength. At first, a person can only lift one hundred catties to lift two hundred catties. It is something that can be achieved quickly as long as he works hard; When you reach 250 catties, it becomes more difficult than before; then you have to lift to 270 catties, 280 catties, 285 catties... When you are getting closer and closer to your limit, at the end Even adding half a catty or a few taels has become a very difficult task.
Yao Lianzhou undoubtedly reached such a state.
Although it was common sense, he couldn't accept it.He knew that his deceased master, Gongsun Qing, could not accept it either—Yao Lianzhou was in his current position because he broke common sense.
So he went up to Tianzhu Peak to retreat alone again.
However, after 12 full days of submerged training in the "Golden Palace", there was still nothing.
—Could it be... that I have become weaker?
All people who practice skills in the world will always have moments of doubting themselves.Yao Lianzhou was no exception.
—Is it because... I opened my heart to her?
He remembered the night before going up to the mountain for retreat.Yin Xiaoyan slept on his chest.
"Are you happy?" At that moment, Yao Lianzhou asked her suddenly.
With his superhuman sense of touch, he could clearly feel that her petite body froze briefly.Then she answered.
"Ok."
Yao Lianzhou was not sure what kind of answer this was.
He really likes Yin Xiaoyan.From the first day I lived in the "Yinghua Pavilion" and saw her, I had a good impression of her: that seemingly too thin body is loaded with a strong soul, just like a flower that survives in the cold winter.In the subsequent battle, Yin Xiaoyan persisted in such a dangerous situation, which further proved that Yao Lianzhou's feelings towards her were correct.He was deeply attracted.
Yao Lianzhou never let anyone hinder her pursuit of the pinnacle of martial arts.No matter how much you love a woman, it won't work.
However, during the battle at the "Yinghua Pavilion" that day, Yao Lianzhou discovered that in order to protect Yin Xiaoyan, his poisoned body was able to display an unexpected tenacity.
——It turns out that fighting for another person can be like this.
At that time, he had already decided that as long as he returned alive, he would take this girl with him.
- She will make me stronger.
Now Yao Lianzhou began to doubt this sentence.It's not because she's tired of her - Yao Lianzhou knows this very well, not to mention Yin Xiaoyan's life has become more and more beautiful these days.He just found that unconsciously, his heart changed because of her existence.The path of practice has not changed, but he feels as if he is carrying an invisible burden while walking...
Yao Lianzhou shook his head violently.He was very surprised: when he was in retreat, he was thinking about women.
This kind of self is very strange.
——Maybe what I need is to find my former self.
Yao Lianzhou grabbed the wild wolf fur beside her and put it on her body, and even forgot to put out the charcoal fire, raised the "single back sword", pushed open the bronze gate of the "Golden Palace" and walked out.
Tianzhu Peak, a piece of poignant white.
The winter wind blew his gray wolf fur.He walked alone and hurriedly on the Ruixue on the way down the mountain, and his figure quickly became smaller.
He's going to meet someone.
Behind the iron branches of the cell, a figure with his back facing the wall squatted in a dark corner, breathing quietly.This man's long, curly hair has not been combed for many years, just like the hair of a lion.The clothes on his body were clean, and he didn't feel like a prisoner. "Brother Shang." Yao Lianzhou had been standing in the corridor outside the iron branch for a long time, but the prisoners inside did not respond to his coming.He had to call. The prisoner flicked his messy hair slowly, as if waking up from a daydream, stretched his arms and stretched his body—suddenly his body turned around like lightning, and he spit out something vigorously from his mouth! ——From extremely quiet to extremely dynamic, without warning. Yao Lianzhou tilted his head slightly, the thing that was originally aimed at his left eye passed over his face, hit the stone wall behind and fell down again. It is a thin bone. The one standing here must have been an expert like Yao Lianzhou, who had already been blinded by this surprise attack. There was a haughty and loud voice in the cell, and there was actually a smile in it. "This is the first time you've seen me since I've been here. It's been seven years." He can tell how many years, showing that the mind has not been affected by the long-term imprisonment and is still very clear. His bright eyes glowed in the darkness, and he looked at Yao Lianzhou's white robe, "Speaking of which, this is the first time I've seen you wearing this suit. Haha, you look like a woman." Yao Lianzhou's face didn't move because of the teasing.He just looked at this dangerous man in the cell. On the surface, it was as calm as a piece of ice, but in fact Yao Lianzhou's heart was surging with excitement.This is what he wanted. ——I am not wrong.This guy, just looking at him is enough. The "Senior Brother Shang" inside didn't speak any more, but just stared at Yao Lianzhou intently.There are not many people in the world who can stare at the head of Wudang like this without any wavering in their hearts. Yao Lianzhou looked at him for a while, then turned and left along the corridor. "I will kill you." These words came from behind Yao Lianzhou. "Senior Brother Shang" didn't feel the slightest bit excited when he said it, but seemed to calmly reconfirm a fact. "Then, the Wudang faction will belong to me again."
After Yao Lianzhou left the forbidden area behind "Yuzhen Palace" and returned to "True Immortal Palace", he summoned "Brown Snake" Fan Zong who was in charge of guarding Wudang Mountain. "that person……" As soon as Yao Lianzhou said, Fan Zong already knew who the head was referring to.His fair face immediately tightened. "...someone had contact with him." "Did the head see any signs?" Fan Zong only felt that his palms were still sweating in the cold winter.If this is true, it is no small matter. "It's just a hunch." Yao Lianzhou said, "You investigate secretly to see who is suspicious." Fan Zong accepted the order with a nod.
Between the snow-covered dry forest in the middle of the mountain, two dark figures flitted past quickly, making a solid crash. Hou Yingzhi breathed out white mist and bowed his head.His dark green clothes were steaming.The wooden sword that was short on the left and long on the right was trembling slightly. Not because of the cold. "Are you tired already?" Ye Chenyuan said coldly, a pair of eyes with mantra tattoos looked at this young disciple he personally brought into the door, without any emotion. "No." Hou Yingzhi raised his heroic eyebrows, bit his lower lip and shook his head. "I'm fine." "Okay." Ye Chenyuan said, reaching into the lapel of Xuanhei Taoist robe, and took out a thin book. It is the "Male and Male Dragon and Tiger Sword Manual" of the Qingcheng School.This is the transcript he copied by hand so as not to lose it. "The next move..." Ye Chenyuan read the words on it carefully.In fact, he had already memorized the sword manual, and he also knew that the clever Hou Yingzhi must have memorized it.But when he saw that Hou Yingzhi was already very tired, he read the content again so that he would not make a mistake: "The posture of 'joining the paws', forty-eight equals five-five, eighteen steps, twenty-nine with the left sword, to intercept Sword wrist and elbow, pinch it." After hearing this, Hou Yingzhi closed his eyes and meditated, trying to recall the sword skills he had learned on Mount Qingcheng. When Ye Chenyuan returned to Wudang Mountain half a year ago, he immediately secretly summoned him and showed him the "Male and Male Dragon and Tiger Sword Manual". "You were once a disciple of Qingcheng, do you understand?" After two days of deliberation, Hou Yingzhi finally understood the meaning of these codes. In fact, it is very simple: for each group of numbers, the first one is the code name of one set of sword skills of the Qingcheng School, arranged in the order of entry-level practice; the latter is naturally the number of moves in that set of sword skills.This is not a very difficult code, as long as it is a disciple of the Qingcheng sect, it will be obvious after trying it. ——But it is only useful if the disciples of Qingcheng get it. "Male and male dragon and tiger swordsmanship" is hidden in all the swords of the Qingcheng School - Hou Yingzhi and Yan Heng learned this truth almost at the same time, through completely different ways. At this time Hou Yingzhi began to combine this style of "joining claws": the movement of the long sword in the right hand is "forty-eight in five-five", that is, from the eighteenth style of "Fu Jiangjian" of the Qingcheng School's fourth sword method "Fu Jiangjian" From the starting position of "Zhou Shi", swing to the right sword position of the fifth set of swordsmanship "Yuan Shuo Double Swords" and the fifth form "Nei Shuang Liao". The eighteenth form of the "Fenghuo Sword" is "Broken Cloud"; the short sword in the left hand is followed by "Second Nine", which is the ninth form of the second "Long Vortex Sword" "Wave Rolling on the Solitary Rock"... Every move on the sword manual is reassembled and reproduced bit by bit. Ye Chenyuan watched Hou Yingzhi wield his sword again and again to deliberate, and also saw the intention and momentum of this "claws together".Excitement flashed in his eyes, and he also began to swing the long and short swords, following Hou Yingzhi's movements to explore the movements of this move. "Could it be... so?" Ye Chenyuan said at this moment.After all, he has profound sword skills and actual combat experience, so he naturally began to add his own thinking, as well as the ingenuity of Wudang swordsmanship, to fill the connotation of this move with his interpretation.His wooden sword kept making repeated moves, gradually getting faster and more natural each time.When Hou Yingzhi heard the sound of breaking the wind, he stopped deliberating, and instead focused on observing and imitating Ye Chenyuan's movements and exertion. Ye Chenyuan didn't mind letting Hou Yingzhi absorb his sword skills.The inheritance of the Wudang school is so open: there is no advanced secret technique that is not allowed to learn, it only depends on whether you have the ability to learn it. It was Ye Chenyuan himself who violated this principle of the Wudang School.He did not report the discovery of the "Male and Male Dragon and Tiger Sword Manual" to Sect Master Yao, nor did he share it with his fellow disciples. Instead, he secretly asked Hou Yingzhi, a former Qingcheng disciple, to help him decipher the sword manual, and made two trips in the forest. People practice in secret. All of this stemmed from Ye Chenyuan's long-standing inner demon: since his first defeat seven years ago, there was not a day when he didn't want to defeat Yao Lianzhou. Ye Chenyuan is not for the position of head - he has no interest in power.He is completely loyal to the Wudang faction, as long as Wudang can achieve "invincible under heaven", he will never mind paying any price. But in an "invincible" group, it is still a pity that I am not the first person. Originally, he had given up on challenging Yao Lianzhou.But discovering this sword manual rekindled his hope. ——If, I find an advantage to win...even if it's just a little... ——He Zisheng lost to me, maybe it was God who gave me this opportunity... For the 46-year-old Ye Chenyuan, this is probably the last chance. After six months of secret practice, the two have reproduced 50% of the "Male and Male Dragon and Tiger Swordsmanship". However, without the guidance of a real Qingcheng expert, they cannot be sure how close each sword is to the original move.After all, Hou Yingzhi was only a "training disciple" of the Qingcheng School, and he did not learn all the Qingcheng sword skills.Some move codes include three sets of high-level swordsmanship "Xunzhao Sword", "Eight Sound Sword" and "Jiabi Double Sword". . After the two combined the "joint claws" together, Ye Chenyuan also called out: "Come on!" Hou Yingzhi acted as the recruiter first, and pierced Ye Chenyuan's face with a sword.Ye Chenyuan kept this newly learned move firmly in mind, the long wooden sword in his right hand held the future sword inward, and at the same time, the short sword in his left hand swiped upwards obliquely, cutting towards Hou Yingzhi's wrist. Hit by the blunt edge of the short wooden sword, Hou Yingzhi suffered pain in his forearm, and the wooden sword fell from his hand.Ye Chenyuan took a step forward, and the two swords stabbed at the same time, stopping in front of Hou Yingzhi's eyebrows and chest. "This angle doesn't seem right..." Ye Chenyuan gesticulated with the dagger, trying various swing angles: "Again!" Hou Yingzhi picked up the wooden sword and made another move.After a while, the two switched roles again, so that Ye Chenyuan could observe the effect of this move from the opponent's point of view, and understand its usage better. At this moment Hou Yingzhi was also watching Ye Chenyuan closely.After Ye Chenyuan practiced repeatedly, his moves and postures began to change slightly.Hou Yingzhi knew that this was the result of Ye Chenyuan incorporating Wudang school's martial arts habits and swordsmanship into his moves.After all, Ye Chenyuan has been practicing Wudang School swordsmanship for nearly forty years, and the tendency of many movements has become an unchangeable instinct. For Hou Yingzhi, this is the greatest benefit of his secret sword practice with Ye Chenyuan. Hou Yingzhi has worked very hard since he joined the Wudang School a year ago, and with more than six years of Qingcheng swordsmanship foundation, his progress is much faster than other newcomers.But he himself does not see it that way. ——I am not a beginner.I am a swordsman who has practiced for six or seven years.To compare, I have to compare with Wudang disciples with the same qualifications. Of course, there are many disciples of that generation who are better than him.A few outstanding ones have even begun to enter the "Soldiers and Crows" training. On the other hand, Hou Yingzhi's Qingcheng martial arts foundation is not entirely favorable.Although martial arts all over the world lead to the same goal by different routes, the swordsmanship and fighting methods of Qingcheng School and Wudang School are still very different. Hou Yingzhi wants to suppress the habit of Qingcheng Swordsmanship to learn Wudang School's sword moves, sometimes it is better than a blank sheet of paper. It is even more difficult for beginners. Once, senior brother Chen Daixiu from "Zhen Gui Dao" saw him practicing sword, and advised him earnestly: "You might as well forget Qingcheng swordsmanship completely, and learn Wudang sword from scratch with a blank heart." After leaving, Hou Yingzhi still practiced Qingcheng Sword. But Hou Yingzhi did not want to give up what he had gained in the past.He firmly believes that Qingcheng swordsmanship is his most important capital: only by relying on this advantage, can he hope to speed up his peers in the Wudang school and become an elite. He did not forget the shame that Yan Xiaoliu became a "Taoist disciple" faster than himself.At that time, he and Xiao Liu were still good friends, and he was only slightly unhappy about this matter; but after joining Wudang, he felt more and more annoyed every time he thought about it. ——It was all because Yao Lianzhou interviewed him, but only asked him about Yan Heng. Hou Yingzhi made an oath from that day: I will quickly become a figure that Master Yao cannot ignore. He tried hard to integrate Qingcheng and Wudang's swordsmanship, convinced that this was the key to his martial arts breakthrough to another level, but he never succeeded. Now practicing with Ye Chenyuan, Hou Yingzhi was able to observe very closely how Ye Chenyuan turned Qingcheng swordsmanship into his own use. This road suddenly lit up a bright lamp, giving him extremely precious inspiration and guidance.In the past six months, his heart was actually not on the "Male and Male Dragon and Tiger Sword". Instead, he was trying his best to develop his own set of swordsmanship that mixed the two schools. In order to improve his martial arts, Ye Chenyuan asked Hou Yingzhi to help decipher the sword manual; but in the end, Hou Yingzhi benefited far more than Ye Chenyuan. The two exchanged positions several times. After fencing more than two hundred times, Hou Yingzhi was finally tired and couldn't even hold his sword firmly.When Ye Chenyuan saw it, he said, "That's it for today." The two put down their wooden swords and sat down together on a rock to rest. Here they can overlook the Taoist palace down the mountain. Most of Wudang Mountain is covered by white clouds, which is another beauty. Ye Chenyuan brought a cloth bag, which contained several dry biscuits and a small bottle of wine. "Take a couple of sips to warm your body." Ye Chenyuan uncorked the bottle and handed it to Hou Yingzhi.In the past, the Qingcheng sect had strict rules and no alcohol was allowed. After Hou Yingzhi arrived at Wudang Mountain, he tasted the "Xiongsheng wine" for the first time to help him practice, and it took him a long time to learn how to drink it. The two sat silently sharing the wine and dry food, just looking at the scenery below the mountain without talking to each other. "It would be great if you were my son." Ye Chenyuan suddenly said such words. Hou Yingzhi's heart was shaking.He thought of his useless father.He thought of Ye Tianyang, a good friend who hadn't seen each other for a long time. He didn't know how to respond. The two remained silent.
The next night, Yin Xiaoyan stood under a big tree by the mountain road and waited with a lantern in one hand and a paper umbrella in the other. Her cheeks were red from the cold, and her cherry lips kept breathing out mist.Yin Xiaoyan has already shed the pitiful temperament she had when she was a maid in a brothel. After more than half a year of pampering in Wudang Mountain, her body is plump and her face has a healthy radiance. The beauty that was originally hidden by the hard life , At this moment, it is in full bloom. If you go to the street, you will definitely be regarded as a daughter of a wealthy family. Her white fox fur was a gift from Yao Lianzhou in winter.Xiaoyan never thought that she would wear such expensive clothes one day. "It fits you very well." When she put it on for the first time, Yun's mother praised it like this.Yun's mother is a peasant woman from a village at the foot of Wudang Mountain. Yao Lianzhou specially hired her to take care of Xiaoyan's daily life in the mountain.The two of them got along quickly, and Xiaoyan, who was born as a maid, never regarded her as a servant. "Really?" Xiaoyan smiled at that time.She knew that the honest mother Yun didn't like to say flattering words. Yin Xiaoyan couldn't think of any reason for herself to be unhappy.She got everything a girl from humble origins could imagine.Everyone in the whole Wudang Mountain respects her.Her man is a dragon among men, he cares and cherishes her except for the days of training and dealing with sect affairs. In the past, her wish was only to be able to leave the "Yinghua Pavilion" and live a life more like a human being. She never expected to get so much. But until now, Yin Xiaoyan still couldn't feel happy from the bottom of her heart. She knew Yao Lianzhou could feel it - otherwise he wouldn't have asked her that night. --are you happy? Yin Xiaoyan didn't dare to think too much.No further qualifications were required.That day, he begged Yao Lianzhou to take her up the mountain. She waited by the roadside for a long time, and when she was about to give up and go back, she saw a light appearing in the darkness above the mountain road.She was trembling and smiling. After Hou Yingzhi finished today's afternoon class, he had a quick meal, and then went up to the middle of the mountain alone to practice the swordsmanship that he had learned recently and combined Wudang and Qingcheng, but he didn't come back until it was dark. ——Wudang sect emphasizes self-improvement, so the discipline in the sect is not strict. Except for the compulsory morning and afternoon classes in the martial arts field, the rest of the time is free to practice, whether it is alone or with a brother. It was practiced until late at night and no one intervened. Hou Yingzhi was holding the lantern, and holding the practice blunt sword on his shoulder in the other hand, and quickly stepped down the steps of the mountain road. The light reflected that his body was still emitting mist. He saw Yin Xiaoyan under the tree by the roadside, so he walked over. "It's finally your turn." Yin Xiaoyan said with a smile. Hou Yingzhi remained silent, and led her to a stone tablet at the bottom of the tree, which was engraved with the words "People who are not far away".He took off his outer robe to cover the stele, and let Yin Xiaoyan sit on it so as not to stain her clothes. "Didn't the head go down the mountain?" "I came down yesterday... I went back to the top of the mountain this morning." Yin Xiaoyan couldn't hide the loneliness on her face when she said. She put the lantern on the ground, put away the umbrella, and untied a small cloth bag hanging from her waist, which contained a piece of malt rock candy that looked like a yellow crystal in paper. "I ate this today, it tastes good, so I left a piece for you." Hou Yingzhi took it and put it into his mouth, the sweet taste immediately filled his tongue and teeth, relieved a little of the hard work after hard training. "Thank you." Hou Yingzhi replied with a smile, holding candy in his mouth. The two chatted under the tree like this.They often gossip like this on weekdays, and the topics are irrelevant. Sometimes Hou Yingzhi talked about interesting things about himself in Qingcheng Mountain; sometimes Yin Xiaoyan recalled the absurd scenes seen in the "Yinghua Pavilion". Hou Yingzhi's father, Hou Yutian, had worked as a dart walker before, and he knew how to judge the direction by looking at the stars.At this time, Hou Yingzhi followed his father's teaching and pointed out to Yin Xiaoyan where the Big Dipper was. "It's really interesting." Yin Xiaoyan looked up at the stars in the winter night, her eyes were like a child's.Hou Yingzhi couldn't help peeking at her from the side. Since Yin Xiaoyan is the woman in charge, although all the disciples in Wudang Mountain respect her very much, none of them dare to approach her a little bit, or even talk a little more, making her feel like an outsider living in Wudang.Only Hou Yingzhi, who was about the same age as her and who had not been in Wudang for a long time, did not avoid talking to her, which made her life in Wudang much easier. Only then did Yin Xiaoyan realize that since she sold her body and left home at the age of twelve, she hadn't had any friends in these years— neither Miss Shuqiao nor Yao Lianzhou could be counted as "friends".Now Hou Yingzhi is the first. —When she was in the brothel, she thought that "friends" would be a luxury for the rest of her life. Hou Yingzhi started chatting with Yin Xiaoyan purely on a whim—of course he did not deny that it was partly because he was not convinced by Yao Lianzhou. But after getting acquainted, Yin Xiaoyan reminded him more and more of a person. He left Song Li in Qingcheng Mountain. They are not so similar in appearance and temperament.Xiaoyan, who has been honed in life, has a much gentler personality and speech than Song Li; Song Li is more lively than Xiaoyan. But in Hou Yingzhi's eyes, the two have something in common: they both have a beauty that makes people feel pity.And this kind of beauty, the more you know them, the more they hold you... "It's cold. Let's go back." Hou Yingzhi said, took back the robe on the stone tablet, patted it twice and put it back on his body. "Thank you." Yin Xiaoyan smiled and drooped her long eyelashes: "After chatting with you for a while, I feel relaxed." Hou Yingzhi knew why she was wondering.But when he thought of the distance between himself and that man, he stopped smiling and just waved his hands. "You go first. I'll go back later." Watching Yin Xiaoyan disappear into the night with the lamp, Hou Yingzhi sucked the candy that had become thinner, and held the hilt of the sword even tighter. ——I want to progress faster.Until no one can ignore my existence. After all, it was not appropriate to walk with the woman in charge at night. Hou Yingzhi waited for a long time, expecting that Yin Xiaoyan would soon return to "Yuzhen Palace", before he began to set foot on the mountain road to the dormitory next to the martial arts field. But halfway through he felt something different. Hou Yingzhi didn't see or hear anything.It's just that after long-term practice with a swordsman like Ye Chenyuan, his intuition for danger has been sharpened. Not long after he stopped, Fan Zong appeared from behind. Fan Zong's expression was a little surprised: with his lightness and concealment skills of "Brown Snake", this kid actually noticed it... "It's late." Fan Zong said with a smile, but there was no smile in those small eyes. Hou Yingzhi saluted Senior Brother Fan.He was not sure when or even which day he started being followed by Fan Zong. When Hou Yingzhi and Fan Zong looked at each other, their eyes did not flicker at all.He has no shame in his heart.There is no impolite affair with Yin Xiaoyan.Practicing swords with Ye Chenyuan did not violate any precepts.That was an order from the deputy head.As for concealing the Qingcheng School sword manual, that was Ye Chenyuan's responsibility and had nothing to do with him. "Yes. I just came back from practicing sword on the mountainside." Hou Yingzhi said.He smelled of heat and sweat all over his body, which proved it. "Very hard. I didn't misread you at first." Fan Zong was still laughing. But suddenly moved. With a swift technique, he quickly pulled out the flying sword at his waist with his right hand, and struck Hou Yingzhi's chest like a dagger! Faced with Fan Zong's astonishing footwork speed, Hou Yingzhi had no time to draw his sword, so he raised the blunt sword with its sheath, and caught the stab in time.As soon as the sword was in motion, his body was flowing like clouds and flowing water, and he counterattacked with the sheath tail towards Fan Zong's neck! Fan Zong turned his sword back to block it, and at the same time, he was able to dexterously turn the flying sword into a reverse grip, forming a hook with his hand to restrain the scabbard, preventing it from moving. But Hou Yingzhi also reacted exceptionally. As soon as he felt the scabbard being restrained, he immediately pulled the blunt sword out of the sheath, walked obliquely, and stabbed the sword sideways towards Fan Zong's ribs. It was "Wudang Xingjian"! ——But it is also mixed with the Qingcheng School's "Fenghuojian" method of exerting strength. The thrust of the stabbing sword was so fierce that Fan Zong had to use his footwork to dodge laterally, while his other left hand was raised towards Hou Yingzhi! Hou Yingzhi's sword had already come out, he didn't have time to return the sword to strike, so he raised his left arm to protect his chest. The flying object thrown by Fan Zong came quickly, Hou Yingzhi hit it with a wave of his left hand, the object bounced off and fell to the ground. Hou Yingzhi's lantern was thrown aside long ago, and it was burning on the ground, reflecting that the "hidden weapon" was just a small branch. ——If it was a flying sword, Hou Yingzhi would still be injured when he dialed with his bare hands. Hou Yingzhi surprised Fan Zong again.The yardstick and speed of intercepting hidden weapons are not many even on Wudang Mountain. "You have made a lot of progress." Fan Zong easily put the flying sword back into the scabbard, and at the same time threw Hou Yingzhi's scabbard back to him. Hou Yingzhi took it, put the sword back into its sheath, bowed his head and fisted: "Thank you for teaching, brother." His face was ashen at night.He could see that Fan Zong was not as simple as trying a friendly move. --what is the problem? He stroked his swollen left palm, feeling suspicious. ——Is it because Ye Chenyuan and I exercised secretly? ... "Go back and rest." Fan Zong said, "Don't be late for tomorrow's morning class." Hou Yingzhi saluted again, then walked down the mountain road feeling the darkness. Fan Zong's well-trained eyes can see at night, and he has been staring at Hou Yingzhi's back. ——This is no ordinary progress...something must have happened.Does it really have something to do with "that person"? Fan Zong was determined to live up to the entrustment of the head and investigate this matter clearly. He touched the handle of the flying sword, recalling the oath he made when he first entered the "Brown Snake", the highest elite of the "Shou Snake Road". —Anyone who endangers Wudang will be killed without mercy. This is the only creed of being a Wudang faction assassin.
Behind the iron branches of the cell, a figure with his back facing the wall squatted in a dark corner, breathing quietly.This man's long, curly hair has not been combed for many years, just like the hair of a lion.The clothes on his body were clean, and he didn't feel like a prisoner. "Brother Shang." Yao Lianzhou had been standing in the corridor outside the iron branch for a long time, but the prisoners inside did not respond to his coming.He had to call. The prisoner flicked his messy hair slowly, as if waking up from a daydream, stretched his arms and stretched his body—suddenly his body turned around like lightning, and he spit out something vigorously from his mouth! ——From extremely quiet to extremely dynamic, without warning. Yao Lianzhou tilted his head slightly, the thing that was originally aimed at his left eye passed over his face, hit the stone wall behind and fell down again. It is a thin bone. The one standing here must have been an expert like Yao Lianzhou, who had already been blinded by this surprise attack. There was a haughty and loud voice in the cell, and there was actually a smile in it. "This is the first time you've seen me since I've been here. It's been seven years." He can tell how many years, showing that the mind has not been affected by the long-term imprisonment and is still very clear. His bright eyes glowed in the darkness, and he looked at Yao Lianzhou's white robe, "Speaking of which, this is the first time I've seen you wearing this suit. Haha, you look like a woman." Yao Lianzhou's face didn't move because of the teasing.He just looked at this dangerous man in the cell. On the surface, it was as calm as a piece of ice, but in fact Yao Lianzhou's heart was surging with excitement.This is what he wanted. ——I am not wrong.This guy, just looking at him is enough. The "Senior Brother Shang" inside didn't speak any more, but just stared at Yao Lianzhou intently.There are not many people in the world who can stare at the head of Wudang like this without any wavering in their hearts. Yao Lianzhou looked at him for a while, then turned and left along the corridor. "I will kill you." These words came from behind Yao Lianzhou. "Senior Brother Shang" didn't feel the slightest bit excited when he said it, but seemed to calmly reconfirm a fact. "Then, the Wudang faction will belong to me again."
After Yao Lianzhou left the forbidden area behind "Yuzhen Palace" and returned to "True Immortal Palace", he summoned "Brown Snake" Fan Zong who was in charge of guarding Wudang Mountain. "that person……" As soon as Yao Lianzhou said, Fan Zong already knew who the head was referring to.His fair face immediately tightened. "...someone had contact with him." "Did the head see any signs?" Fan Zong only felt that his palms were still sweating in the cold winter.If this is true, it is no small matter. "It's just a hunch." Yao Lianzhou said, "You investigate secretly to see who is suspicious." Fan Zong accepted the order with a nod.
Between the snow-covered dry forest in the middle of the mountain, two dark figures flitted past quickly, making a solid crash. Hou Yingzhi breathed out white mist and bowed his head.His dark green clothes were steaming.The wooden sword that was short on the left and long on the right was trembling slightly. Not because of the cold. "Are you tired already?" Ye Chenyuan said coldly, a pair of eyes with mantra tattoos looked at this young disciple he personally brought into the door, without any emotion. "No." Hou Yingzhi raised his heroic eyebrows, bit his lower lip and shook his head. "I'm fine." "Okay." Ye Chenyuan said, reaching into the lapel of Xuanhei Taoist robe, and took out a thin book. It is the "Male and Male Dragon and Tiger Sword Manual" of the Qingcheng School.This is the transcript he copied by hand so as not to lose it. "The next move..." Ye Chenyuan read the words on it carefully.In fact, he had already memorized the sword manual, and he also knew that the clever Hou Yingzhi must have memorized it.But when he saw that Hou Yingzhi was already very tired, he read the content again so that he would not make a mistake: "The posture of 'joining the paws', forty-eight equals five-five, eighteen steps, twenty-nine with the left sword, to intercept Sword wrist and elbow, pinch it." After hearing this, Hou Yingzhi closed his eyes and meditated, trying to recall the sword skills he had learned on Mount Qingcheng. When Ye Chenyuan returned to Wudang Mountain half a year ago, he immediately secretly summoned him and showed him the "Male and Male Dragon and Tiger Sword Manual". "You were once a disciple of Qingcheng, do you understand?" After two days of deliberation, Hou Yingzhi finally understood the meaning of these codes. In fact, it is very simple: for each group of numbers, the first one is the code name of one set of sword skills of the Qingcheng School, arranged in the order of entry-level practice; the latter is naturally the number of moves in that set of sword skills.This is not a very difficult code, as long as it is a disciple of the Qingcheng sect, it will be obvious after trying it. ——But it is only useful if the disciples of Qingcheng get it. "Male and male dragon and tiger swordsmanship" is hidden in all the swords of the Qingcheng School - Hou Yingzhi and Yan Heng learned this truth almost at the same time, through completely different ways. At this time Hou Yingzhi began to combine this style of "joining claws": the movement of the long sword in the right hand is "forty-eight in five-five", that is, from the eighteenth style of "Fu Jiangjian" of the Qingcheng School's fourth sword method "Fu Jiangjian" From the starting position of "Zhou Shi", swing to the right sword position of the fifth set of swordsmanship "Yuan Shuo Double Swords" and the fifth form "Nei Shuang Liao". The eighteenth form of the "Fenghuo Sword" is "Broken Cloud"; the short sword in the left hand is followed by "Second Nine", which is the ninth form of the second "Long Vortex Sword" "Wave Rolling on the Solitary Rock"... Every move on the sword manual is reassembled and reproduced bit by bit. Ye Chenyuan watched Hou Yingzhi wield his sword again and again to deliberate, and also saw the intention and momentum of this "claws together".Excitement flashed in his eyes, and he also began to swing the long and short swords, following Hou Yingzhi's movements to explore the movements of this move. "Could it be... so?" Ye Chenyuan said at this moment.After all, he has profound sword skills and actual combat experience, so he naturally began to add his own thinking, as well as the ingenuity of Wudang swordsmanship, to fill the connotation of this move with his interpretation.His wooden sword kept making repeated moves, gradually getting faster and more natural each time.When Hou Yingzhi heard the sound of breaking the wind, he stopped deliberating, and instead focused on observing and imitating Ye Chenyuan's movements and exertion. Ye Chenyuan didn't mind letting Hou Yingzhi absorb his sword skills.The inheritance of the Wudang school is so open: there is no advanced secret technique that is not allowed to learn, it only depends on whether you have the ability to learn it. It was Ye Chenyuan himself who violated this principle of the Wudang School.He did not report the discovery of the "Male and Male Dragon and Tiger Sword Manual" to Sect Master Yao, nor did he share it with his fellow disciples. Instead, he secretly asked Hou Yingzhi, a former Qingcheng disciple, to help him decipher the sword manual, and made two trips in the forest. People practice in secret. All of this stemmed from Ye Chenyuan's long-standing inner demon: since his first defeat seven years ago, there was not a day when he didn't want to defeat Yao Lianzhou. Ye Chenyuan is not for the position of head - he has no interest in power.He is completely loyal to the Wudang faction, as long as Wudang can achieve "invincible under heaven", he will never mind paying any price. But in an "invincible" group, it is still a pity that I am not the first person. Originally, he had given up on challenging Yao Lianzhou.But discovering this sword manual rekindled his hope. ——If, I find an advantage to win...even if it's just a little... ——He Zisheng lost to me, maybe it was God who gave me this opportunity... For the 46-year-old Ye Chenyuan, this is probably the last chance. After six months of secret practice, the two have reproduced 50% of the "Male and Male Dragon and Tiger Swordsmanship". However, without the guidance of a real Qingcheng expert, they cannot be sure how close each sword is to the original move.After all, Hou Yingzhi was only a "training disciple" of the Qingcheng School, and he did not learn all the Qingcheng sword skills.Some move codes include three sets of high-level swordsmanship "Xunzhao Sword", "Eight Sound Sword" and "Jiabi Double Sword". . After the two combined the "joint claws" together, Ye Chenyuan also called out: "Come on!" Hou Yingzhi acted as the recruiter first, and pierced Ye Chenyuan's face with a sword.Ye Chenyuan kept this newly learned move firmly in mind, the long wooden sword in his right hand held the future sword inward, and at the same time, the short sword in his left hand swiped upwards obliquely, cutting towards Hou Yingzhi's wrist. Hit by the blunt edge of the short wooden sword, Hou Yingzhi suffered pain in his forearm, and the wooden sword fell from his hand.Ye Chenyuan took a step forward, and the two swords stabbed at the same time, stopping in front of Hou Yingzhi's eyebrows and chest. "This angle doesn't seem right..." Ye Chenyuan gesticulated with the dagger, trying various swing angles: "Again!" Hou Yingzhi picked up the wooden sword and made another move.After a while, the two switched roles again, so that Ye Chenyuan could observe the effect of this move from the opponent's point of view, and understand its usage better. At this moment Hou Yingzhi was also watching Ye Chenyuan closely.After Ye Chenyuan practiced repeatedly, his moves and postures began to change slightly.Hou Yingzhi knew that this was the result of Ye Chenyuan incorporating Wudang school's martial arts habits and swordsmanship into his moves.After all, Ye Chenyuan has been practicing Wudang School swordsmanship for nearly forty years, and the tendency of many movements has become an unchangeable instinct. For Hou Yingzhi, this is the greatest benefit of his secret sword practice with Ye Chenyuan. Hou Yingzhi has worked very hard since he joined the Wudang School a year ago, and with more than six years of Qingcheng swordsmanship foundation, his progress is much faster than other newcomers.But he himself does not see it that way. ——I am not a beginner.I am a swordsman who has practiced for six or seven years.To compare, I have to compare with Wudang disciples with the same qualifications. Of course, there are many disciples of that generation who are better than him.A few outstanding ones have even begun to enter the "Soldiers and Crows" training. On the other hand, Hou Yingzhi's Qingcheng martial arts foundation is not entirely favorable.Although martial arts all over the world lead to the same goal by different routes, the swordsmanship and fighting methods of Qingcheng School and Wudang School are still very different. Hou Yingzhi wants to suppress the habit of Qingcheng Swordsmanship to learn Wudang School's sword moves, sometimes it is better than a blank sheet of paper. It is even more difficult for beginners. Once, senior brother Chen Daixiu from "Zhen Gui Dao" saw him practicing sword, and advised him earnestly: "You might as well forget Qingcheng swordsmanship completely, and learn Wudang sword from scratch with a blank heart." After leaving, Hou Yingzhi still practiced Qingcheng Sword. But Hou Yingzhi did not want to give up what he had gained in the past.He firmly believes that Qingcheng swordsmanship is his most important capital: only by relying on this advantage, can he hope to speed up his peers in the Wudang school and become an elite. He did not forget the shame that Yan Xiaoliu became a "Taoist disciple" faster than himself.At that time, he and Xiao Liu were still good friends, and he was only slightly unhappy about this matter; but after joining Wudang, he felt more and more annoyed every time he thought about it. ——It was all because Yao Lianzhou interviewed him, but only asked him about Yan Heng. Hou Yingzhi made an oath from that day: I will quickly become a figure that Master Yao cannot ignore. He tried hard to integrate Qingcheng and Wudang's swordsmanship, convinced that this was the key to his martial arts breakthrough to another level, but he never succeeded. Now practicing with Ye Chenyuan, Hou Yingzhi was able to observe very closely how Ye Chenyuan turned Qingcheng swordsmanship into his own use. This road suddenly lit up a bright lamp, giving him extremely precious inspiration and guidance.In the past six months, his heart was actually not on the "Male and Male Dragon and Tiger Sword". Instead, he was trying his best to develop his own set of swordsmanship that mixed the two schools. In order to improve his martial arts, Ye Chenyuan asked Hou Yingzhi to help decipher the sword manual; but in the end, Hou Yingzhi benefited far more than Ye Chenyuan. The two exchanged positions several times. After fencing more than two hundred times, Hou Yingzhi was finally tired and couldn't even hold his sword firmly.When Ye Chenyuan saw it, he said, "That's it for today." The two put down their wooden swords and sat down together on a rock to rest. Here they can overlook the Taoist palace down the mountain. Most of Wudang Mountain is covered by white clouds, which is another beauty. Ye Chenyuan brought a cloth bag, which contained several dry biscuits and a small bottle of wine. "Take a couple of sips to warm your body." Ye Chenyuan uncorked the bottle and handed it to Hou Yingzhi.In the past, the Qingcheng sect had strict rules and no alcohol was allowed. After Hou Yingzhi arrived at Wudang Mountain, he tasted the "Xiongsheng wine" for the first time to help him practice, and it took him a long time to learn how to drink it. The two sat silently sharing the wine and dry food, just looking at the scenery below the mountain without talking to each other. "It would be great if you were my son." Ye Chenyuan suddenly said such words. Hou Yingzhi's heart was shaking.He thought of his useless father.He thought of Ye Tianyang, a good friend who hadn't seen each other for a long time. He didn't know how to respond. The two remained silent.
The next night, Yin Xiaoyan stood under a big tree by the mountain road and waited with a lantern in one hand and a paper umbrella in the other. Her cheeks were red from the cold, and her cherry lips kept breathing out mist.Yin Xiaoyan has already shed the pitiful temperament she had when she was a maid in a brothel. After more than half a year of pampering in Wudang Mountain, her body is plump and her face has a healthy radiance. The beauty that was originally hidden by the hard life , At this moment, it is in full bloom. If you go to the street, you will definitely be regarded as a daughter of a wealthy family. Her white fox fur was a gift from Yao Lianzhou in winter.Xiaoyan never thought that she would wear such expensive clothes one day. "It fits you very well." When she put it on for the first time, Yun's mother praised it like this.Yun's mother is a peasant woman from a village at the foot of Wudang Mountain. Yao Lianzhou specially hired her to take care of Xiaoyan's daily life in the mountain.The two of them got along quickly, and Xiaoyan, who was born as a maid, never regarded her as a servant. "Really?" Xiaoyan smiled at that time.She knew that the honest mother Yun didn't like to say flattering words. Yin Xiaoyan couldn't think of any reason for herself to be unhappy.She got everything a girl from humble origins could imagine.Everyone in the whole Wudang Mountain respects her.Her man is a dragon among men, he cares and cherishes her except for the days of training and dealing with sect affairs. In the past, her wish was only to be able to leave the "Yinghua Pavilion" and live a life more like a human being. She never expected to get so much. But until now, Yin Xiaoyan still couldn't feel happy from the bottom of her heart. She knew Yao Lianzhou could feel it - otherwise he wouldn't have asked her that night. --are you happy? Yin Xiaoyan didn't dare to think too much.No further qualifications were required.That day, he begged Yao Lianzhou to take her up the mountain. She waited by the roadside for a long time, and when she was about to give up and go back, she saw a light appearing in the darkness above the mountain road.She was trembling and smiling. After Hou Yingzhi finished today's afternoon class, he had a quick meal, and then went up to the middle of the mountain alone to practice the swordsmanship that he had learned recently and combined Wudang and Qingcheng, but he didn't come back until it was dark. ——Wudang sect emphasizes self-improvement, so the discipline in the sect is not strict. Except for the compulsory morning and afternoon classes in the martial arts field, the rest of the time is free to practice, whether it is alone or with a brother. It was practiced until late at night and no one intervened. Hou Yingzhi was holding the lantern, and holding the practice blunt sword on his shoulder in the other hand, and quickly stepped down the steps of the mountain road. The light reflected that his body was still emitting mist. He saw Yin Xiaoyan under the tree by the roadside, so he walked over. "It's finally your turn." Yin Xiaoyan said with a smile. Hou Yingzhi remained silent, and led her to a stone tablet at the bottom of the tree, which was engraved with the words "People who are not far away".He took off his outer robe to cover the stele, and let Yin Xiaoyan sit on it so as not to stain her clothes. "Didn't the head go down the mountain?" "I came down yesterday... I went back to the top of the mountain this morning." Yin Xiaoyan couldn't hide the loneliness on her face when she said. She put the lantern on the ground, put away the umbrella, and untied a small cloth bag hanging from her waist, which contained a piece of malt rock candy that looked like a yellow crystal in paper. "I ate this today, it tastes good, so I left a piece for you." Hou Yingzhi took it and put it into his mouth, the sweet taste immediately filled his tongue and teeth, relieved a little of the hard work after hard training. "Thank you." Hou Yingzhi replied with a smile, holding candy in his mouth. The two chatted under the tree like this.They often gossip like this on weekdays, and the topics are irrelevant. Sometimes Hou Yingzhi talked about interesting things about himself in Qingcheng Mountain; sometimes Yin Xiaoyan recalled the absurd scenes seen in the "Yinghua Pavilion". Hou Yingzhi's father, Hou Yutian, had worked as a dart walker before, and he knew how to judge the direction by looking at the stars.At this time, Hou Yingzhi followed his father's teaching and pointed out to Yin Xiaoyan where the Big Dipper was. "It's really interesting." Yin Xiaoyan looked up at the stars in the winter night, her eyes were like a child's.Hou Yingzhi couldn't help peeking at her from the side. Since Yin Xiaoyan is the woman in charge, although all the disciples in Wudang Mountain respect her very much, none of them dare to approach her a little bit, or even talk a little more, making her feel like an outsider living in Wudang.Only Hou Yingzhi, who was about the same age as her and who had not been in Wudang for a long time, did not avoid talking to her, which made her life in Wudang much easier. Only then did Yin Xiaoyan realize that since she sold her body and left home at the age of twelve, she hadn't had any friends in these years— neither Miss Shuqiao nor Yao Lianzhou could be counted as "friends".Now Hou Yingzhi is the first. —When she was in the brothel, she thought that "friends" would be a luxury for the rest of her life. Hou Yingzhi started chatting with Yin Xiaoyan purely on a whim—of course he did not deny that it was partly because he was not convinced by Yao Lianzhou. But after getting acquainted, Yin Xiaoyan reminded him more and more of a person. He left Song Li in Qingcheng Mountain. They are not so similar in appearance and temperament.Xiaoyan, who has been honed in life, has a much gentler personality and speech than Song Li; Song Li is more lively than Xiaoyan. But in Hou Yingzhi's eyes, the two have something in common: they both have a beauty that makes people feel pity.And this kind of beauty, the more you know them, the more they hold you... "It's cold. Let's go back." Hou Yingzhi said, took back the robe on the stone tablet, patted it twice and put it back on his body. "Thank you." Yin Xiaoyan smiled and drooped her long eyelashes: "After chatting with you for a while, I feel relaxed." Hou Yingzhi knew why she was wondering.But when he thought of the distance between himself and that man, he stopped smiling and just waved his hands. "You go first. I'll go back later." Watching Yin Xiaoyan disappear into the night with the lamp, Hou Yingzhi sucked the candy that had become thinner, and held the hilt of the sword even tighter. ——I want to progress faster.Until no one can ignore my existence. After all, it was not appropriate to walk with the woman in charge at night. Hou Yingzhi waited for a long time, expecting that Yin Xiaoyan would soon return to "Yuzhen Palace", before he began to set foot on the mountain road to the dormitory next to the martial arts field. But halfway through he felt something different. Hou Yingzhi didn't see or hear anything.It's just that after long-term practice with a swordsman like Ye Chenyuan, his intuition for danger has been sharpened. Not long after he stopped, Fan Zong appeared from behind. Fan Zong's expression was a little surprised: with his lightness and concealment skills of "Brown Snake", this kid actually noticed it... "It's late." Fan Zong said with a smile, but there was no smile in those small eyes. Hou Yingzhi saluted Senior Brother Fan.He was not sure when or even which day he started being followed by Fan Zong. When Hou Yingzhi and Fan Zong looked at each other, their eyes did not flicker at all.He has no shame in his heart.There is no impolite affair with Yin Xiaoyan.Practicing swords with Ye Chenyuan did not violate any precepts.That was an order from the deputy head.As for concealing the Qingcheng School sword manual, that was Ye Chenyuan's responsibility and had nothing to do with him. "Yes. I just came back from practicing sword on the mountainside." Hou Yingzhi said.He smelled of heat and sweat all over his body, which proved it. "Very hard. I didn't misread you at first." Fan Zong was still laughing. But suddenly moved. With a swift technique, he quickly pulled out the flying sword at his waist with his right hand, and struck Hou Yingzhi's chest like a dagger! Faced with Fan Zong's astonishing footwork speed, Hou Yingzhi had no time to draw his sword, so he raised the blunt sword with its sheath, and caught the stab in time.As soon as the sword was in motion, his body was flowing like clouds and flowing water, and he counterattacked with the sheath tail towards Fan Zong's neck! Fan Zong turned his sword back to block it, and at the same time, he was able to dexterously turn the flying sword into a reverse grip, forming a hook with his hand to restrain the scabbard, preventing it from moving. But Hou Yingzhi also reacted exceptionally. As soon as he felt the scabbard being restrained, he immediately pulled the blunt sword out of the sheath, walked obliquely, and stabbed the sword sideways towards Fan Zong's ribs. It was "Wudang Xingjian"! ——But it is also mixed with the Qingcheng School's "Fenghuojian" method of exerting strength. The thrust of the stabbing sword was so fierce that Fan Zong had to use his footwork to dodge laterally, while his other left hand was raised towards Hou Yingzhi! Hou Yingzhi's sword had already come out, he didn't have time to return the sword to strike, so he raised his left arm to protect his chest. The flying object thrown by Fan Zong came quickly, Hou Yingzhi hit it with a wave of his left hand, the object bounced off and fell to the ground. Hou Yingzhi's lantern was thrown aside long ago, and it was burning on the ground, reflecting that the "hidden weapon" was just a small branch. ——If it was a flying sword, Hou Yingzhi would still be injured when he dialed with his bare hands. Hou Yingzhi surprised Fan Zong again.The yardstick and speed of intercepting hidden weapons are not many even on Wudang Mountain. "You have made a lot of progress." Fan Zong easily put the flying sword back into the scabbard, and at the same time threw Hou Yingzhi's scabbard back to him. Hou Yingzhi took it, put the sword back into its sheath, bowed his head and fisted: "Thank you for teaching, brother." His face was ashen at night.He could see that Fan Zong was not as simple as trying a friendly move. --what is the problem? He stroked his swollen left palm, feeling suspicious. ——Is it because Ye Chenyuan and I exercised secretly? ... "Go back and rest." Fan Zong said, "Don't be late for tomorrow's morning class." Hou Yingzhi saluted again, then walked down the mountain road feeling the darkness. Fan Zong's well-trained eyes can see at night, and he has been staring at Hou Yingzhi's back. ——This is no ordinary progress...something must have happened.Does it really have something to do with "that person"? Fan Zong was determined to live up to the entrustment of the head and investigate this matter clearly. He touched the handle of the flying sword, recalling the oath he made when he first entered the "Brown Snake", the highest elite of the "Shou Snake Road". —Anyone who endangers Wudang will be killed without mercy. This is the only creed of being a Wudang faction assassin.