Chapter 239: Heading to Mount Piaomiao

Zhuo Bufan, in his fifties, with a long flowing beard and a sharp blade in hand, exuded the demeanor of a master.

He was a disciple of the Yi Zi Hui Jian Men; thirty-three years ago, his sect was annihilated by the Old Witch of Mount Tian Shan, and only Zhuo Bufan survived by chance while away. Afterwards, he went to Changbai Mountain, obtained an ancient master's sword scripture, trained relentlessly for twenty years, and finally emerged from seclusion, calling himself the Sword God. He originally intended to unite several figures to retaliate against the Old Witch of Mount Tian Shan, but heard that Gu Qing was famed in the Jianghu as the top martial artist with unmatched sword skill, so he came to challenge him.

"Gu Qing, I seek your guidance."

Zhuo Bufan gave a slight bow, fixing his gaze on Gu Qing as he stepped out.

Gu Qing had just become the leader of the Beggar's Sect, and Zhuo Bufan arrived to provoke him; nearby were many Jianghu figures, including elders and disciples of the Beggar's Sect, who had surrounded the area.

"Draw your blade."

Gu Qing, after a long absence from wielding a sword, lightly tilted his blade, perfectly embodying the subtleties of yin and yang.

This was the Two Yi Sword Art of the ancient Wudang lineage; by assuming this stance, Gu Qing forced Zhuo Bufan to unleash his full strength.

Zhuo Bufan narrowed his eyes, suddenly feeling pressure; he shook his sword, channeling his inner energy, and in an instant, a half-foot-long blue aura flickered unpredictably along the blade.

"Sword aura!"

The surrounding Jianghu figures cried out in shock.

"Shhh!"

Zhuo Bufan unleashed his full power; his sword trembled, and blades of light formed a vast, swirling circle.

"Hit!"

Gu Qing held his sword and thrust forward—calm, unhurried, simple and direct—his blade pierced through Zhuo Bufan's dozens of variations and gently rested against his throat.

Zhuo Bufan stared blankly at the blade before his neck, suddenly recalling how thirty years ago his Yi Zi Hui Jian Men was destroyed, how he retreated into the mountains to train in secret, obtained the ancient master's sword scripture, spent twenty years day and night honing his sword, never pausing through cold or heat, only to achieve supreme mastery—only to be defeated so effortlessly by this single strike.

All of it had turned to nothing.

Zhuo Bufan could accept defeat, but not defeat so easily; tears welled in his eyes as he stepped forward toward the blade at his throat.

The sword reversed itself, returning to Gu Qing's hand, halting Zhuo Bufan's attempt to kill himself.

"Why won't you let me die?"

Zhuo Bufan cried out in shame.

"This sword strike took me tens of thousands of battles to perfect. You losing to me is nothing to be ashamed of."

Gu Qing said calmly.

Every time Gu Qing entered a new world, he dismantled nearly all its martial techniques, absorbed their essence, and refined himself. Only in the Tianlong world, with its Langhuan Jade Cave, could he fully comprehend all martial arts without wandering the Jianghu fighting others—allowing him more time to pursue women.

The moment Zhuo Bufan used his sword technique, Wang Yuyan could instantly discern its strengths and weaknesses; though the sword aura was flashy, his martial attainment was still far inferior.

Though Zhuo Bufan found Gu Qing's words exaggerated, the gap in their strength was undeniable; now lowering his head, he could only offer gold to forge Gu Qing's first sword's reputation.

The Beggar's Sect members, seeing their leader's extraordinary sword skill, erupted in cheers.

"Amitabha. The Beggar's Sect leader's sword art is so profound—I deeply admire it."

From the crowd stepped several monks; the foremost monk clasped his hands and said, "I am Xuan Nan, honored to meet the Beggar's Sect leader."

Aren't you the Xuan Nan that Qiao Feng defeated with the Taizu Longquan Fist?

Gu Qing nodded to Xuan Nan.

Xuan Nan stepped forward and presented a letter, stating that Qiao Feng had infiltrated Shaolin Temple, killed his master Xuan Ku, and demanded a meeting to discuss the events at Yanmen Pass thirty years prior; the letter was sent to the Beggar's Sect because they were deeply involved.

Gu Qing took the letter and promised to attend. Xuan Nan studied Gu Qing silently, sighed, and took his leave.

Sending the letter was a courtesy, but the Shaolin feared the Beggar's Sect might ally with Qiao Feng—that would be disastrous.

As Gu Qing scanned the monks beside Xuan Nan, he spotted one with a turned-up nose and an ugly face, about twenty-three or twenty-four—he guessed this was Xu Zhu. When their eyes met, Gu Qing gave a slight nod; this man was originally destined for great fortune with the Xiaoyao Sect, even to become one of its greatest masters, but without his encounter, he would now vanish into obscurity within Shaolin.

Yet this was precisely what Xu Zhu longed for.

"Master Gu."

A middle-aged beautiful woman in a pink dress stepped forward, bowed to Gu Qing, and said, "I am Cui Lühua, honored to meet Master Gu."

"So you are the Lotus Immortal."

Gu Qing greeted Cui Lühua.

Cui Lühua's eyes shimmered as she studied Gu Qing's face; after a moment, she lowered her gaze slightly and said, "Master Gu, I heard you once appeared together with the Old Witch of Mount Tian Shan in Suzhou and rescued the Beggar's Sect?"

Hearing this concerned them, the Beggar's Sect members turned to look.

!

"That did happen."

Gu Qing nodded.

"Then your relationship with the Old Witch of Mount Tian Shan must be good."

Cui Lühua asked again.

Gu Qing nodded once more.

"Please, Master, step aside…"

Cui Lühua led Gu Qing to a quiet corner of the wall and said, "I've heard rumors that Li Qiushui, the Old Witch's younger sister, claims the Old Witch's body is failing. Her disciples from the Thirty-Six Caves and Seventy-Two Islands are gathering, planning to storm Mount Piaomiao and kill her."

Gu Qing studied Cui Lühua—he knew her brother had been killed by someone from the Thirty-Six Caves and Seventy-Two Islands. During the Battle of Mount Piaomiao, sensing Xu Zhu might know the antidote to the Life-and-Death Seal, she had tried to kill him to trigger the seal's agony and make her enemies die in torment.

Now, by delivering this message, Cui Lühua hoped Gu Qing would warn the Old Witch to deal with the Thirty-Six Caves and Seventy-Two Islands.

"Thank you for the warning."

Gu Qing did not wish to explain matters of the Xiaoyao Sect; he bowed to Cui Lühua and said, "Would you be willing to join the Lingjiu Palace on Mount Piaomiao, to control the Thirty-Six Caves and Seventy-Two Islands?"

Cui Lühua was overjoyed—if she controlled the distribution of the Life-and-Death Seals, she would ensure her enemies died in agony.

Turning back, Gu Qing bid farewell to the Beggar's Sect members. Zhuo Bufan's challenge had delayed him; by nightfall, he entered Wang Yuyan and Mu Wanzhen's chamber. After they sat down, Gu Qing spoke of Li Qiushui's impending battle with the Old Witch.

"To stop their clash, we must go to the Western Xia Imperial Palace or the Lingjiu Palace on Mount Piaomiao and persuade one of them to stand down."

Mu Wanzhen, aware of their decades-long feud and the Old Witch's surprise attack, knew the two were locked in mortal enmity—but both belonged to the Xiaoyao Sect, and Gu Qing was its patriarch; she felt peace was best.

"Go to the Lingjiu Palace."

Wang Yuyan declared firmly.

Mu Wanzhen glanced sideways and said, "Li Qiushui is your grandmother. If you go to the Lingjiu Palace now, won't she think you've sided with her enemy?"

Wang Yuyan fell silent.

Precisely because Li Qiushui was her grandmother did Wang Yuyan want Gu Qing to go to Mount Piaomiao—because her grandmother was morally loose, still chasing handsome men with reckless abandon. If she brought Gu Qing to the Western Xia Imperial Palace and something scandalous like an old woman bearing a child occurred, Wang Yuyan would die of shame.

(End of Chapter)