Chapter 43: Holy Shit, Yuan

The Golden Wheel Lama pulled his reins, gazing at Gu Qing standing in the road; he glanced warily around, saw no ambushes—only Gu Qing alone—and a smile slowly spread across his face.

“Senior Brother Ye Fan!”

Darba, behind the Golden Wheel Lama, greeted Gu Qing in Tibetan.

Gu Qing nodded with a smile and asked in Tibetan: “How is the temple coming along?”

“More than half is done, but the Master won’t let us build further.”

Darba spoke with a hint of grievance, feeling the Golden Wheel Lama was blocking his path to becoming a Golden Body Arhat.

“He’s not your senior brother’s reincarnation.”

The Golden Wheel Lama cut off Darba, fixing his gaze on Gu Qing: “I’ve heard you have a saying—‘a mantis trying to stop a cart’—this must be what it looks like.” As he spoke, he dismounted; he had long sought revenge on Gu Qing, and now, chance had brought them face to face.

“A mantis trying to stop a cart?”

Gu Qing chuckled, then said solemnly: “You’ve misunderstood. Let me be clear—you’re the challenger.”

The Golden Wheel Lama stared at Gu Qing in disbelief.

“We’ve met twice before—you lost both times.”

Gu Qing brought up the past.

The Golden Wheel Lama, ever proud, immediately retorted: “At the Hero Gathering, I was tricked by you and couldn’t unleash my full strength; there were too many people there, so I didn’t fight to the death. As for Guo Fu—my duel with Guo Jing ended in a draw. How can you say I lost twice?”

The Golden Wheel Lama refused to accept defeat.

“At the Hero Gathering, too many Central Plains martial artists—I couldn’t perform well, so I fled.”

“When I kidnapped Guo Fu, too many Mongol martial artists were around—I couldn’t perform well, so I fled.”

Gu Qing spoke with mocking sarcasm.

Hearing this, the Golden Wheel Lama no longer wasted words; he reached into his robe and pulled out twin silver and bronze wheels, hurled them into the air, then leapt after them, hurtling toward Gu Qing. Before he even reached him, the air pressure slammed into Gu Qing’s face.

“Feather Drift Skill.”

Gu Qing’s body swayed like a willow fluff, naturally lifted by the Golden Wheel Lama’s qi, flipping lightly midair as he slipped between the twin wheels. Seeing the Lama’s palm strike, Gu Qing tapped the ground with his toe, closed the distance, slipped inside the Lama’s arm’s reach, swept one hand across his elbow to neutralize the force, and thrust the other like a claw straight at his chest.

“Snap!”

The Golden Wheel Lama’s chest bore another wheel; Gu Qing slapped it, and a resonant hum carried him backward. As he retreated, his back seemed to see—his body twisted slightly, evading the two spinning wheels as they returned.

The Golden Wheel Lama looked down at his chest; five holes pierced his robes. Had it not been for the wheel shielding him, Gu Qing’s strike would have torn out his heart.

Recalling this, the Golden Wheel Lama broke into a cold sweat; he looked at Gu Qing with no trace of contempt, realizing his martial skill had advanced tremendously since the Hero Gathering.

Just now, the Golden Wheel Lama had used only one move, yet Gu Qing had employed the “Feather Drift Skill,” “Snake Crawl and Cat Flip,” “Pluck the Five Strings,” “Crush-Resistant Claw,” the Complete Reality Sect’s Heavenly Giant North Star Step, and had anticipated close-range attacks based on his understanding of the Dragon and Elephant Power.

In raw power, the Golden Wheel Lama was superior—but Gu Qing countered with technique, gaining the upper hand.

“Good, good, good.”

The Golden Wheel Lama, both startled and furious, extended his long arms, twin wheels in hand, and attacked Gu Qing again!

The Dragon and Elephant Power was heavy and crushing; now unleashed, its qi was dense, its Gangfeng fierce. With twin wheels in hand, the Golden Wheel Lama knew if Gu Qing dared close in, he’d be shattered limb from limb.

“It’s no different from a mud truck.”

Gu Qing had a knife at his side, but it was useless—too poor in quality. The twin wheels nullified the effect of the Azure Sky Serpent’s motion. He instead pinched three Jade Bee Needles, applied the Complete Reality Sect’s lightness techniques, and dodged the Lama’s relentless strikes with calm ease.

Seeing Gu Qing stall him, the Golden Wheel Lama spun the wheels free, letting them circle his body, then gathered his fist and lunged straight at Gu Qing’s face.

Gu Qing flicked the Jade Bee Needles; the Lama tilted his head aside, raised his palm to catch Gu Qing’s fist, and rose like a willow fluff, riding the punch’s momentum backward. As his toe touched ground, he surged upward, wrist circling lightly, slapping the Lama’s ulna.

This fluctuating, elusive power perfectly embodied the Complete Reality Sect’s mastery of qi absorption and release. Now without his wheels, the Golden Wheel Lama faced Gu Qing’s palms—soft yet penetrating, yielding yet precise, rooted in Complete Reality’s principle of realizing the true self, unmoving yet pervading all six directions, achieving invincibility!

Even the young Wang Chongyang could not have done better.

Darba watched, his most revered Master and most beloved Senior Brother locked in combat. He too trained the Dragon and Elephant Power—he knew best. He knew that with ordinary men, the Golden Wheel Lama’s qi alone could shatter bones on contact. Yet Gu Qing’s palms stuck and clung, yet moved with clean precision, growing ever more exquisite with each strike, holding his own against the Lama.

“Master, he’s your senior brother—stop fighting!”

Darba cried out.

“Be silent!”

The Golden Wheel Lama growled. He knew the truth best—Daoist martial arts excel at yielding to overcome hardness. Though the fight seemed evenly matched, Gu Qing’s techniques concealed needles in cotton—he was the one suffering.

Fortunately, Gu Qing held back his power, so his technique gained advantage; his strikes on the Lama’s arms hurt but didn’t injure. Yet even a scratch was unbearable to the Golden Wheel Lama.

“Snap!”

Gu Qing swung a diagonal palm, striking the Lama’s armpit, then shifted his step, using the Complete Reality Sect’s Heavenly Giant North Star Step to slip behind him.

In Jin Yong’s novels, though internal power usually dominates, there are cases of the weak defeating the strong—like Zhou Zhiruo at the Lion-Slaying Gathering, whose shallow internal power won the title of Number One through the swift-acquired Nine Yin Manual; or Lin Pingzhi against Yu Canghai, whose weak internal power crushed Yu with the subtlety of the Biye Sword Manual.

Of course, Linghu Chong’s period without internal power was the ultimate example.

Gu Qing’s strength had risen repeatedly; now his internal power rivaled Qiu Chuji of the Complete Reality Sect—he was among the top martial artists in the world. With his exquisite techniques fully unleashed, even though his internal power fell short of the Golden Wheel Lama’s, he still held a decisive edge in technique, striking true on the Lama’s body—he was the hidden victor in this battle.

Gu Qing opened his palm, arm outstretched, attacking again. The Golden Wheel Lama reached out, attempting to lock Gu Qing’s arm—but as Gu Qing retracted, he switched forms, still opening and closing with heavy, forceful strikes to meet Gu Qing’s moves.

Gu Qing responded calmly, observing every motion. They clashed for nearly half an hour; the Golden Wheel Lama had cycled through his techniques twice, yet Gu Qing’s arsenal remained unexhausted. Suddenly, thunderous hoofbeats shook the earth; Gu Qing gazed afar and saw a hundred horses charging, behind them rolling smoke blotting out sky and land—how many soldiers, impossible to tell.

It was Mongol cavalry. Seeing this, the Golden Wheel Lama pressed harder, striking with even greater force. Gu Qing remained calm, scanning his surroundings—thankfully, three sides were mountainous, giving him multiple escape routes. On an open plain, facing Mongol mounted archers, even a master like him would be severely constrained.

“State Preceptor, cease!”

From the center of the cavalry, a young man, exuding authority, called out loudly.

Hearing the youth’s words, the Golden Wheel Lama intensified his fist strikes, forcing Gu Qing to retreat several steps. Only then did he gracefully withdraw, assuming the air of a triumphant victor, approaching the youth and bowing: “Prince.”

This youth was not Prince Hudu.

Gu Qing studied the youth as the Golden Wheel Lama recounted Gu Qing’s crimes—insulting the Mongol Empress’s longevity, predicting Möngke’s death, and more.

The youth laughed heartily, looking at Gu Qing: “So you’re a Complete Reality Sect immortal. I’ve heard Daoists can foretell the future—why not cast a divination for me?”

Seeing Gu Qing and the Golden Wheel Lama evenly matched, the youth now sought to win him over.

Gu Qing narrowed his eyes, stepped forward—suddenly, several masters leapt out, blocking his path, including Yin Kexi, who had appeared at the Hero Gathering.

At once, Gu Qing deduced the youth’s identity and called out loudly: “You’re Prince Kublai, correct?”

Kublai, startled that Gu Qing named him so directly, nodded: “Yes, it’s me.”

Gu Qing drew a deep breath, calmed his churning internal qi, entered his most tranquil state, stepped forward again, pinched his fingers as if casting a divination—then suddenly his face turned pale with shock: “Holy shit, Yuan!”

“Yuan?”

Those around were baffled—Gu Qing had acted wildly. In that instant, Gu Qing activated his lightness skill, a blue shadow flashed—and he surged toward Kublai!

The Golden Wheel Lama, Yin Kexi, Xiao Xiangzi—all elite masters—rushed to shield Kublai, palms overlapping to block Gu Qing.

At this moment, Gu Qing could still have escaped safely—but through the crowd of warriors, he saw Kublai, mounted, dignified and majestic, unmoved by the sudden assassination attempt, as if Gu Qing’s outburst meant nothing.

That annoyed Gu Qing.

Gu Qing hated people who put on airs in front of him.

If Kublai had fallen from his horse in fright, Gu Qing would have slipped away. But now… Kublai’s composure was too vast!

So in that instant, Gu Qing sucked in air, his belly gurgled twice, channeled the Toad Skill he’d learned from Yang Guo, dodged the Golden Wheel Lama’s hammering strike, endured the blows from Yin Kexi and Xiao Xiangzi, and lunged straight at Kublai.

Kublai was thrown into panic, yanking his reins—suddenly, a figure named Ma Guangzuo leapt forward, blocking the way.

Gu Qing knew the assassination opportunity was gone. He hurled all his Jade Bee Needles using the Ancient Tomb technique, drenching Kublai’s face and neck with seven or eight needles. The prince screamed on horseback and tumbled off.

Gu Qing achieved his goal, laughed bloodily, and before the Golden Wheel Lama, Yin Kexi, and Xiao Xiangzi could surround him, pushed his Nine Yin Manual lightness skill to its peak—turning into blue smoke, vanishing into the mountains.

Mongol cavalry drew bows and loosed arrows—suddenly, the heavens and earth howled, arrows dense as a painted curtain.

Thank you to all readers for your continued support. This chapter was posted yesterday; I strive to make every chapter shine, so sometimes I delay—please forgive me. This chapter is 3K.

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(End of Chapter)