Chapter 60: The Love and Hate of the Older Generation

“Huh, why are you the only one here?”

Yi Tian Zhang Jie entered the shared space and found only Shui Hu Zhang Jie present; Tian Long Zhang Jie was absent.

“Isn’t having someone to chat with enough?”

The Shui Hu Zhang Jie, clad in a blue robe, replied casually.

“True enough.”

Yi Tian Zhang Jie nodded.

“Let’s share!”

The two Zhang Jies clasped hands.

“Half-year-old venison is delicious—Boss Cao loves it, and he even remembers to send some to Yun Chang.”

Yi Tian Zhang Jie grinned as he watched Shui Hu Zhang Jie eating venison at the Deer Feast.

“Meat can’t be eaten without wine—I’ve got some 9.9 yuan XO from Ga Zi; I’ll send that too.”

Tian Long Zhang Jie, who had appeared in the shared space without warning, chuckled.

“Then shouldn’t we also send Yun Chang the Ren Tou Ma from Pan Zi’s place?”

Shui Hu Zhang Jie retorted.

“And throw in the Mei Cheng mooncakes I bought from San Tou Zhu.”

Yi Tian Zhang Jie continued.

“You can’t drink without women—send Yu Jie too.”

“Oh, and send Ga Zi along as well.”

Tian Long Zhang Jie waved his hand grandly, generously.

“What a waste of this venison—no wonder Yun Chang went looking for Bei Bei instead of sticking with Boss Cao. This is going to kill him.”

Shui Hu Zhang Jie covered his face at the two of them’s wild imaginings.

After eating all this, wouldn’t Yun Chang just slit his throat and die?

And isn’t Diaochan still fresh from her suicide? Are you planning to send her too?

“But the wines sold by Pan Zi and Ga Zi are industrial waste in the 21st century,”

Shui Hu Zhang Jie analyzed seriously after his rant,

“but in ancient times, they were truly top-grade spirits.”

“Of course, maybe ancient people didn’t even like strong liquor—they preferred fruit wines or rice wines.”

“Exactly—just like in chemistry, there’s no such thing as waste, only impurities,”

Yi Tian Zhang Jie nodded in agreement.

“Industrial waste from the 21st century might actually be treasures in ancient times.”

“If polyester fiber, so despised in the 21st century, were to be transported to ancient times,”

Tian Long Zhang Jie added,

“a gust of wind would turn someone into a balloon person—ancients would surely stare in awe and exclaim, ‘Truly seamless, as if woven by heaven!’”

“Polyester fiber!”

Shui Hu Zhang Jie couldn’t help sighing upon hearing the term.

In a blink, he hadn’t encountered this ubiquitous 21st-century material for over a decade.

Seeing the literary youth Shui Hu Zhang Jie grow melancholic,

Tian Long Zhang Jie changed the subject, turning to Yi Tian Zhang Jie:

“By the way, didn’t you get to Binghuo Island from Zhu Wu’s Linked Mountain Villa?”

“If so, why didn’t you go straight to Mount Emei first and claim the Yi Tian Sword?”

As expected, Shui Hu Zhang Jie’s attention was drawn to this topic:

From Zhu Wu’s Linked Mountain Villa to Mount Emei, then to Binghuo Island,

was theoretically the shortest route, taking the least time.

Yet Yi Tian Zhang Jie went to Binghuo Island first to retrieve the Tu Long Dao,

then traveled to Mount Emei for the Yi Tian Sword—taking a huge detour.

Yi Tian Zhang Jie sighed and waved his hand:

“Big brother, do you think I don’t want to? I had no choice!”

"Big brother, do I not want to? Isn't this something I have no choice but to do!"

Both Tian Long Zhang Jie and Shui Hu Zhang Jie leaned in.

Yi Tian Zhang Jie slowly explained his dilemma:

“Brothers, we all know the founder of Mount Emei is Guo Xiang, the female hero.”

“But our Wudang Mountain has an old Daoist priest, Pure Yang Lao Daoist Priest, who’s been around for over a hundred years—Zhang Chulan.”

And our Mount Wudang has had a pure yang old Daoist who has been Zhang Chulan for over a hundred years.

Shui Hu Zhang Jie understood.

What was the situation back then?

It was complicated.

The Divine Eagle Hero Yang Guo was deeply in love with his aunt and master, Xiao Long Nu, and waited sixteen years for her.

Meanwhile, the young Guo Xiang unknowingly fell for Yang Guo—the handsome, rugged, and free-spirited elder man.

Her disciple Feng Ling Shitai’s name is proof enough.

Feng Ling Ferry was where Guo Xiang first met Yang Guo.

As the saying goes: “At Feng Ling Ferry, first meeting Yang Guo, one’s whole life is ruined.”

Meanwhile, Zhang Sanfeng, then a young monk, fell for the whimsical and spirited Guo Xiang.

After Guo Xiang clearly refused him, Zhang Sanfeng did not persist,

but quietly went to Mount Wudang and founded the Wudang Sect.

Yet he never forgot Guo Xiang—Wudang’s Seven Heroes’ names, ignoring their surnames,

together formed a profoundly beautiful poem:

“Yuanqiao, Qingqian, drifting lotus boat; Daiyan, unable to block stream and pine.”

“Cuishan, gazing afar at pear tree standing; still, Shenggu echoes empty valley.”

These scenes likely reflect moments he shared with the woman he loved—

such as Mount Hua, Shaolin Temple, the empty valley where he attained enlightenment.

Yin Susu once asked curiously:

“Why didn’t Master ever marry Guo Xiang?”

Yu Lianzhou replied: “Because Master knew

Guo Xiang’s heart always held one person.”

The pair of iron Arhats Guo Xiang gave him, Zhang Sanfeng kept close to his body for over a hundred years.

At the end of Yi Tian, Jin Lao wrote:

“Zhang Sanfeng gazed at Guo Xiang’s farewell letter, and before his eyes appeared once more that bright, graceful girl.”

“But that had been over a hundred years ago.”

That bright, graceful girl—even after a hundred years—

Zhang Sanfeng could never forget; this was Zhang Sanfeng’s lifelong regret.

Even though Guo Xiang had passed away long ago, out of love for her,

Zhang Sanfeng had always protected her disciples and disciples’ disciples.

Wudang Sect had a rule, personally established by Zhang Sanfeng:

No Wudang disciple shall ever strike a Mount Emei disciple.

If Yi Tian Zhang Jie went to Mount Emei first to “take” the Yi Tian Sword,

given Mei Jue’s fiery, uncompromising nature,

and knowing she treasured the Yi Tian Sword more than her own eyesight,

a great battle—and likely deaths—would be unavoidable.

Yi Tian Zhang Jie had no desire to be expelled from Wudang,

since his master, Yu Lianzhou, who raised him since childhood, still lived on Wudang Mountain!

And what if Zhang Sanfeng, enraged, came down the mountain himself to hunt him down?

Yi Tian Zhang Jie didn’t believe his own Beiming Qi of over sixty years could match the old Daoist.

Remember, Sanfeng the Daoist was a supreme master—“others cultivate martial arts; he cultivates immortality.”

After much thought, Yi Tian Zhang Jie decided to first obtain the Tu Long Dao from Xie Xun,

then rush to Mount Emei and swiftly retrieve the secret manuals hidden in the Yi Tian Sword and Tu Long Dao.

By then, the deed would be done, and Mei Jue would have no recourse.

Worst case, Yi Tian Zhang Jie could share copies of the Ji Yin Zhen Jing and other manuals with them.

Manuals aren’t rare celestial treasures—there’s no reason why we can’t all benefit.

Worst case, Zhang Jie can share copies of the Nine Yin Manual and other secret texts with them.

Secret texts aren’t rare celestial treasures that exist in only one copy—there’s plenty to go around for everyone.

“You’ve passed.”

Tianlong Zhang Jie nodded in agreement with Yitian Zhang Jie’s statement.

“You’re talking about me? How come you haven’t dealt with the Four Evils yet?”

The mocked Yitian Zhang Jie launched an attack against Tianlong Zhang Jie.

Hearing this, Tianlong Zhang Jie chuckled awkwardly:

“I never expected Duan Yanqing’s information to be this outdated!”

It has been more than half a month since he had Xue Muhua spread the message: “Outside the Tianlong Temple, beneath the Bodhi tree,

a beggar in rags, Guanyin’s long hair.”

Feng Asan and the Eight Friends of Han Gu had all arrived at Leigu Mountain from every direction,

Wuyangzi’s tomb had been repaired, and Tianlong Zhang Jie was already planning to leave the mountain and stir up trouble,

yet Duan Yanqing and the Four Evils remained nowhere to be seen.

Because of this, Tianlong Zhang Jie dared not leave the mountain to stir up trouble:

What if he missed Duan Yanqing and the others?

In this vast martial world, it was hard to find people who had no fixed location.

“Perhaps Duan Yanqing and the others are on a mission for the Yipin Hall.”

Water Margin Zhang Jie analyzed.

“That makes sense.”

Yitian Zhang Jie nodded in agreement.

Duan Yanqing and the Four Evils had committed countless atrocities in Central Plains and Dali, and were hunted by numerous martial factions.

Hence, they took refuge under the Western Xia’s secret agency, the Yipin Hall.

Unlike the masters of Great Sudden, who generally ignored the court and pursued their own paths,

where the martial world and the imperial court were nearly parallel lines,

nearly all of Western Xia’s masters were within the Yipin Hall.

The most important reason was that Western Xia possessed an ultimate master capable of

suppressing the Western Xia martial world: the Western Xia Grand Consort Li Qiushui.

After falling out with Wuyangzi, Li Qiushui traveled alone to Western Xia,

married the previous Western Xia king, and bore the current Western Xia king.

The Western Xia Yipin Hall was under Li Qiushui’s control, serving as her key tool to rule Western Xia from behind the curtain

and counter her senior sister, the Heavenly Mountain Old Witch.

Faced with Li Qiushui, an ultimate master, Duan Yanqing, a top-tier master, could only submit humbly.

If Li Qiushui had assigned a mission to Duan Yanqing,

his absence from Leigu Mountain, still far away in the Western Regions, would be perfectly justified.

“Younger brother, why did you head toward Yuncheng County?”

After discussing their own issues, Yitian Zhang Jie and Tianlong Zhang Jie turned their attention to Water Margin Zhang Jie.

“Chen Wen invited me to his home as a guest; I couldn’t refuse.

With several months still left until next February’s imperial examination,

I also plan to travel around.” Water Margin Zhang Jie said.

Yitian Zhang Jie’s eyes widened: “Then don’t you have a chance to meet Song Jiang, Master Song—

with eyes like vermilion phoenixes,

eyebrows like reclining silkworms, ears like dangling pearls, eyes bright as polished lacquer,

lips square and mouth straight, beard and mustache light and elegant; forehead broad and crown flat, cheeks full and plump.

When seated, he resembles a tiger; when moving, he moves like a wolf.

In his thirties, he possesses the generosity to support ten thousand people;

six feet tall, harboring the ambition to cleanse the four seas?”

“That’s not a mere Yasi—looks more like a description fit for Qin Shi Huang, Han Wu, Tang Taizong, or Song Taizu,” Tianlong Zhang Jie retorted.