Chapter 191: The Smiling Face That Kills Without Paying a Debt

On Emei Mountain.

Yu Liancheng and Xiaoxiannv walked slowly.

Xiaoxiannv lowered her brow, remained silent for a long while, and could not help but say: "Is Fungong Yao Yue of Yihua Palace truly that formidable? I find Hua Wuque's martial arts to be very brilliant; even I might not be his match, yet he cannot even take a single move from Yao Yue?"

"Even you might not be his match?" Yu Liancheng could not help but laugh: "Wrong. If Hua Wuque goes all out, you could take five moves from him at most."

Xiaoxiannv glared fiercely at Yu Liancheng.

"Hua Wuque's martial arts are indeed not bad, but compared to his two masters, he is still far behind."

Yu Liancheng paused, then added: "Yihua Palace has two supreme arts. One is the 'Moving Flowers Grafting Jade', which intimidates the pugilistic world and is extremely profound. But 'Moving Flowers Grafting Jade' is merely an incredibly exquisite technique, nothing more than the four words 'borrowing force to strike'. The other, 'Mingyu Kung', is the true foundation of Yihua Palace."

Xiaoxiannv asked suspiciously: "Mingyu Kung? Is it very powerful?"

Yu Liancheng said: "Mingyu Kung is the highest orthodox internal mental cultivation method practiced by the successive Fungongs of Yihua Palace. Like the Fossil Divine Art, it is divided into nine layers. Once one can cultivate to the sixth layer, one can already contend with the First-class Experts of the current era. If one can reach the eighth layer, one can be invincible under heaven."

Xiaoxiannv hurriedly asked: "Then what about the ninth layer?"

"If one practices to the ninth layer, the True Qi permeates with a chill. By merely tapping another's acupoints, one can freeze them into a block of ice."

Yu Liancheng's expression grew a bit more solemn: "And what is truly terrifying is that the internal force does not dissipate outward but is internalized. Therefore, when operating the technique, one does not consume Internal Force, but instead increases it, reaching a realm that is infinite and ceaseless. It is said that when this art is practiced to its depths, it can keep one's youth forever, which is why both Fungongs are still peerless beauties to this day."

"How could there be such a powerful martial art?" Xiaoxiannv found it unbelievable.

Freezing people into ice was one thing, but having infinite internal force, and even eternal youth. This was no longer martial arts; it was clearly divine magic.

Yu Liancheng said: "If not for such peerless martial arts, how could Yihua Palace suppress the pugilistic world and be invincible under heaven?"

Xiaoxiannv said: "If they have mastered this kind of martial art, who else in the world could be their match? You offended Yihua Palace today; aren't you afraid they will come to cause you trouble?"

"There are only invincible people in the world, not invincible martial arts; you know this principle," Yu Liancheng said indifferently: "Moreover, they have only cultivated Mingyu Kung to the eighth layer, so why fear them?"

"Even they haven't practiced it to the ninth layer?"

"Of course," Yu Liancheng said: "Truly brilliant martial arts mostly involve the secrets of the mind. Sometimes a flash of vague spiritual inspiration, a stirring of the heart, is worth more than years of bitter cultivation. Those two women have flaws in their state of mind; if they do not find a way to make up for those flaws, or find a spark of spiritual inspiration, they will never be able to reach the ninth layer in this lifetime."

The two walked on Emei Mountain, scanning with their eyes, searching for the location of the Underground Palace.

The Underground Palace was at the bottom of a cliff on the Back Mountain of Emei, but Yu Liancheng was not very clear about the specific range.

However, there were a few points that could be confirmed.

First, there should be many bamboo plants near the cliff, and the terrain should be quite flat; in the original story, Hua Wuque once built a simple bamboo hut on the edge of the cliff.

Second, the cliff slants inward, and a few zhang down there is a cave; in that cave are two people and a fortune in treasure.

In the past, Shen Qinghong, the chief escort leader of the three major escort agencies of the Central Plains, known as "Flying Flowers Fill the Sky, Landing Without a Sound," accepted an unprecedented shipment of red goods, but was targeted by the Twelve Zodiacs, who sent him a Star Chart.

Shen Qinghong knew he was no match for the Twelve Zodiacs, so he made two preparations. On one hand, he used a "cicada shedding its shell" ruse, first hiding the red goods in a cave on the sheer cliff, letting the Twelve Zodiacs raid it for nothing.

On the other hand, Shen Qinghong went to seek the Great Hero Yan Nantian, wanting to ask him for protection for a time. But at that time, Yan Nantian was focused on the affairs of his sworn brother Jiang Feng and refused him.

Yan Nantian subsequently saved Xiaoyuer and also killed several of the Twelve Zodiacs along the way.

It was just that Shen Qinghong was forced by Xianguoshenjun of the Twelve Zodiacs and had no choice but to take him to the place where the treasure was hidden.

The two shared a rope on the cliff, and after descending the cliff, Shen Qinghong took advantage of Xianguoshenjun's lack of preparation and decisively cut the rope, so the two were trapped in the cliff cave for more than ten years.

Third, the cliff is covered with dense vines, there is a considerable number of monkeys, and there are melons and fruits nearby.

Xianguoshenjun used the stones in the cave to throw at the monkeys, and the monkeys imitated him, but there were no stones on the cliff, so they could only use melons and fruits to throw back, which was the only reason the two of them did not starve to death.

Before coming to Emei Mountain, Yu Liancheng had carefully studied the map of Emei Mountain and determined the search area.

Half an hour later, he suddenly saw from afar that there was a cave on a cliff ahead, and stones were being thrown out from the cave, while the monkeys on the cliff, grabbing green vines, were constantly throwing melons and fruits over.

"Found it."

Yu Liancheng's eyes could not help but light up.

The two walked toward the cliff.

"Help!" Before they even reached the edge of the cliff, a delicate cry rang out.

Every man fantasizes about "a hero saving a beauty," but unfortunately, in reality, such things do not happen very often.

Now the opportunity had come, and the voice calling for help was exceptionally pleasant, yet Yu Liancheng acted as if he had not heard it at all.

But Xiaoxiannv's figure unfolded in an instant, and she rushed toward the place where the sound came from like a bird in flight.

"This woman." Yu Liancheng could not help but shake his head and also walked over quickly.

Most girls who call for "help" are usually not too ugly.

But one as beautiful as the one before them was still a rarity.

And to be more precise, this was not a girl, but a woman, a very beautiful woman.

She was a young woman in a light green dress with a camellia flower tucked into her hair.

She was holding a flower basket, her beautiful face had turned pale, yet she appeared all the more pitiful as she stumbled while fleeing.

A burly man with a full beard was approaching her unhurriedly; judging by his appearance, he was a pugilist, possibly also here for the Treasure Map.

He was not in a hurry to chase, because he knew this beautiful lady was already food in his mouth and could no longer escape his grasp.

It was just a pity that before he could make a move, Zhang Jing, the Xiaoxiannv, had already appeared.

Facing this unexpected intruder, the burly man was not only not frightened but instead showed joy: "Good, today it is my turn to enjoy myself, another one has come... Ow..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xiaoxiannv's whip had already unfurled, whipping the burly man until he rolled all over the ground, howling.

Xiaoxiannv's face was gloomy, but the whip in her hand kept lashing out incessantly, whipping the man until he was covered in blood, not a single piece of good flesh left on his body, his screams becoming even more shrill.

Yu Liancheng stood to the side with a smile, not stopping her.

On the contrary, the young woman in the green dress seemed stunned, and after a long while, she finally could not help but hiss: "Stop... stop, what grudge do you have with him?"

Xiaoxiannv sneered: "All the villains in the world have a deep-seated grudge against me."

"But if you keep hitting him, he will die." The young woman in the green dress felt her legs go soft and she knelt on the ground, not knowing if it was because she had run for too long and had no strength left, or if she had been frightened by Xiaoxiannv.

Xiaoxiannv still sneered: "For a person like this, it is better if he dies."

The burly man had been rolling on the ground from the whipping, but soon he stopped moving, and it was unclear whether he had more breath going in or coming out.

Only then did Xiaoxiannv withdraw her hand and look at the young woman in the green dress: "This is Emei Mountain, why are you here?"

Swept by Xiaoxiannv's gaze, the young woman in the green dress couldn't help but tremble, appearing all the more pitiful: "I... I came up the mountain to check on my nephew, and I didn't expect that as soon as I left, I would... would run into this person."

Although the disciples of Emei Mountain are considered people who have left the secular world, they cannot truly sever all ties with the dust of the world.

Xiaoxiannv said: "Then you should go down the mountain now; in the future, try not to come to such a remote place alone."

The young woman in the green dress nodded repeatedly: "I know, I... I definitely won't dare to come alone next time. I originally thought..."

Xiaoxiannv already urged: "Go quickly."

The young woman in the green dress just wanted to stand up, but she sat back down softly. After trying twice, she said with tears in her eyes: "I... I can't seem to stand up."

"Troublesome." Xiaoxiannv took two steps forward, paused, frowned, and walked toward the young woman in the green dress, reaching out to help her up.

Just hearing the young woman in the green dress let out an "Ah!", she actually fell to the ground together with Xiaoxiannv.

"Miss, Miss, what's wrong with you?" The young woman in the green dress landed on her bottom, while Xiaoxiannv, for some reason, had fainted.

The young woman shook Xiaoxiannv's body vigorously, turned her head, and said in a panic: "Little brother, come over and take a look. I don't know why this young lady fainted; I can't wake her up."

"Oh, what's wrong? Let me see." Yu Liancheng walked over quickly, and the hand of the young woman in the green dress involuntarily rested on Yu Liancheng's arm.

This hand was slender and delicate, every finger looking as if it were carved from white jade, with an even more fragile quality, as if she were a young lady from a wealthy family who had never done a day's work.

But the moment it touched Yu Liancheng's wrist, this hand had already unleashed the "Jiemaisu" from the Western Esoteric Sect. Once this "Jiemaisu" presses on the vital gate and drives True Qi, it can immediately make a person's whole body weak and powerless.

"Fall for me!"

The young woman in the green dress had great confidence in this move of hers, and a sweet, smug smile had already appeared at the corners of her mouth.

Yu Liancheng, however, only looked at her with a smile.

The True Qi she had originally invaded into Yu Liancheng's body was like a clay ox entering the sea.

The young woman in the green dress widened her eyes, and an expression of surprise appeared on her beautiful face.

Before she could react further, a powerful force of True Qi had already crashed from Yu Liancheng's wrist into her meridians.

The young woman in the green dress couldn't help but stumble back two steps, her internal True Qi scattered, and she sat down on the grass on her bottom.

Yu Liancheng flicked a strand of force toward Xiaoxiannv, and she slowly woke up.

"Didn't I warn you that this woman was strange and told you to be careful? How did you still get caught?" Yu Liancheng looked at Xiaoxiannv, his tone filled with curiosity.

"You... I just wanted to see what tricks this woman had."

Zhang Jing was both ashamed and angry. Although she hadn't been walking the Edo for long, she had dealt with many heinous villains and had seen many tricks and schemes, so she had been on guard against this young woman in the green dress from the start.

When the other party said she couldn't stand up, Zhang Jing had already been suspicious; she had originally intended to lash out with her whip to see if this woman actually knew martial arts.

But Yu Liancheng had sent a voice transmission telling her to be careful, which had stirred up the young woman's pride, making her want to test it herself, and as a result, she fell for the young woman in the green dress's trap.

"You woman, how dare you plot against this young lady." Zhang Jing shook her long red whip and lashed out at the young woman in the green dress with a "crack."

The young woman in the green dress had been sitting limply on the ground, but who would have thought she would leap up lightly, sway slightly, and dodge the whip.

"Good, I want to see what skills you have!" Zhang Jing raised her eyebrows, and her long whip danced even faster, a sky full of red shadows striking toward the young woman in the green dress like a rainstorm.

The young woman in the green dress unfolded her figure, actually using five or six different movement techniques, and her slender palms struck out, also using the unique arts of various sects, including Wudang, Shaolin, and Emei.

Although Zhang Jing's long whip danced with great force, she couldn't hurt the young woman in the green dress for a moment.

"This woman is Xiao Mimi, known as the 'Deadly Charmer' among the Ten Great Villains. Many disciples of famous sects in the Edo have fallen under her spell, each teaching her a few moves, so this woman can be considered an expert."

Yu Liancheng suddenly spoke, revealing the young woman in the green dress's identity: "But this woman is lazy and greedy for pleasure; she has only practiced every style of martial art to a shallow level. As long as you can calm your mind and not be confused by her dazzling techniques, it won't be hard to defeat her."

Hearing this, Zhang Jing calmed her mind, her every move lethal, and the air seemed to be churned into paste by the long whip.

Xiao Mimi had been composed at first, but as time went on, she gradually fell into a disadvantage. Furthermore, with her identity revealed by Yu Liancheng, she became flustered and panicked, and her defeat was certain.

"Oh my, I miscalculated. You two little ones are quite interesting; big sister will play with you another time."

Although Xiao Mimi was at a disadvantage, she was still smiling charmingly. She suddenly took a small bottle out of her flower basket and threw it toward Zhang Jing.

"This is the 'Five Poisons Heavenly Water' from the 'White Water Palace' of yesteryear, be careful."

Hearing the words "Five Poisons Heavenly Water," Zhang Jing was truly terrified.

This is because the "Five Poisons Heavenly Water" is extremely toxic; no matter who it touches, they will rot away and die within half an hour.

Fearing that she would break the bottle, Zhang Jing immediately froze the momentum of her whip.

Who would have known that the bottle would explode automatically in mid-air? Inside the bottle was not Five Poisons Heavenly Water, but colorful smoke that diffused out, instantly blocking their line of sight.

"Goodbye, you two little ones. And that little brother, big sister will take you as my Empress one day, hee hee hee."