Chapter 172: Wudang, Yang Family Members

The twenty-third year of Jiajing, the twentieth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Yuzhou Province, Xiang Yang Prefecture.

Late at night.

On both sides of the road, mountain forests were covered, and the grass and trees were withered and yellow.

A heavy snow had just fallen a few days ago; although this place was remote, it was the only way from Xiang Yang Prefecture to Chengtian Prefecture, and many merchants and dart-carriers traveled back and forth, so the snow on both sides of the road had melted seven or eight parts, only the snow on the road had been crushed into a piece by passing pedestrians, frozen increasingly hard.

It was close to the New Year, and it was late at night, so there were no pedestrians on the road, and it was quiet.

And in the mountain forest on one side of the road, a faint firelight shone through.

Three people dressed as Daoists sat around a campfire.

An old one was breaking a cake to eat, and a middle-aged one was holding a tree branch to poke the campfire.

A teenager was sitting cross-legged to the side, as if quietly practicing internal energy, but seeing his eyeballs rolling under his eyelids, one knew he hadn't entered stillness at all, just pretending.

After a while, the middle-aged Daoist spoke.

"Master Uncle Zhixing, are we really going to walk to Shaolin like this? Why don't I carry Junior Brother Limao, we can use light-body technique to hurry, and we can arrive before the New Year."

The old Daoist shook his head.

"Master Xingchi has already passed away for some days; it doesn't matter when we go to mourn. Anyway, we can't make it back to Wudang Mountain for the New Year, so we might as well walk slowly, just to grind Limao's temperament."

"It's just that I have to trouble you, Junior Nephew Liqing, to walk with me for a while on the road."

The middle-aged Daoist named Liqing waved his hands repeatedly, not daring to echo his humble words.

The seniority of Wudang was now passed down to the sentence "Master, Virtue, Moon, Perfection, Wisdom, Ritual, Body, Middle, Embrace, One, Manage, Elixir, Completion"; this Daoist Zhixing was already one of the only two of the "Zhi" generation in the Wudang Sect, and the only supreme expert besides the Wudang leader.

Although he was the personal disciple of the leader, he didn't dare to be arrogant in front of Zhixing.

Liqing turned to look at the teenage Daoist named "Limao," but couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

This Junior Brother Limao was truly enviable.

Having just built a solid foundation for internal energy, he had a supreme expert taking him to walk the Jianghu, and he was going to Shaolin to show his face; he was clearly being cultivated as the next leader.

However, he also knew that his aptitude could not be compared to Limao's no matter what.

He had practiced for many years, and his temperament was peaceful, so he wouldn't let these dark thoughts stay in his heart for too long. He gathered his mind, went to the side to cut some more tree branches, and threw them into the campfire.

Just as the three were preparing to rest, they heard human voices faintly coming from the mountain road.

Liqing frowned.

It was already the hour of the pig (9-11 PM), who would be traveling on this mountain road?

Since ancient times, those who acted at night did so to avoid people's eyes and ears, and most were not good people.

Liqing scattered the campfire to avoid being seen by others. Then he was about to get up to investigate.

"I'll go with you."

Zhixing stood up together.

"Listening to this sound, I estimate there are thirty or forty people. And their footsteps are neat, like soldiers. But soldiers wouldn't march at night."

"I have some bad guesses; if it's really as I think, I'm afraid you can't handle it."

Liqing's face also sank.

He was a personal disciple of the Wudang leader, a first-rate expert of many years, famous in the Jianghu. Even he couldn't handle it, and Zhixing, this supreme expert, had to investigate personally; it was probably no small matter.

The two held their breath and concentrated, using the mountain forest to cover their figures, and approached the mountain road.

With the moonlight reflected by the snow, the two looked at that group of people.

The person in the lead had an unusually tall figure, and his face could not be seen clearly.

The thirty-seven people following behind were all dressed in tight-fitting clothes, wearing sabers and carrying swords. Some were carrying huge travel bags; looking at the protruding marks on them, it was clear they were also weapons. The formation was neat, walking quickly along the mountain road, and they walked far away in a moment.

Watching, Liqing frowned.

"Master Uncle, why can't I understand the Wu Gong foundation of these people?"

"Clearly their muscles and bones are hard, they should have achieved success in horizontal training. But their movements are so stiff, and I don't see any footwork under their feet, nor do I see them running True Energy. What kind of path is this?"

He finished speaking, but didn't hear Zhixing's answer.

Liqing was surprised in his heart, and turned to look at Zhixing.

But he was shocked.

Zhixing's face was as heavy as water, his lips tightly pursed, his eyes staring fixedly at the back of the person in the lead, his hand tightly gripping the sword hilt.

"Just as I expected... things are big."

"That person in the lead is a Yang family member."

"Yang family member?"

Liqing was confused for a moment, but after a while, he reacted violently, and his face sank.

"The Yang family member of the Ming Sect!?"

Zhixing nodded.

"Looking at his figure, ordinary people are probably only up to his chest. His frame is majestic, and a pair of hands almost hang to his knees; this is the physical characteristic of the Yang family. Yang Lixuan back then was like this, and the Ming Sect leaders of the past generations, except for a few, were mostly like this."

Liqing looked carefully, and found it was just as Zhixing said. But he was puzzled.

"But, since Ji Tianrui took over the Ming Sect thirty years ago, shouldn't the Yang family have been exterminated? Where did this person pop out from?"

"I don't know."

Zhixing shook his head.

"This place is not suitable for staying long, go back to pick up Limao, let's return to Wudang."

The two retreated quietly into the mountain forest, used light-body technique, and returned to the place of rest.

While walking, Zhixing said to Liqing.

"Since the founding of the Great Shuo, the position of Ming Sect leader has been passed from father to son, always surnamed Yang. These people have an inseparable relationship with the Ming Sect."

"What I guessed before was that after the Ming Sect broke through the Shaolin mountain gate, they didn't know where to go, perhaps they would drift to this place. Sure enough, these people should be from the Ming Sect, but I don't know what they are doing in Xiang Yang."

Liqing nodded.

If they were from the Ming Sect, he was afraid he really couldn't handle it.

The place of rest was not far, but in a moment, the two arrived nearby.

The two stopped violently.

Across the forest, the two faintly saw firelight and heard Limao talking to someone.

"Master Uncle?"

Liqing looked at Zhixing.

Zhixing's face was as heavy as water, and he pushed aside the branches in front of him with his sword.

The campfire that had been scattered by Liqing had been re-lit, and a man was sitting by the fire, talking to Limao.

This person looked to be in his thirties, with a heroic face, wearing black tight-fitting clothes, draped in a dark black bear-skin cloak, holding a tree branch in his hand, gesturing toward Limao, talking while gesturing.

"Taiyi Profound Gate Sword, your leader really doesn't understand it as well as I do."

Limao was unconvinced.

"You're bragging! My leader is a supreme expert, and the Taiyi Profound Gate Sword is a unique skill of my Wudang! How could you understand it better than my leader?"

The man smiled slyly.

"Then you look."

Having said that, the tree branch in his hand shook violently, actually dancing a sword flower in the air.

Then he slashed a few times in the void.

Limao didn't understand the power of these few slashes and was about to speak.

Zhixing and Liqing, however, showed expressions of horror.

Those few casual slashes were clearly the essence of the Taiyi Profound Gate Sword. They had already transcended the moves, the intent existed while the form was scattered, not falling into a rut, and he had thoroughly mastered the essence of it!

The current Wudang leader, I'm afraid, really couldn't do it so casually!

Who exactly was this person!?

Seeing Limao about to open his mouth to refute and mock, Zhixing hurriedly spoke.

"Limao!"

As soon as this was said, the two by the campfire looked over in unison.

"Master!"

"Hmm?"

The man frowned and looked at Zhixing, his fingers rubbing, almost about to point a Profound Heaven Finger over.

Are the local sects so impolite?

Calling my name directly?

Asking for a beating?

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 173 =====