So You're the One Called the Bone-Scraping Knife

In the early morning, the faint light of dawn shone over Wudang Mountain, making the Purple Cloud Hall gleam brilliantly.

A Daoist youth of seventeen or eighteen was meticulously wiping down the altar table inside the hall with a cloth.

Before long, he finished wiping it down and properly offered a stick of incense to the Great Emperor Zhenwu. Only then did he leave the hall.

As soon as Wang Chuan stepped outside, he saw Wang Ye.

"Senior Brother, you really have a fine temperament."

"You flatter me. What did you come to see me about?"

Wang Chuan had become Daoist Yunlong's disciple, while Wang Ye had joined in 2009. Going by when they had entered, Wang Ye was his junior brother. Besides, Wang Chuan was now Wudang Mountain's current representative in the outside world, so it was only proper for Wang Ye to call him senior brother.

"Senior Brother, why are you looking for an ordinary college student like him?"

"And if you have business with him, why haven't you gone over to see him?"

"Haven't you used the Inner Landscape to divine the answer?"

Seeing Wang Chuan teasing him with the hint of a smile, Wang Ye felt a little awkward.

It wasn't that he hadn't tried. Ever since learning Feng Hou Qimen, he had tried divining this senior brother of his.

But as for the result, it was better left unmentioned.

Earlier, Wang Chuan had asked him to find Zhang Chulan of Nankai University. He had found him at the beginning of the year, but nearly half a year had passed without any action. Recently, he had heard from their master, Daoist Yunlong, that his senior brother was about to leave the mountain, so he had come to join in the fun.

"Let's go. Come with me. There'll be some interesting things to see."

"Interesting things?"

Before long, the two of them came to see Zhou Meng. Wang Chuan told him outright that he needed to make a trip down the mountain and see more of the world. As for his master, Daoist Yunlong, he had already spoken to him.

Zhou Meng didn't say much. He knew how strong this grand-disciple of his was. Both his cultivation of the mind and the body had reached heights his peers could scarcely hope to catch up to, and even Zhou Meng couldn't see through him very well.

It was just that Wang Chuan had never much liked drawing attention to himself, always saying that the time wasn't right. Now, it seemed the time he had been waiting for had come.

"Go on. It's time to let the world get to know Wudang Mountain again."

"Yes, Grandmaster," the two said.

After they left the mountain gate, Wang Ye asked a question.

"So, Senior Brother, where are we going next?"

"We'll go down the mountain, change our clothes, and then travel around and have a look. For example, we could first visit Old Lu and pay our respects to the old senior, then go see the Tianxiahui, and so on."

"Fight our way through them one by one?"

Smack.

"Can you suppress the whole world on your own, or can I? We'll properly present calling cards and have a spar or two."

Wang Ye, who had been smacked on the back of the head, nodded repeatedly without saying a word.

The Tianxiahui didn't really matter, but Old Lu was someone they did need to visit. Ideally, Wang Chuan could get his hands on the Three-One Sect's "Threefold Reversal."

Once cultivated to a certain level, this art was a divine skill for saving one's life, but relying on it to attain the Dao still fell a little short.

A skill was just a skill; it had not escaped the bounds of techniques. To attain the Dao, one still needed to comprehend it and walk the path, rather than cultivate techniques. Techniques were merely a means of self-defense and protection.

Returning to the Dao through techniques was fine, but replacing the Dao with techniques was another matter.

Half a month later.

"Senior Brother, what are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking about how to get the Threefold Reversal."

"You're still thinking about that, Senior Brother? Old Lu said he doesn't intend to pass it on unless he meets a suitable person."

"The meaning's pretty clear. People like us who already have masters aren't suitable."

Smack.

"Where there's a will, there's a way."

Holding the back of his head, Wang Ye changed the subject.

"Senior Brother, where are we going next?"

"To see the Eight Extraordinary Skills, and bring the Old Celestial Master a gift for our visit while we're at it."

It was now June 4, one day before Zhang Xilin's grave was robbed, an inauspicious day for funerals and burials.

"So that's Zhang Chulan. He doesn't look very conspicuous. Nothing special about him."

"Don't underestimate him. The world is vast, and plenty of people keep themselves well hidden."

Two people dressed in blue-green Daoist robes standing at the gates of Nankai University were still somewhat conspicuous.

"Let's go find somewhere to rest first. We'll follow this kid around and have some fun later."

"Sure thing, Senior Brother. I've booked us a room. It's close by, and the place is nice too."

"Lead the way."

The two of them had a good night's rest.

The next afternoon, Zhang Chulan set off for his hometown. The two followed at a leisurely pace, in no hurry at all.

After nightfall, they too arrived at the village graveyard.

As soon as they got there, they saw Zhang Chulan holding a woman's leg and calling her "Sister."

"People sure know how to have fun down the mountain. They even chase girls by hugging their legs and calling them 'Sister.'"

Wang Ye really wanted to tell Wang Chuan to open his eyes wide and take a good look. Who came to a place like this after dark to chase girls?

But the two of them were far away and had no intention of going closer.

After watching quite a show, Wang Ye spoke.

"The Golden Light Mantra?"

"And Qi-State Origin-Flow."

"Qi-State Origin-Flow, one of the Eight Extraordinary Skills?"

"He's Zhang Xilin's grandson and the Old Celestial Master's grand-disciple. How could he not have a few skills?"

"No wonder you've been keeping an eye on him, Senior Brother."

"Let's go. Keep an eye on him for the next few days. He can draw out quite a few interesting people."

"Oh."

A few days later, late at night: a male college student, tied up, out in the wild.

Unfortunately, it wasn't a lone man and woman.

Below them, Xu San and Feng Baobao were facing off against Xia He, Lü Liang, and Liu Yanyan.

Suddenly, a voice rang out.

"Wood."

The surrounding vines began to grow wildly, then wound around the people present. The corpses Liu Yanyan had been driving, along with Liu Yanyan herself, were all pinned in place, unable to move.

But the vines couldn't stop Xu San, Feng Baobao, Xia He, or Lü Liang, nor the earth monkey underground.

"Who's there?!"

"Wang Ye of Wudang Mountain."

"This is my senior brother beside me, Wang Chuan, Wudang Mountain's current representative in the outside world."

Wang Chuan and Wang Ye walked out from the side with a carefree air.

"Daoists of Wudang Mountain, may I ask what brings you here so late at night?"

"I want to do the Liu Family of Western Hunan a favor, and even more than that, I want to capture a Quanxing fiend as a gift when I pay the Old Celestial Master a visit."

"So, tell me, will you come with me yourself, or must I make a move, Xia He?"

Hearing this, Xu San was somewhat speechless. Were people from major sects all this contemptuous of everyone else?

Xia He, however, smiled and said, "Daoist, I'd be willing to go with you. All that primal yang of yours is almost enough to drive a woman wild."

"Little Ye, remember this: she's the kind of woman who's very different from what she looks like."

"What do you mean?"

Wang Chuan said no more and attacked at once, moving to close in while using an art—or rather, Ninjutsu that had been adapted.

"Earth."

An earth dragon charged toward Xia He and Lü Liang.

But neither of them confronted it head-on. Seeing that they were outnumbered, they immediately decided to leave.

Wang Chuan had no intention of bothering with Lü Liang, however. He went straight for Xia He; she was his gift for the visit.

On the other side, seeing this, Xu San likewise had no intention of getting involved and went straight after Lü Liang.

As for Liu Yanyan, who had already been bound by the vines, no one paid her any attention.

"Daoist, are you really so heartless?"

"Bone-Scraping Knife. You live up to your name. Interesting."

Seeing that Wang Chuan's expression had barely changed, Xia He could hardly believe it. He was so young, so how had he attained such a level of mental cultivation?

After that, Xia He could only rely on her hard-trained fists and feet to keep fighting Wang Chuan.

After a while, Wang Chuan grew somewhat bored. Xia He was basically relying on her innate ability to wreak havoc, which was rather dull. At this level, she couldn't even force him to use more of his methods.

"Earth."

Several earth dragons surged toward Xia He.

"Damn it, is his bodily cultivation this strong too?"

As Xia He struggled to fend them off, a few vines quietly approached along the ground, then bound her fast.

When she tried to break free, Wang Chuan stepped forward, sealed her acupoints, and locked away her Qi.