53, 54: Rong'er's Little Wish

"Rong'er, Brother Lu Chen! Come play often in the future!"

Before the Ancient Tomb, the young Little Dragon Girl, bundled in a snowy-white fur coat like a little white bear, waved repeatedly at Lu Chen and Huang Rong.

Early that morning, Lu Chen and Huang Rong had bid farewell to the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader, intending to leave Mount Zhongnan and continue their planned journey.

The Ancient Tomb Sect Leader had brought Little Dragon Girl, Granny Sun, and Li Mochou—whose confinement had finally ended and who had passed her examination—to see them off.

At that moment, Li Mochou stood prettily amid the biting wind in nothing but a thin white robe, treating the post-snow chill as though it were nothing. Holding Little Dragon Girl's hand, she too waved at Lu Chen and Huang Rong, but what she said was:

"Rong'er, Brother Lu, may we meet again in the Martial Arts World!"

During her confinement, she had first cultivated day and night upon the Cold Jade Bed, then practiced the Muscle and Bone Strengthening Chapter. Her inner strength had now surged by twenty to thirty percent compared with before she had returned to the mountain. And only a month had passed.

She believed that if she cultivated diligently for another year or two, reaching the first rank of the Martial Arts World would be no problem at all.

Her chance to obtain the Muscle and Bone Strengthening Chapter was entirely thanks to Lu Chen and Huang Rong. Together with her earlier fortunate encounter of receiving instruction from Hong Qigong, Lu Chen and Huang Rong had already become the most precious companions in Li Mochou's heart.

When she heard Li Mochou say, "May we meet again in the Martial Arts World," the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader shot her a somewhat displeased glance, yet there was nothing she could do.

She was not, in truth, particularly harsh by nature.

Even though Li Mochou had violated sect rules and secretly slipped down the mountain, she had never intended to expel Mochou from the sect.

But if she ran away again next time...

The Ancient Tomb Sect Leader looked at the upright, imposing Lu Chen, then at Huang Rong, who was inseparable from him, and could not help sighing inwardly.

It would be one thing if she ran away again, but if she became entangled in a romantic fate, then she truly would have to be expelled from the sect.

"Little Sister Long'er, Sister Mochou, Granny Sun, Senior Lin, farewell until fate brings us together again!" Huang Rong said with a cheerful smile, waving to them. As Lin Chaoying's personal maid, the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader naturally bore the surname of her young mistress's household.

Lu Chen also waved to everyone and told them to take care. Then, holding Huang Rong's soft little hand, he walked with her into the forest, the two gradually receding into the distance.

As she watched their backs slowly disappear into the woods, a trace of envy and longing rose in Li Mochou's eyes, only to swiftly turn into resolve.

Her Martial Arts still lacked much refinement.

Since she had encountered the Muscle and Bone Strengthening Chapter, and had the Cold Jade Bed, such a priceless sect treasure, she ought to cultivate without pause. When they met again someday, she would give Brother Lu and Rong'er a surprise.

The Ancient Tomb Sect Leader glanced at the look in Mochou's eyes and sighed inwardly again. Shaking her head, she took Long'er's small hand and said lightly:

"Let's go back. Cultivate properly. The day you can defeat your master, whatever you wish to do, your master will no longer be able to stop you."

Li Mochou smiled radiantly and affectionately linked her arm through her master's.

"Master, you overstate it. Master took this disciple in, taught me Martial Arts, and has shown me kindness as heavy as a mountain. In this lifetime, this disciple will never be presumptuous toward Master."

At most, at most, she would only sneak down the mountain...

The mountain path was blanketed in snow, rugged and slick.

Yet Lu Chen and Huang Rong walked over it as if on level ground, even competing in Movement Technique.

Lu Chen carried the Azure Adamantine Sword in hand, with the Profound Iron Heavy Sword and that ordinary steel sword, now broken, strapped to his back. Though burdened with more than eighty jin, he was not the least bit slow as he flew along. With the lightest tap of his toes, he could glide two or three zhang, his figure still exceptionally light and graceful.

After practicing the Muscle and Bone Strengthening Chapter, his inner strength had greatly increased, and the Profound Iron Heavy Sword's effect on his Movement Technique had already diminished considerably.

Moreover, he had learned the Golden Wild Goose Technique. His Movement Technique was now also capable of ranking among the first class in the Martial Arts World.

Though Huang Rong's inner strength was far inferior to Lu Chen's, she had always excelled at Movement Technique and had also learned the Golden Wild Goose Technique. As she darted across the rugged snowy path, she resembled a celestial crane dancing through the air, graceful and swift, not the slightest bit inferior to Lu Chen.

The two chased one another along the mountain road for a while. Huang Rong briefly took the lead, and upon seeing a pine tree by the roadside bent beneath the weight of snow, she immediately giggled, raced over, and kicked off the trunk. Borrowing the rebounding force, she darted away.

Lu Chen happened to run beneath the tree just then, and with a whoosh, a great mass of snow came crashing down toward his head.

"Mischievous."

Lu Chen smiled. The Azure Adamantine Sword left its sheath, and with a Cloud Sword Technique, dense Sword Light instantly formed a patch of azure clouds above his head.

A fierce sword wind howled forth as well. The falling snow was first blocked by the "azure clouds," then scattered by the sword wind, transforming into a sky full of snow powder that drifted in every direction. Not a single flake touched Lu Chen.

"So what if your swordsmanship is impressive?"

Huang Rong gave a light snort, then made a face at him.

"If you can, come catch me!"

With that, she lightly tapped the snow with her toes and shot away with a whoosh.

Lu Chen chuckled, sheathed his sword, and moved to chase after her.

For a time, the snowy mountain path was filled with the clear, sweet laughter of a young girl.

The two played all the way down the mountain. Along the way, they encountered several young Quanzhen Sect Taoists, but no conflict arose. Both sides merely looked at one another curiously for a few moments before passing by in peace.

After descending the mountain, they traveled east. This time, they no longer lingered over the scenery, but used Movement Technique to hurry the entire way. In only a few days, they arrived at Dengfeng County Town.

They found an inn in Dengfeng County and rested for the night.

Early the next morning, Huang Rong disguised herself as a richly dressed young nobleman, clad in brocade and sable fur, her hair bound beneath a jade crown, a folding fan in hand.

Lu Chen, meanwhile, wore black clothes and a bamboo hat, held a longsword in his arms, and draped himself in a black cloak embroidered with red trim, disguising himself as Huang Rong's guard. The two then ascended Mount Shaoshi and entered Shaolin as pilgrims, scouting the grounds and mapping out the route.

In this era, when the Five Greats before and after them overshadowed the entire age, Shaolin—whose top experts had suffered a break in succession—had largely ceased participating in the affairs of the Martial Arts World.

But as the ancestral court of Chan Buddhism, it still had to conduct ordinary religious business such as receiving pilgrims.

Lu Chen and Huang Rong donated a generous sum of incense money, checked their swords at the Guest Reception Courtyard, and, led by a guest-receiving monk, toured Shaolin for a while, roughly familiarizing themselves with Shaolin's layout.

The Scripture Repository did not receive worshippers, so the two of them had not been able to see it with their own eyes.

Still, by process of elimination, they could roughly determine where the Scripture Repository was located.

After spending half a day sightseeing and having a vegetarian meal at Shaolin, they retrieved the Azure Adamantine Sword, bade farewell as they descended the mountain, and returned to an inn in the county seat to rest and gather their strength. At midnight, they changed into night clothes and headed up Shaolin once more.

Having already scouted the place during the day, sneaking into Shaolin at night was naturally no difficult task.

At least, given Shaolin's current level of experts, they had no way to guard against Lu Chen and Huang Rong, whose lightness skills were exceptional.

Had this been the Shaolin of the Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils or Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber Era, Lu Chen, at his current level of cultivation, would certainly not have dared to casually bring Huang Rong into Shaolin's Scripture Repository.

But at this point in time, it did not matter.

Even if they were discovered, Lu Chen was confident he could fight his way out with Huang Rong.

Under cover of darkness, the two leaped over the high walls and entered the temple. Following the route they had planned after touring the grounds that day, they stealthily made their way through the monastery, stopping and moving as they avoided the patrolling martial monks. Reaching the area where they had roughly identified the Scripture Repository, they spent another half hour searching before finally finding it.

Naturally, martial monks guarded the Scripture Repository.

Lu Chen and Huang Rong intended to come only this once, take what they wanted, and leave, so they had no qualms about alerting the guards.

Lu Chen entered through a window, drawing the guarding martial monks' attention head-on, while Huang Rong launched a sneak attack from the side, firing hidden weapons to strike their acupoints. Before either guard could raise an alarm, they had already slumped into unconsciousness. Lu Chen and Huang Rong exchanged smiles and began searching through the martial arts manuals.

Practicing too many Shaolin martial arts was not beneficial and could instead be harmful. Thus, Lu Chen's goal was clear: he sought only sword techniques and did not even glance at the other ultimate arts.

Huang Rong, however, was somewhat curious about Shaolin's Seventy-Two Shaolin Techniques.

Yet she remembered Lu Chen's warning and only leafed through manuals on finger techniques such as the Tarana Leaf Finger and Maha Finger.

Peach Blossom Island possessed the Orchid Point Striking Hand and Finger Flicking Skill, two supreme finger arts. She browsed Shaolin's finger-technique manuals merely with the thought that stones from other hills could be used to polish jade. She only meant to draw references from them, not to train in them seriously.

Lu Chen quickly found an Arhat Sword Technique and a Bodhidharma Sword Technique.

Huang Rong read through the manuals twice and helped him commit them to memory quickly. She had also memorized everything she wished to see, so their trip could already be considered a complete success, and they could leave.

However, in the corner of one row of bookshelves, Lu Chen found a dust-covered handwritten copy of the Lankavatara Sutra. Opening it, he saw an internal cultivation formula hidden between the lines of scripture—the Nine Yang Manual.

Completing the Nine Yang Manual was harmful. If one failed to cultivate it to great mastery, then exerting one's inner power intensely could result in one's cultivation dispersing and death following.

Yet the requirements for completing it were far too harsh.

Even someone like Zhang Wuji, whose temperament and talent were exceptionally suited to it and who lacked no spiritual fruits or resources, had needed to devote himself to cultivation for several years. Only afterward, when he encountered an irreplicable fortuitous chance within the strange cloth sack of the Cloth Sack Monk, did he finally achieve complete mastery. Ordinary people could never encounter such an opportunity.

However, using one's own internal cultivation as the foundation while incorporating part of the Nine Yang Manual's essential principles carried no danger.

Chan Master Wuse's Shaolin Nine Yang Technique, Zhang Sanfeng's Wudang Nine Yang Technique, and Guo Xiang's Emei Nine Yang Technique had all obtained only part of Nine Yang's essence, yet they were all extraordinarily formidable superior internal arts.

Naturally, Lu Chen would not cultivate Nine Yang himself.

But drawing upon some of Nine Yang's essence to compare and contrast with Nine Yin was possible.

Moreover, Nine Yang possessed the quality of "all martial arts can be grasped at a glance." Although one had to cultivate it to great mastery to possess that quality, studying some of Nine Yang's essential principles would surely benefit him in the future when he reverse-engineered and deduced an opponent's sword techniques in battle.

Lu Chen immediately found the complete set of four Lankavatara Sutra volumes. He and Huang Rong took two volumes each and memorized them separately.

Though his memory was not as photographic as Huang Rong's, he had at least been an outstanding test-taker in his previous life. In this life, he was also at the age of peak memory, so forcefully memorizing them was no problem—and he did not even seek to remember them with complete precision.

Remembering them too precisely would be no benefit instead.

Like Zhang Sanfeng, Guo Xiang, and Chan Master Wuse, it was enough to retain a general outline and understand a few of the essential principles.

Huang Rong quickly memorized the contents of the two volumes in her hands. Seeing that Lu Chen had also finished turning through his two volumes, she could not help asking curiously:

"You memorized all of it?"

Lu Chen shook his head. "Only the general idea."

"Then let me memorize it once more for you."

"Don't."

Lu Chen said seriously:

"You have already memorized several finger and sword techniques, and forcibly committed two volumes of scripture to memory. If you keep memorizing, I fear it will exhaust your mental energy and harm your spirit. This is enough. A general understanding is sufficient."

Seeing that he was worried about her spirit being harmed, Huang Rong's heart warmed, and the corners of her rosy lips curled upward slightly. Yet she said:

"If we remember only the general idea, we may not be able to cultivate it. Wouldn't that be a pity?"

"It is no pity."

Lu Chen smiled.

"You know about my 'superpower.' To me, divine arts and supreme techniques are not exactly there for the taking, but neither are they so precious. We only need to select the essence of this Nine Yang Manual and use it for reference. After all, I intend to specialize in the sword path; even from the Nine Yin Manual, I will only cultivate the Muscle and Bone Strengthening Chapter. As for you, Rong'er, having more martial arts serves no purpose."

Huang Rong was half-hearted in her training and disliked quiet cultivation, while the Nine Yang Manual was purely an internal art without any external techniques at all. It simply did not suit her temperament. Besides, the Nine Yang Manual was far too dangerous. Even if she wanted to practice it, Lu Chen would not permit her to do so.

Since Lu Chen had made his decision, Huang Rong naturally raised no further objection.

The two returned the four volumes of the Lankavatara Sutra to their original places, then quietly left the Scripture Repository and slipped away.

After dawn, the acupoints of the two martial monks guarding the Scripture Repository unsealed themselves, and they awoke. Recalling what had happened the previous night, they were instantly struck pale with alarm. One hurried to report to the abbot, while the other, white-faced and drenched in sweat, checked the martial arts manuals stored in the Scripture Repository.

By the time the abbot arrived with the heads of the Bodhidharma Hall, Arhat Hall, and other halls, the martial monk examining the manuals had already breathed a sigh of relief. With a face full of relief, he stepped forward and reported:

"Abbot, none of the martial arts manuals or rare Buddhist scriptures in the Scripture Repository are missing. The two black-clad men who infiltrated the Scripture Repository last night seemingly did not steal any treasure."

Shaolin's abbot's expression darkened like still water. He personally inspected the collection with the various hall heads and found that it was indeed exactly as the martial monk had said. For a moment, all of them were utterly baffled—

The two thieves had gone to great lengths to sneak into the Scripture Repository and knock out the guarding martial monks, yet they had not taken a single thing?

Had Shaolin's supreme techniques truly lost all appeal to outsiders?

Thinking of Shaolin's once-exalted reputation—when it had held the reins of the Martial Arts World and its Seventy-Two Shaolin Techniques had shaken the land—then looking at the present, with the Five Greats overshadowing the Martial Arts World, Quanzhen flourishing across the north, and Shaolin nearly without a voice at all, the Shaolin abbot and chief seat holders could only sigh mournfully and console themselves: Shaolin was the ancestral court of Chan Buddhism; Buddhist teachings were its true foundation, while Martial Arts were merely a minor art.

After leaving Shaolin and returning to the inn, Huang Rong hurriedly transcribed the secret manuals she had memorized by force, lest time blur her memories and cause errors or omissions.

Lu Chen also copied down the two volumes of the Nine Yang Manual that he had only memorized roughly.

Once they had finished transcribing, the two began studying Martial Arts separately. Lu Chen briefly looked through the Nine Yang Manual, compared it against the Nine Yin Manual, and pondered their essential principles. After gaining a little insight, he began practicing the Arhat Sword and Bodhidharma Sword.

Huang Rong considered several finger techniques, including the Tarana Leaf Finger and Maha Finger. Once she had grasped their general outlines, she did not delve further, planning to bring them back for her father's reference.

Seeing Lu Chen practicing swordsmanship, she did not want to appear overly lazy either, so she began working on the Muscle and Bone Strengthening Chapter.

Recently, the technique she had practiced most was the Muscle and Bone Strengthening Chapter. After all, its positive feedback was obvious, making it particularly motivating to train.

On Lu Chen's side, without anyone to teach him through word and example, practicing from the secret manuals alone was somewhat more difficult.

Even with his aptitude for swordsmanship, it took him an entire day to learn the Arhat Sword and Bodhidharma Sword.

Of course, he had merely learned them. His attainments in those sword arts were still quite shallow and required constant practice and refinement.

With that, the number of sword arts he had mastered reached eight. He had already fulfilled one of the prerequisites for unlocking "Sword Three"—mastering four new sword arts—and even had one extra sword art in reserve, preparing him for unlocking "Sword Four."

Unfortunately, he still had not fully mastered even "Sword One," had yet to unlock "Sword Two," and "Sword Three" naturally remained out of reach.

Still, whatever the case, it was never wrong to prepare for a rainy day.

Besides, every additional sword art he mastered was an increase in his strength.

After all, the essence and spirit of "Sword One," even its "sword aura," could be incorporated into any sword art.

The more sword arts he mastered, the harder it would naturally be for his opponents to deal with him.

After lingering in Dengfeng County for two days, the pair continued north. More than ten days later, they finally arrived at Zhongdu.

As the capital of the Jin Dynasty, Zhongdu gathered nearly all of the dynasty's highest-ranking nobles and powerful figures, while wealthy merchants flocked there in droves. Since war with the Mongols had not yet begun, the city's flourishing splendor was only half a step behind Lin'an of the Great Song Dynasty.

Huang Rong was still dressed as a wealthy young gentleman, clad in brocade robes and a sable fur coat, her hair bound beneath a jade crown. In the depths of winter, she even carried a folding fan, opening it now and then for a leisurely wave. Her spirited manner truly carried a touch of aristocratic bearing.

Lu Chen continued playing her guard. Wearing a bamboo hat and a cloak, he followed at her side with his sword in his arms and an icy expression. From time to time, at her instruction, he paid the bills and bought rare, novel little trinkets seldom seen in Jiangnan.

By the time they had shopped until afternoon, Lu Chen was covered in large and small packages, packed to the brim. He could no longer maintain the air of a cold, aloof swordsman. So the two returned to the inn, intending to rest for the night and visit Prince Zhao's Manor the next day—

Lu Chen had already told Huang Rong that Mei Chaofeng was hiding in the residence of Wanyan Honglie, Prince Zhao of the Jin Dynasty. Thus, while shopping that day, they had also learned the location of Prince Zhao's Manor and were merely waiting to pay it a visit.

Speaking of which, Lu Chen had originally thought that he might run into the famous scene of Mu Nianci's Martial Arts Match for Marriage.

Yet after spending most of the day wandering through the marketplace, he had not seen any excitement from such a match. He did not know whether Yang Tiexin and Mu Nianci had not yet arrived in Zhongdu, or whether the matter had already passed.

Lu Chen guessed it probably had not begun yet.

After all, when they had asked around about Prince Zhao's Manor, they had not heard of any recent disturbances there.

What they had heard, however, was that Prince Zhao's Manor had issued a "Call for Talents." Wanyan Honglie thirsted for worthy men and was openly recruiting martial heroes from every corner.

And because Lu Chen and Huang Rong had casually displayed a little skill while gathering information in a teahouse, the informant who had received Huang Rong's reward assumed they were martial heroes answering Prince Zhao's Manor's "Call for Talents." He launched into an eloquent introduction of several talented men serving the manor.

For instance, Sha Tongtian, the "Ghost Gate Dragon King," leader of the Yellow River Gang; his martial brother Hou Tonghai, the "Three-Headed Flood Dragon"; Reverend Lingzhi, the esoteric Buddhist expert known as the "Five-Finger Secret Blade"; Peng Lianhu, the "Thousand-Hand Butcher"; and Liang Zi'ong, the "Ginseng Immortal Old Freak."

There was also said to be a great figure from the Western Regions.

That person's retinue was truly extraordinary. Whenever he traveled, he rode among a procession of pure white camels, without a single stray hair upon them. Surrounding him were white-clad women, each with a bewitching figure and seductive beauty; there were even golden-haired, blue-eyed foreign maidens among them...

The moment Huang Rong heard this, she immediately voiced a small wish to Lu Chen:

"Brother Lu Chen, I really want a white camel too..."

Rong'er had finally made such a tiny wish. Lu Chen, who had been eating soft rice to his heart's content all along the way, naturally agreed without hesitation, adding the matter of begging Ouyang Ke for a white camel to their plan of action.

Then Huang Rong made another suggestion:

"Since Prince Zhao's Manor is recruiting martial heroes, why don't we infiltrate it openly and aboveboard? With our Martial Arts, Wanyan Honglie will surely treat us as honored guests. When the time comes, wouldn't anything we want to do in Prince Zhao's Manor be as easy as turning over our hands?"

Huang Rong wanted to have some fun, and Lu Chen naturally had no reason to refuse.

Besides, Mei Chaofeng's Martial Arts were formidable. Even if Lu Chen could defeat her or even capture her alive, the fight would certainly alert everyone in Wanyan Honglie's residence.

With a captive in tow, escaping under the siege of the manor's many experts and even Jin Dynasty armored soldiers would be no easy task. It was more convenient to follow Huang Rong's plan and act under the identity of "resident guests."

At once, he nodded happily.

"Let's do it!"

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