"Sect Leader Zhang's Heaven and Earth Great Shift was unfathomably profound. Back then, on Guangming Peak, he alone fought masters from the Six Major Sects. Compared with Sect Leader Zhang, your martial arts are probably still somewhat lacking," Zen Master Kurong said after pondering for a long while, finally giving his judgment.
"Does Master now understand why I still covet your sect's Six Meridian Divine Sword?" Song Qingshu said with a bitter smile. The moment those words left his mouth, he knew the Six Meridian Divine Sword would no longer have anything to do with him. But that was simply the kind of man he was. Though he could be despicable at times, he still possessed his own integrity and pride. Sometimes, he would rather not be too shameless, and instead disdained lying.
Sure enough, upon hearing his words, Kurong recited a Buddhist invocation. "Young Master has spoken frankly, which shows that you are an upright and honorable man. However, our sect's Six Meridian Divine Sword has never been passed on to outsiders. This humble monk does not wish to become a sinner of the Duan clan after all these centuries either. I hope Young Master will forgive me."
"I understand. I disturbed the masters' cultivation tonight; please forgive my offense." With that, Song Qingshu let out a long laugh, turned, and left.
The monks did not stop him. Watching Song Qingshu's departing figure, Ben Chen thought to himself, The martial world will probably see much turmoil from now on...
After leaving Tianlong Temple, Song Qingshu secretly regretted it. He had finally managed to sway those old monks—why had he insisted on putting on airs? But the thought vanished as soon as it arose. If his mind could not be at ease, what use would the Six Meridian Divine Sword be even if he obtained it? After consoling himself for a while, he thought that so many wondrous martial arts still existed under heaven. Why should he fixate on a single flower?
At that thought, Song Qingshu's mood brightened again, and he eagerly resumed his journey in search of martial arts manuals.
The North Darkness Divine Skill, Lingbo Weibu, and that damned Six Meridian Divine Sword were clearly out of reach. He needed to think carefully about the remaining martial arts treasures. The Nine Yang Divine Skill was hidden amid the vast Kunlun Mountains, and finding it would be no easy task. Besides, he already possessed both the Divine Light Scripture and the Nine Yin Manual, so the Nine Yang Divine Skill would not be of much help to him. More importantly, it was Zhang Wuji's martial art. Just thinking about it disgusted him. Song Qingshu quickly dismissed the idea of going to Kunlun.
The White Head Profound Sutra in the South Sea was far too elusive. The ocean was boundless; he might be swallowed by fish before ever finding Hero's Island. Shaking his head, he dismissed that plan as well.
The Bixie Sword Manual... uh, next!
Mantuo Mountain Villa's Returning Courtesy Pavilion seemed to contain some Minor Formless Skill. But even the Nine Yang Divine Skill was of little help to him, so what could a Minor Formless Skill amount to? He quickly ruled it out too.
He could not learn the Ancient Tomb Sect's Jade Maiden Heart Swordplay anyway. Drawing a circle with his left hand and a square with his right? Song Qingshu tried several times. Looking at the two shapes in the sand, neither round nor square, he cursed inwardly. With his own brilliance and intelligence, he definitely could not learn Left-Right Mutual Combat. That meant Jade Maiden Heart Swordplay was beyond him as well. Besides, such a dainty, affected sword style did not suit his graceful and dashing temperament...
Clad in white like snow, a sword arriving from the west—Flying Immortal Beyond the Heavens. That was the heroic bearing every man dreamed of!
It seemed his only remaining targets were Dugu Qiubai's inscriptions in Condor Valley and the Nine Swords of Dugu on Mount Hua. Thinking of those legendary, godlike sword arts, Song Qingshu's heart burned with anticipation, and he set off that very night.
In a deep valley somewhere outside Xiangyang City, Hubei, Song Qingshu stared black-faced at a pile of foul-smelling bird droppings he had accidentally stepped in. He spat fiercely. "That stupid Great Condor can really shit!"
With this landmark, Song Qingshu quickly found the place where Dugu Qiubai was buried. Looking at the heap of scattered rocks and the few overbearing lines carved into the wall, Song Qingshu remained silent for a long time before finally cursing, "@#%￥, what's the use of showing off? You could at least have left behind a manual or something!"
Why had Yang Guo been able to go from merely passable martial arts a few months earlier to instantly defeating Yin Kexi and Xiaoxiangzi upon appearing, even holding his own against the Golden Wheel Monk, all with a Black Iron Sword? After turning the sword tomb upside down without finding any divine skill manual, Song Qingshu felt the crushing frustration of having his intelligence humiliated.
"A thief never leaves empty-handed, or I'll have even worse luck next time," Song Qingshu muttered. He picked up Dugu Qiubai's wooden sword and slung it across his back, then suddenly realized something and spat twice. "Looks like that damned Duan Yu stole my luck. Ever since my trip to the Boundless Jade Cave, I've come up empty every single time!"
"I refuse to believe that my trip to the Cliff of Reflection on Mount Hua will yield nothing!" Song Qingshu secretly hardened his resolve and once more rushed day and night toward Mount Hua.
Meanwhile, at Medicine King Manor of White Horse Temple by Dongting Lake, a thousand miles away, Hu Fei and Cheng Lingsu stared wide-eyed at the beautiful woman before them. "Pretty Auntie, are you really Brother Song's wife?"
Zhou Zhiruo's face twitched. She could only force a smile. "That's right, little brother. Qingshu truly is Auntie's husband. He suffered grave injuries and did not want to burden me, so he traveled the world alone in search of a cure. Auntie has already visited Divine Doctor Xue in Songzhou and Ping Yizhi in Kaifeng. A few days ago, I heard that Qingshu had appeared near Medicine King Manor, and Auntie went through great difficulty to get here. Little brother, little sister, can you tell Auntie where he went?"
Zhou Zhiruo had searched everywhere for Song Qingshu before finally finding Medicine King Manor. Yet she deeply feared the reputation of the Poison Hand Medicine King and did not dare use force, so she could only resort to sweet-talking deception.
"Hmph, I thought Brother Song was some kind of honorable gentleman. Turns out he already had a wife at home. Then why did he come provoke my mother?" Little Hu Fei snorted.
"Exactly! The moment I saw him, his eyes were darting all over me. I knew he was no good," Cheng Lingsu chimed in, clapping her hands.
"Then can you tell Auntie where he went?" For some reason, hearing the two children curse Song Qingshu filled Zhou Zhiruo with a burst of pleasure.
"Him? He heard Master say that Thousand-Year Ginseng could revive the dead and regrow flesh on bones, so he foolishly ran off to Changbai Mountain to dig for ginseng," Hu Fei said with a snicker.
Cheng Lingsu's eyes lit up, and she added cooperatively, "My master even said that Thousand-Year Ginseng existed only in legends and told him not to dwell on it. Who knew that after hearing that, he would hurry northeast overnight?"
Having learned Song Qingshu's destination, Zhou Zhiruo was overjoyed. She hurriedly thanked the two children, mounted a fine horse nearby, and rushed toward the northeast. She thought that once she found Song Qingshu, she would make him suffer a fate worse than death.
After Zhou Zhiruo had gone far away, Cheng Lingsu turned back toward Hu Fei with a half-smile. "Brother Hu Fei, why did you lie to that woman?"
Little Hu Fei folded his arms and put on the air of an adult. "She thought we were easy to fool because we're children. Though she kept claiming to be Brother Song's wife, the hatred in her heart couldn't escape my eyes. How could I dare tell her where Brother Song really went?"
Out of a woman's sympathy, Cheng Lingsu frowned. "What if she was telling the truth? What if uncle Song abandoned her after having his way with her, and she only wanted revenge?"
Hu Fei laughed awkwardly. "Brother Song is with my mother. If that woman truly had evil intentions, my mother would definitely protect Brother Song without knowing the full story. What if they started fighting and my mother got hurt? Better fewer troubles than more. I might as well trick her into going to the completely opposite northeast. Hehe..."
"Brother Hu Fei, you've become bad," Cheng Lingsu said in a sweet, coquettish voice.
"Uh, didn't I learn it from you..."
Our poor Emei Sect Leader was thus tricked by two little brats into the northeast, where snow filled the skies...
Before you continue