Wuxia 2

"What did you say?"

Liu Zhong's ears were sharp; he had heard Song Qinghua's quiet mutter and was greatly surprised.

How could Song Qinghua utter such a prophetic statement?

Did he know what was to come?

Was he a transmigrator or a reincarnator?

But he didn't seem like it!

His younger brother had been raised by his own hands; if he had been a transmigrator or reincarnated, he would have discovered it long ago.

"What?"

Song Qinghua raised his head, looking at Liu Zhong with a blank expression.

The resentment and coldness that had been on his face moments ago had vanished.

"Nothing." Liu Zhong smiled faintly. "Hurry up and practice your swordplay; Father will be checking our progress later."

Startled, Song Qinghua immediately began waving the wooden sword in his hand.

Liu Zhong followed suit, swinging his own.

His gaze remained fixed on Song Qinghua, studying him closely.

The Song Qinghua before him was his brother, the brother he had raised since he was small.

The scene from just a moment ago was not an illusion, nor had he suffered from auditory hallucinations.

It was simply that there was some secret hidden within Song Qinghua, though it was not yet time for that secret to be revealed—even the boy himself was unaware of it.

And all he could do was wait.

Wait for Song Qinghua to reveal that secret himself.

This secret likely had something to do with the attitude Song Qinghua held toward the members of the Wudang Sect.

Time passed quickly, and in less than half a month, Zhang Sanfeng's one-hundredth birthday would arrive.

Liu Zhong saw his Seventh Uncle, Mo Shenggu, walk in excitedly holding a letter, shouting loudly, "Eldest Brother, Fourth Brother, Sixth Brother! A letter has come from Second Brother; he says he has found Fifth Brother and is bringing him back to Wudang Mountain. They will definitely arrive by the day of Master's one-hundredth birthday to give him a huge surprise."

Upon hearing this, Song Yuanqiao and the others were overjoyed. They all used their light-body techniques to leap in front of Mo Shenggu to grab the letter from his hand.

Song Yuanqiao took the letter, read it through quickly, and passed it to Zhang Songxi standing nearby.

After reading it, Zhang Songxi passed it to Yin Liting.

After everyone had finished reading the letter, their faces were filled with joy.

Song Yuanqiao said with relief, "Fifth Brother is not only returning, but he is also bringing his wife and son. Good, this is good!"

The younger brothers below were all getting on in years, yet none of them had married, which had caused him, the eldest brother, to worry until his hair turned white.

Now that one of his brothers had not only married but even had a child, how could Song Yuanqiao not feel relieved?

Song Qingshu and Song Qinghua would have a little junior brother; he would have to tell them to take good care of Fifth Brother's child in the future.

Song Yuanqiao's thoughts were pleasant, and he failed to notice the gloom that crossed his younger son's face when he heard that Zhang Cuishan's son was named Zhang Wuji.

Liu Zhong noticed it.

Ever since he heard Song Qinghua's words that day, Liu Zhong had been keeping a constant watch on him.

He had witnessed Song Qinghua's change in expression once again.

Both times, it had been related to Zhang Cuishan and his son.

A guess formed in Liu Zhong's mind.

It was highly likely that his brother, Song Qinghua, was the original Song Qingshu reincarnated.

It was just that the reincarnated Song Qingshu lacked the memories of his previous life and had grown up like an ordinary child.

However, he would be triggered upon hearing the name of his past-life nemesis, Zhang Wuji, which stirred up the hateful emotions of his previous life, even though he himself was not consciously aware of those feelings.

Liu Zhong reached out and patted his brother's small head, feeling that the task of guiding a child was a long and arduous road.

He would absolutely not let his brother walk the same path as in his previous life.

His brother's mental state had to be kept healthy; he must never be influenced by the emotions of a past life.

"Let's go, let's go to the back mountain to catch some wild chickens." Liu Zhong took his brother's hand and led him toward the back mountain. "I'll make Beggar's Chicken for you to eat."

Wudang Mountain was the territory of the Taoists, and the Wudang Sect consisted mostly of Taoist priests who ate light, vegetarian meals; meat was rare.

Whenever Liu Zhong craved meat, he would take his brother to the back mountain to hunt wild rabbits and chickens.

During the apocalypse, Liu Zhong had lived in the wilderness for quite some time, and he had learned outdoor grilling from the soldiers who protected him, knowing exactly how to roast meat to make it taste better.

Both of their martial arts and light-body techniques were well-honed, and they soon caught three wild chickens.

Song Qinghua skillfully removed the chickens' innards and cleaned off the feathers.

Liu Zhong washed the wild vegetables and mushrooms he had gathered, stuffed them into the chickens' cavities, rubbed his homemade seasonings evenly over the birds, wrapped them in clean, large tree leaves, coated them in a layer of thin mud, and placed them into the fire.

In the back mountain, there was a secret base belonging to the two brothers, where they kept various seasonings they had bought from the foot of the mountain, as well as pots, pans, bowls, and a kitchen knife.

The two of them built a clay stove at the entrance of the cave.

By now, the fire in the stove was already roaring, and Liu Zhong placed the scaled fish into the pot to boil a pot of fish soup.

Once the soup was ready, the beggar's chicken was also cooked through.

Liu Zhong cracked open the hardened mud, and a delicious aroma wafted out, drifting far into the distance.

A gray shadow flashed through the mountain forest, and the next moment, it appeared before the two youths.

"Haha, it seems I, this old Daoist, am in for a treat again."

The person who arrived was none other than the Wudang Sect's greatest treasure, Zhang Sanfeng.

The two boys respectfully called out "Grandmaster," then skillfully brought out bowls and chopsticks.

Song Qinghua ladled a bowl of fish soup for Zhang Sanfeng, while Liu Zhong placed one of the beggar's chickens on a plate and set it before him.

They had done this many times before.

Ever since the two of them first grilled food and snuck a meal in the mountains, they had been discovered by Zhang Sanfeng, who subsequently became their regular dining companion.

It was precisely because Zhang Sanfeng had given the word that the others in the Wudang Sect didn't interfere with the two boys sneaking off to eat in the back mountains.

The three of them ate the delicious food while chatting casually.

Song Qinghua asked Zhang Sanfeng about some things he didn't understand regarding martial arts, and Zhang Sanfeng patiently answered his questions, never brushing him off just because the questions were too simple.

Liu Zhong gnawed on a chicken foot, thinking to himself, and decided not to mention the letter from Yu Lianzhou about Zhang Cuishan's return.

Since those people wanted to give Zhang Sanfeng a surprise, he wouldn't meddle.

Zhang Sanfeng was very satisfied with the martial arts aptitude of Liu Zhong and Song Qinghua; what pleased him most was that both boys valued foundational training, unlike other young people who were only focused on learning advanced internal arts and techniques.

Little did they know, the foundation was the most important thing of all.

Many principles of martial arts were entirely contained within the basics.

If one were to learn advanced techniques without fully understanding the basics, it would be like a pavilion in the air—it might look tall, but it was actually hollow and unstable, prone to collapse.

Not to mention achieving profound strength, one would likely suffer from qi deviation.

The foundations of these two brothers were already firmly set, and they were ready to learn advanced martial arts.

Once Song Qinghua finished asking his questions, Zhang Sanfeng spoke up: "The foundations of you two are firmly set; you may now learn the Wudang Nine Yang Skill."

Song Qinghua's eyes lit up instantly.

He had actually wanted to practice advanced internal arts for a long time, but Liu Zhong had stopped him, insisting that the foundation was most important and that he must diligently practice the basic internal arts until he reached perfection.

Because Liu Zhong himself did the same, Song Qinghua hadn't been unhappy and had obediently listened to his brother.

Now that their Grandmaster said they could learn the Wudang Nine Yang Skill, Song Qinghua was both happy and expectant.

He was already imagining the scene of himself traveling down the mountain and dominating the pugilistic world after mastering advanced martial arts.