Wuxia 7

Song Qinghua carried the box of Black Jade Ointment in his arms and glanced at his brother beside him.

The reason everything had gone so smoothly was all thanks to his brother.

His brother was a ruthless man who could wipe out the entire Diamond Sect with a wave of his hand.

Thinking of those dead men, who looked as though they were peacefully asleep, Song Qinghua shuddered.

That method...

It was impossible to guard against!

Thank goodness this was his brother, not an enemy.

"What's wrong?" Liu Zhong tilted his head and asked his foolish younger brother.

"Nothing." Song Qinghua shook his head vigorously.

This was his brother. He wouldn't hurt him.

Having convinced himself, Song Qinghua returned to his usual state of mind.

He asked, "Brother, are we going back to Wudang Mountain?"

Liu Zhong said, "No. We haven't found the martial arts manuals yet. We haven't learned any advanced martial arts, so we're not going back."

"Then how are we going to send the Black Jade Ointment back to Wudang? Third Uncle is still waiting for it."

Liu Zhong said, "We'll find a reputable escort agency and have them deliver the Black Jade Ointment to Wudang. It's not as if we're short of money now."

They'd made off with quite a lot of gold and silver from the Diamond Sect.

Song Qinghua nodded repeatedly. It was a good idea.

After all, if they didn't tell them, the people at the escort agency wouldn't know what they were delivering. They'd just think it was an ordinary letter or package.

The two left the city where the Diamond Sect was based early the next morning, missing the sight of the ordinary townsfolk celebrating its destruction by setting off firecrackers.

Everyone was happy to see the Diamond Sect fall.

When they reached the next city, they found a reputable escort agency.

They gave the Black Jade Ointment and a letter to the agency's men and asked them to deliver it to the people of Wudang.

The box containing the Black Jade Ointment was so light that people assumed it held nothing valuable.

And so, the Black Jade Ointment made its way safely back to Wudang Mountain.

When the Wudang disciples learned that the letter was from Liu Zhong and Song Qinghua, they took it very seriously and gathered to watch Song Yuanqiao open the package.

As soon as he opened it, they saw a letter inside.

Song Yuanqiao pulled out the letter and read its contents. His eyes suddenly widened.

"Eldest Brother, what is it? Did something happen to Qing Shu and Qing Hua?" Zhang Songxi asked urgently.

"No, they're fine. It's Third Brother. There's hope for him," Song Yuanqiao said, his voice trembling.

"What?" the others exclaimed in surprise.

Song Yuanqiao handed the letter to Zhang Songxi, who read it and passed it to Yu Lianzhou...

Everyone reacted just like Song Yuanqiao after reading the letter.

"So it was the Diamond Sect?" Zhang Songxi said. "We wronged Shaolin Temple."

"The Diamond Sect has already sided with the court," Yu Lianzhou said. "We must let the people at Shaolin Temple know about this."

Song Yuanqiao nodded. "I'll write them a letter right away and have a disciple deliver it to Shaolin Temple."

"I'll go find Master," Zhang Songxi said.

"I'll catch a couple of wild rabbits and test the effects of the Black Jade Ointment," Yu Lianzhou said.

The three of them immediately went their separate ways.

Although Zhang Sanfeng devoted most of his attention to Zhang Wuji, he still cared deeply about his disciples.

When he heard that Liu Zhong and Song Qinghua had sent back the Black Jade Ointment, Zhang Sanfeng was both happy and sighing with relief.

"Those are two good boys."

Zhang Songxi and Yu Lianzhou nodded in agreement.

Zhang Sanfeng added, "Have Liting and Shenggu come back. The two boys have a mind of their own, so there's no need to call them back. They'll return when they want to."

Song Yuanqiao agreed.

The Black Jade Ointment worked astonishingly well. The broken legs of the two wild rabbits healed completely.

The Wudang disciples were overjoyed and began treating Yu Daiyan's broken legs.

Hope replaced Yu Daiyan's despair. He remembered the last time the two young men had come to see him before leaving, and a smile touched his lips.

Those were two clever, clearheaded boys!

Three months later, Yu Daiyan could walk with a crutch.

Half a year later, Yu Daiyan began slowly practicing martial arts.

A year later, Yu Daiyan had recovered thirty percent of his martial arts.

Five years later, Yu Daiyan had fully recovered his martial arts, and his inner power was still the strongest among his fellow disciples.

During all those days he'd been confined to bed, he'd had nothing to do but cultivate his inner power to pass the time.

As a result, his inner power became the strongest among the second-generation Wudang disciples.

Liu Zhong and Song Qinghua still hadn't returned to Wudang. They sent the sect another letter during that time, saying they'd found the ruins of a certain sect and discovered an unparalleled martial arts manual there. They planned to train there and return to Wudang once they'd mastered it.

Song Yuanqiao flew into another rage over it.

But the two hadn't left the ruins' location, and Song Yuanqiao had no idea where to go to drag them back. All he could do was rage helplessly.

His junior brothers comforted him, saying it was enough that the boys were safe and that they knew what they were doing.

As if they knew what they were doing.

They were the third generation of Wudang disciples and were supposed to inherit the Wudang Sect one day. How could Song Yuanqiao not be angry when they'd gone off to study under another sect?

Zhang Sanfeng smiled. "It's fine. Our Wudang Sect is broad-minded and inclusive. Even if they learn another sect's martial arts, they'll still be Wudang disciples."

"There's still Wuji," Mo Shenggu said with a smile.

At the mention of Zhang Wuji, the smiles disappeared from everyone's faces.

"Doctor Hu Qingniu's medical skills are superb. He'll surely be able to cure Wuji," Zhang Songxi said.

The others nodded, trying to bolster their confidence.

Meanwhile, back with Liu Zhong and Song Qinghua.

After entrusting the Black Jade Ointment to the escort agency, the two headed straight for Tianshan Mountain, with a clear destination in mind.

Liu Zhong had fooled Song Qinghua into believing that secluded sects liked to establish their headquarters deep in famous mountains.

For example, the once-prosperous Chongyang Palace had been located in the depths of Zhongnan Mountain.

"I reckon there are ruins of secluded sects in mountains like Tianshan and Kunlun. It's just that the Kunlun Sect and Ming Cult are both active around Kunlun Mountain, so even if there were ruins, they'd have been discovered. Tianshan, on the other hand, doesn't seem to have any factions there. There might be a secluded sect hidden away in its mountains."

Song Qinghua fell for Liu Zhong's story. "Then let's go to Tianshan."

Tianshan was majestic. Standing at its foot, a person couldn't help but feel small.

Unlike the picturesque scenery of Wudang Mountain, Tianshan was blanketed in snow. The snow-covered peaks reflected the sunlight in a dazzling array of colors, like magnificent crystals.

Song Qinghua stared with his mouth wide open, unable to close it for a long time.

He was glad he'd come with Liu Zhong. Otherwise, he never would have seen such an extraordinary sight.

In recent days, he'd seen "a lone plume of smoke rising straight across the vast desert, the long river setting round in the sunset"; he'd seen "the desert sands like snow, the moon over Yan Mountain like a hook"; he'd seen "the lone city white against the grass, the sands sweeping yellow across the desert"...

Something had shifted in Song Qinghua's state of mind. It was as if he'd leaped out of a tiny pond and discovered a much wider world.

"How beautiful!" Song Qinghua said. "Could there be immortals living amid such a beautiful sight?"

Liu Zhong smiled. "Perhaps."

To ordinary people, Xiaoyaozi might as well have been an immortal, right?