Wuxia 9

After Liu Zhong had recovered somewhat, he began searching the stone chamber.

He was looking for manuals on internal cultivation.

Once his internal energy improved, he would be able to practice the martial arts carved into the stone walls.

Fortunately, he found another hidden mechanism in the chamber. When he opened it, he discovered a stone box.

He opened the box, and four martial arts manuals came into view.

Liu Zhong's breathing grew heavier.

The Beiming Divine Art, the Xiao Wuxiang Art, Lingbo Weibu, and the one he wanted most, the Eternal Spring Skill, were all inside.

Song Qinghua's eyes lit up, too.

Although he didn't know what these internal arts were, the martial arts on the stone walls alone had been astonishingly powerful. The manuals hidden away so carefully must be even more formidable.

"Brother, which internal art are you going to practice?"

Of course, the Eternal Spring Skill.

The Beiming Divine Art was the first to be ruled out.

Its very nature meant people would inevitably consider it an evil art.

Song Qinghua first chose to learn the Eternal Spring Skill alongside Liu Zhong.

However, his physique was inferior to Liu Zhong's, whose body had been nourished by spiritual energy.

The Eternal Spring Skill was selective about who could practice it.

Why hadn't Wu Yazi and Li Qiushui practiced the Eternal Spring Skill?

Both of them could clearly practice the Beiming Divine Art and the Xiao Wuxiang Art at the same time.

It was simply because the Eternal Spring Skill was so selective.

Aside from Xiaoyaozi, only Wu Xingyun had been able to practice the Eternal Spring Skill, and even she had managed it only with difficulty.

As a result, Wu Xingyun had to scatter her cultivation once every thirty years.

Song Qinghua had good aptitude for martial arts, even better than his father's, but he still didn't meet the requirements for practicing the Eternal Spring Skill.

He struggled to make any progress with it.

In the end, Song Qinghua had no choice but to give up on the Eternal Spring Skill and switch to the Xiao Wuxiang Art.

The Xiao Wuxiang Art was a Daoist art, and Song Qinghua had grown up in Wudang. He had learned a fair amount about Daoist principles, both through instruction and on his own, so he made twice the progress with half the effort.

His confidence, battered by the Eternal Spring Skill, finally returned.

The two decided to practice their martial arts at Lingjiu Palace.

They chose to stay not only because they couldn't take the martial arts carved into the stone walls with them, but also because a cold spring lay beside Lingjiu Palace. A kind of small silver fish lived in it, and eating them could strengthen the body and make cultivation go more smoothly.

There was also a block of profound ice in the stone chamber. Practicing internal arts while seated on it could double their results.

The two first went down the mountain and had the escort agency send the Tianshan Snow Lotuses they had picked back to Wudang Mountain. The people at Wudang, of course, once again praised them as "good boys."

They bought a great deal of supplies at the foot of the mountain, then carried rice, flour, pots, and bowls back to Piaomiao Peak.

Unlike the rest of Tianshan Mountain, the area around Lingjiu Palace had no snow, and the temperature was much milder. There were fields nearby that had once been cultivated. Though they had fallen into disuse, they could still be planted after a little clearing.

Liu Zhong bought two families of servants to take care of the farming and cooking. They would also look after Song Qinghua, who was responsible for caring for him, allowing the two of them to devote more time to cultivation.

Each family had five or six members. They were refugees persecuted by the authorities who had been driven to sell themselves just to survive. Liu Zhong bought them.

They were deeply loyal to Liu Zhong and Song Qinghua, and were very satisfied with their new home.

Although it was far from the foot of the mountain, they could provide for themselves there, without harassment from the authorities or defeated soldiers. It was like living in a hidden paradise.

At Jietian Bridge, Liu Zhong laid planks across the two iron chains, then fastened two ropes above them as handrails, turning it into a simple suspension bridge that even ordinary people could cross.

The families went down the mountain to buy supplies once every six months. The rest of the time, they farmed and raised chickens at Lingjiu Palace, living a thousand times better than they had before.

As a result, they served Liu Zhong and Song Qingshu with great care.

Liu Zhong and Song Qingshu didn't have to worry about anything. They devoted themselves entirely to training, and before they knew it, several years had passed.

Both had achieved great mastery in their internal arts, though they were still a long way from perfection.

Even so, the amount of internal energy they had accumulated was already astonishing.

Practicing internal arts on the profound ice was like making a year's progress in a single day.

The internal energy they each possessed was now equal to what someone else could accumulate over sixty years.

Their strength was on par with Zhang Wuji after he had mastered the Nine Yang Divine Art.

And both had also learned powerful techniques and lightness skills, such as the Tianshan Six Yang Palm, the Tianshan Zhemei Hand, and Lingbo Weibu. They could only be stronger than Zhang Wuji.

"It's time to head down the mountain," Song Qinghua said to Liu Zhong.

He had a feeling that something major was about to happen. If they didn't hurry down, he would regret it.

Liu Zhong nodded.

Judging by the date, the six major sects' attack on Bright Peak was about to take place.

The two sealed off the stone chamber, left the two families to manage Lingjiu Palace, and departed Tianshan Mountain.

They headed for Kunlun Mountain. Along the way, they encountered many people from small sects who had heard about the six major sects' attack on Bright Peak and had come hoping to scavenge some spoils.

From these people, the two learned a great deal about the latest developments in the martial world.

Four of the Wudang Seven Heroes had joined the operation: Yu Lianzhou, Yu Daiyan, Zhang Songxi, and Mo Shenggu.

Song Yuanqiao was the head of the Wudang Sect and had stayed behind at Wudang Mountain to manage its affairs, so he wasn't taking part in the operation.

As for Yin Liting, his wife was about to give birth, so he had stayed behind to be with her and wasn't taking part either.

Yin Liting's wife had a connection to Liu Zhong and Song Qinghua.

Yin Liting had met his wife while searching for Liu Zhong and Song Qinghua after they went down the mountain.

At the time, bandits had abducted the young woman and intended to make her their chief's wife.

Yin Liting had killed the bandits and escorted her home.

The young woman came from a scholarly family. After being abducted by bandits and then returned by a strange man, her reputation had been compromised. Her family had planned to send her to a temple to become a nun.

Yin Liting couldn't bear the thought of such a young woman spending her life in a monastery. Moreover, they had spent their journey together, and feelings had grown between them.

So Yin Liting proposed marriage.

Her family immediately agreed and arranged a betrothal with Yin Liting.

After returning to the mountain, Yin Liting told Zhang Sanfeng and his senior brothers what had happened.

Zhang Sanfeng had people prepare betrothal gifts and send them to the young woman's family. Before long, the people of Wudang went to escort her back, and she became Yin Liting's wife at Wudang Mountain.

After the wedding, the young woman and Yin Liting lived in perfect harmony and loved each other deeply.

A year later, they had a son and named him Yin Feihan.

Several years passed, and Sixth Aunt became pregnant again. She was now close to giving birth.

Yin Liting was worried about his wife, so he didn't join the campaign against the Ming Cult and stayed at Wudang Mountain to care for her.

The people from the other five major sects were much as Liu Zhong had seen them in the novel and on television.

The two brothers quickened their pace and reached Bright Peak half a month later.