Martial Arts 14

An invitation arrived from the foot of the mountain. It was from Shaolin Temple, inviting the Wudang party to attend the Lion-Slaying Conference.

Liu Zhong was surprised.

Zhou Zhiruo had married Song Qinghua and hadn't joined Zhang Wuji's voyage at sea. So how was there still a Lion-Slaying Conference?

Curious, Liu Zhong set off for Shaolin Temple with Yu Lianzhou and Mo Shenggu.

Song Qinghua was curious, too. He wondered how this life's Lion-Slaying Conference would differ from the last, so he brought Zhou Zhiruo along.

The main reason was that he remembered how Zhou Zhiruo had been humiliated by the Yellow-Clad Woman in his previous life.

That woman had blindly sided with Zhang Wuji and the Yuan princess, putting down Zhou Zhiruo, the Emei leader, while acting like some lofty expert.

Song Qinghua had been furious, but his martial arts hadn't been as strong in his previous life as they were now. He hadn't been a match for the Yellow-Clad Woman and couldn't stand up for Zhou Zhiruo.

This time, he would get justice for his wife.

Song Qinghua also remembered that the Lion-Slaying Conference was a Yuan Dynasty plot. Cheng Kun had not only colluded with Yuan soldiers to ambush the assembled martial artists at the foot of Mount Shaoshi, but had also planted explosives on the mountain, intending to blow them all up.

They had to deal with this threat first.

So Song Qinghua went to find Liu Zhong.

The person he trusted most was the big brother he had in this life.

He trusted his big brother even more than he trusted his own wife.

His big brother would surely believe him and wouldn't press him about his secrets.

Liu Zhong had also been thinking of dealing with Cheng Kun first, so Song Qinghua's visit was just what he wanted.

After discussing the matter, the two went to find Yu Lianzhou and Mo Shenggu.

Liu Zhong said, "Second Uncle, Seventh Uncle, I've learned something that concerns the safety of the martial artists attending this conference."

Yu Lianzhou asked, "What did you learn?"

Although he and Mo Shenggu wondered how Liu Zhong, who had been living on Wudang Mountain and had stayed with them ever since, could know something they didn't, they trusted him not to make things up. They held back their doubts and asked him about it.

Liu Zhong first offered them a brief explanation. "Qinghua and I recruited some people on Tianshan Mountain. They sent me a message by carrier pigeon about something they happened to discover."

After a pause, Liu Zhong continued, "This Lion-Slaying Conference is actually another Yuan plot: 'The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.' There's a Yuan spy in Shaolin Temple, and the temple's abbot has already been brought under his control. The spy has also planted explosives on the mountain, hoping to blow up the martial artists attending the conference. The Yuan soldiers have gathered their forces, too. Once the martial artists go up the mountain, they'll surround Mount Shaoshi."

Yu Lianzhou and Mo Shenggu were shocked. They hurriedly asked, "Is that really true?"

Liu Zhong nodded. "It is."

The two men could no longer sit still.

Mo Shenggu said bitterly, "Those Yuan dogs! They don't dare fight openly and can only resort to such despicable tricks."

Zhou Zhiruo spoke up. "Could this be the Yuan princess's doing again?"

"Very likely," Mo Shenggu replied.

Thinking of the flirtatious relationship between Zhang Wuji and Zhao Min, both men's expressions darkened.

They decided to give Zhang Wuji a serious talking-to when they saw him.

It was only natural for a young man to be attracted to women, but he still had to understand which women he could love and which he couldn't be with.

Zhao Min was nothing like Yin Susu.

Although people called Yin Susu a wicked demoness from an evil cult, she was Han Chinese. Once she had turned over a new leaf, everyone could accept her.

But Zhao Min was a Yuan princess, and the conflict between her people and the Han Chinese was irreconcilable.

What's more, Zhao Min had schemed against the entire martial world, and the people of the Six Great Sects all had reason to hate her.

If Zhang Wuji got together with Zhao Min, he would become an enemy of the entire martial world.

Besides, he was the leader of the Ming Cult. If he got together with an enemy princess, would the Ming Cult followers still obey him?

Yu Lianzhou and Mo Shenggu sighed.

The boy had grown up without his parents or elders to guide him. Had he turned out badly?

Zhou Zhiruo said, "I'll write to my master at once and tell her what happened."

Yu Lianzhou and Mo Shenggu came to their senses. They needed to inform the other sects, not including Shaolin.

The five of them discussed it and split up to notify the other sects.

Zhou Zhiruo and Song Qinghua went to inform Abbess Miejue.

Liu Zhong had the highest level of martial arts and was the fastest, so he went to notify He Taichong and Ban Shuxian of the distant Kunlun Sect.

Yu Lianzhou went to inform the Kongtong Sect, while Mo Shenggu notified the Huashan Sect.

On the way, Liu Zhong ran into members of the Beggar Sect and told their Head Bowl-Bearer what was going on.

The other sect leaders were all shocked. The Kunlun and Kongtong Sects immediately considered turning back for their home mountains.

Liu Zhong didn't stop them, letting them turn around and head home with their disciples.

At the foot of Mount Shaoshi, the leaders of the sects that hadn't turned back gathered to discuss how to turn the tables and strike back at the Yuan forces.

Liu Zhong suggested, "We should join forces with the Ming Cult's army and attack the Yuan forces from both inside and out, wiping them out completely."

Abbess Miejue's expression darkened as soon as she heard the words "Ming Cult," and she was about to object.

Liu Zhong spoke before she could. "Abbess, our country's enmity outweighs our personal grudges. I'm sure the heroine Guo Xiang would agree with this choice if she were alive."

Abbess Miejue glared fiercely at Liu Zhong, her expression shifting. In the end, she didn't object.

Liu Zhong said to Mo Shenggu, "Seventh Uncle, I'll leave contacting the Ming Cult to you. Go find their Left Emissary, Yang Xiao, and discuss an alliance with him. As for Junior Brother Wuji, don't let him know for now."

Mo Shenggu was about to ask why, but then he remembered Zhang Wuji's entanglement with Zhao Min. He realized that Liu Zhong didn't want to keep this from Zhang Wuji, but from Zhao Min.

He sighed and nodded.

Liu Zhong then discussed with the others how to expose the spy inside Shaolin Temple.

Liu Zhong said, "I heard that the spy hiding in Shaolin Temple is Cheng Kun, the man Xie Xun has been searching for. His monastic name at Shaolin is Yuanzhen."

Old Man Gao of the Huashan Sect asked in surprise, "Didn't Yuanzhen die at Bright Peak? Were the Shaolin monks lying to us?"

Liu Zhong replied, "The Shaolin monks had no reason to lie to us. Yuanzhen must have faked his death. He must have seized control of Shaolin Temple by despicable means."

Yu Lianzhou frowned. "The greatest threat is those explosives. If they go off, the martial artists will suffer heavy casualties."

"Leave the explosives to me," Liu Zhong said. "I'll take care of them."

As a biochemical expert in his previous life, how could he fail to handle a pile of explosives?

Yu Lianzhou was worried. "Qingshu, can you do it? Those are explosives. They're dangerous."

Even martial arts experts feared the power of explosives.

Liu Zhong gave him a confident smile. "Don't worry. Your nephew never fights a battle he isn't sure he can win."

Once their plans were settled, the leaders and senior members of each sect began heading up Mount Shaoshi in separate groups, pretending they knew nothing.

To prevent any leaks, only the senior members of each sect knew what was really going on. The disciples had no idea why they had come.

When they reached Shaolin Temple, the senior members of each sect used their martial arts skills to quietly search the temple, distinguishing the genuine Shaolin monks from the Yuan dogs!