Wood Shadow Gate

As dawn broke, Li Yan awoke from his slumber. The sky was just beginning to lighten, and as he groggily opened his eyes, he found himself in unfamiliar surroundings. The ceiling was no longer the familiar, somewhat blackened wooden beams of his old home, but a smooth, dark cyan roof. A wave of confusion washed over him. Slowly, he turned his head to survey the room, finally realizing that he was no longer in the old house he had lived in for over a decade. A sense of alienation and loneliness welled up within him. He took a breath, his face expressionless, and sat up. Walking to the table, he pushed open the window. A refreshing, invigorating coolness swept in from the open window, instantly revitalizing him.

Looking out from the window, he saw the valley embraced by towering peaks on three sides, soaring straight into the darkening cyan sky. A few stars twinkled in the faintly lit sky, carrying with them a hint of morning dew as they scattered down. The dark cyan vines and shrubs on the valley floor spread upwards, layer upon layer, resembling the undulating backs of monstrous beasts. The chirping of birds echoed through the valley, carrying a hint of ethereality and crispness.

Nearby, behind the stone table outside the window, was indeed a pool of water. Wisps of thin mist swirled and hovered above the pool, like a thin veil draped over it, or like rising, misty coolness.

Li Yan stood blankly at the window, gazing at the scene before him. After a while, he felt much calmer. He turned back to the bed, got dressed, opened the door, and walked out. He glanced at the row of rooms to his left, all the doors still tightly closed. He lightened his footsteps and slowly walked towards the pool.

Arriving at the pool, Li Yan found that it was about forty to fifty feet wide, oval in shape. One side of the pool leaned against the mountain wall, from which two or three streams of spring water flowed slowly down, continuously moistening the rock face, making it smooth and shiny. Many vine roots along the way had been exposed by the rushing water, their tendrils swaying with the flowing streams. Lush green moss thrived on both sides of the water flow, forming several clear spring channels cascading down from the mountaintop.

The surface of the pool rippled gently, lapping against the numerous pebbles on the shore, creating a rippling effect. Wisps of white mist swirled and drifted above, like several white, transparent ribbons. The pool water was clear, but its depth was unknown. Looking down, the water became eerily dark and cold.

Li Yan crouched down and scooped up a handful of pool water, splashing it on his face. The coolness penetrated his skin, causing him to shiver involuntarily, but it was also incredibly refreshing.

Li Yan stood up and looked towards the south side of the pool. Only then did he notice a large area that resembled both a vegetable garden and a flower garden. As he was about to go over for a closer look, a voice suddenly sounded in his ear, "That area is just some vegetables and a few wild flowers that your teacher planted when he had nothing to do."

Li Yan was startled by the voice and quickly turned around to look for the source. He saw a figure in black robes standing between two stone tables in front of a row of houses, smiling at him.

"T-Teacher..." Li Yan recognized the person and quickly turned to bow, saying, "It is this student who has disturbed your rest, Teacher. Please punish me."

The black-robed man was none other than Military Advisor Ji. Military Advisor Ji waved his hand at him and said, "I have been up for a long time, only meditating and practicing my skills in the room."

"This valley is only so big. You will have plenty of time to familiarize yourself with it later. Servants will bring breakfast over soon. After you have washed up and eaten, come to my room."

Li Yan quickly replied, "Yes, Teacher."

Military Advisor Ji gave him a gentle smile, then turned and walked back. Li Yan watched his teacher's back, and for some reason, he felt the same kind of love that his parents had for him in the old house, and his heart warmed inexplicably.

Not long after he returned to his room, the woman from the night before brought breakfast.

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Breakfast was light: a few steamed buns, a few small dishes, and a large bowl of century egg and lean pork congee. Li Yan ate with gusto. Even these ordinary foods were rare at home. However, thinking about what his teacher had asked him to do, he ate quickly.

After finishing breakfast, Li Yan hurried to the first stone house at the east side of the valley entrance. Arriving at the door, Li Yan saw that it was not closed. His teacher must be waiting for him. So he stood outside the door and said, "Teacher, this disciple pays his respects."

"Oh, you've come. Then come in." A gentle, middle-aged voice came from inside. Li Yan obeyed and walked in. The room was about the same size as Li Yan's, with a large wooden bed on the north side and a four- or five-layer bookshelf on the west side, but it was filled with books. The east side also had some simple toiletries. The difference was a low table placed on a large carpet in the center of the room. On the low table was a zither, simple in style, with several mottled spots on its body, but very smooth, indicating that it had been stroked for a long time.

In front of the zither was a small, exquisite censer, with three sticks of incense inserted in it. Wisps of smoke slowly rose from the tips of the incense sticks, and a faint sandalwood scent lingered in the room, bringing peace of mind.

Behind the table, a man in black robes sat cross-legged, his hands tucked into his wide sleeves, looking at Li Yan with a smile. It was Military Advisor Ji.

"Come, sit at the table." Military Advisor Ji raised his right hand from his sleeve, beckoned to Li Yan, and pointed to the carpet in front of the table. Li Yan quickly walked to the carpet, took off his shoes, and knelt to face his teacher. Old Scholar had taught him these etiquette rules. Military Advisor Ji smiled slightly when he saw him like this.

"Li Yan, today I will tell you about some of the affairs of this sect." Military Advisor Ji said after seeing Li Yan sit down.

"Yes, Teacher, this disciple is all ears," Li Yan said respectfully, looking at his teacher.

"This sect is called 'Wood Shadow Gate.' It was founded six hundred years ago, but its members have always remained hidden from the world, usually concealed in the deep mountains, unknown to the world. The martial arts of this sect are even more of a secret, and the requirements for those who practice them are harsh. Finding disciples is like searching for a needle in a haystack. Each generation has only two or three disciples. My generation has only me. The martial arts of this sect are needless to say. If you learn them to a high level, even if you can't say that your martial arts are unparalleled, you can still be the best of your generation." Military Advisor Ji's gentle voice slowly narrated, pausing at this point.

Li Yan listened attentively and echoed in a low voice, "Yes, this disciple heard people say when entering the city that Teacher is like entering an uninhabited place in the midst of an army. Such divine skill is unheard of."

Military Advisor Ji smiled and continued, "In the future, if you cultivate diligently, your achievements may not be below mine." Hearing this, Li Yan quickly said, "Teacher is too kind. How can this disciple compare with Teacher? I think that no matter how hard I practice, Teacher will definitely improve day by day, and I will never be able to catch up."

Military Advisor Ji said with a smile, "We should have a heart of pride in the world. You must not be like this."

Li Yan did not dare to say more and nodded, saying "Yes."

Military Advisor Ji continued, "The reason why I came out of the mountain this time is due to a reason. In addition to the powerful martial arts of Wood Shadow Gate, the predecessors of each generation have delved deeply into the field of herbs. For hundreds of years, the ancestral masters of each generation have been studying the way of plants in the deep mountains. Although they do not come out into the world

, they do travel and experience the world, and they also practice medicine to relieve illness and save lives. This is also the tradition of this sect. Learning without being able to use it is useless. Martial arts are just a means of self-preservation for us to walk in the world."

Hearing these words, Li Yan couldn't help but feel a sense of awe in his heart, thinking, "So, in addition to martial arts, this sect also has such actions to benefit the people. It is indeed a righteous sect."

"I am also practicing and traveling in accordance with this principle. Unfortunately, five or six years ago, when I went into the deep mountains to collect herbs, I was accidentally injured by an unknown poisonous insect. After several months of healing, I did not see any improvement, but instead, the symptoms worsened. Helplessly, I also visited many friends and famous doctors. Although their medical skills may not be stronger than mine, who knows if they know the origin of this poison? If I know the origin of this insect, it may be possible to find a way to remove this poison. But contrary to my wishes, no one recognized this poison. As this poison has slowly eroded the internal organs, I still can't find a way to detoxify it. I can only temporarily suppress this poison with my skill, but I can only suppress it for seven or eight years. Now it has been about six years. If I can't find a way to detoxify it during this period, then I can only say that my life is destined to be so."

Hearing this passage, Li Yan was greatly surprised. Looking at his teacher's pale face, faintly tinged with black, he couldn't help but change his expression and say, "Then Teacher must not have found a way to detoxify it, otherwise your complexion would not be like this."

Military Advisor Ji nodded and smiled, "It doesn't matter. Life and death are destined."

Li Yan said anxiously, "What should we do?"

Military Advisor Ji stretched out his hand and waved at him, saying, "Hehe, don't be impatient. This is the reason why I came out of the world, to find a disciple to inherit the sect. Otherwise, if the inheritance is cut off in my hands, then how can I face the past masters and predecessors in the afterlife? Alas! It's just that because the sect's mental cultivation method is overbearing, it is not suitable for those with special physiques. If they forcibly cultivate, their meridians will be reversed, and death is inevitable. Such people are really hard to find. If the sect used to seek disciples, the past masters would look for suitable people while traveling the world and practicing medicine to relieve illness. Although this kind of physique is difficult to find, it can eventually be found in this vast world. It's just that if I follow the previous method of the sect to seek disciples, I don't have that time. Later, I only thought of this method, coming to the army. There are many soldiers in the army, and their physiques are strong. I think the chances must be greatly increased."

Hearing these words, Li Yan thought, "So, Teacher came to the army to better find disciples. It seems that the strange silver needle pulse-taking method used by Teacher yesterday was the method to find this special physique." However, thinking of the pain in his abdomen, he felt a faint sense of fear in his heart.

Military Advisor Ji seemed to see through his thoughts and said to him, "This special physique is an invisible physique. It cannot be activated without the sect's method. Although it is inevitable to cause pain when activated, it is also a prerequisite to ensure the cultivation of the sect's mental cultivation method. I have been in this army for five or six years, and I have searched almost all of these hundreds of thousands of troops. It took so long to find two people, one was found last year, and the other is you."

Li Yan was stunned when he heard this, thinking, "Two people? Isn't there only me and Teacher in this valley? At the same time, Chen An and Li Yin didn't mention it yesterday. Except for Teacher's bedroom and the adjacent training room, I have entered the other two rooms. I even lived in one of them." Thinking of this, he seemed to have some impression in his mind. After thinking about it carefully, he suddenly remembered yesterday

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when he was thinking wildly outside the tent on the training ground, Teacher and Marshal Hong were talking. Marshal Hong seemed to say something like "what about the person who was accepted last time."

When Military Advisor Ji said this, he saw Li Yan in a daze and couldn't help but wonder, "Hong Linying also mentioned this matter yesterday, why does he still have a sudden expression?" But after a little thought, he understood the reason, but he didn't know that Li Yan didn't hear clearly what Marshal Hong said yesterday.

"Are you wondering why you didn't see the other person I mentioned? I still have to tell you about this." Saying this, he slowly took a breath and continued, "That person should be your senior brother. I found him at the beginning of last year, and then he joined this sect. Do you remember yesterday when I asked you if you had read books after testing your physique?"

Li Yan nodded, saying yes. He naturally remembered this.

"Your senior brother had never read books. After entering the sect, I thought that he could cultivate under my personal guidance, but I was too impatient and underestimated the overbearing nature of the sect's mental cultivation method. After your senior brother practiced for more than a month, when I entered the city to discuss matters with the marshal, he rashly operated the subsequent cultivation method he had just learned. Because he didn't understand enough, it led to a reversal of Qi and blood. By the time I came back, he was already, alas..."

Military Advisor Ji's face was filled with guilt and regret, "This is also my fault for being a little impatient. The poison in my body has not been removed, and my body is getting worse and worse. I can't help but be a little anxious about the inheritance of the sect. In addition to the personal guidance of the master, the sect's mental cultivation method also requires self-interpretation of the mysteries in each word and line, and then combining it with one's own physical condition, slowly guiding the inner Qi to walk, step by step. But this time, I was too confident that I could ensure that there would be no worries under my personal guidance, and ultimately made an irreparable mistake." Saying this, tears were faintly flashing in his eyes.

Hearing these words, Li Yan was shocked in his heart, "So the person who was found earlier has already died. Yesterday, Marshal Hong seemed to say something about comparing qualifications. In this way, he was saying how my qualifications compare to that of the deceased senior brother? This is impossible to compare with a dead person. If that senior brother's qualifications were better than mine, and he ended up like this, wouldn't I be even worse?" Thinking of this, cold sweat had already broken out on his back.

He looked up at his teacher, his mouth twitching, wanting to say something like he was afraid that he would not be able to cultivate either, but when he saw the tears and a hint of expectation in his teacher's eyes, he became embarrassed. This was a life-threatening job, and his heart was hesitant. After a long time, he made up his mind, "If I retreat like this, then it is possible that I will be sent back to the village directly by the teacher. Then how will I face my parents? Even if it is better, I will have to return to the army and start as a small soldier, but I will inevitably fight on the battlefield. At that time, whether I live or die, I still can't decide. Neither of these two results is what he wants. It is better to take a gamble. Besides, I am familiar with private school, and in the future, when studying and comprehending, if I can't understand, I will never continue to cultivate rashly. Besides, the reason why Teacher's all-powerful skills can be as invincible as in the legend is precisely the overbearing nature of this sect's martial arts, right? There is no such thing as unearned gain in the world." Thinking of this, the look in his eyes towards his teacher gradually became firm.

Military Advisor Ji looked at his eyes and understood his thoughts, and smiled with relief, and then continued, "Since that incident happened, in fact, I don't have too many expectations. Finding a suitable person, I think there is not enough time, it is really too ethereal. Who knows that the heavens have eyes, and before I die in depression, there is a glimmer of hope."