Dual cultivation of Daoist arts and martial arts

"Third Brother has gone missing?"

Inspector Zhang Huai was also shocked when he heard what the butler said.

Zhang Xinhu is the number one expert in Siming County. Who can hurt him? Let alone make his third brother disappear without a trace. That's too difficult!

The old butler, Zhang En, also looked anxious. He said in a low voice, "The master disappeared this morning, and a few things are missing from his room. We waited until noon and still hadn't heard from him, so we rushed over to find you."

The Zhang Household family is large and powerful, and Zhang Xinhu usually manages everything.

Now that Zhang Xinhu has suddenly disappeared, the Zhang Household is not only missing a powerful martial artist, but also a leader.

They can keep it a secret for a day or two, but if it goes on for too long, chaos will inevitably break out in the Zhang Household.

The housekeeper had no choice; Zhang Xinhu was domineering and forceful, and his word was law at home.

The rest of the Zhang Household had no choice but to obey orders; those who disobeyed were dealt with long ago.

Zhang Xinhu suddenly disappeared, and there was no one in his family to take charge.

There was no other way, so the butler had to go to Zhang Huai. Although Zhang Xinhu wasn't very close to Zhang Huai, they were still family.

Furthermore, Zhang Huai is a patrol inspector, who is in charge of these kinds of matters.

"Don't worry, I'll go with you to take a look."

Zhang Huai was also a little uneasy. His third brother was domineering and had offended countless people.

Not to mention anything else, they've already forged a deep-seated feud with the Hidden Dragon Temple alone.

With this happening so suddenly, he couldn't help but suspect that a powerful figure from the Lower Court had intervened...

Zhang Huai didn't dare bring his men and went to the Zhang Household alone with the steward.

Upon arriving at the training room, Zhang Huai, who had long heard that Zhang Xinhu had a very special training room, was visiting for the first time.

The enclosed room had no windows, and even with the door open, there was a long corridor outside, making the room very dark.

The butler brought two torches, and the room was finally brightened.

Zhang Huai also took a torch and carefully inspected the room.

There was no blood, footprints, or any signs of a fight on the ground.

With Zhang Xinhu's martial arts skills, if he goes all out, he will inevitably leave behind indelible marks.

The room, however, was exceptionally clean.

Zhang Huai asked the butler, "The room is so dark, what kind of lighting do you usually use?"

The butler pointed to the corners of the walls on both sides and said, "There are precious pearls providing illumination, making it as bright as day. But the pearls are gone..."

He then pointed to the table and said, "There's a painting and a knife here, but they're both gone."

As the butler, Zhang En was a few years older than Zhang Xinhu Zhang Xinhu and had grown up with him since childhood. He was Zhang Xinhu's most important confidant and knew a bit about the training room.

However, Zhang En was unclear about matters involving secrets such as martial arts lineage.

Zhang Huai went to the corner of the wall and looked for a while. The ceiling was 15 feet high, and there was a special support for the place where the beads were inlaid. There were also locks on the support to prevent the beads from falling. Without a ladder, it would not be easy to take them down.

He glanced at the wall; there were no footprints.

It's understandable that a master capable of killing Zhang Xinhu would take the treasured sword, but taking the two beads as well is somewhat inconsistent with the status of a master.

Besides, Zhang Xinhu is such a big man, and he has a five-foot-long knife; it would be very troublesome to take him away.

He had just checked and found no broken tiles or unusual footprints outside.

If it weren't for the lost items, he would have seriously suspected that Zhang Xinhu had left on his own.

Zhang Huai now had a bad feeling; his third brother was probably dead...

But he dared not make any hasty judgments; if Zhang Xinhu were really dead, the impact would be too great.

The Li Household, the county magistrate, and the Ironclad Guard would immediately pounce on them and tear the Zhang Household to pieces.

Zhang Huai was well aware of the seriousness of the matter, and he warned Zhang En: "Keep it a secret for now, don't tell anyone. Just tell everyone that Third Brother is in seclusion for cultivation."

Zhang En's face turned deathly pale. "Fourth Master, has something really happened to my master?"

There were no traces in the training room, and he had still held onto some hope, but after hearing Zhang Huai's words, he knew the situation was extremely bad.

Zhang Huai stared at Zhang En sternly and said, "If you dare to say anything out of line, I'll kill you!"

Zhang En was startled and hurriedly said, "My grandfather worked for the Zhang Household, and our whole family has eaten at the Zhang Household for generations. Fourth Master, don't worry, if I say anything wrong, you can kill my whole family!"

"This is a serious matter and requires careful consideration. From now on, you must keep me informed about everything."

Zhang Huai's expression softened slightly. "If something really happens to Third Brother, I will do my best to protect the Zhang Household and protect you."

"Yes, yes, I'll listen to you from now on." Zhang En was a smart man and immediately understood the meaning behind Zhang Huai's words.

If Zhang Xinhu really dies, he'll follow Zhang Huai and get a share of the Zhang Household's vast fortune...

Three days later, Zhang Yunfeng, a centurion, led his team back to Siming County.

Zhang Yunfeng originally wanted to see Zhang Xinhu, but he was surprised to hear that Zhang Xinhu had disappeared.

He went so far as to bring up Zhang Banshan and Yizhen to fight head-on because he valued their martial arts skills and thought they would be very useful.

I never expected that Zhang Xinhu would run into trouble just a few days after he left. And his fate is unknown...

Zhang Yunfeng also went to the training room to watch, accompanied by Wu Di, the head of the regiment.

After looking around, Zhang Yunfeng asked Wu Di, "What do you think?"

Wu Di said with some difficulty, "There's not a trace at all. If someone really made a move, then that person's martial arts skills must be far superior to Zhang Xinhu's."

Zhang Yunfeng nodded, then asked, "Could it be Zhou Wuji who did it?"

"Absolutely impossible. Zhou Wuji suffered such severe injuries that even the Celestial Master himself couldn't heal him immediately."

Wu Di shook his head. "Besides, even if Zhou Wuji were completely Wushang, he still wouldn't have that ability!"

He had dealt with Zhou Wuji a few times and acknowledged Zhou Wuji's abilities, but he didn't believe that Zhou Wuji could be so strong as to reach such an inhuman level.

"It's possible that a master from the Northern Pole Sect has made a move..."

There was no one else in the room, but Wu Di still instinctively lowered his voice and voiced his judgment.

Zhang Yunfeng's expression was somewhat complicated. He was certainly very angry, and he was almost certain that the Lower Court had made the move.

Zhang Xinhu was not well-known in Siming County, but Zhang Xinhu martial arts skills were superior to his. Such a master was a rare talent, and few in the Lower Court could kill him!

Not to mention that the other party didn't leave any trace; this method is truly ingenious.

Yizhen 've been with him these past few days, so it couldn't have been him who did Yizhen.

The only truly powerful figure in the Lower Court is Abbot Zhiyuan. He's quite old, and given his greedy and cowardly nature, it's highly unlikely he'd travel hundreds of miles specifically to kill Zhang Xinhu!

After much thought, the only explanation is that a master from the Northern Pole Sect happened to be passing through the area and took the opportunity to eliminate Zhang Xinhu.

The Northern Pole Sect is one of the seven major schools of Daoism. The seven major schools of Daoism are very united externally and have the support of the Heavenly Master's Manor, so they all have great influence in the imperial court.

Just like Zhang Xinhu's scheme against Zhou Wuji, without concrete evidence, this matter can only be left unresolved.

He had no reason to stand up for the dead. However, he couldn't just accept such a huge loss!

If the Lower Court doesn't keep its word and doesn't take the Zhang Household seriously, then they won't be polite either!

The most urgent matter is to see how much money we can squeeze out of Zhang Xinhu's house...

Zhang Yunfeng thought for a moment and then added, "Keep an eye on Zhou Wuji, and get rid of him if you get the chance."

"Yes," Wu Di replied respectfully.

He didn't know why Zhang Yunfeng wanted to kill Zhou Wuji, but coincidentally, he also wanted to kill Zhou Wuji, so it was a coincidence.

After killing Zhou Wuji, Zhang Yunfeng still owes him a favor.

Wu Di was not worried about his safety; he was the chief officer of the Pacification Office Division, Seventh Rank official of the imperial court.

The Northern Pole Sect Northern Pole Sect supported by the imperial court, so it was one thing for them to kill a local tycoon like Zhang Xinhu in private, but they wouldn't do it without a deep-seated grudge.

Upon returning to the Cloud Dragon Lower Court, Daoist Yizhen quickly received news from Siming County.

Daoist Yizhen knew very well that although there were many experts in the Cloud Dragon Lower Court, none of them could kill Zhang Xinhu silently.

Even if the host did it himself, he might not be able to do it so neatly and efficiently.

He was also surprised; who could have done this?

Thinking of the murderous aura in Zhou Wuji's flute playing, he vaguely felt that this matter might be related to Zhou Wuji.

But to say it was Zhou Wuji is too far-fetched...

He figured it might really be a master from their own sect making the move, and since it didn't bother them, there was no need to investigate further.

The news of Zhang Xinhu's disappearance could not be kept secret in the end, and it quickly spread Siming County.

Wuzheng Zheng excitedly came to find Zhou Wuji to share the good news.

As for who received a share of the Zhang Household's vast fortune, Wuzheng was not interested.

He was a Daoist priest; he couldn't very well go down and fight with the crowd to seize the Zhang Household's property.

The Daoist sect has its own rules; it won't make money from just any kind of money.

It is precisely because they cherish their reputation that the Daoist sect enjoys a much better reputation in the martial arts world than the Buddhist sect.

With Zhang Xinhu's death, the people of Siming County felt that the Lower Court had done a good job, and they became even more respectful towards Hidden Dragon Temple.

Various prominent Lineage came to offer incense and paid very generous sums of money as offerings.

This made Wuzheng even happier.

Of course, Wuzheng was also very wary of this matter.

Even someone as powerful as Zhang Xinhu could mysteriously disappear, which shows just how formidable the person who made the move was...

When he had some free time, Wuzheng gave Zhou Wuji two books: "The True Explanation of the Golden Elixir" and "The Dragon and Tiger Nine Revolutions Scripture".

These are all important classic texts on alchemy, forming the foundation of Daoist alchemy theory.

When Wuzheng to do, he would come over and explain the knowledge in the books to Zhou Wuji.

The Lower Court also sent ten Rank Three Revolutions Purple Gold Pill as a reward for Zhou Wuji.

The Three-Tier Purple Gold Pill is remarkably effective in replenishing blood and strengthening the body. It is especially effective in treating external injuries such as bone fractures.

After more than a month, Zhou Wuji used the Purple Gold Pill as an excuse to say that he had healed very well, threw away the bamboo clamps that had been fixing him, and let Shangxin, who had been serving him, go back to his normal cultivation and no longer need to follow him around every day.

After pretending for so long, Zhou Wuji realized that no one was paying attention to him, and he didn't want to keep up the act anymore.

That night, Zhou Wuji opened the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment.

The top-ranked destiny was none other than Zhang Xinhu's, weighing three taels and nine mace, which was also the highest destiny he had ever obtained.

Such a high destiny cannot be used indiscriminately.

Although the Five Tigers Fist is simple, it is an authentic martial arts tradition. The boxing manual in his hand is enough for him to practice until he reaches the Sixth Rank rank.

The Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment also contains a large number of low-level destinies. In order to make full use of these destinies, Zhou Wuji broke down the Five Tigers Fist into five different paths for separate cultivation.

First, he infused two life essences, each weighing a little over an ounce, into the Iron Tiger Fist. Purple light flowed around him, and Zhou Wuji focused his mind on a small world to begin practicing the fist.

When the purple light dissipated, Zhou Wuji had already reached the level of mastery in Iron Tiger Fist.

He clenched his fists, and his entire body's muscles and bones naturally mobilized and exerted force.

In this state, his body becomes exceptionally resilient, and he can still control his internal organs to a certain extent.

For example, it can speed up or slow down the heartbeat, control the expansion or contraction of the lungs, and allow the body to vomit immediately after eating.

The fact that two low-level destiny charts could produce such good results is mainly because his foundation is too strong.

His Swordsmanship had reached Transformation Realm of perfection, allowing him to control his body and True Qi to an extremely high level.

Conversely, practicing a hard martial art like Iron Tiger Fist becomes much easier...