Narration System for the Journey of Martial Arts

Page 102

"I'm going to return to Mingjian Manor. Junbao, what are your plans?" Yi Yuchen asked.

Zhang Junbao thought for a moment and said, "It's not far from my home. I want to go back to see my mother and then return to Qingfeng Temple. Brother Yi, would you like to come along?"

Yi Yuchen shook his head, thinking to himself, "You go back to see your mother, what am I supposed to do by following you?" Besides, he had originally planned to see Yi Tianxing, but unexpectedly, she was taken away by Qin Sirong. Since the two were going in different directions, Zhang Junbao left.

"Indeed, a man of his stature, commanding tens of thousands of elite troops and fighting on the battlefield, his willpower is so strong that it cannot be shaken by a few words from me!" Yi Yuchen couldn't help but sigh in the carriage.

........................

After finding a market town, Yi Yuchen wrote a letter and had Tie Niu deliver it back to Mingjian Manor.

Firstly, to inform Yi Yun of the situation of this trip; secondly, since Yue Fei could no longer be saved, some of the elite soldiers of the Yue Family Army could be arranged in advance and sent to the base deep in the Lüliang Mountains.

After sending Tie Niu away, Yi Yuchen had nowhere to go for a while. Before he could even think about it, he saw a group of martial arts practitioners walk in.

These people, oblivious to everyone else, gathered around a table, shouting and making a ruckus, for quite some time...

"Have you heard? Marshal Yue gave Zhang Junbao a treasure map, and I heard it contains a treasure that is richer than a country?"

"No, it's not that it's about martial arts manuals collected by Marshal Yue. It's said that they can be mastered to become the Yue Family's Freehand Technique, allowing one to roam the world freely!"

"Nonsense, it is clearly a divine weapon, the Silver Dragon Spear that Marshal Yue used to dominate the battlefield, which can summon a divine dragon."

"No, it's the military tally of Yue Fei's army, which can mobilize 20,000 elite Yue Fei troops."

"What is it exactly?"

"Then who knows?"

"Zhang Junbao knows!"

"Go find him?"

"Yes, yes, yes... Go find him. Everyone has a share of Marshal Yue's things. It's not like he was the only one who saved General Yue!"

"Yes, he should be made to hand it over; the items belong to everyone."

The more one group talked, the more convinced they became. They called their friends and went out noisily.

The eunuch told Zhang Qiqiao about the cloth bag Yue Fei had given to Zhang Junbao. Zhang Qiqiao also wanted Yue Fei's cloth bag, so he ordered people to spread rumors to force Zhang Junbao to show himself.

Looking at the narration, Yi Yuchen shook his head. This was still one problem after another. Unfortunately, he knew that the contents of that cloth bag were of little use to the current situation.

Ultimately, this world is not in the hands of a princess of the Song Dynasty who has wandered the world. Above are the emperor and officials, below are the imperial relatives and nobles. Which member of the Zhao family would allow a little girl to usurp power?

If she really had that kind of guts, Zhao Gou wouldn't even need to lift a finger; the civil and military officials could have easily condemned her and turned her into a wicked woman who brought ruin to the country.

Even if they brought her back, Zhao Gou would at most give her a royal title and support another person! Would the Southern Song Dynasty really starve her?

As for power? That's utterly delusional; don't even think about it. Since ancient times, only imperial power is forbidden to anyone else. Didn't you see how Zhao Gou even considered killing Yue Fei?

It can only be said that both Yue Fei and General Feilong seemed to have their brains blocked, how could they have made such a joke?

Yi Yuchen shook his head and sighed.

"Why are you sighing all alone, young man? Everyone is eager to get their hands on Yue Fei's treasure. Aren't you tempted?"

Yi Yuchen looked up and saw an old man with white hair and beard standing opposite him, smiling. He was leaning on a cane with his right hand and holding the hand of a seven or eight-year-old child with his left.

The old man was dressed in white, his face weathered and worn, but his eyes were bright as stars and the moon, not cloudy. His clothes fluttered in the wind, giving him an air of otherworldly grace.

The one who had just spoken was the old man. Yi Yuchen made a gesture of invitation, and the old man cupped his hands in greeting and sat down opposite him. Immediately, a waiter brought over two more sets of bowls and chopsticks and placed them opposite him.

"Your Excellency has concerns, but they are not about Yue Fei's legacy. May I ask if I may interpret a divination for you?" the old man said, bowing.

Yi Yuchen picked up his chopsticks and put a few pieces of chicken on the little girl's plate. The little girl smiled, lowered her head, and ate slowly. Only then did Yi Yuchen ask, "Is the old lady a fortune teller?"

"No! No! I am just a commoner in the marketplace! I only do divination occasionally!" the old man shook his head and said.

"Yue Fei's legacy? It seems the old man was a wise and insightful person," Yi Yuchen exclaimed.

"Ha ha……"

The old man smiled and said...

"I am a few years older than you, and if I couldn't see through this, I wouldn't have lived to such an old age."

“Look at those people in the martial arts world, busy and clever all their lives. Although they are loyal and righteous, they are still after fame and fortune. In the end, they are still just a pile of bones, lying on a three-foot-wide patch of ground.”

Yi Yuchen shook his head and said...

"Flaws do not overshadow virtues. Although they have various shortcomings, no one is perfect. If they were without emotions and desires, what would be the difference between them and the clay sculptures in the temple?"

"Things in this world don't always go as planned, and I've only done my best! If the general trend cannot be changed, I only ask to have a clear conscience."

"Young friend, your Dao heart is clear and pure, like a lotus emerging from the mud, unstained by dust. You will surely be able to take that heavenly step in this mortal world," the old man said, stroking his beard.

Yi Yuchen cupped his hands and asked, "May I ask your name, sir?"

The old man smiled...

"My family name is Li, but there's no need to reveal my name. If we are destined to meet again in the future, you will naturally know! If we are not destined to meet, it is perfectly acceptable to forget about it."

"Young friend, why not step outside and take a look? The world changes, and countless events throughout history are all just fodder for laughter. Only the Way of Heaven remains constant and eternally existent."

Yi Yuchen shook his head and said, "My heart is set on myself and the Dao. Since I was born as a human, I naturally have a soft spot for this land. How can I abandon my original intention for the sake of the Dao?"

The old man stood up, shook his head, and sighed, "Indeed, he will have to endure more hardship."

With that, the old man took the child's hand, smiled, and turned to leave. Despite having no cultivation whatsoever, the child was right before his eyes one moment, and the next he was already outside the shop.

When I looked again, it was already far away, and then it was swallowed up by the surging crowd.

[You meet him by chance at a roadside inn... *sizzle*... *sizzle*... He offers guidance, you stay true to your original intentions, and then he departs.]

Looking at the narration in his mind, Yi Yuchen raised an eyebrow. This was the first time he had encountered a system malfunction. Who was that person? Even their name couldn't be displayed!

P.S.: I have to be on duty today, so only three chapters today. I'll make up for it with five chapters tomorrow.

Chapter 206 Spending the Night at the Mountain God Temple 1

Yi Yuchen had no intention of pursuing the matter further. There have always been many extraordinary people in the mountains and wilderness, so why bother to get to the bottom of it?

However, after this incident, he had no desire to linger. He left behind a broken silver ingot and walked out of the city as the sun set, intending to live wherever fate would allow.

Along the way, news of Zhang Junbao receiving a treasure from Yue Fei had spread throughout the land, and countless martial arts practitioners flocked to the Zhang family in Jiangnan.

Yi Yuchen was mingled in the crowd, as if shrouded in a layer of mist, easily overlooked, as if he didn't exist.

That night, Yi Yuchen did indeed find himself in the wilderness. He didn't mind, built a fire himself, and stayed overnight at a mountain god temple by the roadside.

As night deepened, pedestrians traveling at night gradually arrived at the place and squeezed in.

The first to arrive were a young master and servant. Yi Yuchen only needed to glance at them to tell that although they were dressed as men, they were actually a pair of women.

Not to mention that the two women were slender, walked with delicate steps, and had undisguised ear piercings. But none of that mattered to me.

"Brother, my servant and I are just passing through and need to stay the night. We apologize for the intrusion!" The woman at the head of the group spoke in a soft yet firm voice, carrying a hint of heroism.

Yi Yuchen nodded slightly and said, "I am just staying here. Please make yourselves at home in the rest of this mountain god temple."

The woman nodded and, along with another person, chose a corner not far from Yi Yuchen. The woman took out a porcelain bottle from her bosom and sprinkled some powder. Then, a rustling sound was heard and quickly faded away.

Yi Yuchen was surprised. This girl was an expert in alchemy. No wonder she dared to walk at night without any martial arts skills.

The woman smiled at Yi Yuchen, then turned around and, together with another woman who was clearly a maid, gathered some firewood and started a campfire nearby.

The two of them busied themselves, but it was mainly the maid who was busy, while the other sat there quietly waiting.

Once the flatbread and braised meat and vegetables on the campfire had heated up, the woman politely asked, "I see you didn't bring any food, would you like to eat some with me?"

Yi Yuchen shook his head. The woman assumed he was just being wary and knew that his good intentions were easily misunderstood, so she didn't say anything more.

………………

When the two had eaten their fill, they heard the sound of carriages and horses on the official road, followed by a rough voice: "Brother, there's a wild temple here, why don't you stay here for the night!"

Then another voice said in a deep voice, "Alright, everyone must be tired from traveling at night. Let's stay here for the night and set off again early tomorrow morning."

As they were speaking, the temple door creaked open, and with a "Huh..." the gruff voice from before said, "Brother, there are already people here!"

As he spoke, the man walked in. He was a middle-aged man, seven feet tall, with a full beard, wearing a coarse cloth short jacket, and carrying a ghost-head knife in his right hand.

Following closely behind him was a somewhat handsome man dressed in black, with long, slender fingers and a nine-section whip wrapped around his waist.

The man glanced at the scene inside the mountain god temple, and his eyes narrowed when he saw Yi Yuchen alone. Anyone who ventures into the martial world would never travel alone without some skill, except for those desperate outlaws, of course.

He glanced at the other two, then turned and said, "Let's go to the corner on the left to fix ourselves." They were diagonally opposite Yi Yuchen and the others.

Then came the clamor of horses' hooves, and three large carts carrying more than twenty men armed with weapons entered. The lead cart carried the flag of "Fuyuan Escort Agency".

These people escorted the cart to the left corner of the wall, then gathered around outside, lit a bonfire, and whispered among themselves, glancing at Yi Yuchen and the others from time to time.

At first, these people were very wary. After drinking some alcohol, some of them couldn't control their mouths and started laughing and joking, telling dirty jokes, and glancing at the two people next to Yi Yuchen from time to time.

However, the master and servant ignored them. Only the little maid glared at them fiercely, which was met with a burst of laughter.

The woman whispered a few words, and the maid put down the hidden weapon in her sleeve, still complaining indignantly. The woman smiled, glanced at the leading bodyguard, and then turned her head away.

The martial arts masters guarding the bodyguards had no idea they had just escaped death. Only the leader, who had been letting them test him, felt a chill run down his spine when he saw the woman's eyes—the eyes of someone looking at a dead man.

"Shut up, all of you! You've drunk a little horse piss and you don't know your place anymore? Go to sleep if you have nothing else to do," the lead镖师 (bodyguard/escort) shouted.

The martial artists fell silent, shrinking back into their quarters. They looked at each other and huddled around the campfire, keeping their voices low.

The lead镖师 (bodyguard/escort) then stepped forward, standing five paces away, and cupped his hands, saying, "I am Chen Taolong, the head of the Fuyuan镖局 (escort agency). I greet the three of you. My friends are all rough men, so please don't take offense!"

Yi Yuchen sat cross-legged to one side, eyes closed and silent; the master and servant pair beside him also looked at the campfire without saying a word.

The man named Chen Taolong, feeling awkward, looked displeased for a moment before bowing and retreating.

After retreating, Chen Taolong whispered with several bodyguards for a while, then arranged for some of his men to rest and others to keep watch.

………………

[Yue Fei was murdered at Fengbo Pavilion. He achieved his goal of benevolence, but he was unwilling to let such a great opportunity slip away.]

The voiceover system suddenly appeared in his mind, and Yi Yuchen felt a pang of pain in his heart, a wave of sorrow washing over him.

"When the royal army has pacified the Central Plains, remember to tell your grandfather at the family sacrifice." Yi Yuchen recited the poem silently, knowing that the Southern Song Dynasty would never have another chance to unify the Central Plains.

As his spirits sank, an indescribable sadness spread, and the people staying in the mountain god temple felt a tightness in their chests, and before they knew it, tears were streaming down their faces.

Chen Taolong and his servant, who were half asleep, suddenly sat up and realized that they couldn't help but shed tears, and their hearts were filled with sorrow.

"Get up...get up quickly!" Chen Taolong shouted while wiping away his tears.

The Night's Watchmen, who had been momentarily stunned, snapped back to reality, wiping away their tears. Many asked in alarm, "What happened? What happened?"

Several martial arts masters from the escort agency knelt silently before the mountain god statue, muttering to themselves and listing the wrongdoings they had committed.

At this moment, the young lady in the master-servant pair gently tugged at her maid's sleeve, pouted, and looked in Yi Yuchen's direction. Under the moonlight and campfire, Yi Yuchen seemed to be shrouded in an inescapable mist of sorrow, making anyone who looked at him feel sad.

"Ah... there's a ghost!" the maid suddenly screamed, startling the others in the escort agency who huddled together in a circle, staring outside.

This sound also startled Yi Yuchen. He withdrew his scattered spiritual power, and the sorrowful atmosphere throughout the temple dissipated.

Chapter 207 Spending the Night at the Mountain God Temple 2

The woman in the lead covered the maid's mouth, leaving only a series of 'muffled' sounds.

She glared at the maid, and seeing that Yi Yuchen didn't react, she pulled the maid to sit down against the wall.

After this incident, no one felt sleepy anymore, but no one made a sound. Occasionally, they would glance in Yi Yuchen's direction, their eyes filled with fear.

For a bodyguard with only mediocre martial arts skills, such methods are like strange tales, incomprehensible and can only be interpreted as demonic or monstrous.

Just as everyone was speculating, Yi Yuchen looked up at the temple gate, then lowered his head.

Chen Taolong and the woman, who had been watching him closely, tensed up. Chen Taolong instinctively gripped the nine-section whip at his waist; the woman's hand held a hint of scarlet.

A moment later, a rustling sound came from outside the temple gate. Chen Taolong's expression changed, and he shouted, "Enemies! Be careful!"

The woman pulled her maidservant further inside, the maidservant gripping a crossbow-like concealed weapon in her right hand, nervously watching the doorway.

Just as the镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) had formed their formation, a series of 'wailing' sounds rang out, and bamboo poles, like sharp arrows, shot into the night sky, accompanied by strange cries.

Caught off guard, the twenty-odd bodyguards, huddled together, suffered the most damage; seven or eight of them were wounded before even engaging the enemy.

………………

With a loud 'bang', the temple door was kicked open, and seven or eight men in black walked in.

The leader of the men in black glanced at the scene inside the hall, then fixed his gaze on the security company and said…