Narration System for the Journey of Martial Arts

Page 97

"Could these strange things be the work of them? But what are they trying to do?" Daoist Wuchen pondered, looking at the two people below who were exchanging glances.

Zhang Junbao, who is fearless and the most powerful man in Qingfeng Temple, insisted on going to catch the ghost when he heard about this.

Master Wuchen already suspected that martial arts masters were behind the trouble, so he was naturally unhappy. However, he couldn't stand his disciple's many tricks, which made him extremely annoyed!

So on this day, Daoist Wuchen led several disciples down the mountain to catch ghosts, and the two newly arrived disciples also happily went along.

He had initially thought it was the work of these two, but now it seemed unlikely, leaving Daoist Wuchen feeling uncertain.

That night, under a dark and windy sky, ghostly figures indeed appeared in the villages and towns at the foot of the mountain, wailing and howling, which inevitably sent chills down people's spines in the dead of night.

Seeing the ghostly figure heading towards the village mortuary, Zhang Junbao couldn't wait to follow it.

Seeing that he couldn't stop his disciple, Wuchen Daoren had no choice but to resign himself to following along, praying that Heaven would open its eyes and not actually encounter any demons or monsters.

Upon arriving at the mortuary, they saw a coffin making constant noises. Everyone else was so frightened that they retreated, but Zhang Junbao was incredibly bold. Instead of retreating, he pulled away from his master's hand and rushed into the coffin.

After the coffin tumbled over, a person dressed in black, with disheveled hair, fell out and kept wailing!

Upon seeing this person, the two newcomers ignored Zhang Junbao's boasting and instead rushed towards the man on the ground with joy, calling out "Brother Yi!"

The audience at Qingfeng Temple let out an "Oh!" and joined in the commotion, as if they had seen through the two's intentions.

Wuchen Daoist lowered his guard, but at the same time felt helpless about his disciples' naivety.

………………

Your uncle, Yi Tianxing, has appeared.

Since his failed attempt to abduct the bride and his departure from the Famous Sword Manor, he has been living in a daze, acting erratically.

While in a state of mental instability, he forced himself to practice the Eight Forms of the Famous Sword, which led to him suffering a qi deviation at Mount Taihe.

[Yi Tianxing met Bing Xin, the successor of Medicine King Valley. Because of the romantic entanglements Yi Tianxing had caused at Famous Sword Manor when he was young, Bing Xin fell in love with him at first sight.]

Although Yi Tianxing's life is not in danger, he is plagued by romantic entanglements. How do you think he will handle this?

Inside the Famous Sword Manor, Yi Yuchen, who was reminding Yi Jifeng to be careful when going out, was stunned, and then saw the system's narration.

Yi Yuchen felt extremely indifferent towards Yi Tianxing. This man was only suited to be a wandering swordsman, and the Famous Sword Manor was not a suitable place for him.

Yi Yuchen also hoped that the other party would wander the world and never appear in Mingjian Villa again, but when he thought that the other party was Yi Yun's only son, he couldn't help but sigh!

"Is something the matter, brother?" Yi Jifeng asked when he saw his brother suddenly stop talking and instead sigh.

Yi Yuchen shook his head and said, "When you go to the alliance meeting this time, you will probably meet a very interesting person."

"Who could be so interesting to you, brother? Could it be the Carefree King?" Yi Jifeng asked curiously, his spirits lifted.

Yi Yuchen laughed and said...

"The only thing about the Carefree King that interests me is his martial arts skills!"

"Brother, I'm waiting for you to bring the Prince of Leisure before me so I can see him kowtow to Grandpa and admit his mistakes."

"Unfortunately, this person is not the Carefree King. Very well, come with me."

After saying that, Yi Yuchen got up and walked through the eaves and corridors towards the gate.

Upon reaching the gate, he grabbed with his right hand, and the strangely shaped longsword on the gate flew down with a "whoosh" and landed in Yi Yuchen's hand.

"This is... Second Uncle's sword. Big Brother, are you talking about Second Uncle?" Yi Jifeng was slightly taken aback, then said.

Yi Yuchen stroked the sword, sighed, and then headed into the mansion. Yi Jifeng was puzzled, but he followed.

Yi Yuchen's actions naturally attracted Yi Liang's attention. However, when he looked at the long sword in Yi Yuchen's hand, his eyes showed affection, grief, and resentment.

Yi Yuchen placed the longsword in the brocade box and said...

"I have a feeling that you will probably run into him at this martial arts alliance meeting."

"He is a disgrace to Mingjian Manor. Now that he's back, the matter from back then must be settled!"

"But he is still my grandfather's child, and I'm afraid I might kill him if I make a move, so this time you will settle things with him."

"Take this sword to him. I want you to defeat him fair and square after the martial arts alliance."

Yi Jifeng was taken aback and said, "But, elder brother, we are family after all... and I may not be able to beat second uncle."

Yi Yuchen sighed slightly before saying:

“It is precisely because he is family that I did not kill him myself. But he must also pay the price for what happened back then. The reputation of Mingjian Manor cannot be tarnished.”

"As for whether you can win, you don't need to worry. You have now mastered the five styles of the Famous Sword. Apart from me, the Carefree King, and Grandpa, no one else in the martial arts world is your match. With Yi Tianxing's martial arts skills, at most he can only fight you to a draw."

“What about Grandpa…” Yi Jifeng hesitated.

With a creak, Yi Jifeng turned his head and saw Yi Yun sitting in a wheelchair in the open doorway, looking at the sword with a hint of regret and remorse in his eyes.

“Master of the Manor…” Yi Liang walked over and said.

Yi Yun waved his hand, looked at him for a long time, and then gestured for Yi Liang to push him away. Before leaving, he said, "Give the sword back to him!"

Chapter 196: Changes on all sides

"Although he is our second uncle, his actions back then treated Mingjian Manor as nothing, making it a laughing stock!" Yi Yuchen sighed as Yi Yun walked away.

Yi Jifeng took the brocade box and asked, puzzled, "What exactly did Second Uncle do back then?"

"Go ask him yourself!" Yi Yuchen paused, then shook his head. Yi Jifeng was puzzled, but didn't ask any further questions.

Yi Yuchen continued, "Let him see your martial arts skills, hopefully he won't continue living like this in a daze. Sigh..."

So, filled with doubts, Yi Jifeng led six sword attendants out of the mansion.

Seeing Yi Jifeng walk away, Yi Yuchen waved his hand, and Tie Niu drove the carriage to Yi Yuchen's side. The master and servant then left the manor.

………………

On this day, Wuchen Daoist on Taihe Mountain also received a call to arms from martial arts heroes.

Wuchen Daoist, who was wholeheartedly devoted to the country and fighting against the Jin people, naturally went to Black Wind Village to participate in the Jiangnan Martial Arts Conference, elect a leader, and protect Yue Fei.

Before leaving, Master Wuchen gave his disciples many instructions, ordering them not to go down the mountain easily. After all, these disciples were too foolish. Apart from Junbao, they would probably be sold out and still help the seller count the money.

All the other disciples obediently agreed, but Zhang Junbao was different. No sooner had Wuchen left than he followed him, crawled under the carriage, and went down the mountain with him.

Beside the dim campfire, Daoist Wuchen looked helplessly at his little disciple beside him and said, "Junbao, everything your master said to you before was for nothing!"

Zhang Junbao didn't take it seriously and said with a grin, "Master, I also want to participate in the martial arts alliance! I'll go with you to protect Marshal Yue then."

Wuchen Daoist snorted and said, "Do you know how dangerous the martial world is? If you don't practice martial arts properly, what will happen if something happens? Your mother only has one son."

Zhang Junbao chuckled and grabbed his arm, saying, "Isn't my master protecting me?"

Wuchen Daoist was exasperated. He tapped the man's head and glared at him resentfully.

Unbeknownst to the master and disciple, because Zhang Junbao had gone missing, several fellow disciples at Qingfeng Temple discussed it and decided to go down the mountain together to look for him!

Therefore, all of Wuchen Daoren's instructions were in vain in the end, and it's unknown what his feelings were when he saw his disciples.

………………

Lin'an, the Imperial Palace.

Wearing a dragon robe, Zhao Gou, with his handsome face, flipped through the memorials on the table, his brows furrowed. After seeing something, he angrily slammed the memorials onto the imperial desk.

As he moved, a corner of a bright yellow scroll on the imperial desk was unfurled, and the words "Yue Fei" and "demoted to military advisor in Huzhou" could be vaguely seen.

"These war faction members still haven't given up. They're all pretending to be confused. If they were truly loyal to the emperor and loved their country, why can't they share my burdens?"

"Do I not want to recover the Central Plains? Who among them can share my predicament? They all claim to be upright civil officials, yet they are still reluctant to step forward."

"Ha, that makes sense. No matter who sits on my throne, they will still wield power and influence in the court, acting all high and mighty."

"Look at Han Shizhong and Zhang Jun, these are true military generals who remain calm in the face of both honor and disgrace. When have I ever mistreated my meritorious officials?"

The hall was silent; no one answered except for him talking to himself.

After a long while, he couldn't help but sigh, got up and walked outside the hall before asking, "Where is Yue Fei?"

Behind him, the old eunuch in a silver-gray robe waved his hand, and the others quickly retreated. They were all grateful to this old ancestor, who had saved their lives.

After everyone else had gone far away, the old eunuch bowed and said, "The Imperial City Guard reported that they will arrive in Huzhou in five days, but this time they are taking a detour."

"Has he not submitted a memorial to defend himself yet?" Zhao Gou asked, frowning.

The old eunuch raised an eyebrow, glanced at his expression, and then said, "Should this old servant send someone to give him a heads-up?"

"No need!" Zhao Gou's eyes flashed with a hint of regret and a hint of murderous intent as he shook his head and said, "Perhaps this is fate."

"Your Majesty is the will of Heaven!" the old eunuch bowed and said.

Zhao Gou sneered...

"You certainly know how to talk, but unfortunately, it seems I'm destined to be a tyrant. Who knows how these civil officials will portray me in the history books?"

"You have sent people to keep a close eye on Qin Hui and those outlaws. I want to see whose empire this is."

The old eunuch remained calm and composed, beckoned, took a shawl and draped it over the man's shoulders, then said...

"Prime Minister Qin sent another letter to Wanyan Chang's residence, agreeing to jointly eliminate Yue Fei and demanding that Wanyan Chang withdraw his troops before then, otherwise it would be difficult for him to proceed."

"Wanyan Chang sent thirty boxes of silk, porcelain, and medicinal herbs to the Qin Prime Minister's residence. The servants of the Imperial City Guard secretly investigated and found that there were 20,000 taels of gold leaves hidden among the silk."

"Prime Minister Qin sent a letter to the carefree king of the Western Regions, inviting him to Jiangnan to eliminate General Yue and suppress the martial arts forces in Jiangnan."

"As for those outlaws, they agreed to meet at Black Wind Stronghold in Huzhou to elect a leader and go down the mountain together to rescue General Yue."

"Yi Jifeng of Mingjian Villa has already set off for Black Wind Village. As for his elder brother, his whereabouts are a mystery. His martial arts are too high, and no one can keep up with him."

"The area around Huzhou is probably in complete chaos right now."

Zhao Gou frowned, his tone irritated as he said...

"Since Minister Yue enjoys such popular support and is so close to Zhao Yuan, where does that leave me?"

"Does he really see me as a foolish and incompetent ruler who can't distinguish right from wrong?"

The old eunuch lowered his head and remained silent. Zhao Gou, feeling irritated for a moment, then his eyes turned serious and he said in a low voice, "Very well! If he still hasn't submitted a memorial after passing Huzhou, then he shouldn't blame me."

"Thunder and rain, all are the Emperor's grace! General Yue should be able to understand this," the old eunuch said calmly.

Zhao Gou looked up at the sky and said, "I hope he can understand my good intentions."

………………

Lin'an, Qin Mansion.

Inside Qin Hui's study, Zhang Qiqiao and Qin Sirong were both present. The old man sitting at the head of the table remained silent until a burst of lamplight brought him back to his senses.

He reached out and trimmed the lamp wick, saying irritably, "We must find a way to get rid of Yue Fei in Huzhou. If he returns to Lin'an, I'm afraid the one in the palace might not be willing to kill him."

Zhang Qiqiao asked in bewilderment, "Aren't the rumors circulating among the people, Yue Fei's disobedience, and the unusual movements in the Jiangnan martial arts world enough to make that person make up their mind?"

Qin Hui shook his head and said mockingly...

"I have never dared to underestimate that person in the palace!"

"Since that person crossed the Yangtze River to the south, he has been able to firmly sit on the throne. How could I possibly influence him?"

"He too has the ambition to recover the Central Plains. It's just that I've seized the best opportunity now!"

"Once Yue Fei returns to the capital, if Han Shizhong, Zhang Jun, and those pro-war faction members submit a petition, that person will surely let him off lightly, and Yue Fei will not die."

“Since Wanyan Chang wants him dead, then we cannot let him enter Lin’an. Otherwise, once the imperial decree is issued, there will be no possibility of changing it.”

"You must hurry back and find Yue Fei in Huzhou, and seize the opportunity to eliminate him."

Zhang Qiqiao and Qin Sirong bowed in agreement and then hurriedly left.

Inside the study, Qin Hui stared blankly at the candlelight, and after a long while, a sigh escaped his lips: "There's no going back!"

Chapter 197 Encountering Junbao

The next morning, Zhang Junbao and his apprentice, who had slept in the carriage all night, set off again.

But this time was different. As the carriage moved forward, the official road along the way was unusually quiet, and even the carefree Zhang Junbao noticed something was amiss.

After walking for a long time, not a single bird chirped in the woods by the roadside, and the once bustling official road was deserted of merchants.

Finally, as he passed through a grove of trees, Zhang Junbao saw fallen trees, stark white bones, and still-wet bloodstains by the roadside.

"Master, I feel something's not right!" Zhang Junbao shouted into the carriage as he urged it forward.