Narration System for the Journey of Martial Arts

Page 93

Chapter 188 Soul-Seizing Technique, News Leaked

After a long while, Zhang Qiqiao muttered to himself, "Famous Sword Manor, besides that old fellow Yi Yun's Eighteen Forms of Heavenly Sword, what other martial arts could be so powerful! Could it be that the Carefree King is hiding something from me..."

"You want to know?" a voice suddenly asked.

"Who?" Zhang Qiqiao was startled. He looked around but found the woods empty and deserted.

"You're interested in the martial arts of Mingjian Manor? But that's not something you can learn; your aptitude is still a bit lacking."

A voice sounded behind Zhang Qiqiao. Without thinking, he rolled in mid-air, waved his palms, and sent out two streams of true energy. Then, without looking back, he leaped backward.

Unexpectedly, his seemingly sure-fire palm strike missed its mark; there was no one in front of him. Startled, he immediately turned around, but there was still no one around.

"Who are you? Who exactly are you?" Zhang Qiqiao, with his eyes and ears open, circulated his inner energy throughout his body and asked in a stern voice.

"Hey, I'm right in front of you." As soon as he finished speaking, a figure appeared in front of Zhang Qiqiao like a cloud, ethereal and uncertain, as if it would disappear with the wind at any moment.

"You're courting death!" Zhang Qiqiao raised both palms, countless afterimages flashed by, and then his palms slammed together with true energy, piercing into the clouds. Unexpectedly, the clouds possessed a suction force that firmly controlled his hands.

Just as Zhang Qiqiao was struggling, a voice rang out from the clouds: "Is this the Mind-Controlling Technique of the Carefree King?"

As the sound rang out, a stream of true energy traveled along Zhang Qiqiao's meridians, probing and finally absorbing a trace of true energy from his body.

………………

You have mastered Persian mind control techniques, enabling you to create illusions and deceive your senses.

You can combine the Soul Transfer Technique with Persian Mind Control Technique to gain the ability to create false memories and acquire the Soul Control Technique.

"As expected, it's because of a different focus? I didn't expect that a whim would have this effect." Yi Yuchen nodded as he looked at the system's narration.

Yi Yuchen, who was originally cultivating at the Famous Sword Manor, suddenly had a sudden inspiration. He knew that this was a prompt from his evolved six senses, so he immediately followed his senses and headed in this direction.

Unexpectedly, he stumbled upon Zhang Qiqiao and Qin Sirong's secret rendezvous here. Qin Sirong had nothing that could move him; after much thought, the only thing that overlapped with his own training was Zhang Qiqiao's Mind-Control Technique.

Unexpectedly, it really gave me a pleasant surprise. According to the narrator, the fused Soul-Capturing Technique can create false memories, which involves the use of the primordial spirit.

As for Zhang Qiqiao, Yi Yuchen thought about it and decided to leave it to Yi Jifeng to deal with. The plot hadn't even started yet, so he couldn't just kill the early boss. Otherwise, how could Yi Jifeng get any training?

As Yi Yuchen made his thought, the clouds and mist dissipated with the wind, leaving no trace, only Zhang Qiqiao standing there in fear and confusion.

………………

Yiyang Inn.

This place has become the most popular gathering place for martial arts practitioners in Jiangnan, because just across the street is the Mingjian Villa, a mansion with hundreds of rooms, which extends to the shores of Taihu Lake.

White walls and green tiles, shaded by willows—separated by only a wall, yet they are two completely different worlds. On one side, the outlaws of the martial world mingle among the common folk; on the other, the powerful and influential leader who suppresses the martial arts world of Jiangnan.

By this time, the second floor of the inn, near the window, was already filled with wandering heroes and outlaws. Through the green willow grove, one could vaguely see hurried figures passing by inside the wall.

Some couldn't help but feel envious, while others looked on with jealousy. Regardless of their feelings, they couldn't hide the longing and fear in their expressions.

Three or five people gathered around a table, initially whispering amongst themselves, but their voices grew louder and louder as a multitude of messages converged...

"Did you hear that too?"

"Who wouldn't know about such a commotion? Good heavens, I wonder who dares to sneak into Famous Sword Manor at night!"

"Hehe, I heard from the constables of the Six Doors that they were a few people dressed in Northwest China!"

"Really? They ran into each other?"

"The news came from the Six Doors. Last night, a Gold-ranking constable led three Silver-ranking constables, along with other constables and yamen runners, to the scene. By the time they arrived, everyone was already gone!"

"What about the Famous Sword Manor?"

"The Famous Sword Manor only released the characteristics of those four people, and also warned fellow martial artists that the other party had a strange giant snake in their possession, which was difficult to harm with swords and blades and had immense strength, so they should be careful."

"That's not the worst part. What's truly terrifying is that those people didn't even get inside the Famous Sword Manor. They were driven away by three sword servants right outside the walls!"

"Hiss... That powerful?"

"That's right... I heard that if it weren't for that giant snake, some kind of rare species, that carried those four people away, they would have been killed on the spot."

"I heard that the Six Doors wanted to search the Famous Sword Manor, but they couldn't even get inside!"

"So fierce, has the Famous Sword Manor gone head-to-head with the Six Doors?"

"What?! The Six Doors have lost face big time this time!"

"Elaborate!"

"I heard that the Golden Constable wanted to go in and search, but the three sword attendants refused. And guess what? The Golden Constable personally took action and only managed to fight one of the sword attendants to a draw!"

"Hiss, a top-tier expert!"

"Yes, the Golden Constables of the Six Doors are all top-notch experts. A sword attendant who can fight to a draw must be of comparable strength. It's unbelievable that top-notch experts can only serve as sword attendants at the Famous Sword Manor!"

"Were the four people who infiltrated the Famous Sword Manor that night also top-tier experts?"

"That's for sure, otherwise how could they have escaped?"

"and after?"

"Later, hehe... later when the fight broke out, three more Golden Constables from the Six Doors came to support us. As a result, Mingjian Villa, with three against four, managed to overpower the Golden Constables from the Six Doors."

"That's not all. That night, four or five sword servants appeared under the wall."

"I heard that in the end, the Six Doors didn't even dare to utter a harsh word, and just slunk away like that!"

"Nonsense! If even the sword servants are this powerful, how powerful must Young Master Yi and Young Master Yi, who haven't shown their faces for years, be! The Six Doors might not dare to provoke Famous Sword Manor!"

"I wonder if it's possible to join the Mingjian Manor? At least it would be a peaceful life."

"You? Forget it! What good would your martial arts skills be?"

"Sigh... If I can't get into the Famous Sword Manor, being a guard at a farm outside the city isn't bad either!"

"Then we need to investigate their identity details, and make sure they don't have any legal cases against them."

"how do you know?"

“I tried it a long time ago, but they found out that I had even injured innocent passersby in Nanjing in my early years, so they wouldn’t accept me.”

…………

"Rumor!"

"What news? Tell me quickly!"

"The sword servants of Mingjian Manor are divided into two classes! There are seventeen first-class sword servants, just like the ones from last night! They are all top-notch experts! It is said that there are thirty-eight second-class sword servants, but their strength is unknown."

"I don't know, could it be a second-rate expert?"

"Who knows? Maybe he's at the peak of the second tier, but he could step into the first tier at any time!"

Is it really that exaggerated?

"Exaggerated? Apart from last night, who would have known that Mingjian Manor had seventeen top-tier experts? And that doesn't even include the retainers and guest advisors who have come to join us!"

"The Two Heroes of Taihu Lake are also top-notch experts, and they have become guest retainers at the Famous Sword Manor!"

"Hiss... Famous Sword Manor is terrifying!"

"A den of dragons and tigers!"

At one of the tables, Qin Sirong, mingling in the crowd, held a teacup in her hand, listening to the discussions around her, remaining silent and holding her teacup for a long time.

Seeing that no further information could be gathered, he put down his teacup, picked up his longsword, and left the table. Immediately, someone sat down and joined the discussion.

Qin Sirong walked towards the stairwell, blending in with the crowd going up and down the stairs, completely inconspicuous. She took one last look at the mysterious and secluded Mingjian Manor before leaving.

Chapter 189 Yi Yun's Recovery is Hopeful, Lü Liang's Scheme

Mingjian Manor.

Yi Yuchen sat behind his desk, his fingers lightly tapping on the table. Seeing Yi Liang enter, he asked, "Have the messages been released?"

Yi Liang bowed and said, "As Young Master Sun instructed, we released some of the fake and some of the real ones!"

"That's good, it saves these martial arts practitioners from getting bored and trying to test us." Yi Yuchen nodded.

Yi Liang nodded and said...

“Young Master Sun is right. Since this morning, some people have tried to come and test us, but they have all been turned away by Thirty-Eight and the others.”

"These江湖草莽 (jianghu caomang, meaning rough and unruly people) at most have a few peak second-rate experts, and first-rate masters are pitifully few!"

"However... this old servant has some concerns. The actions of the Six Doors last night seem..."

Yi Yuchen waved his hand dismissively, saying, "This is very likely a test by the pro-peace faction in the court. Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that four Golden Constables have gathered here? The Six Doors know exactly how many Golden Constables they have."

Yi Liang nodded and said, "That's what I think too. In previous years, the famous Sword Manor was stationed here, and they would only send one Golden Constable to deal with us. Four Golden Constables is indeed a bit unusual."

Yi Yuchen waved his hand and said, "We can't trust the Six Doors anymore. We must be careful and wary of them. Thirty-Eight and the others, those who have just been promoted to first-class, should not be exposed for the time being. They should be used to guard against the imperial court."

"Young master, are you saying that the emperor will deal with us? This..." Yi Liang asked in surprise.

Yi Yuchen sighed and said...

"It may not have been Zhao Gou's intention."

"However, once Qin Hui comes to power, some people will try to take advantage of the situation. The waters will be too muddy, and no one can really tell what's going on. In short, it's better to be careful than to make a big mistake."

"If anyone tries to cause trouble at Mingjian Manor, the Six Doors don't even need to lift a finger. They can simply stop those who genuinely want to support us from coming over."

"These people from the Six Doors are subservient to the imperial court and can no longer be trusted. They have long since become tools of the court. Although not everyone is like this, we still have to be wary of them. Rather than bothering to discern their true nature, it's better not to trust them at all."

Yi Liang nodded to indicate that he understood.

………………

These things, though important, were not of great concern to either of them; it was enough for them to know.

Yi Yuchen turned his gaze and asked, "How's the research on that prescription going?"

At this, Yi Liang's spirits lifted. He carefully looked around, and although he knew no one could possibly get close, he still lowered his voice and whispered...

"Dr. Yu and his team have analyzed the prescription and refined five portions of the Black Jade Bone-Mending Ointment. I heard it's quite effective, but the results are somewhat lacking."

"However, Mr. Yu had stayed in Medicine King Valley in his early years, and he knows some of the incomplete formula of Medicine King Valley's Wanling Duanxu Ointment."

"Mr. Yu analyzed that the prescription that the young master obtained by chance was very likely obtained by someone from the incomplete prescription of the Wanling Duanxu Ointment in Medicine King Valley."

"Mr. Yu has made improvements based on his knowledge and is currently refining a new Black Jade Rejuvenating Ointment. If it works well, the old master may recover."

Yi Yuchen nodded and said, "That's good. If Grandpa recovers, then there will be a good show to watch in the future."

Yi Liang was overjoyed and nodded, saying, "No one would expect the old master to recover his health. I'm afraid even the carefree king would be scared to death."

Yi Yuchen smiled and said, "Don't tell Jifeng about this yet. He has little experience in the martial arts world and it's easy for someone to trick him into revealing the truth."

Yi Liang nodded silently. In his eyes, Yi Jifeng and Yi Yun were more like grandfather and grandson. Both of them were sincere gentlemen. Although Yi Yun was a bit arrogant and Yi Jifeng was a bit dull, they both treated people with sincerity.

Yi Yuchen, however, was unfathomable. His thoughts were impossible to fathom, and every step he took seemed illogical, yet somehow traceable.

………………

[The Black Jade Rejuvenating Ointment has been improved, incorporating techniques and secret ingredients unique to Medicine King Valley in this world, making it even more potent. It will be successfully refined in three days.]

[Yi Yun's leg meridians and bones have been fractured for many years, and have long since solidified into a tangled mess, making treatment extremely difficult.]

Seeing the system's narration, Yi Yuchen was no longer worried about Yi Yun's recovery. If it were someone else, they would naturally be helpless. He had the Hunyuan Wuji Seal and the Martial Dao Yuan Shen, which could explore and reflect Yi Yun's meridians and bones. He also had the One Yang Finger and the Nine Yang True Scripture, which could warm the Yang meridians. With the addition of the Black Jade Broken Meridian Ointment, curing Yi Yun would only be slightly more difficult.

"Notify me as soon as the new Black Jade Broken Leg Ointment is successfully improved. Grandpa has been disabled in both legs for many years, and it will take quite a while for him to recover," Yi Yuchen said.

Yi Liang said he knew, and this was currently his biggest concern.

"How's it going over there in Lüliang Mountain?" Yi Yuchen asked.

Yi Liang had already anticipated this, and he could immediately respond by saying...

"As instructed by the young master, our caravan has established three outposts deep in the Lüliang Mountains, and has gathered together more than thirty villages in the surrounding area."

"Moreover, the chosen location is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with a strategic location, a water source nearby, and the iron ore, coal, lime and other resources that the young master needs. These strongholds are carved into the mountains, making them easy to defend and difficult to attack."

“Every time we go on a trade route, we intercept a portion of the grain and fodder. The amount of grain and fodder we currently have is not small. We have also learned about the forces that have gathered in the surrounding area and registered them.”

"Those currently in charge there are all former members of the household, and they are all loyal."

Yi Yuchen stood up and took out a huge silk book from the bookshelf behind him. After opening it, he saw the words "primitive steelmaking furnace" written on it. It was indeed a primitive steelmaking blast furnace.

After much hesitation, he put the silk scroll away again. This thing was truly a powerful weapon, and he had to be wary of it. Even the most loyal person, if given such a weapon, would inevitably want to raise an army and establish their own independent regime. He didn't want to test people's hearts.