Narration System for the Journey of Martial Arts

Page 75

Chapter 148 Encounter with Wei Yixiao

In the days that followed, the two continued their journey. Taking a detour, A-Niu visited the remaining members of the Thirteen Bandits of the Southern Desert, giving them a warning before leaving.

As his martial arts skills improved, his aura grew stronger and stronger. The few people who had originally harbored intentions were suppressed again by Ah Niu's powerful martial arts. After a purge, they were able to continue their journey.

Ah Niu seemed to be better suited to life on the grasslands, becoming a natural-born king.

Even Zhu Yuchen couldn't help but sigh, thinking that one day A Niu might very well become a king or general and achieve great things. Knowing that even if he left in the future, he would not betray the bond between master and servant, Zhu Yuchen became even more attentive in his teaching of A Niu.

That evening, the two stayed at a gathering point near the foot of Kunlun Mountain, only two or three days' journey from Zhu Wu Lianhuan Village.

As night fell, the surroundings gradually returned to tranquility. On the grassland, only the cold night wind blew, and occasionally a cow, sheep, or horse would neigh.

Suddenly, Ah Niu, who was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed at the door, changed his expression. A faint rustling of clothes drifted by, and soon two muffled groans were heard in the darkness.

He looked up at the bed. Zhu Yuchen had already gotten up, opened the window, looked at the dark night, and said, "I have a rough idea who it is. Impressive lightness skill. Let's go take a look."

Having said that, he vanished in a flash, turning into a wisp of smoke and leaving the house. A-Niu immediately followed. On the distant yurt, a figure moved swiftly and gracefully, with two people tucked under his waist, still moving like the wind.

Zhu Yuchen and his servant lagged far behind until the figure disappeared into the distant poplar forest. Zhu Yuchen landed silently on the treetops like a cloud.

Under the tree, a man dressed in a dark blue robe, with a long, rat-like face, a mustache, and a lewd expression, rubbed his hands excitedly as he looked at the two women he had abducted.

The night wind seemed cold; the man shivered, grabbed one of them by the neck, and opened his mouth to bite...

"You're not a vampire, don't you find drinking human blood disgusting?" Zhu Yuchen said in a low voice, standing on a branch.

The man reacted with lightning speed, leaping backward with a light touch of his toes. Even with someone in his arms, he felt as light as a feather, like a fluttering bat in the night.

Ah Niu snorted coldly, took a step, and moved like an eagle, skimming low in the sky. He quickly closed to within a foot and reached out with a claw towards the man's chest. His claw gleamed with a cold, white light under the moonlight.

The man was taken aback. He retreated while throwing the woman he was holding into Ah Niu's claws. If he caught her, he would surely find five bloody holes in her. Ah Niu's expression remained unchanged. He changed his claws into palms and used a lifting force to lift and push the woman down towards the tree.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the man turned from retreat to advance, his palms radiating a cold aura as he struck Ah Niu's chest. Before he even landed, wisps of icy mist rose from Ah Niu's chest, clearly demonstrating his immense explosive power.

Ah Niu struck with his left palm, unleashing the move "The Dragon Regrets." With a deep dragon's roar, a phantom dragon flew out. Before the palm could strike the man's chest, the dragon's shadow coiled around his arm and spiraled upwards.

A series of cracking sounds rang out as the man's arm snapped into pieces, his right hand hanging limply at his sides, broken by the force of the blow. The illusory dragon of energy dissipated, and the man staggered, carried away by the force of the energy.

The man snorted coldly, sweat beading on his forehead, but he couldn't care less. He sealed the acupoints on his right arm with his left hand and was about to fly back when Ah Niu suddenly appeared, his hands forming claws. One hand reached for his chest, and the other grabbed his shoulder.

Just as he was about to die, the man lightly touched the ground with his feet and rose into the air like a bat, passing by Ah Niu.

Ah Niu landed and grabbed nothing with both hands. He immediately twisted his body and withdrew his palms, executing a move called "Dragon Tail Swing" from bottom to top.

Seeing the force of the attack coming close behind, the man spread his arms wide, his sleeves billowing in the night wind, like a bat, and moved a foot to the side, narrowly avoiding Ah Niu's palm strike once again.

"What amazing lightness skill!" Even Ah Niu couldn't help but praise as he watched the man escape from his grasp time and time again.

Then he reached into his lower back with his right hand and drew out a curved sword. A surge of purple true energy gathered on the sword, like a purple sun.

"Desert Blazing Sun Blade!" the man cried out, his eyes narrowing as he leaped into the distance, his figure elusive, constantly changing direction. In an instant, he covered more than ten miles; Zhu Yuchen had never seen such a high level of lightness skill before.

Zhu Yuchen's figure flickered and disappeared from the branch. When he reappeared, he was already above the man's head. He fell down and stomped the man into the grass.

The man felt a surge of true energy vibrating through his bones and muscles, leaving him weak and powerless, like a lump of mud lying on the ground, unable to get up.

At this moment, Ah Niu caught up and lifted the man off the grass. The man, not caring about the mud and grass covering his mouth, opened his mouth and gasped for breath.

"The Azure-Winged Bat King, Wei Yixiao," Zhu Yuchen asked with certainty, though it was a question.

The man caught his breath, chuckled, and said, "The Great Desert Blazing Sun Blade roams the southern desert, commanding nearly ten thousand soldiers, and this man too. Old Bat, you deserve your fate tonight. Kill me or torture me, it's all up to you."

Ah Niu shook him around like he was grabbing a lump of mud, and said, "Why are you here in Habusa Hasatu's territory instead of at Bright Peak?"

Wei Yixiao merely sneered and closed her eyes without answering.

Zhu Yuchen looked at his face, which was gradually turning bluish, and suddenly said, "Your cold poison is about to flare up, isn't it? If there's no blood to suppress it, I don't know how long you can hold on."

After saying that, he turned and headed towards the poplar forest, with A Niu following behind, carrying a reed and smiling. At this moment, the two men were still unconscious under the tree, and A Niu threw them down beside them.

Wei Yixiao swallowed hard as she looked at the two of them, still keeping her eyes closed and remaining silent. Zhu Yuchen asked, "Does your suffering from this cold poison require drinking human blood to suppress?"

Wei Yixiao chuckled and said, "I just love eating people. Human blood is so fresh. What are you going to do about it? If you've got the guts, then kill me and eliminate this evil spirit."

………………

Wei Yixiao usually drinks the blood of mountain spirit deer and monkeys to relieve the onset of cold poison. Occasionally, he will kidnap those who commit evil and act lawlessly and suck their blood to deter those who disobey him.

These two women secretly seduce passing merchants, plotting to rob and kill them, committing numerous illegal acts. They have been secretly watched by Wei Yixiao.

[Wei Yixiao knew her 'reputation' was well-known, and to avoid the suffering of the cold poison, she wanted to die.]

Zhu Yuchen glanced at the system's narration and smiled meaningfully. Wei Yixiao looked at his smile and suddenly felt a chill run down her spine, inwardly exclaiming, "What the hell?!"

Zhu Yuchen ignored him, flicked his finger, and woke the two women from their slumber. Before the two women could speak, Zhu Yuchen's eyes lit up, and he began to interrogate them using his Soul-Capturing Technique.

After figuring out the reason, Zhu Yuchen flicked his sleeve, and two bursts of energy shattered their heads. Wei Yixiao's eyes flickered at the sight.

Chapter 149 Recruiting Wei Yixiao, Arriving at the Vajra Gate

Before he could speak, the blue color on his face spread rapidly. Wei Yixiao's eyes rolled back, and with a muffled growl, he rolled around on the ground.

Soon, he lay motionless, only occasionally letting out two "heh heh" sounds. His entire body was soaked and beginning to turn into frost, and his face was as pale as paper, clearly indicating that the cold poison had erupted.

Zhu Yuchen flicked his sleeve, lifting him into the air. He then pointed out with his right hand, instantly creating a dense array of finger shadows that covered all the major acupoints on the man's body. This was the One-Finger Divine Skill.

The supreme Yang energy circulated within his body, clearing the meridians ravaged by the cold poison, activating the blocked acupoints, and guiding the energy back to its proper path.

A moment later, when Zhu Yuchen stopped, Wei Yixiao had already fallen into a deep sleep.

Ah Niu picked up Wei Yixiao, who had fallen, and followed Zhu Yuchen toward their residence.

………………

The next morning, Wei Yixiao awoke from his deep sleep. As soon as he was fully awake, he moved his feet and backed up until his back was against the wall before standing up and looking around.

This is a simple yurt. The "Desert Blazing Sun Blade" I saw last night is sitting cross-legged in a corner, near the door, looking at me like I'm an idiot.

His right arm was throbbing slightly. Although it was splinted, given the extent of his injuries last night, his right hand was probably completely ruined. However, he survived.

Thinking of this, Wei Yixiao felt a sudden jolt in his heart. He realized that he hadn't felt the icy, bone-chilling cold he had experienced when circulating his internal energy through the three Yin meridians. Only then did he discover that his entire body was warm and comfortable, without a trace of coldness.

Wei Yixiao circulated his true energy, and the cold true energy in his body had returned to the right path. The deviation from the three Yin meridians had been corrected, and the true energy flowed smoothly back to his dantian after one cycle.

The cold poison that had plagued him for years was cured in one day. Wei Yixiao felt it was so unreal that he stood there stunned for a moment.

"You noticed?" Ah Niu withdrew his gaze and stood up.

Seeing Wei Yixiao looking over, he turned around, lifted the curtain, and gestured for him to follow as he walked.

Outside the door, Zhu Yuchen was slowly practicing his boxing, moving at a leisurely pace, even slower than an old lady strolling among the yurts. A group of children surrounded him, imitating him while laughing and making a ruckus.

Upon seeing them come out, Zhu Yuchen merely glanced at them and continued practicing his boxing.

Ah Niu gestured for him to follow, then led Wei Yixiao toward the carriage beside the road and stood there, saying...

"From today onwards, you and I are both servants of the young master. My name is A Niu, and from now on you will be called A Xiao. That's settled!"

"A Niu?" Wei Yixiao almost twisted his back, saying incredulously, "The mighty Desert Blazing Sun Blade, which is renowned throughout the southern grasslands, what kind of lousy name is this!"

Ah Niu glared at him and said disdainfully...

"You're making a fuss over nothing. From today onwards, you'll be called Ah Xiao, and you'll be the young master's bodyguard just like me."

"Young Master is the young master of Zhu Wu Lianhuan Manor, the young master of Zhu Family Manor. You should know that. Of course, in the manor, you don't need to pay attention to anyone else except for the young master's orders."

"Young Master said you have good lightness skills and can run errands. I listened to Young Master, so you are still alive."

When asked if he was still alive, Ah Niu clearly didn't take it seriously, thinking that Ah Niu's lightness skill was just so-so, not much better than his own.

But this was Zhu Yuchen's decision, and considering what the young master had said at Wudang Mountain, which might come in handy later, Ah Niu continued...

"I didn't know you'd be my partner, so I went a little too far last night, but it's okay, you just broke your arm."

"We'll take a detour today to the Vajra Gate in the Western Regions to find some medicine to treat your arm."

Seeing that Ah Niu had made such a clear arrangement, Wei Yixiao couldn't just leave. How could he not repay such a favor? The main reason was that he really couldn't beat him, so he chuckled twice and accepted the matter.

………………

A Niu drove his horse-drawn carriage at breakneck speed, and after a few days he approached the vicinity of the Jokhang Temple.

The Vajra Sect of the Western Regions is quite famous in Tibet, and its disciples are not all Tibetan nobles, but also many poor nomadic children.

Because of the diverse backgrounds and considerable influence of its disciples, coupled with the influence of noble disciples within the sect, the Vajra Sect was established near the Jokhang Temple. A Niu easily found out the address by asking around.

As Ah Niu drove, he recounted the information he had gathered...

"Although Vajra Gate is a Buddhist temple, it does not spread its doctrines, but only teaches people to practice martial arts, so Tibetan Buddhism does not particularly reject it."

"Moreover, he does not restrict the source of his disciples. Many herdsmen send their children to him, and many of them join the noble guards after completing their apprenticeships. So he is very popular in the city."

"The sect mainly focuses on external martial arts, and its members are quite ruthless in their attacks, often causing serious injury or even death. However, because the sect has many disciples and is highly regarded by nobles, it has trained many skilled guards. Even the disciples of the Jokhang Temple rarely provoke them."

As they spoke, the carriage turned the corner and stopped outside a temple. From there, shouts could be heard from inside the temple walls, indicating that martial arts were prevalent.

Two burly men stood on either side of the entrance, dressed in Tibetan monks' robes, their chests exposed, their faces fierce and their eyes gleaming with menacing light, watching the passersby.

Passersby treat this place like a raging flood or a ferocious beast, avoiding it from afar, which makes it seem much quieter.

Seeing a carriage parked at the gate, one of them glanced at it. The carriage was simple in design and showed no signs of nobility. He immediately pointed and said, "Get out of the way!"

Ah Niu ignored him, stopped the carriage, lifted the curtain, and Zhu Yuchen, dressed in blue, stood on the carriage shaft, glanced at him, and immediately got down.

The two men at the door glared angrily. They exchanged a glance and immediately stepped forward, their fingers cracking as they clenched their kung fu. Their temples bulged, and their fingers were covered in calluses, clearly indicating that they had mastered a certain level of martial arts.

As they approached, the man stretched out his finger, but Ah Niu stepped forward, grabbed it, and snapped it off with a crack. Before either of them could utter a sound, Ah Niu struck out with both palms, sending them flying with a gentle force.

With a "whoosh," the two flew through the open gate without saying a word, bumping into several people with a few "thumps."

The shouts inside the courtyard stopped as soon as they ceased, followed by a commotion, clearly an unexpected turn of events; no one had dared to cause trouble.

Ah Niu didn't say a word and walked towards the gate. He ran into a group of people. Two of them were leading the way, and two others were helping the two men from before. The rest of them followed behind. A quick glance showed that there were about twenty or thirty people.

The two men who had been knocked away saw Ah Niu and pointed at him, saying, "Eldest brother, second brother, that's him."

The two leading figures wore silk robes with fine texture and exquisite patterns, with gold-threaded satin belts around their waists, adorned with ivory-handled knives and other ornaments, leather boots, long hair, and beaded earrings in their left ears.

One had his hair tied in a braid, while the other had his hair loose past his ears. Both of them had a Western Region appearance and were clearly descendants of Tibetan nobles.

P.S.: It's 1:30 AM now, so I'll say a couple of things off-topic.

Some people think that *The Smiling, Proud Wanderer* and *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber* are a bit bland, and there's nothing I can do about it. You all know the story background better than I do. I've thought about it for a long time, and I've practically worn out the books, but there really isn't any more intrigue to write about.

The next chapter, "Young Zhang Sanfeng," should be a bit better. It will cover the death of Yue Fei, court conspiracies, Zhao Gou's helplessness, and the Northern Expedition!

Chapter 150 A Skill Competition Outside the Gate: Buddhist Disciples of Jokhang Temple

A man dressed in magnificent robes, with hair flowing past his ears, said with an unfriendly expression, "Who are you three? Why are you causing trouble at my Vajra Sect?"

Ah Niu clasped his hands in a fist and said, "We wish to see your sect leader. Please inform him."

Behind him, Wei Yixiao's lips twitched, thinking to himself, "The way you're coming to visit is too different. Anyone who didn't know better would think you're here to challenge us."

Ah Niu felt he had been very polite. The gatekeeper dared to point a finger at Zhu Yuchen, and he had only broken one of his fingers, not killing him on the spot, which was already giving the Vajra Sect a lot of face.

The man with a head full of braids scoffed and mocked, "Want to see the sect leader? Sure, you'll have to get past us first."

As he spoke, the man stomped his foot, sending the stone slabs beneath him shattering and flying, his right palm already aimed at Ah Niu's cheek. The two were already separated by a threshold, and now, with this sudden attack, the man had already stepped right in front of Ah Niu.

Just as his right palm was about to strike Ah Niu's face, Ah Niu remained calm and didn't even flinch. Instead, he suddenly raised his foot and, with lightning speed, kicked the man in the chest.

Before the man with the braided hair could react, he was sent flying backward with a whoosh. He knocked down four or five people before finally coming to a stop.

This single move alone reveals the difference in skill between the two sides.

………………

The man angrily shoved away the person who was helping him, stomped his right foot, and took a step with his left. With two loud cracking sounds, the stone slabs under his feet shattered on the ground.

The man extended his right hand in an invitation, while his left hand was clenched into a fist and placed on his waist, which was the first move of the Vajra Palm, "Crouching Star and Subduing Tiger".

Ah Niu crossed his arms and waved, but the man remained calm and unmoved. He stepped on the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) pattern as if wading through mud, weaving left and right in a continuous series of movements, his palms flashing in all directions.

His upper and lower body were stable, and his footwork and moves were perfectly coordinated without any flaws, clearly demonstrating his mastery of this martial art.

In just a few steps, he arrived in front of Ah Niu. The man slapped forward with his right palm, and with a "whoosh," the power was incomparable to what it used to be. The palm wind was fierce and domineering, making a whooshing sound.

At the same time, his left hand struck Ah Niu's chest, his palms dancing like flowers, his energy blowing, which was the second move, "Force Through a Thousand Pounds".

Ah Niu didn't move his feet. As the palm strike approached, he took a deep breath, his chest and abdomen suddenly collapsed and he pulled back to avoid the man's palm strike. At the same time, he curled his hands into claws and rotated them clockwise, using the force to bounce back and turn. With a twist of his wrists, his claws had already gripped the man's wrists.