Narration System for the Journey of Martial Arts

Page 28

This sutra, written by Bodhidharma, possesses the wondrous effects of strengthening tendons and marrow, improving physical constitution and aptitude, and enhancing human potential.

Yue Yuchen's spirits lifted, and he began to ponder the subtleties of the matter. Time flew by.

When Yue Yuchen left his room the next day, he found many unfamiliar faces around him, while some faces simply disappeared into the vast river.

In the days that followed, Zhu Houzhao seemed to be annoyed by the old eunuch, always wearing a long face, but he still insisted on learning breathing techniques from Yue Yuchen every day.

After seeing it once, the old eunuch seemed relieved and did not appear again when Yue Yuchen was giving instructions.

………………

That morning, as the boat sailed near Nanjing, Zhu Houzhao was able to complete a full set of Tai Chi without Yue Yuchen's guidance.

His legs were no longer unsteady and weak, and his spirits were much better. He looked radiant, and his eyes would occasionally flash with a sharp light.

Even Yue Yuchen couldn't help but envy his extraordinary innate foundation. Indeed, none of those who could become emperors were simple.

After finishing a set of Tai Chi, Zhu Houzhao didn't chat as usual. Instead, he looked at the ancient city of Yangzhou in the distance and sighed, "If governing a country were as simple as practicing Tai Chi, that would be wonderful!"

Yue Yuchen said from the side, "Taoism talks about Yin and Yang. For me, everything is like Tai Chi. There is Yin and Yang, fast and slow, hard and soft."

Zhu Houzhao laughed, clearly disagreeing. However, he did not argue and changed the subject, saying, "I'm sure you've noticed, sir, these civil officials... I must thank you for escorting me all the way to Nanjing. You can disembark tomorrow."

Yue Yuchen nodded and advised, "Your Majesty possesses the wealth of the entire world and has the support of military generals and nobles. There is no need to rush anything."

Zhu Houzhao glanced at him: "Sir, you also understand politics?"

He then shook his head and said, "The Ming Dynasty has lasted for over a hundred years. Now, civil officials are in power, and factional strife and suppression of dissent are rampant. I wanted to change this and avoid repeating the mistakes of the previous dynasty, but unfortunately, I underestimated the counterattack of these civil officials."

Yue Yuchen said, "Emperor Taizong established the Grand Secretariat to divide the power of the prime minister, thus weakening the influence of civil officials. Why doesn't Your Majesty follow this example and establish a separate cabinet to reorganize military power?"①

Zhu Houzhao frowned and said, "When this dynasty was first established, the Five Military Commissions were set up. Unfortunately, the Five Military Commissions are now also subject to the control of the Ministry of War."

Seeing him shake his head and remain silent, Yue Yuchen said, "Your Majesty may set up another place, similar to the cabinet, where nobles and border generals can enter without going through the Ministry of War, and can simply obey Your Majesty's orders."

Zhu Houzhao shook his head and said, "The cabinet will not agree, the Ministry of War will not relinquish its authority, and the necessary funds, supplies and equipment also need to be coordinated by the six ministries."

P.S.: ① Emperor Taizong is not wrong here.

It was only after the Jiajing Emperor's Grand Rites Concert that Emperor Taizong was renamed Emperor Chengzu, and Emperor Renzong was removed from the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

Chapter 54 Discussing Politics

Yue Yuchen pointed to the old farmer on the bank who was carrying water and hoeing the land...

"Although I don't understand politics, I do understand martial arts. Martial arts are divided into Yin and Yang, just like this old farmer."

"For farmers to reap a harvest, they need to carry water for irrigation during droughts and drain water during floods."

"Only by going with the flow and acting in accordance with the trend can we reap some rewards."

Zhu Houzhao said thoughtfully, "Please continue, sir."

Yue Yuchen said...

"Your Majesty is worried about two things: the obstruction from the six ministries of the cabinet and the incompetence of the army."

"Firstly, the cabinet should assist Your Majesty in governing the country and pacifying the people. At this time, the Prince of Ning's rebellion has not been long ago. Your Majesty should send cabinet ministers to inspect Jiangxi and other places to spread the word on behalf of Heaven."

"Secondly, autumn has arrived, and soon we can organize river works to clear the accumulated water in the river channels. These all require the six ministries of the Cabinet to take the lead and handle the situation on-site."

"Thirdly, most of the local militia are now ineffective, and the Ministry of War should bear the main responsibility. Your Majesty could order the Ministry of War to inspect various regions and investigate the details of the local militia."

"You mean transferring officials from the cabinet and the six ministries?" Zhu Houzhao asked.

"I'm merely assisting His Majesty with state affairs; when the time is right, I can naturally recall him," Yue Yuchen said.

"In this way, we can avoid direct conflict, which would affect the political situation and be detrimental to the country."

"Moreover, His Majesty controls the Eastern and Western Depots and has the Embroidered Uniform Guard under his command. Those ministers who are willing to serve the court should be highly praised and their names spread throughout the world; while those who are corrupt and take bribes should be made clear examples and not punished without being taught a lesson."

"Therefore, we should crack down on some and win over others, thus gaining control of public opinion." Zhu Houzhao said, "Please continue, sir."

Yue Yuchen cupped his hands and said...

"Secondly, if Your Majesty is worried that the troops are not up to par, the same principle applies: where there is stillness, there will naturally be movement. Your Majesty can rotate some of the Beijing garrison with the border troops."

"This strengthened the fighting capacity of the Beijing garrison and gave the border troops a chance to catch their breath."

"Just as heaven and earth have yin and yang, so too does government affairs. Civil officials are yin, and military generals are yang. The two need to maintain a balance."

"All other states perished because of their weakness, but only the Han dynasty perished because of its strength. Why? It was simply because of its relentless military expansion."

"Of all the states that perished, only the Song Dynasty was the weakest, and it alone suffered the humiliation of the Jingkang Incident. Why? Because its civil officials regarded its military generals as pigs and dogs."

………………

Zhu Houzhao stared at the river in silence for a long time before finally saying, "I never expected that you, sir, would not only possess extraordinary swordsmanship but also the talent to govern a country."

Yue Yuchen laughed heartily and cupped his hands in greeting...

"Yue is nothing more than another Zhao Kuo. It's easy to talk about war on paper, but to truly govern a country, we need the gentlemen of Yan. Without practical talent, one cannot bring prosperity to the nation or bring peace to the people; one will only cause chaos."

"Your Majesty should not confront the officials directly. When Your Majesty is upset, you might as well practice Tai Chi and experience the changes in movement, stillness, strength, and softness."

"Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish. Your Majesty has a long life ahead of you. Why rush for quick results?"

Zhu Houzhao said, "Thank you for your words today, sir. They have given me much to reflect on."

Yue Yuchen bowed and thanked him without saying a word.

Zhu Houzhao clapped his hands, and Sun Zhu came up behind him with a sword in his hand.

Zhu Houzhao drew his sword and examined it, saying, "Sir, you are known as the greatest swordsman in the world. I originally wanted to see your swordsmanship today, but I didn't expect... However, I am even more eager to see it now. Would you be so kind as to demonstrate it?"

He then handed over the sword.

Yue Yuchen took the golden nanmu scabbard, on which were engraved the four characters "As if I were personally present" and wrapped with dragon patterns in gold thread. He drew a section of the sword, and the blade was as bright as autumn water. Even in the sweltering summer heat, a chill came over him.

Yue Yuchen drew his longsword, a fine sword. He flicked it with his fingers, producing a buzzing sound. The sword was both strong and flexible, truly a divine weapon in the world.

Yue Yuchen looked around and pointed to the thickest pillar on the ship, saying, "Then I'll make a fool of myself."

Yue Yuchen twirled his sword with his right hand, thrusting it forward before sheathing it. A flash of light followed, and then the sword was sheathed.

"Huh? That's it?" A bright white light flashed before Zhu Houzhao's eyes. When he came to his senses, Yue Yuchen had already sheathed his sword and was standing there. He couldn't help but ask in surprise.

At this moment, the old eunuch appeared behind Zhu Houzhao, his snow-white eyebrows twitching as he looked at the pillar and said, "What excellent swordsmanship! He is indeed a swordsman who can fight against Dongfang Bubai."

Seeing that the others didn't understand, the old eunuch waved his sleeve and gently stroked the pillar. With a strong gust of wind, wood chips fell to the ground from the pillar.

As the sawdust fell, rows of writing appeared on the pillar...

Heroes rise and fall with the times, and once you enter the world of martial arts, time flies by. Empires and conquests are discussed in jest, and nothing beats a life of carefree revelry.

………………

Zhu Houzhao stared at the words for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. He didn't take back the sword Yue Yuchen had handed him, but instead said, "Only a swordsman like you, sir, is worthy of this sword. I'll give it to you."

By this time, the ship had reached Nanjing, and officials from the six ministries could be seen at the Nanjing dock.

Zhu Houzhao said, "I am grateful for your escort along the way, and I will repay you in due time. Until we meet again."

Yue Yuchen knew it was time to take his leave, so he didn't refuse. He took his long sword, cupped his hands in thanks, and with a flicker of his figure, he had already walked away on the water.

On the way back to Mount Hua, the system notification came again...

[You changed the fate of Emperor Wuzong Zhu Houzhao, who died in the sixteenth year of the Zhengde reign, causing a tremendous change in the history of this world.]

[The greatest merit is none other than saving the emperor! You saved Emperor Wuzong of Ming, who will bestow a grand title upon Mount Hua, and you have completely rewritten the fate of Mount Hua.]

………………

On his way back to Mount Hua, Yue Yuchen did not choose to take the official road in order to speed up his journey. Instead, he went straight from Nanjing through Henan and then into Shaanxi.

Because he chose a shortcut through sparsely populated areas, Yue Yuchen only learned of the changes that had occurred within the Demonic Sect after he had embarked on the official road and entered Shaanxi Province.

At the foot of Mount Hua, in a restaurant in Huayin County.

Yue Yuchen sat by the window of the restaurant, facing the street, with a gray sword pouch on the table, quietly listening to the idle chatter of the martial arts figures at the next table.

Three martial arts practitioners dressed in black with weapons hanging at their waists sat at the table. They were chatting and laughing as if no one else was around. Yue Yuchen glanced at them but didn't recognize them.

The three men ate sunflower seeds to pass the time and chatted idly. One of the burly men said sullenly, "This Dongfang Bubai was known as the number one in the world, so how could he have fallen so inexplicably and died so inexplicably!"

Upon hearing this, Yue Yuchen put down his teacup, feeling somewhat puzzled. He had initially thought that Dongfang Bubai had encountered some serious trouble, but judging from this person's words, Dongfang Bubai was already dead.

Before he could think, the man next to him, whose left arm was wrapped in gauze, spat out a sunflower seed shell and said...

"If you have to blame someone, blame her for being so arrogant. Not only did she not kill the former leader, she also kept the daughter of her mortal enemy by her side."

"Keeping her by your side would have been fine, but to elevate her to some kind of 'Holy Maiden of the Demonic Sect' is disastrous. Now look what's happened, she's been tricked by a little girl in league with her father."

Another bearded man mocked, "Hey, I didn't expect that young girl to be so patient. She only made a move after finding her father, Ren Woxing. The Demonic Cult is indeed the Demonic Cult; there are no good people among them."

The man with the injured left arm chuckled strangely, "If the Demonic Sect had any good people, it wouldn't be the Demonic Sect. Could someone who can become a Holy Maiden be a good person?"

The man stroking his beard nodded: "That makes sense, that makes sense. This demonic sect is indeed a den of snakes and rats. I just wonder if such a big incident will affect our business?"

"What does this have to do with us? If anything happens, those big sects will take the blame. We'll just stay away from them," the man with the injured left arm said, spitting out a sunflower seed shell.

The man with the deep voice said, "I think we should stop doing this business for now and wait until things calm down. Better safe than sorry."

The other two nodded in agreement.

Afterwards, the three of them shook their heads, their words filled with envy and disdain, joking and cursing, before drifting off into an unknown direction.

Yue Yuchen shook his head, not expecting these lowly outlaws to know anything. He casually took out a dozen or so coins, picked up his sword pouch, and left.

Chapter 55 The Changes in the Demonic Cult

When Yue Yuchen returned to Mount Hua, Linghu Chong immediately came looking for him.

Inside the Sutra Pavilion, Linghu Chong glanced at the sword pouch on the table, but didn't ask any questions. Instead, he took the initiative to talk about the changes in the Demonic Sect, which made Yue Yuchen understand the whole story.

It turns out that while Dongfang Bubai was in seclusion, Ren Yingying, the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Sect, together with Xiang Tianwen, the Left Envoy of the Demonic Sect, secretly sneaked into Dongfang Bubai's study.

Some clues were found in the spies' register of the Demonic Sect: it turned out that the famous "Four Friends of Plum Manor" in Jiangnan were actually masters secretly recruited by Dongfang Bubai.

However, she discovered that Dongfang Bubai had never ordered these four people around; on the contrary, he had secretly provided them with a large amount of money, keeping them guarding Plum Manor.

Out of curiosity, this Holy Maiden took advantage of Dongfang Bubai's seclusion, and secretly left Blackwood Cliff with Left Envoy Xiang Tianwen, and then went directly to Jiangnan.

After extensive investigation, Ren Yingying discovered that her father, the former teacher Ren Woxing, whom she had always thought had died in an accident, was actually imprisoned in the underground dungeon of Plum Manor.

This Holy Maiden was also very patient. After realizing that even if she and Xiang Tianwen joined forces, they couldn't defeat the Four Friends of Plum Manor, she took a different approach.

She secretly inquired about the preferences of these four people, and then she and Xiang Tianwen traveled around Jiangnan, looking for suitable people and things.

Finally, she spent a lot of money to invite the Four Great Talents of Jiangnan from the Bailu Academy in Jiangnan. Then, she brought the incomplete scores, ancient paintings and other items she had acquired to Plum Manor.

The four friends of Plum Manor, seeing an opportunity, were delighted, and having like-minded people to discuss their passions with, lowered their guard, allowing the Demonic Sect's Left Envoy to successfully poison them.

And so, the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Cult easily rescued Ren Woxing from the dungeon of Plum Manor.

………………

After that, for reasons unknown, Ren Woxing somehow managed to win over Zuo Lengchan of the Songshan Sect.

Zuo Lengchan, accompanied by the Twelve Bodyguards of the Songshan Sect, joined Ren Woxing and his daughter on Blackwood Cliff. With the help of an inside agent left behind by Ren Woxing, the group successfully launched a surprise attack on Dongfang Bubai's secluded cultivation location.

At this point, Linghu Chong looked strange and said, "I don't know what's going on, but Dongfang Bubai has fallen in love with a pale-faced scholar named Yang Lianting. Over the years, the power of the Demonic Sect has been completely controlled by such a scholar."

"It is said that after arriving at Blackwood Cliff, Ren Woxing immediately captured Yang Lianting and forced Dongfang Bubai to hand over the power of the Demonic Sect."

Later, something happened that Zuo Lengchan killed the scholar named Yang Lianting. There are many different accounts of this incident.

After Yang Lianting's death, Dongfang Bubai was extremely angry and immediately started fighting with Ren Woxing and his gang.

According to rumors, this top martial arts master seemed to lose his mind after Yang Lianting's death, becoming extremely bloodthirsty, irritable, and impulsive.

After killing the seven bodyguards of Songshan and blinding Ren Woxing and Zuo Lengchan, they were instead knocked off the back of Blackwood Cliff by the bodyguards and fell into an abyss.

After Dongfang Bubai fell off the cliff, Ren Woxing clashed with Zuo Lengchan, and the two groups fought again.

Ren Woxing's right hand was frozen and torn off by Zuo Lengchan's icy true energy; Zuo Lengchan also lost half of his internal energy to Ren Woxing's Star Absorbing Technique. After leaving with only one leg, he was rescued by the other Songshan Taibao and taken to Blackwood Cliff.

Now that the Demonic Sect has a new Holy Maiden in charge, and Ren Woxing, having lost his eyesight and an arm, has retreated into the background, the Demonic Sect's power has begun to shrink.

After recounting what he knew, Linghu Chong asked curiously, "Senior Brother, how could Dongfang Bubai have lost so strangely? Logically speaking, Yang Lianting shouldn't have been defeated so easily..."

"It wouldn't be enough to drive Dongfang Bubai mad?" Yue Yuchen said.

Linghu Chong nodded, indicating that he had indeed not expected such a dramatic turn of events.