Narration System for the Journey of Martial Arts

Page 11

When Yue Yuchen first arrived here, Wang Shouren had not yet arrived, so he could only find a cave near Longchang Post Station to stay temporarily.

The Miao chieftains in the vicinity were extremely hostile to the Han people. Although they were not hostile, they did not allow him to enter their villages.

On this day, Yue Yuchen was drying the herbs and mountain delicacies he had collected outside the cave when he saw a Miao child running towards him from a distance, moving as swiftly as the wind.

"Han Chinese shaman, I'm here again." The Miao child ran up to him, skillfully threw a rabbit on the ground, and then began to skin it.

"Baoweng, why are you here again? Where is your mother? Isn't she angry?" Yue Yuchen didn't even look up as he spread the herbs evenly on the rock wall.

“My mother is sick, she can’t get up anymore!” the boy named Bao Weng said without looking up.

Yue Yuchen paused, then asked, "Oh, what did the Gu Masters in the village say?"

"The Gu Master said that Mother has been afflicted with Peach Blossom Wind and it will take fifteen large coins to cure her. Father has no money to pay, so he can only carry Mother home on his back," Bao Weng said angrily and dejectedly.

The so-called "peach blossom wind" is actually a miasma caused by peach blossoms. This miasma not only doesn't smell bad, but it also has a slightly sweet fragrance. If you're not careful, you might get infected.

Seeing that Yue Yuchen remained silent, Bao Weng continued, "Han Chinese witch doctors, why can't I become a Gu master? If I were a Gu master, my mother wouldn't have died."

Yue Yuchen shook his head. In Miao villages, Gu Masters also need to be passed down through generations, and they are even rarer than Miao martial artists. Even the Five Poisons Sect, the largest sect in Miao territory, doesn't have many Gu Masters.

Bao Weng kept rambling on and on, but Yue Yuchen didn't find it annoying. He was the only one around who would come over and talk to Yue Yuchen.

The Miao villages nearby all say that there is a Han Chinese who eats children in this area. Yue Yuchen knew Bao Weng because he had encountered the injured Bao Weng while collecting herbs in the mountains.

At that time, Bao Weng was only fifteen or sixteen years old. He encountered a litter of wild boars. Although he climbed up a tree in time, he was still injured in the leg by the boars' tusks.

Yue Yuchen, who happened to be passing by, rescued him and brought him back here, where he was given herbal medicine.

Later, he probably realized that the herbs were effective, so he came over on his own initiative. Since he always brought some wild animals, Yue Yuchen did not drive him away.

Seeing that he had already skinned the rabbit, Yue Yuchen casually picked up the machete next to him and chopped the rabbit into pieces.

Having gotten used to it, Bao Weng picked up the rabbit meat, walked to the running water beside him, rinsed it repeatedly to remove the blood and foam, and then brought it back.

At this time, Yue Yuchen had already chopped up the fatty pork, wild onions, and wild garlic. When he returned, he immediately heated up the iron pot and put in the fatty pork to render oil.

Looking at the iron pot and the wood-chopping knife, Bao Weng couldn't help but feel envious and longing. These were things they desperately needed, but unfortunately, the Han people were all heartless, and it would cost a lot of money. In short, his family couldn't afford them.

Once the oil was hot, Yue Yuchen skillfully threw in the wild onions and garlic, then added the rabbit meat and stir-fried it, followed by salt and plant roots.

He took the earthenware jar from Bao Weng, poured the water into the pot, covering the roots and stems, then left it alone. He put rice into the jar, hung it on the fire rack, and began to cook it.

Then Yue Yuchen sat on the rattan chair next to him and started flipping through the books, letting him play around.

Occasionally, Bao Weng would ask him some questions, and Yue Yuchen would sometimes answer and sometimes not. Bao Weng didn't mind and they just chatted idly.

"Han Chinese shaman, do you know martial arts?" Bao Weng suddenly asked from the side.

Yue Yuchen put down his book and looked at him. Bao Weng made a slashing motion with his right hand: "Back then, three wild boars died with a wave of your hand. Then, you dragged the wild boars and me here as fast as you could."

Bao Weng made a soaring motion, indicating that he arrived here very quickly.

Yue Yuchen nodded without speaking, while Bao Weng excitedly asked, "Han Chinese witch doctors, who is more powerful, you or the envoy of the Five Poisons Sect?"

Yue Yuchen shook his head: "Time to eat."

Hearing this, Bao Weng stopped asking questions and sat down next to a flat rock. Soon, only the sounds of the two eating remained.

After the meal, Bao Weng took the initiative to wash the pots, pans, and earthenware jar, and then boiled water in the jar. Yue Yuchen nodded in satisfaction as he watched.

After thinking for a moment, Yue Yuchen got up and walked back to the cave. When he came out again, he was holding a brownish-red pill in his hand.

"Take this and give it to your mother." Yue Yuchen placed the pill in Bao Weng's hand.

Yue Yuchen gestured twice, and after Bao Weng confirmed that this was the witch doctor's medicine for his mother, he cheered and then leaped into the mountains and forests and disappeared into the distance.

Yue Yuchen glanced at the sun, pulled up the shade made of withered vines, and then picked up the book to continue reading. On the cover, the words "The True Scripture of a Hundred Poisons" swayed with his movements.

Chapter 22 The Five Poisons Sect Arrives

The next afternoon, Yue Yuchen brought out a stone pot made of stone skin from inside the cave and placed it on the fire to roast the food.

After determining the temperature inside the stone pot, Yue Yuchen added water, then picked up the herbs that had been dried yesterday, chopped them one by one, and added them in to boil.

As various herbs and animal carcasses were added, the originally emerald green broth turned yellowish-brown. Yue Yuchen turned off the heat and slowly simmered it until it became thick.

After smelling the medicine to make sure there was no mistake, he reached into the scorching hot stone pot, peeled off the thick ointment, and with a few rubs and flicks of his hands, pills the size of longans were formed.

He placed the pills one by one on the stone table to cool, then picked one up and popped it into his mouth to check its effectiveness.

As dusk approached, Yue Yuchen collected the pills one by one into the prepared gourd. He then formed a sword gesture with his right hand, and with a flourish of his fingertips, a line of elegant characters was engraved on the surface of the gourd: "Eight Treasures Qi-Circulating Pill".

[You have mastered both medicine and poisons. You have refined the 'Eight Treasures Qi-Regulating Pill,' which is no less effective than the Shaolin Lesser Rejuvenation Pill. Your medical and poison skills have improved.]

Your miasma-dispelling pill cured Bao Weng's mother, and he is very happy. He has decided to thank you.

You waited day after day, but Wang Shouren didn't come. He secretly returned to Nanjing to see his father. You waited in vain.

Your act of seizing the "Hundred Poisons Scripture" from a traitor of the Five Poisons Sect has been exposed. The Five Poisons Sect is searching for you in Miao territory, and you will encounter Lan Fenghuang.

Blue Phoenix wants to take back the Hundred Poisons Manual from you. It contains the secret techniques of poison and gu (poison-making) from the Five Poisons Sect.

You will learn about Dongfang Bubai from Lan Fenghuang.

Lines of system notifications appeared in his mind, but Yue Yuchen only glanced at them and then ignored them.

Just then, a rustling sound came from the distant jungle. Yue Yuchen looked up and saw Bao Weng running out of the woods, waving at Yue Yuchen.

Following behind him was a slightly aged Miao man, who was standing at the edge of the woods carrying a wild deer.

It's unclear what the two said, but the man didn't approach. He simply draped the wild deer over Bao Weng's shoulder and then retreated back into the woods.

Bao Weng turned his head to look at the man, then looked in Yue Yuchen's direction, and then quickly ran over.

"The Han Chinese witch doctor, my mother is healed, she's really healed! This is a gift to thank you." Bao Weng placed the wild deer in front of Yue Yuchen, his face beaming with undisguised joy.

Yue Yuchen didn't say anything. He picked up the wild deer and hung it on a big tree next to him, waiting to deal with it tomorrow.

Seeing him accept the gift, Bao Weng seemed very happy, then turned to look at the woods behind him: "I'm leaving now, Han Chinese shaman. The woods aren't safe at night; my father is still waiting for me."

After saying this, Bao Weng waved his hand and ran towards the woods. The man who had been hiding in the woods revealed himself, patted Bao Weng's hair, and the father and son disappeared together into the woods at dusk.

………………

The next morning, before the sun had risen.

Yue Yuchen had already stepped out of the cave where he lived. He glanced at the gray sky, then used the Golden Goose Technique to head towards the distant mountain peak.

On the silent, deserted mountaintop, Yue Yuchen sat cross-legged, waiting for the sunrise. As soon as the first purple glimmer appeared, he immediately began to circulate his true energy, at which time the primordial energy between heaven and earth was at its most active.

As the sun rose and the sky was tinged with golden clouds, Yue Yuchen began practicing the Eight Pieces of Brocade again, followed by various sword and palm techniques he had learned.

He has maintained this routine for over a decade. In his words, if you lack intelligence, time will make up for it. Since he's not some extraordinary genius, he'll persevere and eventually reap the rewards.

[With your persistent practice, your martial arts skills have become increasingly refined. You can now achieve perfect harmony between mind and hand, and you have surpassed the vast majority of people.]

The system's notification sound was like saying "+1 every day," which made Yue Yuchen extremely satisfied.

Yue Yuchen then strolled down the mountain through the dense forest, picking herbs and other items suggested by the system. By the time he returned to his cave, his sleeves were filled with a considerable amount of fresh herbs.

He casually spread the freshly picked herbs on the rock wall to dry, and after tidying everything up, Yue Yuchen sighed and turned around. He saw that six Miao women were already standing behind him.

The woman at the head of the group was dressed in a bright blue Miao ethnic costume, with a silver ornament on her head, bare legs and bare feet, wearing a pair of hemp and cotton shoes. Her eyes were bright and lively, and her hands hung at her sides. Occasionally, a silver-white figure with a golden glint would flash by between her fingers.

The five Miao people following behind, each with a snake, scorpion, spider, toad, and centipede tattooed on the back of their hands and holding Miao knives, had already secretly blocked the road down the mountain.

"What brings you to the Five Poisons Sect?" Yue Yuchen asked the woman at the head of the group.

The woman smiled at Yue Yuchen, raised her hand, and revealed a strange venomous snake with a silver-white body and a golden line on its abdomen on the back of her hand: "Blue Phoenix of the Five Poisons Sect, Han Chinese, who are you?"

Yue Yuchen didn't answer; instead, he stared at the tiny, silvery snake-like insect...

"Golden Snake Gu?"

"This Gu worm is initially pitch black, and aside from being extremely poisonous, it's just an ordinary poison; then it turns silvery-white, and its scales become comparable to fine steel."

"When the whole body turns golden in the end, it will not only be extremely poisonous, but also like a divine weapon that can destroy anything."

"When its entire body turns golden, it is already the king of Gu worms, and can naturally control other poisonous creatures."

"It is said that the Five Poisons Sect has not been able to refine this kind of Gu worm for several generations, but I didn't expect to see one here."

Lan Fenghuang was not annoyed at all; instead, she smiled happily: "Han people, the Hundred Poisons Scripture is indeed in your hands."

Yue Yuchen nodded, and with a wave of his hand, a thread-bound book landed in his hand on a rattan chair seven feet away: "If this is what you're talking about, then you're right."

Seeing this, Lan Fenghuang's eyes narrowed: "Telekinesis? Such profound internal skill. Even in the Central Plains, there aren't many masters like you. Han Chinese, why are you here?"

"Oh? So you've seen someone perform telekinesis? Who was it?" Yue Yuchen asked.

Lan Fenghuang's eyes darted around, revealing a hint of annoyance: "You Han people are indeed cunning. You didn't answer my question, but instead tried to extract information from me. It won't be that easy."

Yue Yuchen smiled and said, "It's not that the Han people are cunning, but that we are intelligent enough. We have too many traditions that give us enough wisdom."

Lan Fenghuang didn't argue, but asked, "How can I get back the Hundred Poisons Scripture?"

"Have you ever seen the person who can move objects from a distance? Is that Dongfang Bubai?" Yue Yuchen asked, throwing the Hundred Poisons Scripture to him before the other could answer.

Lan Fenghuang probably didn't expect this. She subconsciously reached out and grabbed the book. She was stunned for a moment, but then she didn't hesitate and started to examine it.

After confirming that there was nothing wrong with the book, I tucked it into my chest. The small, silvery-white snake slithered inside and lay motionless on the book.

"I didn't promise to answer your question," Blue Phoenix said slyly.

Chapter 23 The Realm of Dongfang Bubai

"No need, you've already answered."

Hearing this, Lan Fenghuang was taken aback, then looked annoyed: "You Han people are really cunning, impossible to guard against. Han people, you still haven't told me your name."

"You can call me Yue Yuchen. So, when did you first meet Dongfang Bubai?" Yue Yuchen asked.

A hint of fear flashed in Lan Fenghuang's eyes, as if she had recalled some unpleasant memories. Her gaze struggled for a moment, then she smiled and asked, "You really want to know?"

………………

From Lan Fenghuang, Yue Yuchen learned that about ten years ago, the chieftains of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Gele, together with the chieftain of Baoge, rebelled and their army once captured the city of the Han people at the foot of the mountain.

But they did not receive the Han emperor's army. Just when they thought the Han people had retreated and everyone was making a ruckus to redistribute the territory, only one person came that day.

She appeared at the gathering in a bright red Han Chinese palace robe, her eyes filled with disdain, as if a single glance from these people would defile her vision.

She casually toyed with an ivory-carved fan pendant, and with just a glance, she exuded an aura of regal authority that silenced the entire fortress...

"So it's you who want to rebel?"

The cold voice contained not a trace of emotion, as if it were merely confirming the attitude of a group of ants, yet it seemed utterly insignificant.

After a brief silence, the entire village erupted in commotion. Muchi, the warrior belonging to the chieftain of Baoge, revealed a cold smile and swung his sword to strike.

The woman in palace attire simply waved her hand, and "Muchi" was sent flying back, his chest caved in, as if he had been charged by a grown bull.

This did not frighten the Miao people; instead, it fueled their ferocity.

The chieftain's Gu master and Lan Fenghuang's two uncles released a large number of Gu worms. Inside the tent, two warriors under the chieftain's command also charged forward with their swords drawn.

The palace-dressed beauty merely smiled disdainfully, and with a wave of her hand, the Miao warrior at the forefront placed his head in her palm.

With just a light tap, the man's entire head shrank into his neck, and with a wave of her sleeve, he flew into the air like a cannonball and exploded.

The shattered flesh streaked through the air in a shimmering arc before crashing down in front of Chief Baoge. The intense aura of flesh and blood caused the Gu worms to become unruly and begin searching for flesh and blood to turn against the Gu Master.

Immediately afterwards, Lan Fenghuang, who was hiding at the very edge of the tent, saw the woman simply wave her hand, and a Han Chinese longsword next to Chief Baoge fell into her hand.

The woman was as fast as a ghost; she flashed through the tent in an instant, her figure moving everywhere. In just a few breaths, there was no one left alive in the tent.

Lan Fenghuang was completely stunned. The woman approached her and simply asked, "Are you from the Five Poisons Sect?"

Without waiting for her reply, the woman grabbed her shoulder and left the Miao village. The last thing she saw when she looked back was countless bloodthirsty Gu worms ravaging the entire Miao village.

Afterwards, the woman took her back to the headquarters of the Five Poisons Sect, where she killed all those who tried to resist, leaving only a group of people led by Lan Fenghuang alive.

Afterwards, the woman, along with the Five Poisons Sect and the Gu Masters she had subdued, launched a purge of the entire Miao region's rebellious forces.

"My name is Dongfang Bubai."

These were the words the woman spoke when she left Miao territory, and from that moment on, the Five Poisons Sect submitted to the Sun Moon Sect. And less than ten years had passed since then.

………………

After hearing her words, Yue Yuchen waved his hand, and a tree branch fell into his hand. He reached out with his left hand and stroked it, and countless small branches fell to the ground.

Lan Fenghuang saw the Han man in front of her wave his hand casually as if shooing away flies, and the big tree next to him was covered with dense wounds as if it had been slowly tortured.