Mysterious Martial Arts: The Record of the Swordsman

Among the rhinoceros-wielding figures Jiang Wen encountered, Yuan Chengzhi, though selective in his speech, always spoke truthfully and without fabrication; Zhao Wuji, on the other hand, spoke in a cryptic and enigmatic manner, like a mirage, never revealing his true intentions; and the most despicable of all was Luo Yuantong, whose words were always a mixture of truth and falsehood, sometimes even nine parts truth and one part falsehood, leading people to fall into his trap without them even realizing it, which is why his daughter was kidnapped and sold to the mountains.

At this moment, the moon over Dongshan Mountain was already stretching across Jade Maiden Peak. Yuan Chengzhi then bid farewell to Jiang Wen, saying he was going back to his guest room to rest. Jiang Wen also bowed and said goodbye, intending to visit the disciples living behind Tongtian Hall.

Because the stableman Lao Ye and the four stone lions habitually live by the Tianjian Pond, there are actually not many people living in the Tongtian Hall of the Wuyi Sect nowadays.

Like the group led by the Holy Mother of Red Lotus and the Goddess of Six Ding, they returned to the inn in Xiamei Ancient Town. Right now, they are busy mobilizing manpower and materials to build the Red Sun Sect branch on Jade Maiden Peak. Jiang Wen doubts that they can move into their new home before the Dragon Boat Festival, given their speed of action.

Although Ding Dian, the protector of Hongyang, also silently followed to Wuyi Mountain, he still had not been able to resolve the emotional debt between himself and the Holy Mother of Honglian. Unwilling to stay in the Wuyi Sect's house, he asked Old Ye, the stableman, for a bed and found a cave in the cliff to live in, spending his days with the hanging coffins and broken bones.

Jiang Wen didn't quite understand his intentions, but he himself had once shared a single room with Xiao Mingwang's coffin and found it quiet and peaceful, so he let him go and didn't think that his Wuyi Sect had neglected to entertain guests.

Jiang Wen led Fu Ningdie to enjoy the biting mountain wind for a while at the entrance of Tongtian Hall, and then walked towards the disciples' residences feeling refreshed.

The three side rooms at the rear were newly built. The door knockers gleamed with a cold light, the window frames were so clean that they reflected the moonlight, the gray floor tiles had just been laid, and the gaps between the tiles were inlaid with newly fallen lamp wicks. Even the pine wood walls were made of newly felled timber, and the light yellow wood grain gave off a pleasant smell.

The main hall had not yet been affected by the dampness of the plum rain season in Jiangnan. The ink on the newly painted lintels of each room was so thick that it resembled an inkstone that could not be dissolved, as if each door concealed a newly opened world of martial arts.

"Senior brother! Master has come to see you."

Jiang Wen pushed open the door and walked in—to his shame, this was the first time he had ever come to his disciple's room in person. He saw that the room had the standard features of a disciple's room: a bed, a table, and a cabinet, with an outward-opening window next to the table.

"Did your father come by today?"

Jiang Wen looked around. On the ground were wooden bed legs wrapped in new cloth, hanging under indigo coarse cloth curtains. The curtains were made of newly cut cloth without any patches. The bedding on the bed was not neatly folded, but it was very clean. However, there were broken shells of freshly roasted beans stuck to the corners of the blankets, and a piece of unpeeled bean had rolled to the bottom of the bed. Next to it was a piece of leftover wheat cake.

Little Stone lay comfortably in the hot soup amidst the rising steam, occasionally reaching out to add a little firewood to the bottom of the large wooden tub to ensure the temperature remained just slightly scalding.

"We arrived this morning. Master, Junior Sister, you've come."

Fu Ningdie followed Jiang Wen furtively, winking and making faces without saying a word, her hands skillfully groping under the pillows and beside the bed in the room.

First, she took two malt candies wrapped in fresh red paper, the paper not wrinkled at all; then she took a newly made mulberry wood slingshot, the rubber band made of new cotton thread; finally, she took a brand new bamboo dragonfly, and a small half bag of round pebbles for shooting birds.

Jiang Wen glanced at Fu Ningdie, who quickly stuffed the things into her clothes and then pretended to be nonchalant as she helped Xiao Shitou test the water temperature.

This time, Little Stone fought eight Nuo God corpses alone in Chong'an City, managing to hold them off for an hour and a half, which was truly astonishing.

According to the leader of the Jingyan sect, these eight Nuo god corpses were made by their predecessors using secret methods. They were made from the remains of corpses that were hundreds or even thousands of years old. Their faces were covered with peach wood and lacquer, and their internal organs were filled with the essence of five stones. They were extremely ferocious.

The so-called "covering the face" is an ancient burial ritual for the deceased, the origin of which can be traced back to before the Three Dynasties.

According to the "Sacrificial Rites" section of the *Book of Rites*, "When a person dies, he is called a ghost; this has remained unchanged throughout the Five Dynasties." The Tang, Yu, Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties all referred to the deceased as "ghosts," indicating that the concept of the dead becoming ghosts must have appeared very early. Furthermore, the character for "ghost" in oracle bone and bronze inscriptions often blurs the human head, suggesting that the ghost's head was specially protected. The discovery of jade face coverings in Liangzhu culture tombs further suggests that covering the face of the deceased was a very early ancient burial custom.
During the Zhou Dynasty, jade face coverings were popular, and they came in various forms. The *Book of Rites* (Yili) states in the section on the funeral rites for scholars, "The Shang priest covers the deceased with a cloth and a *tian* (a type of cloth), and sets up a *bianmu* (a type of covering for the eyes)." This means that the bottom two corners of a five-foot-long square cloth are tied under the deceased's chin, then raised to cover the face, and finally wrapped around the neck to cover the entire head. This was followed by the use of other items such as "cloth," "mask," "face covering," and "*bianmu*" to conceal the deceased's head.
According to Confucius's statement in the Analects, "The Zhou dynasty followed the rites of the Yin dynasty," the Zhou dynasty's custom of covering the face in burial likely originated in the Shang dynasty. Therefore, the *Shi Sang Li* (Rites of the Scholar's Funeral) refers to those who performed this burial ritual as "Shang Zhu," meaning the official in charge of performing the Yin rites. In terms of burial customs, the deceased's head was covered with cloth, and the eyes and face were also covered. After this treatment, the deceased's face was not visible. Thus, the human figures depicted in oracle bone and bronze inscriptions all have blurred faces, reflecting this burial custom.
This esoteric ritual and its interpretation of "ghosts" likely have ancient origins, possibly dating back to the time when "Peng Zu" migrated to Wuyi Mountain, far predating the remnants of ancient customs in sacrificial rites during the Shang and Zhou dynasties.
The technique of filling the stomach with the five internal organs, known as the "containment" method, exists in both Han and Tibetan Buddhism.

The method of consecrating Buddha statues aims to mimic the structure of the human body, inserting the "five internal organs" into the statue to make it "come alive." Buddhist scriptures repeatedly mention placing scriptures or mantras inside stupas and statues, believing that placing scriptures or mantras can endow the stupas and statues with divine power.

The Tang Dynasty scholar Duan Chengshi recorded in his "Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang": "There is a Bodhi statue whose dust does not accumulate, as if it were newly sculpted. It is said that when this statue was first made, the craftsmen, based on the Mingtang (a type of ceremonial hall), first fitted in the five internal organs, then the four limbs and hundreds of joints. After more than a hundred years, the dust has not accumulated." This is another method of fitting internal organs, and it is not based on Buddhist tradition. It is clearly a creation of China, combining the regulations of the Mingtang to fit in the Buddha statue, and it has changed in each dynasty.

The method of "enshrining" these Nuo deity corpses was even more bizarre. On the one hand, it followed Buddhist techniques, using "living relics" for enshrinement—

The relics of the living body are originally "cultivated through meditation and wisdom, and are very difficult to obtain." "They come in three colors: bone relics are white, hair relics are black, and flesh relics are red. All those who have attained sainthood possess them."

However, such relics are extremely rare. Jiang Wen strongly suspects that the leader of the Jingyan Sect stole the relics of the ancient Buddha Koubing and then mixed them with ordinary disciples' relics, such as "bones and corpse charcoal, which are called body relics; hair, nails, clothes, beads and other items that have been fumigated by qi, which are called hair and floss relics." The source of these "disciple relics" is very likely the "human refining furnaces" in Zhanlu Mountain that still have fingernail scratches and corpse oil.

Finally, using jade shavings, cinnabar, pearls, Taiyi leftover grains, and yellow stones as the main materials, Huayin red clay was added to mold and fire the form. Different secret incantations were then placed on the shoulders, elbows, waist, knees, and ankles, ultimately giving the Nuo god corpse the ability to move freely.

For some reason, these resurrected bodies, even after receiving countless offerings and worship, can only move when the stars are in the sky and will collapse at sunrise.

Even with numerous restrictions, ordinary martial artists would likely perish if they encountered these incredibly strong and fearless Nuo god corpses. However, they happened to encounter the equally unreasonable Little Stone, who, through sheer tenacity and endurance, managed to wear down all eight Nuo god corpses until they were immobilized. Subsequently, the four stone lions of the Wuyi Sect each carried one of them back to Mount Wuyi...

Jiang Wen examined Xiao Shitou's injuries and found that the wounds that were originally all over his body had mostly fallen off after applying a wound-regenerating medicine and soaking in a secret medicinal solution for several days, revealing the new pink skin underneath. It was expected that he would be fully healed in a few more days, and there were no signs of toxin infection at present.

"Silly disciple, didn't your master tell you before we went down the mountain that if you can't win, you should run away?"

The little stone, with only its head sticking out of the water, blinked upon hearing this.

"I remember. But I feel like I could beat them."

Jiang Wen felt that something was wrong with this mentality. This child was like Don Quixote who once rushed towards the windmill. Even if he really saw the multi-armed giant, he would still rush towards it as always.

This sincerity is not a bad thing for a martial artist, but he must never be allowed to act alone. He is easily led astray by a series of phrases like "Hey, I have an idea," "I think this thing can work," and "I think the world shouldn't be like this," and then he can't be brought back.

"Alright. Little Stone, you deserve a lot of credit for what happened in Chong'an County. You can tell your master what you want."

A hint of joy flashed in Little Stone's eyes.

"I want a horse."

Jiang Wen glanced at the little stone, then turned to Fu Ningdie: "What do you need a horse for?"

Fu Ningdie explained with an obvious understanding, "Senior brother knows that we rode fine horses that day and arrived in Chong'an County from Dawang Peak in just one hour, so..."

Jiang Wen stroked Xiao Shitou's head with a look of regret.

"Are you still thinking about your friend? But you... you should get a German Shepherd. They're well-behaved, and you can ride one if you put a saddle on it."

After a fierce battle in Chong'an County, Xiao Shitou's Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms and Dragon Claw Capturing Hand have both improved, and Yan's Iron Shirt technique has taken the path of entering from the outside in, and will only become more unbreakable after he recovers.

The key to martial arts is quality, not quantity. Jiang Wen doesn't plan to teach him any other martial arts for the time being, so he can focus on other things.

As the saying goes, external skills nourish essence, and internal skills nourish qi. After essence and qi, one reaches the realm of divine enlightenment. Jiang Wen judged that if he continued to cultivate and improve at this pace, Xiao Shitou's external skills would still have room for improvement. Even if he fell short, Jiang Wen still had many external skills that mainly followed the path of fierceness, such as the Great Stele-Smashing Hand and the Vajra Prajna Palm, to teach him. However, Yan's Iron Shirt would reach the bottleneck first.

Such family-inherited martial arts, limited by the generally low educational level of people in the martial arts world, can only be mastered through oral transmission of practical techniques. It is difficult to find proper methods to teach them in advance. At that time, one might have to go to Shandong to ask Master Yan, who has returned home to farm, for personal instruction.

Of course, there is another way: after reaching a bottleneck in cultivation, let Xiao Shitou switch to cultivating other internal skills that Jiang Wen is proficient in.

However, given that the Holy Mother of the Red Lotus had suffered from the poison of the "Sacred Fire Technique" and had been tormented by the "Cold Mountain Strength" at Chicken Foot Mountain, Jiang Wen was now extremely cautious about internal energy cultivation and did not intend to use his disciples as guinea pigs.

Apart from Fu Ningdie, who was watching longingly from the side.

She has already mastered the Nine Yang Divine Skill in her dantian to a certain degree, and it's too late to dissipate it now. Hopefully, she won't grow an Adam's apple or a beard.

At the same time, Jiang Wen had a further plan in mind regarding the issue of internal strength, but he couldn't rush it for the time being.

"Little Stone, you should rest and recuperate on the mountain. Once you've recovered, remember to chop wood, fetch water, and practice your skills every day."

Jiang Wen patiently and persuasively guided him.

"Next, I will gather fellow martial artists in Wuyi Mountain to hold a martial arts conference. I'll be counting on you all to make me proud!"

Compared to Xiao Shitou's indifference to the news, Hong Wending seemed preoccupied, but firmly stated that he would never bring shame to the Wuyi faction.

Hong Wending's room had the same layout as Xiao Shitou's, but it was exceptionally clean. The bed was covered with a coarse cloth mattress, which smelled faintly of soap and had been washed by him. The pillow was made of blue cloth and filled with dried mugwort, which was pressed against the edge of the bed and aligned with the bed board without being crooked at all.

Beside the bed lay a pair of blue cloth boots, the soles stained with some dry mud but cleaned thoroughly, the boot shafts straightened. Next to them was a shoe-shining cloth, its corners folded neatly, revealing a worldly-wise complacency yet also a meticulous attention to detail.

Hong Wending's injuries were much more serious than Xiao Shitou's. Jiang Wen needed to use his internal energy every day to clear his meridians and repair his damage. Even though the internal energy was transformed into a heat flow and slowly advanced along Hong Wending's damaged meridians, each time a bottleneck was cleared, it was accompanied by a violent backlash, but he did not utter a sound.

"Are you also thinking about your friend?"

Jiang Wen sat down in the chair and saw Hong Wending nod slowly. He continued, "It's alright, you can continue to think about it. There are some things you need to figure out for yourself, and this is an inevitable part of navigating the world."

Hong Wending's mindset was greatly shaken in Chong'an County. Suddenly, the safety of the entire city's residents weighed on his shoulders, a burden that most people could not bear, especially when faced with the unpredictable nature of the world and the wickedness of human nature.

Jiang Wen deliberately didn't explain, even though he had long been aware of the mess in Chong'an County. He hadn't dealt with it back then mainly because he was too lazy to get involved in these troublesome matters.

He only told Hong Wending two things.

First of all, droughts are caused by excessive deforestation and soil erosion. Droughts don't exist out of nowhere, and drought demons are even less likely. If drought demons existed, they would definitely be in the desert.

Secondly, many things cannot be viewed through the lens of rigid mechanical materialism. For example, according to Taoist thought, oxen used to be forbidden to be eaten because they harmed farmers. But now, it's become that oxen can be eaten, but combine harvesters cannot.

"Now that your internal injuries have mostly healed, I'll take you to Chong'an County in a couple of days to settle the rest of the matter. After that, you can focus on practicing martial arts and wait to make a name for yourself at the martial arts tournament."

Jiang Wen said succinctly.

Hong Wending is exceptionally talented, and his martial arts skills have always been advanced without much effort on his part. After his breakthrough in "Heavenly Silkworm Skill," he needs a deeper understanding and practice to solidify his foundation for the next step. Unwarranted interference could easily backfire. On the contrary, his overly kind heart is a disadvantage. If he is not given more training, he could easily become another Yuan Chengzhi when he grows up.

After leaving Hong Wending's room, Fu Ningdie stopped wandering around. She chose to stay with Hong Wending to continue inquiring about the details of the Chong'an trip, and then embellish it to scare Xiao Ake. Therefore, Jiang Wen planned to knock on Hu Fei's door alone to see if the problem boy had made any progress.

But just as he was about to knock on the door, he heard Yuan Chengzhi's voice coming from Hu Fei's room. Yuan Chengzhi said that there were four bodyguards under the command of the rebel king: Hu, Miao, Fan, and Tian. They were originally sworn brothers, but later became enemies due to some misunderstandings. Coincidentally, when Yuan Chengzhi was assisting the rebel king, he had once instructed these four men in martial arts...

Jiang Wen immediately decided to change direction and knock on the door of the next room to try to improve Lin Pingzhi's weak skills.

"Master Jiang Wen, it's so late and you're still not resting."

Lin Pingzhi was sitting upright under the lamp, with half a newly printed copy of "Jianghu Boxing Manual" on the table. The pages were crisp and without curled edges, and the cover still smelled of ink. It was probably given to him by Lin Zhennan before he left.

Jiang Wen frowned and looked at him without saying a word.

Lin Pingzhi's attitude towards learning was quite serious. Although he had been injured in the past, several months had passed, and Xiao Shitou and Hong Wending, also disciples of Jiang Wen, had made rapid progress in their martial arts, becoming top-tier fighters in the martial arts world. But why was Lin Pingzhi still only good at talking? He hadn't even formally mastered the "Falling Flower Divine Sword Palm" and "Whirlwind Sweeping Leaf Leg" techniques that he was taught back then—

Could it be that Old Lin's shameful martial arts talent is so stubbornly inherited?

If all else fails, why not just grab a bear and let Lin Pingzhi fight it hand-to-hand to unleash his potential?
"Pingzhi, there's something I'd like to discuss with you..."

"Don't be so quick to refuse! Bears are just scary because they look big, but they're actually harmless and there's nothing to be afraid of..."

"Trust your master, this kind of animal is very timid. As long as you don't deliberately provoke it, it usually leaves on its own after eating people..." (End of this chapter)