I am Zhao Zhijing, a poor Taoist priest, and I have disciples all over the world.

"Next June, if there is no urgent military business in Xiangyang City, please come to the top of Mount Huashan and have three sword fights with me."

Zhao Zhijing's proposal to hold three Huashan Sword Contests was indeed beyond Guo Jing's expectations, but those who study martial arts must not only practice diligently but also rely on competing with others to improve their skills and state of mind.

Furthermore, Guo Jing admired Zhao Zhijing's martial arts skills very much. The two had never really fought each other, and now that it was suddenly brought up, Guo Jing felt eager to try.

"It's a deal. As long as I'm not tied up in worldly affairs, I will definitely go to Mount Huashan to ask Taoist Zhao for some advice!"

Zhao Zhijing thanked him with a bow, and then said to Huang Rong: "The Beggars' Sect has members all over the world, and I would like to ask for a favor from Sect Leader Huang."

"Your father, Island Master Huang, Old Gang Leader Hong, Master Yideng, and Grandmaster Zhou, please ask the Beggars' Sect to pass on a message for you, saying that I, Zhao Zhijing, have the guts to welcome you all to the summit of Mount Hua next June!"

When these words were spoken, everyone present was very surprised. In the past, Zhao Zhijing was humble and indifferent when interacting with others, but today he showed a bit more of the heroic spirit of a young man.

Huang Rong smiled and said, "It has been a long time since such a grand event has occurred in the martial arts world. Since Taoist Zhao is interested, the Beggars' Sect will certainly do its best to deliver the message."

Zhao Zhijing's sudden action diluted a lot of the sadness of farewell. Everyone couldn't help but imagine how grand the three Huashan Sword Contests would be next year, and whether they would be qualified to be there to witness it with their own eyes, and who would ultimately defeat all the other competitors and win the title of number one in the world.

"There is a long time to come, and we will meet again. Please take care of yourselves, and I will take my leave now."

Master Zhao Zhijing and his disciples bowed, said goodbye to everyone, and returned to Huashan.

Originally, there was another matter that needed to be dealt with in Xiangyang City, that was Zhen Zhibing who was poisoned. Although a divine monk from India had studied the poison day and night for several months, he still could not find a way to break it.

At the end of this month, the Indian monk will take a risk to remove the elixir from Zhen Zhibing's body. Zhao Zhijing knows what he wants, so he doesn't ask about it.

If he was lucky enough to survive, Zhen Zhibing would go to the Western Regions and it would be as if he had never returned; if he could not escape his fate, Zhao Zhijing would send his remains back to Mount Zhongnan.

At this time, there was a ceasefire between Song and Mongolia. On the way back to the mountain, one could often meet people who had gone out to escape the war and were happily returning to their hometown.

The three masters and apprentices were not in a hurry to travel. Occasionally, when they missed their place of residence and had to camp outdoors, there would always be others to help them spend the night. During their casual chats, they would always mention matters concerning Xiangyang City and they treated Guo Jing and his wife and Zhao Zhijing with respect.

On this day, we passed through Weinan and rested in a shop called "Li's Old Shop" in the county. The shop was quite spacious and there were many merchants coming from all over the country, talking about all kinds of things.

"The sky is gloomy and the wind is blowing. Maybe it will snow tonight."

"That's a great thing. The heavier the snow, the more peaceful the year will be. Although the Mongolian Tartars have withdrawn, we still have to be on guard."

"Don't be afraid of him! With Hero Guo and Master Zhao from Huashan here, we can kill one if one comes, and kill two if two come!"

Everyone was talking about it. They were outraged when they talked about the brutality of the Mongolian Tartars, but they praised Xiangyang City for being so impregnable.

"Master Zhao of Huashan is no longer in Xiangyang."

Suddenly someone in the hall said, "I was going to Xiangyang to pay a visit to Master Zhao to repay his kindness, but when I finally arrived a few days ago, I found out that Master Zhao had already returned to Huashan."

Someone immediately answered: "All the Han people south of Xiangyang have benefited from the kindness of Hero Guo and Master Zhao. Otherwise, once Xiangyang City was destroyed, we would all be doomed." The man who wanted to repay the favor shook his head and said: "My favor is different. It was not Master Zhao who did it himself, but his disciples who acted chivalrously and saved my family."

During this period, travelers and merchants coming and going from the north and south were all talking about how wise and brave Guo Jing and Zhao Zhijing were. They were almost at a loss for words to praise them, so when they heard about the deeds of Zhao Zhijing's disciple, they immediately became interested.

"I am ashamed to say that my whole family has received great kindness from this young hero, but until now we don't even know his name. After a long time of inquiry, I found out that he is a disciple of Master Zhao of Huashan."

It turned out that this family specialized in traveling trade, but the war between Song and Mongolia broke out and the previous trade routes were no longer available, so they had to find another way.

Firstly, the world was not peaceful, and secondly, he was unfamiliar with the place. Not only were his goods robbed, but the bandit king was also attracted by his beauty and wanted to kidnap his sister.

"Alas, you can only judge a person by his appearance but not by his heart. The man in charge of escorting my family had quite a reputation in the local area, but who would have known that he was secretly colluding with thieves and doing that profitless business."

The man pointed to a barely noticeable scar on his neck and said, "It was only half an inch away. I closed my eyes and waited for death."

"I don't understand the affairs of the martial arts world, but I won't go into detail about what happened afterwards, so as not to cause unnecessary trouble to others. I can only say that if it weren't for Master Zhao's disciple who came to the rescue, none of my family would have survived."

"So after I settled my family, I thought that even if my apprentice couldn't be found, my master would always be able to find him. If Xiangyang didn't work, then I would go to Huashan!"

"Although I don't have much ability, even if I kowtow three times in front of you, it will at least be a token of my appreciation!"

Everyone in the store listened to his thrilling words. The incessant noise gradually died down and everyone focused on knowing what happened next.

Seeing him passing by, they immediately felt a little disappointed. Someone who was not afraid of causing trouble immediately shouted, "With Master Zhao's reputation, who dares to cause trouble for him?"

"Come over here, my friend. We have plenty of wine and meat. Let's talk while we drink!"

It was hard to refuse such a kind invitation. Besides, Weinan was less than a day's journey away from Huashan, and no one would dare to challenge him. Therefore, the two parties sat down at the same table and started from the beginning.

However, in this way, the sound was eventually lowered, and the guests who were a little further away could not hear clearly, so they stretched their necks to hear as many words as possible.

Master Zhao Zhijing and his two disciples listened for a while from an inconspicuous position. Yang Guo's curiosity was also aroused and he kept guessing which senior brother was responsible for this.

Yang Guo calmly moved his seat to the outside, pricked up his ears and listened a few more sentences. Seeing that his master had no intention of stopping him, he listened even more attentively.

"When it comes to hidden weapon skills, Senior Brother Liu Qingxing is the first choice."

"His sister has fallen in love with that young man? This is serious. I must ask Senior Brother Liu in person when I see him."

During the more than half a year in Xiangyang City, Yang Guo seldom heard news about his other senior brothers except Senior Brother Feng Qingyang.

Now that I have accidentally learned about Brother Liu's situation from a stranger, I am naturally even more worried. I just hope that all the brothers who went down the mountain to train have returned to Huashan safely by now. (End of this chapter)