Sword from the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 40: Taiping Hongbao

It was the fifteenth day after Lai Changming was executed.

A spring rain fell, bathing the Crow Mountain in mist and smoke, and the ancient cypress trees in front of the door sprouted green new branches.

As more and more travelers come for an outing, the incense burning in front of Laozi's statue becomes more and more popular.

Green smoke curled up from the three-legged tripod, entangled with the fine rain.

Zhou Yi, who was sitting cross-legged on the cushion, seemed to be disturbed by the spring breeze. When it blew on his face, his eyes opened involuntarily, and a hint of joy flashed in his eyes.

He had a breakthrough seven days ago, practicing from the Dadun acupoint to the Qimen acupoint, and opened up the third meridian.

This foot Jueyin Gallbladder Meridian had accumulated strength before, and it was not the result of a few days.

Unexpectedly, just seven days passed.

Listening to the spring rain today, I actually opened up the fourth meridian, the Hand Shaoyang Triple Burner Meridian!

This training speed is really amazing.

He practiced steadily from the Twelve Main Meridians to accumulate foundation without using any unorthodox methods.

Therefore, his true energy is quite pure.

He increasingly realized the wonderful uses of "The Human World" and "The Eternal Zen of the Mind".

But when Zhou Yi thought about his own kung fu, he felt a little weird.

According to the endorsement of Master Jiao Wuzi, their Taiping Dao scriptures are related to "Laozi Xianger Zhu", which is considered to be the original scripture he studied.

The Xuanzhen Guanzang is based on the internal gong method inherited from the Huang-Lao school. He then practiced Zhuangzi's "The World of Man" and mixed it with Buddhist Zen. He also read a lot of Taoist scriptures collected by Jiao Wuzi.
At this point, the skills on my body are gradually becoming unclear.

"Eh~" Zhou Yi shook his head.

"Why think about these things? Master is right. As long as you are not possessed by demons, nothing else matters."

As he thought about it, Zhou Yi closed his eyes and listened carefully.

The Shaoyang Triple Burner Meridian of the hand is associated with the Ermen and Sizhukong points.

The Ermen point and the Tinggong point are located in the same position, which is the key to the strength of hearing.

Sizhukong is located in the depression at the end of the eyebrows. Sizhu is originally a musical instrument, and adding Kong makes the mind feel light.

The two acupoints work together to allow you to hear movements from all directions with a light mind.

Therefore, you can hear farther and more clearly.

After this meridian is opened up, it will naturally become smoother than when it was stagnant.

Use all your energy and listen attentively.

The hearing ability of experts is different. For example, Yun Yuzhen, the leader of the Jukun Gang, can hear some noises from twenty feet away.

Shi Long, the best martial artist in Jiangdu, can hear the sounds of insects and ants crawling within ten feet when he exerts all his strength.

Zhou Yi adjusted his true energy and listened with bated breath. The spring breeze and rain became more vivid in his ears.

A drop of water slid down from the tender leaves of the ancient cypress branches six feet away and fell to the ground.

Further away.
"Crack~!"

The sound was sudden and much louder than the sound of water dripping from leaves.

It's footsteps.

The sound became clearer and clearer. There was only one person walking towards Wuyan Temple.

Zhou Yi even concluded that this person was wearing rain gear.

Because the sound of rain around him was faster than that around him, it was obviously caused by the rain being blocked by objects and splashing against each other.

I was both amazed by this new hearing sense and curious about the newcomer.

The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and the dandelions in front of the steps were bent over as they held up their umbrellas to catch the dew.

At this time, few people go outing.

Could it be that the master of the temple has returned? It can’t be such a coincidence.

Although there is a sign inside the temple saying "Guests please feel free", I still feel a little guilty for occupying someone else's space and spending some money on incense offerings.

Zhou Yi hurriedly stood up and went out to greet him.

With a creak, the door of the temple opened wide, and a tall figure appeared in his sight.

The man was dressed in black, wearing a conical hat, and had a long sword about three fingers wide on his waist. He was climbing the stairs, creating small splashes of water.

A few birds flew through the rain, and the visitor had already reached the door.

He looked to be about twenty-six or twenty-seven, with sharp features and angular eyebrows rising like a dragon emerging from the abyss. Within his handsome appearance, there was an unconcealable sharpness.

He looked up at the blurred plaque above the temple gate and could vaguely make out the three words "Wuyan Temple".

Looking out the door of the temple, there stood a handsome young man who was not even twenty years old. He exuded an otherworldly aura and must have been a visitor from outside the world.

Although this person was not wearing a Taoist robe, his aura and the smell of incense on his body made it clear that he was a Taoist priest in the temple.

The visitor knew what was going on, so he took off his hat and stepped forward.

"Master, excuse me for disturbing you."

Zhou Yi didn't know his identity, but he felt that he was very extraordinary: "A mountain flower hangs in the fog, a rare guest in the rain, how can it be considered a disturbance, please."

The visitor's eyebrows moved slightly and he glanced at Zhou Yi again.

He stepped forward with a clear goal.

He first entered the main hall and bowed to the statue of Laozi, then took out dozens of five-zhu coins and placed them next to the incense altar.

Seeing this, Zhou Yi smiled slightly.

The man turned and asked, "Excuse me, which sect's teachings do you follow, Taoist priest?"

"I inherited the miscellaneous learning of the Western Han Dynasty," Zhou Yi said casually, removing the cushion from the ground. "I also have some knowledge of Zhuangzi from Changzhi and Huang Lao."

The man's brows lit up and he took out dozens of five-zhu coins.

His tone was more urgent than before. "My name is Yang Ying. May I know your name?"

"My last name is Zhou. When my master accepted me as his disciple, I no longer used my common name." Zhou Yizhen's face was filled with unspeakable sadness, as if he was recalling sad past events.

It can be imagined that although he is young, he has been guarding this Taoist temple and must have had some rough experiences.

The man who called himself "Yang Ying" took a look at Zhou Yi's expression, and his eyes became more complicated, and he looked at Zhou Yi with more approval.

There is a vague sense of sympathy.

He sighed slightly, then immediately straightened his expression after remembering the important matter:

"Yang was passing through Fugou when he heard about this temple. I've recently become fascinated by Taoist texts and feel their profound insights, but I'm stuck in one place, unable to make any progress. I've bothered you today to ask for your advice." Zhou Yi nodded, his eyes flicking across the long sword at Yang Ying's waist, noticing the bloodstains on the scabbard.
"Please tell me, I will do my best."

Yang Ying took two steps and said, "The way of heaven and earth is that when it reaches its limit, it will turn to its opposite; when it reaches its limit, it will decrease."

"What do you mean?"

After hearing this, Zhou Yi turned around, his heart skipping a beat.

His expression changed, but Yang Ying didn't notice it and thought he turned around to think.

This is Huainan Honglie.

Are you here for me?
He calmed down the turmoil on his face, walked around a few times, and then turned around and said:

“This teacher seems to have said”

"Things flourish and then decline, joy at its peak turns to sorrow, the sun wanes and then waxes; this is the law of things that turn to their opposites when they reach their extremes."

Yang Ying's eyes narrowed, radiating brilliance: "Everything will turn into its opposite when it reaches its extreme. Everything will turn into its opposite when it reaches its extreme!"

He stared at Zhou Yi: "Master Zhou, is this true between life and death?"

Zhou Yi shook his head. "I'm just repeating what my master said. This is completely different from the Zhuangzi I'm studying, so I don't dare to elaborate. Please understand it yourself."

Yang Ying nodded, her eyes slightly dazed.

He took out a Taoist book from his arms, flipped through it for a while, and then walked towards the rain without even saying hello.

He also forgot to take the bamboo hat placed in front of the three-legged bronze tripod.

Yang Ying was not wearing the wide hat, so the spring rain fell on his scabbard without any protection.

The almost dried blood was awakened by the rain and flowed down the scabbard.

Wherever they passed, a road was left covered in blood!

"boom!"

Spring thunder
Zhou Yi chased to the door and stared at the figure disappearing in the rain.

I couldn't help but feel suspicious: "Yang Ying? I really can't remember such a person."

"I just met a stranger and he was studying Huainan Honglie."

Thinking of the rumors about the Taoist book, I felt very worried.

He is a man of action. Once he has an idea in mind, he cannot stay there for even a moment.

"Let's go now!"

Make up your mind and pack your things immediately.

There wasn't much miscellaneous stuff, so he just packed the copper coins, put the sign of the temple master's travels back, and lit a stick of incense before leaving.

Then he opened the mulberry paper umbrella, closed the door and went down the mountain.

Since he didn't have much dry food on him, he went to a food store in Fugu City.

"Shopkeeper, is the road south safe these days?"

"Sir, if you're heading south to Xihua, you can take the official road, which is only ten miles longer. Taking the smaller path around the mountains and through the forests is faster, but it's more prone to thieves."

"Thank you."

Zhou Yi paid with copper coins and walked out of the city along the official road.

After walking about seven or eight miles, we saw a wild shop on the side of the road.

The shop was leaning against a big willow tree. There was a teapot in the thatched shed below. The water in it was boiling and bubbling on the stove. Zhou Yi thought about drinking a bowl of tea and eating some dry food.

So I folded my umbrella and prepared to sit in.

At this moment, I suddenly heard the gangsters inside discussing.

Zhou Yiren was still on the roadside, but his hearing had improved greatly and he could hear it clearly.

First, a fierce-looking black-faced man said that the Yingyang Prefecture Army was destroyed by Taiping Zhou Tianshi.

But this news is very old, and people around have heard it a long time ago, so they don’t think it’s strange.

The pockmarked man next to him said, "There's no need to look for Yuwen Chengdu. It's said that after being defeated by Master Zhou, he committed suicide out of shame on the banks of the Cai River."

He said firmly:
"The Taoist treasure book is in the hands of Master Zhou Tianshi. It is not a rumor at all. There are many people who want to see it right now."

The dark-faced man asked, "Who told you that?"

The pockmarked face said:

"I'm from Huaiyang. You all know Zhao Tuo, the governor of Huaiyang. He's a master of both internal and external martial arts. People in the martial arts world say that this governor Zhao has also been studying Huainan Honglie recently. It's a pity that I didn't get to see the 'Secret of the Pillow'."

The black-faced man was surprised.

There were also many people around who came from other places and were confused by what they heard.

"What is 'Secretary of the Pillow's Treasure Garden'?"

The pockmarked face smiled ostentatiously, "Legend has it that this is Liu An's precious book of immortality, and whoever obtains it will ascend to heaven."

When the people from other places heard this, they laughed and refused to believe it.

The pockmarked face was unhappy and continued, "Recently, accurate news has come from Taikang. This precious book appeared in the Taiping Dao on Confucius Mountain. They combined it with the Taiping Jingyi and changed it into the Taiping Hongbao."

"This has become a martial arts classic, inheriting both Huang Lao and immortal learning. I'm afraid it's not inferior to the four great books."

When those outsiders heard this, their expressions changed immediately.

Taiping Hongbao? !
"How could such news come from Taikang?" asked a middle-aged man with a dignified demeanor.

The pockmarked face looked like you had never seen the world:
"The Yingyang Prefecture army was almost completely annihilated. This is an ironclad fact. The righteous army that destroyed them came from Taikang and was led by Zhou Tianshi."

"That night, Master Zhou Tianshi defeated Yuwen Chengdu. His men curiously asked about the origins of his martial arts, and that's how it became known."

"Don't you think the news should come from Taikang?"

"..."

For a while, the wild inn was full of discussions.

When talking about Taiping Hongbao, many martial artists' eyes lit up.

Zhou Yi opened his umbrella again, lost all appetite, and continued walking south.

His face was as black as the bottom of a pot:

"Mr. Mi, Mr. Mi, you are truly a talent, a great talent! Haha, Taiping Hongbao, even I believe it myself."

……

('-'*ゞTwo updates and six thousand votes, three updates, awesome! Thanks to all the book friends for voting~~!!
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(End of this chapter)