Narration System for the Journey of Martial Arts

After the three parted ways, Qiao Feng immediately seized a fast horse and arrived at the next town. He then used the Beggars' Sect's carrier pigeons to send a message to Ma Dayuan, asking him to meet up with him.

………………

After Qiao Feng left, Wang Yuyan asked curiously, "You're not that old. According to you, Chaotian Temple is just a small Taoist temple. How do you know so many secrets of the martial world? Even Longhu Mountain, which leads the Zhengyi Sect, might not know these things, right?"

"What do you think?" Su Yuchen asked in return.

Wang Yuyan shook her head, then, as if remembering something, looked at him and said, "Could you be someone from the imperial court? Only they could have spies all over the world."

Su Yuchen shook his head...

“The most taboo thing for a spiritual practitioner is to get involved with officialdom. Although it is good to cultivate in the Six Doors, once you join, you will be gradually confined, and it will be difficult to experience the state of ‘the higher you climb, the colder it gets’.

"Therefore, Buddhist and Taoist masters, as well as martial arts masters from various sects, rarely descend the mountain in person. They usually send their disciples to the court for offerings. This is to reduce the so-called karmic entanglements."

"If you want to advance to the level of a Grandmaster, don't get too involved with those forces. First, it will easily distract you and hinder your cultivation; second, if you spend too much time in the officialdom, you will lose your determination to make great progress."

Wang Yuyan shook her head and said, "When I go back this time, I plan to focus on cultivation and occasionally go out for a walk. As for anything else, I haven't thought about it yet."

"Being content with whatever comes your way is fine. I hope one day you can catch up with me and reach my level," Su Yuchen nodded in agreement.

………………

Just as Qiao Feng returned to Junshan, Duan Yanqing also arrived in Dali. As required by Helian Tieshu, he could only deal with the affairs in Dali as soon as possible and then return to Xixia to prepare for the upcoming battle with the Beggars' Sect.

"What did you say?"

But to his surprise, Ye Erniang and Yue Laosan gave him a big surprise as soon as he arrived in Dali.

Ye Erniang no longer had the heart to coax the child, and she hadn't dared to steal other people's children recently. Perhaps Yun Zhonghe's death made her think of something.

Without saying a word, she led Duan Yanqing to the mortuary, opened the coffin lid, and a stench wafted out.

Ignoring the stench, Duan Yanqing, leaning on his crutches, approached the coffin and carefully examined Yun Zhonghe's corpse. As if he had seen something, he waved his hand, and Yun Zhonghe's clothes tore apart. When he saw Yun Zhonghe's right arm, the spot on his chest and both arms, and the sunken palm on his chest, Duan Yanqing's eyes narrowed...

"One Finger Divine Skill, Five Tigers Saber Technique, Shaolin's ultimate skill 'Vajra Palm'."

"What incredible martial arts! He used the Judge's Pen as a weapon and used the One-Finger Divine Skill to cripple the fourth brother's right arm. Then he used the Five Tigers Saber Technique, 'Four Tigers Killing the Heavens,' which dealt another heavy blow to the fourth brother's chest and back."

"When he was seriously injured, he must have wanted to vomit blood, but the other party did not want his clothes to be stained with blood. After retreating, he suddenly attacked again, and the last palm strike, the Vajra Palm, crippled the fourth brother. In the process of retreating and advancing, his lightness skill was already superior to the fourth brother's."

"Is there anyone in the Dali Duan family who has simultaneously learned the One-Finger Divine Skill and Shaolin martial arts?"

Ye Erniang shook her head: "When the incident happened, we were besieging Duan Zhengchun in Dali City, it couldn't be him. Duan Zhengming was always in the palace. Could it be the old monk from Tianlong Temple?"

Duan Yanqing shook his head sarcastically: "No! It won't be them! Unless the Duan family faces annihilation, they will never make a move."

Yue Laosan stamped his foot in frustration and said, "Could it be a monk from Shaolin Temple? Did the Duan family give away the One-Finger Divine Skill to someone else?"

Ye Erniang looked at him with disdain, as if to say, "You should think before you speak: The Duan family's One-Finger Divine Skill will never be passed on to outsiders."

“He wasn’t killed by a Shaolin monk,” Duan Yanqing said with certainty.

Ye Erniang nodded and said...

"Among the Xuan generation of Shaolin Temple, Xuan Ding's Vajra Palm is powerful, but his lightness skill is not good. On the other hand, the fourth brother's lightness skill is among the top in the martial arts world."

"Could it be that we guessed wrong?"

"Among the Duan family's retainers, only Zhu Danchen wielded the Judge's Pen; it was Duan Zhengchun who passed on the One-Finger Divine Skill to him. Then, Xuanding happened to arrive in Dali at that time. Zhu Danchen injured the fourth prince with the One-Finger Divine Skill, and Xuanding happened to see this, so they joined forces to kill the fourth prince?"

"After all, Xuanbei died in Dali, and Shaolin Temple should have sent someone to resolve this matter. His arrival in Dali was just a coincidence."

Yue Laosan retorted defiantly, "Didn't you say that the Duan family would never pass on the One-Finger Divine Skill?"

Ye Erniang glanced at him, her disdain growing stronger: "The Duan family only has this one precious son in this generation, and Duan Zhengchun can't be around all the time. For the sake of the Duan family's succession and the Dali throne, Duan Zhengchun is very likely to have secretly passed on his skills to Zhu Danchen and others, all to protect his only son."

Yue Laosan was so angry he wanted to jump up and down, but considering Duan Yanqing's feelings, he could only walk to the door and squat on the threshold without saying a word.

"Where did you find him?" Duan Yanqing's eyes flashed as he asked the most crucial question.

Ye Erniang replied, "It was right outside the gate of Yuxu Temple outside Dali City. Fourth Brother went to chase after Duan Zhengchun's son. At that time, there were only two servants from the Duan family. We thought their martial arts were..." Ye Erniang shook her head.

Duan Yanqing asserted...

"Although Dao Baifeng lives in Yuxu Temple, she is not a true nun. Even if Xuan Ding goes to Dali, he will not visit her in the absence of outsiders, as this would damage Dao Baifeng's reputation. He is here to resolve the matter of Xuan Bei's murder, not to make enemies of the Duan family."

"Although Dao Baifeng's martial arts skills are not bad, she has not even learned the Duan family's One Finger Divine Skill, so her martial arts skills can only be described as mediocre."

"Moreover, judging from the injuries on the fourth brother, it could not have been done by more than two people, so there must have been someone else present at the time."

"Since the fourth brother was able to chase Zhu Danchen and the others all the way from the beginning, then the one who knows the One-Finger Divine Skill must not be him. Otherwise, why would he need to run away? To catch them off guard? Impossible."

Yue Laosan squatted silently at the entrance of the mortuary, rubbing his head in frustration. Duan Yanqing knew that he couldn't rely on Yue Laosan's brain, so he could only look at Ye Erniang.

Ye Erniang confirmed his guess: "But as you said, boss, given Dao Baifeng's reputation and the Duan family's prestige, no one would ever visit her privately, unless... it's a woman!!"

Duan Yanqing's eyes flickered, and he muttered to himself, "A woman who knows both One-Finger Divine Skill and Vajra Palm?"

After a long while, Duan Yanqing snorted coldly: "So you didn't continue to kill Duan Zhengchun and the others?"

Ye Erniang said, "With such an unidentified expert around, we are going to kill, not be killed."

Duan Yanqing's gaze turned cold, and he immediately turned and left: "Since they care most about the throne of Dali, then let's go kill that brat and return to Xixia."

Chapter 323 Duan Yu and Duan Yanqing

Dali, Zhennan Palace.

Since Duan Yu returned, although Duan Zhengchun could not ask him about the key points of his internal energy cultivation, he still guided him based on his experience to regulate his breathing and return his true energy to his dantian.

Unfortunately, he didn't know that the Northern Darkness Divine Art was completely different from other internal energy cultivation methods, so even though Duan Yu was guiding his Qi back to the sea, he was simultaneously strengthening the suction power of the Northern Darkness Divine Art.

Duan Yu thought this was normal, so much so that he would constantly absorb the true energy of others whenever he made contact. Over time, the more people he came into contact with, the more mixed the true energy he absorbed became, and he did not understand the meaning of the mental cultivation method of harmonizing and unifying true energy and returning it to the Northern Darkness.

As Duan Yu came into contact with more and more people, the internal energy within his body became increasingly mixed, making it more and more difficult to harmonize.

Inside the bedroom, everyone else looked worried as they watched Duan Yu sitting cross-legged, trying to restore his inner energy. Even Duan Zhengchun became increasingly convinced that this was an evil martial art, definitely not the righteous path...

"The only solution is to ask my elder brother to take Yu'er to Tianlong Temple so that the masters can use the One-Finger Divine Skill to dissolve the internal energy in Yu'er's body. This internal skill can no longer be practiced."

Zhu Danchen, who was standing to the side, nodded and said, "This subordinate will take the prince's token and go to the palace to request an audience."

Not long after Zhu Danchen left, Duan Yu finally channeled his internal energy into his Tan Zhong Qi Hai point. Seeing him open his eyes, Dao Baifeng wiped the sweat from his forehead while asking him questions, her concern evident.

A moment later, Duan Zhengming arrived in a hurry with Zhu Danchen. After seeing Duan Yu, he first asked him some questions, and then reached out to put his hand on Duan Yu's pulse.

As soon as Duan Zhengming's true energy entered his meridians, the Northern Darkness Divine Art within Duan Yu's body stirred, and a suction force naturally arose, pulling the One-Finger True Energy straight towards the Tan Zhong Qi Sea.

Caught off guard, Duan Zhengming's true energy surged out like a burst dam, almost uncontrollable. He immediately cut off the flow of true energy, but the Northern Darkness Divine Art within Duan Yu's body was like a tornado, relentlessly drawing out the true energy from his Tan Zhong Qi Sea, attempting to trap Duan Zhengming's true energy.

With a cold snort from Duan Yu, Duan Zhengming's fingers recoiled as if electrocuted, instantly releasing the pressure and stepping back two feet before looking at Duan Yu with surprise and uncertainty: "Dissolving Power Technique?"

Duan Zhengchun looked at Duan Yu, who was recuperating, with a worried expression and said, "Brother, the internal energy cultivation method that Yu'er is practicing is too evil. He can't continue practicing it."

Duan Zhengming nodded and said, "I will take Yu'er to Tianlong Temple now and let the masters take a look."

After Duan Yu finished recuperating, Duan Zhengchun and the others decided to set off immediately. However, as soon as they arrived at the main gate, they saw a loud 'bang' as the gate of the Prince's Mansion collapsed, and the guards responsible for protecting the mansion were thrown in.

The newcomer was none other than Duan Yanqing, the third of the four villains. Seeing Duan Zhengming also present, Duan Yanqing's expression narrowed, then he laughed in fury: "Very well! I didn't expect both of you brothers to be here. Today, I'll just wipe you both out in one fell swoop." With that, Duan Yanqing moved like the wind, already closing in on Duan Zhengming, his crutches pointing one at Duan Zhengchun and the other at Duan Zhengming.

"Don't hurt my uncle and my father!" Duan Yu subconsciously swayed, stepped on the Bagua, leaving a long afterimage, and arrived first, grabbing Duan Yanqing's cane.

As Duan Yanqing's internal energy flowed into Duan Yu's body through the cane, the previously unsuccessful Beiming Divine Art immediately became agitated, like a shark smelling blood. The Tan Zhong Qi Sea acted like a tornado sucking in water, intercepting all of Duan Yanqing's internal energy and causing it to flow upwards.

No sooner said than done, just as Duan Zhengchun and Duan Zhengming made their moves, they saw Duan Yu and Duan Yanqing already engaged in combat, and instinctively exclaimed in surprise, "Yu'er!"

Unexpectedly, the expected outcome of Duan Yu being killed in one blow did not occur. Instead, Duan Yanqing looked terrified, and his face was deformed as his true energy was continuously absorbed.

Duan Zhengming's expression changed. Looking at Duan Yu, who was swollen up like a ball, he realized that Duan Yanqing had also fallen for the trick. Without hesitation, he pointed his right finger at the middle of the cane, cutting off Duan Yanqing's true energy.

The suction force, which had been like a tornado, suddenly dissipated. Duan Yanqing's eyes widened in terror. He dared not linger any longer. With a flick of his cane, he leaped up like a great bird, carrying Ye Erniang and the other woman away in a panic.

Duan Yanqing, a top-tier master, possessed incredibly powerful true energy. Unbeknownst to him, Duan Yu absorbed a significant amount of it, leaving Duan Yu feeling completely overwhelmed.

The massive surge of true energy into his body immediately clashed with the original chaotic true energy. Duan Yu completely lost control of his true energy, his cheeks bulged like large pouches, his clothes billowed without wind, and his true energy went completely berserk.

At this moment, Duan Yu was surrounded by true energy, and Duan Zhengming dared not make a move. Fortunately, Duan Yu had not lost consciousness yet. With Duan Zhengming's reminder, he tried his best to suppress his true energy back into his dantian. The next second, he fainted.

"I'll take Yu'er to Tianlong Temple first, and you can follow later." Duan Zhengming supported the unconscious Duan Yu, and with a leap, he flew away.

………………

Outside Dali City.

Duan Yanqing stopped in his tracks with a look of horror, silently circulating his inner energy and feeling the loss of his cultivation. His face darkened: "When did the Dali Duan family get involved with Ding Chunqiu?"

"Boss?" Ye Erniang and Yue Laosan hurriedly caught up and saw his constipated face. They stopped in their tracks and looked at each other. Yue Laosan called out.

Duan Yanqing snorted coldly: "Let's return to Xixia first and deal with the ambush of Qiao Feng. We'll talk about Dali another day." With that, he left.

Behind them, Ye Erniang and Yue Laosan looked on in bewilderment. They exchanged a glance and felt that Dali was becoming increasingly eerie. They immediately shivered and quickly flew away.

………………

Tenryu-ji Temple.

Upon meeting Abbot Benyin, Duan Zhengming immediately explained Duan Yu's situation.

The group was still looking at each other, thinking that Duan Yu had cultivated the 'Dissolving Power Technique'. Ku Rong, who was sitting facing the wall, pointed a finger, and a burst of energy cut the curtain in half. With a flick of his right hand, he had already wrapped Duan Yu up and pulled him to his side.

Duan Yu was caught in the curtain, and he stumbled, causing a book in his arms to fall out. Ku Rong exclaimed "Eh?" and picked up the book, asking, "Where did you get this?"

Duan Yu took one look and saw that it was the book Su Yuchen had asked him to pass on to Kurong, and immediately explained its origin. After Kurong and the other three listened to Duan Yu's intermittent introduction, they exchanged glances, and Benyin said, "That... young master could not possibly be related to Ding Chunqiu."

Benxiang agreed, saying, "With his martial arts skills, he would never deign to look down on someone like Ding Chunqiu, who is a heretic. This is strange. Duan Yu's internal energy... wait, could it be that Ding Chunqiu stole that Young Master Su's martial arts?"

Ku Rong, who had been sitting facing the wall, asked, "Are you saying that Young Master Su said this is the martial art of the Xiaoyao Sect? And that he asked you to kill Ding Chunqiu?"

Duan Yu nodded, indicating that this was the case.

After pondering for a moment, Ku Rong sighed and said, "I think I understand now. Yu'er is practicing the Northern Darkness Divine Art of the Free and Unfettered Sect. So, Ding Chunqiu is actually from the Free and Unfettered Sect!"

Seeing that the others didn't understand, Ku Rong shook his head: "I also learned about the Free and Unfettered Sect from a notebook in this temple." He then recounted the legends of the Free and Unfettered Sect to them one by one.

Chapter 324 Dealing with the Beggars' Gang 1

Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Wuxi.

After receiving the secret message from Qiao Feng, Ma Dayuan disguised himself and hid in a secret stronghold in Wuxi City, avoiding the presence of others.

On this day, as Ma Dayuan and the others grew anxious, he couldn't understand what had happened that led Qiao Feng to send him such a secret letter.

"Thump thump thump... thump... thump thump... thump thump thump... thump..."

At the sound of knocking, Ma Dayuan was startled, then delighted. This was a secret signal known only to him and Qiao Feng. Nevertheless, he cautiously approached, gathering his inner energy, ready to answer: "Who is it?"

"Brother Ma, it's me." A voice answered from outside the door, and Ma Dayuan breathed a sigh of relief before opening the door.

Standing outside the door was Qiao Feng. Seeing Ma Dayuan peek out, he smiled and went straight in. Ma Dayuan poked his head out and looked around before closing the door.

"Boss, what exactly happened? Now that neither of us is here, who knows what kind of chaos is going to ensue in the gang?" Ma Dayuan complained casually.

Qiao Feng didn't take it seriously. He sat on the stone bench in the courtyard and said, "On the way back, I sent messages to the various branch headquarters, instructing them to temporarily consolidate their forces and not to launch any attacks except to scout out enemy positions."

Ma Dayuan nodded and said, "That's good. As long as the branch headquarters in various places don't take the initiative to attack, the safety of our brothers can still be guaranteed. By the way, Chief, what exactly happened?"

Qiao Feng pointed to the opposite side and said, "Please sit down first. I have something for you." As he spoke, Qiao Feng took out a jade bamboo stick from his sleeve and placed it on the stone table.

Ma Dayuan, who was about to sit down, was startled and stood up, taking a step back: "Chief, what do you mean by this?"

Qiao Feng sighed, glanced at the jade bamboo staff, and said, "Brother Ma, I am no longer suitable to be the gang leader. You are the most suitable person in the gang to take over the position now."

"No!!!"

Ma Dayuan sternly refused, saying, "Chief, you were personally chosen by Chief Wang, and all the elders and brothers witnessed your decision. How can you just back out like that? How will you explain this to the brothers? Chief, what exactly happened?"

Qiao Feng said helplessly, "Brother Ma, why ask a question you already know the answer to? I am not a Han Chinese, but a Khitan, right?"

Ma Dayuan was shocked: "Boss, what nonsense are you talking about...?"

Qiao Feng glanced at his reaction, then gave a self-deprecating laugh and waved his hand, saying, "Originally, I was just testing you, Brother Ma. After all, I didn't know if it was true or not. Now it seems it is."

Seeing that Ma Dayuan was about to say something, Qiao Feng pointed to the opposite side and said...

"Brother Ma, sit down and talk."

"To be honest, I never expected my background to be like this. But now that my guess has become a reality, it is no longer appropriate for me to continue serving as the gang leader."

"If I leave now, we can part amicably with all the brothers. But if this news gets out in the future, it will not only damage the reputation of the Beggars' Sect, but also affect my relationship with the brothers."

“Brother Ma, you have been the deputy leader for many years and are already familiar with the affairs of the gang. It would be best if you took over the position now.”

Looking at his expression, Ma Dayuan sighed and asked helplessly, "How did you find out about your background, Chief?"