Narration System for the Journey of Martial Arts

At the entrance to the back mountain, everyone saw the proud yet lonely figure from before. Yan Tieshan shuddered and rushed over.

………………

Huo Tianqing stood at the intersection with his eyes closed. He was unharmed, but his breath was so weak that it was almost inaudible.

Yan Tieshan reached out and placed her hand on his pulse; a wave of sadness washed over her.

"It has a very powerful internal palm strike, fierce and domineering, much like Shaolin martial arts," Su Yuchen said.

Lu Xiaofeng asked in surprise, "Huo Xiu practices Shaolin martial arts?"

"He's your friend, and you're asking me?" Su Yuchen asked in surprise.

Lu Xiaofeng awkwardly touched his nose and explained, "Although he is my friend, I don't know what kind of martial arts he practices."

Su Yuchen nodded and said, "Lu Xiaofeng's friends all know his extraordinary lightness skill without the wings of a phoenix and his peerless finger technique, the Spirit Rhinoceros Finger. But Lu Xiaofeng is always completely unaware of his own friends."

Everyone else looked at Su Yuchen and Lu Xiaofeng with surprise, but Hua Manlou smiled and stepped forward, saying, "If Boss Yan trusts me, why don't you let me take a look?"

Yan Tieshan, who had been in despair, raised her head upon hearing this, looked at this unique blind man who always held hope and beauty, and nodded: "Okay."

………………

"Huo Tianqing's life force is exhausted. Could the 'Longevity Manual' really bring him back to life?" Lu Xiaofeng asked in a low voice.

Su Yuchen said calmly:

"The Longevity Manual is merely an internal cultivation method, not a secret art. If his internal organs have ruptured or he is already dead, of course he cannot be saved."

"Fortunately, Elder Tianqin's internal energy cultivation method is indeed unique. A gentle and ethereal true energy protected his internal organs. Although he was seriously injured by the fierce palm force, he was only in a state of suspended animation and was not necessarily going to die."

As he spoke, Hua Manlou released his wrist, and with his right hand outstretched, his light and nimble fingers danced across Huo Tianqing's meridians and acupoints, stimulating his latent vitality.

After a long while, Huo Tianqing unconsciously spat out a mouthful of black blood and collapsed into Yan Tieshan's arms.

Hua Manlou wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "I only used my true energy to stimulate the vitality in his body, but he still needs careful recuperation. Moreover, his internal organs are severely injured, and I'm afraid he will never be able to fight again."

"It's good that he's alive, it's good that he's alive." Yan Tieshan breathed a sigh of relief. Then he picked up Huo Tianqing, leaped three zhang in one bound, and disappeared into the back mountain entrance in a flash.

After Yan Tieshan disappeared, Lu Xiaofeng couldn't help but say, "For someone as proud as Huo Tianqing, perhaps living is worse than dying."

Su Yuchen smiled and shook his head, saying, "Huo Tianqing is the successor of the Tianqin Sect, the junior brother of the two elders of Shangshan, and the grand-uncle of a large group of people. As long as he is alive, those people still have hope. It's time for him to learn to think about others."

Dugu Yihe shook his head and took the lead in walking towards the back mountain.

Su Yuchen said, "Guess what else is waiting for us ahead."

Lu Xiaofeng smiled, then said with some disappointment, "Whatever awaits us, it shows that Huo Xiu is already anxious. And if he's anxious, it means that this is all a scheme he orchestrated. He's lost his composure..."

When the three of them caught up with the group from the Emei Sect, they saw the corpse lying on the rocks by the roadside.

Lu Xiaofeng was slightly taken aback, and couldn't help but sigh. Hua Manlou asked, "Who is it this time?"

“It’s Shangguan Feiyan,” Lu Xiaofeng said.

When the three approached, Dugu Yihe had already put down his hands to examine her and said, "Her martial arts are not as good as Huo Tianqing's. Her internal organs are shattered, and she is beyond dead."

Su Yuchen looked at Lu Xiaofeng and Hua Manlou and said, "Why don't you two send her down the mountain and find her a coffin?"

Lu Xiaofeng sighed and said, "If we go down the mountain, wouldn't that be exactly what he wants?"

Hua Manlou looked somber and said, "Miss Shi, could you please go to the Pearl and Treasure Pavilion and ask Boss Yan to prepare a thin coffin for her burial?"

Shi Xiuxue glanced at Hua Manlou, nodded, and then, remembering that the person in front of her was blind, quickly said "okay" and headed towards the front of the mountain.

Dugu Yihe shook his head and muttered, "Girls grow up and leave home." He then told the other three girls to go with him, since they wouldn't be of much use, and it would be better for them to go back to the front mountain and wait.

………………

This time, the group finally arrived at the small building on the back mountain without any obstacles.

A large "push" sign was pasted on the slightly ajar door of the small building, making it extremely eye-catching.

Su Shaoying scoffed, "Playing tricks." She then ripped off the sticker on the door, pushed it open, and went inside.

Pushing open the door, there was a screen wall with another character "进" (enter) on it. Su Shaoying tore off the sticker and looked at Dugu Yihe.

“Over the years, I thought he would have learned and improved in the Central Plains.” Dugu Yihe shook his head and took the lead, walking along the corridor.

"In terms of understanding, among us, Sect Leader Dugu is indeed the one who knows Huo Xiu best. I wonder where the Golden Roc Dynasty is?" Lu Xiaofeng asked.

Su Yuchen and Hua Manlou exchanged a smile. It was clear that Lu Xiaofeng was still somewhat concerned about whether the Golden Roc King was real or fake, and he wanted to find out the truth about every possible question.

Without turning his head, Dugu Yihe said, "The Golden Roc Dynasty is located further south in Yunnan, where gemstones and jade are abundant, so there are many caravans from the Central Plains there."

"Huo Xiu was the Grand Minister of Works of the dynasty, so he always admired the culture of the Central Plains and learned from many Central Plains merchant caravans."

"Unfortunately, it wasn't until we arrived in the Central Plains that we realized these were all just underhanded tactics. These psychological warfare tactics are just little tricks that even the most skilled merchants know."

Chapter 421 The Despair of the Richest Man 1

Hua Manlou laughed and said, "The Central Plains culture has a long history and a vast territory. Military strategists alone have written military books throughout the ages, from the early 'Guiguzi' and 'Sun Tzu's Art of War' to the 'Wei Gong Bing Tao' of the Tang Dynasty."

Dugu Yihe sighed and said, "Therefore, a mere merchant is far more capable of strategizing than the Minister of Works of a small border country."

The jade itself is innocent, but possessing it is a crime.

The Golden Roc King, possessing immense wealth, naturally attracted the attention of those with ulterior motives. The Mu family of Yunnan had been tasked with guarding Yunnan and Guizhou for generations; while they had no responsibility for territorial expansion, they were responsible for maintaining an army.

The mystery of the coup d'état in the Great Golden Roc Dynasty decades ago is thus revealed by the narrator.

Su Yuchen shook his head. Just as Dugu Yihe said, how could a small, ignorant border country compare to the Mu Royal Palace, which had suppressed Yunnan and Guizhou for hundreds of years? He feared that with a little maneuvering, countless wolves would swarm in to carve up the spoils.

In comparison, the Golden Roc Dynasty only changed its king, which was already considered a mercy from the Mu Royal Mansion. After all, the Mu Royal Mansion was only interested in mining underground gems and jade, not bandits who would just rob a bunch and leave.

"What has Brother Su thought of?" Hua Manlou asked quietly.

Upon hearing Su Yuchen's analysis, Hua Manlou remained silent for a moment before sighing, "The dynasty has supported scholars for generations, but I'm afraid the national treasury is already empty. The Mu family's actions are out of necessity."

Su Yuchen smiled. Even with Hua Manlou's personality, he only felt sorry for the internal strife of the Golden Roc Dynasty back then. If it were someone else, they would probably applaud and praise the Mu Prince's Mansion for demonstrating the majesty of the Heavenly Kingdom's court.

As for the turmoil in a small country with few people, the little prince's exile to the Central Plains is probably just something scholars and officials talk about over tea after meals, saying: What a pity!

………………

After overcoming several word puzzles, deep within the small building, the group finally spotted their target – Huo Xiu.

"You've come! Well, when I knew Yan Tieshan wasn't dead, I should have known you'd come looking for me." Huo Xiu looked at the group in front of him and said calmly to Dugu Yihe.

He raised his glass, took a sip, gave a disdainful sneer, and said:

“Yan Tieshan was just a dog in the palace back then. Although he always thought he was extraordinary, a dog is a dog. How could he compare to a human’s insight? So I saw through Huo Tianqing’s flaws in mindset with just one glance, and with a little trick, I made Huo Tianqing have other ideas.”

"The only one I can worry about is you, Ping Duhe. You led troops to defend the border and suppress the surrounding small countries. You are not lacking in martial arts or wisdom."

"I had already planned to have Shangguan Danfeng suddenly kill Yan Tieshan, and then have Huo Tianqing deplete your true energy, so that you could die under Ximen Chuixue's sword."

"What a pity, what a pity that all of this went wrong."

He looked at Su Yuchen and said, "The Su family of Suzhou is a branch of the Su family of Meishan, and it is also a century-old clan. Since the Tang and Song dynasties, the Su family has produced many talented people, which I had expected. I just didn't expect that you, a son of a concubine who was driven out of the family at a young age, would have such wisdom. If it weren't for you, with that fool Lu Xiaofeng, my plan would have been completed long ago..."

Su Yuchen said calmly, "Your schemes are only at the level of a toddler learning to speak. Only someone like Lu Xiaofeng, who has never been to school, or those neglected illegitimate sons would fall for it. If it were any eldest son of a prominent family, given their knowledge, your level would only make them laugh."

"Not to mention the officials in the court, each of them is a peerless genius who has emerged from among geniuses. In terms of knowledge and wisdom, your petty thoughts are like snowflakes exposed to the sun."

Huo Xiu was silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "So, I've been played like a monkey by your Central Plains court for so many years? You not only took away our wealth, but you also want to destroy our hopes. By what right? By what right does your emperor have to decide whether we perish or be exterminated with a single word?"

Lu Xiaofeng and Dugu Yihe frowned as they looked at Huo Xiu, who was gritting his teeth, and then at Su Yuchen, still not understanding what they were talking about.

Hua Manlou, however, already understood something. He sighed and said, "You've already guessed it?"

"Guess? Hahahaha..." Huo Xiu suddenly burst into laughter, the sound echoing deep within the small building, like the final lament of a night owl, laughing until tears streamed down his face.

The laughter subsided, and Huo Xiu composed himself, speaking slowly to Dugu Yihe…

"Let me tell you a story."

"When we came to the Central Plains, my nephew, whether truly clever or feigning foolishness, simply ran away. But I was unwilling to accept this. I am also of the Shangguan clan bloodline. If he doesn't want the throne, then I will!"

"So after we each took a piece of the treasure and parted ways, I decided to take revenge with the help of the Central Plains army and reclaim the glory that belonged to the Shangguan family."

"Over the years, I have used that wealth to cultivate relationships with court officials and bribe eunuchs in the palace, all so that someone could mention it to the current emperor in court, even if there is only a sliver of hope."

"For this goal, I abandoned my dignity and willingly became their glove day after day. I took on the roles of merchants they disdained; I became the people they wanted to kill; I took on the dirty deals they couldn't handle; but in the end, I was a joke. A joke..."

"For this goal, I didn't hesitate to cultivate the Hunyuan Boy Technique, which forbids me from having any contact with women. For this goal, I didn't even leave behind a single bloodline. But what happened in the end? Gone, all gone!"

"Hahaha... The upright civil and military officials in the court took money from me, and the eunuchs in the palace also took money from me, but not one of them was willing to tell me the truth. They just played us for fools."

Hua Manlou looked slightly reluctant; Lu Xiaofeng and Dugu Yihe seemed to have guessed what was going on, and they both fell silent. Only Su Shaoying looked bewildered, not knowing what Huo Xiu was talking about.

"And then? How did you find out?" Dugu Yihe asked in silence.

Huo Xiu downed the wine in his glass in one gulp, paused for a moment, and then said hoarsely, "At the beginning of this year, I went to deliver money to the chief eunuch of the Imperial Horse Stables. Just before leaving, I suddenly remembered something and turned back. Then..."

"Then I heard that bastard mocking me behind my back, and from his fragmented words I learned that the rebellion in our country was actually orchestrated by the imperial court in the Central Plains."

"To find out the truth, I spent a full 100,000 taels of silver! I bribed a lowly eunuch to steal the emperor's daily records for me to see."

"Only then did I realize that fifty years ago, the Mu family, who were guarding Yunnan and Guizhou, owned a gold mine that was nearly exhausted. In order to support their army, they set their sights on us."

"And yet, this seemingly casual secret memorial, upon reaching the imperial palace in the Central Plains, only garnered the tacit approval of the cabinet officials and the emperor himself."

"From the very beginning, they planned everything, they knew everything, yet they stood by and watched me run around like a madman. They didn't treat me like a human being at all; they just wanted my wealth, my wealth!!!" Huo Xiu roared.

Chapter 422 The Despair of the Richest Man 2

"And then?" Su Shaoying asked belatedly.

Huo Xiu turned his head to look at him hatefully, his gaze like that of a tiger ready to devour its prey, already on the verge of exploding in rage.

Su Shaoying's heart skipped a beat, and he was startled. He subconsciously took a step back, and he couldn't help but blush a little, but no one laughed at him.

Everyone stared at Huo Xiu in silence.

Huo Xiu gritted his teeth and said:

"Later, that scoundrel who took 100,000 of my goods turned around and sold me to the emperor. I soon discovered that my shops were disappearing rapidly, and my accumulated wealth was vanishing at breakneck speed. All the officials and eunuchs who had been connected with me were cutting ties with me."

"By the time I realized what was happening, I had nothing left. Even so, those ruthless bastards still wouldn't let me go; they still wanted to exploit me."

"What about Qingyi Tower?" Lu Xiaofeng asked.

Huo Xiu fell silent, then spat out a mouthful of black blood, his aura visibly weakening. He chuckled and said, "The Green Robe Pavilion is now down to just this one in front of you."

Huo Xiu looked around the empty secret room and said, "The manpower, weapons, armor, and provisions I prepared for the restoration of the country are now just what you can see along the way."

Lu Xiaofeng fell silent. Whether the Green Robe Pavilion fell into the hands of the emperor, the court officials, or was divided up by everyone, it would probably remain a mystery forever.

Huo Xiu looked at Dugu Yihe and chuckled, "How about it? Is this story exciting enough?"

Dugu Yihe sighed and said, "If that's the case, why don't you leave? Why did you kill Yan Liben? He didn't do anything to wrong you."

Huo Xiu laughed heartily:

"Why? You ask me why?"

"Don't you understand? The wealth in your hands, mine, and Yan Liben's hands has long been targeted by those scumbags. No one can escape it, no one can escape it."

“I have lost everything, and I cannot let those bastards get away with it. This is my wealth, the wealth of the Shangguan family, and I will take it back to my homeland.”

“Your wealth has long been converted into real estate, land, and shops in Sichuan. I can’t take it away, but the wealth in Yan Liben’s hands should rightfully belong to me. I’m just taking back what I deserve.”

………………

Looking at the slightly crazed Huo Xiu, Su Yuchen couldn't help but say, "But haven't you noticed? Yan Tieshan's jewelry business has grown bigger and bigger, even reaching the palace. How similar is this to your path back then? Are you sure you can still take that wealth with you?"

Huo Xiu was slightly taken aback, then fell silent.

Su Yuchen sighed and said, "You're destined to take nothing with you. I've said it before, none of the officials in the court are not shrewd and calculating. How could they possibly let you run around here?"

Huo Xiu glanced at everyone and muttered, "What a joke, it's all a joke..."

Everyone looked at Huo Xiu, who was constantly muttering, with pity. This richest man in the country seemed to have fallen into utter destitution at this moment.

………………

With a soft "whoosh," everyone was slightly startled as an iron cage fell from the sky, trapping Huo Xiu inside.

"You...you want to imprison yourself here?" Su Shaoying asked.

Huo Xiu's sinister gaze swept over them, and he chuckled coldly, "No, I'm going to escape. It's you who will die here."

He looked at Su Yuchen, then at Dugu Yihe, and sneered, "I still have a chance. I can't take Yan Liben's wealth with me, but I can take some of yours, Dugu Yihe. As long as I can get to Shu as soon as possible, I can still steal some of it."