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墨書 Inktalez
The Quanzhen Sect had disappeared for decades, and the old Taoist never expected to witness the legacy of its martial arts again, even if it was the most basic form. Memories spanning over a hundred years flooded his mind. After a moment of reflection, he snapped back to reality, noticing the concerned gazes of those around him.
The old Taoist smiled faintly. "I apologize; I was lost in thought."
Everyone quickly shook their heads in response.
He returned the mental technique to the child and placed his other hand on the child's pulse. The child was completely unaware of martial arts and did not realize that their life force was held in someone else's hands; with just a thought from another, they could live or die.
As the old Taoist's internal energy circulated within the child, he discovered that the child's inner strength was not weak, comparable to that of a second-rate martial artist in the Jianghu, and their energy was balanced and harmonious, indicating a solid foundation. Moreover, this child had remarkable potential; achieving such a level of inner power within just three years without guidance spoke volumes about their aptitude. The old Taoist couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration. He asked, "Child, would you be willing to take me as your master?"
Given the child's age, they should have been his disciple or even a grand-disciple. However, due to the child's connection to the Quanzhen Sect, the old Taoist felt a deep respect for them and did not wish to see them in a subordinate position; thus, he decided to take them as his own apprentice.
The child did not respond immediately, but a burly man excitedly exclaimed, "Child, you are truly fortunate! This Taoist priest is Zhang Sanfeng of Wudang, renowned for his unparalleled skills. If he wants to take you as his disciple, it must mean your ancestors are smiling down on you!"
The last remark was directed at the fisherman.
Even ordinary folk knew of Zhang Sanfeng's great name; he was considered a living immortal. The fisherman was overjoyed and immediately pulled his son forward to bow to Zhang Sanfeng. The child already felt a close connection to Zhang Sanfeng; with his father's approval for apprenticeship, he knelt down and bowed nine times before him. Once finished, Zhang Sanfeng helped him up. The burly man Chang Yuchun quickly stepped forward to congratulate both of them.
Zhang Wuyou felt overwhelmed—he now had a junior who was younger than himself!
Miss Zhou Lanzhi blinked her eyes and also stepped forward to congratulate the child.
The child shyly smiled and said, "Thank you."
Zhang Sanfeng was very pleased and took out some money for his new apprentice to buy food upon reaching shore. The fisherman got busy cooking—a feast consisting of chicken, meat, fish, and vegetables—four large bowls in total. Zhang Sanfeng instructed everyone else to eat first while he fed Zhang Wuyou.
When Chang Yuchun inquired about the reason behind this arrangement, Zhang Sanfeng sighed and explained, "This child has been afflicted by cold poison affecting their organs; thus, I have sealed their acupoints temporarily to preserve their life."
Zhang Wuyou felt sorrowful and could hardly swallow any food. When Zhang Sanfeng tried to feed him again, he shook his head stubbornly refusing to eat more. Zhou Lanzhi took the bowl from Zhang Sanfeng's hands and said, "Taoist priest, you should eat first; I will feed this young gentleman."
Zhang Wuyou said, "I'm full now, no need to eat anymore."
Zhou Lanzhi replied, "My dear, if you don't eat, the old Daoist will feel unhappy. He won't be able to eat either, wouldn't that make him hungry?"
Zhang Wuyou thought it made sense, and when Zhou Lanzhi brought the food to his mouth, he opened up and ate. Zhou Lanzhi carefully removed the fish and chicken bones, adding meat sauce to each bite of rice. Zhang Wuyou found it delicious and finished a whole bowl.
Zhang Sanfeng felt somewhat relieved and thought, "This child, Wujie, has had a hard life. Losing his parents at such a young age, he should have a caring girl to look after him in his illness."
Initially, he wasn't fond of Zhou Lanzhi because she was the daughter of Zhou Ziwang. However, seeing her attentiveness towards his disciple changed his perspective. He realized that a child's birth is not something they can decide for themselves. He set aside his biases and began to view her with ordinary eyes, increasingly appreciating her unique qualities—gentle yet strong, determined in spirit, and a martial arts prodigy.
Zhang Sanfeng then asked Chang Yuchun, "What are your plans moving forward? This girl is still young; you can't keep taking her around while joining the righteous army."
Chang Yuchun scratched his head and said, "My lord, as long as I can take my sister to escape quickly, I haven't made any other arrangements for her. I was thinking of sending her to the Mingjiao headquarters; at least the higher-ups there would look after her out of respect for you."
Zhang Sanfeng disapproved of this idea. He still held some prejudice against Mingjiao and didn't want such a clever girl to fall into their hands. Therefore, he said, "How about this? I have some connections with the Extinction Master of Emei Sect. I can send this child there to become her disciple; at least she will have a bright future."
Chang Yuchun was uncertain and turned to Zhou Lanzhi for advice. Although Zhou Lanzhi was young, she had her own opinions. She knelt before Zhang Sanfeng and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Daoist Zhang. I am willing to accept your arrangement."
Zhang Sanfeng stroked his beard and said, "There is one thing you must understand. The Extinction Master does not favor those from Mingjiao. If you become her disciple, you cannot reveal your background or tell others that your father is Zhou Ziwang."
"Then..." Zhou Lanzhi hesitated for a moment but then firmly stated, "From now on, I will be the daughter of a fisherman from above the Han River, orphaned and saved by Daoist Zhang."
Zhang Sanfeng secretly praised her decisiveness and cleverness, thinking that if the Extinction Master took her as a disciple, Emei would have a successor.
The child happily ran over to Zhou Lanzhi and took her hand. "That's great! From now on we are both people of the Jianghu! I can go play with you at Emei Mountain!"
Hearing the term "people of Jianghu," the child used it directly without understanding what it truly meant.
Although Zhou Lanzhi and Zhou Jingran were the same age, girls matured faster than boys and had already understood the matters between men and women, causing her face to flush instantly.
Zhang Wuyou looked enviously at the interaction between "Shishu" and Miss Zhou, while Chang Yuchun frowned as he stared at Zhang Wuyou. Zhang Sanfeng noticed this and asked, "Chang, why do you look at Wuyou like that?"
Chang Yuchun quickly turned his head and said to Zhang Sanfeng, "Zhang Zhenren, Wuyou's internal injuries are serious. I was planning to seek a divine healer for treatment. Why not accompany me?"
Zhang Sanfeng shook his head and replied, "His cold poison has spread into his organs; ordinary medicine won't cure him. He can only... slowly resolve it."
"But that divine healer truly has the ability to bring the dead back to life," Chang Yuchun insisted.
Zhang Sanfeng was taken aback and suddenly remembered someone, asking, "Are you referring to the 'Ancient Divine Healer'?"
"Exactly him! I didn't know that the old Daoist also knew of my Hu Shibo's reputation," Chang Yuchun said.
Zhang Sanfeng hesitated, thinking about how the Ancient Witch Yun was a member of Mingjiao. He didn't want his disciple to fall into the clutches of a demonic sect. He thought: It is said that this divine healer, Ancient Witch Yun, although exceptionally skilled in medicine, is a person of the demonic sect and is looked down upon by martial artists. Moreover, he has an extremely eccentric temperament; he treats those from the demonic sect who are ill with utmost dedication without charging a single coin. However, when outsiders seek his help, even if they offer mountains of gold, he remains indifferent. Thus, he has earned the nickname "See Death and Do Nothing." What if he leads Wuyou into the demonic sect?
However, his newly accepted disciple did not think so much and happily exclaimed, "That's great! My cousin's illness can be treated! Cousin, once you're better, I'll teach you how to swim and catch big fish in the river!"
Zhang Wuyou's eyes sparkled with excitement as he replied with a hint of joy on his face, "I can swim already; you don't need to teach me."
Seeing that his disciple no longer bore the resigned demeanor from before, Zhang Sanfeng couldn't help but feel moved. Yet he heard Chang Yuchun say, "This young man is doomed anyway; at most he won't be cured. It's all the same if he dies—what's there to worry about?"
Upon hearing those words about death being inevitable, Zhang Sanfeng's heart jolted. He thought: This blunt man's words aren't entirely wrong; it seems Wuyou has at most a month left to live. I might as well treat him as a living horse for now.
Having made up his mind, he no longer hesitated. He entrusted Zhang Wuyou to Chang Yuchun and took his disciple along with Zhou Lanzhi back to Wudang. Upon returning to Wudang, he arranged for Zhou Lanzhi to be sent to Emei and then introduced his disciple to other students and disciples. The one most affected by this was Song Qingyun; first, he lost Zhang Wuyou who was favored by both his father and many Shishu. Now another Shishu who received even more care and was younger than him had arrived—how could he possibly be happy? To make matters worse, this Shishu might not know swordplay or martial arts but had profound internal skills that far surpassed his own. Song Qingyun felt both jealousy and resentment; in order not to let his father constantly compare him with Shishu, he practiced diligently over the years and significantly improved his martial arts skills—much more than in the original version. When he encountered Zhang Wuyou again, although he would still lose to him, it wouldn't be as humiliating as before.
Zhou Jingran had built a solid foundation using the Complete Truth Heart Method. When she met Zhang Sanfeng, her mastery of it was nearing completion. Zhang Sanfeng began teaching her the Wudang Pure Yang Skill. It had been many years since he personally taught a disciple; this made others envious and jealous. Zhou Jingran did not disappoint Zhang Sanfeng's teachings; her skills progressed rapidly as she combined Pure Yang Skill with Complete Truth Heart Method effectively. While other senior brothers took at least ten years to master Pure Yang Skill completely, she achieved it in just five years—after which it was merely a matter of accumulating internal power. By the time Zhang Wuyou mastered Nine Yang Divine Skill, Zhou Jingran's Inner Power was on par with his. When Zhang Wuyou completed The Great Shift of Heaven and Earth, Zhou Jingran mastered Tai Chi Sword as well; both could use their strength against each other—Zhang Sanfeng had drawn inspiration from Complete Truth Heart Method to develop Tai Chi Fist and Tai Chi Sword ahead of time for his disciples to learn, among whom Zhou Jingran excelled the most.
Although there was a variable with Zhou Jingran's appearance, the plot of this world did not change much. Zhang Wuyou still embarked on his legendary journey. However, this time, Zhou Lanzhi had her affections directed elsewhere, which led to some subsequent events not occurring. Nevertheless, Zhang Wuyou still traveled overseas to bring back Xie Xun, and Zhao also went to Persia. Although Zhang Wuyou did not have a misunderstanding with Zhao Min, Xie Xun was captured by Chen Youliang. Mo Shenggu did not die, and Song Qingyun did not betray Wudang, but the events at Shaolin Temple unfolded as expected. This time, Zhang Wuyou openly competed with Zhou Jingran in martial arts and narrowly defeated him, becoming the top contender.
The Yellow-Clad Woman appeared again, but she was not there to confront Emei; instead, she revealed the secrets of the Dragon-Slaying Saber and Sword Resting. She then forced Zhang Wuyou to publicly clash swords, extracting the military strategies from the Martial Emperor's Legacy along with the manuals for the Nine Yin Manual and Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms. The Yellow-Clad Woman returned the Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms to the Beggar's Sect, the Nine Yin Manual to Emei, and gave the Martial Emperor's Legacy to Mingjiao, instructing them to use these strategies to drive out the Mongolian Scoundrel. The Extinction Master expressed his dissatisfaction and was slapped away by the Yellow-Clad Woman. Humiliated in front of many heroes and pressured by her seniority, he spat blood in anger and upon returning to Emei followed in his master's footsteps by passing on the position of leader to Zhou Lanzhi. Zhou Lanzhi practiced the Nine Yin Manual, completely suppressing Ding Cuiyu and gaining support from her fellow disciples, earning even more respect than before. Three years later, Zhou Lanzhi married Zhou Jingran, becoming a couple admired by all in the martial world, living happily ever after.
……
On the fifteenth day of the New Year, the Wen Family still celebrated with the Li Family siblings. Wen Ziyu wondered how the Li Family always had such novel and delicious food. Wen Zixia advised him not to ask too many questions; after all, they would receive their share of good things anyway, so why complicate matters? Asking too much could ruin their relationship, and then they would miss out on those delightful treats. Wen Ziyu agreed wholeheartedly and learned his elder brother's approach of being "confused when it was appropriate."
After the Wen Family Three Brothers left, Li Zhoule tidied up the dishes and furniture while Li Yishu took out ink and paper, writing something under the dim light of an oil lamp. When Li Zhoule entered the hall and saw his younger brother bent over writing at such a late hour, he asked curiously, "What are you writing so late? Aren't you going to sleep?"
Li Yishu had just finished writing and handed over his completed letter: "Sister, I wrote a letter of gratitude to the deity who helped us, thanking him for his assistance to our family. Can you take a look at my wording?"
Upon hearing this, Li Zhoule quickly took the stack of papers and read through them carefully, ready to correct any inappropriate phrases that might offend the deity. After reading through it all, he found no improper wording from Li Yishu. He first described their family's difficulties and expressed how much help they received from the deity's gifts of food and items. The last three pages were filled with various praises and expressions of gratitude towards the deity; although some phrases seemed a bit flattering, they were heartfelt.
Li Zhoule nodded: "It's good enough. The deity should be able to feel our gratitude."
Hearing this made Li Yishu happy; he pulled back his letter and rushed toward the storage room when Li Zhoule called out: "Wait a moment! Since you've written a letter of thanks, I should express my gratitude as well."
Li Yishu turned back and asked: "Are you going to write a letter too?"
Li Zhoule shook her head: "You've already written one; I won't add another unnecessary one. I've embroidered a handkerchief that you must place inside the jar. Although the deity may look down on my handkerchief, it is my sincere intention that I want him to know."
After hearing this from Li Zhoule, she waited until Li Zhoule brought back the handkerchief before placing it at the bottom of the jar along with her letter while staring intently at it without moving an eye.
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