Chapter 277 Past and Present
Mount Qingcheng, which is only a hundred miles away from Chengdu, has been shrouded in drizzle. The mist makes the forest greener and evergreen all year round. The peaks stand around like a city wall, with thousands of red stairs and winding paths. Of course, Emperor Jingzheng also mentioned that “Qingcheng is the most secluded mountain in the world”. It is collectively known as the “Four Beauties of Shu” together with the dangerous Jianmen, the beautiful Emei and the majestic Kuimen.

It’s not just the scenery… Qingliantian, Jianmen, Emei and Kuimen are actually all martial arts sects, and they have all produced talented martial artists. Twenty years ago, they were also known as the ‘Four Heroes of Bashu’, and these four naturally included Yangshe Congyun and Tang Weiyu.

But as the river flows east, all the waves have washed away everything, and the most talented people throughout the ages have always been the top ones… The only one who can lead the Shu martial arts world and hold the reins of the Bashu martial arts world is the sword master Yangshe Congyun from Qingcheng Mountain.

Yangshe Congyun was born in a small mountain village in the southwest of Shu. The village was so small that it couldn’t be any smaller. There were only about a hundred people, young and old, men, women and children in the village. However, his talent in swordsmanship was unparalleled. With the money that Yangshe Congyun saved from being beaten by others, he bought a rotten iron knife discarded by a blacksmith shop and entered the sword world.

When he was less than ten years old, he followed Yangshe Yin to join the gang. He searched a small and shabby liquor store on the street and paid a few coins to buy a pot of Shaodaozi. He and Yangshe Yin and a few other buddies held wine glasses, grinned with several lost teeth, and said that they were now considered gangsters.

Later, when he was less than fifteen years old, he killed a group of famous “Seven Evils of Shu” in Shu, and by chance avenged Li Jingnan’s son’s death. From then on, under the guidance of Wu Yue, his martial arts soared to the sky, but when he looked back, no one could keep up with him.

Even Li Jingnan, who was like his master to him and his father, was no match for him under his knife. Yangshe Congyun even accidentally injured him fatally, and he has not recovered to this day.

But people in the martial arts world are also human beings. Even Xiao Yuanmu, who is a master of martial arts and has great demonic power, has a man he secretly likes.

Yangshe Congyun offended someone in the past and his entire village was massacred. He had no relatives in the world except his eldest brother Yangshe Yin. It was Zhuo Haoyang, deputy leader of the Jinsha Gang, who helped him to take revenge. But at that time, his Taoism heart was almost broken, and he couldn’t figure out the point of practicing all the swordsmanship. It was at that time that he met a young lady from the capital who was traveling to Shu.

The young lady from the capital ate hot pot, which was so spicy that she kept sniffling and complaining about the rain in Sichuan, which made it hard to dry her clothes. But she didn’t like to carry an umbrella when she went out, so she always ran around in the rain with a handkerchief covering her head…

buzzing————

In a small courtyard in the back mountain of Qingcheng, Yangshe Congyun sat in front of the door, holding a ring-handled sword in his hand. He stretched out his arm and extended the sword in the courtyard. The blade trembled slightly and a sound of sword ringing appeared. He was practicing his insight and control… He wanted the sword to go into the rain without getting wet.

But if he could do this, then his martial arts must be superb, not just that of a mortal, so he obviously hasn’t succeeded yet… But it’s not because he doesn’t have the talent, but because he never practiced properly at home.

“Buzz, buzz, buzz… Yangshe Congyun! Your kid has disappeared since he went to the capital, and your elder brother was captured by gangsters yesterday, and you are still practicing swords here? If you want to practice, go out and practice, the buzz, buzz, buzz is killing me!”

His ears were immediately grabbed by the woman, and he could not help but put away the knife and explained in a muffled voice: “I have sent someone to look for Lasa…”

“You won’t go in person?”

Yangshe Congyun shook his head, “Let’s go rescue him after we defeat Zhao Wumian. Now that he has defeated my eldest brother, he should come to Qingcheng Mountain in a few days. If I leave now, wouldn’t it make me look like a coward?”

“You have such good knife skills, but…” Madam Yangshe wanted to say a few more words, but in the end she just sighed helplessly and let go, saying, “The child secretly ran to the capital to save people, and my eldest brother has been helping our family for the past 20 years… Well, come and help me cut the vegetables, we’re having twice-cooked pork today.”

“I practice with the knife so I can cut vegetables and be a cook?”

“Labour and Capital Shu Dao San…”

Yangshe Congyun stood up silently, raised his hand and threw it lightly. The ring-handled knife drew a white line in the rain and inserted it steadily into the weapon rack in the yard. He then picked up the kitchen knife… a kitchen knife is also a knife.

“Once the meal is ready, I’ll take the bowl and go to the ring and wait.”

Mrs. Yangshe frowned, “Just squat on the ring and eat?”

“kindness.”

“Did I abuse you?” Mrs. Yangshe looked at him coldly.

“What are you talking about… You are anxious, but am I not anxious too? I will be waiting in the ring from now on, urging Zhao Wumian to go up the mountain to fight as soon as possible… Finish the fight as soon as possible so that I can go and save people as soon as possible.”

“Oh… then I’ll wait with you.” Mrs. Yangshe nodded as if she understood, then she retracted her gaze and started to set the pot.

Yangshe Congyun glanced at Madam Yangshe’s back and whispered, “You’re already an adult, and you’re still doing these things… It’s so embarrassing…”

“Hmm? You weren’t ashamed when we got married, but now I’m going through hardships with you, and you still despise me? Do you think I’m too old and ugly to be with you? Go away, there are many beautiful girls in Chengdu’s Zuiliren.”

Tread-tap-

Yangshe Congyun cut the meat silently and stopped talking.

On another peak of Qingcheng Mountain, Fan Shunan was squatting in a flower field with an umbrella. He raised his hand to pick up a blood-red petal, looked at it for a few seconds, and said:
“Meng Po, Xiao Yuanmu, and Lady Cang Hua all showed up in Longquan and fought over Zhao Wumian… Stop kidding, the martial arts world always loves exaggeration and gossip. It’s probably true that the three evil women clashed over Zhao Wumian, but it couldn’t be because of such a stupid reason as a man and a woman.”

The Fan family member who reported the news behind him looked unhappy. “The Wuhongdan given to Yangshe Yin was obviously effective for him, but we don’t know the specific effect… He was captured by Meng Po, and we couldn’t get any more questions. Isn’t this medicine a waste of time?”

“There aren’t many Grandmasters, but there aren’t too few either. We can always find new drug testers.” Fan Shunan raised his hand and threw down the petals. He looked at the blood-red flowers all over the mountains in front of him. He was silent for a few seconds and then said, “We sent Lady Canghua. Xiao Yuanmu and Zhao Wumian are unclear about each other. It’s understandable that they appeared in Longquan, but why would the people from the Western Region Saint Church interfere in this matter?”

As he spoke, Fan Shunan glanced at Mr. Qin San, who was standing beside him with his hands behind his back.

Master Qin tilted his head to look at him, his eyebrows raised slightly, “Do you doubt me?”

“The Third Master was not expelled from the sect by Ding Jingcheng.”

Master Qin San sneered, “In Qingliantian, I am the father-in-law of the Sword Master, but in the Holy Church, I am nothing… It is better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix, don’t I understand the principle?”

Fan Shunan pondered for a while and felt that Third Master Qin had no reason to do this, so he muttered to himself: “Meng Po was beaten by Xiao Yuanmu and fled in panic. She almost lost her life but still wanted to capture Yangshe Yin… Is it because she noticed Wu Honghua?”

Third Master Qin’s expression was slightly cold. “In recent years, Dancing Red Flowers have occasionally appeared in the black market in Shu. It’s not surprising that the Holy Church has found out about this. But since they kidnapped Yangshe Yin, it’s obvious that they want to get a piece of the pie… Why don’t we cooperate?”

Fan Shunan pinched a handful of soil and shook his head. “We cooperated with Qing Liantian because the soil in the back mountain of Qingcheng is suitable for cultivating Dancing Red Flowers. But if we cooperate with the Holy Church, they can’t give us anything, and it’s tantamount to seeking the skin of a tiger… The risk is too great.”

Master Qin San stopped talking and stared at the flower field in front of him in silence. After a moment, he said, “Let’s not talk about this matter for now. Killing Zhao Wumian should be our top priority. He just wants to fight Cong Yun alone, but if the matter of Wu Honghua is exposed to him, then the troops coming will be from the imperial court.”

“Empress Canghua and Mengpo have escaped. Zhao Wumian is suspected to be closely related to Xiao Yuanmu. Now that the Palace Master of Taixuan Palace is by his side, it will be difficult to kill him…”

Before he finished speaking, Third Master Qin raised his hand calmly, “Zhao Wumian is the Marquis of Weiming. If he is really close to Xiao Yuanmu and inseparable from him, then it’s all over. Would the emperor tolerate him being so close to the rebel leader? There are so many people watching in the Qingcheng Mountain. Even if Xiao Yuanmu takes action here, he can’t stand on Zhao Wumian’s side openly.”

Fan Shunan frowned, “Lure him to Qingcheng Mountain and kill him?”

Mr. Qin Sanye nodded.

“Before his final battle with Dao Kui, or after the final battle?”

“Before the decisive battle, of course.”

“Is Third Master so afraid that Dao Kui will lose?”

“Because I can’t afford to lose.”

Fan Shunan was silent for a moment, then turned his head and asked the servant next to him: “Where is Dad now?”

“I sent you the letter a few days ago. I expect we will reach Qingcheng Mountain in a few days.”

Third Master Qin was stunned. “Your father is going to take action?”

After all, he had cooperated with the Fan family for such a long time, and knew that although Jiuli was controlled by five major clans, there were also distinctions between high and low. The most powerful ones were called the “Top Three Clans”… and although the Fan family was also among them, it was all due to the strength of Fan Shunan’s father.

Jiuli itself does not have Nine Bells, and whether it can communicate with the bridge of heaven and earth depends entirely on the Sky-Watching Man. Therefore, apart from Fan Shunan’s father, the only one left is the old patriarch who is over 80 years old.

But the Jiuli tribe is not a martial arts sect, and it does not rely entirely on strength, but on poison and heritage… What is heritage? For the current Fan family, the Wuhong flower is the heritage. As long as the Wuhong flower is successfully cultivated and the Wuhong pill is made, Jiuli can basically become the one who has the final say in the Fan family.

At present, the Fan family can only be regarded as the Jiuli’s ‘red flower stick’, or a thug… After all, before Fan Shunan’s father communicated with the bridge of heaven and earth, the Fan family had always been mediocre among the five major clans. They relied entirely on the influence of their ancestors and were not much different from those who made up the numbers. In terms of foundation, they were indeed not as good as the other four families.

Fan Shunan nodded slightly, his eyes were extremely cold, “The existence of Wu Honghua must not be known to the court.”

“If Zhao Wumian died in Qingcheng Mountain, the imperial court would definitely investigate us.”

Fan Shunan smiled faintly, “If Tang Weiyu’s wife didn’t have the Jiuli Gu, she would have died within a few months… He asked me for a favor and pledged his allegiance. I’ll leave the murder to Emei. If the court wants to investigate, Tang Weiyu will be the only one to bear the responsibility.”

“What right does he have?” Mr. Qin frowned, “If he betrays us…”

“We were able to take out the Jiuli Gu and save his wife’s life. Tang Weiyu’s martial arts skills are not among the best among the martial arts masters, but he is indeed a passionate man. He will do anything for whoever saves his wife.” Fan Shunan shook his head, “And Tang Weiyu doesn’t know how to dance with red flowers.”

At this time, someone nearby couldn’t help but speak in confusion, “Just to kill Zhao Wumian, we actually have to send out two martial arts masters. I’m afraid it’s a bit too much… Besides, he might leave after beating the sword master, and he won’t come to the back mountain to check on Wu Honghua at all. Why should we add to the risk…”

Fan Shunan shook his head helplessly. “Zhao Wumian appeared out of nowhere years ago. How many great things has he done? He can predict everything in advance like a prophet… Our Fan family has already formed a feud with him, and it is impossible for it to end well. If we don’t take this opportunity to crush him to death, do we have to let the tiger go back to the mountain and wait for him to come and uproot us at any time?”

This is not wrong. Zhao Wumian does not have time to deal with Jiuli’s affairs this time, but he will find an opportunity to eliminate them in the future.

Therefore, Fan Shunan had secretly made preparations in his heart. Even if Wu Honghua was exposed, he had to kill Zhao Wumian… If Wu Honghua was gone, he could find another place to cultivate her, but if he let the tiger go back to the mountains, the whole family would be harmed.

“Tang Weiyu and your father… two masters at the level of martial arts champion. The battle between Taiyuan Wudamu and Guiyi Zhenren, the spear champion, was probably no more than this.” Master Qin San hesitated for a moment, “Unless Xiao Yuanmu interferes, I will definitely kill him this time.” Hearing this, Fan Shunan was a little helpless. She had no idea why Xiao Yuanmu suddenly appeared on Longquan Island… With Xiao Yuanmu’s level of martial arts, there is no way to deal with her. She can only hope that Xiao Yuanmu will not be by Zhao Wumian’s side when he comes to Qingcheng Mountain.

The soothing and sunny weather lasted for half a day in Chengdu, and was then replaced by a fine and dense drizzle. The ancient streets were wet and a light mist began to spread.

Zhao Wumian and Xiao Yuanmu did not stay in the Canghua Tower branch for long. It was a turbulent time in Shu at the moment, and their identities were sensitive, so it was not appropriate for them to meet too often. They briefly exchanged their plans and then left.

Zhao Wumian really wanted to talk to Shen Xiangge alone and give him a kiss and hug, but with Xiao Yuanmu by his side, he couldn’t be too intimate with Shen Xiangge.

After leaving the branch, seeing that it was about to rain, Zhao Wumian asked Canghualou for an umbrella and shared one with Xiao Yuanmu.

There were quite a few guests coming and going at Zuiliren’s place, and with their good hearing, they could vaguely hear a lot of conversations.

“Hey, Yangshe Congyun is quite brave. After the battle at Longquan, he immediately slept on the floor of Qingliantian’s arena, waiting for Zhao Wumian to come.”

“When the three witches were fighting for the man, it seemed that Xiao Yuanmu won… Zhao Wumian should have been captured and taken to Taixuan Palace, right? How can he fight Dao Kui at this time?”

“It was too chaotic at the time. Who knows if Xiao Yuanmu succeeded… If he was captured, it would be fine, but if the two of them traveled together, the court would be embarrassed if the news got out… Tsk tsk tsk, the dignified Wei Ming Hou was in close contact with the rebel leader. Is there anything more ridiculous than this in the world?”

“Come on, come on, these are just empty talk. My head hurts just thinking about them. I just want to see a river of blood… Yangshe Congyun has expressed his stance, Zhao Wumian can’t keep delaying… It’s definitely the right thing to go to Qingliantian and wait.”

“Yes, let’s go, Qingcheng Mountain is less than a hundred miles away from Chengdu, and we can get there in a few days.”

Xiao Yuanmu walked on the street, silently listening to the conversations of passers-by, and after a moment he said: “You and I really can’t get along well outside, otherwise if your female emperor doesn’t do something, she won’t be able to sit firmly on the throne.”

Zhao Wumian was slightly amused, “Are you considering her?”

“I’m thinking about you.” Xiao Yuanmu looked forward, his face expressionless. “First, it’s not easy for you to have the position you have today. Second, when you recover your memory and decide to join me in rebellion, your current status will be very useful… It should be so both in public and in private.”

Zhao Wumian naturally understood the pros and cons. Even if it was to reassure Luo Chaoyan, he should not be too close to Xiao Yuanmu… In order to prevent Zhao Wumian from being abducted by Xiao Yuanmu, Luo Chaoyan even sent the queen mother over.

“When do you plan to go to Qingcheng Mountain?”

As soon as Xiao Yuanmu finished speaking, he saw Zhao Wumian turn around and walk to a stall, “Two servings of crispy Guokui, thank you.”

Xiao Yuanmu tilted his head to look at his back, a little helpless, and shook his head slightly… This person really hasn’t changed at all.

Zhao Wumian held the umbrella handle with one hand and handed the Guokui wrapped in oil paper to Xiao Yuanmu with the other hand, “Try it, it’s the authentic Guokui from Shu. I heard that the closer it is to the roadside, the more authentic it is.”

“Authentic or not, it doesn’t matter at all. What matters is that it tastes good. It’s just like martial arts. No matter where the master comes from, the world of martial arts ultimately comes down to two words: ‘whatever, whatever’s best’. As long as you can win.” Xiao Yuanmu took it, took a small bite, and said as he chewed.

When the two of them walked together, they really looked like a father and daughter.

“Okay, okay, eat it quickly.” Zhao Wumian also took a bite, and the crispy skin instantly exploded in his mouth. He said, “As long as you don’t grow bigger, no one will know that you are Xiao Yuanmu… When I fight with Yangshe Congyun, just don’t attack me.”

“I can’t do anything, or I’ll die… I don’t want to die yet.”

“Is it because you haven’t married me yet?”

Xiao Yuanmu raised his eyes and squinted at Zhao Wumian, “Do you know that you just kissed that Miss Shen? Don’t talk to me about such matters between men and women now.”

“So when can you tell me? How about two days later?”

Xiao Yuanmu looked away as if he had no way to deal with Zhao Wumian, biting his pot cake, not bothering to pay attention to what he said, and said instead: “You don’t have to secretly test how long I can stay… Wait until you get the Zhan Yan hairpin before you talk.”

Zhao Wumian smiled indifferently when Xiao Yuanmu exposed his little trick, and then looked at Xiao Yuanmu and continued: “Before fighting with Yangshe Congyun, it’s best to go to the back mountain, otherwise it will be difficult to sneak in after you finish fighting.”

“To find the dancing red flower?”

“No…it’s to find a grave.” Xiao Yuanmu bit the pot cake with her pink and small red lips, her cheeks slightly puffed up, making Zhao Wumian look at her several more times.

“tomb?”

“You are Sister Jiu’er’s adopted son, and Sister Jiu’er’s biological father, the former Crown Prince of Chen, was buried in Qingcheng Mountain. You should go and pay your respects to him.”

Zhao Wumian was slightly stunned. This was the first time he heard about this. “Didn’t the tomb get moved out?”

“Let him rest in peace. Don’t move him rashly.” Xiao Yuanmu shook his head slightly.

Zhao Wumian nodded, silently memorized it, and then said: “The defense of the back mountain is strict. When I fight Yangshe Congyun on the day, the defense will be much weaker… Let the Queen Mother represent the court to the arena to arrange an hour. I will go to the back mountain to pay homage first, and by the way, I will check the matter of Wu Honghua, and then find Yangshe Congyun to compete with him. How do you think?”

Xiao Yuanmu bit the pot cake silently, looking a little absent-minded. This plan was exactly the same as it was more than ten years ago. Zhao Wumian was still the same Zhao Wumian, and she was still her…but why did things turn out like this?
Things are unpredictable.

While Xiao Yuanmu was lost in thought, Zhao Wumian poked his slightly puffy cheeks with his fingertips, “Are you listening to me?”

Xiao Yuanmu came back to his senses and slapped Zhao Wumian’s hand away, “You are so disrespectful, why are you poking me?”

“Am I not your father now?”

Xiao Yuanmu shot over with an icy gaze.

Zhao Wumian kept his mouth shut and waited until he returned to the villa to tell the girls about his plan… While discussing the plan, the empress dowager kept glancing at Xiao Yuanmu intentionally or unintentionally.

Xiao Yuanmu hadn’t finished eating his pot cake yet. He sat on the chair with his legs in the air, not even looking at the empress dowager.

Luo Xiangzhu didn’t have as many thoughts as the Queen Mother. After thinking about it, she pulled the corner of Zhao Wumian’s clothes.

I’ll go to the back mountain with you.

“There must be experts from the Fan family in the back mountain. It would be inappropriate for you to go there too.” Zhao Wumian knew what Luo Xiangzhu meant and said softly.

Luo Xiangzhu raised her hand, took out a hairpin from her hair, and placed it in Zhao Wumian’s hand.

It means ‘Zhan Yan Hairpin’.

Zhao Wumian then remembered that Luo Xiangzhu could sense the other four glazed jades because of the crimson pearl jade… If the Zhan Yan hairpin was not on Yangshe Congyun, but hidden somewhere in the back mountain, it would be much easier to find with Luo Xiangzhu there.

He nodded slightly, and put the hairpin with the princess’s fragrance into his sleeve without leaving a trace, and said, “Then I, Xiao Yuanmu, and the princess will sneak into the back mountain together, and the queen mother will take the palace masters to the front of the mountain to declare war on Yangshe Congyun. Master, Miss Su, you stay with the queen mother and protect her closely. The queen mother will not tolerate any mistakes…”

The plan was very clear, but none of the girls present listened to Zhao Wumian. They were all watching his little move of secretly hiding the hairpin.

When a girl gives a hairpin to someone, it means she has a crush on her… What is Zhao Wumian trying to do?
Luo Xiangzhu secretly glanced at Zhao Wumian’s sleeves, then quickly retracted her gaze… She wanted to look back, but was too embarrassed.

But Mu Lier, Su Qingqi and Xiao Yuanmu were all staring at Zhao Wumian, so he could only silently take the hairpin out of his sleeve and return it to Luo Xiangzhu.

Xiao Yuanmu withdrew his gaze, but found it interesting. He smiled and said to Zhao Wumian, “When I came to Chengdu with you, I saw Luo Xiangzhu’s carriage on the street and even made eye contact with her… Now, more than ten years have passed, and we are still the three of us… The past is the present.”

Luo Xiangzhu blinked her eyes, then suddenly remembered, and put the hairpin that Zhao Wumian had sent back into Zhao Wumian’s hand, mumbling something.

The reason why Luo Xiangzhu looked at Zhao Wumian a little more in the crowd at that time was because she noticed the Zhan Yan hairpin on Zhao Wumian. But she was still young at that time and had no concept of the four colored glaze jades and the nine bells, so she just thought it was an illusion.

But now, after being reminded by Xiao Yuanmu, she immediately recalled it, and her pretty face became a little excited. She and Zhao Wumian had actually met when they were children.

She trotted over to pick up the bamboo hat that Zhao Wumian had hung on the wall and covered her little head with it, leaving only the lower half of her face exposed. She then straightened her back and put on a stern smile… She was imitating Zhao Wumian’s original appearance.

Zhao Wumian looked at the excited Luo Xiangzhu and had only one thought in his mind.

She is so cute.

He quietly put the hairpin back into his sleeve again.

After finalizing the plan, the few of them didn’t say anything more. They simply packed up, got on the carriage, left Chengdu, and headed for Qingcheng Mountain.

A piece of news was conveyed by the masters of the palace.

Three days later, Wei Ming Hou will arrive at Qingcheng Mountain to fight with Yangshe Congyun.

———-

The title of the previous chapter was originally ‘Xiao Xianxian’, but it was deleted for some reason… Is this kind of title not allowed?
Or is it because I have been reported too many times that I am more sensitive?
(End of this chapter)