Chapter 49: Chapter 32: A Visit_1
Translator: 549690339
Thus, three more days passed.
“The overall situation is settled!”
“Enter the city!”
A troop, solemn and disciplined, slowly entered Xuzhou City like a menacing giant python.
In the central array, one man rode atop a horse. He appeared to be around thirty, tall and lean with long limbs, and had an ancient and rugged countenance, indifferent and emotionless. His eyes were deep and inscrutable, emanating an extreme coldness akin to polar ice, yet also subtly revealing an intimidating authority.
It was none other than the second strongest master of the Yuwen Sect, the current Emperor’s Imperial Guard Commander—Yuwen Huaji!
Behind Yuwen Huaji, there followed three others, riding their horses. They were Yuwen Chengdu, Yuwen Wudi, and Yuwen Shiji.
The four great masters of the Yuwen Sect had all arrived!
They led the private soldiers of the Yuwen Sect along with the elite imperial guards into the city. Outside, the local garrison of Xuzhou had been ordered to cooperate with the original city defense, sealing the vast city of Xuzhou tight.
No wonder they presented such an imposing lineup.
Originally, Yuwen Huaji had set out lightly, only taking Yuwen Chengdu and Yuwen Wudi, along with a few trusted subordinates, south to Yangzhou to seize the treasure manual of the Longevity Jue from the Push Mountain Hand Stone Dragon.
They killed the Stone Dragon, but the manual had not fallen into their hands; instead, it ended up with two young ruffians and a woman.
Helpless, he could only lead his men in pursuit, only to be repeatedly ambushed on the way by a group of mysterious experts skilled in joint attack tactics and battle array methods, leaving him in a sorry and disheveled state.
Though the mysterious group consisted of experts, none of them could compare with him in terms of cultivation. However, they were numerous and versed in the art of joint strikes and battle formations. Together, they could just barely block him.
After being intercepted by them several times, Yuwen Huaji eventually could not endure it. He decisively gave up the chase of the trio and turned to gather the masters of the Yuwen Sect and the elite imperial guards to deal with the mysterious group first.
Yet, the opponent had vanished without a trace.
Seeing this, Yuwen Huaji did not disband the forces. Instead, he led the large group of men northward, continuing the pursuit of the three fugitives who possessed the Longevity Jue.
Among the three, the woman in white with the highest martial prowess was wounded by his Ice Mysterious Power, her veins invaded by the cold toxin, almost beyond salvation by anyone under the heavens.
Without the white-clad woman’s interference, the remaining two young men, who barely knew martial arts, escaping from the palm of Yuwen Huaji was a fool’s dream!
The only problem now was none other than Doctor Xu.
Xian
“Xu Qingyang?”
“A beggar amounting to this day is no ordinary fate!”
“Who is supporting him from behind?”
“Lingnan, unlikely, Li Sect, makes no sense, Dugu… even less possible!”
“In the realm of black and white, the Demon Sect has been silent for long,
Buddhism stays aloof, Taoism’s influence is waning and hard to recover, and Confucian Gate is a strategy of noble clans; nothing fits, none of it fits!”
“Who exactly is this person…?”
Yuwen Huaji’s eyebrows were tightly knit, his doubts unresolved.
“Elder brother! ”
At that moment, Yuwen Shiji rode forward and whispered to him, “Something seems off.’
“Oh?!”
Yuwen Huaji’s gaze sharpened as he looked left and right, noticing that every house was locked tight, and the streets were utterly deserted.
To avoid startling the enemy, they had not cleared the area or evacuated the citizens in advance.
So, what did this emptiness after entering the city indicate?
“News leaked out, which is within reason.”
Yuwen Huaji shook his head: “If they lacked even this much capability, how could he have gained a foothold and grown his power in Xuzhou until today?”
“Indeed!”
Yuwen Shiji nodded but said no more.
The troop silently marched on, heading straight for the heart of the city.
Meanwhile, in the Security Hall…
Fu Junjuan’s body trembled, spitting out blood still containing traces of ice, but they were nearly undetectable.
“It is done.”
Xu Yang stood up, hands in sleeves, eyeing her with interest, “You’re recuperating quicker than I anticipated. The Nine Mysterious Great Skill is truly renowned. ”
“You flatter me, sir.”
Despite being her sect’s core method and prized martial art, faced with Xu Yang’s compliments, Fu Junjuan remained very humble— or perhaps… quite terrified.
In the few days they had been together, although their interactions were limited, she had noticed something. Doctor Xu was extremely interested in the martial arts of the world’s renowned families, especially the “Condensing Spirit and Unifying Dao” martial techniques.
For anyone else, this would be normal; after all, who in the Martial World would not desire to cultivate advanced martial arts?
But Doctor Xu was different. His level of martial cultivation was already among the top in the world. He theoretically did not lack for advanced martial skills—and now with the possession of the Taoist treasure manual Longevity Jue, why was he still so interested in other martial arts?
Could it be that he wanted to practice all the world’s martial arts, to combine and comprehend them, and create a peerless Martial Path scripture unmatched in ancient and modern times?
Fu Junjuan shivered, discarding this wild conjecture from her mind and secretly praying that Doctor Xu would not set his sights on her sect’s Nine Mysterious Great Skill and Yi Sword Technique.
Xu Yang was unaware of her thoughts and simply stated, “With this treatment, the cold toxin in your body has been completely removed. After several days of recovery, you should be fully healed.”
After he spoke, he had his leading disciple, Su Beixuan, present two new books to the bewildered Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling, “I have already collected the original copy of the Longevity Jue. These are transcriptions I have made. There should be no errors, you may use them for your cultivation. If there are any issues, come and find me.”
“This…”
The two hesitated for a while but eventually accepted the offer.
Xu Yang smiled and continued, “Furthermore, if you or anyone close to you needs to seek medical advice in the future, you can also come to me for treatment. You will only need to pay with martial arts scriptures as the consultation fee.”
“This… Thank you, Doctor Xu.”
Hearing this, the two did not know how to respond and could only clasp their fists in thanks.
“Then it is settled. Rest well.”
Xu Yang did not say much more, finished giving his instructions, and turned to leave.
Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling!
He recognized these two, yet he did not fully know them.
In his memory, they were the protagonists of the novel “The Twin Dragons of the Great Tang Biography.”
So the question arose, was this world a real one, or a fantasy concocted in a book?
Did the protagonists possess traits like being “favored by destiny” or “children of fate”?
This was a very important matter because such worlds were unlikely to be one-offs. As long as he continued to live through Zhaungzhou Mengdie, he would surely travel to worlds of novels, biographies, history, and myth, encountering those classical stories that were well-known and loved.
Therefore, he had to confirm whether this world had things like “favored by destiny” or “children of fate,” how powerful they were, whether they could correct the world, ensure the original course of history, or even eliminate the influence and traces of him, an “outsider.”
It would determine his future strategy and stance towards the “protagonists.”
Thus, he copied two editions of the Longevity Jue and gave them to the “protagonists,” the Twin Dragons, wanting to see what fate and developments they would encounter later on, to see if they could still achieve the legend as in the original work.
To put it simply, he was using these two brothers as test subjects, testing whether something like the “protagonist’s halo” really existed.
The test was not only about the “protagonist’s halo” but also about the practice of martial arts. Although the Longevity Jue had come into his possession, it was not yet fully deciphered, and he did not know whether it could be cultivated. Thus, he needed some test subjects to pave the way, which would be great if helpful, with no loss if not.
Such is a benefit that comes without any cost!
“This Doctor Xu… truly a good person!”
The two examined the Longevity Jue in their hands. Although it was a copy, its technique was exquisite, its artistry brilliant, virtually indistinguishable from the original, without any discrepancy – at least in their eyes, there was no difference.
This made the two of them marvel that Doctor Xu was genuinely skilled and benevolent. Although he had taken their Longevity Jue as a fee for his service, he did not keep it to himself and gave them copies. In effect, it was equivalent
to treating them free of charge, this… this… this… While the two were filled with admiration, holding the “Longevity Jue.”
Outside the Security Hall, a voice suddenly rose.
“Yuwen Huaji has come to visit. Where is Mr. Qingyang?
A deep shout resonated, powerful enough to penetrate the walls of all ten directions, revealing the profound depth of internal cultivation of the one speaking.
“Yuwen Huaji?”
“He’s here?”
“That’s not good!”
Hearing this voice, Fu Junjuan and the Twin Dragons were startled and immediately stood up, rushing to the front door.
At the same time…
Outside the Security Hall, staring at the tightly closed door that gave no response, Yuwen Huaji’s expression turned icy as he spoke again, “Mr. Qingyang is known for his skilled hands and benevolent heart, which I greatly admire. However, there is something you may not know. A few days ago, three imperial criminals, disguised as patients, entered the Security Hall to seek treatment.”
“I have come today for this matter and hope that Mr. Qingyang can distinguish right from wrong and hand over these three imperial criminals to avoid tainting the peaceful atmosphere of this medical institution with blood and violence.”
His words set the scene and made his stance clear.
However, there was still no response from the other side.
Yuwen Huaji’s brows furrowed, and his eyes grew colder, unable to contain himself any longer: “Since the gentleman refuses to heed advice, then don’t blame me for being impolite. Come, break down the door!”
As he spoke, he was ready to command his troops to charge.
Just at that moment…
“Crack! ”
The door latch moved, and the medical hall opened. A line of people walked out, led by a plainly dressed man with an extraordinary demeanor, hands clasped behind his back, steady as Mount Tai.
Yuwen Huaji’s gaze sharpened, halting his soldiers with a wave of his hand, then he bowed with clasped fists, “I have long heard of Mr. Qingyang’s youthful achievements, a Grandmaster by nature. Seeing you now, it indeed lives up to the reputation, admirable, admirable!”
Xu Yang smiled and did not respond.
Yuwen Huaji’s eyes flickered, and he continued, “As previously mentioned, please hand over those three imperial criminals. Otherwise, this place of healing and saving lives might soon be caught in a whirlwind of violence, causing harm to innocent lives!”
“Scoundrel!”
No sooner had the words fallen than a fierce shout was heard, and everyone turned to look. Upon the tall wall appeared three figures, Fu Junjuan and the two young Ko and Xu.
Kou Zhong shouted, “This matter has nothing to do with Doctor Xu. If you want to fight, come at us.”
Yuwen Huaji glanced at him, then turned his gaze back to Xu Yang, “It is well known that Doctor Xu is not only outstanding in medical skills but is also devoted to the Martial Path, often accepting martial arts scriptures as consultation fees to treat heroes of the Martial World. The Longevity Jue… should now be in your possession, right?”
Xu Yang smiled nonchalantly, “What if it is?”
Yuwen Huaji, looking at him, eventually bowed his head and said, “Doctor Xu is known for his skilled hands and merciful heart, and I truly wish not to confront you with weapons. However, I ask that you hand over the Longevity Jue. It is a treasure of the imperial palace, stolen by thieves, and I was commissioned to retrieve it and present it to the Emperor!”
“Quite the speaker, ” Xu Yang smiled, “For that, I will give you a chance.. Hand over the Ice Mysterious Power techniques, and I will spare your life today!”