Chapter 7
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Two Tenths of Power?
(Thanks to Grand Alliance Leader Huahuajie!)
Wu Guanlan felt a sense of daze. It was as if three thunderclaps had continuously echoed in his mind, precisely because he had recalled those three names among the multitude of martial artists!
Martial Venerable, Sword-Master of Yi, and Hermit Ning, the foremost figure in Daoism—the Three Great Grandmasters of the Era! Such figures were absolutely not someone their small sect could afford to offend.
“How is that possible?” Lai Changming disbelieved. “Don’t speak nonsense! Hermit Ning is an aloof and reclusive figure, a divine dragon seen only by its head and not its tail. How could he be friends with Jue Wuzi?”
“A frog at the bottom of a well.”
Zhou Yi flicked his sleeve and paced a couple of steps in the courtyard. Xia Shu and Yan Qiu, the two young Daoist acolytes, forgot to blink, staring at their Senior Brother with adoring expressions.
They heard him speak softly: “Back then, Hermit Ning and the Immortal Elder of the South Sea battled fiercely on the Leizhou Peninsula. After a hundred moves, the Immortal Elder was defeated by Hermit Ning’s Eight Spreading Strikes. My Master was on the Leizhou Peninsula at that time, sitting on a huge rock at the summit of Mo Feng Cliff. He observed the surging tides and furious waves stirred up by the two Grandmasters, and thus a karmic connection was formed. This time, my Master heard that Hermit Ning was studying the Cihang Sword Codex, one of the Four Great Books, so he went north to visit his friend. We are all Daoists; what’s so strange about reading scriptures by candlelight and discussing the Dao together?”
Anyone could see the blatant disdain in Heavenly Master Zhou’s eyes as he looked at Lai Changming.
But… even the previously arrogant Cao Chengyun, upon seeing this, no longer found it strange. Heavenly Master Zhou indeed had the right to be so confident. The onlookers from the Cao residence were bewildered, yet also quite excited. This was a secret of the martial arts world, and it concerned Grandmasters! Some people who had heard of the Battle of Leizhou Peninsula chimed in agreement. Those who hadn’t simply felt their knowledge greatly expanded.
However, the next piece of information, regarding the Cihang Sword Codex, one of the Four Great Books, was something no one present had ever heard of. Even the knowledgeable Senior Brother Yue of the Huashan Sect, standing beside Cao Chengyun, had a dazed look in his eyes, muttering “Four Great Books.” Few martial artists could remain unmoved upon hearing of such miraculous arts.
Zhou Yi observed the reactions of Wu and Lai, knowing they were extremely apprehensive. Mixing truth with falsehood, he had finally succeeded in bluffing them. However, saying his master went to find Hermit Ning wasn’t entirely false. “Seeking”… it didn’t necessarily mean he had to find him, did it?
Wu Guanlan’s face changed repeatedly. Regret had already blossomed in his heart; he didn’t know what to do. Lai Changming, though he had lost face, was not afraid. The Taiping Daochang’s influence was only so large, and it was in Yongqiu. Even with this added Daoist connection, the Baling Gang would at most just re-evaluate the gains and losses of this operation.
The farce at the Cao residence should have ended, but…
A soft footsteps sounded from behind Wu and Lai. The newcomer was short in stature. He reached out and pushed Elder Wu aside. Only then did Zhou Yi clearly see his face. He appeared to be over fifty, with a broad nose, a wide mouth, and prominent brow bones like rocks. He wore a patched blue cloth Daoist robe, a grass rope tied around his waist, from which hung a wine gourd.
Elder Wu was flustered and had not intended for this eccentric to act. Unexpectedly, he suddenly walked out of the crowd.
“You are Jue Wuzi’s senior disciple?” The newcomer’s brows were stern, his tone cold. What Immortal Elder of the South Sea, what Four Great Books—they seemed irrelevant to him.
“Precisely, Daoist priest…” Zhou Yi hadn’t finished speaking when the short, stout Daoist directly interrupted him.
“The Headmaster Ma of the Hunyuan Sect invited me here to compete with Jue Wuzi on Fuzi Mountain. Hearing he’s not in Yongqiu, this Daoist priest had lost interest. But now, I cannot stand to hear others talk nonsense. What Daoist lineage is your Taiping Dao from? What school of doctrine? How do you have the qualifications to be associated with the foremost figure in Daoism?”
He was filled with doubt and extreme contempt.
Where did this guy come from? Zhou Yi frowned slightly, thinking he absolutely couldn’t show weakness now. So he ignored the short, stout Daoist’s words and instead resumed what he had been interrupted from saying.
“Then may I ask, what school of doctrine does this Daoist priest adhere to?”
The short, stout Daoist paused for a few seconds, then raised his short neck and replied: “This Daoist priest inherits the methods of the Western Han Dynasty, the Completeness of Nature School of Daoism. My common name is Wu Xuanshu, and I study Zhuangzi’s The Human World. I call myself Daoist Mu.” He stated his name candidly, then proceeded to mock Zhou Yi: “At this age, are you trying to imitate Zhang Jiao of Julu, and once again bring chaos to the world with the Yellow Turbans, harming all four directions?”
Zhou Yi snorted: “Daoist priest, mind your words. You should know that the world’s fate lies with Heaven and with man, not with your single statement.”
“What’s more,” Zhou Yi paused, meeting his gaze directly, his voice stern: “My Master has performed countless good deeds in Yongqiu, saving hundreds and thousands of people. It’s widely known among the common folk. Daoist priest, you speak of righteousness, yet mock others for causing chaos. Then I dare ask, what accomplishments have you achieved in your travels through the world?”
“This…” Daoist Mu still held hostility, but for a moment, he was at a loss for words, unsure how to reply.
The surrounding onlookers sighed lightly, thinking that Heavenly Master Zhou was quick-witted, possessing the talent to “debate a multitude of scholars.” Wu, Lai, plus this one — three couldn’t out-argue one.
Daoist Mu was about to retort with “eliminating demons and upholding the Dao,” when Zhou Yi spoke first: “Although I am not of the same generation as this Daoist priest, you are slandering us so, and furthermore, you disregard Daoist fellowship to side with the Dongting lake bandits who traffic women…”
He paused, as if heartbroken, his gaze fixed on Lai Changming. This immediately made the short, stout Daoist look eager to argue. Zhou Yi wouldn’t give him the chance, and with a fervent tone, he said: “Even if Daoist priest’s martial arts are formidable and you rely on strength to bully the weak, I will not retreat today, lest the heroes of the martial arts world mock my Taiping Dao for fearing a person utterly devoid of virtue, courtesy, and righteousness!”
All eyes converged. Daoist Mu was so severely insulted that his internal true qi surged chaotically, and a mouthful of qi and blood rushed up, making his face flush crimson! He turned to glare furiously at Lai Changming, murder even glinting in his eyes!
Lai Changming was startled and recoiled several steps. This eccentric was not to be provoked for now.
The Huashan Sect’s Senior Brother Yue, beside Cao Chengyun, stepped forward. Seeing that Zhou Yi had taken the moral high ground, he prepared to speak on his behalf and support him. Senior Brother Yue thought: “At this moment, if I step forward, I can both display the Huashan Sect’s virtue and seize the opportunity to win over the Taiping Dao. It’s truly killing two birds with one stone.”
His calculations were sound, and his body began to move.
Suddenly, he heard a “HONG!” of wind! Like a hurricane sweeping across the sea, Cao Chengyun’s and Senior Brother Yue’s hair flew up! The short, stout Daoist, in his fury, unleashed a powerful palm strike. This gust of wind flew three zhang (approx. 10 meters) directly above their heads, striking a lantern hanging under the eaves. The lantern’s wick first trembled violently, then the bamboo frame of the lantern cover cracked open with spiderweb patterns. The candlelight flickered erratically like a winking ghost, then exploded with a loud “BOOM!”
“DANG~~~!”
The iron chimes under the eaves, affected by the broken bamboo, collided with a crisp sound.
Senior Brother Yue ducked his head, silent, and quickly returned to his previous position, even taking another step back. Can’t afford to provoke him… This scruffy Daoist is actually a top-tier master! The expressions of the surrounding people towards the short, stout Daoist changed.
Having just unleashed a palm strike, his sullen anger not yet dissipated, he pulled off the wine gourd from his waist and furiously gulped down its contents, spilling wine all over his lips, chin, and Daoist robe in his frenzy. He drained the gourd, his round eyes glaring at Zhou Yi: “Today, this cannot end peacefully!”
“Junior, lest others say this Daoist priest bullies the young, if you can take two tenths of my power, I will consider myself defeated by the Taiping Dao.”
Zhou Yi took a sharp intake of breath, feeling a hint of regret. If only I had known this arrogant Daoist priest was so formidable, I shouldn’t have offended him so severely. His mind raced, calculating how to deal with this “two tenths of power.”
The onlookers, seeing Daoist Mu’s ferocity and Zhou Yi’s silence, thought he lacked confidence. However, Xia Shu and Yan Qiu, who “knew” Zhou Yi’s true strength, shook their heads in unison upon hearing Daoist Mu’s words.
The short, stout Daoist saw this. “Little Daoist acolytes, is there something wrong with me only using two tenths of my power?!”
The two children shook their heads again. Yan Qiu honestly said: “It’s not that it’s wrong, but that you’re being overconfident. Master said that Daoist practitioners should be pragmatic and follow nature, not forcibly do things beyond their capabilities, like you are doing, Daoist priest.”
Xia Shu, recalling the scene in the training room, laughed with her clear child’s voice: “Although Daoist priest’s martial arts are formidable, you are drunk and speaking boastfully. Two tenths of your power? My Senior Brother wouldn’t even need to move his feet to take that hit.”
“What!”
The short, stout Daoist bristled like an enraged cat, feeling as if smoke was rising from his head! He had been present when Zhou Yi lit the ceremonial candle earlier, and though he hadn’t fully understood it, he had guessed there was a trick. Now, he was both furious and suspicious that he had misjudged earlier. Incited by the two children, a fire of rage surged within him. He roared, his voice shaking the Cao residence:
“Junior, is that truly so!?”
Zhou Yi, enlightened by their words, suddenly understood the cunning opportunity. Before everyone’s eyes, he first remained silent, then raised a single palm, seemingly ordinary.
Yet, his words shocked everyone present: “Two tenths of power? Then we’ll have to see just how much power the Daoist priest truly has…”
– Mochinuna.
