Chapter 46

(First update. Heatstroke caused a break, which means I couldn't update, not that I didn't want to. I believe my attitude is fine. So now that I'm back, I need to show my attitude. Let's see how many updates I can do today and whether I can catch up on the missed updates over the next few days.)

Xu Longxiang, when he was being silly, was like a harmless fool who loved to watch ants move their homes. When he was in a good mood, even if the servants secretly called him "Little Fool" with a bit of courage, the second son of the Beiliang King would always smile without a care. But when he was in a bad mood, he had an air of "no trespassing, even for immortals and deities." At this moment, seeing the bamboo shoot fly back, the fierce Xu Longxiang did not dodge. Instead, he extended a claw to try to crush the bamboo. Perhaps underestimating the speed of the bamboo arrow, Xu Longxiang failed to grasp it. The bamboo shot through the gaps between his fingers and pierced his face. Xu Longxiang was not startled or afraid; he let the sharp bamboo hit his forehead. The middle-aged Taoist in the yellow robe, however, was shaken. He had thought the fool with the strength of a dragon and an elephant would dodge. Originally, the playful antics between children, regardless of his status or composure, would not have been his concern. But the last move with the bamboo arrow by the second son of the Grand Pillar was indeed ruthless. If he did not intervene, Ninger would have been paralyzed for life. Therefore, after landing on the bamboo raft, he involuntarily increased his strength by two or three points. Engaging Xu Longxiang was already inappropriate, and if he injured the child, it would be even more troublesome. Not to mention that behind Xu Longxiang was the Beiliang King, who had almost "pressed down the heads of Longhu" on his own. Even the patient and restrained Grandfather Xituan in the Xianyao Taoist Temple was not someone he could defy. What good was his yellow robe from the Celestial Master's Mansion? His father, Zhao Danxia, was already a high-ranking official, the leader of the Daoist tradition, and still had to call Grandfather Xituan "Uncle."

Unexpectedly, the middle-aged Taoist found that he had overthought it!

The withered and thin youth bore the impact of the bamboo. With a loud bang, it shattered in front of his forehead. When the dust settled, Xu Longxiang's eyes turned blood red, and the two streaks of yellow hair on his temples floated up. Since the first day he arrived on Longhu Mountain, he had always let his hair down. Now, it fluttered even more. His clothes alternated between being round and flat, expanding with each inhalation and shrinking with each exhalation. The stream nearby, in sync with his aura, formed a bizarre scene of rising and falling tides. His breathing technique was the most basic breathing method of Longhu Mountain, but it took this "Yellow Barbarian" half a year to learn it. Once he mastered it, the effect was shockingly powerful.

"Father, this fool looks too terrifying. Could he really be the great evil demon as rumored?" The young Taoist, now with a backing, regained much of his courage, but seeing the strange phenomena around Xu Longxiang and having suffered twice, he could not help but feel a chill.

"Grandfather Xituan said before he left that this second son of the Grand Pillar, who has not opened his acupoints, is the reincarnation of the Great Emperor Zhenwu, not the one born with an extra acupoint, Hong Xixiang. Who is a deity and who is a demon, the future five hundred years of Longhu Mountain and Wudang Mountain, will likely depend on this gamble," the middle-aged Taoist carefully watched the murderous Xu Longxiang, but he was not particularly shocked, being a first-class "Yellow Purple" noble of the Celestial Master's Mansion. Zhao Jingshen had seen too many things that ordinary people could not.

As for Grandfather Zhao Xituan's words, he actually found them quite unreasonable. Tying the fate of a family to one person was acceptable, but tying the fate of a country and a mountain to one person seemed too childish. For his mischievous but talented son, Zhao Ningyun, Zhao Jingshen was quite satisfied, so he was willing to share some secrets, "Five hundred years of fortune and misfortune is too grand to be taken seriously. Fifty years would be quite good. Besides, is it really certain that either the Wudang Mountain Hong Xixiang or the Xu Longxiang before us is the incarnation of the Demon-Slaying Heavenly Lord? According to records, the Great Emperor Zhenwu has not descended for sixteen hundred years. Why would he choose to appear when Longhu Mountain is at its peak over Wudang?"

Gradually regaining his composure, Zhao Ningyun laughed, "If it's true, Father, we're in trouble."

Zhao Jingshen laughed softly, "Why would we be in trouble? Our Longhu Mountain Celestial Master's Mansion has produced sixty-four immortals in over a thousand years. Can we not match one Great Emperor Zhenwu?"

Mentioning this, even the irreverent Zhao Ningyun felt a surge of pride. These sixty-four immortals were not the legendary figures from rural folklore. When a great immortal ascended, the Celestial Master's Mansion would meticulously record every detail, from the celestial signs to the geographical features, the human factors, whether they rode a dragon, a phoenix, or transformed into a rainbow, all recorded with utmost accuracy, allowing no room for falsehood. If one were to compare family histories, even the emperors of the world could not match the long and illustrious lineage of the Zhao family of Longhu Mountain. Without any visible movement, the bamboo raft drifted downstream, seemingly not intending to continue the confrontation with Xu Longxiang. Seeing the yellow-haired child running alongside the raft, kicking stones toward them, Zhao Jingshen extended a hand, as clear as white jade, and gently pressed down. The stones fell into the stream.

All thirty or so stones were like this, but the later ones became increasingly difficult for Zhao Jingshen. The stones not only sped up but also became heavier. There was no such thing as a breathing technique that only expelled and never inhaled, but Xu Longxiang did not give him the chance to inhale. The stones rained down on Zhao Jingshen and Zhao Ningyun, and Xu Longxiang did not care about their noble status. Moreover, his brother, Xu Fengnian, the young lord, had also drawn his sword on Wudang Mountain despite knowing about the Princess Sui Zhu. Not to mention their father, Xu Xiao, who, during the great martial calamity, had led three thousand iron cavalry originally bound for Mount Song to turn and head for Longhu Mountain, and even urgently dispatched nine battalions of over four thousand Northern Liang soldiers to camp at the foot of Longhu Mountain. This was not enough; under Xu Xiao's "let the dogs of the martial world bite each other" policy, many martial figures were incorporated into the Northern Liang military system, and they were eager to serve under Xu Xiao's promise that "a Celestial Master's head is worth a fourth-rank general's tiger talisman" and "a life in the Celestial Master's Mansion can exempt one from future capital punishment." Xu Xiao, seated on his horse, sternly told a purple-robed Taoist who had come to show weakness, "Longhu Mountain? I don't believe I can't press down your heads!"

No one doubted that the butcher Xu Xiao was just putting on a show. If not for the imperial edict that arrived, killing several horses, the Northern Liang iron cavalry would have truly stormed Longhu Mountain.

No matter how deep Zhao Jingshen's composure, he could not withstand Xu Longxiang's endless barrage of stones, especially as it was unseemly. The Celestial Master's Mansion had never had a tradition of the eldest son or grandson becoming the head, but those in this position always had a restrained pride. Zhao Jingshen was no exception, excelling in Daoist arts, swordsmanship, and internal strength, never disgracing his yellow robe. Unfortunately, his generation, the "Jing" generation, produced two even more outstanding Taoists, one being the famous White Lotus Taoist Bai Yu, who stunned the world in the last Lotus Peak debate. This Taoist did not study Longhu martial arts but buried himself in ancient texts, his knowledge rivaling the four Celestial Masters. Two years ago, he visited the emperor, and his unconventional words, suggesting that emperors should not value longevity, pleased the emperor, earning him a prestigious purple robe and the title "White Lotus Master," attracting many scholars and officials to visit.

If it were only the White Lotus Master not in the Celestial Master's Mansion, Zhao Jingshen would not be anxious, but there was also a "Little Celestial Master" in the Celestial Master's Mansion!

If his petty quarrel with Xu Longxiang were to reach his father and the other two Celestial Masters, what would it look like?

Zhao Jingshen smiled bitterly, "Enough, enough." He reached out and lifted his son Zhao Ningyun's sleeve, trying to block six or seven stones, and the two drifted toward the shore.

They were about to go up the mountain to the Celestial Master's Mansion. Xu Longxiang, no matter how troublesome, would not dare to cause trouble there. Even Grandfather Xituan, with his great patience, would not sit idly by.

Seeing the two yellow-robed Taoists about to run, Xu Longxiang roared, took several steps back, and then charged forward, kicking up dust and leaving new pits in the ground. As he left the shore, he leaped into the air, charging toward the yellow-robed father and son.

Zhao Jingshen, not a man without temper, seeing this fool persist, snorted and waved his sleeve, gently pushing Zhao Ningyun several yards away. He then turned back toward the shore, mirroring Xu Longxiang's charge, but the ground only slightly stirred, not as dramatically as the "Yellow Barbarian."

Zhao Jingshen did not collide with Xu Longxiang in mid-air. Instead, he touched the ground with his toes, rolled up his sleeves, and rose higher, appearing directly above Xu Longxiang.

The first "Jing" generation Taoist of Longhu Mountain suddenly used the "thousand-pound drop," stepping on Xu Longxiang's shoulders and shouting, "You insolent fool, get down!"

Xu Longxiang, with his brute strength, could only fall into the stream.

"You're the fool."

As Zhao Jingshen floated back to the shore, he faintly