Chapter 83

Yue Buqun called out to Yue Fangxing and went ashore to discuss these strange events. On the boat, six strange men were shouting loudly, and with their high martial arts skills, sharp hearing, and keen eyesight, it was truly inconvenient to talk.

Yue Fangxing, seeing his father's inquiry, after some thought, no longer kept it a secret and recounted the reasons he knew from the original book, speculating that the differences would not be significant.

Yue Buqun, upon hearing this, found it incomprehensible: "You mean the Holy Maiden of the Devil Sect is a girl of eighteen or nineteen, and she likes Chong'er, which is why all this has happened?" This was indeed hard to believe.

Yue Fangxing said, "It should be so; otherwise, why would so many people try to curry favor with Master Brother?" This was what he had read in the original book. Although the situation was slightly different now, he was still firmly convinced.

Yue Buqun paced and thought deeply for a long time before saying, "This is absolutely impossible. Chong'er and Shan'er have a deep bond; how could he be bewitched by that demoness? By spreading this throughout the martial world, she is trying to frame Chong'er and tarnish our Huashan Sect's reputation." He added, "From what we've encountered on this journey, it's not just Chong'er; our Huashan Sect has already fallen into her trap."

Yue Fangxing was startled and said, "It shouldn't be like that, right?" He remembered that in the original book, the Huashan Sect had no such problems.

Yue Buqun said, "Why not? The people of the Devil Sect are cunning and often incite others to betray their sect and kill their masters. Chong'er is highly skilled and severely injured; this is the perfect time to show kindness. This demoness is truly devious!"

He glanced at Yue Fangxing and scolded, "And you, why didn't you tell me earlier if you had guessed? You are usually so astute, but why have you been so muddled lately?" He was old and experienced and could see that Yue Fangxing had something on his mind, but he never expected it to be such a big deal.

Yue Fangxing, hearing Yue Buqun's scolding, recalled his actions over the past few days and was suddenly alarmed: I only thought of using my foresight to help the Huashan Sect through this crisis, but I didn't expect things to change so much, leading to Master Brother's current situation and the Huashan Sect's peril!

He also thought: Master Brother was injured twice, and I should have been more alert, but I didn't want to face it and instead buried my head in the sand. A few days ago, I taught the Wang family's children martial arts in Luoyang, deliberately avoiding Master Brother. Could it be that I had the idea of letting him follow the original book's path to eventually heal his injuries? But if so, would I have to watch Master Brother and the Huashan Sect drift further and further away, back onto the old path?

Yue Fangxing felt deeply ashamed, realizing he had been misled by the original book and lost his usual judgment. He was about to say something to Yue Buqun when he suddenly heard Ning Zhongze shout, "Who's there? Stay!" followed by the sound of weapons clashing.

Yue Fangxing and Yue Buqun, hearing the noise, immediately knew they were under attack and rushed back. They saw Ning Zhongze in combat and joined the fight. At that moment, a tall figure leaped out of the cabin, holding someone and quickly fled.

Yue Fangxing shouted and chased after him.

Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze joined the attack on the man. After a few exchanges, Yue Buqun cut off his hat with a sword and saw that it was a monk. The monk kicked off with both feet and shot backward.

Yue Buqun, seeing that the monk was heading in the opposite direction of Yue Fangxing, did not pursue him. He noticed that all the disciples were on shore and asked, "Who was taken just now?" After counting, he found that all the disciples were present except for Yue Fangxing and Yue Lingshan.

Yue Buqun was anxious, thinking that the one taken must be Yue Lingshan, and he didn't know what had happened to Yue Fangxing. However, with the Huashan Sect in danger and six strange men nearby, Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze could not go after them and had to wait.

After a while, they heard someone call from a distance on the shore, "A letter for Yue Buqun."

Yue Buqun went over and found that the messenger had already left, leaving a piece of cloth pinned down by a stone. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was a piece of cloth torn from a garment, with the words "On Wubagang, I'll return your stinky daughter" written in blood.

He returned and handed the cloth to Ning Zhongze, saying, "It's from that monk." Yue's wife asked anxiously, "Whose blood did he use to write?" Yue Buqun replied, "Don't worry, I only grazed his scalp." He then asked the boatman, "How far is it from here to Wubagang?" The boatman replied, "If we set off early tomorrow, we'll pass Tongwaxiang and Jiuhexi, and then we'll reach Dongming. Wubagang is east of Dongming, near Heze, at the border of Henan and Shandong provinces. If you want to go, we'll arrive by nightfall tomorrow."

Yue Buqun nodded, thinking: Fangxing went to chase that person, and I don't know if he can catch up. With his skills, he should be safe, but it will be difficult to rescue Shan'er from two people. It seems we must go.

Yue Buqun and the others waited on the shore all night. As dawn approached, they still hadn't seen Yue Fangxing return. Instead, someone else came with a message, urging them to hurry to Wubagang.

Concerned for his daughter, Yue Buqun decided to go as soon as possible. However, he also left a message for Yue Fangxing with nearby people and wrote a note on a large stone before heading to Wubagang.

Meanwhile, Yue Fangxing, upon discovering that someone had taken a Huashan disciple, rushed after them. By the faint starlight, he saw that the person being carried seemed to be wearing a long skirt and was alarmed: Could it be my sister, Yue Lingshan?

In his urgency, Yue Fangxing quickened his pace and chased after them. He had been practicing the Meteor Chasing the Moon technique recently, and although he wasn't fully proficient, he was much faster and more enduring. Despite the weight of his heavy sword, the person in front was also carrying someone, and although they had a head start, he gradually caught up.

Just as Yue Fangxing was about to catch up, a monk with a bloody head suddenly appeared and struck him with a palm.

Yue Fangxing was startled and quickly blocked the attack. However, the monk's palm was weak, and he used Yue Fangxing's force to leap away and join the tall figure.

This delay made Yue Fangxing fall further behind, and he now faced two opponents. However, since it involved his sister, Yue Fangxing continued to chase after them.

After a while, as he was about to close the distance, the tall figure threw Yue Lingshan to the monk and turned to strike Yue Fangxing. This palm was solid and powerful. Although Yue Fangxing was prepared, he was still shaken and staggered back.

The tall figure also retreated a few steps but then turned and fled.

By the starlight, Yue Fangxing saw that the tall figure had very pale skin, while the monk had very dark skin. Recalling the original book, he knew these two were the Northern Twin Bears, who not only robbed and killed but also enjoyed eating people, especially martial artists.

Recognizing their identities, Yue Fangxing became even more anxious and continued to chase them.

The Northern Twin Bears seemed experienced in kidnapping, taking turns carrying Yue Lingshan and intercepting Yue Fangxing whenever he got close, disrupting his rhythm and preventing him from easily closing the distance.

After one or two hours, they had traveled dozens of miles, and Yue Fangxing's Meteor Chasing the Moon technique had become more proficient. He was confident he could catch up and intercept them. However, during their several encounters, Yue Fangxing realized that although they were individually weaker than him, they were formidable when working together. If one blocked him while the other used Yue Lingshan as a threat, it would be dangerous. Therefore, although his lightness skill had improved, he did not show it and maintained a steady pace behind them.

As Yue Fangxing was about to catch up again, the two used the same tactic. The dark-skinned bear threw Yue Lingshan and turned to strike Yue Fangxing.

Yue Fangxing saw this clearly and did not hesitate. With a loud shout, he increased his speed, leaped forward, and struck the dark-skinned bear with both palms, unleashing his accumulated power.

This attack was so fast that the bear was caught off guard and hastily blocked. However, Yue Fangxing was well-prepared and had been building his strength. With a powerful strike, he knocked the bear back. He then quickly advanced, striking with both fists, each punch filled with the force of the Jade-Breaking Fist. Yue Fangxing had practiced this technique for years and had incorporated the essence of the Great Demon Fist from the Nine Yin Manual, making it extremely powerful and fierce.

The dark-skinned bear, unable to catch his breath, was forced to defend. After a few punches, the force of the Jade-Breaking Fist caused him great pain, and he exposed a weakness. Yue Fangxing saw the opening and struck him, injuring him and then prepared to finish him off.

This sequence of events, though described in detail, happened very quickly. Even Yue Fangxing was surprised at how smoothly it went. The dark-skinned bear had not expected him to suddenly increase his speed and change his rhythm, which would have made the fight more difficult and uncertain.

Meanwhile, the pale-skinned bear also encountered a surprise. As he reached out to take Yue Lingshan from the dark-skinned bear, she suddenly struck him with both palms.

The pale-skinned bear, caught off guard, was hit and staggered back in pain. Yue Lingshan took the opportunity to break free. However, feeling the counterforce, she knew he was powerful and did not engage further, leaping to Yue Fangxing's side.

Yue Lingshan had practiced martial arts with Yue Fangxing since childhood, and although she was not as dedicated, her skills were still considerable. If they had fought, she might not have defeated the pale-skinned bear, but she would not have been easily captured. However, due to her lack of combat experience and lack of vigilance, she was easily subdued and had her major acupoints sealed in the cabin.

On the journey, Yue Lingshan had gradually figured out the situation. Seeing her brother chasing them relentlessly, she secretly signaled and used the acupoint unsealing technique that Yue Buqun had recently taught her along with the Yi Jin Duan Gu Zhang. She slowly unsealed her acupoints. However, the Northern Twin Bears were cautious and kept holding her vital points, so although she unsealed the sealed acupoints, she was still immobilized. It was only when they switched carrying her that she broke free, allowing Yue Fangxing to take advantage of the situation, leading to the current outcome.