Chapter 7

Gosu's Appearance

For three years, Mokhyang lived a peaceful life without any particular incidents. During this time, he continuously practiced his qi, and finally came to fully understand it. He could now emit qi even with his bare hands. He also learned the Bohai script in his spare time. Meanwhile, he made time to learn various skills from Yu Baek, enriching his own cultivation. All the while, he constantly heard himself being called ignorant...

One day, a person came to see him. This person was a considerable expert, and Mokhyang could not sense his presence until he was within ten feet. He politely greeted Yu Baek.

"Have you been well, Elder Yu Baek?"

"Ah... What brings you here? Hey! Hyang, this gentleman is Zhang Yang. Greet him."

"Hello, I am Mokhyang, a junior."

"Quite a formidable expert. Elder Yu, you truly have a remarkable talent for teaching. This must be your last disciple, right? Why do you only teach one? If you taught more, it would be even more beneficial for our school..."

"Well, I was instructed to teach only this one. I'm getting old, so they probably thought I should take it easy. Thanks to that, I could teach him comfortably. But what brings you here?"

"I came to see you because I have a matter concerning Mokhyang."

"Mokhyang?"

"Yes. Take this."

Zhang Yang handed a letter to Mokhyang. The letter instructed him to go to the branch in Luoyang and assist there. It also mentioned his appointment as the branch leader, and inside the letter was the badge of a branch leader and the appointment papers. Zhang Yang glanced at the badge and congratulated him.

"Congratulations, Brother Mok. Your rise is swift; you're already a branch leader. Luoyang is a significant place with many followers. Recently, experts have been continuously dispatched there. Something might happen, so be careful."

"Thank you."

"Then when are you leaving?"

"Since it's already late, I'll prepare and leave tomorrow. There's no indication of an urgent departure, so it doesn't seem to be a rush."

"Alright, I'll pass that on. Good luck. And Elder, take care."

That day, Mokhyang finished his travel preparations and drank with Yu Baek until late, easing the sadness of parting. The next morning, he set off for his new post.

Mokhyang was heading to Luoyang as quickly as possible. He tried to avoid getting involved in any trouble along the way. He only drew his sword when five trivial bandits blocked his path. Following Yu Baek's teachings, he beheaded them with a single stroke and continued on his way calmly.

It had been 13 days since he started his journey. That evening, he decided to stay at an inn and practice qigong, as continuing would mean sleeping outdoors. When it was time for dinner, he went to the restaurant on the first floor. The restaurant was crowded with people. Looking around, he couldn't find a seat, so he thought about going upstairs and coming down later. However, he thought he might overhear something useful, so he called a waiter.

"Did you call, sir?"

"Is there a seat available?"

"As you can see, there are no seats. Would you mind sharing a table?"

"Please."

The waiter looked around and asked the guests, then came back to Mokhyang.

"Please follow me, sir."

Mokhyang was seated with an older man and a young man. Instinctively, Mokhyang realized the young one was a woman. Both were armed with swords, indicating they were martial artists. Mokhyang also carried a short sword, so the waiter likely seated him with other martial artists. Ordinary people generally didn't like sharing tables with armed martial artists.

When Mokhyang approached, they glanced at him, their eyes briefly lingering on the sword he wore diagonally at his waist before returning to him. Mokhyang's sword had a shape similar to a dao (刀). After Mokhyang learned qi, Yu Baek suggested shortening the hilt, so it was about six inches long. Thus, they thought he used a slightly shorter dao. Since there were no famous dao users with such a shape, they relaxed. Mokhyang greeted them with a bow.

"Thank you for letting me share your table."

The older man replied.

"Not at all. We are all fellow countrymen, so we should help each other in times of need. Please sit."

"Yes. Hey, bring me some duck soup, a few dumplings, and some green tea."

"Sure, sir."

Mokhyang sipped the green tea in front of him and listened to the conversations around him. However, most of the conversations were not useful to him. At this point, the older man asked.

"Where are you headed, young man?"

"To Chanyang."

"Oh... What brings you to Chanyang?"

"To visit the Quanyi Building."

"Ah, it seems this is your first time in the martial world."

"Ha ha, I've been to the martial world a few times, but I never had the time to visit the Quanyi Building, which is a must-visit for newcomers. This time, I have some free time, so I plan to visit."

"Since you're going that way, why don't you travel with me? It will be good company... and this young one is also a newcomer, so I plan to treat her there. What do you think?"

"Sure. I'm Mokhyang. What is your name, Elder?"

"Mokhyang? An unusual name. Just call me Laobai. And this young one is Wuling."

Mokhyang noticed that this man, who appeared to be in his early 40s or late 30s, was trying to hide his identity. Laobai referred to himself as a leader of a family, indicating he was a senior in the martial world... and the young one's name, Ling, confirmed she was a woman. Laobai, judging by his aura, was a considerable expert, which made Mokhyang a bit wary. However, since he didn't need to reveal his own identity, he decided to just go along and started chatting about trivial matters.

"Grandpa, there's a scenic spot called Tianling Mountain nearby. Let's take a detour and see it."

"What do you think? Do you have the time?"

"I've never been to this area, so I'll follow your lead."

"Alright. By the way, what is your school?"

"Ha ha, I can't reveal that. Since you don't reveal yours, I don't need to either, right?"

"If you don't want to reveal it, that's fine... Impressive."

"What's impressive, Grandpa?"

"I don't know who your teacher is, but to produce such a talented student, it must be a prestigious school."

Wuling, surprised, looked at Mokhyang closely and said.

"I don't know... This is the first time I've heard such praise from you, Grandpa."

"Perhaps you are the best among the young generation in the martial world... I think even I would have a hard time defeating you. How old are you, young man?"

"I'm 43."

"Really? I thought you were just over 20. I made a mistake. I'm sorry. Do you practice the art of maintaining a youthful appearance?"

Mokhyang, though he hadn't practiced it, had high inner strength and lived a quiet life in the mountains, so he looked very young. However, he didn't want to reveal too much about his abilities, so he agreed.

"Yes, I've practiced it since I was young, and living in the mountains has kept me looking young."

"Hmm... The art of maintaining a youthful appearance is a powerful martial art, but don't get too obsessed with it. It makes you look young, but it also consumes your inner strength and can make you forget that your body is aging. It's best to use it sparingly."

"True, but some consumption of inner strength is inevitable, isn't it?"

"Right. Do you have children?"

"No. Practicing the art of maintaining a youthful appearance means I can't even dream of marriage."

Mokhyang lied naturally, and Laobai, looking a bit sympathetic, said.

"Practicing the art of maintaining a youthful appearance is not a good idea. It's a pity that someone like you will have no descendants."

Wuling, overhearing this, asked curiously.

"Grandpa, what is the art of maintaining a youthful appearance? Is it a powerful martial art?"

Laobai, trying to explain it to his naive granddaughter, blushed slightly.

"The art of maintaining a youthful appearance greatly increases inner strength but has many weaknesses, which is why most people don't practice it."

"What are the weaknesses?"

Laobai, at a loss for words, ended the conversation abruptly.

"Ah... You'll understand naturally later. Don't ask now. Why are you interrupting my conversation with the young man?"

"Hmph..."

Wuling, hearing his gruff reply, snorted and turned away, clearly upset.

"Since you practice the art of maintaining a youthful appearance, you look young, but be careful. If it breaks, it can be very dangerous."

"Yes."

Mokhyang, while drinking and chatting with Laobai, eventually got up. The next morning, the group went sightseeing. Three days later, Laobai revealed that Wuling was his granddaughter. He explained that they were traveling in disguise because the martial world is full of rough situations. However, Mokhyang couldn't take this at face value. Laobai was a high-level expert, and Wuling, though not as strong, was capable of defending herself. They seemed to be hiding their true identities.

After 15 days of traveling together, the group arrived at the Quanyi Building. It was a three-story, massive building by the river, with a beautiful view. Many martial artists, carrying weapons, were there, and most were accompanied by seniors who were congratulating them on their first visit and giving them advice about the martial world. The group, finding no seats on the third floor, settled on the second floor. The view from the second floor was also stunning. They ordered a few dishes and drinks and sat down.

"This place really has a beautiful view, Grandpa."

"Indeed. That's why many ordinary people also come here to enjoy the scenery."

As they chatted, a commotion broke out at the next table. Three men and two women were drinking at the next table when a man sitting nearby started a fight.

"Ah, who are these famous Cold and Heat Three Ghosts? You scoundrels, what are you doing here?"

Mokhyang turned his head and saw that the eight people at the next table were clearly stronger than the group of five. Initially, Mokhyang thought about ignoring it, but he couldn't stand by and watch. He decided to ask Laobai for help.

"Elder Laobai, can you help them?"

"Hmm, I could, but... I have my reasons for not getting involved. These so-called righteous people are just causing trouble. The world is in decline."

"But can't you help without revealing yourself?"

"It's difficult. I can quietly subdue the three, but the other five are different. They call themselves the Wu Mountain Five Heroes, and they are all highly skilled. No one dares to challenge them. Even I would need over 200 moves to defeat them. If I kill them, the Wudang Sect might not approve. Wudang is the strongest among the Nine Sects and One Sect, so no one wants to make an enemy of them. That's why these people can act so recklessly. I can't do anything about it."

Mokhyang thought for a moment. He couldn't just let it go. He wanted to teach them a lesson to reduce the mistreatment of the dark side by the righteous. So he spoke to one of the troublemakers.

"Hey, buddy."

The young man, seeing Mokhyang, looked at him with disdain.

"Did you call me?"

"Yes. Isn't this a bit much? There are many guests nearby. Can't you be quiet?"

"Shut up and mind your own business. These are smelly dark side people. Their stench makes the food hard to swallow. You should ignore them and eat your food."

"Hmm, I'm from the dark side, so I can't just ignore this."

"Heh, so you're from the dark side too? Then you should leave here."

Mokhyang's mention of the dark side changed the expressions of Laobai and Wuling. They seemed to have some preconceived notions about the dark side.

"I didn't want to show off my skills, but... I have no choice."

"What? You want to show off your skills? Heh, you must be crazy."

They drew their weapons. Mokhyang, remembering what Laobai and Yu Baek had said, decided to go on the offensive from the start. As soon as he drew his sword, the large men's bodies were caught in a whirlwind of qi. One of them shouted in panic.

"This can't be... Everyone, be careful, it's a sword..."

Clang, clang, clang.

His words were cut off by the sound of clashing weapons. Almost simultaneously, the fourteen bodies were sliced into pieces. Their weapons and bodies were scattered around, and their eyes were filled with shock and disbelief. Even as they died, they couldn't believe what was happening.

Mokhyang slowly sheathed his sword and leaped out, heading to the stables to get his horse and ride to Luoyang. Staying any longer would be pointless and could attract the attention of officials. While most officials didn't interfere in martial world affairs, if a martial artist reported him, it could cause trouble. The longer he stayed, the more people would remember his face, increasing the risk of conflict with Wudang.

As the second floor quieted down, people who had left began to return. They saw fourteen bodies, cleanly sliced into pieces, which spoke volumes about the skill of the person who did it. Many of the guests were martial artists and began to speculate on the martial arts used. Among them were Laobai and Wuling. Laob