Chapter 5

### Chapter 5: Leaving a Name on Mount Emei (1) - First Update

The lightning power absorbed by the Divine Thief's Order was only enough for Li She to live in the world of *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber* for eleven months. Moreover, this was the Yuan Dynasty. Although he had read a lot of historical records, he still felt somewhat unfamiliar with the place. In this era of widespread martial arts, even ordinary martial artists might have a rudimentary foundation in internal energy, but there were only a few truly renowned sects.

Apart from the *Nine Yang Divine Skill* as his primary goal, Li She's next targets were the Emei, Kongtong, and Huashan Sects.

The reason was simple: Wudang had the great master Zhang Sanfeng. Didn't Zhang Sanfeng recover from being struck in the dantian by the Steel Image's powerful Vajra Palm in just a few days? If it were anyone else, being struck in the dantian would have left them crippled or dead. Yet, Zhang Sanfeng not only survived but also killed the Steel Image with a single palm, demonstrating the depth and mystery of his martial arts.

Therefore, Li She set his sights on the Emei, Kongtong, and Huashan Sects. According to the plot of *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber*, the Six Great Sects' siege of Bright Peak had likely already begun. At this time, Zhang Wuji, the favored protagonist, used his unparalleled eloquence and profound martial arts to single-handedly defeat the five major sects, forcing Wudang to retreat due to familial ties. After a show of false righteousness, he took over as the leader of the Ming Cult, the number one cult in the world.

Was Zhang Wuji's martial arts really that strong? Not necessarily. If the Six Great Sects' experts had all attacked him at once, would Zhang Wuji have survived? Would the seasoned experts of the Six Great Sects really listen to a young upstart's rhetoric just as they were about to crush the Ming Cult? The many inconsistencies further confirmed the power of the world's will.

The Emei Sect, founded by Guo Xiang, became Li She's first stop. The reason was simple: the Emei Sect had only reached its third generation with the current leader, Extermination, and had been around for less than a hundred years. The sect's foundation was shallow, and there were no high-level experts. There were no experts of Extermination's generation, and only a few disciples were left to guard the mountain.

On the official road leading to Mount Emei, a young man in black, wearing a bamboo hat and carrying a large bag, rode a fast horse.

Did the members of the Divine Thief's Order fear poverty? After descending the mountain, Li She first visited the Zhu family's manor and took some gold, silver, and clothing. Dressed in black, he also wore a bamboo hat, as his hairstyle was quite noticeable in this era.

With eight months left, Li She hardly rested on his journey. He changed horses four times and, after twenty days, finally arrived at Mount Emei. Along the way, Li She truly understood the saying, "Better to be a dog in a peaceful era than a man in a chaotic one." The fields were littered with corpses, and the Yuan soldiers treated the unarmed Han people with brutal violence. Young and beautiful women were reduced to playthings. However, where there was oppression, there was resistance. Various resistance forces emerged, but they were not Li She's concern.

The Emei Sect, named after Mount Emei, was a sect that named itself after a famous mountain. When Li She arrived at Mount Emei, he understood why. The entire area of Mount Emei, spanning several dozen miles, was the territory of the Emei Sect.

Within this area, there were hundreds of acres of fertile land and smoke from cooking fires. Merchants and tenant farmers lived in peace, creating a scene that seemed like a utopia. However, everything here was due to the Emei Sect. The government was less effective here than the Emei Sect, which had experienced explosive growth under Extermination, with nearly a thousand disciples practicing martial arts daily.

No wonder the Yuan Dynasty wanted to eliminate these martial arts sects. These sects occupied hundreds of acres of fertile land, paid no taxes, and defied the government. Most merchants and tenant farmers in their territories paid monthly tributes to these sects, and private feuds often resulted in deaths, which were dismissed as "martial matters, to be settled by martial means." Such disregard for human life was a challenge to the ruling dynasty. What was the difference between these sects and modern-day organized crime? Even in the real world, the government would crack down on such organizations.

In the Emei territory, wealthy families sent their children to learn martial arts on Mount Emei. The saying "poor scholars, rich warriors" was true. How could someone practice martial arts if they couldn't even afford food? The idea of a person with extraordinary bones was nonsense. Nutrition was crucial for growth and development. Without proper nutrition, a person's height and physical condition would suffer, making it impossible to practice martial arts. This was especially true in a chaotic era. The Song Dynasty had fallen to Genghis Khan's iron hooves, and years of warfare meant that without martial skills, even the most learned person could be killed by a single blade.

In the early morning, Li She rode his horse through a small town at the foot of Mount Emei. The cobblestone streets were clean, and there were few beggars, a rare sight in the war-torn Yuan Dynasty.

On both sides of the cobblestone streets, there were many shops with ancient wooden structures, far more authentic than modern imitation ancient sites. Without a drainage system, every household used chamber pots. In the early morning, the air was filled with the smell of feces and urine as the night soil collectors made their rounds.

The shops on both sides of the road were slowly opening, hanging up their signs and preparing for business. There were inns, taverns, pawnshops, rice stores, tailor shops, and general stores, a variety of businesses. Perhaps because the Emei Sect's leader, Extermination, was a woman and the sect had many female disciples, there were no brothels in this town at the foot of Mount Emei.

Li She reined in his horse next to an inn, and a waiter immediately ran out, smiling. "Sir, are you here for a meal or to stay the night?"

Li She handed the reins to the waiter and, in a voice imitating a martial hero, said, "Feed my horse with the best feed and give me a good room. Bring some of your best food to my room." He then took out two taels of silver and threw it to the waiter, adding, "The rest is a tip for you."

The waiter caught the silver, bowed, and said, "Thank you, sir. I'll make sure your horse is well-fed. Our Tongfu Inn has the best rooms on Mount Emei. I'll arrange the best room for you."

A good room and the best food cost only one tael of silver, while the waiter's annual salary was only three taels. Li She's generosity was rare, so the waiter was naturally attentive.

Li She followed the waiter inside. The best room, Room A1, faced south and was in a quiet, secluded courtyard. Li She removed his hat, revealing a dark complexion. After makeup, Li She now looked like a martial artist, with a full beard. Thanks to the *Nine Yang Divine Skill*'s bone-shrinking technique, Li She's height had increased by twenty centimeters, making him look like a fierce and intimidating figure. At first, the waiter couldn't see Li She's face because of the hat and was attentive due to Li She's generosity. Now, seeing Li She's appearance, the waiter was intimidated and spoke nervously.

Li She said in a gruff voice, "Hurry up and bring me some food and three pounds of yellow wine."

The waiter quickly replied, "Yes, sir, I'll do it right away." The Emei Sect sometimes had martial artists visiting, so the waiter was skilled at reading people. Li She's appearance suggested he was not a good person, so the waiter quickly left the room.

Soon, the waiter returned with a food tray, setting a table full of dishes for Li She, including braised beef, roasted chicken, roasted duck, and meat buns.

"Sir, your food is ready. Please enjoy it," the waiter said carefully.

Li She nodded and took out a five-tael silver ingot, placing it on the table. "Answer my questions, and this silver is yours."

The waiter looked at the silver, swallowed, and thought about how it was more than his annual salary. Greed overcame him, and he quickly grabbed the silver. "Sir, I'll tell you everything I know. Ask away. I know a bit about the affairs of the Emei territory."

Inns and taverns were often the best places for information, and the waiter, skilled at reading people, knew many secrets.

Li She asked in a gruff voice, "Is the Emei Sect, led by Extermination, currently besieging the Cult of Darkness?"

"Sir, this is a major event in the martial world. It's said that the Six Great Sects are jointly besieging the Cult of Darkness. Our Emei Sect is one of the Six Great Sects and cannot fall behind. All of Extermination's twelve disciples, except for the two who stayed to guard the sect, have gone with her," the waiter said quickly.

"An all-out attack, just like in Jin Yong's book," Li She thought.

To be more cautious, Li She asked, "Are there any experts of Extermination's generation still in the Emei Sect?"

"Um, no, not that I've heard. Since the death of Master Guxiongzi over a decade ago, Extermination is the highest-ranking expert," the waiter replied.

Satisfied with the answer, Li She smiled. "Good, that's all. I'm tired from the journey and need a good sleep. Just bring me food on time tomorrow."

After the waiter happily left the room, Li She began to prepare. After a quick meal, he took out a set of scholar's clothing from his bag, put on a wig, and removed his beard. Using the *Nine Yang Divine Skill*'s bone-shrinking technique, he returned to his original height of 1.6 meters. He transformed into a pale-skinned scholar. As dusk approached, Li She climbed out of the window and sneaked out of the town. This was part of his plan: to disguise himself as a martial hero to gather information and then steal the secret manuals from the Emei Sect while using another identity to escape.

As the Tongfu Inn was about to close, a scholar arrived and asked for Room A2. At midnight, Li She sneaked back to Room A1, took his bag from under the bed, and changed into his nightclothes. He looked at the ridiculous nightclothes and gritted his teeth as he put them on.

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**[End of Chapter 5: Leaving a Name on Mount Emei (1) - First Update]**