Chapter 59

Chapter 58: The Gathering of the Four Great Powers

Song Qingshu's heart stirred as he looked downstairs. He saw two men and two women walk in. One was a monk around fifty years old, dressed in simple clothes and straw sandals, with a radiant glow on his face, clearly a super expert.

The other young man looked like a nobleman's son, with a face as fair as jade, gentle and refined, gazing intently at the side profile of the girl in light pink clothes beside him.

The girl's brows were lightly furrowed, appearing delicate and timid, none other than Wang Yuyan, whom he had met once at the Mandala Manor.

Not far from them, a girl in black tightly gripped her sword hilt and followed in, none other than Mu Wanqing, whom he had parted ways with on Mount Hua.

"Mahakala, with the pure and complete precepts as the fundamental vow, why should the Vidyaraja be angry with a little girl? Why not come up and share a cup of wine?" In his previous life, Song Qingshu often encountered business partners who were fond of Buddhism, so he had spent some time studying Buddhist knowledge, thus immediately revealing the identity of the Great Wheel Vidyaraja.

Mahakala is the phonetic translation of the Great Wheel Vidyaraja's Sanskrit name. Jiumozhi did not expect someone in Jiangnan to recognize him at first glance. Looking up, he saw only a young man, puzzled, he led Wang Yuyan and Duan Yu upstairs. Behind them, Mu Wanqing's eyes showed a hint of joy upon seeing Song Qingshu, but soon her expression turned somber, and she followed with a complex look.

"I'm dead, I'm dead! Where did such a beauty come from? If this beauty were to be my wife, I wouldn't even trade places with the little emperor. I, Wei Xiaobao, will do anything, go to heaven or earth, through a rain of bullets or a sea of fire, no matter what, I must marry this girl!" As Wang Yuyan just ascended the stairs, Wei Xiaobao felt as if he had been struck by an invisible heavy hammer in his chest, instantly his mouth went dry, and he was dumbfounded.

The man's instinct made Duan Yu immediately realize the covetous look in Wei Xiaobao's eyes, and he instinctively blocked Wang Yuyan, shielding her from the other's intense gaze.

Noticing his action, Mu Wanqing's heart ached, and in a fit of pique, she sat next to Song Qingshu.

"Since we parted on Mount Hua, I didn't expect to meet you so soon." Song Qingshu turned to look at Mu Wanqing, her beauty undiminished, but her clear face now bore a hint of weariness.

"Wan, do you know this young man?" Duan Yu noticed the unusual relationship between the two, though Mu Wanqing had become his sister, he still felt a bit uncomfortable.

"He is my husband!" Mu Wanqing's words stunned everyone present.

It turned out that the transformation from lover to brother had already broken Mu Wanqing's heart. On Mount Hua, she had heard that Duan Yu was captured by Jiumozhi in Gusu and hurriedly rode to rescue him. She never expected that her former lover would so quickly turn his affections to Wang Yuyan.

Duan Yu's swift change of heart had left Mu Wanqing heartbroken throughout the journey. Seeing Song Qingshu now, she felt a bit of warmth, but her words were more to deliberately provoke Duan Yu.

Wei Xiaobao, who had been blocked earlier, now had the chance to appraise Mu Wanqing. Upon seeing her, he was taken aback, comparing the two women, he found them equally beautiful, and couldn't help but praise, "Brother Song, your wife is truly beautiful!" In his heart, he regretted that as a brother, he had to be loyal, and if she weren't his brother's woman, he would have done anything to get her.

Jiumozhi had no time to watch a group of infatuated men and women bicker. He clasped his hands together, "I wonder what this young man has to say?"

"Vidyaraja, in Tubo, you swept away the Black Sect with the 'Flame Blade' technique, your reputation is renowned in the west. More importantly, you possess great wisdom and are well-versed in Buddhism, a figure I have long admired. How dare I offer any advice?" Song Qingshu smiled modestly.

Jiumozhi's face showed a hint of pride. If the young man had only praised his martial arts, he wouldn't have felt much, as not many people in the Central Plains had seen him in action, and his praise for his martial arts might have been exaggerated. But the young man seemed to admire his Buddhist principles more, which couldn't be faked.

Wang Yuyan finally saw Song Qingshu, her eyes brightened, and she asked joyfully, "Young Master Song, has your injury healed?"

"Thank you for your guidance that day, my meridians have recovered." Song Qingshu smiled kindly at her.

"Originally, you two knew each other." Jiumozhi snorted coldly, but he wasn't worried. Among those present, the one with the braid clearly didn't know martial arts, the woman standing behind him had limited skills, and Mu Wanqing was not taken seriously by him. Only the young man opposite seemed a bit troublesome, but considering he was just a young man, how strong could he be?

"Brother Song, this is the expert I mentioned to you before. Take a good look, convincing him to join us will depend on you." Before standing up, Song Qingshu whispered in Wei Xiaobao's ear.

Regardless of the tense standoff, their clothes fluttered in the wind, the situation was on the verge of breaking out. Far away, a significant event was happening that would affect the lives of Song Qingshu and Wei Xiaobao.

Deep in the mountains of Shandong, in the main tent of the Golden Snake Camp, Yuan Chengzhi looked at the three people in the tent with a sense of urgency, "What brings you all to the Golden Snake Camp?"

It was no wonder he was nervous. One was the leader of the Divine Dragon Sect in Liaodong, another was the head of the Blood Knife Sect in Qinghai, and the third was the first-rate expert of the True Word Sect, one of the four major schools of the Esoteric Sect. Each was a top martial artist. Although they had sent invitations in advance, which seemed harmless, their joint visit still made Yuan Chengzhi wary.

"King of the Golden Snake, why be so guarded? We now have a common enemy, and we are not friends but foes." Sangjie, with his plump and white face, always gave a sense of insincerity when he smiled.

"Please forgive my ignorance, I do not understand your meaning." Yuan Chengzhi's heart stirred, but he remained calm.

"King of the Golden Snake, why pretend to be ignorant?" Hong Antong said sternly, "We are all here for Wei Xiaobao. We heard that Wei Xiaobao's southern alliance is a ruse, and his true intention is to deal with you."

"Originally, dealing with Wei Xiaobao wouldn't require so many experts to join forces," the Blood Knife Ancestor suddenly said, "I was about to take Wei Xiaobao's life the other day, but a young man with extraordinary martial arts appeared beside him. Heh," the Blood Knife Ancestor looked around, and chuckled, "I think, in a one-on-one fight, none of us here would be a match for that young man, so I have been traveling around, trying to unite everyone to act together..."

"Blood Knife Sect Leader, you may be exaggerating. Is that young man Xiao Feng or Zhang Wuji?" Hong Antong chuckled, clearly disbelieving.

Yuan Chengzhi also smiled faintly. Over the years, he had integrated the martial arts of the Huashan Sect, the Golden Snake Prince, and the Iron Sword Sect, forming his own style. Although he didn't consider himself the best in the world, he was certainly not inferior to anyone.

"If you think your martial arts surpass mine, you can come down and give me a lesson." The Blood Knife Ancestor narrowed his eyes, gripping his blood knife tightly.

Hong Antong's white hair fluttered without wind, he smiled faintly, and his body suddenly disappeared from the spot, a punch already aimed at the Blood Knife Ancestor's chest. Although the Blood Knife Ancestor was surprised by his speed, he was experienced and well-prepared, and immediately slashed with his knife.

In the blink of an eye, they exchanged over a dozen moves. Although Hong Antong's martial arts were slightly superior to the Blood Knife Ancestor, in actual combat, he could only fight to a draw, feeling extremely frustrated.

Seeing that the two were about to finish, Sangjie jumped into the ring, his hands forming several ethereal seals, instantly separating the two.

"Hmph!" Hong Antong grunted, turned, and sat down, "The Esoteric Sect's Great Seal, indeed, it lives up to its reputation."

The Blood Knife Ancestor also sheathed his blood knife and slowly sat down.

Yuan Chengzhi was startled, thinking that he could easily defeat any one of them, but against two, he could at most maintain a draw, and against all three, he would have to rely on his divine agility to escape.

"Blood Knife Ancestor, is that young man really that formidable?" Yuan Chengzhi originally intended to deal with Wei Xiaobao, seeing that their goals were the same, and considering he had no enmity with them, joining forces once wouldn't be a problem.

The Blood Knife Ancestor's face showed a hint of fear, "I have met many martial arts experts, but I have never seen anyone who could wield an ordinary wooden sword with such exquisite skill." He then described the situation in detail.

The other three were amazed, and Yuan Chengzhi was also uncertain, thinking that half of his skills were in the Golden Snake Sword, and if he had to use an ordinary wooden sword, he might not even be able to defeat these three.

Seeing the Blood Knife Ancestor's martial arts, everyone believed his judgment, and Yuan Chengzhi was somewhat moved, but he still had some doubts, "You are all leaders in your own right, why would you unite to deal with a mere Wei Xiaobao?"

Sangjie glanced at the Blood Knife Ancestor, clasped his hands together, and said, "King of the Golden Snake, we will not hide from you. The Blood Knife Sect Leader and I have now joined the Mongol Prince Ali Bukha, who has been in a stalemate with the Qing for a long time. As his subordinates, we are thinking of how to ease his worries, by removing the left and right arms of the young emperor Kangxi. As for Hong Sect Leader, he has recently expressed interest in joining our prince, planning to establish a great achievement before meeting the prince..."

Hong Antong nodded slightly, but was secretly calculating.

"Blood Knife Sect Leader, you may be exaggerating. Is that young man Xiao Feng or Zhang Wuji?" Hong Antong chuckled, clearly disbelieving.

Yuan Chengzhi also smiled faintly. Over the years, he had integrated the martial arts of the Huashan Sect, the Golden Snake Prince, and the Iron Sword Sect, forming his own style. Although he didn't consider himself the best in the world, he was certainly not inferior to anyone.

"If you think your martial arts surpass mine, you can come down and give me a lesson." The Blood Knife Ancestor narrowed his eyes, gripping his blood knife tightly.

Hong Antong's white hair fluttered without wind, he smiled faintly, and his body suddenly disappeared from the spot, a punch already aimed at the Blood Knife Ancestor's chest. Although the Blood Knife Ancestor was surprised by his speed, he was experienced and well-prepared, and immediately slashed with his knife.

In the blink of an eye, they exchanged over a dozen moves. Although Hong Antong's martial arts were slightly superior to the Blood Knife Ancestor, in actual combat, he could only fight to a draw, feeling extremely frustrated.

Seeing that the two were about to finish, Sangjie jumped into the ring, his hands forming several ethereal seals, instantly separating the two.

"Hmph!" Hong Antong grunted, turned, and sat down, "The Esoteric Sect's Great Seal, indeed, it lives up to its reputation."

The Blood Knife Ancestor also sheathed his blood knife and slowly sat down.

Yuan Chengzhi was startled, thinking that he could easily defeat any one of them, but against two, he could at most maintain a draw, and against all three, he would have to rely on his divine agility to escape.

"Blood Knife Ancestor, is that young man really that formidable?" Yuan Chengzhi originally intended to deal with Wei Xiaobao, seeing that their goals were the same, and considering he had no enmity with them, joining forces once wouldn't be a problem.

The Blood Knife Ancestor's face showed a hint of fear, "I have met many martial arts experts, but I have never seen anyone who could wield an ordinary wooden sword with such exquisite skill." He then described the situation in detail.

The other three were amazed, and Yuan Chengzhi was also uncertain, thinking that half of his skills were in the Golden Snake Sword, and if he had to use an ordinary wooden sword, he might not even be able to defeat these three.

Seeing the Blood Knife Ancestor's martial arts, everyone believed his judgment, and Yuan Chengzhi was somewhat moved, but he still had some doubts, "You are all leaders in your own right, why would you unite to deal with a mere Wei Xiaobao?"

Sangjie glanced at the Blood Knife Ancestor, clasped his hands together, and said, "King of the Golden Snake, we will not hide from you. The Blood Knife Sect Leader and I have now joined the Mongol Prince Ali Bukha, who has been in a stalemate with the Qing for a long time. As his subordinates, we are thinking of how to ease his worries, by removing the left and right arms of the young emperor Kangxi. As for Hong Sect Leader, he has recently expressed interest in joining our prince, planning to establish a great achievement before meeting the prince..."

Hong Antong nodded slightly, but was secretly calculating.