Chapter 74

Chapter 73: Sunrise in the East

Song Qingshu and Jiumozhi exchanged a glance, both finding it hard to believe that the Qing court's experts could be so impressive. They thought, how high could the Qing court's experts be?

Duolong, as the head of the imperial guards, was only so skilled. Zhang Kangnian and Zhao Qixian, these imperial guards, were only slightly better than ordinary soldiers, but they were still no match for true experts.

It was clear how scarce the Qing court's experts were. Song Qingshu had always been curious how Emperor Kangxi could live so long under the protection of such unreliable imperial guards.

"I wonder which expert from the martial world the Emperor has recruited?" Song Qingshu smiled slightly and asked.

"Please invite the leader of the East, Dongfang," Emperor Kangxi instructed, and the eunuch Wen Youdao hurriedly ran down.

"Uh, the leader of the East, Dongfang?" Song Qingshu's smile froze, his heart filled with doubt: Could it be Dongfang Bubai?

Before long, as the door to the study opened, a man in red slowly walked in.

He looked calm and composed, not even glancing at the others in the room, only bowing slightly to Emperor Kangxi: "Dongfang greets the Emperor."

From the moment he entered, Song Qingshu had been staring at him. He saw that the man had red lips and white teeth, with a face as delicate as a woman's, his age hard to guess. On the surface, he looked like a handsome young man, but his deep and steady demeanor constantly reminded those around him not to be deceived by his youthful appearance.

When he spoke, all of Song Qingshu's fantasies were shattered. He had been wondering whether this world's Dongfang Bubai was a beautiful woman like in the movie or a grotesque man like in the TV series. When Dongfang Bubai first entered, Song Qingshu thought he looked like a woman and was secretly delighted. However, when he spoke, his deep male voice made Song Qingshu's hair stand on end.

Dongfang Bubai glanced back at him thoughtfully. When their eyes met, Song Qingshu felt a chill, as if he had been seen through.

"Leader Dongfang, these two are the top experts the Emperor has newly recruited. One is the Great Wheel Vajra King of Tibet, Jiumozhi, and the other is young hero Song Qingshu," Emperor Kangxi said, standing up and introducing them: "The two of you, this is the leader of the Sun Moon God Sect, Dongfang, from Blackwood Cliff."

Dongfang Bubai didn't even bother to look at them, sneering, "When did top experts become so cheap?"

Emperor Kangxi was not offended but watched with interest to see how Song Qingshu and Jiumozhi would respond.

"Little Gui, let's make a bet. See if the experts you found are better than the ones I found," Emperor Kangxi, though already showing signs of being a wise ruler, still had a youthful spirit and impulsively challenged Wei Xiaobao.

"Of course, the experts you found are better," Wei Xiaobao flattered, though he didn't really believe it. He had seen the skills of Jiumozhi and Song Qingshu, who had defeated the previously invincible Hong Antong. This Dongfang Bubai, who looked neither male nor female, seemed to have no fighting power at all.

"You damn brat, I know you don't really think that," seeing Wei Xiaobao's expression, Emperor Kangxi understood and coldly snorted, "If I lose, I'll make you a marquis, with hereditary rights; if you lose, you'll donate some silver to help with disaster relief."

"A gentleman's word is hard to retract!" Wei Xiaobao's eyes lit up, and he immediately said.

"Hard to retract!" Emperor Kangxi nodded heavily.

...

Although the two deliberately lowered their voices, whispering to each other, the three top experts in the room heard every word.

Dongfang Bubai's eyes flashed with a sharp light, then slowly closed, as if resting. Song Qingshu and Jiumozhi exchanged a glance, both understanding Emperor Kangxi's intentions.

Although these three were famous in the martial world, Emperor Kangxi had never met them personally and always had some doubts. Taking this opportunity, he wanted Dongfang Bubai to test their skills, perhaps also to gauge Dongfang Bubai's strength.

Song Qingshu, influenced by various TV shows and movies, had a deep impression of Dongfang Bubai's invincible martial arts. Hearing his sarcastic remarks, he did not get angry but smiled and replied, "Leader Dongfang has reached the realm of 'heaven and man transforming, all things growing.' I am far from matching you. However, for dealing with ordinary martial artists, I believe I am more than sufficient."

"Young man, to be able to speak of 'heaven and man transforming, all things growing' at your age, that's quite impressive," Dongfang Bubai looked at him in surprise, marveling.

Jiumozhi, on the other hand, lacked such patience. He was a man of extraordinary talent, and in Tibet, he believed no one could match him except his grandmaster, who had been in seclusion for decades at Nyingma Temple. This time, he had defeated famous Shaolin monks like Xuanbei, experts from Dali, and even the famous Nan Murong of Suzhou, feeling quite satisfied with his achievements in the Central Plains martial world.

Hearing Dongfang Bubai's sarcastic remarks, he couldn't help but feel angry and coldly laughed, "I wonder if your name has been Dongfang Bubai since childhood or was changed later?"

Dongfang Bubai looked at him indifferently, "Naturally, it was changed later. What do you think?"

"Such arrogance!" Jiumozhi felt that Dongfang Bubai was incredibly arrogant. Although he had heard that Dongfang Bubai was a contender for the title of 'the greatest in the world,' he was very confident in his own skills. Recently, he had seen too many people with empty reputations, secretly thinking that Dongfang Bubai's fame was probably exaggerated.

"You can try," Dongfang Bubai, with his hands behind his back, casually said, looking down.

"If not for important matters, I might have visited the most famous experts in the Central Plains one by one," Jiumozhi, facing one of them, Dongfang Bubai, was suddenly filled with fighting spirit.

To be safe, Jiumozhi did not rush to attack but instead pushed out a Flame Blade as a probing move.

"Hmm? Some skill," feeling the无形刀气, Dongfang Bubai finally opened his eyes and vanished from his spot.

Jiumozhi, still in shock from his missed strike, suddenly felt a chill and quickly swiped his hand to the side.

"Removing Troubles Finger, you actually know the Shaolin 72 Special Skills?" Dongfang Bubai, appearing several feet away, looked at Jiumozhi in surprise.

"This poor monk, though far from proficient, happens to know a bit of each of the Shaolin 72 Special Skills," Jiumozhi, after two missed strikes, became fully alert and prepared to defend.

"Boastful!" Dongfang Bubai coldly snorted, not believing anyone could master all 72 skills of Shaolin.

"Leader Dongfang, try my Unshaped Seizing Finger," Jiumozhi extended his right index finger, quickly drawing a circle in the air, and a fierce finger wind shot out.

Dongfang Bubai smiled coldly and vanished again, Jiumozhi's Unshaped Seizing Finger hitting the pillar behind him, leaving a scorched, deep hole.

Emperor Kangxi watched in amazement, "Little Gui, this Great Wheel Vajra King is really skilled..."

"Uh-huh..." Wei Xiaobao responded absentmindedly, his attention drawn back to the intense fight.

Dongfang Bubai's movements were ghostly, like a wisp of smoke. Jiumozhi, not expecting to hit him with the Unshaped Seizing Finger, instead used the opportunity to send his monk's robe flying like a net, enveloping the red figure.

"Robe of Subduing Demons?" Feeling the palm force from the monk's robe coming from all directions, Dongfang Bubai's eyes flashed with a cold light. A fine needle slipped from his fingers, and with a flick, it pierced through the robe and shot towards Jiumozhi.

Jiumozhi, though not seeing what was shot, felt a warning in his heart and quickly did a backflip. Even so, the needle left a thin blood trail on his forehead.

The robe, having lost its momentum, fell to the ground like a piece of rag.

"Great monk, show me your other skills," Dongfang Bubai smiled at Jiumozhi.

Seeing Dongfang Bubai's ghostly speed, Jiumozhi tightened his eyes, no longer attacking aggressively but tightly guarding his defenses.

"Ha, since you won't attack, I won't hold back," as he spoke, Dongfang Bubai transformed into a red shadow, quickly circling around Jiumozhi.

"Little Gui, can you see how they are fighting?" Emperor Kangxi, feeling nauseous from the intense battle, could only see a red shadow moving back and forth.

"I can't see clearly either, just the sound of true qi breaking the air," Wei Xiaobao watched with his mouth open.

"Plucking Flower Finger, Many Leaves Finger, Dragon Claw Hand, Shadow Following Leg, Sleeve of the Universe, Nirvana Grab, Maha Finger, Great Vajra Fist, Prajna Palm... Great monk, do you really know the Shaolin 72 Special Skills?" Dongfang Bubai's voice in the battle was clearly surprised, "Hmm, no, your cultivation method is wrong."

Jiumozhi, unable to speak, had a serious face, constantly dealing with the red shadow around him. Most of his attacks missed.

For decades, Jiumozhi had never fought such a frustrating battle. Although their skills were evenly matched, the speed of the other gave him the upper hand.

Realizing his weakness was exposed, Jiumozhi stopped using Shaolin skills and used his own specialty, the Flame Blade.

"This invisible blade is quite interesting, sometimes long, sometimes short, sometimes real, sometimes fake..." After the exchange, Dongfang Bubai was impressed, nearly being injured by the blade several times.

"Great King, I think you should admit defeat. Leader Dongfang's speed is like lightning, and his attacks are unpredictable. If you keep defending, you will eventually make a mistake," Song Qingshu, seeing Jiumozhi's fatigue, quickly intervened.

Jiumozhi knew Song Qingshu was giving him a way out. Although Emperor Kangxi and others thought he and Dongfang Bubai were evenly matched, the three top experts in the room knew he was already defeated.

Rather than waiting for a humiliating defeat, it was better to admit defeat gracefully and save face in front of Emperor Kangxi.

"Leader Dongfang, your skills are unparalleled, this poor monk is far inferior," Jiumozhi said, his voice filled with reluctance. He thought that if they stood still and struck each other, Dongfang Bubai would be more injured... but the other's speed was too fast, and his attacks missed.

"Great monk, your skills are also impressive," seeing his defeat, Dongfang Bubai didn't need to continue, and with a red flash, he stood several feet away, "In the Central Plains martial world, there are probably no more than ten people whose skills clearly surpass yours."

"Leader Dongfang, please enlighten me, who are the ten people who clearly surpass me?" Jiumozhi asked, unwilling to believe that there were ten people clearly better than him.

Dongfang Bubai smiled faintly, "Zhang Sanfeng of Wudang, who has reached a semi-divine state, and his Tai Chi is best at using slowness to counter speed. I myself doubt I could defeat him, so you naturally can't either."

"I have long admired Master Zhang," Jiumozhi nodded, wondering who was stronger between his grandmaster, the Lotus Master, and Zhang Sanfeng.

"Shaolin and Wudang are the pillars of the martial world. Although I look down on those smelly monks and their rituals, I do admire their skills," Dongfang Bubai fell into thought, "When I infiltrated the Shaolin Temple's scripture hall to see the legendary 72 Special Skills, I sensed at least three auras as strong as mine. One of them was the Thirteen Absolute Monks, Xuan Cheng, who is said to be the strongest in Shaolin in two hundred years." He glanced at Jiumozhi.

Jiumozhi's face turned awkward. Although he claimed to know the 72 Special Skills, he actually relied on the Lesser Unshaped Skill. Xuan Cheng, on the other hand, truly mastered thirteen of Shaolin's special skills.

"Who are the other two?" Song Qingshu, who had been interested from the start, asked.

Dongfang Bubai smiled faintly, "I'm not sure. Although I knew there were three people in Shaolin as strong as me, I didn't pay much attention. As long as I want to leave, no one in the world can stop me." He said this with a confidence that looked down on the world.

"However," Dongfang Bubai's expression suddenly became puzzled, "When I was reading the scriptures in the scripture hall, I always felt someone was watching me. After some consideration, I decided to leave. That feeling was too eerie."

"Leader Dongfang, perhaps you encountered someone in the scripture hall."

Chapter 74: An Extra Person in the Study

Jiumozhi knew Song Qingshu was giving him a way out. Although Emperor Kangxi and others thought he and Dongfang Bubai were evenly matched, the three top experts in the room knew he was already defeated.

Rather than waiting for a humiliating defeat, it was better to admit defeat gracefully and save face in front of Emperor Kangxi.

"Leader Dongfang, your skills are unparalleled, this poor monk is far inferior," Jiumozhi said, his voice filled with reluctance. He thought that if they stood still and struck each other, Dongfang Bubai would be more injured... but the other's speed was too fast, and his attacks missed.

"Great monk, your skills are also impressive," seeing his defeat, Dongfang Bubai didn't need to continue, and with a red flash, he stood several feet away, "In the Central Plains martial world, there are probably no more than ten people whose skills clearly surpass yours."

"Leader