Chapter 8

Zhangjiakou City is far from Shaolin Temple. It would be impossible to reach Shaolin Temple on foot in three days, no matter how exhausted one might become.

Only by riding a horse could it be done, and a good horse was necessary.

But all of this required money.

After informing Guo Jing, Zhou Yang asked the inn attendant to prepare a guest room, closed the door, and silently said, "Go back."

In an instant, his figure disappeared from the guest room.

When he came to his senses again, Zhou Yang had returned to the modern world.

Zhou Yang walked out of the room, steadied himself, and headed towards a nearby supermarket with an unusual expression.

If it weren't for his wildly beating heart, no one would believe that he had just returned from another world.

Inside the supermarket, looking at the array of goods, Zhou Yang was momentarily at a loss. What should he buy?

In ancient times, everything was lacking except for people.

"Jingle jingle..." At this moment, a pleasant bell sound reached Zhou Yang's ears. He looked over and saw a beautiful music box on the shelf, playing a clear and melodious tune.

Zhou Yang looked at the exquisite, dazzling music box and fell into deep thought.

In any dynasty, items with a mysterious aura were undoubtedly priceless.

A music box in the modern world is nothing special; for a few dozen to a hundred Chinese yuan, one could buy one. In ancient times, a music box that could play music would naturally be a legendary divine or immortal artifact.

Spending nearly a hundred Chinese yuan, Zhou Yang bought a glass music box that looked incredibly beautiful.

He instantly stored the music box in the system space, then hurriedly left the supermarket, glanced around, and slipped into a secluded alley. With a thought, he returned to the guest room.

After leaving the guest room, Zhou Yang prepared to go with Guo Jing to find a suitable pawnshop to sell the music box. After all, treasures can be captivating, and he was afraid he couldn't handle the situation alone without Guo Jing.

When he reached the ground floor, Zhou Yang found that Guo Jing was gone.

"Boss, where is my friend?" Zhou Yang asked anxiously. The secret manual was all on Guo Jing, and if he left, everything would be ruined.

"He's outside." The innkeeper pointed to the door and continued to fiddle with the abacus in his hand.

Zhou Yang quickly ran outside and saw Guo Jing chatting and laughing with a little beggar.

The little beggar looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, wearing tattered clothes and a thin frame. He wore a black, worn-out leather cap, and his face and hands were smeared with soot, making it impossible to see his true appearance.

As they laughed, he showed a row of bright, white teeth, which contrasted sharply with his appearance. His two dark eyes sparkled with a lively light.

Well, seeing the two of them so engrossed, Zhou Yang admitted he was jealous. The protagonist's luck was indeed good, and beautiful girls would come to him automatically. He decided he needed to get a protagonist's aura for himself.

Zhou Yang didn't go to be a third wheel. With only three days, there was no time to interfere. He sat at a table near the window, ordered some food, and started eating.

Soon, Guo Jing and Huang Rong walked in and sat next to Zhou Yang, chatting enthusiastically.

The honest Guo Jing talked non-stop, completely ignoring Zhou Yang. Zhou Yang could only turn his anger into appetite and devour the increasing amount of food on the table.

"Cough... Brother Guo, why don't you introduce us?" As time passed, seeing the two still chatting, Zhou Yang finally couldn't hold back and interrupted.

"I don't mind you dating, but I only have three days, and half a day has already passed."

Guo Jing was slightly stunned, looked at Huang Rong, and asked, "Brother, I haven't even asked your name yet?"

"My surname is Huang, and my given name is Rong."

"My surname is Guo, and my given name is Jing."

"My surname is Zhou, and my given name is Yang. You two can chat later. Guo Jing, help me see how much my family heirloom is worth?" Zhou Yang was speechless. After chatting for so long, they hadn't even introduced themselves. Ignoring Huang Rong's pouting face, he directly pulled Guo Jing into the guest room, leaving Huang Rong to follow behind.

Inside the room.

Guo Jing and Huang Rong looked at the glowing, music-playing treasure on the table, and their gazes towards Zhou Yang became strange.

Meeting their gazes, Zhou Yang smiled and said, "Brother Guo, how much do you think this music box is worth?"

"Is this called a music box? You want to sell it?" Huang Rong looked at Zhou Yang angrily, snatched the music box from his hand, and examined it with stars in her eyes.

"Brother Zhou, you don't have any money, but I have some. How can you sell a family heirloom?" Guo Jing generously took out five gold ingots from his chest and placed them on the table.

The bright gold made Zhou Yang's eyes spin. If he sold it, he would get at least a million yuan. This was true "tuhao gold"!

"Alright, I'll sell it to you."

Zhou Yang picked up two gold ingots and gave the music box to Guo Jing. Seeing their fondness for it, he knew the music box was valuable in ancient times. If he sold it to someone else, it might be worth a hundred or even a thousand times more. But compared to the Nine Yang Manual, nothing else mattered.

He still needed Guo Jing's help for the trip to Shaolin.

"I can't accept it." Guo Jing waved his hands, clearly aware of the music box's value.

"Alright, alright, you two chat. I'll go buy a horse." Zhou Yang put the gold ingots in his chest, found an inn attendant, and went to the horse market, leaving Guo Jing and Huang Rong staring at each other.

About half an hour later, Zhou Yang led a black stallion back to the inn. Seeing the two still fiddling with the music box, he had to urge them.

With their reluctant gazes, they set off for Shaolin Temple.

Riding the black stallion, Zhou Yang was somewhat excited. The last time he rode a horse was during a university trip, where he spent a hundred Chinese yuan for just half an hour.

On the way, Zhou Yang galloped, fearing that a tiger or leopard might suddenly appear from a mountain or a group of bandits from a forest. Fortunately, the journey was smooth, and after nearly two days, the three finally reached the foot of Shaolin Temple.

On the mountain, a faint green figure moved swiftly through the forest. Behind him, Guo Jing and Huang Rong chatted and laughed, enjoying the scenery, and were not a bit slower than him.

"Nine Yang Manual, I'm coming." Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Zhou Yang shouted in his heart, feeling his body filled with renewed strength.

The Nine Yang Manual was stored in the Shaolin Temple's scripture hall, hidden within the Lengqie Sutra. Although it was not well-known, it was easy to obtain and incredibly powerful.

After the first Huashan Summit, the Wine Monk and Wang Chongyang competed in drinking and martial arts. After winning, the Wine Monk borrowed the Nine Yin Manual and found it too yin and aggressive.

Returning to Shaolin Temple, he used the Nine Yin Manual as a foundation, incorporating Shaolin's yin-yang harmony techniques, and created a groundbreaking martial arts masterpiece.

In "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber," in just a few years, the Nine Yang Manual turned Zhang Wuji into a top expert with few rivals in the world.

When Master Jueyuan passed away, he muttered part of the Nine Yang Manual. Zhang Sanfeng, Guo Xiang, and Master Wuse each remembered a small part.

And it was these few people's partial knowledge that later formed the foundation of Shaolin, Emei, and Wudang, creating the Shaolin Nine Yang Gong, Emei Nine Yang Gong, and Wudang Nine Yang Gong, which became the core techniques of the three sects.

From this, one can see how powerful the complete Nine Yang Manual would be.

Zhou Yang was extremely envious of this secret manual.