Chapter Eleven Arrival in Jincheng

  "Big Brother!"

  "Hmm!"

  "Should I call you senior brother?"

  "Hmm!"

  "Are you Big Brother?"

  "Hmm!"

  "What about Second Brother?"

  "Hmm!"

  "What is Second Master's name?"

  Qing Xū was very annoyed. He hadn't expected that less than an hour after leaving Chi Jin Town, Xiao Shi Tou would change from his initial listless state to being lively and energetic. Questions kept coming one after another, and the words were getting more and more numerous. Earlier, he had been worried that this child might have a moment of impulsiveness and was prepared to offer some guidance, but now it seemed like who needed help.

  Qing Xū didn't know that his depressed mood had been lifted by Zhao Wú Jìn's words. Zhao Wú Jìn didn't say much, just a few sentences: "Stones, the fact that the Qīng Tiān Sect has stood for thousands of years without falling is proof of its true talent and learning. The Taì Qīng Dao power is not ordinary, and there are countless Dao methods and mysterious skills. You want to refine magic treasures and fly swords, don't you? The Qīng Tiān Sect's driving treasure and sword control techniques are the best in the world." In this way, in Zhao Wú Jìn's words, the Qīng Tiān Sect was simply the number one sect of the current Daoist school, the most outstanding among the Xiu Zhēn Sects, and it seemed that it would soon become the number one sect in the world. Xiao Shí Tóu listened with rapt attention, his mood excited, and suddenly thought of something, a bit puzzled, and asked: "Big brother, I remember you said last time that the Qīng Tiān Sect was very promising? How come it's so powerful now?"

  Zhao Wuji was taken aback, knowing he had exaggerated a bit. He hastily said, "Having potential means having real ability, and the most important thing is that the Kongtong Sect has always been low-key. As a monk, one shouldn't seek fame." Xiaoshi thought about it and felt the same way, thinking that soon he would become a disciple of the Kongtong Sect, his heart filled with excitement and agitation. Zhao Wuji secretly let out a sigh of relief inside, easy does it! Guangxian, you should really thank me!

  Since Xiaoshi's mood was great, the conversation started. He asked himself how many senior brothers he had, and Qingxu replied, "Little junior brother, our master has taken in three apprentices in total. The eldest is me, and your second senior brother Qinghua has been missing for a long time." When mentioning Qinghua, a hint of sadness flashed across Qingxu's face.

  Xiao Shi Tou asked, "How long has Er Shixiong been missing? Haven't you gone to look for him?"

  Qing Xu let out a sigh and said, "It's been over 60 years. At first, we thought he was just cultivating in seclusion, and neither Master nor I paid much attention to it. But when he didn't show up at the Jiazi year gathering ten years ago, that's when we realized something must have happened to Qing Hua! After the gathering, all of you uncles, aunts, brothers, and sisters searched for him for an entire decade, but still, there's no news." Qing Xu finished speaking, his expression complex as if regretting not discovering Qing Hua's situation earlier, not going to look for him sooner, perhaps he could have helped Qing Hua. Xiao Shi Tou also felt a bit down, although he hadn't officially joined the sect yet, after all, they were brothers. He comforted Qing Xu saying, "Maybe Second Brother is really cultivating somewhere and just forgot..."

  Qingxu shook his head and said, "Younger brother, you still don't know the affairs of our sect. The Jiazi year meeting is a major event for our sect, held once every sixty years. All disciples under the Kongtong Sect must attend without exception unless...". Qingxu paused before continuing, "unless they are dead. Even those in closed-door meditation must return to the mountain. Younger brother, this is an absolute secret of our sect and cannot be told to outsiders! You must remember!"

  Xiao Shi Tou nodded in agreement, thinking to himself that it was just a gathering of friends and there was no need for secrecy.

  Zhao Wuji was shocked after hearing this, he knew how formidable it was. "No wonder the Kunlun Sect has so few disciples, they have been hiding all over the world for thousands of years. Who knows how many disciples there are in total? It's said that the Kunlun Sect is declining, but I didn't expect its potential to be so astonishing. For over 300 years, I haven't heard of the Kunlun Sect's centennial gathering, it's really low-key!" He thought to himself, "I just said that potential is equivalent to actual strength, and now it seems I was right."

  "Master Brother, where are we going now? Are we returning to Kunlun Mountain?" Little Stone asked Qingxu.

  "Let's go to Lanzhou City first and then return to Kongtong, anyway we'll be passing by."

  Xiao Shi Tou was so excited to hear that he would be going to Lanzhou City, and exclaimed "Great! How will Big Brother Qingxu go? Lanzhou City is very far from here!" He thought that Qingxu would fly them to Lanzhou City using his sword.

  Who would have thought that a basin of cold water was poured over his head, and Qing Xū said, "Let's go then. If we don't hurry to the town ahead by evening, we'll end up sleeping in the wilderness."

  The little stone let out an "ah" and its spirit was completely gone.

  Qing Xū didn't notice and only asked, "Little Shidi, you're twelve this year?"

  "Uh-huh"

  "Your head looks like it's seventeen or eighteen years old."

  "Uh-huh"

  "What's going on?"

  I don't know

  "You haven't practiced martial arts before, have you?"

  The little stone's mood is not good, it's a bit annoyed, and its dream of flying has been dashed again.

  Qingxu found it extremely strange that Xiaoshi's height had increased so much in just a few short months without any training or practice. He even tried to examine Xiaoshi, but there were no signs of internal energy or meridians being opened up within his body; he was simply more muscular than usual. After researching for a long time, Qingxu finally came to the conclusion that Xiaoshi was an anomaly.

  Zhao Wuji secretly congratulated himself, these few months only used the Yin Yang and He Da method to help Xiao Shitou exercise his physical body, without using it to open up his meridians. If not, Qingxu would definitely have discovered it, and things would be more troublesome. He had long instructed Xiao Shitou that these few incidents must not be told to anyone, especially Taiji Nang, Wangqing Shan and Hanshi Bi. Fortunately, Taiji Nang had already changed, ordinary people wouldn't notice. His yuan Shen was inside Xiao Shitou's body, he wasn't afraid of being discovered by others, unless someone's cultivation was high enough to sense the existence of his yuan Shen, but such people were rare in this world.

  Qingxu and Xiaoshi were walking slowly on the big road, surrounded by nothing but Gobi Desert and clusters of camel grass. Lanzhou City was still far, far away. Alas! When could they finally arrive? Xiaoshi cried out in his heart!

  Lanzhou, founded in 86 BC. According to records, because the first time a city was built here and gold was dug up, it was named Jincheng (Golden City), another theory is based on the allusion of "Jincheng Tangchi" (Golden City Hot Spring), which means its solidity. Lanzhou City, this important town in the northwest border, has been a place where military strategists must contend since ancient times, and the Yellow River runs through the city.

  Xiao Shi Tou and Qing Xu finally arrived at Lanzhou City after more than a dozen days of long-distance travel. Looking at the ancient yet solid city walls, with one strip, one strip of mottled marks on them, they knew that this city had been baptized by war fires, repeatedly repelling foreign invasions, and still standing here guarding its people.

  The little stone cheered and shouted, looking at the high city wall, and this endless stream of people really excited him.

  It's a bit strange, Lanzhou city is big and has a large population, but today it's more lively than usual. Looking at the people entering the city, they're endless, crowded and bustling, and there are many more people entering the city than leaving. I wonder what's going on, what's happening. After asking around, it turns out that today is the 15th of the first month, and there's a Lantern Festival in the city, with people from all over coming to watch. No wonder there are so many people!

  Two people finally squeezed into the city, and Xiaoshi's eyes suddenly opened up to a wide street over ten meters wide, with shops lining both sides, and the sound of hawkers calling out to customers was endless. It was so lively! Xiaoshi couldn't take his eyes off the scene, and he just followed the crowd as they walked further in. Suddenly, he felt a tug on his wrist, and it was Qingxu pulling him back, saying "What's wrong, Big Brother?"

  Qingxu pulled him northward while saying "Let's go find someone first, we can play later!" Xiaoshi had no choice but to follow Qingxu, reluctantly turning his head to gaze at the crowd and streets.

  Walking north is the Yellow River, because it's already frozen in the first month. Occasionally there are still people walking back and forth on the river surface, it's relatively quiet here. The two walked along the riverbank to the east, Xiao Shi Tou had never seen the Yellow River before, and asked as they walked "Big Brother Master, is this really the Yellow River? It's so wide!" He exclaimed, looking at the river surface that was several li wide.

  "After winter has passed and the river's surface has thawed, the water will be rippling, and it will be great to drift downstream with the current, taking in the scenery on both banks."

  The little stone exclaimed in surprise, "I'll come back and visit again if I have the chance."

  Qing Xū smiled and said "There will be opportunities, the front is just Wàng Bō Lóu, let's go there to find people." He pointed with his hand towards the front.

  Xiao Shi Tou looked in the direction he was pointing, and not far away, a three-story wine building stood by the river. Just as he was about to speak, a loud roar like thunder exploded beside his ear. "Get out!" Only one sound startled the crow into flight, and passersby covered their ears. Xiao Shi Tou covered his ears, thinking "It's thundering again". Zhao Wuji heard this familiar voice, thinking "This old ghost is still here, who made him angry again?" Qingxu furrowed his brow, quickening his pace towards the wine building.

  Arriving in front of the wine building, I found that the lowest floor of the wine building was empty with only a dozen pillars standing on the ground, supporting the entire wine building. There is a staircase leading to the second floor. Between the second and third floors, a plaque hangs with the three characters "Wangbo Building" written in gold, shining brightly. Two vermilion pillars stand on either side, each inscribed with a line of golden words: "Come to this building to watch the waves, come to this house to drink wine."

  It's already noon, it's really time to eat. But people rushed out one after another, their faces terrified as if a monster had emerged from inside.

  Qingxu led Xiaoshi upstairs and saw that there was no one on the second floor, so they went up to the third floor.

  There are many people on the third floor. The room upstairs is about five feet square, with a stove burning brightly in the middle. Everyone is gathered near the window on the north side. There are seven people in total, six standing and one leaning on the table. Two of them seem to be the owner and waiter of the wine shop, explaining something to the other four. As I leaned forward slightly, I heard the person dressed as the owner say to a young man in brocade clothes, "Young Master Song, don't get angry first, let me persuade this guest!"

  That young master in brocade clothes was only about twenty years old, with a handsome face but an arrogant expression. When he spoke, his words were even more overbearing: "Manager Li, step aside first. Today I must teach him a lesson. Don't worry, even if someone dies, you won't be held responsible!" As he spoke, he waved his hand to shoo Manager Li away.

  Mr. Li was secretly worried, the person in front of him was the eldest son of the Lanzhou governor, and he couldn't afford to offend him. But the guest behind him had a strange temperament and was also a difficult master. Today, Song Gongzi wanted to book the entire Wàngbōlóu for his teacher's welcome party, but this guest didn't budge, not even giving a reason. It seemed like things were about to get ugly, and he had no solution at all.

  The three who came with Song Gongzi were all wearing white clothes and carrying long swords at their waists. The long swords also had black scabbards and white tassels, exactly the same. Song Gongzi was also equipped with the same long sword, and the four of them looked like they were from the same school. One of them, a slightly older man with a dark complexion, said to Song Gongzi, "Song Shidi, since he doesn't want to go, we shouldn't force him either. This place is quite big, and Shifu will be happy when he comes." Just as Song Gongzi was about to speak, he was stopped by another senior brother with a glance. It turned out that these four were all disciples of the Huashan School. The Song Gongzi's name was Song Ziren, and he was a disciple of Luo Ming, the Shadow Sword of the Huashan School. Luo Ming was one of the top five swordsmen of the Huashan School and a high-ranking master of the school. The other three were Cui Liang, Luo Ming's eldest disciple, who had a dark face; Qin Hua, his second disciple; and Zhou Xing, his third disciple.

  Song Zizheng is the fourth disciple, and has just been accepted for three years. Luo Ming took Song Zizheng as his apprentice not because of Song's good qualifications, but because of the power of the Song family. Song Zizheng's father was the governor of Lanzhou, and his grandfather was even the Minister of War. His uncle was a famous grain merchant in the northwest, rich beyond compare. It is truly a case of having power and wealth. Since Song Zizheng became a disciple of Huashan, the Song family has sent at least 100,000 taels of silver to the Huashan sect every year.

  This year, the Song family invited Luo Ming to come to Lanzhou as a guest. The Huashan School has been widely recruiting disciples in recent decades, and its influence has expanded rapidly from Xi'an Prefecture to Lanzhou Prefecture. The Song family's power is deeply rooted in Lanzhou, so Luo Ming had to give them face and brought three of his disciples along.

  Song Zizheng saw his master and brother coming, so he naturally wanted to entertain them well. He planned to treat them warmly at the Wangbolou, but unexpectedly ran into someone who didn't give face to Young Master Song.

  Cui Liang is Luo Ming's big disciple, with a deeper understanding than these few people. He heard that person's loud shout just now and knew he was no ordinary person. After all, this place is not within the sphere of influence of the Huashan School, and if they were to run into a formidable opponent, it would be difficult to handle. So he thought to wait until his master arrived, and let Master take care of it. Otherwise, as a Huashan disciple who was used to being arrogant and overbearing, someone else would have already rushed up and started punching and kicking.

  A small stone beside looked angry, so many people bullied one person and all held swords. It's really too unreasonable! Look at the person lying on the table, seemingly already drunk, with many empty wine jars beside him. The man wore a gray robe, made of unknown material, shining with a faint light. Because he was lying on the table, only his black hair could be seen, and his shiny black hair shone like his clothes.

  Xiao Shi Tou was about to speak when Qing Xu Wei shook his head slightly, and Zhao Wu Jin also said "Don't talk!" In a moment of stunned silence, the man in gray slowly lifted his head.

  What bright eyes, Small Stone had never seen such bright eyes. Bright as substance, like a knife, like a sword, so that Small Stone forgot to look at the face of the man in gray. The man in gray raised his head and swept his gaze, and the four disciples of Mount Hua were caught off guard by his gaze, simultaneously taking a step back in surprise.

  The man in grey narrowed his eyes, sheathed his knife and returned his sword to its scabbard. All he said was "Is Jian Bing doing well?" His tone was calm, though the inquiry carried a hint of chilliness.

  Huashan's four disciples heard this and their faces suddenly changed. They shouted in unison and were about to draw their swords!

  Starting point. Welcome, book lovers! The latest, fastest and hottest serialized works are all on the starting point of original works!