Chapter 14: Asking the Way at Xiangyang

  Song Qing calculated that there were only two possibilities: either the Murong family of Suzhou, or the Sword Demon Valley, and also the opportunity to obtain the "Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill" from the Secret Sect was not small.

  However, the Murong family's ancestral home is far away in the middle of Taihu Lake, and the water system of Taihu Lake is not clear to him at all. Wanting to find a deserted island that has been abandoned for hundreds of years in the vast Taihu Lake is no different from searching for a needle in the ocean. As for the "Dragon Elephant Prajna Method", although it can be learned in the Esoteric Sect, it requires traveling far to the Western Regions, and his current martial arts skills are not suitable for long-distance travel. In comparison, only the Sword Demon Valley is closest to Wudang Mountain. For his own benefit, it is also the greatest help, and for him, it can be said that "the pavilion nearest the water gets the moon first". With a part of the Covering Heaven Divine Technique nearby, there is no reason to seek far away. Moreover, obtaining the inheritance of Sword Demon Valley is both simple and safe. But is this really the case? Song Qing didn't know. Now he only has the idea of gaining great power after getting the snake gall in his mind.

  Wudang Mountain, located in the northwest of Hubei Province's Shiyan City Danjiangkou area, belongs to the eastern part of the Daba Mountains. Also known as Taihe Mountain, Xieluo Mountain, Canshang Mountain, and Xiannü Mountain, it has been referred to as "Taiyue", "Xuanyue", and "Dayue" in ancient times. Its western boundary is the Duhe River, eastern boundary is the Nanhe River, northern boundary is the Hanjiang River, and southern boundary is the Junidian River and Manan River. To its south lies the vast and mysterious primitive forest of Shennongjia, while to its north lies the vast expanse of Danjiangkou Reservoir, with Xiangyang situated just east of Wudang Mountain.

  Song Qingxue left a note in the room, saying that he had found the trail of the black-clad man who had kidnapped Zhang Wuji and was going to pursue it. In fact, this was just an excuse, and his real intention was to leave Wudang Mountain without drawing attention to himself. As for whether others believed this excuse or not, it was no longer within Song Qingxue's consideration.

  Then with enough silver and a fine steel sword, Song Qing Shu set out on his first Jianghu journey.

  .......

  Xiangyang City is located on the south bank of the Han River, opposite Fancheng on the north bank. It is surrounded by water on three sides and backed by mountains. Not only has it been a regional political, economic and cultural center throughout history, but also a famous military stronghold from ancient times to the present. Due to its strong city walls, deep moat and easy defense, it has been known as "Iron-clad Xiangyang". In the late Southern Song Dynasty, the great hero Guo Jing relied on Xiangyang City to resist the Mongolian army for decades, and the Mongolian army could not advance a single step.

  From the Eastern Zhou to the present, from Emperor Yuan of Jin to the 12th year of the Yuan Dynasty, for about 2000 years, Xiangyang has been an important battlefield for heroes to compete with each other. The smoke of war has been lingering in its sky all the time.

  "Do you know what happened when all the heroes gathered at Wudang this time?"

  "Isn't this just about going to force Xie Yun and Tulong Dao to reveal their whereabouts?"

  "Not bad, I heard he is still the leader of Shaolin Temple."

  "What a pity, all ended in failure."

  "What? Defeated and sent packing? How is it possible that Shaolin Temple was so easily dismissed?"

  "Haha, you don't know this yet, but I heard that the secrets of the Heaven Reliant Sword and the Dragon Slaying Knife have already been made public. It's not worth risking offending the Wudang sect."

  "What? The secrets of the Heaven Reliant Sword and Dragon Slaying Knife have been revealed? How is that possible?"

  ......

  In the lobby of a tavern south of Xiangyang City, several tables of Jianghu figures were drinking and eating while discussing the situation in Jianghu, with a heroic atmosphere reminiscent of "drinking wine and talking about heroes".

  A young man sitting by the window, pouring a cup of clear wine from a teapot, took a sip with great interest. Then, his eyebrows furrowed slightly, apparently, he was not quite satisfied with the taste of the clear wine in the cup.

  "Hehe, I didn't expect the news from Wudang to spread so quickly in Jianghu." Song Qing Shu thought while sipping his wine, "But all of this is no longer my concern now. The top priority is to find the Sword Demon Valley hidden deep in the mountains."

  Looking out at the rolling waters of the Han River outside the window, Song Qing thought to himself, "I didn't think that even the easiest-to-reach Sword Demon Valley would be fraught with difficulties. It seems I've been thinking too simply about everything. If Sword Demon Valley were really that easy to find, it probably would have been famous throughout the jianghu by now. But who should I ask for information?"

  "Sir, your dish has arrived, please enjoy." Just then a voice interrupted Song Qing's thoughts.

  "Huh? No way." Song Qing Shu's hand, holding the wine cup, paused in mid-air. He stared at the shopkeeper in front of him, "Isn't this exactly the ideal person?"

  The mountains are heavy and the water is repeated, and there is no road; The willow is dark and the flower is bright, and there is another village.

  If there's anyone who knows the most news, Song Qing might not be one of them. However, living in an inn, he encounters countless people from all walks of life every day, so perhaps he would know.

  "Wait." Song Qing Shu hastily called out to stop the departing Xiao Er, "Xiao Er Ge slow down, I have something to ask you."

  "Oh, sir, what can I do for you? I'll tell you everything, and speak without reserve." The shop assistant said with a fawning smile.

  "Heh heh, I just wanted to ask if Little Brother knows that in the vicinity of Xiangyang City, there is a kind of venomous snake with a faint golden glow all over its body." Song Qing said calmly.

  "A poisonous snake that emits a faint golden light all over its body?" The shopkeeper pretended to be deep in thought, scratching his ears and cheeks, but his eyes were fixed straight on Song Qing.

  Song Qing Shu was taken aback at first, but then reacted and couldn't help but laugh foolishly. It seemed that giving tips wasn't just a modern thing. Song Qing Shu shook his head, took out a piece of silver from his pocket, and handed it to the waiter, saying "Is this enough?"

  "That's enough, that's enough." The shopkeeper patted the money with his hand, and immediately a smile spread across his face, his eyes narrowing into a slit. He carefully put the silver into his pocket and said, "You asked me the right question, sir."

  "Oh." Song Qingchu glanced at Xiao Er and remained noncommittal.

  "Sir, don't you believe me?" Seeing Song Qing didn't believe him, the young servant became anxious and said, "My family lives in the suburbs of Xiangyang City. My grandfather and father made a living by hunting. My grandfather told me about the poisonous snake that emits a faint golden light all over its body. However, this kind of poisonous snake is extremely venomous, so we didn't dare to eat it. That's why my grandfather stopped hunting it later."

  "Oh, it seems you really know. Song Qing's expression was nonchalant on the surface, but he was overjoyed in his heart, as if 'treading on iron shoes without searching for a place, and getting everything effortlessly'. It seemed to be just like that."

  "Alright, you've led me here, this is yours now." Song Qing said as he took out another silver coin from his pocket.

  "All right, all right, don't worry about it, sir." The shop assistant nodded and smiled obsequiously.

  It's really "money can make a ghost grind", fortunately, when Song Qing left Wudang Mountain, he brought enough silver with him for fear of any unexpected event, after all, "people in the rivers and lakes, body not by oneself". Otherwise, without silver, "wanting the horse to run fast and not eat grass" is not such a cheap thing. The matter of finding Sword Demon Valley may still have to stir up another wave.