Volume 1 Chapter 6: The Secret of Dragon Mountain

  The art of Dou Di has been passed down since ancient times, with its own unique system and different styles in the east, south, north, and west. The earliest practitioners of Dou Di were called "Dou Ye" in the north and "Chuang Ke" in the south, and later there was also a saying that "the north steals culture, while the south steals martial arts."

  But as for Yunnan's begging and swindling circles, they have always been dominated by southerners, with the exception of the "sand washers" from Changsha and Shaanxi who occasionally pass through. The rest are local artisans from Yunnan itself. These people often act alone, sometimes forming partnerships, but after many years, they also split into different factions.

  Among them, the most brilliant one was "Longshan" in those days. Longshan was originally formed by a group of bandits who occupied the mountains and worshipped Wu Sangui, the Ming Chongzhen Liaodong General and Qing Pingxi King. When Wu Sangui lost the war, some of his remaining troops escaped into the deep mountains, became bandits, and after a hundred years, gradually turned into artisans who fought with their hands.

  During the heyday of Longshan, it was divided into "Three Mountains and Five Ridges", with twelve sub-halls under its jurisdiction. The three mountains were "Dragon Head Mountain" for the first master, "Transmission Mountain" for the second master, and "Guoliao Mountain" for the third master; The five ridges were "Liu Ke Ridge", "Yuanbao Ridge", "Duanxiang Ridge", "Zhegu Ridge", and "Jiukou Ridge", which were the most powerful five subordinates under the three mountains. These five people also led the twelve sub-halls below, with about a dozen or so people in each sub-hall.

  Later, due to various reasons, Longshan gradually declined, until the end of the 1940s, with only about twenty people left.

  My ancestors were originally from Hebei, and for generations, we have been orthodox "wen dao" practitioners. I've been involved in this line of work for many years. Later, we moved to Yunnan, and my grandfather joined the Dragon Mountain sect. At that time, Dragon Mountain had already declined for many years, and it was on the verge of disbanding when my grandfather joined. When our family first arrived, the most important thing was to establish a foothold. After finally finding refuge in Dragon Mountain, how could we just sit back and watch it perish?

  My grandfather, Long Hao, was a man who could conquer tigers on mountains and dragons in the sea. He had a rough appearance but was meticulous in his thinking. After deciding to revive Dragon Mountain, he spent several years studying and combining the northern and southern schools of martial arts, using Wen Dao's yin-yang techniques to complement Wu Dao's clever strategies. Over the years, they successfully toppled many "Dragon Towers" and gathered a group of loyal and brave heroes.

  However, my grandfather was always an outsider. Although he made great contributions to the revival of Longshan, he could not become the master and only got a secondary title "Transmitting Mountain" for the mountain name. Later, people in the industry called him "Second Master of Longshan".

  Longshan's Second Master had three trusted subordinates, namely "Water on the Fly" Yang Luo, "One Knife" Liu Tianhe, and "Divine Calculator" Mao Sandou. These three were notorious for their ruthlessness on the road, with a reputation that struck fear into people's hearts. The Second Master repeatedly advised them to conduct themselves with benevolence and righteousness while traveling through Jianghu, warning them not to recklessly cause trouble. However, the three men were unable to change their nature, and later Mao Sandou crippled someone in a fit of rage during an argument.

  Second Master was furious when he learned of this, resenting that they did not listen to his advice. He knew that the three men under him were arrogant and reckless because they followed him, and would eventually die a wrongful death. Only by losing their reliance on him could they survive in the long run. Therefore, he first expelled his most troublesome subordinate, "Divine Mathematician" Mao San Dou, from Dragon Gate "Transmission Mountain".

  Mao Sandou originally still held a grudge against Er Ye for driving him out of Longmen, but later heard that Er Ye's other two subordinates were both imprisoned due to the murder case and had eaten "peanuts", only then did he understand Er Ye's good intentions. He wanted to return to Er Ye's side again to show his remorse, but Er Ye was no longer willing to see him.

  He thought he had nothing to do with the Second Master for the rest of his life, but one day the Second Master took the initiative to find him. The Second Master said that nowadays the petty people in Longshan are in power, wanting to frame him into injustice, and it's likely that the lifespan of Longshan is coming to an end, and he himself won't live for much longer either. Now the only thing that makes him uneasy is his only son, Long Hao.

  Longhao is also my father. When my father was 20 years old, he was fearless and reckless. Second Master worried that after he passed away, my father would inevitably be ruined by his youthful arrogance. Although he had inherited the position of "Chuanhao Mountain" from Second Master, after Longshan split up, he would surely lose to the Qi family.

  Only with the ruthless means and hidden heart of Mao Sandou re-joining "Chuanhao Mountain" can he help Long Hao avoid this difficulty and solidify the foundation of the Long family. Otherwise, Yunnan will no longer be a long-term place for the Long family from now on.

  Mao Sandou often caused trouble for Er Ye in the past, and later even provoked Er Ye to anger, expelling him from the mountain gate. However, it was unexpected that after many years, the person Er Ye trusted and relied on the most was still him. He deeply felt Er Ye's great kindness, immediately knelt down and kowtowed, making a poisonous oath, vowing to protect the foundation of the Long family even if he had to risk his life.

  Before long, Longshan indeed split up, and the various mountain gates vied with each other openly and secretly. The second master was eventually killed by a villain's secret plot. Not only that, but Long Hao also fell into danger many times. Fortunately, Mao San had been hiding his light for many years and re-emerged to help Long Hao successfully eliminate the dissidents and escape from the chaotic Longshan with more than a dozen loyal subordinates who were known as "Tuanhao Mountain", stabilizing the foundation of the Long family.

  After "Chuanhao Mountain" was consolidated, Mao Sandou was also exhausted and old, so he asked Long Hao to expel him from the mountain gate again, and then retreat, feeling that the second master had ended his life in the countryside, no longer asking about worldly affairs.

  Although Longhao was reluctant, Mao Sandou's mind had been made up, and he was also his uncle, so he could only follow suit, expelling Mao Sandou from "Chuanhao Mountain" once again, allowing him to live out the rest of his life without any worries.

  I and Youzi were shocked and amazed after hearing Mao Sandou's story. My father had been teaching me martial arts since I was a child, and he was very strict with me. He passed away when I was nine years old, entrusting me to Liu Shu before his death, leaving behind a book called "Wang Feng Mi Long Shu" and a hook called "Kunlun Gou", both of which were heirlooms. I only knew that they had been passed down from my ancestors, but he never told me about the past, perhaps because I was still young at that time.

  Youzi only knew that Mao Sandou was a former member of Longshan's second master, but was later expelled by my father. He didn't know about this secret matter, and the two of us just stared at each other, not knowing what to say.

  He let out a sigh and looked at me again, saying: "Since you are a friend of the deceased, I should pay my respects."

  He said that and then bowed to me, I was at a loss, thinking this must be an old-fashioned courtesy, so I also learned from his example and raised my fist in response. He was obviously much more enthusiastic now, and asked me: "How have you been lately, Xiao Er?"

  I knew he was asking about my father, so I pretended to smile and nod, knowing that at his age, it wasn't necessary to tell him about my father's affairs, lest he think it was caused by his departure from "Chuanhao Mountain", which would only increase the pain. So I changed the subject and said: "Mao Lao, since you're not an outsider, forgive me for being presumptuous, but can I ask you about the whereabouts of 'Xue Yan'?"

  Mao Sandou's face fell again, and Youzi knew his concerns, so he added: "Don't worry, sir. We don't have any malicious intentions towards 'Blood Swallow'. We just want to know what happened to the people who were with him."

  He paused for a moment and added: "And what's said today will only come out of your mouth, go into our ears, and won't be told to anyone else."

  "Ah, well. Sigh... my younger brother is good in every way, but his greed I do not condone. When we were young, we used to be thieves, stealing from rooftops and walls, exchanging heaven and earth. Although we were poor and down on our luck, those days were truly carefree. Unfortunately, later on, his ** grew more and more prosperous, and he started getting involved in murder and robbery. That's when I parted ways with him. However, over the years, he still showed great respect for me as his older brother and would often come visit me. Recently, I've been aware of the things he's been doing, and that 'black button' is not a trivial matter. I've warned him multiple times to be careful, but unexpectedly, he was still taken advantage of by those people. Now, rumors are circulating on the streets that they want to kill him. Lately, I've been keeping a low profile, rarely meeting with him."

  "You furrowed your brow: 'So... you don't know his whereabouts now either?'"

  Mao Sandou fell silent for a moment, then slowly spoke out three words: "Wu Wang Mu..."

  His meaning couldn't be clearer, "Blood Swallow" and "Black Button" would probably go to the Witch King's tomb next. I and Youzi got the news, and it wasn't good to disturb him again. Seeing his late years in poverty, we forced some money on him and bid farewell.

  When leaving, Yóu Zǐ's face looked very unsightly. I also knew what he was thinking and asked: "You say, what is the purpose of those people? Their actions this time are obviously not just stealing cultural relics. Since they went to the Wū Wáng Mù (Shaman King's Tomb), there must be a bigger hidden situation inside."

  Youzi also nodded and said, "I vaguely feel that there may be some secrets in the tomb of the Witch King. Since it is a relic of the Ya Shen tribe, we must not stand by and do nothing. Moreover, my friend just sent me a message, and the cultural relics they stole are the Jiao Jiao Jin Hao."

  After a brief discussion, we decided to follow and visit the Witch King's Tomb. So we went back to pack up and then took a car to Tengchong.

  Youzi this time also brought a partner under his uncle, named Aixia, who looks very clever, and according to Youzi, Aixia is quite skilled and straightforward, making her a great partner.

  Recently, the theft of cultural relics has caused a stir, so we also dare not to be too blatant, disguising ourselves as tourists and sneaking into the mountains near the ruins from another route to head to the location of the Witch King's tomb.

  The mountains were densely forested, with shrubs growing everywhere, and the three of us had to push through thorns and brambles as we walked, making progress extremely difficult. After crossing a mountain valley, I picked up my binoculars to observe the terrain ahead. All I saw was another vertical cliff face in front of me, stretching out endlessly on both sides, with no discernible route for climbing up. The clouds and mist swirled around us, growing thicker as we ascended, blocked by the massive mountain and gathering together.

  Youzi looked at it and frowned, saying that his mother had turned around this time, the direction of Wu Wang's tomb was definitely in front, but he didn't know how far away it was.

  Ai Xia patted her chest and said: "Don't worry, Oil Sub brother, this road is definitely the closest."

  This was exactly the route led by Ai Xia, who was very familiar with the mountainous terrain of Yunnan. Youzi stopped complaining after hearing her say so, and the three set off again, passing through a forest and arriving at the foot of the cliff.

  I recalled the experience in the three-eyed god's tomb, and the red light that shot out of the stone statue's eyes. I couldn't help but feel a little intimidated by this witch king's tomb, but since we've already come this far, there's nothing to do but take it one step at a time. If things really don't work out, then we can retreat and regroup later.

  There was a rough topographic map in Youzi's hand, which was painted by a hunter living in the deep mountains for money. At that time, we took the map and rushed on the road without asking in detail. Now looking at it again, I found that the terrain here is roughly the same as what the hunter painted. According to the map, Aixia analyzed that there are two roads to the tomb of the Witch King. The first one is to go around this mountain wall to the left, but that road is too easy to be discovered and it's not the nearest one either. We took the second route, which directly crosses over this mountain wall.

  However, at this moment, standing in front of the mountain wall, the three people realized that what they had thought before was really too beautiful. This mountain wall is not so easy to climb. We stand at the foot of the mountain and look up, seeing that the sky is steep and unparalleled, the stone wall is smooth and flat, with few footholds, even if we use flying tiger claws and other tools to climb the mountain, it will take a lot of effort, and it's bound to be extremely dangerous.

  However, since they had come this far, the three of them didn't want to take a detour again, so they decided to rest for a while and then start climbing. So we walked straight along the mountain wall, looking for a flat place, but suddenly heard the sound of gurgling water coming from ahead.

  Ai Xia walked in the front, she parted a person-high shrubbery, then turned back to us and said that there was a river ahead, where there were flat small stone beaches, we could rest there temporarily. So we passed through the shrubbery and arrived at the riverside.

  I was just about to put down my backpack and take a rest when I suddenly caught sight of someone lying in the shallow waters downstream. We looked at each other, both feeling puzzled, so we walked closer to take a look, only to find that this person was actually a policeman.

  The policeman was a man of about thirty, wearing a deep blue uniform with a gun holster at his waist. He had apparently fallen here while on patrol, but the holster was now empty and the pistol was gone.

  Ai Xia went forward to check his breathing, turned around and told us that he was still alive. I exchanged a glance with You Zi, although we were worried in our hearts, but after all, we couldn't just stand by and do nothing, so we lifted him onto the shore and started treating him.

  I saw his face was pale, and thought he had been poisoned. I took his pulse instead, but found that although his pulse was weak, it wasn't due to poisoning. Oil son reacted quickly, immediately flipping open his eyelids. I leaned forward to take a look, and saw a horizontal line of blood in his eyes, and both eyes had it.

  Everyone understood the situation at this point, and the policeman was neither poisoned nor injured, but had been bewitched.

  Yóu zǐ felt very strange, so he turned out the police officer's ID card and found that his direct unit was actually the Municipal Public Security Bureau, and his identity was the captain of the Criminal Police Brigade, named Li Xiang. At this moment, we are all a little confused, not knowing why Officer Li Xiang would come here alone, and why he would be affected by the Gu insect technique.

  However, doubts remain as doubts. People still need to be rescued. Youzi and Aixia are not good at treating Gu, they stare at each other, and finally look at me together. I shook my head and said: "I understand Gu, but I don't know much about it. If Uncle Liu were here, it would be better."

  Yóu zǐ shuō: "Fǎnzhèng shì shì yòu bù huā qián, zánmen xiàn zài yě zhǐ néng sǐ mǎ dàng huó mǎ yī le, rú guǒ zhì dé hǎo, nà jiù suàn shì tā de zào huà, rú guǒ zhì bù hǎo, nà zánmen yě méi bàn fǎ bù shì?"

  Ai Xia also urged me: "You see this police now has more output and less input, hurry up."

  Although I was helpless, I had to force myself to help Li Xiang cure the gu. After roughly examining his symptoms and thinking about the method Liu Shu had told me before, I began to let Ai Xia go find things to rescue people.