Jianghu Demolition Squad

Martial Arts Competition Under The Heavens (Part Twelve)

“Yes, why do you ask?” Jie Qianchou waved at Yu’er. Yu’er passed by a few people and stood beside him.

Yu’er asked, “Master, why are you here?”

Jie Qianchou puffed out his beard and let out a light snort, “The World Martial Arts Competition is happening. If you can be here, why can’t your master?”

Yu’er noticed something strange in his words and, following his gaze, looked down at Qing Jiu from the stage.

Hua Lian bent down and whispered to Qing Jiu, “How did Jie Qianchou come to be here? And just at this time, you act as if you knew he would come.”

Qing Jiu said, “I asked him to come.”

Hua Lian was shocked, “What?! He’s so difficult to deal with, you gave him your wine recipe, and he still listens to you? How did you manage that?”

Qing Jiu rested her chin on her hand, a faint smile on her face, “It was quite simple. I just had Liu Xiu send him a letter, telling him that we were participating in the World Martial Arts Competition. As for his timely arrival… in fact, he’s actually late. Yesterday, Zhu Ji told me that Elder Jie had already set out more than ten days ago. I calculated the time based on his speed, and he should have arrived today at the latest.”

Hua Lian and the others, though skeptical of her smile, felt somewhat relieved by Jie Qianchou’s arrival. With him present, no one would dare trouble Yu’er further.

Yan Beili and Jun Lin, upon learning Yu’er was Jie Qianchou’s disciple, felt both relieved and conflicted, but managed to smile, “So you’re Elder Jie’s disciple. Forgive our rudeness.”

Jie Qianchou, not yet understanding the atmosphere of the situation, said, “She’s just a little girl. Both of you manor masters are old enough to be her father, no need for such formalities with her. In the future, she will still need your care.”

This was intended as polite formality, but after hearing Jie Qianchou’s words, Yan Beili and Jun Lin’s faces brightened with a tender and gentle affection, “Elder is right.”

Ren Qingkuang, upon hearing Jie Qianchou say that Yu’er was his disciple, had already withdrawn from the stage after some deliberation.

The elder from Wuwei Palace stared with wide eyes and said to Jie Qianchou, “Your disciple? How is she your disciple?!”

Jie Qianchou looked at him and laughed heartily, “Mobei? Is that you, boy? I haven’t seen you in a few years, and you’ve aged even faster than me.”

Jian Mobei’s face flushed red, and he retorted sharply, “Mind your own business!” Although martial arts cultivation can slow aging, Jian Mobei, still inferior to Jie Qianchou in skill, appeared about the same age despite being younger age.

Jie Qianchou patted Yu’er’s head and introduced her to him, “This is my disciple. I am of the same generation as your master, so this girl is also of your generation, consider her your junior sister. You should look after her in the future!”

Jian Mobei angrily said, “She’s clearly a disciple of my Wuwei Palace. How did she become your disciple?”

Jie Qianchou asked, “Since when did she become a disciple of your Wuwei Palace?”

Wan Chao, who had competed with Yu’er earlier, had not left yet and was still in the corner of the stage. Overhearing their conversation, he was unable to contain his anger and confronted Yu’er, “You’re not an external disciple of the Wuwei Palace, yet you fought under their name. Were you mocking me?!”

His outcry drew attention from both on and off the stage. Although the spectators did not like him, they internally felt it was inappropriate to falsely claim association with a sect. However, due to Jie Qianchou’s presence, no one dared to speak up.

Jie Qianchou glanced at this person and asked, “Who is this young man?”

Jian Mobei, being an elder, had been angry earlier due to Wan Chao’s disrespectful words. But since Yu’er had helped vent his frustration, he didn’t dwell on it. He succinctly explained the circumstances of Yu’er and Wan Chao’s duel.

Jie Qianchou smiled at Wan Chao, “My disciple is indeed an honorary disciple of the Wuwei Palace, so she wasn’t deceiving you. Young man, you’re quite arrogant. Being impulsive when you’re young isn’t entirely a bad thing, but you need to learn to restrain yourself. Don’t you agree?” Jie Qianchou didn’t ask about Yu’er’s background and directly spoke up for her. The crowd didn’t know the details, but seeing Jie Qianchou say this and that Yu’er could use the Wuwei Palace’s sword techniques, they believed that Yu’er was indeed an honorary disciple of the Wuwei Palace and felt relieved.

Jie Qianchou’s casual words seemed peaceful, but Wan Chao felt as if a thousand-jin boulder was pressing on his heart. Only now did he truly understand the prestige of the Four Sages, which was indeed not exaggerated.

Wan Chao trembled with fear, his body shaking uncontrollably. He didn’t dare to look directly into Jie Qianchou’s eyes and lowered his head, stuttering, “J-junior… This junior was rude. Elder, please forgive me…”

Jie Qianchou smiled and didn’t make things difficult for him. He waved his hand and said, “Go.”

Wan Chao stepped down from the martial arts stage with unsteady steps. Jie Qianchou put his arm around Yu’er’s shoulder and stepped off the stage, walking towards the seats of Qing Jiu and the others. “Come! Come! Girl, follow your master. It’s been a long time. Your master still has a lot to talk to you about.”

Jian Mobei and Abbot Kongming quickly followed, shouting, “Wait a moment. We still have things to discuss with this young lady!”

As soon as Jie Qianchou took Yu’er away, he left with Hua Lian and the others. Wuwei Palace and Shaolin Temple also followed suit.

Not long after, even the groups from Jile City, Jiuxiao Manor, and the Moonless Sect left one after another, leaving the area below the stage much quieter.

For a while, no one paid attention to the next round of the competition. Everyone looked in the direction where Jie Qianchou and his group had left, silently thinking, “So, the girl who seemed like a fairy is actually a disciple of Jie Qianchou, one of the Four Sages. It makes sense. Such an outstanding girl naturally has an extraordinary background! She must have been hidden away by Jie Qianchou and carefully taught, which is why her name is not heard in jianghu! Her esteemed status as a disciple of one of the Four Sages and an honorary disciple of the Wuwei Palace explains why Ren Qingkuang’s actions caused such alarm among the two manors, Shaolin Temple, and Wuwei Palace. Ren Qingkuang has always been unruly and does as he pleases. No one dares to provoke him. Who would have thought that this time, he kicked a hard rock?

Everyone discussed enthusiastically. Their interest in this young lady momentarily overshadowed the competition of the World Martial Arts Competition.

After Jie Qianchou’s group left, they were almost dragged by Jian Mobei into the courtyard where the Wuwei Palace was staying, and Abbot Kongming also followed them in without any reservations.

The group crowded into the room, making it seem a bit cramped. As a result, the juniors of Wuwei Palace and Hua Lian, Tang Linzhi, and the others stood outside.

Jie Qianchou was treated as the guest of honor. Although he was reluctant, the juniors served him tea, so he couldn’t leave right away.

On Jie Qianchou’s left stood Yu’er, Qing Jiu, Yan Li, and Qi Tianzhu. On his right was Jian Mobei, and beside Jian Mobei was Wei Ran, who was sitting in a wheelchair. Next to him was Abbot Kongming.

Jiang Ying brought tea from outside and poured a cup for each of the elders.

Jie Qianchou took a sip of the strong tea and let out a long sigh. He said, “If you have any questions, hurry up and ask. This old man still has things to discuss with his disciple.” His words implied, “If you have something to say, say it quickly. If not, leave.” He didn’t want to waste time and interfere with his conversation with his beloved disciple.

Jian Mobei let out a long sigh and said to Yu’er, “Miss, may I take a look at the sword in your hand?”

Abbot Kongming, holding his right hand, nodded slightly to Yu’er and asked, “Miss, may I take a look at the prayer beads in your hand?”

In fact, Yu’er had already guessed a few reasons why the Wuwei Palace and the Shaolin Temple had suddenly stepped forward to protect her. Although these two items were currently in her hands, they didn’t belong to her. Hearing Jian Mobei and Kongming’s words, she couldn’t help but look at Qing Jiu.

Seeing Yu’er not answering and looking elsewhere instead, the two men felt strange. Then they heard Qing Jiu say, “Yu’er, let the two elders take a look.”

Yu’er took off the prayer beads from her hand and handed them to abbot Kongming. She then gave the sword in her right hand to Jian Mobei.

Jian Mobei took the sword and examined it carefully. He drew out halfway out of its sheath and saw its cold, sharp light. He murmured, “It is indeed the Liangyi Sword, without a doubt.”

Abbot Kongming turned the prayer beads in his hand and said, “These are indeed the prayer beads that Venerable Kuyuan always carried with him. Miss, where did you get these?”

Yu’er replied, “They were a gift from someone else.”

Jian Mobei urged, “Could it be…”

Yu’er knew what he was going to say and shook her head. She turned to look at Qing Jiu.

Jian Mobei and Kongming immediately caught on to her gesture, simultaneously turning to Qing Jiu to inquire, “Could it be this young lady?”

Qing Jiu said, “The Liangyi Sword was a gift from Daoist Yiye, and the prayer beads were a gift from Venerable Kuyuan. The two of them are doing very well now, cultivating the Dao and meditating, living freely and at ease. You two don’t need to worry.”

Seeing the extraordinary relationship between Yu’er and Qing Jiu, and how Yu’er deferred to her in everything, Jian Mobei had a sudden realization. He excitedly said, “Was Miss Yu’er’s Taixu Sword Art also taught by this lady? Could it be that you, Miss, are the new disciple accepted by my master?!”

Although everyone in the Wuwei Palace knew that Daoist Yiye had secluded himself in the Canglong Mountains, the Canglong mountain range stretched for thousands of kilometers. No one knew the exact location of Yiye’s seclusion. Moreover, Daoist Yiye had specifically instructed that the disciples of the sect should not seek him out. Therefore, everyone did not dare to enter the mountains to search for him. As a result, they had no idea about Daoist Yiye’s circumstances and were unaware if he had taken in any new disciples. However, Jian Mobei, seeing that his master had given his personal sword to Qing Jiu, speculated that Daoist Yiye had accepted Qing Jiu as his disciple.

Abbot Kongming asked Qing Jiu again, “From what the lady said earlier, it seems that Venerable Kuyuan is together with Daoist Yiye. Venerable Kuyuan’s prayer beads rarely leave his body. I see that the lady has an extraordinary bearing. Could it be that Venerable Kuyuan has also enlightened you and accepted you as a lay disciple?” In the eyes of outsiders, it would be absurd for the Shaolin Temple to accept female disciples. However, in the Buddhist sect, only only karmic connections were emphasized. If there was a karmic connection, one would be accepted as a disciple regardless of gender.

Jie Qianchou clapped his hands and had a sudden realization. He exclaimed, “I thought there was something familiar about your martial arts. So, it turns out you’re a disciple of Yiye and Kuyuan. Humph! Truly, like master, like disciple; your clever and infuriating nature matches theirs exactly!”

Qing Jiu took the Liangyi Sword from Jian Mobei and put it away. After receiving the prayer beads, she gave them to Yu’er, “Yes, I taught Yu’er the Taixu Sword Art. However, this junior is not a disciple of the two martial arts sages.”

Jian Mobei couldn’t believe it, “How is that possible? If they hadn’t accepted you as a disciple, how could my master pass on the supreme sword technique of Wuwei Palace to you?!”

Qing Jiu smiled faintly, “This junior did not lie. The two elders merely provided guidance to this junior’s martial arts. If you call this junior a disciple of the two sages, it is undeserved. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Yan Li. She can testify for this junior.”

Hearing this name, the three people from Wuwei Palace couldn’t help but tremble.

Jian Mobei held his breath, his eyes fixed on Qing Jiu, and asked, “Young lady, you mean Li’er…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Yan Li had already walked over and knelt down in front of him. She lowered her head and called out in a trembling voice, “Shishu.”

Hearing that it was Yan Li’s voice, Jian Mobei exclaimed in delight, “It’s really you, Li’er.”

He quickly helped her to her feet. Initially taken aback by her changed appearance, he soon realized it was Li’er who had altered her looks. Seeing the white streaks in her hair, his eyes moistened with tears of relief, but he was comforted by the fact that she was alive and well, exclaiming, “Good! Good! As long as you’re safe!”

Yan Li felt both guilty and sorrowful, her heart aching. She said tearfully, “This unfilial disciple has only come to pay respects to Shishu now, causing Shishu to worry so much. This disciple is unfilial…”

As they were speaking, Jiang Ying, one of the Four Auspicious Beasts, could no longer contain her joy. Disregarding the presence of numerous elders, she rushed forward and hugged Yan Li, calling out, “Senior Sister, you’re alright! You’re still alive!”

Hearing her sobbing and hugging herself tightly, as if afraid that she was an illusion, Yan Li thought of Mo Chenggui’s passing. He had died without being able to see him one last time, making her heart even more painful. She gently patted Jiang Ying’s back, “I’m sorry, Senior Sister came back late. I should have come to see you all sooner. I’m sorry…”

Wei Ran, sitting in his wheelchair, appeared much calmer compared to the two women. However, this was only on the surface. Yu’er glanced at him and saw his hand resting on the wheelchair, trembling and pushing up a few times, as if he wanted to stand up. In the end, there was no movement. He withdrew his hand and clasped his hands together to suppress the trembling.

Wei Ran said, “Junior Sister.”

Yan Li replied, “Senior Brother.”

Wei Ran gave a comforting smile, just like in the past. When she returned from the mountain, he would stand at the mountain gate to welcome her. For a moment, Yan Li felt as if she was back in her youth. When she came back to her senses, she felt that things had changed, and people were no longer the same. She couldn’t help it, and two clear tears slid down her face.

Wei Ran said gently, “It’s good that you’re back.”