The next day, a light drizzle brought a bit of coolness to the midsummer. The uneven mountains in Wuzhou also showed a beauty like ink wash painting amidst the clouds and mist.
Near the mountain road not far from Tiehe Villa, three horses stopped in the forest. The bird stood on the treetop, looking around and keeping watch. It had a green leaf on its head, seemingly trying to avoid the rain. However, its body was too round to hide, so it could only serve as a psychological comfort.
Under the big tree, Luo Ning opened an oil-paper umbrella and held it over Yejingtang's head.
Pei Xiangjun stood behind and draped a robe over Yejingtang's shoulders, helping him change his clothes while saying softly:
"We've checked on Bai Siming three times with different identities. If Bai Siming still can't tell, there must be something wrong with his eyesight."
Yejingtang stood between the two women in a rather intimate stance and said with a smile:
"We're not sure if Bai Siming is in Tiehe Villa. Using the identity of the Black Yamen to go there will alert the enemy, and using the identity of the Pingtian Sect is not reasonable. So we can only do it this way. Later, we'll first let your bird scout out the situation. If we can't find Bai Siming, we'll show ourselves."
Pei Xiangjun sighed and then turned to look at Luo Ning standing beside her:
"If something goes wrong when we get to Tiehe Villa, there will definitely be a fight. Since we have some time now, aren't you going to 'nourish' Jingtang?"
Luo Ning frowned slightly and motioned to the surrounding forest: "It's raining in the wilderness. How can I 'nourish' him?"
Pei Xiangjun snorted softly. Remembering the experience of listening at the door yesterday, she said with a strange look in her eyes:
"You don't have to lie down. I'll hold the umbrella for you. You just let Jingtang hold you. You knew how to do it in the inn yesterday."
?
As someone who had "been there," Luo Ning naturally understood what posture Sanniang was talking about —— She would hug the little rascal's neck face to face, and the little rascal would hold the back of her knees, and then...
Luo Ning's face visibly turned a bit red. Feeling embarrassed and not knowing how to respond, she raised her hand to hit Sanniang.
"Alright, let's focus on the main thing first. We can 'nourish' him after we're done."
Yejingtang held Luo Ning's hand and stopped the two who were about to start arguing. After changing their outfits, they stealthily made their way towards Wuming Mountain from the wilderness.
With the several hero invitation posts sent out by Tiehe Villa, the leaders of the Twelve Gates of Wuzhou, under the deterrence of Guan Yujia, had successively arrived today.
Yejingtang galloped silently in the drizzle. In just a short while, he came to the stone mountain road around Wuming Mountain. He could see that there were many carriages and horses parked at the foot of the mountain below, and some disciples were walking outside the huge villa.
Although there were some "filler" sects like Xuantang Hall among the leaders of the Twelve Gates, most of them had considerable strength. It was risky for Yejingtang to sneak in rashly. Therefore, he only brought Sanniang and Luo Ning to hide near the villa and let the bird, which had seen Bai Siming, act as a scout to investigate inside the villa.
As a result, after nearly half an hour of investigation, the bird didn't find Bai Siming's trace among the houses. Instead, Pei Xiangjun, who was staking out outside the villa, discovered several familiar figures coming at the foot of the mountain.
"Guang Hanlin... Why is Yang Guan here too?"
In the mountains, Pei Xiangjun used a telescope to look towards the foot of the mountain, with a puzzled look in her eyes.
Yejingtang turned to look and indeed found the Three Absolute Immortal Elder Guang Hanlin, whom he had met once at Shuiyun Sword Lake, getting off the carriage at the foot of the mountain. There were more than a dozen disciples of the Three Absolute Valley around him, and the unlucky Yang Guan was among them.
"It seems that Bai Siming isn't in Tiehe Villa. If I go there and reveal my identity directly, it will easily arouse suspicion in Tiehe Villa. It would be just right to have an acquaintance introduce me."
After observing the situation for a few moments, Yejingtang asked the bird to pay attention to any movement in the air, and Luo Ning to hide in the dark and provide support. Then he and Sanniang quickly left the surveillance area, retrieved their horses, and galloped towards the foot of the mountain...
——
As the sky gradually darkened, a carriage stopped at the intersection at the foot of the mountain leading to Tiehe Villa. More than a dozen martial artists carrying sabers stood solemnly in the rain around it.
The white-haired Three Absolute Immortal Elder Guang Hanlin, supported by his disciple, got off the carriage. He raised his eyes and looked at the huge villa on the mountainside, with an obvious look of worry in his eyes.
Guan Yujia had sent out successive hero invitation posts urging the Twelve Gates to come to the banquet. With Guang Hanlin's experience in the Jianghu, he could guess that if this meal wasn't handled well, there was a high probability that he would end up in trouble.
However, in the Jianghu, people speak with their fists. Tiehe Villa has enough strength, and it hasn't fallen yet. If he doesn't respond to the two invitation posts, the third one might be Guan Yujia coming to his door in person. Guang Hanlin knew that this trip was dangerous, but he still had to show up out of courtesy.
As a registered disciple, Yang Guan was diligently leading the horse in front. Seeing that his master had a worried expression, he said:
"I've already sent someone to rush the three hundred-year-old ginseng to the capital at top speed. When Young Master Ye receives it, even if he can't help, he should give a reply..."
Guang Hanlin sighed: "Distant water can't put out a nearby fire. Even if that Lord Ye you know can offer help and clear the Three Absolute Valley of any involvement in the rebellion of the Prince of Wu, it will be a matter for the future. We still can't get past this current crisis..."
Clip-clop, clip-clop——
While they were talking, the sound of rapid hooves came from behind the horse team.
Guang Hanlin turned to look towards the end of the road and saw two fast horses galloping towards them. In the lead was a man wearing a coir raincoat and a bamboo hat. A long weapon wrapped in black cloth was hung on the side of his horse. He was quite tall and galloped in the light rain with a rather imposing manner.
Guang Hanlin had been rooted in Wuzhou for many years and had heard of all the heroes in Wuzhou's Jianghu. He could tell that the person coming wasn't an ordinary Jianghu ranger, but he couldn't recognize who it was. Just as he was wondering, he suddenly heard the masked man who was galloping towards them speak first:
"It's actually Elder Guang. I'm Ye Silang. We met at Shuiyun Sword Lake last month. Due to being occupied by trivial matters, I wasn't able to come forward and pay my respects. Please forgive me, Elder Guang."
Ye Silang?
When Guang Hanlin heard this name, a look of surprise and doubt appeared in his eyes. He quickly stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting:
"So it's Young Hero Ye. I was just wondering which young man was so heroic... Why have you come to Wuzhou, Young Hero Ye?"
Because he saw Yang Guan nearby, Yejingtang deliberately lowered his voice, dismounted the horse, and returned the greeting:
"Recently, the situation in Wuzhou is uncertain. The elders of Xuantang Hall asked me to come here to gain some experience and also to get to know the seniors in Wuzhou's Jianghu. I just happened to meet Elder Guang. Please kindly introduce me to others."
When Guang Hanlin heard this, he suddenly understood —— Guan Shengxing didn't have much influence among the Twelve Gates of Wuzhou. It was reasonable to invite someone from the main headquarters to support the scene at such a critical moment.
Although Honghua Tower was far from its heyday, the structure of its Twelve Halls was still there. Even after falling from being a top-class powerful family, its scale was still much larger than any sect in Wuzhou.
Since "Ye Silang" emerged and caused a stir at Shuiyun Sword Lake, it now shows signs of revival. As the leader of Wuzhou's Jianghu, Guan Yujia might not take the people from the Twelve Gates seriously, but for a renowned sect like Honghua Tower, he would probably still give some face.
Guang Hanlin was just worried about how to get through this crisis at Tiehe Villa. Now that someone who could support the scene had come, he was naturally delighted. He raised his eyes and looked at the masked woman behind:
"Did Young Hero Ye only bring one person with you?"
"Uncle Guan and the others are doing business in the county town. I came here first to take a look. Please go ahead, Elder Guang."
"Hehe, Young Hero Ye's great battle at Shuiyun Sword Lake made him famous all over the Jianghu. The Jianghu friends in Wuzhou didn't believe in Young Hero Ye. When they see you today, they will surely be impressed..."
"You flatter me, Elder Guang."
Yejingtang didn't say much. After confirming with a glance that Luo Ning was in position on the retreat route, he took Sanniang and went up the mountain together with Guang Hanlin.
As for Yang Guan, who was looking after the carriage beside the carriage, he had been slashed by Yejingtang and also saved by him. You could say they had a relationship of "loving and hating each other." Seeing "Ye Silang" chatting and laughing with his master, he really had a sense of deja vu.
However, in such an occasion, Yang Guan didn't have the qualification to go up and call him brother. He just silently watched his master leave...
——
Tiehe Villa was located on the halfway up the mountain. People with disciples would come every once in a while and be welcomed into the villa by the disciples of Tiehe Villa.
In the central area of the villa, the leaders of the Twelve Gates who had arrived earlier had already taken their seats in the Renyi Hall, drinking tea and chatting, waiting for the dinner to begin.
In a tea room at the back of the villa, Guan Yujia, dressed in a brocade robe, was leaning against the tea table, slowly twirling a string of beads in his hand.
Opposite the tea table, a pharmacist under the Prince of Wu was saying softly:
"The prepared tea leaves have already been added with the strange poison 'Dark Fragrance Eroding Bones' prepared by Master Wang. It's colorless and odorless, and it's impossible for a master to detect it. Those who are poisoned will gradually have their muscles and bones stiffen and their bones crack. There are probably only a handful of people in the world who can detoxify this poison..."
Guan Yujia was just over forty years old. He had single-handedly risen from a street boxer to the position of the leader of Wuzhou. His story was also a legend in the Jianghu. He was just one or two steps away from reaching the peak in the realm of boxing and kicking.
However, the conditions for practicing martial arts are extremely harsh. The higher one goes, the more difficult each step forward becomes. And when it comes to the level of a Martial Champion, the gap between each step directly becomes an insurmountable chasm.
After all, the martial artists who can reach this level have no less understanding, effort, and even luck than others. What they can compete with each other is only something innate like talent that can't be changed later.
Guan Yujia's talent and understanding are no worse than Liu Qiansheng's, but he suffered from starting to practice martial arts in a martial arts hall at the age of eleven or twelve. His master was just the owner of a street martial arts hall. Although he knew that Guan Yujia was a good seedling, due to limited knowledge, the way of laying the foundation wasn't meticulous. He only knew the hard practice of "training in the coldest days of winter and the hottest days of summer," and expensive consumables like medicinal baths were saved whenever possible.
Guan Yujia indeed developed excellent martial arts skills, but he practiced too hard in his childhood and didn't pay attention to protection. After his body grew and took shape, there were some flaws left in his muscles, bones, and meridians.
These flaws have a minimal impact on his martial arts skills, but they can't be removed. This defect has caused Guan Yujia, no matter how hard he tries later, he can't achieve the effect of "harmony between man and nature."
If he can't reach this level, he doesn't even have the qualification to challenge a Martial Champion because "harmony between man and nature" is the threshold for a Martial Champion. If he can't achieve it, he can't hide the internal qi in his body. Before he even makes a move with his fists and feet, the current Martial Champions can already sense it. He can only win if the Martial Champion deliberately lets him win.
Guan Yujia has already reached this stage but is blocked by these slight flaws in his body. The unwillingness in his heart can't be understood by outsiders at all.
Therefore, after hearing that the Prince of Wu could research a medicine that could "transform one's body," Guan Yujia, with the mentality of "treating a dead horse as a living horse," spared no effort to help the Prince of Wu with his affairs.
And now, the magical medicine that the Prince of Wu mentioned was already in front of him.
On the tea table, there was also a small sandalwood box. When the box was opened, there was a snow-white pill inside, faintly exuding a medicinal fragrance.
Although Guan Yujia said he didn't believe it, deep down, he hoped that this medicine could have the miraculous effect of transforming his body. He picked up the medicine box and examined it carefully:
"Is this the Tianlang Pearl?"
The pharmacist explained with a smile: "This is a replica. The key medicinal materials such as the Snow Lake Flower have been replaced with substitutes. Although it can also expand the meridians of a person in a short time, the medicinal effect is far from that of the original. So it is temporarily named the 'Daliang Pearl'."
"Daliang Pearl..."
Guan Yujia felt that this lame joke wasn't interesting and then asked:
"This is such a big bead. If we want the person testing the medicine to take it, we have to subdue them first..."
"This medicine can penetrate the skin upon contact and doesn't need to be taken orally. Lord Guan, you just need to hide this medicine in your sleeve and isolate it with leather. If you find a suitable person to test the medicine, just give a direct palm strike. The medicinal liquid inside the bead will splash onto their body, and the person testing the medicine will be poisoned..."
Just as Guan Yujia was carefully listening to the usage method, footsteps suddenly sounded outside the secret room. A disciple ran to the door and reported:
"Master, the Three Absolute Immortal Elder has come, and beside him is Ye Silang from Honghua Tower."
"Ye Silang?"
Guan Yujia was a bit puzzled when he suddenly heard this name. But then he thought that Guan Shengxing didn't hold any real power, and it wasn't surprising to invite someone from the main headquarters to support the scene at this time.
At the birthday banquet of the Elder Zhou last month, although Guan Yujia didn't attend, he had heard of the name Ye Silang from the Jianghu people who came back. Judging from his combat achievements, he was stronger than Jian Yuhua and probably could have a good fight with Xiao Shicheng.
Being so powerful at a young age, he must have been carefully conditioned since childhood, and his physical quality might not be much worse than his. Having just emerged in the Jianghu in his twenties, his will to survive must be stronger than that of old men like the Three Absolute Immortal Elder who have lived enough. If he were used to test the medicine...
Thinking of this, Guan Yujia's heart stirred, and he felt that this move was very promising.
Ye Silang had the standard appearance of an Eight Champions candidate, with excellent martial arts skills and was in his prime. If even such a Jianghu prodigy couldn't withstand the potency of the "Daliang Pearl," even if this medicine was real, he probably wouldn't dare to take it.
Moreover, last month, Ye Silang was kicked off the stage when he fought against a Jianghu junior like Jian Yuhua. His martial arts skills were at most twenty percent stronger than Jian Yuhua's.
If Ye Silang used this medicine and his meridians were indeed expanded in a short time and his combat power soared, he would at most be on par with Huang Yulong. Guan Yujia was confident that he could knock him down with three punches...
Guan Yujia estimated in his heart and felt that using Ye Silang to test the medicine was indeed within his control. So he quickly got up and went out the door.
——
The light rain continued to fall.
In the magnificent Renyi Hall, there were several armchairs on the left and right. Seven or eight sect leaders were seated among them, with tea by their sides. They seemed to be chatting and laughing, but there was a hint of uneasiness in their eyes. They would occasionally look towards the back of the hall, waiting for Guan Yujia to appear.
Just as everyone was feeling uneasy, there was a commotion outside the hall. When they turned to look, they saw another group of people coming. The Three Absolute Immortal Elder Guang Hanlin was among them, talking to the hospitality manager of Tiehe Villa.
There was also a man with a black scarf covering his face, accompanied by a masked maid carrying a spear. He looked very unfamiliar.
At the same time that this group of people appeared, Guan Yujia, dressed in a brocade robe, led more than a dozen disciples and strode out from the back of the hall. He cupped his hands from a distance and said:
"Elder Guang, I'm sorry for not welcoming you. Please forgive me."
Guang Hanlin led his