Xiao Ning then asked, "Tell me about the situation at the Prince of Ruyang's residence!"
Lu Zhangke steeled his heart and then told everything he knew. Now that he was a prisoner, he naturally had little integrity in order to avoid further suffering. Moreover, he was not exactly loyal to the Prince of Ruyang; the two were merely using each other.
Through Lu Zhangke's words, Zhang Sanfeng and the others learned some general information about the Ruyang Prince's Mansion.
The Prince of Ruyang, named Chahantemur, had a son and a daughter. His son was given the Han name Wang Baobao, and his daughter was named Zhao Min. He had countless retainers and a gathering of experts.
Among them, the Xuanming Elders were the most skilled in martial arts, followed by A'da, A'er, A'san, Gangxiang, Ku Toutuo, and the Eight Heroes of Divine Arrows.
According to Lu Zhangke, A'er, A'san, and Gangxiang were disciples of the Vajra Sect of the Western Regions, while A'da and Ku Toutuo had unknown origins.
The Prince of Ruyang was the Grand Marshal of the Army, wielding immense power and responsible for suppressing the Han Chinese uprisings in the Central Plains. He had killed countless people, and his hands were stained with the blood of the Han people.
After asking the questions, Lu Zhangke said, "I've said everything I needed to say, now you should let me go, right?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ning's mind stirred, and with a flick of his finger, a scorching stream of Nine Yang True Qi shot out, piercing through Lu Zhangke's dantian with lightning speed, directly crippling his martial arts.
"ah!"
A piercing scream rang out from Lu Zhangke.
"Today is my senior brother's 100th birthday. Killing is inauspicious, so I am merciful and will spare your dog's life!"
Xiao Ning then said, "However, you may be spared the death penalty, but you cannot escape punishment! I will cripple your martial arts to prevent you from committing further evil deeds in the future!"
………………
The events that occurred at the 100th birthday celebration of Zhang Sanfeng, the founder of the Wudang School, spread throughout the country after hundreds of people from various schools and sects returned home.
Only then did the world realize that Master Zhang of the Wudang Sect actually had a junior brother who, despite his young age, possessed extraordinary martial arts skills, seemingly a legendary figure in the martial arts world.
Three of the four great monks of Shaolin Temple fought against Zhang Zhenren's junior brother on Wudang Mountain, but they were no match for him. They were beaten until they vomited blood and fell to the ground. If it weren't for the great mercy of this Master Xiao, Shaolin Temple would probably have had to change abbots.
The rumors spread wider and wider, and became increasingly outrageous.
Later, the story spread that Master Xiao of the Wudang School merely glanced coldly at the three great monks of Shaolin, and they were severely injured.
Xiao Ning's background is a topic of much discussion among people in the martial arts world.
Some say he cultivated on Wudang Mountain since childhood, but never appeared in the eyes of the world;
Some say he is a celestial being reincarnated and descended to earth, born with such terrifying cultivation;
Some people even claimed with certainty that he was just a Taoist priest who worked in the fire industry on Mount Wudang, and that he only had such unfathomable cultivation after receiving the inheritance of the True Martial Emperor.
Various opinions have emerged, creating quite a stir.
…
The Han River is the largest tributary of the Yangtze River. It was known in ancient times as the Mian River or Yang River. It has supported hundreds of thousands of fishing families along the banks of the river for more than 3,000 miles.
On the banks of the Han River, in a small town outside Xiangyang, a restaurant was packed with guests, most of whom were swordsmen and knives. Most of them were independent cultivators who lived a life of constant danger, never knowing tomorrow.
At this moment, three guests sat around a table to the south, drinking heavily and chatting idly.
They all had weapons hanging from their waists, clearly indicating they were also members of the martial arts world.
A young man said, "A while ago, the old immortal of Wudang celebrated his 100th birthday. Many heroes in the martial arts world gave him face and went to offer their congratulations. I heard there were no fewer than a thousand people."
Another man, who was blind in one eye, said, "Of course! The Wudang Sect has been thriving in recent years. Who doesn't know the name of the Seven Heroes of Wudang?"
"The old immortal has lived for over a hundred years and is known as the number one master in the world. When he celebrates his birthday, who in the martial arts world dares to disrespect him?"
"Although the old immortal has not made a move for decades, the Seven Heroes of Wudang are renowned throughout the world. If the disciples are already so powerful, the master's skills are beyond description. The heroes of the major sects will definitely give the old immortal face and come up the mountain to celebrate his birthday."
The last old man with a white beard stroked his beard and, after hearing the rest, sighed, "A hundredth birthday celebration! How many people in this world can live to be a hundred?"
The young man said, "That's not all. According to rumors, the Shaolin, Kunlun, Emei, and Kongtong sects have all come!"
The man with the white beard sneered and said, "Shaolin and Wudang have always been at odds. Back then, their disciples fought each other more than once or twice over the Longmen Escort Agency. The people from Shaolin definitely have ill intentions!"
The blind man said, "Brother Peng, that's not how it works. Shaolin Temple is, after all, the leading figure in the martial arts world of the Central Plains. They are more than the leader of the martial arts world, if not the leader. It is only right that they go to pay their respects to the immortal Zhang on his birthday!"
The man surnamed Peng, with his white beard, snorted and fell silent. After a while, he said softly, "You're still too naive!"
The young man excitedly slapped the table and said, "Brother Peng is a prophet! You really guessed right! The three great monks of Shaolin went to Wudang and interrogated Zhang Wuxia on the spot, demanding that he reveal the whereabouts of the Golden-Haired Lion King!"
"What? They're actually this audacious?"
The blind man said incredulously, "The old immortal is actually forcing Zhang Wuxia on his 100th birthday. Isn't that a complete breakdown of relations between the two factions?"
Even the white-bearded man surnamed Peng looked surprised. He had only thought that the Shaolin monks had ill intentions, but he did not expect them to be so rude.
He quickly pressed on, "And then? What happened next?"
"Later, Wudang sent out a remarkable figure, who was said to be Zhang Zhenren's junior brother. The old man simply blew a breath, and it sent three old monks from Shaolin Temple flying dozens of miles away!"
The young man said, "It is said that if it weren't for the fact that the old immortal was celebrating his 100th birthday and it was inappropriate to kill living beings, those monks from Shaolin Temple would probably have gone to see Buddha back then!"
"Hiss!" ×47
A collective gasp arose as the three men discussed matters concerning Wudang Mountain. The many patrons in the restaurant had been listening intently, and upon hearing such an unbelievable tale, they were all greatly astonished.
Such rumors circulate all over the world.
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Chapter 25 Descending Wudang Mountain