Chapter 41: The Sudden Change in Wudang

  On April 7th, Zhang Cuishan sent a flying letter back to Wudang saying that he would definitely be able to hurry back and asked his fellow disciples not to worry.

  When opening the letter, Yao Guang was also present. After the letter was passed to her hand, she couldn't help but laugh and say: "This must be Fifth Brother's way of telling me to take good care of him."

  Zhang Cuishan's letter actually included his fellow apprentices, including Yao Guang. He didn't write "fellow apprentice sisters" because it would have sounded strange. Although he didn't mention it, it can't be said that they were ignored. Several senior fellow apprentices had been worried that their junior sister would be unhappy, but unexpectedly she interpreted the phrase "don't think about it" in reverse, saying that since her name wasn't mentioned among those who shouldn't think about it, it meant she should think about them instead. Hearing this explanation, everyone burst out laughing and said from now on they would write peaceful letters like this too, and specifically mention their junior sister's name to make her think about them more often. Yao Guang had gotten his fellow apprentices laughing uncontrollably.

  Zhang Sanfeng smiled and held Yao Guang in his lap, "Can Snow Bamboo think of going down the mountain to welcome your Fifth Brother?"

  Yao Guang tilted her head and made a thoughtful expression, then said with a serious face: "I'd better go back to the mountain and think about Fifth Brother."

  The master and his disciples laughed again, after which Zhang Sanfeng pointed out the progress of their martial arts skills. He often spoke a few words that hit the nail on the head. When it came to Yao Guang, he changed his tone and only asked Yao Guang to study Taoist scriptures more, without worrying about practicing martial arts too early. Yao Guang naturally nodded in agreement.

  For this "master", Yao Guang has no dissatisfaction, just like waiting for Rui with a heart full of reverence. If it can be said that in some sense, Rui is like a mother to her, and Zhang Sanfeng plays the role of a grandfather. It is human nature to miss one's parents, and Yao Guang's cultivation since childhood does not mean she has lost this nature. She just didn't pay much attention to it before, nor did she think about it, but now that she has come into contact with such warmth and inclusiveness, she can hardly conceal her true feelings and say she doesn't care. Zhang Sanfeng treats her very well, caring for her and loving her, without neglecting her just because she is a child. He respects her, guides her, does everything a master should do, and gives her extra love like a family elder. Therefore, Yao Guang sincerely regards Zhang Sanfeng as her master. Similarly, she views the Wudang Seven Heroes as her senior brothers, treating them no differently from her former senior brothers and sisters in the Pure Yang Palace.

  By the eighth of April, Zhang Cuishan returned as promised. Wudang Mountain was already bustling with activity. Except for Shouxing Weng who was persuaded to rest by everyone else, all others were busy rushing about, fearing that there might still be some oversight. The few disciples personally taught by Zhang Sanfeng were particularly diligent and came up with clever ideas.

  Yao Guang woke up early in the morning and read "Tao Te Ching" several times, but she still felt a little uneasy in her heart, and couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong. She found it rather strange.

  A cultivator will not arbitrarily create a sense of foreboding, and fortune and misfortune all have their signs. After cultivating for a long time, many people will have some premonitions about fortune and misfortune, and some people are even more sensitive to this aspect from birth. Yu Rui once praised Xiang Guang's keen senses, born suitable for cultivation, although that praise was mostly referring to swordsmanship, but in other aspects, Xiang Guang is not much worse.

  A feeling of unrest, this is a premonition of impending disaster.

  Yao Guang thought carefully, with her current identity and situation, it's unlikely that she would cause any trouble on Mount Wudang, unless she slipped while using the Ladder Cloud, but that was just a joke. Since it wasn't related to herself, could it be...

  Teachers, parents, and friends?

  Yao Guang almost immediately thought of the overdue Third Brother, and she quickly put down the scripture and rushed out of the door. In the Purple Cloud Palace, she found Eldest Brother Song Yuanqiao, who was busy with tasks, and pulled on his sleeve anxiously: "Eldest Brother, I'm a bit worried about Third Brother."

  Song Yuanqiao rarely saw his younger sister in such a hurry, first smiled and then hesitated, saying: "Third brother is steady, he should be able to rush back on time."

  Yao Guang didn't know how to tell Song Yuqiao about her ungrounded "unease", hesitated for a moment, and just then saw Zhang Cuishan and Yin Liting walking in. Her eyes lit up, and she ran directly to the two of them.

  "Eldest Brother, Second Eldest Brother, accompany me to pick up Third Eldest Brother!"

  Yin Litian spent more time on the mountain than his older senior brothers, and he had always been very fond of Yao Guang. With his gentle nature, he often went along with what others said, so when Yao Guang spoke up, he nodded without hesitation, pulled Yao Guang's hand and headed out, turning back to bow to Song Yuanqiao and saying: "Big Senior Brother, I'll take Little Junior Sister out for a bit."

  Zhang Cuishan, having spoken a few words with Song Yuanqiao beforehand, slowed down his movements slightly. He quickened his pace to catch up with the two ahead of him and took hold of Yao Guang's other hand, saying: "Little junior sister is being biased, yesterday you didn't even come out to greet me, today you're going to go welcome Third Brother."

  Yao Guang looked up at Zhang Cuishan, feeling uneasy in her heart and having no intention of chatting with him. Her face was also slightly solemn.

  Zhang Cuishan saw the look on Yao Guang's face and couldn't help but put away his smile, bowing down to ask: "Little sister, what's wrong that you're in such a hurry?"

  Yao Guang pursed her lips and frowned, saying: "I can't say clearly... I just feel uneasy in my heart, as if something is going to happen."

  Zhang Cuishan and Yin Liting exchanged a glance.

  There is also a saying among the people that "children's eyes are clean and can see things that adults cannot see", as if children can sense good or bad luck, especially after seeing what happened yesterday, they already deeply believed that this little Shifu was not an ordinary person, so neither of them thought she was joking.

  Zhang Cuishan thought for a moment, then hugged Yao Guang and said in a warm voice: "Third Brother is steady, his martial arts are high, and he has always had a heroic reputation, so nothing should happen to him."

  Yin Litian followed with a harmonious tone: "That's right, Little Sister doesn't need to worry too much. Perhaps Third Brother just encountered some unexpected event and missed the schedule."

  "I hope so."

  Yao Guang couldn't help but feel that the two of them were right, but the anxiety in her heart became even more apparent. She tried to calm herself down while thinking about what had happened to Yu Da Yan that made him late for so many days. According to reason, the notorious thief he went to capture shouldn't have been a big deal, and he should have returned over a month ago. Now that it's been delayed for so long without even a letter coming back, she felt even more uneasy. She regretted that Wudang's information network wasn't as efficient as before. In the past, if there were any movements in the Jianghu, Baiyun City would never be completely unaware of them, and she wouldn't have been in such a state of ignorance.

  Zhang Cuishan gently patted the back of Yao Guang, softly comforting her for a while. He slightly quickened his pace, thinking to himself that if they had met Third Brother earlier, Little Martial Sister would have been at ease. Yin Liting thought the same way, so she silently adjusted her pace, constantly looking into the distance, hoping to catch sight of Third Brother's returning figure.

  Three people came down from Wudang Mountain Tianzhu Peak, walked out of dozens of miles to Shuangjingzi, and from here onwards it was Laohekou. The three did not ride horses, and now it was already past noon. If they continued on the road, it wouldn't be impossible, but Zhang Cuishan and Yin Liting didn't want Little Sister to be too tired. So the two discussed going forward a bit further and finding someone's home to rest for a night, maybe the next day they could wait for Yu Daoyan. The two asked Yao Guang, but Yao Guang insisted on going forward again. The two couldn't do anything about it, so they continued onward. It seemed like this mountain ridge wasn't any town, and even finding some fine horses was impossible. Wudang's internal power is renowned for its longevity, and Zhang Cuishan's lightness skill is unmatched in the martial arts world. However, the two had only been practicing martial arts for a short time, so after another half an hour of rapid progress, their pace slowed down one after another. During this time, Yao Guang asked Zhang Cuishan to put her down on the ground. Zhang Cuishan originally intended to rest, but was persuaded by Little Sister and didn't want to anymore.

  The three of them thus slowly arrived at the old river mouth, the sky was already dark, no one wanted to cross the river, Zhang Cuishan also feared that Yu Daoyan would miss them on the road, so the three of them rested for a night in a fisherman's home.

  The next morning, when the sky was still dimly lit, Zhang Cuishan and Yin Liting took Yao Guang across the Han River to Guanghua County.

  This is the only way to Wudang, and the three of them are not worried about missing it, so they just guard outside the county town.

  Before long, a carriage came slowly, apparently some escort agency was escorting.

  Zhang Cuishan had been traveling the world since he was eighteen years old, and compared to his two junior siblings, he naturally had more experience. He took a glance at it and said to the two of them: "The embroidered pattern on this banner is Jinli Broken Wave, which is the banner of Longmen Escort Bureau in Lin'an Prefecture. It's also one of the top escort bureaus in the Jianghu. The leader of Longmen Escort Bureau is a lay disciple of Shaolin Temple, known as Duo Bi Xiong Du Dajin in the Jianghu, and he's considered to be a second or third-rate figure." After a slight pause, Zhang Cuishan continued: "It's strange that the escort bureau from Lin'an Prefecture would send an escort to Xiangyang Prefecture."

  Yin Litian was inexperienced in the ways of the Jianghu, and listened very seriously. He praised, "Fifth Brother has indeed made great progress over these few years, no wonder Shifu favors you."

  In the Jianghu, several major sects take Shaolin as the first, and the gangs take Beggars' Sect as the leader. The likes of Escort Bureau are considered inadequate in the eyes of some famous schools, but Zhang Cuishan can recite them like a treasured family heirloom, doesn't it show that he has a broad mind and strong memory?

  Zhang Cuishan smiled and said a few modest words.

  Yao Guang looked at the flag for a while and smiled, "This Longmen Escort Agency is quite interesting. If it were embroidered with a dragon, it would naturally be taboo. Now that it's embroidered with a golden carp, no one can find fault with it."

  The story of carp jumping over the dragon gate is also widely spread. The name "Dragon Gate Pawnshop" with the meaning of gold carp merging with the dragon gate can be said to be very clever.

  Three people were talking by the roadside, but the middle-aged man in the carriage suddenly changed his face.

  Yu Daoyan, the one who was secretly attacked by Qixingding and Wenyujin in the Qiantang River, had been bedridden for days due to severe poisoning. He couldn't even speak, let alone move, and relied on several escorts to take care of his daily needs. His heart was filled with pain. As he approached Mount Wudang, he seemed to hear the voices of Zhang Wu, Yin Liu, and Xiaoshi. He wished he could jump out immediately, but when he tried to muster up energy, he suddenly realized that he couldn't even move a single finger.

  Is there anything more painful than having a loved one nearby yet being unable to call out to them?!

  The carriage slowly entered the county town, Yao Guang was still uneasy, but there were no more clues. However, in an instant, six horses rushed over quickly, chasing after the carriage into the city. Yao Guang's heart suddenly thumped heavily and she cried out in surprise.

  "Go after them! Fifth Brother, Sixth Brother! Those six people——"

  It was an unreasonable feeling, as if some voice in the dark was telling her that these six people would bring her immense pain.

  Zhang Cuishan didn't have time to think carefully and followed the words into the city.

  The author has something to say: Maybe some people haven't read the original work, so let me nag for a moment. Those six people in the original work impersonated the other six of the Wudang Seven Heroes and then made Yu Daishan a lifelong cripple...