Chapter 42: Yu San Escapes Danger

  Several people from the Dragon Gate Escort Agency were indeed blocked by those six carriages on the road.

  This time, apart from the three escorts Du, Zhu and Shi, there were also four young and strong escorts. They had all received 2,000 taels of silver from a man surnamed Yin as escort fees, and they also had the threat of being exterminated if they did not complete their task. Naturally, they were very careful and diligent. Along the way, everything went smoothly, but now it seemed like someone was coming to stir up trouble. He couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Could it be that we've come all the way to Mount Wudang only to run into trouble?"

  The leader of the group raised his hand and waved a small flag with a carp on it, making a gesture of respect. In a loud voice, he said: "The Dragon Gate Escort Agency of Lin'an Prefecture is passing through your noble territory, and our etiquette may not be perfect. Please forgive us, good friends."

  In the jianghu, escorting is first about relationships and second about martial arts. Think about it, no matter how skilled a martial artist is, if they're constantly fighting from south to north, it's hard to keep the goods safe. So all the big escort agencies show respect when meeting people, building relationships in daily life, hoping that jianghu friends will be lenient and accommodating. The Dragon Gate Escort Agency has reached its current scale precisely because of these jianghu connections. Therefore, this phrase is very clear: let's make friends with each other; if there's anything we haven't shown enough respect for, let's make up for it today; if not today, then tomorrow.

  Dà Dàjǐn patted the horse and moved forward, looking at the six people blocking the road. He saw that two of them were Taoist priests with yellow crowns, while the other four were dressed in ordinary clothes. The six people had swords and knives hanging from their belts, each one radiating a heroic aura and full of energy. Dàjǐn's mind stirred, wondering if these six people might be the six heroes among the seven chivalrous heroes of Wudang. He cupped his fists and said: "I am Dà Dàjǐn from the Dragon Gate Escort Bureau in Lin'an Prefecture, I dare not ask your esteemed surnames?"

  Six people and horses divided into three in front and three behind. Among the three people in front, the one on the right was a tall man with a big black mole on his left cheek, and there were three long hairs on the mole. He measured Dajin with a glance and said coldly: "Brother Da, what brings you to Wudang Mountain?"

  Du Dajin replied: "Our humble abode has been entrusted by someone to send a wounded person to your noble mountain. We wish to meet the leader of your sect, Zhang Zhenren."

  "That person said: 'Sending off an injured person? Who is it?'"

  Everyone was still talking, but Yao Guang's expression changed slightly as he looked at Zhang Cuishan. Zhang Cuishan nodded and said: "This person is clearly not one of our sect, yet he claims to be a member of the sect. Moreover, his body is full of evil energy, which is highly suspicious."

  The Seven Heroes of Wudang have always been known for their chivalry and justice, their names echoing far and wide. When such a thing happens near Mount Wudang, they cannot possibly stand idly by. Zhang Cuishan hints to Yin Liting to wait and see how things develop, but his hand is already gripping his sword, ready to take action at any moment.

  In just a short while, the two of them over there were asking and answering each other, and the topic had already shifted to the Dragon Slaying Sword. Da Jin was shocked, but one of the six men, who was bald, couldn't wait for an answer and flipped over, jumped off his horse, rushed up to the carriage, lifted the curtain and looked inside.

  Everyone saw that he was agile and nimble, with a familiar air about him. He thought to himself that the founder of Wudang, Zhang Sanfeng, had once lived in Shaolin Temple, so it wasn't surprising that his kung fu had some Shaolin influence. He asked: "Are you all the famous Wudang Seven Heroes? Which one of you is Song Daqiang? I've long admired your reputation."

  The man with a dark mole on his face said: "A mere empty reputation, what's the point of mentioning it? You're too modest, Brother Du."

  Yin Litian pressed her sword and didn't speak, a faint redness on her face, already with an angry expression. She thought to herself: these few people are impersonating her master's brothers under Mount Wudang, definitely not good people. But after all, how to deal with them still depends on what the fifth brother says.

  Yin Liting is also gentle in nature, if Mo Shenggu was here, he would have drawn his sword by now.

  Zhang Cuishan also looked surprised, and gave a signal with his eyes to Yin Liting. The two walked over shoulder to shoulder, bowed their fists in greeting.

  Zhang Cuishan said: "Wudang Zhang Wu, Yin Liu, may I ask if you are all from the Longmen Escort Bureau of Lin'an Prefecture? Is your honorable leader well?"

  Everyone was shocked at the time, carefully sizing up the person in front of them. They saw that he was about 21 or 22 years old, with a handsome face and a slightly slender build, but his spirit was bright and refreshing, giving people a good impression at first sight. However, he claimed to be Zhang Wu of Wudang, so who were these six people in front of them?!

  Du Dajin held his fist and said: "I don't dare, I'm just Du Mou. Are Zhang Wuxia and these few friends old acquaintances?"

  Zhang Cuishan looked at the six people beside him, shook his head and said: "We have never met before. Friends, I don't know why you want to impersonate my brothers and me? Although we have a reputation, it is far from being the number one in the martial arts world. What brings you here?"

  The number one in the martial arts world, the precious sword that slays dragons, gives orders to the whole country and no one dares not to obey. This phrase has been passed down for a long time in Jianghu because that bald-headed man asked about the Dragon-slaying Sword earlier, so Zhang Cuishan also brought it up casually, hinting that Wudang and the Dragon-slaying Sword have nothing to do with each other.

  The man with a dark mole on his face and the few people behind him exchanged a glance, their faces not looking good, but they didn't turn against each other on the spot, only humming a sound, and the six of them galloped away on horseback.

  Yin Liting originally wanted to pursue, but was stopped by Zhang Cuishan, who said: "These few people have come prepared, and it's not suitable to chase lightly." Then he turned his head to Du Dajin and said: "Du General Manager has been working hard all the way. If you don't mind, Master's birthday is approaching, please invite a few of them to drink a cup of water wine on the mountain."

  His back was already soaked through at this moment.

  It was only then that he realized, if Zhang Cuishan hadn't appeared in time, he would have mistaken those six people for the Wudang Six Heroes. If he had handed over Yu Sanxian to them, the Yin family might have come to slaughter his entire household.

  At this point, Da Jin was filled with gratitude and repeatedly thanked him. Due to this change of events, he no longer dared to harbor any thoughts of abandoning the task halfway. He thought that regardless of whether this Wu Xiang was real or fake, he would definitely deliver Yu San Xiang to Zhang Zhenren's hands, and there wouldn't be any more mistakes.

  "Zhang Wuxia was too polite, so he brazenly asked for a cup of watered-down wine. This visit was sudden, and there wasn't even time to prepare a proper gift..."

  Zhang Cuishan smiled and said, "Master doesn't care about these things, it's fine as long as you're willing to give face. I don't know if the leader of the escort can wait for a moment, my third brother has not yet returned to the mountain, let's wait for third brother to come back, we brothers will go up the mountain with you together."

  Du Dajin now had about 70 or 80 percent faith in the young man before him, and said: "To be frank with Zhang Wudang, I have come all the way from Lin'an at someone's request to escort Yu Sanlang back to see Zhang Zhenren of Wudang."

  He lifted the car curtain, and the middle-aged man inside met Zhang Cuishan. The middle-aged man had tears in his eyes, and after a brief stunned expression, Zhang Cuishan rushed in, "Third Brother, how...how..."

  Zhang Cuishan couldn't say "how" anymore, he took one pulse and knew that Yu Daoyan was poisoned, hurriedly helped him up, seemingly about to use internal energy to force out the poison.

  Yin Litian saw that something was wrong and walked over to take a look. She too was stunned, and hastily asked: "Second Brother, what's happened to Third Brother?"

  Everyone saw several people with true feelings, moved in their hearts, and said: "Last month, a young man named Yin sent Yu Sanjie to the door of the escort agency and instructed him to send Yu Sanjie back before April 9th. Du Mou did not betray his trust."

  Zhang Cuishan and Yin Liting heard this, repeatedly thanked Du Dajin, but instead made him feel uneasy. He was doing things for money, not upholding justice, how could he be praised like that? After a few words, he couldn't help but blush and retreat to the back, feeling as if he had been replaced by several people guarding the carriage outside. Just as he retreated, Du Dajin noticed a young girl dressed as a Taoist boy walking towards him, carrying a peach wood sword on her back, looking very lovely. Since they were under Wudang Mountain, he was afraid of offending the Wudang Sect, and it would be better to admit his mistake even if he didn't recognize the person. So he smiled and said: "Little girl, are you also from the Wudang Sect?"

  "Wudang... Xue Zhu asked if the leader of the Beggar Clan is well."

  Yao Guang almost blurted out "Wudang Yao Guang", fortunately she changed her words in time. She walked to the front of the cart, saw Yin Litian standing beside holding it up, Zhang Cuishan had both hands pressed on Yu Daishan's back, Yu Daishan's face was dark and black, and his movements were not convenient, obviously he was poisoned. So Zhang Cuishan must be helping him to force out the poison. This kind of internal power forcing out poison cannot be disturbed, one careless move would drag both people down.

  Yao Guang waited until Zhang Cuishan finished his inner energy cultivation, then jumped onto the carriage. With her right hand, she made a gesture resembling an orchid flower and lightly tapped several times on Yu Daoyan's body. The dark energy on Yu Daoyan's face immediately dissipated significantly.

  Zhang Cuishan was still in a meditative state, but Yin Liting was shocked and stunned. Yu Dairen also expressed his surprise with his eyes. He himself knew that the poisonous substance that his fifth brother had helped him to repel was not much different from the help of his younger sister, but the effort they put in was completely different. It was clear that Xiaoshi's method had its own special characteristics.

  Yao Guang smiled at Yu Daiyan, paused for a moment, and then used the same technique to press on his body again. He said, "Third Brother, after you recover, I'll tell you how to use this 'Clear Wind Hanging Dew' technique."

  Qingfeng Chuilu is one of the unique martial arts and mental cultivation techniques of Wanhuagu, based on the circulation of Qi and blood in the eight extraordinary meridians. It has a clear therapeutic effect on discomfort caused by ordinary poisons. Originally it was a secret not to be passed down, but Yisheng Sun Simiao, one of the seven saints of Wanhuagu, with his benevolent heart as a doctor, privately taught this technique to Yao Guang who went to Qinling to study Qihuangdao for self-protection.

  Yu Daixi was still unable to move at this moment and could only force a smile in response.

  Half a day later, Yu Daoyan was safely brought back to Wudang. On the way back to the mountain, the toxin in his body had decreased by two or three tenths, and although he was still weak, he could at least say a few words.

  The other members of the Wudang Seven Heroes were shocked, and after hearing Zhang Cuishan and Du Dajin's account of the events, they were even more frightened in their hearts. If it weren't for Yao Guang pulling Zhang Cuishan and Yin Liting to go and welcome them, Yu Daoyan might have met with disaster. During the time when Zhang Sanfeng helped Yu Daoyan cultivate his inner energy to expel the poison, several people surrounded Yao Guang, repeatedly thanking and apologizing to him, which made Yao Guang somewhat laugh and cry at the same time.

  "What are some of my senior brothers saying... Third Senior Brother is my senior brother, this time I was able to save Third Senior Brother and I'm already very happy, how can I accept such thanks. Moreover, what I said earlier about being uneasy in mind... was completely unfounded..."

  The six of them looked at each other, and finally Song Yuanqiao bowed his head to look at Yao Guang on an equal level, saying: "From now on, whatever Little Shifu says, I will definitely consider it seriously."

  Yao Guang smiled and said, "Good, I think it's time for a change of chef."

  Yao Guang was quite particular about food and drink, preferring fine cuisine. However, Wudang Mountain had always been simple and unadorned, never paying much attention to food or clothing. The few people who knew Xiao Shimei's preferences would often bring back some delicious treats when they went down the mountain. Hearing her say this now, the six of them couldn't help but burst out laughing. Zhang Songxi even said directly: "Big brother, Little Sister's request isn't excessive, what do you think?"

  Song Yuanqiao laughed softly for a while and said, "Good."

  The author has something to say: Yao Guang said that having a good day is still better than wanting a better one... thinking back to the days when Baiyun City had so many good things to eat, drink and use.