Chapter 60: The Coming of Evil

  Song Yuanqiao was startled and asked, "What did you mean by that, little sister?"

  Yao Guang glanced at the congratulatory letter and smiled, "Kunlun and our sect don't have a close relationship. If you wanted to celebrate my birthday, why didn't you come last year? Why didn't you come the year before that? Ten years ago when Master turned 90, why didn't you come then? But this year, just because Fifth Brother returned to Central Plains, you hurriedly came to congratulate me from afar. Isn't it a bit far from Kunlun to here? If you truly wanted to celebrate my birthday with sincerity, why is there only a congratulatory letter but no gift list?"

  When it comes to giving and receiving gifts, the people present here probably don't have as much experience as Yao Guang, especially when it comes to receiving gifts. She can tell at a glance whether the gift is light or heavy. As Zhang Sanfeng, the founder of Wudang and a master of the martial arts world, celebrates his 100th birthday, it's not excessive to write a few pages of gift lists. However, Kunlun Sect didn't even attach a gift list, which makes one wonder what kind of gifts they brought. Especially at this sensitive time, shortly after Zhang Cuishan returned from Ice and Fire Island, it's easy to let one's imagination run wild.

  Yao Guang is the youngest among them in Wudang, and she has fewer reservations when speaking. When she says this now, several people look at each other, thinking that there must be some ulterior motive behind this matter.

  Song Yuanqiao hesitated for a moment before saying, "As a guest from afar, the master of Kunlun should not be treated like an ordinary young lady. It is only proper that Master Father personally welcomes him."

  Yao Guang didn't refute either, only curled up the corner of his mouth and smiled, quietly walking to the end of the seven people.

  Ji Xiaofu turned back slightly worried, only to see Yao Guang smiling and shaking her head, so she had to withdraw her gaze.

  Yin Su quickly caught up, falling two steps behind and walking to Yao Guang's side. She leaned in close to her ear and whispered: "Little junior sister just smiled to herself, did she think of a good idea? Tell Wu Jie about it."

  Yao Guang had long known that the seven heroes of Wudang were people of good character, kind and generous. The idea that had flashed through his mind was quickly dismissed, not even spoken out loud. But unexpectedly, Wu Niang was so sharp, she suddenly smiled and leaned in close to Yin Susu's ear, whispering: "I've already memorized the contents of the invitation letter. Let's take a look later at what kind of 'generous gift' He Zhangmen has sent. When He Zhangmen's birthday comes around, we'll give him a taste of his own medicine and see what kind of face he makes."

  This idea can be said to be clever and sinister, but it can also be said that there is no conspiracy, purely a straightforward revenge. If the head of Kunlun sends over a generous gift, when he celebrates his birthday, he will naturally gain face. But if what he sent was just something casual and perfunctory, then on He Taichong's birthday, bringing those things in front of him and saying "I still remember your generous gifts from back then", He Taichong would be utterly humiliated.

  Yao Guang had already spoken, obviously anticipating that He Tai's gift would not be something serious, and it was clear that he wanted to get justice for Zhang Sanfeng.

  You humiliated me in Kunlun, and it's not surprising that you would do the same to Wudang! He Taichong is also a leader of a sect, but can he be more virtuous and respected than Zhang Sanfeng?

  Yin Su was overjoyed when she heard the words, and suddenly felt that the little sister who was similar to a fairy descending to the mortal world, clever and elegant, had returned to the mortal world. This kind of behavior, which was somewhat playful but also upright and open, made her feel very familiar, as if she had met someone who understood her. She immediately became interested, raised an eyebrow, lowered her voice and said: "Snow sister's words have touched my heart, when it's time to celebrate the birthday, be sure to call me together."

  Yao Guang also secretly delighted in his heart, and calmly said: "Such a grand occasion would naturally not forget Wu Jie, but I'm afraid Wu Shixiong won't allow it."

  Yin Susu gained Zhang Sanfeng's recognition, and at this moment her heart was much more at ease. She glanced secretly at Zhang Cuishan and smiled: "I don't believe Eldest Brother will blame Little Martial Sister."

  It goes without saying that if the principal culprit is innocent, then the accomplices are even more so.

  Yao Guang smiled slightly and said meaningfully: "It's still early in the day, I'd like to see how many people will come today."

  Yin Su held onto Yao Guang's hand and only spoke again after a moment: "If these people use me as bait, I'm afraid it will be linked to——"

  Yin Susu's words were cut off by Yao Guang, who gently pressed his lips together. Yao Guang smiled and said: "Fifth Brother and Fifth Sister are a husband-and-wife team, we brothers and sisters of the same school share the same breath and branches, naturally sharing honor and shame, some things don't need to be said at all. My Wudang is such a big sect, if we push Fifth Brother and Fifth Sister out and stand aside, what face will we have left to stand in the Jianghu? If someone comes, let them come, after all, the name of the Tulong Sword is too great, these people won't come today, but they'll come tomorrow, can we still be afraid of them?"

  "That's right!"

  A low shout came from ahead, and Yu Daishan turned his head to look at Yao Guang with a nod of approval.

  "With our five younger siblings at ease, we eight brothers and sisters will advance and retreat together, what is there to fear!"

  Song Yuanqiao and Yu Lianzhou also looked back, one smiling silently, the other with a solemn expression.

  Zhang Cuishan walked over and put his arm around Yin Susu's shoulder, hearing that his fellow disciples were all speaking in this manner, he was deeply moved, a surge of heroic spirit arose in his chest, and he said loudly: "Exactly so!"

  Zhang Sanfeng saw the Kunlun Bai Tie, and indeed came out to greet him personally. He saw that Mr. Iron Qinquan was wearing a yellow shirt, with an elegant demeanor, calm and composed, looking like a master of a prestigious school. Behind him were eight male and female disciples, who seemed to be the elite of the school.

  Yin Su Su glanced at them with a hint of intention, seeing that the gifts they brought were just ordinary longevity peaches and noodles that could be seen everywhere, obviously hastily purchased on a whim. She smiled and looked at Yao Guang, receiving a knowing smile in return.

  Zhang Sanfeng had just welcomed He Taichong's disciples into the main hall, and after the host and guests were seated and tea was served, a young Taoist boy brought in another name card and handed it to Song Yuanqiao, announcing that the Five Elders of Kunlun had arrived.

  In the world of martial arts, Shaolin and Wudang are the most famous. Kunlun and Emei come next, followed by the Qingcheng Sect. The five old men of Qingcheng are considered to be on the same level as Song Yuanqiao, but Zhang Sanfeng is a humble person and personally went out to welcome them. Yao Guang called over a Taoist boy from the side and told him to bring back the weapons of several senior brothers, also bringing a few swords, without making any noise.

  Although Daotong was somewhat perplexed, he still followed the words and left.

  Zhang Sanfeng's hundredth birthday, this kind of day is not suitable for the appearance of swords and knives. Therefore, Yao Guang and his eight siblings, along with Yin Susu and Ji Xiaofu, all came empty-handed. Zhang Cuishan's silver hook and iron painting were also deliberately put away. The iron sword that Yao Guang bought at random from the mountain below was not brought either, nor was Song Qingchu's peach wood sword. What Zhang Cuishan hated most in his life was tedious formalities. Every time he celebrated his seventieth, eightieth, and ninetieth birthdays, he would remind his disciples not to disturb outsiders. Song Yuanqiao and others originally only wanted the masters and apprentices of their school to have a good time together, so it was even more unnecessary to bring out weapons. However, as they saw more and more guests arriving, who didn't seem like good people, Yao Guang didn't want to fall into the awkward situation of having to fight empty-handed if things really got started later. She knew that most of her martial arts skills were in swordplay, and her palm techniques, fist techniques, and leg techniques were not even comparable to those of her senior brothers, let alone the Taoist children in their school. She had already spoken boldly in front of Yin Susu, so she couldn't beg for help from her senior brothers later, which would be a joke.

  Before long, the five old men of Congtou brought their disciples in, also bringing some longevity peaches and noodles as gifts.

  Yin Su secretly remembered in her heart, thinking whether or not to tell her father to teach these people a lesson one day.

  Then the leaders of various sects and gangs, such as Shenquanmen, Haishapai, Juhubang, Wushanpai and so on, came to the mountain one after another to celebrate his birthday, with longevity peaches and noodles piled up all over the ground.

  Song Yuanqiao and others were displeased in their hearts, secretly thinking that with the identity of a benevolent teacher, how could these things be compatible? These visiting guests are probably truly not here for good.

  Yin Susu couldn't help but laugh at the sight, and others nearby didn't know what was going on with these people. How could she not know? Ten years ago on Wang Pan Shan Island, these people had also participated in the Yang Knife Conference, and many of them had died on the island. Yet they still hadn't given up. Yin Susu thought for a moment, glanced at Yao Guang, and saw her holding a dustpan, looking like an ordinary Daoist disciple attending to Zhang Sanfeng's side. Her demeanor was calm and peaceful, and even the anger from earlier couldn't be seen anymore. She had a completely innocent and carefree appearance, and Yin Susu's heart suddenly calmed down as well.

  The guests arrived in an endless stream, and later on, even the chairs for the guests to sit on were not enough in the Purple Cloud Palace. Song Yuanqiao, Yu Lianzhou, Yu Dailin, Zhang Songxi and others were chatting with people, greeting each other back and forth. Yao Guang couldn't help but smile when he saw this situation, and sent someone to pick up some stones from nearby that were not too big or too small, roughly flat, and placed them densely on the hall like a row of chess pieces. The leaders of various sects and the heads of various gangs still had seats, while the disciples and followers could only sit down after picking up the stones. The tea bowls for serving tea were quickly distributed, and Yao Guang saw that there were not enough tea bowls, so he immediately asked the Taoist boys to bring over rice bowls and dish bowls, saying "sorry" and politely asking people to pass the tea over.

  In fact, these people didn't come to celebrate his birthday with sincerity, nor did they covet the cup of tea from Wudang. If it wasn't for that, they would have just let it go. Now that Wudang has presented the tea, those people from various sects and gangs had no choice but to accept it out of courtesy and take a sip.

  The rice bowl is fine, but the dish always has a hint of greasy smell that can't be removed. Some people are almost choked by the strange coarse tea flavor and spit out water.

  Just as they were speaking, Xiao Dao Tong came in to report: "The leader of the Emei Sect, Shi Nai, has arrived with five disciples to pay their respects to their ancestor on his birthday."

  Ji Xiaofu had been married into Wudang for three years, and Wudang and Emei were already relatives by marriage. Miechu Shitai arrived in person, so Yin Liting naturally brought Ji Xiaofu to hurry up and welcome her. Zhang Sanfeng also smiled and personally came out to greet them, and saw that Miechu Shitai was accompanied by two nuns and three young girls walking together into the courtyard.

  The nun's words were congratulatory, but the expression on her face was hard to describe as a smile, probably because she rarely smiled, and now trying to smile seemed somewhat strange.

  Ji Xiaofu hastily bowed down, and Yin Liting also followed suit with a deep bow.

  The Extinction Sect's Master gazed at her married-out disciple, seeing that she was already dressed as a woman, and thought that there were no outstanding disciples in the sect who could inherit her mantle. She felt a slight melancholy in her heart, and after speaking a few warm words to Ji Xiaofu, she walked over and sat down beside her.

  Yao Guang followed Zhang Sanfeng to greet others, but his gaze involuntarily drifted towards the long and narrow wooden box on Mie Jue Shitai's back.

  A sharp and piercing sword aura emanated from the wooden box, constantly beckoning her heart.

  Yao Guang's heart knew that this must be an extraordinary sword, she had never felt such a strong sword aura in all her years at Wudang. The sword was still in its scabbard and yet it was already so powerful, one could imagine how magnificent it would be when unsheathed. However, thinking again, Master's birthday celebration, but Exterminating Sect Leader brought a weapon up the mountain, although it was placed in a wooden box to show respect, but after all, it was not as good as empty-handed to express her intention, and people couldn't help but feel that there was something else going on. If they really started fighting, Sixth Brother and Sixth Sister would be in trouble.

  Yao Guang thought for a moment, and said quietly that if this battle was unavoidable, she would accept it. There might indeed be things in this world that made her afraid and unable to defend herself, but they were certainly not swords.

  Guests from all directions came in an endless stream, and before long it was high noon. The Zixiao Palace was packed with several hundred people, who kept looking out of the hall door as if waiting for someone.

  Zhang Songxi looked at everyone's expression and was also thinking non-stop in his heart.

  Yu Lianzhou whispered, "We originally planned to send out heroic notices after Master's birthday and hold a grand heroic banquet at the top of Yellow Crane Tower in Wuchang. Who would have thought that one misstep would lead to our complete defeat."

  Zhang Songxi said in a low voice: "Things have come to this point, and we can only fight to the death."

  Just then, Yao Guang also walked over and heard the two men talking. He said in a low voice: "There are too many people coming from the mountain. If they all rush up at once, it will be very troublesome. If Fourth Brother can use words to persuade them to agree to single combat, there is nothing to fear."

  Zhang Songxi was taken aback and said, "If we were to decide the outcome with just six arrays, we would certainly be in an unbeatable position. However, they have come prepared and must have thought of this, so they will definitely not agree to end the battle after just six arrays."

  Yu Lianzhou also thought of this and his expression turned gloomy.

  Yao Guang smiled slightly and said: "As long as it's a one-on-one fight, what if all these people want to come on stage? Leave it to me, several fellow masters can rest assured."

  Yu Lianzhou and Zhang Songxi were both stunned, never expecting that their junior sister would utter such astonishing words.

  Yu Daayan approached from behind and said in a deep voice: "Younger sister, don't speak nonsense! How can you say such things!"

  He was secretly plotted against many years ago, if not for Yao Guang's insistence on letting people go down the mountain to welcome him, he might have spent the rest of his life paralyzed in bed. Therefore, among the seven masters of Wudang, he is the most fond of and cherishes Yao Guang, not wanting her to suffer even a little harm. At this moment, hearing her say that she wants to fight alone against the crowd on the mountain, how can he remain calm!

  Yao Guang smiled and held onto Yu Daiyan's hand, shaking his head gently. "Third Brother, calm down. Have you ever seen me speak recklessly? I'm only worried that these people won't engage in single combat and will rush up together, making it difficult to control the situation later on. As long as they're willing to come at us one by one, there's no need to worry. Don't you know how skilled I am with my sword? This is a matter of great importance, and I won't act impulsively."

  Several people saw Yao Guang's serious expression and thought of her usual sword practice, gradually calming down, looking at each other, and surprisingly found this matter feasible.

  Zhang Songxi pondered for a moment, then said: "If these people really rush up together, we will use the True Martial Seven-Cut Array. No matter what, we must protect Master Zhou completely."

  Yu Lianzhou and Yu Dayan felt a surge of energy and relief upon hearing this.

  The author has something to say: The situation in the original work is obviously that there are too many people from various factions and sects. If a melee breaks out, Wudang Sect will likely be half-covered in blood. Later, Zhang Cuishan took his own life, and Yin Susu died for love, and the matter was left unsettled.

  Nowadays, various factions and sects have come, but if this group of people really wants to fight a melee battle, then haha haha haha.

  One-on-one is fine, but if it's a melee, Jian Qi Zhen Xin doesn't recognize anyone... At that time, someone will have their martial arts stage soar.