Chapter 52: Do Not Act, Do Not Die
Yang Xiang's expression changed from a playful and relaxed demeanor to one of utmost seriousness, his voice low as he asked, "How did you come to know the Ming Cult's precepts?"
The Central Plains martial artists have always regarded the Ming Cult as a "demonic cult". When they meet, they often shout and kill. Let alone the Ming Cult's rules, I'm afraid that even the prestigious sects wouldn't bother to investigate what the Ming Cult disciples have done. In short, one sentence "All demonic outsiders should be killed" is enough.
The Mingjiao sect's rules are strict and outsiders find it hard to know the teachings and precepts. Now they have been revealed by a Wudang disciple in one breath, how can this not be astonishing?
Yang Xiang thought that after the death of Yang Jiao Zhu, the entire Mingjiao sect was torn apart and had been in turmoil for over a decade. Now, even the disciples of Wudang knew about the internal affairs of Mingjiao - what exactly happened within the sect?!
Yang Xiang, although ambitious, had always wanted to be the leader of the sect. However, he failed to win people's hearts and ultimately did not succeed. Instead, he clashed with the Five Elements Flags and eventually fled to Situofeng Peak to live in seclusion, "to show that he had no desire for the position of sect leader". Nevertheless, at the bottom of his heart, he still had a deep affection for the Ming Sect. At this moment, he realized that there might be a traitor within the sect and was suddenly filled with concern.
Yao Guang coldly laughed and proudly replied, "How would I know, and why should I tell you? I didn't realize that the Ming Cult, which reveres Ming Zhen and benefits the world, has become a place where only people like you emerge. The past generations of Ming Cult leaders must be rolling in their graves, fearing they'll be resurrected by your actions. You truly bring glory to our ancestors' faces and smoke to their tombs."
Jade Light's words were indeed harsh, with a hint of hidden resentment. These sarcastic remarks could not be said to be anything but severe and venomous. If someone else had spoken like this, Yang Xun might have already taken action. However, if the previous "abstaining from meat and wine" precepts still left Yang Xun with some doubts, thinking that Jade Light might have heard something from some heretical mouths, now she directly mentioned "Ming Zun", which was unprecedented. In the Jianghu, someone called Mingjiao "the vegetable-eating devil sect", but no one had ever dared to mention the name of the "devil" of Mingjiao, "Ming Zun".
If it weren't for Yao Guang's attire, which clearly indicated that he was a Taoist disciple, and his previous movements, which were very consistent with Zhang Zhenren's style, Yang Xiang would have almost thought that the person in front of him was one of their fellow sect members.
Yang Xiao's expression became even more solemn, and he put away all his frivolous mannerisms, asking instead: "How did Snow Bamboo Maiden know about the internal affairs of our sect?"
What is this lesson?
The young man in front of him spoke seriously about "Ben Jiao", and his posture was somewhat like that of a self-righteous sect, just like the pure Yang disciples talking about the Pure Yang Palace, or the Tian Ce generals mentioning the Tian Ce Mansion, with a purely natural reverence and admiration.
"The heavens are vast and wide, the earth is thick and broad, the moon's light is boundless, the sun's radiance is resplendent. The sacred fire shines brightly, the sacred light glows with splendor, never to be abandoned or forgotten, words and deeds forever entwined. What joy in life, what sorrow in death? The fierce sacred fire burns my mortal frame..."
"Pity the people of this world, troubles are many, pity the people of this world, troubles are many..."
Yang Xiang continued with the doctrine, and was even more astonished to stare at Yao Guang, unable to help but ask again: "How did you know our sect's doctrine?"
Yao Guang heard this and looked at Yang Xiao several times, then burst out laughing.
"Oh? I thought the Mingjiao doctrine had changed, but it's still like this? If so, how could you do such a thing? It's really laughable. Are you worthy of asking me?"
Who are you to ask me?
You claim to be a member of the Ming Cult, but you're almost inferior to even the lowest-ranking Red Robed Disciples. With such despicable behavior, can you still face your ancestors? Supreme Fist Under Heaven!
In the past, Huashan Pure Yang Palace had hundreds of people in one door, but now it has disappeared. The top of Huashan Snow Ridge has the Huashan Sect, but there is no longer a Pure Yang Palace.
In the past, Qingyan had a thousand flowers in one valley, and the wind was blowing. Now only Qinling remains, and there is no longer three stars looking at the moon among the mountains.
In the past, the Luoyang Tian Ce Fu was a door of soldiers who fought bloody battles on the battlefield. Now, however, there is not even half a word recorded in history books about them. Even if it's "for the benefit of the country, life and death are nothing", such sacrifices that have disappeared with time still make people sigh.
Xixi Hidden Sword Villa is like this, Yangzhou Seven Showy Pavilions are also like this...
The Haqi Alliance and Evil Valley have all disappeared, regardless of whether they were good or evil.
Yao Guang couldn't understand why the Ming Cult had lasted until now, she couldn't deny it. Although in her heart she knew that this Ming Cult might not be the one she knew, when she heard the name of the Ming Cult, a sense of closeness still arose in her heart - a kind of intimacy that came from hearing news from an old friend in a foreign land. She even felt a little envious, thinking that if Pure Yang could be passed down to this day, it would be great. Unfortunately, envy was just envy after all.
All the admiration, affection and nostalgia, all sorts of emotions turned into uncontrollable anger when thinking that the Ming Cult's disciples have become so depraved.
The two things in this world that most pierce one's heart are: 1. Separation by birth and death; 2. Change of circumstances beyond recognition.
Things have changed beyond recognition, and yet the Ming Cult still exists, but it's almost as if it didn't exist at all!
Yang Xiao was about to ask again, but Yao Guang had already lost the mood to talk to him. He pulled up Ji Xiaofu and took a deep breath, then suddenly jumped several feet away, as if he wanted to shake off Yang Xiao directly. Yang Xiao didn't get angry, instead, he smiled and also used his lightness skill to chase after him, determined to get an answer out of him.
If it were just Yao Guang alone, she could have easily shaken off Yang Xiao by several miles, but with Ji Xiaofu in tow, she had an extra burden to carry, and her speed was inevitably affected. Ji Xiaofu tried her best to keep up, but found herself struggling to do so unless she borrowed the momentum from Yao Guang's arm every time they rose and fell. Only then did Ji Xiaofu's worries gradually dissipate, and thinking back to Yao Guang's skills earlier, she couldn't help but feel a deep admiration for Zhang Sanfeng of Wudang - with disciples like this, their master must be even more impressive.
Yang Xiao was inferior to Yao Guang in terms of lightness kung fu, but his inner strength was profound. At this moment, chasing after the two of them, he could gradually shorten the distance, although he couldn't help but secretly admire them in his heart.
Yang Xiao had a reputation at a very young age and had been traveling the world for many years, seeing and knowing much. He often heard that some certain sects had produced a teenage genius, and he would sometimes go to see how the younger generation of the Jianghu was doing. After taking a look, he would often sneer at them. The Wudang Zhang Zhenren took in a closed-door disciple without announcing it to the Jianghu. Today, after seeing her, even with Yang Xiao's arrogance, he had to admit that this kind of person was worthy of being called a "teenage genius", and was worthy of being called "surprising talent". Compared to her, many famous sects' "geniuses" were like chickens and dogs, and even some people who had been famous for many years were no more than that. For example, the Kunlun Sect's leader He Taichong, who was not old but had little ability, or the Huashan Sect's hypocrite Xian Yu Tong, who used swords just like her. Compared to this girl, those people really did have their age living on their bodies.
Yang Xiang is proud, but not arrogant to the point of looking down on others. This is because he himself was a young prodigy who rose to fame and became one of the top figures in the Jianghu. As such, he tends to look down on those who are all name but no substance. On the other hand, if someone truly possesses talent or abilities that rival or surpass his own, he will actually pay more attention to them and be willing to form connections with them. This is evident in his respectful and loyal attitude towards the Sect Leader Yang Dingtian, as well as his brotherly relationship with Fang Yang, the Right Envoy of the Bright Alliance.
This girl from Wudang is such a martial arts prodigy, and she also knows a lot about the Ming Cult. Yang Xun has a hunch that she knows far more than what she's letting on. If he can build some rapport with her, perhaps the dire situation of the Ming Cult can be improved. This intuition came without any reason, but Yang Xun couldn't ignore it. As a result, he went all out to chase after the two people in front.
Yao Guang originally didn't get a head start, and after this chase, Yang Xiao still caught up with Yao Guang and Ji Xiao Fu. In the blink of an eye, he lightly floated in front of them, blocking their way.
Yao Guang hummed softly, still blocking Ji Xiaofu behind him, and whispered "Sister Ji, wait a moment, don't leave". Then, with his left hand grasping the sword, he raised it up and sneered coldly: "It seems that this 'Ming Jiao' Yang Zuo Shi is determined to test my sword."
When this was said, Ji Xiaofu's original reminder of "Snow Master Sister be careful" was stuck in her throat. The term "Zhuang Shi" which had left Wei Zhuang speechless before successfully left Yang Xiao speechless as well. He thought that after becoming famous for over a decade, being elegant and carefree, even being called the "Demon Head", he could just laugh it off. But this title of "Zhuang Shi"... how come it sounds so unpleasant to the ear?
Yang Xiang took off a folding fan from his body, and there was nothing else that could be used as a weapon. However, he had learned many things, so he wasn't afraid. He picked up the folding fan and fanned himself gently twice, feeling quite good about himself, saying: "I'm just waiting to learn Zhang Zhenren's high-level moves."
Ji Xiaofu gritted her teeth, drew out her sword and said in a low voice: "Xue Shimei, let's join forces..."
Taking advantage of the few is not something that Jianghu's righteous path would condone, but Yang Xun being a Ming Cult member, there was no need to discuss much about Jianghu's moral code with him. Thus, Ji Xiao Fu hesitated for a moment before choosing between "watching Wudang's little junior sister fight alone" and "uniting to resist the enemy", opting for the latter.
Yao Guang glanced at Ji Xiao Fu and slightly shook her head, "Please help me sweep the array, Sister Ji."
Yang Xiao smiled as he looked at the two of them, raising an eyebrow in amusement.
"Both female heroes come up together."
With his current martial arts skills, he naturally has the confidence to say this - no matter how talented the girl in front of him is, she ultimately lacks experience in the Jianghu, and in his opinion, taking on two opponents at once is already a advantage for him.
Yao Guang burst out laughing and replied, "I've already taken it easy on you because of your age. If I were to take advantage of my youth, even if I won, it wouldn't be glorious."
Ji Xiaofu held the sword, neither putting it up nor putting it away, and couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Yang You's hand movement with the fan also paused for a moment. He cursed silently and smiled, saying: "Then please do."
Yao Guang didn't show any politeness, one hand pressed on the hilt of his sword, just about to draw it out of its scabbard, when suddenly he heard a flurry of footsteps rushing over from all around, mixed with the sounds of clashing swords and voices. He paused in his movement, gazing into the distance, and immediately furrowed his brow.
A group of people wearing white robes quickly gathered around, taking a glance, these people's collars were embroidered with a black eagle spreading its wings.
Yao Guang's mind turned quickly, taking advantage of Yang Xiao's shift in attention to pull Ji Xiaofu back and say in a low voice: "These people are from the Tianying Sect, not some kind of good people... Humph, dogs biting dogs, let's take this opportunity to leave."
The Tianying Sect people came to trouble Yang Xiang, surrounding him, and didn't notice the two who took advantage of the situation to slip away. In their eyes, it was normal for Jianghu people to avoid the Tianying Sect's actions.
Yang Xiang was surrounded by people after a brief delay, and from afar, he saw the two of them quietly leaving. Suddenly, he smiled and intentionally shouted loudly: "Xiao Fu, you take Xue Er and leave first."
This voice mixed with the true power of Nei Jia, full of momentum. Not to mention the people around Tian Ying Sect, even if they walked out of a hundred steps, Ji Xiao Fu and Yao Guang could hear it clearly. Ji Xiao Fu's face turned red, both angry and ashamed, while Yao Guang frowned heavily, gritting her teeth secretly, turning back to glare at the culprit with one eye. At the same time, she got a triumphant glance from the other party, and sure enough, she saw more than ten people from Tian Ying Sect chasing after her and Ji Xiao Fu.
Yang Xiao, hum!
Yao Guang made a swift decision and drew his sword out of its scabbard.
The author has something to say: Light a candle for Yang Xiang, okay?
Candle
I'm so annoyed.
。
Then I plan to start a post-apocalyptic novel next year, and first put out a draft for everyone to take a look at and get a feel for it. If you like it, add it to your collection, byebye!
Jian San Qi Xiu (and Wan Hua) traverses the end of the world, a positive energy end-of-the-world novel.
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This chapter is Chapter 52. If you think this chapter is still good, please don't forget to recommend it to your friends on QQ group and Weibo!