Chapter Forty-Five: Night Conversation, Part One

After some playful banter with Mo Shenggu, Ye Yuan finally noticed Zhang Cuishan’s silence and immediately realized he was likely still troubled by the matter of Xie Xun.

“Fifth Brother, Xie Xun must still be hiding on the Ice-Fire Island with the Dragon Saber, isn’t he?” Ye Yuan suddenly asked.

Zhang Cuishan was caught off guard by the question. He glanced at his senior and junior brothers, then replied, “That’s right. When we returned south, Eldest Brother simply refused to come back with us, no matter what.”

He sighed softly, then continued, “I know Eldest Brother is worried that, with so many enemies, returning with us might implicate us as well.”

At this, he looked at Ye Yuan and the others, speaking with sincere resolve: “Brothers, Xie Xun has shown me such deep affection and loyalty. No matter what, I will never betray him.”

Hearing this, Mo Shenggu and Yin Liting both nodded solemnly. Still young, their temperaments were deeply rooted in the values of brotherhood and loyalty.

Only Song Yuanqiao, Yu Lianzhou, and Zhang Songxi exchanged glances, their expressions slightly grave.

They all realized that, with Eighth Brother’s words, no one in the martial world would dare cause trouble before their master’s centennial birthday. But after that? Xie Xun’s enemies, along with those coveting the Dragon Saber, would certainly rise up in force.

At that time, if these people only demanded to know Xie Xun’s whereabouts and did not directly target Wudang, they would be standing on the side of righteousness. Eighth Brother would have no reason to intervene—so how would Zhang Cuishan respond?

Even if Eighth Brother did join the fight, faced with the combined might of the martial world, even he might find his strength insufficient.

“So be it! When the time comes, we’ll face life and death together,” the three of them thought in that brief moment.

Seeing the change in their expressions, Ye Yuan had an inkling of their thoughts.

“By the way, brothers, two years ago while traveling in the Western Regions, I encountered a strange group of men. They were dressed as monks and highly skilled in Shaolin’s external martial arts.”

“How could Shaolin disciples end up in the Western Regions?” Mo Shenggu asked in surprise. The others looked on curiously, not knowing why Ye Yuan had suddenly brought up Shaolin monks.

“Heh, these were certainly not Shaolin monks. They were vicious men who demanded tributes from the grassland herders. Disobedience was met with violence or even murder,” Ye Yuan replied.

“Ah, then they could not possibly be Shaolin monks. While Shaolin monks are not always reasonable, they would never be so cruel,” Mo Shenggu declared loudly, clearly harboring some reservations about Shaolin monks.

“But wait—Shaolin’s external arts? Eighth Brother, did you see them use the Shaolin Vajra Iron Finger?” Zhang Songxi suddenly asked in alarm.

Ye Yuan’s eyes flashed. “As expected, Fourth Brother’s mind is as sharp as ever,” he thought.

The others were not fools either. Hearing this, they immediately realized the conversation was referring to Yu Daiyan’s injury. Years ago, Yu Daiyan’s bones had been crushed by this very Shaolin technique.

Under their expectant gazes, Ye Yuan nodded slightly. “Indeed. Those monks were only in their twenties but already highly skilled, quite the equals of Shaolin’s Yuan-generation disciples.”

“Later, I became suspicious and forced a confrontation. Under duress, I learned that their sect is called the Vajra Sect. Over ten years ago, several of their top fighters came to the Central Plains and pledged allegiance to the Mongol court.”

“So that’s it! These must be the ones who injured Third Brother. Their goal is to set Wudang and Shaolin against each other, so as to eliminate the martial world of the Central Plains. What a sinister plot!” Zhang Songxi exclaimed, suddenly enlightened.

The others also felt a lingering dread, grateful that, over the years, Wudang and Shaolin had exercised restraint despite occasional verbal clashes.

Had they not, a war between Wudang and Shaolin would have left both sides gravely weakened, perhaps dragging the entire Central Plains martial world into chaos. In the aftermath, the Mongol court could have easily swept away all the great martial sects.

“Fourth Brother is right. Later, I returned to the Central Plains and went to the capital, searching for traces of those Vajra Sect members.”

“Oh! So, Eighth Brother, that time you and the Xiong brothers stormed the imperial palace in the capital, it was for this reason?” Mo Shenggu exclaimed, eyes wide.

Ye Yuan nodded lightly, though he did not tell the whole story. In truth, his main purpose in going to the capital was indeed to seek out the Vajra Sect members. But he also had another goal: to search for a legendary martial arts manual.

This manual had been hidden in the Song imperial palace but, after the fall of the Song dynasty, was taken into the Mongol court. It was called the Sunflower Manual, written by a great eunuch of the Song court. Though little-known now, Ye Yuan knew that in decades to come, this manual would shake the world, giving rise to an unrivaled figure such as the Invincible East.

When Ye Yuan broke through to a higher realm of cultivation, his mind and body merging with the natural world, he noticed that Zhao Fan was deeply loyal and devoted to him, so he decided to nurture him. Later, upon discovering Zhao Fan’s unique condition, he thought of finding the Sunflower Manual for him.

During the battle in the capital, Ye Yuan indeed seized the Sunflower Manual from the hands of an old eunuch in the Mongol imperial palace. That eunuch’s skills were profound—he too had reached a high level of cultivation, and Ye Yuan only barely defeated him using his own creation, the Nine Swords of Dugu.

After that earth-shattering battle, Ye Yuan and the Xiong brothers fought their way out of the palace, leaving a field of ten thousand dead Mongol soldiers in their wake, breaking the enemy’s morale and scattering their forces.

Coupled with the fact that by now, most of the famous fighters in the martial world had been suppressed and could no longer lift their heads, this ultimately led to Ye Yuan being both deeply respected and feared by all.

“Eighth Brother, did you find those Vajra Sect members?” Zhang Cuishan asked urgently.

Previously, when he and Yu Lianzhou had visited Third Brother Yu Daiyan and witnessed his frail, wasted state—so different from his former elegance and heroism—his heart had ached. Now, suddenly hearing news of the culprits, he was desperate to know the outcome.

“Later, I found three Vajra Sect members at Prince Ruyang’s estate. But Xiong Ba and Xiong Wu were both badly injured by then, so I didn’t act rashly. I captured one of them and interrogated him about the events of those years.”

“At first, the man was stubborn. In a fit of anger, I broke his limbs, but he still refused to talk. With no other option, I decided to let him go,” Ye Yuan said with a smile.

“Eighth Brother, that’s truly satisfying. Those who injured Third Brother deserve to taste such pain themselves. Letting him go, you were setting a long line for a big catch, weren’t you?” Zhang Cuishan remarked.

“Exactly. As expected, the man was soon rescued. Relying on my lightness skills, I secretly followed them and was not discovered.”

Everyone knew that this was mere modesty. In the current martial world, who did not know that Young Master Wuhen was the unrivaled master of lightness skills, his fists fierce, his swordsmanship unmatched?

Ye Yuan went on, “Later, I overheard their conversation. As it turns out, they did injure Third Brother back then, trying to force him to reveal the Dragon Saber’s whereabouts.”

“But strangely, another of them claimed that the Dragon Saber had actually been sent into the martial world by the Mongol court itself.”

“How devious! First, they released the Dragon Saber to sow chaos, then, upon finding Third Brother injured, they tried to frame Shaolin and incite a conflict between Shaolin and Wudang. It seems that every action taken by those who fought for the Dragon Saber was under the Mongol court’s surveillance,” Zhang Cuishan sighed.

Back when he had pursued the truth behind Yu Daiyan’s injury, it now seemed likely that even then, experts from the Mongol court had been tailing him.

“Indeed! Prince Ruyang’s estate is a truly terrifying adversary,” Zhang Songxi agreed. Usually confident in his intelligence and strategy, he now realized, after Ye Yuan’s account, that he had never once traced the matter back to the Mongol court. He could not help but feel ashamed.

“Eighth Brother, what happened afterward? Did you capture those Vajra Sect men?” Mo Shenggu asked.

Ye Yuan shook his head slightly. “Later, I realized these men weren’t important; they can be disposed of any time.”

“The only reason I let them go was because I saw one of them use a certain medicine on the man whose limbs I’d broken. His injuries improved remarkably at once.”

“Eighth Brother, is this the method you mentioned in your letter that could heal Third Brother?” Yu Lianzhou asked, his body trembling.

“That’s right,” Ye Yuan replied, taking a small box from his robe and handing it over.

Yu Lianzhou opened it in haste. Inside was a black ointment, its scent fragrant and cool.

“What a marvelous medicine! There must be dozens of ingredients, yet I cannot identify a single one,” Yu Lianzhou sighed softly.

The others looked disappointed as well. For among them, Yu Lianzhou was—apart from their master Zhang Sanfeng—the most knowledgeable in pharmacology. If even he could not discern the ingredients, what hope had the rest?

“Second Brother, don’t worry. I have already sent for a divine physician. He and his party should be arriving at Wudang Mountain soon.”

“Oh? Who is it?” Yu Lianzhou asked in surprise.

“Hu Qingniu,” Ye Yuan replied.

“The Butterfly Valley Immortal Doctor, Hu Qingniu? Eighth Brother, rumor has it this Hu Qingniu is a member of the Ming Cult. He only treats Ming Cult disciples and lets all others die. How did you persuade him to come?” Song Yuanqiao inquired.

Ye Yuan smiled. “Hu Qingniu owes me a great debt; he will certainly come.”

He then recounted the tangled grievances between Hu Qingniu’s sister, Hu Qingyang, and Xianyu Tong of Mount Hua.

“So that’s how it was. Xianyu Tong truly deserved to die—well done, Eighth Brother!” Mo Shenggu exclaimed in heartfelt praise.