The night was already far spent. Against the deep blue canopy of the sky, thousands of stars twinkled like scattered dust...
Amidst the silence of the long night, a dark figure suddenly glided silently onto the top of the wall. Scanning the surroundings, the figure leaped down, landing on the ground as soft as a whisper.
All around was deathly quiet, save for the occasional, melancholy beat of a night-watch drum echoing from afar, mingling with the loud barking of dogs at the edge of the village...
The dark figure turned back, staring at the grand mansion for a brief moment, then let out a sigh and trudged forward.
As the figure walked, thoughts swirled endlessly:
"Where shall I go? Heavens! I am but a lonely orphan, with no father, no mother, no home to call my own..."
The dark figure continued to walk silently through the rolling shadows, occasionally letting out a bitter, agonizing laugh.
That dark figure was none other than Jiang Qing.
He trudged aimlessly, wandering toward an unknown horizon.
The eastern sky gradually brightened as the terrain grew increasingly steep.
By the time daylight had fully broken, Jiang Qing saw a crystal-clear stream winding past a row of lush green willows ahead of him.
Exhausted, he approached the bank and scooped up handfuls of water to quench his thirst.
The cool water gradually cleared his mind. Glancing down, he saw the reflection of an ugly young man staring back at him from the clear depths.
Jiang Qing stared intently at his reflection in the water, lost in thought. A secret sorrow once again crept into his heart. He thought:
"I am so hideous. No wonder no one can ever bring themselves to care for me!"
While he was still lost in his melancholy, he suddenly started in alarm as the distant, frantic cries of a girl screaming for help echoed through the air.
Springing to his feet, Jiang Qing strained his ears to listen.
Indeed, from the other side of the mountain slope came the panicked, desperate cries of a girl...
Jiang Qing spun around and dashed toward the sound.
Weaving through rocky crevices and pushing past tangled thickets, a scene of unprecedented, savage brutality suddenly unfolded before his eyes.
His blood boiled and fury flared within him, but Jiang Qing still managed to take in the scene: three corpses lay strewn across the ground, hacked and stabbed to pieces.
Tied tightly to the trunk of an ancient tree were three people. One was an old man in his sixties with snow-white hair and beard, and beside him was an elderly woman, likely his wife.
The third was a young woman under twenty, with an exceptionally beautiful face and fair, porcelain skin. Her complexion was now a deathly pale from sheer terror.
Meanwhile, two burly men stood with their backs to Jiang Qing, staring intently at the beautiful young woman.
One of the burly men let out a chilling laugh:
"Hmph! Let me strip off your clothes and see just how fair your skin really is!"
The man standing beside him said in a gruff voice:
"Brother Mo! Let's draw straws to see who goes first!"
The man addressed as Brother Mo let out another smug laugh, nodding with sheer delight. He stepped closer to the young woman, grabbed her shoulder, and ripped her clothing open with a sharp tear.
Her entire left shoulder was laid bare before them.
The old man cursed them incessantly:
"You beasts! Shameless scoundrels! How can Heaven allow you to live!"
The old woman wept as well:
"If you want to kill, kill us... what has our daughter done to deserve this?"
Hearing this, Brother Mo turned around, pointed at the old man's face, and snarled:
"You miserable old fool! Back then, before the Langshan Duo made a name for ourselves, we only took ten taels of silver from someone, yet you had the heart to throw us in prison and torture us brutally! Ha ha...! Heaven has eyes! Today, you miserable old fool, you will pay your debt!"
With that, he reached out his hand, intending to caress the young beauty's cheek.
Just as his hand was about to touch that jade-like face, a blood-curdling shout rang out. A flash of sword-light, like a flying rainbow, shot straight toward his chest with immense, unstoppable force.
Caught completely off guard, his face paled as he found himself unable to dodge. In desperation, he unleashed a double-palm strike, returning a thunderous blow at the newcomer.
A terrifying boom echoed, accompanied by a tragic, agonizing shriek, as the two figures staggered backward and parted.
Looking closely, everyone saw that the newcomer was an ugly young man. His left arm, likely severely injured, hung limp and dangling, completely immobile.
Looking to the other side, the younger of the Lang Shan Duo had been pierced through the chest by the sword, falling backward and thrashing in a pool of fresh blood.
Yes! The newcomer was indeed Jiang Qing. He had used the "Blood-Stained Battlefield" stance of the Nujiang Sect to end the life of this brutal man, though he had also taken a thunderous blow in return, crippling one of his arms.
Seeing his younger brother die so tragically in a single exchange at the hands of the enemy, the elder Mo brother was struck with horror. He silently vowed:
"Brother, do not go just yet! Wait and watch as I avenge you!"
With that, he whipped out his snake-headed staff and suddenly executed the "Flying Rainbow Beyond the Heavens" stance, striking straight down at the crown of Jiang Qing's head, while simultaneously unleashing two palm strikes with his left hand.
As the most outstanding disciple of the Nujiang Sect, Jiang Qing remained remarkably calm in battle. He retreated three steps, took a defensive stance, and then engaged his opponent in fierce combat. Right from the start, he unleashed the Raging Waves Swordplay to suppress his foe.
In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged over fifty rounds. Although his opponent, Mo Jiao, was a level below Jiang Qing in skill, Jiang Qing's crippled arm made it difficult to maneuver, causing him to gradually fall into a disadvantage.
The three bound captives watched anxiously as the terrifying battle unfolded before them. In a mere moment, another fifty rounds passed, and the combatants gradually shifted toward the edge of the cliff, below which lay a bottomless abyss...
Jiang Qing felt his opponent's attacks growing increasingly ferocious, unleashing one deadly, insidious technique after another. Meanwhile, his own breath grew ragged, his heart pounded, and his limbs grew heavy and sluggish. At this rate, defeat was inevitable.
Staring at his opponent's hideous, smug face, a bold and desperate idea suddenly flashed in Jiang Qing's mind. He thought:
"There is no point in me living on anyway; I might as well end it all here." Just as his focus wavered, Mo Jiao let out a loud roar, and his snake-headed staff suddenly thrust upward from below, aiming straight for Jiang Qing's abdomen.
Jiang Qing hastily dodged to the side, but a spray of fresh blood still erupted. The snake-headed staff had plunged deep into his left thigh.
Jiang Qing roared:
"Elder, escape quickly!"
He flung his right arm, and his sword instantly slipped from his palm, flying straight toward the old man. At the same time, quick as lightning, Jiang Qing lunged forward, locking his arms tightly around his opponent's neck. Gritting his teeth, he mustered every ounce of his strength and threw them both rolling down into the abyss.
Glancing back, he saw his sword fly true to his intent, slicing cleanly through the ropes binding the old man. The faces of the three captives filled with profound emotion, their eyes reflecting a mixture of anxiety and terror as they watched him, locked in a death grip with his opponent, tumble down into the bottomless abyss.
That final sight was more than enough for Jiang Qing. His mind felt light and serene, completely free of worry.
Only after falling a considerable distance did he finally separate from his opponent. Looking to either side, he saw the cliffs rushing past him, the wind howling furiously in his ears.
As he plummeted headlong, there was a sudden, sickening crack. A wave of excruciating pain pierced his very core, stars exploded before his eyes, and Jiang Qing blacked out.
He had no idea how much time had passed before he vaguely felt his entire body soaked through, the biting chill slowly bringing him back to consciousness.
Jiang Qing blearily opened his eyes. Cold gusts of wind howled from all directions. He thought to himself in a daze:
"Perhaps this is the Netherworld..."
As his mind slowly cleared, he dimly perceived a deep blue sky above him, dotted with countless stars, while beside him loomed a steep, treacherous cliff.
Still caught in a lingering daze, unsure whether he was alive or dead, and unable to move his limbs, he stuck out his tongue and bit down hard.
Immediately after, he let out a joyful gasp:
"Ah! I'm still alive!"
But a moment later, a strange sensation washed over him, a mixture of joy and sorrow. He was glad to be alive, yet lamented why he hadn't died.
While his mind was still in turmoil, he suddenly caught a faint hissing sound nearby. He quickly rolled his eyes to look...
There, not far away, a snake hung down from a tree branch, letting out terrifying hisses from its mouth.
Seeing it slither closer, Jiang Qing panicked. He tried to steady his breathing and move his limbs, but they were completely paralyzed with pain.
The foul, rancid stench from the snake's mouth blew directly into his face. It swayed back and forth, poised to strike at his throat.
Unable to move a muscle, Jiang Qing could only close his eyes and await death...
Suddenly, a sharp whoosh sliced past his ear, followed by a pitiful hiss from the snake.
Jiang Qing snapped his eyes open and saw the snake thrashing in agony, its neck impaled by a sharp twig.
Jiang Qing struggled to speak:
"May I ask which senior expert has saved my life? I, Jiang Qing, am deeply grateful!"
Before he could finish, a raspy voice rang out in his ear:
"How pathetic. Frightened out of your wits by a mere baby snake!"
Flushed with shame, Jiang Qing stammered:
"Senior! I slipped and fell down here, suffering severe injuries, which is why I couldn't defend myself against the snake..."
The raspy voice spoke again:
"Brat, tell me, how did you fall down here?"
Still lying on the pine branch, Jiang Qing mustered his strength to recount the terrifying events of moments ago. As soon as he finished, the raspy voice spoke once more:
"Brat! You are incredibly lucky to have been caught by this pine branch. By now, those 'Twin Friends of Lang Shan' or whatever they're called must have been smashed to pieces."
Silence fell over the area, as if the hidden figure was contemplating something of great importance.
A sudden gust of wind swept past, rustling the pine needles.
Jiang Qing clung tightly to the branch, when he suddenly heard the voice speak again:
"I swore never to lay eyes on another soul, but so be it. It seems we share a karmic bond, and you are a passionate youth who views death as lightly as duckweed."
No sooner had the words been spoken than a sharp whoosh cut through the air. A rope flew out from nowhere, wrapping itself tightly around Jiang Qing. Before he could even cry out, the rope hoisted him up and yanked him upward, sending his body arching like a rainbow straight into a pitch-black cave entrance.
The person controlling the rope possessed miraculous skill, balancing their strength so perfectly that Jiang Qing landed with gentle ease.
Looking up, he saw an old man of bizarre appearance sitting cross-legged on a stone dais in the deepest recesses of the cave.
This man had hair and beard as white as snow, his lower body covered only by a tattered loincloth. His entire body was as dark and bronzed as copper, but strangely, his two hands were as fair and delicate as white jade.
He opened his mouth and asked:
"Are you Jiang Qing? Who is your master?"
Jiang Qing exerted immense effort to drag himself forward another five steps, whispering weakly:
"My master is the third-generation Sect Leader of the Nu Jiang Sect, named the Nine Heavens Divine Dragon, Hua Mingyuan!"
The bizarre old man pondered for a long moment, then shook his head and said:
"I do not know this person. I only remember someone named the Double Brushes Flying Shuttle, Cang Nanping!"
Jiang Qing was astonished:
"That is my grandmaster! The sixth-generation Sect Leader of the Nu Jiang Sect!"
Jiang Qing wondered to himself how old this old man must be to have known his Grandmaster. Meanwhile, as if reading Jiang Qing's mind, the old man clicked his tongue and said:
"This old man is exactly one hundred and twenty years old this year!"
"Heavens, it has been nearly sixty years since I last had the chance to speak with anyone from the mortal world!"
Only then did Jiang Qing look closely at the bizarre old man, suddenly startled to realize that the man's eyes seemed to be blind.
The old man clicked his tongue again and said:
"Little brat! This old man's eyes are already blind. For sixty years, I have not known how the affairs of the world have changed."
Jiang Qing let out a melancholy sigh and replied:
"The world is still full of nothing but sorrowful things!"
The old man blinked his blind eyes rapidly:
"Ah! You must have some heartbreaking tale of your own, little brat. Tell me all about it!"
Jiang Qing said:
"Please, Senior, do not force me to stir up the cold ashes of the past!"
The old man chuckled heartily:
"No matter. Tell me your story, and in return, I will tell you a deeply tragic tale of my own."
Jiang Qing pondered for a long while before slowly recounting his youth, when he was a helpless wanderer taken in and raised by Hua Mingyuan. As he grew up, he secretly loved his junior sister, the daughter of Sect Leader Hua. However, due to his ugly face, he could only swallow his bitter grief, not daring to reveal his feelings to anyone, only for his junior sister to ultimately give herself to another man.
At the same time, his junior sister's husband assumed the position of Sect Leader, a position that rightfully should have fallen into Jiang Qing's hands...
After hearing the story, the old man sighed and said:
"Do not be so disheartened, child. There are still so many things in this world waiting for us to do. Why should we lose the heroic spirit of a true man over such a trivial love affair!"
Hearing these words, Jiang Qing felt as if struck by a bolt of lightning from a clear sky, feeling both startled and ashamed. Then he heard the old man ask:
"Do you know who I am?"
Jiang Qing shook his head and said:
"This junior truly does not know Senior's esteemed name!"
The old man threw his head back and laughed heartily:
"This old man is named Li Wuxie! Sixty years ago, people in the jianghu called me the Xie Shen!"
Jiang Qing was utterly tongue-tied with shock, stammering:
"Ah! Could Senior be the 'One Heretic, Two Flyers, Three Supreme Palms'?"
The old man laughed heartily again, feeling immensely proud of the name that had shaken the jianghu sixty years ago, striking terror into the hearts of all who heard it.
With his hair standing on end, Jiang Qing asked:
"I have heard the elders recount that during Senior's golden age of peak glory, any martial arts figure who heard your name would have their gallbladder shattered with fear. But why does Senior seem so benevolent now?"
It turned out that Jiang Qing had heard his master, the Nine Heavens Divine Dragon, recount:
"Sixty years ago, the Xie Shen was the number one expert in the martial world. He had an extraordinary and convoluted story like this:
Because his martial arts were so peerless, the heroes and champions of the world were all terrified upon hearing his name."
At the same time, he was highly temperamental and prone to slaughter. He had a bizarre habit of wearing a gaudy, unsightly red robe!
But if anyone happened to look at that bizarre robe, he would gouge out both their eyes; thus, countless people in the martial world died by his hands.
His arrogance grew increasingly aggressive, prompting heroes from all over the martial world to rise up and select seventy top masters to besiege him on the banks of the Xiaoshui River.
After that ghost-wailing and deity-weeping battle, not a single one of the seventy masters representing the various martial sects returned alive.
After waiting for a while, the sects sent scouts to gather information, only to discover seventy corpses strewn across the banks of the Xiaoshui, none of which belonged to the Evil God.
From then on, the martial world grew even more terrified, but after that fierce battle, Li Wuchen suddenly and mysteriously vanished..."
At this moment, Jiang Qing looked up at the thin, dark old man, hardly daring to believe that this was the supreme master of the martial world who had dominated sixty years ago.
Li Wuchen smiled and asked:
“Little brat, what are the things in this world that cause people the most suffering?”
Jiang Qing shook his head, indicating his lack of understanding.
Li Wuchen continued:
“There are two things: love and time!”
He fell silent for a long moment, then let out a deeply sorrowful sigh and said:
“The long, grueling span of sixty years has greatly altered my temperament. I am no longer as hot-tempered as before... Every day, I see nothing but pitch-black darkness. I hear nothing but the rustling of the forest wind. I have left this world for sixty years, left a world rife with sin, deceit, and hatred...” Jiang Qing also spoke, trembling:
“Senior! I beg to stay here and keep you company for the rest of my life. I also hate and despise that deceitful society out there!”
Li Wuchen suddenly burst into a loud, ringing laugh and said:
“Fool! I have one foot in the grave, while you are still in the prime of your youth with a long future ahead. Why do you have such pessimistic and defeatist thoughts?”
Hearing this, Jiang Qing lowered his head in shame, and suddenly his stomach growled a few times, reminding him that he was already starving.
Li Wuchen also laughed and said:
“Brat, reach under my stone dais and take out some dry rations to tide you over. That is the only food I have painstakingly grown myself behind this cave.”
Jiang Qing did as he was told, groping his way inside, and indeed found a large amount of dry rations piled near the stone dais.
But just as he retrieved the food, he stumbled and collapsed again. Li Wuchen laughed heartily:
“Ah! I forgot, you are severely injured. Come closer and let me take a look!”
Jiang Qing tried his best, but he could not force himself up. His limbs felt disconnected, aching as if they had been beaten to a pulp.
Li Wuchen suddenly extended a surprisingly fair, delicate hand and made a grabbing motion. Jiang Qing felt an invisible force emanate from the old man's hand, pulling him in. His body flew forward, landing right in front of the old man.
He caught Jiang Qing and felt the major acupoints all over his body, then said with delight:
“Ah! I didn't expect you to have such a robust physique, perfect for a martial artist!”
Then, he adjusted his posture to sit upright, took a deep breath to gather his strength, and tapped a sequence of thirty-six major acupoints on Jiang Qing's body. He then pressed a hand against his chest to transfer his inner energy.
Having just had his acupoints sealed, Jiang Qing suddenly felt a warm current slowly flow from Li Wuchen's palm into his body, spreading throughout his entire being and bringing an incredibly comfortable sensation.
Jiang Qing did not expect that while transferring inner energy, the old man could still speak. He said:
“Young lad! This old man is truly fond of you. I have painstakingly practiced martial arts for a lifetime but have no successor to carry on my legacy. I wonder if you would be willing to join my sect?”
Because Jiang Qing was currently receiving the heat current from his palms to heal his injuries, he could not open his mouth to answer. He was deeply grateful for Li Wushen's question, but since he was already a member of the Nu Jiang Sect, he still hesitated.
Li Wushen seemed to have read his mind and quickly said:
“Ah! I forgot! You are already a member of the Nu Jiang Sect!”
He pondered for a long moment:
“I am truly fond of this boy with his heroic, noble character and robust physique!”
Suddenly, he cried out in delight:
“Ah, that’s it! Can you acknowledge me as your adoptive father?”
Jiang Qing also nodded in delight.
Although Li Wushen was blind, he seemed to clearly perceive Jiang Qing's gesture of agreement, so he said joyfully:
“Excellent! Excellent! Then you are my only family. Now, let me give you a gift!”
As soon as he finished speaking, cracking sounds echoed throughout his body, his hair and beard stood on end, and the warmth in his palms suddenly became as hot as fire.
Jiang Qing's entire body also burned hot, like someone walking through a desert under a scorching sun.
After a long while, the heat suddenly turned ice-cold, freezing Jiang Qing's hands and feet, causing his teeth to chatter violently.
Jiang Qing tried his best to endure it. Before long, the cold gradually dissipated, returning to the warmth from before.
After several such alternations, Jiang Qing's spirit was invigorated, his energy was abundant, and his body felt incredibly light and comfortable.
The once dark and cold stone cave now appeared as bright as day before Jiang Qing's eyes. He glanced up at Li Wushen and was instantly shocked, for the old man's body had withered as if he were on the verge of death.
He hurriedly laid him on his back, placed some dry rations into his mouth, then went to the back to scoop some water and pour it into his mouth to help him regain his strength. Soon, the old man began to drift off to sleep...
Jiang Qing also curled up at his feet and fell into a sound sleep. When he woke up, he saw Li Wushen sitting cross-legged with a bright smile on his face.
He quickly knelt down to pay his respects and said:
“Adoptive father! Please accept my sincere gratitude for healing my injuries!”
Li Wushen's expression turned solemn as he said:
“Just now, I used the Lihuo Xuanbing True Qi to heal you!”
Seeing that he was in a good mood, Jiang Qing spoke up and asked:
“Since I came in here, why haven't I seen you walk around, adoptive father?”
Hearing the question, Li Wushen pondered for a long moment before sighing dejectedly and saying:
“That is something that happened sixty years ago... Hmph! Sixty years ago, more than seventy masters from various sects in the martial world gathered to besiege me on the banks of the Xiaoshui River... Ha ha...”
“I did not let a single one of them return alive. But after the battle ended, I was also gravely injured, so I wandered around looking for a place to hide. Unexpectedly, I met a beautiful young woman named Li Yanyu, who was also a well-known figure in the martial world.”
“Seeing that I was seriously injured, she took care of me day and night. At that time, although I was sixty years old, I had not yet started a family, and because I practiced martial arts daily, I only looked about forty. Being close to each other day and night, a deep love blossomed between us.”
“One day, she earnestly begged me to fly away with her to a remote, secluded place to live a peaceful life together...”
Jiang Qing suddenly blurted out:
“And so, you agreed, adoptive father?”
Li Wushen nodded:
"Yes! I agreed, and only after enduring countless hardships did I manage to find this secluded mountainside above."
Jiang Qing interrupted again, "What a perfect match! You and she were both world-renowned. Truly a pair of immortals!"
Li Wushen let out a painful smile and continued, "Who would have thought that she had already been bought off by the martial world, solely to find a weakness in my guard and strike a fatal blow..."
Li Wushen suddenly widened his blind eyes and continued tremulously, "On a night with a clear moon and a gentle breeze, while we were sharing an intimate moment, she suddenly struck my Guilai acupoint... At that very moment, a chilling laugh echoed from outside, and a man in his fifties lunged in, striking me with a palm technique. From his stance, I knew instantly it was Ran Cangyin's Suishan Palm. In that split second, because my Guilai acupoint had just been sealed, my blood was flowing backward, leaving me half-paralyzed. I hurriedly threw out both palms to block..."
Jiang Qing hurriedly cut him off, "And then? What happened? Did they escape, Foster Father?"
Li Wushen laughed heartily and said proudly, "Though their Songfei Sanjue Palm is famous throughout the land, how could it withstand my Rulai Divine Palm? Within just two exchanges, they were both sent plunging into this bottomless abyss, ground to dust. During the battle, because I overexerted myself, my spirit was paralyzed and my blood flowed in reverse, leaving me blind in both eyes."
Jiang Qing looked at him with a pained expression and asked, "Foster Father! Is there any way to cure your condition?"
Li Wushen pondered for a long time, then shook his head. "There is one way, but the hope is very slim."
Jiang Qing asked anxiously, "Foster Father! Please tell me. Even if I must go through boiling oil and raging fire, or enter a dragon's pool and a tiger's den, I am willing to sacrifice my life to find a way to save you!"
Li Wushen fell into deep thought once more. After a long silence, he slowly revealed a bizarre and secret tale of the martial world to Jiang Qing:
As it turned out, the stone cave where Li Wushen resided was called Jueyuan Cave. It was a cave situated halfway up a thousand-zhang-high cliff. The cliff face was as slick as grease, and the terrain was extraordinarily steep and treacherous.
Li Wushen had used a hundred schemes and a thousand plans, enduring countless hardships, just to enter this stone cave. Before coming here, he had also discovered that deep down in the abyss below, there was a bizarrely shaped stone slab that resembled a dragon writhing and soaring through the air.
Li Wushen was not only peerless in martial arts but also possessed vast knowledge. With just a single glance, he knew it was a rare treasure of the world.
After a period of contemplation, he realized it was the Zilong Lair, truly the most precious feng shui spot on earth. Overjoyed, he spent many days searching and tracing its dragon vein. He discovered that once every five hundred years, this precious lair would automatically open for only about the duration of one watch of the night.
Hidden within this lair were numerous rare and precious books, as well as many treasures and medicines that could never be found elsewhere in the world. Among the treasures in the lair was a pair of living creatures capable of curing all diseases and bringing the dead back to life. If one could obtain them, they would never fear poison and could eradicate any ailment in their body.
At present, he was half-paralyzed, making movement extremely difficult, and the secret Zilong Lair only opened once every five hundred years. Moreover, wherever precious treasures were kept, there would surely be many vicious beasts guarding them, or perhaps masters of the martial world lurking around, coveting the treasure.
Therefore, he had temporarily gone into hiding to bide his time...
Read on in Chapter 2: The Zilong Lair