Chapter 140: Flying Dragon Searching for Clouds
Yuxu Peak is located in the middle section of Kunlun Mountain, standing tall above the clouds, with a group of mountains as its seat.
It is one of the Taoist pilgrimage centers, known as the "blessed land of caves" and "the best of sacred mountains". It is said that every year on the third day of the third lunar month, the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, and the eighth day of the eighth lunar month, the Queen Mother of the West would hold a Peach Festival here and invite all the immortals to gather here.
I don’t know whether there is a Queen Mother of the West.
But there really is a "Peach Garden" on the Yuxu Peak, which is the secret cave of the former Tianji Palace.
Although the peaches in the garden cannot make one immortal after eating them as in mythology, they can help to make one healthy and light and greatly enhance one's martial arts skills.
Unfortunately, nine years ago, there was a fire in Tianji Palace, and Pantao Garden was also affected and burned down...
It is now early September.
It was still early, so Zhao Wumian went to Wanshou Villa before going to Kunlun Mountain.
Wanshou Villa is a major sect in the northwest. Its owner, Meng Changfeng, also known as "Qilinzi", is a master of the fourth realm and a great master of swordsmanship.
This man was obsessed with animals and built a zoo on Liupan Mountain in Pingliang Prefecture. It is the Wanshou Villa which has become famous in recent years and houses all kinds of rare and exotic animals.
More than thirty years ago.
By chance, Meng Changfeng once obtained a volume of sword manual and half a volume of "Su Shu" in a secret place.
The sword manual is called "Eight Methods of Imitation Shapes" and is a unique skill passed down by Wu Ye, the descendant of Li Bai. It has exquisite moves and infinite power. The "Su Shu" records the method of connecting the heart with Qi and controlling beasts with the heart.
Zhao Wumian killed Meng Changfeng's two sons in Baihuatuo of Beiping Prefecture and obtained a suicide note from the descendant of Wu Ye. The letter said that the sword manual in Meng Changfeng's hand contained the true inheritance of Li Bai, or the true inheritance of Guiguzi Zongheng!
Li Bai learned from Zhao Rui, an outstanding strategist in the Tang Dynasty. What he learned in his life was not only "Su Shu", but also the unique skills of Guigu School!
Zhao Wumian planned to get the sword manual first, crack the secrets on it, and further enrich himself...
Just do it.
Zhao Wumian named his new identity "Hua Qianshu", and his character was "a rich young man, with unknown origins and backgrounds, with the habits of a playboy, who was generous and spent money lavishly."
Completely opposite to Zhao Wumian's "bureaucratic style", after leaving Yingtian Prefecture, he flew to Pingliang Prefecture and began to put himself into character setting.
Now Mr. Zhao's business is booming and his wealth is plentiful. He is already a wealthy man, so it is not difficult for him to be "generous".
Just consider it as helping the poor.
He first stayed at the best inn in Pingliang Prefecture, "Yue Lai Inn", to reward his stomach with fine wine and delicious food, and then went directly to the Wanshou Villa in Liupan Mountain as a wealthy customer who wanted to buy exotic beasts.
As a result, he was turned away.
"are you crazy!"
Zhao Wumian pointed at the gatekeeper's nose and started to curse, fully implementing his character setting: "You don't want to do business when you have it, is your brain clogged with money?!"
Under the archway of the villa, the two disciples guarding the gate had gloomy faces and were about to get angry, but when they saw Zhao Wumian's attire, they swallowed the curse words that were about to come out of their mouths.
He was wearing a white robe made of fine silk, with peony flowers embroidered with gold thread faintly visible on the lapels. He had a well-proportioned figure, handsome features, and was a handsome man. The only difference was that the accessories on his body were a bit strange. He was covered in gold, silver, and jewelry, and they were all extremely exquisite and elegant. When put together, he looked very different.
You might say he is unsophisticated, but he is not really, rather he has great taste.
He doesn't look too unfashionable, but he does look like a country rich man who seems afraid that others don't know he is rich.
The disciples of the Myriad Beasts Villa travel far and wide to capture exotic beasts, so they are no strangers to this style - among the merchants traveling along the Silk Road, there is no shortage of such people who like to show off and are quite elegant.
The people of the Western Regions loved to pursue wealth, and the trade between merchants from the Central Plains was inevitably affected.
The combination of the low-key and reserved style of the people in the Central Plains and the extravagant style of the people in the Western Regions has led to similar attire. Perhaps they are not trying to show off, but rather have formed a unique dressing style over the years by following the host's lead.
You can tell at first glance that he is a rich man or a big businessman!
Moreover, this person not only had gorgeous clothes, but also had a high level of cultivation. At least they couldn't see it, so they didn't dare to provoke him.
The two disciples suppressed their anger and advised him kindly: "Sir, it's not that we don't want to do business, but there are important matters in the manor recently. The owner of the manor has ordered that we will not receive outside guests. Please bear with it."
"Is this happening?"
Zhao Wumian quickly unfolded his folding fan, on which was a painting of "Sitting and Watching the Clouds Rise", a masterpiece by a great master and worth a lot of money. He looked down at the two of them and asked, "What happened?"
Just as the two gatekeeper disciples were about to refuse, a silver note worth one hundred taels flashed before their eyes.
Zhao Wumian held the banknote between his fingers, not even looking at them. He scratched his ears and said leisurely, "First come, first served."
"That's what happened."
One of the fat disciples immediately changed his words: "Our young master...well, he has been away for a long time. The owner of the manor is worried about his safety, so he sent several groups of people out to look for him, and even gave up the business. It's not that he doesn't want to do business, but he just doesn't have the heart to do it for the time being. Please come back later."
Keep the change, please.
The ball is dead.
The body was destroyed and no trace of the remains was left.
Zhao Wumian threw out the silver note and the fat disciple took it with joy.
Zhao Wumian added, "I heard that your villa adopted a red-maned lion half a year ago. Is it still there?"
"In the."
Another disciple looked at the fat disciple with envy when he saw him taking the money. Upon hearing this, he immediately interrupted and said, "This is what our young master brought back from Shu. It's an [Elephant-Turning Lion], which is powerful enough to kill elephants and spews fire from its mouth. It's very magical. The master likes it very much... Sir, this lion is not cheap. The third son of the corpse-driving Marquis family asked for 100,000 taels of silver to buy it for his younger sister as a birthday gift, but the master didn't sell it to him. You..."
"Haha, one hundred thousand taels."
Zhao Wumian didn't have one either, but that didn't stop him from mocking him: "Descendant of the Suanni, how can you give this little money to a beggar?"
hiss!
The two disciples looked at each other with shock in their eyes. "This is a great customer, why don't you go in and inform him?"
Zhao Wumian threw out another 100-liang silver note to the disciple who answered, and turned and left: "I will wait for him for half a month! If you have any news within half a month, come to Yuelai Inn and register my name. I will not wait for you after the deadline!"
The fat disciple hurriedly asked, "May I ask your name, sir?"
Zhao Wumian smiled slightly: "This young master, Hua Qianshu!"
——The east wind blows thousands of flowers into bloom at night. The two disciples thought to themselves, I have never heard of this.
A figure in the dark nodded secretly and disappeared.
Zhao Wumian was fanning himself with a folding fan, striding leisurely down the mountain when he suddenly saw a young man walking up the mountain path. He never looked away from Zhao Wumian, but when he passed by Zhao Wumian, he did not make any movement. The pendant of Zhao Wumian's folding fan was gone... His theft method was amazing!
"The thief's unique skill, 'Flying Dragon Searching the Clouds', is well-deserved of its reputation..."
Zhao Wumian chuckled. What a coincidence, I ran into an acquaintance.
The young man's face changed slightly, and he was about to use his lightness skills to retreat, but Zhao Wumian was faster. His body swayed slightly, and he dodged and turned like a flying bird, blocking the young man and quickly capturing him.
The young man was also fast. They dodged and chased each other, and the two quickly exchanged more than twenty moves. Zhao Wumian slapped out his last palm, which was as agile as a fish, but with infinite power. It went through the empty space and hit the chest directly.
The young man took the move head-on, groaned, and retreated more than ten steps.
Zhao Wumian retracted his move and the fan pendant returned to the folding fan silently.
"The Wave-Splitting Palm, following the waves with your spirit. That's how it is."
Feeling the sharp pain in his arm, the young master narrowed his eyes in surprise and said, "I dealt with your people a while ago... You don't seem to be deliberately hiding your master."
"hehe."
Zhao Wumian rolled his eyes. "I'm not a wanted criminal. I'm aboveboard. What's there to hide? As for you, I've heard that you guys are so bold that you steal in broad daylight. I really admire you!"
"What a sneaky trick!"
The young master looked unhappy: "Your words and face remind me of someone!"
Zhao Wumian raised his eyebrows: "Who?"
The young master said, "He is a Jinyiwei. He is like you, with a very good appearance, young age, and high martial arts skills. But he is not like you... a nouveau riche who speaks foul language... Well, do you want the [Elephant Lion]?"
This young man is none other than the “little thief” Xiao Yi.
After we parted in Zhejiang last time, he said he wanted to come to the Northwest to join in the fun. I didn't expect to meet him on the first day of his arrival.
What a fate!
Zhao Wumian continued to act, his expression indifferent: "So what?"
Xiao Yi said: "I can help you get it, how about it? Let's talk?"
"I'm afraid there are conditions..."
Zhao Wumian wanted to get information from the beginning, and the elephant lion was just a hook. Hearing this, he pretended to be silent and snapped his folding fan away: "Then let's talk!"
Pingliang Prefecture.
Yuelai Inn, Room No. 1.
Zhao Wumian poured himself a glass of wine and crossed his legs: "If you have something to say, then fart!"
"..."
Xiao Yi took a deep breath, "I got the news that Wanshou Villa has been targeted recently. Meng Changfeng is too busy to take care of himself. This is a good opportunity... This old guy has done many evil things, wantonly capturing mountain and sea beasts for money. He is as abominable as the Southeast Giant Whale Gang! The Giant Whale Gang is already half destroyed, and Wanshou Villa is about to be in trouble! As long as we add fuel to the fire, we can take advantage of the fire and rob and get what we want!"
"..."
Zhao Wumian had a strange expression on his face: "It's not that simple! If I could have snatched it, I would have snatched it directly. Can you beat Meng Changfeng?"
Xiao Yi shook his head and smiled: "Do you know who is looking for him? Why is he looking for him?"
Zhao Wumian frowned slightly, his mind racing with thoughts, and he glared impatiently, "Are you testing me? I just arrived today, how would I know!"
Xiao Yi shook his head and thought that this man was far worse than Zhao Wumian. If he were here, he would definitely be able to give an answer that was almost correct.
The northwest is barren and there are few sects. There are only a few forces that can make Meng Changfeng, a fourth-level Dharma image of Wanshou Villa, "unable to take care of himself".
Xiao Yi said directly: "White Lotus Sect!"
Zhao Wumian thought to himself, as expected.
Xiao Yi: "Half a month ago, the White Lotus Sect's Maha Zun Wang Gu Ming came to him and asked him to join the White Lotus Sect and join in the great cause..."
"and many more."
Zhao Wumian asked strangely: "How did you know? This must be a secret."
Xiao Yi glanced at him and said, "Don't underestimate the Daomen, we have our own channels. These days Meng Changfeng has been sending disciples to Beiping to find out the whereabouts of his two sons... His three most powerful disciples are also missing. In such a huge villa, he is the only one in the fourth realm, and a large group of elite disciples are missing. The rest are just chickens and dogs. With our Qinggong, disguise, and breath-concealing skills, is it difficult to sneak in?"
This is true.
Zhao Wumian had seen his "Dead Tree Zen" breath-retaining technique, which was just like a dead tree in the woods, lifeless and without any fluctuations. It was indeed something.
It turns out that he saw an opportunity in Wanshou Villa and had been keeping an eye on it for a long time...
Xiao Yi said: "Do you still want to listen?"
Zhao Wumian said: "I'm listening, please continue."
Xiao Yi said: "We dare not get too close, we can only use the [megaphone] to eavesdrop remotely. We know that Wang Guming invited Meng Changfeng, but he did not respond. Tomorrow night is the deadline. If Meng Changfeng still does not agree, Wang Guming may kill him, and the White Lotus Sect will also attack the villa. Our chance has come."
Zhao Wumian said: "It seems that I am not needed for this."
Xiao Yi sighed, "My disciples of the Thief Sect have superb Qinggong skills and first-rate techniques. They are not inferior to any other sects. However, their mental skills are average, their Qi training is slow, and their realm is low. There are only a handful of disciples who can reach the third realm. If we want to enter the treasure house, we need someone to lure away the guard at the peak of the third realm..."
Zhao Wumian laughed and said, "You want me to help you lead him away?"
"Do not."
Xiao Yi said solemnly: "How about I be the bait and you go into the treasure house?"
On the first day of National Day, my injury worsened and I went to the hospital again to take an X-ray. It turned out that my cervical vertebra was dislocated... I’m drunk... That’s all I can say today.
(End of this chapter)
