Chapter 71 - Papaya Flavored Senior Brother Gong (9): Cult Leader Gou: Even if I’m a sister-in-law, I’ll be #1
Things were finally livening up at the Martial Arts Conference.
“Next match is Tang Nuo from the Nine Underworld Tower versus Si Tubai from the Southern Sword Sect! Place your bets!”
“Who should I pick?”
“Tang Nuo is the youngest child of the Nine Underworld Tower’s Sect Master! Although he didn’t partic.i.p.ate in the conference 5 years ago for some reason, he must have received a true inheritance! He’s a notable personage on Bai Xiaosheng’s Ranking of Heroes and his odds of winning seems good.”
“And I heard Tang gongzi is, well, not so gifted. At least compared to his elder brothers and Senior Brother, there’s nothing special about him and he is often chastised by Sect Master Tang.
On the other hand, Si Tubai is also a Sect Master’s son but his track record is much better. I heard he is quite talented and his sword dao is of the same origin as Sect Master Si Tu. He definitely won’t be weak. I’ve also seen his performance from 5 years ago. He may not be as remarkable as his Senior Brother, but he had the heroic spirit. I’m sure he has improved over the years. My bet will be on him!”
“There’s still a short while before betting is closed for the round. Heroes who still haven’t placed a bet, make haste!”
The sounds of excitement from outside reached all the way inside the arena.
Si Tubai was fanning Gou Liang while looking around bitterly, “Senior brothers and sisters, I can understand the skepticism of outsiders, but Tang Nuo has never been able to beat me before. This kind of bet that’s sure to make money, you guys should at least show me some support.”
Gou Liang was sleeping soundly, using Yue Qian’s arm as a pillow. The wind blew and stray strands of his hair fell on his face. Yue Qian saw this and helped him tuck them behind his ears. He completely ignored his third junior brother’s complaints.
Cao Gengwu, however, chuckled, “All my wealth is managed by your sister-in-law. I really have no money at hand.”
Si Tubai didn’t believe him. Lin Xiuniang smiled and said, “We all believe you will win. Not to mention…” She glanced at Gou Liang who was fast asleep and ended up whispering, “Earlier, Junior Sister wheedled 100 taels of silver out of Master and placed it on you.”
Si Tubai was finally appeased.
He went up, full of confidence, but out of his expectations, it was a close battle!
His sword was fast; and luckily fast enough. Otherwise, in the situation where he could neither see Tang Nuo’s concealed weapon nor understand the trajectory of his attacks, he would’ve ended up in an even more miserable state.
Gou Liang opened his eyes. He looked at the two people on stage engaged in a cycle of defensive and offense, and furrowed his brow.
“What’s wrong?”
Yue Qian asked.
“Who do you think will win this round?”
“It’s hard to say.”
Even Yue Qian couldn’t see through Tang Nuo’s moves or his concealed weapon, showing just how impressive this hidden ace up his sleeve was.
Gou Liang sneered. He took a sip of water and leaned in beside Yue Qian’s ear. “His ‘concealed weapon’ is the wind. It’s the first style in the ‘Nine Dark Arts’…though, sadly, he’s only imitating it at best. If your third junior brother could outlast his opponent’s reserve of internal force, victory is at hand.”
This surprised Yue Qian. Tower Master Tang said himself that he had never learned the “Nine Dark Arts”. Then where did Tang Nuo learn it from?
“Where he learned it is not important. His moves are devoid of the arts’ essence. Forcibly training in it will gravely harm the body. If he continues to practice it, a problem will arise sooner or later.” Gou Liang continued, “But for the Tang Clan to go as far as exposing their life-saving method prematurely just to test me, they are really pulling out all the stops.”
Yue Qian was full of worries, “Seeing how persistent they are, there will be no less trouble in the future.”
“So, Hero Yue, you must train diligently. If you are the strongest, what fear is there that harm will come to me?
“It’s hard to predict what will happen in life. But, Xiao Keng’er, even if I have to throw my life away, I’ll protect you.”
“That merely sounds good. If you died, aren’t I free for anyone to trample upon? It’s better if you flee first, then perhaps you could save me later.”
“…I’ll never take that chance, and I will definitely never abandon you.”
“It’s just a joke, why so serious?” Gou Liang rubbed Yue Qian’s lips with smiling eyes. Then, he heard from the audience, “See, Tang Nuo is losing.”
Gou Liang whispered something in Yue Qian’s ear, and the latter’s smile faltered.
A white figure flashed by. Yue Qian, dressed in the Southern Sword Sect’s uniform, landed on stage. He sent out his internal force to shield Si Tubai from Tang Nuo’s desperate, last-ditch attack.
Yue Qian announced, “This round is the Southern Sword Sect’s loss.”
After saying this, he brought Si Tubai off stage.
The audience was in an uproar. They whispered in confusion: What’s going on? Si Tubai was about to win, so how come the Southern Sword Sect lost all of a sudden?
They saw Yue Qian feeding Si Tubai the Southern Sword Sect’s panacea before helping him regulate the energy in his body. A mouthful of black blood was forced out of Si Tubai’s body.
His injury wasn’t light. He was even poisoned.
Everyone was shocked.
The eyes they looked at Tang Nuo with instantly changed.
Tang Nuo was still on the stage, looking equally confused. His face paled and he rushed off the stage. He definitely didn’t use any vicious methods like poison in secret!
Si Tushuang saw her elder brother cough up black blood. His face was pale, his internal energy was a mess, and he also received internal injury. She was instantly enraged, she pushed aside He Cong who had come over to a.s.sess the situation and said angrily, “We don’t need your fake worry! Tang Nuo, what did you do to my elder brother! As the son of the Nine Underworld Tower, to think you’ll use such unsavory methods. You couldn’t beat my brother so you poisoned him, despicable!”
Si Tubai appeared fine just now. If not for Gou Liang noticing and Yue Qian’s intervention, this hidden danger inside his body may have erupted at any time and taken his life.
The rest of them beside, even Si Tubai himself would have been clueless on how he died!
Tang Nuo: “Don’t speak without evidence! Who knew when he got injured, don’t push the blame on my head!”
He Cong snapped: “Junior Brother, stop. Junior Sister Si Tu is just worried right now, as her senior brother, why are you arguing with her?” He turned to Si Tushuang whose eyes were full of tears, “Junior Sister Si Tu, your Senior Brother Tang is not that sort of person, there must be a misunderstanding.
Junior Brother Si Tu’s injury is more important right now, we’ll discuss other matters later. If there’s any way our Nine Underworld Tower could help, we’ll definitely do our utmost.”
Si Tu Zhang Tian and the others had also arrived in a hurry
Seeing how Yue Qian was transferring internal energy to treat Si Tubai, the Sect Masters easily saw how grave Si Tubai’s hidden injury was. Si Tu Zhang Tian’s brows were tightly creased together. When Si Tushuang lashed out just now, he uncharacteristically didn’t stop her.
The depth of Yue Qian’s internal energy was truly deep, the unending stream of vigorous energy made the wind whistle, and no one was able to approach either him or Si Tubai within three steps.
He forced out another mouthful of black blood before stopping.
“Senior brother…”
Si Tubai clutched his dully aching chest and looked uneasily at Yue Qian.
Yue Qian squeezed his shoulder, telling him he would be fine. He turned to Tang Nuo. His gaze made Tang Nuo, who was being plucky, suddenly feel terrified.
Yue Qian didn’t say anything to him. Instead, he said to Tower Master Tang, “Undetected, the underworld decides life and death, what a powerful art! Where did Tower Master Tang learn it from? It would be just right to use on the Demonic Cult, but here at the Martial Arts Conference and on our fellow junior and senior brothers? Don’t you think it disgraces our righteous faction and will harm the friendship between our five sects?”
Undetected, the underworld decided life and death.
This was the first line in the “Nine Dark Arts”, meaning the martial arts synced with the heart; it was formless, mannerless, injuring not the surface but the five viscera and six organs in a way undetected by even the victim.
And once it erupts, death was certain.
Tower Master Tang’s finger twitched.
He gave Yue Qian a deep look before saying, “I won’t hide it from Senior Brother Si Tu. I happened to obtain this art by chance a year ago and although it was powerful, it clashed with my own martial arts so I simply set it aside.
Later, it was taken by my insensible son, but seeing how he had made some achievement for himself, I didn’t stop him. I just didn’t expect that it would contain something so vicious. I failed to look it over thoroughly and nearly let him make an irreparable mistake, it’s an error on my part.”
Ji Chun, from the Northern Sword Sect, finished taking Si Tubai’s pulse. His expression was grave, “Martial Nephew Si Tu has suffered internal injuries, and although the poison was forced out by Martial Nephew Yue, he will still need to recuperate for several months and shouldn’t use internal energy recklessly. Otherwise…I’m afraid it will be hard for his martial arts to improve in the future.”
Hearing this, everyone’s expression changed.
Under everyone’s stare, no matter how angry Tower Master Tang was, once you rode a tiger it was hard to get off, so he could only say, “It’s so vicious? To think what I obtained was a demonic art, once I return I’ll destroy it! Nuo’er, this matter is the fault of father’s thoughtlessness. When you meet those demonic b.a.s.t.a.r.ds in the future, you’re not allowed to use this art anymore, do you understand?!”
Tang Nuo’s hands were drenched in cold sweat. He immediately agreed. He looked apologetically at Si Tubai, “Senior Brother Si Tu, it’s I who wrongly hurt you. I won’t say a word if you scold or punish me.”
He truly didn’t know the origin of this martial art. His father gave it to him a year ago, and seeing how powerful it was, he treated it as a treasure and practiced it tirelessly.
This time, facing Si Tubai, an opponent he couldn’t win under normal circ.u.mstances, he thought he could win a narrow victory with the element of surprise. Who knew it would end with such serious consequences.
Si Tubai coughed weakly two times, his complexion poor, and couldn’t answer.
In his stead, Yue Qian said gently: “My third junior brother and I both know Junior Brother Tang’s character well. The ignorant are innocent. If Junior Brother Tang could use this art more cautiously in the future and avoid harming fellow disciples, then it is good.”
Tang Nuo immediately replied, “I’ll delete this G.o.dd.a.m.n art from my mind right now! I’ll never use it again!”
Yue Qian smiled and nodded in approval.
Si Tushuang, seeing Yue Qian and Gou Liang take Si Tubai away, threw daggers at Tang Nuo with her eyes before rushing to catch up with them.
After entering the inner court, Gou Liang smiled, “What a spectacular ‘winning without fighting the battle’. I think in the future, the Nine Underworld Tower won’t dare to use this art against those of the righteous faction again. That Tower Master Tang obtained such a treasure after much trouble, but it was ruined by you. I imagine he must hate you very much right now.”
However, Yue Qian didn’t share his happiness.
He heard bits of the “Nine Dark Arts” from Gou Liang and just said it to test it out. But evidently Tower Master Tang wasn’t unfamiliar with it at all.
And how did he come to possess the “Nine Dark Arts”? Was it before Gou Liang’s family was harmed or was it after…
“Ge, are you alright? Tang Nuo is so vicious, I doubt he was completely unaware of how terrible this move was!”
Si Tushuang was seething on the inside.
However, Si Tubai shook his head, “I traveled the entire way with Tang Nuo. If it was He Cong who had wicked intentions, I might have believed it, but Tang Nuo is another matter. This time it should be an accident.”
“I don’t care if it’s an accident, he nearly took your little life and you’re still speaking up for him!”
Si Tushuand hated iron for not becoming steel.
Si Tubai saw her wet eyes and his heart ached a little. He was about to comfort her when he heard Gou Liang say, “Give me your hand.”
Si Tubai glanced at Yue Qian and quickly gave his hand.
Gou Liang felt his pulse and smiled, “Tang Nuo’s martial arts is half baked, but the results are still pretty good.”
He retrieved several slender silver needles from his belt and p.r.i.c.ked them on Si Tubai’s fingers. He twisted them a little, causing Si Tubai’s face to contort in pain.
Yue Qian and Si Tushuang became nervous.
“It’s right if it hurts.” Gou Liang said in a carefree tone, “The ten fingers are connected to the heart. Your heart vessels have been injured, if they are not treated in time, it’ll be as Ji Chun said, you’ll find it hard to practice martial arts again.”
Si Tubai said in a hurry, “What should I do?”
He was normally not the most diligent when practicing martial arts, but that didn’t mean he was willing to be stuck in one place forever, unable to improve.
“Why are you scared, it’s just a tiny injury.”
Gou Liang made him take off his clothes. While giving Si Tubai an acupuncture, he asked him to cooperate by moving his internal energy. Not long after, where Gou Liang had p.r.i.c.ked Si Tubai’s fingers, thick drops of black blood were forced out.
Gou Liang stored them in a small porcelain bottle before taking the needles off from him.
In less than 2 hours, Si Tubai’s death-like face became ruddy again. He stood up, rubbed his chest that had been aching momentarily ago, tried out a few martial moves, and was amazed, “Sister-in-law, you’re amazing! I feel completely fine now, I don’t feel uncomfortable at all!”
Si Tushuang already swooning with admiration and made hearts with her hands, “Sister-in-law, you’re amazing!”
Yue Qian was also surprised, but seeing Gou Liang unruffled expression, like they were making a big deal out of nothing, he coughed and shoved down his excitement.
Si Tubai asked: “Sister-in-law, then can I practice martial arts tomorrow? Or do I really have to rest for a few months like Ji Chun said?”
Gou Liang: “Up to you. However, before the Martial Arts Conference ends, you have to stay indoors and pretend you’re sick, capiche?”
Si Tubai heard this and thought the other didn’t want to expose his medical skills, so he naturally agreed.
Si Tushuang watch Gou Liang carefully put away the blood he collect just now and asked curiously, “Sister-in-law, what’s the blood for?”
“This blood, naturally I’ll use it to make poison.”
He looked like he just obtained a rare treasure. The Si Tu siblings felt a chill on their spines and even Yue Qian felt his scalp numbing.
At night, Si Tu Zhang Tian hurried over with two disciples. He was shocked upon seeing Si Tubai who was lively and eating with gusto.
Si Tushuang explained the story in a few words. She praised Gou Liang’s medical skills once more, but she felt that her words were lacking and couldn’t express even one ten thousandth of the respect she felt for Gou Liang.
Si Tu Zhang Tian was overjoyed, he said solemnly, “Thank you, Miss Ye, for saving my son’s life.”
Gou Liang didn’t have a chance to answer before Yue Qian smiled and said, “Master, you’re acting too much like a stranger. In the future, third junior brother will also be Ye Gui’s family. Between family, there’s no need for thanks.”
Si Tu Zhang Tian laughed, patting his head disciple’s shoulder, “Brat, you did good. You’ve never disappointed me since you were a child and there’s an exceptional daughter-in-law too. Good, good!”
Cao Gengwu and the others smiled upon seeing this scene.
Gou Liang didn’t let go of this good opportunity. On the same day, he wrote a a long prescription of hard-to-obtain medicinal items, and had Yue Qian, with great fanfare, visit very major pharmacies in search of them, even knocking the doors of Baixiao Tower to buy information on these medicinal items that were scarcely seen every hundred years.
On the prescription, many of them were treasures secretly kept by the Nine Underworld Tower. Yes, the point was to make them bleed.
As expected, on the second day, He Cong and Tang Nuo delivered a few of those rare medicinal items right over to their doors. In a humble and apologetic manner, they also promised to help gather the rest of the medicinal items they were searching for.
Who would ever think the righteous Southern Sword Sect would play tricks like this?
The Nine Underworld Tower suffered major heartache, however, the Baixiao Tower was omniscient, they could naturally obtain news that these medicinal items were in their hands. They were the ones in the wrong, so they must try their best to compensate the other. Naturally, these material things could not be kept.
Gou Liang obtained a lot of treasures for free. As if scared the Nine Underworld Tower would take them back, he immediately went into closed-door seclusion to refine the good stuff into medicine.
Today, having lost interest in the martial arts conference, Gou Liang was indoor refining a life-saving pill when he suddenly heard an excited announcement from the system.
[System: Master, look!]
[Gou Liang: En?]
[System: Northern Sword Sect’s Sect Master and the Demonic Cult’s Left Guardian have met up!]
Gou Liang was surprised. He stopped refining the medicinal items.
In the monitor, the Left Guardian and the Northern Sword Sect Sect Master confronted each other. The Left Guardian was guarded, and the Northern Sword Sect’s Sect Master was dressed in such a way that if not for the system, Gou Liang wouldn’t have recognized him.
Sect Master Xia clasped his hands behind his back, “Bao San, a mere year has pa.s.sed and you don’t recognize this teacher any more?”
The Left Guardian’s forehead was drenched in cold sweat, “The world knows my teacher died at the hands of Bao Jiu, who are you!”
Sect Master Xia chuckled coldly, “Him, kill me? I’m afraid he’s already formed an internal demon by now and has completely lost his internal energy?”
Hearing this erased all of the Left Guardian’s doubt. He fell to his knees in a panic, “Master, Bao San was blind, please forgive this disciple just once.”
Sect Master Xia: “Since I came to see you, I won’t take your life.”
This made the Left Guardian sigh in relief. He asked, “Since Bao Jiu never succeeded against teacher, why let him become the Cult Leader?”
“Bao Shi had too many enemies, dying’s not a bad thing. Plus, there’s a lot of things that’s not convenient to do with Bao Shi’s ident.i.ty. But you, why are you not guarding the main altar and came here instead?”
“Replying to Master, this disciple came in search of Bao Niu. he has lost his martial arts, so this disciple wants to kill him to avenge master! However, he’s cunning and hid amongst the righteous faction, making it hard for this subordinate to make a move.”
“Oh? Bao Jiu is also here? Who is he?”
“It’s Ye Gui! He’s dressed in women’s clothes.”
“…So it’s him.”
Unknown what he was thinking of, Sect Master Xia chuckled in a freezing tone, “He came just in time, he dared to harm me in the middle of my practice.”
He gave a few orders to the Left Guardian, whose face lit up and went to carry them out.
Gou Liang witnessed this and narrowed his eyes: Not only did Bao Shi not die, he became the Northern Sword Sect’s Sect Master without arousing the suspicion of a single soul…how very interesting,
On the second night, a scream disturbed the quiet.
Mo Guanju died.
And the Northern Sword Sect disciple who witnessed it only had time to see a flash of red robes.