Wu Dang Mountain
After many days, with the help of Zhang Ri, Xuan Luo finally arrived at the borders of Wu Dang. But it will still take quite some time for them to arrive at the Master Gate.
The atmosphere of Wu Dang was mysterious and spiritual. The landscape was very charming and gentle. The peaks were sharp and dangerous. Everything felt very grand and majestic. This was how Xuan Luo felt as he looked up the mountain.
On the mountain top, there was a thin layer of cloud and it surrounded the peak of the mountain. Looking at it, it looks as if the mountain created a hole through the clouds.
Along the way, Xuan Luo asked a lot about Wu Dang. The scenery looked like a painting. If one chooses to practice here, it is definitely good for the mind. The air is fresh and life seems to be less complicated.
Wu Dang’s kung fu is quick and mysterious. Wu Dang’s fist spells have been carried down for thousands of years. It mainly uses tai chi, shape meaning, and ba gua. Wu Dang’s fist spells are amongst the best in the world. Their sword spells are also unique in its own ways. It is not inferior to any other Clans.
“The Gate is just up ahead!” Zhang Ri commented as he looked at his familiar surroundings.
Wu Dang’s scenery definitely surprised Xuan Luo. Compared to Qian Deng Zhen, this place looked like a place where immortals lived. The clouds and mists only enhanced the feeling.
“Zhang da ge, where is the evaluation held?” Since they have finally arrived, Xuan Luo cannot hold back any longer. His desired Clan is right in front of him. He’s definitely lying if he says he is not nervous.
“Well, it really depends. All the evaluations are conducted by our Clan Master. I’m going to take you to meet our Clan Master. The procedures of the evaluations are not determined by me.”
Xuan Luo was a little disturbed. Wouldn’t the six big Clans want to recruit disciples? Isn’t new blood required to keep a Clan’s longevity? Thinking, Xuan Luo asked Zhang Ri, “Zhang da ge, do Clans send their people to recruit followers? Isn’t it bad if a Clan has no fresh blood? (fresh blood as in young/new followers)”
Zhang Ri smiled and explained, “Usually, Clans do not go recruit for followers. Most of the time, people already have a Clan in mind that they want to follow. If someone really wants to follow our Clan, they will come to us. Or, sometimes, it’s like our relationship.”
Zhang Ri left out some stuff, but Xuan Luo was able to figure it out on his own. If the Clans sent their disciples to recruit people, then their headquarters will be a lot emptier. If anything were to happen, they would be in big trouble. In addition, the world is so big; if they were to send people to search for followers, there definitely wouldn’t be enough hands.
They walked and talked. The closer they were to the gate, the more Wu Dang disciples they saw. But most of them were not the type to say hi. There were many disciples patrolling, and their main purpose was to check if there were any suspicious people around.
Although Xuan Luo was unaware of Wu Dang’s location, there are some who would be able to find out. Every Clan has their own inside information, and there are many loners from jiang hu who want to practice Martial Arts. Hence, some would choose to secretly go into a big Clan and steal their knowledge. That’s why there are so many disciples around the entrance.
“Zhang shi xiong! You’re back!” A tanned man acknowledged Zhang Ri.
“Haha. Blackie, why are you so free? I don’t think you’re supposed to be patrolling today!”
Hearing Zhang Ri called him “Blackie”, the man was clearly embarra.s.sed (since Xuan Luo was around). He quickly asked, “Zhang shi xiong, who is this?”
“Oh, this xiao xiong di wants to get a Master. We happened to come across each other. Thus, I bought him with me!” Zhang Ri then pointed to Xuan Luo, “You can call him, ‘Radish’. (perhaps because Xuan Luo’s face is white and youthful? White radish?)
Xuan Luo’s face twitched, when did he become “Radish”?
“Haha, xiao xiong di. Don’t mind him. Zhang shi xiong is like this. He basically forces us to have a nickname. My name is Lu Hu. But you can call me Xiao Hei (little black, omg it sounds so weird when I translate it)”
“Thank you Lu Hu ge! My name is Xuan Luo…not Radish.” Xuan Luo politely responded.
“Okay. I’m going to check up on the Master. I want to see what he is up to. Blackie, please take Radish around. Then bring him to the Master for evaluation!” Zhang Ri rushed and quickly ran off. Xuan Luo and Lu Hu were surprised by his actions.
“Zhang Ri! Get back here!” A female voice hollered.
Lu Hu nodded to show that he understood. “Zhang shi xiong isn’t scared of anything except w.a.n.g shi mei! Ha!”
“Come on. Let’s go. Let me take you around” Lu Hu grabbed Xuan Luo’s hand and led him inside the gate.
——-
Inside the gate, there was a long flight of limestone stairs. The stairs started from the bottom and continued all the way to the top. It was very, very long. Although Xuan Luo was relatively fit, after walking up for quite awhile, he could not help but complain, “Lu da ge! Isn’t this too long?! When are we going to arrive? I reckon it has already been thirty minutes. Do you guys normally walk like this?”
Along the way, they did see a lot of Wu Dang disciples. Lu Hu acknowledged them all, but for Xuan Luo, it was almost suffocating. Xuan Luo wasn’t familiar with this surrounding and although he is brave, he is quite reserved amongst strangers.
Hearing Xuan Luo complained, Lu Hu lightly laughed, “Oh you, if you’re going to be training in Wu Dang, this is going to be a daily occurrence. You’re already complaining?”
Hearing this, Xuan Luo stayed in silence. It’s true, if he were to train here, he will definitely have to go through these mountainous roads.
Xuan Luo sighed. “Aiii, I wonder how you guys keep this up!” Al of a sudden, he sees something ahead of him. Xuan Luo was extremely curious. “Wait, what is this?”