Chapter 13: Re-Pingdingzhou

Chapter 13: Re-Pingdingzhou

Chapter 13 Return to Pingdingzhou

The morning glow was just beginning to appear, and a few streaks of orange appeared on the horizon.

A black boat emerged from the white fog and sailed across the water.

Two water birds were startled and flew out from the reeds on the shore. They circled in the air and cried loudly, unwilling to leave.

The young man sat cross-legged at the bow, and with every breath he took, the white mist around him floated in a regular pattern.

The first volume of "Feiyun Shengong" is the internal strength and is divided into twelve levels. When practiced to a deep level, the sound of breathing is like "rumbling waves hitting the shore", and when practicing, it is like "rolling clouds and mist".

He is only at the first level. These days, he has been practicing day and night, and has already consolidated the realm of the initial stage of Dan Jin.

The old man in the straw raincoat has been rowing a boat on the river for forty years. He has seen many people from all walks of life and is not surprised by them.

Seeing the young man open his eyes, he gently reminded him, "Sir, the front is the border of Pingding Prefecture."

"It's been a hard night, old man."

"Thank you for your generous gift, sir."

The old man in the straw raincoat took the dime, weighed it secretly, and saw that it was more than one tael, and he immediately smiled happily. This was the money he could save for the boat fare after deducting the money he earned from the bullies and the scoundrels.

If I could have a few more times, maybe I could send my grandson to a private school.

From the Liujin River wharf in Pingyang City, the boat traveled 70 miles downstream overnight. The return trip was upstream, which took twice as long and was very hard.

"Finally back!"

Zhang Yu breathed a sigh of relief. He returned to this notorious place in the martial arts world with mixed feelings. He couldn't tell whether he was relieved that he no longer had to hide from the Five Mountains Sword Sect's pursuit, or he felt heavy thinking about the dangerous environment he was going to face.

After walking seven or eight miles along the official road, we saw a wine sign on the side of the road.

This place is only three or four miles away from Pingding City, so he is not in a hurry to enter the city. Yunshuitang has been destroyed, and there is nowhere to go for the time being. What are the rules of the sect for this matter? How to arrange the remaining disciples of Yunshuitang? These news are all unknown.

There were many followers of the Sun and Moon Sect wearing their attire coming and going in the wine tent.

The headquarters of the Sun and Moon Sect is located at Heimu Cliff, forty miles north of Pingding City.

However, the families of prominent figures in the religion, such as the hall master and incense master, mostly settled down and bought property near Pingding City.

"Two ounces of good wine, and some peanuts and broad beans."

"Please wait a moment, sir."

Zhang Yu put down his package and sat down soon after. Then he heard the sound of horse hooves and a group of people came from the direction of Pingding City.

Those people were dressed in purple brocade robes, with long swords hanging from their waists. They were escorting more than a dozen prisoner carts towards the northwest. The carts were filled with women, children, the elderly and the weak.

Several women in the prison van cried out loudly that they were wronged.

"It's unfair. Three generations have joined the sect, and no less than 20 men have died in battle. The master's body has not been returned. How can you be called a traitor?"

"My fellow comrades, brothers in the church, please appeal to the leader."

"You are causing trouble. What happened to the Wu family today will be your tomorrow..."

The leading rider was a burly man with a broad back and slim waist, two long scars on his cheeks, and a fierce look. He carried a large bow on his back, with a quiver on each side.

Most of the experts who are good at using bows and arrows are in government offices, but rarely seen in the martial arts world.

The man with a bow on his back reined in his horse, and the entire team stopped.

He sneered: "Break her mouth!"

Upon hearing the order, the man in purple opened the prison van and pulled out two middle-aged women in luxurious clothes who were crying out for justice.

They were strong-willed and started cursing.

"You bastard! You villain!"

"Yang Lianting will not die well!"

"You hawks will be punished!"

The handle of the knife hit their faces, and they stopped making any noises immediately, and a mouthful of broken teeth mixed with blood came out.

…………………………Zhang Yu came to the wine shed to get information, and he quietly put on the green jade ring.

Someone whispered, "The purple-clothed men are Yang Zongguan's trusted followers. There are three hundred of them, selected from various halls. They are highly skilled in martial arts and loyal. They are called the Purple Cloud Guards. They are usually stationed next to Chengde Hall. They don't listen to anyone except the leader and Yang Zongguan. It is said that even Xiang Zuoshi and Qu Youshi have been bullied by them."

Xiang Wentian is the Left Envoy of Light, and Qu Yang is the Right Envoy of Light. Their status is second only to the Leader.

Someone asked, "Who is the rider in the lead? I haven't seen him before."

"He is Hu Fei, the deputy commander of the Purple Cloud Guard. He was originally just a small flag master under the White Tiger Hall. He was promoted four levels in one year. He is definitely the most trusted person of General Manager Yang. When you go to the Black Wood Cliff, you can prepare generous gifts and make friends with him. You must not offend him."

"Thank you, brother. I have been away from home for many years and I don't know the inside story of the sect. If I run around like a headless fly, I might offend an important person and die without knowing how."

"Sir, the wine and food are here." The waiter brought a wooden tray with a small porcelain bottle of wine and a few side dishes.

"let it go."

The waiter put down the food and wine but did not leave.

Seeing this, Zhang Yu took out a small string of copper coins and placed them on a wooden plate before leaving.

This is a unique rule in Pingding Prefecture. Payment must be made immediately after the food is served.

Zhang Yu took the opportunity to glance at the two people who were talking.

The man who had just thanked me was dressed as a Taoist priest. He carried an octagonal wolf-tooth hammer with him, which was placed on the ground. He looked fierce, but he acted cautiously and obediently, which made people laugh.

But no one dares to laugh here.

"It's also a blessing for my brother. Although I am the incense master of Fenglei Hall, what can I do in Blackwood Cliff? I have to be cautious every day. I am afraid that I will take a wrong step or say a wrong word, and someone will find a handle on me. Not only will I die, but I will also cause my family to suffer."

The tall and thin man who was speaking was a deputy incense master of Fenglei Hall, named Qi Queqiao. Zhang Yu had seen him from afar several times when he was on duty at Heimu Cliff.
The Taoist priest asked, "I remember that it wasn't like this in the church a few years ago?"

"It's not Yang..."

The two of them spoke in lower voices, but without listening, you knew they were talking about Yang Lianting.

This insignificant little person in the Sun and Moon Sect, who had never done anything, happened to win the favor of the Eastern Sect Leader. One day, he was promoted to a high position and was entrusted with all the power in the sect, and was called the Grand Steward.

Yang Lianting has no achievements, no martial arts skills, and no qualifications. How can he win the hearts of the people after he comes to power?
He himself knew very well that those hall masters and incense masters were respectful to him on the surface, but looked down on him secretly.

In order to win favor and consolidate his power, he could only become more frantic in eliminating dissidents.

The Taoist priest looked at the fifteen or sixteen prisoner cars passing by one after another outside, among which were many elderly, weak, women and children.

"Who did they arrest?"

"Probably Wu Lianjiang's family."

The Taoist priest exclaimed, "Elder Wu? Isn't he the head of Yunshui Hall? How could that be? I knew him when Master Ren Woxing was here."

"Brother, please don't mention this in front of outsiders, especially those three words."

"Why?"

"Overnight, the Feiyun Divine Ape became a traitor who secretly connected with the Five Mountains Sword Sect and deliberately killed thousands of disciples of Yunshui Hall. The root cause was that he was contaminated with those three words, which made General Manager Yang taboo."

"Of the twelve branches of the Divine Religion, six exist in name only. Thousands of disciples from the Yunshui Branch died in Damao Ridge, and no one came to collect their bodies. Was it simply because of the rebellion of a villain?"

Taoist Yuling sighed. He was just a solitary member of the sect, living far away in Yunnan. He would visit the Heimu headquarters once every three years.

The last time he came, the Eastern Sect Leader was still a man of great talent and strategy. The entire sect was united and he commanded the twelve halls to attack everywhere, making those so-called righteous sects flee in defeat. Shaolin and Wudang also avoided the sect's edge.

It's strange that everything seems to have changed in just a few years!

He thought to himself, "After this routine visit, I'd better go back to the south as soon as possible to avoid trouble."

When Taoist Qingyu came to this point, he felt that this place was full of dangers. He wanted to buy some gifts early to ensure safety, so he said goodbye first.

Zhang Yu listened for a long time, but the two of them were completely unaware.

He thought to himself, "The situation of the Sun Moon Divine Cult is indeed a bit complicated."

"Qi Queqiao's words show his dissatisfaction with Yang Lianting and his sympathy for Yunshuitang's plight. We can use him to meet Tong Baixiong."

(End of this chapter)