Chapter 5, The Ancient Tomb
Li Zhi firmly grasped the girl in the yellow dress, fearing that she might cause further trouble. He channeled a stream of true energy into her body, sealing her acupoints. In this world, unless one could control true energy at will and possess a profound understanding of the human body, it would be impossible to immobilize someone solely with a stream of true energy without going through the acupoints. For this technique, he even gave it a name, called 'Spring Breeze Touching Acupoints,' meaning it is as silent and subtle as a spring breeze. The girl in the yellow dress only felt a wave of heat emanating from the hands of that foul Taoist, and instantly her whole body went limp, unable to exert even the slightest bit of strength.
At this moment, the setting sun cast its light upon the ancient tomb, making it even more desolate. Li Mochou suddenly felt that this ancient tomb resembled a nine-nether beast poised to choose its prey, causing her body to tremble in fear. Her master, lost in thought, remained completely unaware of her distress.
The girl in the yellow dress said: "What the master said is indeed true; as daughters, we cannot be approached by men at will. This villain only grabbed my hand and rendered me completely powerless, it was truly terrifying." In an instant, the girl in the yellow dress felt her heart racing, overwhelmed with thoughts, her face blooming like a peach blossom, looking exceptionally beautiful. However, Li Zhichang had no time to appreciate such a beautiful sight.
Although middle-aged women are not easily willing to yield to the disciples of Wang Chongyang, they are not the type to persist stubbornly. Their initial aggressive stance has already weakened by three points. Li Zhichang understands her intentions, receives a palm strike from her, releases Li Mochou, pretends to be at a disadvantage, retreats five or six steps, and falls into the thicket behind him
Li Mochou grasped the hand of the middle-aged woman tightly, a smile emerging: "I have no desire to get close to those foul men." Yet, she recalled the feeling of being completely subdued by Li Zhichang just moments ago, a sensation she had never experienced before. At that time, Li Zhichang held her hand, calmly and unhurriedly sparring with her master, who in her eyes was always omnipotent. In that moment, she surprisingly felt no anticipation for her master to win quickly, which made her feel a bit anxious, yet also somewhat hopeful. At that time, Li Zhichang held her hand, calmly and unhurriedly sparring with her master, who in her eyes was always omnipotent. In that moment, she surprisingly felt no anticipation for her master to win quickly, which made her feel a bit anxious, yet also somewhat hopeful.
Because he suddenly heard a reprimand: "That little Taoist from the Quanzhen Sect, quickly release Mo Chou." The voice of the newcomer was ethereal yet seemed to be right beside him, clearly indicating considerable skill, making it difficult to handle
Li Mochou patted her chest and said with some trepidation: "That stinky Taoist master is surprisingly formidable, even you cannot capture him"
Li Mochou said in confusion: "Master, since we cannot go down the mountain anyway, it doesn't matter whether we can practice or not." The middle-aged woman was somewhat moved by this statement: "Having lived to this age, I naturally have no thoughts about the outside world, but Mo Chou and Long Er are still so young. Should we really let them spend the next several decades in this ancient tomb, living a lonely life?"
The middle-aged woman lamented: "It is a pity that the master has not been able to master the most powerful martial art of this school—the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra. Your temperament is too impetuous and not suitable for this skill; I fear we must rely on your junior sister to master this martial art in the future"
Li Zhi often saw her movements as graceful and light, concealing boundless variations behind them, which made him cautious. Transforming his fingers into a sword, he executed a move called "Wandering the World," thrusting it diagonally towards her palm. This move was indeed executed with great skill, embodying the advanced martial arts principle of "using the real to break the false." The middle-aged woman could not help but secretly admire it, thinking to herself: "Even Wang Chongyang's disciples have produced such a remarkable figure."
He is aware that the inscriptions from the Double Ninth Festival are contained within, but he does not know where the pool leading to the secret passage is, so he is too lazy to search for it. After all, all martial arts in the world ultimately lead to the same destination, with the interplay of yin and yang being ever-changing. The martial arts of the Quanzhen Sect may not necessarily be inferior to the Nine Yin Manual. Of course, one can learn from the strengths of others; if there is truly an opportunity to obtain the Nine Yin Manual, Li Zhichang would not refuse it.
In this train of thought, he forgot to respond. Li Mochou's master was already within a few zhang, and she was a middle-aged woman. The woman did not expect that Li Zhichang would completely ignore her, and she was determined to teach him a lesson. It is important to know that although the people in the ancient tomb were all women, they could not be bullied, especially not by the foul Taoist priests of Chongyang Palace; this was absolutely unacceptable. She immediately decided to take action to discipline Li Zhichang.
The middle-aged woman immediately changed her technique, transforming her palm strike into a slicing motion, swinging her hand downwards in a direct cut. This move was perilous and deeply aligned with the principles of military strategy, catching her opponent off guard and exploiting their unpreparedness, effectively countering Li Zhichang's sword technique. Li Zhichang remained calm in the face of change, directing his sword in a downward thrust, creating countless illusory images, resembling the bright moon traversing the sky, with its clear light spreading across the ground, leaving one bewildered. He transformed the solid into the void, causing the incoming opponent's extraordinary move to miss its mark.
Li Zhichang suddenly realized: "So she is Li Mochou, I have chased her all the way to this ancient tomb."
The middle-aged woman secretly thought, "This is good." Her palms trembled, like flowers swaying in the wind, waving back and forth, her attack as relentless as autumn winds sweeping fallen leaves, making it difficult for Li Zhichang to evade. Li Zhichang raised an eyebrow; this move was indeed hard to counter. With one hand gripping Li Mochou, he found it challenging to unleash his full martial prowess, only managing to exert seventy percent of his skills. However, he was also extremely self-confident, bold due to his high level of skill. He turned his sword to point at himself, raising his elbow as if lifting a cup to drink, precisely using clumsiness to break through cleverness.
Li Zhichang regarded victory and defeat with great indifference, and immediately decided to withdraw. He said, "Senior, this is all a misunderstanding." However, the middle-aged woman paid him no heed, for Li Zhichang, as a disciple of Wang Chongyang's lineage, was surprisingly able to match her in skill, which naturally caused her some annoyance, and she was even less inclined to back down easily
Upon entering the ancient tomb, Li Mochou remained in a daze. Upon arriving in the room, she saw the Little Dragon Girl sound asleep. She picked her up and, with a sense of pity, said, "Junior Sister, we truly are unfortunate in our fate." The Little Dragon Girl seemed to be awakened by her words, opened her star-like eyes, and giggled. She extended her snow-white and tender little hand, resembling freshly picked lotus roots, and gently touched Li Mochou's delicate face.
The two individuals exchanged dozens of moves, yet neither could gain the upper hand over the other. Naturally, Li Zhichang often reflected that he had not exerted his full strength; however, his opponent had also refrained from using lethal techniques. In comparison, the opponent's agility was exceedingly remarkable, allowing them to withdraw at any moment, a point in which Li Zhichang was even more lacking.
Li Zhichang was not in a hurry either. While the two were engaged in a fast-paced exchange, he calmly recounted the events involving him and Li Mochou. Although they were still rapidly countering each other's moves, his voice remained steady and clear, his breathing measured, articulating each word distinctly, elucidating the sequence of events. The middle-aged woman listened to his explanation, realizing she had wronged him, and was astonished by the depth of his internal strength, as he maintained composure and clarity even under her onslaught, leading her to develop a sense of appreciation for his talent.
The middle-aged woman took over Li Mochou, casually unfastening her acupoint, and saw Li Zhichang vanish into the distance like a black dot. She couldn't help but sigh deeply, "Miss, you have been daydreaming about surpassing Wang Chongyang's Quanzhen Sect, but now even this servant may not be able to defeat Wang Chongyang's disciples."
Li Mochou tugged at the hand of the middle-aged woman and said, "Master, what are you thinking? Granny Sun is calling us to go inside." The middle-aged woman replied, "It's nothing. You must stay away from that young Taoist priest in the future. Mochou, remember this: the more capable a man is, the less you should get close to him, otherwise it will bring you suffering for a lifetime."