Jinshui had his men deliver Qingyi away to the capital to take her back to her father Xianjing Wang. Ma Yongtao had injured that girl quite badly, although Qingyi did not lose her memory, but for a while, her mind was distracted and the manual she had memorized was partially forgotten.
"Jinshui," Ma Yongtao reminded him that he was still in that room along with the other three members of Liangshan Liu Mo.
"What is it?" Jinshui asked.
"We are about to leave Baiyu Shan, looking for Huang Yu's brother, and snatch your sword back," said Ma Yongtao. "The three of them have recovered sufficiently and also no longer need to worry about silver worm poison."
"Did you plan to leave so you can avoid Zhu Guniang?" Jinshui asked him coldly as if he didn't actually care about the answer.
"She was the one who kept avoiding me since our arrival in Baiyu Shan," Ma Yongtao sighed, "she was the one who refused to have a hearty conversation with me."
Shuqin had already arrived there. Jinshui said nothing more to Ma Yongtao, and then went inside the room and asked Shuqin and Yanzi to come after. Ma Yongtao was about to say something, but he could see Jinshui was not happy and he was too lazy to interrupt and then went out with his three friends.
Jinshui asked Shuqin and Yanzi to treat the wound caused by Qingyi's dagger on his arm. The dagger was poisoned, but Yanzi can easily cure it.
"Jinshui Gege, Qiao-er Jiejie...." Yanzi knew Xu Qiao stayed in Shuqin's place and she wanted to tell Jinshui. But Xu Qiao's condition reminded her and she didn't continue her words.
"I don't want to hear her name from now on," Jinshui said coldly.
"I'll make some medicine," Yanzi finished removing the poison, leaving Shuqin to bandage the wound. "The poison is harmless, the rest just needs to be cleaned with a little potion."
"Yanzi," Jinshui took out a medicine bottle from his pocket. It was the bottle he took from Zhang Zheliang's body while the old man was sleeping. The bottle contained only one huanming yao left. "This is huanming yao, a laoqianbei's life-giving medicine. Can you make one like this?" he did not mention Zhang Zheliang. There was no need to tell everyone about the old man and his current condition.
Yanzi received the bottle, took out the remaining pill, smelled and observed it for a while, then took a bite of it.
"Hey, that medicine is really strong," Jinshui warned her.
"Who made this pill?" Yanzi asked, not really caring about his warning. She grew up in poison valley, naturally not worrying about a potent drug. "Since when were the wutou shu root and the five poison beasts used as a life-revival medicine?"
"It was made by Li Qian's father, Li Taiyi," Jinshui told her. "Only one pill left, and I need it to help someone." He still hoped to meet Zhang Zheliang in a conscious state again.
"No wonder yeye no longer wants to admit him as his disciple. Li Taiyi concocted poison more powerfully than my father, causing big trouble and giving others the chance to harm him," Yanzi rambled in a low voice.
"Can you make this medicine or not?" Shuqin urged her.
"I won't make this kind of medicine, it's too harsh, a normal human body shouldn't be allowed to take it," Yanzi said again, "That laoqianbei you mentioned, was he seriously injured when he was hit by the seventh-level of wuqing xue energy, and then he was poisoned by an energy weakener, resulting in disturbances in his martial skills, and some of his memory?"
It seemed that she had already guessed who the laoqianbei Jinshui was talking about. Yanzi was indeed a smart girl. Of course, she didn't know where Zhang Zheliang was now, but as soon as she knew the contents of huanming yao and heard Jinshui refer to it as belonging to a laoqianbei, she could predict that Zhang Zheliang was now in Baiyu Shan.
"I'll make a recipe to help restore his mind," Yanzi replied. "Even the leader of Yumen Jiao wants to help him, I don't think he doesn't really need his martial skills anymore, it's okay for him to live his old age without his inner energy, am I right?"
"Yes," Jinshui said.
"All right, I know what to do." Yanzi left the room.
"Shuqin," Jinshui called before Shuqin also left.
"Yes?"
"I need your help." Jinshui stared at her seriously. "Shengnu's task is to help the new leader to perfect wuqing xue inner energy. I need you to complete the task."
Shuqin was a little shocked. Jinshui had declared that it would abolish all sacrificial rituals within the new Yumen, which would also abolish the shengnu's existence and duties. But now, Jinshui suddenly asked Shuqin openly to fulfill her destiny.
"Do you mind?" Jinshui asked coldly.
Shuqin didn't want to ask for a reason. She shook her head, a statement that she would carry out her duties properly.
"It is my duty," she said weakly, "Jiaozhu please give orders."
Jinshui showed a change in his character, becoming colder and ruthless, even Gu Chenhui felt uneasy seeing him like that.
--
That morning Jinshui gathered all the descendants, declaring to them that he would shut himself up for seven whole days, training his wuqing xue inner energy to the highest level. The other descendants already knew their respective duties, during these seven days, he had left everything to them. Then he and Shuqin locked themselves in the practice room. Seeing the look in Jinshui's eyes, no one dared to question, nor did anyone dare to disturb him.
Since Shuqin accompanied Jinshui in his practice room, Xu Qiao was then taken to taiyang feng, staying in Gu Chenhui's room. Gu Chenhui took care of her personally, several times she provided inner energy to reduce the effect of leiying hua poison. The old madam also ordered her servants to provide all kinds of medicine and nutritious food, tried to save Xu Qiao's life, and even planned to personally take her to Wansui Gu to meet Zeng Baifeng.
Zeng Baifeng had promised to make medicine to cure the leiying hua poison. However, Xu Qiao had already neglected the medicine specially made for her, and it would make it harder to Zeng Baifeng to make an antidote. The poison had already spread to every cell in her body, slowly destroying the internal organs.
Xu Qiao's condition did not allow her to travel far, nor did Xu Qiao herself want to leave Baiyu Shan, and did not want to inconvenience anyone. Gu Chenhui's only hope was in Jinshui, hoping that Jinshui could quickly master the highest level of wuqing xue and save his girl.
Jinshui didn't know Xu Qiao's condition, but he kept feeling anxious. Inside the practice room, his mind was blown several times, and his separation from Xu Qiao still had an effect on him after all. Meanwhile, practicing his inner energy was dangerous if he couldn't keep his mind calm. Shuqin repeatedly warned him but failed.
Being alone with Shuqin in the practice room, however, made Jinshui feel uneasy. But when he remembered that Xu Qiao had already decided to leave him, he told himself, his future task was to expand Yumen Sect to exceed its former glory and he would need to be better than his late father.
Five fragments of wuqing xue manual were in front of them, plus three copies because Huang Yu's original had been stolen by his brother, and Jinshui's and Zhu Baique's had been taken by Yuan Wancui, in addition to the one copy kept by Shuqin.
Jinshui had long ago memorized all the theories in the manual, in fact, he no longer needed to read it. But he was trying to master the seventh level in the last five days and there was still no result. Jinshui flipped through the manual several times, thinking hard as if he had missed a part. This wuqing xue seventh level was indeed very difficult to obtain.
Shuqin helped him by exerting her yun xia shen gong energy, but Jinshui forbade her to force herself so as not to get hurt. Practicing the seventh level can use the help of shengnu, but not in the same way as practicing the eighth level. Shuqin only occasionally helps channel pure energy so that the distribution of energy in Jinshui's body would go as it should.
"In the past, there were three shengnu who helped get to this stage," Shuqin told Jinshui. "Jiaozhu has mastered up to the sixth level by yourself, this is already a rare occurrence. Jiaozhu shouldn't push too hard. This part is very important, if the mind can't calm down then you can be possessed or seriously injured. I see that the jiaozhu is still not ready."
"I can still," Jinshui said in a strained voice. He wasn't sure either, but he had come this far. There was no turning back and the training that had been started must be completed as soon as possible.
"Jiaozhu, how did you master the sixth level?" Shuqin asked calmly.
Jinshui remembered it well. At that time, he fell into the hands of Ma Yaolun the corpse-eating madman and had both of his legs broken so he couldn't walk.
"Me and Ma Xiongdi were in the deep valley of Wansui Gu, my legs were injured so we couldn't go anywhere. I could only sit quietly training wuqing xue inner energy, and there was nothing else for me to do. I remember I was not in a hurry, and then smoothly obtain the sixth level."
"There was no definite intention, instead able to reach a higher level." Shuqin analyzed quickly, "Jiaozhu, training wuqing xue inner energy must leave behind some emotions. Anger, sadness, pleasure, everything must be forgotten for a while, then you can increase your inner strength."
"That day my leg was just broken, and I was angry..." Jinshui's words suddenly stopped. "I…."
True, he was really angry because Ma Yaolun had kept him in captivity for days and broke his legs, but after that, he listened to Ma Yongtao's story about how his father, who was the real Liangshan Mojun, could become a corpse-eating madman. When he started to practicing wuqing xue inner energy, the emotions had subsided, and his anger and disgust disappeared.
"At that time, I no longer had any emotions, and my mind was completely calmed," said Jinshui. "Ma Xiongdi told me the origin of the man who had broken my leg, that that man was his father. Unknowingly, my emotions had disappeared, and I had not thought about my legs so much anymore, so I was only able to obtain the sixth level of inner energy in peace."
"It seems that today me helping you with internal energy won't be of any use," Shuqin said again, "the most important thing is to calm your mind while forgetting all other matters."
Since just now Xu Qiao's shadow had been bothering Jinshui's mind and he couldn't get rid of it. It only disappeared for a while when he remembered the story Ma Yongtao told him at Wansui Gu, then appeared again when Shuqin again asked him to calm his mind.
"I'll tell you an old story, maybe it can help a little." Shuqin seemed to have one way of thinking, "but while I'm telling you, you can't ask questions or interrupt, as long as you have to keep your mind focused, let your energy flow calmly, you can't stop."
"You tell a story, whether you realize it or not, I will definitely listen to it, then naturally the mind will be divided and it will not be able to train wuqing xue inner energy." Jinshui wasn't sure, how could he listen to stories while training. At that time he was able to calm down and his emotions subsided after hearing Ma Yongtao's story, not while listening to him.
"Instead of having your mind distracted by other matters, it's better to listen to my voice," Shuqin seemed very sure, "you can pretend that I'm singing. Although my voice is not as good as ershanzhu, but also unlike the voice of Ci Xiong Yi Shen who is neither a man nor a woman."
"Who is ershanzhu?" Jinshui asked her.
"You are not allowed to ask questions," Shuqin reminded him to start closing his eyes. "The story I'm about to tell has something to do with ershanzhu, as well as with dashanzhu or our very own Baiyu Shan's great master. Maybe you've heard the story about Tianbian Xing and Wuyan Guniang."
Jinshu nodded. He had heard of these two names as the famous martial figures lived decades ago. They were husband and wife, and they were the original owners of four of the five ancient manuals stored in Baiyu Shan. Of course, Jinshui never heard the full story of them because their heyday had passed.
"Wuyan Guniang was known as a demoness, while Tianbian Xing was a hero," Shuqin's voice began to flow, slow and steady, like someone was rhyming, like someone was singing. "They met for the first time here in Baiyu Shan, originally only because Tianbian Xing liked to secretly listen to Wuyan Guniang's harp music. Of course, Tianbian Xing didn't know, Wuyan Guniang had exceptionally keen hearing, from the beginning she knew that there was someone who always stood at a distance and listened to the songs she played, understanding her through the songs."
Jinshui recalled the sound of the harp music heard at the former Yumen headquarters that day. A sound that had so much impact on everyone, a music that told a story. Maybe this was how Wuyan Guniang at that time communicated with Tianbian Xing. He imagined the two of them as a matching couple.
The story Shuqin told him gradually made him forget all other matters. The inner energy in his body also increased slowly, between conscious and unconscious because his ears were constantly listening. Warm energy filled his body, spreading and entering every cell of his blood.
"The righteous and the heretical couldn't unite, and a misunderstanding ensued between them," Shuqin shifted her body behind Jinshui as she continued to tell the story. She channeled her pure energy and Jinshui felt a warmth that made his blood circulate smoothly. The power of yun xia shen gong inner energy was extraordinary in the hands of a girl who had trained it since childhood. It could be absorbed by wuqing xue energy and used to increase the level.
"But when the martial world was all against Wuyan Guniang, and she herself also admitted to committing many massacres, Tianbian Xing still believed she had other difficulties that could not be said."
Shuqin seemed to want to remind Jinshui, that Xu Qiao also had her own difficulties. However, at that moment Jinshui no longer remembered Xu Qiao. The story told by Shuqin had already distracted him.
Jinshui managed to obtain the seventh level. His inner energy increased greatly. Of course, this time there was no need to destroy the practice room like when he almost destroyed the cave he was in while training in the previous level.
"Shuqin, you may go out, then I can do this myself now," finally Jinshui said. Just need to convince his energy level for some more time.
"All right."
Shuqin left him. Outside the room, she found Huang Yu pacing back and forth restlessly. The expression on his face immediately told her that he had important business to tell Jinshui.
"Shuqin Guniang," Huang Yu called her. "Someone sent this wooden box to Baiyu Shan, said to be handed to Jinshui personally."
Huang Yu handed over a wooden box and showed Shuqin its contents. Jinshui was still inside the practice room, only hearing their conversation.
"The fifteenth of the second month, three months from now," Shuqin repeated something written inside the box. "Practicing the yin shou yang zhang manuals within three months is very dangerous, but he even dared to send a challenge to the jiaozhu and the Yumen descendants. This man is truly audacious."
"Xie Tianhu already taught yin shou yang zhang to him over the past few months," Huang Yu was clearly talking about his older brother, Huang Zhe. "The original manual is only for refining, and my brother wouldn't hesitate to use any heretic ways to master it as soon as possible."
"I read some of yin shou yang zhang theory before," said Shuqin. "If your brother forces himself to perfect this skill within three months, it might become a heretical art."
"He has xuanlong sword. If he disguises himself as Jinshui and uses that sword to kill victims from the martial world, then in a short time, the name of Yumen who has just been revived will be destroyed. But he didn't use this method, instead sent out a challenge."
Among the three sons and daughter of the Huang Family, the most intelligent is Huang Yu. He had always been able to guess her brother's thoughts, but this time Huang Zhe's actions were a little out of the ordinary.
"Forcing the people of the martial world against Yumen has been proven to be useless, I think he knows enough not to waste his effort on this anymore," said Shuqin. "Borrowing someone else's hand to destroy you will only make him lose enemies, but will not allow the martial world to know his name."
"I know he wants to be known by the whole world," Huang Yu said. "He hates me so much, he wants to reverse everything we have now."
"Challenging the leader of Yumen will make him instantly recognized, if he can defeat Jinshui then the whole martial world will worship him," said Shuqin.
"It won't be so easy." Jinshui walked out of the room. He had heard Huang Yu's conversation with Shuqin just now. "Only relying on the yin shou yang zhang and xuanlong jian to surpass the reputation of our Yumen, this person really overestimates himself."
Huang Yu handed a wooden box to Jinshui. The wooden box contained a white fan apparently similar to the one that three years ago said to Liangtian Jian Shen's inheritance and sent to Huofeng Lou to attract those who wanted it. However, it was just another fake white fan. Jinshui saw several lines of letters with dried blood written on the body of that fan.
Bai Tu Shanzhuang, Mangren Gong, Yi Wangfu, Haitang Jian Pai, Lin Family Residence, Huofeng Lou. Those were the names of places of origin of the Yumen descendants and Xu Qiao.
On the back of the fan was also clearly written, the fifteenth day of the second month. I challenge the new leader of Yumen Sect.
"Jinshui, we cannot ignore this," Huang Yu reminded Jinshui, "we have to be careful. Huang Zhe wrote down the place of origin of the descendants as a threat to destroy those places. He already calculated his winning chance and he wants to break us apart. He knows how to use your xuanlong sword and his master's manual. He still has a lot of tactics, not just playing with his own life."
"Gather everyone in the back garden," Jinshui ordered.