Chapter 164: The Gu Master Who Trained the Young Hero
The mountain where Qi He practiced martial arts was called Wujie Mountain. It was not because it was vast and had no boundaries, but because its most steep peak seemed to be so high that the top could not be seen. It was shrouded in clouds all year round, as if it kept extending to the horizon.
However, even the most majestic mountain has a peak.
Even in midsummer, the mountain breeze at dawn is cool, blowing the white silk on the young boy's eyes.
The thin figure was like a ghost, easily stepping over the protrusions on the cliff and leaping upwards, then moving vertically upwards. The cliff was smooth and there was no foothold, but the young boy did not fall. He stepped lightly in the air as if he was stepping on a step and continued to move upwards.
On the broad mountain top, Bai Wuqiu, with white hair and beard, reeking of alcohol, squinted at the morning glow.
The sunset glow cast a glow on the young boy who was walking slowly towards them, causing Bai Wuqiu to sigh softly.
"If my apprentice saw that he had been learning the Tiyunzong for seven years but still failed, and a kid like you had actually learned it, he would probably be so angry that he wouldn't drink for ten days."
"Sir, I'm here to say goodbye," Qi He put the liquor in his hand on the ground and reminded him, "Drunkenness is harmful to your health, so you'd better be careful."
"Let's go, let's go. I've been here for more than a year, and my bones are falling apart." Bai Wuqiu didn't immediately go to get the wine. He said with a complicated expression, "If you and your disciples run into my little disciple in the future...if he steals from you, you should bear with him for my sake. As long as you don't cripple his hands and feet, everything else is fine."
One and a half years, Bai Wuqiu murmured in his heart, and he is still a blind child.
Bai Wuqiu had a premonition that the world of martial arts might be filled with blood and gore in the near future. However, he had been away from the world of martial arts for a long time and did not want to get involved in it again. He could only shamelessly leave an impression on people at this moment, in the hope that it might come in handy in the future.
Qi He nodded, turned around and was about to leave.
Bai Wuqiu suddenly thought of something and quickly reached out his hand: "Hey, wait, Gu, your master gave me this Gu, help me get it out quickly!"
Qi He tilted his head slightly and smiled: "Sir, my master has already taken out the Gu."
"Ah? When did I feel nothing? You two didn't lie to me, did you?" Bai Wuqiu asked a series of questions, and then he looked at Qi He's disappearing figure and muttered softly, "You ran so fast."
He picked up the jar of wine next to him and raised his beard with some pride: "You are worthy of being my teacher."
Qi He used his lightness skills to move out of the mountain and all the way to the outside of the forest.
He heard three breathing sounds, one from the horse and one from outside the carriage, which should be the coachman.
Judging from the driver's breathing rate, he must be a martial artist.
The curtain was lifted by the coachman, Qi He got on the carriage, and smelled the unique fragrance of his master.
The young man leaned back in the tiger-skin-covered carriage with his eyes closed to rest. He was feeling depressed in the summer, so he put an ice pot in the corner to help him cool down a little.
Qi He touched the round fan placed next to the curling pot, opened the lid, fanned the ice, and used his internal energy to disperse the icy gas faster in the carriage.
With the cool breeze, Lin Zhi's brows relaxed a little.
This body is particularly afraid of heat. He had been wearing Miao short clothes in the village before, and it was fine. But in the past two years, he found it unbearable. No matter how thin the clothes were, he had to wear several layers.
Internal force can keep out the cold but not the heat. Fortunately, Qi He is like an ice cube in summer. Not only are his hands and feet cool, but his whole body is cool as well, so Lin Zhi doesn't feel too stuffy when sleeping at night.
"Have you discussed this with Bai Wuqiu?"
"Well, Mr. Bai said that if we meet his apprentice in the future, he can give us a lighter punishment for his sake."
Lin Zhi chuckled in response.
The palm of his hand suddenly felt cold. Lin Zhi opened his eyes and saw Qi He holding his right hand.
"Master, how about I cover your feet again?"
Qi He put one hand on his collar, intending to use his belly to cool his master's feet. When he was in the village, people there hardly ever wore stockings in the summer, and his master would sometimes put his bare feet on him, but he rarely did that when he was outside.
Lin Zhi joked: "If others don't know, they would think I am enslaving you."
Qi He shook his head: "Who would say that? I'm just worried that Master would get too hot."
"Forget it. With your small body, you're not even strong enough for me to step on you twice."
"Master, I have grown up."
Qi He frowned slightly to emphasize.
Qi He has grown a lot taller this year. Although he is only twelve years old, he has already reached Lin Zhi's chest. It is not yet time for him to grow rapidly, but in a few years, he will probably be much taller than Lin Zhi.
Lin Zhi propped up her face and looked at the young man holding her hand. Qi He had excellent bone structure and his face did not give people a heavy feeling. He was as beautiful and quiet as his hometown Chunyi. His eyebrows were like distant mountains, and the white silk covering his eyes was like mist, making it difficult to see clearly, which made the lines of his nose bridge more superior. From this, one can get a glimpse of how outstanding his appearance will be in the future.
"Yes, our Xiaohe has grown up."
Lin Zhi's lazy tone could not hide the teasing intent. He put down his left hand and changed his movements. His sleeves fell down, causing the silver bell on his wrist to ring slightly.
Lin Zhi had modified the bell last year. The bell on the waist was most suitable for Miao clothing. However, wearing Miao clothing in the Central Plains was too eye-catching. It almost told other people his identity clearly and he could be easily noticed.
Besides, there is never a shortage of knights who are eager to punish evil and promote good in this world. There is no need for a reason to kill the people of the Gu Cult. He did not want to cause unnecessary trouble, so he changed the waist bell into a bracelet.
The silver chain is decorated with bells of different sizes. The largest bell is hollow, and the poisonous insect Tianxing lives inside.
In a slightly smaller bead, there is also a small insect that Lin Zhi had refined this year for tracking.
Listening to the master's joking words, Qi He did not answer, but just put his palm against Lin Zhi's palm, indicating the difference in size.
One day, his palms will be wider than Master's, and Master's hands will be held in his.
Qi He was secretly looking forward to the day when he would become more powerful.
Lin Zhi looked at the child gesturing with his head down, indulged his actions, and told him about the next plan.
"This time we will travel for three days to the north to find Young Master Jian Huo Wushuang. I made a deal with him and he promised to teach you swordsmanship."
Young Master Jian Huo Wushuang is famous in the martial arts world for his Fanhua sword technique and ranks sixth on the list of the top 100 martial arts masters. However, he has disappeared for a long time and retired from the martial arts world with his wife many years ago, making it difficult to find his whereabouts.
Lin Zhi heard about him two years ago. His wife was ill and he was looking for medical treatment and medicine everywhere until now.
Two years have passed, and his wife's illness has not been cured. From the information obtained by Lin Zhi, his wife is incurable and probably doesn't have much time left.
Lin Zhi came into contact with him half a month ago, and his identity as a Gu Master made Huo Wushuang decide to take a risk.
Lin Zhi didn't need to take Mrs. Huo's pulse carefully. The pulse records of Mrs. Huo piled up like a mountain, and all the doctors gave an answer in the end.
Damaged heart vessels are difficult to heal.
Lin Zhi can make a poison for her to protect her heart meridian, but this kind of life-extending poison usually needs to draw vitality from other people.
Qi He listened to what Lin Zhi said. Having followed the Gu Master for a long time, he quickly guessed what kind of Gu Lin Zhi was going to make.
"Borrow the reincarnation machine mother and child Gu?"
"right."
The offspring Gu will absorb nutrients from the mother Gu to maintain their vitality.
Huo Wushuang responded immediately, saying that he was willing to plant the mother Gu on himself and live and die with his wife.
For this glimmer of hope, he did not hesitate about the conditions proposed by Lin Zhi, and even urged Lin Zhi to bring people there as soon as possible.
Qi He said: "They have a really good relationship."
Lin Zhi tapped Qi He's palm with her fingertips and asked, "Why did you take you to learn swordsmanship without asking me?"
Qi He originally learned swordsmanship, and later learned palm techniques. The two styles matched well, so there was no problem. Instead, Qi He figured out a set of moves that were similar to the horizontal sword technique and had the spirit of the Haoran Palm, and he could even coordinate the sword and palm back and forth.
Learning sword again would probably be more difficult than for a beginner, and in the end, you might not even be good at swordsmanship.
Because no matter whether it is the Hengduan sword technique or the Haoran palm, both are based on a fierce attack with great momentum, or even use attack as defense, striving to strike the opponent's weaknesses quickly, fiercely and accurately, forcing the opponent to retreat step by step, making the opponent know where the sword or palm will fall but unable to resist.
Huo Wushuang's Fanhua sword technique is as fancy as its name, not neat and clean, and even has many unnecessary and ornamental sword moves in the eyes of outsiders.
The moves were gorgeous like thousands of flowers, flowing and agile, making it difficult to tell where they landed. It could be said that they were completely opposite to the moves Qi He had practiced.
"Master must have a deeper meaning, but I haven't figured it out yet."
Qi He really didn't understand yet, but his master had gone to so much trouble to find Huo Wushuang to teach him swordsmanship, and Qi He didn't want to let his master down.
"Wu Feng once told me that if a martial artist's moves match his or her character, he or she will achieve twice the result with half the effort."
Wu Feng was not so tactful in his words. He told Lin Zhi that Qi He learned his palm techniques very quickly and mastered them very well, but this only showed that Qi He was smart and had a high level of understanding of martial arts, but he was not suitable for the job.
Wu Feng is a straightforward person without too many ideas. When he was young, he wanted to reach the pinnacle of martial arts and kept looking for people to challenge.
Qi Hengduan, who brought glory to the extreme by using the Hengduan sword technique, is also a neat, straightforward and upright person, without too many tricks and scheming.
Qi He is different. He is smart and thoughtful since he is young. He becomes even more sensitive after encountering great changes. He does not reveal his thoughts easily and is very confusing, like a wolf in sheep's clothing.
He can use this kind of sword and palm techniques very well, but he can take other paths and become better.
"I asked you to practice Bai Wuqiu's Qinggong and learn Huo Wushuang's swordsmanship, not to make you follow their ways completely. I hope you can find your own style from their moves."
"Others can't guess your killer move, so how can they figure it out?"
Qi He nodded thoughtfully: "Disciple understands."
Qi He let go of Lin Zhi's hand and held it with another hand.
His lighter-colored lips curved slightly, revealing a well-behaved arc, and he explained, "The hand was warmed up."
Lin Zhi was sure that Qi He was not yet at the stage of developing feelings, he was just simply being nice to his master.
Lin Zhi was slightly relieved that the world of children should not be tainted by any ambiguous colors of adults.
Mrs. Huo was in poor health, so she lived in a quiet courtyard to avoid being disturbed.
The climate where they lived was suitable, very suitable for summer escape. Lin Zhi felt much better after arriving, and walked into the villa with Qi He by the hand.
Huo Wushuang had been waiting for a long time, and came out to greet Lin Zhi when he heard the news.
"I have collected the items on your list and the darkroom is ready. When can you start refining?"
"Now, I need to take your and Madam's blood first."
"Come with me."
Huo Wushuang's entire mind was focused on the important matter of prolonging his wife's life. After taking her blood, he belatedly realized that the young boy who entered with the Gu Master was blind.
His breath and movements just now were no different from those of an ordinary person, so he was completely unaware of his situation.
Huo Wushuang looked at Qi He for a while. He didn't think of the blind young master whose family was wiped out three or four years ago. He just thought that this child had good martial arts skills.
As he was worried that the Gu had not been refined yet, Huo Wushuang first taught Qi He the first twenty moves of the Fanhua Sword Technique.
It sounds like a lot, but it is not, because there are a total of one hundred and twenty moves in the Fanhua Sword Technique.
Lin Zhi had watched the event and felt that the comments of the people in the martial arts world about the "dazzling" Fanhua sword technique were very pertinent.
It is difficult for people with eyes to see, let alone those who are blind.
Fortunately, Qi He was patient enough, with excellent memory and comprehension, so he was able to keep up. However, his sword moves were only fancy in form but lacked agility.
Lin Zhi spent nearly half a month to refine a pair of mother and child Gu.
Mrs. Huo was a delicate-looking woman with a lotus-like temperament and was very peaceful.
Because of her illness, she was frighteningly thin. Lin Zhi carefully cut the skin on her wrist, but her expression did not change. Instead, she looked at her husband with relief.
The male Gu entered Mrs. Huo's body, causing her to press her chest and frown in pain. Lin Zhi had previously informed her of this situation, but Huo Wushuang was still a little panicked. He only breathed a sigh of relief when his wife calmed down a little and allowed Lin Zhi to implant the female Gu in him.
Lin Zhi opened an incision on Huo Wushuang's chest. In his palm was a black mother Gu. He gently shook the silver bell in his hand. The mother Gu smelled the familiar blood and drilled into his flesh.
The mother's body being drained would have to endure greater pain. Huo Wushuang remained expressionless and asked about his wife's condition with concern.
"Qingqing, does your chest still hurt? Do you still feel short of breath? Do you still want to cough?"
Mrs. Huo pressed her chest hesitantly and said uncertainly, "It doesn't seem so uncomfortable anymore."
Huo Wushuang breathed a sigh of relief, as long as it worked.
He changed his sad expression of many days, and his depressed face looked somewhat happy, and he thanked Lin Zhi.
He looked at the white silk on the young boy's eyes and subconsciously asked, "Your witchcraft is so advanced, but your disciple's eyes..."
When he met his wife's eyes, Huo Wushuang suddenly felt that he was being a little rash and quickly stopped talking.
Lin Zhi smiled and didn't answer, and the topic was dropped.
After returning to his residence, Qi He said to Lin Zhi, "Master, although I can't see now, it's not a big deal. Master, don't worry."
"You will see."
Lin Zhi raised his hand and rubbed his head, as if he was still the eight-year-old child, and gave the same answer as before.
After his wife's health condition improved, Huo Wushuang taught Qi He more seriously.
Even though Qi He was very talented, Huo Wushuang still complained about his master Lin Zhi.
"My Fanhua Sword Technique requires gentleness, agility, elegance and unpredictability. Xiao He holds the long sword, but it always seems like he is swinging a knife. The murderous aura is too heavy and it is difficult to hide the edge."
The Fanhua Sword Technique was created by Huo Wushuang's great master. It seeks to be in harmony with heaven and earth. Amid the swords hidden among the falling petals, it is difficult to distinguish whether it is the falling flowers or the cold sword that is pointing at the center of the eyebrows. However, when Qi He wields the sword, the flowers are like a sleight of hand, and there are swords facing him, which loses the essence of the Fanhua Sword Technique.
Lin Zhi thought for a moment, lowered his eyes and smiled, "Why not use a sword as a knife?"
Huo Wushuang seemed to want to talk but stopped himself. In the end, he didn't say much and just tried his best to teach.
Qi He practiced longer this time than ever before.
The sword techniques and mental methods of the Fanhua Sword Technique were contrary to what he had learned. He needed time to reconcile the collision of two completely different internal forces in his body, as well as endure the pain of the internal force flowing through the wrong meridians when making a move.
Qi He repeatedly thought about what his master had said, added Bai Wuqiu's Manyun Qinggong into it and integrated it, and gradually realized something.
However, the sword was too light for him, and he was unable to unleash the power of the Hengduan sword technique and the Haoran palm technique. On the other hand, the sword was too heavy, and he was completely unable to combine the agility of the prosperous sword technique with the elegance of the light skill.
Lin Zhi saw the situation and gave Qi He a gift that he had prepared long ago on his thirteenth birthday.
It was a broadsword, the likes of which had never been seen before in the martial arts world. It was much wider and heavier than a rapier, yet much lighter and narrower than a knife.
Qi He couldn't let go of the sword. The handsome young man who was gentle and polite in front of outsiders still hugged his master's waist and acted coquettishly. He immediately named the sword "Yun Yue".
Three thousand jars of fine wine, who shall I invite to drink and sing? Clouds, moon and stars.
Huo Wushuang was very interested in this peculiar sword. You know, a knife and a sword are two different ways of exerting force, and they not only have similar characteristics in appearance.
It's a pity that he failed to touch it and met with a rebuff from Qi He.
After Qi He had Yunyue, he felt more and more at ease, and his thoughts became clearer and clearer.
It's spring again. In the courtyard, the young man's figure is as tall as pine or cypress. The broad sword is stained with flower petals and waved in the wind, dimly covering the cold light.
Huo Wushuang stood quietly aside, and understood what Lin Zhi meant by "using the sword as a knife" a long time ago.
When he was in a good mood, he would use something to fight Qi He. He never used his sword, as this was bullying a child. With his skills, he could fight Qi He even with a willow branch.
Willow branches are flexible, making them very suitable for using the Flower Sword Technique. Huo Wushuang's own sword is a soft sword.
During the fight, Qi He felt the willow branches were like snakes. He heard the sound of the wind. He used the Yunyue Sword to block Huo Wushuang's attack, but was gently entangled by the willow branches. He turned his wrist, used his internal force to shake the sword, and the willow branches broke.
Every time this happened, Huo Wushuang would smile, put down the broken branches in his hand and continue to instruct him.
Lin Zhi stood on the bridge and watched the boy make progress.
Madam Huo stood beside him, looking at Qi He with loving eyes. She had no children, so she loved and loved Qi He very much. She was also very close to the handsome young man beside her, even though she knew that he was a dangerous Gu Master.
"Sister-in-law, please take care of him for a few days. I have to go out for a while and will be back in about four days."
"Okay, be careful on the road."
Lin Zhi had already found a sparring partner for Qi He, and this time he was going out to pick that person up.
It had just rained, and the carriage ran over the sunken bluestone slabs, splashing water.
Lin Zhi was sitting in the carriage with two other people sitting in it.
One of them had scars on his face and a tiger tattoo on his chest, and looked very ferocious. The other one was pale and thin, with black lips, and looked like he would not live long.
Even a nameless little shrimp in the martial arts world would not volunteer to teach others moves and serve as a sparring partner, let alone a famous person. The higher the martial arts skills, the more arrogant they are. Therefore, the sparring partners Lin Zhi chose for Qi He were all people who had to volunteer.
"Ranked 76th in the martial arts world, a traitor of the Wuyun Sect; ranked 69th in the martial arts world, a poisonous scorpion who is good at using hidden weapons."
Lin Zhi narrowed her eyes. Although the two people opposite her who had been given the muscle softening powder had ugly expressions on their faces, they did not say a word.
The ranking of this Jianghu Know-it-all is quite interesting. If it is a head-on fight, number sixty-nine will definitely not be able to beat number seventy-six. Before becoming a traitor to the Wuyun Sect, number seventy-six was also a direct disciple of the elder and had excellent palm skills. But number sixty-nine, nicknamed the Poison Scorpion, has a vicious mind. Under his planning, he can assassinate people silently.
It took Lin Zhi's men only two days to find and capture Seventy-Six, but it took Sixty-Nine five days because he was too cautious and there were too many hidden weapons around him.
"You should have heard what I just said and know what you are going to do, right?"
Lin Zhi fiddled with the silver bell on her wrist with her fingertips. Even though the bell made no sound, the faces of the two people opposite her changed subconsciously.
They really didn't want to experience the feeling of having bugs crawling in their stomachs. They had already experienced that feeling enough when they set out on the road two days ago.
Seventy-Six said in a muffled voice, "Got it. Kill the person you designated."
Sixty-nine didn't say anything. He knew he was doomed when he was caught, and he didn't feel optimistic when he heard the answer.
The young man in front of him is powerful and good at poison. He can't kill someone, so asking them to kill him would be like sending them to their deaths.
Lin Zhi didn't care what they thought, he just wanted them to do things according to his ideas.
He didn't even need to tell these people what the truth was. It made no difference whether they knew it or not. They just needed to do their best to attack Qi He.
The world is a dangerous place, and when you are attacked, no one will stop.
01’s exclamation suddenly rang in Lin Zhi’s mind: [Host, there is someone on the carriage! 】
01 unfolded the map, and a red dot was moving with them.
When Lin Zhi was thinking whether it was too fierce to use a killing move on his apprentice at the beginning, he didn't expect someone to come to his door. Lin Zhi asked someone to stop the car, and the carriage stopped accordingly.
Lin Zhi walked out of the carriage, and found the roof was empty, with no one in sight.
01: [He hid under the carriage! 】
Lin Zhi was not surprised at all. He bent down and looked down, and met a pair of infatuated eyes.
Lin Zhi smiled and invited, "Would you like to sit in the carriage?"
He had already seen the portraits of the top 100 people in the underworld and had recognized the person hiding below.
He had been encountering this person since yesterday, but he had never met him face to face.
He was drinking tea in a teahouse and this man was peeking at him on the roof opposite.
Ranked 81st in the Jianghu, Zhao Zhengfei, contrary to his name which has the word "Zheng" in it, he is not a decent person.
His kung fu was no worse than the two people in the carriage. The reason why he lagged so far behind was because he was a flower thief and most people looked down upon him.
The ranking of Bai Xiaosheng is based on the damage value. For someone like Zhao Zhengfei, who is only interested in picking flowers and has no intention of stealing money or killing people, the chief constable in the government office pays more attention to him than people in the underworld.
The reason why he was ranked 81st was that he once teased Chen Xiniang, who had a bad temper and twisted the dragon whip, and she didn't die. She had some real kung fu in her hands.
The beautiful lady with a hibiscus face personally invited him, and Zhao Zhengfei was so excited that he agreed in a daze and followed Lin Zhi into the carriage.
It was not until he saw the two people in the carriage that he began to feel a little uneasy.
"Beauty, why are there so many people?"
Zhao Zhengfei felt a little embarrassed and couldn't help rubbing his hands.
Lin Zhi smiled and said, "It will be more lively with more people."
These three people have to come to Qi He one by one, and at the end give them a little hope of survival and let the three of them attack together.
When the beauty smiled, all the fear in Zhao Zhengfei's mind was forgotten.
The other two cursed him in their hearts, saying that to appreciate beauty, one must have a life.
Qi He waited for several days and finally heard the sound of the bell on his master's body.
The corners of his lips had just risen when he heard the voice of the person next to his master.
"Beauty, is this your home? It's so beautiful."
"What's your name? Are you married?"
"What kind of incense are you wearing? Why does it smell so good?"
The beauty just walked forward with all her heart, never answering. Zhao Zhengfei looked at her infatuatedly and said, "It is clear that we see her on the top of the jade mountain, and her face is as spring as the flowers."
The sharp sword broke through the air and crushed the petals. When it was inserted into the ground, due to the excessive internal force, the sword body shook slightly, making a buzzing sound like the collision of metal and stone.
Qi He stood under the tree with a slightly cold expression.
The fourteen-year-old boy did not understand love, but he already understood what murderous intent was.
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