Chapter 185: The Gu Master Who Trained the Young Hero
Everyone was shocked when they heard this and rushed to the scene of the incident.
No one present thought that Qi He had done this. After all, Qi He had been with them all the time, and tomorrow was the final round of the competition. Based on his strength, he had a good chance of winning the prize, so there was no need for him to do this.
In other words, this was someone else's work, and they wanted to link this matter to Qi He.
"Don't worry, Xiao He. We all believe you. How could such a scoundrel use such despicable and vicious means to frame me? If I find him, I will make him pay."
Yan Yixiuan was indignant and hoped that Qi He and Lin Zhi would not worry too much.
"This person must have planned this long ago. He even collected the arrows from that day. The cost of this frame-up is really low. He could just change the name. Theft is fine, but he actually killed someone. This is an unforgivable crime!"
Qu Ziheng gnashed his teeth, not only because he was angry about his good friend being framed, but also because he was heartbroken for his fellow disciples.
Qing Xun: "I'm afraid it's some enemy looking for trouble. Brother Lin, Xiao He, if you need our help, just let me know."
Ying Shuang had only met them today, but he said very cheerfully: "I can also testify that it was not you who did it."
Qi He thanked him: "Thank you very much, this was obviously done intentionally by someone else. The innocent will be innocent. I believe that so many martial arts masters will not let me suffer an unjustifiable crime."
Qi He's hands under his sleeves tightened slightly. This was not because of the anger caused by being involved, but because the rat that had been hiding in the dark for a long time revealed a disgusting long and thin tail.
“Master…”
Qi He called Lin Zhi in a low voice, and Lin Zhi gently patted his hand as a comfort.
Qi He understood what he meant and nodded slightly.
Although the incident happened suddenly, it didn't surprise Lin Zhi too much.
In his opinion, the other party's behavior did not seem like a frame-up, but more like a provocation, or a temptation.
Qi He's age, Qi He's inner strength, Qi He's eyes, and the fact that only his surname was changed, others may not be able to quickly associate him with the Qi family of the past, but the murderer behind the scenes must know.
They didn't find anything in the Qi family at the beginning, and everything was buried after Qi He faked his death. Now that Qi He has reappeared in the world under the name of Lin He, displaying strong internal strength in the body of a young boy, they must have become suspicious.
In addition, during today's competition, He Zhenghang cut Qi He's white silk, allowing everyone to see Qi He's face.
Lin Zhi had never met Qi He's parents, so he didn't know how much Qi He resembled his parents, but people who were familiar with him should be able to tell.
It doesn't matter if the other party takes action, he has been waiting for a long time.
When Lin Zhi and the others arrived, there was already a group of people gathered outside the yard talking about this matter.
"This is clearly a false accusation. Who would be so stupid as to put their name on something they did wrong?"
"Maybe it's the other way around."
"Tomorrow is the final competition. Lin He is likely to win. Why not just take it when the time comes? Why bother with all this?"
"I'm afraid he didn't feel confident so he took the initiative."
"I don't think he did it."
"I also don't think Young Master Lin would do such a thing, not to mention that he is blind."
"Could it be someone from the Demonic Cult who did this?"
Amidst the various opinions, when someone noticed the person they were talking about coming over, everyone tacitly kept silent.
Disciples from the Qixing Sect and the Wuyun Sect were guarding the gate to the courtyard, not letting anyone in at will. However, this matter was related to Qi He, so they all went in quickly.
In the small hall, a disciple dressed in Seven Star Sect uniform was lying on the ground with his eyes closed. His chest was motionless and he was already lifeless.
Qu Ziheng walked over quickly, his expression sad and his eyes slightly red.
In the small hall, people from various sects have gathered.
"Master Yunxu, all the masters and leaders, we just received news, what happened here?"
Lin Zhi is Qi He's master. Although Qu Ziheng and the others call him "big brother", he is still a generation older than him. In this situation, even though it was Qi He who was in trouble, he should be the one to speak.
"Ji An, tell me what happened again."
Taoist Master Yunxu looked much more haggard than when he had seen him during the day, and he spoke to his disciples.
The disciple said yes, and stepped forward to explain the whole story again.
This is the place where the Ice Jade Lotus is placed. Only a few people know about it. The disciples of the Seven Stars Gate are responsible for patrolling, in groups of two. When this disciple came to replace his senior brother, he found that his senior brother was dead. The courtyard door was wide open, and the inside was in a mess. The secret compartment originally used to place the Ice Jade Lotus was also empty. Another disciple who was traveling with him immediately went to report the matter, and he did not find any trace of other people until the others came.
He said, "Another brother on patrol was found outside the courtyard. He is seriously injured and is being treated."
After he finished speaking, he bowed and stepped aside. Then someone spoke up, "This was not done by one person. The disciple who fainted outside the courtyard was injured by a sword, and this one died from a dagger in the throat. The thief who attacked him must be an assassination expert. After he died, someone stabbed this arrow into his heart."
The person who spoke was Qingxun's uncle, who was also the leading physician of the Biyuan Villa this time. He had already performed an autopsy on the dead disciple of the Seven Stars Sect.
Taoist Yunxu sighed softly and said, "The other party obviously did this deliberately. Does Young Master Lin know anything?"
No one at the scene doubted Qi He. The criminals were so cruel that they drove the blunt, unsharpened arrows into the body of a dead man. It was more like a threat and arrogance as if they wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible.
Qi He said calmly: "I don't know either."
"It's obvious that the other party didn't take us seriously, but we may not have enough time to find and recover it now. Tomorrow is the final competition. Taoist priest, should we exchange an item?"
The one who spoke was the Palace Master of Diancui Palace. They had discussed the whereabouts of the items before.
This place is so secretive, but the other party is obviously well prepared. Not only do they know the terrain here very well, they even know when the disciples of the Seven Stars Sect will be rotated, so it is very likely that it was done by a traitor, but this kind of thing cannot be clarified for the time being, but the final competition is coming.
“No need,” Taoist Yunxu stood up, put his hands behind his back, and sighed, “The Ice Jade Lotus was not lost. What was lost was just a replica that has not been successfully prepared.”
When the old Taoist priest said this, everyone was stunned.
Lin Zhi understood, he had long seen that Taoist Yunxu deliberately used the Ice Jade Lotus as a lure. Since he knew that many people were looking for it, he would certainly not let anyone take it away so easily.
I just don't know whether he was lamenting that there was a traitor in the Seven Stars Sect, or that his arrangement led to the deaths of disciples in the sect, or maybe both.
The owner of Yinyue Mountain Villa, Liu, asked: "Old Taoist priest, what are you doing?"
The head of the Wuyun Sect was slightly surprised and asked, "Did you do this on purpose?"
Lin Zhi quickly scanned the faces of everyone present, frowned slightly, but didn't find any clues.
"In the past two years, someone has leaked the news that I have this Ice Jade Lotus. My quiet mountain has become bustling. Those people dare not come directly to me, an old fellow, and have troubled other people in my sect. You don't have to be so surprised to hear what I said. I know you have all asked about it."
Taoist Yunxu swept his gaze across several sect leaders. His tone remained calm, but suddenly it was like a mountain pressing down on one's heart, making it hard to breathe.
Even those who were not seen by him could not help but feel shrouded in a dark cloud.
The head of the Wuyun Sect coughed lightly and said, "I, old Taoist priest, have no bad intentions. I was just curious when I heard someone was asking about it, but I didn't pay much attention. I was just wondering, why are there so many people looking for the forty-year-old Ice Jade Lotus, even if it is a hard-to-find elixir? It's impossible that everyone got sick at the same time, right?"
The leader of the Wuyun Sect spoke quickly, and Master Liu also admitted that he was just joining in the fun, so when Taoist Yunxu wanted to take out something this time, they agreed.
They could feel that there was something hiding beneath the muddy water, which seemed to be causing unrest in the world, but they didn't know what it was.
He Yanghong: "Don't misunderstand me, old Taoist priest, I have never explored it."
"Really? Then I'm afraid that Master He will have to go back and check on the people in your sect."
Taoist Yunxu's expression turned slightly colder, not directed at He Yanghong, but at the traitor in his Seven Stars Sect.
He Yanghong frowned and said nothing.
"What do you know, old Taoist priest? Can you tell us?"
The Palace Master of Diancui Palace couldn't help but ask. She actually also received such a transaction content, but she didn't intend to offend Taoist Yunxu. However, she was very curious about what this medicine could do. She heard that it was related to a prescription, but what kind of prescription made people so obsessed?
Taoist Yunxu did not answer, but instead fixed his eyes on Qi He, Ying Shuang, and Wen Baixin who was standing beside him, and said, "Today's matter will definitely be explained, but this item is so popular that it may be a hot potato. No matter which young hero wins the championship, if you want something else, come and exchange it with me."
"It's getting late. Tomorrow is the last day of the competition. Everyone go back and get enough rest."
Taoist Yunxu raised his hand slightly to see the guest off.
"Old Taoist priest, can you spread the news that the Ice Jade Lotus has not been lost?"
Lin Zhi looked at Taoist Yunxu and met his eyes.
Taoist Yunxu nodded: "Of course."
Everyone left with their own thoughts, and soon the news that the Bing Yulian was not stolen spread.
Everyone laughed at the thief for his useless work, admired the old Taoist priest's skill, and wondered why the thief involved Young Master Lin. However, not many people felt sorry for the dead disciples of the Seven Stars Sect, and no one even mentioned them.
In their view, fighting and killing are common in the disputes between the martial arts world.
Lin Zhi and his companions went there as a group, but because the incident happened suddenly and there was something behind the incident, they dispersed when they returned.
Qi He fanned Lin Zhi and talked about what happened tonight.
"Master, have they discovered my identity?"
"There is no such thing as a wall that is impenetrable. Sooner or later, this day will come. Now is the perfect time. They must not have thought that you were still alive, not to mention that what they got today was a fake."
Lin Zhi leaned back in the chaise longue and sneered softly.
Qi He recalled the way Taoist Yunxu avoided talking tonight and asked, "Does Taoist Yunxu know anything?"
"It will become clear in a moment."
Qi He was slightly surprised: "Huh?"
Lin Zhi raised his head and said, "A visitor is a guest. Since the old Taoist priest is here, why don't you come in and have a seat?"
Qi He subconsciously took precautions, he did not sense any presence.
After a few moments, the courtyard was still quiet, but Lin Zhi was still calm and composed, pouring a cup of tea for the visitor.
After a few breaths, someone landed gracefully.
"Since my friend has invited me, I will not refuse."
Taoist Yunxu sat down, but he was surprised that the young man in front of him knew his arrival.
From what he saw, the young man in front of him did not have extremely profound internal strength, but he was able to sense his arrival. He should not be underestimated.
Lin Zhi's problem was not because of the insect, but because of a plug-in. If there were people around, 01 would mark them with a red dot.
There were not many people who could make his poisonous insect and Qi He unaware of their visitor. Combined with Taoist Yunxu's performance just now, Lin Zhi guessed that the person who came was him.
"It is very intrusive of me to visit you so suddenly, but I have a question that I would like to ask you two young friends to help me solve."
"Is there any connection between this Ice Jade Lotus and the lost Bilu Hantian in Qinhe Valley?"
Lin Zhi smiled and said, "Since you understand, why ask more questions?"
"This is the case... chaos in the martial arts world is inevitable. If it continues like this year after year, I'm afraid it will be difficult to live in peace. What do you think?"
The old man made no secret of his tentative intention. In this world, everyone wants to be a top master. They compete for resources based on their strength according to their sects and families, but the road to martial arts is not a smooth one.
Cleansing the meridians and removing the marrow sounds good, but if you don’t have a good heart, it’s just a knife that kills people.
After all, the world of martial arts belongs to the young. The current number one in the world is already old. Before he passes away, Yunxu wants to seek peace for the people and put an end to the evil.
Qi He was waiting for his master to speak first, but he heard Lin Zhi say, "Xiao He, what do you think?"
Qi He was slightly startled, and answered without hesitation: "It is our duty to uphold justice and help the needy."
It is enough that there is a Qi He in the world who bears a deep hatred for this. If the prescription is leaked, not only will the prescription be fought over, but the ownership of the medicinal materials will also be a bloody storm, and how many people will die then.
Taoist Yunxu nodded with satisfaction and looked at the beautiful young man who was sitting lazily on the chaise longue. The fact that the child was not blinded by hatred and had a distorted mindset must have been due to the guidance of this master, but he could not see through this young man with strange abilities and who was both good and evil.
"He is my apprentice. Since it is his idea, I will naturally try my best to satisfy him."
Lin Zhi's voice was tinged with laughter. If he took action, his identity would certainly be revealed. A Miao Gu Master who spoke so righteously would probably not be believed by anyone in the martial arts world. So he simply said so and teased his apprentice at the same time.
What could have been an ordinary conversation became a trap for the young man's budding love under his weaving. Qi He couldn't help but pause in his fanning movements, and couldn't hide the smile on his face.
Taoist Master Yunxu sighed upon seeing this, thinking that perhaps this would be better than letting him take the child back, after all, the young man had raised the child so well, and their master-disciple relationship was very deep.
Although they did not reveal each other's identities, the three of them had already started talking about the prescription in secret.
"If we want to trace the origin, it may be fifty years ago, when the Gu Cult became famous in the Central Plains."
Many things about Taoist Master Yunxu have been confirmed, and he is not stingy in sharing this information.
"Master, there is no need to be so euphemistic. Just say it is notorious."
Taoist Lin Zhijian Yunxu looked at him. He didn't expect that he was so perceptive. He didn't even use Gu, but his identity was exposed.
But he didn't intend to ask, just like Yunxu didn't ask him how he knew he was coming.
Taoist Yunxu took the initiative to say, "I was in my early twenties at that time. I participated in the great battle between good and evil. I have a deep understanding of the skills of Gu Masters, so I am also familiar with insects."
The great battle between good and evil fifty years ago was extremely grand.
The Holy Religion of the Western Regions joined forces with the Gu Religion of Miaojiang, and together with the Blood Worship Religion and the Rakshasa Religion of the Central Plains, they caused a great battle. Many disciples of the righteous martial arts in the Central Plains participated in this battle. Because it involved outside the region, the court's representatives, the Iron Constables of the Six Gates and the masters of the Imperial Palace, all disguised themselves as people from the martial arts world to join the battle.
In the end, the people of the Holy Church fled back to the Western Regions, the Miaojiang Gu Master hid from the world, the Blood Worship Sect and the Rakshasa Sect were wiped out without any trace, and the current Akagi Sect and Wenyuan Sect are the Central Plains Demon Sect that emerged later.
"At that time, the leader of the Gu Cult, Lin Lan, swore a death oath in front of my master and other sect leaders that as long as her descendants led the Gu Cult, they would never invade the Central Plains again. After that, the Gu Cult indeed faded out of the martial arts world and never caused any trouble again."
"To show her sincerity, she also told me about her deal with the Holy Church. They planned to develop a pill or insect that could cleanse the meridians and marrow, so that people could have a smooth journey on the martial arts path," Taoist Yunxu shook his head. "How could such a good thing happen in the world? They did succeed, but the price was unbearable."
"The thing they developed can increase the speed of a person's internal energy circulation by several times in a short period of time, greatly increasing their strength, but they will die suddenly within half a month, and their death will be miserable. If it weren't for this evil thing, there wouldn't have been so many casualties in the war. This is probably the prototype of the prescription."
“Those things have long been burned. Logically, there aren’t many people who know how to make medicine and keep improving it.”
Lin Zhi raised her eyebrows slightly: "You mean this prescription might have been researched by the Gu Cult's people?"
Lin Lan is the original owner's mother, and the original owner was born when she was in her forties.
Taoist Yunxu smiled slightly and said, "Of course not. It was the Holy Church's idea in the beginning, and this thing was provided by someone from the Holy Church. It was only much later that I learned that person had another identity. He was even quite famous in the Central Plains martial arts world."
"I wonder if you have heard of his name, he is known as the Ghost Doctor Yan Sangeng."
Lin Zhi's pupils contracted slightly, and some things quickly connected in his mind.
In the original owner's memory, Yan Sangeng was a good friend of his mother. The two had known each other for many years. His mother developed two Gu pills based on the things left by Yan Sangeng, but his mother seldom mentioned this mysterious good friend.
Lin Zhi quickly recalled the relevant events. Fortunately, things were not so bloody. The original owner's deceased parents were very loving. Both of them were Gu masters, and there was a romantic feeling of Gu masters swallowing each other's love Gu. There was no such drama as Yan Sangeng being the original owner's biological father. Although the tragedy of the Qi family was not caused by Yan Sangeng, his prescription was indeed involved.
Yan Sangeng probably died when the original owner was seven years old. In the same year, Qi He's parents met him and got the prescription. Two years later, Qi He was born. When Qi He was eight years old, they collected all the things and planned to wait until Qi He was ten years old to take the medicine. But someone came to the door and Qi He's parents both died. They were forced to take the medicine in advance, and then they met him.
Lin Zhi reacted very quickly and asked, "Is this matter related to the Western Region Holy Religion?"
It was almost ten years after Yan Sangeng's death that the Qi family encountered trouble, which means that no one knew about him before that. The two evil cults in the Central Plains were all crushed to ashes. If there was any information, they would have come to the door long ago. The original owner's mother didn't even tell her family, so it couldn't be the work of Miaojiang. It could only be related to the Holy Religion in the Western Regions.
Because the medicinal herbs are unique to the Central Plains, and the Qi family was wiped out and various Central Plains sects were scarred, no one thought about the Holy Church. Even Lin Zhi didn't investigate too much because their presence was too low.
Taoist Yunxu sighed softly, "I think that's probably the case. I hadn't thought about this aspect at first. When Palace Master Wen asked me, I didn't answer because I couldn't figure it out. It was only when I doubled my internal strength by washing my meridians and cutting my marrow that I was reminded of this."
Taoist Yunxu looked at Qi He and asked, "Young friend, can I take your pulse for you?"
Qi He had no objection and stretched out his hand.
"It's nothing. It seems Yan Sangeng is no longer the same person he was fifty years ago. Even so, we can't let them succeed."
Taoist Yunxu withdrew his hand. These medicinal herbs were unique to the Central Plains. If they wanted to keep getting these things, they had to gain a firm foothold in the Central Plains. Not to mention how much blood and gore would be involved, the children bred with these herbs would surely become their main force in invading the Central Plains.
"Don't worry, Taoist priest. We have responded and will do our best."
When Lin Zhi saw Taoist Yunxu stand up, she also stood up to see the guest off.
Before leaving, he asked again: "Master, do you know the whereabouts of Qi Hengduan?"
Apart from the suspected information he received three or four years ago, he still hasn't found out anything.
Taoist Yunxu shook his head: "I also gained nothing."
Qi He felt a little disappointed, but he was used to it.
He knew enough tonight to at least make things clear for him and help him and his master find the direction.
Lin Zhi sent a letter in the middle of the night, but unexpectedly received a reply before dawn.
"Master, it's an expedited letter."
Qi He had good hearing, so he took the letter first.
Lin Zhi opened the letter with some doubt. Even if he sent it by expedited delivery, the letter would not arrive that fast. When he saw the content of the letter clearly, his fingers slowly crumpled the letter paper.
His lips were raised even when he wasn't smiling, making him look like he was smiling, but his dark eyes were filled with coldness.
"There's no need to be too restrained in today's duel. Since they want to see your abilities, show them."
Qi He felt his master's anger. This was probably the first time he saw his master so angry after following him for so long.
"Okay, Master, what does it say?"
Lin Zhi continued to speak at a leisurely pace, with a sneer on his face: "They have doubts in their hearts, so they dug up your grave and did an autopsy. Since they want to find out the truth so badly, then cut off their heads and send them down to watch carefully."
Some of the people he arranged around were killed or injured, and the arrival of talents later prevented those people from attacking the graves of Qi He's parents. A message was sent over immediately. Fortunately, this place is not too far from Chunyi, otherwise the letter would not have been delivered today.
It was obviously a fake tomb, but the master was so angry that he was offended. Qi He knew that he shouldn't be secretly happy, but he could not suppress it. He tried his best to restrain himself and avoid making any mistakes.
He placed his palm on Lin Zhi's hand, pinched his master's fingertips and took the letter from him.
This was a bit frivolous, but he did it very quickly and without any abnormality, and replied in a low voice: "I will."
The next day, the final competition of the martial arts competition arrived amid everyone's anticipation.
On the stage, the owner of Silver Moon Villa announced the rules.
Three people are on the ring together. Whoever knocks the other two down first will be the champion.
The person who lands first will come forward to fight. If he knocks the champion down, he will become the new champion. If not, he will step back and another person will come forward. This cycle repeats for a day.
In order to prevent two people from fighting on the stage for too long, after one stick of incense, a third person can come on stage to compete and then choose a new champion.
After Manor Master Liu finished speaking, Taoist Yunxu spoke up: "The martial arts competition should be limited to a certain point. The road of martial arts is long and you must not lose your foundation because of small mistakes. Young heroes, please."
The drums sounded like thunder, and Qi He, Wen Baixin and Ying Shuang came on stage from different directions.
However, in the early morning, there was a sudden and earth-shattering shout from below.
Nothing more, the young man in the center of the ring drew his sword, used the sword as a knife, slashed horizontally with an extremely domineering sword wind, forcing the other two to retreat again and again.
Wen Baixin used cloth to resist, but the cloth was directly broken into pieces and scattered in the air.
Wen Baixin had no choice but to land on the ground. Ying Shuang used his spear to resist, but when he quickly turned around, the broadsword was like a scattering of flowers, making it difficult for him to block it. Qi He's movements were ethereal and strange, forcing him to the ground without any preparation.
This was the fastest time to determine the champion in the history of martial arts competitions. A young man in a sky-blue brocade robe stood blindfolded in the arena, listening attentively to the sound.
It was not the cheers and praises from the crowd or the movements and breathing of the opponent, but the sound of silver bells that was not easily captured amid the noise.
That was the voice that the Master made just for him, and it belonged only to him.
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