stonecrandall Chapter 35 The Ming Cult Appears Again, A Leisurely Move
Chapter 35 The Ming Cult Appears Again, A Leisurely Move
"Chief Yang, you must have misunderstood."
"I am merely an envoy. This man's actions were all secretly instructed by Prime Minister Shi, and I was truly unaware of them."
Gou Mengyu's face was full of tears, and her whole body was trembling, as if she had been scared out of her wits.
"I believe that Lord Gou was unaware of what this scholar Fang Ming had done."
"However, these days, thieves have been lurking around the vicinity of my Tianxia Society from time to time, and have even sneaked into the vicinity of my study a few times."
"I once secretly followed that thief around Yidu Prefecture, only to find that he always disappeared around your embassy."
"I wonder if Lord Gou knows who this person is? Or perhaps, this person is Lord Gou himself?"
Yang Kang looked at Gou Mengyu indifferently and said.
Gou Mengyu's expression remained unchanged, but her hand trembled slightly in her sleeve, and a hint of shock flashed in her eyes.
"I have been studying since childhood and am not strong enough to even kill a chicken. How could I possibly be a thief?"
Gou Mengyu immediately knelt down on the ground.
As Yang Kang watched Gou Mengyu's performance, a hint of impatience flashed in his eyes. Although flies and mosquitoes could not threaten you, their buzzing in your ear while you were sleeping was an extremely uncomfortable thing.
Yang Kang reached out and grabbed at Gou Mengyu.
If Gou Mengyu truly didn't know martial arts or was unaware of the situation, his head would be separated from his body in that single blow.
Gou Mengyu's expression suddenly changed drastically, and her body moved backward three-tenths of an inch on the ground.
Yang Kang's momentum did not diminish; he turned his claw and still managed to reach down on Yang Kang's shoulder.
In an instant, Gou Mengyu's body twisted like a puddle of mud, took three steps back, and escaped.
Yang Kang did not move at all upon seeing this, but instead raised his eyebrows and gestured to Yang Miaozhen.
Yang Miaozhen immediately drew her sword and thrust it out. With a scream, Yang Miaozhen's sword pierced through Gou Mengyu's body, pinning him to the door behind him.
Yang Kang walked up to Gou Mengyu and asked leisurely.
"Not bad skill, not bad way to deflect force."
"Before my energy even touched your body, you deflected and redirected it by three-tenths of an inch."
"Can you tell me what kind of martial art this is?"
Yang Kang reached out and pulled the sword that was pinned to Gou Mengyu's body.
Gou Mengyu was pierced through the body by this sword, and Yang Kang pressed on the wound, causing her unbearable pain.
He believed that if he couldn't answer even one question, he would be strangled to death right there.
"Chief Yang, it seems we can make a deal."
Gou Mengyu gave a forced smile and said.
Yang Kang turned slightly to the side, his right hand resting on his chin, and looked up and down at this originally unremarkable envoy from Lin'an.
This man was handsome with delicate features and a scholarly appearance, but the lightness skill he had just displayed was definitely comparable to that of a top-notch martial artist.
With just this martial skill, even in the Song Dynasty, which valued literature over martial arts, his status should not be what it is today.
But why did he insist on being a minor official?
"A planner of the eighth rank, with no equal-ranking national messenger or chief clerk."
"Gou has such abilities, yet he only holds these official positions."
"Even if the Song Dynasty valued literature over military affairs, it shouldn't have come to this."
Yang Kang rested his chin on his hand, tapped the table lightly, and said calmly.
"Gou Mengyu was just an ordinary scholar with no family background."
"If being sent as an envoy to a foreign land were such a good job, it would naturally not fall to me."
"But I'm not just Gou Mengyu."
Gou Mengyu's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and she held her still-bleeding wound with one hand, but she immediately became calm and straightened her body a little. She stood in front of Yang Kang and said neither humbly nor arrogantly.
"If you utter another word, I'll chop off all four of your limbs and feed them to the dogs!"
Yang Miaozhen walked up to Yang Kang and said in an unfriendly tone.
"Chief Yang and Madam Yang are a match made in heaven. They're so rude to everyone else."
Gou Mengyu gave a wry smile and couldn't help but complain. Seeing this, Yang Miaozhen drew her sword again.
"Murong Yan, Right Envoy of the Ming Cult, greets you both."
He immediately changed his words, calmed himself down, and, ignoring the fact that his wounds were still bleeding, bowed to the two of them.
Ming Cult!
Yang Kang and Shi Tianze exchanged a glance, surprised by this troublemaker who had repeatedly caused trouble during their trip to the Southern Song Dynasty.
Yang Kang glanced at him coldly and said in a deep voice.
"Murong Yan? Don't tell me you're from the Murong clan of Gusu."
Murong Yan was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and then smiled wryly.
"How dare Chief Yang know about the Murong Clan of Gusu?"
Murong Yan said with a hint of surprise.
The Murong clan of Gusu was famous throughout the martial arts world a hundred years ago, but in recent decades, they have long since disappeared.
Few people know about it, whether in the martial arts world or the Jianghu.
He was surprised to learn that Yang Kang had actually heard of this name.
"You are the Right Envoy of Light. Fang Tianyu, who died at my hands, was your superior?"
Yang Kang glanced at Murong Yan meaningfully and continued to ask.
"Fang Tianyu is the vice leader and also the Left Envoy of Light. Although he is of a higher status than me, he cannot be considered my superior."
Murong Yan replied with a hint of arrogance.
"You still haven't answered my first question: what kind of skill did you use?"
Yang Kang remained noncommittal.
"My family's inherited skill, 'The Shifting Stars,' plus the first two levels of the Ming Cult's divine skill, 'The Great Shift of Heaven and Earth.'"
Murong Yan answered without reservation.
The Great Shift of Heaven and Earth!
As Yang Kang silently recited the name of the manual, he suddenly recalled some settings from the story.
"As far as I know, the Ming Cult, under the leadership of Fang La, rose up against the Song Dynasty. How could you, a century later, be colluding with the Song people?"
Yang Kang looked at Murong Yan and asked.
"Chief Yang may have some misunderstanding about our Ming Cult. Although we have been your enemies several times, it was all on behalf of the Song royal family."
"But our Ming Cult will not be affiliated with any imperial power. Whether it is the past grievances with the leader or this trip to Yizhou Prefecture, our Ming Cult is just doing things for money."
"Since the Ming Cult was introduced to the Central Plains during the Tang Dynasty, we have always adhered to the principle of taking people's money and solving their problems, and never interfere in the world's struggles."
"The Zhao Song imperial family was merely one of our generous and magnanimous clients among our cooperative buyers, which is why we had frequent dealings with them."
"When Fang La rebelled against the Song Dynasty, it was merely his personal will and did not represent the consistent principles of our Ming Cult."
Murong Yan spoke calmly, trying his best to appear neither humble nor arrogant.
"So this is the Ming Cult, the kind of people who take money to do things. So, what you just said about the business you wanted to discuss with me was just taking my money to do things for me?"
Yang Kang looked at Murong Yan and asked with great interest.
Murong Yan smiled and said.
"That would naturally be something our Ming Cult would love to do. However, the cooperation I want to discuss with Chief Yang is a different deal, a business between me and Chief Yang personally."
Yang Kang looked Gou Mengyu up and down, then nodded slightly, signaling her to continue.
"The Ming Cult never relied on any power in the world, but occasionally, there were exceptions like Fang La, the leader of the cult."
"If Chief Yang is willing to let me go and help me ascend to the position of leader of the Ming Cult, I can make the Ming Cult an exception like this again."
Murong Yan said, word by word.
Upon hearing this, Yang Kang's smile remained unchanged.
"The headquarters of the Ming Cult is located on the Bright Summit of Kunlun Mountain, far from the Central Plains."
"Whenever they travel between the branch headquarters in various parts of the Central Plains, they always appear as two messengers of light holding the Sacred Flame Token."
"Apart from Fang Tianyu and me, no one in the Central Plains knows the true face of the leader."
"Chief Yang only needs to go to Bright Peak in Kunlun in person. With the strength of the World Society and my guidance, we can easily conquer Bright Peak."
"When I ascend to the position of leader and hold the Sacred Flame Token, the Ming Cult followers in the Central Plains will naturally follow my lead."
Murong Yan was overjoyed to see that Yang Kang did not refuse on the spot, and quickly explained.
"Murong Yan, words are meaningless. What proof do you have of me?"
Yang Kang looked calmly at Murong Yan and asked.
Upon hearing this, Murong Yan was overjoyed and immediately took out a small booklet that she always carried with her and handed it to Yang Kang.
"These are the first two levels of the Ming Cult's supreme martial art, the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth, which was personally passed down by the cult leader."
"Among all members of the Ming Cult, apart from the leader, myself, and the deceased deputy leader Fang Yutian, no one else has been able to pass on this skill."
"I will use this as a token. If I dare to betray you in the slightest, the leader only needs to master these two levels of skill and reveal them, and my betrayal of the Ming Cult will surely be known to everyone in the Ming Cult."
"At that time, there will be nowhere for me to stay, neither in heaven nor on earth."
Murong Yan spoke each word with utmost seriousness. His gaze was fixed on Yang Kang, his eyes filled with a desperate, mad glint in his eye.
"interesting."
Yang Kang took the booklet, flipped through a few pages, and a strange light flashed in his eyes.
Then, he looked at Shi Tianze, smiled, and said.
"Since Lord Gou Mengyu is so sincere, we cannot be stingy."
"Tianze, escort Lord Gou back to the embassy."
"That was just an accident caused by an ignorant and arrogant thief."
Yang Kang immediately gave the order, and Shi Tianze obeyed, stepping forward to support Gou Mengyu, who was still bleeding, and walking towards the embassy.
"You never intended to kill him in the first place, did you?"
Watching Murong Yan's departing figure, Yang Miaozhen suddenly turned to Yang Kang and asked.
"Although the Southern Song Dynasty was weak in culture, it was the most prosperous in the country."
"Shandong is confined to a small corner of the country. In order to quickly accumulate wealth, expand military strength, and support the people, it is inevitable that we will have to do business with the Song people."
"Now is not the time to break ties with the Song Dynasty. At least on the surface, we should maintain a basic friendly relationship."
"Gou Mengyu, even if he is to die, can only die in an accident, not within the territory of my Tianxia Society."
Yang Kang stood with his hands behind his back and said calmly.
"So, what about his promise to help him ascend to the position of leader of the Ming Cult? Are you just going to pretend?"
Yang Miaozhen asked in confusion.
"Just because of his name, Murong Yan, he's not worth cooperating with."
"It is said that the Murong family of Gusu were descendants of the Murong Xianbei royal family during the Northern and Southern Dynasties."
"Can you believe it? Miaozhen, for hundreds of years, the Murong family has been trying to restore the Yan Kingdom that existed before the Sui and Tang dynasties."
"A separatist regime established by a nomadic people who had long since disappeared, still wants to restore its kingdom."
"Isn't that ridiculous?"
Yang Kang smiled as he handed the booklet to Yang Miaozhen.
Yang Kang stood with his hands behind his back and said calmly.
"However, the Ming Cult has repeatedly opposed me. How can it be resolved with just the phrase 'take money and do good deeds'?"
"Sooner or later, I will go to Bright Peak to find the leader of the Ming Cult and settle this score."
"It's not just because of past grievances, but also because of this."
Yang Miaozhen took the booklet and glanced at it subconsciously, immediately captivated by its exquisite details.
But then she closed the booklet, pondered for a moment, and said hesitantly.
"Although this 'Great Shift of Heaven and Earth' is exquisite, its method of power manipulation is far inferior to your 'Nine Yang Divine Skill' and my Quanzhen Sect's 'Innate Skill,' and it is even inferior to the 'Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill' that you stole from Tibetan Tantric Buddhism."
"Since Murong Yan is a wolf in sheep's clothing, why don't you just kill him?"
Yang Miaozhen asked, puzzled.
Yang Kang turned his head and his gaze fell on Yang Miaozhen's face.
"These are only the first two levels of the Great Shift of the Universe. As far as I know, the essence of the Great Shift of the Universe has never been about using someone else's strength against them or the common methods of deflecting and shifting force in the martial arts world."
"Its value lies in its ability to unlock human potential, unifying the body's strength into a unified whole, allowing for effortless movement."
"If you only cultivate the first two levels of this mental cultivation method, it will naturally be useless."
"But if one could see the whole leopard, then it would be a completely different world."
"My Nine Yang Divine Skill has been perfected, and my true energy is inexhaustible, with no more worries about running out."
"Upon cultivating the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill to the tenth level, one can bear the strength of five to six thousand catties."
"If I were to achieve this, I could further develop my potential and take it to the next level."
"If I had the strength of ten thousand or even twenty thousand jin, Miaozhen, imagine what I would be like on the battlefield?"
Upon hearing this, Yang Miaozhen recalled the terrifying strength that Yang Kang had exerted to control during their daily martial arts practice, yet which still left her exhausted.
Just thinking about how Yang Kang's terrifying power could double again, a monster with immense strength, whose true qi protects him from blades and spears, whose energy can be replenished for seven days and seven nights without running out, plus the divine steed Golden Crow that can travel a thousand miles a day and move like the wind.
Yang Miaozhen felt a chill run down her spine.
A horrifying image immediately flashed into her mind.
On the battlefield, Yang Kang, clad in heavy armor, appeared on the battlefield riding a golden crow. Arrows struck his body, falling helplessly like raindrops.
Swords and blades struck him, and in an instant, the blades snapped and broke.
Even siege crossbows and catapults, under the dual protection of the Nine Yang Qi and the mighty strength of the dragon and elephant, could only push him back a few steps, making it difficult for him to be seriously injured.
Its only minor weakness is its extremely vulnerable areas, such as its eyes, but given the speed of the Golden Crow and its protective true energy, no one can seize this fleeting opportunity.
The enemy can only use their own lives to deplete a certain amount of strength, but the inexhaustible energy will cause any army to collapse due to the terrifying death rate and fear of demons before Yang Kang shows any signs of weakness.
Even a large army of hundreds of thousands would be thrown into endless chaos by his ability to easily kill the commander and storm the camp.
He alone is a terrifying natural disaster.
"If you truly possess such skill, then you alone could probably rival an army of thousands."
She said, stunned.
Yang Kang looked out the window at the sky, a hint of wild ambition in his eyes.
"Even if Genghis Khan himself led an army of 100,000 to form a battle line in front of me, I could still cut through everything in front of me and take his head from among the 100,000 troops."
Yang Miaozhen's expression shifted slightly, as if she had realized something. She lowered her head and flipped through a few more pages, the doubt in her eyes gradually dissipating.
She closed the booklet, let out a soft sigh, and said nothing more, simply tucking the booklet into her bosom.
She stopped asking questions, and simply took a step forward to stand beside him.
The disturbances in the inner quarters have been quelled by Yang Kang using the life of a Song Dynasty spy.
In the days that followed, Yang Kang and the others from the World Society devoted themselves wholeheartedly to the construction of their base.
Before we knew it, it was already November.
With their wedding date fast approaching, Yang Kang and Yang Miaozhen, two men with ambitions for the world, had to find time to get married despite their busy schedules.
On such a day, Qiu Chuji, the master who nurtured Yang Kang's ambition, would naturally be present.
To Yang Kang's surprise, apart from Qiu Chuji and the remaining members of the Seven Masters of Quanzhen, the people who came from the Southern Song Dynasty to attend his wedding were all from the Southern Song Dynasty.
Surprisingly, there were also Tolui and Guo Jing.