Chapter 11: Different Paths Cannot Converge Section 21: Ancient Divine Martial Manuals

Section 21: Ancient Divine Martial Manuals

Later, due to her busy schedule and the task of supervising July, Qiu Ye always felt that the Master secretly hoped that July would grow up to be just like her. Yet, in her clear moments, she would deem such an inclination improper and thus sought to make amends. However, whenever she laid eyes on July, she would forget all about it!

The reason Qiu Ye acted so arbitrarily and recklessly was actually quite similar to July's situation. Years ago, Zheng Feixian had also doted on her deeply, feeling that Qiu Ye resembled her younger self.

Now, July's character had fully formed, and she indeed bore a striking resemblance to Zheng Feixian. Was there anyone in this world capable of persuading Zheng Feixian? At least Qiu Ye had never heard of such a person. Now that Zheng Linran expected her to counsel July, she considered it an absolute fantasy.

"It is not that Qiu Ye is trying to shirk this duty. In the past, Master instructed July according to her own temperament. Now that July's nature is fixed, it is utterly impossible for her to listen to anyone's persuasion. In the past, July refused to listen to me, and I could only use Master's authority to press her. But now, her martial arts skills surpass mine. The words Master spoke back then no longer apply, and July will no longer heed me."

Unaware of this nuance, Zheng Linran thought that after the Divine Martial Tournament, Qiu Ye had become much more restrained and showed her respect as the Sect Leader both in public and in private, so she ought not to refuse. "What did Master say back then?"

"When I was teaching July martial arts at that time, she would question certain methods and refuse to obey. I insisted that she follow them, and eventually, we took the matter to Master. Master told her that since my martial arts were superior to hers, listening to me was never wrong. But if one day her martial arts surpassed mine, she would no longer need to listen, and she could do whatever she pleased. I always used those words to keep her in check, but after the Divine Martial Tournament, I could no longer hold her down."

"How could Master have been so foolish!" Zheng Linran felt secretly irritated. To have raised July into such a state made her little more than a scourge! "Are we simply to let July act as willfully and lawlessly as she pleases?"

"Actually, it is nothing much—merely the son of a high-ranking general, a person who deserved to die. The Martial Sovereign killed him, and that was that. Compared to the outrageous deeds Master committed in her youth, July's actions truly amount to nothing. Back then, Master killed a prince, slew a princess of the Zhou State, beheaded the Crown Prince of the Chu State, burned down the royal palace of the Qi State, forced her way into the morning court of the Yan State, and openly rebuked and cursed the King of Wei during a grand enthronement ceremony. She was once regarded as an enemy by more than thirty nations across the realm. For seven hundred and sixty-five consecutive days, she fought off pursuers every single day. The King of Zheng dared not acknowledge Master as his royal sister back then, and whenever others brought her up, he would explicitly state that Master had long since severed all ties with the royal family of Zheng..."

Qiu Ye spoke casually, while Zheng Linran listened in sheer disbelief. In her eyes, Zheng Feixian was profoundly wise and possessed a grand perspective; she was by no means someone who would commit such absurd and foolish acts.

"Did such things truly happen? Why has this Sect Leader never witnessed Master committing any outrageous acts?"

"That is because by the time the Sect Leader entered the sect, Master's might had already shaken the world, and none dared provoke her. The sect's affairs were demanding, leaving Master with no time to wander about. With no one provoking her, there was naturally no need to strike, and without traveling outside, she naturally never encountered injustices. The prominent prestige of our sect exists precisely because those tribulations of the past failed to strike Master down. Everyone in the world grew to fear Master and dared not provoke her in the least."

"Humph!" Zheng Linran sneered dismissively. "That is something only Master could accomplish. Who does July think she is? Does she truly believe she is Master reborn?"

Qiu Ye said nothing aloud, but thought to herself, "July is actually much more formidable than Master used to be."

"Since July refuses to listen to reason, when the King of Zheng can no longer tolerate her in the future, this Sect Leader will likewise be powerless to save her."

"That is because July refuses to listen. If she suffers hardships in the future, the Sect Leader cannot be blamed." Qiu Ye remained unconvinced inwardly, confident that no one in this world could possibly harm July as she was today. Although she deemed courting disaster unwise, Zheng Feixian's experiences taught her that one should never fear trouble, nor should one fear trouble that was frequent or grand. As long as a person could bear the consequences of their trouble, that trouble would eventually transform into achievements, fame, and prestige. If one could not bear the burden, they would naturally meet a wretched end.

Zheng Feixian had courted countless disasters throughout her life, yet no one could do a thing to her. Countless people had courted disaster by provoking Zheng Feixian, yet all of them met wretched ends. Both involved courting disaster, but the outcomes were identical.

Qiu Ye knew that July would court trouble, which was why she only granted her freedom after recognizing July's formidable martial arts.

Following their fallout, Zheng Linran and July did not meet again. Communications regarding the military campaign against the Wei State were all relayed through Elder Dongxue. July cared little for these matters and spent several days wandering around Dongshang Town. On this day, as she passed by a village outside Dongshang Town, she unexpectedly spotted a group of Zheng soldiers stationed at the entrance.

"What is the meaning of this?" July was utterly puzzled. The Zheng soldiers at the entrance hurried forward to bow and answer her.

"Reporting to the Martial Sovereign, the people inside this village are all followers of the Undying Soul. Nowadays, uprisings are breaking out everywhere, so to prevent them from causing trouble, General Wang has been ordered to confine them here under centralized guard."

July stepped into the village to take a look. The guards dared not block her path and stepped aside to let her pass.

The village entrance, cleared by the soldiers, was barred by a horizontal wooden fence. Before opening it, two soldiers used their spears to jab at some people standing close by. They did not actually pierce or wound them, merely frightening those people into backing away before pulling open the fence and inviting July inside.

The village consisted of low houses constructed with mud walls and woven fences. The space inside the entrance was packed with people, all of them sallow-faced, emaciated, and wearing numb expressions. As they watched July enter the village, their gazes converged upon her with a mixture of shock and uncertainty.

The village houses were inhabited mostly by the elderly, and numerous children ran about playing in the lanes, while the adults gathered in clusters, either sitting or lying against the walls and beneath the trees. Many others sat cross-legged with their eyes closed, chanting incantations under their breath, though their words were unintelligible.

July had encountered similar villages during her travels, but strict confinement on this scale was rare.

"The kingdom of the monarch shall surely perish! The divine soul shall surely rise!" A man glared at July with extreme fury and suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs. Immediately afterward, the others chimed in with loud cries, surrounding July in the center.

A moment later, the Zheng soldiers who heard the shouting rushed in, brandishing their clubs to strike the standing followers of the Undying Soul who were shouting slogans.

"Sit down! Those who do not wish to die, sit down immediately! You audacious, disorderly mob daring to openly spout utter nonsense..."

Before long, more rushed in. Some of the chanters yielded and collapsed into a seated position, while others were beaten to the ground by a flurry of clubs. The man who had shouted first was beaten so severely by two officers that he coughed up blood and passed out shortly after.

Seeing that the charging officers were not making any arrests, July asked out of curiosity.

"The Martial Sovereign may not know this, but these followers of the Undying Soul are mostly madmen. Ever since the rumors of stars falling from the heavens spread, they have been like this. There are simply too many to kill them all, so Lord Xin issued an order stating that the Great King is benevolent and will not argue with these madmen. Therefore, they are detained under centralized guard to prevent them from creating chaos. Rice porridge is sent to them daily, and as long as they repent and mend their ways, they may leave the village and become citizens of the Zheng State."

As they spoke, the man who had been beaten the worst gradually lost his breath. Another follower of the Undying Soul tested his breath, knelt down, closed his eyes, tilted his head back toward the sky, and chanted in a loud voice, "Let the soul that casts off its fleshly shell soar through heaven and earth! Let us pursue the freedom of the divine soul's will! We endure suffering here, we await a world of freedom here. May you, who have attained freedom, send us your blessings from the ethereal clouds..."

The man repeated the dirge over and over, his voice growing increasingly loud. Hearing this, the others successively knelt down just like him, closing their eyes with solemn expressions, tilting their heads back to the sky, and repeating the same dirge over and over. Within moments, every single person in the entire village was kneeling on the ground, displaying a piety devoid of sorrow that defied comprehension.

"The followers of the Undying Soul are all madmen. Even when someone dies, very few weep; they simply have the word 'freedom' on their lips all day long," remarked the accustomed Zheng soldiers. July, however, was only reminded of Bu Jingsian from her childhood. Back then, in the estate of the slave owner in the Han State, Bu Jingsian had also asked her if she wanted freedom.

As July walked out of the village, she could not help turning back to gaze into the distance for a moment. The followers of the Undying Soul within the village were still kneeling.

A disciple of the Flying Immortal Sect hurried over and called out from afar, "Martial Sovereign, please return to Dongshang Town immediately. The Sect Leader has an urgent matter to discuss."

July's expression tightened. Unless it was a matter of life and death, Zheng Linran would never seek her out.

The Wei State.

Among the peaks and mountain ranges, heaven and earth were draped in a white mantle of snow, presenting a scene of utter desolation and chill.

Seven or eight men and women sat in a circle around a campfire, drinking wine and occasionally gazing toward the forest leading up the mountain.

A short while later, a small figure concealed beneath an unfurled pink paper umbrella stepped upon the white snow and gradually drew closer.

"They're coming!" cried one of the people seated around the campfire with delight, causing the others to stand up.

"Wuwu, why are you so slow? You kept everyone waiting for a long time!"

"I was delayed by a minor matter. Apologies for keeping you all waiting." Wuwu cupped her hands in a greeting, and the group laughed heartily. "Very well, let us set off then."

The group grabbed their respective weapons, stamped out the campfire, and marched deeper into the mountain ranges.

As dusk darkened the sky, they reached the heart of the mountains and stopped in a ravine between two slopes.

One of them took out a map and compared it carefully. After a long moment, they confirmed, "This is the place."

The others stepped back to clear some space. With a light shout from Wuwu, she casually pointed her unopened paper umbrella toward the snow between the two slopes, and the ice and snow exploded violently. Shards of ice and shattered rock scattered and rolled across the ground. Behind the blasted ice and stones appeared a pitch-black cave entrance, from which drifted a wave of foul and unpleasant odors.

The group retreated to the side, waiting until the stench from the cave had faded somewhat before one of them lit a torch and tossed it inside. After a long moment, the torch remained unextinguished.

"We can go in."

That person walked in, picked up the torch from the ground, turned around to beckon the others, and the rest filed into the cave one after another.

The space inside the cave was quite sizable. They walked a full circle, yet found nothing worthy of attention.

"There are words on the wall!" someone illuminated the wall with a torch, and the others hurried over at the sound.

"Wuwu, are these martial arts manuals?"

Wuwu paused to read for a long moment before nodding and saying, "Indeed they are. These appear to be the inner cultivation mental arts of the ancient Wudang Sect."

Holding a torch, another person walked off to illuminate a more distant section of the wall and called out from afar, "Wuwu, come and take a look at these."

Wuwu walked over, examined them for a while, and nodded. "The Bodhidharma Swordplay manual of the ancient Buddhist Sect."

The group perused all the writing inscribed upon the walls, and eventually broke into joyful smiles.

"We truly did not make this trip in vain! There are over thirty sets of ancient manuals here in total. We've struck it rich!" As the man spoke, he was already imagining piles of gold and silver mountain-high obtained by mass-producing and selling these manuals!

"Everyone lend a hand, do not leave Wuwu to copy them all by herself. Xiaoxiao, you know how to read as well..."

"Third Brother! A single wrong character in these manuals makes a massive difference. I only have a superficial grasp, how can I mess around with this!" Xiaoxiao, who had been called upon, wore an expression full of reproach.