52: Chapter 52 Encountering Huang Rong on the Road, First Visit to Peach Blossom Island

Three years passed in the blink of an eye.

The autumn wind on the Mongolian grasslands blew the pasture grass into waves. By the Onon River, nine-year-old Guo Jing was practicing his punches.

His Moves still carried the clumsiness of a young boy, yet every punch was solid and heavy.

With every punch thrown, the golden internal energy of the Innate Pure Yang Skill flowed across his knuckles, causing the sand and stones beneath his feet to rattle.

Zhang Sanfeng stood to the side with his hands behind his back, nodding slightly.

In these three years, Guo Jing had never slacked off for a single day, and his Innate Pure Yang Skill had steadily entered the third stage.

The internal energy in his Dantian was as full as a drum, deeper than the Internal Skill of an average second-rate expert in the Jianghu.

Although he was slow to learn the external Moves taught by the Jiangnan Seven Freaks, he polished every Move until it was as solid as a rock, with his internal energy and Moves perfectly integrated.

"Jing'er, stop."

Zhang Sanfeng spoke, "Your Foundation is already solid. From today on, I will teach you the advanced Mind-Cultivation Technique of the Wudang Cotton Palm."

Over the next month, Zhang Sanfeng taught Guo Jing all the basic methods of the Wudang Cotton Palm and Cloud Ladder Step.

Guo Jing remained the same honest and simple-minded person; he practiced every Move repeatedly. Even for a simple Cloud Ladder Step movement technique, he practiced it over a thousand times before becoming proficient.

One day, Ke Zhene found Zhang Sanfeng and said in a deep voice, "Daoist, we have been on the grasslands for three years, and our medicinal herbs are almost used up."

"I intend to take Jing'er to Zhangjiakou to purchase some supplies and also let him see the world in the Central Plains."

"That sounds good." Zhang Sanfeng nodded.

"I will go with you. It just so happens that I am passing by the East Sea, so I will go meet the Eastern Heretic Huang Yaoshi."

Early the next morning, the group packed their luggage and headed south to Zhangjiakou.

Traveling by day and resting by night, they arrived at this important town on the border between the grasslands and the Central Plains half a month later.

At noon, the group walked into a restaurant to eat.

Not long after sitting down, they heard a commotion downstairs.

A little beggar wearing ragged clothes and a face covered in coal dust was being pushed out by a waiter.

"Where did this beggar come from! Don't you see what kind of place this is? Get out now!"

"I have money! I want to eat your signature dish here!"

The little beggar stuck out his neck, his voice crisp, and a pair of large eyes rolled around, full of craftiness.

Seeing this, Guo Jing couldn't bear it. He quickly ran downstairs, grabbed the waiter, and said, "Don't drive him away, I will pay for his meal."

The little beggar looked up at Guo Jing and grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth: "Thank you, big brother!"

Guo Jing pulled the little beggar upstairs, let him sit beside him, and ordered a table full of good food.

The little beggar was not polite either; he picked up his chopsticks and began to wolf down the food, chatting with Guo Jing while eating.

One of them was honest and simple, the other was clever and eccentric, yet they chatted very congenially.

After the meal, the little beggar wiped his mouth and smiled: "Big brother, you are really a good person. My name is Huang Rong, what is your name?"

"My name is Guo Jing." Guo Jing scratched his head and smiled honestly.

"Brother Guo Jing, is your martial art very powerful?" Huang Rong blinked her large eyes and asked curiously.

"Just now, looking at the way you walk, I knew you practiced martial arts."

"My martial arts are average; they were all taught by my Master."

Guo Jing pointed to Zhang Sanfeng sitting on the side, "My Master is the real expert."

Huang Rong looked in the direction Guo Jing pointed, only to see Zhang Sanfeng wearing a moon-white Daoist robe, with a calm temperament, drinking by himself.

Her eyes turned, and she ran to Zhang Sanfeng, cupped her hands and said: "This little beggar greets the Daoist! I heard from Brother Guo Jing that the Daoist's martial arts are the best in the world. Can you show me a trick?"

Ke Zhene frowned and was about to scold her for not knowing the rules, but Zhang Sanfeng waved his hand.

"You little girl, you are full of mischief. If you want to see my martial arts, that's fine, but you must first tell me what skills you have?"

"I can cook!" Huang Rong said immediately, "The dishes I make are the best in the world! If the Daoist doesn't believe me, I will go to the kitchen right now and make a few dishes for you to taste!"

Without waiting for Zhang Sanfeng to agree, she ran into the back kitchen in a flash.

Less than an hour later, four dishes and one soup were served: 'Jade Flute Listening to Falling Plums' was fresh and juicy, 'Good Match Soup' was sweet and sour, 'Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlit Night' was exquisitely crafted, and 'Beggar's Chicken' was fragrant.

Every dish was delicious in color, aroma, and taste. Even the well-informed Zhang Sanfeng couldn't help but praise.

"Good craftsmanship!" Zhang Sanfeng tasted a bite and said sincerely.

"I didn't expect you to be so skilled in cooking at such a young age. Huang Yaoshi is truly lucky to have a daughter like you."

Huang Rong's face changed, and she looked at Zhang Sanfeng vigilantly: "How do you know my father is Huang Yaoshi?"

"Who in the Jianghu doesn't know that the Eastern Heretic Huang Yaoshi's daughter is exceptionally intelligent and her cooking skills are the best in the world?" Zhang Sanfeng said lightly.

"You are gifted and have a clever mind; you are a rare martial arts genius."

Zhang Sanfeng smiled slightly, "Since you treated me to such a good meal, I cannot accept it for free."

"Today, I will teach you two Wudang supreme skills that happen to suit your nature."

Saying this, he stood up and walked to the backyard of the restaurant.

He gently waved his sleeves, and the Flowing Cloud Flying Sleeve was unleashed.

Two white sleeve shadows fluttered like flowing clouds, sometimes as soft as cotton, sometimes as fast as the wind. The fallen leaves in the courtyard were swept up by the sleeve force, forming a huge vortex in the air.

"The Wudang Flowing Cloud Flying Sleeve emphasizes 'using softness to control force and using speed to break the enemy.' It is most suitable for those with agile movement."

After Zhang Sanfeng demonstrated it once, he looked at Huang Rong. Huang Rong's eyes lit up, and she immediately began to learn.

She had extremely high Comprehension Ability and remembered all the Moves after watching it just once. After practicing for less than half an hour, her sleeve shadows were already quite impressive.

What was even more rare was that she actually incorporated the movement technique of Peach Blossom Island's Luoying Divine Sword Palm into it, making the Flowing Cloud Flying Sleeve even more unpredictable.

"Not bad, drawing inferences from one instance, very good."

Zhang Sanfeng nodded, picked up a branch, and demonstrated the Wudang Circling Finger Soft Sword.

The sword tip in his hand seemed alive, sometimes bending like a snake, sometimes stabbing straight like an arrow. It looked soft and powerless, but it actually hid murderous intent.

"The Circling Finger Soft Sword, 'a hundred refinements of steel turning into soft fingers,' uses softness to overcome hardness and is specifically designed to break all kinds of hard kung fu."

Huang Rong took the branch and began to practice.

Her fingers were flexible, and her understanding of sword techniques was even more astonishing. She quickly mastered the essence of the Circling Finger Soft Sword.

She could even use the Circling Finger Soft Sword to easily neutralize Guo Jing's fierce Innate Pure Yang Fist.

"Resourceful and adaptable, truly rare in the world." Zhang Sanfeng praised.

"You are meticulous and good at observing, always able to find the opponent's flaws in an instant."

"If you have the chance to learn the Nine Swords of Dugu, your achievements will definitely be limitless."

"Nine Swords of Dugu?" Huang Rong asked curiously, "What kind of martial art is that? Is it more powerful than my father's Luoying Divine Sword Palm?"

"That sword technique emphasizes 'no Moves defeating Moves, anticipating the enemy's Moves.' It is simply tailor-made for you."

Zhang Sanfeng smiled and said nothing more.

Just then, several loud eagle cries came from the sky.

Two huge white eagles circled down, each with a Disciple in green clothes sitting on its back.

The leading Disciple held a letter and said loudly: "Young Miss, the Master has ordered you to return to Peach Blossom Island immediately."

"If you dare to disobey, the Master will come in person, and then don't blame the Master for being heartless."

Huang Rong's face changed, and she hid behind Guo Jing: "I'm not going back! My father only knows how to force me to practice martial arts, it's not fun at all!"

"Young Miss, offended." The green-clothed Disciple said and was about to come forward to grab her.

Guo Jing immediately stood in front of Huang Rong, striking a defensive pose.

"Stop." Zhang Sanfeng said, "Go back and tell Huang Yaoshi that Huang Rong is now a Named Disciple of my Wudang Sect."

"In a few days, I will bring her back to Peach Blossom Island myself. If he has any dissatisfaction, let him come to Peach Blossom Island and wait for me."

The leading Disciple felt the same momentum from Zhang Sanfeng as Huang Yaoshi, and cupped his hands: "Since the Daoist has spoken, we naturally dare not make things difficult."

"It's just that the Master has a strange temper, so I hope the Daoist will bring the Young Miss back to the island soon."

After speaking, the two rode the white eagles and left.

"Thank you, Daoist!" Huang Rong breathed a sigh of relief and patted her chest.

"You're welcome." Zhang Sanfeng said, "Huang Yaoshi is arrogant and stubborn, and he says what he means."

"I wanted to discuss the Dao with him before, and by the way, resolve the misunderstanding between him and Old Urchin Zhou Botong."

Early the next morning, the three said goodbye to the Jiangnan Seven Freaks and took a boat to the East Sea.

The journey was calm, and ten days later they arrived at the waters of Peach Blossom Island.

Looking from afar, Peach Blossom Island was shrouded in a thick white fog, shadowy and indistinct, like a mirage.

The sea breeze brought the rich scent of peach blossoms, but the closer they got, the more Zhang Sanfeng could feel the killing intent of the Formation.

"This is the Peach Blossom Formation set up by my father."

Huang Rong said, "This Formation is very powerful. It is not only arranged according to the Bagua directions but also combined with tides and wind directions."

"At different times, the Gate of Life and the Gate of Death will switch, and the fog is mixed with soul-bewildering incense. Once you go the wrong way, you will fall into an illusion and never be able to get out."

As soon as she finished speaking, the boat docked. The three stepped onto the beach and walked into the peach blossom forest.

The peach blossoms were in full bloom all over the mountains and plains, red, pink, and white, layer upon layer, beautiful to behold.

But after walking a few steps, the surrounding scenery suddenly changed. The path that was just in front of them disappeared in a blink of an eye, leaving only endless peach trees.

"Oh no, we have entered the Gate of Death!" Huang Rong's face changed.

"When I ran away last time, I got lost here and walked for three days and three nights before I got out."

"Don't be afraid, follow me." Zhang Sanfeng smiled slightly.

He was proficient in Taiji Bagua, and the art of Qimen Dunjia was originally from the same source as Taiji Yin and Yang.

He closed his eyes, focused on sensing the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, and walked forward slowly, stepping on the Bagua footwork.

He turned left and right, always able to accurately avoid the traps.

A gust of wind blew, and the peach blossom petals fell one after another. Zhang Sanfeng immediately judged the location of the Gate of Life based on the direction the petals fell.

When he encountered triggered poison arrows, he just waved his hand and used Taiji Force to divert the poison arrows to the tree trunks nearby.

When he encountered rolling boulders, he pushed gently, and the boulders changed direction and fell into the traps nearby.

Huang Rong watched, dumbfounded.

She grew up on Peach Blossom Island and was familiar with the Formation, but in front of Zhang Sanfeng, she felt like a child who knew nothing.

After walking for about an hour, the three finally arrived at the center of the Formation.

A huge stone tablet was engraved with the three characters "Peach Blossom Island."

Next to the stone tablet was a heavy stone door, with a Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams pattern engraved on it, and each grid had a rotatable number.

"This is the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams Lock." Huang Rong said, "The password my father set is arranged according to the Five Elements mutual generation and restriction. No one can open it except him."

Zhang Sanfeng walked to the stone door and observed it carefully for a while.

He discovered that the numbers on the stone door corresponded to the Five Elements: Metal generates Water, Water generates Wood, Wood generates Fire, Fire generates Earth, Earth generates Metal.

He smiled slightly, stretched out his finger, and turned the numbers in the order of the Five Elements mutual generation.

With a soft "click," the stone door slowly opened.

"You... how did you know?" Huang Rong was so shocked that her mouth hung open, "My father never told anyone!"

"Qimen Dunjia, everything has its origin." Zhang Sanfeng said lightly.

The three passed through the stone door and finally entered the center of Peach Blossom Island.

On the island, pavilions and towers were built against the mountains, with small bridges and flowing water, and peach blossoms drifting with the wind, like a fairyland on earth.

Just then, a cold sound of a flute came.

The flute sound was sometimes high-pitched like a crane's cry, and sometimes resentful like a sob, carrying an arrogant and unrestrained aura.

Wherever the flute sound passed, the surrounding peach blossom petals shot out like hidden weapons, carrying a sharp force.

Zhang Sanfeng gently waved his sleeve, and a Taiji Concept unfolded. All the peach blossom petals were blocked three feet away and fell slowly to the ground.

Under a peach tree not far away, a middle-aged man in a green shirt held a jade flute and turned around slowly.

He had a handsome face, frost on his temples, and a cold indifference in his eyes that kept people at a distance.

It was the Eastern Heretic Huang Yaoshi.

Seeing Zhang Sanfeng, Huang Yaoshi's flute sound stopped abruptly.

He stared at Zhang Sanfeng with cold eyes, his tone full of anger: "What an arrogant Daoist!"

"How dare you break my Peach Blossom Formation and abduct my daughter!"