60: Chapter 60 The Ancient Path Saves Seven Masters

The Qinling Ancient Path was filled with layers of mountains and ancient trees reaching the sky.

It was late autumn, and withered yellow leaves covered the mountain road, crunching softly underfoot.

The mountain wind howled through the leaves, carrying a biting chill, making the withered branches moan like ghostly sobs.

Zhang Sanfeng, wearing a moon-white Daoist robe, walked slowly along the rugged mountain road.

After bidding farewell to Master Yideng, he traveled north from Dali, intending to head to Piaomiao Peak at Tianshan to explore the complete Legacy of the Xiaoyao Sect.

Along the way, he had seen enough of the magnificent landscape, and also much of the displacement in troubled times.

The iron cavalry of the Jin Dynasty ravaged the land, the Mongol tribes were rising, and the Central Plains were engulfed in the flames of war, with the common people displaced. This made him even more determined in his conviction to widely disseminate the Wudang Sect Daoist tradition and protect the common people of the world.

Upon reaching the depths of a dense forest known as "Soul-Severing Ridge", Zhang Sanfeng suddenly stopped.

He furrowed his brows slightly and sniffed the air; besides the scent of rotting leaves, the air was filled with a faint, fishy sweetness, mixed with a trace of elusive dark green snake mist.

This snake mist was of the same origin as the snake venom of Baituo Mountain of West Poison, but even more sinister and overbearing, clearly specially refined, and lethal upon contact.

"What overbearing Bone-Melting Snake Venom." Zhang Sanfeng thought to himself.

He flicked his sleeves, and a wave of Pure Yang Dao Rhyme swept across his front, dispelling the drifting snake mist.

The snake mist hissed upon encountering the Pure Yang fire, turning into wisps of black smoke and vanishing without a trace.

He followed the direction where the snake mist was thickest and quickly walked into the depths of the dense forest.

In a clearing in the woods, a dozen corpses of Beggar Sect Disciples lay scattered.

Each person's face was black and purple, black blood flowing from their seven orifices, with no external wounds on their bodies; clearly, they had died instantly from severe poison.

They were still clutching their weapons, their faces frozen with expressions of terror and anger, clearly having been ambushed.

In the center of the corpses, an old man in tattered clothes was curled up under an old locust tree, his breath faint.

His hair was gray, his face full of wrinkles, his clothes covered in patch upon patch, yet he tightly clutched a bright green Dog-Beating Stick in his hand, his knuckles white from the exertion.

It was none other than the Beggar Sect leader known in the Jianghu as the "Northern Beggar" — Northern Beggar Hong Qigong.

"Northern Beggar Hong Qigong!" Zhang Sanfeng stepped forward quickly and crouched down to check his injuries.

He saw two deep tooth marks on Northern Beggar Hong Qigong's left arm, the wound already blackened and festering, with black toxic blood slowly oozing out, staining the surrounding soil ink-black.

The Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms Internal Energy within him had dissipated by more than half, and his heart, liver, and spleen were severely eroded by the snake venom, his life force fading rapidly.

Zhang Sanfeng dared not delay, immediately circulating his Pure Yang Dao Rhyme.

A faint golden light glowed from his palm, like the rising morning sun, and he pressed it against Northern Beggar Hong Qigong's wound.

The Pure Yang body trait, immune to all poisons, was activated, and a powerful suction force emanated from his palm.

The black toxic blood seemed to be drawn out, continuously gushing from the wound, making "hissing" sounds as it hit the ground, corroding small pits and emitting a pungent, foul odor.

After forcing out most of the snake venom, Zhang Sanfeng took a mutton-fat jade bottle from his storage space and poured out three crystal-clear Nine Flower Jade Dew Pills.

These were specially gifted to him by Eastern Heretic Huang Yaoshi when he left Peach Blossom Island; they were the world's number one sacred antidote, capable not only of curing all poisons but also of sustaining a dying life.

He pried open Northern Beggar Hong Qigong's jaw, fed him the pills, and simultaneously tapped his Ren-Zhong, Shan-Zhong, and Yong-Quan Acupoints with his fingertips to help him circulate the medicinal power.

Subsequently, Zhang Sanfeng slowly infused his Pure Yang Dao Rhyme into Northern Beggar Hong Qigong's body.

The golden warm current flowed like a trickling stream through his damaged Meridians, repairing the internal organs eroded by the snake venom.

While clearing the Meridians, Zhang Sanfeng furrowed his brows slightly, discovering that Northern Beggar Hong Qigong's internal organs had long been plagued by chronic illness, with hidden injuries in many Meridians.

This was clearly caused by his year-round gluttony and his habit of overdrawing his Internal Energy to uphold justice.

Especially since the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms were fierce and peerless, every full-power strike placed a significant burden on his body; over time, this had damaged his foundation.

Half an hour later, Zhang Sanfeng slowly withdrew his palm.

The black Aura on Northern Beggar Hong Qigong's face gradually faded, revealing a rosy complexion, and his breathing became steady and strong.

He slowly opened his cloudy eyes, and upon seeing Zhang Sanfeng before him, a flash of surprise crossed his eyes.

He then grinned, revealing a mouth full of missing teeth: "Many thanks, Daoist! This old beggar thought I was going to meet King Yama this time."

"Northern Beggar Hong Qigong has his own good fortune; mere snake venom cannot take your life."

Zhang Sanfeng smiled slightly and handed over a water skin, "It is just that your internal organs have many hidden ailments; in the future, you must not overdraw your Internal Energy like this again."

Northern Beggar Hong Qigong took the water skin, took a big gulp, wiped his mouth, and a look of anger appeared on his face.

"Don't mention it! It's all that old poison West Poison and that little thief Yang Kang! They colluded with the Jin Kingdom's Sixth Prince, Wanyan Honglie, and ambushed the Beggar Sect's branch in Hanzhong, wanting to seize the Beggar Sect's anti-Jin roster."

"To cover my Disciples as they retreated with the roster, I intentionally led them to chase me to this Soul-Severing Ridge. I didn't expect that old poison would have refined a new Bone-Melting Snake Venom and ambushed me when I wasn't paying attention."

"If it weren't for the Daoist arriving in time, this old life of mine would have been lost here."

As he spoke, he hammered the ground heavily, shaking the fallen leaves: "It's a pity for those good Disciples of mine! They died just to cover me! I will settle this score with West Poison sooner or later!"

Zhang Sanfeng remained silent and patted his shoulder.

In troubled times, such tragedies played out every day; only by expelling the invaders early and restoring peace to the world could the common people be spared from suffering.

As night fell, the two lit a bonfire in the woods.

The flickering flames illuminated their faces, and the crackling sound of firewood broke the silence of the mountain forest.

Northern Beggar Hong Qigong's injuries had improved significantly, and his spirits were much better.

He pulled a roasted chicken from his bosom, tore off a chicken leg, handed it to Zhang Sanfeng, and laughed heartily: "Daoist, try my old beggar's craft! I stole this from a town at the foot of the mountain; the taste is absolutely authentic!"

Zhang Sanfeng took the chicken leg and took a bite with a smile.

Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and fragrant—it was truly superb.

"Daoist, I heard that you casually crippled the Black Wind Twin Fiends at Zuixian Restaurant in Jiaxing, then went to Peach Blossom Island and subdued that old eccentric Eastern Heretic Huang Yaoshi, and even went to Dali to enlighten Emperor Duan, getting him to come out of seclusion again?"

Northern Beggar Hong Qigong asked incoherently while gnawing on a chicken leg, his eyes filled with admiration.

"The Daoist's martial arts and insight are far superior to our generation. I, this old beggar, have lived for so long and have never seen a person like you."

"Northern Beggar Hong Qigong is too kind." Zhang Sanfeng put down the bone in his hand and said calmly.

"Northern Beggar Hong Qigong's Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms are fierce, peerless, and righteous; this Daoist has always admired them greatly."

"This is the true fist of a hero; every punch thrown is to protect the common people and punish evil."

Mentioning the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, Northern Beggar Hong Qigong immediately perked up.

He put down the food in his hand, wiped his hands, and said solemnly: "The Daoist is right! These Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms were originally a supreme skill realized by the Beggar Sect's Ancestral Master from the I Ching, focusing on 'fierceness, uprightness, and subduing dragons and demons'. Every move and every form contains the ultimate principles of heaven and earth."

As he spoke, he stood up and began to demonstrate slowly by the bonfire. Although his Internal Energy had not fully recovered, every move and form was still imposing.

His palm wind howled, and the surrounding fallen leaves were swept up, forming a tornado in the air.

The flames of the bonfire danced with his palm momentum, sometimes shooting into the sky, sometimes spiraling downward.

"The most powerful aspect of these Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms lies in the word 'fierce'. No matter how you change, I will break it with just one punch!"

Northern Beggar Hong Qigong shouted and struck out a move called "Dragon Repents".

The palm wind was like thunder, and a large tree in the distance snapped and crashed to the ground.

Zhang Sanfeng nodded slightly, a flash of appreciation in his eyes: "Northern Beggar Hong Qigong's Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms have indeed reached the Transcendent realm. It's just that this Daoist has a word to say, I don't know if I should say it."

"Daoist, please speak freely!" Northern Beggar Hong Qigong stood with his palms retracted and laughed heartily, "What this old beggar admires most is people with real ability; you can say whatever you want!"