8: Chapter 8 The Killing Trap

The moment the Pure Yang Qi entered his body, Third Master Yu Daiyan shuddered violently.

For ten years, his legs and arms had become numb due to atrophied Meridians and shattered bones; even if pricked by needles or burned by fire, he could not feel a shred of pain.

But at this moment, that wisp of Protective Aura from Master's fingertips felt like a warm stream, slowly seeping into his Meridians. Wherever it passed, the originally withered and dead Meridians seemed like dry grass nourished by spring rain, regaining a trace of life.

A soreness he hadn't felt in ten years surged from his limbs and bones. Third Master Yu Daiyan's eyes instantly reddened, and he bit his lip hard to keep from crying out.

"Don't move. Focus your mind and guide your internal energy to circulate with the Protective Aura."

Zhang Sanfeng's voice echoed in his ears, steady and powerful, carrying a reassuring strength.

Third Master Yu Daiyan immediately collected his thoughts and, enduring the soreness in his body, followed Master's instructions and began to circulate the Wudang Nine Yang Skill.

The internal energy that had been stagnant for so long, under the guidance of the Pure Yang Qi, actually began to flow slowly. Even though it was just a faint wisp, it made him ecstatic.

Song Yuanqiao and the other five held their breath, staring intently at the scene, not daring to even breathe, fearing they might disturb Zhang Sanfeng.

They could clearly see that Third Master Yu Daiyan's originally pale complexion was gradually flushing with color, and his previously lifeless eyes were reignited with light.

Half an hour later, Zhang Sanfeng slowly withdrew his hand, and the Pure Yang Qi at his fingertips dissipated.

"Master!"

Third Master Yu Daiyan immediately tried to rise from his wheelchair, but was held down by Zhang Sanfeng's hand.

"Don't rush."

Zhang Sanfeng said calmly.

"Your bones were shattered by the Great Strength Diamond Finger ten years ago, and your Meridians are severely atrophied. Just now, I only used the Protective Aura to nourish them and clear a few key blockages."

"To recover completely, it will take time, and more importantly, we must ferret out those two villains and obtain the Diamond Sect's unique antidote."

The Great Strength Diamond Finger is vicious; while shattering bones, it leaves behind a unique internal force that corrodes the Meridians.

To completely heal Third Master Yu Daiyan, one must not only repair the bones and Meridians but also clear away the cold, sinister finger force that has remained in his body for ten years. Only the Black Jade Ointment of the Diamond Sect can achieve twice the result with half the effort.

Third Master Yu Daiyan nodded heavily, bowed deeply to Zhang Sanfeng, his voice choked with emotion: "This Disciple thanks Master for your great kindness! Even if there is only a glimmer of hope, this Disciple is satisfied!"

After ten years of paralysis, his heart had long turned to ash. Now, not only had Master identified the true culprit for him, but he had also allowed him to regain sensation in his limbs. This kindness was heavier than Mount Tai.

"Why be so formal with your Master?"

Zhang Sanfeng waved his hand, his gaze sweeping over everyone.

"You only know that Third Master Yu Daiyan was injured by the Great Strength Diamond Finger, but you do not know the origin of this Great Strength Diamond Finger."

"Back then, the Fire-Gong Head Monk of the Shaolin Sect secretly learned Shaolin martial arts, caused chaos in the Shaolin Sect, killed the Zen Master Ku Zhi, and then defected to the Western Regions to found the Diamond Sect."

"This lineage of martial arts follows a sinister and ruthless path, specializing in using finger force to shatter people's bones. It is vastly different from the orthodox martial arts of the Shaolin Sect."

"And these two, A'er and A'san, are the top successors of the Diamond Sect today. Decades ago, they already defected to the Ruyang Princes Mansion, specifically to deal with Central Plains Martial Arts World figures for the imperial court."

Zhang Songxi furrowed his brows and couldn't help but ask: "Master, why would the Ruyang Princes Mansion target Third Brother? Could it just be to incite conflict in the Jianghu?"

"Not just that."

Zhang Sanfeng shook his head, his tone solemn.

"Their goal was never just Third Master Yu Daiyan, but the entire Wudang Sect, and even the entire Central Plains Martial Arts World."

"The dragon slaying saber has appeared in the world, and everyone in the Martial Forest says, 'Supreme in the Martial Forest, the precious dragon slaying saber, commands the world, none dare disobey.'"

"The Ruyang Princes Mansion wants to use the dragon slaying saber to incite internal strife in the Jianghu, letting the Central Plains Martial Arts World kill each other so they can sit back and reap the benefits, annihilating the Central Plains Martial Arts World in one fell swoop to consolidate the Yuan Dynasty's rule."

"And Cheng Kun, who is hiding behind the scenes, also known as the monk Yuan Zhen, harbors even more malicious intentions."

Zhang Sanfeng continued.

"This man has a grudge against the Ming Cult leader Yang Dingtian over his wife, and he has spent his whole life plotting to destroy the Ming Cult."

"He defected to the Ruyang Princes Mansion to use the power of the imperial court to incite the Six Major Sects to fight the Ming Cult, letting both sides suffer heavy losses to complete his revenge."

"Third Master Yu Daiyan's affair was merely a small piece in his entire conspiracy."

These words left everyone feeling cold, with sweat trickling down their backs.

They had previously thought this was just a Jianghu vendetta against Third Master Yu Daiyan, but they hadn't expected such a huge conspiracy to be hidden behind it, involving the imperial court, the Shaolin Sect, the Ming Cult, and even the safety of the entire Central Plains Martial Arts World.

If Master hadn't pointed it out, they would likely have been kept in the dark until their deaths, falling step by step into the traps laid by others.

"Master, then Yin Susu..."

Zhang Songxi's face turned pale.

Just now, Master said clearly that when Senior Brother was injured back then, he was first injured by Yin Susu's mosquito-needle, which caused him to lose the ability to resist.

Yin Susu is the wife of his Fifth Brother.

Looking at Zhang Songxi's flustered appearance, Zhang Sanfeng waved his hand, his tone peaceful:

"On this matter, I have already seen through the Karma. Although Yin Susu is a demoness of the evil cult and acts in extremes, she is not a truly wicked person."

"Back then, when she injured Third Master Yu Daiyan, it was only to snatch the dragon slaying saber. She had no intention of killing, nor did she expect that Third Master Yu Daiyan would end up in such a state."

"The mastermind of this matter is the Diamond Sect and the Ruyang Princes Mansion. Although she was at fault, she is not the primary culprit."

"Furthermore, she is now the wife of your Fifth Brother and my daughter-in-law of the Wudang Sect. After Third Master Yu Daiyan recovers, you are not allowed to make things difficult for the couple over this matter in the future."

With one sentence, he completely dispelled the concerns in Zhang Songxi's heart and also resolved the biggest rift for the future of Fifth Brother Zhang Cuishan and his wife.

Zhang Songxi's eyes instantly reddened, and he knelt on the ground with a thud, kowtowing heavily to Zhang Sanfeng: "This Disciple thanks Master on behalf of Fifth Brother!"

He had been worried that the incident of Yin Susu accidentally injuring Third Master Yu Daiyan would lead to punishment from the sect and cause the Seven Heroes of Wudang to turn against each other.

Now, with one word from Master, his biggest worry was completely resolved.

"Get up."

Zhang Sanfeng helped him up, his tone indifferent, "Your Fifth Brother is the Fifth Hero of our Wudang Sect, and his wife is naturally a member of the Wudang Sect. After dealing with the matters here, I will personally take you to Ice and Fire Island to let you reunite with your Fifth Brother's family of three."

Zhang Songxi shuddered, tears instantly falling, and he nodded heavily, unable to say a word.

The others beside him also breathed a sigh of relief.

They had always been worried that after Fifth Brother returned, he would turn against Third Master Yu Daiyan and become estranged from the sect because of the Yin Susu incident.

Now that Master had spoken about it in advance and completely resolved this grievance, the seven brothers would never have rifts again.

"Alright."

Zhang Sanfeng collected his thoughts and looked at Yu Lianzhou and Zhang Songxi.

"There is no time to lose. You two must immediately gather twenty elite Disciples and head down the mountain tonight, heading to Jiangnan."

"Remember, A'er and A'san should still be at the Longmen Escort Agency right now. You must set up a net, capture them alive, do not alert the enemy, and certainly do not let them escape back to the Western Regions."

"This Disciple obeys!" Yu Lianzhou and Zhang Songxi replied in unison, their eyes filled with murderous intent. The true culprit who had harmed their Third Master Yu Daiyan for ten years was finally about to be caught!

The two did not dare to delay, immediately went down to gather the Disciples, packed their luggage, left Wudang Mountain overnight, and galloped towards Jiangnan.

In the main hall, the remaining five were still immersed in shock.

Zhang Sanfeng looked at Third Master Yu Daiyan in the wheelchair, extended his hand again, the Pure Yang Qi condensed at his fingertips, and he slowly pressed it onto his spine.

He knew clearly in his heart that capturing A'er and A'san was only the first step.

Rewriting the tragedy of Yitian World and stabilizing the Wudang Sect's orthodoxy was what he truly needed to do.

And at this moment, in Lin'an Prefecture, Jiangnan, inside the Longmen Escort Agency.

A'er and A'san were sitting in the main hall, drinking wine, their faces full of complacency.

They had shattered the bones of the Wudang Third Hero, Third Master Yu Daiyan, making the Wudang Sect lose face. The Ruyang Princes Mansion had already sent word that they would be heavily rewarded.

As long as they returned to the Western Regions, they would be great heroes of the Diamond Sect.

They never dreamed that the dying Zhang Sanfeng on Wudang Mountain had not only not died, but had already set a net and was slowly closing in on them.