Chapter 219: Iron Palm Lotus Accuses Qiu Qianren
The White Lotus Saint Son was a disciple of Yu Huacheng.
The White Lotus Cult Leader was also a descendant of Yu Wupo, the former leader of the Ming Cult. Zhou Yan was unsure if the opponent knew the Qiankun Great Shift, so he dared not be careless and had no intention of staying long.
The Golden Doll was already in hand, and now was not the time to expand the conflict with the White Lotus Sect. Retreat was the best course of action.
As the White Lotus Saint Son landed, Zhou Yan stepped forward, his left leg slightly bent, his right arm curved inward. He drew a circle with his right palm and, with a whoosh, unleashed the technique “Kanglong Regret” outwards.
The White Lotus Saint Son heard the sharp palm wind, his expression suddenly tensed. Daring not to be careless, he met the palm with all his might.
“Boom…
Their palms collided, and a dull roar suddenly exploded. A surging, terrifying wave of energy erupted from the center of Zhou Yan and the White Lotus Saint Son’s palms, spreading out in a flat arc.
The White Lotus Saint Son felt a surge of powerful internal force, even greater than his own, pouring into his palm. He was greatly alarmed. Just as he was about to channel his internal force to resist, another wave of internal force, like a surging tide, followed closely, and then another wave pushed forward like a great tide.
The White Lotus Saint Son felt the meridians in his arm swell like a water bladder, as if about to burst. For a moment, his blood surged, and his body involuntarily staggered back several steps. He missed his footing and fell backward into the pool.
“Saint Son!” Several white-robed women who were about to attack Yanbo Diaosou leaped towards the pool.
Zhou Yan exhaled with a “whoosh.” It was a false alarm. The opponent did not know the Qiankun Great Shift, and their cultivation was slightly inferior to Ouyang Ke’s.
This conclusion made him even more reluctant to linger.
To be able to train a White Lotus Saint Son of this caliber, the White Lotus Cult Leader Yu Huacheng was at least on par with Qiu Qianren. If he also knew the Qiankun Great Shift, once entangled, there would be no possibility of escape.
“Master, you go first,” Zhou Yan said to the Tianzhu Monk, his gaze shifting towards Liu Qingzhou.
He saw eight white-robed women swiftly move. Their long white silks either soared into the air, crisscrossing; or skimmed the ground like a rainbow, shooting forward. They were weaving a Heaven and Earth Net, their movements even more wondrously varied than the Fishing Net Formation Zhou Yan had seen in the Valley of Unfeeling.
Liu Qingzhou was instantly overwhelmed, his hands and feet in disarray. Suddenly, his ankle tightened, ensnared by a white silk. In a moment of distraction, his other bare foot was also wrapped by white silk.
Yanbo Diaosou cackled, “Hengshan brat, I’ll save you, lest you be torn apart by five horses. Old man can’t fight you then.”
The Fishing Old Man’s fishing rod swung out completely, his attacks capable of covering a range of two to three zhang. With a flick of his wrist, the rod smashed towards the woman who was wrapping Liu Qingzhou’s arm with white silk. The fishing line flicked, and the fishhook swung towards another woman.
Zhou Yan used the Finger Flicking Divine Skill, firing stones in rapid succession.
As they both attacked, amidst the “bang bang” sounds, some women were struck by stones in their acupoints and fell. Others were caught by the fishhook at their waistbands and flung towards the pool.
Liu Qingzhou swiftly swung his sword downwards, severing the white silk around his ankles.
“Let’s go, I’ll cover the rear,” Zhou Yan said.
Yanbo Diaosou shouldered his fishing rod and turned to catch up with the Tianzhu Monk, grabbing the wooden bucket containing the Golden Doll from his hand and speeding forward. Liu Qingzhou ran with the High Monk, and Liang Xiaowu from the mountain forest also quickly withdrew with the runners. Only then did Zhou Yan follow.
The white-robed women were unable to pursue. The group reached the valley entrance, mounted their horses from the forest, and galloped away at lightning speed.
…
At the waterfall and emerald pool in the valley, an old man with white eyebrows and a white beard descended like an immortal from among the lush green bamboos. He landed gracefully and, with swift movements, unsealed the acupoints of several white-robed women.
“Greetings, Cult Leader,” the somewhat disheveled white-robed women all knelt.
Yu Huacheng’s gaze fell upon the drenched White Lotus Saint Son. Showing neither pleasure nor anger, he asked, “Wuse, what happened?”
The White Lotus Saint Son, Wuse, looked devout and explained in detail the matter of Zhou Yan and his group fishing for the Golden Doll and the ensuing conflict. He spoke truthfully, without exaggeration.
After speaking, he said, “Cult Leader, those thieves haven’t gone far. Allow me to lead men to pursue them.”
“Never mind. It’s just two Golden Dolls, not worth causing further trouble. There have been some accidents at the Poyang Lake branch, go and take a look.”
“Alright,” Wuse nodded.
Yu Huacheng then asked, “You said you were forced into the pool by a palm strike?”
“Yes.”
“Could you discern the sect?”
“Your disciple is dull-witted and has poor eyesight, I could not.”
“Can you recall the technique?”
“I have a slight impression.” Wuse recalled Zhou Yan’s “Kanglong Regret” technique and demonstrated it with his hands.
Yu Huacheng’s expression gradually became solemn. He thought this resembled the “Subduing Dragon Eighteen Palms,” but it didn’t make sense for the Beggars’ Sect to provoke them.
The Saint Son Wuse gazed at Yu Huacheng, wanting to discern something. However, the White Lotus Cult Leader said, “Aren’t you going yet?”
Wuse quickly withdrew his thoughts. “Your disciple obeys.”
He said this, bowed respectfully, and led the white-robed women down the mountain, heading straight for the Poyang Lake water village.
Yu Huacheng’s figure moved from stillness to motion, breaking through the countless rays of sunlight filtering through the bamboo leaves. His movements were swift and light, like a drifting wind, heading north.
…
Having found the Golden Doll and averted danger, the atmosphere was not affected by the encounter with the White Lotus Sect members.
Liu Qingzhou said, “Those women’s martial arts are not particularly high-level. I can handle multiple opponents with one sword, but their use of white silk formations made it difficult to maneuver.”
Yanbo Diaosou said, “You can actually exchange a few moves with me. Their method of using white silk has similarities to my own techniques.”
“Try it next time.” The two began to clash again.
Zhou Yan mediated, “Those women’s cultivation is only at the level of Cheng Hu from the Poyang Lake water village, but the white silk formation is truly not simple. The Valley of Unfeeling also has a similar Fishing Net Formation. The fishing net is made of gold and steel wires, studded with gold knives and sharp swords to attack enemies. At the intersections of the nets are magnets that can absorb the opponent’s metal hidden weapons. During combat, eight or sixteen people form a formation, with every four people holding a section of the fishing net, horizontally, vertically, diagonally, or flat, constantly shifting to shrink the encirclement. It is truly difficult to defend against. The flexibility and ingenuity of the white silk formation are no less than the Fishing Net Formation, and it cannot be underestimated. If not for Old Brother Diaosou’s long-range fishing rod attacks and my stone acupoint strikes, we might have been thrown into disarray.”
“Indeed,” Liu Qingzhou said, still feeling a lingering fear.
Yanbo Diaosou rolled his eyes. “Interesting, interesting. The Valley of Unfeeling actually has a Fishing Net Formation. I would like to experience it.”
“We shall see,” Liu Qingzhou replied.
“Haha, if I can’t handle a few broken fishing nets, wouldn’t Yanbo Diaosou be known as a fraud?” The Fishing Old Man looked confident.
The group returned the way they came from Dragon and Tiger Mountain. They reached the southern bank of Poyang Lake, hired a large boat to travel, and then sailed down the river, heading straight for Xiangyang.
…
In the suburbs of Xiangyang, surrounded by mountains.
A team of over a hundred people set up camp on a flat area several li from Snake Valley.
Campfires burned brightly. The team was mainly composed of Iron Palm Sect disciples, along with members from smaller sects that had submitted to the foremost sect of Jiangnan, all celebrating. They drank and played games, a lively scene.
Inside the central tent, the red candle flames burned brightly. The screen with carved wooden frames cast a rosy glow, and on the thin screen, Qiu Qianchi’s graceful silhouette was clearly visible.
The Fu’an Escort Agency was transporting goods from the Huai River to Jingzhou. Zhou Yan encountered Qiu Qianchi, the Iron Palm Lotus, who had left the Valley of Unfeeling to search for Qiu Qianzhang. At that time, he, Qiu Qianchi, and Yang Miaozhen had a pleasant night of conversation by the Huai River.
After parting ways, Qiu Qianchi accompanied Yang Miaozhen to Xinyang to suppress bandits. Later, she resided in Cuya Mountain for a period. Yang Miaozhen wanted Qiu Qianchi to join them, naturally speaking of punishing evil and upholding justice, and the cruelty of the Jin soldiers.
Qiu Qianchi had also, in the mountain stronghold, joined Yang Miaozhen in ambushing and encircling Jin soldiers who were part of various Righteous Armies.
Zhou Yan, while rescuing Sun Buer outside Snake Valley, had also told her that the former leader of the Iron Palm Sect, Shangguan Jiannan, had been loyal to the country his entire life and died in service. Qiu Qianchi was moved and found an excuse to let Zhou Yan and Sun Buer leave.
These two experiences were like brands, and Qiu Qianchi detested the Jin Dynasty.
While traveling abroad, she visited Qiu Qianren at the Iron Palm Sect. Gazing at the forbidden area of the Iron Palm Sect on Middle Peak, she recalled some deeds of Shangguan Jiannan. Unconsciously, her perception of the Valley of Unfeeling seemed to fade. This time, being escorted by Qiu Qianren to marry into the Valley of Unfeeling, she suddenly had no initial expectations.
The wind felt like an incoming tide, beating against the tent. Qiu Qianchi remembered that the Great Eagle’s valley was near the camp.
As she was about to go out to observe, a maid brought in the wedding dress.
“Miss, the Gang Leader wants you to try on the wedding dress.”
Qiu Qianchi nodded, and the maid helped her change. Her figure was far more impressive than her appearance suggested, with clear contours. Soon, her curvaceous body was clad in the wedding dress.
Qiu Qianchi tied her clothes and fastened the sash, then walked out from behind the screen, looking at her reflection in the bronze mirror.
Her expression was tense, devoid of joy. Wearing a wedding dress, she looked as if she were going to kill someone.
She smiled, trying to soften her expression.
“Miss looks so beautiful,” the maid chattered, continuing, “I heard the Gang Leader and the others say that the Jin Dynasty Crown Prince will also come to offer congratulations.”
“The Jin Dynasty Crown Prince?” she raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, and also some people called Ouyang Feng, and from the Changfeng Escort Agency.”
“Why would the Jin Dynasty Crown Prince come to offer congratulations?”
“Your maid doesn’t know. I was recruited by the Gang Leader to serve you specifically after you arrived at Iron Palm Mountain. However, I heard some Hall Masters drinking in the camp say that it seems to be to help the Jin Dynasty conquer the Meng Song.”
Qiu Qianchi’s face turned cold, and she became furious.
“Is that true?”
She was already a person with a strong personality and a fiery temper.
The maid trembled upon hearing this and said fearfully, “Your maid spoke too much, please forgive me, Miss.”
“Did you hear anything else?”
“That’s all.”
“Change my clothes.”
“Ah!”
Before the stunned maid could act, Qiu Qianchi quickly took off the wedding dress herself and changed into a black long skirt. She strode out of the tent and headed straight for Qiu Qianren’s tent.
