blogombal Page 648
Page 648
"Master Zhang, the Celestial Master, Master Juesheng, Daoist Shixiu... everyone, we'll meet again in Lin'an Prefecture!"
19
Zhang Xiaoshan took the lead and presented the gifts with clasped hands.
"Amitabha Buddha, farewell, young master!"
Everyone knew that Zhang Xiaoshan had other ways to leave, and that he was much faster than them.
However, given their large numbers and Zhang Xiaoshan's status as the overlord of the East China Sea, it was impossible for them to reveal their method for quickly crossing the sea.
Gazing at the departing Fuzhou ship, Zhang Xiaoshan looked at Gu Jianhun to the side and then smiled:
"Later, you will inscribe your previous insights on a stone wall with a similar artistic conception."
The more one studies the secret techniques within the Twenty-Four Stone Chambers, the more turbulent one becomes. Although Xia Ke Island is a place that appreciates goodness, it is ultimately divided into outsiders and insiders!
"Don't worry, young master!"
Xiongwu nodded, while Gu Jianhun glanced at him disdainfully.
As expected of a cunning person; without the interference of annotations, even those peerless masters could not decipher it.
With these annotations added, it's easy to imagine that any future adventurers who try to decipher them will inevitably fail and return empty-handed.
However, the exquisite martial arts illustrations and texts, along with the insights and annotations of those peerless masters, were a great help to the heroes of the martial arts world, even though they didn't get what they wanted.
Back inside the stone cave of the Knights of the Road, many children were cleaning up.
Many of them were thirteen or fourteen years old, already teenagers.
Zhang Xiaoshan originally wanted to mobilize the Zhang family's assassins on a deserted island, but considering that they were all Japanese, he instead took some of their adopted sons from the deep-sea base.
These illegitimate children are no older than fifteen.
Teenagers aged 15 and above with good aptitude have all joined the guard team organized by the Zhang family.
Therefore, Zhang Xiaoshan could only choose boys between the ages of six and fifteen who possessed exceptional talent. These servants were absolutely loyal to the Zhang family.
If those assassins were the Zhang family's brainwashing and killing tools, then these servants were the Zhang family's sense of belonging.
Even though their parents had issues, having grown up in the Zhang family's base, they developed a strong sense of belonging to the Zhang family, seeing them as part of a large extended family.
In addition, the Zhang family's teachings on loyalty and righteousness have subtly brainwashed these children.
They were just not as pure as the Japanese assassins; they were merely tools for the Zhang family's killing spree.
Moreover, the purpose of these samurai and ninjas was to serve the nobility.
Therefore, neither Isamu Shinnin nor Yagyu Hyouse were surprised; such was the very mission of a samurai.
"Senior Gu, Senior Xiong, each of you may select three disciples to train, while the others may freely study and practice the martial arts within the stone chamber."
Three years later, Zhang wants two highly skilled martial artists who can roam the martial arts world without any restrictions!
"Don't worry, young master!"
Although three years is a short time, they have already seen the potential of these young men.
Even the least talented among them were geniuses from prestigious sects; and the most talented youths among them were, in the past, martial arts prodigies that were a once-in-a-century phenomenon in the martial arts world.
Moreover, these young people have a deep and solid foundation, and their true qi has already achieved some success.
After all, the food provided by the Zhang family at their deep-sea base was quite good, and the Yi Jin Duan Gu Chapter provided for the children was a top-tier foundation-building technique.
Zhang Xiaoshan would even occasionally catch rare sea creatures, which he would use to help these teenagers build their foundations.
To win people's hearts, you must start with children.
Moreover, the workers at the base, seeing their children receive top-notch educational resources and excel in both academics and martial arts, would naturally feel even more grateful and loyal to the Zhang family. This is more effective than directly bribing them.
Therefore, the Zhang family has invested heavily in their children's education over the years.
Those top-tier young talents are secretly trained to join the Zhang family's guard team. They are crucial pillars for the future of the Zhang family and are not part of the Iron Pagoda.
Those who enter the Iron Pagoda are all masters of physical training, and those who are not academically competent.
Each had their own choices, and all were filled with gratitude towards the Zhang family.
"Three years later, the Nine Provinces were in chaos, which posed a challenge to the emergence of Xia Ke Island."
Therefore, any young person born into this world must possess exceptional martial arts skills and ruthless methods, not only to uphold the prestige of Xia Ke Island but also to ensure that the Xia Ke Ranking becomes an empty promise.
As he spoke, Zhang Xiaoshan took out a porcelain bottle and instructed:
"The things inside are Xuanbing Liehuo Pills, blue Xuanbing Pills and red Liehuo Pills, all of which are highly poisonous. If an ordinary person comes into contact with even a little bit, he will die on the spot."
However, if it is exchanged for wine, and slowly dissolved by the two streams of Yin and Yang Qi, it can increase the Qi and temper the meridians.
It is crucial to avoid consuming excessive amounts of this product, and limit consumption to once every three days. Otherwise, residual toxins may accumulate in the body, potentially leading to sudden death.
However, unless one has reached the level of a Grandmaster, it is absolutely forbidden to mix or drink contraband or poisonous beverages!
Gu Jianhun looked at the contents of the porcelain bottle, which contained a Yin-Yang bottle with clearly distinguishable blue and red poisons.
Moreover, a fishy stench made him look surprised and suspicious.
He suspected that if he ate one, he might be poisoned on the spot, so he decided to mix it with alcohol and give it to the teenagers.
"Won't this force growth?"
"It depends on the dosage. At first, one poison pill is mixed with a hundred catties of old wine, one sip at a time, once every three days."
Once the body gets used to it, gradually increase the dosage and shorten the number of days.
It would be best to hire a renowned healer on the island to check on their health from time to time. If they overdose, the healer can immediately use their internal energy to help them neutralize the excess, thus eliminating the risk of prematurely exhausting their potential.
"Looking for a miracle doctor?"
"Young Master Zhang, with your Zhang family's capabilities, this should be a simple matter. When are you going to send the person over?"
Both Gu Jianhun and Xiongwu are Grandmasters, so they can naturally control the amount appropriately.
However, to ensure that these teenagers' physical potential is not tainted by the poison, it is still safer to find a miracle doctor.
However, they also knew that at this time, truly top-tier divine doctors were even rarer than grandmasters, and only such forces could hire a genuine 'divine doctor'.
Chapter 767 The world is bustling, all for profit.
Lin'an Prefecture!
As a once bustling international metropolis, although it has lost its former glory, it is still at its peak thanks to the presence of the Zhang family.
Now, the Zhang family has over a hundred large Fujian ships traveling between the West and Southeast Asia every year.
The local specialties they brought were countless, and merchants in the Jiangnan region already regarded the Zhang family as the most respected.
Who told the Zhang family to control the gold mines at sea? Anyone who makes things difficult for the Zhang family can easily ambush you at sea, and you might never even realize that it was the Zhang family behind it until you die.
Moreover, the Zhang family enjoys certain commercial privileges; as the King of the East Sea, the Zhang family wields immense power.
If the Zhang family hadn't adhered to the principle of "being low-key in personal conduct but high-profile in business dealings," they would probably be the true rulers of the East China Sea by now.
At this moment, a large Fujian-style boat belonging to the Zhang family slowly arrived at the mouth of the Qiantang River.
The blood-stained clothes above were like clouds, and the murderous aura soared to the sky. From a distance, it looked like a ferocious dragon rushing towards us.
The Zhang family's flying guillotine!
Upon receiving the news, the martial arts masters who had been waiting for a long time all headed to the dock.
They knew that Zhang Sanfeng and his companions, who had gone to Xia Ke Island, had returned.
When the three-month deadline arrived, they did not go to Sanghai to wait. After all, the Mirage had set sail, so Sanghai was naturally not the best choice for the Zhang family. Instead, Lin'an Prefecture was the better option!
Sure enough, their wait was not in vain, and the Zhang family's large fortune ship finally arrived.
On the Dafu ship, the martial arts master who had been unconscious had woken up.
Even though everyone wanted to go back to Xia Ke Island, they decided to wait until they were ashore.
However, the ocean is vast, and relying on just one direction can lead to vastly different outcomes, even with the slightest difference in direction.
The deep sea area alone is not something those fishing boats dare to explore.
The journey of a large ship in a month, at an average speed of fifty li per hour, or five hundred li per day if we calculate ten hours per day, would be fifteen thousand li per month.
Such a depth is not something that ordinary fishing boats would dare to venture into.
Moreover, in the vast ocean, without the guidance of Zhang's large Fuzhou ship, Xia Ke Island would be impossible to find.
There is no GPS system in this era.
"Master Zhang!"
The moment the group of chivalrous figures saw Zhang Sanfeng, they immediately bowed respectfully.
The experts at the Celestial Realm, true supreme beings in the martial arts world, and all the masters who previously went to Xia Ke Island have also appeared, not one missing.
For a time, everyone was filled with curiosity about Xia Ke Dao (侠客岛).
"Master Zhang, the young master has prepared a welcome banquet for everyone at the Hong residence, so we shall take our leave now!"
The Blood Droplets are Zhang family's secret assassins. Their open appearance this time naturally means they won't become the target of everyone's attention once they land.
"Amitabha Buddha, all lay devotees, please proceed with caution!"
Zhang Sanfeng and the others bowed respectfully, watching the large ship carrying the Blood Droplets slowly depart.
Even though several martial arts masters wanted to follow, they couldn't help but show their reluctance when they thought of Li Mochou's words.
The large ship was a one-time transport vessel. After arriving at the port, Li Mochou went to Ghost Street to report, rather than returning to Xia Ke Island.
Therefore, even if they caught up with the large ship, they would eventually arrive at another port belonging to the Zhang family, rather than Xia Ke Island.
"Yue Buqun of the Huashan Sect pays respects to Master Zhang!"
Twenty years have passed, and Yue Buqun's temples have turned somewhat gray. However, compared to Master Mo Da, who has already passed away, his health regimen based on the Zixia Divine Skill is definitely not inferior.
Moreover, Yue Buqun has already broken through to the pinnacle and is now the leader of the Five Mountains Sword Sect.
As for Hengshan Yilin?
Although his martial arts skills had reached an unparalleled level under the guidance of Dongfang Bubai, his profound Buddhist teachings had allowed him to transcend worldly concerns, and he was often accompanied by the ancient bronze Buddha.
His increasingly profound Lesser Formless Skill was only good for self-defense.
"Sect Leader Yue, do you wish to inquire about Xia Ke Island?"
Zhang Sanfeng looked at the various prestigious sects and clans in the martial arts world and nodded.
The only reason for their eagerness and waiting here could be news from 'Xia Ke Island', so Zhang Sanfeng didn't hide anything and chuckled:
"I only know and have seen what happened on Xia Ke Island."
Xia Ke Island is located on a deserted island overseas, probably at least tens of thousands of miles away from here. Apart from the two grandmaster-level island lords and several peerless masters, most of the island's inhabitants are children with deep foundations.
As for the opportunity on Xia Ke Island?
Young Master Zhang, combining our collective understanding and insights, created a divine skill called "The Knight-Errant's Journey," which is exquisitely profound. Even we could only comprehend a fraction of it before hastily returning.
"Are there really divine skills on Xia Ke Island?"
Everyone's eyes lit up immediately.
They had no doubt about Zhang Sanfeng's answer; they just wanted to confirm it.
Moreover, it was a supreme skill created 'jointly' by combining the insights of many people, and for a moment, everyone's eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Hehe, if you want to know whether or not, just ask the fellow Daoists who are with me."
"Hmph, would we deceive you?"
The ultimate martial arts technique is divided into twenty-four stone chambers, each named after one of the twenty-four five-character poems in the novel "Ode to a Knight". It includes fist and foot techniques, weapons, lightness skills, etc. Moreover, the ultimate martial arts technique in any chamber is the most top-notch divine skill manual in the martial arts world.
If one can comprehend the mental cultivation method of the 'Tai Xuan Jing' in the twenty-fourth room, the martial arts one learns can be upgraded to an unparalleled skill!
Unfortunately, even after three days of contemplation, we haven't grasped even a tenth or a twelfth of the secrets of any of the chambers.
Hiss...
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at the speaker with shock—the renowned Taoist master Shi Xiu Zhenren.
Moreover, those martial arts masters who looked unwilling also nodded repeatedly, revealing their longing expressions.
Unfortunately, after leaving Xia Ke Island this time, it will take at least three years to return.