The Transformation of Time
1829 Words
"Outrage!"
Mu Dao Ren, furious, aimed his gaze at Zhou Yi's palm and roared, "Look at the power!"
He pressed his palm downwards, gathering his energy, and his robe billowed like a sail. In the blink of an eye, he stepped across the bluestone slabs, crossing two meters!
The fan-like palm slammed towards him, and Zhou Yi was completely unable to keep up.
In a flash, he saw the palm print approaching. Fortunately, Mu Dao Ren had already fallen for the trick. In his anger, he didn't use any moves, but simply competed with him.
Zhou Yi simply focused on his mental skills, confronting the blow!
Instantly, a strong wind blew in his face, and a tremendous force surged into his body. He felt like a candle in a longevity hall, swaying in the wind, rootless!
At this critical moment, Zhou Yi activated the foot-hooking stone-locking technique taught by his master.
Now, treating the short and fat Taoist's palm power as an external force, just like the stone lock that night, Qi flowed through the acupoints on both sides of his body, flowing backwards through the Shaoyin Kidney Meridian.
The light and airy feeling he'd felt when he'd shifted Qi and blood to remove the weight of the stone lock resurfaced.
The short and fat Taoist's violent Qi disappeared!
Caught in a precarious situation, Zhou Yi used his opponent's force to stabilize his footing, releasing the Qi through the Yongquan acupoints on both feet!
The short and fat Taoist's internal Qi was truly formidable.
Exerting this force was beyond Zhou Yi's capacity. Qi surged through his meridians, causing him to experience unspeakable pain. For the first time, he experienced the dominance of Qi and struggled to hold on.
Cold sweat streamed down his back, and the short and fat Taoist was stunned!
"No, no!"
"It's like a drop in the ocean! Where has the Taoist's Qi gone?!"
In his decades of wandering the martial arts world, he had never encountered such a bizarre situation.
Knowing the other party wasn't a fraud, his anger subsided, and a sudden sense of crisis arose.
Instinctively sensing something was amiss, Taoist Mu withdrew his palm and leaped a dozen feet away.
The onlookers hadn't yet grasped the situation.
They only saw the short, fat Taoist strike fiercely, but the Heavenly Master Taiping remained unmoved. The two men were about to clash. Who would be victorious?
The next moment...
As Zhou Yi took his first steps in the Cao Mansion courtyard, many people gasped!
Ji Niantao stood beside her father, her expression etched with wonder.
She saw two footprints deeply embedded in the courtyard's slate-gray stone slabs!
Another instance of the Heavenly Master Taiping's magic; it couldn't be faked.
"So that's it!"
The Second Young Master of the Cao family clapped his hands in admiration. He finally understood why his grandfather had been so polite to the Heavenly Master Zhou.
The previous 'Burning Wood Finger Technique' was now another bizarre and unprecedented martial art.
The Taoist took a step forward, staring at the footprints on the ground.
His anger had mostly subsided, but his breathing was rapid and short. He took off the wine gourd and tried to drink, but the gourd was empty, not a single drop of wine left.
He sulked and snorted.
Suddenly, Zhou Yi bowed and said to him:
"As recorded in the Western Han Dynasty's 'Huainanzi: Lanming': 'A man who preserves his nature and maintains his true self will not lose his body. The fundamental principle of cultivating the self and nature in the upright way is to maintain one's original nature, so as to achieve unity with the Tao.
The Taoist associates with evil, yet he despises them. Since this is not in line with the Way of Preserving One's Nature, why would he act against it?"
This argument left Taoist Mu speechless.
He truly despised the Baling Gang's actions. To deny Zhou Yi's words would be to deny his own heart, and in turn, to deny the Han Dynasty doctrine and tradition he had inherited.
If they can't even uphold their own lineage, what right do they have to criticize the Taiping Dao?
I had assumed the heir of the Yongqiu Taiping Dao was just a quack, a fraud, but I hadn't expected him to truly possess the lineage and possess a thorough understanding of his own Quanxing doctrine.
'Alas, I've fallen! I've fallen at the hands of a junior.'
Mu Dao Ren felt a chill in his heart, feeling unhappy.
"You win."
Though unwilling, he still managed to utter the words.
One word was enough, two words were enough. Mu Dao Ren then asked, "Did you transform all my zhenqi into the blue brick?"
Zhou Yi's heart moved; the other party didn't seem like the type to be unreasonable.
One more enemy was better than another friend. Furthermore, the other party's martial arts skills were quite advanced, so he softened his tone:
"That's right, but the Taoist priest can imprint himself deeply into the blue brick with only two times his power. Your inner cultivation is beyond my reach.
If my master saw this, he would also praise your inner cultivation."
This was a comfortable concession.
Taoist Mu casually swirled his wine gourd and hummed, seeming to enjoy the experience. He then offered a comment:
"The Xihe Hunyuan School's martial arts also emphasize the transformation of vital energy, but even the Sect Leader, Ma Shouyi, wouldn't be able to transform my vital energy to this degree."
Wu Guanlan, standing nearby, was immediately displeased upon hearing this.
How could these two idiots bring this up with my Sect Leader?
Taoist Mu glanced at him. "Why, Elder Wu, do you think I'm wrong?"
Elder Wu cursed him inwardly, but remained silent, sullen.
"Hmph, go back and tell Master Ma that I've treated you to a meal and wine, only to get into trouble. This blow today is a clean break.
Don't bother looking for me again, to avoid misunderstandings."
Mu Daoist finished, completely ignoring Wu Guanlan's reaction. He continued his own way and asked Zhou Yi, "What's the name of your martial arts? From which scripture did it originate?"
Mu Daoist suddenly initiated an academic exchange.
Zhou Yi's mind raced, and he began to ramble on, "I, the Taiping Daoist, have deeply studied the Laozi Xianger Annotations. It explains that the five stars follow their orbits, while those that oppose them do not shine."
"These are Jupiter, Mars, Venus, Jupiter, and the Star of the Earth. Following their orbits is normal, while those that oppose them are abnormal."
"Thus, there's the saying 'the stars shift and the constellations move!'"
Mu Daoist was horrified.
"The stars shift and the constellations move."
He nodded and repeated the recitation. His own Daoist tradition certainly gave him a different understanding, but it was even more shocking.
"Kan and Li are in the outer space, the hub is in the right axis. This is the true orbit of the five stars. If a foreign star goes retrograde, wouldn't that be a hidden harmony of yin and yang? This skill of observing the stars is of great significance and is of great significance."
"Although this kid's martial arts skills are not high, he can make me fall flat on my face."
"Not good! If Jiao Wuzi uses this technique of turning the stars, even if I use all my strength, I'm afraid my chances of success are slim. I've already embarrassed myself today. If I fail again at Fuzi Mountain, it will be a huge joke."
"Yes, wait until I find a way to break it, then I can find this master and disciple to redeem myself."
The short and fat Taoist nodded secretly, his intention to retreat growing stronger.
After glancing at Zhou Yi, he leaped onto the courtyard wall, stomping on the tiles of Cao's mansion, causing them to crackle and fly. He strode out.
Everyone knew he was fierce and had a strange temper, so no one dared to stop him.
"Master Zhou, there may be some misunderstandings between our two families, but these are all caused by our subordinates. I will report this to the headmaster today and ask him to resolve the misunderstanding to avoid damaging the relationship between our two families."
Wu Guanlan chose to back down, and Zhou Yi didn't want to push him too far.
"Then please, Elder Wu, pass on the message."
Wu Guanlan said goodbye and turned to leave. Lai Changming also left with the Hunyuan Sect members.
After a brief social interaction, Zhou Yi, surrounded by the crowd, boarded the carriage and headed straight for Confucius Mountain.
At the gate, many people looked at the carriage from afar, eager to see him off.
"Grandfather, why did you allow Wu Guanlan to disgrace our family so much?"
In the quiet inner hall, Cao Chengyun looked puzzled.
Cao Ruinian remained calm, "Chengyun, my Cao family is ultimately a family of merchants. We must understand the situation and adapt to the changing world.
The Hunyuan Sect is colluding with the Baling Gang, which in turn is connected to the Yuwen clan. The Yingyang Palace Army is on its way. How can we provoke them?"
Cao Chengyun pressed on, "Does the Empress Liang's people passing through my Cao residence have anything to do with this?"
"Of course."
Cao Ruinian said, "This person is a subordinate of Xu Xuanche, yet they claim to have honored the orders of Empress Liang's people. They are committed to the teachings of the Taiping Dao. You should understand."
"Xu Xuanche"
Cao Chengyun pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized, "If I remember correctly, he was the commander of the Yuezhou Brigade, serving under the command of Infantry Captain Dong Jingzhen.
Humph, this Empress Liang's people are colluding with Sui Dynasty officials and generals. They are quite ambitious." However, when it comes to heroes in troubled times…”
He changed his tone, his tone tinged with excitement. “Grandfather, I once met Master Mi with our sect leader. He was a true hero! Those who followed him were all the best in the world!
Master Mi has experienced many hardships this time, but a great mission bestowed upon him by Heaven requires great effort. Our Cao family should act decisively and offer our full support!”
“Haha.”
Cao Ruinian laughed suddenly. “Erlang, although Master Wei of the Huashan Sect is an unrivaled master, you must listen carefully to his insights, but don’t believe everything he says.
Feng Xuan once said to Mengchangjun: ‘A cunning rabbit has three burrows; it’s only by escaping death that it can escape.’
How can a merchant like me abandon everything and avoid danger?”
Cao Chengyun pondered for a few breaths. “What do you mean?”
Cao Ruinian pulled a letter from his bosom and handed it to him.
“Tomorrow, go to Fuzi Mountain and deliver this letter to Master Zhou.”
- Writer
