Chapter Seven: The Lord of Asura

Huang Shan, seeing their words turning harsh, couldn't help but ask timidly, “Brother Li Chongyuan, Brother Ma, are... are you two about to fight?”

Hong Mochou pulled Huang Shan aside and said, “Don’t mind them, let’s go play somewhere else.” As she left, she turned back and laughed, “Hey, Li Chongyuan, if you’re scared, just tell me, I’ll plead for you and let you off.”

A surge of pride suddenly rose in Li Chongyuan’s heart, and he shouted, “Who’s scared!”

Ma Beifang growled, “That’s exactly what I wanted to hear!” With a leap, he pounced like a fierce tiger.

Li Chongyuan, seeing the hostility, immediately discarded his leather pouch and squared up to meet him.

After a flurry of punches and kicks, Li Chongyuan ultimately couldn’t match Ma Beifang. He was struck heavily in the chest, spitting blood several feet and fainting. In his haze, he heard Huang Shan crying loudly, “Brother Li Chongyuan…” Du Xin and the others urgently shouted, “Trouble! Let’s go, quick!”

When Li Chongyuan regained consciousness, it was nearly midnight. He struggled to his feet and staggered homeward. Halfway back, he encountered Li Jiu and Zi Lan with the others. Since Li Chongyuan hadn’t returned at night, his senior brothers worried something had happened and had come searching, finding him here by chance.

By torchlight, Li Jiu and Zi Lan saw the bloodstains on Li Chongyuan’s chest and were shocked. They hurriedly asked what had happened. Li Chongyuan recounted Ma Beifang and the others’ provocation, and everyone was furious, wanting to storm the Heavenly Thunder Hall and hand Ma Beifang over to the head for punishment. Li Jiu said, “Saving Brother Li Chongyuan’s life is most urgent. The rest will be decided by Master.”

They carried Li Chongyuan back to Mingxin Cave. After administering internal and external medicines, dawn had broken. Zi Wuzhu sighed, “A loss is a loss. If this incident reaches the attention of the Seat of Adversity, Ma Beifang will be punished, but Li Chongyuan’s reputation will suffer too. After all, others still believe Li Chongyuan is the winner among the chief disciples. This time, he’s suffered greatly. If you lost to fists, you must win back with fists.” With that, he ordered Li Chongyuan carried to his room and personally arranged for his brothers to care for him in shifts.

This time, Li Chongyuan took three months to recover fully. During his convalescence, Huang Shan trekked dozens of miles through mountain paths twice, each time bringing him a large box of sesame cakes, which deeply moved Li Chongyuan.

Once healed, realizing how much his skills had stagnated, he trained even harder. Fortunately, the Tianshan Sect’s miraculous medicines lived up to their reputation. Though severely injured, Li Chongyuan’s vital energy wasn’t harmed. With the help of the medicine, his Mysterious Harmony skill quickly advanced to the third stage. Li Jiu began teaching him the sect’s lightness skill. Moreover, every time he went to the Heavenly Lake to carry ice, he no longer encountered Du Xin and Ma Beifang. Only occasionally, from afar across the lake, would he glimpse Hong Mochou and other disciples from the Suwen Pavilion, but he had no interest in greeting them.

Time swiftly passed to summer. Though the summit of Tianshan was covered in snow year-round, the area near the Heavenly Lake thawed and became green once more. Thus, Li Chongyuan returned to Bishi Pool to carry ice.

That evening, Li Chongyuan arrived at Bishi Pool. Though he’d been on the mountain for a long time, it was his first time visiting at this hour. The sunset painted the emerald waters with radiant hues, shimmering like a dream, filling him with peace and contentment. Just as he put down his leather pouch, he suddenly saw a figure flash between distant mountains. Wondering at the presence of someone in such a remote place, he decided to use his lightness skill and quietly follow. The person carried a basket and ran ahead, unaware of being tailed. Their movement was swift, almost as if riding the wind; Li Chongyuan, still a novice in lightness skill, managed to keep up only because the terrain was open.

The person traveled for more than an hour before reaching a snowy peak. After checking that no one was around, they went straight into a cave at the summit. Not long after, they emerged with the basket and sped away. Once the figure was gone, Li Chongyuan came out of hiding. He recognized the person as Miao Kewei from Langya Pavilion.

This snowy peak wasn’t within the jurisdiction of any of the seven main caves of Tianshan Sect—it was a barren, nameless mountain. Li Chongyuan was puzzled: “Why is Miao Kewei here with a basket? Is he delivering food? That’s impossible.”

After pondering, Li Chongyuan decided to investigate personally. He vaulted onto the nameless snowy peak and made his way toward the summit cave.

At the cave entrance, he found Miao Kewei’s footprints. Lacking experience in such matters, Li Chongyuan entered directly. The snow outside reflected the light, but inside the cave was pitch black. He waited a while for his eyes to adjust, then groped forward for dozens of steps, where the path suddenly sloped down and turned sharply left. After several more steps, the space opened up; the mountain’s interior was hollow. Stone steps twisted downward along the walls, lit by faint yellow light, until he reached the bottom.

There, he found thick dry grass spread across the floor, with a strong musty smell from years without sunlight. A lone oil lamp sat on a small table, casting a weak glow. Strangely, the air was filled with the crisp scent of liquor.

What kind of place was this? As he hesitated, a sudden cold wind struck from behind. Li Chongyuan instinctively tried to dodge, but failed. A force hit him on the back—luckily it was gentle, pushing him several steps without injuring him. Before he could regain his footing, another force sent him stumbling again. Just as he got up, he heard a sinister voice beside his ear: “Hmph, you dare try moves with such poor skills? Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you?” Before he could respond, the person flashed behind him, grabbed his pulse with an unusual grip, and said, “Oh? So you’re wounded, internal injuries not healed, yet you come provoking me?”

Li Chongyuan cried out in pain, “You freak, let me go! I just wandered in here for fun.”

The strange man cackled, “This barren place—what fool would come here for fun? But you, so foolish, are kind of amusing. How about this: if you can withstand one move from me, I’ll let you go, how’s that?” With that, he released Li Chongyuan, who had been struggling fiercely and, with the sudden release, stumbled and fell several steps. When he got up and looked, he saw an old man in ragged clothing before him.

The elder was disheveled and gaunt, almost skeletal. Startled, Li Chongyuan cried out, “A ghost!”

The old man laughed, “I’m not a ghost yet, but in ten years or so, who knows.” With that, he waved his hand lightly, sending a gust that made Li Chongyuan roll several times. The elder sighed, “Each generation worse than the last—the mere wind of my palm knocks you down. I wonder how you people train your skills.”

Li Chongyuan’s fighting spirit was ignited. He flipped up and attacked with a move called ‘Resonant Drum and Gong’. The elder said, “This move requires eye, heart, intent, and body in perfect harmony. You lack all three; how can it work?” With that, he pressed Li Chongyuan’s chest lightly, and instantly his blood surged like waves, his vision darkened, his ears rang, and he nearly collapsed. After a moment, his blood seemed almost ready to burst from his body. Unable to bear it, he fainted.

How long he was out, he did not know; when he finally woke, the old man was sitting cross-legged in the distance. As Li Chongyuan stirred, the elder spoke, “Since you’re awake, stop pretending. Come here—I have questions.”

Li Chongyuan, stubborn by nature, got up and not only refused to approach but also took several steps back. The elder snorted coldly and waved his sleeve, sending a force that dragged Li Chongyuan to his feet before him. He then tapped several points on Li Chongyuan’s body, leaving him kneeling and unable to move.

The old man scrutinized him and asked, “Boy, whose disciple are you?” Li Chongyuan turned his head, refusing to answer. The elder wasn’t annoyed; he smiled, “Then you probably don’t know this place is forbidden to outsiders by Tianshan Sect. Without the Sect Leader’s permission, trespassers die! Miao Kewei is clever, but you managed to slip in. If word gets out, Miao Kewei will be punished, and you—well, you’ll probably die.” Li Chongyuan’s expression changed several times at these words, noted by the elder, who continued, “Don’t think you can escape and deny everything. That palm I struck you with is called ‘Netherworld Death-Seeking Palm,’ a secret skill of the Asura Divine Art. Only I know it. Soon, the injury will recur, and your master will know you’ve been here. You can’t deny it. Even if your master spares you, each recurrence grows worse until your body bursts and you die. You’ve already tasted it—how does it feel?”

Li Chongyuan shouted angrily, “You old wretch, do you mean to humiliate me? I’d rather throw myself off a cliff than let you succeed!”

The elder nodded quietly. “Actually, your injury is serious but not incurable. If I teach you a set of skills and you practice diligently, your injury won’t recur. Not only that, it will greatly benefit your martial arts. Isn’t that good?” Li Chongyuan was tempted, but after a moment’s thought, he realized, “You want me to become your disciple? Dream on! My master saved my life—I will never betray him.” The old man continued, “Just now, I detected something odd in your pulse. Twice in half a year, you’ve coughed blood, both times by the same hand. Isn’t that humiliating? When I was ten, I learned martial arts; at thirteen, I killed; at fifteen, I roamed the martial world. Never was I so wretched. Your skills are so low—what use is loyalty to your master? If a strong enemy comes, can you protect him?”

Li Chongyuan felt as if struck by a hammer, stopping dead. Memories of being hunted by the man in black, being humiliated and beaten by Ma Beifang, flashed before his eyes. Hatred burned like fire in his heart. He raised his head and stared at the elder. “Fine, I agree, but I won’t betray my sect, nor will I harm it.”

The old man laughed, “Teaching you is to save your life. My skills are rare in the martial world—if buried here, it would be a waste. I need a successor. Besides, my skills are deeply connected to Tianshan Sect; you might say they are from the same lineage. Naturally, I won’t make you harm the sect.”

He released Li Chongyuan’s acupoints, saying, “You’re not exceptionally gifted, but your mind is steady. Diligence makes up for lack of talent. With perseverance, you will one day achieve greatness.”

He then instructed Li Chongyuan to kneel and kowtow three times. “From today, you are the fifth-generation disciple of the Northern Branch of Tianshan Sect. Remember, my name is Qu Beiyuan. In the martial world, I was known as the Asura Gentleman.”