Chapter - 80 Endless Joy At the Reunion of the Seven Swordsmen (6)

Yu LianZhou said, "Upon reaching ninety-five, master would meditate nine months out of the year. He once said, Wu Dang martial arts came mostly from a book called the Nine-Yang Holy Scripture [1] . Unfortunately, master was too young, and didn't know martial arts, when he learned it from martial grandfather Jue Yuan. Martial grandfather Jue Yuan also wasn't purposely teaching him the scripture. He simply recited it by chance. Therefore, there's always this gap within our school of martial arts. Supposedly, Originator Da Muo wrote this . But according to master, this is not likely the truth. First of all, the contents of this Holy Scripture are quite different from Shaolin's martial arts style. It resembled Taoist philosophy instead. Also, this was written in Chinese, not in Sanskrit. All the words are situated on the borders of a Sanskrit-worded Leng Ga Scripture [2] . Despite Originator Da Muo's brilliance, he's still from another country. It's unlikely that he's proficient in writing Chinese. Plus, for such an important martial art scripture, why would he write within another book, rather than on separate papers by itself."

Zhang CuiShan nodded, asked, "So how did master explain all this?"

Yu LianZhou said, "Master doesn't know the exact story either. He figured that a Shaolin monk wrote it, but penned under Originator Da Muo's name. Master thought, if the he memorized was not complete, why not try to create the rest? Therefore, he has spent much time developing a new type of martial arts philosophy, one different from all others in the world."

Both Zhang CuiShan and Yin SuSu sighed in admiration. Yu LianZhou said, "Reverend Jue Yuan recited this in front of three people. One is master, one is Shaolin's Reverend Wu Se, one is a young woman. She is the founder of E Mei, Heroine Guo Xiang." Yin SuSu said, "I've heard my father speak of her. He said that Heroine Guo is a very significant individual. Her father is Guo Jing, Hero Guo. Her mother was Huang Rong, former leader of the Beggar's Clan. When the city of Xiang Yang fell to the Mongols, Hero Guo and his wife both died in the city's defense."

Yu LianZhou said, "You are correct. Master actually met Hero Guo and his wife at the peak of Mount Hua. Every time he brings up the couple, master would praise their heroism. He says that anyone who practices martial arts should look at them as role models." Yu LianZhou paused for a moment, then continued, "Each of the three people learned the differently. Reverend Wu Se had the strongest martial arts among the three. As the daughter of Hero Guo and Clan Leader Huang, Heroine Guo had the richest martial arts background. Master knew basically no martial arts at the time. But for this reason, he learned the scripture in its purest form. Therefore, Shaolin, E Mei, and Wu Dang each gained 'strong', 'rich' and 'pure' aspects of the scripture, respectively. Each sect has its own strengths, but also weaknesses."

Yin SuSu said, "This Reverend Jue Yuan must've had incredible martial arts skills."

Yu LianZhou said, "No. Martial grandfather Jue Yuan did not know kung fu. He was the librarian for Shaolin's library of scriptures. He absolutely loved book, and read every single one. He found by accident, and read it like any other scripture. As for the martial arts philosophies, he understood them, but just the inner power portion, not the techniques." Yu LianZhou then told the story of to the couple.

Zhang CuiShan had already heard the story from master. But Yin SuSu had not, and was quite fascinated. She said, "I didn't know E Mei and Wu Dang had such a relationship. Why didn't this Heroine Guo marry your Master Zhang?"

Zhang CuiShan said with a smile, "Oh, don't be ridiculous."

Yu LianZhou said, "After parting under the Shao Bao Mountain, master and Heroine Guo never met again. Master said, Heroine Guo could not forget one person. He is the one who killed the Mongol Emperor outside Xiang Yang with a stone pellet, Condor Hero Yang Guo. Heroine Guo searched the whole world, but could not find Hero Yang. At the age of forty, she finally found enlightenment, gave up the search, and became a nun. Afterwards, she founded the E Mei Sect."

Yin SuSu gasped, and felt pity for Guo Xiang. She glanced at Zhang CuiShan, who glanced back the same time. They both thought, "In Heaven or in Hell, we shall never be apart. Our fate is certainly much better than this Heroine Guo."

Normally, Yu LianZhou would almost never speak. Yet after reuniting with Zhang CuiShan, he lightened up a great deal, even enjoying chats with the couple. After spending some days with Yin SuSu, he found that her nature is benign. It's her upbringing that made her so cruel and merciless. But after ten years of marriage with Zhang CuiShan, her temper had subsided a great deal. Yu LianZhou had changed his first impression of her. In fact, he admired her straightforward tendencies, much more pleasant than those self-righteous, arrogant members of the righteous sects.

At this moment, sound of horses could be heard again. Zhang CuiShan ignored the noise, said, "Second brother, if the master welcomed Shaolin and E Mei elders to study the scripture with him, all three sects would benefit greatly."

Yu LianZhou said, "That would be a great idea. No wonder master said that you'd be the one who'd carry his legacy." Zhang CuiShan said, "Master only felt that way because I was not around. After all, the child away is the one parents think about the most. Not only is my ability worse than eldest or second brother, even sixth and seventh brother are much better than I am now."

Yu LianZhou shook his head and said, "You can't look at it that way. From a pure martial arts standpoint, I am better than you. But master always says, the world is so vast, the honor of Wu Dang itself is insignificant. The importance is to research into the depths of martial arts philosophies, and pass them down to future generations, so the righteous martial arts will overcome those of evil. In addition, we could unite practitioners throughout our land, drive out the Mongols, and reclaim our country. These are the reasons why we practice martial arts. To carry on our master's legacy, one must first have a good heart. Then have incredible comprehension skills. When it comes to heart, there's no different between us brothers. But in terms of comprehension, you are certainly the best." Zhang CuiShan shook his head, said, "I'm sure the master just said it at the spur of the moment. Surely I'm not worthy of such a praise."

Yu LianZhou smiled, and said, "Sister-in-law, go take care of WuJi. Don't let him get scared. Fifth brother and I will take care of the problems outside." Yin SuSu looked around, but didn't find anything unordinary. As she hesitated, Yu LianZhou said, "Behind the bushes on the shore, there are weapons flashing. Which means someone's trying to ambush us. There should be enemy boats up ahead."

Yin SuSu did not notice anything, and thought that perhaps there's something wrong with Yu LianZhou's eyes.

When suddenly, Yu LianZhou spoke loudly, "Wu Dang's Second Yu, Fifth Zhang, are passing through this area. If friends would like to chat, feel free to come have a drink with us." When he finished speaking, sounds of paddling came from the reeds. Six small boats came at them. A sound-arrow shot out of one boat, and ten or so people on the shore began to move. They all wore black clothes, held different types of weapons, and covered their faces with masks.

Yin SuSu thought in awe, "Second brother-in-law really is amazing." With the enemy coming in, she hurriedly went inside the cabin, only to see WuJi already awake. Yin SuSu helped him put on some clothes, and whispered, "Don't be afraid, honey."