Chapter 146: The Business of Wu Village
After calming the crowd, Gong Muhong hurriedly invited Shi Hao inside.
He and the clan elders had been at a loss, knowing they couldn’t allow their hot-blooded youths to launch a suicidal attack on Changyan City, but also unable to control them.
Inside the hall, Gong Muhong sighed, “If it weren’t for you, young man, this situation would have gotten out of hand.”
Shi Hao said, “Although your men are impulsive, their shared anger and desire for revenge are valuable assets. Channeled properly, this energy can be a powerful force.”
Gong Muhong said, “Thank you.” Then he added, “But our Gong family and Wudang Monastery alone are no match for the Hanyang Gang. I have close ties with Azure Dragon City; we even have family connections. I can negotiate with them and bring them into our alliance.
“But Azure Dragon City is just a small settlement. Although they have some martial artists, most are unranked. Goupan Village, Heshou Village, Yinping Village, and Jiming Village also have some skilled fighters, but not many. Whether we can form a united front against the Hanyang Gang depends on Shennong Village.”
“Should we go to Shennong Village and speak with Elder Jing?”
Shi Hao said, “Not yet. I’ve heard that in the Nine Villages, only two have reached the mid-ranks: Elder Jing of Shennong Village and the leader of Wu Village. Elder Jing is old and hasn’t fought in years. His spirit is likely weakened. If we approach him now, he’ll just give us excuses, wasting our time. It’s better to gather more support first, then approach him from a position of strength.”
“What’s more important now is the stance of Wu Village. They’re located at the rear of the Nine Villages and are quite secretive. Their leader is sixth-rank, and they likely have other skilled martial artists as well. If Wu Village hesitates, or worse, if they’re colluding with the Hanyang Gang, our rear will be vulnerable.”
“So, I think we should visit Wu Village first. Geographically, if we can’t persuade them to join us, Shennong Village will hesitate, and the Nine Villages won’t be able to unite. And if we’re not united, the Hanyang Gang will defeat us one by one.”
Gong Muhong pondered this, then nodded, “You’re right, young man. Actually, I know a little about Wu Village. Although they’re known for their isolation, they do have their own… business.”
Daoist Chuan, surprised, said, “Wu Village has a business? Then they must have trade routes. But they rarely interact with the other villages. The only people we see from there are physicians gathering herbs and farmers. And they mostly cultivate mulberry trees, not wheat…”
Shi Hao suddenly said, “Mulberry trees? They must be raising silkworms. And if they’re raising silkworms, they must be producing silk. They can’t be using it all themselves. They must be selling it. But to whom?”
Daoist Chuan hesitated.
Gong Muhong lowered his voice, “That is their business. But they’re not selling silk, they’re selling… silkworms.”
Shi Hao was taken aback, “Silkworms?”
Gong Muhong said, “Poisonous silkworms. The men in Wu Village handle the mundane tasks, but it’s the women who control the real business, raising and selling these poisonous silkworms. Outsiders rarely enter Wu Village, and even if they do, they don’t see the true nature of their operations.”
“The women, hidden within the village, raise these poisonous creatures and sell them through the Xiang River to the southern Hunan region, a land of miasma and swamps, inhabited by the Miao people, who rarely interact with the outside world. Since Wu Village trades with the Miao women, their business is naturally secretive.
“And Wu Village itself is very isolated. After all, their business is… unusual. They don’t want it to be known. I only learned about it from a martial artist who had returned from southern Hunan.”
“The Miao women practice Gu techniques, using poisonous insects. In some areas, everyone practices it. But these Gu insects require special breeding and refinement. Due to the climate, some venomous creatures can’t survive in the humid environment of southern Hunan. Wu Village specializes in breeding those specific creatures.”
Shi Hao frowned slightly, “In that case, I need to visit them even more.”
Du Yuejiao said, “Brother Shi…”
Shi Hao shook his head, “I heard that Huang Facai, the leader of the Hanyang Gang, has a strange, poisonous energy. The poison can even spread after the victim’s death. I suspect he might be a demonic cultivator, or perhaps he practices Gu techniques.
“If we don’t eliminate this threat, we can’t focus on fighting the Hanyang Gang.”
Hearing this, both Gong Muhong and Daoist Chuan nodded in agreement.
Indeed, if they couldn’t be certain of Wu Village’s stance, they would be constantly looking over their shoulders, unable to fight effectively.
The Hanyang Gang was strong, and they were weak. If Wu Village was colluding with them, their situation would be even more dire.
Shi Hao, Du Yuejiao, Daoist Chuan, Hou Bomin, and He Guangtao returned to Wudang Monastery.
It was evening, too late to visit Wu Village.
And venturing into such a secretive and mysterious place at night wasn’t wise.
They settled in at the monastery.
After dinner and a bath, Shi Hao took a walk around Mount Xieluo.
The night air was cool, a sign of autumn approaching.
After circling the monastery, he reached the back and saw Xu Xiaoyan staring into the distance.
He joined her. She was looking at Xiang Gu, who was fiddling with her bottles and jars.
Shi Hao asked, “You’ve been watching her all this time?”
Xu Xiaoyan said sadly, “I really shouldn’t have.” Her tone was filled with regret.
Then why did you? Shi Hao wondered.
He said, “By the way, I didn’t see Xiang Gu at dinner. Did she forget to eat? I should go and get her.”
Xu Xiaoyan grabbed his arm, “I think she’s already eaten.”
“Brother Shi!” Du Yuejiao’s voice came from behind them.
Shi Hao turned and saw her staring at Xu Xiaoyan’s hand on his arm.
Her hand gripped her sword, as if ready to draw it.
Xu Xiaoyan released his arm and giggled, “Don’t worry, I’m not interested in stealing your man.” She skipped away, heading back towards the monastery.
Du Yuejiao approached, her voice filled with displeasure, “What were you doing with her, Brother Shi?”
Shi Hao said, “Nothing. I was just taking a walk and saw her here.”
Du Yuejiao muttered, “Who knows if that’s true.”
Shi Hao asked, “What do you think we were doing?”
Du Yuejiao stood beside him, looking at Xiang Gu in the distance, and couldn’t help but ask, “What’s she doing?”
How would I know? Shi Hao thought, also looking at Xiang Gu, who was still playing with her bottles and jars.
He and Du Yuejiao walked around the garden, chatting.
They returned to the monastery. Du Yuejiao went to her room, and Shi Hao went to his.
He took a wooden basin, went to the well, drew some water, and washed himself.
Back in his room, he sat cross-legged on a cushion by his bed.
He could feel the energies of the Three Origins Flowing Pearl Technique and the Nine Yin Demonic Primordial Technique growing stronger.
The Three Origins Flowing Pearl Technique was quite profound, able to integrate the energies of the Immortal Ice, True Water, and Profound Wind Techniques.
The energy cultivated through the Nine Yin Demonic Primordial Technique, however, was chaotic and diffuse, permeating his meridians, difficult to control.
He couldn’t manipulate it or use it for anything.
It wasn’t even “energy,” more like a demonic aura, a formless mist within him.
He decided to try practicing the Nine Yin Demonic Transformations… and something strange happened.
As he attempted the technique, the chaotic demonic energy within him stirred.
And more importantly, it flowed from his meridians, spreading throughout his body, under the influence of the Nine Yin Demonic Transformations.
He extended his right hand, raised his index finger, and channeled the Nine Yin Demonic Transformations, making his finger sway back and forth.
Under the influence of this bizarre technique, his finger bones seemed to soften, the finger moving like a boneless snake, bending forward to touch his palm, then backwards to touch the back of his hand.
No wonder Su Mei had called it “tricks.”
Normally, “internal energy” was a force, augmenting one’s physical strength, capable of injuring opponents.
But the demonic aura cultivated through the Nine Yin Demonic Primordial Technique wasn’t a force; it couldn’t be used to attack.
However, combined with the Nine Yin Demonic Transformations, it could be used to control his body in various ways.
And these transformations didn’t require much practice. The more demonic aura he cultivated, the more “tricks” he could perform.
Shi Hao jumped up and began experimenting with the simpler tricks described in the Nine Yin Demonic Transformations. He couldn’t yet perform the more complex techniques like bone shrinking or creating illusions.
But he could already use his hands, combined with the illusions described in the Nine Yin Demonic Transformations, to perform seemingly impossible feats.
He practiced diligently, fascinated by the possibilities, until late into the night, then went to bed.
The next morning, he gathered everyone to discuss who would accompany him to Wu Village.
Xu Xiaoyan giggled, “I want to go! That place sounds interesting.”
Du Yuejiao said, “I’m coming too!” She didn’t want Shi Hao to be alone with Xu Xiaoyan.
Hou Bomin, his back hunched, his hands behind him, chuckled, “This old man is also intrigued.”
Xiang Gu, still half-asleep, stumbled over. Shi Hao asked her, “Would you like to come with us?”
Xiang Gu, her hair a mess, nodded groggily. Shi Hao said, “Let’s go then.”
They left the monastery. After walking for a while, Xiang Gu tilted her head, looking confused, “Where are we going?”
Author note:
[Some people claim that Daoist priests, like Buddhist monks, only use their Daoist titles and not their secular names. But in reality, before the Yuan Dynasty, Daoist priests used both. Historically, most famous Daoist priests were known by their surnames: Lü Chunyang, Huang Lingwei, Zhang Sanfeng, and so on. The practice of Buddhist monks using only their Dharma names stems from their renunciation of worldly attachments.]
[Buddhist monks, upon ordination, sever all ties to their past, abandoning their secular names. But Daoism is different. Since the rise of the Lingbao School in the late Han Dynasty, filial piety has been a core tenet of Daoism. Xu Xun even said, ‘If one is not filial to their parents, worshipping deities is useless.’ ‘Those who study the Dao must first be filial to their parents.’ Unfilial people are not worthy of cultivating the Dao, and abandoning one’s surname is considered unfilial. That’s why most famous Daoist priests throughout history retained their surnames, unlike Buddhist monks, who renounce all worldly attachments.]
[It wasn’t until the Song and Jin Dynasties, with the rise of the Quanzhen School, which emulated Buddhism, that Daoism began to resemble Buddhism. Especially during the Yuan Dynasty, after the Quanzhen School’s defeat in the debates with Buddhist monks, Daoist priests began adopting Buddhist practices: celibacy, abstinence from alcohol and meat… The “Quanzhen” (Complete Perfection) School essentially mirrored the Buddhist monastic tradition.]
[The Chongxian Sect in this story is loosely based on the Quanzhen School.]
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