Chapter 1345: Chapter 59: Revealing Strange Skill by Disembowelment and Heart Extraction (Part 2)
Zhang Yan was not surprised at all. He smiled, nodded, and said, "Daoist Song’s nature is pure and kind. Since you are willing to enter my sect, this poor Daoist could not have wished for more."
When Song Chuyuan heard this, he only felt his heart grow light, as if the shackles of many days had fallen away. He gave another Zheng Zhong bow, went back and sat down, then raised his wine cup in a toast and tilted back his neck to drain it.
Zhang Yan smiled as well, picked up his own cup, took a sip, and had just set it down when he heard whispering from the neighboring seats. His expression moved; he sent his cultivation to his ears and heard someone say, "According to the rites of the Chu Kingdom, there are roaming banquets and there are assembly banquets; roaming banquets are for making friends, assembly banquets for bestowing treasures. This time the Zhongtai Sect Leader has set an assembly banquet rather than a roaming one—enough to show there is a hidden intent of testing and assaying."
Another person took over, saying, "After the last two Dragon Pillars, more than half the elders of the Zhongtai Sect were killed or wounded. At that time there were already rumors that Sect Leader Qiao would invite people from outside the sect to serve as elders. If the rumors are not false, later at the banquet my senior and junior brothers must properly show our hand."
The first man shushed him, lowered his voice, and said, "This is the Zhongtai territory. Who knows how many high personages are watching us from the side. You and I know that matter in our hearts and that is enough. Do not bring it up again with your mouth, lest we offend others for no reason and not even know it."
The other man understood at once and hurriedly said, "Yes, yes, it was this little brother’s negligence."
After that, the two began speaking only of daily trifles. Zhang Yan shook his head with a smile and lost interest in listening.
After about an hour, the guests in the hall had more or less all arrived. Just then a bell sounded. First, a painted barge came out, and over a hundred singing girls fluttered forth. Wherever they passed, a myriad colored petals rained down from the sky. Then they saw a streak of Cloud Light hang down from the heavens; its source was not visible, as if it had flown here from beyond the sky. At another chime of the sounding stone, the radiance dispersed, and a black‑haired Daoist emerged from within, Ruyi in hand.
The Zhongtai Disciples and elders below, upon seeing him, all bent at the waist in a bow and called out, "We greet the Sect Leader."
Those seated, to show courtesy, also rose in turn from their seats to salute.
The Zhongtai Sect Leader Qiao had long, narrow phoenix eyes, a high nose and vermilion lips, a beard that hung to his belly, an imposing countenance. On his head was a crown of ten thousand clustered purple stars; he wore a robe embroidered with rivers and mountains. Above him floated three clumps of Gang Cloud; Spirit Light pulsed and flowed, with a sign of merging into One Origin. He laughed in a resonant voice and said with full ceremony, "Qiao has come late and has troubled all fellow Daoists to wait so long."
The guests below all replied that they would not dare. Sect Leader Qiao glanced once at a Ritual Officer before the steps. The latter stepped out and was just about to speak when, at that very moment, someone below suddenly said, "Sect Leader Qiao, this Old Daoist heard that you were recruiting strange people and would not inquire into background or origin, and so came here to seek refuge. Yet you have arranged for my junior brother and me to sit in the lower hall—this Old Daoist is not convinced in his heart."
Zhang Yan turned his gaze over and saw that the speaker was a white‑haired, child‑faced Old Daoist, none other than Song Chuyuan’s fellow disciple, Yang Fengxiao.
Sect Leader Qiao’s self‑restraint was excellent; no displeasure showed. He looked down at him, smiled, and said, "This is not Qiao’s discourtesy. All those seated here are either deep in cultivation or famed in a region. I do not yet know what abilities fellow Daoist possesses?"
Yang Fengxiao turned around and looked at those seated around him, then said in a loud voice, "This Old Daoist’s Strange Skill, once set in motion, will injure people. It is not proper to display such things at a drinking banquet. However, there is one art of ’beheading, gut‑splitting, bowel‑washing, and heart‑gouging’ that I can show."
At once an uproar broke out below. A Cultivator’s body must not be damaged in the least; if there is any defect, let alone attaining the Great Dao, even their cultivation will be harmed. Not to mention beheading and heart‑gouging—even those Power Dao Cultivators, if their cultivation of the body is not sufficiently profound, once their body is severed they will likewise die. As for those Six Yang Leaders, once their heads are chopped off, it has never been heard that they could still survive.
Sect Leader Qiao was intrigued instead, and said, "Fellow Daoist is not jesting?"
Yang Fengxiao laughed with self‑assurance and said, "Sect Leader Qiao, this Old Daoist is no madman who has lost his mind. I would never dare make sport of such matters."
Song Chuyuan wore a face full of doubt. He had never heard that there was such a Strange Skill in their sect, nor was there any record of it in the secret‑cavern collections. He thought to himself, "Could it be that in these hundred‑odd years we have not met, he has mastered some secret technique?"
Zhang Yan’s gaze flickered. The "Void Primordial Life Qi," one of the Twelve Divine Abilities of the Mingcang Sect, could indeed accomplish such a thing. He wondered whether this man also possessed such Divine Skills.
Sect Leader Qiao swept his eyes left and right, then nodded to him and said, "Then I must ask fellow Daoist to give it a try. If you truly possess such an ability, to offer you a seat among the highest—what would be impossible about that?"
Yang Fengxiao’s eyes shone. He immediately loosened the silk at his waist, then opened his robe, baring the flesh of his chest and abdomen. He felt his own neck, patted his belly, and shouted, "Which one of you will come forward to strike?"
Song Chuyuan clenched his fist, about to step out and give it a try, but before he could rise he heard someone on the steps say, "May this seat be permitted?"
Yang Fengxiao looked over and saw a man with thick lips and heavy brows, dense whiskers, a body of extraordinary bulk, exuding fierce might. He laughed loudly and said, "So it is Elder Xiang. I have heard that before Elder entered Enlightenment you were a valiant general of the Chu Kingdom, whose courage crowned the three armies. With Your Excellency wielding the blade, I imagine it will be ruthless and spicy enough, and nothing could be more satisfying."
Elder Kong said little. He reached out with a grasp and drew from his sleeve a broad‑backed saber, then stepped down from the stairs. In two or three strides he came to stand before Yang Fengxiao, and without another word, his hand rose and the blade fell. With a wet thud, the head was already chopped off and had rolled to the ground.
At this moment everyone had widened their eyes to watch. Seeing this scene, all of them felt a chill at the back of their necks. Yet the strange thing was that though the head was gone, the body did not fall, nor was there any fresh blood spurting from the severed neck. Just then a burst of laughter came from somewhere in the hall. Everyone turned toward the sound and could not help but be aghast—for it had come from Yang Fengxiao’s severed head.
The head’s face had originally been turned toward the floor; now it rolled over with a spin, flipped upright, and said in a loud voice, "Everyone, this Old Daoist will temporarily lodge my head here. No need to hurry to put it back on. Elder Kong, trouble yourself to cut open my belly."
Up above, Sect Leader Qiao laughed and said, "There is no need. Just this Strange Skill of fellow Daoist has already opened our eyes. Attendants, lead him to the Upper Hall and grant him a seat."
Elder Kong was close enough to see clearly that this was by no means some Illusion Technique, but a true beheading. He could not help but click his tongue in wonder.
Yang Fengxiao shouted, "Sect Leader Qiao, this Old Daoist will come up at once. I fear there may be fellow Daoists who remain unconvinced—better allow me to finish displaying my means."
As he spoke, the headless body gave a shudder and somehow produced a knife from somewhere, with which it slashed fiercely across its own abdomen. Then it thrust its hand inside and rummaged about for a while, pulled out its own hot, beating heart, raised it high in one hand to show it around to everyone, then stuffed it back in, wiped a hand across the wound, and the gash had already vanished without a trace. The headless body left its seat, staggered forward a couple of steps, bent down to grab the head, set it back onto the neck, first straightened it, then pinched with both hands. The severed mark disappeared; he twisted his neck, and it seemed as if nothing at all had happened.
He cast a glance over those seated, his eyes full of smugness. With a sweep of his sleeve he strode proudly toward the Upper Hall. When he reached the table before Sect Leader Qiao, he cupped his hands in salute and then sat down.
...
...(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please read at m.qidian.com.)
