Chapter 300: Chapter 299: Little Martial Uncle
The true identity of Mr. Wuling is actually Liu Yingying, the top courtesan from Great Cold State ten years ago.
Speaking of Liu Yingying, few in the Great Cold State, from officials to peddlers, have not heard of her.
Stories of her not only describe her as breathtakingly beautiful, but also a master of music, dance and literature, with skills in the art of chess and painting. Her reputation among the people is perhaps even bigger than the masters on the Wind Leaf List.
The most well-known story is of a high official’s son who fell madly in love after seeing her only once. Despite her lack of agreement, he persistently pursued her with numerous tactics and precipitated a great conflict involving higher officials and powers from the martial world.
In the end, the high official’s son vanished, and the high official lost his official hat.
Since then, no one dared to target Liu Yingying.
A decade passed, and the once top courtesan slowly faded from people’s sight. From the secret information given by the Anti-Demon Alliance, she seems to reside in a place known as the Red Jade Temple, leading a pious life.
"The Red Jade Temple?"
Given Liu Yingying’s connection to the man suspected to be his father, Shi Xiaole had no choice. That day, he bought a carriage, hired a driver and immediately set off for the Red Jade Temple.
...
The Red Jade Temple is situated in the outskirts of Sunny City. It is not large, its dwellings are ancient, yet it’s bustling with worshippers each day.
One day, a remarkable young man in cyan robe arrived. He burned a stick of incense and began to wander around, observing the environment and the nuns.
"Young donor, is there anything you need?"
A nun in her forties approached Shi Xiaole with a warm smile.
The Red Jade Temple housed dozens of nuns, many of whom were young and pretty. It was not uncommon to see well-dressed young men with unconventional tastes causing a stir here.
Shi Xiaole replied, "I went the wrong way, Reverend."
The nun laughed, clearly not believing him, yet she said, "Please follow me, young donor," and led the way. Shi Xiaole reluctantly followed her.
In the following days, nuns often saw a young man pretending to get lost while wandering around the deeper parts of the courtyard, only to ask him to leave.
A few younger nuns giggled and pointed at him, gossiping amongst themselves.
"The waters of the Red Jade Temple are truly deep."
What the nuns didn’t know was that even though he was asked to leave each time, Shi Xiaole had secretly gathered a significant amount of information on the Red Jade Temple.
Red Jade Temple is no ordinary monastery.
Not only because Liu Yingying is possibly here, but also because many of the nuns are unexpectedly skilled, reaching the Spiritual-Passage Realm and Xuanqi Realm.
Ordinary martial artists, if they do not take action, cannot gauge the depth of the opponent’s ability. Yet, Shi Xiaole is different.
It is well known that the principle of Stone Touching Skill is to use irregular fluctuations to detect the energy of the Mystic Crystal Stone. The energy of the Mystic Crystal Stone can transform into a martial artist’s internal power, representing a certain relationship.
After absorbing the spiritual energy accumulated over hundreds of years from the brain marrow in the Ghost Fortress, Shi Xiaole’s spiritual power has become incredibly powerful, leading him to explore another use of the Stone Touching Qi Cyclone.
By sensing fluctuations in another’s Qi energy, he can determine their strength!
This is a capability that master martial artists would typically admire.
One of the biggest fears of living in the martial world is stumbling upon an unyielding opponent. Yet, with this capability, one has a clear understanding of their opponent’s strength and is unlikely to make mistakes. Many traps can even be avoided ahead of time.
As for whether it will deplete his heart’s spirit, Shi Xiaole has already experimented. As long as he doesn’t use it too frequently, there will be no issues.
Given the large number of skilled individuals within Red Jade Temple, Shi Xiaole could not possibly break in recklessly. But he was not anxious. If Liu Yingying really is there, he is confident that she would act out.
For these few days, he was not just there for inquiry.
As expected.
Half a month later.
"Young donor, you seem very interested in our Red Jade Temple. If you have free time, you’re welcome to come and sit in the backyard," the nun who previously blocked Shi Xiaole approached him with a smile, a hint of curiosity in her eyes.
What is the background of this boy that warrants the attention of our temple master?
"Thank you, Reverend."
Following the nun, Shi Xiaole entered a three-compartment yard and proceeded into the main meditation room. A scent of musk permeated the room, accompanied by the rhythmic sound of a wooden fish being struck.
The nun had already left.
Shi Xiaole stood still, casually observing the copied scriptures on the wall.
At some point, the sound of the wooden fish stopped abruptly and the curtains were drawn back. Suddenly, Shi Xiaole’s eyes lit up.
A beauty with the grace of a cloud and the charm of a flower.
This woman was a haired Taoist nun, wearing a dull blue Taoist robe. Her stunning beauty and ethereal presence were not at all diminished by her simple attire, instead giving her an otherworldly aura.
Upon seeing Shi Xiaole, the nun’s eyes flit with a hint of profound astonishment.
"I did not expect the temple master to be so young."
Shi Xiaole was a bit disappointed, yet also amazed.
His disappointment lay in the fact that this woman was not Liu Yingying. He had seen portraits of Liu Yingying, and they were distinctly different.
His amazement came from the woman’s powerful hidden Qi, even surpassing Sun Zhongwei, the Wind and Thunder Sword Marquis. She was undoubtedly a high caliber martial artist on the Wind Leaf List.
No wonder there are people who knew of Liu Yingying’s whereabouts but no news of trouble. Who would dare to cause a mess with someone of her caliber?
"Young donor, you’ve been wandering around the temple these past few days. Is there something important you are seeking?"
Under the direction of the Taoist nun with hair, the two of them sat on the tatami of the couch, separated by a low table.
"I am looking for an old friend."
The Taoist nun with hair looked as usual and asked, "What kind of old friend, and how is he related to you, young benefactor?"
"Hasn’t the abbess already guessed it?"
Several days ago, Shi Xiaole did not wander around aimlessly. His intention was to let more nuns see him clearly, and then report to Liu Yingying. He believed that as long as the other party saw his face, they would definitely come to him.
That drawing, whether it was the strokes or the poem depicted in it, was imbued with deep nostalgia. Liu Yingying definitely did not have any intention to hurt him.
The Taoist nun with hair looked serious and said, "What evidence do you have? Some people might look alike naturally."
Shi Xiaole took out the fragmentary bracelet with blood. In front of the shocked expression of the Taoist nun with hair, he cut his finger, and the blood that dripped immediately resonated with the blood in the bracelet and vibrated at the same time.
"Ah..."
The Taoist nun with hair immediately stood up, staring at Shi Xiaole dully, completely devoid of the demeanor of a martial arts expert: "You, are you really... Martial Uncle?"
She had heard from her master about the bloody bracelet, a trinket belonging to the abbess’ purported adoptive mother. Anyone who has cultivated the abbess’ internal power, when they sense the blood drop in the bracelet, would have a response. One can’t fake it.
And to be capable of resonating with the blood drop in the bracelet surely meant that the person is a close relative. There was no need to say more about Shi Xiaole’s identity, right?
"Martial Uncle?"
Now it was Shi Xiaole’s turn to be surprised. What was happening?
"Disciple Jing Xincheng, pays respects to Martial Uncle."
Before Shi Xiaole could respond, the Taoist nun with hair respectfully performed a greeting, only then did she slowly sit down.
At the same time, a wave of innate Vigorous Air unique to experts from the Spiritual-Passage Realm spread out, instantly sealing off the Zen room to avoid being overheard.
"Not to conceal from Martial Uncle, my master is exactly Liu Yingying. In the past, she received meticulous instruction from Martial Uncle’s father, also known as our ancestral master."
Shi Xiaole was stunned.
If he remembered correctly, Jing Xincheng is the Glazed Fairy, who ranks twelfth in the Wind and Dust List. Being able to train such characters can only prove one point, Liu Yingying is not just an ordinary courtesan.
My father, Shi Xuanzhong, is Liu Yingying’s master?
"In the Martial World of Great Cold State, no one knows about my master’s true strength. They all thought she was just an ordinary woman. Ten years ago, master made an excuse to come to Red Jade Temple, but the knowledgeable people in the martial arts circle thought that I was protecting her."
Jing Xincheng sneered.
"Why did Master Liu come here? And, where is she? Does she know the whereabouts of my parents?"
Shi Xiaole asked.
Jing Xincheng deliberated for a while before saying, "The year when the ancestral master couple left, my master missed them greatly, so she decided to come here to cultivate quietly. However, eight years ago, she also left, saying she was going to find the ancestral master couple. I am not sure where she is now."
So according to this, he travelled all the way here for nothing?
Jing Xincheng carefully eyed Shi Xiaole.
If it were not for the portrait of the ancestral master she had seen before, she would have missed this Martial Uncle. Ah, if only the master had not left yet, she would be overjoyed to see him.
"So, didn’t Master Liu reveal anything about my parents?"
Shi Xiaole asked persistently.
The expression on Jing Xincheng’s face became very peculiar. After a while, she said, "The master once told me that the ancestral master couple never wanted to reveal their background. Even when they imparted a part of their internal power to the master, they explicitly stated that it should not be used easily, to avoid being recognized and invite disaster. These years, I’ve also never dared to fully exhibit what I learned in public."
"What does this mean, could they be hiding from something?"
"I do not know."
Quietness reclaimed the Zen room once more.
Shi Xiaole’s heart was anything but quiet.
He suddenly remembered that Su Yanru had also said the same thing in the past, that Mr. and Mrs. Shi Xuanzhong refused to reveal anything about them.
Even the words from the inhabitants of Peach Forest Town were strange. They claimed that he did not look like Shi Xuanzhong at all. Then how to explain the portrait by Liu Yingying?
Connecting everything before and after, it was not hard to imagine that Mr. and Mrs. Shi Xuanzhong, definitely hides a great secret!
"Martial Uncle, let me take you to see the cultivation grounds where master secluded herself."
Jing Xincheng suddenly suggested.
"Okay."
Liu Yingying’s cultivation place was located within the wall of the Zen room. Jing Xincheng triggered the candlestick and took Shi Xiaole into the separated passage. After a while, they entered the stone room for seclusion.
The stone room was minimally decorated, but the line of characters on the wall caught Shi Xiaole’s attention.
A pillar peak in Cloud Mountain, another world above the tower.
"What does this mean?"
"I heard from the master saying that the ancestral master would always chant this line. So, she memorized it."
After some observation, there was no other gain.
When the two returned to the Zen room, it was gradually getting dark. Shi Xiaole naturally stayed to have dinner at Red Jade Temple.
To his surprise, at night, Jing Xincheng suddenly walked into his room and handed him a secret martial arts manual.
"This is the martial arts technique passed down from the ancestral master. Please look over it, Martial Uncle."
