Starting from a peasant family, he mastered the profound art of martial arts.

Chapter 52 Invitation

It was dusk, the north wind was howling, and the sky and earth were vast and desolate.

Gong Ziming entered the courtyard, bowed to Meng Chen, and said, "I am an unlucky man, causing my mother much hardship. If it weren't for your help, I fear she would have made a grave mistake."

"We are brothers, it's too formal to say such things." Meng Chen pulled Gong Ziming aside and invited him into the house.

Qingyu was very virtuous; she lit the red clay stove and warmed the wine. She also brought dried dates, persimmon cakes, walnuts, and a plate of pastries.

After Qingyu left, Meng Chen poured wine for Gong Ziming, and the two drank several cups in a row.

Gong Ziming smiled and said, "I went to see my senior brother, and he said you've always thought of me. Thinking back to the time when we were together, including Qi Yun, it seems that only you have the talent to learn martial arts."

"It's just taking the lead." Meng Chen always felt that Gong Ziming was acting strangely, so he said, "A person may have lofty ambitions, but without good fortune, they cannot achieve them. Brother Gong, you look radiant and charming today, which shows that you have already found your luck."

"I only had a bit of luck," Gong Ziming said with a profound expression.

"What was the reason?" Meng Chen poured him some wine.

Gong Ziming took a sip of his drink, pondered for a moment, and then said, "When I left the martial arts school, Master Du and my senior brother saw me off and said a lot of things. They were both kind and benevolent elders, and I will remember their kindness for the rest of my life. Especially my senior brother, he stayed with me in the tavern all night until I was drunk, and only saw me off in the early morning."

He held the wine bowl, looked outside, and continued, "It was July. I went out of the county town barefoot, looked up at the sky, and saw that the sun was getting hotter and brighter. I thought, even Qi Yun could knock on the gate once, and even Gao Yuan could knock on it twice, so why can't I? The bright sun shines on the whole world, so why doesn't it shine on me?"

Meng Chen poured him more wine.

"I only found out later," Gong Ziming said with a smug smile, "that yin and yang alternate, and the sun and moon revolve. Even if the red sun doesn't shine on me, the bright moon still hangs high in the sky."

Meng Chen poked the stove with a fire poker, thinking to himself, "It's only been a few months since we last met, why does he sound like a demigod?"

"What do you mean?" Meng Chen asked, bewildered.

Gong Ziming stopped talking and instead looked Meng Chen up and down, asking, "I heard from Senior Brother that you encountered some difficulties. Is that true?"

"Indeed." Seeing that he was unwilling to talk about it, Meng Chen offered him another bowl of wine and said, "I have broken through three levels, but I can't break through to the next level no matter what I do. I can't go any further."

"It's nothing major, we have to take it one step at a time." Gong Ziming said, then suddenly chuckled softly, "Xiao Meng, I've come today to ask you for a small favor."

Unable to find a method of cultivation, Meng Chen was so bored at home he was practically growing moss. Upon hearing Gong Ziming's words, he immediately replied, "Brother Gong, please speak. I will certainly not refuse to do anything I can to help!"

"I'm very grateful for your help in taking care of my elderly mother. I consider you a brother, so I'll be frank." Gong Ziming lowered his voice, then looked up at Meng Chen and said, "I need to kill someone, but I'm short-handed. Don't worry, it's not Qi Yun, but another villain."

Night had fallen, and no candles were lit in the room. The red glow of the stove reflected on Gong Ziming's face, making him appear even more enigmatic.

"..." Meng Chen was stunned for a moment, thinking to himself, "Is this what you call helping out with a small favor?"

Meng Chen did indeed engage in murder, but it was all out of necessity. He killed Yan Bao to quell injustice; he killed Gao Yuan to protect his family.

The more he killed, the more Meng Chen realized his own weakness and how ominous swords were. Therefore, he would never pick up a butcher's knife again unless absolutely necessary.

Meng Chen has now reformed and no longer engages in murder and arson. He doesn't even dare to hear about murder!

Seeing that Meng Chen remained silent, Gong Ziming said, "I have lived for eighteen years and have few friends. Only you can help me."

"Brother Gong, if it were anything else, it would be fine. But you know the current situation in Qingshui County. Countless people are watching us, both openly and secretly." Meng Chen pointed outside. "The Yan family is dead—Yan Hu and Yan Bao are gone, and Clerk Gao is dead—Gao Yuan is dead. When you went to see your senior brother, you must have seen it too: daily checks at the city gates, especially targeting martial arts practitioners! The situation is extremely tense!"

Meng Chen never asked him who he wanted to kill.

"I was only asked to do this. If you're unwilling, I won't force you." Gong Ziming sighed, and didn't ask Meng Chen to keep it a secret.

"Brother Gong, killing someone is a dead end, is there really no room for maneuver?" Meng Chen, a murderer, was now advising others to be good people.

"There's no turning back. This matter must be done; it's a mission." Gong Ziming shook his head slightly and added, "Ten days from now, if I don't come looking for you, please come to my house. There's a crow's nest behind my house, where I've saved some silver. Take it yourself, my dear brother, but please visit my mother whenever you have free time."

"So you're already making your final arrangements? Who exactly do you want to kill?" Meng Chen frowned as he listened.

Gong Ziming continued, "There is also a precious pill that may help you break through to the next realm."

"Precious Pill? What is a Precious Pill? Does the Tiger Wolf Pill that Qi Yun took before count?" Meng Chen had heard about Precious Pills before, but he had never seen one. He had never used the medicine he had snatched from Gao Yuan before, but he did not know that Gong Ziming had such a way.

"The Tiger and Wolf Pill can only slightly help one pass through the initial stage; it's just an ordinary medicine. How can it be called a precious elixir?" Gong Ziming lowered his voice and said, "There are precious medicines in the world that can be refined into elixirs."

"What is a precious medicine?" Meng Chen still didn't quite understand.

Gong Ziming pointed outside, where the stars were dim. He said, "When the Dao Ancestor traveled among the stars, he would send down rain and dew. It is said that when the dew falls on earth and settles on grass, trees, soil, and stones, it will become a treasure over time."

Meng Chen felt that listening to Gong Ziming ramble on for just a few minutes was more useful than reading history books and miscellaneous books for half a month.

"What if it falls on a person?" Meng Chen asked.

"That person is protected by the Dao Ancestor and possesses great fortune," Gong Ziming said.

"What kind of person is considered to have great fortune? An emperor?" Meng Chen asked again.

"That's the aura of an emperor. The aura of an emperor is the aura of a kingly and domineering way, and it cannot be compared with the great fortune of a person protected by the Dao Ancestor," Gong Ziming said with a smile.

How come the herb gatherer from yesterday knows so much today?

Upon hearing this, Meng Chen drank a bowl of hot wine, and after a long while, asked, "Brother Gong, have you entered the Profound Realm?"

Gong Ziming was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said, "That's right, I have entered the Xuan realm."

A look of pride crossed his face. "When I left the martial arts school, I thought my poor aptitude was a sign of bad luck. Haha, actually, I belonged to a different world. I practiced martial arts for half a year without success, but after six days of profound study, I entered the Dao!"

That sounds impressive! Meng Chen asked directly, "Brother Gong, who do you want to kill?"

When Gong Ziming saw Meng Chen ask this question, he knew that Meng Chen was tempted. He said, "Brother, you saved my mother, which is a great favor to me. Whether you help me this time or not, that precious pill is yours. When I asked you for help before, I didn't mention the precious pill because I didn't want you to think that I was using it to blackmail you."

"I understand what you mean." Meng Chen smiled and said in a low voice, "However, I don't want this precious pill. Instead, I want to study this profound cultivation method."

"Since you know about Xuanxiu, you should know that Xuanxiu and martial arts cannot be practiced simultaneously." Gong Ziming shook his head.

"I want to give it a try. At least I can see the style of a Xuanxiu cultivator," Meng Chen said firmly.

Upon hearing this, Gong Ziming shook his head again and said, "Mystic cultivation and martial arts are originally from the same root. When you reach the fourth realm, someone will naturally let you witness the splendor of mystic cultivation."

What does this mean? Does that mean Yan Long also knows about Xuanxiu (a type of cultivation practice), and may even know those who practice it?

Meng Chen thought for a moment and said, "Brother Gong, do you perhaps think I can reach the fourth realm? Do you perhaps think I will be stronger than Yan Long in the future?"

Gong Ziming pondered for a long time after hearing this, and finally said, "I cannot make decisions about spreading the doctrine."

He looked up at Meng Chen and said, "Wait for me for three days."

After speaking, Gong Ziming got up and left, and Meng Chen couldn't stop him.

The three-day period was over in the blink of an eye, but Gong Ziming did not come all day.

As night fell, Meng Chen had no desire to sleep, so he practiced the Seventeen Forms of Gale in the courtyard.

Meng Chen made a plan: if he couldn't get on Gong Ziming's side, he would wait until after the New Year to look for another way.

As the third watch approached, the north wind grew stronger, and Meng Chen heard footsteps coming from outside the courtyard.

Looking up, I saw that it was indeed Gong Ziming.

They welcomed Gong Ziming into the room, closed the door to block out the cold wind from outside.

Gong Ziming warmed his hands in front of the stove and said, "It's done."