Scripture of Days Past

Inside the Ba Manor Daoist Temple, Zhang Fengyun slammed her fist down on the table, her face contorted with rage.

”These Tribulation Religion bastards have gone too far!”

”Right now, the Tribulation Religion is calling on all its followers to attack our Daoist temples,” the Daoist attendant standing before her said with a sigh. ”In fact, the abbot of the All Passage Manor Daoist Temple was even attacked by the Ignorance Demon. All the Daoist temples across Shu Province are focused on protecting themselves, so none of them have any reinforcements to spare for us.”

Zhang Fengyun nodded in response.

Even though the Heavenly Master Religion was the dominant religion in the Great Han Empire, that didn’t necessarily mean it was the dominant force in every region of the empire.

In Shu Province, the Tribulation Religion reigned supreme, and there were also many powerful fiends to contend with. Meanwhile, the Heavenly Master Religion didn’t have a single Dao Comprehension-state cultivator in the entire province.

With the Tribulation Religion lashing out at all the Daoist temples across Shu Province, it made sense that the other abbots would be unwilling to send reinforcements to the Ba Manor Daoist Temple at the cost of leaving their own temples vulnerable.

In contrast, the Tribulation Religion didn’t have bases like Daoist temples, which gave its followers much more flexibility. Its only permanent establishment was its headquarters on Nine Saints Mountain, but that was under the protection of Li Yaofeng, a Dao Comprehension-state cultivator.

”What about Senior Uncle Fu Haotian?” Zhang Fengyun asked.

”We haven’t been able to contact him,” the Daoist attendant replied with a glum expression. ”He went to Crimson City Mountain to see the snow a while back, and he still hasn’t returned.”

Fu Haotian was the grand abbot of Shu Province, and upon hearing that he was missing, Zhang Fengyun fell into deep thought.

”Senior Uncle Fu may seem lackadaisical and indifferent to his duties, but in reality, he’s constantly keeping a close eye on the state of Shu Province. The fact that he’s missing now may be a ploy intentionally designed to confound the Tribulation Religion,” Zhang Fengyun speculated. ”Perhaps he’s also arrived in the Ba Manor in secret. Go to the local Demon Vanquishing Department, and, if possible, bring Hundred-Man Commander Chu here to see me.”

”Why?” the Daoist attendant asked. ”I heard that the new hundred-man commander only left Jade Face Mountain this year and is only a fourth-state martial artist. How could he possibly help us?”

”He won’t be of much help on his own, but he represents the Demon Vanquishing Department,” Zhang Fengyun explained. ”I’m sure the Demon Vanquishing Department has also been itching to strike at the Tribulation Religion, and this is a great opportunity for them.”

***

At Earth Gate Fort’s training ground, Chu Qiguang was instructing Chen Gang and Lei Yushu in practical combat.

The Ba Manor was about to be plunged into turmoil, and Chu Qiguang couldn’t protect them at all times, so he wanted them to be capable of defending themselves.

”When it comes to practical combat, sneak attacks are king, and flexing is key.”

”What’s flexing?” Lei Yushu asked.

Chu Qiguang was momentarily stumped by the question before explaining, ”It’s like... asserting your authority and showing off. By flexing, you can pressure others and force them to do your bidding.”

To demonstrate his point, Chu Qiguang stomped his foot on the ground, shattering the earth beneath it.

”You see? Everything I say sounds much more authoritative now, doesn’t? That’s the beauty of flexing.”

Lei Yushu and Chen Gang both nodded earnestly.

”When it comes to battle, there are only two outcomes you should strive for,” Chu Qiguang continued. ”Either you kill your opponent, or you force them into submission. The most effective way to kill is through a sneak attack, while the best way to force someone into submission is by flexing. Hence, sneak attacks and flexing are two techniques that stand at the very pinnacle of martial arts. Make sure you remember this well.”

Lei Yushu nodded thoughtfully in response, while Chen Gang was less receptive. He couldn’t help but feel that there was something wrong with Chu Qiguang’s assertion.

”For today, I’m going to teach you the way of the sneak attack,” Chu Qiguang continued. ”It’s a great way to take down an opponent stronger than you or defeat an opponent without sustaining any injuries. Remember this: if you can catch someone off guard and strike them from behind, never attack them from the front.

”Honor and pride are for the gullible and the naive. Deception and trickery will always be superior. If you have a weapon, use it, regardless of whether your opponent is unarmed. If you can kill your opponent, don’t spare them. Use whatever means necessary to defeat your opponent. The more underhanded, the better.”

Chu Qiguang tossed Chen Gang and Lei Yushu a bag of lime powder each.

”This stuff is very effective against martial artists at or below the third state. If you encounter opponents stronger than that, dust explosions will be more effective.”

Lei Yushu and Chen Gang were both staring at him with puzzled expressions, so Chu Qiguang explained how dust explosions worked before concluding, ”The problem with dust explosions is that they’re very difficult to set up. Hence, if you have the opportunity, it’s much better to gather more information about your enemies and feed them the elixir of undying. That way, you won’t even have to fight them or risk exposing yourself, and you can also pin the blame on the Immortal Dao.”

”How come I haven’t seen you use any of these methods in such a long time, Brother Chu?” Chen Gang asked.

”That’s because I haven’t encountered any opponents strong enough to warrant them,” Chu Qiguang replied. ”However, now that the Heavenly Master Religion and the Tribulation Religion are about to clash in the Ba Manor, perhaps I’ll have a chance to resort to some of these tricks.”

Lei Yushu had never felt more enlightened.

So this is the essence of martial arts? Master’s lessons are always so concise and easy to understand! Sneak attacks and flexing. Those are the secrets of martial arts!

After imparting his wisdom to Chen Gang and Lei Yushu, Chu Qiguang was approached by Zhang Jitian, who was carrying around a dozen Buddhist scriptures.

Chen Gang had been recovering from his injuries over the past few days, so the task of collecting Buddhist scripture had fallen to Zhang Jitian.

After delivering the Buddhist scriptures, Zhang Jitian reported, ”There are people from the Shu Provincial Thousand-Man Commander Office here to see you.”

Zhang Jitian led Chu Qiguang into Earth Gate Fort’s main hall, where four people were waiting.

One of them, a young man, was the first to speak.

”Chu Qiguang, we’ll be temporarily taking over your hundred-man commander office, and you are to cooperate with us.”