Xun Liuyi, after all, came from a beggar’s background and was illiterate, with limited vision and insights.
Having acquired his memory, Zhong Shenxiu had thought that a Heavenly List Expert was nothing special.
Now, he suddenly felt as if he had been misled by him.
To break mountains with one punch and cut rivers with one palm, were these still Jianghu Martial Artists?
Even an ordinary Gang Sha Realm cultivator wasn’t this exaggerated.
’This old man, could it be that he has also been misled by hearsay?’ Zhong Shenxiu glanced at the old man and pondered inwardly.
Before truly meeting a Heavenly List Martial Artist, he decided to withhold his opinions for the time being.
With that glance, the older man noticed nothing, yet the girl in red seemed to have seen it, her emotionless eyes flickering over Zhong Shenxiu.
’Is she glaring at me? This must be a glare, right?’
’Girl, watch out or I’ll spank you!’
’Forget it, I won’t stoop to argue with a little girl.’
Zhong Shenxiu closed his eyes, ready to sleep.
However, the old man seemed to be in the mood for a chat, "It’s not for me to comment on the Heavenly List Martial Artists, but the Earth List Masters and Human Ranking Experts are worth mentioning. Today, passing through Little Mountain City, the Shanyao Gang that was stationed there was exterminated by the San ShanSect, what a tragedy..."
Mentioning this, Zhong Shenxiu couldn’t help but open his eyes, feeling that the old man might be doing this on purpose.
Ugh, now that you mention it, I’m not sleepy anymore.
He thought for a moment and then asked, "Why did the San ShanSect want to exterminate the Shanyao Gang? The Shanyao Gang is just a loose alliance established by herb gatherers and doesn’t pose much of a threat to anyone..."
As a minor character, Xun Liuyi only knew that the San ShanSect had attacked, the gang leader and elders were dead, and he needed to flee for his life.
As for the reason behind it, he was completely clueless.
"People of Jianghu, it’s normal to harbor grudges and vie for gains," the old man said while eating his bun, glancing at the man in black, then suddenly smiling, "And whether it’s the San ShanSect or the Shanyao Gang, neither has a person from the Human Ranking; their rise and fall are quite normal..."
’That does make sense...’ Zhong Shenxiu internally criticized, ’Even if the Shanyao Gang’s leader were thirty years younger, he wouldn’t have a place on the Human Ranking!’
While Zhong Shenxiu was internally criticizing, he heard the old man add, "Speaking of the Heavenly List and Earth List, there isn’t much change, updated once a year, and the Heavenly List hasn’t changed for three or four years now. But the Human List, every month there are new Jianghu talents making their debut, challenging established experts, quite a lively scene... Like the Human List’s top, Hidden Dragon Li Qinghe, the eleventh-ranked Goddess Constable Yan Wushuang, and the ninety-ninth-ranked Lonely Goose Saber Gu Qingying!"
When he mentioned the last person, Zhong Shenxiu felt as if the saber-wielding man had cast a glance his way.
"I strongly suspect, you old man, with your pickled radish and spicy heart, how could you be so awful... Can these three even be compared?"
Zhong Shenxiu muttered to himself, curious to see what kind of medicine this old man was selling in his gourd.
"These three, all rising stars in recent years, Li Qinghe holds the top position in the Human Ranking, defeating countless challenging heroes and heroines. He rightfully deserves the name ’Hidden Dragon.’ Yan Wushuang is a divine catcher of the court, having cracked major cases, battled and wiped out the Yin Mountain Twelve Bandits, and razed Black Wind Village. She is a heroine of her era... The only one, Gu Qingying with the Lonely Goose Saber, has a despicable character, for a single manuscript, he even slaughtered his own aunt’s family of seventeen... "
The old man sighed. "Alas... these three rankings of heaven, earth, and men only consider martial arts skills, not distinguishing between good and evil. This rule should indeed be changed..."
Zhong Shenxiu suddenly felt some danger, sensing that the old man was fanning flames.
But the old man was looking at him with a teasing glance, as if something was needed to lighten the mood.
He thought for a moment and, ever one to enjoy a good spectacle without fearing escalation, asked, "What kind of manuscript is it?"
"The one we are speaking of is mighty indeed, young man. You aspire to be on the Heavenly List, but have you ever heard of the Four Great Marvelous Books?" The old man’s face was flushed, spittle flying as he spoke.
"I haven’t heard of them."
The old man almost choked on a bun and quickly guzzled some water before continuing. "Young man, your knowledge isn’t enough... Let me tell you, these Four Great Marvelous Books are the most peerless martial arts in this world. Those grandmasters noted on the Heavenly List are all somewhat related to these books... Among them, the Heavenly Stele, established by the Wu Dynasty Grand Ancestor, is the source of all martial arts in this world! Later, three incredible grandmasters, through serendipity, studied the Heavenly Stele and devoted their lives to write three other marvelous books. If one could pick and cultivate from them... ah, that would indeed offer boundless prospects."
"So, it wasn’t the Heavenly Mechanism Elder, but the Yellow Faction in Jianghu?"
Zhong Shenxiu rolled his eyes internally and looked at the expressionless red-dressed girl and the swordsman, noticing they still weren’t speaking and feeling compelled to continue the conversation himself. "Was Gu Qingying stealing one of these Four Great Marvelous Books?"
"How could that be possible? If that were the case, the entire Jianghu would have been stirred up."
The old man shook his head. "However, over the past thousand years, many martial artists of Jianghu who have seen the Four Great Marvelous Books have created various unique martial arts, thus forming a unique skills ranking. Of course, the Four Great Marvelous Books are undoubtedly at the top of the list. There are also some fierce and strange arts, considered the first class under the Four Great Marvelous Books, such as the Heavenly List Expert, Undying Evil Emperor. His ’Nine Lives Evil Technique,’ deduced from one of the Great Marvelous Books ’The Secret of the Heavenly Silkworm,’ allows him to recover swiftly from any heavy injury. The closer to death, the more his potential is stimulated, greatly advancing his power. Even when he was once surrounded and attacked by the saint monks of the Stone Buddha Temple and was said to have had his heart meridian severed by a palm strike — by common sense, undoubtedly fatal, not even an immortal could save him — he reemerged in Jianghu three years later and fought the saint monk to a draw over three hundred rounds..."
"Cough cough, we’ve strayed a bit..." The elder said, "That aunt of Gu Qingying, married into the Lingnan Wang Family. An ancestor of the Wang Family had the chance to study one of the other Four Great Marvelous Books, ’The Chart of the Extraordinary,’ and left behind a martial arts technique. Although it could not be compared with the aforementioned techniques, it could easily rank high in the Human Ranking and even ensure a strong place in the Earth Ranking list. The Wang Family always kept it deeply hidden, yet Gu Qingying got wind of it... leading to the massacre that followed!"
"The hearsay in Jianghu may not be credible." At that moment, the always silent swordsman finally spoke, his voice hoarse and dry, his face showing intense exhaustion.
"But the old man believes there’s no smoke without fire... The slaughter of the Wang Family by Gu Qingying in broad daylight was witnessed by many," the old man shook his head.
"What do you know? What the eyes see and the ears hear may not be the truth."
The swordsman, previously expressionless, suddenly displayed a change, showing extreme fear.
’Alright, if this guy isn’t the Lonely Goose Saber, my name should be written backwards...’
Zhong Shenxiu was lost for words. "Is this old man here specifically to capture him? Is this like waiting for a rabbit to hit a tree? What does that make me? A fish suffering in a pond where a log has burst into flames?"