Behind the Taoist were many people dressed differently, some were Taoists and some were Confucianists, and they seemed to be from different sects.
The Taoist looked around and sneered, "I am your senior brother after all. Are you pointing your sword at me like this?"
One of the young Taoists scolded, "Ko Deqiu, since you were determined to leave Floating Cloud Temple, why are you coming back now?"
But Kou Deqiu shouted, "Is this how you talk to Senior Brother?" His figure flashed.
The young Taoist felt a flash before his eyes, and then he was slapped hard in the face. He staggered, blood oozing from his mouth. The others also retreated in panic.
Shi Hao and Xu Xiaoyan looked at each other. This Kou Deqiu obviously had a seventh-grade foundation, while the person being beaten was at most a ninth-grade, and was relatively weak among the ninth-grade. The difference in strength was obvious at a glance.
As for the other Taoists in the temple, even if some of them were strong, none of them could reach the ninth rank. They could only support the beaten ones and look at Kou Deqiu, angry but not daring to say a word.
Someone from the inner courtyard stepped out hastily and asked, "Big Brother, what are you going to do?"
The one who was driven out was the temple master Chen Chenyun.
Kou Deqiu sneered and said, "Junior Brother Chenyun, long time no see! I heard that after my father passed away, you took it upon yourself to become the abbot and seized the foundation of Fuyun Temple. Did you become the abbot?"
Chen Chenyun frowned and said, "Before Master passed away, he appointed me as the new abbot. Several of my fellow disciples were present at the time and can testify to this."
One of them said, "Yes, we were all there at the time. We can all testify that Master handed over Fuyun Temple to Senior Brother Chenyun."
Kou Deqiu snorted, "Who knows if you are in cahoots with each other? Tell me, my father appointed him as the new abbot. Has this been reported to the government? Has it been reported to Chongxian Sect?"
Chen Chenyun frowned: "This is our internal affairs of Fuyun Temple..."
Kou Deqiu asked, "In other words, there is nothing but you guys talking to yourselves? Then I have to suspect that you guys are colluding with each other to murder my father and seize the opportunity to seize Fuyun Temple."
—The famous Taoist couldn't help but yelled, "Big Brother, please stop spitting blood at me."
However, a short and fat Taoist stepped out calmly from behind Kou Deqiu. "Your suspicion is not without reason. If nothing was reported, it means that it was a private transaction. If you are in collusion with each other, it is not impossible."
Chen Chenyun and the others looked at him. The short and fat Taoist stroked his short beard and smiled, "I am Tan Danzi from Chongxian Sect!"
Chen Chenyun and the others all turned pale. With Chongxianmen supporting Kou Deqiu, the situation on their side would be very unfavorable.
Tan Danzi turned around and introduced: "This is Mr. Tang Zhijing from Shengru Academy, this is Taoist Qinghong from Zhenwu Sect, and this is Mr. Mu from Fumotan..." All of them were well-known figures in Daxing City.
Tan Danzi said: "We came here to help Junior Brother Deqiu seek justice. No matter what, Fuyun Temple is also a part of Taoism and an ancient sect in Daxing City. Although it has declined a lot now, it will not tolerate evildoers.
"Junior Brother Deqiu is the eldest senior brother of Fuyun Temple, and he is also the son of your old master. Now that the old master has passed away, you should invite him back no matter what, and then discuss the next succession..."
Someone couldn't help but say, "It was he who ignored the old abbot's objections and insisted on joining the Six Gates, making the old abbot so angry that he vomited blood..."
Tan Danzi sneered: "What's wrong with joining the Six Gates? That means serving the country and the court. If this is wrong, then are you, the Floating Cloud Temple, going to rebel against the court?"
The man shrank back. Although he was angry, he swallowed his anger and dared not say anything.
Tan Danzi scolded, "My nephew Deqiu is working hard outside to serve the court, and that is also to build a reputation for Fuyun Temple. A hundred years ago, Fuyun Temple was also a big sect in Daxing City, but now it has gradually declined to a small martial arts school because there are too many useless people like you who stick to the rules and have no ambition to make progress."
"What's worse, you took advantage of him being away and secretly conspired to seize the position of the abbot..."
Chen Chenyun suddenly said, "Master, please don't talk nonsense. Many people in the temple can testify to the fact that Master passed on his position before his death. Chongxian Sect is the orthodox sect of Taoism. Master, you slandered and framed people in public. Is this what Chongxian Sect does?"
Tan Danzi snorted and said nothing. Next to him, Tang Zhijing from Shengru Academy slowly walked up with his hands behind his back: "Brother Tan Dan is also concerned about the inheritance and future development of Fuyun Temple. Your old master did not pass on his skills to his eldest disciple, but passed them on to his junior brother. This is too unreasonable."
"We all came together for justice and fairness in the martial arts world!"
As he spoke, he took advantage of his age and knocked on the ground with his cane, making it clang.
But a young girl's voice rang out: "You are talking about justice and fairness, but a group of people came to your door and started to spit blood at you. You said so much, isn't it just bullying?"
As the young girl took the lead in speaking out everyone's thoughts, all the disciples in the temple couldn't help but shout, "That's right!" "It's clearly bullying, but it sounds good." "What fairness and justice? Isn't the whole martial arts world made of smoke and dust by these people?"
Tang Zhijing didn't expect that someone would dare to take the lead in contradicting him. He was secretly angry and looked around, trying to find the girl who took the lead in speaking.
However, the voice was vague and unpredictable, and it seemed to be sometimes in the east and sometimes in the west when speaking. He could not determine the other party's exact location.
Everyone in the temple was already filled with righteous indignation, and when someone spoke up, they couldn't help but join in the shouting.
But then Kou Deqiu shouted, "Shut up!" He suppressed the voices of his fellow disciples in the temple and took a step forward.
He sneered and said, "I am the eldest disciple of Fuyun Temple, and that is the fact. Fuyun Temple was originally one of the righteous schools in the martial arts world. The weaker it is, the more it should be led by capable people to make Fuyun Temple rise to a higher level in the martial arts world, instead of accepting some children and teaching some useless tricks like now, and turning the righteous school into a low-level martial arts school."
At this point, he snorted again, looked around, and said contemptuously: "But I am not an unreasonable person. We are all brothers and sisters, and I can give you a chance..."
Chapter 81 Is it still too late
Chen Chenyun said in a deep voice: "What do you want to do?"
Kou Deqiu laughed loudly: "Fuyun Temple is a martial arts sect, so it should follow the practices of a martial arts sect. Let's have a fair fight. Among all the fellow disciples, if anyone can defeat me, the eldest brother, by even a single move, I will leave and never compete for the position of the temple master again."
Chen Chenyun and others were silent for a while.
Tan Danzi said loudly: "That's right! Since we are all in the martial arts world, a contest of skills is the most fair method. If no one can defeat Junior Brother De Deqiu, then he should lead Fuyun Temple. In this way, fellow martial artists will have nothing to say."
Kou Deqiu looked at Chen Chenyun and sneered, "Junior Brother Chenyun, are you afraid?"
Chen Chenyun gritted his teeth, took a step forward, and said, "Okay! In that case, I'll do it..."
The young girl's voice rang out again from the outside of the crowd: "Even if it's a martial arts competition, it's not fair to compete like this. Senior Brother Chen Yunzi has been busy with the affairs of the temple these days, and he didn't rest all day today.
"You've rested enough, but you suddenly come to the mountain gate to take advantage of your hard work. This is really despicable and shameless!"
The other disciples in the temple started to make a noise. Kou Deqiu shouted, "Where did you come from, you little bastard? Come out!"
I looked around, but because I couldn't tell where the sound came from, I couldn't find the person.
Seeing all the junior brothers speaking out, Kou Deqiu snorted, "In that case, let you rest for a night. I will come again tomorrow morning to see what Chen Yun and the junior brothers are capable of."
Tang Zhijing stepped forward and said with a smile: "We will also come and preside over justice. However, since this is a competition for the position of the master of Fuyun Temple, the competition should be the Star-Picking Sword Technique that has been passed down for a long time in Fuyun Temple. In this case, we should set rules. First, no victory is achieved by numbers, and second, no martial arts other than the Star-Picking Sword Technique can be used. This is reasonable."
The voice of the girl who spoke was vague and elusive, and she must be more than an eighth or ninth rank cultivator. He didn't know who the girl was, but he thought she was not from Floating Cloud Temple, so he added restrictions in advance.
At the same time, this was also considered that in order to protect Fuyun Temple, Chen Chenyun might seek help from others, turning this dispute over the master of the temple into a fight that would only get bigger and bigger. Therefore, the conditions of "fighting alone" and "only using the Star-Picking Sword Technique" were set.
Kou Deqiu laughed and said, "In that case, tomorrow morning, I will come to test Junior Brother Chenyun's martial arts again to see if Junior Brother has made any progress over the years."
He turned around and walked out with laughter. Tan Danzi, Tang Zhijing and others also left with laughter.
After these people left, the Fuyun audience gathered together, all of them were angry. Someone shouted: "These people are really bullying us too much." Someone else said: "What do you mean by justice in the martial arts world? These guys are all scum in the martial arts world."
Someone else asked worriedly, "Brother Chenyun, are you really going to compete with Kou Deqiu tomorrow?"
On the other side, Shi Hao looked at Xu Xiaoyan next to him and said with a smile: "You really are a hidden talent!"
Xu Xiaoyan asked: "Is there? Is there?"
The entire Fuyun Temple was in a depressed atmosphere. Chen Chenyun asked everyone to calm down first, and he would think of a solution.
Shi Hao and Xu Xiaoyan looked at each other. They turned around and saw that the atmosphere of the entire Fuyun Temple was extremely depressing.
When they arrived at the inner courtyard, they saw Wang and Chen Yan'er. Wang looked at the silent Chen Chenyun, wiped her tears and said, "My husband, I think we should just forget it. Let's give this Fuyun Temple to our senior brother, and we will take the child and leave here tonight."
Chen Chenyun shook his head and said, "Master handed Fuyun Temple to me. He said that although our Fuyun Temple has declined, the reputation accumulated over hundreds of years cannot be destroyed. Senior Brother is ambitious and has done many evil things in the Six Gates. If Fuyun Temple falls into his hands, the reputation of a hundred years will be destroyed overnight."
"As long as I'm alive, I will never let this happen."
Wang cried, "But how can you be his opponent? When he was in the temple before, you could fight him to a draw. I heard that he has now practiced the Xiangyun Xuan Gong with the immortal materials given to him by Chongxian Sect, and his strength is already above yours. He has a seventh-grade foundation, and you are only eighth-grade. He practices the internal skills of Taoism, and you don't have immortal materials, so you can only practice external skills."
"How can you beat him in the same Star-Picking Sword Technique? With his style, he will not let you off no matter what."
Chen Chenyun shook his head: "Just do my best."
As he was talking, four people came in from outside, and one of them called out, "Brother Chenyun."
Chen Chenyun looked and saw that the people coming were his good friends Wei Yi, Zhao Rong, Lu Lihua and Li Yihai.
Wei Yi said, "Chenyun, I heard Kou Deqiu brought people to cause trouble for you, what are you going to do?"
Chen Chenyun looked at these friends and whispered, "I have made up my mind. Tomorrow, I will fight him to the death. I just hope you can help me send my wife and children away first..."
Wang cried, "My husband, even if I die, I want to die with you."
Chen Chenyun turned around and said, "Even if you don't do this for me, you should consider the two children. Kou Deqiu will never let you go if you stay."
Lu Lihua said angrily: "Don't say anything, let's invite helpers tonight, and tomorrow morning, we will all fight together."
Chen Chenyun shook his head and said, "It's useless. Kou Deqiu has the support of Chongxian Sect, and the Six Gates and Shengru Academy are backing him up. This will only cause trouble for all the brothers."
Li Yihai said: "We are not afraid of getting involved..."
Wei Yi was a calmer person. He frowned and said, "This is not a question of whether we will be implicated or not. If we can get rid of him together, then there is nothing to be afraid of. Unfortunately, with our limited abilities, even if we invite some helpers, it will not be of much use."
Everyone was at a loss. On the other side, Shi Hao and Xu Xiaoyan pulled Chen Yan'er aside and asked her questions quietly.
Chen Yaner said helplessly: "The main reason why Fuyun Temple has declined is because it was classified as a side sect by Chongxian Sect and could not obtain immortal materials. The original Taoist internal skills, the Xiangyun Xuan Gong, were also not practiced by anyone."
"Although Kou Deqiu is their eldest senior brother and the son of the old master, he ignored the old master's obstruction and violated the ancestral teachings. He was determined to join the court and work for the government. After he joined the Six Gates, he was even more bullied. Some victims came to Fuyun Temple to cry and complain. The old master was so angry that he vomited blood, but he could do nothing about him."
"Now, relying on the relationship with the Six Gates, he has obtained immortal materials from the Chongxian Gate and has practiced the Xiangyun Xuan Gong. The Star-Picking Sword Technique of the Floating Cloud Temple needs to be combined with the Xiangyun Xuan Gong to truly exert its power. Otherwise, it can only exert 60% to 70% of the power of the Star-Picking Sword Technique at most."
Xu Xiaoyan seemed to be thinking: "In terms of foundation, one is at the seventh level, and the other is at the eighth level. In terms of skills, one is a Taoist internal skill, and the other can only practice the external skills originally passed down to outer disciples. In terms of martial arts, although they use the same sword moves, one can fully exert them, and the other can only exert 60% to 70%... Then what is there to compete for in tomorrow's battle?"
Chen Yaner said helplessly: "Isn't it?"
He glanced at Wang secretly and whispered, "Besides, Kou Deqiu had evil intentions towards Aunt when he was still in the temple. That's why Uncle must send her away. Otherwise, with the actions of that evil villain, he will definitely ruin Aunt."
"When that villain joined the Six Gates, he raped a commoner girl. The girl's parents reported him to the Fuyun Temple, but the old temple master was helpless. The family then reported him to the government, but they were framed and the whole family was beaten to death. The old temple master was so angry about this that he fell ill and wished he had never given birth to such a son."
"Alas, if Fuyun Temple really fell into the hands of that evil thief, my grandfather and I would definitely leave Fuyun Temple. It's just a pity that Fuyun Temple, although it is becoming more and more decadent, has maintained its reputation from generation to generation until now, but it ended up like this."
Her eyes were dim. After all, she had lived here for three years and had become a part of Floating Cloud Temple. She felt very sad that something that had lasted for hundreds of years was destroyed in an instant.
Shi Hao looked over and saw that the young Taoists in Fuyun Temple were all gritting their teeth and filled with indignation.
In fact, once Kou Deqiu became the master of the temple, with the support of Chongxianmen, their lives might be better. They wouldn't have to worry about the lack of immortal materials, and they wouldn't have to work hard to teach people martial arts to earn a living. They could also have a better future.
But for them, there are always some things that they cannot give up no matter how hard or tired they are.
Shi Hao put his hands behind his back and walked towards Chen Chenyun step by step. For some reason, even though he was just walking like that, others subconsciously looked at him.
"What is he going to do?" Chen Yan'er stared blankly at the young man's back.
It's hard to describe what this feeling is like. It's like suddenly encountering a world of ice and snow in the cold winter, turning into a deadly ice cellar, and suddenly a beam of light falls from the sky.
Just by looking at his tall figure, this whole place of despair that was gradually freezing suddenly became warmer.
It was as if the layers of ice that had been pressing down on everyone's heads and making it hard for them to breathe were shattered to pieces with his steps.
Chen Yan'er murmured, "What is he going to do?" She looked at the young man's figure. Although there was doubt in her tone, her eyes lit up inexplicably.
She didn't understand why she suddenly felt hope at this moment. She felt like a beam of light suddenly broke through the darkness of despair and sprinkled into her heart, filling her soul with vitality and her eyes instantly brightened.
Xu Xiaoyan smiled and said, "Of course he does what he wants to do!"
Chen Chenyun also subconsciously looked at the young man who was walking towards him. In fact, everyone was looking at him, and they didn't know why, as if, where they were standing, this person suddenly became the brilliant sun hanging above everyone.
Amid the interlaced gazes of the crowd, the young man smiled and said, "Is it too late for me to join Fuyun Temple now?"
Chapter 82 There are always some things that make people unable to bear it
Deep in the inner courtyard, Chen Chenyun took out a sword manual and handed it to Shi Hao.
Shi Hao sat on the stool and looked through the pictures one by one.
The candles on the table emitted a yellowish light, which spread out and fell on his soft face.
Outside, others held their breath.
After a long while, Shi Hao closed the sword manual and said with a smile: "No problem!"
Chen Chenyun asked: "Is it really feasible?"
At this point, he was no longer worried that the young man would steal the sword manual and then escape overnight.
After all, tomorrow, Fuyun Temple will fall into the hands of traitors, and its reputation will be ruined. A mere sword manual is nothing.
What he was worried about was that it was impossible for the other party to learn the Star-Picking Sword Technique overnight... It was indeed outrageous to want to learn a whole set of sword techniques overnight.
What's more, even if he learned the Star-Picking Sword Technique, it is hard to say whether he has a chance of winning against Kou Deqiu.
After all, normally speaking, only the Xiangyun Xuan Gong can bring out the Star-Picking Sword Technique to perfection.
Shi Hao stood up and said, "Just leave the battle tomorrow to me!"
For many people, this night was destined to be a sleepless night.
Shi Hao was practicing swordsmanship alone in the courtyard of the west wing... It wasn't actually that difficult for him.
The Star-Picking Sword Technique was indeed considered a top-notch sword technique, but it was still far inferior to the Immortal Strike Sword Technique. And the Jujing Liuzhu Qi he used was far superior to Xiangyun Xuan Gong.
In fact, after practicing for two hours, he had completely mastered the essence of the Star-Picking Sword Technique.