Some first-rate Star Generals had their own pride; they disdained to deal a killing blow to average and very weak Star Names. Unless they were deranged or something was at stake, a Heavenly Star would otherwise mostly maintain a neutral stance towards Earthly Stars. However, Huan Wen's insolent remark about infamy more or less would not place any burden on Zhongli Sanmei for killing her. Zhongli Mo thought that she could get two birds with one stone by killing Huan Wen while repaying the favor of saving her life. Big Sister Long Ju would not refuse to help her in this endeavor.
But upon hearing that blunt rejection, Zhongli Mo was still in a bit of disbelief.
"Why?" Zhongli Sanmei was displeased: "Why can't we kill this insignificant Seven Stars Huan Wen. Don't tell me Sister Long is afraid of her?"
"Huan Wen is small, but behind her is a certain force. If we kill her, then the Hegemon King will be at a disadvantage in the future." Long Ju said.
"She also has a force backing her?"
"Sanmei, you were sealed for too long. There are many things you do not know. After you go to the Inner Star Field, you will understand."
"Fine, then, This King didn't hope for your help anyways. Chen Mo and I together will be enough." Zhongli Sanmei's attitude was cold.
King Of Qiankun Long Ju stood in front of her. That pair of serious eyes were filled with derision, "Could it be that the man that you, the King Of Extinguished Ashes, favor is a piece of trash that needs you to help him? Zhongli Mo, if you have only this level of judgment, then how can you help the Hegemon King."
"Long Ju, don't you use reverse psychology. This King won't be fooled." Zhongli Sanmei resolutely said.
"Do I not speak the facts? Is your man trash, or can it be said that you treat the man you favor as trash. And that's why he needs you to show your face to be able to get by." Long Ju said in a low voice. The woman suppressed her own fury.Zhongli Mo's expression slightly changed. These words touched on her sore spot.
"Long Ju, Chen Mo is only a cultivator. How can a cultivator stand up to us Star Generals. This King is helping him in order to repay him for saving my life. Don't you reverse black and white." Zhongli Sanmei raised her voice in rebuke.
"If he's this kind of man, then I will not look upon him favorably." Long Ju heartlessly said.
Zhongli Sanmei was aware that Long Ju treated men bluntly. If she continued to defend Chen Mo like this, she was convinced that the King Of Qiankun would absolutely slaughter Chen Mo's family before Huan Wen could. As the head of Her Excellency Xiang Yu's Five Great Generals, the King Of Qiankun was absolutely capable of this.
"Are you telling me that you want This King to just walk away like this." Zhongli Sanmei's body trembled from fury.
Long Ju looked at the best friend that she had known since a thousand years ago. The woman finally relaxed her serious attitude: "How about this. I will not help you kill Huan Wen, and neither will I allow you to kill Huan Wen. Let him take care of his own matters. Do not interfere with the Hegemon King's great plan."
"How so?"
"I will go test him. If he can prove himself an exceptional man, then I will impart to him the Book Of Changes Black Turtle."1
"Book Of Changes Black Turtle?" Zhongli Sanmei said in astonishment: "Long Ju, you are capable of it?"
Among the Four Books and Five Classics, the Book Of Changes was known as the progenitor of all techniques in the world. A Star General could even comprehend their Heaven Earth Dark Yellow techniques by studying it, and it was very helpful in strengthening martial arts. But the Book Of Changes contained many chapters. Those who could completely master it were extremely rare in Star World.
"The Book Of Changes Black Turtle can cultivate a warrior's endurance, constitution, and there are also many Black Turtle cultivation methods in development. When he battles Huan Wen in the future, they will be helpful to him." Long Ju's tone was neither cold nor warm. The Book Of Changes Black Turtle was something she painstakingly sought out and learned several centuries ago. If it was before, she absolutely would not teach a completely unacquainted warrior or cultivator. This time was for the sake of Zhongli Mo, otherwise, she would not have done so.
To impart the Book Of Changes Black Turtle was her bottom line. If Zhongli Mo still insisted stubbornly on a man's favor, then Long Ju would not hesitate to cut her down even with their past hundred years of sisterhood. A King Of Extinguished Ashes caught in the trappings of sentiment was not worthy of accompanying the Hegemon King in unifying Star World.
Zhongli Sanmei was very aware of Long Ju's personality, which was unequivocal and exceptionally resolute.
Seeing that vague glint in Long Ju's eyes, she knew that refusal was already impossible, otherwise she feared implicating Chen Mo.
…
The wind howled outside, though the inside of the bandit stronghold's abode was warm as spring.
Chen Mo lay awake, unable to fall asleep. He stared outside the window while Nianyou lay asleep on his chest. The little loli's skin was flawless, and her long eyelashes slightly trembled while her delicate lips were tightly closed.
Hm!
The soft sound of footsteps came from outside the abode, and Chen Mo immediately became alert. However, when he sensed who the owner of the footsteps was, Chen Mo showed a bit of bewilderment. The door was pushed open, and Zhongli Sanmei dashed in.
The wind blew into the room. Following the slightly cold and moist air, Nianyou groaned and slowly opened her eyes.
"This King wants to introduce an old acquaintance to you." Zhongli Sanmei said.
"Okay."
Chen Mo knew that this day would come eventually and had already prepared.
Four Ladies Mountain, a deep forest.
Standing underneath the moonlight was a tall woman. Although the woman's build was towering, she could not be considered lumbering. She possessed fluid curves in addition to her exceptional height, and her hair was tied into a ponytail. Upon seeing her back, Chen Mo felt it was somewhat familiar.
"Sister Long, Chen Mo is here." Zhongli Sanmei said.
The woman turned around. In that instant she spotted, him, her eyes were like a wild beast loosed from its cage, making the entire night fill with a terrible aura. Nianyou buried her face into CHen Mo's chest in fright.
If the average warrior or cultivator faced such a violent gaze, it would have been enough to make their Divine Consciousness fall apart. Chen Mo only stagnated for a brief moment. The Bodhi Soul Technique activated, and he very quickly broke free of her intimidation.
Long Ju noticed that Chen Mo was unaffected, and she carelessly nodded.
"It's you?" Chen Mo recognized her as the woman who asked him about dharma at the Buddha Washing Festival. Back then, Chen Mo felt that she was different from other people. Now, with Zhongli Sanmei's introduction, indeed only Star Generals could have such unrestrained might.
"She is ‘King Of Qiankun' Long Ju, leader of the Hegemon King's Five Great Generals, as well as This King's Eldest Sister." Zhongli Sanmei twitched her mouth as she gave an unwilling introduction.
"Long Ju." Although he was already prepared, Chen Mo still unable to help drawing a breath when he learned of her identity as Her Excellency the Hegemon King of Western Chu Xiang Yu's strongest leader.
During the times Xiang Yu was conquering the world, Long Ju was both Xiang Yu's arms and legs. If she died, the Hegemon King's defeat would be certain.
"What, you recognize me?" Long Ju was somewhat intrigued by Chen Mo's response. She had seen countless cultivators and warriors, and after realizing her Star Name, they would all be moved, stunned, afraid, or perhaps jealous, but this was the first time she had seen such a gaze, one that seemed familiar with a previous incarnation.2
"I don't. Sanmei has mentioned that you were her best friend before." Chen Mo said earnestly.
"With the current Her Excellency Hegemon King, only she and I have known each other the longest." Long Ju admitted.
"Sister Long Ying, you'd better get right to the point." Zhongli Sanmei interrupted the atmosphere of reminiscence between them.
The woman, whose True Name was Long Ying, spoke at a leisurely pace: "I have come to this Star Field to take Sanmei back to the Inner Star Fields. I must gather the Hegemon King's Five Great Generals. What is your perspective?"
"I know that this has always been Sanmei's wish. Since she can realize it, I'm naturally very happy for her." Chen Mo wholeheartedly congratulated her.
"Is that so?" Chen Mo's attitude was a bit unexpected for Long Ying.
Zhongli Sanmei proudly glanced at her, as if saying, See, This King's judgment's pretty good, right.
"However, Sanmei owes you the favor of saving her life." Long Ying pondered.
"It really can't be considered that much of a favor. I would have done the same for anyone else, and these days, Sanmei has always been helping me. On the contrary, the favors I owe her many more favors."
The King Of Qiankun fell silent for a while. "No matter what, the generals of Her Excellency the Hegemon King never owe anyone any favors. I will take Sanmei back now. I hear you and Huan Wen have a feud. We cannot easily interfere, but I have promised Sanmei that I would teach you something. Perhaps it may be of use to you."
"Chen Mo, don't you be unreasonable to This King. You are but the first man to ever have received instruction from Sister Long." Zhongli Sanmei was afraid that Chen Mo would decline, and she harshly glared at him.
Chen Mo was not modest about this at all. To be able to receive pointers from a Star General was something any cultivator would chase after.
"Very well."
Long Ju said: "First let Me see how your foundation is."
"Just use that Bagua that you're an expert in." Zhongli Sanmei said.
"Bagua?"
"Sure."
Chen Mo first handed Nianyou over to Zhongli Mo to look after. Then, he exercised his Star Energy. Using the Star Manual Of Masters Gan And Shi had packed his whole body with Star Energy. After he took a step, bang, bang, bang.
Six footfalls that seemed to trample apart the mountain ridge resounded. Chen Mo arrived in front of Long Ju, his punch-shadow descending like a mountain. His arms shook, unleashing a continuous offensive like a flowing river. This was "Kan Center Full." Long Ju did not evade at all. Following this technique, Chen Mo used Li Center Empty, Xun Lower Broken, Dui Upper Open, and the rest of the Bagua techniques, finally finishing with the very pinnacle of Qian THree Linked.
An uncanny Bagua array was carved upon the ground.
Chen Mo's Bagua several dozen times more formidable compared to Qing Wan's. The Bagua punch-intent combined with Star Energy had the power to pluck mountains. This stunned Long Ju, and she had no choice but to activate her Star Energy and adopt a defensive posture with her legs.
"Your Bagua actually has received the authentic tradition?"
Long Ying showed a slightly astonished expression after bearing the Bagua.
The so-called "authentic tradition" was personal contact.3 For martial generals that cultivated the Book Of Changes, the martial arts learnings that they passed on were authentic traditions. Only by doing so could they bring a technique's cultivation to the level of perfection. On the other hand, what Chen Mo taught Qing Wan was not the authentic tradition. At most, his student could learn the form but not the intent.
"It seems that the girl's Bagua I saw at Azure Dragon Mountain was what you taught." Long Ying said.
"Qing Wan? What did you do to her?" Chen Mo was taken aback.
"Nothing, I disdain killing warriors." Long Ying said.
"Who taught you this Bagua?" Long Ying asked again.
"It was my auntie, Chen Qingzhi."
"Chen Qingzhi…" Long Ying's pupils contracted all of a sudden, caught in a fleeting moment of astonishment: "So it turned out to be Magnificent Army Avoids The White Robe Chen Qingzhi. I did not think that she was your auntie."
"Sanmei, with her present, you truly have been worried for nothing." Long Ying muttered.
"Sister Long, you won't go back on your word, right." Zhongli Sanmei chuckled.
"Forget it. Perhaps in the future, I will collaborate with Chen Qingzhi."
"Since you have a foundation in the Book Of Changes: Bagua and were able to train it to such proficiency, the Black Turtle chapter I will impart to you should be sufficient to provide you with enormous benefits."
"Black Turtle chapter?" Chen Mo's mouth hung agape in amazement. "Sister Long, are you telling me that you'll teach me Book Of Changes: Black Turtle."
"Take this."
With a sound like a spirit turtle drinking water, Long Ju unleashed a punch.4
- 易經玄武 ↩
- To be clear, her Star Name hasn't changed in a thousand years. Perhaps this means Chen Mo seemed like he was looking at an old friend. ↩
- Meaning it was taught personally and not through a text. ↩
- IDK what sort of imagery this is supposed to evoke. ↩
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