MC Bookstore Chapter 1 I Demand the Way
Chapter 1 I Demand the Way
Wudang Mountain
Seventy-two peaks face the Golden Summit, and twenty-four streams flow endlessly.
This is one of the sacred sites of Taoism. More than 700 years ago, the patriarch Zhang Sanfeng established the Wudang Taoist lineage here.
Today, this place is still a popular place of worship, attracting pilgrims from all over.
A thin mist and haze drift among the peaks, while birds and beasts roam freely in the mountains and waters.
At this time, the morning mist was thick, and the first rays of dawn were visible on the eastern horizon, casting a vivid red glow against the dark blue night sky.
Inside the Zhenwu Hall
An eleven or twelve-year-old boy knelt before the statue of Zhenwu, his eyes closed and his body motionless.
If it weren't for the faint rise and fall of his chest, he might have been mistaken for a kneeling statue.
"Young man from the Lü family, why have you come to my Wudang Mountain? You even clamor to enter my Wudang Mountain to cultivate, and you've been kneeling here for two days."
"My Wudang Mountain has gained quite a reputation because of you these past two days."
"If you are not sincere and are just here to have fun, please leave immediately."
Master Yunlong, dressed in a white martial arts uniform, placed a candlestick on the offering table in front of the statue.
He took out a tinderbox and lit the candlestick. With a flick of his sleeve, he turned around and looked solemnly at Lü Qian, who was kneeling on the ground.
The wind stirred by the waving of his robes caused the candle flames on the offering table to flicker slightly, their dim yellow light illuminating a corner in front of the statue.
The statue of Zhenwu sits upright on the altar, its slightly lowered chin suggesting it is gazing at the scene before it.
"Young man, you have come to Wudang to seek the Dao with genuine sincerity."
Lu Qian bowed to the Zhenwu statue in front of him, then looked up at Daoist Yunlong.
In the dim candlelight, Lü Qian's face was revealed, as if he had been severely beaten; his face was covered in bruises, and his right cheek was swollen high.
But his eyes were fixed intently on Daoist Yunlong.
As the candlelight flickered, the eyes reflected the shimmering light, mirroring the unwavering determination in Lü Qian's heart.
"Then let me ask you first, why do you seek the Way?"
Master Yunlong looked solemnly at Lü Qian kneeling before him, sensing his every move to ensure that Lü Qian was not lying.
Seeing that Master Yunlong did not respond, Lü Qian was not annoyed. He respectfully bowed to Master Yunlong.
"I have long admired the Xuanmen (Taoist school). Although I come from the Lü family, the family's methods are merely the application of techniques, with little emphasis on the underlying principles."
"I believe that techniques are born from the Dao, and should also be used for the Dao."
"Arts are merely the flowers and beautiful scenery encountered on the road, which can be picked and admired, but the most fundamental thing is still the path of seeking the Tao under one's feet."
"The further and wider you go on this road, the more beautiful the scenery will be."
"This disciple sincerely seeks the Dao; please, Master, accept me!"
As he spoke, Lü Qian suddenly bowed to Daoist Yunlong, his forehead hitting the ground with a dull thud.
"Then why did you choose to join my Wudang sect?"
Master Yunlong watched this scene quietly, neither agreeing nor stopping it.
"As for why I came to Wudang, that's a long story..."
"The story begins four months ago..."
Lu Qian straightened up and, recalling the events of four months ago, briefly recounted his past to Daoist Yunlong.
……
Four months ago, in the land of Qi and Lu
The distant green hills are like dark eyebrows, and the ancient trees grow wild.
The rugged landscape has been sculpted and refined by the rich culture over thousands of years, and the natural wonders have become magnificent and beautiful with human embellishment.
This is where the Lü family's foundation lies.
In the world of supernatural beings, there are four major families: Gao, Lu, Lü, and Wang.
The four families have a long history, each with its own strengths, and they have a huge influence in the world of supernatural beings.
The Gao family lived in seclusion, a true hermit in the court, and enjoyed associating with various factions.
The Lu family established itself on morality, passed down family traditions and precepts, taught their descendants how to be good people, did not seek to continue their wealth, and sent many of their descendants to various sects for cultivation.
The Wang family has a tradition of commerce: in prosperous times, they use money to support their guns; in chaotic times, they use guns to protect their money.
Unlike the other three families, the Lü family acts with ruthlessness and force, outwardly displaying their power and strength, and inwardly determining status based on combat strength.
In the Lü family, those without the talent for cultivating Qi can only manage the family's external businesses and provide assistance to the family, but are not allowed to participate in the power center of Lü family village.
The current head of the Lü family is Lü Ci, known in the world of supernatural beings as "Mad Dog".
His ruthless style and top-tier strength in the entire world of supernatural beings have laid the foundation for the Lü family's stable position over the past few decades.
Similarly, these factors also gave him absolute control over the Lü family.
He created a closed-off Lüjia Village.
Geographically, Lüjia Village is located deep in the remote mountains. Although it has all the necessary facilities, it is far from human habitation.
In terms of clan kinship, he controlled the marriages of everyone in the Lü family. Women were not allowed to marry outside the family, but they could take in sons-in-law from other families.
It can be said that the entire Lü family lived under Lü Ci's control.
Such isolation is oppressive.
A repressive environment always provokes opposition. Many people have resisted, but all these dissenting voices have been completely silenced by Lü Ci's suppression.
No, there are still people resisting.
Inside the Lü family's martial arts arena, an old man and a young man stood facing each other.
The old man stood tall and his clothes were neat and tidy, reflecting his decisive and efficient personality.
The old man seemed to have heard something unbelievable, his body leaning slightly forward with his hands behind his back. A half-smile hung on his hideous face, and his right eye, hidden in a scar, widened slightly, its venomous gaze fixed on the boy before him.
Under the sunlight, a powerful sense of oppression rose from the old man, accompanied by a chilling emptiness, and pressed down on the boy.
"Kid, dare you say that again?"
Lu Ci's lips curled slightly, and the words squeezed out from between his teeth concealed a volcanic rage. The anger of a superior being defied made him even more terrifying, and the overwhelming rage pressed down on the defiant person in front of him wave after wave.
"I want to leave the village, I want to learn the Way!"
Facing the terrifying oppression of bloodline and status, the boy looked up, staring directly into those sinister eyes, at that wolf-like, aged face, his youthful eyes filled with unwavering determination.
He stood tall, his small body, which only reached Lu Ci's waist, standing firmly in place, without retreating or falling down.
Opening his mouth, the boy replied clearly to the other person in his childish voice, word by word.
"clatter!"
With his hands behind his back, Lü Ci took a sharp step towards the boy, his tall figure swiftly pressing down on him.
He bent down, his狰狞 (zhengning, meaning ferocious or hideous) face looking down at the twelve-year-old child. His sinister eyes became even more vicious as he sized up the child, intending to torture him to death.
"Lü Qian, what do you want to do?"
Lu Ci grinned and asked with a cold smile. The aura of a superior that he had cultivated over the decades enveloped the young man, oppressing him as the subordinate.
"I want to leave the village to study the Way!"
Cold sweat beaded on Lü Qian's forehead, but he kept his back straight and his feet firmly planted on the ground, refusing to back down.
He stared directly at Lü Ci, who was like a ferocious beast before him, meeting his venomous gaze, and said firmly, word by word.
"call--"
The whistling wind suddenly grew louder as it approached, reaching our ears in the blink of an eye.
Before he could react, Lü Qian channeled his inner energy into his feet, ducked back, and dodged the incoming slap.
"snort!"
In a flash, Lü Ci let out a cold snort and stepped forward with his right foot.
A blue force surged from beneath Lü Ci's feet toward Lü Qian, who was dodging and retreating.
"Snapped!"
After dodging the slap, Lü Qian dared not relax. He lay face down on the ground, his hands glowing with purple energy as he pressed them against the ground beneath his feet.
The boy pressed two deep palm prints into the bluestone floor tiles, leaving cracks all over the ground beneath him, and dust rose up.
A purple aura rose from where Lü Qian had pressed the ground, slamming into Lü Ci's incoming force.
"Grandpa, I'm the number one person of the new generation in the Lü family! Even if you're going to go easy on me, you should go easy on me more!"
Seeing that Lü Ci was about to put his right foot down again, Lü Qian hurriedly interrupted him.
"It's good that you killed him! Let your good-for-nothing father have another one."
Lu Ci's voice carried a faint smile as he stepped down again with his right foot, clad in cloth shoes.
Several beams of blue Qi rushed toward Lü Qian.
"Grandpa, I'm only twelve years old!"
"The universe flows like water!"
Seeing the multiple forces coming at him, Lü Qian shouted, and purple Qi light swirled and rose from his hands. The invisible forces intertwined and formed a rotating force field that enveloped Lü Qian in the middle.
"call out--"
The force of the rotation created a strong wind that overturned the bluestone bricks and soil on the ground, and gusts of wind kept swirling around the cover, which was about three feet in size.
The force Lu Ci unleashed was adhered to by the rotating force field, and the blue force was gradually assimilated during the rotation, becoming part of the shield.
"ha!"
The rotating force shield suddenly exploded, and the forces, no longer restrained, shot out in all directions along the underground medium.
"snort!"
Lu Ci looked at the several bursts of energy that exploded toward him and snorted disdainfully.
With a pause, streaks of Qi intercepted the dispersing force.
"Um?"
As their forces collided, Lü Ci frowned in confusion, pondered for a moment, and then chuckled and cursed.
The scar that ran across half of his face was squeezed together by his smile, making it look like a centipede.
"What a freak!"
"Grandpa, stop hitting him! If you keep hitting him, your great-grandson will really be gone!"
"That fluid, water-like spin almost killed me."
Ignoring the mess of bricks and dust on the ground, Lü Qian plopped down and waved weakly at Lü Ci.
Lu Ci looked at the brat acting like a rascal in the distance and smiled helplessly. He then slowly walked towards him with his hands behind his back, stepping on the messy ground.
As he approached, Lü Ci kicked the broken bluestone brick at his feet towards him.
"Not bad, and this new technique of yours—multiple forces converging like a drill. Look at the marks on the brick; even with protective measures, getting hit by it wouldn't be pleasant. What were you thinking, kid?"
"I plan to call this Spiral Force. Grandfather, your cultivation is far superior to mine; my Ruyi Force is no match for your strength."
"Our family's technique is called Ruyi Jin, meaning 'as you wish, as you desire,' meaning it's done according to my will."
"In that case, I took inspiration from a carpenter's drill bit and controlled multiple forces to rotate and converge at one point. The effect seems to be quite good."
Lu Qian patted his bottom and stood up from the ground. He pointed to the stone bricks that had been broken through at his feet and grinned at Lu Ci.
"You brat, your father is really useless. Why didn't he pass on the Soul Clarity Technique to you?"
After hearing the explanation, Lü Ci sighed and looked up at Lü Qian with disappointment, scolding him.