Mysterious Martial Arts: The Record of the Swordsman

Chapter 323 My death will make you all remember this madness

Chapter 323 My death will make you all remember this madness

At the foot of Dawang Peak in Wuyi Mountain, the secluded courtyard of the Taoist temple where Yuan Huazi lived in seclusion once again welcomed an uninvited guest.

The lingering chill of spring was fully revealed at this moment. All around, the night was as cool as water, and the mountain mist flowed silently like ghostly shadows. Only the lantern at the entrance of Huixian Temple remained, its solitary light swaying in the wind, stretching the shadows of people to varying lengths.

"Master Yuanhua, open the door quickly! I know you're inside."

The inky darkness provided the best cover. Jiang Wen moved swiftly and silently, working with Master Ji Po to unload the three corpses, tightly wrapped in straw mats, from an inconspicuous cart and carry them into this secluded place. As soon as the thick door closed, the mountain wind outside the Taoist temple could be heard whistling through the bamboo forest, adding to the eerie atmosphere.

May you enjoy boundless longevity and happiness.

Yuan Huazi bowed deeply. "Jiang Wen, why do you keep coming back and going? What are you planning to send to this old Taoist temple this time? Could it be this old monk?"

"Sorry, it's a path dependency."

Jiang Wen thought for a moment and said, "Master Yuanhua, these three people died suddenly in the nearby bamboo forest. I need your help to examine their injuries, otherwise my martial arts tournament will soon have to be postponed."

Yuan Huazi said no more and gestured for Jiang Wen to uncover the straw mat on the carriage. Immediately, three corpses with hideous faces and contorted postures were revealed. Due to rigor mortis, they retained the madness and pain of their last moments before death.

Master Ji Po suddenly interjected, "The man up there is suspiciously insane, and his death is even more suspicious! I, the old monk, saw with my own eyes that his eyes were red, and after killing the two people next to him, he committed suicide."

Jiang Wen laid the bodies side by side in the backyard, only to find out that Yuan Louzi was already unconscious from being drunk, so only Yuan Huazi was left to guard the place.

He took an oil lamp from the pharmacy, lit it, and went to examine the corpse closely.

Look here.

Yuan Huazi's fingers brushed against the clothes, stopping at the chest of the corpse in the center, where a clear palm print was prominently displayed. The palm print was deeply embedded in the skin, which had an unusual sunken and swollen appearance, clearly indicating a fatal wound. The other two wounds, one at the Tanzhong point and the other at the Feishu point, were even identical in their imprints.

Yuan Huazi seemed intrigued by this method of death as well. After a moment of contemplation, he slowly said, "The palm strike penetrated the body, reaching straight into the internal organs. It was an incomparably domineering and powerful force! The person struck by the palm was hit in a vital point. Their heart, lungs, and internal organs were instantly shattered by this extremely powerful and yang force, and their life force was cut off immediately. How ruthless, how domineering!"

Jiang Wen then grabbed Master Ji and asked, "Master, what did you feel when you fought him?"

Impatient with the nagging, Master Hen jumped up and, mimicking the posture from before, pushed forward with a sudden force, creating a faint yet sharp gust of wind.

"I've practiced kung fu for decades, and my specialty is deflecting and neutralizing force. There's no mistake about that. To have this palm technique's power, you can't even dream of it without immersing yourself in it for thirty or forty years!"

Jiang Wen naturally had no doubt about Master Ji's description. Although he had neglected his martial arts for a long time, he still possessed the foundation of a first-class master and the realm of a grandmaster. If his opponent could fight and capture him, then the opponent must not be too weak.

At this moment, Yuan Huazi had already bent down to carefully examine the other corpses. His movements were steady, his fingers pressing and probing the chests, abdomens, and backs of the deceased. After a moment, he said in a deep voice:

"What this master said is true. Look at this palm print, the edges are clear as if carved, deeply embedded in the muscles and bones, breaking bones and tendons wherever it goes. Its power is as condensed as a hammer, penetrating the body and directly destroying the internal organs and heart meridian. The purity and fierceness of its power are rarely seen in the world."

He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over Jiang Wen like lightning. "In the martial world, there are only a handful of people who can cultivate their palm power to such a level."

Jiang Wen stroked his chin, deep in thought.

He had also seen similar methods of injuring people by brute force, such as the Vajra Palm of the Shaolin School, but its power was more rounded and heavy, and the edge of the palm print was not so clear; the Great Monument Hand of the Songshan School could also do it, but it seemed too rigid and brute when used, lacking the subtlety of penetrating force.

On the contrary, this palm print retains the subtle feature of the five fingers being slightly spread when exerting force, which looks somewhat familiar. In particular, the unique shape of the palm heel exerting force and the five fingers being slightly bent is extremely consistent with the powerful palm techniques of Jiang Wen's Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, such as "Regretful Dragon" and "Dragon Appearing in the Field". It does indeed carry the artistic conception of being extremely powerful and fierce, overwhelming and unstoppable, and capable of penetrating heavy armor.

...Could it be that I am the murderer again?

Fortunately, Master Ji Po witnessed it firsthand and even fought with the murderer. Otherwise, if this had been exposed, stories of the "Gentleman Sword" ruthlessly wiping out entire families and killing indiscriminately would have spread throughout the martial arts world.

"Master Yuanhua, the main reason I've come to you today is to ask you something: Is there any medicine in this world that can make a person's skill level advance rapidly in a short period of time, even to the point of complete transformation?"

Jiang Wen thought for a moment and then said, trying to make the bizarre story he had heard more reasonable, "My companion said that this violent and crazy murderer was just an ordinary henchman a few days ago, but one day he suddenly went mad and practiced martial arts, and learned a palm technique that he had never seen before."

Yuan Huazi stroked his beard and frowned, seemingly deep in thought.

"Speaking of the martial arts world... there are indeed a few drugs that can bewitch people's minds and cause hallucinations. But to actually make one's martial arts skills advance by leaps and bounds is too unbelievable. Even with potent drugs that overdraw one's internal potential, one can only improve by 10% or 20% at most, and then die instantly."

Jiang Wen waved his hand.

"...No need for that. If I want to die suddenly, I can finish a marathon and have an iced coffee. It'll be over in a minute."

However, Yuan Huazi reminded Jiang Wen that in the field of modern medicine, if a person suffers from a neuroregulatory imbalance, such as in a mental illness or extreme emotional state, the abnormal secretion of neurotransmitters in the brain may inhibit pain perception and the body's self-protective mechanisms.

For example, a normal person will automatically stop exerting force due to pain or fatigue, while a mentally ill person, due to neurological disorders, can continuously mobilize muscle strength, exceeding the limits of a normal person.

Liu Changshun, a disciple of the Rattan Shield Sect, may have low martial arts skills, but he has a solid foundation in kung fu and his body has been trained, making him much stronger than ordinary people.

What Master Ji Po said was not the internal strength of thirty or forty years, but the palm technique of thirty or forty years of refinement. This refinement, in addition to the great finger strength, also includes the understanding and mastery of the palm technique, the circulation of energy, and even the ability to strike vital points—if you want to kill someone by striking vital points, you don't even need to use too much force.

Jiang Wen suddenly thought of a possibility: things like divine kung fu, which involve invoking spirits, are often confused with madmen in some folk tales or religious stories. They are also regarded as beings who are "possessed by spirits" or "exceed the limits of ordinary people." Their great strength is attributed to supernatural powers, such as the power bestowed by the gods or the extraordinary abilities after the soul leaves the body.

Is it possible that Liu Changshun wasn't actually insane, but rather possessed a complete set of memories about kung fu out of thin air, and that in this state, his mind was under extreme tension, ultimately leading him to lose himself in the fight and revenge—

Such a person is naturally no match for a true master like Master Jipo, but casually slaughtering a few low-level individuals is still a piece of cake.

To verify his hypothesis, Jiang Wen went to examine Liu Changshun's arm and indeed found that there was something wrong with the man's arm.

This person must have concentrated all his strength into his right fist, and when the fist struck the hard bone, the force of the blow was met with an equal force of recoil.

The intense force traveled up the tip of the fist, first shattering the five metacarpal bones into pieces, then breaking the eight wrist bones in the wrist, and with no reduction in momentum, it shot straight up along the radius and ulna, forcefully damaging the bones of the entire forearm.

Jiang Wen shared his speculation with Yuan Huazi, who also said he had never heard of it before.

"Could it be that the vengeful spirit of Guan Yu is truly seeking revenge on Lü Meng?"

The gossipy master chimed in from the side.

"In my opinion, this matter is going to cost Jiang Wen his life. If things continue in this muddle, who in the martial arts world will dare to attend? We might as well disperse as soon as possible."

Jiang Wen shook his head. He did have many worries, but there was one last guess he needed to verify right now.

………………

In the Sanliting area, within the Tengpaimen camp, the bizarre deaths and terrifying rumors that had been circulating for days finally began to spread uncontrollably, like heavy dark clouds pressing down on everyone's hearts.

First, three disciples of the Rattan Shield Sect were burned to a crisp, their deaths gruesome and the cause of death mysterious. Then, Liu Changshun inexplicably encountered evil spirits at the foot of Jade Maiden Peak, eventually turning on them like a possessed ghost before committing suicide. Each and every one of these events exudes an incomprehensible evil and bizarre quality.

Lin Chaosheng, the original leader of the Rattan Shield Sect, was already overwhelmed by the frequent conflicts between his disciples and other sects. Now, he was completely demoralized by these successive strange events.

More importantly, Liu Changshun was the first person to discover the three charred corpses. Whether his death was due to poisoning to silence him or being framed and driven mad, these questions remain forever silenced with his passing, with no possibility of ever getting an answer.

Whenever he thought of Jiang Wen's confident smile, he felt a chill run down his spine. He didn't know if the so-called three days was the deadline for solving the case or the end of his own life. He was even more afraid that he would be the next one to die tragically and inexplicably, and that the entire Rattan Shield Sect would be dragged into this bottomless vortex.

"Tell the disciples that we should not stay here any longer! Pack your things and leave immediately!"

As several distraught martial arts practitioners returned to report the news, Lin Chaosheng practically roared as he issued the order.

His fear quickly infected his men. Everyone thought of the charred corpses, Liu Changshun's distorted face when he went mad, and the "ghostly figure" floating in the gray mist of Jade Maiden Peak. Where was the fighting spirit of the Tengpaimen men?

What was revenge for their fellow disciples, what was the treasure of the Western Lu Kingdom? In the face of survival, all became insignificant. There was no need for much mobilization. Most of the rattan shield sect disciples almost scrambled to pack their meager belongings and hurriedly retreated from the camp. They didn't even care about the aftermath of the three charred corpses. They just wanted to escape the ominous land of Wuyi Mountain as soon as possible.

An inexplicable fear spread like a plague within the rattan shield gate, and slowly extended to the others in Sanliting.

Like the first domino falling, the small gangs that had come in groups, as well as other small families who had gathered just to make a living, watched as the once-powerful and united Tengpai Sect fled like stray dogs, and their panic reached its peak.

Once panic reaches its peak and seeks an outlet, rumors become the best catalyst.

"Have you heard? Wuyi Mountain isn't very clean!"

"Kill someone with a single palm strike... This... this sounds just like something out of a legend..."

"The Divine Palm of Mount Sumeru?!"

"Yes! It's the long-lost supreme martial art of Shaolin, the Mount Sumeru Divine Palm! My god, can someone really master this kind of palm power?!"

"But there are many others in the world who are proficient in this palm technique, not just..."

"Shh...shut up! Don't let him hear, he's petty!"

The name "Mount Sumeru Divine Palm," whether mentioned intentionally or unintentionally, immediately triggered an even greater wave of panic among the remaining crowd. Zhou Long's embellished description during his storytelling made this conjecture seem quite reasonable.

In the end, everyone vaguely reached a consensus: if this legendary martial art had really reappeared and was in the hands of a "gentleman's sword" hidden deep in the Wuyi Mountains with such ruthless methods, wouldn't staying behind be tantamount to waiting for death?

Fear, coupled with awe of the unknown divine power, instantly overwhelmed the nerves of another group. Yet another group joined the escape, and the camp was visibly emptied out.

When Jiang Wen arrived at Sanliting, he felt that the once crowded and bustling area around Sanliting had suddenly become much quieter and more desolate. The candles and stoves were unattended, and the fields were covered with hurried footprints. Sanliting seemed to have returned to its old days, and was filled with a sense of panic as if it had survived a catastrophe.

"Zhou Long, what's going on?"

The first thing he saw was Zhou Long, the leader of the Vajra Sect, who was looking around at the door with a somewhat nervous expression. Zhou Long could only recount the situation as it was.

"...Sect Leader Jiang, that's the situation. When I tried to persuade them, they said I was on your side and nobody would listen to me."

"Fortunately, the sect leaders who are on good terms with me have no intention of leaving. They have all moved to the houses next to each other, probably because they have a good relationship with you, unlike these troublemakers who will not cause trouble for the Wuyi Sect if they stay."

Jiang Wen waved his hand, looking at the mess left behind by the rattan shield gate and others who fled in panic. He was not too upset. Instead, he was somewhat amazed that the food crisis had passed so easily, without even having to lower himself to drive them away.

However, at this moment, he was more concerned about the case itself. While the torches were still burning, he led Zhou Long to dig up the newly buried grave and carefully examined the three charred corpses with rattan shields again.

This time, combining his previous guesses, Jiang Wen finally confirmed the astonishing conclusion:

One of the charred corpses, with a sharp weapon slashing its neck, the angle and force of the wound, and even the subtle muscle reactions in the deceased's final moments, all pointed to one fact—

This person likely slit his own throat with the long knife he carried, and the other two bodies with sword wounds to their hearts were likely killed by this person.

He committed suicide!