bookbashuk Chapter 12 Xiangyang Desolate Valley, Bodhi Curved Snake.
Chapter 12 Xiangyang Desolate Valley, Bodhi Curved Snake.
After parting ways with Li Mochou, Ouyang Ke and his companion continued their journey south, traveling by donkey through the Qinling Mountains.
Deep in the mountains and forests, rarely visited by humans, wolves and tigers abound. However, Ouyang Ke, possessing martial arts skills, was naturally unafraid of these wild beasts. Moreover, he now had an additional "guard" on his shoulder.
Whenever the two of them entered the deep mountains and dense forests, the firebird he had tamed would flap its wings and soar high into the air, circling in mid-air while emitting a sharp and loud cry. The cry pierced through the clouds and split the rocks, echoing throughout the mountains and forests. Wherever it went, poisonous insects hid in fear, and all birds fell silent, just like a king inspecting his territory.
"Young master, this bird is truly magnificent!" Liu San, standing to the side, looked up at the majestic firebird and couldn't help but praise it sincerely.
The firebird seemed to understand human speech. Upon hearing this, it immediately let out a clear and melodious cry, and its circling posture in mid-air became even more proud, as if to say: You have good taste!
Ouyang Ke looked up at the smug little guy and couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle: "You little bird, you've got quite the proud and arrogant nature."
The firebird seemed to understand the word "tsundere," tilting its head and thinking for a moment before letting out a cry, whether in agreement or protest, it was unclear.
Watching it fly merrily in the air, Ouyang Ke's faint sorrow at parting dissipated considerably.
To be honest, how could he not be moved by such a charming and beautiful girl as Li Mochou?
Ouyang Ke is neither a blockhead nor a paragon of virtue.
Li Mochou's beautiful face, her innocence and naivety, and her passionate love and hate all stirred ripples in his heart.
only……
He looked down at his legs, which were still unable to move, and sighed softly.
With his legs still not fully healed and his Nine Yang Divine Skill not yet fully mastered, the road ahead is long and fraught with unknown dangers. Romance and affection are, at this moment, far too luxurious a thing for him.
Liu San, who had followed Ouyang Ke all the way, gradually figured out the young master's temperament. Although this young master possessed extraordinary skills and an extraordinary demeanor, he was not the kind of person who was unapproachable or difficult to talk to. He mustered his courage and cautiously said, "Young master, if I may be so bold as to say something... that Miss Li seems to truly be a girl from a good family."
He said this with a hint of concern in his voice.
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Ke surprisingly remained silent.
Seeing this, Liu San thought he had said something wrong and quickly said, "Young master, please don't take offense! I'm just a rough man, and I'm used to talking nonsense. Please don't take it to heart..."
Ouyang Ke was slightly taken aback, then shook his head, gazing at the distant, rolling mountains, and said calmly, "You're right, she is indeed a good girl."
His voice was very soft, so soft that it seemed as if he were speaking to himself.
Before meeting Lu Zhanyuan, that heartless man, Li Mochou was indeed an innocent, carefree, and passionate girl. In terms of appearance, she was no less beautiful than Huang Rong; in terms of martial arts, she was a direct descendant of the Ancient Tomb Sect, no less skilled than the Peach Blossom Island lineage; in terms of temperament, although she was somewhat stubborn and proud, she was also pure and kind.
In a way, she and Huang Rong are somewhat similar—both are people who dare to love and hate.
Huang Rong met Guo Jing, who had no eyes for her, and lived a happy and fulfilling life from then on; while Li Mochou mustered up the courage to break the rules of her sect and go down the mountain to find love, only to encounter Lu Zhanyuan, a faithless and heartless man.
A single wrong decision can lead to a lifetime of pain.
Thinking of Lu Zhanyuan, Ouyang Ke suddenly chuckled.
In truth, her predecessor's reputation was far worse than Lu Zhanyuan's. At least Lu Zhanyuan was merely heartless, while the original owner was a true lecher and womanizer.
He looked in the direction where Li Mochou had disappeared, and his heart calmed down for once.
The parting words about the ancient tomb inscriptions were, in the end, somewhat driven by personal motives.
But that is, after all, the "Nine Yin Manual," and if Li Mochou could find it, it would be a great fortune for her. As for what will happen in the future...
"Let's go." Ouyang Ke withdrew his gaze, his tone calm. "If fate allows, we will meet again in the future."
……
The two continued south and arrived at Chencang two days later.
After a short rest in the area, they changed boats and sailed downstream along the Han River. A day later, the city of Xiangyang came into view in the distance.
After the Jingkang Incident and the Southern Song Dynasty's relocation south during the Jianyan era, Xiangyang gradually became the most important military stronghold on the border between the Southern Song and Jin dynasties. Xiangyang and Fancheng faced each other across the river, forming a strategic defensive position. No matter which side was attacked, the other could send troops to its aid, making it an impregnable fortress.
However, as the Jin Dynasty shifted its main battlefield to the Huai River area, the defenses of Xiangyang gradually became lax. Perhaps due to prolonged peace, when Ouyang Ke and his companion entered Xiangyang, the Song soldiers guarding the city merely asked a few questions in a lazy manner before waving them away.
Ouyang Ke first found an inn in Xiangyang City to stay in and recuperate for several days, while secretly inquiring about the whereabouts of the nameless desolate valley.
A few days later, he summoned Liu San and instructed him to return to Sheyang County.
Upon hearing this, Liu San's expression immediately changed. He thought that he had angered the young master by not serving him well these past few days, so he quickly knelt down and begged for mercy: "Young master, what have I done wrong? Please punish me as you see fit, I will definitely correct it! Please don't send me away..."
Seeing this, Ouyang Ke shook his head and said, "This is none of your business. I have other important matters to attend to and cannot bring anyone with me."
His tone was calm, yet undeniable.
Liu San was relieved and respectfully agreed.
Before he left, Ouyang Ke handed him a letter, instructing him: "Take this letter back to your residence in Sheyang County. If my uncle returns, give it to him. If he has not yet returned, keep it safe and give it to him when he comes back."
Liu San solemnly accepted the letter, carefully put it away, kowtowed to Ouyang Ke, and then reluctantly led his donkey away.
After watching Liu San leave, Ouyang Ke finally looked away.
The reason he sent Liu San away was that the place he was going to next was not suitable for outsiders to accompany him.
In that nameless, desolate valley, not only does the Bodhi Serpent, which can enhance one's power, reside, but it also conceals the legacy of the "Sword Demon" Dugu Qiubai. The fewer people who know such a secret, the better.
During his stay in Xiangyang, he had asked the innkeeper to inquire with the hunters in the city—about fifty or sixty li to the southwest, there was a desolate valley, which the locals considered a forbidden place. It was said that strange snakes often appeared in that valley, moving like the wind and extremely venomous, and many hunters and herb gatherers had already lost their lives there.
Even more bizarrely, some people have seen a giant eagle in the nearby mountains and forests. It is over ten feet tall, with wings that can cover the sky and is incredibly strong. Some people have even witnessed it tearing apart a tiger.
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Ke was certain in his heart—this was the place.
He had the waiter prepare dry food and water, then switched to the donkey he had been riding earlier, and set off alone into the desolate valley.
Leaving Xiangyang City, we headed southwest. The terrain was hilly and densely forested, with occasional wild deer appearing and quickly disappearing into the depths of the woods. The further we went, the fewer human footprints we saw. The once clear path was gradually covered by weeds, becoming more like a trail worn by wild animals than a road.
The firebird was quite cheerful, flapping its wings and flying above Ouyang Ke, occasionally letting out a long cry, startling the birds in the forest into scattering in all directions.
After traveling for several hours, a deep valley entrance finally appeared before them.
The firebird seemed to sense something, and suddenly let out a low cry before swooping down from mid-air and landing steadily on Ouyang Ke's shoulder. It tilted its head, looking warily into the valley.
Ouyang Ke patted it and said softly, "We've arrived."
He urged the donkey on and slowly made its way to the mouth of the valley.
After walking about half a mile, a rustling sound suddenly came from the grass ahead. The sound was rapid and chaotic, as if countless snakes and insects were fleeing in panic.
With a "coo," the firebird flapped its wings and took flight, its eyes fixed intently on the depths of the grass.
Ouyang Ke looked closely and saw a strange snake slithering out of the grass.
The snake was over three feet long, its entire body golden, gleaming faintly in the sunlight. Most peculiar was the small fleshy horn on its head, resembling a legendary dragon. It moved with the swiftness of the wind, exceptionally agile.
Bodhi Snake!
Ouyang Ke recognized him at a glance.
Upon seeing the snake, the firebird's eyes lit up with excitement, and it swooped down from mid-air.
That Bosqu snake was quite intelligent; ordinary venomous snakes would have been paralyzed with fear at the sight of a firebird, but it coiled up, raised its head and flicked its tongue, displaying a stubborn and defiant posture.
The firebird landed a foot away, tilting its head to examine the unusual snake, seemingly also somewhat curious.
A snake and a bird, one large and one small, stand facing each other.
Suddenly, the firebird raised its head and let out a sharp, long cry!
The cry pierced through metal and split stone, causing Ouyang Ke's eardrums to tingle slightly. Strangely enough, upon hearing the cry, the Bodhi-curved snake immediately lay down on the ground, motionless, as if it had been frozen in place.
The firebird, victorious, pounced forward, sliced open the snake's belly with its long beak, pecked out the emerald green gall bladder, and swallowed it with its head tilted back.
After swallowing the snake gall, the firebird suddenly started hopping around excitedly. Seeing this, Ouyang Ke couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle, "You gluttonous fellow, is this snake gall to your liking?"
Before the words were even finished, several more Bodhi snakes darted out of the grass in the distance and fled into the depths of the valley.
With a "coo," the firebird flapped its wings and gave chase.
Ouyang Ke flicked his fingers, sending several pebbles flying. With a few "whoosh" sounds, the two serpentine snakes fell to the ground, their heads pierced by the pebbles, and remained motionless.
The other birds were caught up by the firebird, and they obediently lay down, where the firebird cut open their bellies and took their gallbladders.
Ouyang Ke leaped off the donkey's back, leaning on his crutch, and approached the two dead snakes. He took out a short knife, cut open the snakes' bellies, and extracted two intact, emerald-green snake galls.
The snake gall was crystal clear, gleaming with a faint green light in the sunlight, and emitting a subtle, exotic fragrance.
Ouyang Ke grew up in White Camel Manor. Although he wasn't a renowned physician, he had seen many venomous snake gallbladders. He immediately recognized that the gallbladder of this Bosqu snake was of exceptional quality, far surpassing that of the carefully raised venomous snakes in the manor. Its efficacy was likely several times stronger.
He carefully put the two snake gallbladders into the porcelain bottle and continued walking into the valley.
After walking for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the view suddenly opened up before me.
Deep in the desolate valley, a cave suddenly appeared before them.
Suppressing his excitement, Ouyang Ke leaned on his cane and walked step by step toward the cave.
The firebird, having devoured the snake's gall, flew back and landed on his shoulder, following him forward.
Stepping into the cave, one is greeted by a scene of rudimentary simplicity.
Inside the cave, there was only a stone table and a stone bench, both covered in a thick layer of dust. In one corner of the cave, a pile of rubble formed a shape resembling a desolate tomb, extremely simple, yet exuding an indescribable desolation and solemnity.
Ouyang Ke gazed at the pile of rubble and sighed softly in his heart.
Beneath this stone tomb lies the once-renowned "Sword Demon," Dugu Qiubai. A peerless swordsman who roamed the martial world for over thirty years without ever being defeated, he ultimately could only befriend eagles and die a lonely death here.
He raised his head and glanced at the cave ceiling.
On the stone wall above the cave, a line of small characters was carved. The characters were strong and elegant, and the strokes resembled streaks of sword light, moving back and forth, exuding a chilling sword aura.
Ouyang Ke stared intently, and saw that the line of text read:
"Having roamed the martial world for over thirty years, I have killed all my enemies and defeated all heroes. There is no one left in the world who can stand against me. Helpless, I can only live in seclusion in a deep valley and take eagles as my friends."
"Alas, in my entire life I have sought a worthy opponent but have found none; truly, this loneliness and desolation are unbearable!"
Below the signature were four large characters—
"The Sword Demon, Dugu Qiubai"
Ouyang Ke stared at the words for a long time without saying a word.
After a long silence, he murmured to himself, "It's a pity you were born at the wrong time. If you had been born a few decades later, you could have discussed and fought with my uncle, Hong Qigong, Huang Yaoshi, and others. Perhaps they still wouldn't be your match, but at least you wouldn't be so lonely."
He wasn't lying.
Ouyang Feng, Hong Qigong, Huang Yaoshi, and Duan Zhixing, while not as dazzlingly brilliant as Dugu Qiubai, are still martial arts prodigies rarely seen in a century. If they could exchange techniques and discuss the art with a swordsman like Dugu Qiubai, mutually encouraging and refining each other, they might very well make further progress.
If there were also Lin Chaoying, the female knight who created the "Jade Maiden Heart Sutra", and Wang Chongyang, the founder of the Quanzhen Sect, how magnificent the scene would be.
What a pity, what a pity.
Ouyang Ke stood in the cave for a long time, but still couldn't see the legendary giant eagle.
He wasn't in a hurry. The giant eagle must have gone out on patrol; with its intelligence, it would return sooner or later.
Ouyang Ke tidied up the cave a bit, found a clean rock, and sat down cross-legged. He took out a porcelain bottle, poured out a bright green snake gall, frowned slightly, and then tilted his head back and swallowed it.
The snake gallbladder enters the mouth, cool and smooth, followed by a burst of intense bitterness.
Ouyang Ke forced himself to suppress the bitterness and closed his eyes to concentrate.
A moment later, a surge of heat suddenly welled up in my abdomen! The heat was intense and spread rapidly to my limbs and bones. My blood was surging and my whole body was burning hot, as if I were in a raging fire!
Ouyang Ke was not surprised but rather pleased.
The gallbladder of this Bosochus snake is indeed remarkably effective!
He suddenly thought of Yang Guo from later generations—at that time, Yang Guo had his arm severed by Guo Fu and was poisoned by the Ice Soul Silver Needle, leaving him severely injured. He was later brought to this desolate valley by the Divine Condor and trained with the Xuan Tie Heavy Sword under the waterfall. At that time, Yang Guo not only lacked internal energy, but his strength was also far from sufficient to wield that heavy Xuan Tie Heavy Sword. It was only after consuming the gallbladder of the Bodhi Serpent that his blood and qi increased dramatically, his skill advanced by leaps and bounds, and he was finally able to wield that heavy sword, stepping into the realm of a martial arts grandmaster.
He dared not delay and immediately activated the "Tendon Changing and Bone Strengthening Technique," guiding the heat flow slowly through his meridians. Taoist practices excel at refining essence into qi, gradually transforming this powerful blood and qi originating from the snake gall into his own true qi.
Soon, the burning sensation gradually subsided, replaced by a warm feeling, as if bathed in the warm spring sun, making one feel completely comfortable and indescribably pleasant.
Unlike Guo Jing, who drank snake blood raw, and Yang Guo, who swallowed snake gall, Ouyang Ke is now using the Yi Jin Duan Gu Manual to guide the essence of snake gall, so he will naturally benefit more than the two of them.
Taking advantage of the momentum, Ouyang Ke swallowed a second snake gall and began to circulate the Nine Yang Divine Skill.
His inner energy surged through his meridians, becoming even more powerful and intense than before. The effects of the snake gall transformed into wisps of heat, continuously merging into his inner energy, causing his power to increase at a visible rate.
The firebird crouched to one side, tilting its head to look at Ouyang Ke. Seeing that he had his eyes closed and was concentrating, motionless, it seemed to understand something, and quietly stayed there without making a sound.
After a long while, Ouyang Ke opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them.
He felt the significant increase in his internal energy and was overjoyed.
"The gall bladder of this Bodhi Serpent is indeed priceless! With its help, the third volume of the Nine Yang Divine Skill will be within reach soon!"
Just as he was about to get up again, a red shadow flashed by, and the firebird shot out of the cave like an arrow.
A moment later, it flew back, carrying a thick Bosqu snake in its mouth. It threw the snake in front of Ouyang Ke, puffed out its chest, and looked smug, as if to say, "Praise me!"
Looking at the still writhing Bodhi snake in front of him, and then at the Firebird's smug posture, Ouyang Ke couldn't help but smile.
"Good bird, I'm the one who owes you a favor today."
He reached out and gently stroked the firebird's feathers. The firebird obediently rubbed its head against his palm and made a soft "coo-coo" sound.
Ouyang Ke cut open the snake's belly, took out the snake gall, and swallowed one.
Seeing this, the firebird seemed to understand something and flew out of the cave again. A moment later, it brought back another one.
After repeating this process several times, it actually brought back three Bosqu snakes in a row!
Looking at the three emerald green snake galls in front of him, and then at the firebird squatting to the side, tilting its head and looking at him, Ouyang Ke felt a surge of warmth in his heart.
"This gluttonous little guy has actually helped me a lot this time."
He swallowed the three snake gallbladders together, closed his eyes, sat cross-legged, and fully activated the Nine Yang Divine Skill.
His inner energy surged through his meridians like a tidal wave. The combined effects of the three snake galls transformed into a powerful heat wave, repeatedly washing over his meridians and acupoints. With each wash, with each cycle, his power increased.
The firebird crouched to one side, watching him silently. Seeing that he remained motionless, it stopped making a sound, but instead looked warily toward the cave entrance, like a loyal guard.
Inside the cave, only the long, steady breathing and the occasional bird calls from afar intertwined to create a tranquil melody.
As the sun set, golden rays streamed into the cave, illuminating the white-clad figure sitting cross-legged. His face appeared even more handsome in the light and shadow, his brows revealing a calm and resolute air unlike anything he had ever shown before.
That's a sign of gradual improvement in skill, and even more so, the beginning of a complete transformation.
The firebird let out a soft "coo," tilted its head to look at him, then looked at the slowly setting sun outside the cave, and chose to continue to quietly keep him company.
And so, I don't know how much time passed.
P.S.: By the way, does anyone know the origin of this firebird?
Also, everyone, I've been trying my best to update, with long chapters of four or five thousand words a day. I'm putting in a lot of effort, so please give me some recommendation votes, fellow readers, I'm begging you!