023 Coachman Li Dan Niu

It seemed that this part of the plot had been corrected. Li Daniu recalled the original film, where Zhang Sanfeng, a seasoned master, would never have swapped hostages without taking precautions. How could he have allowed the junior of the Xuanming Elders a chance to strike Zhang Wuji mid-air? It simply made no sense!

From Li Daniu’s mortal perspective, Zhang Sanfeng had merely tapped the junior’s back as he tossed him aside, but that single palm had already sealed his meridians. Attempting to use the Xuanming Divine Palm again while airborne was impossible.

On the other side, Zhang Cuishan and his wife discovered that Zhang Wuji had been struck by the Xuanming Divine Palm. There was no need to ask—clearly, the Xuanming Elders had secretly made their move when they grabbed him.

“You rascal, how dare you?” Zhang Sanfeng’s temper flared, his brows and beard bristling as he turned to confront the Xuanming Elders.

In that brief moment, the junior’s sealed meridians had already been released with the help of his senior brothers. It was easy because Zhang Sanfeng hadn’t meant to truly harm them; his technique was only to prevent them from causing mischief, so he hadn’t exerted much force.

“This is bad, dodge quickly!” Turning around, Zhang Sanfeng saw the Xuanming Elders jointly unleash a palm strike. Individually or together, they were no match for him, but after decades of cultivation and wielding the high-level Xuanming Divine Palm, Zhang Sanfeng wouldn’t foolishly stand and receive their full-powered attack.

Zhang Cuishan and his wife, having also been struck by the Xuanming Divine Palm, felt the cold energy rampaging within. Moreover, holding Zhang Wuji in their arms made it impossible for them to evade. Fortunately, Zhang Sanfeng was swift, grabbing all three and flashing aside.

Boom!

Li Daniu heard a deafening crash. When he came to his senses, he saw that the town’s stone archway, towering nearly thirty feet, had collapsed under that palm strike. Not only that, but a thick layer of ice had formed on the fallen archway, glittering in the sunlight.

Good heavens, this was like a rocket launcher with added liquid nitrogen!

Having dodged the blow, Zhang Sanfeng was about to seize the Xuanming Elders, only to find they had already taken the opportunity to escape.

“Cuishan, take them back to Wudang. Have your senior brothers suppress the cold energy together. I’ll pursue them and see if there’s an antidote.”

Without waiting for Zhang Cuishan’s reply, Zhang Sanfeng vanished in a flash.

Li Daniu surveyed the devastation in the town, utterly awed by this legendary mid-tier martial world. If the martial arts here could cause such destruction, what would happen when he entered worlds of even greater martial prowess? Would he survive?

Seeing Zhang Cuishan and his wife preparing to take Zhang Wuji to Wudang Mountain, Li Daniu hurried down.

“Hero, please wait!” He had barely reached the couple when a flash of cold light brushed past his neck, making it feel icy.

“Hold on!” Zhang Cuishan called out, then said, “Su Su, this brother is a local resident.”

“Yes, yes, I’m just an ordinary man, I know no martial arts.” Li Daniu broke out in a cold sweat, shivering. Anyone would tremble with a sharp sword at their throat, especially when the woman was Yin Susu. Despite her loving demeanor with Zhang Cuishan, she was the true heiress of the Demonic Sect. Zhang Cuishan’s third senior brother had become paralyzed after being wounded by her hidden weapons.

“Why did you stop us?” Yin Susu’s hand holding the sword was steady as ever. Her son was afflicted with the Xuanming Divine Palm and urgently needed treatment. At this moment, not even the leader of the Ming Sect could stop her, let alone an unrelated bystander.

“I saw your horse was frightened and ran off. Your carriage can’t move, but I know where there’s another horse—right behind the inn.” Li Daniu still couldn’t figure out where Yin Susu had drawn her sword from, as she’d been empty-handed just moments before.

“With so many people in town scared off, why are you the only one left? Give me a reason not to kill you.” Li Daniu hadn’t expected Yin Susu to be so unreasonable. He had come out of kindness to help her find a horse, yet she demanded a reason not to kill him? Zhang Cuishan, now I understand why you took your own life.

“Su Su, he means well. We’re both afflicted by the Xuanming Divine Palm, unable to muster even a tenth of our strength. Wuji’s condition can’t handle much jostling…” Zhang Cuishan continued to persuade her.

“Lady hero, I was robbed today and lost my livelihood, now penniless. Luckily, this hero showed kindness and gave me some silver, so I wanted to repay him in any way I could.” If Li Daniu had known Yin Susu was this difficult, he never would have jumped into the plot.

Hearing his explanation, Yin Susu glanced at Zhang Cuishan, received a nod in confirmation, then sheathed her sword.

“If you wish to repay kindness, hurry and fetch the horse.”

“Yes, yes, I’ll go now.” Ignoring his trembling legs, Li Daniu gritted his teeth and ran to the inn’s backyard. He’d heard horses neighing there earlier, and upon entering, found a carriage already harnessed. He took the reins and prepared to leave.

“Liu Er, are you trying to take advantage of the chaos?” The inn’s waiter appeared from nowhere.

“I wouldn’t dare! The heroes outside told me to fetch the horse. Their own was frightened off, and if I don’t bring it, they’ll kill me. If you don’t believe me, come outside and see for yourself.” Li Daniu had no fear before the waiter, a fellow mortal, unlike his timidity in front of Yin Susu.

“I’m not going out. I’ll remember you, Liu Er. If you don’t return the horse, I’ll call the authorities.”

Having no time for further argument, Li Daniu led the carriage around the back to the street. Fortunately, he’d once worked at a stable; otherwise, he might not have managed to lead the horse at all.

Seeing him bring the carriage, Yin Susu climbed aboard with Zhang Wuji in her arms.

“Cuishan, come inside as well and let him drive.”

Me? Drive? Li Daniu had planned to use this opportunity to visit Wudang, but the casual way she spoke baffled him. He was, after all, a ruler with two or three dozen guns under his command.

“That’s not appropriate, Su Su.” Zhang Cuishan was used to his wife’s attitude toward strangers, but his upright character compelled him to protest weakly.

“It’s not for nothing. We’ll give him some silver later. If you don’t come in, the cold poison will enter your body. Besides, both of us need to suppress Wuji’s cold poison along the way.”

Before Zhang Cuishan could object further, Li Daniu quickly agreed, “Hero, I’m willing. But I’ve never been to Wudang myself, so I’ll need your guidance to find the way.”

At this point, he had no choice. With Yin Susu’s temperament, refusing might earn him another slash.

“Thank you, brother, for your righteousness. I, Zhang Cuishan, will surely reward you generously.” Zhang Cuishan knew this was no time for pride; his son’s safety mattered more than forcing Li Daniu to drive.

Following Zhang Cuishan’s directions, Li Daniu set off with the carriage. His luck was good—the carriage belonged to the innkeeper, well-trained and docile, so his limited driving skills sufficed.

Though the town lay at the foot of Wudang Mountain, the mountain itself was vast. After driving for twenty or thirty minutes, they reached a mountain path. Zhang Cuishan instructed them to follow the trail to the summit, where Wudang was located.

Staring at the towering peaks, Li Daniu felt a surge of excitement. This was Wudang, the legendary sect led by Zhang Sanfeng! Even if this Zhang Sanfeng differed from versions in other films or novels, he was still Zhang Sanfeng. Just his dazzling lightness skills alone ranked among the best in the martial world created by Master Jin.

How could one become a disciple of Wudang? Li Daniu never considered being accepted by Zhang Sanfeng himself; even joining as a pupil of a second-generation disciple would be remarkable. Three months wasn’t long, but at least he could get a foot in the door. If he managed to cultivate internal energy, he’d be invincible upon returning to the real world—there, the strongest were mere fighters.

Before Li Daniu could think of a plan, several Taoists appeared, gliding toward him.

“Stop! Who are you?”

Li Daniu was about to protest that he wasn’t moving—the horse was—but Zhang Cuishan poked his head out from the carriage.

“Senior brother, second brother, fourth brother?”

“Fifth brother?”

“Cuishan?”

Seeing familiar faces, both sides rejoiced. Before they could exchange pleasantries, Zhang Cuishan urgently called out, “Brother, take Wuji up the mountain at once. He’s been struck by the Xuanming Divine Palm!”

“Wuji? Xuanming Divine Palm?” The Taoists were bewildered. They had come down the mountain to greet fellow martial artists, only to unexpectedly encounter their long-lost junior brother.

“Wuji is my son. Brother, there’s no time to explain—take him up the mountain and suppress the cold poison in his body. Cough, cough…” Zhang Cuishan, in his haste, began coughing.

“Brother, you’re injured too?”

“No questions now, saving him is paramount.” The eldest Taoist lifted the carriage curtain, grabbed Zhang Cuishan’s hand, and handed him to his junior.

Yin Susu, seeing the arrival of Wudang disciples, was relieved and hurriedly handed Zhang Wuji to them.

“Yin Susu? You… sigh.” The grievances between Wudang’s Seven Heroes and Yin Susu were too tangled to unravel. The third brother had been paralyzed by her, and the fifth had gone to avenge him, only to become entangled with her. After all these years, now there was a child.

“Brother Song, please save my Wuji.”

The eldest was actually Wudang’s senior brother, Song Yuanqiao—the father of the infamous Song Qingshu from the legend of the Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber.

Song Yuanqiao sighed again and said, “Second brother, take Wuji up the mountain. Fourth brother, take fifth brother up as well. Lady Yin, let’s set aside right and wrong for now. Since propriety forbids men and women from close contact, please ride the carriage up the mountain.”

“Senior brother, you…”

Zhang Cuishan was anxious—it was his wife, after all. Yet, recalling the brotherhood between the seven, and his wife being the cause of his third brother’s paralysis, he was at a loss.

“Cuishan, I’m fine. Saving the child comes first.” Yin Susu, knowing her husband’s nature, stepped in to spare him embarrassment.

Song Yuanqiao, knowing his fifth brother well, didn’t give him time to fuss. He and the fourth brother, Zhang Songxi, lifted Zhang Cuishan and sped up the mountain using their lightness skills.

Yu Lianzhou, seeing his brothers depart, took Zhang Wuji and left as well.

They moved faster than motorcycles, vanishing in an instant. Li Daniu watched in awe—so this was the legendary lightness skill! When would he ever learn it?

“What are you staring at? Get back to driving!”