Chapter 70: What is Jianghu?

  Yi Tian frowned and said: "When discussing serious matters, I don't like to joke around. If you don't want to say anything, then I'll just leave!"

  Just as he was about to get up and leave, Liu Wuyan quickly stood up and blocked his way, "I'm talking about serious business, can you have a little patience and let me finish what I have to say?"

  Liu Wuyan stretched out his hand and pushed Yi Tian, who sat on the sofa, and came closer, bowing his head to stare into Yi Tian's eyes, smiling: "Do you know my identity?"

  Yi Tian shook his head, indicating he didn't know.

  Liu Wuyan stood up with her back to him, her slender figure swaying gently as she paced back and forth in front of Yi Tian. She opened her mouth and said: "I am a disciple of the Huanling Gate, and one of the three candidates for the position of gate master. You may not know about the affairs of the Jianghu, so I'll tell you about it, so that you can understand!"

  "Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism, the three major schools have dominated the world for thousands of years. Up to now, Taoism is flourishing, Buddhism is mediocre, and Confucianism is in a hidden state."

  "In all denominations..."

  "Taoism is still the most vibrant sect, with ** schools of thought, among which Wudang is the most revered."

  "Buddhism, domestically does not show its edge, self-contained and holding one side, the overall strength is also not to be underestimated, with a total of four major main temples, among which Shaolin is the most revered."

  "Confucianism, since the end of the Qing dynasty, has been in disarray, but since then it has been secretly entrenched in official circles, forming an invisible undercurrent that holds the pulse of national destiny. Although invisible, it still has a complete system, without branches, and only a few people know about the existence of the 'Three Great National Elders', however they do not interfere with politics, together with the respected ones of the other two sects, using their reverse heavenly power to guard the national pulse, to determine the national destiny."

  Yi Tian had never heard of these things, and even now that he had, his mind was a jumble of confusion, it was simply hard to believe. However, when he heard that the Wudang Sect was the most powerful among all the sects, he secretly felt a thrill of excitement, at the same time also making up his mind that in the future he must strive for it, no matter what, he had to become the leader!

  Liu Wuyan was wearing a charming nightgown, pacing back and forth with her hands behind her back. Seeing Yi Tianle listening intently and laughing from time to time, she became more interested and began to speak like an old scholar.

  "Outside the three major sects, there are many other sects on the rivers and lakes, among which the distinction between good and evil is clear. Most of the righteous schools rely on the three major sects, while the evil sects hide in the rivers and lakes."

  "The Orthodox faction is very powerful, with a total of 72 sects. Among them, the strongest in overall strength and the widest in distribution are the Tian Qi Men and Shen Feng Men."

  Yi Tian listened intently, Shen Feng Men, he knew that Du Song was a member of the Shen Feng Men, what about Tian Qi Men? With some confusion, he asked: "Wait, what is Tian Qi Men for?"

  Liu Wuyan smiled and said: "Beggar!"

  Upon hearing this, Yi Tian was completely speechless, it turned out that the Beggar Clan actually had such a cool name!

  He then stretched out his hand and gestured to Liu Wuyan, continuing to speak.

  Liu Wuyan nodded and continued, "The evil sects are weak in power, but their influence is not small. Although they take the meaning of evil sects, they are not completely lawless and do evil deeds. However, many have already fallen thoroughly. The development of the evil sects has eight doors as far as I know: the Thieves' Door, the Thousand Doors, the Killing Door, the Gu Door, the Red Hand Door, the Orchid Door, the Divine Adjustment Door, and the Mechanism Door."

  "In the Jianghu, there is a saying that has been passed down: 'Thieves have three hands, but only two hearts. The Lanmen are all false emotions, while the Hongmen are not true to their words. The Shamen are ruthless and cold-blooded, while the Shenmen are possessed by evil spirits. The Guimen are full of wickedness and anomalies, with mechanisms that shock people."

  "Each of these eight doors has its own unique skills, and when used skillfully, they can save people from danger, but also harm them in invisible ways!"

  Yi Tian nodded in agreement, indicating that he understood a few of the eight gates, but there were still some that he didn't quite grasp. "What are the Orchid Gate, Red Hand Gate and Divine Tune Gate for?" he asked.

  Liu Wuyan patiently explained: "The Orchid Gate was originally a transformation of the official jì, but now it is just an organization set up by some high-ranking wind and dust women to protect their fellow sisters."

  "Hongshoumen, also known as Dream Red Hand, is skilled in the art of deception and illusion. You know, magicians who are relatively well-known in the industry are mostly from Hongshoumen. However, some people don't follow the right path and specialize in swindling others."

  "Shen Tiao Men is also known as Wu Men, which refers to practices such as jumping into a trance and spirit possession. Practitioners claim to be able to exorcise evil spirits and heal illnesses, but most of them are fake, and only a few truly have the ability."

  "Let me remind you, if you ever encounter people from the Gu Men in the future, be careful. These people have the darkest hearts and are the most sinister of all the evil sects. They specialize in exorcisms, corpse driving, and curses, usually killing people without leaving a trace. Whatever you do, don't let them set their sights on you!"

  Liu's expression was serious with concern, and Yi Tian really felt it. He smiled and thanked him: "Hehe, thanks for reminding me." Then he asked tentatively: "By the way, you've been talking for half a day, which school does your Huanlingmen belong to? It can't be Lanhuamen, right..."

  "You bastard, I... am I that kind of person?" Liu Wuyan pouted her red lips, staring at Yi Tian with an angry expression.

  "Haha, it's better that you're not. If a beautiful woman like you were really from that kind of family, I would truly feel sorry for you."

  Upon hearing Yi Tian's words, Liu Wuyan turned around with a smile, walked over with a cat-like gait, and sat down beside him, resting her slender white legs on his side. She wrapped her arm around his and said with a hint of playfulness in her eyes: "Looks like you're still quite concerned about me, huh? Actually, our Huanling Gate is one of the branches of the Thousand Gates, and if we count it, we can even rank among the top three of the Thousand Gates."

  Wrapped in the charming and alluring figure of Liu Wuyan, Yi Tian's heart began to beat faster, his blood surged upwards, his face turned red, and he suddenly had an evil thought.

  "But he still suppressed his smile and said: 'Hehe, let's talk business, let's talk business.'"

  Feeling Yitian's unease, Liu Wuyan didn't hold back and instead leaned on Yitian's shoulder. "The fragmentation of the thousand sects is very severe, and our own Huanling Sect isn't very united either. In fact, their wish is quite simple - they just want to unify the thousand sects in the future!"

  What? Unifying a thousand gates is just the beginning? This woman's ambition isn't small at all!

  At this moment, Yi Tian stared at Liu Wuyan's face for a few more seconds, and it wasn't until then that he realized the charming woman who was leaning against him was actually a formidable figure.

  "You may have found the wrong person, I don't have the ability to help you achieve such a great wish. I think this deal is not going to work!" Yi Tian said with a frown.

  Liu Wuyan chuckled and said, "Hehe, you don't believe in yourself, but you should trust my judgment. I feel that your strength far exceeds what you've shown so far. At such a young age, you've already reached this level - the future is boundless for you! My intuition is extremely keen, to the point where I can sense even the slightest detail about you. Besides, I didn't say how you should help me, so why do you say it's impossible?"

  At this time, Yi Tian did not underestimate Liu Wuyan because she was a woman. Especially after Liu Wuyan expressed her ambition just now, Yi Tian suddenly had an idea of avoiding her. Liu Wuyan's intelligence and ambition made him feel a little afraid, so he became cautious in his heart!

  "Alright, what exactly do you want me to help you with?"

  "Two years later, it's time for our Phantom Gate to re-elect the gate master. While the three pre-selected candidates are competing, each person will also find a strong external aid to compete with other aids. If you win, you can get some points. As long as you can win, I have a great hope of taking the position of the gate master!" Liu Wuyan looked into Yi Tian's eyes, revealing an pleading gaze.

  Yi Tian asked: "What kind of trial will be conducted at that time, a martial arts competition?"

  Liu Wuyan shook his head, "Not necessarily, the content of the trial will be decided by a few elder members at that time, no one knows about this."

  Upon hearing this, Yi Tian fell silent, secretly thinking that the time was two years later. By then, he didn't know what kind of state he would reach, and how much his martial arts would improve. However, according to his thoughts, helping the other party win shouldn't be too difficult.

  But thinking again, isn't what I'm putting in a bit too much? Just to get some information from the other person's mouth, I have to help Liu Wuyan this much, it seems like it's not worth it no matter how you look at it.

  "What can I get then, just getting the message you said?" Yi Tian asked back.

  Liu's face was flushed with a charming smile, and she said in a soft voice: "It's not just information, I can also help you deal with those who want to harm you! And... my people are yours too, whenever you need me, I'll be there for you, isn't that enough?"

  At this point, Yi Tian also smiled, but it wasn't a happy smile. Instead, he had some contempt for Liu Wuyan in his heart. A woman who would do anything to achieve her goals, even selling her body for benefits, made him very disgusted. He stretched out his hand and gently tapped Liu Wuyan's chin, saying: "Sorry, I'm not interested in a woman like you! However, I agree to your terms!"

  He immediately stood up and faced Liu Wuyan, who was still in a daze on the sofa, saying: "Alright, the deal is settled. Now you can tell me who wants to harm me, right?"

  Liu Wuyan was ignored by Yi Tian, and her face suddenly turned red. She looked at Yi Tian with some anger, feeling that her emotions were fluctuating greatly. She calmed herself down, stood up, and smiled at Yi Tian: "No problem, your affairs are indeed more complicated. I don't know where you got so many enemies from. Yesterday evening, someone invited me to a place - the deputy county head's home!"

  When he heard the vice county magistrate, Yi Tian was slightly surprised, how did the other party notice himself so quickly?

  "There I met a few people who you must have seen at today's banquet."

  Yi Tian interjected: "You're talking about Dong Wenchang and Wang Jun, right?"

  "Well, not bad, you're smart to have guessed so quickly. Including Deputy County Head Wang Xikun, there are five people in total: Wang Jun, Dong Wenchang, Sun Hui, and another person named Hong Tao!"

  When he heard about the people in front of him, Yi Tian didn't pay much attention, but when he heard about Hong Tao, he felt a bit troubled.

  "They wanted to spend a lot of money to invite me to join them, to gang up on you, but I rejected it on the spot. Perhaps when they really understand what kind of person they want to deal with, I think they will regret their decision!"

  Yi Tian smiled slightly and said, "Anyway, thanks for the news today. I will definitely keep my promise to you. If there's a need, I'll look for you. Then I'll take my leave first!" He turned around and left after speaking.

  Liu Wuyan's eyes saw Yi Tiankai open the door and leave, she had just removed her disguise, her whole body softened, and she sat down on the bed, stunned for a while, then she went to the bathroom, followed by the sound of rushing water.

  ……