The Villain's Counterattack

Chapter 225 This is a reincarnation

After battling Hong Qigong for three hundred rounds without a clear winner, Yang Kang stayed behind, guiding Mu Nianci's training daily and asking Hong Qigong for advice. He didn't need him to teach him martial arts, but instead, the two of them engaged in a conversation, discussing literature and martial arts on an equal footing. Yang Kang casually passed on the first three levels of the Dragon Elephant Prajnaparamita Kung Fu to Hong Qigong, and Hong Qigong, not wanting to take advantage of him, taught Mu Nianci many of the essentials of the Xiaoyaoyou boxing technique, a martial arts he had relied on in his youth and possessed a unique and magical quality.

After Guo Jing drank the nourishing soup, his internal strength improved rapidly. He was indeed very suitable for the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms. Coupled with his resilience, he practiced it quite well. Huang Rong was unable to fight him. Half a month later, even Mu Nianci could fight him to a draw, which made Huang Rong feel unhappy.

Yang Kang deliberately avoided Guo Jing when Hong Qigong was teaching him martial arts, and appeared after he finished teaching. He exchanged moves with Guo Jing, saying that if he couldn't beat the old one, how could he not beat the young one? He believed that as long as he defeated Guo Jing, he would also have defeated the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, which made Hong Qigong burst into laughter.

But Yang Kang's words made sense. He was only eighteen, the same age as Guo Jing, even a few months younger than Guo Jing, and his seniority was not comparable to Hong Qigong, so it was normal for him to lose. He lost the person, not the martial arts. He was the same age as Guo Jing, so if he defeated him, wouldn't it be like winning the Dragon Subduing Palm?

Hong Qigong discovered that Yang Kang seemed to be very familiar with the Dragon Subduing Palm. After watching it several times, he was able to point out Guo Jing's shortcomings during the fight with him, and he understood it more clearly than himself, which shocked Hong Qigong greatly.

Yang Kang said, "The Beggars' Sect has a long history, and there are many who can use the Dragon Subduing Palm. While not all of them have learned it, some know some. With so much practice, it's naturally been studied. As long as you put in the effort, you'll eventually discover some key points. Furthermore, many martial arts names aren't without meaning; they often contain some truth. I fought Qi Gong for three hundred rounds before, and the Dragon Subduing Palm only has eighteen moves. You've used it over and over so many times. It would be strange if I didn't see some key points."

Hong Qigong rolled his eyes and said, "You're just a little freak. This old beggar has fought many people with this Dragon Subduing Palm more than once, and I've never seen anyone steal it and learn it."

"Maybe it's because they are relatively stupid. This young man is a genius with a photographic memory. As long as you think about it carefully, even if you can't figure out the inner meaning, it will not be difficult to imitate the superficial things after trying them a few times." As Yang Kang said this, he used Guo Jing's version of the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms to practice against Guo Jing, and ended up defeating Guo Jing.

Yang Kang was just imitating the appearance, his moves were a bit rigid, and his method of circulating internal energy was still based on the Nine Yin Scriptures, which was slightly different from Hong Qigong's style. For Hong Qigong, who had practiced the Dragon Subduing Palm into his bones, he could tell the difference at a glance. However, although this kid was not authentic, he also exerted 50% to 60% of the power of the Dragon Subduing Palm, which was three points more powerful than Guo Jing's authentic half-baked Dragon Subduing Palm.

What should I do if I suddenly want to take in another disciple?

Hong Qigong hurriedly shook his head and changed the topic to talk about the Huashan Sword Contest that year, and then he tested Yang Kang's swordsmanship. Yang Kang, who was proficient in Quanzhen swordsmanship, fought with Hong Qigong quite vigorously. In terms of moves alone, he was not inferior to Hong Qigong at all, and occasionally he would make a brilliant move that caught the old beggar off guard and made him very uncomfortable.

Hong Qigong's expression turned a bit grim, and he unconsciously increased his strength, knocking Yang Kang's sword flying. He then leaped up and quickly drew his spear from his horse's back, engaging Hong Qigong's dog-beating stick. Yang Kang's spearmanship remained true to the Yang family's style, with a swift, sweeping movement reminiscent of a battlefield. Initially, this stunned Hong Qigong. Once Hong Qigong gradually adapted to his style, he quickly gained the upper hand, ultimately defeating Yang Kang in a round of weapons.

"I see that the spear technique you use is the Yang family spear technique. Will you go to the battlefield in the future?" Hong Qigong felt very comfortable in this fight, and finally defeated Yang Kang. He was satisfied and completely recognized Yang Kang's strength. However, if he knew that Yang Kang only used the martial arts that he could display, and had not used "Nine Yin Scriptures" and "Nine Swords of Dugu", he would definitely not be so satisfied.

"Yes, all my martial arts, whether it's the Iron Shirt (Vajra Indestructible Divine Art), the Dragon Elephant Prajna Sutra, or the Yang Family Spear Technique, are all prepared for fighting on the battlefield." Yang Kang casually picked up a straw stick and held it in his mouth, saying nonchalantly, "History always has so many cycles. The rise of the Hu tribe outside the Great Wall is the beginning of disaster for the Han people. The rise of the Hu people after the Mongols unified the Hu people is unstoppable. I only hope to slow down their southward advance and allow more Han people to sail out to sea with more of their civilization. The Hu people's rule will not last too long, one or two hundred years at most. When the Han people rebel, they will return."

Hong Qigong was very curious, so he pulled Yang Kang to discuss the national situation. Yang Kang used history as a mirror and started from the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties to narrate the endless grievances and hatreds between the Central Plains and the Hu people, the original intention of building the Great Wall of Qin, the Northern Expedition of Emperor Wu of Han, the Northern Expedition of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period, all the way to the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Five Barbarians' Invasion of China, Emperor Taizong of Tang's Heavenly Khan to the Anshi Rebellion, and then especially talked about the changes in Liao and Jin.

"Throughout history, military commanders have never been so lowly in the Song Dynasty. Therefore, the Song Dynasty has no hope, unless their current deformed civilization is completely destroyed and a fresh start is made. After all, warriors are needed to lead troops into battle. If these lazy and ignorant scholars, full of tales of thieves and prostitutes, and full of righteousness and morality, are not eliminated, then the military will not rise, and the Han people will have no hope. And yet, only the foreign Hu people can bring about their destruction. This is truly a great irony."

Yang Kang sighed and said, "Yue Wumu was such a hero, but he was killed on a 'false' charge."

"So the Han people have two greatest enemies: the foreign barbarians, and the corrupt scholars in the court. If one of them is destroyed, the Han people have hope. But the latter is the former's umbrella of protection, and the former is determined to kill the latter. The result is bound to be only one: the barbarians' iron hoofs trample on Han civilization, the Han people suffer and blood flows like a river, and all the officials in the court are reduced to prisoners. Then, if the corrupt scholars are destroyed, the Han people will awaken, and the warriors will be forced to revolt. If the barbarians reuse the corrupt scholars and allow themselves to degenerate, they will become Hanized, and the scholars will continue to suppress the warriors. New Hu forces will emerge outside the Great Wall, and after rising strongly, they will destroy the Hanized Hu people."

Yang Kang looked at Hong Qigong deeply and said, "The Liao Kingdom valued Han officials, so it was destroyed by the Jin Kingdom. The Jin Kingdom valued Han officials, so it was bound to be destroyed by the Mongols. This is the cycle of reincarnation!"

"The Jin Kingdom is also a group of Han Chinese people?" Hong Qigong was stunned for a moment, and after thinking carefully, he realized that although the Jin Kingdom always wanted to move south and offended the Song Dynasty, to be honest, there were indeed many Han officials in the Jin Kingdom, and the Jin Kingdom's system was also a Han official system.

Yang Kang nodded and said, "Because they've been clashing with the Song Dynasty for too long, and have always had the upper hand, it's like playing chess with a bad chess master, and the more you play, the worse you get. The Jin army's combat effectiveness is far inferior to the Jurchen army that swept across Liaodong and routed the Liao army. Jurchens were under ten thousand strong, but those over ten thousand were invincible. Even if the current Jin army had a hundred thousand men, they wouldn't necessarily be a match for the thirty thousand Mongols. The Mongols are the Jurchens of a hundred years ago, and the Jin is like the Liao of that time."

At this point, Yang Kang couldn't help but shake his head slightly. Guo Jing suddenly said, "The Khan has no intention of moving south. The Jin people are the worst."

"What if the Mongols really march south?" Yang Kang looked at Guo Jing with interest. Guo Jing shouted, "If the Great Khan marches south, I will stop him even at the cost of my life."

"Remember what you said today. I'm waiting for you to become a hero defending the Han people against the Mongols. However, before that, I've already died fighting against the Mongols." Yang Kang retracted his spear and turned to leave. Hong Qigong's expression was slightly ambiguous. Jin? Mongolia? Did the Song officials want to ally with Mongolia to destroy the Jin, just like they had allied with the Jin to fight the Liao?

This is the cycle of history. If Yang Kang hadn't pointed it out, I wouldn't have thought that the current situation is so similar to that of the past.