Chapter 1095 An expert outside the world
"It is not surprising for ordinary people to predict life and death based on age, but this method does not work for Master Kongsheng."

Facing Tang Afu's questioning, Liu Xunyi and Xie Xuan both looked surprised, but Xiao Zhirou was as calm as water, and didn't seem to be surprised at all.

"I would like to hear the Valley Master's advice!" Tang Afu was secretly surprised and hurriedly asked for advice humbly.

"Although reaching the age of 100 is extremely rare, it is not impossible. Do you remember Xu Qingnian, the 'Jianghu Baixuesheng' who presided over the martial arts conference? His martial arts skills were not worth mentioning, but he was able to live to be over 100 years old peacefully. Not only did he not have disheveled hair and sharp teeth, but he was also energetic and radiant. Do you know why?"

"This……"

After Xiao Zhirou's reminder, Liu Xunyi and the other two seemed to have realized something and looked at her with more puzzled eyes.

"It's because Master Kongsheng and Master Xu were close friends when they were young, so he had the honor to learn Master Kongsheng's unique method of prolonging life. This method is the same as the 'disguise technique', which is a 'little trick' that Master Kongsheng figured out when he was free."

"A little... little trick?"

As the saying goes, "the speaker may not mean it, but the listener may take it seriously." Xiao Zhirou's casual words were enough to make Liu Xunyi and the other two dumbfounded.

Little do people know that throughout history, countless kings, generals, and dignitaries have spent their entire lives pursuing ways to "extend longevity"? They have tried everything, such as searching for immortals overseas, praying to gods and Buddhas, building temples and burning incense, and refining elixirs... However, in the end, these people not only failed to achieve immortality, but instead went astray and died early.

Although prolonging life is not the same as immortality, it is still a "secret method" that many people dream of. Now it is regarded by Kong Sheng as a "little trick" to have nothing to do, how can it not be shocking?
Seeing that Liu Xunyi and the other two were skeptical, Xiao Zhirou explained, "What I mean is... compared to Master Kong Sheng's martial arts attainments, the art of disguise and the art of prolonging life are some easy-to-understand 'little tricks' that can be practiced and achieved with some success without excellent talent and aptitude."

"This..." Xiao Zhirou's words once again aroused Liu Xunyi and the other two's strong curiosity about the legendary "Master Kong Sheng".

"As early as fifty or sixty years ago, Master Kong Sheng had already integrated the martial arts of the Guihai Dao Sect and the Shaolin Sect. While cultivating both internally and externally, he also gathered the peak martial arts of the time into one body. It was almost effortless for him to defeat Senior Ye Tong, who was known as the 'world's best master'. At that time, Master Kong Sheng was already worthy of the title of 'peerless master', and there was no one in the world who could match him. Granny Taohua said that her adoptive father's martial arts skills could not be described as 'reaching the pinnacle', and his transcendent realm was close to... 'divine skills', which were not understandable to the general public, and even more so not comparable to ordinary masters."

"Master Kong Sheng... is he really that powerful?" Tang Afu's eyes were filled with suspicion, and he was hesitant to speak. "Compared to the Valley Master... how does he compare?"

Xiao Zhirou did not answer but asked: "As the saying goes, 'There is always someone stronger than you, and there is always someone higher than you.' I inherited my martial arts foundation from Senior Ye Tong. How do you think I compare to Master Kong Sheng?"

"This……"

"Senior Ye Tong once admitted that compared to Master Kong Sheng, all the masters who dominated the martial arts world back then, such as Huang Yangming, Mei Zichuan and himself... were just half-baked people who didn't learn the skills well enough. Even if they were combined, they still couldn't compare to him." Xiao Zhirou did not shy away from expressing her respect and admiration for Kong Sheng. "Master Kong Sheng had already broken through the shackles of peak martial arts back then. Now he has experienced another sixty years of comprehension and practice. His realm... is it something you and I today can't even imagine?"

"It is also possible that... Master Kongsheng has passed away." Liu Xunyi's heart was extremely uneasy after being shocked by the shocking secrets again and again. But even so, he still tried his best to stay rational in the shocking news, sorting out his thoughts and putting forward his own opinions, "Maybe he has already passed away, and everything now is just Wu Shuang's deliberate act to repay his teacher's kindness. Just like... Granny Taohua accepted Miss Pan as her apprentice to repay Master Kongsheng's kindness in the past and protect the descendants of Master Pan Ba ​​on his behalf."

"Xun Yi's words... make sense." Xie Xuan nodded slowly, as if thinking about something. "After all, when Mr. Pan Ba ​​was murdered, the Pan family was almost wiped out. If Master Kong Sheng were still alive, he would not stand idly by and watch the Pan family's misfortune..."

"Not necessarily!" Xiao Zhirou, with her eyebrows slightly furrowed, argued in a serious tone, "Master Kongsheng had seen through the world decades ago and entered the Buddhist sect. The right and wrong, grudges and grievances of the world have nothing to do with him anymore. Maybe... he hasn't set foot in the Central Plains for decades, so he knows very little about the Pan family. Maybe... he knows what happened to the Pan family and feels compassion for Mr. Pan Ba, but he has been out of the world for many years and has no intention of interfering in the grudges of the martial arts world. There is one thing I agree with Xunyi's conjecture. Everything that Wu Shuang and Granny Taohua did for the Pan family may not be what Master Kongsheng meant. Maybe... they just "acted on their own" to repay Master Kongsheng's kindness. But one thing is one thing. No matter how Wu Shuang and Granny Taohua choose, it does not mean that Master Kongsheng has passed away."

"Yes! A hermit who has experienced many ups and downs, and survived death, his attitude towards life and death must be far beyond the comprehension of us mediocre people who are sinking into the secular world. Maybe in his heart, living in the world is not necessarily a blessing, and being in a dream is the real liberation." Xie Xuan sighed, "It doesn't matter whether he is alive or dead. Even the four monks Xuanyun, Xuanfeng, Xuanshan, and Xuanhai know very little about Master Kongsheng, and Wu Shuang is even more tight-lipped and doesn't mention a word. Master Kongsheng willingly concealed his name and disappeared for decades without asking about worldly affairs, which is enough to show that his heart has returned and he has disappeared. In this case, what difference does it make whether he is alive or dead?"

"For Master Kongsheng, life and death may make no difference, but for Granny Taohua, it is completely different." Xiao Zhirou's expression changed, and she said seriously, "Granny Taohua's lifelong wish is to see Master Kongsheng again. If Master Kongsheng is still alive... I will definitely help her realize her wish."

"Right now, the only person who knows the whereabouts of Master Kongsheng... seems to be Wu Shuang." Tang Afu hesitated, "But even the four Xuanyun monks can't get any clues about Master Kongsheng from him. It may not be easy for the Valley Master to find out the truth." "No matter what, I have to try it myself." Xiao Zhirou was determined and interrupted Tang Afu's reminder without thinking, "If Wu Shuang refuses to tell me, I will ask Xunzhen. She and Wu Shuang are from the same lineage, and maybe she knows something about it."

At this point, Xiao Zhirou became more and more excited, and seemed to be impatient, and asked Xie Xuan again: "Where is Wu Shuang now?"

"This..." Xie Xuan was stunned and said awkwardly, "To be honest, from the end of the 'Eradication of Traitors Conference' yesterday until now... I haven't seen him, let alone where he is."

"This……"

"Bang, bang, bang!"

Just as Liu Xunyi and others were discussing Kong Sheng and Wu Shuang, the closed door was knocked again.

"who?"

"Valley Master, I have no regrets."

"What's the matter?"

"Someone outside wants to see Brother Liu, I wonder..."

"Who?"

"Lu Tingxiang, the master of the Jiangnan Lu Mansion, Zuo Hongxuan, the head of the Qingcheng Sect, and Miao'an, the head of the Emei Sect." Facing Xiao Zhirou's questioning, Chang Wuhui answered truthfully and respectfully, "In addition, people from Shaolin, Kunlun, Kongtong, Tang Sect, Qin Clan, Sanyi Gang, Longxiang Mountain, Xilu Wuzong... have also come to inquire about Brother Liu's situation. The difference is that the latter learned that Brother Liu was still resting and most of them left on their own initiative and no longer forced him. The first three... especially Lu Tingxiang, refused to leave no matter how hard we tried, and insisted on seeing Brother Liu."

"see me?"

Upon hearing this, Xie Xuan and Xiao Zhirou reacted calmly, as if they had expected such a scene. Liu Xunyi, however, showed an unexpected look of surprise, looking blankly at Xie and Xiao who were smiling but not saying anything, and said ignorantly: "What do you mean? Apart from Brother Qin, Xunzhen and Gang Leader Xue, I don't have much friendship with the others, so why... do they care about me so much?"

"Xunyi, you are now a big shot in the Central Plains martial arts world. Yesterday, you killed Qingfeng to avenge the Northern Xian King, and became famous in one battle. Now you have the support of Xianwang Mansion, Jueqing Valley, Longxiang Mountain, Sanyi Gang, Xiangxi Teng Clan, Hexi Qin Clan, and Xilu Wuzong. Even a fool can see that you are in the limelight and unstoppable. Your future is bright and beyond the reach of others. I believe that it won't be long before you, Liu Xunyi, will be the next 'common leader' of the martial arts world. They have a foothold in the Central Plains martial arts world to make a living. If they don't care about you, who else can they care about?" Thinking of the current situation in the martial arts world, Xie Xuan couldn't help but show a look of joy on his face, and said enthusiastically, "In fact, rather than saying that he is They care about you, not about themselves. Judging the situation is the instinct of people in the martial arts world to make a living. Many of them have had conflicts with you. Whether these people can live carefree and happy in the future depends largely on your position and attitude. If you let bygones be bygones, they will be very happy. But if you hold a grudge and swear to haggle with them... With your current status and martial arts, I'm afraid these people will have nightmares even when they sleep. Haha... When the Northern Sage King won the "Martial Arts Conference" and Qingfeng took over as the "Martial Arts Alliance Leader", his enemies came to ask for peace, and there was also a prosperous scene like today's "all stars surround the moon", and you are naturally no exception."

"What do you mean by bare hands? What do you mean by the leader of the martial arts world? The more I listen, the more confused I get." Liu Xunyi frowned. Not only was he puzzled by Xie Xuan's explanation, but he was even more surprised. "Just now, Valley Master Xiao told me that the person who will take over Qingfeng's position as the 'leader of the Central Plains martial arts world' is Chief Teng. Even if these people follow the rules, they should still 'care' about Chief Teng. Why..."

"Patriarch Teng is your grandfather, so what's the difference between him being the leader and you being the leader?" Tang Afu said calmly, "Liu Xunyi, since you have done what you should do, killed those who should be killed, and acknowledged those who should be acknowledged... you have almost acknowledged them, why do you have to stay out of it now? Could it be that... you are afraid and plan to retreat at the last minute?"

"I……"

"Xunyi, the night you were asleep, the Central Plains martial arts world has undergone earth-shaking changes. No matter whether it was Kong Sheng and Ye Tong of the past, or the Northern Sage King and Qingfeng of the past, they looked down on the world or looked down on the sky, but now they are all like passing clouds and smoke, and their glory is gone." Before Liu Xunyi could figure out the situation, Xie Xuan had already tightly grasped his arm and said righteously, "As the saying goes, 'The waves behind push the waves ahead, and the new generation replaces the old.' Whether you are willing to admit it or not, whether you are willing to accept it or not... the changes in the martial arts world are a foregone conclusion. The new generation of 'martial arts heroes' standing at the forefront today... is not Chief Teng, not Master Xiao, and certainly not Xie, but you! It is the 'Young Sage King' who is responsible for countless things... Liu Xunyi!"

……

(End of this chapter)