A new challenge for martial arts wizards
After Huashan discussed the sword, Zhou Botong became the first of the new five uniques with his unique left and right fighting skills and innocent character.
This title is both an honor and a new challenge for him. In the Valley of Hundred Flowers, Zhou Botong ushered in a special visitor - Yang Guo, who had reunited after a long absence. The two met very happily, and Zhou Botong invited Yang Guo to learn martial arts with great interest.
Yang Guo agreed with a smile. Although he only has one arm, after 16 years of hard work, his martial arts have made a qualitative leap. As soon as the two fought, Zhou Botong felt tremendous pressure.
During the battle, Yang Guo suddenly used his self-created Gloomy Ecstasy Palm. This peculiar martial art immediately attracted Zhou Botong's attention. I saw that Yang Guo's moves were weird, and each palm contained deep sadness, as if he had poured his lifelong regrets into it.
Although Zhou Botong has strong martial arts, he also feels a little helpless in the face of this mastery. After the fight, Zhou Botong couldn't hold back his curiosity and excitement, and actually knelt down and kowtowed to Yang Guo, asking to teach this martial art.
Zhou Botong refused to get up, and said persistently: "Brother Yang, your mastery is really amazing!" I have lived for so many years, and I have never seen such a miraculous martial arts.
Yang Guo was moved by Zhou Botong's sincerity, and after thinking for a while, he nodded and agreed: "Okay, Brother Zhou." Since you like it so much, I'm going to show you the seventeen styles of this ecstasy palm.
Immediately, Yang Guo demonstrated the 17 styles of ecstasy. Zhou Botong watched intently, and with his extraordinary talent in martial arts, he quickly memorized these moves.
He danced excitedly, and his joy was palpable. However, when Zhou Botong tried to use the Gloomy Ecstasy Palm, he found that his power was far inferior to Yang Guo's. This left him, who had always been conceited, confused and frustrated.
Seeing this, Yang Guo patted Zhou Botong on the shoulder and said meaningfully: "Brother Zhou, the secret of this palm technique is not only in the moves, but also in the state of mind. You can take your time. These words made Zhou Botong thoughtful.
He touched his chin, his eyes flashed with curiosity, and he secretly resolved to understand the mystery of this miraculous skill.
The persistent pursuit of an infatuated warrior
Zhou Botong began to delve into the ecstasy palm day and night, trying to find out the mystery. He paced back and forth in the Valley of Hundred Flowers, sometimes frowning and pondering, sometimes waving his palms to practice, completely oblivious to the passage of time. Aunt Ying and Master Yilan looked at him, both relieved by his concentration and slightly worried about his obsession.
Late one night, Zhou Botong suddenly woke up from his sleep, and he recalled the scene outside Xiangyang City, when Yang Guo used this palm technique during the battle with the Golden Wheel Dharma King. At that time, Yang Guo was facing a life and death crisis, and said to Xiaolongnu "Long'er, don't be, don't be, take care of yourself" such bleak words.
It was at that moment that Yang Guo's Gloomy Ecstasy Palm increased its power, and he made moves such as "dragging mud and water", "soul not giving up", "perverse action", and "if something is missing", which seriously injured the Golden Wheel Dharma King.
Zhou Botong jumped up from the bed suddenly, patted his thigh excitedly and shouted, "I understand!" The essence of this technique is not in the moves, but in the state of mind! His shout woke up Aunt Ying, who rubbed her eyes and came to check, but saw Zhou Botong happily gesturing, as if she had discovered some big secret.
However, this discovery also put Zhou Botong in a difficult situation. As an optimistic and childlike old naughty boy, how can he experience that sad state of mind? Zhou Botong fell into deep thought, his brows were tightly locked, and his fingers unconsciously tapped on the table.
He began to try all kinds of ways to grieve himself. Sometimes, he deliberately thinks about something sad; Sometimes, he will make a sad face in the mirror. When Aunt Ying saw him like this, she couldn't help but smile and asked, "Berton, what are you doing here?" Zhou Botong waved his hand and replied seriously: "I'm practicing, don't disturb me."
But none of these attempts really touched his heart. Seeing this, Master Yideng stepped forward and comforted: "Botong, the way of martial arts, you must persevere. Maybe you need to go through some of the ups and downs of life before you can truly grasp the essence of this technique.
Zhou Botong listened and nodded thoughtfully. He looked into the distance, his eyes shining with determination. "Maybe, I need to get out of here and experience more and feel more.
He whispered. In this way, Zhou Botong began to practice more diligently. He is no longer limited to the practice of moves, but tries to feel the joys and sorrows of life.
He would sit quietly on the top of the Valley of Hundred Flowers, watching the clouds roll up; I will also walk alone on the mountain paths and listen to the birds and insects. However, as time passed, Zhou Botong felt more and more that life in Baihua Valley could not give him the experience he needed to comprehend the ecstasy palm.
He began to become distracted, often looking out of the valley in a daze. Aunt Ying noticed the change in him, and there was a faint uneasiness in her heart. Finally, on a dark and windy night, Zhou Botong made a major decision.
He is leaving the place where he has lived for so many years and embarking on a journey alone to find the true meaning of the ecstasy. His eyes shone with a complex light, both the expectation of the unknown and the reluctance to part.
Zhou Botong sighed softly: "For the sake of this divine skill, I have to leave again. Aunt Ying, forgive me for being selfish. After speaking, he picked up the pen and began to write the parting letter that was destined to make Aunt Ying sad.
Parting and Pursuit
On a dark and windy night, Zhou Botong made up his mind to leave the Valley of Hundred Flowers. He quietly wrote down a letter, placed it lightly on the table, and left the place where he had lived for many years without a sound.
There was only a simple sentence in the letter: "Aunt Ying, when I am successful, it will be the day we meet again." This small number contains Zhou Botong's persistent pursuit of martial arts and his deep apologies to Aunt Ying.
Zhou Botong finally glanced back at the sleeping Aunt Ying, and a trace of reluctance flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by firmness. He whispered, "Aunt Ying, I'm sorry. When I come back, I'll make it up to you.
With that, he turned and disappeared into the night. In the early morning of the next day, as soon as the sun spilled into the Valley of Hundred Flowers, Aunt Ying found that Zhou Botong was missing. Master Yideng opened the door when he heard the sound, only to see Aunt Ying's panicked expression, holding a note in her hand.
He took the note, read it carefully, frowned slightly, and said with a light sigh: "Berton left this time, I'm afraid it will be difficult to return in a short time." When Aunt Ying heard this, tears filled her eyes, and she muttered to herself, "Berton, where have you been?"
Why did you leave me behind? After saying that, she suddenly turned around and rushed out of the house, running towards the exit of the Hundred Flowers Valley, shouting Zhou Botong's name as she ran, and her voice echoed in the silent valley.
Master Yilan looked at Aunt Ying's back, shook his head and sighed. He understood the significance of Zhou Botong's trip, but he also felt distressed for Aunt Ying. He whispered: "Berton, Berton, I don't know how long you have to make Aunt Ying wait when you leave."
I hope you can understand the mysteries of martial arts as soon as possible and return as soon as possible. In this way, Zhou Botong once again embarked on the lonely road of martial arts, while Ying Gu began a long wait. The Valley of Flowers has lost the laughter and laughter of the past, and only the call and expectation of Aunt Ying day after day are left.
The silence of the Valley of Flowers
The years go by, and decades pass in the blink of an eye. The once lively Valley of Flowers has gradually become deserted. Jin Yong wrote in "Heaven and Dragon Slayer": "Ten Thousand Flowers Fall Silently", this simple sentence exhausts Zhou Botong's long-term non-return, and the bleak scene that Baihua Valley is no longer inhabited.
The valley that was once full of flowers is now only a bleak scene of falling flowers drifting in the wind. The cheerful scene of Zhou Botong commanding bees in the past has become a distant memory. Occasionally, people in the rivers and lakes pass by here, and they can only vaguely identify the former glory from the ruins.
Aunt Ying has always stuck to the Valley of Hundred Flowers, looking forward to Zhou Botong's return day after day. She often stood at the mouth of the valley, looking into the distance, as if she could see that familiar figure bouncing back the next moment.
However, the years are merciless, and Aunt Ying's black hair is gradually dyed with white frost, but the flame of hope in her heart has never been extinguished. Master Yideng would occasionally come to visit Aunt Ying, and every time he came, he would comfort her a few words.
But even a master of a lamp who has insight into human nature can't be sure if Zhou Botong will come back. He could only sigh and say: "Fate is destined, we can only wait." The change of Baihua Valley seems to be a response to "the ancient tomb of Zhongnan Mountain is closed for a long time, and the flowers of Wanhua Pass fall silently; The best interpretation of the poem "The Empty Mountains of the Desperate Valley, the Wind Tomb Crossing the Condensing Moon and the Darkness".
The once lively martial arts holy land, now there is only silence left. But in the silence, there was still a woman waiting, waiting for the return of the old urchin who would never grow up.
The changes and reverberations of the rivers and lakes
With the passage of time, the heroes of the Condor era gradually faded out of the stage of the rivers and lakes. There are only a few words about these legendary figures of the past in "Heaven and Dragon Slayer", such as "The ancient tomb of Zhongnan Mountain is closed for a long time, and the flowers of Wanhua Pass fall silently; The Desperate Valley is lonely and lonely, and the wind and the moon are dark", which summed up their ending in a few simple sentences.
The rise of a new generation of martial arts masters such as Guo Xiang, Zhang Junbao and others has brought new legends to martial arts. "Heaven and Dragon Slayer" spends three chapters to tell the story of Guo Xiang and Zhang Junbao, showing the new look of martial arts.
However, for those who are familiar with the heroic deeds of the old times, there will always be a moonlit night when they think of those who once stood out in the limelight. There are various legends about Zhou Botong in the rivers and lakes, some people say that he has become an immortal, and some people say that he lives in seclusion in a valley that no one knows.
Although these speculations are difficult to distinguish between true and false, they all reflect the nostalgia and respect of the people in the martial arts for this old naughty boy. Interestingly, there is no mention of Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu in "Heaven and Dragon Slayer", and even Guo Jing, the soul character throughout the "Condor Trilogy", only used a sentence from the extermination master to mention the death of Guo Jing and Huang Rong and his wife on the battlefield.
This way of dealing with it highlights the changes of the times and the changes of the rivers and lakes. Despite this, the legendary stories of Zhou Botong, Yang Guo and others are still widely circulated in the rivers and lakes and have become a topic of conversation among later generations of martial arts people.
People often wonder: Is Zhou Botong still alive? Has he finally understood the mystery of the ecstasy? These questions have become eternal puzzles in the rivers and lakes, and they have also become an invisible link between the past and the present.