The palace was grand, with five stories, adorned with carved beams and painted pillars, exuding an ancient, solemn aura.
Ye Qiu looked up and saw a bronze plaque above the main gate, engraved with three characters: Scripture Library.
“Master Ye, women cannot enter the Scripture Library. Shall I have Shangling and Shangzhen take this lady for a tour around the mountain?” Chongxu asked.
Ye Qiu glanced at Xiao Yiren.
She nodded, “Alright.”
Chongxu gave Shangling a look, and immediately, Shangling and Shangzhen led Xiao Yiren away.
Ye Qiu scanned the area, noticing no guards or sentries, and asked curiously, “Senior, the Scripture Library is a vital place for Wudang. Why is it unguarded?”
Chongxu sighed deeply but didn’t answer, saying instead, “Master Ye, please follow me.”
They approached the door, secured by a large, old-fashioned copper lock.
Chongxu pulled a long key from his robe sleeve, unlocked it, and pushed the door open.
A musty smell of dust hit them.
“My apologies, the Scripture Library hasn’t been opened in years, so it’s quite dusty,” Chongxu said, gesturing invitingly. “Master Ye, please.”
Chongxu stepped inside first.
Excited at the thought of seeing countless martial arts manuals, Ye Qiu followed quickly.
But upon entering, he froze.
The spacious room was filled with countless bookshelves, all empty—not a single book in sight.
Where were the martial arts manuals?
Puzzled, Ye Qiu glanced upstairs, wondering if the manuals were on another floor.
Before he could ask, Chongxu said, “Master Ye, please follow me.”
He led Ye Qiu up a wooden staircase to the second floor.
The second floor was the same—dust-covered, empty shelves, nothing else.
Ye Qiu couldn’t hold back, “Senior…”
“Master Ye, be patient. Follow me,” Chongxu interrupted, leading him to the third floor.
The third floor was identical—empty shelves, no manuals.
A sinking feeling hit Ye Qiu. Was the Scripture Library just a facade?
“Master Ye, let’s continue upstairs,” Chongxu said, guiding him to the fourth floor.
The fourth floor had no bookshelves, only a dozen portraits hanging on the walls.
Chongxu pointed to them, “These are portraits of Wudang’s past headmasters. After they ascend, their portraits are hung here for posterity to honor. When I ascend, mine will be here too.”
Ye Qiu didn’t care about this. He only wanted to know one thing: where were the martial arts manuals?
He tried again, “Senior, why haven’t I seen…”
“Master Ye, to the fifth floor,” Chongxu cut him off, heading up.
Ye Qiu had no choice but to follow.
The fifth floor was smaller, housing only a golden statue of Zhang Sanfeng.
Nothing else.
Chongxu knelt before the statue, kowtowed several times, and lit incense.
Ye Qiu respectfully followed suit, kowtowing and offering incense.
Zhang Sanfeng, Wudang’s founder and a revered figure, deserved such respect.
After the ritual, Chongxu said, “Master Ye, you’re wondering why there’s not a single martial arts manual in the Scripture Library, aren’t you?”
Ye Qiu nodded, “Yes.”
Chongxu explained, “That’s because, years ago, the Scripture Library was robbed, and all the martial arts manuals were taken.”
What?
Ye Qiu didn’t believe it.
Wudang had produced countless masters since ancient times. Who could steal from the Scripture Library?
A peerless expert sneaking in and taking a few manuals might be plausible, but emptying the entire library? Impossible.
This was several floors of manuals—tens of thousands of books.
Unless they used trucks, how could they move them?
And with so many Wudang masters, wouldn’t they notice?
Wouldn’t they stop it?
So, Ye Qiu didn’t buy it.
“Master Ye, you don’t believe me?” Chongxu gave a bitter smile. “I speak the truth, with no intent to deceive.”
“This is why, for sixty years, Wudang has never opened the Scripture Library.”
“When Old Tang, the highest authority, visited and asked to see it, I refused.”
“Because there’s not a single manual left—they were all stolen.”
Ye Qiu asked, “Senior, who was so capable as to steal several floors’ worth of manuals?”
Chongxu sighed, “It’s a long story.”
“Sixty-one years ago, on the fifteenth of August, I was just a young Taoist. That night, dark clouds gathered, thunder roared, and rain poured.”
“In the middle of the night, I got up to relieve myself and heard fighting from the Scripture Library.”
“Curious, I sneaked closer to see what was happening.”
“When I got there, I saw a group of masked men breaking into the library to steal manuals.”
“They made a lot of noise, alerting the library’s guards, and a fight broke out.”
“Within half an hour, all eighteen guards were killed.”
“The headmaster at the time, my master, led dozens of experts to stop them.”
“But the masked men were too skilled, killing and injuring many more.”
“My master was gravely wounded in the fight.”
“The masked men threatened that if we kept resisting, they’d slaughter everyone on Wudang, leaving no survivors.”
“To protect Wudang’s disciples, my master had no choice but to let them take the manuals.”
“The masked men spent hours moving everything, clearing out the library just before dawn, then vanished.”
“This has never been shared outside Wudang. It’s our secret and the greatest shame in our history.”
Chongxu continued, “Master Ye, you promised to help Wudang with something. You won’t go back on your word, will you?”
Ye Qiu had a bad feeling, suspecting he’d fallen into Chongxu’s trap. He asked, “Senior, the task you want me to do—is it related to the stolen manuals?”
“Exactly,” Chongxu said solemnly. “I hope you’ll help Wudang recover those stolen martial arts manuals.”
