Chapter 4: Buried Sword Valley

Wu Yan stood up and stood two steps away from the cliff side by side with the big and honest young man. He looked down the mountain and asked casually: "My name is Wu Yan. What do you call this big brother? You are right. It is indeed difficult for one person to complete this descent. I agree with your proposal. However, it seems that we should discuss it carefully. "

The honest young man scratched his head in embarrassment when he heard Wu Yan calling him eldest brother, and said with a naive smile: "My name is Zhang Tao. I live in an iron shop in Gushan Town. I have learned blacksmithing from my father since I was a child. This name is …I got it from Mr. Wang from the library in Gushan Town. Actually, my nickname is Tiezhu, and I still like this name.”

Wu Yan looked at Zhang Tao in surprise. He is indeed worthy of his background as a blacksmith, his skin is glowing with a bronze luster, he is strong and capable, and as a teenager, he is actually taller than an adult. If he didn't always like to smile innocently and scratch his head from time to time, it would be difficult to connect him with the boy.

Wu Yan had a good impression of him, so he smiled and said: "Very good. I'll call you Brother Zhang. By the way, I heard people say, don't you have relatives in the Iron Sword League? Why are you, Brother Zhang?" Do you still need to take part in the selection examination?”

Zhang Tao rubbed his hands honestly and said seriously: "Wu Yan, I, Zhang Tao, am an upright man, how could I do such shameful things? My second uncle is my second uncle, and I am me. I have to rely on myself. Strength, join the Iron Sword Alliance, this is what a man should do. "

Wu Yan looked at the honest Zhang Tao with admiration, raised his thumb and said, "Brother Zhang is really good."

Zhang Tao scratched his head in embarrassment, his face turned red, and he didn't know what to say. During the time when Wu Yan was on the run, he was used to the indifference and hypocrisy in the world. He was willing to make friends with a simple and honest person like Zhang Tao from the bottom of his heart.

"Brother Zhang, let's figure it out." Wu Yan saw Zhang Tao just scratching his head in an honest manner, which was a little funny, so he spoke first.

The two of them discussed it together, and Wu Yan came up with a feasible suggestion. This section of the mountain road is too steep, and there are almost no footholds in many places. In order to go down smoothly, two or three people must be combined, one pulling the other, and lowering the other first. Then the person going down will use his own shoulder as a foothold, and the person above him will step on it, so that he can go down easily.

The two young disciples of the Iron Sword Alliance watched with cold eyes from the beginning to the end. However, when the two heard Wu Yan and Zhang Tao's method, they looked at each other and nodded secretly.

Among the Iron Sword Alliance's gang rules, the first rule is to be loyal to the alliance and to the brothers in the alliance. If something happens in the future and the disciples in this alliance cannot unite sincerely, such people will definitely not be of much value to the Iron Sword Alliance, so what is the use of recruiting them?

These two young men have not yet joined the Iron Sword Alliance, but they can have this kind of sincere cooperation, which makes them, two young disciples who have been members of the Iron Sword Alliance for many years, nod secretly, and pay more attention to them.

After the two people discussed it, Wu Yan took the rag that had been with him for several months from his torn pocket, tore it into strips, twisted it into a rope, and tied one end to his own waist and the other end to Zhang Tao's waist.

The two people climbed down the mountain carefully. The other teenagers, all with pale faces, were looking around on the cliff at a loss. They saw that the two men were doing well, so they imitated their example and began to look for their companions who were going down the mountain together.

Half an hour later, the panting Wu Yan and the relaxed Zhang Tao successfully appeared at the entrance of the Sword Burial Valley.

"Brother Zhang, thank you. If it weren't for you, I might not have been able to come down smoothly." Wu Yan said gratefully to Zhang Tao.

Wu Yan did not expect that the road down the mountain would be much more difficult than he imagined. If it weren't for Zhang Tao, a big man with strong physical strength, he might not be able to do it.

Zhang Tao waved his hand and said with an honest smile: "You're welcome, you're welcome, we are helping each other. Let's go, we have passed the second level."

Wu Yan nodded and followed Zhang Tao towards the Sword Burial Valley.

At the entrance of the valley where the sword is buried, there are also eight young people with indifferent expressions guarding the entrance. However, unlike the other disciples on the road, they did not have any weapons on their bodies.

When the eight young men saw Wu Yan and Zhang Tao walking over, they glanced at them and were slightly startled. This pairing is so strange.

One is a dark and skinny beggar, and the other is a large, bare-chested peasant boy.

"Hand in the disciple selection number plate issued in the first level and receive the registered disciple number plate. After entering the Buried Sword Valley, choose a trail at will and follow the path in the valley alone to the end of the valley. You will be considered as having passed the level." A young man said coldly to the two of them.

The two obediently took out the Aoki number plate and handed it to the young man. They also received an iron plate with the same four characters engraved on it from his hand, and then entered the valley.

The two of them walked into the valley and stood in front of a huge rock three to four feet high with the words "Buried Sword Valley" engraved on it. Both of them were a little confused.

The Buried Sword Valley is not big, only a hundred feet in diameter. There was deathly silence in the entire valley. Except for silence, it is still silence. There wasn't even a sound of insects or birds. It's so quiet that it's scary.

There were six winding paths in front of them, all leading to the opposite side of the valley. The interval in the middle of each trail is a pile of dark gray soil. At the entrance of each trail, there is a young disciple with an indifferent expression guarding it.

Zhang Tao patted Wu Yan on the shoulder and said, "Wu Yan, let's go. It seems that we have to separate for the second level."

Wu Yan nodded, "Take care, Brother Zhang, we'll see you over there."

The two said goodbye to each other, then each chose a path and walked in.

This level is the famous "Sword Tomb" in the selection of Iron Sword League disciples. When entering the valley, the deacon disciple of the Iron Sword League had introduced it to all the teenagers.

It is said that buried in the dark gray mud are the weapons of the elders and masters who have made contributions to the Iron Sword League and have passed away. Rumor has it that these weapons are all precious swords. Each of the precious swords buried inside contains the sword intentions of those elders and masters. To become a formal disciple of the Iron Sword Sect, you must undergo the test of the sword will of these elders and masters.

No one knows whether it is really as mysterious as the rumors say. Disciples who pass the second level assessment will never disclose the secrets, this is the sect rule. Those who have not passed, naturally, are even less likely to know.

Wu Yan pursed his cracked lips and walked into one of the paths.

As he walked forward, there was a very depressing and heavy atmosphere that always lingered around Wu Yan, making his nerves tense.

In order to give himself courage, Wu Yan imitated the way the storyteller told stories in the past, took out the incense burner and held it in his hand.

He lowered his head and walked forward quickly, while constantly taking a few sips of the well water in the incense burner, just as "drinking" to give him courage.

After drinking a small part of the well water, the path also came to the end. Surprisingly, nothing happened. Wu Yan was somewhat inexplicably relieved, and he felt an indescribable comfort all over his body. He covered the incense burner, put it in his torn pocket, and appeared at the end of the valley with a dog-beating stick.

Wu Yan looked up and found that Zhang Tao had arrived a long time ago. He was now standing in front of a thin and weak middle-aged man, scratching his head and talking to the middle-aged man with an embarrassed face.

Seeing Wu Yan finally come out, Zhang Tao waved to him happily and shouted, "Wu Yan, this way."

Wu Yan walked over very happily. In front of the middle-aged man, there was a long table, on which were piled some copper plates of the same style as the iron plate in his hand.

The middle-aged man glanced at Wu Yan calmly, took a copper plate from the table and threw it to him.

"Hand over the iron plate in your hand. This is a copper plate that can only be worn by formal disciples of this sect. With this copper plate, you are already a formal disciple of this alliance and can report to the Deacon Hall. They will arrange what to do next. Of course, every month, you need to use this copper plate to confirm your identity when you go to the Deacon Hall to collect silver, go to the Sutra Pavilion to collect martial arts secrets, and go out to perform tasks." The middle-aged man said to Wu Yan calmly.

Wu Yan excitedly took the bronze plate in his hand, and then respectfully handed the iron plate to the middle-aged man, bowing and saying, "Thank you, uncle."

"Haha, Wu Yan, this is my second uncle. He was just blaming me for not coming to see him." Zhang Tao scratched his head embarrassedly.

Wu Yan looked at the middle-aged man in surprise, but the middle-aged man said indifferently: "You can't call people randomly in the valley. The hall masters and elders of each hall, you should call them uncle or uncle, and ordinary disciples should call them brothers and brothers. Don't mess up the generations. Well, since you have successfully joined the Iron Sword League, go to the Deacon Hall now and wait for arrangements."

"Okay, Wu Yan, let's go together. My second uncle brought me here to play before, and I know where the Deacon Hall is." Zhang Tao said happily.

"Thank you, Uncle Zhang. Brother Zhang Tao, haha, we will be brothers in the future."

The two teenagers walked towards the Deacon Hall built on the hillside of Xiaogu Mountain happily, talking and laughing.

The middle-aged man looked at the backs of the two young men, smiled indifferently, then turned his head and looked at the six disciples walking towards him with an indifferent expression.