Chapter 99

"Slap!"

Inside Changfeng Inn, a man slapped the table and stood up, cupped his hands toward all directions, and said passionately, "Fellow travelers, the bandits on Niubei Ridge are rampant; they have completely abandoned the rules of the martial world."

"If you ask me, there are quite a few of us; we might as well join forces and kill them to our heart's content. Maybe we can even get a reward from the imperial court!"

The main hall of the inn was gathered with people from all walks of life. Every table was full, and some were even squatting in the corners, but no one responded.

The way everyone looked at him was like looking at a fool.

Seeing this, the man's face turned red and his neck thick, and he cursed, "You are all men with arms strong enough to run horses, why are you so cowardly!"

"Ouch, that sounds really unpleasant."

A woman carrying a Fengyang flower drum said in a tone that was neither Yin nor Yang, "I am a woman, and others are too embarrassed to say it, but I am not afraid of you."

"Who doesn't know that your Dingyuan Escort Agency suffered a huge loss? Not only was the cargo intercepted, but you also lost quite a few men. If you want revenge, go yourself; don't treat everyone else like fools!"

"Exactly!"

"The bandits have no rules, and you aren't much better!"

With the matter exposed, the people around didn't hesitate to mock him.

The man was so angry his eyes went black, "You are all just a bunch of rabble!"

These words of his, instead, provoked more mockery.

"Yo, that's quite a hat to put on us; you're worthy of being a big shot from Chang'an!"

"Tsk tsk, we can't compare to you all. We are just making a hard living; if there's trouble, we'll just wait, why risk our lives..."

For a time, the inn was noisy and chaotic.

In a remote corner on the east side, Li Yan, wearing a bamboo hat, shook his head slightly, then looked to the side and smiled, "Master Zhou, are you also going to Shangzhou?"

Learning that the teams on the road were all blocked at Qili Pu, Li Yan and his group set off at dawn and arrived here to see if there was any way to cross the mountain.

However, as seen before.

There were quite a few martial artists gathered here. Half were ordinary people, and there were some experts, but it was a mix of dragons and snakes, and the hearts were not united. Joining forces to cross the mountain was simply impossible.

The only surprise was meeting an acquaintance.

It was the Chunfeng Shadow Puppet Troupe from Xianyang.

Master Zhou's complexion was clearly better than it was at the time. He smiled bitterly and shook his head, "Thanks to Li Li Shaoxia and Daoist Wang, the Zhou family has fallen, and no one is forcing us to pay debts anymore. We've taken on some work and made a name for ourselves."

"This isn't it; someone contacted us, saying there's a big job in Shangzhou with generous pay. We thought about earning a sum before the New Year, so we set off for Shangzhou immediately."

"Who would have thought we'd run into this bad luck? That's the completion ceremony for a large family's ancestral hall. If we miss the time, what should we do..."

Sha Lifei whispered from the side, "You are also an old veteran of the martial world and arrived earlier than us. Have you noticed what this group intends to do?"

"What can they do?"

Master Zhou smiled, "In the martial world, it's better to avoid trouble than to add it. I see that most people's intention is to wait for the mountain bandits to finish their business and break up before continuing on the road."

"Waiting a while might mean losing money, but you only have one life..."

Clatter!

As soon as he finished speaking, someone stumbled into the inn. It was the carter, Old Meng.

His face was bruised, and he shouted anxiously, "Li Li Shaoxia, quick, someone is trying to rob the coffin!"

Li Yan's expression changed slightly, and he rushed out of the inn in three steps.

Because the innkeeper didn't allow it, the team transporting the dead was parked under a large tree hundreds of meters away.

At this moment, it was already noisy there.

Several tall and sturdy men were kicking and punching the porters, and one man pushed aside Wang Daoxuan, who was trying to stop them, and was about to open the coffin with an iron pry bar in his hand.

"Damn it, are you tired of living!"

Li Yan shouted angrily, his Dark Jin erupting under his feet.

After training for these days, his internal strength had gradually grown, and his use of Dark Jin had become more proficient, allowing him to use it continuously.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

His legs exerted force continuously, and after running a few steps, he leaped, like a cicada chased by eight steps, and arrived under the big tree in the blink of an eye.

"Who are you..."

A man had just turned his head to get angry when he felt a gust of wind hitting his face. It was Li Yan's wind-splitting palm, which slapped directly onto his nose bridge.

Slap!

Blood splattered, and the man didn't even grunt before fainting to the ground.

"He's a martial artist!"

"Sure enough, there's a problem, take him!"

The remaining few scattered, drew their blades, and surrounded Li Yan.

And the man who was preparing to open the coffin also threw away the iron pry bar in his hand, drew the Guanshan blade from his waist with a 'clang', glanced at him sideways, and sneered, "A blade-wielder, when did you start escorting secret goods for others?"

Once Li Yan heard this, he understood what was going on.

According to the bandits, Lu Kang used himself to attract attention and then hired people from escort agencies to disguise themselves and escort the secret goods back to Shangzhou.

It seems this news had already spread.

People die for wealth, and birds die for food. So many red goods not only attracted bandits but even some who made a living in the martial world with their blades wanted a share.

Using a coffin as cover is a common technique for escort agencies.

This group was also blade-wielders, clearly mistaking him for an escort guard.

Even after figuring out the reason, Li Yan didn't have any kind words, "You blind things, inside is a senior of mine, not the thing you want!"

While speaking, a crowd of people had already poured out of the inn to watch the excitement.

Master Zhou scolded, "You bunch of people have no eyes. This is Li Li Shaoxia Yan from Xianyang City. Would he lie to you?"

"Li Yan, the one who brought down the Zhou family?"

"I heard he's also the son of the Sick Tiger..."

News in the martial world usually travels very fast.

There were quite a few people in the crowd from the Guanzhong path, and the events in Xianyang City had caused a huge stir, so they naturally had heard of it.

When the man heard this, he was amused instead, "Li Hu's son, the father was pretentious, and the son is also arrogant. He hasn't even grown his hair yet and is already out mixing in the martial world."

"Come, Uncle will teach you how to be a man."

"Be your grandfather!"

Since things had reached this point, Li Yan didn't waste any more words.

His father had made a name for himself on the Guanzhong path, and the number of people he had offended was more than one; these blade-wielders must have suffered losses at his hands.

"Break his hands and feet!"

Before the words fell, someone nearby had already rushed over with a blade.

Among this group, only the man preparing to open the coffin had stepped into Dark Jin; the remaining few had average internal strength, but their coordination was very tacit.

They were all Guanzhong fast-blade wielders, attacking Li Yan's upper, middle, and lower paths.

In the blink of an eye, the blade light enveloped Li Yan.

However, Li Yan's blade was faster.

Clang!

His Guanshan blade left its sheath. He stepped sideways, turned and retreated, while simultaneously lifting, flicking, wiping, and blocking. Moreover, his Dark Jin erupted, and his force was astonishing.

Clang, clang, clang!

Everyone only felt blade light flashing around his body.

With a few crisp sounds, the blades in the hands of the attackers were all deflected.

However, Li Yan's movements did not stop.

Those blade-wielders hadn't even reacted when they felt a bright light before their eyes, followed by continuous screams as they retreated and fell.

At this moment, several severed hands fell to the ground.

What a ruthless kid!

Those watching the excitement felt their scalps tingle.

These blade-wielders had spent their whole lives' effort on their hands. With their blade-wielding hands severed, I fear they would find it hard to eat this bowl of rice in the future; their end was truly miserable.

And this was in broad daylight, under the eyes of everyone.

If it were in some remote corner, I fear not a single one would have survived.

"Looking for death!"

The man beside the coffin was suddenly furious.

Blade-wielders all lick blood from the edge of the blade, having today but no tomorrow, and are never afraid of risking their lives with others. If his brothers had their hands and feet severed, if he didn't slaughter the other party, he wouldn't be able to mix in the future.

What's more, he had already seen that Li Yan had only just stepped into Dark Jin. He was on par with him, so why would he be afraid?

Clang!

The man drew his blade directly, his body darting left and right, like a loach, and in two or three steps, he arrived in front of Li Yan. He lowered his wrist, raised his blade, and stabbed diagonally upward.

Bagua Rolling Hand Blade!

Li Yan saw the opponent's style at once.

The Bagua Rolling Hand Blade comes from the Bagua Sect and integrates various blade techniques into one, emphasizing wrist strength—that is, the "rolling hand." When walking, turning, flipping, and spinning, the blade and body become one, steps follow the body, and the person follows the blade, changing in endless variations.

The so-called "Bagua hand is black" is because it excels in close-quarters movement, avoiding the front and striking from the side, coupled with endless changes, making it very deceptive, and it specializes in attacking vital parts like the eyes, throat, and back of the head.

The Bagua Rolling Hand Blade is the same.

The man's diagonal upward stab was not intended to injure the enemy, but to force the opponent to block with their weapon, opening their guard, and then using the silk-entangling force to ride the weapon and move, similar to tricky strikes.

One move could slit the throat and be fatal!

Li Yan's eyes were cold, but he still swung his blade to block.

Sure enough, the opponent flipped his wrist, and Li Yan's Guanshan blade felt as if it were being wrapped by a force, moving forward involuntarily.

!.

And just at this moment, the man suddenly turned, unloaded the force, moved close, and simultaneously swung his long blade, wiping it toward Li Yan's throat.

"Die!"

The man gave a low shout, feeling proud in his heart.

In the end, he's just a green kid with insufficient experience. No matter how fast the blade is, if it doesn't hit the person and the guard is wide open, isn't it a dead end?

However, before the words fell, he felt a pain in his chest.

It was Li Yan who had been prepared. The Guanshan blade was suddenly withdrawn, just in time to block this move, while his left hand flicked and pressed on his heart.

Pfft!

Blade light flashed, and blood flowed like a fountain.

The man swallowed his saliva, looked down at the bleeding crack in his chest, his pupils dilated, and he muttered, "Blade in the sleeve..."

After saying this, he fell straight to the ground and soon stopped breathing.

"Someone's been killed..."

Many people around whispered.

The Great Xuan Dynasty's laws were strict. Even if there were conflicts between people in the martial world, they rarely killed people in public; otherwise, it would be a pile of trouble.

Of course, if you fight in secret, the imperial court couldn't care less.

This line is the boundary between the imperial court, the martial world, and the common people.

If the martial world becomes chaotic, the common people will also feel that the law is nothing more than this and will follow suit in violating it. But people in the martial world cannot be killed off, so the bottom line and rules are very important.

Sha Lifei naturally had followed long ago, but he knew his own skills were average, so he just held his blade to suppress the formation, preparing to find an opportunity to stab a cold blade.

Seeing Li Yan kill someone in public, his eyes rolled, and he immediately shouted, "Good! This bunch of mountain bandits actually mixed in and robbed us in public!"

While speaking, his eyes were already filled with fierce light.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

Those blade-wielders who had fallen with severed hands didn't even have time to beg for mercy before their throats were all slit.

Smart! Ruthless enough!

Those watching the excitement secretly praised him in their hearts.

They were not fools; they naturally saw Sha Lifei's intention.

At such a juncture, blocking the road and robbing—if they aren't mountain bandits, what are they?

Anyway, there was no proof, and the government wouldn't make trouble for a few wicked goods who pried open people's coffins.

Li Yan glanced at it and didn't speak.

Fighting with weapons is more ruthless than fists and feet; life and death are only on the line, so who would dare to hold back even a little?

As for right and wrong, only those who survive have the opportunity to speak.

He wiped the bloodstains off his blade, sheathed it, and without paying attention to the corpses all over the ground, walked straight toward Wang Daoxuan and the others to check their injuries.

Fortunately, they were all flesh wounds and nothing serious.

Wang Daoxuan smiled bitterly, "It seems I also need to get some self-defense methods."

Although he was kind-hearted, he also knew the dangers of the martial world.

Just now, if someone had taken him hostage, Li Yan and the others would have been put in a passive position.

"Is Your Excellency Li Li Shaoxia Yan from Xianyang City?"

Just as Li Yan was checking the injuries of the crowd, a middle-aged man suddenly walked out of the crowd. His features were square, his eyebrows thick, and his eyes large. He looked like a down-and-out artist and was carrying a three-stringed instrument, but divine light appeared in his eyes.

He cupped his hands and smiled, "I am from Chang'an. Junior Brother Zhang has mentioned Li Li Shaoxia more than once."

"Oh."

Li Yan understood at once, "Let's talk a step away."

After arriving at a quiet place with few people, Li Yan asked, "Are you from the Chang'an Shenquan Society, and did you take the secret escort?"

"It couldn't escape your discerning eyes, Li Li Shaoxia."

The middle-aged man smiled bitterly and shook his head, "I am Wu Mao, an escort guard of the Chang'an Liuhe Escort Agency. I have to call Old Master Zhang 'Uncle-Master'."

Li Yan was a bit puzzled, "Lu Kang's escort—why are you mixing in this muddy water?"

Martial arts halls and escort agencies are one and the same. Relying on the money from teaching students is not enough to support expenses. For example, the Zhang Martial Arts Hall operates an escort agency and a medical clinic at the same time.

"The rules of the escort business; I couldn't refuse."

Wu Mao was also a bit helpless, "Our escort agency only sent me this time, which is considered dealing with it to avoid others gossiping. I didn't expect to encounter this trouble."

Li Yan didn't stand on ceremony and nodded, asking, "How do you plan to go?"

Wu Mao looked around and whispered, "There are a few other escort agencies that took the bulk of the money and have to settle the matter."

"A hundred miles past the Yingpan Post is a Thousand-Guard Station, where the imperial court has stationed a thousand troops. After all, he is the former Left Assistant Minister; they can't just watch him be killed by bandits, or it would damage the court's face."

"Those escort agencies have already sent experts to climb over the cliffs, bypass Niubei Ridge, and report to the station to ask for help. By now, I estimate there is already news."

Li Yan narrowed his eyes, "What if the station doesn't send troops?"

Wu Mao understood at once and shrugged his shoulders.

"Then we'll just wait. We don't dare to mix in the affairs of the big shots..."

Outside the military camp of the station, the fierce tiger flag fluttered in the wind.

Two men waited a hundred meters outside the military camp, looking at the soldiers eyeing them covetously, not daring to take a step forward.

Not long after, a soldier rode out of the camp, looked at the two coldly, and said in a deep voice, "The Thousand-Household Master said that Minister Lu is in trouble, and we cannot just watch, but mobilizing troops without authorization is a major matter. We are sending a fast horse to ask for instructions from Shangzhou."

One man respectfully cupped his hands, "I don't know how long it will take?"

The soldier said indifferently, "Who knows? Maybe today, maybe two or three days later."

"This..."

The man was anxious, but just as he wanted to speak, he was stopped by his companion, and they turned and left.

After leaving the military camp, he sighed:

"Send the message; it's useless to say anything else."

"Senior Brother, I don't understand."

"Perhaps... we have all been used as chess pieces."

Soon, a pigeon took off and headed toward the Zhongnan Post direction.

Flying pigeon messages in the martial world are certainly not as good as the imperial court's falcons, but they are also extremely fast. Before long, they arrived at the Zhongnan Post.

Clatter!

The white pigeon flapped its wings and landed in front of the window of the back courtyard room.

An old hand grasped the white pigeon; it was Lu Kang.

He removed the bamboo tube from the pigeon's leg, took out the note, and after reading it, fell into silence. His eyes were first filled with unwillingness and helplessness, and finally, they turned into calmness.

For a long time, there was a sigh.

"Master, how is it?"

In the room, there was also an old woman in gorgeous clothes; it was Lu Kang's wife. Seeing this, she felt uneasy and hurriedly asked.

Lu Kang shook his head, "Everyone says the Li family is generous and kind, but I know the temperament of these powerful families. A small trick was enough to test them."

"The Li family's hatred has not yet dissipated. If this matter is not resolved, my Lu family will never have peace!"

(End of chapter)