A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 100 Haitang is expelled

Just as Cao Zhengchun and Luo Jusheng were talking, there was a knock on the door.

"My lord, urgent confidential report!"

"come in"

Iron Claw Eagle walked in carrying a secret letter. When he saw Luo Jusheng, he paused slightly and looked at Cao Zhengchun.

"Brother Zhengchun, I'll take my leave now," Luo Jusheng said hastily, rising to bow and preparing to leave, but Cao Zhengchun called him back.

"Brother Luo is a good friend of mine, there's nothing to hide. Bring up the secret report."

Upon hearing this, Flying Eagle immediately submitted the secret report. Then, Cao Zhengchun waved his hand lightly, and Flying Eagle tactfully withdrew.

After reading the secret report, Cao Zhengchun smiled. Luo Jusheng took the opportunity to ask, "Brother Zhengchun is so happy, there must be some good news in the letter."

"Brother Luo is right. The letter says that the eight major sects completely destroyed the Japanese martial arts world a few days ago. Without Yagyu Tajima-no-kami in charge, the hard-won alliance of the Japanese martial arts world immediately fell apart, fighting amongst themselves. That's why the eight major sects defeated them one by one. The Yagyu family, the number one martial arts family in Japan, was even uprooted. Since then, apart from Yagyu Hyouse, there is no one left in the Yagyu family."

At this point, Cao Zhengchun also exclaimed in admiration, "These eight major sects are even more ruthless than I expected. Seeking revenge for their own disciples is secondary; seizing territory is truly first-rate. But this is for the best. Zhu Tiedan has always had close ties with the Japanese martial arts world, hasn't he? If they cut off one of his arms this time, they'll cut off his leg next time."

"Brother Zhengchun is absolutely right. Right now, apart from the two secret agents, Xuanhuang, the Dragon Guard Manor has no one else to rely on. Once these two thorns are removed, the Divine Marquis will become a toothless tiger, posing no threat whatsoever. At that time, Brother Zhengchun will be second only to the Emperor in power, having integrated the Eastern Depot and the Dragon Guard Manor. I offer my congratulations in advance."

Luo Jusheng made no attempt to flatter Cao Zhengchun, but the latter was quite pleased and said with a smile, "Brother Luo, you flatter me."

After a long while, Cao Zhengchun's smile faded, and he said, "Judging by the time, Zhou Fu and An Yi should have already met with Shangguan Haitang and Cheng Shifei. The grand show that I, the Grand Eunuch, have meticulously prepared cannot be postponed."

Tianshan
Shangguan Haitang and Cheng Shifei followed the wheel tracks out of Tianshan Mountain, but two tracks appeared outside the mountain, leading in different directions. Judging from the depth of the wheels, the one to the north was deeper and the one to the west was shallower, but both were consistent with the situation that the vehicle was carrying heavy loads.

"It seems we need to split up. Cheng Shifei, I'll go after the one in the north, and you can handle the one in the west."

"Haitang, let me go after the one to the north," Cheng Shifei said. He didn't believe that the other party had left such an obvious flaw. What if the other party was just creating a smokescreen, mixing truth and falsehood? If the one to the north was real, Haitang's skills alone would probably be insufficient to deal with it.

After a moment's thought, Haitang nodded in agreement. She then took out two tinderboxes from her package and handed them to Cheng Shifei, instructing him, "If you find they are real, use the red one. If they are fake, come as soon as possible."

Cheng Shifei took it and put it away. Then he nodded to her, waved his whip, and immediately headed north to chase after it. Haitang also rode her horse and followed the trail to the east.

After chasing for half a day, Haitang was puzzled. Logically speaking, the carriage carrying such a heavy thing as an ice coffin should be moving slowly. How come she couldn't catch up? Just as Haitang was wondering, she suddenly noticed a petal left in the wheel tracks ahead. Haitang took a closer look and felt relieved. She hurriedly spurred her horse forward to catch up.

"This is truly a stroke of luck! It must be that when they cast the 'Rain of Flowers and Coins' spell earlier, some petals landed on the ice coffin, leaving this evidence. But how did they manage to do it so quickly?"

After another half hour of chasing, Haitang finally spotted the three members of the Eastern Depot at a tea stall. Upon seeing Haitang approach, they put down their teacups, exchanged glances, and walked over, weapons in hand.

When the tea stall owner realized something was wrong, he quickly pulled his wife away and hid.

Haitang dismounted, sword in hand, and slowly walked toward the three men. When they were about ten feet apart, Haitang and the three from the Eastern Depot drew their weapons. In an instant, the tea stall was destroyed. Tables, chairs, teacups, and teapots were smashed to pieces, and even the tea shed was dismantled.

Haitang used two swords simultaneously, forcing the three men to stay away for a while. However, after a while, the man in coarse clothes who wielded a broadsword used the advantage of his long sword to work with the other two to gradually corner Haitang.

Haitang grew increasingly anxious as the fight progressed. She wasn't afraid of them one-on-one, but being surrounded by three of them, coupled with the fact that she had just experienced a fierce battle and, although she had recovered seventy or eighty percent of her internal energy, she was still quite exhausted.

She intended to use hidden weapons and formations, but the three men gave her no chance to breathe. They forced back the flying hook with another sword strike, and Haitang's right-hand sword was hit by the broadsword. The force of the impact caused the sword to slip from her hand, and her arm was also slashed by another man, causing it to bleed profusely.

"You dare to come and chase after us all by yourself? You're courting death."

The man in coarse clothes grinned and leaped into the air, slashing down with his broadsword. The other two cooperated from the left and right. In desperation, Haitang's longsword flew out and pierced straight through the man on her right. The man with the hook dodged to the side, but even that momentary opening was enough for Haitang to make a move. She darted forward and threw out a hidden weapon, the Flower Rain Coin, with her right hand.

"There are many tricks, but this shower of flowers and money is nothing compared to this."

The man in coarse clothes missed his attack, only carving a deep trench in the ground. He turned around and swung his long sword, deflecting most of the hidden weapons, with only a few hitting his body.

After the other two finished packing up their hidden weapons, they flashed and instantly formed a triangular formation, trapping Haitang firmly within it.

"You've made a fool of yourself by using Master Wuhen's hidden weapon skills like this."

Haitang had lost her weapon and her hidden weapon skills had been broken. When she heard the man in coarse clothes insulting her master, she immediately shouted angrily, "Stop insulting my master! I have nothing to say about Haitang's lack of skill in the art and being defeated by you, but if you insult my master, I will risk my life to drag you down with me!"

"Even on the verge of death, you still dare to boast. So what if your mentor is here? We three will take your life. The head of a Xuan-level secret agent is worth some money. Make your move."

The three leaped forward, grinning maliciously as they slashed at Haitang. Seeing this, Haitang prepared to use her self-destruct pill to perish together with them.

Just then, four women in white carrying a sedan chair appeared in the distance. The figure inside the sedan chair waved her hand and scattered a shower of golden flower petals, the target of which was none other than the three men from the Eastern Depot.

"Master!" Haitang exclaimed in surprise.

"not good"

The man in coarse clothes looked at the way the newcomers made their entrance and his expression changed drastically. He quickly moved aside as he was leaping through the air. The other two people were slightly delayed and were then pierced through by the rain of golden flower petals. After two shrill screams, apart from two skeletons, flesh and blood were scattered on the ground. The blood stained the flower petals bright red, making it look extremely horrifying.

Seeing this, the man in coarse clothes gripped his long sword tighter and said in a deep voice, "Young Master Wuhen."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the rain of money flowers began to fall from the sky again. The man in coarse clothes hurriedly retreated. Before running away, he threw his long knife at the sedan chair to buy himself time to escape. His lightness skill was not weak, but the rain of money flowers was faster, first shattering the long knife and then striking his body.

A bloodcurdling scream rang out in mid-air, and a skeleton fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.

Haitang's already pale face darkened further, and she looked at her master inside the sedan chair with a hint of fear.

"Disciple Shangguan Haitang greets her revered master," Haitang stood up and bowed respectfully to Young Master Wuhen.

"Get up," the gentle voice reassured Haitang.

"Why would my mentor come here?" Haitang asked with some confusion.

My master is a fastidious person and has never wanted to get involved in worldly affairs. He only cultivates in seclusion in the mountains. Is his coming down from the mountains this time just to save himself?

"I came here at the invitation of an old friend, and I also foresaw that you would face a calamity. Keep this letter safe. You can open it when you are in danger, and it may save your life."

As soon as the sedan chair curtain was opened, a letter and a bottle of pills flew toward Haitang. She reached out and grabbed them, glanced at the letter, found nothing special, and carefully put it away.

"This Rejuvenating Pill will help with your injuries. You won't find what you're looking for here. You'd better hurry and find your companions."

After Wuhen Gongzi finished speaking, the four women in white turned around and carried the sedan chair away.

Haitang watched Wuhen Gongzi leave, then went to the carriage and found it was covered in stones.

"Oh no, this is going to cause trouble!"

After swallowing the Rejuvenation Pill, Haitang immediately mounted her horse. Looking at the smashed tea stall, she left behind a piece of silver and headed off in the direction Cheng Shifei had been searching for.

The tea stall owners, a couple, waited until there was no sound outside the door. After a long while, they quietly opened the door and saw the terrible scene outside. They immediately vomited all over the floor, and even the silver on the table looked dull.

On the other side, Cheng Shifei chased after the East Depot's carriage and finally caught up after half a day, but his expression changed.

Before him appeared not only the people he had met in Tianshan, but also a group of black-clad, masked archers—the elite cavalry of the Eastern Depot, the Black-Clad Arrow Team.

"Yellow's Number One Spy, destined to die here today. Fire!"

At the leader's command, thousands of arrows flew out. Cheng Shifei hurriedly dodged and spurred his horse. Startled, the horse reared up and galloped forward. Before it had gone far, it was riddled with arrows.

The remaining arrows all enveloped Cheng Shifei, who split the stone with one hand, using the boulder as a shield.

However, the black-clad archers did not stand still. Under the command of their leader, they quickly formed a circle around the city and fired arrows from all four sides at the same time. Cheng Shifei could no longer dodge them and made a decisive move, once again using the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill.

Protected by divine power, Cheng Shifei unleashed a furious rampage, shattering the arrow formation's blockade with a single punch. Several men, unable to dodge, died instantly. The arrows struck Cheng Shifei's body, clanging loudly, much to the alarm of the arrow formation leader. "Sky Net Formation"

Upon seeing this, the leader gave a deep shout, and the archers adjusted their formation to form a square. Each of them took out a cylinder, pressed the trigger, and spread out a fine net of silver blades that enveloped the enemy.

The net of blades covered his body, and although it did not cause any damage, it restricted Cheng Shifei's movements, and he was unable to break free for a while.

"With this net in place, let's see how he escapes. You go first, someone will come to meet you. Remember, even if you die, you can't let this ice coffin be lost, understand?" the black-clad leader said to the people transporting the ice coffin.

"Rest assured, sir, I will do my utmost to complete the mission," the guard said, and then led the group in the carriage straight to the capital.

Seeing Cheng Shifei still struggling, the leader in black sneered and ordered his men, "Send a few more men and trap him inside."

Those around him obeyed and left, and ten blade nets unfolded in front of them, intertwining with the previous blade nets, completely enveloping the trouble.

"Release the arrows!" After a while, seeing that Cheng Shifei was no longer making any moves, the black-clad leader released his right hand, and many arrows shot towards Cheng Shifei with the same target.

Arrows struck Cheng Shifei, either breaking or bouncing off. A series of tearing sounds rang in the ears of those nearby. The blade net shattered, and Cheng Shifei swept it away, causing several more people to fall from their horses. Cheng Shifei stared intently at the black-clad leader in front of him, his eyes bloodshot.

"Quick, stop him!"

Terrified, the leader in black gave an urgent order, and a group of cavalry charged forward with their weapons. However, Cheng Shifei, who was running at top speed, knocked down both the rider and the horse. He even picked up a horse by the leg and swept it around, inflicting heavy losses on the black-clad archer team with his unparalleled bravery.

Before the order could be given, Cheng Shifei made another move. A dead horse came flying from afar, shoving forward and crushing four people. Its momentum didn't diminish as it crashed into the black-clad leader, causing him to vomit blood and fall off the horse.

Just as the leader in black was about to get up, his vision blurred, and he saw Cheng Shifei grab his neck.

"Where did they go? Tell me."

Cheng Shifei glared at him with bloodshot eyes, gradually increasing the pressure on his hands.

The leader in black felt his body growing heavier and his breathing becoming increasingly labored. He barely managed to point to his neck, when Cheng Shifei grabbed him by the neck and threw him to the ground.

"Cough cough cough," the black-clad leader gasped for breath, his flushed face slowly calming down. Meeting Cheng Shifei's murderous gaze, the black-clad leader's eyes widened in terror, and he said in a hoarse voice, "The capital."

With a "bang," Cheng Shifei punched the black-clad leader through his body, then flicked his wrist to disperse the blood.

After leaving some markers, Cheng Shifei mounted a horse and rode off in pursuit.

After most of the day had passed, Haitang arrived at this place following the secret marks left by Cheng Shifei. Upon seeing the scene before her, she immediately dismounted to investigate and finally discovered the clues left by Cheng Shifei.

"The Eastern Depot has gone to such great lengths; it seems they are determined to succeed. But my adoptive father should have already received the message by carrier pigeon."

Following the directions indicated by the secret mark, Haitang rode her horse and chased after it. When the moon was high in the sky, Haitang spotted the signal in the northern night sky.

"Cheng Shifei has caught up with them, I have to speed up," Haitang whipped her horse and traveled through the night. When she arrived at a valley, the ground was littered with corpses. Haitang drew her sword, picked up a torch, and slowly approached.

"Cheng Shifei," Haitang saw Cheng Shifei leaning weakly against the carriage and hurriedly went forward to help him up. After taking his pulse, she realized that it was because his true energy was too severely depleted. She immediately took out a Rejuvenation Pill and fed it to him.

"Haitang, you've finally arrived," Cheng Shifei said weakly.

After dealing with the black-clad archers, Cheng Shifei caught up with the people from the Eastern Depot. After a fierce battle, he finally couldn't hold on any longer and sent out a signal.

"Don't speak yet, let me help you neutralize the effects of the medicine," Haitang said, pressing her palms against Cheng Shifei's back and channeling her inner energy into him. The Rejuvenation Pill was stimulated by the inner energy, and its medicinal effects spread even faster. Cheng Shifei felt much better.

"Is that the ice coffin inside the carriage?"

Cheng Shifei nodded upon hearing this. After Haitang channeled her inner energy for a while, she lifted the carriage curtain and looked at the ice coffin and the woman inside. She immediately felt relieved.

"I have already sent a message to my godfather by carrier pigeon. Let's wait here for now. Knowing his personality, he will probably come in person."

At this moment, in an inn hundreds of miles away, Zhu Wushi looked at the note in his hand, and then burned it.

"lets go"

"Yes"

Two nights later, as Haitang was chatting with Cheng Shifei, the unique signal of the Dragon Guard Manor suddenly lit up in the sky not far away. Haitang exclaimed happily, "It seems that my godfather and the others have arrived."

After speaking, Haitang took out a signal and lit it, and a dazzling firework shone brightly in the night.

About an hour later, the sound of horses' hooves came from outside the valley. Haitang and Cheng Shifei secretly became more vigilant. When the leader dismounted and approached, Haitang immediately went to greet him.

"adopted father"

Zhu Wushi nodded upon hearing this and asked urgently, "Where is the ice coffin?"

Haitang understood her adoptive father's feelings and led him to the carriage. Cheng Shifei tactfully got off the carriage, leaving the space to Shenhou.

"Haitang, what do you think will be our reward for resolving this crisis for the Marquis?"

Cheng Shifei's sly grin made Haitang chuckle. She laughed and said, "As secret agents, isn't it only natural for us to help our godfather solve problems? Why do you want any special reward?"

"This was clearly unexpected by the Marquis; he should be rewarded."

"Let's wait for Godfather to come out first," Haitang glanced at the carriage, walked to the campfire, picked up a few pieces of firewood and added them in.

The two talked around the campfire for a while before Zhu Wushi finally stepped out of the carriage.

Approaching the two, Zhu Wushi looked at Haitang with a grim expression and questioned, "Haitang, I only told you about Suxin hiding in Tianshan. How do the people from the Eastern Depot know this? Can you explain it to me?"

Upon hearing this, Haitang was immediately shocked, and the firewood in her hand fell to the ground. Even Cheng Shifei, who was standing to the side, could tell that the tone of the words was off, clearly suspecting that Haitang had leaked the information, which had caused the current situation.

“Lord Shenhou, Haitang is absolutely loyal to you and would never do such a thing,” Cheng Shifei said hastily, seeing Haitang’s incredulous expression.

"Shut up! You have no right to speak here!" Zhu Wushi roared at Cheng Shifei, whose face immediately turned quite ugly.

"Godfather, I didn't leak this information, you have to believe me," Haitang said with a bitter expression.

"I only told you about this before, so how could I have leaked it?"

Zhu Wushi glared angrily at Haitang and uttered the cruelest words.

"From this day forward, you are no longer a spy for the Dragon Guard Manor, nor are you the master of the Number One Manor in the World. Hand over the token."

Upon hearing this, Haitang was struck dumb and nearly fell over, but Cheng Shifei caught her.

As a secret agent, Haitang had long regarded obeying orders as her top priority. Now that her adoptive father had given the order, she had no choice but to comply.

Silently, Cheng Shifei took out the Xuan-character token from his pocket and reluctantly handed it to Zhu Wushi. The latter took it, didn't even look at it, and handed it to the attendant beside him. Cheng Shifei could no longer bear it and threw his own token to Zhu Wushi.

"I quit this spy job."

Cheng Shifei sneered a few times, helped Haitang to her feet, and looked at Zhu Wushi with disdain.

"Suit yourself. I never intended to give you the identity of a secret agent in the first place."

"Haitang, take care of yourself," Zhu Wushi said, then ordered the carriage to speed away from the valley.

(End of this chapter)