A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 264 The Dragon Ball Appears
Despite the troupe leader's impressive display of force, Fu Tianjiao showed no fear. She stood alone with her sword, blocking the dark-skinned man, her eyes fixed calmly on the troupe leader, and said, "I want this man. Name your price, troupe leader."

Upon hearing this, the troupe leader immediately began to ponder. The man in front of him looked like someone who had traveled the martial arts world, and who knew how capable he was? The troupe leader was also experienced and mature. If he hadn't embarrassed himself in front of so many people, he wouldn't have done this. Keeping this dark-skinned man with him would only be a disaster, so it would be better to take this opportunity to get rid of him.

"If you have mercy, young lady, I'm willing to grant your wish. How about five hundred taels?"

The troupe leader stared at Fu Tianjiao with a sly smile, his cunning expression making the latter very displeased.

Five hundred taels of silver! It's a wonder this person even said it. With that amount of money, you could buy more than fifty young men like him. This troupe leader is probably trying to extort money from me because I'm young.

Before Fu Tianjiao could speak, a sharp shout came from behind. Fu Tianxiang was seen looking at the troupe leader with an angry expression and a very cold tone.

"Five hundred taels? You have a lot of nerve! One hundred taels, take it or leave it!"

Fu Tianxiang's fiery temper immediately flared up. Her senior sister's sudden attack had left her quite confused, but she knew that her senior sister would never help someone for no reason, so she immediately chased after her. As soon as she arrived, she saw the ugly face of the troupe leader.

However, Fu Tianxiang was both rough and meticulous. Looking at the crowd gathered around the beast arena, she realized that if not handled properly, it could lead to unpredictable consequences. Therefore, she set the tone at one hundred taels of silver. This amount of money was already quite large. If the troupe leader was willing to accept the offer, that would be fine. Otherwise, she would have to act as a chivalrous knight-errant.

Fu Tianjiao smiled faintly as she watched her junior sister speak. Upon hearing this, the troupe leader's mind began to stir. Five hundred taels was merely a price he had set out to sell the black charcoal for a good price. Although this one hundred taels was not as much as he had expected, it was still far beyond his expected price. In addition, these two women looked like they were not to be trifled with, so the troupe leader accepted the offer without hesitation.

"You two ladies are so kind. One hundred taels it is. This is a losing deal for me."

Fu Tianxiang looked disgusted. At her senior sister's prompting, Fu Tianxiang readily took out a hundred-tael silver note from her bag and handed it to the troupe leader.

The troupe leader took the silver note with both hands, checked it and found it to be correct. Then he waved his hand, and the able-bodied men behind him immediately made way for him.

"Ladies, this man is now in your care. This is Ahei's indenture; please keep it safe."

The troupe leader took out a stack of contracts from his pocket, pulled one out, and handed it to Fu Tianxiang. Upon seeing this, Fu Tianxiang held it between two fingers, glanced at it, and after confirming that the person in the portrait was indeed the charcoal-faced man, nodded to Fu Tianjiao.

"In that case, Master, we shall take our leave. We hope to meet again someday."

Fu Tianjiao nodded to the troupe leader, turned around and walked to the dark-skinned man's side. She extended her right hand, looked at him gently, and said, "Come with me."

The charcoal-skinned man, who had been huddled in a corner, looked up upon hearing this heavenly voice and was greeted by a bright face with a chivalrous air and resolute eyes.

The charcoal-black man, in a daze, slowly extended his jet-black right hand. The contrast between the black and white was quite striking. Fu Tianjiao felt a slight tremor coming from his right hand. With a little effort, she pulled the charcoal-black man up from the ground and led him out of the beast arena.

Just as he passed the troupe leader, the charcoal-skinned man stared intently at a white horn hanging from the leader's waist and pointed at it.

Seeing this, Fu Tianjiao looked at the troupe leader, who quickly took off the horn from his body and handed it to Fu Tianjiao with both hands. Fu Tianjiao took it and handed it to the dark-skinned man.

"Here you go, take it."

"Junior sister, let's go."

Fu Tianxiang stared blankly at her senior sister for a moment, then, upon hearing this, she snapped out of her daze and quickly chased after her.

The troupe leader watched the three leave, spat, and ordered the strong young men beside him to move the carcass of the black brown bear from the arena and clean it up. Then the next fight began, and the entire arena became lively again, as if what had just happened was nothing but an illusion.

"That's interesting. Fu Tianjiao from the Tianshan Sect actually saved an ordinary man. If this news gets out, the Tianshan Sect will probably be in for a big commotion."

On a viewing platform in the arena, three identical young men watched Fu Tianjiao leave, and immediately revealed amused smiles.

"Brother, this Fu Tianjiao is truly as beautiful as a fairy. The one next to her should be Fu Tianxiang, she's also quite pretty. Should we...?"

"Stop your evil thoughts. The Tianshan Sect is not to be trifled with. Besides, are you confident you can deal with Fu Tianjiao? The reputation of being the leader of the Seven Heroes of Tianshan is not just for show. You want to die, but I want to live a few more years."

The eldest brother looked at his third brother with a face full of disappointment and anger, "We're doing this for something important. If you dare to hold me back, I won't let you off the hook!"

Hearing his elder brother's cold words, the third brother fell silent, but his face was filled with resentment and dissatisfaction. Seeing this, the second brother quickly tried to smooth things over. After saying a few words, the second brother turned to his elder brother and asked in a low voice, "I heard that the Dragon Pearl has fallen into the hands of the Five Tigers of Western Xia. Is this news true or false?"

Upon hearing this, the eldest brother said in a deep voice, "Whether it's true or false, we have to verify it ourselves. However, seeing that the White-headed Eagle, the Living Yama, and the Divine Fire Master have all appeared in Pansha Town, the news is most likely true."

"With these three around, even if the Dragon Balls appear, the three of us brothers probably won't have much of a chance of winning."

Although the Three Swordsmen of Heaven, Earth, and Man are also masters in the martial arts world, they are still somewhat inferior to the top masters of the evil sects like the White-Headed Eagle and his two companions. In the end, they will probably end up with nothing, or worse, they may even lose their lives.

“Pansha Town is Shangguan Yun’s sphere of influence. Do you think the news about the Dragon Pearl might reach his ears? If I’m not mistaken, Shangguan Yun should already be on his way here. With Shangguan Yun around, White-headed Eagle and the others might not necessarily benefit. We can take advantage of the chaos and get what we want.”

Meanwhile, Fu Tianjiao and Fu Tianxiang brought the charcoal-faced man to the Yuebin Inn. They paid the waiter to help the man wash up, while Fu Tianjiao and Fu Tianxiang rested in their room.

An hour later, the waiter came to deliver the food and said that the dark-skinned man had already washed up and gone to bed in the next room. Fu Tianjiao thanked him and gave the waiter one tael of silver.

"Senior sister, what is the background of the man you saved today?"

Fu Tianxiang stared intently at her senior sister. In her eyes, her senior sister had always been a pure, noble, and otherworldly person. She never expected that she would fall for this dark-skinned man. This made Fu Tianxiang feel uneasy. Could it be that her senior sister had some kind of plan?

"What are you thinking? This man's origins are unknown, and the indenture is also vague. Moreover, he has a strong internal energy, but it is hidden deep within his body. This is not something that ordinary people can possess. He must be someone important."

Fu Tianjiao knew that her junior sister was very curious, so she whispered a few words in her ear. Upon hearing this, the latter's expression changed immediately, and then she stopped talking. There were many people and many eyes in this place, so it was always better to be careful. However, if this was the case, her senior sister would inevitably be gossiped about by people in the martial arts world in the future.

Seeing her junior sister's worried expression, Fu Tianjiao felt a warmth in her heart. After gently comforting her, the two went to rest.

In the next room, the charcoal-skinned man woke up with a start, panting heavily, cold sweat rolling down his face, and his whole body was soaked, half of the bed was drenched.

Under the moonlight, the charcoal-smoked man was no longer as dark as before. His bronze complexion, resolute face, slanted eyebrows, and muscular build gave him an added touch of masculinity.

Looking out at the dark night sky, the man recalled what he had seen in his dream, and his eyes sharpened. Although he had forgotten who he was, he would never forget this deep-seated hatred.

The next day, Fu Tianjiao and Fu Tianxiang came to visit Cha Mulong. Upon seeing him, Fu Tianxiang was momentarily speechless, but quickly composed herself. She looked Cha Mulong up and down and said, "I didn't expect you, this dark-skinned guy, to be so good-looking."

"Junior sister, you mustn't speak so recklessly!" Fu Tianjiao scolded, then apologized to Cha Mulong, "My junior sister is straightforward, I hope you won't take offense."

Upon hearing this, Cha Mulong immediately replied, "Not at all, you are overthinking it, young lady. I am very grateful for your help."

Upon hearing this, Fu Tianjiao felt slightly relieved. She glanced at Cha Mulong and said solemnly, "I will not hide it from you. I am Fu Tianjiao from the Tianshan Sect. I have been ordered to come to Pansha Town to find the survivor of the massacre. The aura you possess is not from Central Plains martial arts, but it is very similar to the person we are looking for."

"Tianshan Sect?"

Cha Mulong frowned. He seemed to have heard of this sect before, but he couldn't recall it. The more he tried to remember, the more his head ached, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Quiet down and guard your spirit."

Seeing Cha Mulong's pained expression, Fu Tianjiao immediately shouted and placed her palm against Cha Mulong's back. A stream of pure true energy slowly flowed into Cha Mulong's body, calming him down. After a short while, Cha Mulong's expression returned to normal. Fu Tianxiang, who was standing by, nodded to her senior sister.

"Since you have amnesia, it's best not to force yourself to recall it. Why don't you come back to Tianshan with us? My master is highly skilled and can definitely help you recover your memories. What do you think?"

"Thank you both for everything."

Cha Mulong was also quick-witted. He believed that the Tianshan Sect must know a lot about him. Since that was the case, he would go to Tianshan with them to regain his memories as soon as possible and avenge his blood feud.

Just as the three were discussing their return to the mountain in the room, a fighting sound suddenly came from outside the room, and the sound was getting closer and closer.

Fu Tianjiao and Fu Tianxiang exchanged a glance, took their swords in their hands, and then gestured for Cha Mulong to be quiet. Cha Mulong immediately nodded in response.

Fu Tianjiao gave her junior sister a wink, and the latter quietly stepped back. Fu Tianjiao then slowly drew her white jade sword, walked to the door, and then suddenly opened the door. Just as she was about to make her move, she saw a person with a blood-stained face lying on the ground outside the door, holding a chipped and broken knife in his hand.

"Who are you?" Fu Tianjiao pointed her long sword horizontally, looking at the blood-stained man with a wary expression. When the latter saw that it was Fu Tianjiao, his eyes flashed with a sharp light, and his arms suddenly lit up. Just as he was about to say something, several figures came up the stairs. Upon seeing this, the blood-stained man immediately ran in another direction and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Those who were chasing after her glanced at Fu Tianjiao as she fled, then gave chase.

After the others left, Fu Tianjiao sheathed her sword and returned to her room.

"Senior sister, what's happening outside?"

Fu Tianxiang remained on guard inside the house, fearing that the attack was aimed at them.

"It's nothing, just a feud between martial arts practitioners. It has nothing to do with us. However, this place is a mixed bag. Junior sister, pack your things and let's leave here immediately."

Fu Tianjiao was afraid that things might get complicated if things were to be exposed. In this town of Pansha, the two of them alone would not be able to handle the situation.

Fu Tianxiang replied, "Yes, Senior Sister."

She then turned to look at Cha Mulong, who was resting with his eyes closed. Fu Tianxiang called out softly, but Cha Mulong seemed not to hear her. Fu Tianxiang frowned and touched him, but was instead struck by the protective aura around him, and stumbled back several steps. If Fu Tianjiao hadn't supported her back, she would have fallen to the ground.

"Senior sister, he..."

Seeing the faint light emanating from Chamulong, Fu Tianjiao shook her head at her junior sister and then said solemnly, "Don't say anything more. We must return to Tianshan as soon as possible."

After this experience, Fu Tianjiao was quite certain that this man was the person her master had asked her to find. However, this was the first time she had encountered such a situation. Although martial artists had protective internal energy, none of them were this powerful. She had also found it quite difficult to help her junior sister dissipate the backlash.

After waiting for a while, the faint light on Cha Mulong's body slowly dissipated, and then he opened his eyes. A beam of light as sharp as lightning shot out, making Fu Tianjiao and the other person's hearts skip a beat.

"Sir, this is already a dangerous place. Let's leave now."

Cha Mulong's heart stirred slightly upon hearing this. Just now, when he was in the room, he suddenly sensed something that put him in a mysterious place. His injuries were also repaired with the help of this thing, and his true energy was constantly replenished. Although he did not know what this thing was, he instinctively felt that it belonged to him.

Moreover, the connection with this object is intermittent. If I leave now, it will be very difficult to encounter it again in the future. However, these two girls meant well, and I also want to recover my memories as soon as possible. I am now in a dilemma.

After a quick thought, Cha Mulong decided to go back to Tianshan with Fu Tianjiao and the other person.

"it is good."

Upon seeing this, Fu Tianjiao immediately shouldered her pack, and the three of them walked out of the inn together. After paying two taels of silver and buying a horse, just as they were about to leave the inn, they suddenly saw a cloud of dust ahead and heard the sounds of fighting. Fu Tianjiao's face tightened, and she then gave an order to Fu Tianxiang and Cha Mulong. The three of them bypassed that passage, chose another route, and rode their horses towards the outskirts of Pansha Town.

But just as the three of them were halfway there, a charred corpse suddenly fell down in front of them, still faintly glowing with firelight. Fu Tianjiao and the other two immediately reined in their horses and stopped.

"It's him!"

Looking at the corpse, Fu Tianjiao recognized it as the same blood-stained person she had seen before. She couldn't believe he hadn't survived. Not wanting to cause trouble, Fu Tianjiao immediately went around it. Fu Tianxiang and Cha Mulong followed closely behind. But just then, several figures descended from the sky. They glanced at the three of them, and when they saw the charred corpse, their eyes lit up.

"Brother, this is Xie Qian. The item is on him."

Upon hearing this, the elder brother nodded, drew his long sword, and with a flash of cold light, the charred corpse was split in two. As the corpse split open, a ball of precious light flew out from it and slowly floated into the sky.

Upon seeing this, the elder brother's face lit up with ecstasy. He leaped upwards, intending to take the treasure, but to his surprise, the light of the treasure rushed directly towards Fu Tianjiao and the other two. Seeing this, Fu Tianjiao drew her longsword, intending to slash at it, but the light of the treasure dimmed and obediently landed in Fu Tianjiao's hand.

"Tianjiao, hand over the items now, or you won't leave Pansha Town alive!"

The eldest brother was furious when he saw the cooked duck fly away. Seeing that the item had landed in Fu Tianjiao's hands, he gave his two brothers a wink, and the three of them formed a three-element formation, surrounding Fu Tianjiao and her two companions.

"The three demons of Heaven, Earth, and Man, I, Fu Tianjiao, do not wish to cause trouble. This thing, you..." Before Fu Tianjiao could finish speaking, she heard Cha Mulong's voice transmission.

“Girl, this cannot be given to them; it belongs to me.”

Upon hearing this, Fu Tianjiao's expression turned serious. She then changed the subject and spoke coldly to the three demons of Heaven, Earth, and Man.

"This thing has fallen into my hands, and you think you can just make me stay with a single word? You're underestimating me."

Upon hearing this, the Heavenly Demon sneered, "Miss Fu, you can't protect this thing, and neither can your Tianshan Sect. If you don't want to cause any more trouble, Miss Fu, you'd better leave it here. This Dragon Pearl isn't so easy to take."

As the Heavenly Demon spoke of the Dragon Pearl, several figures suddenly rushed in from all four directions. Each of them possessed a powerful aura, and in Fu Tianjiao's eyes, almost all of them were no less powerful than her martial uncles. In particular, the middle-aged man with a full head of white hair and an aquiline nose had an aura similar to that of her master.

"The Dragon Ball is indeed a treasure. Tianjiao, hand over the Dragon Ball and I can guarantee your safety. Otherwise, even the name of the Tianshan Sect won't protect you." The white-headed eagle stared intently at the Dragon Ball in Fu Tianjiao's hand, speaking in a chilling tone.

"Who are you? How dare you speak so arrogantly!"

“You juniors are so inexperienced that you don’t even recognize this person. Judging by his appearance, you should be able to recognize his name.”

A middle-aged man with a bushy beard stepped forward, his eyes never leaving the dragon pearl in Fu Tianjiao's hand.

"White-headed eagle".

Fu Tianjiao's heart skipped a beat. This white-headed eagle was a famous master of the evil sect. His martial arts skills were no less than any of the leaders of the righteous sects in the world. However, he had never cared about the affairs of the martial world. Why would he appear here this time? Could it be for this so-called dragon ball?
"You living Yama, knowing I'm here, why don't you go back to your underworld!" the white-headed eagle said to the bearded middle-aged man.

"Humph!"

Upon hearing this, the Living Yama snorted coldly. Under normal circumstances, he would have backed down, but this Dragon Pearl was a first-class treasure, and for the sake of his reputation and future, he would never back down.

"Miss Fu, today many heroes have gathered here. If you don't want to cause trouble, you should hand over the Dragon Pearl. I believe your fellow cultivators will not make things difficult for you. What do you say?"

The sage Shenhuo, dressed in a red robe, came out with a smile to persuade Fu Tianjiao, but the threat in his words made Fu Tianjiao impatient. These evil people were not easy to provoke. If they were not handled properly, not only would she lose her life, but she would also implicate the Tianshan Sect.

The bald eagle was already growing impatient. Before Fu Tianjiao could speak, it moved in an instant, and in the blink of an eye, a blur flew past Fu Tianjiao. She hurriedly drew her sword to block, but only heard the sound of metal clashing. Fu Tianjiao's wrist went numb, and her sword attack faltered as an eagle claw reached for her right hand.

"Senior Sister, be careful!" Fu Tianxiang was on high alert, but the white-headed eagle was too fast. By the time she reacted, its claws were less than three inches away from her right hand. If it were caught by that claw, she would lose at least half of her arm. Just then, Cha Mulong, who was standing nearby, reacted quickly and threw the horn in his hand. The force was great. The white-headed eagle heard the sound of the horn cutting through the air and its heart tightened. It hurriedly dodged and landed on a roof.

The horn spun around and returned to Chamulong's hand. Fu Tianxiang felt relieved and gave Chamulong a grateful look before dismounting and going to her senior sister's side.

"Senior sister, how are you?"

Fu Tianjiao shook her head, dismounted, and secretly held the dragon pearl in her hand. It seemed that they wouldn't be able to leave anytime soon.

"Do it!"

At the command of the Living Yama, the disciples of the Hell Gate beside him immediately charged forward with their weapons. Seeing this, Fu Tianjiao and her companion drew their swords to meet the enemy. Both of them were disciples trained by Tianshan Jingxin, and dealing with these more than ten people was a piece of cake. However, after killing and injuring several people, the Living Yama, the Divine Fire Master, and the Three Swords of Heaven, Earth, and Man attacked together.

Because Fu Tianjiao possessed the Dragon Pearl, she was specifically targeted. Under the siege of the five members of the Living Yama, she gradually fell into a disadvantageous position. If it weren't for their individual schemes, she would probably be seriously injured and unable to get up by now. On the other side, Fu Tianxiang was also in a bad situation. More than a dozen disciples from various sects worked closely together to hold her back. As for Cha Mulong, he was being watched by the White-Headed Eagle. Every time Cha Mulong made a move, the White-Headed Eagle would stop him.

A few moments later, Fu Tianjiao had several more wounds on her body, and blood stained half of her white clothes. However, her eyes became even more sharp, and she wielded a long sword with ease, firmly guarding herself. But in the eyes of Living Yama and the others, this was nothing more than a trapped beast's struggle.

The five exchanged glances, then launched another attack, suppressing Fu Tianjiao's momentum. Just as the two sides were fighting fiercely, three figures flew in from not far away. The middle-aged man in the lead was tall and imposing, with eyebrows that reached his temples, exuding an air of nobility. The two men beside him wore robes with the sun and moon on their backs, protecting the imposing middle-aged man on the left and right.

“Zhongxin Hall, Shangguan Yun”.

Shangguan Yun flew into the air, and the Sun and Moon Duo planted a banner in the ground with the three characters "Zhongxin Hall" written on it. Just after the banner was planted, Shangguan Yun gathered his true energy, shouted, and pressed his palms down. A loud explosion was heard on the battlefield, and dust billowed up. The two sides immediately dispersed.

After the smoke and dust cleared, Shangguan Yun glanced at the dragon pearl in Fu Tianjiao's hand, suppressed his thoughts, and turned to look at the white-headed eagle.

(End of this chapter)