A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 278 Shangguan Feiyan
At the foot of Tianshan Mountain, Li Dengping said to Ni Qingfeng, "Junior brother, the martial arts world has been quite turbulent lately. You must be careful in everything you do. If you need any help, you can send a message by carrier pigeon."

"Understood, Senior Sister. I'll leave the Tianshan Sect to you."

Ni Qingfeng bowed to Li Dengping, and Gu Ming also bowed respectfully. The two then mounted their horses and quickly disappeared from Li Dengping's sight.

"Master, where should we go first?"

Gu Ming thought he would be able to cultivate properly in the Tianshan Sect, but he did not expect that his master would take him down the mountain as soon as he came out of seclusion, saying that he wanted to broaden his horizons. However, Gu Ming felt that his master's move had a deeper meaning.

"Go and see your father first. The turmoil in the martial arts world is getting more and more intense. Your father's Sihai Inn is likely to attract unwanted attention and become a target for those with ill intentions."

Ni Qingfeng's descent from the mountain was permitted by the sect leader Xue Wanshan. His purpose was twofold: firstly, to gather information about hidden depths in the martial arts world and send it back to Tianshan so that they could make preparations in advance; and secondly, to establish connections between Tianshan and various places in the Western Regions. His first stop was Gu Zhen's Sihai Inn.

“A few days ago, my father wrote a letter saying that the disciples of the White-Headed Eagle Sect of Bailing Mountain were waging wars everywhere, and some small forces had been swallowed up. However, he knew about the relationship between Sihai Inn and our Tianshan Sect, so he did not make things difficult for us.”

At this point, Gu Ming couldn't help but show a look of lingering fear. If he hadn't joined the Tianshan Sect and been his master's only disciple, the white-headed eagle probably wouldn't have shown his father any favor.

"The likes of the White-headed Eagle are nothing to fear. These people have their own value. With their presence, this border region is less chaotic, which also saves our Tianshan Sect a lot of effort. The time and energy saved can be used to develop the sect. Why not?"

“Master is right, but I’m afraid those ungrateful people will have second thoughts and cause trouble in the future. Then our Tianshan Sect will have to step in to resolve it.”

Upon hearing this, Ni Qingfeng said, "One of the purposes of this trip down the mountain is to eliminate the wood-boring insects. Let's hurry on our journey. If all goes well, we should arrive at the Four Seas Inn in three days. Bye!"

Seeing this, Gu Ming also flicked his whip and quickly followed his master.

Inside the Sihai Inn, Gu Zhen sat upright on a wooden chair, looking at Duan Cheng opposite him with a grim expression. If this man didn't have a good master, based on just what he said earlier, he would have made sure he never left the Sihai Inn.

"Manager Gu, I wonder what you've thought about this. As long as you hand over 20% of the profits from Sihai Inn to Bailing Mountain every month, I'll leave immediately. If you don't, Manager Gu, the consequences will be more than you can bear."

Duan Cheng stared at Gu Zhen with a sinister look, and the two gleaming copper balls in his hand made a clicking sound as he kept tapping Gu Zhen's heart.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. Please leave."

Under normal circumstances, Gu Zhen might have agreed to avoid trouble, but now, with a thousand taels of silver, it was a considerable sum, enough to support a sect for three months. Gu Zhen was unwilling to make such a losing deal, not to mention that his son had become Ni Qingfeng's disciple, and there would be many expenses in the future.

"It seems Manager Gu is determined to refuse a polite toast and then suffer the consequences. In that case, please forgive my rudeness."

Upon hearing Gu Zhen's decisive refusal, Duan Cheng's eyes flashed with a fierce light. He slowly stood up, looking at Gu Zhen with a cold gaze, and stopped spinning the copper ball in his hand.

"Sihai Inn is not a place for you to run wild. I, Gu, have been lenient with you out of respect for your master's name. Do you really think I'm afraid of you?!"

Seeing the Bailing Mountain disciples wielding weapons, Gu Zhen calmed down and casually waved his hand. Suddenly, twenty or thirty young servants in blue robes, each carrying a weapon, appeared in the inn's lobby.

"Very well, Manager Gu is truly a hero. Don't think that just because your disciple has become a disciple of the Tianshan Sect, you can rest easy. This place is far from the emperor's reach, and distant water can't quench immediate thirst. By the time the Tianshan Sect arrives, your Sihai Inn will probably be reduced to ashes. Ha."

Duan Cheng knew, of course, that the Tianshan Sect was backing the Sihai Inn, but their Bailing Mountain was closer to the Sihai Inn. If the standoff continued, it would only harm the interests of the Sihai Inn and the Tianshan Sect. Not to mention that the Tianshan Sect had now retreated into hiding, and there had been almost no news of them in the martial arts world for months.

"So that's what you were planning. It's not surprising that the White-Headed Eagle, a renowned master of the evil sect, possesses such a skill. But you only know one side of the story. My son has become a disciple of the Tianshan Sect, but do you know which sect he's under?"

Gu Zhen picked up the tea on the table, took a sip, and watched Duan Cheng's farce with an air of nonchalance.

Upon hearing this, Duan Cheng saw Gu Zhen's ambiguous smile and felt a sudden unease. A bad feeling immediately arose in his mind, but he still forced himself to stay alert and said, "Could it be that he is still the head of the Tianshan Sect?"

As long as they are not disciples of the Tianshan Sect Leader, and with their master backing them up, they are not afraid of anyone.

“Ni Qingfeng of Tianshan, Master Ni is my son’s master. I wonder if you have heard of Master Ni’s name?”

Gu Zhen spoke slowly, but Duan Cheng looked puzzled and turned to ask the disciple beside him. The disciple was also a newcomer and did not know the name.

"Perhaps he is just an elder-level figure, and his cultivation is certainly not as good as that of the Tianshan Sect Leader. Senior Brother, could it be that Gu Zhen is just putting on a brave face?"

Upon hearing this, Duan Cheng secretly shook his head. This matter seemed strange no matter how you looked at it. He kept recalling that when he came to the Four Seas Inn this time, those senior brothers who wanted to take credit for him did not make any move. This was not like their style. Those guys were all people who would abandon righteousness for profit, especially the Four Seas Inn, which was a big shot. Unless the Four Seas Inn had a very big background that even Master could not afford to offend, they would back down.

"Ni Qingfeng?"

Duan Cheng muttered a few words. At this moment, a mature-looking disciple suddenly thought of something and hurriedly leaned close to Duan Cheng's ear. After a few breaths, Gu Zhen saw that Duan Cheng's face was pale, and his forehead was dripping with sweat. His hand, which was playing with the copper ball, was trembling. He stood up in surprise, clasped his hands in front of Gu Zhen, and said, "I was blind to your greatness. I was reckless. Please forgive me, Manager Gu."

A storm raged in Duan Cheng's heart. Ni Qingfeng was the one who had severely injured his master with a single sword strike. No wonder his senior brothers didn't take on this task. It was clearly a dead end. Eliminating his opponent would make the allocation of resources more abundant.

Even his master was injured by Ni Qingfeng. If he went up there, wouldn't he just be offering himself up as food? Thinking of this, Duan Cheng felt both fear and anger.

“Brother Duan has come all this way, it’s not easy. Erqing, go and get three hundred taels of silver for Brother Duan, consider it my treat to tea for you all.”

Gu Zhen gave an order to the servant beside him, who immediately turned and left. A moment later, the servant came out carrying a wooden tray with thirty silver ingots neatly arranged on it.

"Brother Duan, this is just a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it."

Gu Zhen nodded to the servant, who then carefully placed the wooden tray in front of Duan Cheng.

"It was my fault for bothering you today, Manager Gu. Farewell."

Duan Cheng breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Gu Zhen take out the silver. He had someone put the silver away, bowed respectfully to Gu Zhen, and then quickly left with his men.

"Shopkeeper, why should we give him money?"

"Five hundred taels of silver for peace is well worth it. The Tianshan Sect is a bit far away, so this skin can only be used in critical moments. We can't rely on it for power, otherwise it won't be good for either of us. Alright, let's pack up and quickly restore the inn. This delay of several days has cost a lot of silver."

Gu Zhen felt a pang of heartache at the thought of the flowing silver, sighed, and turned back to her room.

Ten miles away from the inn, Duan Cheng looked at the Sihai Inn with lingering fear. He couldn't help but feel ruthless. He had escaped a calamity today. When he returned, he would see how his good senior brothers would deal with them.

Duan Cheng only recently became a disciple of White-Headed Eagle. Before that, he was a disciple of Tong Fengjian, known as "Three Thunder Mountain Opener". After Tong Fengjian died, he wandered the martial arts world. Later, he heard that Bailing Mountain was recruiting disciples, and that's how he caught the eye of White-Headed Eagle and was accepted as his last disciple.

Relying on his exceptional martial arts skills and the unique ability to split mountains with copper balls, he quickly gained a foothold and handled the tasks assigned to him by the White-Headed Eagle very well. This aroused the jealousy of his senior brothers, who then conspired to set a trap for him.

"Senior brother, what should we do when we get back? What about these five hundred taels of silver..."

"We'll talk about it when we get back to the mountain. I'll speak to Master myself. This time, we need to plan things out carefully."

Duan Cheng kept thinking about how to escalate the matter, preferably by involving his master. In that case, given his master's temperament, he would certainly not let those senior brothers off easily.

Three hundred miles southeast of the Four Seas Inn lies Xiyuan City, the largest market town in the Western Regions. This city is one of the important nodes connecting the Central Plains and the Western Regions for trade, so it is densely populated and its prosperity is no less than that of coastal towns in Jiangnan.

At this moment, Shangguan Feiyan and Lu Yi were resting in a teahouse. Shangguan Feiyan looked at Lu Yi, who kept stuffing food into his mouth, and immediately became angry. "Hey, Lu Yi, didn't you say you were going to take me sightseeing? Why did we come to this place? Besides being crowded, what good scenery is there to see?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yi, dressed in coarse cloth, finally looked up at Shangguan Feiyan, awkwardly swallowed the pastry in his hand, took a sip of water, and then explained, "Although Xiyuan City is located in the Western Regions, it has a famous scenic spot. However, this view can only be seen at night. It's only noon now, so let's eat first. Don't worry, it won't disappoint you. Would you like some?"

Lu Yi's explanation barely convinced Shangguan Feiyan. Seeing the plate of pastries being extended to her, Shangguan Feiyan met Lu Yi's gaze and reached out to take a piece.

"Luckily I ran fast, otherwise my parents would have caught me and taken me back, and I would have been stuck here for a while. I'm also fortunate to have met this naive and sweet girl. I haven't had to endure the hardships of the journey. I will definitely repay her kindness in the future."

Lu Yi was thinking to himself, but his hand kept picking up another pastry without stopping. Just then, a commotion suddenly came from downstairs. Lu Yi paused for a moment, but continued eating without paying attention. Shangguan Feiyan heard the noise, put down the pastry, wiped her hands with a handkerchief, walked to the railing, and looked down.

In the hall below, a burly man was glaring angrily at a delicate-looking woman dressed in green.

"Come back with me right now, stop making a fool of yourself here!"

The burly man tried to grab the woman in green, but she looked terrified and hurriedly ran to the side, tears welling up in her eyes. She looked so frail and weak that she almost fell to the ground. The onlookers were immediately enraged.

"In broad daylight, under the clear sky, are you trying to force yourself on a woman?!"

A wealthy young man, seeing the pitiful woman in green, immediately stepped forward. With a wave of his hand, four servants appeared behind him and blocked the burly man.

"Young lady, rest assured, with me, An Jing, here, I can guarantee your safety!"

Upon hearing An Jing's words, the burly man's eyes revealed fear. He didn't know An Jing, but he knew the name of the An family in Xiyuan City. They were local bigwigs, and their words carried more weight than those of the government.

“Young Master An, I bought this woman at a high price. This is her indenture. Please do me a favor.”

Upon seeing this, the burly man immediately took out a contract from his pocket and unfolded it in front of An Jingyi. The latter glanced at it and his expression immediately turned somewhat unpleasant. Although he was a playboy, he was not uneducated.

According to the contract, this burly man bought it from the bank for thirty taels of silver, which was the most legitimate way possible.

"Young master, it's best not to get involved in this matter. This woman doesn't seem like someone to be trifled with. We should be careful."

The servant beside him glanced at the burly man, then at the radiant woman in green, and whispered something in An Jing's ear.

"Young master, please save me! I don't want to die! This charcoal-skinned man is cruel. He has already harmed several of my sisters, and each of them died a gruesome death. I really don't want to end up like that."

The woman in green burst into tears, but instead of arousing An Jing's sympathy, he became wary and subtly took a few steps back, coldly watching the woman who looked bewildered.

Upon seeing this, Shangguan Feiyan, who had been watching from above for quite some time, was immediately enraged. She used her lightness skill to gracefully descend downwards.

When the burly man saw An Jing's movements, he immediately tried to grab the woman in green. Just then, a whooshing sound came from the air, and the onlookers scattered and hid far away.

The burly man turned around and saw that it was a soft whip. He dodged to the side and grabbed it tightly in his hand. No matter how hard Shangguan Feiyan tried, she could not pull it away.

"Miss is in trouble, we..."

"Don't worry, Miss is fine. I know this big man. He is Gu Zheng from the Divine Fist Sect. He is an upright man and will not kill easily. But you two should be careful of the woman in green. She is a bit strange."

Gu Zheng frowned when he saw that it was a beautiful young girl. Then he flicked his wrist and loosened the whip. Shangguan Feiyan saw this and pulled the whip, which then coiled into a loop around her wrist.

"Can't you treat this young lady a little better? Even if you bought her with your money, you should cherish her. Making things difficult for a young woman like this shows a lack of magnanimity."

Knowing that her martial arts skills were no match for the person in front of her, Shangguan Feiyan's momentum inevitably weakened. Seeing the other party frown, Shangguan Feiyan glanced coldly around before coming to the side of the woman in green, intending to help her up. But at that moment, a glint flashed in the woman in green's eyes, and she flicked a red handkerchief outward, sending a cloud of pink smoke flying towards Shangguan Feiyan.

With a loud "bang," the woman in green was struck by a powerful palm strike, causing her to cough up blood and collapse to the ground, barely breathing. This truly shocked everyone present. They were stunned for a moment, then all rushed away, leaving only An Jing and Gu Zheng staring in astonishment at what they had just witnessed.

"Feiyan, how are you?"

Lu Yi slapped the woman in green away and caught Shangguan Feiyan. She had her eyes closed, her face was pale, and her ears had turned bright red. It was obvious that she had been poisoned. Lu Yi immediately carried her to the woman in green and demanded the antidote from her.

"Hehe, Shangguan Yun's daughter. I gave up my worthless life to save hers. It's worth it. As for the antidote, there is no antidote at all. Hahaha."

The woman in green looked at Shangguan Feiyan with a sinister gaze. Knowing that her life was about to end, she immediately bit her tongue and committed suicide. Lu Yi cursed angrily and, disregarding the difference between men and women, searched the woman in green for an antidote, but found nothing.

Just then, several masked men wielding weapons broke through the window and entered. Lu Yi was startled at first, then relieved, because the masked men were all injured, and the four guards who were protecting Shangguan Feiyan followed them in.

"Hand over the antidote, and I might spare your corpses!"

The leader glanced at the masked man and said in a deep voice that when the woman in green made her move, they noticed that someone was watching outside the teahouse. Thinking that Lu Yi was watching inside, the four of them rushed out and fought with the masked men.

Upon hearing this, the masked man sneered a few times and said breathlessly, "Shangguan Yun has committed many evil deeds and will surely perish. If we can't do anything to him, then let his daughter pay with her life!"

"court death!"

Seeing his blatant disrespect, the leader of Zhongxin Hall flipped his blade and slashed at the masked man. The other three, seeing this, also rushed forward with their weapons and engaged the masked man in battle. In an instant, swords flashed and blood and flesh flew everywhere. An Jing was so horrified that his face turned pale, and he obediently stayed to the side under the protection of his servants.

Gu Zheng of the Divine Fist Sect was shocked when he heard the name Shangguan Yun. After glancing at Lu Yi, who was suppressing the poison for Shangguan Feiyan, he thought it over and decided to withdraw and not get involved in the matter.

The four men from Zhongxin Hall were capable of serving as guards and possessed considerable martial arts skills. The six masked men were defeated in just over ten moves, with only the middle-aged man with the sword at the head of the group still struggling.

"withdraw!"

Seeing that more than half of the six men had been killed, the middle-aged leader's eyes flashed with malice. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a handful of black fireballs, and threw them outwards. The four men from Zhongxin Hall immediately changed their expressions and hurriedly dodged. However, the fireballs only hissed and emitted wisps of blue smoke after landing, and did not explode as they had expected.

"Fell into a trap!"

When the smoke dissipated, the three people had vanished without a trace.

"Miss!"

The leader hurriedly ran towards Shangguan Feiyan's location. He saw Lu Yi channeling his inner energy into her and immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Then, four people guarded him to prevent outsiders from harassing him.

A moment later, Lu Yi wearily opened his eyes, glanced at the four people, and said in a deep voice, "The toxins in Fei Yan's body are only temporarily suppressed and need to be cleared as soon as possible, otherwise the consequences will be dire."

The leader was also anxious upon hearing this. This place was remote and there were no famous doctors. If something bad happened, their fate was unimaginable.

"Lu Yi, go to the thatched cottage of the herbalist, my mother will definitely be able to cure the poison, hurry!"

After managing to utter a single sentence, Shangguan Feiyan fell into a coma again.

(End of this chapter)