A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 279 Visiting the An Family
"Where is the thatched cottage with the suspended gourd?"

Lu Yi looked at the unconscious Shangguan Feiyan and felt a pang of anxiety. He turned to the four people and asked.

"It is the lady's place of recuperation, on Bieyun Peak of Kongtong Mountain. Young Master Lu, we will go and prepare the carriages and horses. Please stay for a while and take good care of the young lady."

The leader bowed to Lu Yi with clasped hands, then led the three away.

"Send the message back. This matter cannot be concealed. The masked men's tricks came from the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, the Diancang Sect, and the Qiankun Sect. They must be remnants of the sect. We are responsible for the young lady's suffering this time. We can only hope to atone for our sins."

After the leader gave an order, everyone dispersed. In less than a moment, everything was ready. The leader immediately returned to the inn. Upon seeing this, Lu Yi immediately carried Shangguan Feiyan onto the carriage. After leaving the city, they headed towards Mount Kongtong. However, they had only been out of the city for a short time when they saw several armed figures blocking their way.

"Young Master Lu, you go first. Take good care of Miss. Leave this to us. We will meet up with you after we've dealt with everything. Hurry up!"

The leader, seeing that the person blocking his way was no nobody, felt a chill in his heart. After giving Lu Yi some instructions, he exchanged glances with the other three, then drew his long sword and charged towards the person blocking his way.

Lu Yi's heart sank. He gripped the reins tightly with one hand and cracked the whip with the other, quickly driving the carriage forward. Several figures leaped to block him, but were held back by the four men. Lu Yi drove the carriage out of the encirclement without incident, disappearing from sight amidst billowing dust.

"Take care of them quickly, I'm going after them."

Seeing Lu Yi leave, a middle-aged man in a brocade robe shouted at the fighting men, then rode off at full speed with three others.

The leader of Zhongxin Hall was named Jiang Che. When he saw Xia Zhengfang, the "Invincible Golden Whip," leave, his expression changed immediately. He forced his opponent away with two slashes and tried to stop him, but was blocked by two other people with a hook and a fork. These two were not weaklings either, and Jiang Che could not defeat them within three or five moves. He could only watch helplessly as Xia Zhengfang left.

On the other side, Lu Yi was focused on driving the carriage, but before long, he heard the sound of hooves coming from behind, and it became clearer and clearer. Lu Yi's expression changed several times. He whipped the horse to speed up, but after a short while, Lu Yi pulled back the reins and stopped the carriage. He looked at the middle-aged man in brocade robes blocking his way with a gloomy expression.

"Boy, let the people out of the carriage and leave, and I might spare your life. Otherwise, I won't hesitate to send you to your death!"

Xia Zhengfang sat steadily on his horse, his eyes flashing like lightning as he looked at Lu Yi. Upon seeing this, the latter sneered and mocked, "I never thought that the famous Invincible Golden Whip Senior Xia would also do such things as bullying the weak and killing people on the road. It is truly an eye-opener for this junior."

"Young man, you have a good eye. Which school of martial arts do you follow?"

Xia Zhengfang's expression tightened slightly. He had not been in the martial arts world for decades, yet this kid recognized him at a glance and spoke in a very calm tone without any fear. This was not something that could be cultivated by an ordinary person. He must either be from a prestigious family or have a family tradition of martial arts. No matter which one it was, he had to be cautious before he could figure out the other party's background.

"My name is Lu Yi. The Black and White Heroes are my parents. Senior Xia, for the sake of my parents, I hope you will make way for me. I would be extremely grateful."

Although Lu Yi was not afraid of Xia Zhengfang, it would be best if he could use his parents' names to stop a fight. However, Lu Yi never expected that after hearing Lu Yi reveal his background, Xia Zhengfang was first stunned, then laughed wildly, staring at Lu Yi with venomous eyes.

"Very well, very well indeed. Son of the Black and White Heroes, I, Xia, will take your life. Make your move!"

Xia Zhengfang spoke coldly, and the other three immediately drew their weapons and attacked. Lu Yi's expression changed drastically upon seeing this. It seemed that Xia Zhengfang had a grudge against his parents. This was bad.

Of the three, one wielded a crescent blade, while the other two each held a long spear. Individually, each of them possessed only mediocre martial arts skills, but when combined, they were enough to contend with a first-rate master. The secret to their success lay in their joint practice of a formation.

Seeing the Crescent Blade launch a preemptive attack, Lu Yi immediately feinted with his left palm, drawing the man's attention to attack. At the same time, he clenched his right fist and struck at the man's face. However, before his fist had traveled more than three inches, two cold stars pierced through the air, one attacking the left chest and the other the neck, specifically targeting the opponent's vital points. This was ruthless and merciless.

Lu Yi had no choice but to withdraw his right fist, stand up and dodge the attack. However, this left the carriage door open. Xia Zhengfang's eyes flashed, and he moved instantly, his five fingers forming claws as he reached into the carriage.

Seeing this, Lu Yi let out a deep shout, and his aura surged. The two spears struck Lu Yi with two clangs, but failed to achieve any effect. Instead, the force of the spears caused his blood to churn, and he almost lost his grip on the spears. The man holding the crescent blade exclaimed in horror, "Indestructible Vajra!"

Xia Zhengfang was startled upon hearing this, and his movements slowed down slightly. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Lu Yi unleashed three consecutive palm strikes. His palm strikes were ancient and powerful, with continuous force, like towering mountains and surging waves. Then, he formed a sword with his fingers, and streaks of crimson sword energy shot out at the four of them. After using his ultimate moves one after another, Lu Yi's true energy was greatly depleted. He took a deep breath, quickly tightened the reins, and drove the carriage away into the distance.

"Overlapping Mountain Waves Palm, Burning Wood Sword Technique, Vajra Body Protection!"

Xia Zhengfang looked at the charred cuff with a grim expression. He had underestimated the son of the Black and White Heroes. He had been on guard against the other party's Kongtong martial arts, but he hadn't expected him to use the Kunlun, Huashan and Shaolin martial arts techniques so unexpectedly that he was caught off guard.

"Chase!"

Xia Zhengfang looked at the three equally disheveled men, gave a deep shout, and the four of them mounted their horses again and chased after Lu Yi. Half an hour after they left, Jiang Che and the other two arrived here covered in blood. After assessing the situation, the two of them rode off without stopping, following the carriage tracks.

"We've fallen into their trap."

Xia Zhengfang looked at the empty carriage and sighed angrily. The four of them then returned the way they came, only to run into Jiang Che and his two companions. Xia Zhengfang was already furious, so he attacked even more fiercely. Jiang Che and his companions had already gone through a fierce battle, and then they encountered such a master. In just over ten moves, they were at a disadvantage.

"Brother Jiang, please take good care of the young lady, and hurry!"

The two men's reckless fighting style slowed down Xia Zhengfang's offensive, and Jiang Che immediately rode away.

"Humph!"

Xia Zhengfang killed the two men with a single blow, shook the blood off his hands, and said to the three men, "Strictly seal off all the roads leading to Zhongxin Hall. We must not let Shangguan Feiyan escape. With her in our hands, Shangguan Yun will definitely be hesitant to act rashly."

In order to resist the encroachment of Zhongxintang on various factions, Xia Zhengfang and others had no choice but to resort to this tactic, since they were no match for Shangguan Yun.

"Senior Xia, Zhongxin Hall is probably already aware of this matter. What should we do if Shangguan Yun leads his men here?"

Jiang Yi, holding the crescent blade, frowned. They hadn't captured Shangguan Feiyan and had even alerted Shangguan Yun. The latter would definitely not let it go easily, which was somewhat different from what the three of them had initially thought.

"What are you afraid of? Even if the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up. Although my Golden Whip Sect is not as good as the Loyal and Trusted Hall, we have the support of the Cang Sect, the Ten Thousand Swords Sect and the Qiankun Sect. We are not afraid of Shangguan Yun in this Western Region. Now we should hurry up and do our work. We should capture those two people as soon as possible so that we can have more initiative and avoid ending up with nothing."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yi fell silent. Xia Zhengfang was right; the three brothers wandered around aimlessly, unlike the Golden Whip Sect, which had a vast and established foundation.

After discussing for a while, the four of them whipped their horses and rode away.

On the other side, Jiang Che arrived at the destroyed carriage and searched carefully. Finally, he found a secret mark left by Lu Yi in an inconspicuous place. Jiang Che hurriedly followed the clues of the secret mark and searched in the northeast direction.

On the official road northeast of Xiyuan City, Ni Qingfeng led Gu Ming all the way. A few days ago, they made a brief stop at the Sihai Inn to discuss the business route with Gu Zhen. The latter immediately agreed. Ni Qingfeng was delighted to see him so straightforward. After hearing that Bailing Mountain was coming to cause trouble, Ni Qingfeng took Gu Ming to Bailing Mountain.

“Master, that white-headed eagle and his young disciple Duan Cheng are very pragmatic. On the other hand, those disciples in front are arrogant and conceited. Not only are their martial arts skills poor, but they are also full of scheming and plotting. If this continues, they will get into trouble sooner or later.”

During the time Gu Ming had been following Ni Qingfeng, his temperament had improved considerably. Ni Qingfeng was very pleased to hear this and said calmly, "The Bailing Mountain lineage almost entirely relies on White-Headed Eagle. If he were to leave, Bailing Mountain would crumble in an instant. White-Headed Eagle also knows the importance of inheritance, which is why he didn't care about Duan Cheng's background and took him under his wing, passing on his unique skills. With Duan Cheng around, at least some of the inheritance can be preserved."

“Ming’er, you must remember that the most important thing in the martial arts world is inheritance. Although the Shaolin School is now in decline, there are still masters in the school. But our Tianshan School is not like that. If your senior uncles and I are trapped in danger, at least half of Tianshan will collapse. Only by having masters emerge one after another can the school stand tall in the martial arts world.”

Ni Qingfeng was no longer planning to take on any more disciples, and Gu Ming was his only direct disciple. It was good to tell him this sooner rather than later.

"Was Master and Senior Uncle's previous reforms of the sect also aimed at better preserving the Tianshan Sect?"

"That's right. The Tianshan Sect has only been around for a little over a hundred years and its foundation is very shallow. If it weren't for me and your sect leader, the Tianshan Sect would probably have been destroyed in an instant during the Dragon Ball incident. Right now, the Zhongxin Hall and Qiushui Manor seem to be calm, but the undercurrents are already surging. If our Tianshan Sect doesn't want to become a victim of the martial arts struggle, then the only way is to strengthen our own power and gain control of the martial arts world."

Gu Ming seemed to be deep in thought upon hearing this.

Ni Qingfeng pulled on the reins, stopped, and looked at the distant green mountains.

"We'll reach Xiyuan City in half a day. The An family there is someone we need to win over. Let's hurry." With a soft shout, the two quickened their pace and headed towards Xiyuan City. Just as the sun was about to set, Ni Qingfeng could clearly see the city gates of Xiyuan City. But at that moment, a group of men ran out, wielding long spears and blocking their path. Upon seeing this, Ni Qingfeng bowed to them and said solemnly, "Ni Qingfeng of the Tianshan Sect, along with his disciple Gu Ming, wishes to enter the city. I wonder why you are blocking our way."

As soon as Ni Qingfeng finished speaking, the crowd in front of him split into two groups, and a middle-aged man in a tight-fitting outfit stepped out. Ni Qingfeng saw that he walked steadily and had bright eyes, and knew that the man was a skilled fighter.

"So it's Master Ni from the Tianshan Sect. I am Wen Yu from the Golden Whip Sect. My men are ignorant and have disturbed you, Master Ni, by not clearing the way."

When Wen Yu heard Ni Qingfeng announce his home address, he was startled and immediately shouted. The men with guns immediately made way for him. Ni Qingfeng didn't ask any further questions and bowed to Wen Yu with his fists clasped.

"Thank you very much, Brother Wen. When you come to Tianshan in the future, I will do my best to be your host. Please."

Ni Qingfeng called out to Gu Ming, and the two rode their horses swiftly towards the city.

"Senior Brother Wen, it's really strange that the people from the Tianshan Sect came here at this time."

Watching Ni Qingfeng and his apprentice walk away, a young man with a gun walked up to Wen Yu and whispered something.

"Don't cause any trouble. This Master Ni is a renowned figure. He earned half of the Tianshan Sect's reputation. You all keep an eye on things. As long as it's not someone from the Zhongxin Hall entering the city, let them pass. Our master doesn't want to be enemies with the government and the martial arts world."

"Yes, senior brother."

"Master, why is the Golden Whip Sect suddenly becoming so high-profile?"

Gu Ming was somewhat puzzled. He had heard his father say before that in the Western Regions, besides the Tianshan Sect, the strongest was Bailing Mountain, followed by the Nine Immortals Sect and the Golden Whip Sect. Logically speaking, after the Nine Immortals Sect was destroyed, the Golden Whip Sect should have developed in a low-key manner. However, by becoming the first to stick its neck out, it was hard to guarantee that the Zhongxin Hall would not target them after expanding westward.

"It's very simple. After the Nine Immortals Sect was destroyed, the Golden Whip Sect became the dominant force. In the Western Regions, it was one of the top sects besides our Tianshan Sect. The Zhongxin Hall came with great force, and no matter what it did, it would inevitably be swallowed up. Xia Zhengfang appears to be benevolent and righteous on the surface, but in reality, he is vicious and vindictive. It's possible that he raised the banner this time to gather forces from all over the place to fight against the Zhongxin Hall."

After Ni Qingfeng's explanation, Gu Ming immediately understood and then asked with some worry, "Master, if the Golden Whip Sect knows you're here, will they try to win over the Tianshan Sect to the side that opposes the Loyalty Hall?"

"will not!"

"Why not? Wouldn't it be better to have more strength? Besides, the Tianshan Sect's strength is second only to the Zhongxin Hall."

"It is precisely because the Tianshan Sect is so powerful that Xia Zhengfang is unwilling to let it join. Otherwise, would he still be able to sit in the leadership position? This man is obsessed with power and would never willingly give up his position."

"I see."

Gu Ming suddenly realized, and his feelings about the martial arts world deepened.

"Let's go into the city and head straight to Anjia."

Ni Qingfeng and his companion rode into the city. Before long, they arrived at the gate of a large manor. The plaque above the gate read "Anzhai" (meaning "Peaceful Residence"), and there were two guards at the entrance.

"What brings you here, Daoist Master?" The gatekeepers, seeing Ni Qingfeng and his companion stop, exchanged a glance. The older gatekeeper quickly stepped forward, approached Ni Qingfeng, and bowed respectfully.

“Ni Qingfeng of the Tianshan Sect has come with his disciple to pay a special visit to Master An. This is a visiting card; please inform him.”

Ni Qingfeng dismounted, took out the visiting card from his pocket, and handed it to the gatekeeper. Gu Ming also dismounted at the same time and stood quietly behind Ni Qingfeng.

"Please wait a moment, Taoist priest, I will inform them immediately." After saying this, the man immediately returned to the door, gave an instruction to the other person, and then turned and went into the gate.

Not long after, the gate opened and a group of people came out. The one in the lead was a man in his thirties with a square face. He was none other than An Jishi, the eldest son of Old Master An. The three young men behind him should be An Jishi's three sons.

"Master Ni, your presence is an honor. I, An, have failed to greet you properly. Please forgive me."

When An Jishi saw the dashing and imposing Ni Qingfeng, he was taken aback at first. Then he called to his three sons, took a few quick steps to Ni Qingfeng, and bowed respectfully.

"Brother An, you are too kind. It is I who am bothering you. This is my apprentice, Gu Ming."

Upon hearing this, Gu Ming immediately stepped forward to pay his respects. An Jishi laughed heartily, offered a few words of praise, and then introduced his three sons to Ni Qingfeng.

“Master Ni, this is not the place to talk. Please come inside and have a chat.”

An Jishi gestured, and Ni Qingfeng thanked him before following him into the manor.

“Brother, this Master Ni must be very powerful, otherwise Grandfather wouldn’t have had Father and the three of us come out to greet him together.”

“This Master Ni is the second best in the Tianshan Sect, second only to the sect leader Master Xue. Half a year ago, in Pansha Town, he killed Shenhuo Shangren with a single sword, severely injured Baitou Laoying and Huo Yama, and later killed Tang Sen and Tang Yong of the Tang Clan. It is said that he was also responsible for the destruction of the Jiuxian Sect. How could my grandfather dare to neglect such a person?”

"Brother, what brings Master Ni to Xiyuan City at this time?"

Anzhu was usually responsible for collecting intelligence on the martial arts world, so he naturally knew about Zhongxintang's activities over the past year. Now, apart from Qiushui Manor, the entire Jiangnan region had been annexed by Zhongxintang. If nothing unexpected happened, the next target would be these scattered forces.

"Grandfather and father will make all the decisions; we'll just listen to them."

Inside the main hall, an elderly man with a full head of silver hair and a vigorous spirit sat upright in the head of the table in a rosewood chair, leaning on a black cane, his eyes closed, quietly resting.

"coming."

Old Master An opened his eyes and stared intently at the outside room. After a short while, An Jishi led Ni Qingfeng and his apprentice in.

"Father, Master Ni has arrived."

"Junior Ni Qingfeng greets Senior."

Ni Qingfeng bowed respectfully to Old Master An, while Gu Ming knelt and kowtowed respectfully to him.

"No need for formalities, quickly help the child up." After accepting the greeting, Old Master An gave an order, and An Jishi gave An Jing a look, and the latter immediately stepped forward to help Gu Ming up.

"Master Ni, please have a seat and some tea."

"Thank you, sir."

Ni Qingfeng and Gu Ming sat down as instructed, while An Jishi had fragrant tea served and asked all the other people to leave, leaving only the two of them in the main hall.

"Master Ni, how is your sect's leader, Master Xue?" Old Master An asked gently after Ni Qingfeng had finished his tea.

"I am well, Senior Brother Sect Leader. Before I left, he specially asked me to present this gift. Please do not find it offensive."

As he spoke, Ni Qingfeng took out an antique wooden box from the bundle on Gu Ming's back, stood up and handed it to An Jishi. The latter took it with both hands and smelled a medicinal fragrance. He gave it to his father, who opened it and saw a huge wild ginseng inside. It looked to be at least fifty years old, which greatly surprised An Jishi. The old man's eyes flickered slightly.

(End of this chapter)