A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 398 Desire to Destroy the Sea Shark
Inside the inn, the Wine Immortal used wooden chopsticks to lock the right hand of the dark-faced burly man. After a cold laugh, he released the chopsticks, and the dark-faced burly man, caught off guard, fell to the ground. After getting up, he clutched his right wrist and looked at the Wine Immortal with a gloomy expression.

"Where did this weirdo come from, causing trouble here? He's courting death! Get him!"

The burly, dark-faced man stepped back and waved his hand forward. Several men behind him, who had been eagerly waiting, rushed forward with their weapons. Just as the two sides were fighting, all the guests in the inn ran out, leaving only the innkeeper and a few waiters hiding behind the counter, watching in terror as the Wine Immortal displayed his divine power, knocking all four men to the ground with a single punch. Their cries of pain filled the air. Seeing that the Wine Immortal was about to deliver the final blow, the innkeeper could no longer care about anything else. He hurriedly ran out, knelt before the Wine Immortal, and repeatedly bowed, pleading, "Great hero, have mercy and spare their lives!"

Upon hearing this, the Immortal of Wine was taken aback. Looking at the shopkeeper who had come to plead for him, he felt a mix of emotions.

"Fine, for the sake of the shopkeeper, I'll spare your lives today, but you'll be spared the death penalty, though you won't escape punishment."

The Immortal of Wine unleashed a flurry of punches, striking the four men's dantian. The force of his punches completely neutralized the true energy they had painstakingly cultivated, crippling their martial arts skills. This could be considered a win-win situation.

"Thank you for your mercy, sir."

The shopkeeper felt relieved upon seeing this, but when he looked at the four men whose eyes were still flashing with ferocity, he felt a chill run down his spine. But now that things had come to this, this was all he could do. It was already good enough that he had managed to save one of their lives, and he could consider it an explanation to Boss Xue.

The Immortal of Wine glanced at the four people, and naturally did not miss the fierce glint in their eyes. However, since the shopkeeper had pleaded so earnestly, even though he was known as one of the Three Heroes of the Wind and Dust, his conduct was neither entirely righteous nor entirely wicked. As long as it did not involve his own interests, he did not care.

"Shopkeeper, you'd better watch yourself."

The Immortal of Wine tossed down a piece of silver, picked up his wine gourd, and turned to leave.

After the wine connoisseur left, the shopkeeper quickly had his staff help the four people who had collapsed on the ground up, and then sent someone to Black Tiger Hall to inform Boss Xue.

The four men were helped to sit in chairs. Although the burly man with the dark face had lost all his martial arts skills, he remained calm and gave the shopkeeper a fierce look and a cold snort.

"Manager Wang, if you can't give my Black Tiger Hall an explanation for what happened today, I'm afraid your inn will have to close down."

"Brother Liu, rest assured, I will make sure that Master Xue is satisfied. All the brothers had their accidents in my shop, and I will compensate for all the losses."

When Manager Wang rescued the four people, he had already devised a plan. This rescue might be an opportunity to get closer to the higher-ups of the Black Tiger Hall. If he could get the help of the Black Tiger Hall, his future path would definitely be much wider.

While they waited, Manager Wang had his staff fetch a doctor to treat the four men's injuries. He also served them delicate snacks and tea. After about half an hour, the sound of horses' hooves echoed outside the inn. A waiter rushed in, panting, and said to Manager Wang, "Manager, outside... Black Tiger Hall..."

Listening to the waiter's intermittent words, Manager Wang put down his teacup and hurriedly went outside. When he arrived at the door, he saw more than a dozen people dressed in black tiger robes lined up outside. The one in the lead was burly, with a resolute face, dark and bright eyes, and a head of black hair that fluttered in the wind. Just by standing there, he exuded an aura of intimidation. In Manager Wang's eyes, this man was like a towering mountain.

This man is Xue Guang, the leader of the Black Tiger Hall. His Black Fiend Palm is unstoppable, and he can be considered a top-notch expert in this small area.

"It was you who sent someone to inform them."

Xue Guang's tiger-like eyes looked at Manager Wang as he approached. Manager Wang's heart skipped a beat at that glance, and he almost slipped and fell. After hearing Xue Guang's words, Manager Wang said urgently, "It is indeed me, Master Xue. Several of your brothers have been injured and are currently in the inn."

"Ah."

Xue Guang responded and walked inside, with more than ten people following behind him in an orderly fashion. When Manager Wang saw this, he quickly ran inside. When he got inside, he saw Xue Guang checking the injuries of the dark-faced man and the others.

Lifting the black-faced man's clothes, Xue Guang saw a clearly visible fist mark on his dantian. The center of the fist mark was red, while the surrounding area was black, and the blood vessels in the center radiated outwards, connecting with the black edge. It looked very strange. Others did not recognize the fist mark, but Xue Guang did.

"Overlord Fist!"

Xue Guang's expression instantly turned serious. This Overlord Fist was the unique skill of the Wine Immortal, which outsiders could not learn. If these people provoked the Wine Immortal, not to mention his small Black Tiger Hall, even his backers would not be able to stop him from fighting against the Wine Immortal. That would be equivalent to making enemies of the Three Heroes of the Wind and Dust, and these three were not easy to deal with.

"What exactly happened?!"

Xue Guang stared coldly at the dark-faced giant, who had been terrified when the hall master entered. Hearing the questioning voice, he dared not hide anything and told the whole story. The other three, fearing punishment, also rushed to answer.

A moment later, the cold look on Xue Guang's face disappeared, replaced by a warm smile. However, this smile, in the eyes of the four burly men with dark faces, revealed despair.

If the hall master had remained indifferent, they might still have a glimmer of hope. But that familiar smile reminded them of an elder in the sect who had made a mistake and was ultimately torn to pieces by the hall master in front of everyone. That tragic scene was deeply imprinted in their minds.

"Master, spare me! Master, spare me!"

The four burly men with dark faces hurriedly knelt before Xue Guang, trying to move forward, but someone stabbed their hands with a knife, tearing open their flesh and splattering blood everywhere, accompanied by several shrill screams, making Manager Wang, who was hiding behind them, feel uneasy.

"You've tarnished my Black Tiger Gang, do you know what the consequences will be?"

As soon as Xue Guang finished speaking, more than ten people behind him raised their knives and brought them down.

After a short while, the crowd dispersed, and Manager Wang, pale-faced, looked inside. He saw that the four burly men with dark faces had been hacked to death, their flesh and blood unrecognizable.

"Manager Wang, right? You're not bad."

After saying something cryptic, Xue Guang led the Black Tiger Gang members away on horseback.

That night, Manager Wang's inn was engulfed in flames, but the surrounding houses were undamaged. After the fire was extinguished, more than ten corpses were found inside.

"Master, could the person who made that move have some background?"

Inside the Black Tiger Hall, Xue Guang's confidant tentatively asked a question. Xue Guang gave him a deep look, and the latter's expression changed. He hurriedly expressed his loyalty.

"Forget about this matter once you hear about it. The person who made the move was the leader of the Three Heroes of the Wind and Dust, the Immortal of Wine. He has an eccentric personality and is not easy to provoke. We can't afford to offend him, and we are not in the right either, so there's no need for us to go after him. Now that the affairs of the alliance have been handed over to Hall Master Ren, it's better to avoid trouble. Just send the news of the Immortal of Wine's appearance to him."

"Yes." The confidant immediately responded. Seeing that Xue Guang had no other instructions, he bowed again and turned to leave. Watching the confidant leave, Xue Guang's eyes deepened. In fact, what the confidant did not know was that Xue Jian, the Xuanwu Hall Master, was his cousin. The reason why his Black Tiger Hall was able to occupy this place was thanks to his cousin. However, a month ago, his cousin wrote that Ren Qianxing had temporarily taken control of the Supreme Alliance and told him to be more cautious during this period and not to cause too much trouble.

Following Xue Guang's instructions, the confidant wrote a letter and sent it directly to the Supreme Alliance via carrier pigeon. After completing this task, the confidant reported back to Xue Guang.

"This matter must not be leaked. Anyone who investigates it privately will be executed. Also, the aftermath of the other four must be handled properly, and no expense should be spared."

"Yes."

After leaving the town, Jiu Zhongxian continued eastward, traveling by boat down the river, passing through Juyan Gorge and Maple Leaf Ferry. After three days, the boat stopped at Tanxi City Wharf. After disembarking, Jiu Zhongxian rested briefly at an inn and had lunch. Following the directions given to him by the Sword Master, he arrived at a pawnshop called Si'an. Upon entering the pawnshop, he found it sparsely populated, with only a few shop assistants carefully cleaning various porcelain items on the antique shelves with feather dusters.

Upon seeing the Immortal of Wine enter, several waiters' eyes lit up, and they were about to go forward to greet him. One of the quick-witted waiters took the lead, and with a smile, he quickly walked up to the Immortal of Wine.

"Sir, what would you like to order?" The waiter asked, gesturing for the drunkard to lead him to a table.

"I need to see your manager; you can give him this item."

The Immortal of Wine took out a white token from his pocket, on which was engraved a crimson longsword. When the waiter saw the token, his expression immediately became serious. He first bowed to the Immortal of Wine, then carefully took the token in his hand, said "Wait a moment," and quickly ran towards the inner hall.

The other men were also shocked when they saw the sword token. It was one of the city lord's three deputy tokens, which had the power to mobilize branch personnel. Who exactly was this person?

Guessing the origins of the Wine Immortal, the group hurriedly served tea and snacks. After a short while, the waiter returned, followed by a middle-aged man with a black beard and white robe. Upon seeing the Wine Immortal, the man's eyes narrowed slightly, and he quickly took a few steps forward, clasped his hands in a salute.

"So it's Senior Wine Immortal of the Three Heroes of the Wind and Dust. I am Xiao Rang, the pawnshop owner. If you have any questions for me, why don't we go to the inner hall?"

When Jiu Zhongxian saw Xiao Rang approaching, he stood up and returned the greeting. After hearing Xiao Rang's words, he nodded. Upon seeing this, Xiao Rang gestured for him to enter. Jiu Zhongxian took the lead, and after giving a few instructions to the waiters, Xiao Rang hurriedly followed.

"Senior, may I ask what brings you here?" Xiao Rang poured a cup of tea and handed it to Jiu Zhongxian, then returned the sword token to him. Jiu Zhongxian took the token, put it away, took a sip of tea, put down the cup, and said calmly, "It's about the Sea Shark Palace. A month ago, the Sea Shark Palace was severely damaged by the Supreme Alliance. I wonder if there's any news about it now. The most important thing is news about Helian Ba."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Rang immediately understood. It seemed that the city lord had sent this person to resolve the matter of the Sea Shark Palace. Fortunately, he had made preparations in advance. After a moment's thought, he said to the Wine Immortal, "Senior, Senior Zhou Ying recently sent word that all three elders of the Sea Shark Palace have died, and only half of the three hundred elite disciples remain. Although Helian Ba ​​woke up half a month ago, his injuries have not yet healed, and he is relying on various nourishing medicinal herbs for recuperation. Currently, the Sea Shark Palace is being managed by Helian Ba's disciple, Lian Chixue, but this woman lacks both prestige and ability, and is showing signs of being unable to control the situation."

Over the next half hour, Xiao Rang carefully recounted the current situation of the Sea Shark Palace that he had collected to the Wine Immortal. After listening, the latter immediately gained a general understanding of the current state of the Sea Shark Palace.

"Thank you for bothering me today."

"Senior, you flatter me. This is what I should do. If you wish to go to Sea Shark Island, I can have someone send a letter to Senior Zhou Ying so that he can meet you nearby."

Although we don't know exactly who the Wine Immortal is, we can roughly guess from his repeated inquiries about Helian Ba ​​that he wants to cause trouble for Helian Ba.

"Then I'll trouble you. When is the earliest you can depart?"

"A boat will be coming to purchase supplies early tomorrow morning. With the boat's cover and our help, you can safely reach Moonlight Island. Once you arrive, someone will meet you."

"That shall be so."

Since one more night wouldn't make a difference, the Wine Immortal immediately made his decision. Seeing that the Wine Immortal was about to leave, Xiao Rang immediately advised, "Senior, why don't you stay here for the night? It will save you time and effort, and it won't interfere with your work."

After a moment's thought, the Wine Immortal agreed. Upon seeing this, Xiao Rang immediately had someone prepare the room. After thanking him, the Wine Immortal returned to his room, ate the dinner that Xiao Rang had prepared, and then rested.

On the other side, Xiao Rang delivered a secret letter to Zhou Ying through a channel. After reading the letter, Zhou Ying passed it on to Song Yun. After reading it, Song Yun's eyes lit up. He had finally received a response from the city lord. But why did he send the Immortal of Wine to make a move?

“The city lord has his own reasons. We just need to cooperate. Those people from Eagle Fortress have been very restless lately. We must be vigilant, especially at this critical moment. Junior brother, we must not let Eagle Fortress cause any trouble before the Immortal of Wine takes action against Helian Ba. I entrust this matter to you. I really don’t trust anyone else.”

"Yes, senior brother."

Song Yun returned the letter to Zhou Ying, who lit it with a candle flame, and it instantly turned to ashes.

"I'll handle the backup myself. We still need to appease Helian Ba ​​and not let him suspect anything is amiss."

After discussing for a while, Song Yun left first to assign tasks, while Zhou Ying was pondering how to take down Sea Shark Island at the lowest cost when the voice of a disciple came from outside.

"Elder, Lian Chixue, the deputy palace master of the Sea Shark Palace, requests an audience."

"Invite her in."

Upon hearing the echo, the disciple said to Lian Chixue, "Vice Palace Master Lian, please."

Lian Chixue nodded slightly, pushed open the door and entered. Zhou Ying quickly walked up to her and said with a smile, "Palace Master Lian, is there anything you need help with that you've come to Moonlight Island?"

After Helian Ba ​​recovered from his serious injuries, he promoted Lian Chixue to the position of deputy palace master to handle important palace affairs. However, Lian Chixue was not capable enough. She could handle small matters, but she was very bad at making decisions on important matters. Later, Zhou Ying couldn't stand it and gave her some pointers to help her get through the difficulties. Now she can barely hold the gate up.

"Elder Zhou, it's not that I need your help, but rather that my master wishes to see you."

"Oh."

Zhou Ying looked surprised, but secretly became more vigilant. Why did Helian Ba ​​choose this moment to look for him instead of earlier or later? Was there something fishy going on?

(End of this chapter)