A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 53 The Four Strange Things

"Master, where are we going first?" Little Fish asked, gently cracking the whip and urging the carriage on.
"Let's go to Qing Shi Town in Jiangnan first. That's your father's home. Let's go there and take a look," Yan Nantian replied.
"Oh," Xiaoyuer had heard Yan Nantian talk about some things about his father when he was a child, but he was too young to remember clearly. When he was seven or eight years old, his master rarely mentioned it. Now that he has started to talk to him about it again, there must be a reason.

The carriage traveled south, and it was now the fifteenth of August, a day for family reunion during the Mid-Autumn Festival. But in this desolate wilderness, Xiaoyuer and Yan Nantian could only sleep in a dilapidated temple, roasting dried meat in their hands and gazing at the cold, bright moon in the sky.

"Master, please tell me more about my father's life," Xiaoyuer said, taking a bite of dried meat and swallowing it along with his rations.

"Your father's name is Jiang Feng, and he is the most handsome man in the martial arts world..."

Yihua Palace, outside the valley
"Wuque, this is your first time leaving the valley. Your master has high expectations for you, so don't disappoint him," Lianxing said, looking at the handsome young man in white before her.

"Second Master, Wuque understands. Wuque will definitely not disappoint you two masters." Hua Wuque was aloof and cold, even his speech was cold, but Lianxing was used to it.

"Wuque's personality is just like my sister's, really..." Lianxing sighed inwardly, then took a piece of gold-threaded soft armor from the maid next to her and handed it to Hua Wuque.

"I'll leave this precious garment to you for self-defense. Be careful in everything you do when you're out and about."

"Thank you, Second Master," Hua Wuque said respectfully, accepting the gift and placing it in his bundle. "Second Master, I'll take my leave now." With that, he drew his sword, mounted his horse, glanced at Lianxing, and rode away.

After watching Hua Wuque's figure disappear, Lianxing returned to the valley with her maid.

Two days later, they arrived in the capital. Hua Wuque found the location of his target, the residence of An Zhong, the Vice Minister of War, based on the information.

At this moment, the An residence was brightly decorated and filled with joyous sounds, for it was the auspicious day of An Wen's wedding, the daughter of An Zhong, the Vice Minister of Revenue.

"Master, Supervisor Liu has sent someone," a servant hurriedly came to report.

"Commander Liu's men are here! Quickly, take me there!" An Zhong apologized to the others and hurriedly ran out.

Zhou Yan stood in the courtyard with his men from the Eastern Depot. The onlookers, intimidated by the Eastern Depot's power, kept their distance, leaving a large open space.

"So it's Lord Zhou. I'm sorry for not greeting you properly. Please don't take offense." An Chong was delighted to see Zhou Yan, one of Liu Xi's two chief stewards. It seemed that he still had some influence in front of the chief eunuch, otherwise he wouldn't have sent his trusted confidant.

"Lord An, you're too kind. The Chief Supervisor knows that you're getting married, so he specially sent me to deliver some small gifts as a token of my appreciation. I hope you won't find them offensive," Zhou Yan said casually, but his tone was somewhat arrogant.

"How dare I presume, sir? Please come to the main hall for tea." Although An Zhong's official rank was higher than Zhou Yan's, he dared not be presumptuous in the slightest and respectfully invited the other party into the hall.

Zhou Yan nodded, gave an order to his subordinates, and strode towards the main hall. Seeing the somewhat frightened eyes around him, Zhou Yan snorted.

As soon as Zhou Yan stepped into Tingmen, he heard exclamations outside. He frowned, turned around, and saw many flower petals suddenly falling from the sky. Then he remembered something, his expression changed, and he hurriedly gathered his subordinates.

Seeing Zhou Yan's panicked state, An Zhong was puzzled. Before he could ask for details, a young man in white arrived with a sword, landing lightly in the courtyard with his eyes fixed on the hall.

"Chen Yuan, a native of Luoyang, came from a poor family and relied entirely on his wife to wash clothes for a living. After passing the imperial examination, he abandoned his wife and children in order to obtain a high position. Afterwards, he revealed his murderous intent and ordered people to set fire to and destroy the corpse... This crime deserves to be punished." Hua Wuque threw out sheets of white paper filled with writing.

When the people around heard Hua Wuque reciting, they looked down on Chen Yuan. Now, seeing the paper book, they didn't care about being composed and started snatching it.

Several people, after seeing it, mocked An Zhong relentlessly, making the latter truly embarrassed.

After reading it, An Zhong's face turned ashen. He then calmed down and shouted angrily, "Where did this brat come from, acting so recklessly and making a scene here? Do you even have any respect for the law?"

No matter who it was, Chen Yuan was his son-in-law, and he would never allow anyone to harm him. With a shout, the guards rushed forward with sticks, ready to take down Hua Wuque.

As the six men's long staffs reached for him, Hua Wuque tilted his body, lifted one foot off the ground, spun around, and swept his leg horizontally, easily knocking the six men away.

An Zhong was startled and bowed to Zhou Yan, saying, "Sir, this little thief is quite skilled in martial arts. Please take action to capture him."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yan cursed inwardly. These were clearly people from the Yihua Palace. Even the Grand Eunuch wouldn't dare to provoke them easily. How could he have the guts? But he couldn't show weakness either. If the Grand Eunuch found out that he had retreated without a fight, he would probably suffer the consequences.

After thinking it over, Zhou Yan drew his sword and stepped forward, saying to Hua Wuque, "May I ask how this young hero is addressed?" To his surprise, Hua Wuque rarely paid him any attention and instead flew up and rushed into the hall, his target being the groom, Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan, who was inside the hall, was already terrified and trembling all over. He hid behind An Wen and saw her rushing towards him. He yelled and, disregarding all decorum, crawled under the table and chairs.

Seeing that Hua Wuque was not giving him face, Zhou Yan slashed down with his long sword, and the other members of the Eastern Depot also surrounded and attacked.

Hua Wuque lightly dodged the incoming longsword, the scabbard spinning in his hand as he knocked down his attacker. However, after a while, only Zhou Yan remained in the arena. Zhou Yan was now in a dilemma, knowing full well that he was no match for Hua Wuque, but he had no choice but to fight for his life.

As Liu Xi's capable assistant, his martial arts skills were naturally not bad, and his first few moves were quite impressive. However, he was in a very awkward position when facing Hua Wuque, who had cultivated superior martial arts.

Hua Wuque, impatient with his entanglement, drew his longsword. A dazzling light flashed, and Zhou Yan felt a sudden lightness in his hand. When he opened his eyes, he saw that only half of the longsword remained in his hand, the other half nowhere to be found. Zhou Yan was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat. He was extremely grateful that he hadn't been hit by this divine weapon, otherwise he would have been torn to pieces.

"Ah!" A scream startled Zhou Yan awake. He saw Chen Yuan's headless corpse lying in the hall, and a strong smell of blood made people nauseous. An Wen was so frightened that she fainted. The guests were also frightened by the horrific scene and fled for their lives. What was supposed to be a wedding turned into a funeral.

An Zhong was furious and shouted, "Guards! Guards!" to catch the murderer, but Hua Wuque had vanished without a trace.

Zhou Yan's eyes darted around, and he secretly channeled his energy, instantly injuring himself internally. He came into the hall pale-faced and weakly said, "Lord An, those little thieves from Yihua Palace are indeed formidable." An Zhong had been blaming Zhou Yan, but seeing him in this state, he couldn't say anything.

"Rest assured, Lord An, once I return, I will inform the Chief Supervisor of the details, and he will make the decision for you."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, sir. You must capture that despicable thief and tear him to pieces," An Zhong said through gritted teeth. His daughter's life was ruined by such an incident; how could he not hate him? Zhou Yan left the An residence with his subordinates and hurriedly reported to Liu Xi.

East Factory
"Good, I knew I hadn't misjudged Jiang Biehe. He has gained such prestige in such a short time. I am very pleased. It seems that Tie Ruyun should go where he belongs. Song Tao, have the manpower been arranged?"

"Reporting to the Grand Eunuch, I have arranged three lines of blockade along the only road to Huangshan. Even if Tie Ruyun is a master of martial arts, he cannot withstand these successive attacks."

"Yes, once Jiang Biehe becomes the leader of the martial arts alliance, I can start using the power of the martial arts world to deal with Murong Manor and Yihua Palace."

"Lord Supervisor, Lord Zhou Yan has returned, and he is injured. He is outside," a subordinate reported. Liu Xi frowned upon hearing this. "Let him in."

"Master, I failed in my duty and was injured by the people from Yihua Palace," Zhou Yan said weakly. Liu Xi asked in surprise, "How could the people from Yihua Palace appear?"

Zhou Yan dared not hide anything and embellished the story, carefully recounting the whole affair. Liu Xi's expression turned somewhat grave after hearing it.

"I don't believe that Yihua Palace would make such a special trip for such a trivial matter. Moreover, according to what you said, this young man's martial arts skills do indeed belong to Yihua Palace, and he is a man, which makes it even stranger. Yihua Palace has never accepted men before. This matter is very strange. Could it be related to the martial arts tournament?"

Liu Xi thought about it more and more and felt that it was possible. How could things be so coincidental? Yihua Palace had never made any big moves before. Was this grand appearance a challenge to him?

"Song Tao, pass down the order to retrieve all the intelligence on Yihua Palace. Also, go and ask Hongye Zhai to find out the background of this man. Zhou Yan, you should focus on recovering from your injuries."

After giving a brief instruction, Liu Xi glanced at Zhou Yan, snorted, and quickly left.

Song Tao agreed, glanced at Zhou Yan who was still kneeling on the ground, helped him up, and whispered, "Fortunately, the Chief Supervisor is in a good mood today, otherwise your tricks wouldn't have fooled him." After saying that, Song Tao left.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yan broke out in a cold sweat, and his face turned even paler.

Shun'an Road, Autumn Maple Forest

Tie Ruyun looked at the four masked men in black standing in front of her and sneered.

"Why didn't Liu Xi come himself, instead of sending you four scapegoats to your deaths?"

"Tie Ruyun, what arrogance! You really think you can defeat us? If you surrender, you can be spared some physical pain. Otherwise, don't blame us for being ruthless."

"Bah! You've fallen so low, siding with that eunuch Liu. Why are you four strange men from Hunan hiding yourselves? I'm too lazy to waste my breath on you. Show me what you've got."

The Four Eccentrics of Xiangnan were notorious figures in the martial arts world, known for their extreme actions and numerous acts of murder and robbery. They were later recruited by Liu Xi.

Fei Zheng, the eldest of the Four Eccentrics of Xiangnan, pulled off his mask and said, "Since the Iron Alliance Leader has seen through us, let's not hide anymore. Brothers, let's give the Iron Alliance Leader a good welcome." With that, he took the lead and charged forward with a pair of Wu hooks, followed closely by the other three eccentrics.

Tie Ruyun watched the four people's movements and became secretly wary. These four strange people from Hunan used unorthodox martial arts techniques, and one could easily fall into their trap.

With her sword drawn, Tie Ruyun pointed directly at Fei Zheng, who met her attack with her double hooks. The two swords clashed, and Tie Ruyun used the force to retreat, then struck Liang Chun's blade with a palm strike, preventing Liang Chun and the other three from forming a complete encirclement.

Sun Zhen, one of the Three Eccentrics, brandished his long whip, which coiled like a dragon as he attacked Tie Ruyun. Tie Ruyun, however, flipped his sword and stepped forward, striking the tip of the whip with a move called "Severing the Flow and Striking the Stone." The force of the impact made Sun Zhen's wrist go numb, slowing his momentum and allowing Tie Ruyun to take the initiative.

In the arena, Tie Ruyun used both palm and sword with ease, while the monster blocked with his double hooks, but was forced back several feet by Tie Ruyun's brute force.

Seeing this, Lu Bin, one of the Four Eccentrics, opened his iron umbrella, which was covered in sharp blades on all sides. He spun it out of his hand. When Tie Ruyun saw the attacking weapon, he forced the second and third eccentrics away with his sword. He then leaped down and swooped down, striking the umbrella with his sword. The iron umbrella immediately fell to the ground. Lu Bin, now without his weapon, became Tie Ruyun's first target to eliminate.

When Fei Zheng saw Tie Ruyun make this move, he knew exactly what the other party was planning. He hurriedly flew to the rescue, but before he had gone far, he was hit by a long sword that flashed with cold light and was forced to retreat several feet.

Liang Chun and Sun Zhen were forced to retreat by the two powerful palm strikes instantly unleashed by Tie Ruyun.

Just as the three monsters were forced back, Tie Ruyun roared and exerted force with his palm. An invisible force shot straight at Lu Bin. The latter crossed his arms, and with a miserable scream, Lu Bin's arms broke, his head was pierced by the palm force, and he died bleeding from his seven orifices.

"Fourth Brother!" Fei Zheng roared, tearing Tie Ruyun's clothes with his double hooks, drawing out a trail of blood. Tie Ruyun didn't care at all, and the threat of the three was greatly reduced. Looking at the two people surrounding him from behind, Tie Ruyun reached out and grabbed the long whip that was attacking him. With a strong pull, twist, and entanglement, he subdued both Wu Gou and Kuan Dao. He then quickly struck out with his left palm, causing Liang Chun to vomit blood and fall to the ground.

Seeing that things were not going well, Fei Zheng immediately abandoned his weapon and retreated several meters. However, Sun Zhen was not so lucky. Under the pressure of the force, he had no way to explain himself. If he let go, the force would backfire and he would be seriously injured if he didn't die. If he didn't let go, he would inevitably be hit by a palm.

With a "bang," Sun Zhen was sent flying by a palm strike, and his long whip was casually thrown to the ground by Tie Ruyun. At this moment, only Fei Zheng of the Four Eccentrics was still safe and sound.

Fei Zheng looked at his brothers, one dead and two wounded, his eyes flashing with a fierce light. He turned his hands into claws, and the wailing sound was chilling. Tie Ruyun was not surprised that he had a backup plan.

Besides his obvious skills, Fei Zheng's "Yin Wind Claw" is his most treasured technique, which he never shows to anyone. This time, he has gone to great lengths for Tie Ruyun.

The Yin Wind Claw is bone-chillingly cold, making opponents feel as if they have fallen into an ice cave. It is especially effective against people like Tie Ruyun who are fierce and ruthless.

Fei Zheng attacked in anger. After more than ten moves, Tie Ruyun only defended and did not attack. Several more bloody marks appeared on his body, but his eyes grew brighter and brighter. After twenty-three moves, Fei Zheng ran out of moves and started over. This was the moment that Tie Ruyun had been waiting for.

Just as Fei Zheng was changing his moves, a slight flaw occurred, and a fierce palm strike suddenly attacked, directly interrupting Fei Zheng's attack. With one missed opportunity, Tie Ruyun pulled his opponent into her rhythm. In less than half a moment, Fei Zheng was panting heavily and covered in sweat.

"Wow!" Fei Zheng was struck in the heart by a heavy blow, spitting out blood. He pointed at Tie Ruyun and said in a trembling voice, "You, you... wow!" His body fell to the ground, his eyes wide open, dying with his eyes still open.

Two more muffled groans followed, and Liang Chun and Sun Zhen died one after another. Tie Ruyun expressionlessly sheathed his longsword, not even glancing back, walked out of the Autumn Maple Forest, onto the main road, and headed straight for Mount Huang.

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(End of this chapter)