A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 89 Willow Catkins
"Elder Li, what are you trying to do?" Li Zhengkai asked in a deep voice as he looked at Li Tianhao, who had burst through the door with a large group of people.

"Chief, haven't you realized yet? Elder Li is about to rebel!"

Iron Claw Eagle secretly tapped the signal on his hand and said with a mocking expression.

"Boss, your ambition has waned, and you are no longer suitable to lead the Giant Whale Gang. You should step down."

With a wave of his hand, Li Tianhao's gang members immediately surrounded Li Zhengkai, Iron Claw Flying Eagle, and the others.

"So you've harbored rebellious intentions all along. In that case, assassinating the emperor to attract the court's attention was also your plan."

“That’s right. I knew all along that this plan couldn’t succeed, so I deliberately exposed a flaw, making the court focus its attention on the Giant Whale Gang. If the secret agents of the Dragon Guard Manor, the head of the Eastern Depot, and the leader of the Giant Whale Gang were all killed overnight, how do you think the court would respond?”

Upon hearing this, Li Zhengkai's heart sank. Li Tianhao's words clearly indicated his intention to become independent and separate the Giant Whale Gang from the imperial court, revealing his wolfish ambitions.

Even if I die, you will not succeed.

"Who can say for sure? Just think, an elder turned the tide, repelled the Japanese pirates' sneak attack, protected the interests of the Giant Whale Gang, and upheld the dignity of the imperial court. With my influence, isn't the Giant Whale Gang already mine?"

Seeing Li Zhengkai and Iron Claw Flying Eagle's faces ashen, Li Tianhao couldn't help but laugh a few times. He had been preparing for this day for many years, lying in wait beside Li Zhengkai.

"You alone cannot accomplish this, nor would you have such confidence. If I'm not mistaken, that partner must be Mr. Yagyu."

"The leader is indeed clever." Yagyu Tajima-no-kami, dressed in samurai attire, stepped out from the crowd, glanced at Li Zhengkai and the other two, and then stood next to Li Tianhao.

"Chief, there's no point in saying more. If you give up resisting, I can leave you with a whole corpse. If you don't agree, you will die without a complete corpse, and your whole family will also perish."

"Chief Li, it seems that no matter what, it's a dead end. Do you want to give in?" Iron Claw Flying Eagle lightly tapped his finger, and a signal flare shot into the sky, exploding in the night. A dazzling firework lit up the sky above the Giant Whale Gang.

"Boss, your Eastern Depot has only a hundred men. Even if you gather them all, how can you possibly contend with my gang? You have lost this round completely. Make your move."

At a command, Li Tianhao's men charged forward with their knives. Li Zhengkai and Iron Claw Flying Eagle gave the same order, and the two sides immediately clashed.

"Chief Li, we should capture Li Tianhao first, otherwise tonight will surely be a bloodbath."

"What the chief said is exactly what I was thinking. However, Li Tianhao is not weak in martial arts, and he also has a master like Yagyu Tajima-no-kami by his side. It will be very difficult to capture him."

Li Zhengkai was somewhat confident against Li Tianhao, but he was unsure about his chances against Yagyu Tajima-no-kami. If he made a mistake, the consequences would be obvious.

"Leave Yagyu Tajima-no-kami to me. You only need to deal with Li Tianhao." Iron Claw Flying Eagle knew that reinforcements would take some time, and now he could only stall for time.

"Alright," Li Zhengkai drew his treasured sword, nodded to the Iron Claw Flying Eagle, and the two attacked Li Tianhao and Yagyu Tajima no Kami respectively.

"Overestimating yourself," Yagyu Tajima-no-kami sneered. With a whoosh, his long sword was drawn, slashing away the incoming grappling hook. The hook spun back and returned to the eagle's hand.

"What powerful blade energy!" Flying Eagle could tell how strong the opponent's force was just by looking at the white mark left on the iron claws made of refined steel.

Glancing at Li Zhengkai and Li Tianhao, who were engaged in battle, Flying Eagle could not yet discern the outcome, but he knew he couldn't afford any mistakes on his side. With a focused mind, he flicked his cloak and assumed a fighting stance.

"Ignorance is bliss, what audacity!" Yagyu Tajima-no-kami rushed forward a few steps, slashing horizontally with his sword. Several people who couldn't dodge in time were cut in half with a single stroke, while the rest dodged away. In an instant, a large area of ​​the battlefield where the two fought was cleared.

Seeing this, Flying Eagle brandished his claws and unleashed three hidden arrows, aiming to lock down Yagyu Tajima's three vital points: upper, middle, and lower. However, the latter remained calm and delivered a three-hit combo slash, severing the three hidden arrows in half without any sequence, leaving smooth and clean cuts.

After dealing with the hidden arrow, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami slashed through the air. The blade's energy reached his body, and Hiyori's expression turned solemn. He turned sideways, tore off his cloak, and swung it at Yagyu Tajima-no-kami. The red cloak, like a curtain, blocked Yagyu Tajima-no-kami's vision, but in just two breaths, the cloak was struck by the blade's energy and shattered into countless fragments in mid-air, scattering to the ground.

Just as the cloak shattered, the eagle had already flashed behind Yagyu Tajima-no-kami, its iron claws shooting out to strike him, but only a sound of metal clashing was heard, and the claws were wounded and returned.

"Use whatever moves you have," said Yagyu Tajima-no-kami, gripping his long sword tightly with both hands, constantly gathering momentum, his eyes fixed on the flying eagle. If the eagle made the slightest mistake, this strike would surely cut it in two.

"Japanese martial arts are indeed unpredictable and elusive; that movement technique just now..."

After several encounters, Flying Eagle knew the gap between himself and his opponent, and now he could only prioritize self-preservation and stall for time until reinforcements arrived.

"The best defense is offense," Eagle's eyes suddenly sharpened, and with a flick of his wrist, a long sword fell into his left hand.

"Oh, the art of multitasking, huh? That's interesting," Yagyu Tajima-no-kami said, showing some interest as he observed him.

The ability to multitask is considered a gift from heaven for martial arts practitioners, giving them a much wider path to cultivation than others.

A white light shot out, and at the same time, the long sword in the eagle's hand followed closely. Yagyu Tajima-no-kami's face showed a solemn expression.

"It seems he has abandoned defense and is now focusing all his efforts on offense, which is quite clever. However, the gap won't be closed so easily."

The Yagyu Shinkage school's superior martial art, "Snowflakes Falling in the Human World," was unleashed. The moment the sword strike was unleashed, a chilling intent locked onto Flying Eagle. The latter's expression changed drastically, but then his eyes sharpened, and he disregarded everything, increasing the intensity of his attack. A flash of bright sword light appeared, shattering the iron claws and longsword in one strike. Flying Eagle managed to break free through a narrow opening, but his entire body was covered in wounds from the sword energy, rendering him unable to fight.

Seeing this, Li Zhengkai, who was fighting Li Tianhao, knew things were going badly. He relaxed his grip slightly, and Li Tianhao immediately turned the tide of the attack, and Li Zhengkai lost the great advantage he had finally gained.

Li Zhengkai's confidants and Jinyiwei were also decreasing, and the situation was about to collapse. Just as Yagyu Tajima-no-kami was about to step forward to help Li Tianhao deal with Li Zhengkai, he suddenly looked outside the gate and saw Duan Tianya standing there.

"Duan Tianya," Yagyu Tajima-no-Kami walked step by step toward the gate. Duan Tianya nodded to Shangguan Haitang, who was assisting Li Zhengkai, and flew away from the Giant Whale Gang. Yagyu Tajima-no-Kami ignored this and chased after Duan Tianya.

Li Tianhao initially had the upper hand, but this scene left him bewildered. He cursed Yagyu Tajima-no-Kami in his heart, yet he had no choice but to deal with the combined attack of Li Zhengkai and Haitang.

In a short while, he had several more wounds on his body. If it weren't for his trusted confidants' rescue, he would probably have suffered even more. But as time passed, the Imperial Guards finally arrived to help, and the situation was immediately reversed.

"Li Tianhao, you have lost. Make them lay down their weapons," Shangguan Haitang said, her sword pressed against his neck.

"The victor is king, the loser is villain, it's all the same. Li Zhengkai, just kill me," Li Tianhao said indifferently, closing his eyes and turning his head away.

Li Zhengkai glanced at him, then looked around and said, "Put down your weapons, and I might show you some leniency. Otherwise, you're doomed."

Seeing that the situation was out of control, the leaders of Li Tianhao's gang exchanged glances and threw their weapons to the ground, and the rest followed suit.

"Li Tianhao, who is behind you?" Shangguan Haitang pressed, and sure enough, she saw Li Tianhao's eyebrows twitch.

"You think you'll be fine if you don't speak up? The people from the Eastern Depot won't let you off the hook," Shangguan Haitang said, looking at Iron Claw Flying Eagle.

Li Tianhao remained silent, looking like he was being slaughtered. After dealing with the gang's affairs, Li Zhengkai looked at Li Tianhao and said, "If you don't think about yourself, you should at least think about your family."

Li Tianhao opened his eyes, wanting to say something, when suddenly a cold light pierced his throat, drawing blood and killing him instantly.

"Who?" Shangguan Haitang looked in the direction the hidden weapon was launched, leaped up, and saw a mark left on the tree.

"This hidden weapon is quite ordinary. Master Shangguan, have you discovered anything?"

"The person has disappeared. It seems someone doesn't want Li Tianhao to speak. Chief Li, I have other matters to attend to. Farewell."

Shangguan Haitang hurriedly went to Carp Mountain, the place that Duan Tianya and she had previously agreed upon.

"Chief Li, I have already informed Supervisor Cao. I believe the Eastern Depot will send people soon. You should think about how to explain this."

Iron Claw Flying Eagle was carried out of the Giant Whale Gang, step by step. Before leaving, he left a sentence, which immediately made Li Zhengkai's face turn ugly.

Meanwhile, Duan Tianya led Yagyu Tajima-no-kami all the way to Koi-yama. Yagyu Tajima-no-kami looked at Duan Tianya standing there and sneered.

"Although Piaoxu stole the Jade Dragon Pill to cure your Bone-Shattering Palm, this is just a second time. Let's see how you survive this time."

"Mr. Yagyu, there's no point in saying more. After this battle, only one of us can leave alive. Let's fight."

Duan Tianya drew his longsword and pointed it at Yagyu Tajima-no-kami. The latter laughed in anger, grabbed his sword, and charged forward. Duan Tianya met him head-on with both swords in hand. The two blades clashed, and their eyes met, filled with nothing but killing intent.

With a powerful impact, Duan Tianya was forced back three steps by Yagyu Tajima no Kami. He then charged forward with his sword, his Ghost Wheel flashing three times, sending three swift sword lights flying towards his opponent. However, Yagyu Tajima no Kami did not even look at them. With a swing of his blade, three collisions occurred, and the sword lights shattered.

"I'm more familiar with the Iga school's martial arts than you are. Use your illusion sword, or you won't have a chance at all." As Yagyu Tajima-no-kami spoke, he slashed at Duan Tianya one after another. The flashing blade light was bone-chilling. As Duan Tianya dodged to the side, a strand of hair was cut off, and a piece of his clothes was also chopped off.

Unable to withstand the force, Duan Tianya's longsword was knocked away by a single blow, forcing him to take two steps back. A bright sword light shone before Yagyu Tajima-no-Kami's eyes, causing the latter to squint slightly. Then, he felt the white light in front of him grow brighter and brighter. As he defended, he felt a sharp pain in his arm, and a bloody gash appeared.

"Good move!" Yagyu Tajima-no-kami, having experienced this move, advanced instead of retreating, his sword swirling and flying to meet Duan Tianya's illusory sword. He shattered the illusion with a single strike, then withdrew his sword. In two or three breaths, all six illusions vanished. Yagyu Tajima-no-kami's ears twitched, and he drew his short sword with his left hand and threw it. With a clang, Duan Tianya's sword flew into the air, knocking the short sword away, but his true form was also exposed to Yagyu Tajima-no-kami. At this moment, his formation was exposed.

A fierce glint flashed in Yagyu Tajima-no-kami's eyes, and his sword danced in the air. He had already mastered the ultimate technique of the Yagyu Shinkage school, "The God-Slaying One-Sword Slash".

As soon as the blade was unleashed, a terrifying aura surged continuously, forcing Duan Tianya to desperately defend himself, his illusory sword techniques gradually becoming chaotic.

But just as the sword's momentum reached its peak, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami's expression changed, his inner energy inexplicably dissipated, and his momentum suddenly weakened. Duan Tianya didn't know what had happened to his opponent, but it was undoubtedly a good opportunity for him.

With his mind calm, his body instantly split into eight phantoms. At the same time, he used his phantom sword, and nine sword lights rushed towards Yagyu Tajima-no-kami. In mid-air, they converged into an even more astonishing sword aura, and the sword pierced through his body.

The long sword fell to the ground, and Yagyu Tajima-no-kami's entire body was thrown heavily to the ground.

"Mr. Yagyu, you have lost," Duan Tianya said, sheathing his sword and panting.

"Ha, what a misfortune for the family, Piaoxu, why don't you come out?" Yagyu Tajima-no-kami struggled to sit up, leaning against a rock, and spoke in a low voice to the woods.

Duan Tianya was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. Hearing the noise, he turned around and saw Liu Sheng Piaoxu, dressed in white and holding a long sword, slowly walking out from the shadows of the trees.

"Father," Yagyu Hyouse called out guiltily to Yagyu Tajima-no-kami, wanting to step forward, but was stopped by Yagyu Tajima-no-kami.

"Stop! Did you release this Dissolving Power Powder? You like Duan Tianya that much?"

Yagyu Tajima-no-kami looked sorrowful. His two children had both died because of Duan Tianya. Was his last daughter going to follow in their footsteps?

“Father, daughter…” Liu Sheng Piaoxu’s eyes welled up with tears. She glanced at Duan Tianya and gripped the long sword in her hand tightly.

Duan Tianya listened to the conversation between the father and daughter, feeling a bitter taste in his mouth. He understood Liu Sheng Piaoxu's feelings perfectly well, but he couldn't accept it and couldn't let Xue Ji down.

"Alright, alright, you don't need to say anything more. You chose this path yourself. I'm a dying man, and I won't try to dissuade you anymore. From now on, whether it's good or bad, you'll have to bear the consequences yourself."

"Duan Tianya, my defeat at your hands today is the will of Heaven, but remember this: even as a ghost, I will not let you go." As soon as he finished speaking, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami drew the short sword he had sheathed and plunged it into his own heart.

"Father!" Yagyu Hyousu cried out in anguish and rushed to his side, but Yagyu Tajima no Kami was still dead, his hands tightly gripping his short sword, his eyes wide open, dying with unfinished business.

Duan Tianya looked at Liu Sheng Piaoxu, who was crying incessantly, and didn't know how to comfort her. She had saved his life, but he had killed her father. Was the feud between him and the Liu Sheng family going to continue like this forever?

"Piaoxu," Duan Tianya was pondering when Liu Sheng Piaoxu fainted from grief. Duan Tianya quickly picked her up and rushed into the city.

The night on Mount Koi was cold and windy. Leaves fell on the corpse of Yagyu Tajima no Kami. Suddenly, he opened his eyes and drew his short sword.

"Piaoxu, you acted very well in this scene," said Yagyu Tajima-no-kami, standing up and taking out a porcelain bottle to sprinkle medicine powder on the wound.

Just as he was about to leave, a familiar voice reached his ears.

"Yagyu Tajima no Kami," Gu Xu landed gracefully, standing in front of him, his calm words making the other party feel as if facing a formidable enemy.

“It’s you,” Yagyu Tajima-no-kami gripped his short sword, wary of the newcomer.

"Since Mr. Yagyu is already dead, what's the point of him living?" Gu Xu said coldly, and a scorching finger force shot out. Yagyu Tajima-no-kami's short sword met it, but he only dared to feel the heat on his hand before dropping the hilt. The blade had already turned into a pool of molten iron.

Staring in horror at Gu Xu, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami knew he couldn't defeat him, so he immediately conjured several clones and fled in all directions.

But Gu Xu's fingers flashed repeatedly, and sharp sword energies shot out from his fingertips, easily destroying his illusory clones. His real body was hit by three sword energies and lost its breath while fleeing.

"The Yagyu family's attempt to unify the Japanese martial arts world ultimately benefited the Central Plains. I imagine those prestigious sects would be very happy to divide up Japan."

After casually disposing of Yagyu Tajima-no-kami's body, Gu Xu descended Mount Koi. Not long after he left, Shangguan Haitang arrived at the scene. Seeing the signs of battle, she picked up Duan Tianya's longsword and searched the area carefully, but found no clues.

As dawn broke, Shangguan Haitang returned to the inn. After inquiring with the innkeeper, she learned that Duan Tianya had not returned. Feeling anxious, she paced back and forth in her room when she heard the waiter knocking on the door.

"Young master, there are two people downstairs who claim to be your friends."

"I understand," Shangguan Haitang said, calculating the time. The people from the Dragon Guard Manor should have arrived by now. After going downstairs, she found that the people who came were Cheng Shifei and Yunluo.

"Why is it just the two of you?" Shangguan Haitang asked, somewhat puzzled. She had originally thought it was Guihai Yidao who had come.

"Haitang, the Imperial Uncle said that Yidao had to take care of some personal business, and the others were much weaker, so he sent Cheng Shifei over," Yunluo explained, and Haitang finally understood.

"Let's go upstairs first," Haitang said, leading the two to the room.

"You've come at the right time. My elder brother is currently missing, and I need someone to help me find him," Haitang said to Cheng Shifei and Yunluo.

"No problem, but what about the Giant Whale Gang issue?"

Before Cheng Shifei arrived, Zhu Wushi gave him a few instructions, roughly explaining some of the things.

"The matter of the Giant Whale Gang is over. I expect Cao Zhengchun from the Eastern Depot will definitely send someone to deal with it. This matter can only be put on hold for now."

"Hmm," Cheng Shifei responded, while Yunluo sat silently to the side.

“Cheng Shifei, Princess, after we finish eating, you go to the east of the city, and I will go to the west. If we still can’t find him, we will go to the south and north of the city to search. We must find our elder brother as soon as possible.”

“No problem, let’s not delay, just grab something to eat,” Cheng Shifei readily agreed, pulled Yunluo downstairs, bought some dry food, and headed towards the east of the city.

Seeing this, Haitang also packed up and headed west of the city, asking passersby for directions along Changning Street.

While the three were searching for Duan Tianya, he was brewing medicine in a cave outside the city. Liu Sheng Piaoxu was still unconscious, and for her safety, he had no choice but to avoid the Giant Whale Gang and the Eastern Depot.

However, he had already left some hidden marks in some conspicuous places, and if Haitang could see them, she would definitely come looking for him.

Holding the prepared medicine, Duan Tianya helped Liu Sheng Piaoxu up and fed her little by little with a spoon.

After being fed most of the medicine, Liu Sheng Piaoxu finally woke up slowly.

Seeing that she had woken up, Duan Tianya breathed a sigh of relief. If it weren't for the fact that transferring his true energy was useless, he wouldn't have bothered to brew the medicine.

"You're awake. Drink the rest of your medicine." Duan Tianya held the medicine bowl to her lips. Liu Sheng Piaoxu glanced at him, took the bowl, and drank it herself.

"Thank you," Liu Sheng Piaoxu said, having regained some strength. She stood up and prepared to leave, but Duan Tianya grabbed her arm.

"Mr. Yagyu is dead, but the Giant Whale Gang and the Eastern Depot will certainly not give up. If you go out now, you will only face death."

“My life or death is none of your business. My father is dead, my brother is dead, my sister is dead, and I am the only one left in the family. What difference is there between me and being dead?”

Liu Sheng Piaoxu looked sorrowful, and his hoarse words tore Duan Tianya's heart apart.

"If your sister were alive, she wouldn't want to see you like this."

"Sister, it's me again. Is there only one sister in your heart? Am I so unworthy of your attention that I can't get any love from you?"

"I'm sorry, but in my heart, there is only Xue Ji."

Liu Sheng Piaoxu's eyes were a little red.

(End of this chapter)