A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 99 Tian Fragrant Cardamom
“A shower of flowers and gold coins—this is Shangguan Haitang, number one in the Xuan category,” the middle-aged man An Yi said in a deep voice.

Before the men even appeared, they had easily taken down several of them. These spies were indeed not so easy to deal with. No wonder the supervisor repeatedly told him not to let his guard down. He had been complacent because he had more men than men, and he hadn't expected to suffer such a big loss so quickly.

"You are from the Eastern Depot," a voice rang out from behind An Yi. An Yi turned around and saw Shangguan Haitang standing there with her sword in hand.

Upon seeing the main figure appear, An Yi gave a wink to the two uninjured people beside him, and they both nodded simultaneously, each taking up their weapons and advancing.

Just as the two were about to act, a massive palm strike suddenly descended from the sky. An Yi had no time to warn them and could only retreat. The other two were not so lucky and were directly blasted into mincemeat. The others were also swept away by the palm strike, and their internal injuries were aggravated.

"Number One Yellow," An Yi breathed a sigh of relief. The two secret agents of Xuan and Huang were indeed here. It seemed it was time to proceed with the next step of the plan.

"Attack!" An Yi gave the order, and the others, disregarding their injuries, rushed towards Haitang and Cheng Shifei, while An Yi hid to the side and observed the battle.

On the battlefield, Haitang's face was frosty, and she wielded two swords, each strike aimed to kill. In no time, three people had fallen one after another. The deaths did not deter them; instead, they fueled their fighting spirit even more.

The relentless attacks plunged Haitang into a fierce battle. If it weren't for her exquisite agility, she would probably have several more wounds on her body by now.

On the other hand, Cheng Shifei's attackers were all lightly injured. Judging from their weapons, they were all swords and whips, which were light and agile, specifically designed to deal with people who practiced various powerful martial arts.

Sword light flashes and whip shadows steal souls, yet the encirclement of a dozen people is perfectly coordinated. Although it is not a formation, it is not far off. The sword is for close-range attacks, and the whip is for long-range attacks. One retreats and the other approaches. After Cheng Shifei adapts to their fighting style, he suddenly changes his approach and combines attacks from both close and long range.

"Bang bang bang!" Cheng Shifei created an opening, which indeed lured three people with swords into his battle circle. Cheng Shifei was not going to be polite to them. He stretched out his hands and grabbed the three sharp blades in his palms. With a strong twist, they became a twisted mess. He charged sideways and slammed into them. The three people were sent flying and fell to the ground lifeless.

With three people eliminated, Cheng Shifei became even more relentless. In order to quickly resolve the situation, he secretly used the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill, making his entire body appear as if it were cast in gold, and his awe-inspiring divine power intimidated everyone present.

"Is this the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill that the Supervisor mentioned?" An Yi looked at Cheng Shifei, who relied on the divine skill to protect himself and used his arrogant moves to defeat those who were attacking him. Almost none of them could stand up. An Yi couldn't help but show a look of horror on his face.

This person is beyond our ability to defeat.

An Yi glanced at Haitang, revealing himself in front of her, and quickly used his lightness skill to escape.

"Cheng Shifei, grab the leader! Don't let him get away!"

Because of Cheng Shifei's incredible prowess, the pressure around Haitang decreased dramatically. After defeating the last enemy with her twin swords, she saw An Yi fleeing and immediately shouted at Cheng Shifei.

Cheng Shifei knocked down the two men in front of him with both fists. Hearing Haitang's words and seeing An Yi fleeing, he suddenly exerted force with both hands in the direction An Yi had left. A powerful suction force immediately enveloped An Yi.

"Absorption Technique!" An Yi exclaimed in surprise, then his body quickly rolled back and crashed in front of Cheng Shifei and Haitang.

Haitang looked at Cheng Shifei as he finished his work, her expression somewhat puzzled.

"How could Cheng Shifei know the Absorption Technique? Could it have been taught to him by his adoptive father? No, his adoptive father never passed this skill on to my elder brother or Yidao, let alone Cheng Shifei."

Considering that she still had important things to ask, Haitang put aside her thoughts for the time being and kept her eyes fixed on An Yi on the ground.

"Tell me, what brings you from the Eastern Depot to Tianshan? Are you here to help the murderer?"

An Yi remained silent, but her body trembled uncontrollably, and she subtly shifted to the side. The sensation of this energy absorption technique was truly terrifying.

"Cheng Shifei, I'll leave it to you to question him. If he doesn't talk, then use your divine skills to send him on his way."

Haitang's soft words startled An Yi, turning him pale. Cheng Shifei chuckled maliciously, clenched his fist, and slowly approached An Yi.

“I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you. This is a task given to us by the Chief Supervisor. He said that the Marquis’s beloved woman is hidden in an ice cave in the Tianshan Mountains. We plan to move her away so that the Chief Supervisor can use her to threaten the Marquis and make him do things for him in the future.”

"What?" Haitang exclaimed in surprise, her heart skipped a beat. She had heard her godfather mention this matter before, but only in fragments. How could Cao Zhengchun know the specific location?

Cheng Shifei, however, discovered another problem and grabbed An Yi's body, asking, "So, you're not just one team anymore?"

Seeing An Yi nod, Haitang secretly thought to herself that something was wrong. Although there were many ice caves in Tianshan, if they searched diligently and with the help of the Eastern Depot, it was quite possible to find the specific location.

"Which direction did they go?" Cheng Shifei asked sternly.

"The Twelve Peaks of Southeast China"

“Cheng Shifei, it seems we need to resolve this matter first, otherwise the consequences could be quite serious. Let’s put Yidao aside for now.”

Haitang couldn't help but smile bitterly. She had promised to come and help Yidao catch the murderer, but now she had to sacrifice one side for the sake of the overall situation.

"Haitang, what should we do with this person?" Cheng Shifei grabbed An Yi by the collar and pulled her up.

"Keeping him alive is a disaster; it's better to kill him to prevent him from going back to serve Cao Zhengchun."

Upon hearing this, An Yi burst into curses. Despite his cooperation, he was still doomed to die. If it weren't for the smooth progress of the plan, why would he have come all this way?

"Even if the people of the Eastern Depot die, they cannot die at the hands of the people of the Dragon Guard Manor."

After saying that, An Yi angrily bit open the poison sac in his mouth, and his face immediately turned blue and blood flowed from his seven orifices.

“He’s not breathing,” Cheng Shifei said, reaching out to touch his nose.

Haitang glanced at An Yi and said casually, "Since he committed suicide, it's better to avoid dirtying our hands. It's more important to find those people from the Eastern Depot."

Cheng Shifei received a wink from Haitang, nodded, said "okay," picked up a long sword, and the two mounted their horses and quickly left.

As the sound of horses' hooves faded into the distance, An Yi, who had been pretending to be dead with her eyes closed, opened them, stood up, dusted herself off, and let out a cold snort.

"The plan is progressing smoothly, and we can finally give the supervisor a satisfactory explanation."

Just as he turned to leave, he suddenly heard the sound of a sharp blade cutting through the air. An Yi turned around and saw a long sword flashing with white light shooting towards him, easily piercing his iron shield and stabbing into his heart. The long sword continued its momentum, dragging the iron shield and An Yi's corpse forward for several feet before finally embedding itself in a green pine tree.

The snow and ice that had accumulated on the trees fell down, burying most of his body.

On the other side, Cheng Shifei withdrew his sword and looked at Haitang, saying, "You knew all along that the other party was not dead."

"I've studied medicine under my master for several years, after all. If I don't even know about this 'Phantom Death Pill,' then I'm truly incompetent. Hurry up, I wonder if those people have found the place yet."

The two rode at full speed towards the southeastern peaks. Just as they were on their way, another group of Eastern Depot agents, led by Zhou Fu, arrived at the foot of a precipitous mountain.

"My lord, there's nothing special about this place," a trusted aide asked, looking at the snow on the ground with a puzzled expression.

"This mountain is the highest among the peaks in the southeast. We searched several ice caves before without finding any, and after thinking it over, I think this one is the most likely."

"Why?" The confidant looked around and found no obvious traces. If someone had really been here, they would have left some clues.

"Given Iron-Blooded Marquis's personality, only this mountain is barely worthy of his status in order to conceal his beloved woman. In any case, let's go up and take a look first. Tell the brothers to be careful in case they fall into a trap."

"Rest assured, sir," the trusted confidant said, taking the order and giving a few instructions. Then, at Zhou Fu's command, he used his light-footed skills to climb the mountain.

At first, everything went smoothly, but when they reached the halfway point on the mountain, someone suddenly screamed in agony as their body sank into the snow, riddled with thorns and stained red.

Zhou Fu's expression changed upon seeing this, but he was also delighted. Finding a trap meant he had found the right place, so he whispered, "Use a stick to probe the way, and be very careful."

The remaining men proceeded cautiously, and after losing several more, Zhou Fu and his men finally reached the summit. Before them stood a large white stone gate, covered in frost. "My lord, this stone gate is extremely heavy," a trusted aide said, pushing it with his hands. He found it impossible to budge, and called for several others to help, but it remained unmoved.

Zhou Fu stepped forward to examine it and found that it was made of steel, which was extremely hard. It also contained various ingenious mechanisms. If he used his inner strength to strike it, he might be able to break it. However, this was a snow mountain, and if it triggered an avalanche, all of them would perish here.

"Liu Qiao, it's up to you," Zhou Fu said to a lean young man beside him. He then swept his hands across the door with his inner strength, and the frost instantly melted into water.

"Don't worry, sir," Liu Qiao said as she walked toward the gate, stroking it with both hands. Finally, a glint flashed in her eyes, and she pressed her right hand against a hidden door. With a click, a square protruded from the gate, secured with six steel locks.

"Please look, sir, this is the Six-Frame Lock," Liu Qiao pointed, and Zhou Fu looked over but didn't find anything different.

"Open it quickly!"

"Yes," Liu Qiao originally wanted to show off her talents, but seeing that Zhou Fu was not interested, she had no choice but to keep quiet.

With a few maneuvers, the lock was quickly opened. After a loud noise, the gate slowly opened. Zhou Fu's face lit up with joy. He then looked at his trusted confidant, who understood and told them to go in first to scout ahead.

"Liu Qiao, you've done a great service this time. When we get back to the Eastern Depot, I'll personally ask Chief Supervisor Cao for credit on your behalf," Zhou Fu said with a smile, patting Liu Qiao on the shoulder.

"Then thank you very much, sir," Liu Qiao thought to herself with great joy. She had joined the Eastern Depot for wealth and honor, and with this merit, her future life would be secure.

"My lord, an ice coffin has been found inside!" the trusted aide rushed over excitedly.

"Let's go in and take a look," Zhou Fu thought with a sigh of relief. He had finally found it, and now Supervisor Cao would definitely look at him differently.

As you approach the ice cave, you suddenly feel it gets much colder, and some people with weaker skills can't help but shiver.

"This ice coffin is made of millennia-old ice, which never melts and remains eternally youthful."

Liu Qiao stared at the ice coffin with greed in her eyes. She was about to touch it with both hands when Zhou Fu slapped them away.

"Someone, quickly carry the ice coffin down the mountain, or something bad might happen."

Zhou Fu glared at Liu Qiao, then looked at the woman in the ice coffin. Her skin was like jade, she was a beauty of unparalleled grace, and her figure and appearance were all of the highest caliber. No wonder the Iron-Blooded Marquis couldn't forget her.

A dozen or so people lifted the ice coffin slowly. They had thought it would be very heavy, but it turned out to be much lighter than expected.

Zhou Fu and his group slowly lifted the ice coffin out of the ice cave, expending a great deal of effort before finally descending the mountain.

But just as Zhou Fu loaded the ice coffin onto the carriage, he heard the sound of horses' hooves coming from behind.

"You take the ice coffin and go first, the rest of you follow me to fight."

Zhou Fu gave the order, and a dozen or so men obeyed, quickly driving away in their carriages. The remaining six men stood behind Zhou Fu, ready for battle.

Just from the sound, Zhou Fu judged that the ones who came out must be Shangguan Haitang and Cheng Shifei. He had really underestimated them to have taken down another team so quickly.

As the sound grew closer, two horses came into view.

Seeing the seven people blocking their way and noticing the carriage wheels, Haitang and Cheng Shifei knew that the enemy had succeeded. They immediately leaped forward, seized the initiative, and made a swift and decisive move.

"Watch out for hidden weapons!" Zhou Fu ordered, and immediately attacked Cheng Shifei with his iron halberd. Three others followed closely behind, and the remaining three surrounded Haitang. Before they could get close, a cloud of golden flying coins came flying towards them. Fortunately, the three had been warned in advance and raised their weapons to block it.

Seeing that she had lost money, Haitang drew her sword and rushed forward, while observing her surroundings and secretly thinking of a solution.

Although the three members of the Eastern Depot were not exactly experts, their combined strength still put them to a good fight against Haitang. With Haitang's attention divided between two things, she ended up defending more than attacking.

Cheng Shifei was under great pressure as he faced an attack from Zhou Fu and three others. These four were considered elite experts. Cheng Shifei tried three different martial arts techniques but still failed to defeat any of them. In fact, he almost got hit by Zhou Fu.

Zhou Fu swept his halberd horizontally, and a fierce gust of wind rushed straight towards Cheng Shifei, stirring up the ice and snow on the ground, making it dazzlingly white. Seeing this, Cheng Shifei exerted force with both palms, and two scorching palm winds, like tornadoes, used the force of the wind to sweep away the flying snow. At the same time, he leaped into the air and flashed to the side of a master, and suddenly unleashed the Mighty Vajra Palm.

With one of the four killed, Cheng Shifei continued to use his moves, and the martial arts of the eight major schools appeared one after another. Zhou Fu and his two companions had finally adapted to one school of martial arts, but their plans were disrupted again and again, and they were forced to retreat.

"Where did this kid learn all these amazing skills?" Zhou Fu thought to himself, feeling miserable. Others would be considered experts if they were proficient in two amazing skills, but he was nothing like this.

With another sweeping palm strike, the other two men's weapons shattered, and they were sent flying, crashing into the mountain, their fates unknown. Only Zhou Fu remained.

Just as Zhou Fu and Cheng were entangled in their dispute, Haitang, while fighting and retreating, finally set up a formation. She unleashed three showers of gold coins, temporarily halting the attack of the three from the Eastern Depot. Taking advantage of the situation, Haitang retreated, sheathed her two swords, and with a wave of her hand, the three were trapped among towering ice and snow pillars.

The three broke through from the left and right, their palm strikes and blade energy constantly slashing at the ice pillar, but apart from cutting off some ice shards, the ice pillar didn't change much, and it was getting thicker and thicker.

Haitang manipulated her forces to relentlessly pressure the three, and within a dozen breaths, the three were crushed to death by the ice pillar.

After dealing with the three, Haitang was also greatly depleted of her true energy, and her face turned pale.

Hearing the screams of the three, Zhou Fu's mind was slightly disturbed. Cheng Shifei seized the opportunity, using his left hand to unleash the Vajra Palm and his right hand to unleash the Kunlun Blazing Palm. With both forces combined, the fierce momentum shattered Zhou Fu's protective true qi. The iron halberd broke, and his body fell off the high cliff like a kite with a broken string. His screams echoed in the valley for a while, and then there was no more sound.

"Haitang, how are you?" Cheng Shifei ran over and helped Haitang up. The latter shook her head slightly, indicating that she was fine.

Having just taken the Returning to Truth Pill, her internal energy has been gradually gathering, and in just a short while, she has recovered 20% of her original energy.

"Quickly, follow the wheel tracks and catch up. If Cao Zhengchun succeeds, the entire Hulong Manor will be doomed."

Haitang stood up, mounted her horse, and Cheng Shifei, seeing this, also spurred his horse on, and the two of them followed the trail of the imprint.

East Factory
Cao Zhengchun looked at the open brocade box on the table, inside which was a fruit about the size of a cardamom, emitting a delicate fragrance. Taking a whiff of it made one feel completely refreshed; it was truly a divine object.

“Brother Cao, is this the treasure that can bring the dead back to life, ‘Heavenly Fragrance Cardamom’? I’ve only seen it in portraits, this is the first time I’ve seen the real thing. It’s truly extraordinary.”

Luo Jusheng couldn't help but admire it. His wife was a master in Miao territory, and he had seen many rare flowers and exotic plants, but with this one, all the others were just ordinary things.

"Indeed, this is the Heavenly Fragrance Cardamom. It is not only a sacred object for warding off poison, but it also has the power to bring the dead back to life. However, only three can achieve this effect. But after the fall of the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom, this substance has become extinct, and there are only three left in our dynasty."

Cao Zhengchun closed the brocade box, sighed, and realized that after all the effort he had put in, he had only obtained one.

"I wonder where the other two have landed. Does Brother Cao know?"

"One of them was bestowed upon Zhu Tiedan by the late emperor, and it has now been taken by a woman named Suxin. As for the remaining one, it is in the imperial treasury, but I have searched everywhere for it and do not know where it is."

Upon hearing Cao Zhengchun's words, Luo Jusheng's heart stirred, and he asked, "Brother Cao, do you intend to use this Heavenly Fragrance Cardamom to make a deal with the Divine Marquis?"

"Brother Luo is right. This Heavenly Fragrance Cardamom has miraculous properties. If a dying person eats the first one, he can preserve his life force and remain young forever, but he will fall into a deep sleep from then on. Only by eating the second one can he regain his life force and wake up. However, if he does not swallow the third one within a year, he will die in great pain. I, the Grand Eunuch, intend to use this Heavenly Fragrance Cardamom to host a banquet for Zhu Tiedan."

"Brother Cao is brilliant. In this way, Marquis Shen will have no choice but to temporarily submit for the sake of his beloved woman. Once the Eastern Depot merges with the Dragon Guard Manor, Marquis Shen will be of little value."

Luo Jusheng had to admire Cao Zhengchun's strategy; it was an open scheme, and regardless of Zhu Wushi's wishes, he had to get this banquet.

"Once the ice coffin is brought back, along with Tianxiang Doukou and Zhu Tiedan, let's see what you can use to fight against this Grand Eunuch."

(End of this chapter)