Sword Roaring in the Sky

Chapter 262 A Distinguished Guest Arrives
The eight powerful military families of the previous dynasty did not all perish with it. After the establishment of the Da Lang Dynasty, many people from the previous dynasty were pardoned, and the Ma family was thus preserved.

However, the Ma family also knew that Da Lang was not the previous dynasty, so they kept a low profile.

One hundred and fifty years ago, a newly emerging powerful sect seized the ancestral land of the Ma family and established its own sect. At that time, the Ma family was in a period of transition, lacking talent and suffering serious loss of its family martial arts skills. It was powerless to resist and suffered another severe decline.

However, the cycle of fate has turned, and now that powerful sect has also declined. The ancestral land of the Ma family has been taken over by the Beggars' Sect, and is now the location of the Righteousness Branch, one of the eight major branches of the Northern Beggars' Sect.

Suddenly one day, a young man who called himself Ma Junwu came to claim back this ancestral land on behalf of the Ma family. How could the Beggars' Sect give it to him?

The young man said at the time, "If we're talking about reason, who in the world doesn't know that this is the ancestral land of my Ma family? If we're talking about the rules of the martial world, this land was forcibly taken from my Ma family by others, and the Beggars' Sect also forcibly took it from others, so why can't I forcibly take it?"

The Beggars' Clan had nothing to say but to take action. However, the Righteousness Branch at that time did not have any experts and was easily defeated by the young man who called himself Ma Junwu. He single-handedly took down a branch of the Northern Beggars' Clan.

What happened next was not surprising, and there was really no reason to explain it. The two sides fought more than ten times. Ma Junwu was always alone, while the Righteousness Branch invited a lot of helpers. In these conflicts, the Beggars' Clan suffered a great loss.

The Righteous Branch had no choice but to report to the main headquarters, which is why Hong Shentong brought several ninth-generation elders to the scene. However, this young man who called himself Ma Junwu, although new to the martial world, was cunning and managed to escape from the Beggars' Clan's encirclements several times.

Sun Yanwan may have a martial arts barrier, but not a knowledge barrier. When Liao Xiong and Huang Hua talked about this matter, he immediately realized that Ma Junwu was not alone and that someone was definitely plotting behind the scenes.

This is definitely someone trying to stir up trouble, tricking a naive young man into taking the lead, and even the fact that Ma Junwu killed the Songyang Sect members might have been part of a setup.

Liao Xiong and Huang Hua left happily after receiving Sun Yanwan's promise.

Sun Yanwan did not delay on this matter. After all, she did not know when the Northern Beggars' Gang would be able to find the person, so there was no reason to wait idly. She still followed the plan, rested for a day, and set off for the Shi family in Taiqing Town the next day.

Along the way, news kept coming from the Beggars' Sect. These news reports were a mix of true and false, and it was clear that someone was deliberately creating a smokescreen. Sun Yanwan ignored them all.

The Northern Beggars' Gang certainly hoped that Sun Yanwan would go and see for himself, regardless of whether the news was true or false. This time, the Righteousness Branch had lost a great man. Every day that Ma Junwu was captured was a further disgrace to the Beggars' Gang. However, Sun Yanwan was very composed and easily dismissed the Beggars' Gang disciples who came to deliver the news. He had no interest in running around like a dog looking for Ma Junwu.

When they were almost at Taiqing Town, the Shi family had already received the news and sent seven or eight juniors to welcome Sun Yanwan.

If Sun Yanwan had come alone, regardless of his status as the youngest top scholar in the imperial examinations in Dalang or as a disciple of Zhang Yuanqiao of the Songyang School, the Shi family would have needed to send out two elders to show respect. However, since Sun Yanwan returned with Shi Si, it was not appropriate for the elders to appear. Instead, the most outstanding young people of the Shi family in this generation would have to come together.

Once they arrived at their own door, Shi Si felt embarrassed to stay close to Sun Yanwan, so they took two separate carriages.

From afar, they saw the Shi family coming to greet them, and members of the Tianma Gang hurriedly returned to report the news. Sun Yanwan happily got off the carriage and waited by the roadside with Shi Si.

From afar, Shi Si saw her fellow members of the Shi family approaching and quietly introduced them to Sun Yanwan. After looking at the people who came to greet her, her expression changed slightly. When the Shi family members arrived, Shi Si asked sharply, "Has Aheng been kidnapped?"

The Shi family, ashamed of the situation, did not announce which young lady had been kidnapped. Therefore, the Northern Beggars' Gang only knew that someone from the Shi family had been kidnapped, but did not know which one.

The handsome man at the head of the group, around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, slightly changed his expression and said in a low voice, "It is indeed Aheng!" Shi Si's pretty face was as white as snow as she asked, "How did Aheng get kidnapped?"

The handsome man answered cautiously, "She was misled by her personal maid and insisted on going to see for herself."

Shi Si knew it wasn't appropriate to press for details in front of Sun Yanwan, but her anger was still burning, and she asked, "Where is that maid?"

The handsome man said, "It was very chaotic at the time. During the conflict, I was... killed."

Sun Yanwan's heart skipped a beat, and she asked, "Was he killed by someone from my Songyang Sect?"

The handsome man nodded, his face somewhat embarrassed. This matter was complicated and not easy to explain.

Sun Yanwan had seen the "little fairy" before, both online and in real life in his previous life. He smiled slightly and said, "I am Sun Yanwan from Songyang. I have met the talented people of the Shi family."

The young members of the Shi family who came to greet Sun Yanwan also breathed a sigh of relief, no longer needing to continue this awkward topic. They relaxed and introduced themselves one after another.

The handsome man at the head of the group was named Shi Danning. He was the most outstanding member of the Shi family in this generation, besides Shi Si. He was also recognized by the elders of the Shi family as the next generation leader of the Shi family. In front of his peers, he was like a big brother and was very popular.

However, the Shi family produced Shi Si, who not only became a disciple of the monk Kong Chan, but also ranked second on the Heavenly Pride Ranking. Now she is a Grandmaster. Even the current head of the Shi family, if he didn't have the status of an elder, would not dare to act arrogantly in front of Shi Si.

Not to mention, Shi Si's future husband, to whom she is betrothed, is so famous that he has swept across the entire Lang region. His literary and martial arts skills are unparalleled, and his sect is even more remarkable!
Shi Danning could only lower his attitude and dare not reveal his status as the eldest brother.

Sun Yanwan exchanged a few casual words with the Shi family members, and all the young people in the Shi family felt as if they were bathed in a spring breeze. They felt that this youngest top scholar of Dalang was very witty and kind, and had almost no flaws.

The two teams merged and headed towards Taiyi Town.

Upon arriving in Taiyi Town, Sun Yanwan couldn't help but secretly admire the Shi family's extraordinary presence.

In fact, the Shi family was one of the eight great military families in the previous dynasty, but the Shi family was more flexible and lucky than the Ma family. They produced a peerless beauty named Shi Yinshu, who married the founding crown prince of Da Lang. After the crown prince took the throne, the Shi family became the most prominent royal relatives in Da Lang.

However, the Shi family, having lived through two dynasties, knew how to advance and retreat, and never acted arrogantly. In fact, through this incident, they gradually transformed their reputation from a powerful military family into one that always produced the most beautiful women in the world.

Transcending worldly concerns, one is extremely carefree.

As a distinguished guest, Sun Yanwan was able to pay her respects to Shi Zhaozhi, the current head of the Shi family, upon arriving at the Shi family.

This senior master was overjoyed to see Sun Yanwan and introduced her to every important member of the Shi family. He also hosted a lavish banquet that evening.

(End of this chapter)