The Legend of the Condor Heroes: From Being Expelled from Peach Blossom Island

Chapter 352 Before the Arena
At noon the next day, in the martial arts arena inside the Xingqing Prefecture Palace, the long-planned tournament that had drawn intrigue and backstabbing from three factions finally began.

Wu Chengyu entered the palace early in the morning with Princess Yuzhu and Wu Qianyu. He was accompanied by Helian Kenan, the nominal head of Yangwu Guild, and even Chen He, who was lame in one leg, came along.

The three representatives from Yangwu Guild were Princess Yuzhu, Wu Qianyu, and Wu Chengyu. Wu Chengyu appeared calm, while Princess Yuzhu and Wu Qianyu were in high spirits.

As noon approached, they arrived at the training ground, which was about the size of a basketball court. There was a high platform in the north, which was considered the main platform, and there were also slightly lower platforms in the east, west, and south directions, surrounding the training ground in the middle.

At this moment, there were two chairs on the high platform to the north. The one sitting at the head of the left should be the Emperor of Western Xia, a middle-aged man who looked somewhat thin and not very tall. His face was pale and his cheeks were also a little red. But Wu Chengyu could tell at a glance that His Majesty the Emperor was not in good health.

Few emperors in ancient times lived long lives. This emperor was probably not even fifty years old, but his lifespan was estimated to be no more than ten years. However, this was not considered short-lived among emperors.

It was precisely because the emperor was in poor health that his three princes fought so fiercely. Yipintang, as a secret intelligence agency that had been in decline for many years, still possessed a lot of secrets from the past century, so these princes were determined to win it over.

The emperor was not wearing his dragon robe today. He seemed to be in poor spirits, sitting on the dragon throne without saying a word, his eyes slightly narrowed, seemingly uninterested in the upcoming arena competition.

In addition, there was another person sitting below the emperor, who looked a little younger than the emperor, but whose appearance was about five or six parts similar.

Behind the emperor stood three young men, dressed in fine clothes. The oldest was not yet thirty, and the youngest was seventeen or eighteen. On the surface, all three appeared calm and spoke to each other in a friendly manner, seemingly trying to present a brotherly and respectful image to the emperor.

However, the three people were not close to each other, and although they spoke politely, their eyes were full of wariness.

Princess Yuzhu is a staunch supporter of the Third Prince, and the other two princes also have supporters behind them. Throughout history, the succession to the throne has always been the most dangerous thing in any country. Wu Chengyu feels a bit like watching an ancient costume drama about palace intrigue and the struggle for the throne.

The only thing that puzzled Wu Chengyu was that the old monster who was determined to acquire Yipintang had not appeared at this moment, and he wondered what she was up to.

At this point, the people who needed to take action were divided into three camps, each sitting on a high platform in the east, west, and south. Princess Yuzhu's side was on the east side. In this situation, only Princess Yuzhu could sit down; Wu Qianyu had no seat.

Princess Yuzhu is now sitting in the center, with Helian Kenan and Wu Qianyu standing to her left, and Wu Chengyu and Chen He standing to her right.

Wu Chengyu's attention was focused on the high platform to the north. Since his transmigration, this was the first time he had ever seen an emperor, even if it was the emperor of Western Xia. Upon closer inspection, he didn't find anything different about him. At least he could snap the emperor's neck with one hand.

However, there were many guards standing on both sides of the platform, ready to protect the emperor's safety at any time. Although the old monster did not appear, Wu Chengyu felt that if someone were to assassinate the emperor, the old monster would definitely take action. It was impossible for an emperor in the martial arts world to be without top-notch guards.

"Brother Chen, who is that person next to His Majesty?" Wu Chengyu quietly asked Chen He beside him.

"That is His Majesty's younger brother, Prince Qi. He is also the eldest prince's backer. Speaking of our Xia Kingdom's three princes..."

The eldest prince is backed by some supporters of the royal family, the second prince by the military, and our third prince by other maternal relatives, such as the Yeli family. The three sides are now evenly matched, and none of them can do anything to the other.

However, this dispute over Yipintang might immediately disrupt the balance of power among the three parties.

Wu Chengyu then looked towards the western stands, where the Ronghua Club, representing the First Prince's side, was fighting. Because the First Prince was by the Emperor's side, the experts on this side lacked status and were all standing.

Among the five or six people, three appeared to be skilled in martial arts. One of them was bald, tall, and muscular, with a fierce look in his eyes. He was staring intently at Wu Chengyu's group, especially Wu Qianyu and Wu Chengyu, as if he wanted to pounce on them and fight them to the death.

Judging from his figure and the hatred in his teeth, Wu Chengyu immediately knew that this bald man must be one of Huogong Toutuo's disciples. Back then, Tongming's skull was crushed by Wu Chengyu's foot, and Huogong Toutuo was tricked to death by Wu Qianyu. Of course, this guy hated the two of them to the bone.

Huo Gong Toutuo has only been in the Western Regions for a few decades. He fought with the masters of the Western Regions for so many years before he gained territory. In addition, his martial arts can easily cripple others, so he doesn't have many disciples now. Tongming is one, and this bald man is another.

Chen He, who also felt the gaze from the other side, added: "That bald man is called Tong Xiang. He is the eldest disciple of Huo Gong Toutuo. Tong Ming came to Xia Kingdom first and joined our Yangwu Guild. Later, for some reason, Huo Gong Toutuo also came and brought Tong Xiang to join Ronghua Guild. He even made Tong Ming betray us."

This time, we've eliminated both Huogong Toutuo and Tongming. Tongxiang will naturally not let this go easily, and he might make a move against you later.

This Tongxiang is said to have received the true teachings of the Fire-Worker Monk and is the next leader of the Vajra Sect. His martial arts are extraordinary; Brother Nie, you must be careful.

Wu Chengyu nodded. If Huogong Toutuo were still alive, Wu Chengyu would definitely take it seriously. But Tongxiang was one thing. Countless people who practiced external and hard skills had died at his hands, such as Huyan Moluo of the Song Kingdom and Manxiang of the Jin Kingdom. The martial arts of these two people were definitely above that of Tongxiang.

Wu Chengyu wasn't worried about not being able to kill him; his only concern was having to pretend that killing him wasn't so easy, which was a real test of acting skills. Chen He continued, "The Ronghua Guild initially fielded Huogong Toutuo, Tongxiang, and Tongming. Now that Huogong Toutuo and Tongming are gone, the remaining two spots have been filled by other people."

Brother Nie, look, that short, stocky man on the left wearing a vest that exposes his arms is called Zhen Sanshan Liu Tie. He is skilled in boxing. When Tongming was still at our Yangwu Martial Arts Hall, the two of them fought. Tongming won by a slight margin, so he is naturally not a threat to you, brother.

The other person, carrying two goose-feather sabers on his back, had not appeared before. Later, I learned that he was filling in for me, so I immediately sent people to investigate.

This man should be the leader of the largest band of bandits on the border between my Xia Kingdom and Song Kingdom, named Headless Ghost Ma Bengang. I don't know how he ended up serving the Crown Prince.

It is said that this man is invincible along the border, and his two goose-feather sabers have killed countless Song Dynasty masters. He particularly enjoys beheading his opponents and is absolutely not to be underestimated.

Upon hearing that Ma Bengang had killed many Song people, Wu Chengyu narrowed his eyes and sized him up. He was over 1.7 meters tall and looked very capable. At the same time, he was also sizing up the experts from the other two sides.

It was clear that this person exuded a strong murderous aura. When he looked at others, he always stared at their necks, as if he was about to draw his sword and strike them down at any moment.

"Don't worry, Brother Chen. A beheaded ghost? I'll turn him into a real ghost later."

Before coming, Princess Yuzhu had told Wu Chengyu that among the three experts, only Wei Ming Tieyu, the number one expert of the Iron Wing Guild, had a noble status.

The other guild members were all killed without mercy. When Wu Chengyu heard that Ma Bengang had a lot of Song blood under his command, he immediately added him to his kill list.

At this moment, Princess Yuzhu suddenly interjected, "At Ronghua Guild Hall, Tong Xiang and Liu Tie are no match for us. I've also heard about the martial arts of this 'Beheaded Ghost,' and he's definitely no less skilled than you. Nie Gongfeng and the others must not be careless."

Our main opponent this time is still the Iron Wing Guild. Yesterday, my mentor in the palace sent word that the Iron Wing Guild of the Wei family was just going through the motions. They are from the military, and it would be easy for them to make a mistake if they tried to seize Yipintang.

However, the Ronghua Guild's strength has been greatly reduced. The people on my elder brother's side don't want us to get Yipintang, so they turned to my father and gave their endorsement to the Tieyi Guild. My uncle also said something, so the Tieyi Guild is now determined to show its true strength.

My junior brother and I need to conserve our energy later. You'll be in charge of dealing with the people from Ronghua Guild. My master said that you cultivate Taoist techniques, so your internal energy is abundant. Plus, you have good lightness skills. As long as you're careful, the people from Ronghua Guild won't be able to do anything to you.

Chen He, tell Master Nie about the Iron Wing Guild.

Chen He immediately bowed to Princess Yuzhu, then turned to Wu Chengyu and continued his introduction.

“Brother Nie, the leader of the three experts from the Iron Wing Guild is of course Wei Ming Tie Yu. He is the prodigy of the Wei Ming family and is known as the number one among the younger generation in our Xia Kingdom…” Chen He paused here, and Princess Yu Zhu immediately finished the rest of his sentence for him.

"He is known as the number one expert among the younger generation in our Xia Kingdom, and the strongest rising star in the military. There's nothing wrong with saying that."

However, although his martial arts are strong, I am no less skilled than him. Especially since my master has recently taught me some new things, the worst outcome would be a draw between Wei Ming Tie Yu and me.

I'll handle this guy. As for the remaining two, it mainly depends on my junior brother. If you still have energy left after fighting at Ronghua Guild Hall, you'll also be on the field.

Chen He continued, "The other two are also retainers recruited by the Iron Wing Guild, but they both come from the military."

The man to Weiming Tieyu's left is also of Tangut noble birth, named Mimi Gang. He holds a pair of steel whips. It is said that his ancestor killed a Song general named Huyan on the battlefield and obtained the Huyan family's whip technique. When he fights, he is extremely fierce and no one dares to confront him head-on.

The man on the right is Han Chinese, but he has been a member of the Xia army for many years. His name is Wu He, and he carries a steel-tipped spear. He is also a rare and fierce general on the battlefield.

Wu Chengyu nodded, pondering to himself. From the moment the First Prince spoke up for the Iron Wing Guild and the Emperor tacitly approved, this arena match seemed to have turned into a joint effort between the Ronghua Guild and the Iron Wing Guild against his own Yangwu Guild.

His own mission was to take over Ronghua Club. On the Iron Wing Club side, Wei Ming Tieyu and Princess Yuzhu were like kings against kings and generals against generals. In reality, neither could do anything to the other. They were both of noble status and neither could really hurt the other.

On the surface, the real key to victory lies in whether Wu Qianyu can withstand the two military experts from the Iron Wing Guild. However, Wu Chengyu believes there is no suspense. The military experts are engaged in one-on-one combat, and Wu Qianyu is proficient in the Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique), making her invincible from the start.

Therefore, the most crucial factor in today's competition is whether he himself can defeat the people from Ronghua Club.

(End of this chapter)