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

Chapter 453 Low-Level Martial Arts Struggles
It's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature; or perhaps it's just that there are only wrong names, not wrong nicknames.

The Seven Freaks of Jiangnan, or more politely, the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan, are indeed chivalrous, but these seven guys are all a bit eccentric.

After more than a decade of trials and tribulations, the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan have grown older and more mature. Only the elderly people in Jiaxing City might remember their glorious deeds in their youth.

Generally speaking, they were mostly gangsters and socialites who didn't do much bad stuff back then. In the surrounding villages of Jiaxing, they would always intervene if they saw injustice. But when they really lost their temper and started bullying people, they were not to be trifled with.

During their time back in Jiaxing, all seven of them greedily enjoyed everything their hometown had to offer. In Mongolia, there was nothing but desert and grassland, and they had certainly had enough of that.

But after more than half a year of peaceful times, the strangeness in these people's bones began to emerge again, and they could no longer stay still.

Even today, as new gangsters emerge like crops fertilized with manure, causing trouble and extorting money from them, the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan finally feel that this is the life they should be living.

Han Xiaoying sidled up to Zhu Cong and the others: "Second Brother, when did a Five and a Half Hall appear in Jiaxing? I've never even heard of it."

Zhu Cong was always well-informed: "It is said to be a local gang outside Hangzhou, which is rampant in several counties outside Hangzhou."

They demanded that merchants hand over five and a half percent of their annual profits, otherwise they would not provide protection. Anyone who refused to hand over the profits would immediately face misfortune, causing widespread suffering.

However, they were protected by a more powerful gang, so no one ever bothered them.

A few months ago, a group of ruthless individuals suddenly appeared in Hangzhou, known as the Asura Clan, and they targeted the martial arts forces there.

The backers of this Five and a Half Hall were wiped out by these people, who were terrified and began to move their sphere of influence outwards.

It seems they've set their sights on Jiaxing City. Besides wanting the formula, their trouble with us this time is probably also an attempt to suppress us and establish a foothold in Jiaxing City.

"Oh ho, so they want to use us, the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan, as easy targets and stepping stones."

“We’ve been gone for over a decade, and our past reputation has long since faded. In their eyes, we may have some fame, but we’re few in number, isolated, and old. Such stepping stones are hard to find.”

The Seven Heroes of Jiangnan looked at the thugs from the Five and a Half Hall across from them with disdainful smiles, yet also somewhat eager to try their luck.

This smile completely enraged the thugs. The leader, a burly man, pointed at the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan and cursed them angrily.

“You old geezers, hand over the formula right now! From now on, this land of Jiaxing will belong to our Five and a Half Hall. You’ll have to bow down and call us ‘Master’ whenever you see us. Otherwise, I’ll break all your legs and throw you into South Lake.”

The Seven Heroes of Jiangnan couldn't tolerate being called an "old codger." Before they could react, Zhu Cong clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, taking a few steps to their side.

"Gentlemen, please calm down. Let's talk this over."

As he spoke, his figure darted among the thugs like a butterfly flitting among flowers, then quickly retreated. The thugs only saw someone step forward to back down, but before they could say anything more, he suddenly disappeared again.

"You poor wretch, you're quick to run. We can't be easily fooled with a few sweet words. You... wait, what's that you're holding?"

When Zhu Cong returned to the other side, he spread his arms, and a lot of miscellaneous items fell to the ground. He only held a few money bags in his hands, all of which belonged to the thugs. As for the items that fell to the ground, there were daggers, brass knuckles, wrapped lime powder, and even a bellyband that he didn't know where he got it from.

The thugs were shocked to realize that their belongings had been stolen in an instant, and they swarmed forward.

Little did they know, the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan were even more anxious than they were. Ke Zhen'e was blind, Han Xiaoying was pregnant, and after Zhu Cong had played around with them, he really didn't want to fight with these thugs.

However, Quan Jinfeng, the reclusive hero in the bustling city, Nan Xiren, the woodcutter of Nanshan, and Zhang Asheng, the soon-to-be father and the laughing Buddha, took the initiative to greet them.

There was no need to use any impressive martial arts skills. Quan Jinfa's weight-like fighting style was strange, Nan Xiren's palm technique was like chopping wood, and Zhang Asheng's fist was powerful and heavy. In just a few breaths, these dozen or so thugs were all bruised and swollen, lying on the ground howling in pain.

Han Xiaoying was an impatient person and wanted to join in, but now she said with some disappointment, "These people haven't even practiced martial arts much, yet they want to dominate Jiaxing?"

Zhu Cong laughed and said, "They are just pawns, here to test us. Look over there, isn't that person coming?"

Sure enough, just as Quan Jinfeng and his gang were beating up the thugs, nearly two hundred people suddenly poured into Xinglongfang. Most of them were dressed in short-sleeved clothes and carried short knives, while the three leaders were dressed as typical chivalrous heroes of the martial arts world.

The neighbors who had been watching the spectacle earlier either left or closed their shops. For a time, only two groups remained in the huge Xinglongfang: one group consisted of the Six Heroes of Jiangnan (without Han Baoju) and Guo Jing, and the other group was the aggressive Five and a Half Hall.

The leader of the Five and a Half Hall was short, holding two steel balls that he kept spinning around. He had a flat nose, was balding, and had a thick beard. He looked at the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan opposite him with his eyes darting around.

"I am Chu Bao, the Iron-Blooded Lion, the leader of the Five and a Half Hall. We, the Five and a Half Hall, came to Jiaxing to beg for a living, so naturally we had to pay our respects to our predecessors. It seems you are not welcoming us. My men will attack at any time." As usual, Ke Zhen'e rolled his eyes. Wu Chengyu once sighed that this guy was blind, and his eyes were only good for rolling back, but that was a perfect complement to his blindness.

“Jiaxing does not welcome your Five and a Half Hall, and we will not allow you to oppress the people here. If you know what’s good for you, get out of here.”

"Hahaha, in the end, it all comes down to who can fight better. I want to see if you old guys can stop my Five and a Half Hall. Why don't we have a spar and see who has the better skills? Third brother, you go."

A burly man beside him, wielding two massive axes, stepped forward and sneered, "Which old codger wants to come and die first?"

Quan Jinfa walked into the center of the arena and shook the scale in his hand: "You have quite a robust build. Let your sixth master Quan weigh you and see how many pounds you have."

The burly man roared and swung his two giant axes at Quan Jinfeng with all his might. Quan Jinfeng's balance beam was slightly longer than usual and made of fine steel. He did not fight the burly man head-on. With a slight sway, the balance beam cleverly deflected the two giant axes. Then, the weight smashed down on the burly man's head like a meteor hammer.

The burly man had some skill, but he relied mainly on his strength and stamina. However, no matter how he swung the axe, he would always be pulled aside by the scale bar halfway through each swing. In addition to wasting his strength, he was also hit several times by the weight of the scale, and several of his bones were clearly broken.

Seeing this, Chu Bao knew that the strong man was no match for Quan Jinfa, so he quickly shouted, "Second brother, get him!"

The second brother had thick, strong arms and hands that were much larger than normal, but they were already somewhat deformed. It was clear that he had practiced a technique similar to Iron Palm, which was very common among ordinary martial arts outlaws, but most of them did not practice it properly.

However, among ordinary martial arts figures, this palm technique is indeed quite powerful; a single slap can break tendons and bones.

Zhang Asheng liked people who practiced this type of palm technique the most. It was purely external skill. At the level of the person in front of him, he would never be able to generate internal strength from the outside. This was exactly what Zhang Asheng could do to counter Zhang Asheng's external martial arts skills.

Zhang Asheng strode forward to meet him. The second-in-command of the Five and a Half Hall had blackened palms and threw a Black Tiger Heart Strike at Zhang Asheng's chest. Zhang Asheng neither dodged nor avoided it, but straightened his chest and let the other's fist hit him.

With a muffled thud, which would sound like a fist hitting a tire to people of later generations, Zhang Asheng remained expressionless. Even when fighting, Laughing Buddha would laugh. At the same time, he nodded to his opponent, indicating, "Put in a little more force, I can still take it."

The other man's face darkened, and he mustered all his strength to throw another punch, aiming straight for Zhang Asheng's temple. Zhang Asheng tilted his head, letting the punch hit his forehead, this time feeling like a punch hitting a rock.

Zhang Asheng remained unharmed, while the second brother let out a muffled groan; several of his finger bones were broken.

He gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing with ferocity. He raised his palms as if to continue his attack, drawing Zhang Asheng's attention. At the same time, he shifted his legs and delivered a groin kick.

In this world, there's no such thing as "retracting the genitals into the abdomen" in external martial arts. No matter how well you've trained, you wouldn't dare let someone kick your vitals. Zhang Asheng is experienced in combat, so how could he give his opponent an opportunity? He directly used his knee to block the opponent's groin kick, while also showing some impatience.

"You're asking for it." He said, swinging his hand to slap the other man's head with great force and speed. With a loud slap, a large handprint appeared on the second man's face.

Immediately afterwards, he staggered back a few steps, first spitting out half a mouthful of yellow teeth, and finally collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

This time, it was the Iron-Blooded Lion who panicked. He originally thought they were just seven street thugs from Jiaxing who knew a little martial arts and were all old hands.

His third brother was just strong and fierce in fights, but his second brother was a proper level three, no, a third-rate master.

For a gang like theirs, a third-rate expert is just the face of the group. He himself is only second-rate. But for a typical town, having one second-rate and one third-rate expert is enough to keep things in check. Who would have thought that this old hoodlum from Jiaxing, a small place, would have such skills?

Putting aside others, the way the weight used his moves was incredibly varied, making him a second-rate master. He was quite troubled by this unusual weapon.

There's also Zhang Asheng's external martial arts, and the second brother's Iron Sand Palm is incredibly powerful. He was unharmed after two consecutive strikes, and even he would have been unable to break through his defenses.

The only option now is to rely on numbers. He was just about to call on his gang to rush forward when he suddenly noticed that there was an extra person in the crowd.

A tall, sweet-looking girl suddenly appeared on the other side and started talking to the youngest guy there.

"So you're Guo Jing. My brother only has you as his disciple. Come, quickly call me 'Master Aunt.' My brother said he wants me to teach you a set of kung fu, and I can't teach you for nothing."

The person who came was naturally A-Ku. Her skill in the Free and Easy Wandering technique was even better than Hong Qigong's. She suddenly appeared next to Guo Jing when no one was paying attention, which startled even the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan. Just as Zhu Cong and Nan Xiren were about to make a move, they heard A-Ku say something.

“Look, my brother is watching the fun from the side.”

　I'm having writer's block today, I'm so stuck, nothing I write feels right. This is the first chapter, the second chapter will be later.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)