Starting with the divine power of the Great Vajra, he traversed the heavens.

Chapter 322 Heading South to Chengdu
A fierce wind cuts through one's ears; pure snow falls and freezes on the ground. Frost rises from the forest; ice forms spontaneously in the waves.

The mountain wind was blowing hard, and the snowflakes danced in the air like torn cotton wool, drifting aimlessly in all directions.

There was nothing visible for three zhang in front of me, and the sky and earth were all white in the distance.

A donkey cart and a fat tiger slowly came into view.

Ren Shaoyang, wearing a white fur coat, drove off.

Perhaps because he had been driving for a long time, he stretched his arms and gazed at the distant city for a while before turning around to pick up his water bag and drink some water.

Ding'an pulled back the carriage curtain and looked at him with some frustration.

"What's wrong?" Ren Shaoyang asked without turning his head.

"Nothing much," Ding'an said. "I just feel a little unwell."

Ren Shaoyang smiled and said, "Tell me about it."

Ding An said, "It's just that I feel a little regretful that I didn't get to go straight to the enemy's capital with Lord Yue."

Ren Shaoyang pondered for a moment and said, "Ding'an, who do you think is the biggest villain in this world?"

Ding An scratched his butt and said, "I heard that Li Chenzhou from the Power Gang is pretty powerful, is that him?"

Ren Shaoyang laughed and said, "Just a small man."

Ding'an scratched his head, clapped his hands, and said, "Zhu the Great Heavenly King of the Yellow River Water Fortress?"

Ren Shaoyang shook his head and said, "That's a fake, nothing to worry about."

Ding An sniffed and said, "Could it be the Yan Madman that Niu Gao and the others were talking about, who was invincible fifteen years ago?"

Ren Shaoyang smiled calmly: "This person has some martial arts skills, but nothing else is worth mentioning."

Ding An said dejectedly, "I have no idea about that."

"Oh dear, you idiot!" Hongxiu popped her head out with a laugh, "Of course it's Emperor Zhao Gou!"

"Ah? It's him?"

Ding An thought for a moment and couldn't help but nod, "That makes sense. He really is the biggest villain."

"So," Ren Shaoyang laughed, "After we come to Jiangnan and sweep through the martial arts world, we still need to deal with this biggest villain. Only by taking him down can Commander Yue have no worries about the rear. Otherwise, if Wanyan Gou cuts off the supplies for our 100,000 soldiers and horses, that would be a real problem."

"I understand, we must first pacify internal strife before dealing with external threats, right?"

"Ha, Your Excellency's insight is brilliant."

Ding'an thought for a moment and asked, "What happened after Zhao Gou was killed?"

Ren Shaoyang laughed and said, "Since the little beggar can use the 'Sleeve Divine Blade' through my eyes to control a prince, it must be extremely simple for him."

Hongxiu chuckled and said, "The Sleeve God Blade can be emitted from more than just your eyes." She nodded, "But controlling people is a very simple matter."

The little beggar rubbed his hands together and laughed, "Great-Grandfather said I could be an empress, ha, I really want to try being an empress behind the scenes!"

Ding'an and she exchanged a glance and then burst into laughter.

They look like two charming and adorable villains.

Ren Shaoyang laughed and said, "That's why we absolutely cannot team up with Commander Yue. As the saying goes, even a gentleman can be deceived. If we team up with them, Commander Yue and the Yue Family Army will become our weakness and be exploited by Wanyan Gou and his ilk."

"Then we'll drag ourselves down to their level and defeat you with even more shameless tactics!"

"I understand!" Ding'an clapped his hands and shouted, "What are our 'Three Fiends of the Northern Frontier'? They are bumpkins, barbarians, and thugs who don't follow your lead!"

“That’s right,” Hongxiu said with a smile. “Let’s step outside the game, open up the situation from the martial arts world, deal with them first, and then we can take over the land!”

Ren Shaoyang smiled and nodded: "That's right."

It is said that many martial arts masters emerged during the Song and Jin dynasties, and in this world, the number of experts from the Song Dynasty was particularly explosive.

From Yan Kuangtu and Li Chenzhou, to Shaolin Tianzheng, the Five Elders of Huaibao, Wudang Taichan, Tieqi Daozhang, Yinping Zhenren, and Sanjiu Zhenren.

Even now, in his prime, Ouyang Du, the leader of the Blood River Sect, known as "Blood Hand Dragon Slayer," is hailed as a once-in-a-century hero in the martial arts world.

Which one isn't an extremely powerful and peerless master?

These people only need to infiltrate the Jin capital to capture the Jin high-ranking officials.

In the original novel, after Xiao Qiushui mastered the Book of Forgetfulness, he almost became a terrestrial immortal. With his cultivation level in his prime, wouldn't it have been a piece of cake for him to kill the entire Jin Kingdom's high-ranking officials?
But he refused!

When Ren Shaoyang saw this scene back then, he was so angry that he almost jumped out of his hospital bed. He was crying and wailing uncontrollably, which was hilarious.

In Ren Shaoyang's opinion, the later "Orphan of the Martial World" Ren Kuang was stronger than any of the aforementioned masters!
This is because Yan Kuangtu, who calls himself a "madman," although he dislikes the royal family, does not provoke them, and instead chooses to avoid them.

Li Chenzhou may seem domineering, but in reality he's just a second-rate "tyrant," and it's not an exaggeration to call him a little man.

Xiao Qiushui was further tamed by etiquette and morality, her spirit imprisoned. If she hadn't been confined to the Tang Sect for seven years and attained enlightenment in Longchang, she might have been devoured by the divine power, and her later years would have been uncertain.

Only this madman, driving the "Blood River Chariot," once won the title of martial arts alliance leader with a laugh, then casually discarded it, and went to the capital to beat up the Song Dynasty emperor. No one could stop him; his arrogance and brilliance were unmatched in the world.

If we're talking about madmen, this guy is even mader than Yan Kuangtu; if we're talking about domineering, he's even more domineering than Li Chenzhou; if we're talking about elegance, he's even more elegant than Xiao Qiushui.

Therefore, Ren Shaoyang never understood why they didn't kill the enemy's leader first when starting a war. It's not like they didn't have the ability!
To put it bluntly, Confucian etiquette dictates a strict hierarchy of superiors and inferiors, with the order of hats and shoes being as crucial as the proper attire!

These martial arts masters had already achieved great success, becoming powerful figures in their respective regions, and even becoming part of the established order. That's why they said assassination was useless, futile, and would only increase hatred among themselves and cause more suffering for the people.

Pooh!
To put it bluntly, isn't it just that those in power are afraid of being really killed?
Anyone who has witnessed the pathetic infighting between Israel and Iran, and the sudden shift in the winds after the president's death, will understand how the resistance was betrayed and how the entire front collapsed and was wiped out in an instant!
Following this, they launched an airstrike on Tehran, capturing the army's commander-in-chief and chief of staff—a humiliating defeat and a laughingstock. It shattered morale and exposed their weakness and incompetence to the world. Such an act of killing and destroying spirit was utterly devastating.

Who would dare say that assassination is useless?
As Ren Shaoyang thought this to himself, a smile appeared on his lips.

At this moment, Hongxiu popped her head out. She was wearing a bright red satin cloak with gold-embroidered flowers and a fluffy, frilly pattern. Her round face was fair and delicate, and her big eyes blinked. She said with a smile, "Crippled man, where shall we go first?"

Ren Shaoyang turned around and saw her smiling and cheerful, feeling a little relieved. He said, "Let's go to Chengdu."

"Chengdu?" The little beggar was taken aback. "Shouldn't we deal with Zhu Datianwang and Li Chenzhou first?"

“They can’t escape,” Ren Shaoyang said calmly. “But my mother-in-law is in the Huanhua Sword Sect in Chengdu, and we can’t leave her unattended.”

Hongxiu looked surprised and asked, "Oh? Is my mother-in-law in danger?"

Ren Shaoyang nodded and said, "That's right, because the old lady has a token in her possession."

"Token?"

“That’s right,” Ren Shaoyang said. “This token is called the ‘Heroes of the World’ token. Back then, the sixteen major sects, including Shaolin and Wudang, and the thirty-two strange and miscellaneous sects were moved by his resistance against the Jin dynasty, so they swore an oath and forged this token for him, indicating their willingness to obey his orders at any time.”

"But General Yue has never used the 'Heroes of the World' token. Instead, he gave it to his mother-in-law so that she could seek the protection of heroes and knights in the martial arts world in times of crisis. Now she is at Huanhua Sword Lodge. Right Power Gang and underworld figures such as Zhu Datianwang are coming to fight for it. Only the Xiao family cannot protect his mother-in-law."

Ding An, draped in a black robe, poked his head out and said anxiously, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's hurry and rescue the old lady."

Ren Shaoyang shook the reins and said loudly, "Good, let's take Chengdu!"

The blood-red donkey cart sped along, rumbling and heading straight south.

As Ren Shaoyang drove, he pondered, "Compared to the Blood River Sect's Blood River Cart, which is stronger?"

He glanced down at the white donkey's fur, so shiny it seemed to shimmer with iridescent colors, and smiled inwardly:
"It's not like a car. Whether it's a blood donkey cart or a blood river cart, it's all about the strength of the legs pulling the cart. Our Donkey Brother is incredibly powerful these days, I'm sure the blood river cart can't compare."

The donkey cart continued its journey without stopping at inns or lodging in the wild; they set off again the next day.

In just three days, they arrived in Hankou.

As dusk approached, in order to avoid taking detours, we asked for directions along the way and arrived at the dock just as the sun was setting.

This place is where the Han River and the Yangtze River meet, making it a "crossroads of nine provinces," and has historically been home to numerous passenger and merchant ships.

There are countless medium and large-sized ships.

The three paid for the boat, chartered a merchant ship, and traveled upstream along the Yangtze River, passing through Jingzhou and Yiling.

The journey to Jingzhou was relatively smooth by water, with a wide river surface. However, after reaching Yiling, the journey entered the dangerous Xiling Gorge, which was riddled with hidden reefs and became quite perilous.

Further ahead lies Zigui.

On the third day after boarding, at the hour of Mao (5-7 AM).

Ren Shaoyang sat at the bow of the boat, enjoying the cold wind and the scenery along the river.

There is no snow in Jiangnan at this time, but spring has arrived, although the temperature is still low.

The river was shrouded in a silvery-gray mist.

Nearby, the bow of the boat can be seen breaking through the water, creating shattered jade and flying frost; in the distance, green mountains are hidden, shrouded in mist and smoke.

“I didn’t expect we’d come to Jiangnan again.” Hongxiu walked over, carrying the Demon Blade. “We’ll be passing through Wuchang Prefecture again.”

"Ha, missing Xiao Bai?"

“Yes, we left too suddenly,” Hongxiu sighed. “Without our help, I wonder if this brat will be in danger during the Jingnan Campaign.”

Ren Shaoyang looked at the passenger ship that was faintly visible in the distance, and even further away at the lone fisherman, a mysterious smile appearing on his face. He slowly said:

"The encounter between people is like a tiny ripple in the world, slowly spreading out."

Young Master Bai Qiu looked at the girl in the red cloak and raised an eyebrow: "But if these ripples don't stop for a moment, it's not impossible for them to turn into a monstrous tsunami!"

Hongxiu raised her eyebrows and suddenly looked at the passenger ship.

A hundred feet apart, the sound would normally not be able to travel, but the two of them possessed "hearing ability," so they could hear the conversation taking place on the ship clearly.

A rough, booming voice rang out: "Who are you? How dare you provoke the Grand Master Zhu, the leader of the Twelve Linked Docks Waterway of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River!"

A carefree voice came: "My name is Zuoqiu Chaoran, but I am not at all carefree; I am just a bit lazy."

A cold voice said, "My name is Deng Yuhan, a disciple of the Hainan Sword Sect!"

A brief but gentle voice: "Tang Clan, Tang Rou."

Finally, a clear, bright voice, like the light of day, rang out.

"I belong to the Huanhua Sword Sect, and my name is Xiao Qiushui!"

The rough voice spat and cursed, "I don't care if you're Xiao Qiushui or Xiao Qiufeng, you're all going to die today!"

"Remember, I am Xue Jinying, the 'Purple Gold Axe' of the 'Three Evils'!"

"Um?!"

Upon hearing the words "three evils".

Ren Shaoyang and Hongxiu immediately straightened up and squinted their eyes.

(End of this chapter)