Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 189 Chicken talking to duck
This gold ingot is no less than two taels. With the current high price of gold, if it were exchanged for silver, it could be exchanged for more than twenty taels of snowflake-patterned silver, which would be equivalent to four hundred strings of copper coins. Ten strings of copper coins would be enough to buy a fishing boat of this size.

Therefore, the fisherman was almost dumbfounded. Seeing Wang Yuyan's slender hands, which shone brightly against the gold, he dared not reach out to take them.

Zhong Ling was quick; she grabbed the gold and tossed it to the fisherman, saying, "Take it; Fatty's family is very wealthy!"

The fisherman took the boat and looked at Jiang Mingzhe in disbelief. Jiang Mingzhe smiled and said, "Although your boat is old, it has been with you for many years and we have a deep bond. You can take it without worry."

Kumārajīva smiled and said, "A person who can understand people's hearts is a good person. Jiang Gongfeng's words are very insightful."

The fisherman was finally at ease and said repeatedly, "Young master is truly a god. He saw through my heart at a glance. This boat has been with me for twenty or thirty years, just like my wife. Thank you for bestowing upon me a new wife."

After saying this, he was about to kowtow when Jiang Mingzhe reached out and pulled him back. The fisherman could not kowtow, and his heart was filled with even more awe. He bowed repeatedly, picked up a piece of old boat plank from the lake, and left happily.

Seeing Jiang Mingzhe using her money so easily, Wang Yuyan felt a sudden surge of sweetness in her heart, but then she remembered something and turned to glare at Zhong Ling, asking, "What did you just call me?"

Zhong Ling was startled, but stubbornly replied, "I called you Fatty, so what? It's a dialect of our Dali Kingdom, meaning a beautiful girl, just like how you Suzhou people say 'little girl'."

Wang Yuyan said, "Xiao Niangyu means young girl, but it doesn't specifically refer to a beautiful girl. Pangpang, the dialect of Dali is really strange."

After resting for a while, the group headed north along the road and soon arrived in Jintan. They found the horse market, where Deng Baichuan bought seven horses, had them cleaned and fitted with brand-new seats, and then set off on their journey.

As dusk fell, the group arrived in Danyang County, formerly known as Qu'a, a place famous for its young soldiers.

Murong Fu, accustomed to a life of luxury, was unwilling to take it easy when he ventured into the martial world. He found the best restaurant in the area to eat at. During the meal, Jiang Mingzhe told him this story, saying that the young general from Qu'a followed Taishi Ci into battle. Taishi Ci fought against Sun Ce, the Little Conqueror, and twelve other generals, including Cheng Pu and Huang Gai, but the young general from Qu'a blocked them all.

This story was unheard of by everyone, causing quite a stir. Deng Baichuan guessed that the young general was the reincarnation of Lü Bu, while Gongye Qian believed that the young general was a master of poison. Murong Fu, with his wild imagination, pointed out that the young general was none other than the later Zhuge Liang!
His reasoning was that even if the young general of Qu'a was highly skilled in martial arts, he would still be unable to withstand the twelve famous generals of Eastern Wu. Therefore, he must have relied on the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams techniques. Even so, he was seriously injured and returned to Longzhong to recuperate. From then on, he abandoned martial arts and devoted himself to literature. He did not reappear until Liu Bei visited him three times. Because of his old injuries, he always sat in a small cart.

After explaining his reasoning, Murong Fu, beaming with pride, asked Jiang Mingzhe, "Brother, what do you think of my argument?"

Jiang Mingzhe cupped his hands and sighed, "I can only express my admiration!"

Before he could finish speaking, someone at another table shouted, "Admire my ass! Daoist Master insists that the young general from Qu'a is Wei Yan! He was unhappy that Taishi Ci had surrendered to Sun Ce, so he went to Jingzhou to hang around. That young general from Qu'a is very bold, and Wei Yan is bold too."

The group turned their heads to look, and there were two Taoist priests in their thirties or forties on the table, one with a long beard and the other with a short beard. The one who was speaking was the one with the short beard.

Murong Fu retorted angrily, "What do you know? How could Wei Yan possibly defeat the twelve generals of Eastern Wu?"

The short-bearded Taoist scoffed, "If you can't even beat Wei Yan, how could you possibly beat Zhuge Liang? You, Murong Fu, have a great reputation, but you're nothing but a fool. No wonder you knew Qiao Feng was a Liao dog, yet you still chose to associate with him!"

Murong Fu's anger vanished, replaced by a cold glint in his eyes. He sneered, "So you're here to cause trouble, aren't you? I was wondering why you, a Taoist priest, would interrupt."

Gongye Qian stood up and said in a low voice, "Is this news from Pumen Temple? You guys are really fast. Give me your number, I want to see who dares to block the path of my Murong family."

The two Taoist priests stood up at the same time. The long-bearded Taoist priest shouted, "Taoist Master Guan Yunzi, this is my junior brother Guan Shanzi. The two of us are known as the Twin Heroes of Maoshan. Today we are going to test the mettle of your Murong family and see what you are capable of, daring to openly help that dog Qiao Feng!"

Gongye Qian squinted and opened his eyes, then smiled at Murong Fu, saying, "Young Master, you see, we've probably been too low-key all these years. Now, any Tom, Dick, or Harry dares to bark at our house."

Guan Shanzi shouted, "Putting on airs, who are you trying to scare!"

Reaching out, he picked up the plate and tossed it with a whoosh. Murong Fu then pointed at it with his chopsticks, and the plate flew back with a whoosh. Jiang Mingzhe watched with secret envy, thinking that this skill of shifting stars was truly a natural talent for showing off.

Guan Shanzi shouted and struck out with his palm. Before the plate could even reach the edge of his palm, it was shattered by the force of his palm strike.

Gongye Qian's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed, "Not bad palm technique! Come and have a match with me!"

Having said that, he leaped forward and pushed out with a whoosh. Guanshanzi, not to be outdone, returned the blow with his own palm. The two palms collided with a muffled thud. Gongye Qian staggered, while Guanshanzi stumbled backward, knocking over the wine table behind him, scattering the leftover food all over the floor.

Guanshanzi braced himself against the stool to avoid falling over, but enraged, he shouted, "I'll fight you to the death!"

After saying that, he rushed over again, without even adjusting his posture. He squatted halfway down, swaying his body, and stumbled as he ran quickly. He turned sideways and slapped Gongye Qian's lower abdomen with a clumsy and strange gesture.

Seeing that his opponent's moves were strange, Gongye Qian dared not be careless. He took a step back, watched as Shanzi's palm missed, then crouched down, turned, and struck again. Gongye Qian dodged once more.

Wang Yuyan exclaimed, "Second Brother Gongye, this is the Forty-Two Styles of Duck Palm Kung Fu, created by the Green Duck Taoist of the Tang Dynasty. It mainly attacks the lower body, using the body's movement and swaying to generate power, and it is similar to Drunken Fist!"

Upon hearing the phrase "using one's body to move and sway to generate force," Gongye Qian immediately understood the opponent's palm technique and laughed loudly, "Thank you for your guidance, Miss!"

Suddenly, he stepped forward, blocking the opponent's footsteps. He unleashed three powerful palm strikes, causing Guan Shanzi to lose his footing and become disoriented. He swung his palms wildly, flapping them erratically like a duck flapping its wings, and stumbled backward.

At that moment, a loud "whoosh" was heard, and the long-bearded Taoist Guan Yunzi suddenly rushed out from the side, raised his knee and landed with his toes on the ground while his heels remained suspended in the air. His arms were outstretched and his five fingers were spread out like halberds. His head stretched out and retracted as he pounced on Gongye Qian.

Seeing that his move was even more comical, Zhong Ling giggled and said, "Fatty, is that a rooster's paw or a goose's fist?"

Wang Yuyan immediately said, "This is the Chicken Palm created by the Iron Bird Immortal of Mount Hua during the Five Dynasties period. Although it is called a palm technique, its most powerful move is actually the flying kick in mid-air, and there is also the Iron Head Skill hidden in it!"

Zhong Ling laughed and said, "Is Iron Head Kung Fu about pecking people like a rooster? Chicken Taoist, can you crow once so I can hear it!"

Then Guan Yunzi swung his palms left and right, and Guan Shanzi seized the opportunity to attack. Gongye Qian was not afraid and used an extremely fierce set of fast palm techniques. The palm force was continuous, forcing the two men to jump up and down.

Wang Yuyan whispered, "Second Brother Gongye's Ten Thousand Miles Crimson Cloud Palm technique has truly reached its peak!"

As she was speaking, Guan Yunzi suddenly stretched her neck and cried out "Oh!" Her Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and the "Oh!" sound grew louder and louder.

Zhong Ling exclaimed in delight, "Oh my, it really crowing!"

Before he finished speaking, Guan Shanzi also yelled loudly, and instantly the sounds of chickens clucking and ducks quacking blended together, making everyone feel annoyed. Jiang Mingzhe frowned and said, "The opponent's response is quite rhythmic, and it is mixed with internal force. This is obviously a sonic attack technique!"

He thought to himself, "I am still restless and uneasy even though I am an outsider. Gongye Qian must be even more uncomfortable, being in the middle of it all. There are indeed many extraordinary people and talents in the martial arts world."

He stared intently and saw that Gongye Qian's brows were slightly furrowed. Although his palm technique was still extremely fast, the transitions between movements were somewhat disordered, unlike the smooth and flowing movements before.

Zhong Ling, whose internal strength was shallow, had a headache from the noise. She covered her ears and bumped her forehead against Wang Yuyan, asking, "Fatty, what kind of skill is this? How do we break it?"

Wang Yuyan also covered her ears with a bitter face, shook her head and said loudly, "I have never seen this skill before, they must have figured it out themselves!"

At this moment, Kumārajīva stepped forward and shouted in a deep voice, "What kind of nonsense is this, talking like a chicken and a duck!"

The shout made even Jiang Mingzhe's ears ring; the eight words were like eight hard fists slamming down.

The two Maoshan heroes reacted even more strongly, their bodies stiffened, and they both spat out blood. Before the blood could even hit the ground, Gongye Qian struck out with both palms, knocking the two of them tumbling to the ground with two bangs.

Guan Yunzi struggled to his feet, exclaiming in shock, "Shaolin Lion's Roar? You, a foreign monk, are from Shaolin Temple?"

Kumārajīva naturally denied it, saying frankly, "This is my Great Snow Mountain Compassion Mantra, not some Lion's Roar."

Just then, someone outside the door shouted, "Quickly tell everyone, the Twin Beauties of Maoshan have perished!"

(End of this chapter)