Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 200 Wow, this journey has been quite lively!

Jiang Mingzhe and his group split into four teams and set off at the same time. Since Jiang Mingzhe's team had the fastest mount, they were scheduled to depart first.

Previously, Duan Yu, A Zhu, and A Bi went to chase Xiao Feng, riding the Black and White Rose and the Lightning Yellow of Yanziwu.

Upon seeing Jiang Mingzhe, the black and white roses all stepped forward to rub against him, displaying great intimacy.

Therefore, since crossing the river, Jiang Mingzhe has been riding a black horse, and Zhong Ling has been riding a white horse.

Lightning Yellow was originally Murong Fu's mount, but if he were to ride another horse, it would be difficult for it to keep up with the two horses' pace, so he simply gave it to Wang Yuyan to ride.

The three of them left the city and headed west. In two days, they arrived in the Xuchang area. On the road, they saw more and more martial arts practitioners carrying knives and swords, as if they were going to a market, all heading towards Mount Song.

Judging from their accents, most of them were heroes from the Jiangnan, Huguang, and Lianghuai regions.

Jiang Mingzhe was quite familiar with geography. He thought that Shaoshi Mountain was located northwest of Xuchang, and people from Hebei, Sichuan and Shaanxi would not pass through this area. In this light, when they actually arrived at Shaoshi Mountain, the number of people would be much greater, and the scale of the scene would probably be ten times that of Juxian Village in the original novel.

People who practice martial arts often have big tempers and loud voices. Although there are some gentlemen among them, the majority are still unruly. If someone who shouts loudly is among them, they are just an ordinary person.

These people are used to being powerful in their hometowns. When they go out, they still act like they're the boss, and they all have the ambition to make a name for themselves. If they know each other, they will naturally call each other and chat warmly. If they don't know each other, there will inevitably be some trouble like "What are you looking at?"

Along his journey, Jiang Mingzhe witnessed more than ten fights, ranging from one-on-one duels to large-scale brawls involving dozens of people, each accusing the other of being Xiao Feng's traitorous gang, resulting in deaths and injuries.

She couldn't help but feel secretly fortunate that Wang Yuyan and Zhong Ling were disguised as men; otherwise, with their looks, who knows how many troubles they would have encountered in their lives.

It must be said that Abi's skills were also extraordinary. She applied light ink to Wang Yuyan's face, thickened her eyebrows, widened her nose with flour, and used individual strands of horsehair to stick to her cheeks, creating a full beard. She looked bold and imposing with thick eyebrows and big eyes.

Zhong Ling, on the other hand, used turmeric water to make her face look yellow, her eyebrows were drawn into the shape of the character "八" (eight), she used an eyebrow pencil to dot all the moles on her face, and she cut a lock of hair to make a goatee, making her look like a thin and small old man.

In Abi's mind, these two, even in disguise, both had identities, so one could act as a henchman and the other as an accountant.

Unfortunately, both actresses lacked acting skills. They were alright on horseback, but once they dismounted and walked, Zhong Ling hopped and swayed, while Wang Yuyan was frail and graceful, creating a very incongruous image.

The three of them entered Xuchang by the time the sun had already set. Along the way, the inns and taverns were mostly filled with chivalrous heroes from the martial arts world, some drinking, some playing drinking games, some boasting, and some fighting, making it seem like they were about to lift the roof off.

The three of them led their horses for four or five miles before finding a quieter inn. The inn looked clean enough, so they asked the waiter to lead their horses to the back corridor. The three of them went into the main hall to have a meal and drinks.

Jiang Mingzhe, waving the ironwood-covered folding fan given to him by Murong Fu, led the way, his eyes sweeping across the scene before he stopped, a hint of wariness in his eyes—

There were more than ten square tables in the hall, and most of them were occupied. However, the dozens of people in the hall ate quietly. They didn't make any noise, not even chewing. No wonder it felt so peaceful outside.

If these people were from the same sect or school, that would be one thing, perhaps they had strict rules and regulations. But in Jiang Mingzhe's eyes, the people were clearly dressed in different colors. Some were dressed as scholars, some as warriors, and some looked like farmers with muddy feet. Their weapons were also very different. No matter how you looked at it, they were not from the same group.

Moreover, the vast majority of them had bruises and swelling on their faces, and their expressions were tense and fearful, as if they had just suffered some kind of lesson. At the innermost table, a slender woman in white sat alone, facing the wall with her back to the outside. In front of her were several dishes and a pot of wine. She poured herself a drink and was quite content. Several empty tables were arranged around her, making her seem out of place among the others.

Jiang Mingzhe narrowed his eyes. Having wandered the martial arts world for so long, he had long since discovered some common practices among martial arts figures.

For example, in places like hotels, if there are many people, it's fine, but if there are few people, when you sit down, you must face away from the wall and outwards to prevent being attacked.

The way this woman in white sits suggests either she is a highly skilled and daring expert or someone with absolutely no experience in the martial arts world.

But everyone in the shop was tense at the moment, while she was relaxed and at ease, and didn't look like an ordinary person at all.

Before he could observe further, Zhong Ling came up from behind, nudged him with her elbow, and said with a grin, "What are you daydreaming about? There's an empty table over there, let's sit there!"

She pulled Jiang Mingzhe to an empty table next to the woman in white, and slammed her hand on the table, shouting, "Waiter! Waiter! Come quick!"

Jiang Mingzhe keenly noticed that since the three of them entered, everyone around them had shown a hint of anticipation, and when Zhong Ling called for the waiter, many people even stopped eating, clearly expecting something.

Then the woman in white said, "Little girl, eat your food properly. If you keep making noise, you'll lose your teeth."

The voice was soft and melodious, very pleasant to listen to, but the tone was arrogant and stern, clearly indicating a habit of giving orders.

Zhong Ling turned her head and glanced at the other person. Underneath the white robe, the other person had a slender waist and full hips, exuding mature charm. She was very displeased and snorted coldly, "Playing tricks, making a scene!"

After saying that, he slammed his hand on the table with a loud bang. Just as he was about to call for the waiter, he saw the woman in white holding her right sleeve with her left hand and a wine cup in her right hand. She casually splashed the wine backward with a very graceful gesture.

The wine in the cup transformed into a white streak, heading straight for Zhong Ling's head.

Her attack was both stealthy and swift; the white ribbon moved as fast as a shooting star, and Zhong Ling had no chance to react before the wine was already on the back of her head.

Jiang Mingzhe naturally wouldn't stand by and watch Zhong Ling suffer a loss. He sat to Zhong Ling's left, with a folding fan in his hand, and immediately used half of the "Beauty Reflecting the Moon" move, opening the fan to intercept her.

Just as he was about to grab the drink, it seemed to have a mind of its own, suddenly swerving around the fan and turning around to face Zhong Ling from beside her ear, heading straight for her cherry lips. Judging by the force of the blow, if it hit, Zhong Ling's two white front teeth would surely be in danger!
This move was so unpredictable that even Jiang Mingzhe was taken aback. Fortunately, he reacted quickly, abandoning his fan and pulling Zhong Ling by the hair. Zhong Ling cried out and fell backward, missing her drink, and instead attacked the woman in white.

The woman in white let out a soft "Eh," without turning around. She subtly moved the empty cup between her fingers, and the wine shot back into the cup without spilling a drop.

At the same time, Jiang Mingzhe changed from pulling to supporting with one hand, and Zhong Ling sat back down with a "yo" sound. Jiang Mingzhe caught the fan with his hand and put it back in his palm.

The situation was exactly the same as when they sat down, as if the two had never fought.

(End of this chapter)