Playing with fantasy beasts in the martial arts world

Chapter 205 A Sealed World

Judging from the early settings of East Meets West, Hong Qi really was stronger than Huang Yaoshi and Ouyang Feng.

As for Duan Zhixing, he will not participate in the discussion.

There must be something strange about this, but now is not the time to investigate it.

"As you all know, there are definitely more than one person and more than one group coming to seize the Longevity Manual. Even if we act alone, we don't have a sure chance of success."

“Since we are fortunate enough to share a woodshed, let’s make a gentleman’s agreement: we will lend a hand to each other whenever we can, and if any of us has the opportunity to obtain the Longevity Manual, we will share it so that others can make a copy,” Cha Nan said to everyone with a smile.

Hong Qi was the one who supported Cha Nan's suggestion.

He said, "I agree with that. There is strength in numbers. We have eight people here, probably all of them are experts. The strength of eight people is definitely stronger than that of one or two people."

Ma Junwu interjected, "Um... let me ask you something, what is the Longevity Formula?"

"Aren't we here to participate in the martial arts tournament and divide up territory?"

Cha Nan tossed him a piece of Palu ore: "Follow me, and this is yours!"

Ma Junwu caught the fragment of Paru ore, not even knowing what it was, when Yi Yangzi snatched it away and hurriedly put it in his pocket, his face beaming with smiles: "No problem! As long as it's not suicide, we, master and disciple, will follow Young Hero Cha's orders!"

"What do you mean, you sold me out?" Ma Junwu tugged at his master Yiyangzi's sleeve, unwilling to blindly follow orders.

He followed Yiyangzi to learn martial arts and joined the Kuocang Sect entirely because Yiyangzi owed him a lot of money, and he followed Yiyangzi to collect the debt.

From the very beginning, the master had no authority over the disciple.

“This piece of stuff could be exchanged for at least an entire mountain!” Yi Yangzi said in a low voice.

At this moment, Tang Xiaolan, who hadn't said much, said, "Cooperation is possible, but we lack a foundation of mutual trust."

"You don't need to trust each other, just trust me."

“And I will bear the price for this trust!” As he spoke, Cha Nan took out several small bags of Palu ore fragments. These small bags of Palu ore fragments were actually only produced in Cha Nan’s stronghold for a few minutes, but in any martial arts world, they would be considered a huge sum of money.

The small bags of Paru ore fragments were distributed to the Tang family father and son, as well as Hong Qi and Ouyang Feng.

“This is my pledge to you. Whoever betrays our cooperation and agreement, this is compensation. But also... the betrayer will be jointly eliminated. This is also a kind of advance payment.” Cha Nan gestured for everyone to open the bag and take a look.

At this time, flaunting wealth has more than just a superficial meaning.

This also serves as a warning to everyone: if they choose to betray, Cha Nan has the full capability to bribe enough experts to hunt them down across the world.

“Okay! We agree to cooperate!” Tang Xiaolan said decisively.

Cha Nan offered guarantees and a safety net, and the partnership was indeed beneficial to everyone, so he had no reason not to agree.

As for monopolizing the Longevity Formula, neither father nor son had such a thought.

Arriving in this world to witness the legendary secrets of immortality is merely to broaden one's horizons and pave the way forward.

Their martial arts skills have long been systematized, and changing course would not be a wise move.

"We agree too!" Hong Qi and Ouyang Feng both said in unison.

Master Yiyang and his disciple exchanged a glance, both feeling they had been cheated.

Not only did they not know what the Longevity Manual was, but the others each had a small bag, while they only had one. Although this one piece actually belonged to them, the others' pieces nominally still belonged to Cha Nan. If the Longevity Manual was eventually obtained and distributed, then these Paru ore fragments would have to be returned to Cha Nan.

However, neither of them spoke. Ma Junwu didn't quite grasp the concept yet, while Yi Yangzi was simply rather timid and not very greedy.

"So, what are you planning to do?" Tang Xiaolan asked.

The cooperation has been temporarily reached, so finding the Stone Dragon and obtaining the Longevity Formula has become the top priority.

"Keep a close eye on the Tianlong Gang!"

"I received information that the God of Wealth Society has also placed people in this world, and this world was probably temporarily sealed off by them as well."

"Su Penghai of the Tianlong Society is most likely a member of the Caishen Society."

“The fact that they still have the resources to organize so many people for this martial arts tournament can only mean that Shi Long is very likely hiding nearby! They are using this as a cover to secretly advance their own plans!” Cha Nan stated his reasoning, and he believed that the Tang family father and son must think the same way.

As for Hong Qi... he was probably just lucky, or perhaps Ouyang Feng was guiding him.

Nothing happened overnight. Although Kyushu Prefecture was noisy and bustling, it did not descend into chaos as originally planned. This left Cha Nan, who had waited all night for Bai Yunfei to appear so that he could refine his plan, quite disappointed.

Bai Yunfei had a giant crane, so it moved extremely fast. Obviously, he couldn't just wait for her to come to him. By exploring the area around Kyushu Prefecture, he dug her out.

As for Cha Nan himself, he also has a flying mount, and even a Cloud Sea Deer with super speed, which is definitely much faster than Bai Yunfei.

Unless he still has radar that can lock onto Bai Yunfei, what's the point of speed?

The larger the search radius, the more difficult it is to search independently, which has little to do with speed.

The next morning, when Cao Xiong led the Eighteen Riders of Yanyun to a meeting, the reason why nothing had happened the night before was found.

A fairy-like woman in a wheelchair appeared before the crowd, followed by a pretty girl in red holding a knife and a big-eyed young man holding a strange longsword. In addition to these two, there was a group of burly men dressed as imperial constables, each with a fierce demeanor. Cha Nan even recognized a familiar face among them.

Cao Xiong, the imperial representative who was in charge of overseeing the martial arts tournament, could only stand aside like a lackey... No! He was just a lackey now. In the martial arts world, Cao Xiong, the Golden Ring Second Brother, was worthless. Even after joining the imperial court, he was just an ordinary commander, not worthy of being mentioned.

"This is the new person in charge of this conference, invited by the Six Doors... Wuqing! Everyone, please welcome her!" Cao Xiong, despite being stripped of his power, smiled and excitedly clapped first.

The applause was sparse; clearly, none of these locals had heard of the ruthless reputation.

As for Cao Xiong's face?
He has absolutely no dignity!
"A woman, and a cripple at that, actually presiding over the martial arts tournament? The imperial court is looking down on us!" a disciple of the local Tianshan Sect shouted from the crowd.

"You're quite pretty, but unfortunately... your legs aren't very agile. Young lady, our Kongtong Sect's Five Bone Meridian Soothing Ointment is very effective in treating external injuries and bone injuries. Why don't we find a room, and I'll take a look at your wound and apply the ointment?"

"Zhao Zhilong! Are you trying to see my wound? You're trying to take advantage of this young lady! Don't fall for his tricks, young lady. I'm a monk, and monks don't get close to women. I'll take care of your wound."

These rude, rough-around-the-edges men, with their mouths full of foul language, could utter any of the words listed above.

There are many more that cannot be released.

Gulu!
Several human heads were thrown out and rolled all over the ground.

Upon seeing these heads, the people who had been shouting immediately calmed down.

After all, everyone knows who those heads belong to.

Nominally, they were notorious bandits in the martial arts world, but in reality, they had all secretly joined the Tianlong Gang and were its core members.

The Tianlong Gang was able to sweep across most of the martial arts world in a short period of time, robbing people, money, and seizing territory, all by bribing a large number of江湖匪人 (jianghu feiren, meaning江湖bandits/thieves). They would first let them create chaos in a region, wiping out most of the local gangs, before the Tianlong Gang would move in under the guise of stabilizing the area. This method was simple and brutal... but it was indeed effective.

The fact that key members of the Tianlong Gang have been killed is enough to show that the new group of Six Doors members are not to be trifled with.

"Last night, this group of people tried to storm into the Nine Provinces Prefecture, disrupt this conference, and poison everyone's food. Now their heads are all here." Wuqing's voice was cold, unlike Yaoyue's cold arrogance; her coldness was a numb coldness that seemed to have shrunk all emotions.

Cha Nan looked at the fairy-like woman in the wheelchair and couldn't help but sigh slightly.

Unexpectedly, we haven't seen Little Dragon Girl yet, but we have seen her stand-in.

Of course, this Little Dragon Girl was not the Little Dragon Girl that Yang Guo knew.

Well... in short, it's very complicated!
Fortunately, the martial arts world has a rule that beings of the same level cannot meet or live in different realms; otherwise, it would truly be in complete chaos.

Although, things are actually quite chaotic right now.

Cha Nan had a feeling that the God of Wealth would seal off this world in loneliness.

In some worlds, there weren't that many experts from outside.

But in this so-called sealed-off world, in less than two days, more than ten outsiders arrived, and it is unknown how many more have not yet shown themselves.

Is this considered a lockdown?
As if sealed!

Of course, this is actually reasonable. If there were no restrictions or barriers, the number of people coming would be more than ten times the current number, based solely on the allure of the Longevity Manual.

It's about using tokens to travel across worlds, and it seems you can only bring one helper at most. That's why the Tang family father and son, and the Northern Beggar and Western Poison, travel in pairs. What's up with this Wuqing? It seems like he brought quite a few people!
Did they receive the news beforehand and arrive before the lockdown?
It’s not impossible!
After all, it seems that the arrival of Wuqing and his group was more like a direct collaboration with the imperial court.

It is not impossible for martial arts sects to connect with each other in different worlds, and for imperial courts to form alliances to a certain extent, sharing resources and facilitating the flow of talent.

"Hmph! A wooden cripple, all wrapped up so tightly, and you're all staring at her. Don't you think I'm prettier than her?" A charming yet arrogant voice rang out.

Then a woman, wearing a long, slit robe that displayed her bare thighs, flew over the heads of the crowd.

As everyone looked up, they shouted, "We're in for a world of trouble!"

The woman's looks were only slightly above average, but she was alluring and willing to reveal herself, so she attracted most people's attention the moment she appeared.

"Who is this woman? She seems quite shrewd!" Ouyang Feng asked, leaning closer to Yiyangzi.

They had already gotten to know each other last night and that Yiyangzi was a local, so the responsibility of being the 'guide' naturally fell on Yiyangzi.

"Jade Flute Fairy!" Yi Yangzi looked over with a fascinated expression, his eyes slightly dazed.

It's simply a matter of personal taste.

He wasn't like this when he made his ruthless entrance earlier.

To be honest, from the perspective of popular aesthetics, Wuqing is much prettier than Yuxiao Fairy.

It was indeed a bit cold and a bit wooden.

Cha Nan kept staring at Wu Qing, after all, this person's face was indeed handsome.

But soon, Cha Nan suddenly remembered that Wu Qing seemed to have the ability to read minds?
"Oh no! This is bad!" Cha Nan quickly looked away.

"There are so many people around now, she might not even notice me!" Cha Nan took two steps back, shielding Ouyang Feng and Yi Yangzi in front of her.

These two, one full of wicked thoughts and the other full of scheming schemes, are perfect scapegoats.

The merciless gaze skipped over the Jade Flute Fairy who had suddenly appeared to cause trouble, and looked towards a room on the second floor.

“Lord Wuqing! The martial arts tournament must have some rules, you see…” Cao Xiong leaned closer to Wuqing and cautiously reminded him.

Wuqing ignored him, but the girl in red beside her reached out to stop him: "Sister Wuqing has her own plans, why are you in such a hurry?"

Cao Xiong's face stiffened, he suppressed his anger, and lowered his head without saying a word.

The girl in red ignored Cao Xiong and looked up in the direction Wuqing was looking, then called out, "Who's there?"

"Are you hiding your true identity, afraid to show yourself?"

"As expected, the gentle young lady has a fiery temper, and I am naturally afraid!" A slightly deep, refined voice came from behind.

Then, on the second floor, a man appeared with his head down the whole time.

"Di Feijing? You actually came too?"

"Since you're here, does that mean Lei Sun is here too?" Wenrou asked bluntly as always.

She was the daughter of King Wen Wan of Luoyang, a disciple of the nun Hongxiu, and Su Mengzhen's junior sister, which gave her the confidence to speak like that.

Of course, she was just a bit willful, but not an overbearing person.

In some ways, she is similar to Guo Fu, although the former Guo Fu was more foolish than gentle.

As for Di Feijing, he is the head of the Six and a Half Hall, as well as a strategist and advisor. Because of a neck injury, he cannot raise his head, hence the nickname "The Bowing Dragon".

"No, it's just that I've come!"

“The master here is, after all, Chief Su. I’m just here to lend Chief Su a hand,” Di Fei said in surprise.

Upon hearing this, Cha Nan thought to himself, "So Lei Sun of the Six and a Half Hall has also joined the God of Wealth Society and become a God of Wealth himself?"

"Did he really not come?"

At this moment, Cha Nan was genuinely alarmed by the power of the God of Wealth Society.

After all, no matter what the Sixth Prince said back then, it was only one piece of evidence.

It cannot be ruled out that he exaggerated in order to demonstrate his own importance.

However, now that there are figures like Shangguan Xiaoxian, Su Penghai, and Lei Sun, each a powerful figure in their own martial arts world, who are considered to be the God of Wealth, the possibility that what the Sixth Prince said is true has been greatly increased.

"Yeah, there are so many people here!"

"This is probably just the beginning; there will definitely be many more people appearing later."

"Has the world really been sealed off?" Cha Nan had this doubt again.

　This chapter only has a little over four thousand words; I'll add another chapter this morning! Thank you everyone!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)