Starting from Tianlong, Wudu Tianxia

Three days after the bandits of Jufeng Mountain were killed, peace returned to the Jianghu (martial arts world) around Dali capital and Kainan Prefecture.

Aside from his daily, unwavering martial arts practice, Gao Yuan would usually make an appearance at the base every afternoon. The Shennong Gang didn't give him many tasks, but they weren't entirely absent either.

At least the matters concerning the herb gathering and weaponry of the Muwufu lineage under his jurisdiction need to be reviewed and arranged by him.

At the end of the day, after leaving the Shennong Gang's headquarters, Gao Yuan dismissed the disciples who had been following him and headed alone to the Medicine Street and the Restaurant.

Medicine Street is the territory of the Shennong Gang, and most of the shops on the street are related to them.

A disciple just reported that someone was causing trouble at the Heshan Restaurant, but unfortunately, Sikong Xuan went to the capital of Dali that morning, and Mu Wufu and more than a dozen disciples were unable to subdue this person.

Upon receiving the news, Gao Yuan had no choice but to come and see.

After all, he was occupying the position of deputy gang leader, but he didn't do anything. It wouldn't be good for him to "stick things together" with Sikong Xuan.

At this moment, the entrance of Heshan Restaurant was surrounded by Shennong Gang disciples.

When he appeared, everyone bowed respectfully and parted to the left and right to make way for him.

Upon entering the Heshan Restaurant, one is immediately struck by the sight of broken wine jars and spilled wine scattered all over the floor.

Gao Yuan glanced around; there wasn't a single customer.

The shopkeeper and waiter peeked out from behind the counter, not daring to come out. More than a dozen Shennong Gang disciples were lying on the ground.

Upon closer inspection, wow!

Old Mu was lying on the ground with someone stepping on his chest, not daring to move.

His gaze shifted from Mu Wufu to the person sitting at the central table.

A man in a green robe with a short beard, whose face was completely disfigured but whose eyes were bright and piercing, sat upright on a bench and stared at him with a scrutinizing gaze.

Gao Yuan's heart skipped a beat; the newcomer's style was too distinctive.

Although he did not yet have a long beard, he was certain that this man was the notorious Duan Yanqing.

Upon entering the restaurant, Gao Yuan sat on the outermost edge, three or four tables away from the man in the green robe.

Firstly, it would prevent me from sitting at the same table or drinking with him, thus maintaining a clear boundary; secondly, it would allow me to move forward or backward freely should anything change.

Duan Yanqing is all alone, and it seems he hasn't yet begun to recruit the four villains: Ye Erniang, the Crocodile God of the South Sea, and the Yun Zhonghe group.

Gao Yuan was not sure of his purpose, so he didn't speak.

"Chief Gao, we've met once before. I've heard so much about you!"

Mu Wufu, who was being trampled underfoot, was taken aback. He hadn't seen the man in the green robe move his lips to speak, so where did the words come from?

"Get them all out!"

Upon seeing the main figure appear, the man in the green robe moved his staff. Before Mu Wufu could react, he felt the wind whistling past his ears and was pulled out of the shop by the staff.

Fortunately, there were Shennong Gang disciples gathered outside the door, and they saw Master Mu being kicked out like a dog.

He immediately dropped his weapon and caught him, otherwise Mu Wufu would probably have fallen and gotten a black eye.

Gao Yuan's mind raced. Judging from Duan Yanqing's words, he had come specifically to find him, but he couldn't figure out what Duan Yanqing wanted to do. Countless questions arose in his mind.

"Help them out and close the door!"

Upon receiving instructions from the deputy leader, the Shennong Gang disciples outside the door instantly rushed into the restaurant and carried out all the other disciples lying on the ground.

"Clang, clang, clang!"

The elm wood double doors of the Heshan Restaurant were suddenly closed from the outside.

At this moment, only Gao Yuan and the man in the green robe remained on the first floor of the restaurant.

"Who are you, sir? We have never met before, so why the long-standing acquaintance? I have absolutely no recollection of you."

Gao Yuan didn't point it out, pretending not to know his identity, otherwise he wouldn't be able to explain it at all, and it would only arouse his suspicion.

"Three days ago, at Qingshiyan, we had a brief encounter."

Gao Yuan feigned sudden realization and immediately asked, "I see. May I ask what brings you here to wait for me?"

Unexpectedly, Duan Yanqing was also at the scene in Qingshiyan, yet he was completely unaware.

Gao Yuan picked up the kettle on the table, poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and when he saw the iron staff protruding from Duan Yanqing's sleeve, a look of vigilance appeared in his bright eyes.

Duan Yanqing chuckled twice.

"Gao Gang Leader destroyed Tianyi and robbed Penglai. He was ruthless and lived up to his reputation as a villain. Of course, I would like to learn from you and make your acquaintance."

Gao Yuan did not conceal his name in Kainan Prefecture, and Duan Yanqing had seen him make a move a few days ago. After comparing the two, he naturally knew Gao Yuan's identity. It was obvious that he was similar to Hong Zhaoren, and Duan Yanqing was convinced of his superiority.

"How do you want to learn from me?" Gao Yuan didn't offer any explanation.

As long as Duan Yanqing isn't here specifically to cause trouble, it's fine. Just find a way to fool him like Hong Zhaoren did.

Upon hearing this, Duan Yanqing picked up the wine glass on his table.

"Why the rush, Chief Gao? Wouldn't it be better to have a drink and chat for a bit first?"

He simply pushed it forward, and the small wine glass spun around a few times before flying to Gao Yuan's face.

Amazingly, the wine bubbles were everywhere, but not a single drop of the wine was spilled!

His move was extremely clever!

Gao Yuan smiled and drank it all in one gulp.

Then, he pushed the teacup in front of him with his palm, and the teacup flew with powerful internal force, heading straight for Duan Yanqing.

At this moment, Duan Yanqing moved his iron staff and swiftly tapped the teacup with a hiss.

The two internal energies collided in mid-air.

With a loud "bang!", the tea exploded suddenly in mid-air between the two people. The tea was agitated by the internal force and burst into a misty drizzle.

A faint bluish aura appeared on Duan Yanqing's face, appearing and disappearing in an instant. He handed the iron staff in his right hand to his left, and with a hiss, his right index finger pointed high into the distance—the Duan family's ultimate technique, One-Finger Divine Skill.

Gao Yuan knew the power of the One-Finger Divine Skill, so he dodged it and naturally used the Lingbo Steps.

"Bang!"

Looking down at the desk where he had just been sitting, one could see a small hole about an inch long running straight down from the tabletop, and from the ground.

Seeing his agile movements, the man in the green robe was about to make a move with his thumb. The thumb is the shortest of the five fingers, and therefore the slowest and least agile, but the force in the thumb is the strongest.

Gao Yuan's eyelids twitched. He wasn't carrying a sword, so his overall martial arts skills had dropped by at least 30% or 40%.

"Wait a minute!"

"With my agility, you cannot kill me, and I cannot harm you. If we continue, you cannot touch me, and I cannot move you. It's simply a waste of our time."

Duan Yanqing stopped what he was doing and nodded secretly: "How would you compare them?"

Duan Yanqing could clearly see Gao Yuan's agile movements at the scene of the battle at Qingshiyan.

If he keeps dodging, I might not be able to hit him.

After a moment's thought, Gao Yuan spoke up, "How about a literary contest? I've mastered the nineteen arts, captivating countless people. Would you be interested in a game with me?"

Duan Yanqing paused, then lightly tapped his black iron staff on the floorboard: "Playing chess? Heh heh! Having wandered the martial world for so long, it's been quite a while since I've touched a chessboard."

Although his face was completely disfigured, his eyes shone brighter. As the former crown prince of Dali, he had learned chess since childhood and was naturally very skilled in it.

"What's the prize?" Duan Yanqing felt confident of victory and was just waiting for Gao Yuan to continue.

"If I lose, I will obey any request you may make," Gao Yuan continued frankly. "If you lose, you will need to do something for me that is within your power."

"it is good."

As a top-level player, Duan Yanqing has his own pride in the path of chess.

Once the two men made a promise, it was like a promise that could not be broken.

But when he looked up...

The boy's expression suddenly changed, all traces of seriousness vanishing from his face, giving the immediate impression that he had been thoroughly tricked.

But then I thought: How old is he? With his martial arts skills, he has to practice hard every day. Where would he find the time to also practice chess?

Gao Yuan immediately said to the shopkeeper who was hiding behind the counter, "Shopkeeper, go outside and bring a chessboard, and also prepare some hot tea."

"Why go through all that trouble!"

After speaking, Duan Yanqing swiftly extended his iron staff with both hands, making a hissing sound and sending stone chips flying. He actually used his internal force to draw intersecting chessboard lines on the ground.

Gao Yuan secretly admired Duan Yanqing, whose internal strength was even greater than his own. The bricks and stones on the ground had countless deep marks, as if a stonemason had slowly hammered them out with an iron chisel and hammer.

After about half an incense stick's time, a chessboard with nineteen lines in each direction was neatly carved.

"Your skill is exceptionally high. I dare to ask if you would allow me to hand over my five sons?"

Duan Yanqing was confident in his chess skills, and if he wanted to subdue him, he would naturally make sure that Duan Yanqing had nothing to say.

......