The Martial Saint rose to power starting as a substitute bridegroom.

Huaiyin Street.

The streets were unlit, with only a couple of drunkards snoring loudly in front of a few small restaurants.

At the corner of a street alley, an old locust tree stands majestically, so large that several people could not encircle it; it must be over a thousand years old. Beneath the tree is a mutton soup stall, the owner yawning as he tidies up the pots and pans, preparing to close up shop.

"Shopkeeper, is there anything else to eat?"

Li Yuan chose a spot in the shade to sit down, his figure disappearing into the shadow of the old locust tree.

"Sir, I'm sorry, we're out of sesame cakes. We only have offal left." The stall owner looked troubled.

"It's okay, have a bowl."

"Okay, please wait a moment!"

The iron spoon scraped the bottom of the pot, making a screeching sound.

The offal soup was served steaming hot, its fishy and gamey smell mixed with the sweet fragrance of locust blossoms—it was quite a strange combination.

After Li Yuan broke through to the Ming Jin level, his hearing was already extraordinary.

Amidst the noise, from behind the old locust tree and deep in the alley, the faint sound of conversation could be heard.

"Dad, I don't want to go, waaaaah..."

"Oh dear, your father doesn't want you to go either. In this alley, which girl with even a little bit of looks can escape this fate? If you don't go, our whole family will die!"

Then the girl sobbed, "Father, the Black Tiger Gang is utterly heartless, isn't anyone going to do anything about it? Didn't they say the Four Seas Association is looking for them? Can't we ask the Four Seas Association for help?...

"Are you out of your mind?!" The man's voice was extremely low, trembling with fear. "Meng San is a Ming Jin martial artist, one of the top in the entire Linjiang City! If the Sihai Society can eliminate him completely, that's fine, but if there's even the slightest oversight, when that plague god returns, we'll all be dead without a burial place!"

"My dear daughter, just bear with it, it'll pass. Once you're inside, be careful not to offend that scoundrel. I promise you, I'll find you a good family to marry into..."

"Father, Sister Wang from the back street was sent in yesterday and hasn't come out yet..."

......

Li Yuan's expression remained calm, but the copper spoon in his hand creaked as he gripped it, the handle bending into an eerie arc.

A night breeze swept by, the shadows of the trees swayed, and pink locust blossoms danced in the air, landing in the soup bowl and on the back of his hand.

Li Yuan took out a dried locust flower from his pocket.

It's also pink.

It is the same kind as this flying one.

In the entire Lanshan Town, only this thousand-year-old locust tree blooms with pink flowers.

The flower in his hand was taken from A Chuang's corpse.

Li Yuan lowered his head and took a sip of mutton soup.

A strange, fishy smell of offal lingered on the tip of the tongue.

His expression was calm; he even looked up and gave the stall owner a slightly deliberate smile.

"What is this made of? It tastes pretty good."

"Dog scum."

No wonder.

Li Yuan finished eating and placed five copper coins on the table.

Deep in the alleyways.

The environment was eerily quiet.

"Third Master Meng, why hasn't A-Chuang returned yet? Could something have gone wrong?"

"There are Four Seas Society members everywhere now. I'm a bit uneasy today. Could that bastard A-Chuang have defected to the Four Seas Society? Will he turn on us?"

......

A figure was lying silently on the roof.

He counted silently in his mind.

One, two...

The discussion inside continued.

"There are Four Seas Society members everywhere outside now, why don't we negotiate with them?"

"Talk my ass!" Bald Meng San slammed his hand on the table, instantly turning the pear wood surface to dust. "Easy for you to think. Do you really think Sihai will let us go?!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yuan frowned.

If it's just seven or eight gangsters, then it's no big deal.

But the bald man's palm strike was powerful and did not dissipate, clearly indicating that he was a trained practitioner, and his skill was no weaker than mine.

"It seems I'll have to come another day."

Just as he was about to retreat, his gaze pierced through the broken corner of the tile and caught a glimpse of the situation in the next room.

Disorganized bedding, tattered clothes... scissors, medicine, and a long bandage soaked in blood.

"Someone's injured? Then...should we wait a bit longer?"

Li Yuan lay down on the roof again, pressed against the cold tiles, like a real tiger lurking in the shadows.

"Alright, you can all go back and rest!"

After seeing everyone off, Meng San pushed open the door to the next room and couldn't help but clutch his lower abdomen and hiss.

"Hmph, these traitors, trying to negotiate? They think they can use my head as a pledge of allegiance!"

"And that son of a bitch Qin Biao, you stole my 'Yuan Sha Gong' and you'll die without even knowing how!"

In an instant, Meng San's face looked desolate, as if he had aged ten years.

When morale is low, it's hard to lead a team.

Fortunately, I showed off my skills earlier.

With a single palm strike, he shattered the pearwood octagonal table. This level of strength should at least make these bastards wary of him.

However, due to excessive force, the wound on his lower abdomen tore open again.

He took off his shirt, and the bandages were once again soaked in blood, a glaringly red stain.

My gaze fell upon the tattered fragments of clothing on the ground.

"That young lady is really tender. Although she's a bit thin, she's still a virgin."

Hiss—

Meng San smiled, which aggravated his wounds. His brows furrowed instantly, and he let out another groan.

Large beads of sweat rolled down his face.

He was clearly seriously injured.

"When will this constant hiding and fleeing end?"

"Calm down, Ah Ren will be back soon. When Ah Ren returns, I will wipe out the Four Seas Society!"

Meng San revealed a hint of smugness.

As if victory was already in their grasp, a scene of Ah Ren slaughtering the Four Seas into mountains of corpses and seas of blood appeared before their eyes.

Upon hearing this, Li Yuan's heart stirred.

Who is Ah Ren that Meng San relies on so much?

But I can't worry about that anymore.

The opportunity like this doesn't come every day.

Take advantage of his illness and kill him.

boom!

A huge hole was torn in the roof, and broken tiles rained down!

A figure descended from the sky, his fist whistling like thunder, aiming straight for Meng Tian's head!

"Who?"

Meng San looked up and felt a cloud of lime hitting his face, instantly causing his eyes to sting.

"Ah! My eyes!"

Having spent years making a living on the edge of a knife, he was incredibly experienced. He would never sit idly by and wait to die. Almost simultaneously, he unleashed a powerful Cloud Piercing Palm strike at the source of the limestone in mid-air.

Bang!

Fist and palm collided with a muffled thud.

Meng San took two steps back to steady himself, and a large amount of blood gushed from his lower abdomen, staining half of his trouser leg red.

"You have no martial ethics!"

Meng San shouted.

His opponent's martial arts skills were no weaker than his own. Taking advantage of his vulnerability was one thing, but to resort to such a sneak attack as "sprinkling lime" was another.

"Chief Meng, the road to the underworld is long, and A Chuang says he feels a bit lonely."

The newcomer's voice was calm, yet it sent chills down one's spine.

What?

Ah Chuang, is he dead?

Meng San was startled.

As his most capable subordinate, A Chuang possessed genuine Ming Jin cultivation.

He gasped in horror.

That's right.

Judging from the force transmitted from the opponent's punch, A Chuang should not be a match for him.

"court death!"

With a loud shout, Meng San's right arm muscles suddenly bulged, and his bones crackled and popped like a red-hot iron, aimed straight at the opponent's face.

A fierce palm wind rushed straight towards Li Yuan's head.

This palm strike, powerful enough to shatter stone tablets, did not deter him in the slightest.

Li Yuan's pupils contracted slightly, and he took a deep breath.

A tiger crouches, a dragon coils.

He lowered his waist and sat on his hips, his body slightly bent, his spine swaying like a great dragon, his blood and qi surging like lead and mercury, heavy and condensed to the extreme.

The White Tiger turns over.

Just as the palm was less than three feet from his head, Li Yuan moved. He slid half a step to the side at a slight angle, the movement smooth and fluid.

boom!

That powerful right palm, carrying unparalleled terrifying force, grazed Li Yuan's side as he slid to the side and slammed hard into the bluestone wall behind him.

The solid stone wall collapsed instantly, as if struck by a heavy hammer, leaving a huge palm print about a foot deep.

"not good!"

Meng San's palm strike missed its mark, leaving the central gate wide open.

When he realized it, he hurriedly raised his left hand to parry, but it was too late.

Stepping on a tiger and ascending to the clouds.

Bang!

Li Yuan's blood and qi surged and roared. He instantly lowered his right leg, then suddenly raised it, slamming his knee into his opponent's lower abdomen.

"Awooo—"

Meng San felt a spinning, penetrating force, like a red-hot iron spear, instantly pierce his flesh and plunge deep into his lungs, causing him to involuntarily let out a bloodcurdling scream.

The moment his waist arched, Meng San twisted his hips and left leg like a steel whip, sweeping out along the ground, aiming straight for his opponent's lower body.

At the same time, he transformed his right palm into a claw and unleashed it again, his five fingers like hooks, carrying a force that could pierce through gold and iron, and grabbed at Chen Qing's face with lightning speed.

Older gingers are more spicy!

Meng San was a seasoned veteran; his experience and resilience proved invaluable in the face of life and death.

This move, attacking from both above and below, combining both strength and flexibility, completely sealed off all of Li Yuan's space to dodge.

Bang!

He inserted his five fingers straight into the blue brick, pinched it, and the blue brick instantly turned into dust, raising a cloud of dust.

If Li Yuan hadn't turned his head three inches to the side in that life-or-death moment, this claw strike would have...

A cold glint flashed in Li Yuan's eyes, and instead of retreating, he advanced.

He bent his knees slightly, then stomped his foot hard, causing the ground to tremble slightly and cracking the bluestone slab.

At the same time, a violent force, like an earth dragon turning over, suddenly erupted, and with the twisting of the waist and hips and the transmission of the spine, it instantly swept towards the right arm, and a powerful elbow suddenly thrust out.

It was exactly like "an angry tiger crashing into a mountain".

boom--!

Like a hammer defeating leather.

This is not over yet.

Li Yuan stepped forward, his arm muscles bulging like dragons, his spine jutting out, and delivered a powerful punch to his opponent's face.

Tiger Style Fist: Fierce Tiger Pierces Cheek!

Bang!

The watermelon was smashed open with a hammer.

The red and white items were scattered all over the place.

Before Meng Sanlian could even utter a sound, he fell to the ground like a lump of mud.

Li Yuan found five taels of silver notes and a few coins of loose silver on the corpse.

It seems that Sihai is pursuing too closely, and the Black Tiger Gang's wealth hasn't really ended up in their hands.

Surprisingly, there was also a warm white stone.

It is crystal clear and does not look like an ordinary item.

"Pure Heart and Bright Jade..." Li Yuan silently recited the small characters engraved on the jade, and his eyes lit up instantly.

No way.

What a coincidence.

is that true?

But there was no time to investigate further.

He carefully put away the silver and jade, and was planning to burn down the courtyard to destroy the evidence when a sudden idea flashed into his mind.

"Last time, our hasty actions at the mountain temple were still thwarted by the Black Tiger Gang's scum who tracked us down. This time, let's go all the way!"

He leaped over the wall, but instead of heading home, he sped off in the opposite direction.

......

About half an incense stick later.

Welcome Street, the headquarters of the Four Seas Association.

Several bonfires were burning in the courtyard, and the servant on night duty was already completely drunk, lying sprawled on the ground.

Wang Ergou, rubbing his head, staggered out of the inner room to relieve himself. He kicked the drunkard on the ground twice and spat, "Disgraceful wretch, if you can't drink, then don't drink."

Hey.

A soft sound.

"Who?"

Wang Ergou looked up alertly. There was no one around, only the crackling of the campfire.

There was no movement for a long time.

He shook his head and continued walking towards the outhouse.

Hey.

Another one.

This time, Wang Ergou truly felt it—his back was hit by something small.

He whirled around, his gleaming blade already drawn: "Who's there? Show yourself!"

There was no one around, only the drunkard's snoring.

However, there was a small crumpled piece of paper on the ground.

"Playing tricks!"

Wang Ergou didn't take it seriously, assuming it was just some scoundrel hiding and playing a prank.

Hey!

Another blow, right on the back of the head.

"Hold!"

This time, Wang Ergou was really angry. He looked around with his knife in hand, only to see the crumpled paper on the ground gleaming strangely in the moonlight.

His pupils suddenly contracted.

Pick it up and open it.

It turned out to be a silver note.

One or two ounces.

Hey!

Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch?

My luck has turned around and I'm blessed with great fortune!

"Amitabha Buddha!"

However, to his surprise, there was a small note tucked inside.

Wang Ergou instantly sobered up considerably; his eyes widened and hot breath escaped from his nostrils.

A moment later, his brows furrowed slightly.

"What? What is this all about?"

He grew up in the fields, relying solely on his ruthlessness to survive, and was completely illiterate.

But something's not right.

Something's very wrong!

His years of professional experience told him that things here were not simple.

Looking around, there wasn't a single person in sight.

"Boss!"

He ran wildly into the inner hall.

Ding Zhen, the leader of the Four Seas Gang, was woken up from his sleep, and was furious with nowhere to vent his anger: "What a mess you're making of!"

"There are words on this!"

Ding Zhen casually took the note and read it for a while. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he was instantly wide awake, his whole body radiant with joy.

"Tell the brothers to grab their weapons!"

"Surround down Old Huai Lane for me, don't let a single fly out!"

He suppressed his joy and silently repeated the small print on the note: "Meng San is hiding in Old Locust Lane, come quickly!"

Putting aside whether the news is true or false, let's just shoot the ball anyway!

......

The next day, near the Zhou residence.

"Er Ya's husband works as a coachman for Master Qi's family. He's highly regarded by his master, who rewarded him with a roast chicken. Here, he brought it back for me to have with my drinks." Xie Laowu from next door was showing off his son-in-law again.

These days, let alone roast chicken, even the aroma of chicken bones can whet your appetite.

"Everyone knows that in this whole area, your son-in-law is the most capable person," said Aunt Ge, a fellow villager, offering timely compliments.

In those days, being a coachman for a wealthy family was no less prestigious than being a driver for a leader today; it was something to be envied in the countryside.

"Your son-in-law is quite good too. I heard he learned carpentry and can live off it for the rest of his life..."

Zhou Yanqiu stood at the door, her face somewhat gloomy.

"Old Zhou, want to grab a drink?" Xie Laowu picked up the lotus leaf chicken and shook it.

"No, no." Zhou Yanqiu turned to go home.

Suddenly, a figure hurriedly jogged over.

"Fantastic news! The Black Tiger Gang has been wiped out overnight!"

A young man from the countryside, heading to the early morning market, shouted excitedly.

"Tiedan, you can't say things like that!" Aunt Ge quickly lowered her voice and reminded him, "If they hear you, you won't have enough heads to chop off."

Tie Dan burst into laughter, "The Black Tiger Gang has fallen! Before dawn, the remaining scum of the Black Tiger Gang were surrounded and wiped out by the Four Seas Society in Old Locust Lane. Gang leader Meng San was even dragged to the execution ground and executed by slow slicing!"

"Really?!" Xie Laosan's hands trembled.

"I saw it with my own eyes, how could it be fake? Meng San is truly a tough guy; his head was wrapped up like a dumpling, and he didn't utter a single sound from beginning to end!"

"That's wonderful!" Aunt Ge's face lit up with excitement. "Thank Buddha, we've finally gotten rid of that plague."

The Black Tiger Gang levies exorbitant taxes and oppresses the local people, who have long suffered under their rule.

Without participating in the discussion, Zhou Yanqiu hurriedly walked back to her own yard.

"Yuanzi, be careful lately, things aren't peaceful," Old Man Zhou reminded his son-in-law.

"Understood, Father!"

"Here, take this. I heard it's good for your training." Zhou Yanqiu stuffed a small pill into Li Yuan's hand without giving him a chance to say anything.

Qi-nourishing powder?

This is even better than beef. It's sold in pharmacies, but the price is beyond the reach of ordinary people.

"This... isn't cheap, is it?" Li Yuan's eyes were blank.

Zhou Yanqiu smiled calmly, "Don't worry about it."

However, the pair of palace lanterns with lion heads that he always carried with him had disappeared.

That was his most cherished possession, and even in the most difficult times, he never thought of pawning it for money.

Nowadays...

Li Yuan felt a warm glow inside.

"Thank you, Dad!"

There's one more thing.

Li Yuan hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Father, I want to take Lan'er back to the countryside to see her adoptive father, Gu Laoqi. He still doesn't know we've been married for so long."

"Of course," Old Zhou said, "as long as Xinlan has no objections."

"She agreed, she's just waiting for your nod." Li Yuan was overjoyed.

"What else is there to say?" Old Zhou pondered for a moment, then pointed to a jar of old wine he had treasured for a long time in the corner. "Take this with you and give it to my in-laws for me."

Our house is bare, and this jar of old wine is the only thing we can show off.

Old Zhou is a good friend.

Lan Jie'er also peeked out from the kitchen doorway and smiled at Li Yuan.

Da da da.

Is Li Yuan home?

A knock sounded on the door, accompanied by a gruff inquiry.

"I'll go."

Lan wiped her hands on her apron, ran to the door, and peered through the small hole in the door.

His face turned deathly pale, and he rushed back in a panic, not daring to make a sound.

"Yuan-ge'er, that man outside looks fierce and menacing, I'm scared..."