Bat Prince, roaming the heavens

Hebei, a small town.

The carriage moved slowly along the bluestone road, with low houses on both sides, shops half-hidden, and few pedestrians.

Suddenly, a knocking sound came from ahead, followed by a loud voice: "Esteemed guests, heroes from the north and south! Do you want to know the most sensational news in the martial arts world, the major events that have recently occurred?"

Then please move quickly to the dining room, where Mr. Sun from the north will begin his lecture. It will be both exciting and thrilling!

Gentlemen, you can enjoy a hot meal and a little wine at the same time, wouldn't that be wonderful?!

"Baiyun, stop the car," Yuan Suiyun immediately ordered.

Ding Baiyun was taken aback and pulled on the reins: "Young Master?"

"Go in and listen."

Although Ding Baiyun was puzzled, he still stopped the carriage by the roadside and helped Yuan Suiyun out of the carriage.

As for Bai Xiaosheng, he had long been thrown into a box and locked up. All the major acupoints on his body were sealed, so there was no risk of him escaping.

The two followed the sound into a teahouse, which was indeed bustling with activity.

The lobby was packed with people, with food and drinks laid out on the tables, the air thick with smoke, and the air filled with the noise of the crowd.

At the very front was a table with a teapot and a pipe on it. Behind it sat an elderly man in a blue robe with white hair and beard, resting with his eyes closed.

A little girl sat beside him, with two long braids and big, bright black eyes, idly fiddling with her teacup.

Yuan Suiyun and Ding Baiyun sat down in a corner and ordered a pot of tea.

Hearing Mr. Sun's steady breathing, Yuan Suiyun smiled slightly.

His purpose in coming in wasn't to listen to storytelling, but to see the storyteller himself.

The Heavenly Mystery Elder, Sun Baifa, ranked number one on the Weapon Ranking!

Seeing that most of the people had arrived, Sun Baifa coughed a few times, tapped his pipe on the table, and said, "The wicked Plum Blossom Thief, the loyal and righteous Scholar."

His gaze swept over everyone present, and he said with a smile, "Does anyone know who these two people I'm talking about are?"

His granddaughter, Sun Xiaohong, who was his good confidante, shook her head and said, "Who are these two? I don't think I've ever heard of them."

Sun Baifa stroked his beard and said slowly, "Then you are truly ignorant. This Plum Blossom Bandit is the most vicious villain in the martial arts world in the past six months. He has only appeared twice in the past few decades, but the number of cases committed by hundreds of heroes in the Lianghe Green Forest Road is not as many as he has alone."

Sun Xiaohong stuck out her tongue: "So fierce... And who is the third-ranked scholar?"

Sun Baifa said, "This young Li Tanhua came from a distinguished family; three generations of his family had produced seven Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations). His father and brother both achieved the rank of Tanhua, hoping he would become the Zhuangyuan (top scholar), but to their dismay, he also only achieved Tanhua. The old Tanhua died in despair, and the elder Li Tanhua also fell ill and never recovered. Disheartened, the young Li Tanhua resigned from his official post and went into seclusion, generously sharing his wealth with friends and practicing chivalry. Not only was he exceptionally talented, but he also possessed astonishing martial arts skills; his Little Li Flying Dagger never missed its mark!"

Sun Xiaohong clapped her hands: "So Grandpa, you're talking about the third-ranked weapon on the weapons list, Little Li's Flying Dagger, Li Tanhua!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Suiyun couldn't help but think to himself: The fact that this weapon ranking list could be circulated in the martial arts world is certainly due in large part to Bai Xiaosheng, but Sun Baifa also contributed a lot. He is definitely a master at publicity.

"Indeed, it is Li Tanhua!" Sun Baifa nodded slightly.

"Isn't Li Tanhua not in the pass? What's his relationship with the Plum Blossom Bandit?" An impatient wanderer took over Sun Xiaohong's job.

"This gentleman has asked the right question," Sun Baifa said with a smile. "Then, I wonder if any of you have ever heard of the 'Golden Silk Armor,' one of the three treasures of the martial arts world?"

"Grandpa, you were just talking about Li Tanhua and the Plum Blossom Thief, how come you're suddenly bringing up this damn golden silk armor again?" Sun Xiaohong immediately chimed in, becoming the best mouthpiece for everyone.

"Don't be impatient, let me tell you." Sun Baifa waved his hand. "When the Plum Blossom Thief harmed people, his methods were extremely vicious. He would leave five tiny bloodstains on the chest, shaped like plum blossoms and as small as pinpricks. This was his unique mark. No matter how high your martial arts skills were, it was extremely difficult to defend against his unpredictable attacks."

"Ah, I see." Sun Xiaohong seemed to understand. "So that invulnerable golden silk armor, impervious to swords and spears, and water and fire, is the ultimate weapon to subdue the Plum Blossom Bandits!"

"Not bad." Sun Baifa looked like a promising student. "With the Plum Blossom Thief causing such a ruckus, countless people want to capture him and make a name for themselves. Naturally, this Golden Silk Armor has become a hot commodity."

"Could the Golden Silk Armor be in the hands of Li Tanhua?" Sun Xiaohong asked the question that everyone present was concerned about again.

Even Yuan Suiyun was curious about who had acquired the Golden Silk Armor.

Based on his previous speculation, there was a high probability that the Golden Silk Armor would fall into Lin Xian'er's hands. After all, without Li Xunhuan's participation, who could resist Lin Xian'er's temptation to undress?

However, Yuan Suiyun was wrong. Sun Baifa said, "The Golden Silk Armor is in the hands of a friend of Li Tanhua."

"Who is this person?" someone couldn't help but ask.

Sun Baifa did not answer the question directly, but instead talked about Jin Sijia's experiences during this period.

"This golden armor was originally stolen by the master thief Dai Wu. Later, because he showed it off while drunk, it caught the eye of Zhuge Lei of the Golden Lion Escort Agency, who forcibly stole it from him. Zhuge Lei was not discreet, and the news leaked out. This precious armor suddenly became a death warrant that attracted ghosts. In an instant, Cha Meng, the chief escort of the Golden Lion Escort Agency, the elusive Mr. Yu Er, the Thousand-Handed Rakshasa who was skilled in using poisonous hidden weapons, Shi Yaoxian who reached out from a coffin to extort money, and the playboy Pan Xiaoan... all kinds of famous masters flocked to it. It was a scene of one after another, how lively it was!"

Sun Xiaohong then asked, "Who ultimately got the golden silk armor?"

"These people schemed and plotted, but in the end, they fought fiercely in a desolate wilderness outside Baoding Prefecture, and almost all of them were killed or wounded. But in the end, the golden silk armor that countless people risked their lives for fell into the hands of an unknown young man," Sun Baifa said.

Yuan Suiyun immediately understood that it was actually Afei who had the last laugh, but there was still one thing he didn't understand.

How did Ah Fei withstand Lin Xian'er's naked offensive?

"A young man?" Sun Xiaohong's eyes widened. "What kind of young man could snatch treasures from so many renowned masters?"

"A young man who wielded a fast sword called himself A-Fei." Sun Baifa stopped keeping them in suspense and recounted what happened next in one breath.

"His sword is very fast. Those people I just mentioned couldn't even block a single strike from him. But he's just a greenhorn who's only just started out. In a moment of carelessness, he was poisoned by the strange poison of the Miao Jiang Bliss Cave disciples and almost turned into a pool of blood."

"And then? He died?" Sun Xiaohong exclaimed.

"Heh, at least he wasn't meant to die." Sun Baifa took a puff of his cigarette and sighed, "Although Li Tanhua didn't participate in the competition for the Golden Silk Armor, he happened to find A Fei, who was on the verge of death from poisoning, in a snowdrift by the roadside on his way into the pass. Li Tanhua was moved with compassion and spared no effort to expend his own decades of refined internal energy to suppress the deadly poison from the Paradise Cave in the young man's body."

"I see." Yuan Suiyun roughly deduced what had happened.

Without Zhuge Lei's betrayal and Li Xunhuan's guidance from the original work, A Fei is completely unprepared for the darkness and wickedness of human nature.

The inexperienced Lone Wolf, though highly skilled in martial arts, had no idea that the Miao people's Paradise Cave was most adept at poisoning.

Moreover, in ancient worlds, it's quite common for the protagonist to be poisoned and fall into trouble.

Li Xunhuan, the true chosen one, despite delaying his journey, was still guided by fate to find the poisoned A Fei on the way and save his life.