Courtyard House: A System Connecting Two Worlds, Resources for the Nation

Duan Yanqing and Yun Zhonghe have both gone mad!

Why did that evil star chase us all the way to Wanjie Valley?

They had only observed the confrontation between Zhou Feng and the others and Ye Erniang from a distance, and had not heard them speak, so they naturally did not know that the girl next to Zhou Feng was Zhong Wanchou's daughter.

Upon seeing Zhou Feng here, the two were utterly terrified and instinctively ran outside.

Zhou Feng and the others exchanged glances and hurriedly chased after them outside, with Zhong Wanchou having Gan Baobao support him as he walked at the front.

You should know that these two are the helpers he specially invited. Without Duan Yanqing and Yun Zhonghe, how could he possibly withstand the experts of the Dali Duan family on his own?

If he had that kind of ability, he would have gone to cause trouble for Duan Zhengchun long ago. Why did he have to wait until today?

Moreover, most of his internal energy has been absorbed by Zhou Feng, so he might not even be able to beat Gan Baobao now!

Before the group could even run out of the courtyard, several gunshots rang out. The distinctive, deep sound echoed through the valley for a while, followed by a piercing, distorted wail.

Zhou Feng frowned, but still reached out to protect Zhong Ling, following behind Zhong Wanchou, Gan Baobao, and Qin Hongmian.

Duan Yu, who had been thrown to the ground, struggled to his feet and could only stumble along, falling behind the others.

In the open space inside the valley outside the courtyard, Yun Zhonghe lay in a pool of blood, letting out a mournful howl, like a wild beast that had been captured.

At this point, he was in a terrible state, his arms in a completely abnormal, twisted shape.

Even more horrifying, his legs had been severed below the knees, the cuts were a bloody mess, and blood was gushing out, soaking the entire patch of ground beneath him and leaving a dark, damp stain.

Although Yun Zhonghe was still panting, his breathing sounded like a broken bellows leaking air, short and long, and blood foam kept coming out of his mouth.

Tie Jianguo, Bai Lang, and Lin Yin emerged from behind the bushes on both sides, holding guns in their hands, while Qin Ming lay prone on the roof of the carriage.

"Sir, we set up sniper positions right after you entered the valley. Duan Yanqing and Yun Zhonghe came out of the valley at incredible speed. Our original plan was to aim two shots at Duan Yanqing and two shots at Yun Zhonghe. But he reacted too quickly, hiding behind Yun Zhonghe the instant we fired. Yun Zhonghe broke both his arms while using his weapon to block the bullets, while Duan Yanqing escaped. We had no choice but to take out Yun Zhonghe's legs first to prevent him from escaping."

Zhou Feng nodded upon hearing this, his gaze falling on Yun Zhonghe, who was still lying in a pool of blood.

He was still breathing, but his breath was growing weaker and weaker. The blood flowing from the severed ends of his legs and the blood foam in his mouth were decreasing.

Before anyone else could speak, Zhou Feng stepped forward, squatted down, and placed his palm on Yun Zhonghe's Zhiyang acupoint on his back.

Using the Northern Darkness Divine Art, I sensed that Yun Zhonghe's life force was almost gone, and his internal energy had also dissipated.

In just a few dozen seconds, Zhou Feng had completely drained it.

Having lost his internal energy, Yun Zhonghe became completely stiff after Zhou Feng released his grip, remaining motionless in that twisted posture.

Zhong Ling, who was originally standing a few steps away, covered her eyes and peeked through her fingers, then quickly withdrew.

After hesitating for a few seconds, she swallowed hard, ran to Zhou Feng's side, tugged at his sleeve, and tried her best to remain calm, though her voice trembled slightly.

"Brother Zhou, your approach is much more prudent. Trying to persuade my parents would be too much trouble. Wouldn't it be better to just eliminate this villain once and for all?"

Zhou Feng's lips curved into a smile at his words, and then he reached out and ruffled his hair.

At this moment, Zhong Ling was like a kitten being stroked, letting out a few satisfied hums.

Zhong Wanchou and Gan Baobao, who were supporting each other, happened to see this scene. They looked at each other and didn't know what to say.

Especially Zhong Wanchou, after seeing Yun Zhonghe's miserable state on the ground, even though he was furious at seeing his daughter so close to this young pretty boy, dared not say anything.

This feeling of indignation made him feel as if he had arrived in the Sichuan-Chongqing region and was beginning to perform a face-changing act.

Gan Baobao and Qin Hongmian were more composed. Originally, when they were working together, Yun Zhonghe had spoken rudely to the two beautiful women.

Only because of their cooperative relationship did the two not turn against Yun Zhonghe, but they also did not have any good feelings towards him.

Now that Yun Zhonghe has met such an end, the fact that Gan Baobao and Qin Hongmian didn't applaud is already a sign that they respect the dead and want to give him some dignity.

Seeing Zhong Wanchou's gloomy face, Gan Baobao tugged at his sleeve from the side and lowered her voice: "This young man is very skilled in martial arts, and his subordinates are also very capable. It might not be a bad thing for Ling'er to follow him."

Zhong Wanchou snorted coldly and didn't say anything, but his expression did relax a lot.

He knew his own situation; originally, his martial arts skills were only at a mid-level in the martial arts world.

If it weren't for Dali, a small border country, it wouldn't even be considered a significant place in the Song Dynasty.

Protecting his wife was already the limit. If Zhong Ling really went out to train and encountered any trouble, he might not be able to handle it.

It is indeed extremely rare for Zhong Ling to have such an opportunity now.

Just as the two were whispering to each other, a series of rapid hoofbeats suddenly came from the official road outside the valley.

The noisy voices grew louder as they approached, and soon they arrived at the entrance to Wanjie Valley.

The horse leading the way carried a middle-aged man dressed in bright yellow robes. His long beard was neatly trimmed, and his eyes and brows exuded a calm and composed demeanor cultivated from long years in a high position. He was none other than Duan Zhengming, the emperor of the Dali Kingdom.

As soon as Duan Zhengming entered the valley, he saw the huge rock with the words written in red paint: "Anyone with the surname Duan who enters this valley will be killed without mercy." He immediately burst into laughter.

"It seems the master of Ten Thousand Calamities Valley and our family truly have a deep-seated grudge!"

Those present were either relatives or loyal servants of the Duan family, so they were naturally aware of Duan Zhengchun's character and past, and also knew what Zhong Wanchou meant by leaving such words in Wanjie Valley.

Knowing he was in the wrong, Duan Zhengchun chuckled twice but remained silent. Instead, Dao Baifeng, standing beside him, stared at Duan Zhengchun and sneered.

When the four guards of the Dali Duan family, namely Chu, Gu, Fu, and Zhu, saw the writing, they were furious. They immediately drew their weapons and scraped off the red characters.

Then the group dismounted and entered the valley.

They hadn't walked far from the outside when they discovered the situation in the open space: Yun Zhonghe's corpse, Zhou Feng and his group, and Zhong Wanchou and his two companions.

"The royal family of Dali has come to pay homage to the grain!"

Ba Tianshi took out the name card from his pocket, gathered all his inner strength, and threw it straight at Zhong Wanchou.

The post spun in mid-air, carrying gusts of sharp wind, and arrived in front of Zhong Wanchou in an instant.

Although Zhong Wanchou sensed the hidden force in the name card, he was too slow to react after having so much internal energy absorbed.

Gan Baobao acted decisively and accepted the invitation.

Upon seeing the calling card Gan Baobao handed him, Zhong Wanchou casually knocked it to the ground, glaring angrily at Duan Zhengming and the others: "Your Duan family can pay homage to the valley, but why did you have to destroy my valley's gate?"

Dao Baifeng had no time for idle chatter with Zhong Wanchou. She quickly ran a few steps, leaped over the crowd, and rushed to the front, her face filled with anxiety: "Zhong Wanchou, we're here! Where's my Yu'er?"

Before Gan Baobao and Zhong Wanchou could reply, Qin Hongmian stepped forward and sneered, "What 'flowers and jades'? That pretty boy we captured has already been slaughtered and fed to the dogs!"

"What?! You dare to hurt Yu'er?! I'll fight you to the death!"

Dao Baifeng's eyes widened suddenly, she let out a wail, and swung the short knife in her hand at Qin Hongmian.

Qin Hongmian showed no fear of him and drew her weapon, and the two immediately began to fight.

Over the years, although they have been rivals in love, they have met and fought quite a few times, and the two have been evenly matched.

"Master, what are you doing here?"

Just as Qin Hongmian and Dao Baifeng were about to fight, a familiar voice rang out from behind her.

Mu Wanqing, who was resting in the carriage, heard Qin Hongmian and Dao Baifeng talking outside. Curious, she went to the carriage door and saw the two fighting. She then asked what was going on.

"Wanqing, you..."

Qin Hongmian was startled when she saw her daughter. Before she could finish speaking, Dao Baifeng seized the opportunity of her distraction and struck her in the chest, causing her to stagger back more than ten steps, a trickle of blood escaping from the corner of her mouth.

"Master! Are you alright?"

Wanqing quickly jumped out of the car and ran to Qin Hongmian's side in a few quick steps.

After she left, Zhao Pan'er also leaned out of the carriage.

At this moment, Zhao Pan'er was wearing a simple moon-white dress, her hair was simply tied up, and under the sunlight above, her hair seemed to be plated with a layer of golden light.

But as soon as she peeked out, she saw a middle-aged man in a black brocade robe staring intently at her.

Duan Zhengchun's face changed, his expression filled with shock. He took two steps forward and blurted out, "Qingluo? You... how did you get here?"

"Green vine?"

"Li Qingluo?"

Gan Baobao, Qin Hongmian, and Dao Baifeng all focused their attention on Zhao Pan'er.

Even Duan Zhengming, who was still some distance away, couldn't help but slap himself on the forehead.

Putting everything else aside, his younger brother's ability to flirt and philander is something he can never match.

It seems like wherever he goes, there are women he's flirted with in the past.

Zhao Pan'er was slightly taken aback, then realized that she looked very similar to Wang Yuyan and Li Qingluo, and that Duan Zhengchun must have mistaken her for someone else.

Seeing that Zhao Pan'er didn't react, Duan Zhengchun took two more steps forward, raising his voice slightly: "Qingluo! What are you doing hiding in this Wanjie Valley? Whose carriage is this? What's between you and me..."

Zhou Feng's face instantly darkened. He moved swiftly, using his Lingbo Weibu technique at full power, and appeared between Zhao Pan'er and Duan Zhengchun, shielding them behind him. Only then did he look up at Duan Zhengchun, his tone slightly cold: "Prince Duan, you'd better take a closer look. Her surname is Zhao, not Li. She is my lawfully wedded wife, and has nothing to do with you!"

"How is that possible?"

Duan Zhengchun didn't even glance at Zhou Feng; his gaze was fixed on Zhao Pan'er. His lips moved slightly as he said, "Qingluo... why are you hiding behind this person? What is your relationship? Although there are misunderstandings between us, we can clear them up face to face. Why..."

"My name is Zhou Zhao. My husband and I have been married for some time. Prince Duan has mistaken me for someone else."

Hearing Zhao Pan'er's clear, melodious voice, Duan Zhengchun's face turned pale and then red.

Putting everything else aside, his memory of Li Qingluo is definitely the most profound among all these women!

The reason is simple: although Li Qingluo has a bad temper and many petty quirks, her looks are among the best of all the women Duan Zhengchun has ever seen.

If it weren't for her personality, which made her really hard to get along with, he wouldn't even want to leave Li Qingluo's side.

Looking at Zhao Pan'er now, in a daze, it seems as if her figure overlaps with that of the woman admiring the camellias.

Almost instinctively, Duan Zhengchun quickly took a few steps forward and reached out to grab Zhao Pan'er's sleeve.

This instantly ignited Zhou Feng's anger. He filled his right palm with internal energy and, without any hesitation, slashed straight at Duan Zhengchun's chest.

As the palm wind howled, Duan Zhengchun was instantly awakened.

Although he was distracted by Zhao Pan'er's face, he had practiced the One Finger Divine Skill for more than 30 years. The moment Zhou Feng attacked him, he regained his senses, shifted his feet, slid half a step to the right, and brought his right index and middle fingers together, pointing at the Laogong acupoint on the edge of Zhou Feng's palm.

Zhou Feng flicked his wrist, using the Lingbo Weibu technique to dodge Duan Zhengchun's finger strike, and then reached back to grab the other's pulse point.

The latter, however, relied on his years of combat experience to dodge Zhou Feng's attack. The two then launched their own attacks, each with powerful and sweeping moves.

The other, with a steady and experienced build, became entangled with her, and the fight ended in a draw.

Tie Jianguo and Bai Lang, who were standing next to the carriage, immediately raised their guns. The two sniper rifles were locked onto Duan Zhengchun's figure, but the other party was too close to Zhou Feng!

Given their shooting accuracy, it would be difficult for them to eliminate Duan Zhengchun without harming Zhou Feng.

So both of them were waiting for the right moment for Zhou Feng and Duan Zhengchun to separate, and Qin Ming, who was lying on the roof of the carriage, had already put his finger on the trigger.

Duan Yu finally stumbled out of the valley and saw his father and Zhou Feng fighting fiercely. Several of Zhou Feng's men were aiming the outlet of the iron pipe at his father, and Duan Yu was immediately terrified.

"Father! Young Master Zhou! Stop hitting him!"