Martial Arts Crossover: It All Started with Hijacking Li Canghai

The inner courtyard of Aobai's residence.

Qin Han sat at a table on the south side, wearing a gray long robe. His face had been slightly altered, making him inconspicuous among the members of the Heaven and Earth Society.

When a Grandmaster conceals his aura, he is no different from a tofu seller on the street.

To the left were two disciples of the Heaven and Earth Society's Green Wood Hall, their faces tense, not even touching their chopsticks.

To my right sat a tall, thin middle-aged man I didn't recognize. He wore a jade thumb ring and was crunching peanuts. He looked like he was there for a feast, not to die.

Qin Han swept around.

Three hundred and twenty-seven people.

Chen Jinnan was at the third table on the east side, dressed as a merchant. His fake beard was quite convincing, though a bit rough.

Yue Buqun sat in the center, slightly in front, with Ning Zhongze next to him, and several disciples of Mount Hua sitting on either side.

Qiu Chuji was on the west side, and the five Quanzhen disciples were scattered and seated.

Zhao Zhijing's position is interesting.

The table closest to the side door was next to the aisle, and the chair wasn't pushed against the edge of the table, so I was only sitting on half of it.

Wei Xiaobao sat in the front row of the VIP seats, surrounded by twelve imperial guards. He boasted to the officials next to him in a high-pitched voice. It should be said that he was a favorite of Emperor Kangxi and was never short of sycophants.

Qin Han picked up a peanut and put it in his mouth.

Many people from all sides, including civil and military officials, arrived. More than three hundred people crowded into the central courtyard, outwardly exchanging toasts and laughter, but inwardly harboring their own secrets.

But these weren't what really bothered him.

Ma Boren had confessed that three hundred elite soldiers of the Plain Blue Banner were hidden in the front yard, and all ten streets outside the mansion were sealed off.

Members of the Divine Dragon Cult also infiltrated the area.

The only two people who haven't shown up yet are Jinlun Fawang and Hong Antong.

Qin Han tossed the peanut shells onto the table and picked up another one.

A master-level figure, if not in the open, must be operating in the shadows.

Those who lurk in the shadows are the most dangerous.

He showed no sign of anything amiss, and even poured a glass of wine for the tall, thin man next to him.

Just then, the curtain on the north side was lifted, and the sound of drums exploded.

Eight large drums, swung around and smashed by a burly man with a yellow banner, shirtless, causing the wine glasses on the table to bounce.

Ao Bai stepped forward.

He wore a dark blue robe with yellow trim, a pearl necklace, a sable hat, and tiger-head boots.

Standing on the high platform, the noise in the entire central courtyard seemed to diminish.

He was a man in his early fifties, broad-shouldered and burly, with bulging fat on his face.

He wasn't fat; he was incredibly muscular, to the point of being deformed. Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that he had practiced some kind of hard qigong.

This man killed more people on the battlefield when he was young than all of you combined.

Eight Tibetan monks followed behind him.

He was bald and barefoot, wearing a dark red kasaya, with a string of bone beads hanging around his neck, and his feet trembled slightly as he walked.

Qin Han glanced at it a couple more times.

He clicked his tongue twice, thinking that at least three out of the eight were exceptional.

Without the Golden Wheel Monk, this wouldn't be right.

Where did Ao Bai hide the Golden Wheel Monk?

Why hide it?

And where is Hong Antong from Shenlong Island?

If it were just dealing with these martial arts figures, the archers on the courtyard wall plus the Plain Blue Banner soldiers would be enough to crush them. The only ones who could escape would be people like Yue Buqun and Chen Jinnan.

The Golden Wheel Monk was a grandmaster, yet he used it to kill a few top-tier innate masters—it was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

Unless, Ao Bai knew that a Grandmaster would be present tonight.

The Golden Wheel Monk wasn't meant to be surrounded and annihilated, but rather to be used for "targeted killing"?!

Qin Han didn't stop chewing peanuts; he had already mentally reviewed the layout of Ao Bai's mansion.

Ao Bai sat down in the tiger-skin chair and glanced down.

The room was completely silent.

"it is good."

Just one word, delivered with such force that it struck everyone's chest.

"Those who were supposed to come, have all come."

Yue Buqun placed his right hand on the edge of the table.

Ning Zhongze moved half an inch closer to her husband.

Chen Jinnan held the wine glass, his hand so steady that a copper coin could stand upright on it.

Qiu Chuji closed his eyes, and the long sword on his back hummed slightly.

Zhao Zhijing lowered his head and rummaged through the vegetables. He picked up a piece of meat and brought it to his mouth. He paused for a moment, moved his lips twice, and then put it in.

Chewing very slowly.

Wei Xiaobao stood up, swaying as he raised his wine cup, and shouted towards the high platform, "Long live Young Master Ao! This servant has come to offer birthday wishes on the Emperor's orders! May Young Master Ao enjoy boundless happiness and longevity, and have a hearty appetite and excellent health!"

Among the more than 300 people in the hall, you couldn't find another person who dared to take such photos.

Ao Bai glanced at him.

"Xiao Guizi."

"Your servant is here!"

"Please thank the Emperor on our behalf."

(Our family is the one that Ao Bai arrogantly called himself after he came to power (a term often used by powerful ministers))

Ao Bai stretched out a palm as big as a fan, with his five fingers spread and then clenched.

"Go back and tell the Emperor that we will protect the Qing Dynasty for him."

The room was deathly silent.

Some of the civil and military officials turned pale, while others lowered their heads and never looked up again.

Saying these words in front of Emperor Kangxi's envoy was tantamount to rebellion, only lacking an imperial edict.

Wei Xiaobao chuckled awkwardly twice and sat back down; he was just a messenger.

It's no big deal to lose face like this; it's just that the young Emperor Kangxi is the one who's embarrassed. He made a hand gesture under the table.

Three fingers.

The gunpowder depot has been located.

Qin and Han saw it.

After chewing the last peanut, I slowly patted the crumbs off my hands.

Ao Bai picked up the golden cup in front of him and scanned it from left to right, looking at each cup one by one.

Look at the civil and military officials, the guests of the martial arts world, the Heaven and Earth Society, the Five Mountains Sword Sect, the Quanzhen Taoists, and those inconspicuous anti-Qing and Ming restoration righteous men in the corner.

"Today is our family's birthday, and we are honored that you have traveled a long way to come and offer your congratulations."

When the phrase "not a distance of thousands of miles" was mentioned, Ao Bai grinned.

"I am very happy."

The conversation turned.

"so……"

The golden cup was smashed on the ground!

Before the sound of shattering porcelain even landed, the four carved wooden doors slammed shut at the same time!

The iron bolts clattered down from the outside, locking everything in all directions.

Immediately afterwards!

"Buzz!!"

The strings resonate.

The dense sound of bowstrings being drawn.

On the three-story-high wall, a dark mass of crossbowmen emerged, numbering no less than two hundred on each of the four sides: east, west, south, and north.

Arrows were nocked, crossbows were fully drawn, flintlock guns were cocked, and more than a thousand people pointed them all at the courtyard.

The hall exploded.

Tables and chairs were overturned, bowls and plates were shattered all over the ground, martial arts practitioners drew their weapons, and civil and military officials crawled under the tables.

Chen Jinnan leaped to his feet, his sheathless longsword already in his hand.

Yue Buqun pulled Ning Zhongze behind him and drew his iron sword.

Qiu Chuji opened his eyes, and the long sword behind him spontaneously extended half an inch.

Zhao Zhijing's chair was empty.

The person had already shrunk behind a pillar next to the side door.

Ao Bai stood on the high platform, laughter rolling out of his throat.

"Our family has been waiting for this day for three months."

"Heaven and Earth Society. Prince Mu's Mansion. Red Flower Society. Five Mountains Sword Sect. Quanzhen Sect."

Calling out names one by one.

"Even the most rustic chickens and earthenware dogs are all here."

Qin Han remained seated and did not move.

The tall, thin guy next to me had already rolled under the table, scattering peanut shells all over the floor.

He dusted off his clothes, looked at the dark mass of crossbowmen on the four walls, and then at Ao Bai, who was full of pride on the high platform.

Wei Xiaobao huddled behind the VIP seats, looking terrified, and he was putting on quite a convincing act.

Ao Bai's voice came from above: "From this day forward, there will be no more rebels under heaven!"