Martial Arts Crossover: It All Started with Hijacking Li Canghai

As they stepped out of the Hall of Gathering Righteousness, a group of people had already arrived in front of the village gate. The leader of them was a thin man with a complicated expression.

It was Chen Jinnan, the leader of the Heaven and Earth Society, followed by several experts from the Heaven and Earth Society, including Xuanzhen Daoist, Xu Tianchuan, and Qian Laoben.

Chen Jinnan had already seen the three torches used to light the sky lanterns outside, and he also saw the guards cleaning up the corpses. After hearing what had happened in the Hall of Righteousness, he became even more wary of Qin Han's methods. When he saw Qin Han come out, he felt a mix of emotions. Alas, he really regretted his past actions.

He recalled how, back in Yangzhou, he had rejected this man and instead chose the cunning Wei Xiaobao. Afterwards, he couldn't sleep at night whenever he thought about it...

Wei Xiaobao asked his master several times why he was unhappy, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. He could only drink alone and say that it was nothing. If he had helped the person in front of him with all his might back then, with his abilities and the current strength of the Qin Dynasty, the great cause of overthrowing the Qing Dynasty would have succeeded long ago.

Qin Han had no interest in trying to figure out what Chen Jinnan was thinking, so he stepped forward, clasped his hands in a respectful greeting.

"Master Chen, you've come all this way, thank you for your hard work."

After all, they came to help, so we should give them the respect they deserve.

Chen Jinnan snapped out of his daze and quickly returned the greeting with a cupped-hand salute.

"Your Highness Ye is too kind. Resisting the Qing is our duty, and there is no need to talk about hardship."

As the two were exchanging pleasantries, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from the mountain path on the other side. A large banner embroidered with the words "Red Coat" fluttered in the wind, and three hundred knights were all dressed in red, close-fitting outfits. The woman at the head of the group wore a red cloak and carried a pear blossom spear. Her eyes and brows were full of heroic spirit.

It was Yang Miaozhen, the commander of the Shandong Red Turban Army.

Yang Miaozhen rode up to Qin Han, dismounted nimbly, clasped her hands in a salute, and spoke in a clear voice.

"Yang Miaozhen of the Red Turban Army greets Your Highness! Our Red Turban Army is willing to contribute to the resistance against the Qing!"

Seeing the newcomer's dashing appearance, Qin Han felt a surge of admiration for him.

Before he could reply, the sound of hooves came from behind. The banners of the Mu Prince's Mansion could be seen in the distance. Mu Jiansheng was on horseback, followed by Liu Dahong, Bai Hanfeng, Wu Lishen and other experts from the Mu Prince's Mansion. Fang Yi and Mu Jianping rode side by side behind them.

The two women's eyes swept across the crowd and quickly landed on Qin Han. A hint of joy flashed in their eyes at first, but when they saw the extremely beautiful women beside him, such as Xiaolongnu, Xia Qingqing, and Ajiu, they were surprised.

That initial joy faded away, leaving him with a complex mix of emotions. He already had so many outstanding women around him.

Qin Han saw the two of them and was about to go up and greet them when dust rose in the distance and the sound of even more powerful hooves rolled in. Chen Jialuo, the leader of the Red Flower Society, dressed in white with a short sword at his waist, took the lead.

Behind him followed Master Wuchen, Wen Tailai, Luo Bing, and other leaders. Luo Bing was dressed in a scarlet outfit, with a great figure. The pearl hairpin in her hair swayed gently with the swaying of the horse. Her bright eyes curiously looked at Qin Han, showing both the straightforwardness of a woman from the martial arts world and the charm of a mature woman.

Master Wuchen, Zhao Banshan, Wei Chunhua and other leaders also came, and a total of more than a thousand members of the Red Flower Society entered the mountain stronghold in a grand procession.

"Brother Ye!" Chen Jialuo clasped his hands in a fist salute on horseback and said loudly, "I heard that Emperor Kangxi wants to destroy our anti-Qing cause, so the Red Flower Society has come here to lend our support!"

Immediately following, the sound of the Beggars' Gang's bamboo sticks rang out, and the banner with the character "闯" (meaning "break through") from the Thirteen Families of Kuidong arrived. In the blink of an eye, heroes from all walks of life who opposed the Qing Dynasty gathered in front of the Golden Snake Camp's main headquarters, creating a tremendous spectacle.

Looking at the scene before him, Chen Jinnan felt quite emotional. This situation was due not only to the influence of Ye Wudao, the Golden Serpent King, but also to the recent rumors of his breakthrough to the Celestial Realm. People from all walks of life had come here, some hoping to gain merit on the battlefield against the Qing Dynasty because of his fame, and others hoping to make a personal connection.

Thinking of the Zheng family's entrustment, Chen Jinnan took a step forward, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, and spoke loudly.

"Lord Ye, esteemed comrades! I have brought news from the Prince of Yanping's residence! The Prince has mobilized his navy and will soon land in Shandong. A large number of muskets and cannons will be sent to our camp to help us fight against the Qing Dynasty!"

He paused briefly, then dropped an even more important bombshell.

"In addition, Zhu San Taizi, a descendant of the Tang Emperor, is currently under the protection of the Prince's Palace and is willing to step forward to vindicate our cause of restoring the Ming Dynasty!"

These words immediately caused a stir in the arena.

Mu Jiansheng frowned, cursing inwardly that the Zheng family was really going to great lengths to win over the Golden Serpent King. He dismounted, stepped forward, and spoke in a deep voice.

"Chief Chen, we admire the strength and power of the Yanping Prince's Mansion. However, our Mu Prince's Mansion has benefited from the Yongli Gui Prince's favor for generations, and the fifth prince of the Gui Prince's lineage is still among the common people."

My Prince Mu's Mansion has already sent people to make contact! As long as the battle situation is in our favor, we can welcome the Crown Prince and command the righteous army of the Ming Dynasty throughout the land!

The faces of the people from the Heaven and Earth Society immediately changed. With a formidable enemy at hand, they were now divided over which former Ming crown prince to support first.

Chen Jialuo quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

"Gentlemen, with the Qing army pressing in, the most important thing right now is to work together to repel the enemy. The matter of restoring the Ming crown prince can be discussed later."

The atmosphere in front of the village gate suddenly became somewhat delicate. Outside, 100,000 Qing soldiers were watching, but inside, the two factions had already split over who to support.

Yang Miaozhen, who hadn't said much, frowned slightly as she watched a group of men arguing over a mere title.

His gaze shifted to Qin Han, who was surrounded by a group of women. He thought to himself, "These men are really boring. They haven't even won the battle yet, and they're already scheming about the benefits to come. As for this Ye Wudao, is he a true hero or just someone with a hollow reputation?"

With a sudden thought, she spoke loudly, her clear voice drowning out the surrounding noise.

"Gentlemen! Today, heroes from all over the world have gathered here. Why not start with a martial arts contest to liven things up and let us see just what abilities Prince Ye, who can command so many heroes, possesses!"

Before she could finish speaking, she flicked her pear blossom spear, the tip of which pointed directly at Qin Han.

"Your Highness, I, Yang Miaozhen, humbly request to learn a few moves of the Pear Blossom Spear Technique from you!"

Yang Miaozhen's voice immediately drew everyone's attention. The various onlookers had different expressions. Chen Jinnan and Mu Jiansheng exchanged a glance, both feeling quite helpless. The female commander of the Red Coat Army was indeed fierce; she would take action if she said the wrong thing.

Chen Jialuo had intended to mediate, but she thwarted his plan with this martial arts contest, and he admired the woman's meticulousness.

Many others, however, couldn't hide their curiosity and excitement. The Golden Snake King Ye Wudao had recently been the subject of countless rumors in the martial arts world, defeating Yan Kuangtu with a single palm strike and capturing Palace Master Lianxing alive. It sounded like a storyteller's tale, and today they were eager to see for themselves whether it was true or not.

Qin Han looked at Yang Miaozhen, who stood there with a gun, exuding a heroic air, and found it a bit amusing. He thought to himself that this woman was much more straightforward than those old foxes. She wanted to use a martial arts competition to quell the current internal strife and also to probe my strength. He could take this opportunity to completely intimidate these people and avoid future troubles.

He nodded slightly, a faint smile on his face.

"Since General Yang is in the mood, I will naturally keep him company."