I am Jinshan Youxia

The desire for food is indeed quite important to people.

"Whoa!" Su Xinghe stopped the carriage, arranged the stools for passengers to get off, and lifted the curtain. "Uncle Zhang, we've arrived."

These small details of his were actually a way of flirting with the blind. Zhang Chengyi bent down and climbed out of the carriage, landing steadily in one step, and looked around curiously.

Su Xinghe didn't feel anything. Just because his master didn't need it didn't mean he didn't need to prepare. He respectfully said, "Master Zhang, please come in and sit down. I'll take care of the rest."

He beckoned to the waiter at the door, whispered a few words to him, and then had the waiter lead Zhang Chengyi inside. He then personally led the carriage to the backyard to park.

As you lift the curtain at the entrance of the inn, a wave of heat hits you. The lobby is bustling with activity, filled with conversations and shouts, and the smells of alcohol, sweat, and charcoal fill your nostrils.

The waiter, seeing that the gentleman beside him was probably holding his breath, quickened his pace with a broad smile and walked to the top of the stairs, saying, "Sir, please go up to the second floor."

Zhang Chengyi nodded, casually took out two coins from his purse and tossed them over, then strode upstairs.

The second floor was much quieter, but he wasn't alone; in fact, it was quite lively. Eighteen or nineteen burly men occupied several tables in the center, eating and drinking heartily. A woman who looked to be in her early twenties sat not far away, holding a pipa in her arms and singing a melodious tune.

Someone came upstairs, and he was clearly a master of internal martial arts. He immediately attracted the attention of several burly men. One of them, an old man, was very strong and had a white beard that reached his chest. He grabbed the burly man next to him and said something to him. After that, the group of men changed from a relaxed state to a state where they could draw their swords at any moment.

Zhang Chengyi chose a spot on the side. It was still February, so it was a bit chilly. But the stove in the inn was burning brightly. He took off his crane cloak and leisurely listened to the music, his fingers tapping slowly on the table in time with the melody.

Before long, the waiter brought over braised beef and a jar of Shaoxing wine, which could be served quickly.

Then, Su Xinghe went upstairs and stood behind his master, his eyes never leaving the burly old man in the distance.

Zhang Chengyi picked up a piece of beef with his chopsticks, chewed it, and said, "Sit down and eat with us. Consider it my order."

Su Xinghe hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "So that Uncle Zhang knows, those people in the middle should be from Qin Family Village in Yunzhou. The white-bearded old man is Yao Bodang, the head of Qin Family Village, who is a top-notch martial arts expert."

"Alright, we're all just passing through. Do you think we're afraid of them taking action?" Zhang Chengyi tapped the plate lightly with his chopsticks and said with a smile, "Sit down and eat."

"Yes."

Su Xinghe responded, and sat opposite him, clearly feeling uncomfortable. He was very reserved and hesitated to pick up his chopsticks.

Chapter 12 Rules of the Martial World, One-on-One

After several rounds of drinks and five courses of food,

Su Xinghe was repeatedly urged before he finally picked up his chopsticks and ate a little, but he didn't touch a drop of alcohol.

Zhang Chengyi didn't stand on ceremony at all, enjoying the meat and wine to his heart's content, and listening to the little tunes added a unique flavor to the meal.

The people in Qin Family Village gradually relaxed their vigilance and realized that the two people who went upstairs did not seem to have any hostile intentions. Only two people remained on guard, while the others continued to eat, drink and play.

"Where will I be when I wake up from my drunken stupor tonight? On the willow-lined bank, in the dawn breeze and under the waning moon..."

As the singer played her instrument, she suddenly changed the key for some reason, switching to a variation of the aria unique to the Northern Song Dynasty. The sad farewell song now sounded somewhat tragic and poignant.

Su Xinghe was the first to notice something was wrong. He turned his gaze and noticed the singer's hand holding the pipa.

"bass!"

The singer's high-pitched voice was melodious and beautiful, but it stopped abruptly before it ended. With a forceful tug, the hand holding the pipa pulled the long sword out of its sheath with a clang, and it pierced through the air towards Yao Bodang.

"Ding!"

Despite appearing flushed from drinking, Yao Bodang drew his sword to block the singer's assassination attempt the moment the sword was about to strike, and laughed loudly, "What a brilliant move, Golden Needle Tribulation Crossing! Does the Boundless Sword Sect intend to start another conflict with my Qin Family Village?"

After he finished speaking, he scrutinized the singer's face and said jokingly, "No wonder you look somewhat familiar. Are you a relative of that slut?"

"You scoundrel, prepare to die!"

The singer gritted her teeth and stabbed again, her long sword flashing in her hand. Wherever the sword passed, tables and chairs were broken, and leftover food and sauce flew everywhere.

She looks cool and beautiful, and is very dangerous, but for Yao Bodang, it's not much different from real dance.

The chieftain of Qin Family Village casually deflected all attacks with his knife, leading the singing girl around in circles, using "battle" to humiliate this vengeful man.

[The Boundless Sword Sect?]

Zhang Chengyi was a little confused. Qin Family Village in Yunzhou, but Yunzhou is in Shanxi. Isn't the Wuliang Sword Sect in Dali? How are these two related?

He flipped through his memories and suddenly realized that the Wuliang Sword Sect was divided into three sects: the Northeast, the West, and the Northeast. Every five years, they would hold a sword fight to determine the right to reside in the Wuliang Mountain Sword Lake Palace. Decades ago, the Northern Sect withdrew from the sword fight due to its decline, and the then sect leader led the entire Northern Sect to move to Shanxi.

Qin Family Village is located in Yunzhou, which is also in Shanxi Province, so anything could happen there.

Judging from Yao Bodang's words, a conflict has already occurred? After all, his words implied "another" dispute.

As for why the conflict occurred, Zhang Chengyi had some speculations.

In the novel, Yao Bodang is a complete villain. He led the best men of Qin Family Village to Suzhou to seek revenge on Murong of Gusu. His reason was that his junior brother Qin Boqi had been killed by someone using a special move. But after arriving in Suzhou, he said that "Murong of Gusu owed the Yao family one million taels of gold and five million taels of silver." His real intention was to kidnap Wang Yuyan and interrogate her about her martial arts skills.

He wasn't some treacherous or cunning fellow; he claimed that "whenever he saw gold, silver, jewels, handsome young men, or beautiful women, he would reach out and take them without hesitation," making him a true scoundrel.

Moreover, Qin Family Village was originally a group of mountain bandits and outlaws. According to Mr. Cha, they were a "bandit gang," and Qin Family Village was an outlaw stronghold.

Seeing the declining Wuliang Sword Northern Sect slink away to Shanxi, if they didn't try to gain some advantage, they wouldn't be mountain bandits.

As for the singer seeking revenge, that's probably just another common trope in the martial arts world.

Zhang Chengyi's mind raced. Seeing that the singer was no match for him and was about to be defeated, he opened his mouth and spat out a chicken bone with a "pfft".

"Whoosh!"

Relying on his decades of experience in the underworld, Yao Bodang listened to the sound and instinctively raised his sword to block in front of him. He looked up, trying to avoid the singer's death-defying sword strike. In a flash, the hair bun was instantly shattered, and the uneven gray hair flew everywhere. At the same time, the chicken bone arrived.

"Boom!"

After a dull thud, his body flew backward, smashing several tables and knocking down five or six of his henchmen who were there to help him. He finally came to a stop, lying sprawled on top of others, looking disheveled and exhausted.

The tiny chicken bone was now deeply embedded in the blade; it seemed that if someone had used their body to catch it, they would have been pierced through.

Clang!

Yao Bodang's arms were numb and sore, and he let the single-edged sword fall to the ground, his face full of lingering fear.

The singer was surrounded by the people of Qin Family Village, while three or four burly men looked nervously at Zhang Chengyi and Su Xinghe, who had just spoken offensively.

"May I ask your name?"

Yao Bodang slowly stood up, tucked his still trembling hands into his sleeves, and asked in a cold voice.

At this moment, even if he knew he was no match, it was absolutely impossible for him to admit defeat.

I'd rather die.

Besides, what kind of skill is it to use a sneak attack?

"Zhang Chengyi, the Wandering Swordsman of Jinshan," Zhang Chengyi cheerfully announced his name.

Yao Bodang racked his brains but couldn't recall such a person. What was even stranger was that no one would call themselves a 'hero'. He felt like he had been tricked and, suppressing his anger, asked, "Does this Brother Zhang have a grudge against my Qin Family Village?"

"No."

Zhang Chengyi sincerely denied it, and then said, "It was just a casual remark. I accidentally hit you. I'm sorry."

He was saying apologetic words, but his expression seemed to say, "I hit you on purpose, so what?"

"You rotten, asshole thief, fuck your grandma—"

Upon hearing this, a large, fat man among the bandits of Qin Family Village immediately began to curse.

"Slap him!" Su Xinghe appeared in front of the fat man with a cold face, like a ghost.

"Snapped!"

The teeth, along with half of his tongue, flew out, and the fat man fainted with a gurgling sound.

Su Xinghe stepped on the fat man's cheek, his boots gradually increasing pressure, wiping the horse manure that had gotten on the soles of his shoes from the stable. He looked indifferently at the blades around him, his killing intent palpable.

To insult his master is an irreconcilable enmity.

Even if his master Wuyazi were here, he would support him in wiping out this group of bandits.

"Crack!" The sound of a neck breaking was clearly audible, and the fat man died on the spot because of those words.

Yao Bodang's eyes blazed with fury as he shouted, "What brings you two here? Draw a line between us!"

Zhang Chengyi slowly put down his chopsticks, pointed at the singer, looked at Yao Bodang, and said, "Since you two have a grudge, then follow the rules of the martial arts world and fight one-on-one."

"it is good!"

Even though she knew she was no match for her enemy, the singer still answered loudly, her eyes fixed on him, never leaving his side.

Yao Bodang knew something was amiss, but at this moment he felt that his group was probably no match for these two enemies who had suddenly appeared. He was furious, but he could only dawdle for a while, using his internal energy to relieve the pain and numbness in his arms. Seeing that he couldn't delay any longer, he finally agreed: "Okay."

He gave one of his men a look, signaling them to wait for their chance to strike, intending to capture the leader first and then eliminate the man who was just sitting there watching the show.

Then he took a knife thrown to him by his subordinate, exhaled a deep breath, and a strong killing intent appeared in his eyes.

He had just been thinking about teasing and taking the little girl back to Yunzhou, but now he desperately needed a punching bag to vent his anger on.

Chapter 13 Yao Bodang, dead!

Everything seemed to have turned back time.

Yao Bodang and the singer were locked in battle again, and this time the balance of power tipped even faster than before.

This old bandit was a bit old, but he looked strong and powerful, with profound internal strength and overwhelming experience. He had only been teasing the singing girl before, but when he got serious, even though his arms were still a little uncomfortable and his chest was still tight, it would not be difficult for him to win easily.

Soon, the singer was in grave danger, feeling as if the next move would take her life.

"Whoosh!"

Yao Bodang was startled by the sound, and his moves immediately became chaotic. By the time he heard the thud of a chicken bone piercing a pillar and realized that Zhang Chengyi hadn't spat the chicken bone at him, it was too late.

With a hiss, a large gash was slashed open on his chest.

The singer rallied her spirits and continued her pursuit, causing Su Xinghe to secretly shake his head, preparing to step in and save her.

Pressing the attack after a victory isn't bad in a martial arts competition, but first you need to have the ability to do it. If your forehand is weak, your backhand is unskilled, your moves are sparse, and you lack experience, what's the point of pressing the attack? It just exposes more weaknesses and gives Yao Bodang an opportunity.

As expected, the old bandit seized the opportunity and ruthlessly slashed at the singer's neck. If the slash had landed, her body would have been severed from her body on the spot.

Meanwhile, taking advantage of the duel in the middle drawing everyone's attention, several bandits from Qin Family Village quietly changed the way they gripped their knives.

Su Xinghe didn't even notice this, his mind was completely drawn to the singer.

He wasn't weak. As Wu Yazi's disciple, even if his martial arts skills were somewhat lacking, he was still a top-notch expert in the martial arts world. The fact that he could go toe-to-toe with Ding Chunqiu in the novel shows his skill level. Even if he couldn't beat him, being able to fight was already very impressive.

However, he was too confident in Zhang Chengyi's abilities, and coupled with the fact that his master was clearly biased towards the singer, he completely failed to notice that the bandits of Qin Family Village were about to attack his master.

"Whoosh!"