Wu Dingyuan emerged from Tianshan Mountain and remembered his agreement with Yang Suguan and the others to gather in Xiliang on the night of the Lantern Festival. Having been in the cave for so long, he had lost track of time and feared he might have missed the appointed hour for meeting with everyone. He immediately rose and hurried on his journey through the night.
On the road, thinking of Yan Ting still in Zhuo Lingzhao’s hands, Wu Dingyuan couldn’t help but feel anxious, wondering whether the people of Kunlun Mountain would harm her. That Yan Ting was, after all, just a child with no grudges against the Kunlun people. He could only hope that Zhuo Lingzhao would remember his status as a grandmaster and not make things difficult for a young girl.
After traveling about ten li, his true qi gradually began surging turbulently, as if inexhaustible and boundless, his body feeling as though it might burst from being so swollen. Wu Dingyuan channeled his true qi and leaped forward with a great stride, his body instantly floating out about two zhang. While still in mid-air, he took another great stride, continuing without pause, actually moving faster than a galloping horse.
After running for half a shichen, he found it somewhat difficult to control his steps, with fierce wind striking his face like knives. Wu Dingyuan was inwardly shocked, feeling that his body was constantly filled with warm, abundant true qi that was extremely robust. Looking at this situation, he feared he already possessed deep martial power of more than sixty years – this secret martial art of Tianshan was indeed extraordinary.
During his rest on the road, Wu Dingyuan took out the secret manual he had brought from the cave. Upon careful reading, he learned that the great power of this “Purple Aura of Pīluó” far exceeded his imagination, and the cultivation method was so strange and indescribable that there was absolutely no second martial art in the world that could compare.
The general principles of cultivation read: “When Heaven is about to confer a great mission upon a person, it must first cause his mind to suffer, destroy his flesh and skin. To achieve divine skill, a true dragon must first have all five internal organs burned, removing the heart, destroying the kidneys, breaking the gallbladder to nurture the divine embryo. Without liver or spleen, one can act as one wishes.” This passage was absolutely stupefying. Although Wu Dingyuan had already endured various hardships, reading this still made him feel cold from the heart.
It turned out that the cultivation method of this “Purple Aura of Pīluó” was strange and peculiar, completely different from any martial art in the world. Generally, martial arts were achieved through hard practice and cultivation – either training internal power or practicing fists and feet, developing from internal to external, relying on one’s own ability. But this “Purple Aura of Pīluó” was vastly different. The practitioner needed to soak in various rare poisons and secret formulas to change their constitution, relying purely on external forces with little connection to the practitioner themselves.
It was also to transform the constitution that the predecessor who carved out the mountain cave set up the “Dark Sea” trial, making people soak until their skin rotted and internal organs were exposed, so that the effects of the “Fuxi Treasure Pool” and “Nüwa Heavenly Wine” would be enhanced. Only then could the practitioner “obtain a benevolent heart,” “heal the righteous liver,” “trust the kidneys,” “acquire the wise spleen,” and “gain the courageous gallbladder” to forge all the body’s organs, finally achieving the highest realm of “divine embryo precious blood conforming to the heavenly record, a generation of true dragons born from the sea.”
However, this “Purple Aura of Pīluó” could not be practiced by everyone. If one’s constitution was unsuitable or the opportunity was not right, one would surely die halfway through, not only failing to achieve the divine skill but being harmed by the medicinal wine. For this reason, the general principles began with the clear statement: “A person’s lifetime of wearing gold and purple robes is all fate. Achieving this divine skill depends entirely on heavenly destiny. If the practitioner is not someone with four pillars of the same destiny or three wonders covering the crown, they will surely die without a burial place. Be cautious, be cautious.”
Looking at it this way, Wu Dingyuan’s ability to achieve this divine skill depended half on his natural destiny and opportunities, and half on his own courage. Without various coincidences, he would never have been able to break through the difficulties and become that “generation of true dragon.” Only Zhuo Lingzhao, no matter how much he thought and planned, could never have imagined that Tianshan martial arts were practiced in such a manner. If he were asked to jump into the lake and die, even if beaten to death, he probably wouldn’t be willing!
Wu Dingyuan looked at that “Purple Aura of Pīluó” manual, knowing that if he practiced according to the method, he could make his true qi stronger and his techniques more refined. However, his purple-tinged right arm still wouldn’t obey his commands, and when channeling true force, it would emit a phosphorescent purple light with hints of extremely intense toxicity. This injury was caused by the bite of the underground strange snake. The book didn’t detail this, so he didn’t know whether it would interfere with his cultivation.
Wu Dingyuan looked at his right arm and thought: “This poisonous wound on my arm is quite severe. I wonder if the toxicity is still there? Will it harm my body?” He frowned and worried, but since there were no signs of poisoning in his body and he felt refreshed and clear-minded in his movements, he stopped paying attention to it.
Wu Dingyuan was eager to meet with Yang Suguan and the others, so he traveled through the night, rushing for several shichen. He saw the sky gradually turning white, with light frost forming on the morning sand. Looking around, the vast plain was shrouded in the dense fog of dawn, appearing especially hazy. At this time, he had been running for more than two shichen but still felt energetic without the slightest fatigue. His feet felt like riding clouds and controlling mist, swift as wind, thunder, and lightning, with all the scenery around him flying backwards. He was probably ten times faster than the world’s fastest thousand-li horses.
After traveling for a while longer, he vaguely saw a memorial archway ahead. Looking closely, he saw characters written on the archway: “Yumen Pass.”
Wu Dingyuan was inwardly shocked and thought: “I actually covered several hundred li in one night? How is this possible?”
When he went there, he had been pressed into a carriage by Kunlun Mountain experts and had traveled by carriage for more than ten days to reach Tianshan. Who knew that on the return journey, he had used only a single night! Looking at his own feet, the amazement in his heart was truly indescribable. He stood dazed for a long while before heading toward the pass.
Wu Dingyuan approached the pass, knowing that wearing the dragon robe, he absolutely could not enter the pass rashly. He then crept toward a nearby civilian house, wanting to steal some clothes to change into. But just as he reached the door, he bumped into an old man carrying water.
Wu Dingyuan was about to dodge when he saw the old man frightened out of his wits, crying out in alarm: “This… this is the Emperor!” He immediately knelt down and said: “This commoner kowtows to Your Majesty!”
Wu Dingyuan was shocked and laughed: “I… I’m not the emperor…”
The old man glanced around and whispered: “So Your Majesty is traveling incognito… that dragon robe… Your Majesty can rest assured, this commoner won’t go around talking about it…”
Wu Dingyuan smiled awkwardly: “I… I’m really not…”
The old man made a gesture for silence and whispered: “I understand all this, I won’t speak of it.” Then he said: “Is Your Majesty here for pleasure, or have you lost some consort?”
Wu Dingyuan thought: “Looks like I’ve encountered a strange person. I’d better escape quickly.” He cleared his throat and said: “I… I’m here to borrow clothes.”
The old man said “Oh!” and replied: “So Your Majesty finds the dragon robe uncomfortable to wear and wants to change into other clothes!”
Wu Dingyuan was delighted: “Exactly! Do you have clothes to lend me, old man?”
The old man thought: “It’s rare to encounter the emperor, I should definitely extort something.” He then said: “Lending is no problem, but I must have some reward.”
Wu Dingyuan frowned: “What kind of reward do you want, old brother?”
The old man thought: “I can neither read nor become an official. Since I’ve encountered the emperor, I might as well ask for a royal relative’s status.” He immediately said with a sinister smile: “My family has a daughter who’s thirty and still hasn’t married. I’m entrusting her to Your Majesty.”
Wu Dingyuan was shocked and quickly said: “How can this be acceptable? Don’t do anything rash.” But the old man was already shouting: “Guihua! Stop sleeping! There’s big news! Get up quickly and look!”
After shouting for a while, a disheveled woman rushed out, rubbing her eyes and saying: “Father, what’s the matter? Is there a thief?”
The old man pointed at Wu Dingyuan and shouted: “The Emperor has come!”
Wu Dingyuan saw that this woman had a mouth like a blood basin. Though not quite to the extent of having a green face and fangs, she was still a rarely seen ugly woman, which scared him so much that he broke out in cold sweat all over his body. Fortunately, when that woman saw Wu Dingyuan, she only looked him up and down a few times and said suspiciously: “This person looks foolish. Is he really the emperor? Could he be an actor who escaped from a theater troupe?”
Wu Dingyuan felt relieved and thought: “That was close! This woman has no interest in me. Looks like I can borrow some clothes.”
But the old man said: “Emperors have always looked foolish, otherwise how could they be emperors? Stop talking nonsense and quickly go kneel and bow!”
The woman muttered something and knelt forward, babbling: “This humble woman Guihua pays respects to Your Majesty.”
The old man pulled Wu Dingyuan and smiled: “Your Majesty, please rest. After you two are done, I’ll be the national father-in-law…” As he spoke, he pulled Wu Dingyuan into the bedroom and wanted to help him undress.
Seeing that woman already rushing into the bedding and opening her blood-basin mouth to smile seductively at Wu Dingyuan: “Looking at Your Majesty’s foolish appearance, your body is still strong! Let this concubine serve you well! I guarantee you’ll be so enchanted that you’ll immediately forget your three thousand beauties!”
Even though Wu Dingyuan had achieved peerless divine skill, smelling the garlic odor from that woman’s mouth and seeing her bowl-sized mouth, his legs were trembling. He shouted loudly, struck the old man’s pressure point, and began stripping the clothes from his body. The old man was alarmed: “What’s wrong with Your Majesty? Don’t you love the daughter but love the old man instead?”
Wu Dingyuan roared like a tiger and also took off his dragon robe, revealing his solid, strong muscles.
The daughter beside him was furious: “You rabbit! You’ve practiced iron muscles and bones in vain, but you’re not a real man!” She was about to rush forward and scratch him.
The old man shouted: “Guihua, don’t be rash!” Then he smiled apologetically: “If Your Majesty likes this style, that’s fine too. Though this old man is old, he’s still vigorous. Whether you want up, down, left, or right, even if you want to flip back and forth, this old man can risk his life to try…” Before he could finish speaking, he saw Wu Dingyuan already hugging his clothes and fleeing madly.
After this incident, Wu Dingyuan understood even more clearly the terror of having two suns in the sky. If Emperor Wu Ying were still alive, it would inevitably cause enormous strife in the world. Fortunately, this person was dead, otherwise who knows how much trouble it would cause.
Wu Dingyuan put on the clothes. It was now dawn with few travelers on the road, and the Yumen Pass guards had not yet opened the city. Wu Dingyuan approached the pass and looked around, trying to find a convenient way to enter. Just as he was looking, he suddenly heard someone behind him shout: “What are you doing! Why are you loitering here?” Wu Dingyuan turned around and saw a military officer with more than ten soldiers pointing at him and questioning him angrily. These people seemed to be guards patrolling the area.
Wu Dingyuan cupped his hands and smiled apologetically: “I am a merchant returning from the Western Regions. Because I traveled late, I missed the time to enter the city and have been lingering here. Please be accommodating and let me enter the city early.”
The officer said coldly: “So you want to enter the city! Come with me!”
Wu Dingyuan quickly said: “Thank you, military sir.” He followed the officer. After taking less than three steps, the soldiers on both sides suddenly reached out and grabbed him, while another soldier reached into his clothes and searched him thoroughly.
Wu Dingyuan was alarmed: “I am an ordinary citizen and law-abiding person. What is the meaning of this, sir?”
The officer sneered: “I don’t care who you are! Even if the old emperor himself came here, he’d have to pay one hundred taels of silver. This is called the pass life-preservation money! If it weren’t for us guarding here day and night, you damned common people wouldn’t have good days to live!”
Wu Dingyuan groaned inwardly. When he had earlier fallen into the hands of Kunlun Mountain, all his possessions had been searched away. Now he was penniless – how could he pay bribes?
The soldiers searched for a while and said: “This person has no silver, only a damn book!” They handed it to the officer. Wu Dingyuan groaned inwardly – that book was not an ordinary thing but the “Purple Aura of Pīluó” brought from Tianshan. His entire martial skill depended on it – how could he let others take it?
Just as he was calculating a strategy, he saw the officer had already received the book and cursed: “Dead pauper! You don’t even have a tael of silver yet dare call yourself a businessman. I think you must be a spy from an enemy country!” He looked at the book cover and cursed again: “Purple Aura of Pīluó? I’ll purple your grandmother’s head! If you’re going to carry a book, at least carry something with pictures and text. What kind of dog shit is this!” In his rage, he was about to tear the book apart.
Wu Dingyuan quickly said: “This book is important, sir! You absolutely must not tear it!”
The officer sneered: “Dead thing, you still dare to babble!” He exerted force, about to rip the book open.
Wu Dingyuan shouted loudly, using both hands to forcefully shake backward. The two soldiers who had been holding his arms heard a loud “boom” – their bodies flew out like rotten straw, then their heads hit the wall and collapsed like mud on the ground.
The officer was startled and shouted: “Bold criminal! How dare you resist arrest!” He drew his waist sword and chopped toward Wu Dingyuan’s head. Wu Dingyuan saw his move was fierce and urgent, thinking: “You only want some silver money and have no deep grudge with me – why do you strike with killing moves right away?”
Intending to teach the officer a lesson, he didn’t hold back either. With one move “Opening the Door to See the Mountain,” his right fist struck fiercely toward the officer’s nose bridge. This boxing technique was very common – even children knew it. The officer cursed: “Dead boy!” and turned his head to dodge. But a gust of wind came with an extremely foul smell. The officer’s breathing stagnated and his neck couldn’t move. Wu Dingyuan’s fist brushed past the man’s cheek, and with an “Ah!” of agonized screaming, the officer rolled to the ground, howling continuously.
Wu Dingyuan said coldly: “Don’t seek death – quickly stand up!” The officer just rolled on the ground, wailing constantly. The nearby soldiers, seeing this, were so frightened they scattered in all directions, each fleeing for their lives.
Wu Dingyuan frowned and pulled the officer up, but saw he was already motionless. Wu Dingyuan raised his fist as if to strike and shouted: “Bold corrupt official! Quickly take me into the pass!” But he saw that only half of the officer’s head remained – the other half had already rotted away as if corroded by strong acid, even exposing the skull. Wu Dingyuan was greatly shocked and thought: “Here it comes again! My punch was just a light strike – how could it have such power?”
It turned out that earlier punch, with just that brush, had actually poisoned this officer to death, and the other two soldiers, shaken by the force from his arms, had also died from hitting the wall. Wu Dingyuan was secretly alarmed, knowing his martial skill had become unfathomably high. In the future when making moves, he must hold back three parts of his strength, or he would definitely kill too much.
Suddenly he heard countless soldiers shouting behind him: “The spy is here! Quickly capture him!” These were the soldiers who had scattered earlier, bringing people back.
Wu Dingyuan didn’t want to entangle with them. Looking at the city wall, he thought: “With my current martial skill, perhaps I can leap over this city wall in one bound.” He extended his foot and forcefully kicked against the wall. With a loud “bang,” the bricks and stones of the wall were actually kicked down by him, creating a deep hole.
Wu Dingyuan was inwardly amazed. He lightened his steps, using only twenty percent of his true force to gently tap the wall. Even so, his body still floated up in the air, flying fiercely toward the top of the city. When his force was exhausted, Wu Dingyuan extended his foot to tap again, flying up another five zhang or more, already floating onto the city wall like a ghost.
The soldiers below, seeing his martial skill was so high, were all stunned speechless, looking up for a long time without saying a word. The guards on the city wall, seeing Wu Dingyuan floating up, were even more frightened out of their wits, screaming and scattering in all directions, running without a trace.
Wu Dingyuan looked at the empty city wall and couldn’t help but shake his head and sigh, not expecting that the military discipline of this first-class border fortress in the western frontier would be so corrupt, and the guards so utterly useless.
He leaped down from the pass and rushed urgently toward Xiliang. On the road, he asked people and learned it was already the seventeenth of the first month. He and Yang Suguan had agreed to meet on the fifteenth. Although he had been traveling non-stop, he was still two days late. Wu Dingyuan knew they must have headed toward Mount Hua, so he wasn’t particularly anxious. However, Yan Ting was still in the hands of Jiang Chong and his group, which was a troublesome matter. Seeing that he couldn’t meet with Yang Suguan, Qin Zhonghai and the others for the time being, he decided to travel slowly to observe the situation.
After traveling for two more days, he was near the outskirts of Liangzhou City. Although Wu Dingyuan’s body wasn’t tired, he was both hungry and thirsty. Seeing an inn nearby, he quickly rushed in, ordered two flatbreads and a pot of white wine, then opened his mouth and ate heartily. He had been picking wild fruits on the road these past days and hadn’t had a proper meal. This meal tasted incredibly sweet, and in no time he had eaten and drunk everything.
Wu Dingyuan licked his lips, still wanting more food, when he suddenly remembered his empty pockets – all his gold and silver had been taken by Kunlun Mountain, and he didn’t have a single coin. His expression changed as he pondered: “What should I do? Am I going to eat without paying?” Then he thought again: “I used to be a constable in this area, so owing him one meal wouldn’t be anything.” He then called for the waiter to bring more food and drink.
The shopkeeper nearby saw him reach into his clothes, then his face change color, and had already seen he was penniless. Yet he was still loudly calling: “Waiter! Bring me a plate of beef and two more flatbreads!”
The waiter agreed and brought the dishes from the kitchen. The shopkeeper sneered and blocked the waiter in the middle, shouting: “Wait!” He snorted and walked to Wu Dingyuan’s table, sneering: “Guest, we run a small business. Please settle your account first before eating and drinking.”
Wu Dingyuan said: “I’m a bit short of funds today. I’ll make it up to you later.”
The shopkeeper said: “Guest, don’t say we’re petty. Since you’re short of funds, why did you come to eat? Our small shop has always had a rule – we never give charity to beggars. Please pay up quickly!”
Wu Dingyuan heard his unpleasant words and his face darkened: “I used to be a constable in Xiliang City with countless friends and acquaintances. I would never eat and drink without paying here. Just serve the food – I’ll send the money later.”
The shopkeeper had probably heard this kind of boasting a hundred times a day. He immediately laughed and scolded: “If you’re a Xiliang constable, then I’m the governor of Gansu! I don’t care if you’re an official or commoner – if you have money, you’re a master; if you don’t have money, don’t come eating and drinking. Don’t try to freeload a meal or two here.”
Wu Dingyuan, being scolded like this, couldn’t help but feel embarrassed and thought: “Now I’m penniless – how can I pay? Should I swagger away?”
In the past, he had most hated this kind of eating without paying. If any subordinate did such a wicked thing, he would surely punish them severely. Although he was no longer a constable, he was unwilling to break his old principles, and for a moment didn’t know what to do.
The shopkeeper said: “Sir, the food and wine you just ate costs one qian of silver in total. Please pay quickly!”
Wu Dingyuan reached in to search but couldn’t find half a coin after a long time. Seeing the shopkeeper’s face becoming increasingly ugly, Wu Dingyuan steeled his heart and thought: “There’s nothing for it – today I’ll act like a rogue for once.”
Just as he was about to turn and flee, he suddenly saw a woman walk over and stuff a gold ingot into the shopkeeper’s hand, laughing coquettishly: “Ten taels of gold for the meal money – is this enough?”
At that time gold was precious and silver cheap – these ten taels of gold were worth fully three hundred taels of silver. The shopkeeper was overjoyed: “Enough! Enough! Even buying my entire small inn would be more than sufficient!”
Wu Dingyuan was quite surprised and looked up to see the woman with seductive flowing eyes and charming horizontal beauty – it was that female demon Hundred Flowers Fairy. Wu Dingyuan, suddenly seeing this woman, was greatly shocked and immediately jumped up.
Suddenly someone raised a blade to his neck and sneered: “Sit down obediently – we’ve been waiting for you for a long time.” This voice was indescribably harsh and cold – it was Jinyiwei Commander An’dao Jing.
Wu Dingyuan sat down as told and glanced around secretly, seeing Nine Nether Daoist, the foreign monk Luo Moshi and others each standing to one side, about ten or so experts in total.
At a table for eight in the distance sat two men. One had a shrewd and formidable face with a short beard – this was none other than Jiang Chong, Chief Inspector of Eighteen Provinces and Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince. The other was tall and slender with a scholarly air – this was the Kunlun Sect Leader, “Sword God” Zhuo Lingzhao. Seeing Zhuo Lingzhao and Jiang Chong drinking with lowered heads, their expressions remained normal upon seeing Wu Dingyuan, as if they had long expected him to escape alive from Shenji Cave.
All of them wore the clothing of ordinary merchants and traders, disguised as common people, but their faces showed fatigue. It seemed they had ridden hard through wind and dust to reach Liangzhou in just two days.
Wu Dingyuan’s heart sank as he cursed himself for not being careful and cautious, failing to check for suspicious people when entering the inn, and finally falling into their trap.
Zhuo Lingzhao smiled: “Commissioner Wu, your fate is truly great! That Dark Sea was so toxic, yet it didn’t harm you in the slightest. The divine skills of Tianshan are truly remarkable.” His words carried boundless envy.
Jiang Chong also sighed: “Good fate, good fortune, good health leading to prosperity in old age. Commissioner Wu is indeed a person with three wonders covering his crown – remarkable, remarkable! You’ve truly become a ‘generation of true dragon.'”
Hearing him say this, Wu Dingyuan was extremely surprised, but on second thought, since Jiang Chong could see the peculiarities in his physiognomy, he must be thoroughly familiar with the martial origins of Tianshan and could naturally deduce the source of his martial skills.
Wu Dingyuan was also an old hand in the martial world. Although powerful enemies surrounded him now, with the “Purple Aura of Pīluó” protecting him, there was no need to show weakness. Wanting to inquire about Yan Ting’s situation, he smiled slightly: “Thanks to both gentlemen’s blessings, I was fortunate enough to escape death. Speaking of which, I should thank you both.”
These words were extraordinarily calm, completely different from Wu Dingyuan’s usual worried and distressed appearance. Everyone was surprised, not knowing how he could remain so composed after falling into enemy hands, leaving them shocked and uncertain.
Jiang Chong raised his eyebrows and laughed heartily: “What Commissioner Wu says is true! If we hadn’t been fated to meet, Commissioner Wu wouldn’t have turned misfortune into fortune and received such divine skills. Speaking of it, we’re all one family!”
He laughed loudly again: “But since our two families are so close, brothers, if you need gold and silver, why not ask? I have everything, especially plenty of these round friends.” He gave a look, and an expert immediately brought out two heavy gold ingots and placed them before Wu Dingyuan.
Wu Dingyuan knew they intended to win him over, so he remained unmoved and said coolly: “If Your Excellency truly wishes to treat me as a guest, why not remove the blade from my neck?”
At this time, An’dao Jing was still holding a blade to his throat. Hearing these words, he was about to withdraw his weapon, but Jiang Chong shook his head: “The Tianshan successor is called a ‘generation of true dragon.’ For me to sit and drink with you would be like sleeping with a fierce beast – how can I not be cautious?” Hearing this, An’dao Jing tightened his blade again.
But Zhuo Lingzhao said: “You can all release him. With me here, no one in the world can harm Lord Jiang.” These words were spoken with such heroic spirit that everyone was moved. It seemed Zhuo Lingzhao was so confident in his supreme skills that he didn’t regard Wu Dingyuan at all.
Jiang Chong laughed heartily: “Since Sect Leader Zhuo says so, you can all withdraw!”
An’dao Jing muttered something under his breath: “Damn showing off like this.”
Someone from the Kunlun Mountain table shouted: “An’dao Jing! What foul language are you spouting from your dirty mouth?”
Wu Dingyuan, seeing the two groups still at odds, immediately smiled slightly: “Commander An is still as annoying as ever?”
An’dao Jing snorted but didn’t respond, sitting down by himself.
Nine Nether Daoist shouted to the shopkeeper and waiters: “Quickly bring wine and food!”
Several assistants hurriedly brought out hot dishes to serve.
Luo Moshi said in a low voice to everyone: “We have important matters to discuss. Please ask all irrelevant people to leave.”
Hearing this, Hundred Flowers Fairy immediately walked boldly to the door and announced loudly: “Listen everyone! We’re taking over this inn! All irrelevant people get out!”
The guests in the inn immediately erupted. This inn was right on the main route into the pass with many travelers coming and going – how could they all be driven out at once? A porter, indignant, immediately stepped forward angrily: “Woman! Why are you being so tyrannical? Tell your lover to come out – I don’t hit women!”
Wu Dingyuan knew Hu Mei’er’s methods were vicious and couldn’t help but sigh, knowing this porter would immediately meet disaster.
Indeed, Hu Mei’er snorted, and instantly slapped him, knocking out all his teeth, then kicked him, sending him rolling out the door. The Jinyiwei experts, seeing guests still in the inn, shouted: “What are you looking at? Do you want to die?”
Seeing these people with fierce faces and bright weapons in their hands, the guests immediately screamed and rushed out of the inn. Not one dared to stay, and the large inn became empty.
The Jinyiwei laughed heartily, all feeling refreshed. Just then, a light cough came from a corner. Everyone turned to look and saw a person wearing a cloak with white cloth wrapped around his head and foreign-style clothing, sitting alone in the corner drinking with his head lowered.
Hu Mei’er, seeing that person remain and not leave, shouted: “You’re really tactless! Get out quickly!”
The person kept his head down without speaking, as if deaf. Wu Dingyuan, seeing his dress and appearance, thought he was probably a Western Region person who couldn’t understand Chinese, so he just smiled: “This person doesn’t understand Chinese. You’re wasting your effort shouting at him.”
Hu Mei’er spat: “Even if he can’t understand human speech, he should understand hidden weapons! I want him to get out!” She raised her silver needles, about to throw them, when Jiang Chong said: “Fairy, don’t hurt anyone! Since this person is a foreigner, he probably won’t interfere. Let him pass.”
Hu Mei’er frowned: “Lord Jiang is drinking here – how can he be disturbed by outsiders?”
Jiang Chong smiled: “It’s fine. We’re in Xiliang, not like in the capital. A smaller display is no problem. As long as this person can’t understand Chinese, it won’t matter.”
An’dao Jing praised admiringly: “Your Excellency truly has extraordinary bearing, never bothering with common people.” This An’dao Jing was truly capable – he could produce flattery anytime, anywhere. Traveling with Jiang Chong must be endlessly entertaining.
Jiang Chong laughed heartily. He drank a cup of wine and looked Wu Dingyuan up and down: “How about it! What’s it like being a ‘generation of true dragon’?”
Wu Dingyuan’s heart trembled: “What does Lord Jiang mean by this?”
Jiang Chong smiled slightly: “Since you crossed the Dark Sea, how could you return empty-handed? You must have learned something, right?”
Wu Dingyuan pondered: “Only three people in this world know the secrets of Shenji Cave – one is me, one is Zhuo Lingzhao, and the other is this treacherous minister. Given the importance of this secret, he must consider me a thorn in his side. I must be careful in dealing with this.” He pretended to be surprised and just said “Oh!” asking: “What secret? Why are Lord Jiang’s words so hard to understand?”
How formidable was Jiang Chong! Seeing Wu Dingyuan’s expression change slightly, he already knew he had grasped the mystery of Shenji Cave. He cleared his throat lightly: “Commissioner Wu, whether you know or don’t know, you must understand the principles of being human, or however many heads you have won’t be enough for people to chop off.”
Wu Dingyuan said “Oh!” and replied: “What principles? Please speak plainly, Lord Jiang.”
Jiang Chong chuckled coldly and said ominously: “Some words should be said, even sung. Some words shouldn’t be said – even if your head is chopped off, you can’t hum a single word. This is called ‘keeping your mouth sealed like a bottle.’ Do you understand?”
Wu Dingyuan thought: “This Jiang Chong is truly formidable. I only frowned slightly and he could already see I had something on my mind. Let me probe his depths.” He cleared his throat: “Lord Jiang, I have no other virtues – I’ve always said what I think and done what I want. That’s what a righteous gentleman does. If someone wants me to hide and cover up, it would make me feel terrible all over and become a shameless villain.”
Jiang Chong, being contradicted like this, flashed yellow on his face and said ominously: “Commissioner Wu, do you really want to be my enemy?”
Wu Dingyuan said coldly: “I, Wu, have walked the world without feuding with anyone, always upholding the law. If Your Excellency acts righteously and sits properly, how would I dare offend you?”
At that time, Wu Dingyuan in Shenji Cave had preferred to jump into the lake and die rather than accept Zhuo Lingzhao’s favor. Now that he had mastered the “Purple Aura of Pīluó” from Tianshan, there was absolutely no reason to bow his head. His words brooked no compromise.
Jiang Chong was furious and about to speak when Zhuo Lingzhao smiled slightly and interjected: “Commissioner Wu speaks so arrogantly – I suppose you’re relying on the peerless martial skills from Tianshan? Why don’t I exchange a few moves with you to help Commissioner Wu cool down his temper?”
Wu Dingyuan’s heart jumped. He had witnessed Zhuo Lingzhao’s martial skills before. Though his own martial arts were incomparable to the past, competing with this Sword God was no ordinary matter. He truly didn’t know if he could withstand Zhuo Lingzhao’s heaven-shaking strike, so he remained silent.
Jiang Chong snorted: “After becoming a ‘generation of true dragon,’ your horizons have probably expanded too. But Commissioner Wu, if your memory isn’t bad, you should still remember that I impeached you once in the capital, right?”
Wu Dingyuan was shocked, immediately remembering Lord He coming to the Liu residence to investigate his past. He frowned and pondered: “Listening to this treacherous minister, he must have some shameless scheme to deal with me. If I truly become his enemy, I’m afraid he’ll think of every way to deal with me in the future. Even if I escape this place, what peace can I have?” This treacherous minister had more than one method of harming people. In the future, he could constantly find fault, impeaching Wu Dingyuan once or twice daily. As long as one remained an official in court, even the highest martial skills would be useless. Thinking of this, his face had already turned deathly pale.
Jiang Chong, seeing his worried expression, guessed he was already afraid and smiled: “Don’t be so afraid of me. I, Jiang Chong, won’t deliberately make trouble for you. As long as you properly agree to two things, our two families will never harm each other again. What do you say?”
Wu Dingyuan knew the opposition had great wealth and power with many experts. Even with Liu Angtian protecting him, it might not turn out well. He immediately snorted: “What are your demands? Say them all at once.”
Jiang Chong smiled: “The first matter couldn’t be simpler – keep your mouth shut. Say what should be said, don’t say what shouldn’t be said, and everything will be fine.”
Wu Dingyuan understood clearly. He knew Jiang Chong had misgivings, deeply fearing that the secret of Emperor Wu Ying having stayed in Shenji Cave would spread. If he were to publicize it extensively, it would inevitably cause discussion among court officials. He immediately said: “Receiving the ruler’s salary means being loyal to the ruler’s affairs. I, Wu Dingyuan, am the emperor’s subject and naturally serve His Majesty loyally. This mouth will only speak of things beneficial to the country and will never speak nonsense.”
These words weren’t meant to please Jiang Chong. The matter of the previous emperor dying in Shenji Cave was extremely confidential – how could it be discussed casually? If he carelessly spread these matters, not only would it attract attention, but it might also cause court upheaval. The senior expert who created Shenji Cave had also instructed him not to spread the secrets randomly. Wu Dingyuan, thinking of this, naturally preferred to speak less about it.
Jiang Chong was pleased: “Sensible! Sensible!”
Wu Dingyuan, unwilling to appear too weak and lose face, immediately said: “Though I say this, I, Wu, cannot tolerate those who constantly make slanderous accusations and daily defile the sacred wisdom.”
Jiang Chong laughed endlessly: “Exactly! I’ve long found Liu Jing of the Eastern Depot disagreeable! Well said! Well said!”
Wu Dingyuan, seeing how easily he changed the topic, also secretly admired his eloquence and wit. He cleared his throat: “What about the second matter you want to discuss, Lord Jiang? Might as well speak of it.”
Jiang Chong chuckled: “Commissioner Wu, this second matter is no small thing. I, Jiang Chong, must get to the bottom of it. As long as this matter remains unclear for one day, I can’t eat properly.”
Wu Dingyuan thought: “Looking at his manner, this second matter is certainly significant. I must be careful.” He cleared his throat: “If Your Excellency has something to say, speak it directly without much other talk.”
Jiang Chong raised his eyebrows, his expression becoming extremely serious. He said ominously: “Commissioner Wu, did you see ‘him’?”
Wu Dingyuan, hearing this inexplicable “him,” was immediately shocked and thought: “Good! He’s asking about Emperor Wu Ying!”
Others didn’t know what this “him” or “not him” meant and were completely confused. Only Zhuo Lingzhao’s expression changed, knowing Jiang Chong was pressing about matters related to national destiny.
Jiang Chong, seeing Wu Dingyuan so tense, guessed that in his urgency he would definitely speak carelessly. He immediately sneered: “Commissioner Wu! I, Jiang Chong, am most fair in my dealings and would never question you for nothing. As long as you can honestly answer me, I’ll immediately give you something sweet to eat.” He waved his hand: “Bring it all up!”
A general walked over from the side, taking out a small brocade box containing a thick stack of banknotes.
Jiang Chong smiled: “This batch is sweet – one banknote worth one hundred taels, a total of one thousand notes, exactly one hundred thousand taels of silver here.”
Everyone, seeing such an enormous sum, couldn’t help but gasp in amazement. An’dao Jing was even drooling. Jiang Chong pushed the banknotes toward Wu Dingyuan: “As long as you tell me what you saw and heard in Shenji Cave, these one hundred thousand taels of bright silver will be yours.”
Wu Dingyuan had always been upright, honest, and self-respecting, but seeing this thick stack of banknotes, his heart couldn’t help but pound. His annual salary was only 240 taels of silver. To earn these one hundred thousand taels would take exactly five hundred years – how could this not amaze him?
Although Wu Dingyuan wasn’t a moral gentleman, he knew these bandits’ money came from dirty sources – either bribes or embezzlement – and absolutely couldn’t be taken. He coughed: “Lord Jiang, this effort is wasted. Money comes with nothing and leaves with nothing. I, Wu Dingyuan, am not a greedy person. You need not use this to threaten me.”
Jiang Chong sneered: “Oh! Don’t like sweet treats? Then how about some bitter medicine?” He waved his hand: “Bring the bitter stuff!”
Wu Dingyuan was startled, thinking: “What bitter stuff?” The Jinyiwei nearby responded, and soon a young girl was brought out under guard – it was Yan Ting.
Wu Dingyuan was both shocked and delighted, immediately calling: “Miss Yan Ting!” Yan Ting was also overjoyed, calling: “Lord Wu! Heaven be praised, you… you’re finally safe!” Tears streaming down her face, she was about to rush toward Wu Dingyuan when a guard grabbed her around the waist and shouted: “Don’t move!”
Wu Dingyuan, seeing Yan Ting held in someone’s arms, couldn’t help but shout: “Don’t hurt her!”
How formidable was Jiang Chong! From observing expressions at Tianshan, he knew Wu Dingyuan had feelings for this woman. He smiled coldly: “Commissioner Wu, the bitter medicine is here! If you give me a careless answer, boast, or play games with me, hehe, these ten or so strong men are all wolfish by nature. With a virgin girl here, you know what I mean, right?”
Wu Dingyuan snorted: “Stop threatening me!”
Jiang Chong smiled and immediately gave a look. An’dao Jing smiled: “Commissioner Wu, watch closely!” With a “swish,” his “Nine Turns Blade” was already unsheathed, instantly cutting away a piece of clothing from Yan Ting’s shoulder. His blade work was sharp and didn’t harm her skin in the slightest, but even so, Yan Ting was already screaming in terror, and Wu Dingyuan was beside himself.
Jiang Chong smiled: “Commissioner Wu, less nonsense and more serious business, understand?” The wine drinker in the corner trembled, seemingly quite horrified by the interrogation scene before him. The shopkeeper, seeing this group of fierce demons, had long since hidden in the back kitchen, and not half a person dared come out to ask a single question.
Wu Dingyuan gritted his teeth and said in a low voice: “What exactly do you want to know?”
Jiang Chong smiled and poured wine for Wu Dingyuan: “There used to be someone in the court named Marquis Wude. Have you heard of him?”
Wu Dingyuan, not caring what he was talking about, just shook his head and casually said: “Never heard of him.”
A cunning expression flashed across Jiang Chong’s face as he smiled: “It’s good you haven’t heard of him. The more you know, the faster you die – you understand this, right?” Wu Dingyuan was inwardly indignant, but given the current situation, he could only nod.
Jiang Chong said: “This Marquis Wude was a greatly rebellious creature. The so-called integrity of loyal ministers and filial sons couldn’t be seen in this person at all. Relying on his high martial skills, he harbored treasonous intentions. Years ago, outside Yumen Pass, he murdered the previous emperor. Do you know this?”
Wu Dingyuan, staring at Yan Ting, saw she was very frightened with tears in her eyes. He immediately said: “Your Excellency, speak quickly – I have other matters to attend to!”
An’dao Jing jumped out and shouted: “When His Excellency speaks, you listen carefully!” He was about to strike at Yan Ting with his blade, but Jiang Chong was a thoroughly formidable character. Seeing Wu Dingyuan’s distracted mind constantly looking at Yan Ting, he reached out to stop An’dao Jing and smiled: “It seems this chair is too hard for our Commissioner Wu to sit comfortably. Someone, please have this young lady sit over there.” He ordered people to bring a chair for Yan Ting to sit beside Wu Dingyuan.
As soon as Yan Ting sat down, she immediately hugged Wu Dingyuan and burst into tears. Wu Dingyuan was overjoyed and whispered: “Miss, don’t be afraid. We’ll definitely escape safely in a while.” Yan Ting sobbed: “I thought you were dead. Thank heavens you didn’t die in that ghost cave…”
Wu Dingyuan was about to reply when he heard Jiang Chong laugh heartily: “Commissioner Wu, is the chair more comfortable now?”
Wu Dingyuan’s face reddened slightly: “Your Excellency, please speak.” His tone immediately became much more relaxed.
This Jiang Chong was truly formidable – he could see others’ inner needs and thoughts at a glance. If not for this, how could so many heroes in the world submit to him one by one?
Jiang Chong smiled: “Heroes have trouble with beautiful women – why should Commissioner Wu blush?”
Seeing Wu Dingyuan’s face darken, knowing he was quite thin-skinned, he changed the topic: “Speaking of this Marquis Wude, this person was truly trouble for the court. It took great effort to execute his entire family, but this person’s ghost still lingers, determined to oppose me. Sigh… speaking of it, this person could be considered half your master!”
Although Wu Dingyuan’s mind was distracted, his eyes completely focused on Yan Ting’s small face, hearing these words still shocked him. He raised his head: “What? Half my master?”
Jiang Chong smiled: “Where do you think the peerless martial skills of Tianshan came from? They didn’t fall from the sky!”
Wu Dingyuan, seeing Zhuo Lingzhao’s face show envious expression, suddenly understood. He said tremblingly: “This Marquis Wude was the one who created the martial arts of Shenji Cave?” He had heard Liu Angtian mention this loyal minister before, but never imagined he would be related to the martial skills in his body. He felt quite strange inside.
Jiang Chong smiled: “Indeed, you have a constable’s background – quite clever when you speak.”
Wu Dingyuan, remembering Liu Angtian’s accounts of this famous minister’s various deeds, couldn’t help but become lost in thought, muttering: “Could this Marquis Wude not have died…”
Zhuo Lingzhao interjected: “You can rest assured about this – he died long ago.”
Wu Dingyuan said “Hmm.” Although he knew this predecessor had indeed passed away long ago as Liu Angtian had said, hearing Zhuo Lingzhao say this still made him feel somewhat melancholy.
Jiang Chong smiled: “You seem quite disappointed? Young friend, if this person were still alive, probably half the world’s people would die. He was the world’s greatest demon star – what are you feeling regretful about?”
Wu Dingyuan sighed: “What exactly does Your Excellency want to know? Please give your orders quickly.”
Jiang Chong smiled: “After this bastard Marquis Wude died, he still left behind several problems – things like ‘in the year of Wuchen, at year’s end, the Dragon Emperor moves the world’ and peerless martial skills in ghost caves, constantly trying to lure people into drilling into that cave. Even our Sect Leader Zhuo, with such brilliant martial knowledge, almost fell for this person’s divisive schemes, so you can imagine how other ordinary mortals would be deluded.”
Zhuo Lingzhao’s face flashed with anger as he said in a low voice: “What does Lord Jiang mean by this?” He had always been arrogant and conceited – how could he tolerate others insulting him? He immediately questioned this.
Jiang Chong patted Zhuo Lingzhao’s shoulder and smiled: “Sect Leader Zhuo has the world’s best martial skills. Going to that cave was just to find experts of comparable martial skills for sparring – how could that be falling into someone’s trap? Right, Sect Leader Zhuo?”
Zhuo Lingzhao looked up at the sky without a word, clearly quite displeased.
Jiang Chong, no longer paying attention to him, said to Wu Dingyuan: “Saying all this is really just to tell you one thing – everything you saw and heard in Tianshan was all fabricated nonsense that absolutely shouldn’t spread. Do you understand?”
Wu Dingyuan chuckled dryly without committing either way, but thought: “The more he says this, the more it shows his guilty conscience. It seems that although this treacherous minister is formidable, Shenji Cave still terrifies him.”
Jiang Chong smiled and said in a low voice: “Commissioner Wu! Tell me, what exactly did you see when you entered Shenji Cave? Did you see ‘him’?”
This question was being asked for the second time, still shocking Wu Dingyuan greatly. He knew the main event had begun. He cleared his throat: “What if I saw him? What if I didn’t?”
Jiang Chong said ominously: “If you saw him, you should die. If you didn’t see him, hehe, that would be best.”
Wu Dingyuan, seeing his expression become extremely sinister, was greatly shocked despite his newly achieved martial skills. He pondered: “The predecessor who taught me the Purple Aura of Pīluó also instructed in the book that I absolutely must not spread the secret, or there would definitely be strange disasters. Looking at Jiang Chong’s nervous state, this secret must be extraordinarily significant. I can’t let slip any hint no matter what.” Thinking of this, he slowly said: “To be honest, I didn’t see anyone. Lord Jiang need not be so nervous.”
Jiang Chong’s expression darkened: “You truly didn’t see anyone?”
Wu Dingyuan shook his head: “If I had seen this person, what a momentous matter that would be! How would I still have the leisure to eat at a small inn?” These words were quite forceful and immediately made Jiang Chong much more at ease.
Jiang Chong raised his voice: “Well said. But what about his corpse? Even if you didn’t see the person, you must have seen the remains. Tell me, where are those bones?”
Wu Dingyuan’s heart trembled as he thought: “It seems Emperor Wu Ying truly stayed in that cave for a while, otherwise with Jiang Chong’s shrewdness, he definitely wouldn’t be so nervous.”
Jiang Chong, seeing him lower his head in thought, suddenly shouted sternly: “Surnamed Wu! Tell me where his corpse is!” Yan Ting, seeing his threatening demeanor with beard bristling, was so frightened her face lost all color and she cried out in alarm.
Wu Dingyuan remained quite calm. He just shook his head: “I didn’t see anything.”
Jiang Chong shouted: “Is this true!” His words carried extreme intimidation.
Wu Dingyuan sneered: “Lord Jiang! You need not speak like this. Believe it if you want – what can I do about it?”
An’dao Jing shouted: “Audacious! How dare you talk back in front of Lord Jiang!”
With one slash, he struck fiercely toward Wu Dingyuan’s chest. Seeing An’dao Jing’s blade come so urgently, Wu Dingyuan was barehanded at the moment and in his panic could only extend his right hand to block his chest. With a “thud,” the blade edge had already pierced Wu Dingyuan’s wrist.
The blade disappeared into flesh, seemingly penetrating quite deeply. Yan Ting screamed: “Lord Wu! Your hand…” In great shock, she was about to come examine his wound. Wu Dingyuan was also dismayed, thinking: “My right hand is ruined.”
Jiang Chong angrily said: “Commander An! Who told you to strike so heavily!”
An’dao Jing smiled apologetically: “It… it was he who extended his hand to block – you can’t blame me for this…”
As they spoke, suddenly there was a loud “crack” – An’dao Jing’s steel blade somehow had its edge shattered into fragments, all broken on the ground, while Wu Dingyuan’s wrist showed not half a drop of blood. Everyone, seeing this strange phenomenon, cried out in shock.
An’dao Jing was greatly startled. He lifted the blade to look and saw the blade body was already damaged, with the broken edge looking as if it had been melted by fire, all sticky and molten. An’dao Jing rubbed his eyes and said tremblingly: “You… what kind of evil magic is this?”
Wu Dingyuan himself was also extremely shocked. He opened his mouth wide, looking at his right palm. He saw that apart from being deep purple in color, the palm showed no other abnormality. He didn’t know how it had become impervious to blades and spears.
While everyone was amazed, Zhuo Lingzhao said coldly: “What a ‘Purple Aura of Pīluó’ – truly worthy of being called Tianshan martial arts, the world’s most sinister skill.”
Wu Dingyuan, hearing him call out the origin of his martial art, was quite surprised and just stared at Zhuo Lingzhao speechlessly.
Over there, Jiang Chong was quite troubled. Seeing Wu Dingyuan unharmed, he no longer paid attention to it. He was seen pacing back and forth, stroking his facial features and sighing: “This… no human figure in the cave, no corpse either – what’s going on?”
Zhuo Lingzhao picked up his wine cup and sipped lightly: “Anyway, when cannons fire, even the greatest secrets will be obliterated. Why should Lord Jiang worry?”
Jiang Chong shook his head: “That’s true enough. Sigh… in any case, without seeing the corpse with my own eyes, I just can’t put my mind at ease.”
Zhuo Lingzhao, seeing Jiang Chong’s distress, immediately said: “As they say, good people have their own heavenly protection. Lord Jiang need not torment yourself so. Come, let’s have a drink!”
Jiang Chong took the wine cup and suddenly sighed deeply, saying in a daze: “Why do I, Jiang Chong, have such a toilsome fate! Those bastards in court spend all day thinking of ways to eliminate me. From the rebels of years past to today’s Liu Jing and Liu Angtian, which one doesn’t raise the banner of ‘purging the emperor’s side’? Some rebel openly, others assassinate secretly, none understanding my loyal heart for serving the ruler and loving the people. Sigh! Why do I have such an ill fate!” He drank it all in one gulp, and Zhuo Lingzhao and others all accompanied him with a cup.
Wu Dingyuan inwardly cursed: “Does this dog official still have a conscience? He’s harmed so many people yet still complains against heaven and others.”
Jiang Chong put down his wine cup. Seeing Wu Dingyuan’s indignant expression and angry gaze toward him, he said: “Looking at Commissioner Wu’s expression, it seems he also wants to drink a cup? Someone pour the wine.” An’dao Jing rushed forward to pour wine for both men.
Jiang Chong raised his cup and smiled at him: “Fate brings us together across a thousand li. Last time I sincerely invited you to work together. Today, with this cup of thin wine, let’s resolve our enmity and work together to serve the country. What do you say?”
Wu Dingyuan, seeing his smiling, cunning old fox appearance, immediately thought of all the injustices he’d witnessed over the years. His heart hardened, and he poured the wine on the ground, shouting loudly: “Who wants to resolve enmity? For your own wealth and glory, how many people have you killed? Look what you’ve turned this world into! Officials aren’t officials, people aren’t people – everyone just thinks of gaining advantage, harming others and themselves, none doing good! Yet you still speak shamelessly here – aren’t you ashamed!”
Everyone, hearing his fierce accusations, was furious and drew their weapons, waiting for an order to attack and kill. Beside him, Yan Ting, seeing him directly confront Jiang Chong, was also frightened pale.
Who knew Jiang Chong wasn’t angry but laughed instead. He clapped his hands and smiled: “What a Commissioner Wu! These words are truly spectacular. Did Liu Angtian teach you to say this?”
Wu Dingyuan pointed and cursed: “Every hero in the world knows you are the source of all evil! If you still have any shame, retire immediately! Stop harming the people!”
Jiang Chong smiled slightly: “Source of all evil? That’s too flattering, isn’t it? Commissioner Wu, right and wrong, black and white, are never as simple as you think. If we really opened up all the rotten accounts, no one in court would come out well. Let me tell you truthfully – among the current court ministers, I’m still considered a good person. You’ll slowly understand this.”
Wu Dingyuan snorted and was unwilling to respond.
Jiang Chong shook his head: “Looking at you like this, you’re probably still wrongly blaming good people. But there’s plenty of time ahead – I’ll gradually persuade you.”
Wu Dingyuan, hearing his intention to escort him somewhere, immediately changed his thoughts, pondering: “I must find a way to escape with Miss Yan Ting later. Otherwise, falling into these bandits’ hands and becoming their accomplice would be a fate worse than death.”
Jiang Chong sighed and raised his wine cup, slowly draining it. He let out a long breath: “Having said so much, we should also settle the bill. Shopkeeper, come here!”
The shopkeeper hurried over with an apologetic smile: “Sir, are you leaving? Did you enjoy your meal?”
Jiang Chong smiled: “I enjoyed the meal and the conversation. Your inn isn’t bad – I’ll come patronize it again in the future.” He took out a heavy gold ingot and threw it to the shopkeeper.
This gold ingot seemed to weigh fully ten taels. The shopkeeper’s hands sank as he quickly caught it, overjoyed: “Thank you, Lord Jiang.”
Jiang Chong’s expression suddenly changed as he said in a low voice: “What did you call me?”
The shopkeeper, not knowing why he was angry, panicked: “Lord Jiang, please calm down. I… I just heard them call you that and followed along. I meant nothing else…”
Jiang Chong sighed: “Do you know that the words ‘Lord Jiang’ cannot be called casually?”
The shopkeeper was startled: “This… this humble one doesn’t know.”
Jiang Chong sighed: “Calling ‘Lord Jiang’ is like summoning souls.”
Instantly, several screams echoed through the inn. Several waiters had already been separated from their bodies, killed by Jiang Chong’s subordinates. Wu Dingyuan and Yan Ting were both shocked and cried out in alarm. An’dao Jing, fearing Wu Dingyuan might intervene, quickly raised his blade to Yan Ting’s throat, signaling Wu Dingyuan not to act rashly.
The shopkeeper was frightened out of his wits, kneeling on the ground and begging for mercy: “Sirs, please show mercy! I know nothing – just spare my life!”
Several experts looked at Jiang Chong, waiting for his signal. Jiang Chong shook his head: “This time I’m traveling incognito from the capital – absolutely cannot let others know, or if that Liu Jing impeaches me, that would be no joke. This shopkeeper already knows my identity and absolutely cannot be left alive.” An expert raised his blade and struck. The shopkeeper screamed and fell into a pool of blood.
Wu Dingyuan couldn’t bear it and shouted: “You’re so cruel! This person knows no martial arts, yet you can bring yourselves to kill him!”
An’dao Jing shouted loudly: “Lord Jiang’s word is imperial decree – say less! No one will think you’re mute.”
At this time, only one guest remained in the inn – the merchant with white cloth wrapped around his head. Hu Mei’er was already approaching that person, silver needles in hand, about to finish him off on the spot.
Silver light flashed as instantly over a hundred silver needles flew toward the merchant. Just then, a golden light also flashed as something rushed toward Hu Mei’er. In mid-air, continuous clanging sounds rang out as countless silver needles struck that object and scattered to the ground.
The golden light broke through Hundred Flowers Fairy’s silver needle formation and continued unabated, rushing fiercely toward Hu Mei’er. Hu Mei’er, seeing the golden light approaching, quickly rolled aside to avoid it. An’dao Jing called out: “It’s the Heavenly Golden Wheel!” Everyone was shocked to hear this.
The merchant sneered coldly and said in a shrill voice: “Commander An has good eyesight to know this seat has arrived.” Suddenly he leaped up, jumping onto the table with his wheel, striking wildly – it was the Eastern Depot’s “Flower Demon” Xue Nu’er.
Jiang Chong made a “hey” sound, obviously not expecting this person to appear here. He raised his hand and shouted: “Don’t let this person escape! Quickly stop him!” Nine Nether Daoist, Luo Moshi, Hundred Flowers Fairy and others had already surrounded him, fighting fiercely. But Xue Nu’er’s hidden weapon skills were truly domineering – fighting three great experts, he showed no sign of defeat.
Luo Moshi had once had a finger cut off by Xue Nu’er and now wanted to kill him to vent his hatred. But attacking too eagerly, he was caught off guard when the golden wheel cut a gash in his shoulder, causing excruciating pain. The other two, seeing him wounded, became even more discouraged and kept retreating.
Xue Nu’er shouted loudly: “Jiang Chong! You shameless traitor who deserves a thousand cuts – what did you go to Tianshan for? Confess honestly!”
Jiang Chong’s expression changed. His feud with the Eastern Depot was deep, and that Liu Jing was no good person either – he was his lifelong greatest rival. If this Xue Nu’er escaped alive, today’s words would surely reach Liu Jing’s ears. If Liu Jing investigated the Shenji Cave secret later, the consequences would be endless. Thinking of this, Jiang Chong shouted even more violently: “Put more effort into it! Quickly kill him!”
Everyone shouted repeatedly, hidden weapons and blades all attacking. But Xue Nu’er’s body movements were agile, his golden wheel swift as a ghost – for a time, no one could stop him.
Jiang Chong turned to Zhuo Lingzhao pleadingly: “Sect Leader Zhuo, please act!”
Zhuo Lingzhao, proud of his grandmaster status, was unwilling to mix with Hu Mei’er, An’dao Jing and others. He smiled: “Please ask Lord Jiang to have these friends withdraw.”
Jiang Chong shouted: “You all step back – Sect Leader Zhuo will personally act!”
Everyone, hearing Zhuo Lingzhao’s words, felt he didn’t regard them at all. They were secretly resentful and instead fought desperately, rushing at Xue Nu’er even more fiercely.
Jiang Chong, seeing no one willing to yield, was so anxious he kept shouting: “Told you to step back – why aren’t you leaving!” Everyone, hearing this, became even more furious and wanted to kill this Xue Nu’er quickly, attacking even more urgently.
Luo Moshi snorted: “If Lord Jiang wants to kill this person, why seek others? Watch this monk!” He jumped out of the circle and pulled something from his robes: “Look carefully.” Everyone quickly looked and saw he held a firearm – a treasure he had purchased from the Western Regions at great cost.
Luo Moshi raised the firearm and with a loud “boom,” shot fiercely at Xue Nu’er. Xue Nu’er was in fierce combat, blocking Nine Nether Daoist’s judge’s pen with his left hand and dodging Hundred Flowers Fairy’s fly whisk with his right – how could he have spare energy to dodge the firearm? He screamed as his leg was shot, blood flowing like a fountain.
Hu Mei’er, seeing an opportunity, swept out her fly whisk toward Xue Nu’er’s back. Xue Nu’er threw his golden wheel with all his might – but toward Jiang Chong. Everyone was shocked – this Jiang Chong knew no martial arts, and if struck by the golden wheel, it would be a disaster of death or serious injury. Instantly, three people leaped toward Jiang Chong to block the domineering, fierce Heavenly Golden Wheel together.
Though Jiang Chong had no martial arts, he was a perceptive person. He shouted: “Don’t fall for the trick! This is his strategy of ‘besieging Wei to rescue Zhao’!”
Luo Moshi and others immediately understood. Suddenly hearing a loud crash, they quickly turned back to see Xue Nu’er had already broken through the roof and escaped like a flying bird. The golden wheel was properly caught between Zhuo Lingzhao’s fingers.
Luo Moshi looked at Jiang Chong and said tremblingly: “If this person escapes alive, what consequences might there be?”
Jiang Chong sneered coldly. Seeing Xue Nu’er had already gone far, even jumping with rage would be useless. Always gloomy and steady, rarely showing his true nature, he just shook his head: “Forget it. When I return to the capital, everyone can show their abilities!” But thinking of Liu Jing’s formidable nature, he couldn’t help but frown with worry.
Wu Dingyuan, seeing the chaotic scene, thought: “If not now, when?” Seeing everyone’s attention slightly divided, he hugged Yan Ting, touched his feet to the ground, and rushed toward the shop door.
An’dao Jing immediately noticed and shouted: “What are you doing!” Just as he was about to intercept, Wu Dingyuan’s purple-tinged right fist was already striking toward his face. An’dao Jing smelled a foul odor from his nose, knowing the fist force was strange, and hurriedly rolled aside in panic. Nearby experts, seeing Wu Dingyuan escaping, quickly caught up to surround him at the center.
Wu Dingyuan pulled Yan Ting behind him for protection. Looking around, he saw everyone had high martial skills – all were tough opponents. For a moment, he didn’t know how to escape. Suddenly hearing someone take a deep breath, followed by fierce palm wind attacking from behind, Wu Dingyuan quickly turned around to see that person’s palm was cinnabar red – clearly some kind of poisonous palm technique. Before the palm force reached him, Wu Dingyuan already smelled the fishy stench. He quickly swung out his right palm – “thud” – it met that person’s palm.
The two palm forces clashed violently, but that expert screamed and rolled backward. Everyone saw white smoke rising from his right palm, with the palm center already festering. The festering grew deeper and deeper, gradually corroding up the arm. The expert screamed: “So evil!” He drew his waist knife and with a great roar, cut off his own right palm.
The remaining people were greatly shocked. Seeing Wu Dingyuan’s palm force so sinister that even cinnabar palm techniques couldn’t withstand one of his strikes, what about others? Everyone dared not fight him palm to palm and all raised blades to chop. Wu Dingyuan struck left with his elbow and kicked right with his foot. Though his moves were ordinary, his momentum was extremely fast. In an instant, he struck two experts. The tremendous force poured in, and those two experts screamed like broken kites flying out, hitting the screen wall and breaking through it – already dead.
Jiang Chong smiled coldly: “Very formidable – truly worthy of coming from Tianshan!”
Nine Nether Daoist exclaimed: “Is this the ‘Purple Aura of Pīluó’? Indeed remarkable!”
Luo Moshi said nothing more and channeled his “Nether Mysterious Finger,” attacking Wu Dingyuan. Wu Dingyuan, seeing his finger techniques refined and internal power deep, dared not be careless and struck fiercely toward Luo Moshi’s face. Luo Moshi, seeing purple light flowing faintly in his right arm, was startled and dared not directly receive Wu Dingyuan’s palm force. He jumped back a step and raised his firearm, shouting: “Stand still or don’t blame this monk’s firearm for having no eyes!”
Wu Dingyuan ignored him and hugged Yan Ting, rushing toward the door. Luo Moshi shouted: “Stop!”
With a loud “boom,” smoke filled the air as the shot hit the wall, but Wu Dingyuan had already rushed out the shop door. Hu Mei’er called out sweetly: “Let me handle this!” She raised her hand and over a hundred silver needles shot toward Wu Dingyuan’s back. Wu Dingyuan quickly dodged, but there were too many needles – more than ten still struck his shoulders. Hu Mei’er called: “You’ve been hit by my poison needles! If you want to live, stay obediently!”
Yan Ting was alarmed: “You’re poisoned – what should we do?”
Wu Dingyuan steeled his heart, thinking: “Death is death – I cannot let Miss Yan Ting fall into enemy hands again.” He said nothing more, grabbed Yan Ting’s waist with his left hand, and ran wildly.
After running a hundred zhang, he heard Hu Mei’er calling from far behind: “The more you run, the faster your blood circulates! Stop quickly!” Wu Dingyuan paid no attention. His internal qi surged and his feet flew. In the blink of an eye, he had run more than a li.
Yan Ting, seeing they were far from the shop and fearing Wu Dingyuan’s poison would act up, quickly called: “Lord Wu, rest for a moment!”
Wu Dingyuan looked back and saw no pursuers, so he stopped. Yan Ting quickly rushed forward and opened his shoulder clothing. She saw the needle wounds were deep black. Yan Ting said urgently: “What should we do? Let’s quickly go get the antidote!”
Wu Dingyuan pondered for a moment: “There’s no hurry for that.” Hundred Flowers Fairy’s deadly poison was always sinister and vicious, able to kill in moments, but now he had run vigorously yet the poison still hadn’t acted – there must be something unusual about this.
Wu Dingyuan channeled his internal power to circulate his meridians. He felt the needle wounds gradually warming, then the deep black color on his shoulders slowly flowed toward his arm, the color becoming lighter and lighter. After about the time of a cup of tea, the deep black color completely disappeared, all absorbed into the purple qi of his right arm, looking just as normal.
Yan Ting said in shock: “Lord Wu, you’ve absorbed all the poison into your body!”
Wu Dingyuan was also puzzled and uncertain. He swung his palm, and with a “whoosh,” there was faintly the sound of wind and thunder from his palm – his power had actually increased. Yan Ting, seeing his palm power even more profound, was also surprised and stammered: “This… your palm force seems even more mighty…”
Wu Dingyuan frowned tightly, pondering: “How can this be? How severe is the poison of these silver needles? By rights, I should have died – how can my palm power increase so much?” There were originally palm techniques in the world for absorbing and expelling poison, but martial arts that could absorb poison into the body were unprecedented. Just what was the origin of this “Purple Aura of Pīluó” was truly puzzling.
Yan Ting watched for a while and said: “It seems if Lord Wu practices for a few more years, you’ll definitely become incredibly powerful.”
Wu Dingyuan nodded. Looking at his phosphorescent purple arm, he thought: “Now my power has greatly increased – I’m no longer the weakling of yesteryear. Perhaps… perhaps I can seek revenge on the Kunlun Mountain people…” Seeing his martial arts had reached such a level, thinking of his earlier concessions to Jiang Chong, he couldn’t help but feel slightly regretful, thinking: “If I had known my martial arts were so formidable, I wouldn’t have needed to say so much to Jiang Chong earlier – I could have directly broken out. These bandits probably couldn’t have stopped me.”
At this time, Wu Dingyuan already knew the tremendous power of the “generation of true dragon” was absolutely not empty boasting in the martial world. He reckoned that in future encounters with Luo Moshi and others, there would be no need for further worry. Thinking of this, his confidence grew even more.
Just as he was thinking, suddenly someone laughed: “Brother Wu, what formidable martial arts! Even Hundred Flowers Fairy’s deadly poison can’t harm you – what is there left to fear in this world?”
Wu Dingyuan heard this familiar voice and his heart immediately trembled. He looked up and saw before him a person who looked like a learned scholar but held a long sword – it was the self-styled “Sword God” Zhuo Lingzhao.
Wu Dingyuan thought: “Ha! Just as I was thinking of this villain, here he comes.”
When enemies meet, they’re particularly hostile. Wu Dingyuan immediately remembered the Yanling Escort Agency case. He suppressed his full fury and said in a low voice: “Sect Leader Zhuo has such swift movement – you actually got ahead of me.”
Zhuo Lingzhao smiled: “I wouldn’t dare. Commissioner Wu is somewhat disadvantaged carrying someone.” The two men stared at each other, both wary.
Wu Dingyuan pondered: “Here’s a good opportunity for one-on-one revenge. If I can kill him, I’ll have avenged the entire Yanling Escort Agency. But this Zhuo Lingzhao’s swordplay is divine – I witnessed it in Shenji Cave. With my current power, can I possibly withstand his sword?”
Zhuo Lingzhao, seeing his eager expression, thought: “After three days apart, one should view someone with new eyes. This Wu Dingyuan has only just emerged from Tianshan, yet his martial arts have reached this level. If I let him go today, how can I control him in the future? I must be careful.”
Wu Dingyuan held his breath and concentrated, secretly gathering his power. His right hand slowly emanated purple light. Zhuo Lingzhao pressed his hand on his sword hilt – where his internal power reached, the scabbard also faintly showed blue light. Both men focused their minds, staring into each other’s eyes, neither daring to move slightly. Beside them, Yan Ting was both anxious and afraid but powerless to help, only able to hide under a tree and secretly pray for Wu Dingyuan.
Just as the two were about to fight, suddenly they heard loud commotion in the distance as a large group of martial artists approached. Someone said: “Old Zhang! You keep talking about Ning Bufan this and Ning Bufan that – how do you know this Ning Bufan truly intends to retire?”
Another person said: “Don’t talk nonsense and mock others. If you have the guts, let’s make a bet – then we’ll know.”
Yet another said: “Whether Ning Bufan retires or not is none of our business – what’s to bet on? Let’s guess who will be the world’s number one in the future – that would be real.”
As they talked, more than ten people walked forward. When they came near, one person suddenly shouted: “Isn’t this Kunlun Sect Leader ‘Sword God’ Zhuo the Hero? How did you end up in Xiliang?”
Hearing this person’s words, he seemed familiar with Zhuo Lingzhao. Indeed, several people quickly stepped forward, all calling: “Sect Leader Zhuo! Long time no see!”
Zhuo Lingzhao, hearing everyone’s calls, knew it was inconvenient to kill here. He withdrew his hand and said coldly: “Commissioner Wu, you’re very lucky.”
Wu Dingyuan made a “hey” sound, feeling his whole body was already soaked in cold sweat.
Everyone surrounded Zhuo Lingzhao, talking about topics all related to Ning Bufan’s retirement. Several busybodies even shouted: “Number one in the world! Sect Leader Zhuo’s martial arts are number one in the world!” Zhuo Lingzhao, hearing everyone’s flattery, couldn’t help but show a smile on his face.
Wu Dingyuan’s face was iron-blue. He wanted to step forward and fight but didn’t dare. It wasn’t until Yan Ting reached out to pull him and whispered: “Commissioner Wu, let’s go,” that Wu Dingyuan sighed and slowly left.
Zhuo Lingzhao watched the two figures from afar, a cold smile appearing on his face.