Dominating the World (1~7)

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Chapter One: A Man Without Romance is a Wasted Life.

"Old age and faded beauty are worthless, life without joy is in vain;
drink today, for tomorrow we may die!"
At dusk, in the most magnificent Xinghua Tower in Xinghua Village, two burly men in their thirties, dressed in blue robes, were preparing food and wine, while eight other patrons sat scattered throughout the hall.
Xinghua Village's Fenjiu (a type of Chinese liquor) is world-renowned, as evidenced by the poem:
"The rain falls in torrents on Qingming Festival, travelers on the road are heartbroken;
may I ask where the tavern is? The shepherd boy points to Xinghua Village!"
Fenjiu is the signature liquor of Xinghua Village's taverns,
and the only liquor served there.
If patrons wish to drink Baijiu, Huadiao, Maotai… sorry, please go elsewhere.
Because the people of Xinghua Village are proud of Fenjiu.
Fenjiu is divided into three grades: Extreme, Medium, and Regular. Extreme Fenjiu is brewed through repeated distillation, making it not only expensive but also limited for export.
If you wish to drink Extreme Fenjiu, please come to Xinghua Village!
The two men had been drinking heavily from Sanya teapots since dusk, and in less than an hour, twenty empty teapots lay on their table.
The innkeeper and waiter were overjoyed!
They had already paid one hundred taels of silver, and based on their experience, the two were sure to get drunk tonight and rack up a hefty tip!
So, the waiter diligently brought more wine and hot soup.
Half an hour later, one of them waved and called out, "Check, please!"
The innkeeper personally stepped forward and said with a smile, "The total is thirty taels and seven mace!"
The burly man in the blue robe on the right asked, "Is the best room arranged?"
"Yes!"
he replied in a low voice, "If you gentlemen wish to have some fun, please arrange it anytime!"
The two men exchanged a glance and nodded with smiles.
The burly man on the right said, "Pick a top-quality one!"
"Yes! Does the gentleman prefer the Yang Guifei type or the Wang Zhaojun type?"
"Haha! Expert! I prefer Yang Guifei, he loves Wang Zhaojun!"
"No problem!"
"Let me reward you and the waiter with an ounce each!"
"Thank you for your generous gift, gentlemen, please!"
The two burly men smiled and rose.
The waiter stepped forward, bowing and saying, "Greetings, gentlemen!"
The two men followed the waiter to the back.
Soon, they each entered a spacious, clean room. The waiter had just lit a candle when another waiter brought in fragrant tea, saying, "Please, gentlemen, to sober up!"
"Very good!"
The waiters bowed and left.
Before long, two plump women and two thin women followed the manager into the room. The four women immediately greeted him in sweet voices and bowed, saying, "Greetings, sir!"
The burly man smiled and kept one plump woman.
Soon after, the burly man in the next room also chose a thin woman.
These two burly men were
none other than the infamous "Twin Thieves of Heaven and Earth," Xiang Rong and Xiang Biao, renowned in the underworld for robbing wealthy families across the land, making them a headache for the authorities. This was because they were
elusive, appearing only at night. If the victim discovered them, death was the only outcome. Furthermore, they always disguised themselves and worked masked, thus keeping their identities a secret.
Xiang Rong had always been fond of busty women, so he chose "Consort Sai." She smiled seductively, provocatively stripping herself naked.
Xiang Rong chuckled, "Good enough! Come here!"
With that, he placed a brocade box on the table beside him.
Consort Sai indeed swayed her hips and approached.
Her seductive smile combined with her ample bosom was truly captivating.
Xiang Rong brought his legs together, and she, understanding, opened them and sat on his lap.
Her slender hands touched his shoulders, and she slid her legs down to sit against his breasts.
Xiang Rong pressed his hand against her plump buttocks and gently pinched them, saying, "Haven't you been in the business for long?"
"A little over a month!"
"Hmm! Quite fresh. What's the price?"
"One night's pleasure, ten taels of silver, double the price for the night!"
Xiang Rong thought to himself, "Good quality at a low price!"
He immediately smiled and took out the box, opening the lid.
Consort Sai immediately saw the box full of silver notes, and her eyes lit up with lust as she thought, "Manager Wu was right, they really are quite lucrative, very profitable indeed!"
She then rubbed her breasts against her chest through her clothes.
Xiang Rong pulled out a silver note and smiled, saying, "Can you read?"
"Yes! One hundred taels of silver!"
"Buy it quickly, you can take it away tomorrow morning!"
"Thank you, sir! I guarantee you'll enjoy yourself!"
"Very good! Have a taste first!"
"Yes!"
Consort Sai immediately slid down and squatted down.
Xiang Rong then smiled and placed the silver note on the table.
He then put away the brocade box and began to undress.
Soon, she was squatting in front of the chair, sucking, licking, and gently biting his penis.
Xiang Rong leaned back in his chair, enjoying himself.
Soon, he stroked his hair with satisfaction and said, "Alright!"
Consort San, having just released his little brother, immediately kissed it, saying, "Good darling!"
With that, she smiled and climbed onto the bed, ready to pounce.
Xiang Rong lay down beside her and lightly teased her left nipple with his fingertips, saying, "So alluring, so quick! Let me check for any problems."
He then casually slid his hand down her abdomen to his crotch.
He immediately felt a surge of desire.
"Haha! So wanton! Very good!"
he said, already lying on his back.
"How about I start with a 'Rotating Universe'?"
"Okay!"
She immediately mounted him!
She aimed and swiftly swallowed his little brother.
She then twisted and shook her head incessantly!
Her full breasts created alluring waves.
Xiang Rong then happily played with her breasts.
Meanwhile, in the next room, people were already moaning and groaning. Xiang Biao, carrying Sai Zhaojun's pink legs on his shoulders, thrust repeatedly, while she moaned and groaned as she thrust.
Soon, the sounds of gunfire echoed from the two rooms.
A series of ingenious tricks were unleashed.
The two girls were not only passionate but also moaning incessantly, much to Xiang Rong and his companion's delight.
After a long while, they arrived at the finish line, panting heavily!
They lay down on their bodies, satisfied!
Erniu took the opportunity to pour out her love potion!
After a long while, Xiang Rong finally dismounted.
He gently stroked her left breast and said, "How did you end up in this business?"
Consort Sai smiled bitterly, "My family is poor and has many people!"
"What does your father do?" "
He's a brewer. He got greedy and went to the casino. In less than ten days, he was drowning in gambling debts. My sister and I had no choice but to go into this business!"
"Do you hate your father?"
"Unavoidably, but oh well! He gave birth to me after all!"
"Has he quit gambling?"
"Yes! But the exorbitant interest rates force my sister and me to spend more time with the masters!"
"Exorbitant interest rates? The casino's exorbitant interest rates?"
"No! The exorbitant interest rates owed to Master Guo. He's a bloodsucker!"
"Master Guo?"
"Yes! He's the richest man in the village. At least a thousand people borrow from him at exorbitant interest rates!"
"How high are the interest rates?"
"For every hundred taels, he has to pay ten taels of interest every month!"
"That's certainly high. Why do people borrow from him at such high interest rates?"
"Some families, like my father, have brought this upon themselves. Many families are in dire straits!"
"He likes to take advantage of people's misfortunes?"
"Yes! Everyone secretly curses him as a bloodsucker!"
"Where does he live?"
"The only manor at the end of this street is his home!"
Xiang Rong said with a smile. "You can leave now! That silver note is your reward!"
"Ah! Thank you, sir! I'll serve you a little longer!"
With that, she rolled over and rubbed her breasts down her chest. Soon, she was rubbing her breasts against Xiang Rong's crotch!
Enjoying this, Xiang Rong's little brother gradually regained its vitality.
She then rubbed it between her breasts!
Soon, it was aroused again.
She immediately resumed her passionate lovemaking.
Xiang Rong happily stroked her breasts and said, "Good stuff!" 'A generous reward
always attracts a wanton woman,' and she indulged herself for a hundred taels of silver!
After a long while, Xiang Rong was satisfied!
She gave him a sweet kiss before getting out of bed and getting dressed.
Soon, she bowed and left with the silver!
Xiang Rong then lay on the bed, pondering.
At the beginning of the night, three soft sounds came from the neighboring wall. Xiang Rong understood and got out of bed.
Soon, he dressed and opened the door.
Xiang Biao smiled and called out from the doorway, "Go see Fei Feng?"
"Alright!"
the two replied with smiles and left.
They soon arrived at the magnificent gate of the Guo family mansion. After a brief look around, they went to opposite sides and met at the back gate. The
Guo family's backyard was a winery. Although no one was brewing wine, the air was still filled with its aroma. Xiang Rong and his companion slipped over the wall and carefully searched the area.
After a short while, they met in the front hall.
They exchanged a smile and headed straight for the main gate.
Soon, they slipped over the wall again and returned to Xinghua Tower to rest.
At that moment, a young man quietly left his room and headed towards the back. Soon, he not only entered the winery but also went directly into the wine cellar.
The cellar was dark, yet he navigated it like an old horse, carefully tending to the barrels along the way. Soon, he stopped in front of the thirtieth barrel, crouching down and reaching behind it.
He quickly pulled out a small jar.
He brought it close to his nose and took a deep breath.
"Wow! So fragrant, absolutely divine!"
He placed the jar on the barrel, then carefully removed the cloth and lid.
The aroma of the wine filled the air, and he was overjoyed.
He opened his mouth and gulped it down.
He drank more than ten mouthfuls before leaning back in front of the barrel, exhaling a breath of fresh air to savor the taste.
His surname was Guo, and his given name was Ba. His mother had been married for eight years before giving birth to him!
Combined with his father's surname, Ba, his name was Guo Ba, also known as Guo Ba (meaning "Guo Eight").
Guo Ba's father, Ba He, was originally from Fengyang. When Ba He was sixteen, Fengyang was first struck by locust plagues, then by floods; his entire family was swallowed by the floodwaters overnight.
Because Ba He clung to a tree and could only live by clinging to it, he was forced to wander.
When he arrived at Xinghua Village, Master Guo, seeing his handsome features but disheveled appearance, sent someone to inquire about him and then took him in as a long-term laborer.
Ba He was not only diligent but also intelligent. Within a year, Master Guo assigned him to assist in managing the accounts, and he lived up to Master Guo's expectations, greatly satisfying him.
Master Guo had only one daughter, Guo Yifen, who, due to Master Guo's immense wealth in Xinghua Village and his involvement in usury, had been unable to find a husband.
After observing and testing Ba He for two years, Master Guo finally accepted him as his son-in-law.
To repay his debt of gratitude, Ba He also agreed to marry into the Guo family.
After their marriage, Ba He worked during the day and spent his nights enjoying himself with his beautiful wife.
Master Guo was eager to have a grandson!
However, eight years passed before Guo Yifen gave birth to a son.
The birth of Guo Ba made Master Guo extremely happy.
However, he still greedily continued his usury.
Guo Ba was exceptionally intelligent from a young age. He possessed a photographic memory and was also a diligent learner. At the age of three, a tutor began teaching him to read and write daily at the Guo family mansion.
Within two years, he could compose poems and lyrics, much to the delight of Master Guo.
The tutor then guided Guo Ba in exploring various miscellaneous subjects.
Furthermore, he instilled in him the principles of Yin and Yang and karmic retribution.
He even used the seasons and the cycle of flowers and trees to explain the principles of Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, and the movement of the sun and moon.
Because he cherished Guo Ba's talent and couldn't bear to see him follow Master Guo's path, he wanted to pave the way for Guo Ba and the villagers.
Within a year, Master Guo, influenced by Guo Ba's behavior, dismissed the tutor!
He personally instructed Guo Ba in meditation and martial arts!
Therefore, Guo Ba, though only fifteen years old, already possessed an extraordinary appearance.
Over the years, he had secretly enjoyed brewing and tasting wine with the winemakers, and every year he would secretly refine a batch of the finest Fenjiu, tasting it every night.
He was in a very good mood tonight because he had secretly taken three pieces of silver from his grandfather's study yesterday afternoon and given them to the brewing workers, and his grandfather had not discovered this today.
So, after savoring the wine for a while, he got up and gulped it
down from the jar. Soon, he leaned back against the barrel, reminiscing.
After a long while, he finally covered the jar with a cloth and pushed it behind the barrel.
He happily returned to his room to rest.
Shortly after, a golden light emerged from the right corner of the cellar. It was a snake, about half a foot long but only the size of a thumb, its entire body shimmering with golden light. It was
the 'Fire Dragon' listed in the Classic of Mountains and Seas!
It wasn't a dinosaur from 'Jurassic Park,' but a 'mutant dragon,' usually dwelling in damp underground places, but tonight it had wandered into the cellar.
The aroma of the wine had already lured it in, but it had remained motionless. Now that Guo Ba was gone, it decided to try its luck with the wine!
With a swift movement, it shot towards the barrel.
It darted inside and reached the jar.
It shot onto the lid and then used its teeth to bite open the cloth.
Soon, it used the tip of its tail to lift the lid and slid into the jar.
Before long, it was soaking in the jar, sipping the Fenjiu liquor.
The rich, delicious flavor made it greedily inhale.
In less than an hour, it was completely dizzy!
It curled up in the liquor to rest.
At dawn, two workers in the distillery were adding firewood to the stove to start a fire. The loud bang startled the 'fire dragon,' and it instinctively arched its back, trying to escape.
With a thud, it crashed into the lid and fell into the liquor.
Its belly churned with liquor, and it immediately opened its mouth in discomfort. After
struggling for a while, a green pill suddenly slipped from its mouth.
This was the elixir of life that the fire dragon cherished. It hurriedly opened its mouth to try and retrieve the elixir, but it first inhaled a mouthful of liquor, and the elixir had already sunk into the liquor.
It hurriedly burrowed into the liquor to search for it.
The aroma of liquor surged, and it became dizzy!
It became drowsy!
After a long time, it floated listlessly on the surface of the liquor.
The green pill had already dissolved in the Fenjiu liquor.
Around noon, it too died drunk in the liquor.
Its entire body gradually rotted away, becoming part of the liquor.
'All things are ordained by Heaven, and human effort cannot reverse fate.' This fire dragon, nearly eight hundred years old, had somehow managed to travel from the marshes of Yunnan and Guizhou to this place and die drunk in the jar—it was all Heaven's will.
For Heaven intended to use it to cultivate a martial arts prodigy. As
its corpse gradually decayed, the workers began loading fifty barrels of liquor onto the carts after lunch, because Bahe needed to sell the liquor and collect debts.
The workers were displeased with Master Guo, so they moved the liquor back and forth slowly. Only after a long time did they allow Bahe to escort the carts away with the liquor.
Two workers immediately replaced the old barrels with new ones, so that Guo Bahe could come to drink at night. Soon, one worker noticed the cloth on the ground beside the jar.
He assumed Guo Ba had forgotten to seal it with the cloth and smiled knowingly.
He picked up the cloth, sealed the jar, and continued moving the liquor.
Soon, they returned to work at the distillery.
At this time, Master Guo was sparring with Guo Ba, using his pipe as a sword. Guo Ba enthusiastically wielded his wooden sword, focusing intently on attack and defense.
Guo Yifen and her mother watched the match while sipping tea.
Master Guo smiled and said, "Ba'er is improving so quickly!"
Guo Yifen nodded, "Yes! Father's guidance is excellent!"
"Ba'er's future development is limitless!"
"I hope so!"
"Don't worry! Don't keep such a close eye on them!"
Guo Yifen lowered her head and remained silent.
Master Guo whispered, "Ba'er is already so grown up, and Ahe has always been diligent and honest. Don't keep such a close eye on them; you must know that too much of a good thing can be bad!"
"Hmph! He dares!"
"Be gentler; you've always been too arrogant and rigid!"
"I'm going to inspect!"
With that, she left.
Soon after, she reprimanded the workers at the distillery for their laziness and messiness!
Every worker lowered their heads and let her scold them!
After a long while, she summoned her servants
and began to berate them while inspecting the inside and outside of the village! The servants bowed their heads and let her vent her anger, because they knew that they were always scolded whenever Bahe left the village, and anyone who talked back would definitely be beaten severely.
After a long while, Guo Yifen finally returned to her room to rest.
At dusk, the workers breathed a sigh of relief and went home!
The servants, however, nervously served Mr. and Mrs. Guo, as well as Guo Yifen and her son, their meal.
Fortunately, the low pressure did not develop into a typhoon, and Guo Yifen went straight back to her room after her meal. Not only did the servants breathe a sigh of relief, but Guo Ba also breathed a sigh of relief and went back to his room to read.
Soon after, he took the elixir
and practiced his exercises. Half an hour later, he finished his exercises and rested.
At midnight, when all was quiet, he left his room and went to the wine cellar.
He still used a bucket as a guide, and soon he had drawn out the jar of wine.
Soon after, he was standing in front of the bucket drinking the wine.
He drank ten mouthfuls of wine in succession, then leaned back on the edge of the barrel to savor the taste. Suddenly, he exclaimed in surprise, "Why is there a fishy smell? But it's even more delicious and soothing!"
He then got up and gulped down more wine. The
more he drank, the more delicious it became, and he drank a couple more times.
At this moment, Xiang Rong and Xiang Biao had already sneaked to the window of Guo Yifen and the Guo family.
After observing them for a short while, they each snapped the window bolts, intending to enter the room to subdue them and search for their valuables. However, as soon as Xiang Rong snapped the window bolt, Guo Yifen heard a strange noise. He squinted silently and saw the paper window slowly opening.
Knowing he had been robbed, he secretly gathered his strength in his palms.
Xiang Rong, oblivious to the danger, sneaked into the room and walked towards the bed.
Soon, he lifted the curtain, intending to subdue the Guo couple.
Guo Yifen suddenly raised his left palm and struck out swiftly.
With a bang, Xiang Rong immediately coughed up blood and fell backward to the ground.
Because Guo Yifen had severed his heart meridian.
Upon hearing the sound, Xiang Biao, who was about to subdue Guo Yifen, was enraged.
He swung his sword and slashed Guo Yifen's face.
Guo Yifen, who was known for her insults, now showed no mercy!
Hearing the noise from the neighboring room, Master Guo immediately got out of bed to retrieve his pipe.
Xiang Biao drew his sword and rushed into the room.
Seeing his brother dead, he roared and attacked with his sword.
Master Guo parried with his pipe.
He had always been arrogant about his swordsmanship, but now, after exchanging blows, he immediately realized he was a frog in a well. In his panic, his left arm was severed.
He cried out in pain.
Guo cried out in horror, "Murder! Help!"
Xiang Biao snorted coldly and launched a fierce attack with both palm and sword.
Guo Yuanwai received six more blows before his head was severed.
Guo Yuanwai, however, cried out in alarm and opened the door to escape.
Xiang Biao snorted coldly and threw his sword at her.
With a thud, the sword pierced through her.
Guo Yuanwai screamed and immediately collapsed in front of the door. Xiang
Biao leaped to the ground to retrieve the sword.
Suddenly, he saw someone outside the room. Before Xiang Biao could react, the person had already struck out with a palm.
Xiang Biao hurriedly raised his palm to strike back, but felt the force of the palm as heavy as a mountain.
He cried out in horror, and then heard a loud boom. He was instantly
cleaved in two, his arm severed, and he collapsed to the ground, spitting blood.
The newcomer was Guo Ba. He had been enjoying his wine when he heard the shout and rushed over. Upon reaching the room, he saw Guo Shi lying on the ground, pierced by
a sword. He immediately stopped and gathered his strength in his palms.
In his haste, he had unleashed a powerful strike, instantly knocking down Xiang Biao. Now, he struck Xiang Biao with all his might.
With a deafening boom, Xiang Biao died instantly.
Guo Ba hurriedly helped Guo Shi up, saying, "Grandma...Grandma..."
Guo Shi weakly said, "I...I can't go on..."
"No! Grandpa will heal Grandma!"
"Your grandfather is dead. Listen, help your father manage the household...the usurers...cancele...treat all...the servants well...atone for our...sins..."
'A dying man's words are good,' Guo Shi said, giving her final instructions.
"Grandma, I'll take you to see a doctor!"
"No... I... I can't go on! What... I just... instructed...?"
Guo Ba replied, "Help Father manage the household, cancel the usurers, and treat all the servants well!"
"Yes! Don't forget..."
she said, already panting.
"Grandma, cheer up!"
he said, picking her up.
Suddenly, a 'uh!' was heard, and Guo's head tilted to the side, her limbs hanging limply.
"Grandma, cheer up!!"
A woman stepped forward and said, "Young Master Sun, the old lady has gone back!"
"Really?"
"Yes! Please put the old lady down, Young Master Sun!"
Guo Ba put Guo down and knelt down, weeping.
The six maids and servants immediately saw five corpses.
They were terrified!
Soon, they finally remembered to report to the authorities.
Seeing how heartbroken Guo Ba was, the two women went to summon two young workers.
Two young workers rushed into the house for a quick look before running off together from Xinghua Village. A little over an hour later, they arrived at the county government office to report the crime.
The yamen runner, initially annoyed by their disturbance, was immediately energized upon hearing that the loan shark couple, Mr. and Mrs. Guo, had been murdered by robbers.
He immediately informed the magistrate and the head constable.
Upon receiving the news, the magistrate ordered the head constable to lead the coroner to examine the bodies.
At dawn, they arrived at the Guo residence and found a large crowd standing at the gate, the house brightly lit by candlelight. They immediately entered to examine the bodies.
They found Mr. Guo's head severed from his body, Guo Yifen's face mutilated, and Mrs. Guo's body pierced by a sword. There were also two unfamiliar corpses. The two head constables began their examination.
Soon after, they questioned Guo Ba.
Guo Ba, weeping, confessed that he had killed someone to save his grandmother.
The constable asked, "Have you been drinking?"
"Yes!"
The constable then asked, "Do you know these two men?"
"No! But the waiter at Xinghualou knows them!"
"Where's the waiter?"
Guo Ba immediately called out, "Xiao Ding, the magistrate wants to see you!" The waiter
immediately ran from the door to bow.
The constable asked, "Do you know them?"
"Yes! They came for dinner and lodging around sunset the day before yesterday. Their luggage is still in the main room. I never imagined they would be robbers!"
"Where's the manager?"
"Outside the door, I'll go and invite him in!"
"Alright!"
Soon, the manager entered the room and bowed.
The constable asked again and received the same answer.
Soon after, the constable said, "Bring the luggage of these two men!"
"Yes! Xiao Ding! Quickly!"
The waiter hurriedly ran off.
The constable searched for a while and found a broken window bolt.
Soon after, he found another broken bolt in Guo Yifen's room.
Knowing what was going on, he went forward to search the bodies of Xiang Biao and the other man.
Soon, he found two boxes of silver notes, darts, and a soft sword. As soon as
Xiao Ding brought the bundle, the constable searched it piece by piece.
He soon found two more boxes of silver notes, which surprised him even more.
After a moment's thought, he ordered, "You can collect the bodies now, and we'll complete the signing this afternoon!"
With that, he sent men to carry away the bodies of Xiang Rong and Xiang Biao.
The six female servants had already sent workers to buy three coffins and burial supplies; now, they were assisting Guo Ba in cleaning the bodies and placing them in the coffins according to custom.
The workers even voluntarily helped clean the scene.
Once the three coffins were placed in the side hall, the six women hired people to set up the mourning hall.
Guo Ba wiped away his tears and faced the reality of the aftermath.
He took out gold and silver and entrusted it to the six women to handle entirely.
He asked the workers to help him with the funeral arrangements.
Because he often gave money away privately, the workers all readily agreed.
They worked until noon, finally cleaning up the scene and setting up the mourning hall. Six women then invited Guo Ba and the others into the hall for a meal.
After the meal, the workers went to work in the distillery.
Guo Ba went to the mourning hall to observe mourning.
He had initially blamed himself for stealing the wine, but after being comforted by two workers, he understood that if he hadn't, he would have been killed by the two robbers.
Therefore, he observed mourning with a sense of peace.
He pondered how to fulfill his grandmother's dying wish.
Soon, three Taoist priests arrived to chant sutras for the deceased, and Guo Ba knelt beside them, holding incense.
On the fourth day, around noon, Ba He returned from collecting debts. Upon hearing this devastating news, he rushed into the mourning hall, immediately prostrating himself and bursting into tears. "
The deceased are forever separated from us; such boundless kindness is impossible to repay!"
The kind-hearted Ba He wept for a long time before being comforted by the six women.
Guo Ba then went forward and told them what had happened.
He even told them about his grandmother's will.
Ba He wiped away his tears and went
to offer incense. Then, he went directly to his study. Soon, he opened the entrance, entered a secret underground chamber, retrieved a small bundle, and summoned ten workers, giving them instructions.
After lunch, the ten workers had each notified over a hundred usurious borrowers.
Soon, nearly a hundred people arrived first, and Ba He found their IOUs, saying, "It's all settled!"
He then returned the IOUs.
The group was stunned for a moment, then thanked him profusely.
Ba He said, "Don't be so polite! This is my late mother-in-law's wish, please!"
Six people immediately entered the mourning hall to offer incense and express
their gratitude. Seeing this, the remaining borrowers followed suit.
That afternoon, Ba He returned all the usurious loans.
This act by Ba He and his son immediately won the villagers' favor.
The next day, Ba He sent for all the farmers, shopkeepers, and brewers, saying, "Starting this month, everyone's wages will double. Please tell the others!"
Everyone thanked him with delight.
Ba He said, "This is my late mother-in-law's will!"
The people then entered the mourning hall to offer incense.
The following morning, Ba He summoned six people and instructed them to go to the city to hire bridge builders and purchase building materials, because he wanted to build a bridge over the Fen River.
If the bridge was completed, the villagers would save more than half the time traveling to the city.
On the morning of the sixth day, eight builders and two hundred young men began laying the foundation stones in the river, and a large number of villagers also voluntarily came to assist.
Large quantities of snacks and tea were supplied daily as instructed by Bahe.
Wages were distributed on the spot before the end of each workday.
That afternoon, Bahe and his son tearfully buried the three coffins.
Once the funeral was complete, Bahe led his caravan to deliver wine.
Guoba greeted everyone by the river each day, offering snacks and distributing wages.
He had neither the time nor the inclination to inspect the shops, wineries, and fields, because everyone had assured him and his son that they would do their utmost, and he completely trusted them.
Guoba spent his days building bridges and his nights practicing martial arts.
Bahe had instructed him to practice for self-defense.
That night, he couldn't resist going into the wine cellar again.
He retrieved the jar of wine and carried it back to his room.
After more than a month of soaking, the Fire Dragon had long since dissolved into nothingness; its essence had completely dissolved in the wine, unbeknownst to Guoba.
He drank over thirty mouthfuls before beginning his practice.
A surge of true energy caused his entire body to heat up.
Unaware of the surprise, he focused intently on his practice.
After a long while, he finally rested.
※※ ※※ ※※
Two months later, one morning, the villagers of Xinghua Village gathered at Xinghua Bridge. Amidst the sound of firecrackers and drums, the villagers led the way with dragon and lion dances.
Then, thirty elderly couples crossed the bridge with smiles.
Ba He and Guo Ba then led the villagers across.
Soon after, Ba He and his son smiled and gave red envelopes to the dragon and lion dancers and the thirty elderly couples. Then, a large quantity of white rice was brought to the bridge for the villagers to take as they pleased.
The villagers went home to fetch bags and buckets to fill with rice.
Ba He and his son frequently added rice for everyone.
Because, since Ba He had been involved with the Guo family's finances years ago, he knew that the Guo family had extracted too much labor and interest from the villagers.
He hadn't been able to speak out then, but now he could make amends!
Ba He and his son continued to give away the last grain of rice before leaving.
Upon returning home, they breathed a sigh of relief.
At this moment, an elderly man in a Taoist robe stood to the right of the Guo family's gate. He glanced at the scene deeply, then silently returned to the vicinity of Xinghua Bridge, lost in thought.
For over an hour, he had been watching the celebration of the new bridge and the rice gift from Ba He and his son. He had also inquired about Ba He and his son from five different people.
His surname was Zhuo, and his given name was Dao. Although he wore a Taoist robe, he was not a disciple of Taoism. The prestigious Taoist sects of Wudang, Kongtong, and Kunlun had never recognized him.
On the contrary, due to Zhuo Dao's cynical and incorruptible nature and his strict punishment of wrongdoers since his inception, not only did the underworld hate him, but the legitimate world also disapproved of his ways.
Nevertheless, he continued to travel the world and punish evildoers.
Zhuo Dao was thus ridiculed as a heretic among heretics.
In the past ten years, having passed fifty, his temper had subsided. Unless he encountered a truly wicked person, he no longer bothered with other people's business.
Because he had gradually come to terms with things!
Last night, he stayed at Xinghua Tower and overheard many people discussing the completion of Xinghua Bridge. So, he came to see the excitement today, never expecting to discover Guo Ba.
With his discerning eye, he immediately saw that Guo Ba was not only skilled in martial arts but also exceptionally talented. He was amazed by the young man's aptitude and thus considered taking him as a disciple.
However, to avoid teaching the wrong person, he kept observing and inquiring.
Now, he had learned that Guo Ba met his criteria for a disciple, but he was still considering it.
That evening, after dinner, Zhuo Dao strolled towards Guo's residence. As he approached, he heard the whistling sound of swords. Curious, he leaped over the wall and entered.
He stood behind a cluster of crabapple trees, watching.
Guo Ba was practicing his swordplay. After watching for a while, Zhuo Dao thought, "A fine horse with a broken saddle; this inferior technique will surely ruin his life!"
He pondered for a moment and then left.
The following morning, Bahe instructed sixty drivers to drive off and deliver the wine, as he had authorized them to transport, sell, and collect payments.
Since Bahe doubled wages, the output of the three wineries had doubled for two consecutive months, and the revenue of the eight restaurants had tripled.
Business in other establishments had also increased by one to two times.
Therefore, Bahe confidently accepted a large number of orders from out-of-town restaurants last time.
The completion of the Xinghua Bridge project allowed him to confidently proceed with his plans.
He instructed the drivers to deliver the wine and then transport back the winery equipment he had previously ordered.
He had decided to add twelve more wineries, and large ones at that, to provide employment for villagers without jobs and to increase his wine sales revenue.
After seeing the convoy off, Bahe suddenly saw an old Taoist priest approaching, and he nodded and greeted him with a smile.
Zhuo Dao smiled and stepped forward, saying, "My surname is Zhuo, and my given name is Dao. I have something to discuss with you!"
"Please come into the hall to talk!"
"Please!"
The two then entered the hall together.
As soon as Zhuo Dao sat down, he got straight to the point: "I wish to teach your son martial arts!"
"I am extremely grateful, Ba'er!"
Guo Ba, who was practicing his sword in the side hall, immediately stopped his practice and hurried into the hall.
"What are your orders, Father?" "Greetings, Taoist
Master!
" "Yes!
Greetings, Taoist Master!" Zhuo Dao smiled and nodded, saying, "No need for formalities. Are you interested in martial arts?"
"Yes!"
"Have you seen this technique before?"
As he spoke, Zhuo Dao extended his palm and gestured towards the left cabinet.
Immediately, the 'Blood Jade Carp' in the cabinet flew out as if it had long wings.
Guo Ba and the other man were just stunned when it flew into Zhuo Dao's hand.
Zhuo Dao smiled and gently stroked it, then tossed it back into his hand.
With a whoosh, it accurately returned to its original position.
Ba He said, "Master, you are brilliant!"
Guo Ba said, "Excellent technique!"
Zhuo Dao smiled and said, "A mere trifle. Do you practice swordsmanship?"
"Yes!"
"Let me teach you a few moves! Come!"
"Please!"
Soon, the three of them entered the side hall. Zhuo Dao smiled and said, "Make your move!"
Guo Ba picked up the wooden sword and launched an attack.
Zhuo Dao dodged and swiftly snatched the wooden sword from his hand.
Guo Ba cried out, but the wooden sword was shoved back into his hand.
Zhuo Dao smiled and said, "Use your real sword and pull back with all your might!"
"Yes!"
Guo Ba immediately drew his sword and thrust forward.
Zhuo Dao dodged and swiftly sliced Guo Ba's right wrist.
Guo Ba cried out, and the sword fell from his hand.
Zhuo Dao caught the sword and returned it to Guo Ba's hand.
Guo Ba, unconvinced, continued to attack.
Zhuo Dao countered each move and disarmed him.
Soon, Zhuo Dao used his left palm to draw the wooden sword away, then raised his own sword and swung it swiftly forward, a dazzling flash of light appearing.
Then came a series of cracking sounds, and with each crack, the wooden sword was shattered into pieces that scattered on the ground.
Ba He and his son were dumbfounded!
Zhuo Dao smiled and said, "Interested in learning my technique?"
Guo Ba hurriedly knelt down and said, "Please instruct me, Daoist Master!"
"Very good! Begin!"
He then began to explain and demonstrate.
Guo Ba eagerly learned.
Ba He happily brought out fragrant tea, snacks, and a new towel!
After more than an hour, Zhuo Dao smiled and said, "Your comprehension is exceptional, very good!"
"Thank you for your guidance, Daoist Master!"
Ba He smiled and said, "Please have some tea!" As soon as
Zhuo Dao sat down, he nodded and said, "Is there a room available?"
"Yes! I apologize for the inconvenience, Daoist Master, please accept this!"
Saying this, Ba He presented a red envelope.
Zhuo Dao smiled and shook his head: "I understand. If you don't mind, I will take your son as my disciple!"
"It would be my honor!"
Guo Ba stepped forward and kowtowed: "Thank you, Master!"
Zhuo Dao said solemnly: "Do not kill the innocent, and eradicate evil completely!"
"Yes!"
"I will teach you the internal energy cultivation method later!"
"Yes!"
The three of them smiled and sipped tea, whispering among themselves.
A comet shone brightly!

Chapter Two: The Old Ox Loves to Eat Tender Grass

The aroma of wine filled the air, and songs echoed everywhere.
Xinghua Village was not indulging in feasting and drinking, but brewing wine.
Ba He had added twelve super-large wineries in three years, not only accommodating five thousand workers but also enabling five thousand households to live a peaceful life.
This was because he doubled the workers' wages to increase their income. In addition, he instructed the cart drivers to buy back various items needed by the villagers after delivering the wine.
Ba He then had the cart drivers sell these items to the villagers without making a profit.
Furthermore, Ba He's various general stores also reduced their prices.
As for the grain harvested from the fields, it was also reduced in price.
Because he wanted to make amends to the villagers.
Because the distillery brought him so much income!
Now, two hundred trucks shuttle back and forth, transporting wine for sale and bringing back daily necessities for the villagers, who can work diligently at the distillery with peace of mind.
In addition, Bahe built a school and hired six teachers to educate the village children all day long. He not only didn't charge them a penny, but also provided lunch!
The villagers sincerely called him "Master Ba"!
Many matchmakers repeatedly advised Bahe to remarry, but he politely declined each time.
Because Bahe's wife was very jealous when she was alive, and he couldn't betray her.
"A good teacher produces a good student." Under Zhuo Dao's daily guidance, after three years of diligent practice, Guo Ba had mastered the "Thunder Chasing Sword Technique" to sixty percent proficiency.
Zhuo Dao's unique internal energy cultivation method, the "Soaring Dragon Heart Method," had not only been thoroughly mastered by Guo Ba, but had also activated the primordial effect of a fire dragon.
Guo Ba's skill improved by leaps and bounds.
The power of his Thunder Chasing Sword Technique also increased dramatically.
Zhuo Dao knew he must have had a fortuitous encounter, so he led him into the Juzhu Mountain area every day to practice martial arts.
He also took the opportunity to teach him various hidden weapon techniques and江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world) tricks.
That morning, twenty soldiers, armed and mounted, escorted a carriage to the Guo residence. Neighbors peeked anxiously from their doors, while the gatekeeper trembled.
Everyone thought the palace guards were coming to arrest someone!
A soldier dismounted and asked, "Is Ba He here?"
"Yes...yes...sir...what...do you need?"
"Don't worry, Lord He is visiting!"
"Yes! Yes!"
The gatekeeper hurried inside.
Ba He, who was settling accounts in the study, rushed out.
A smiling young man in his thirties stood before the gate. Upon seeing him, Ba He immediately thought, "Isn't that Magistrate He? I heard he was transferred over a year ago, what's he doing here?"
He immediately knelt down and said, "Greetings, Your Excellency!"
"No need for formalities! Come inside and we'll talk!"
"Yes, Your Excellency!"
Ba He nervously accompanied him into the hall.
As soon as they were seated, a servant brought out fragrant tea.
Ba He said, "Please have some tea, Your Excellency!"
"Very well!"
The two then each drank their tea.
After a while, Ba He asked, "What are your orders, Your Excellency?"
"First, I must thank your son, because the two men who committed the crime here over three years ago were the 'Twin Thieves of Heaven and Earth,' wanted by the court for over ten years.
The court confirmed their identities based on their masks and banknotes, and I was thus promoted to Prefect of Taiyuan. I have come today specifically to express my gratitude!"
With that, he rose and bowed.
Ba He returned the greeting, saying, "I dare not accept such praise!"
As soon as the two sat down, Prefect He smiled and said, "I have long heard of your good deeds in building bridges, establishing schools, and benefiting the villagers. I have specially opened three avenues for your livelihood.
I have three relatives who are willing to sell your Fenjiu in Jinan, Lanzhou, and northern Shaanxi. You only need to send people to resell it in Taiyuan!"
Ba He happily said, "Thank you, Your Excellency!"
Prefect He smiled and said, "I have already selected a former government-owned granary for you. You only need to hire people to clean it up, and you can sell your wine there directly!"
He immediately gave instructions in a low voice.
Ba He nodded repeatedly in thanks.
After a long while, Prefect He said, "Send people to carry out this matter quickly!"
"Yes! Thank you, Your Excellency. How can I express my gratitude?"
"I appreciate it. Do more good deeds!"
"Yes!"
"I must go on an inspection tour. Do not forget this matter!"
"Yes! Respectfully seeing you off, Your Excellency!"
Soon, Prefect He had already left with a smile.
Ba He exclaimed with delight, "A distinguished guest has descended from heaven! How wonderful!"
He then summoned a middle-aged man and four young men and gave them instructions.
In less than half an hour, Ba He had led them away in three carts.
Upon entering Taiyuan, they headed straight for the government office.
Soon, Ba He met with Clerk He and explained his purpose.
Clerk He then accompanied them to the granary.
Shortly after, they entered the granary, which covered more than three hectares. After inspecting it inside and out, Ba He and Clerk He returned to the government office to complete all the formalities.
Upon returning to the granary, he saw that more than fifty people had already cleaned the interior and were cleaning the exterior. He then summoned the middle-aged man and gave him detailed instructions.
That evening, he hosted a banquet at a restaurant to thank Clerk He and to seek his advice in detail.
Clerk He also provided detailed guidance.
The next day at noon, he, Clerk He, and the three middle-aged men gathered happily at the restaurant.
These three men were in charge of selling wine from Jinan, Lanzhou, and northern Shaanxi. They negotiated prices and quantities while dining, and Ba He's business increased nearly tenfold!
After the meal, Ba He went back to the granary and found workers bustling about in the next room.
He instructed the middle-aged men and then took a cart back to Xinghua Village.
Upon returning home, he issued a mobilization order.
In less than an hour, one hundred cartloads of wine had been delivered to Taiyuan City.
The wineries also arranged for night shifts.
Fifteen wineries were working at full capacity.
Ba He also bought up the remaining wine from ten other wineries!
The kilns for making pottery were also operating day and night.
There was no idle person in Xinghua Village!
Women and children were also hired to brew wine during the day!
After three days of negotiations, Ba He finally exchanged restaurants, shops, and land for ten more wineries. Now, all twenty-five wineries in Xinghua Village were brewing Fenjiu day and night.
The aroma of wine permeated Xinghua Village day and night.
More than three hundred horse-drawn carts transported wine back and forth.
Human nature is strange indeed. When the people of Taiyuan saw large numbers of horse-drawn carts frequently transporting Fenjiu (a type of Chinese liquor), they all tried it and immediately developed a craving for it.
Especially the 'Ji Fen' variety, which was in high demand and short supply.
After careful consideration, Ba He added twenty more distilleries to his remaining ten-odd acres of land and hired nearly ten thousand young men from neighboring villages to assist in brewing.
In addition, he built six more kilns for making wine jugs.
He was pushing forward with great ambition.
Because the trial sales in Jinan and the three designated distributors had received an enthusiastic response!
The three distributors were overjoyed and frequently urged him to deliver more goods!
'When luck is on your side, even city walls can't stop it,' and the wine market in the capital, which Guo Yuanwai had always wanted to enter but had never been able to, was now coming uninvited.
Moreover, three major wine merchants came at the same time.
That afternoon, they visited together, and Ba He immediately received them.
Soon, Ba He accompanied them to the wine cellar and said, "I'm sorry! The wine market is booming, and our inventory is limited. We can only supply Ji Fen at the moment. Please, the three of you, try some!"
With that, he opened a wine barrel and scooped out twelve cups of wine for each of them.
The three men then seriously tasted each cup. Soon after,
they each took a cup to sample.
Satisfied, they immediately ordered one thousand barrels of Ji Fen each, and indicated they would each purchase another one thousand barrels every month. Ba He was overjoyed and thanked them profusely.
That evening, he hosted a banquet for the three men, where they enjoyed Ji Fen to their hearts' content.
The next morning, after paying in advance, they took away fifty cartloads of Ji Fen.
From then on, Ba He hired drivers from nearby villages to transport wine to the capital. In addition, specialties from the capital were also transported back to Xinghua Village through them. As a result,
most of the Ji Fen inventory in the various wineries was sold.
The forty-five wineries then worked day and night to brew Fenjiu or Ji Fenjiu.
A month later, the drivers and brewers who had come from neighboring villages to be hired were overjoyed! Because they indeed received double wages.
Within seven days, over three thousand more people came to sign up.
Ba He, like Han Xin using military force, hired them all.
This was because the newly built twenty distilleries desperately needed workers!
Furthermore, Ba He bought large tracts of land in the suburbs from landlords to build distilleries, because he planned to use these one hundred distilleries exclusively to brew Ji Fenjiu.
He poured all the money he had earned over the past three or four years into it!
He also built a large number of wooden houses to house the migrant workers.
That morning, he entered the Taiyuan Prefectural Government Office to first thank Prefect He and his advisor, Master He. Then, he asked Prefect He to arrange for 50,000 impoverished youths to assist in brewing wine.
He even promised to pay double wages.
This would enhance Prefect He's political record, and he readily agreed.
Both sides got what they wanted and chatted happily for a while.
Soon after, Ba He went to the granary to comfort the five wine sellers.
He first gave each of them a red envelope and then encouraged them for a while.
These five were quite carefree in Taiyuan City because the Fenjiu from Xinghua Village was transported to the granary and then shipped out within half a day; they had plenty of free time!
Ba He was magnanimous and wouldn't hold it against them.
Besides, he didn't care about paying the five men's wages.
Upon returning to Xinghua Village, he actively selected a thousand masters to train the 50,000 impoverished youths so that they could brew wine as soon as possible.
Xinghua Village, which had always complained about its sparse population, suddenly found itself teeming with people, both day and night, because the distilleries were brewing wine day and night!
In less than a month, 50,000 young people had moved into the wooden houses. Although they slept in shared dormitories, the complete bedding and food were enough to satisfy them.
They apprenticed at 45 distilleries.
Ten days later, they joined the ranks of those brewing wine day and night.
Experienced brewers went to new distilleries to produce the high-priced Ji Fen. New
distilleries were completed one by one, and the masters, using the "old birds guiding new birds" approach, directed the workers to repeatedly distill and brew the fragrant and mellow Ji Fen wine day and night.
Ba He inspected the distilleries daily and encouraged the workers.
In addition, he selected 21 young people for training.
Seven days later, three young people were already on a convoy delivering Fen wine to the capital.
Three days later, three more young men joined the convoy to deliver Fenjiu liquor to Taiyuan. These young men arranged food and lodging for the drivers along the way. Upon arrival, they sold the liquor, collected payments, and purchased various necessities for the village.
With their involvement, Bahe could now collect the silver notes with peace of mind.
The drivers could no longer cause trouble!
Bahe's sprint was temporarily over, and he began to strengthen management.
He selected a senior craftsman from each of the 145 distilleries to be in charge, and rewarded them with ten taels of silver each month. They truly devoted themselves to him.
'Treat others as you would like to be treated,' Bahe's kindness brought him even greater rewards!
Guo Ba's diligent practice also yielded even greater rewards; his rapidly increasing skill brought him to nearly 80% mastery of the 'Thunder Chasing Sword Technique,' a feat even Zhuo Dao himself couldn't believe.
Therefore, Zhuo Dao switched to 'nighttime mountain sword practice'!
He used sword techniques combined with hidden weapons for attacks, while Guo Ba focused on defense.
He practiced until late every night before returning home to rest.
Every noon, they would savor fine wine and chat happily.
In his exhilaration, Zhuo Dao would reminisce about his past, analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of each battle and offering advice to Guo Ba.
After lunch, the two would take pills and rest.
The pills Guo Ba was currently taking were made in large quantities by Ba He in Taiyuan City using Zhuo Dao's secret formula, at great expense; Ba He himself was also taking them!
Ba He and his son were using vast amounts of money and manpower to accumulate wealth and martial arts skills respectively.
Meanwhile, smoke filled the air around Fengyang County in Anhui Province. The locust plague that had occurred twenty-six years prior showed signs of resurgence, and the authorities had ordered the burning of fields.
This was because hesitation in the past had allowed the locusts to multiply and cause such a devastating infestation!
Landlords and tenant farmers wept as they watched their newly sprouted crops turn to ashes.
Sensitive merchants and landlords began to fear that floods would follow.
The tragedy of over twenty years ago had instilled a deep sense of unease in the hearts of the people.
The news spread like wildfire, and many merchants and landlords wanted to relocate.
The authorities hurriedly intervened to "sanitize" the situation!
However, panic had already taken hold, and the selling frenzy had become a trend!
In less than a month, over 80% of the wealthy families in Fengyang had moved away.
Upon receiving the news, Bahe discussed the matter with Zhuodao.
That afternoon, Bahe and Zhuodao traveled to Fengyang, their bags filled with bundles of silver notes, except for a change of clothes.
Bahe had always longed for his hometown of Fengyang!
Upon arriving in Fengyang that afternoon, they toured the city and its surroundings.
After observing for three consecutive days, they discovered that while the wealthy had left, most of the lower and middle-class Fengyang residents were still reluctant to leave their hometown.
Furthermore, Bahe had reunited with and discussed matters with eight members of his clan.
Therefore, he purchased property from them without hesitation.
He used the wealth left by the late Master Guo and the income from selling wine to buy land and shops. Within three days, all the red paper money for selling property in and around Fengyang City disappeared.
Ba He had become the largest landowner in Fengyang.
Seeing that he still had over a million taels of silver, he gave 100,000 taels to each of his eight clansmen.
He entrusted them with the full management of his property.
He returned to Xinghua Village with peace of mind to continue selling wine and accumulating wealth.
He was determined to save more money before returning to Fengyang to invest and stabilize the people's hearts.
Two months later, as soon as the Fengyang County government received an official document from the imperial court, it posted notices everywhere and sent people to announce the unprecedented benevolent policies of the imperial court.
These benevolent policies included flood control and tax exemption, which the imperial court intended to stabilize the people's hearts!
All industries in and around Fengyang City were exempt from taxes for ten years.
Ditches were built in the streets and alleys of Fengyang City to facilitate flood control.
This project lasted for half a year, and the people of Fengyang benefited from it, earning a considerable amount of wages.
The wealthy people who had sold property, in their regret, never set foot in Fengyang again.
The shops in Fengyang saw a significant increase in income due to the tax exemption!
The following spring, many farmers were busy with spring plowing.
Last year's burning of fields, combined with the tenant farmers' cooperation in the official's regular spraying of pesticides, had completely eradicated the locusts. Now, they were cultivating with full confidence.
That morning, Bahe returned to Fengyang alone. He met with eight clansmen, who told him about the emperor's benevolent policies and presented him with account books and silver notes.
Upon seeing that they had earned over a million taels of silver in July and August, Bahe immediately rewarded each of them with six thousand taels and each shop with one hundred taels.
The eight men were overjoyed and repeatedly expressed their gratitude.
Then, they accompanied Bahe to the shops to bestow rewards.
The servants were deeply surprised and repeatedly expressed their thanks.
On the third day, Bahe met with each tenant farmer and rewarded each with five taels of silver.
The more than twenty thousand tenant farmers were overjoyed.
That afternoon, Bahe smiled and left with over five hundred thousand taels of silver notes.
He was full of confidence for the future!
※※ ※※ ※※
During the Qingming Festival, Ba He led Guo Ba in a respectful tomb sweeping ceremony, paying respects to the Guo family of three.
He also rewarded each of his servants, workers, and coachmen with three taels of silver.
This was because he had been making a fortune during this period.
As the saying goes, "Making money is like making water," meaning it's easy to earn money. Ba He brewed wine with water, and with the efforts of nearly 100,000 people, his monthly income had already surprised him.
Especially in the capital, where sales were extremely high, his monthly income increased steadily.
Overjoyed, Ba He naturally wanted to share the fruits of his labor with his servants.
The servants, delighted, worked even harder, taking turns brewing wine day and night.
The coachmen, driving their carts, frequently hummed songs.
This was because their families were greatly improving their lives!
Workers, hearing the news, also arrived daily.
Ba He readily arranged for them to work in various wineries.
This was because the hundred wineries still needed workers.
Because Ba He planned to build more wineries, he needed to first secure a workforce.
The entire Xinghua Village was bathed in light and joy.
However, elsewhere, the situation was
quite different! That morning, under a bright and sunny sky, a young man in his thirties, dressed in brocade robes, led six burly men in blue shirts along the mountain path of Rooster Mountain, enjoying the scenery with apparent ease.
This young man, named Wu Quan, was the only son of Wu Long, the owner of Wu Ji Carriage Company in Changsha. These six men were Wu Long's six most formidable henchmen.
Wu Ji Carriage Company owned 20,000 carriages, transporting goods and passengers from the two lakes region outwards, making it the largest carriage company in the world.
However, those in the know understood that Wu Ji Carriage Company was also a center for the trade of all kinds of treasures; they accepted any treasure, even stolen goods, without question.
This was because Wu Ji had special sales channels.
Wu Ji's drivers were also frontline salesmen.
Therefore, Wu Long's reputation was mixed.
Nevertheless, Wu Ji's wealth was something no one in the world dared to underestimate.
Wu Long's martial arts skills were so formidable that no one dared underestimate him. Ten years prior, the infamous Desert Twin Wolves, who had joined forces, were killed by Wu Long in just three moves.
This victory shocked the world and cemented the reputation of the Wu family.
No wonder Wu Quan was so carefree, enjoying the scenery.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, as Wu Quan was strolling and admiring the scenery halfway up the mountain, he suddenly saw two young Taoist priests approaching side-by-side, exchanging greetings with a single palm strike. Since
Rooster Mountain was near the Wudang Sect, the appearance of two young Taoist priests here was quite common. Therefore, Wu Quan and his group of seven glanced at them briefly before continuing their sightseeing. As
the two Taoist priests drew closer, they changed from walking side-by-side to one in front of the other, and walked along the right edge of the mountain path—truly, monks possessed a certain elegance.
Wu Quan and his group of seven continued on their way, unconcerned.
Soon, as the two sides drew near, the Taoist priest in front swiftly struck Wu Quan with his right palm, which he had been holding to his chest. Then, with his left hand, he drew a soft sword from his robe.
Wu Quan's expression changed, and he instinctively dodged.
The following Taoist priest then struck Wu Quan's chest with his right palm.
The two strikes, one after the other, killed Wu Quan in an instant.
The six burly men, barely recovering from their shock, had one of them quickly help Wu Quan up.
The other five reached for their swords, ready to attack.
The two Taoist priests swiftly drew their soft swords with their left hands and threw them at the two burly men.
Then, they turned and rushed up the mountain.
With shouts, the two burly men gave chase.
The other two burly men deflected the two swords with their own and continued the pursuit.
The remaining two burly men, seeing the boy dead, were filled with shock and rage.
One of them picked up the sword and immediately saw the character '武' (Wu, meaning martial/martial) on the hilt.
"Damn it! It really was the work of that damned Wudang!"
"Let's take these two swords first!"
The two men waited to the side.
They believed their companion could catch the two murderers, but half an hour later, two other burly men hurriedly came down the mountain path.
"How is the young master?"
"The young master has been killed. Where is the murderer?" "
He has already jumped off Wangjun Cliff. Brother Hai and the other two are climbing down the cliff!"
"Damn it! This was done by the Wudang Sect. These two swords can prove it!"
As he spoke, he pointed to the two soft swords.
The burly man immediately shook his head and said, "This is a frame-up. Wudang disciples never use soft swords. Even if the Wudang Sect wanted to kill him, they wouldn't leave this evidence!"
"This..."
"Report the news first! We two will go down the cliff to search for the murderers!"
"Alright!"
The four of them split up and acted.
Soon, the two men climbed down the cliff and faintly heard the sound of water.
They climbed down for a while and sure enough, they saw a large river below the cliff. They knew the murderers had escaped, and they gritted their teeth in hatred.
Soon, they landed and indeed saw markings on the tree bark.
Knowing their two companions had gone off in different directions, they each searched upstream and downstream.
After a long while, they suddenly saw two figures emerge from the river downstream. They threw away their long bamboo tubes and gasped for breath, apparently having used the tubes to breathe underwater.
Soon, they swam ashore and rushed into the forest.
They found each of them taking out a bundle from behind a rock, drying their hair with towels, and removing their masks.
Then, they removed their robes and boots and quickly dried themselves.
Soon, they each wore a blue shirt and blue trousers.
They then put on their boots and socks and buried their wet clothes.
They said goodbye to each other, and one of them darted into the depths of the forest, while the other crossed the river and swiftly scaled the cliff top using protruding rocks.
Soon, he had calmly passed the spot he had just been.
He glanced at them with a smile and then calmly departed.
Soon after, he was dining at a tavern at the foot of the mountain.
He ate while listening to the conversation of his patrons.
After a long while, when he heard no further discussion of the murder case, he couldn't help but think, "The Wu family must have figured out the frame-up scheme; otherwise, this matter would have already caused a huge uproar!"
With that thought, he decided to take another route.
After his meal, he headed directly through the mountains.
By dusk, he had already entered the southern suburbs of Baozhen County, Wuhan. Soon after, he returned to his hideout and let out a long sigh of
relief. He then carried water back to his room to bathe and relax.
Soon, he poured himself a drink and sipped it slowly in the hall.
While others drank with condiments, he preferred to drink it dry. After a while, he smiled and gently stroked the wine pot, saying, "The best wine from Xinghua Village truly lives up to its reputation!"
He then sipped cup after cup.
Finally, he finished the pot and returned to his room with a smile.
A short while later, he took out a silver note and thought, "This thirty thousand taels of gold is enough to settle Uncle Di's gambling debts. Jinlian can finally be in my arms!"
He couldn't help but take out a jade pendant and gently stroke it. A
smile involuntarily spread across his lips.
His surname was Pang, and his given name was Da. He wasn't from Baozhen County, Wuhan. His parents were well-known thieves in the Hunan and Hubei region; they married because of their profession.
When Pang Da was three years old, his parents were tragically killed in a joint crime. He was then raised and trained in martial arts by his father's sworn brother, Shang Ying.
Inheriting the talents of his parents and receiving meticulous training from Shang Ying, he had been able to carry out assassination work independently for three years, and Shang Ying increasingly relied on him.
'Youthful dreams are always just dreams,' and after being taken to Baozhen County for martial arts training, Pang Da fell in love with Di Jinlian from a neighboring village due to their long-term acquaintance.
Di Jinlian originally came from a wealthy family, but her father, Di Cai, was lured into gambling five years ago, losing all his wealth and accumulating a mountain of debt.
He repeatedly tried to quit gambling, but always relapsed. Now, he was forced to work odd jobs at the casino to pay off his debts, while his wife, daughter, and son worked to help him.
Pang Da became an assassin partly to repay Shang Ying's kindness in raising him, but primarily because he wanted to help Di Cai pay off his gambling debts.
He gave all his earnings from each assassination to Di Cai, but Di Cai continued to gamble, losing everything in less than a night. However, Pang Da continued to assist Di Cai.
This was because Di Cai's creditors intended to force Di Jinlian into prostitution to pay off their debts!
Now, Di Cai had sworn an oath to quit gambling, and his total debt was less than 30,000 taels of gold. The gold note in Pang Da's hand was enough to settle his debts.
Then, Di Jinlian could be with him forever!
Thinking of this, he was filled with ecstasy!
At this moment, Di Cai was preparing to go to work at the casino when, as soon as he opened the door, he saw two people standing there. Startled, he immediately bowed and said, "Greetings, gentlemen!"
For these two were none other than Shang Ying and the casino owner, Hou Biao!
Hou Biao immediately handed over a stack of papers, saying, "Master Shang has paid off your debts!" Upon
seeing his own handwritten IOU, Di Cai was overjoyed.
"Aren't you happy?"
"No! Thank you, Master Shang!"
Shang Ying smiled slightly and nodded gently.
Hou Biao said to Shang Ying, "Master Shang, I'll take my leave!"
"Please!"
Hou Biao immediately bowed and left.
Shang Ying ran a restaurant and a silver shop in Baozhen County. The people of the county only knew him as wealthy and influential in both the legitimate and underworld circles; they didn't know he was the head of an assassination squad.
Immediately, Di Cai smiled and said, "Thank you for your help, sir!"
"Let's go inside and talk further!"
"Yes! Please!"
The two then entered the hall together.
As soon as Shang Ying sat down, he glanced around the hall and said, "Brother, it's time to wake up!"
Di Cai blushed and nodded, "Yes!"
Shang Ying handed him a land deed, saying, "I'm giving you a chance. From today onwards, Zhuangyuanlou is yours to run. You must not dabble in gambling again, okay?"
"Why are you treating me so well, sir?"
"Is this what you call treating me well?"
"Yes! Not only did you pay off my debts, but you also bestowed Zhuangyuanlou upon me. I don't know how to repay such a great favor. Please advise me!"
"Do you really have this intention?"
"Yes!"
"I want Jinlian!"
"This...this...this..."
"Brother, I paid off nearly 30,000 taels of gold for you. Zhuangyuanlou is worth at least 10,000 taels of gold. I only want Jinlian. Think it over carefully."
"This...but, Xiao Pang and my daughter are in love!"
"Can love put food on the table?"
"But Xiao Pang said he can pay off my debts in the coming days..."
"Hehe! Do you know Xiao Pang's source of wealth?"
"I don't know, he's never mentioned it!"
"Heh heh! He's helped you four times before, hasn't he?"
Di Cai nodded, "Yes! I owe him so much!"
"Heh heh! Do you know that his source of wealth is me?"
"I have a slight guess!"
"In that case, what are you hesitating about?"
"This... but, I've already promised Xiao Pang..."
"Xiao Pang was raised by me, would he dare to defy me?"
"This... this..."
Shang Ying suddenly opened his eyes wide, and Di Cai was so frightened that he immediately lowered his head and remained silent.
Shang Ying said in a deep voice, "Have you made up your mind?"
Di Cai had no choice but to nod and say, "Thank you for your generous gift, Master Shang!"
"Very good! I will take Jinlian away immediately!"
"Yes! Please wait a moment!"
Di Cai hurriedly went inside.
Soon after, he entered his daughter's room and saw his wife and daughter weeping as they looked at him. He immediately bowed his head and said, "You've all heard me? I have nothing to say!"
Madam Di asked, "How will you explain this to Xiao Pang?"
"Master Shang is right, Xiao Pang was raised by Master Shang!"
Madam Di sighed and said to her beloved daughter, "My child, I'm so sorry!"
Di Jinlian knelt down and said, "Father, please, please quit gambling!"
Di Cai nodded and said, "If I gamble again, I'm not human!"
"Thank you, Father. Please tell Xiao Pang that I will serve you again in my next life!"
Di Cai felt a pang of sorrow and nodded, "Father is so sorry!"
Di Jinlian wiped away her tears and kowtowed to her parents.
Soon after, she silently packed her clothes and left the room with Di Cai.
Madam Di couldn't help but sob softly on the bed.
Soon after, Di Jinlian had already left with Shang Ying in a carriage.
Before long, the carriage sped into the Shang residence, the gates immediately closed, and as soon as it stopped at the steps, Shang Ying alighted with a smile.
A woman greeted him with a smile.
Shang Ying nodded to her and then proceeded up the steps.
As soon as Di Jinlian stepped out of the carriage, the woman stepped forward to help her up the steps and whispered, "Take it easy. Love can't put food on the table; the stability of your family is more important!"
Di Jinlian's nose stung with tears.
She knew that Master Shang had already arranged everything.
She felt pathetic!
The woman led her directly to a room and pointed to the bathing utensils, saying, "Cleanse yourself first!"
With that, she closed the door and left.
Di Jinlian put down her bundle and silently took off her cloth dress.
Soon, a captivating body appeared!
Wow! No wonder Pang Da was willing to risk his life for her, no wonder Shang Ying was willing to spend so much money on her; her angelic face and devilish figure were truly mesmerizing!
Soon, she bent over in front of the basin to wash her hair.
Her full breasts, slender waist, and wasp buttocks were on full display!
Then, she entered the basin and scrubbed her body.
Those full and firm breasts were truly captivating.
After a long while, she dried her body and saw her undergarments and a white gauze robe on the table. She immediately went forward and put them on.
Looking down at her half-naked body, she felt a wave of embarrassment.
The door suddenly opened, and the woman entered the room with a smile, saying, "So beautiful! So beautiful! Come!"
She then led Di Jinlian to sit in front of the bronze mirror.
First, she opened a box and whispered, "The master likes the scent of lilies!"
As she spoke, she lightly applied the scented powder to Di Jinlian's neck and armpits.
Next, she wiped Di Jinlian's hair and said, "Take it easy. Crying and sobbing, it's still a day; laughing and sobbing, it's still a day. The latter is more effective!"
Di Jinlian remained silent.
After a long while, the woman helped Di Jinlian out of the room.
Soon, as they entered the room, they saw Shang Ying sitting smiling at the table, on which were laid out six dishes, two soups, and three jugs of wine. The woman said in a low voice, "Greetings!"
Di Jinlian stepped forward and bowed.
Her bow, combined with her slightly loose bodice, revealed more than half of her ample breasts.
Shang Ying's eyes immediately lit up.
"Sit! Go and receive your reward!"
The woman smiled and bowed, saying, "Thank you for your generous gift, sir!"
With that, she closed the door and left.
Seeing Shang Ying point to the chair beside her, Di Jinlian bowed and sat down.
Shang Ying smiled and said, "Pour the wine!"
She immediately picked up the jug and poured the wine.
Shang Ying gently grasped her slender hand as he poured, saying, "Don't be nervous, I'm not a tiger!"
In the blink of an eye, he had poured two cups of wine.
Shang Ying smiled and
said, "Cheers!" He then drank his cup first.
Di Jinlian gritted her teeth and also tilted her head back to drink her cup.
The wine choked her, and she couldn't help but cough.
Taking advantage of the moment, Shang Ying lightly patted her back and stroked her chest with his other hand.
She gritted her teeth, deciding to submit.
Soon, she not only dined with him but also frequently poured him wine and toasted him.
In less than half an hour, her face was flushed and her eyes were sparkling.
Shang Ying's desire flared!
He seized the opportunity to repeatedly invite her for wine.
After a while, all three jugs of wine were empty, and Di Jinlian was quite drunk.
Shang Ying laughed and picked her up.
He laid her on the couch, and she cried out that she was hot and removed
her white robe. Then, her undergarments and bodice were also removed.
Her devilish figure enraged Shang Ying!
He quickly stripped himself naked and pounced on her body like a hungry tiger, his hands caressing her flesh, while he licked her like a dog.
She writhed like a snake.
She moaned and groaned.
Soon, he couldn't resist any longer and mounted her!
The army stormed into Guanzhong, and fallen petals surged forth.
Upon seeing the fallen petals, he was overjoyed. He
brandished his spear
repeatedly. He began his arduous journey.
Soon, the pain of deflowering numbed her, and she writhed and convulsed. He
urged his precious member
to thrust. She responded even more wantonly.
Within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he let out blissful moans.
She thrust even more wantonly.
Soon, he presented her with a souvenir!
She thrust again, then drifted off into a blissful stupor!
Shang Ying exhaled a breath of fresh air and said, "Wonderful! What a beauty!"
He then held her as they fell asleep!
When he awoke at dawn, he found her not only embracing him but also her right leg wrapped around his waist. He smiled with satisfaction, and his desire flared once more.
His little brother immediately stood erect.
It instantly woke her.
Her eyes were hazy with intoxication, making her even more alluring.
Shang Ying immediately embraced and kissed her.
He rolled over, and his little brother entered her again!
A tingling sensation immediately reminded her that she was no longer innocent!
Facing reality, she embraced him and yielded.
The sounds of passion filled the room again.
After a long while, Shang Ying, panting with satisfaction, finished.
He happily stroked her breasts and said, "You performed very well. I have decided to give your father a million taels of silver so that he can repay Xiao Pang's debt. Are you satisfied?"
"Thank you!"
Shang Ying smiled slightly and stroked her breasts again, saying, "There's a bathroom in the inner room!"
With that, he got off the bed with a smile.
Di Jinlian wondered blankly, "How am I different from a prostitute?"
Soon after, Shang Ying returned to his room, dressed, and left happily.
Di Jinlian stared at the bloodstains and filth on her lower body, feeling bewildered.
Soon, she was soaking in the white stone bath in the inner room.
After a while, Shang Ying sent someone to deliver an envelope to Zhuangyuanlou.
At this time, the Di Cai couple were already greeting guests at Zhuangyuanlou, because before dawn, the manager of Zhuangyuanlou had come to visit them and invited them to see Zhuangyuanlou.
Unexpectedly, Shang Ying kept his promise, so they followed him.
Upon arriving at Zhuangyuanlou, they found servants lined up to welcome them.
They could only force a smile and accept the arrival.
At that moment, Pang Da was knocking on the Di family's wooden door, saying, "Jinlian, are you home?"
Di Shun, who was staying at home, went up to open the door and said, "Brother Da!"
"Shun, where's Jinlian?"
"She...she's not here!"
"Not here? Did she go to embroider ?
" "No!
" "Where are your parents?
" "They went out!" "
Where did they go? When will they be back?"
"I don't know!"
"Shun, you're acting strange today!"
Di Shun lowered his head and remained silent.
Pang Da's suspicions deepened, so he asked again, "Shun, what happened?"
Suddenly, a deep voice came from the left, "Little Pang!"
Pang Da turned his head and saw a burly man watching him from the left. He immediately turned around and whispered, "Brother Wei, let me ask you something first, okay?"
"No need! Go see the master!"
"This...alright!"
The two then left together.
Soon, Pang Da realized he was going the wrong way and looked at the man.
The man, however, continued walking forward without saying a word.
Soon, as the two approached the Zhuangyuan Tower, the man immediately stopped and said, "Look more, say less!"
Pang Da was secretly taken aback!
The man then went directly into the Jidi Tower opposite the Zhuangyuan Tower.
Soon, the two sat by the window, their gazes fixed on Zhuangyuanlou.
Pang Da glanced over and saw a waiter pouring tea, while Di Cai and his wife were smiling and greeting two customers. Pang Da blinked in disbelief and stared again.
A short while later, Di Cai returned to the counter to collect the bill, while his wife thanked the customers with a
forced smile. Seeing this, Pang Da knew something was amiss.
He watched and pondered .
Zhuangyuanlou truly lived up to its reputation as the most popular establishment; in less than half an hour, nearly a hundred customers had come and gone. Di Cai and his wife were constantly greeting and seeing off customers, their faces beaming with joy.
Pang Da's expression, however, grew even more somber.
Zhuangyuanlou was Shang Ying's flagship store; his willingness to let Di Cai and his wife interfere suggested that Shang Ying must have ulterior motives.
Pang Da knew Shang Ying was a womanizer, and he couldn't help but think of Di Jinlian.
Therefore, his face was extremely grim.
However, he still clung to a sliver of hope, because Shang Ying knew he and Di Jinlian were in love, and he considered himself utterly loyal to Shang Ying; he believed Shang Ying would never steal his love.
Therefore, he immediately said in a deep voice, "I want to see the master!"
Without a word, the other man got up and left.
As soon as the two left the Jidi Tower, Di Jinlian was smiling as she saw off her guests. Upon seeing Pang Da's somber expression, her smile froze, and she immediately lowered her head.
Pang Da felt a chill run down his spine!
He concluded that Shang Ying had truly stolen his love!
A surge of hatred quickly welled up in his heart.
Soon after, the two entered the Shang residence and immediately saw Shang Ying smiling as she watched Di Jinlian pour tea. Upon seeing this, Pang Da's anger flared even more.
Di Jinlian finished pouring the tea and turned to sit down.
Upon seeing Pang Da, her expression changed.
Seeing his somber expression, she lowered her head.
Shang Ying, however, smiled and sipped his tea.
The burly man entered the hall and immediately bowed to Shang Ying.
Shang Ying said, "Go down!"
The burly man immediately complied and left.
Pang Da then stepped forward and asked in a deep voice, "What's going on?"
Shang Ying smiled at Di Jinlian and said, "If you feel uncomfortable, go back to your room!"
Di Jinlian then lowered her head and got up to leave.
Only then did Pang Da realize that her long hair, which used to hang down to her shoulders, was now tied up in a bun at the back of her head. Clearly, she had become his woman!
Such a dramatic change in just seven days left him stunned in disbelief!
He had originally intended to ask her directly, but now he was speechless with shock!
Di Jinlian had been prepared to be questioned, but seeing his speechless expression, she felt a pang of sadness and hurriedly left with her head down.
Soon, she disappeared behind the screen.
Shang Ying smiled and said, "Sit!"
Pang Da let out a long breath and said, "That matter has been taken care of!"
"Very good! Jinlian became my sixth concubine last night!"
Pang Da couldn't help but ask, "Master, you knew we loved each other, why did you do this?"
Shang Ying smiled and said, "I like her!"
"Master likes her?"
"That's right!"
"With your wealth and connections, why would you worry about not finding a woman more beautiful and more worthy of your affection than Jinlian? Where does this leave me?"
Shang Ying still smiled and said, "Little Pang, don't forget your vow."
"I..."
"To repay your kindness, I'll give my life, won't I?"
Pang Da immediately lowered his head.
"Hehe! Little Pang, are you so easily tested?"
"Is this a test? Does such a test even exist in this world?"
"That's right!"
Pang Da took a deep breath and silently turned away.
Shang Ying said gently, "Little Pang, you want to leave?"
"Perhaps! I want some peace and quiet!"
"Little Pang, whatever you choose, don't forget my rules!"
"Don't worry!"
With that, Pang Da strode away.
Shang Ying chuckled, his right toe already hooking onto the thin rope behind the right chair pillar. A soft clanging sound immediately came from the back hall, and then the six of them hurriedly left through the back door.

Chapter Three: Not All Beauties Are Unlucky

After Pang Da left the Shang mansion gate with resentment and regret, he immediately saw a burly man with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall of a house, scrutinizing him.
Pang Da instinctively thought, "Does he want to kill me? Yes! Otherwise, why would he take my Golden Lotus? He must be worried that Wu Ji will track him down!"
With this thought, he calmly moved forward.
He had only taken three steps when he suddenly turned around and leaped forward.
The burly man shouted, "Fan Luo!" and leaped after him.
Now that Pang Da was certain of this, he leaped away with all his might.
Soon, he darted out of the city and into the forest.
Once inside, he thought to himself with relief, "Alright! Even Shang Ying can't catch me!"
He then headed north.
With shouts, the six men followed the burly man and sped away.
Soon, Pang Da had swiftly made his way north along the mountain path.
He sped north with incredible speed, and in less than an hour, he had increased the distance by more than three miles. As soon as he reached the mountaintop, he saw the seven men chasing him down the slope.
He quickly determined his direction and then darted down the right-hand fork in the road.
He knew this fork led to the Taihang Mountains; to the right of the mountains lay Hebei and Shandong, and to the left, Shanxi. He chose Xinghua Village in Shanxi
as his hiding place. He had been to Xinghua Village before and knew that a great philanthropist there employed outsiders to brew wine, and that the village already had at least 80,000 outsiders—a perfect hiding spot.
Therefore, he leaped down towards the Taihang Mountains.
Soon, the seven men reached the top of the cliff and saw Pang Da had already entered the Taihang Mountains. The burly man pondered for a moment and then ordered the six men to continue the pursuit, to chase him to the death.
The six men immediately leaped down.
The burly man cursed "You brat
!" and rushed towards Baozhen County. Around noon, upon entering the Shang residence, he saw Shang Ying and Shen Rong sitting alone in the main hall. He immediately approached and whispered, "He's already entered the Taihang Mountains, and Xiao Li and his six men have followed him!"
Shang Ying said in a deep voice, "They can't keep an eye on him; it will only arouse Wu Ji's suspicion!"
"Ah! My foolishness!"
"I doubt he'll dare reveal this. Go after Xiao Li and his six men!"
"Yes!"
The burly man, cursing his bad luck, turned and left again.
After nightfall, Pang Da suddenly saw a light on the mountaintop ahead. He turned sharply and immediately saw a figure leap across the mountaintop in the moonlight, followed by another. He quickly
surveyed the scene.
Soon, he saw a leaning pine tree at the foot of the cliff and immediately leaped down.
With a soft thud, he landed on the pine.
He exhaled and sat down against the wall.
He took the opportunity to rest, and soon he heard the six men pass by the spot where he had just stopped. He couldn't help but sneer inwardly, "Don't blame me, you aided and abetted evil, you deserve your retribution!"
Sure enough, he heard shouts and the sounds of fighting.
Then came screams.
Pang Da listened for a while longer and heard two familiar voices scream.
He thought to himself, "Who are they? They're quite skilled!"
He listened for another half hour and finally learned that all six pursuers were dead. However, the other side had lost at least twenty men. He immediately held his breath and listened intently.
"Reporting to Master Li, there is no suspicious information on these six men!"
Li Ting said in a deep voice, "Where
are the silver notes?" "All cash!"
"Hmph! Let's hurry on our way, don't delay Master Wu's time!"
"Should we dispose of the bodies?" "
Don't waste time, throw them off the cliff!"
"Yes!"
Li Ting heard a series of whooshing and banging sounds.
Soon, Pang Da heard more than thirty men pass by.
He waited for a while before leaping to the top of the cliff.
He then continued his journey north.
An hour later, he darted into a left fork in the road and headed west.
At dawn, as he approached the east side of Xinghua Village, the pervasive aroma of wine invigorated him, and he stopped to take a deep breath and sip his tea.
Soon, he exhaled and thought, "A wonderful feeling, I'll stay!"
He then pondered how to stay.
After a long while, he was already drawing water from the Fen River to wash his face.
Next, he entered the village and ate at a small canteen.
To appear humble, he ordered only a bowl of white rice and a piece of fried tofu. Seeing his refined manners, the canteen owner not only filled his bowl with rice but also pressed it down three times before adding another ladleful.
He even casually poured two spoonfuls of meat gravy on top.
Pang Da observed this and kept it in mind.
After the meal, he took out a piece of silver and asked, "Excuse me, is the winery short of workers?"
The shopkeeper enthusiastically replied, "Yes, they are. Go south from the north end of the street; the Guo family mansion is hiring workers!"
"Thank you!"
The shopkeeper gave him the change, and Pang Da immediately left.
Soon after, he arrived at the Guo mansion and saw the gatekeeper smiling, "What brings you here, young master?" "
I wouldn't dare! I wish to apply for a worker position!"
The gatekeeper glanced at the hall and smiled, "Sir, please come in!"
Pang Da thanked him and followed.
Pang Da had passed through Xinghua Village half a year ago. He had drunk Sanya Fenjiu there and heard many people praising Master Ba, but he had never met him.
Now, seeing the man smiling and rising, he felt a sense of goodwill.
As soon as the gatekeeper entered the hall, he bowed and said, "Reporting to Master, this young master wishes to assist in brewing wine!"
Ba smiled and said, "Welcome, please sit!"
The gatekeeper immediately bowed and left.
Pang Da stepped forward and bowed, saying, "This humble servant, Zhu Yi, greets you, sir!"
"No need for formalities! Please sit!"
"Thank you!"
The two then took their seats.
A woman immediately served them fragrant tea, and they bowed and withdrew.
Ba He smiled and said, "Please!"
"I dare not, I am but a lowly worker, unworthy of such hospitality!"
"You are too kind! All men are created equal. Even Han Xin suffered humiliation by crawling between someone's legs; I respect everyone!"
Pang Da's heart skipped a beat.
He then accompanied him to sip tea.
Soon, Ba He smiled and said, "You are a handsome young man, and I presume you can read. It's not appropriate for you to be confined to the wine shop. My private school is short of a teacher; would you be willing to take the position?"
"Although I can read, I have never done this kind of work before, and I fear I will disappoint you!"
Ba He smiled and said, "You're too kind! Many of the students' relatives work in the wine shop. Just ensure they can read and that nothing goes wrong. What do you say?"
Pang Da secretly smiled bitterly, "I never expected that I, the assassin, would become a babysitter!"
He immediately nodded and said, "Alright! Thank you for your kindness, sir!"
"You're too kind! The monthly salary is three taels of silver, with additional bonuses during festivals. How about that?"
"I am deeply grateful. Is there a place for me to stay?"
"Yes! There are three rooms in the school, all currently vacant!"
"Thank you!"
"You've just arrived; let's observe for three days first!"
"Yes!"
"Take your monthly salary first..."
"I appreciate it, but I still have some savings!"
"Very well! If you have any urgent needs, just let me know!"
"Yes!"
The two then departed together.
Along the way, crowds bowed and greeted Ba He, who returned the greetings with a smile. Soon, they entered the private school, and Pang Da secretly exclaimed, "Even the official school doesn't have this scale!"
It was time for class, and adults and children immediately came to bow and greet Ba He. Ba He smiled and frequently patted the children's heads, encouraging them to study diligently.
Soon, a middle-aged man and an elderly man greeted them with smiles, saying, "Greetings, sir!"
"No need for formalities! This is the new teacher, Zhu Yi!"
Pang Da bowed to the two men.
The two men also smiled and welcomed him.
Ba He said to the middle-aged man, "Brother Wang, would you please instruct Teacher Zhu for three days?"
"No problem!"
Ba He then led Pang Da to the back.
After introducing the surroundings, he summoned a middle-aged couple and gave them instructions.
Soon, he left with a smile.
Pang Da then saw Teacher Wang leading the children in gymnastics in the square.
He quickly estimated there were as many as six hundred children, and he couldn't help but wonder how the two teachers cared for them. He felt a surge of admiration.
He then followed along, swinging his arms and squatting his legs.
After a while, three middle-aged couples brought snacks to the shed, and Teacher Wang announced, "Time to eat!"
"Thank you, sir!"
The children lined up in eight rows.
The two teachers and the three couples skillfully served the snacks into bowls.
The children then sat on small chairs and around small tables to eat.
Soon, all sixty small tables were filled with children.
The two teachers invited them to sit down and have their snacks.
The three couples continued to serve the children their meals.
After the meal, the two teachers led the children on a three-lap walk outside the school.
Then, they went to the woods outside the village to identify various plants and trees.
Around noon, when they returned to the school, they found the table already set with food.
The two teachers then led the children to wash their hands at ten buckets before they sat down to eat.
Pang Da couldn't help but admire this unique yet highly practical teaching method.
He then dined with the two teachers.
After the meal, at the teachers' instruction, the children went to the large communal sleeping area in the backyard. Soon, six hundred children were neatly lying on the sleeping areas on both sides.
Each child had a small pillow and blanket, which pleased Pang Da. Upon
returning to his room, he saw that the bed was already covered with brand-new pillows, blankets, and gauze curtains. To the side were also placed washing and bathing utensils, and in front of him were two pairs of new boots. In addition, there were two sets of brand-new inner and outer garments and cloth socks in the wooden cabinet. 　　Pang Da was so excited that his eyes welled up with tears. On the table, besides a set of teapots, there were also the Four Treasures of the Study (writing brush, ink stick,
inkstone, and 　　paper), and in the teapot was Sanya fragrant tea. Under the table were three jugs of Fenjiu liquor, which made him even more excited. 　　He closed the doors and windows and then sat on the chair to practice his breathing exercises. 　　Before the end of the lesson, upon hearing children's voices, he stopped his practice and left the room. 　　He immediately saw the children folding their small blankets and placing them on their pillows. 　　He couldn't help but admire them. 　　Soon, the children entered the ten classrooms and began grinding ink. 　　The two teachers then carried inkstones and brushes into each classroom, writing the character '人' (person) on a large sheet of paper on the wall. The children immediately read, "人!" 　　The two teachers gave instructions and went to the other classrooms to write. 　　Pang Da followed them and found that the character '人' was written in all ten classrooms. 　　The children then sat upright, picked up their brushes, and wrote the character '人'. 　　The two teachers corrected their posture and handwriting. 　　After more than an hour, the king rang a bell, and the children came out with their brushes and inkstones. They washed their brushes and inkstones in buckets in turn before placing them back on the table. 　　Then, they played in the square. 　　Master Wang smiled and said, "In the countryside, we're short-handed, so this is the only way to teach!" 　　Pang Da said, "Quite unique, and effective!" 　　"Thank you! Most of these children's relatives work in the winery, which is why you've arranged for them to stay here!" 　　"You're very kind, sir!" 　　"Yes, you're covering all the expenses!" 　　"A rare and virtuous person!" 　　"Indeed, how did you come to be here?" 　　"I originally applied to be a winemaker, but you instructed me to come here for an apprenticeship!" 　　"You're wasting your talents! You're not meant to be a dragon in a pond, don't underestimate yourself!" 　　"I dare not accept such praise!" 　　The two then smiled and continued their conversation. 　　At this time, Shang Ying and seven others were examining twenty-seven corpses at the foot of the cliff. Soon, Shang Ying said in a deep voice, "These must be Wang Chuan's men temporarily seeking refuge!" 　　"Yes!" 　　They then dug a pit and buried the bodies. 　　Soon after, they returned together to Baozhen County. 　　At this time, Changsha was filled with a tense atmosphere. People from Wu's caravan were constantly coming and going. They not only went to the mourning hall to offer incense but also rushed to their assigned areas to search for clues. 　　Wu Long sat solemnly in the hall, deep in thought. 　　He had already sent men to conduct a thorough search of Rooster Mountain, but to no avail. Furthermore, the Wudang Sect stated that none of their disciples used soft swords. 　　Moreover, no disciples were present at the scene of the crime. 　　The Wudang Sect had completely absolved themselves of any responsibility. Although Wu Long was displeased, he did not want to make a powerful enemy at this time. He had already sent people to investigate assassin organizations in various places. 　　He had also mobilized 20,000 coachmen to conduct both overt and covert investigations along the way. 　　He was determined to find the culprit and avenge his son. 　　As soon as darkness fell, the private school in Xinghua Village became deserted. After his meal, Pang Da took a walk in the backyard. The aroma of wine in the air calmed his mood considerably. 　　After a long while, he practiced his moves in the children's room 　　, holding a piece of firewood. He practiced for more than an hour before taking a bath and washing clothes. 　　Soon after, he put on new clothes and lay down to rest in his brand-new bedding. 　　At this moment, Guo Ba was leaping from a tree to attack Zhuo Dao. Zhuo Dao swept his sword, and with a clang, Guo Ba executed a "Flip-Flip," stepping onto another tree and attacking Zhuo Dao again. Zhuo Dao once more swept him away. 　　He then stepped onto another tree and attacked once more. 　　This was part of Zhuo Dao's training program for endurance and reaction time, because Guo Ba already possessed nearly 90% of the "Chasing Clouds Sword Technique" skill, and he needed to strengthen his endurance and reaction. 　　He practiced for another full hour, his forehead already beaded with sweat. 　　Only then did Zhuo Dao say, "Alright!"

Guo Ba rolled over and landed, exhaling slowly.
Zhuo Dao smiled and said, "Feeling good, right?"
"Yes! Your stamina seems to have improved again?"
"Yes! Tomorrow night, I'll accelerate my movements to further unleash my potential!"
"Good!"
The two then left together.
Soon after, upon returning home, they first washed away the sweat and grime.
After a long while, the two were in the back hall, savoring the finest Fenjiu (a type of Chinese liquor) with braised dishes!
This super-pure liquor is always brewed by three master brewers at the distillery, and Guo Ba's room always has twelve jugs of it—a reward from the three master brewers.
After a long while, the two finally returned to their room to take their elixirs and practice their cultivation.
※※ ※※ ※※
Time flies, and Pang Da has been working at the academy for three months. The innocence of the children and the simple kindness of the Xinghua villagers have healed his wounded heart.
Seeing that no one is approaching him, he can confidently push forward with his ideas.
With the consent of Master Wang and his two tutors, he began instructing the children in horse stance. To encourage them, he provided ten colorful gifts each day.
The ten children who squatted the longest each day received an extra sausage for breakfast.
This effectively motivated the children to practice horse stance diligently.
In less than a month, surprisingly, few children caught colds or had runny noses!
Early one morning, Bahe came to watch the children practicing horse stance with a smile, and they worked even harder!
After more than half an hour, only ten children remained practicing. Bahe laughed and said, "Very good! Very good! A reward!"
He then gave each child a packet of 'immortal hawthorn slices'!
The ten children were overjoyed and thanked him profusely.
Soon after, Bahe dined with the three tutors.
After the meal, he invited Pang Da into the back hall and said, "The children are much healthier now!"
Pang Da smiled and nodded, "Yes! It's all thanks to your long-term care, sir!"
"I dare not accept such praise! I come from Fengyang, and I've suffered a lot. Now that I have the ability to help others, I hope these children will all become successful in the future!"
"I admire you! How did you come all the way from Fengyang to this place, sir?"
Ba He then recounted his experiences.
"I admire you! You truly deserve the reputation of a great philanthropist!"
"I dare not accept such praise! I hope you will continue to guide the children in strengthening their bodies!"
"Alright!"
Guo Ba then handed over a piece of silver and said, "Please accept this!"
"I dare not accept such praise! It's too much!"
"This is just to supplement your daily expenses, sir!"
"Yes! Thank you, sir!"
"You're too kind!"
The two chatted for a short while longer, and then Ba He left with a smile.
That evening at dinner, Ba He happily told Zhuo Dao and Guo Ba about how the teacher had encouraged the children to practice horse stance and the children's excellent performance.
Guo Ba asked curiously, "There's such a teacher?"
"Yes! This man is quite handsome. He originally wanted to brew wine, so I hired him as my teacher!"
"Is he skilled in martial arts?"
"Of course. His eyes are quite bright, but they can't compare to yours!" "My
eyes are bright and piercing, my child?"
"Yes!"
Zhuo Dao smiled and said, "The eyes are the spirit of the heart. Your internal strength has just reached the realm of external projection. In a few more days, your temples will bulge, which is the ultimate state of external projection!"
"Why doesn't Master have this phenomenon?"
"I have been moving from external to internal control for twelve years!"
"I see. Father, may I take a look at that teacher?"
Ba smiled and said, "Sure!"
The three chatted for a while longer before happily parting ways.
Half an hour later, the two went back to Juzhu Mountain to practice swordsmanship.
Guo Ba moved swiftly and his sword flashed like lightning. Zhuo Dao often had to dodge first and then sweep him away with his sword. Zhuo Dao was no longer as relaxed as he had been a month ago.
A full hour passed before Zhuo Dao finally called for a stop.
He couldn't help but rub his shoulders, saying, "You've improved quite a bit!"
"I only used eighty percent of my strength!"
"I understand. The mountain training is complete; let's move on to the water training!"
"Water training?
" "That's right! Starting tomorrow night, stand barefoot on a rock in the river and practice swordsmanship against the current!"
"How exciting!"
"Hehe! Shall we return home?"
The two happily departed.
Soon after, upon returning home, they bathed first.
After bathing, they enjoyed wine and braised dishes.
Each drank Sanya wine before returning to their rooms to take elixirs and practice their skills.
Early the next morning, they followed Ba He into the school, where they saw rows of children squatting in a horse stance, those who couldn't hold the stance automatically getting up and leaving.
Guo Ba watched with a smile.
Zhuo Dao, however, had been frequently staring at Pang Da since their first meeting.
Pang Da felt secretly guilty under his gaze.
After a long while, ten children finally emerged victorious.
Ba He then happily admired the hawthorn slices again!
Soon after, they dined with the three teachers.
After the meal, Zhuo Dao said to Ba He, "Sir, may I speak with this master?"
He pointed to Pang Da.
Pang Da's heart sank, but he maintained his composure.
Ba He smiled and said, "Master, Daoist is my teacher. Would it be convenient for us to have a chat?"
Pang Da smiled and said, "Please!"
The two then walked together to the back hall.
Soon, as soon as they were seated, Zhuo Dao stared at him and said, "Are you truly surnamed Zhu?"
"Yes! My name is Zhu!"
"Has anyone mentioned that you resemble someone?"
"No!" "
Your cultivation is quite impressive. Would you like to spar?"
"I wouldn't dare! I can only defend myself!"
"You're too kind! My disciple has come here tonight to seek your guidance?"
With that, he immediately left.
Soon after, he had left with Ba He and his son.
That day, Pang Da was heavy-hearted!
Not long after nightfall, Zhuo Dao indeed arrived with Guo Ba, who was carrying two swords. Pang Da had no choice but to welcome them into the back hall and have them seated.
As soon as Zhuo Dao sat down, he asked, "Is everything prepared, Master?"
Pang Da smiled wryly, "I am unworthy to spar with you, young master!"
"You're too kind! Please!"
Guo Ba then offered his sword, saying, "Please instruct me!"
"I dare not accept such praise! Please!"
The two then stepped into the open space in front of the hall.
Soon, the two assumed their stances. Guo Ba immediately exuded an aura as imposing as a mountain. Pang Da took a breath and changed his starting stance.
Zhuo Dao's eyes flashed upon seeing this.
"Take this!"
With a whoosh, Pang Da swiftly thrust towards Guo Ba's right shoulder.
Guo Ba parried with his sword, and Pang Da quickly changed his attack and thrust again. Guo
Ba spun around and launched two attacks.
Pang Da immediately retreated three steps.
Guo Ba withdrew his attack and said, "Please!"
Pang Da took a breath and launched three attacks.
Guo Ba's sword moved to the center, cutting through Pang Da's attack with a single strike.
Pang Da's expression changed, and he suddenly dodged and thrust back.
Guo Ba parried with his sword and then smoothly slashed away.
Pang Da withdrew his attack and gracefully retreated, saying, "Brilliant!"
Guo Ba was stunned and asked, "Aren't you going to play anymore?"
"Young master is brilliant, I know I am no match for you!"
Zhuo Dao suddenly dodged and attacked Pang Da with his left palm and right fingers. Pang Da's expression changed and he retreated, but Zhuo Dao followed closely and pressed his hand against his chest.
Guo Ba couldn't help but cry out in horror.
Pang Da bent his left elbow and swung his sword diagonally.
Zhuo Dao coldly snorted, retreated suddenly, and attacked again.
Pang Da's slash missed, and he
quickly thrust his sword tip. Zhuo Dao changed the slash into a grab, dodging the thrusting sword with his feet like lotus flowers.
His right palm suddenly bent and flicked, hitting Pang Da's right shoulder. Pang Da groaned, his right side tilted, and he staggered backward.
Zhuo Dao withdrew his attack and said calmly, "You should be surnamed Pang!"
Pang Da lowered his head, rubbed his shoulder, and remained silent.
Zhuo Dao asked in a deep voice, "Where is Pang Men?"
Pang Da pondered, "Why would he ask about Pang Men, one of the two 'heretical' sects? Could it be that the sword techniques Shang Ying taught him came from Pang Men? Is that possible?"
Zhuo Dao said in a deep voice, "Master Ba is kind-hearted and has helped countless people. If you have come here on Pang Men's orders, I hope you will take this opportunity to discern good from evil and turn back in time!"
Pang Da raised his head and said, "I do not know Pang Men!"
Zhuo Dao said in a deep voice, "You clearly used his techniques just now!
" "Perhaps the person who taught me these techniques has some connection with him?"
"Who is he?"
"This... he once did me a favor!"
"Enough! Why are you here?"
"I am hiding my tracks. I have absolutely no intention of offending or harming Master Ba!"
"Enough! The person who taught you these techniques has ulterior motives. You have practiced them incorrectly!"
"Really?"
"That's right! Have you practiced the Flying Strike?"
"No!"
"It's clear that the person who taught you this technique had ulterior motives. This move is the essence of your swordplay, its power exceeding three times that of other moves!"
Pang Da lowered his head and pondered, "Was Shang Ying truly always wary of me?"
He couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.
Zhuo Dao said in a deep voice, "You are a smart man. Should your parents be surnamed Pang and Lü?"
Pang Da couldn't help but stare at Zhuo Dao in horror.
Zhuo Dao said in a deep voice, "Your current situation clearly shows that your parents are no longer alive. If they had listened to my advice, they would never have met such an end!"
Pang Da felt a pang of sorrow in his heart, and his defenses completely collapsed.
He immediately threw down his sword and knelt down, saying, "I respectfully listen to the Holy Decree of the Daoist Master!"
Zhuo Dao exhaled a long breath and said, "Excellent! Excellent! A single good thought brings boundless blessings. The past is past! Do not dwell on it any longer. I will now teach you the Flying Strike."
"I thank the Daoist Master for his great kindness!"
With that, he kowtowed three times.
Zhuo Dao said, "Calm your mind tonight, and practice again tomorrow night!"
"Yes!"
"Guo Ba, do not reveal what you saw tonight!"
Guo Ba immediately agreed.
Soon, Guo Ba, sword in hand, followed Zhuo Dao away.
Pang Da stood up and thought, "He must be Zhuo Dao. I never expected to have such good fortune!"
He sheathed his sword and went inside to bathe.
As soon as Guo Ba reached the Fen River, he quickly took off his clothes and boots.
Soon, wearing only his underwear, he leaped into the river with his sword.
After searching for a while, he found a large rock.
He stood on the rock, and the river water just reached below his shoulders.
Zhuo Dao nodded and said, "Unleash the Heaven and Earth Splitting Technique!"
"Alright!"
Guo Ba then swung his sword and slashed in the water.
Zhuo Dao said, "Concentrate your strength and slow down your movements. Do not rush!"
Guo Ba then concentrated his strength and slowly swung and slashed with his sword.
Zhuo Dao gave him three more pointers, and Guo Ba was already in the zone. Zhuo Dao immediately thought, "Should I teach this boy the Flying Strike Technique?"
He couldn't help but ponder.
It turned out that he had once taught Pang Da's parents a lesson, but unfortunately, the two thieves were excessively greedy and ultimately suffered a terrible retribution for their crimes.
Zhuo Dao had sighed over this matter in the past.
Now, upon seeing the son of his old friend, and seeing that Pang Da's character was superior to his parents', and that the boy hadn't even practiced the wrong moves, he had just agreed to teach him the "Flying Strike"! Such
is the saying, "Old habits die hard!"
However, now that he had calmed down, he hesitated again!
Because, "like begets like," Zhuo Dao worried that the thief's son would inherit his bad habits, and that teaching him the skill might be aiding and abetting evil.
However, he immediately put his mind at ease.
Because he believed that Guo Ba could subdue Pang Da.
So, he pondered how to teach him the skill the following night!
He watched Guo Ba deep in thought, while Guo Ba, not daring to slack off, continued his sweeping and slashing attacks for over an hour, until he felt his arms become heavy and numb!
Zhuo Dao remained silent, and Guo Ba continued practicing.
He finally realized he had underestimated the power of the water!
From then on, he was most afraid of others' gentleness! After a
long while, Zhuo Dao breathed a sigh of relief once he had finished his plan.
He immediately noticed that Guo Ba was sweating profusely and struggling to wield his sword.
He blushed slightly and said in a low voice, "Alright!"
Guo Ba breathed a sigh of relief,
sheathed his sword, and leaped ashore. His legs trembled as soon as they touched the ground.
He quickly inhaled to steady himself.
Zhuo Dao smiled and said, "Come practice your moves here tomorrow night, but don't practice until you're so exhausted. You shouldn't drink tonight either. I'm going back now!"
With that, he turned and flew away.
Guo Ba went to get a towel to dry himself, but his hands were still trembling!
"Damn! I'm exhausted tonight!"
After a long while, he finally got ready to leave.
He went back to his room and immediately fell into a deep sleep!
The next morning, when he woke up, he felt incredibly refreshed. He didn't realize this was a further manifestation of the Fire Dragon's potential; he even admired his master's unique technique!
Therefore, every night he would continue hacking and slashing in the river until he was almost unable to continue before coming ashore, and he would go to sleep as soon as he returned to his room, absolutely refusing to drink a drop of alcohol.
Every night, Zhuo Dao corrected Pang Da's incorrect moves at the academy.
Pang Da found his power greatly increased after practicing.
He practiced with great joy.
Even after Zhuo Dao left, Pang Da continued practicing.
His gratitude towards Shang Ying had turned into hatred.
He vowed to defeat Shang Ying and avenge himself.
Therefore, he diligently practiced his swordsmanship.
Meanwhile, Wu Long, the owner of Wu's Carriage Company, could no longer contain his rage!
Because, despite mobilizing all his resources, he couldn't find any trace of his enemy, and the ten assassin organizations' vehement denials had made Wu Long determined to find a scapegoat.
So, he secretly issued a massacre order.
After 20,000 carriage drivers drove to their destination as planned, by the end of November, the whole country was cold, especially at night when it was almost deserted.
The 20,000 carriage drivers had already surrounded the ten assassin organizations and sixty peripheral organizations. As the night watchmen's drums sounded, they launched their attack.
Screams erupted, and fierce fighting ensued.
Shang Ying, who had been sleeping soundly with Di Jinlian in his arms, was jolted awake by the screams. He quickly picked her up and opened the entrance to the secret chamber.
Soon after escorting her inside, he moved the wardrobe aside, pointing to the entrance, and said, "Go inside and hide. Do not come out unless I summon you!"
Di Jinlian hurriedly went inside.
Shang Ying immediately pushed the wardrobe back into place.
He rushed back to his room and immediately heard the sounds of fighting from six directions.
He immediately drew his sword and went out.
As soon as he appeared, two swords greeted him.
He scoffed disdainfully, drew his sword, and used the scabbard to deflect the two swords. He flashed forward, the tip of his sword already piercing one man's heart, followed by a scream.
The other man countered with another attack, but Shang Ying's scabbard was already sheathed against the incoming sword.
He drew his sword and delivered a fatal blow
. After a scream, the man trembled.
Shang Ying drew his sword again, sheathed it, and rushed into the main hall.
He witnessed the two men kill his beloved general.
He roared and charged forward, his sheathed sword flashing.
With two sharp thuds, the two men clutched their chests, screaming and collapsing.
Shang Ying's killing intent burned fiercely as he slashed relentlessly along the path outside the hall.
He moved like a ghost, his sword like a demonic claw, piercing his opponents' hearts from every angle, leaving them utterly defenseless.
In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he had killed twenty-seven men.
However, immediately, over three hundred men leaped into the air.
The three leaders joined forces to attack Shang Ying.
Shang Ying retreated, saying, "Three Eagles of Great Yan, why have you committed such a heinous act?"
"To hand over the murderer who brutally killed Young Master Wu!"
"I don't know!"
With that, he dodged and thrust forward.
The Three Eagles of Great Yan, after a few swift strikes, suddenly saw Shang Ying's sword flashing coldly as he stabbed towards them, striking their hearts with a sharp thud.
He immediately grabbed the sword, crying, "Pang...men...it was you..."
He gritted his teeth, attempting to snap the sword in two.
Shang Ying grinned maliciously, and with a swift twist, he drew his sword.
The Great Eagle cried out in agony, its ten fingers snapping instantly.
Blood gushed from its chest, and it collapsed.
The Second Eagle roared, "Report immediately! Pang Men is here!"
"Yes, sir!"
A piercing bamboo whistle echoed from the distant night sky.
Then, bamboo whistles resounded from all directions.
The Third Eagle roared "Kill!" and led six men in a coordinated attack on Shang Ying.
Shang Ying, caught off guard by the discovery and the imminent arrival of many more, was filled with shock and rage. He unleashed a deadly attack with his sword and scabbard.
His attack was the "Flying Strike" Zhuo Dao had spoken of; the "Flying Strike" signified its strangeness and unpredictability, making it virtually impossible to dodge!
However, these men were fierce warriors trained by the Three Demons of Great Yan. Upon witnessing the Great Eagle's gruesome death, they fearlessly charged forward, seeking revenge.
Shang Ying's "Flying Strike" struck with deadly accuracy, aiming for the heart. However, everyone was gripping their swords with their hands, and the others were relentlessly hacking and slashing.
Thus, Shang Ying swiftly killed eight men, but he also took two blows.
Although these blows didn't injure any vital organs, they ignited the
fighting spirit of these men. They then used sheer numbers to overwhelm Shang Ying.
Soon, nearly a hundred more men arrived, and Er Ying shouted, "Encircle them! Take them down!"
"Yes!"
The hundred-odd men surrounded him.
Shang Ying was forced to change his tactics!
After a short while, he killed over sixty more men, but he had already taken another blow, narrowly avoiding a strike to his vital point in the back, causing his blood to surge.
Knowing that tonight would not end well, he decided to break through.
He suddenly unleashed a flurry of attacks with his sheathed sword.
Screams erupted.
Shouts filled the air!
Shang Ying slashed over seventy men, and after taking another blow, he finally felled the outermost group. Just as he was about to charge forward, Er Ying and San Ying pounced on
him together. Over eighty more followed.
Knowing his opportunity was fleeting, Shang Ying gritted his teeth and drew his sword with lightning speed.
A series of sharp, clanging sounds mingled with the thuds of his sword.
Er Ying and San Ying each cried out in pain, clutching their chests and collapsing to the ground.
Shang Ying, struck twice in the chest and abdomen, immediately coughed up blood.
Blood splattered onto one man's face, and Shang Ying seized the opportunity to rush forward.
Immediately, more than ten men threw swords and knives.
With two sharp thuds, Shang Ying was impaled from behind by two blades.
He groaned in pain, but still gritted his teeth and charged.
Then, more than thirty men rushed towards him, and someone shouted, "Stop him!"
The thirty-odd men immediately charged forward with shouts.
Shang Ying had nowhere to dodge, so he could only stop, inhale, and attack again.
He cut down eight more men, but was then surrounded by over a hundred.
The two swords piercing his body grazed his internal organs with each strike, causing him excruciating pain and profuse bleeding.
Unwilling to die at the hands of these insignificant figures, he repeatedly tried to break through their encirclement.
The men then hacked and slashed wildly.
Screams filled the air .
Blood gushed out.
The scene resembled hell on earth.
Shang Ying had taken at least seven more palm strikes and eight sword wounds. He was covered in blood, but fueled by a fierce, ghostly aura, he continued to charge forward.
His opponents fell one after another, but the remaining men relentlessly pounced.
Finally, one of them lunged at Shang Ying from behind, gripping the hilts of the two swords embedded in his back. He thrust forward with all his might, and with two sharp thuds, the two swords pierced through his body.
Shang Ying screamed in agony and swung back.
His strength faltered, and the sword became lodged in the man's waist.
The others seized the opportunity to hack and slash.
The man also swiftly thrust and pulled back the two swords.
With a scream, Shang Ying died with resentment.
Those nearby immediately beheaded him and dismembered him.
The crowd breathed a sigh of relief, swaying slightly.
In this battle, Shang Ying's stronghold and eight other locations, including the residence of Di Cai and his wife and son in the Zhuangyuan Tower, had all been completely wiped out.
However, over eight hundred coachmen also perished with him.
Soon, the remaining nearly a thousand men had looted the nine locations.
Meanwhile, Di Jinlian, hiding in the tunnel, heard the screams and decided to flee. She turned and slowly made her way into the dark tunnel, feeling her way along the walls.
Soon, she kicked something and was horrified!
She crouched down and felt around, finding a bundle.
After a moment's thought, she felt something was amiss.
She opened the bundle and began to search it.
Soon, judging from the stacks of paper, she determined they were silver notes and wrapped them up.
She then carried the bundle and continued feeling her way along the walls.
The tunnel was very long, and she walked for a long time before finally reaching the end.
After pushing and pulling around for a while, she finally pushed open a wooden lid. Peeking inside, she saw it was a woodshed and climbed onto the surface.
She couldn't help but exhale a long breath.
Stepping out of the woodshed, she looked around as she walked.
Soon, she discovered that this was Pang Da's residence.
She couldn't resist entering Pang Da's room.
Seeing her bedding covered in dust, her heart sank.
Hearing the sounds of fighting in the distance, she hurriedly left through the back door.
Soon after, she entered the Scholar's Tower and discovered the dead bodies of her parents and younger brother. Suppressing her grief and fear, she quickly grabbed her bundle and left.
Once out of the city, she rushed into the forest.
After a long while, she hid in a cave halfway up the mountain.
The straw on the ground smelled musty, yet she couldn't help but gently stroke it.
For she and Pang Da had often embraced and cherished each other here!
Though their relationship hadn't been entirely illicit, they had pledged their lives to one another.
Now, she was a withered flower, and he had reportedly fled north. Now, Shang Ying's fate was also uncertain. She felt utterly lost and helpless.
After a short while, she picked up her bundle and headed north along the mountain path.
She desperately wanted to leave this place.
As for the future, she dared not hope for it.
She walked alone in the dark on the mountain, the cold making her both cold and afraid. However, to avoid being hunted by that group, she gritted her teeth and mustered her strength to keep going.
She finally made it to dawn!
But when she looked at her body, she couldn't help but cry out in despair.
She was only wearing a nightgown!
Because after her pleasure with Shang Ying the night before, she had put on the nightgown to sleep, without even wearing a bra or underpants. No wonder she felt cold.
She glanced around and cried out in even greater despair.
On one side was a cliff, on the other a precipice, and in the distance, dense forest and wild grass; the path was almost completely swallowed by the weeds.
She looked at her feet and immediately saw that her once snow-white skin was now covered in scratches and cuts.
She couldn't help but lean against the wall to rest.
The desperate escape of the night before had given her the energy to keep going, but now, surrounded by the vast wilderness, she was exhausted and could no longer take another step. She had no choice but to rest.
Soon, she was dozing off while leaning against the wall!
Before long, she had fallen asleep.
Around noon, two long-tailed monkeys suddenly leaped out from the distance on the mountain path to the right. Soon, they stopped in front of Di Jinlian and curiously looked at her.
She, however, was too exhausted to move.
Soon, the two monkeys ran off to the distance on the right.
In less than an hour, they leaped and led a burly man with long hair. This man not only had a full head of long hair, but was also completely naked and barefoot.
His lightness skill was astonishing. When he suddenly saw the woman from about forty feet away, he leaped and landed directly in front of Di Jinlian.
He was overjoyed to see her disheveled hair and face.
So, he immediately picked her up.
Di Jinlian, upon seeing a long-haired face, screamed in horror and immediately fainted.
He squeaked and grabbed her bundle.
He turned and leaped like the wind, landing more than forty feet away.
Soon, he swept over the mountaintop and swooped down.
He stopped halfway up the mountain at the pine tree, then bowed and sat down in the cave.
He then slid down the slope.
Along the way, at each bend, he flicked his left palm forward, and with a loud crack, he smoothly turned the corner. His skill was truly terrifying.
Soon, he had slid into the valley.
Immediately, monkeys and their offspring gathered around, squeaking.
He squeaked a few times, then darted forward.
Soon, he had disappeared into a cave in the wall.
He ventured inside and was astonished to find a hidden world within the cave. A square chamber, illuminated by luminous pearls, contained a stone bed, table, chairs, and cups!
He placed Di Jinlian on the
stone bed. He then placed his bundle before
the bed and exited the cave again. He picked over ten red berries in the valley and rushed back inside.
He placed them in her hand and shook her right shoulder.
Di Jinlian slowly awoke, immediately feeling the dazzling light of the pearls.
She tried to shield her eyes from the light, but then saw the red berries in her hand. Upon
seeing the long-haired face, she gasped in horror again.
He immediately squeaked repeatedly.
Curious, she didn't faint this time.
She quickly sat up and covered her chest with her hands.
He squeaked again, retreating
as he did so, sensing her panic.
Seeing her naked, he immediately lowered his head.
He squeaked several more times and then rushed out of the cave.
Di Jinlian was now alone in the cave, and she looked curiously at the red berries.
She immediately felt a surge of thirst, so she took a small bite of the red fruit.
With a soft sizzle, the sweet juice entered her mouth, incredibly delicious.
She couldn't help but bite again and again.
The more she ate, the more delicious it became, so
she ate continuously. Soon, she had finished the red fruit.
She immediately felt her thirst vanish and her spirits lifted.
Looking into the cave, she saw four large pearls. She couldn't help but exclaim, "Such large luminous pearls exist in the world! They must be priceless!"
Having spent nearly half a year enjoying herself with Shang Ying, she had been rewarded with many precious jewels and ornaments, thus developing a keen eye for treasures.
She looked around for a while longer and then noticed inscriptions on the wall.
And they were ancient seal script!
She was secretly pleased that she had studied seal script before.
She began to examine each character carefully.
Soon, she exclaimed joyfully, "Heavens! It's a Taoist internal energy cultivation method! Humph! Shang Ying was just fooling me; he never genuinely wanted to teach me!"
It turned out that after pleasing Shang Ying so much, she had repeatedly pleaded with him to practice martial arts, and he had intermittently given her some pointers on sitting meditation and some fancy footwork.
Therefore, she could understand this Taoist internal energy cultivation method.
Soon, she reached the cave entrance and saw the man eating fruit with a group of monkeys.
She hurriedly retreated to the stone bed, wondering, "Who is he? How could he live here with a group of monkeys? How did he bring me here? And where is this place?"
She felt a surge of panic.
After a long while, a figure flashed, and he disappeared back into the cave.
Di Jinlian immediately cried out, clutching her chest.
He immediately squeaked and darted out of the cave.
She breathed a sigh of relief and decided to practice first before trying to leave.
She began to carefully study the characters on the wall.
At dusk, a strange sound came from her abdomen, and she felt the urge to defecate.
She glanced quickly, then lifted her robe and hid behind the stone bed to relieve herself!
Soon, she felt refreshed, but needed to cleanse herself.
She looked around and soon spotted a small pool in the corner to her right, containing water and a small fruit tree. She immediately knelt down and washed herself with the water. Just
as she stood up, he squeaked and entered.
He darted behind the stone bed, pointing angrily at her excrement, squeaking and gesturing repeatedly outwards. She immediately understood he wouldn't allow her to defile the cave.
She nodded repeatedly and went to him.
Soon, she dug it up with soil, covered it, and then, enduring the stench, retrieved it.
Reaching the cave entrance, she threw it into the valley.
Shortly after, she hurriedly washed her hands by the pool.
She saw him squeaking at a small, half-yellow, half-red round fruit, then pointing to a red fruit in his hand, and then bringing the red fruit closer to the small one.
He pressed the red fruit against the red spot of the small fruit three times before eating it. Di Jinlian suddenly realized, "Can the small fruit only be eaten when it turns red?"
Hearing her sweet, clear voice, he nodded with a smile.
Soon, he placed more than ten red fruits on the stone bed and darted out of the cave.
She sighed and sat on the stone bed to eat the red fruits.
After a long while, she continued to study the inscriptions on the wall.

Chapter Four: Beauty and Wild Monkey Living Together

Time flies in the mountains, and twenty days passed in a flash. That morning, Di Jinlian was practicing her exercises in the desolate cave when she felt a wetness in her lower body. She quickly stopped.
She reached down and touched it—holy crap! It really was 'Mr. Hong, my good friend'!
She was immediately troubled.
Because this place was the least convenient place to do such things!
Soon, she tore off a piece of her robe to wipe her lower body.
Then, she washed her lower body and the piece of robe with the water from the pool.
After a long while, she finally rested on the stone bed.
She silently pondered the internal energy cultivation method inscribed on the wall.
Around noon, the long-haired naked man returned with red fruits. He placed them on the stone bed again and left immediately, serving her like a servant.
After spending twenty days with him, Di Jinlian had discovered that he was a kind-hearted person who did not understand human speech, so she always nodded and smiled amicably.
Now, as soon as he left, she silently ate the fruits.
After eating the fruits, she felt not only more energetic but also more clear-headed and agile. Therefore, she had just tried practicing the cultivation method to develop an internal energy sufficient for self-defense.
Now, she was not in a hurry to leave the valley.
Because her relatives were all dead, and Pang Da, the only person she felt guilty towards, was nowhere to be found, so many evil people and treacherous hearts made her willing to take refuge here temporarily.
Therefore, after eating the red fruits, she began to practice the cultivation method.
She was already capable of practicing internal energy cultivation, but now she could only change the route of her internal energy flow. So, following the memorized acupoints, she slowly circulated her energy, and after more than two hours, she finally completed two cycles.
Just as she was overjoyed, a surge of red fluid welled up from her lower body.
The corner of her robe was instantly soaked .
She hurriedly tore off the corner to cover herself.
Soon, she rushed to the pool to cleanse herself and wash the corner of her robe.
The once clear pool water immediately turned red.
She breathed a sigh of relief and returned to the stone bed to rest.
At dusk, the long-haired, naked woman immediately left after offering her a red fruit.
She then lay on her back and ate the red fruit.
Soon after, having finished the red fruit, she closed her eyes to rest.
At dawn, he brought the red fruit into the cave again. He stood before the stone bed, smiling at Di Jinlian's beautiful face, for he greatly admired it.
She, fast asleep, was startled by the unusual smell and immediately opened her eyes.
He, as if having done something wrong, dropped the fruit and hurried away.
Di Jinlian thought, "Is he also after me? No, I absolutely cannot let this half-human, half-beast, foul-smelling creature touch me!"
She suddenly felt a sticky wetness on her lower body, knowing it must be the work of her friend.
So, she went to the pool to cleanse herself. Suddenly, she
saw that the pool water was clear, but the small fruit tree was completely red, even the leaves and trunk were red. She stared at it in disbelief.
After a long while, she finally washed her lower body and the hem of her robe with the pool water.
Looking at the red fruit, her curiosity grew even stronger.
Soon, she leaned over the cave entrance and waved to him repeatedly.
He squeaked and immediately leaped onto her.
She led him to the pond and pointed to the small fruit tree.
Upon seeing the tree's vibrant red fruit, he immediately cried out and jumped around.
Soon, he was outside the cave. Di Jinlian was
puzzled when he, accompanied by eight large monkeys, entered the cave. Shortly after, he and the eight monkeys knelt before the pond, kowtowing repeatedly to the small fruit tree.
Di Jinlian was startled!
He immediately lifted her up, his arms around her back.
She cried out in surprise, but he had already leaped out of the cave.
As soon as he landed, he rushed to another cave entrance on the left. He entered, put her down, and prostrated himself before a skeleton, kowtowing repeatedly with great piety.
Di Jinlian suppressed her astonishment and observed.
This cave was similar to the neighboring one, containing stone furniture and four luminous pearls. The only difference was the inscription on the wall; she couldn't help but look up at it.
"I am Baiyunzi, a Qi cultivator from the late Sui Dynasty. Due to the turbulent times, I have retired here to live among monkeys. I hope that those destined to enter this cave in the future will remember and diligently practice my teachings. The
Wu Tian Heart Method and the supreme Taoist Heart Method in the neighboring cave are extremely difficult and subtle; unless one possesses great wisdom, one should not force oneself to practice them.
The fruit in the neighboring cave is called Xuan Yin, most suitable for women to consume. It will only reach its maximum effect when the fruit is fully red; please do not consume it prematurely.
If the destined one is a man, he should abandon the two treasures of the neighboring cave and focus on practicing my Wind-Chasing Body Technique. This technique is enough to dominate the world with its wind-chasing power; please do not use it for evil. I earnestly hope this!
Baiyunzi's will."
Di Jinlian couldn't help but secretly rejoice, thinking, "I can obtain this treasure!"
She then gazed at the eight human figures and the incantation on the wall.
Soon, he stood up and pulled her towards the skull.
She knew this man was Baiyunzi in his previous life, and she immediately knelt and kowtowed.
He was overjoyed.
He shouted and jumped for joy!
Soon, Di Jinlian got up and pointed to the neighboring cave.
He understood and carried her into the cave.
He then picked out the small tree and handed it to her.
She first picked and ate the small red fruit.
The fruit tasted very astringent, and she was secretly surprised.
He, however, pointed to the fruit and repeatedly pointed to her mouth.
She understood and picked off the leaves and chewed them.
The fruit tasted astringent and bitter, and she frowned.
He, however, kept urging her to eat the whole tree.
Soon, she finally chewed them into pieces and swallowed them.
She couldn't wait to eat the ten large red fruits he had picked.
Just as the astringent and bitter taste faded, she suddenly felt a heat in her stomach. She couldn't help but think, "Is the effect of the Xuan Yin Fruit already taking hold? Great! I'll take this opportunity to practice my cultivation!"
She sat on the stone bed and inhaled to practice her cultivation.
The heat surged like an explosion.
She couldn't control it at all and became flustered.
Soon, a surge of heat coursed through her Baihui acupoint. She felt a loud bang, then her vision went black as she fell backward, instantly losing consciousness.
He, seeing her asleep, stood by the bedside watching her.
His smile returned!
He must be in his early forties now. He was originally the son of a pair of hunters from the foot of the mountain. His parents were attacked by bandits, and his mother, carrying him, fled for her life, but bled to death halfway up the mountain.
The bandits were eliminated by chivalrous individuals, and no one knew of her death.
Early the next morning, a pair of large monkeys found him and carried him back to their cave.
He was then raised by the mother monkey.
He followed Bai Yunzi's human-shaped leaping form for over ten years, and with his long-term diet of red berries and water from the pond, he actually mastered a wind-chasing movement technique far exceeding international standards.
He rarely encountered humans, and even less so women. It was fortunate that Di Jinlian had this opportunity; he had actually brought Di Jinlian in to obtain these three extraordinary treasures.
Di Jinlian slept for seven days and seven nights before finally waking up.
As soon as she sat up, she let out a series of loud farts.
Her whole body instantly felt light and airy.
Delighted, she crossed her legs and began to inhale and practice her internal energy.
Soon, a warm current was rapidly circulating.
Before long, it had completed one cycle.
Just as she felt a jolt throughout her body, the warm current resumed its circulation. She couldn't help but think with delight, "The Xuan Yin Fruit is truly extraordinary; I'll take this opportunity to practice for a while longer!"
She continued her practice.
In less than half an hour, she had entered a meditative state.
She felt completely at ease, letting her internal energy circulate freely.
The long-haired naked woman then
kept watch at the cave entrance every day, preventing the monkeys from entering. Seven days and seven nights passed before Di Jinlian, in her clear and tranquil state, was finally awakened by the squeaking and squeaking of the monkeys in the valley. She let out a long breath.
"Heavens! Practicing this internal energy is so comfortable!"
She smiled and stepped off the stone bed.
She looked into the pool and was overjoyed.
As she walked, she felt completely comfortable, and she was filled with delight.
As soon as she reached the cave entrance, she saw the man and two little monkeys tumbling and playing on the ground. She couldn't help but admire
him, saying, "He's so innocent, like a blank sheet of paper!" With this thought, she abandoned her intention to summon him.
She had only taken three steps when she felt something strange in her lower body.
Looking down, she saw bloodstains on her crotch. Knowing it was the residue of her "good friend," she went to the pool to draw water and silently washed herself.
She immediately felt the pool water was as cool as before.
After a while, she gazed at the water and thought, "The pool water has returned to normal. Could it be because of the lack of the Mysterious Yin Fruit Tree? The ancient proverb 'The spirit gathers energy' is truly true!"
She pondered for a short while longer before sitting back down on the stone bed.
With these sudden abilities, she had achieved her goal when she entered the valley, yet she was no longer in a hurry to leave.
Because she wanted to practice the 'Wind-Chasing Body Technique'!
Once this thought crossed her mind, she could no longer sit still.
She walked to the cave entrance and leaped down.
Following the leaping method Shang Ying had taught her, she inhaled and descended, and in an instant, she landed smoothly and painlessly in the valley!
She immediately saw the man squeak as he landed in front of her.
She smiled and nodded.
He happily squeaked again and landed in front of the fruit tree to pick red berries.
Di Jinlian saw that although the fruit tree was small, it was covered with red berries, and there were more than thirty other red berry trees nearby, creating a beautiful scene.
She went forward to pick and eat the red berries.
The man cheered and handed her six red berries he had picked.
She ate as she walked.
Soon, she discovered a deep pool; the water was not only clear but also like a mirror. She leaned closer and looked at her reflection, and found that she had hair hanging down to her shoulders like a 'chacha' (a type of hairy woman).
She immediately reached up to gather her hair.
Soon, unable to bear the itch all over her body, she looked around.
She hadn't bathed for over a month, and now, seeing so much clear water, she couldn't resist the itch and no longer cared about revealing herself.
She took off her robe and went in to wash her hair and bathe.
The man watched nearby with a smile and the monkeys.
Soon, she bathed calmly.
She also washed her robe .
After a long while, she happily put on her robe and went ashore.
She generously picked and ate the red berries.
Immediately, she saw the man imitate her, going in to wash his hair and body.
The monkeys followed suit.
Soon, the pool was overflowing with monkeys.
Di Jinlian almost laughed out loud.
She then walked away, eating red berries as she circled the valley.
After a long time, she discovered that the valley was quite wide, with many monkey holes in the walls, water seeping into the pool, which then overflowed under each red berry tree.
She couldn't help but secretly admire Bai Yunzi's ingenious idea of fasting in the past.
Soon, she leaped upwards, preparing to enter the neighboring cave to practice the 'Wind-Chasing Body Technique.' But with a whoosh, she bypassed the cave entrance and continued upwards without stopping.
Seeing she was about to crash into the wall, she hurriedly reached out to press down.
With a soft thud, her palms pressed into the hard cave wall as if pressing tofu. She felt a slight pain in her wrists and quickly used her knees to brace against the wall and pulled her palms out.
She then flipped backwards and fell to the ground.
She couldn't help but cry out in surprise.
In a flash, the person was already upon her, arms outstretched, embracing her.
She couldn't help but say, "Thank you!"
He chirped happily, gliding into the cave.
She couldn't help but secretly admire, "How skillful!"
He placed her on the stone table and left without hesitation.
She breathed a sigh of relief, her tense heart relaxing.
She then focused on the human figure and the incantation on the wall.
Soon, she began practicing the first move.
The abundant pure Yin energy transformed from the Xuan Yin Fruit allowed her to master the first move in unbelievably within three days, giving her even greater confidence to practice the second move.
Meanwhile, in the Guo residence in Xinghua Village, Pang Da was already practicing the "Flying Strike" in the side hall, having corrected his previous incorrect techniques.
He had resigned from his teaching job a month ago to focus on practicing at the Guo residence.
Guo Ba, meanwhile, practiced swordplay day and night with an iron rod, having completed his "Water Training" and now practicing the transformation of hardness into softness.
Zhuo Dao was constantly instructing them.
Nurturing such talent was a great joy, and Zhuo Dao was overjoyed!
He planned to see the combined power of Guo Ba and Pang Da's swordsmanship someday.
Meanwhile, after Wu Ji Caravan wiped out ten assassin organizations and dozens of peripheral organizations overnight at the end of November, Wu Ji's reputation immediately soared!
Because they had only lost a little over two thousand men!
Now, they still had over seventeen thousand men!
Even the Beggars' Sect, with nearly ten thousand disciples, dared not provoke Wu Ji!
This was because Wu Ji's strength far exceeded the estimates of the various sects.
In fact, if the sects knew that Wu Ji's carriage business had obtained over twenty million taels of silver and a large quantity of treasures in the battle, their leaders would be even more nervous.
Wu Long, however, silently sold the treasures in various places through his carriage drivers.
Besides this, he summoned top experts back to his residence to protect it.
On the morning of the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, after the Lantern Festival, a group of people appeared before the gates of Wu's residence. The gatekeeper, upon seeing the elderly man at the head of the group, paled and trembled.
This old man was over six feet tall, with a burly back and a full head of white hair that couldn't conceal the intimidating aura emanating from his upright posture.
Even more terrifying was the fact that his face had at least thirty scars, deep and long, intertwined to form a horrifying face.
His left eye was now just a hollow, while his right eye blazed like a torch.
He was none other than Tian Yuan, the leader of the Crippled Sect.
He glared at the gatekeeper, who couldn't help but lower his head and tremble.
He sneered and said in a deep voice, "Present the invitation!"
"Yes!"
A one-armed man immediately hurled the invitation with his fingers.
Suddenly, a middle-aged man shot out from the hall. As he approached the invitation, he caught it with two fingers, and with a snap, he had successfully secured it. However, his fingers were already bleeding.
He secretly gathered his strength, flipped over, and presented the invitation to the hall.
Wu Long, sitting in the hall, saw the blood on the invitation and immediately thought, "The Broken Sect truly lives up to its reputation. Why is Tian Yuan here? Should I fight him or lure him?"
He immediately opened the invitation.
He saw only a bright red "Kill" character on it.
This was a rare killing invitation used in the martial world.
Wu Long frowned, immediately bit his left index finger, drew a question mark on the left side of the invitation, and then, with his right index and middle fingers, he hurled the invitation towards the gate.
His seat was at least fifty feet from the main entrance, yet the letter shot towards the one-armed man who had just sent it, and the man immediately caught it.
He unfolded the letter and presented it to Tian Yuan.
Tian Yuan, seeing the question mark, immediately said in a deep voice, "Talk!"
"Yes!"
The one-armed middle-aged man strode inside.
Immediately, Wu Long emerged from the hall alone.
After a while, the two sides stood six zhang apart in the courtyard. The one-armed middle-aged man said in a deep voice, "The ten major assassin organizations, including Shang Ying, and their allies were destroyed by you, weren't they?"
"That's right!
" "Why did you dare to commit such a taboo in the martial arts world?
" "My dog was assassinated at Rooster Mountain, and they refused to hand over the killer or provide any clues!" "
Are you sure the killer was among them?"
"Of course not, but they are certainly suspects!"
"It's said that only two people carried out the attack?"
"Yes!"
"Are these two worth thousands dying for?" "
I'd rather kill a hundred innocent people than let one guilty person go free!"
"How arrogant!"
"I never provoke others, nor do I want to be provoked. My elimination of these ten major assassin organizations will definitely have a positive effect on the stability of the world!"
"How grandiose! Why are you asking questions?"
"I always cooperate with Elder Tian's style and don't want to start a war!"
"Do you know Shang Ying's background?"
"He has a different background?"
"That's right! Do you know the connection between Shang Ying and our sect?"
"I don't know, but I'm willing to take responsibility for this!"
"How will you take responsibility?"
Wu Long transmitted his voice. "The dead cannot be brought back to life. Name your price!"
The one-armed middle-aged man turned and transmitted his voice, "Reporting to the sect leader, he is willing to settle privately!"
Tian Yuan transmitted his voice, "Three million taels of gold!"
The one-armed middle-aged man bowed respectfully and turned around, saying in a deep voice, "Three million taels of gold!"
Wu Long nodded and transmitted his voice, "Deliver the gold at Liuhuai Slope at noon on the 25th!"
The one-armed old man nodded and said in a deep voice, "A deal can only be made once, not twice!"
With that, he turned and left.
Soon, Tian Yuan had led away this incomplete but terrifying group.
Wu Long breathed a sigh of relief and returned to the hall, saying in a deep voice, "He has extorted three million taels of gold from us!"
The eight people in the hall frowned and remained silent.
Wu Long then summoned a middle-aged man to his study for a private conversation.
That evening, the man had already quietly left with the silver notes.
On the morning of the 25th, he indeed handed the silver notes to the one-armed middle-aged man at Liuhuai Slope on the outskirts of Jiaxing City, and the two parted without uttering a word.
One wave subsides only for another to rise. At the end of January, from Wanping in the north to Guangdong in the south, and from Hangzhou in the east to Lanzhou in the west, over six hundred drivers of Wu's cart company were attacked on the same day.
All six hundred carts and their drivers were burned .
The drivers showed no visible injuries, but their belongings were either destroyed or stolen.
The attacks occurred in the morning and afternoon. That evening, over 1,300 drivers were besieged in an inn and burned to death along with their carts.
The following day, over two thousand drivers on their way to Changsha to report the attack were attacked on the surrounding roads, more than one hundred li from Changsha, and their vehicles were also burned.
That afternoon, another group of over three thousand people on their way to Changsha were also attacked.
They too were burned.
Within three days, seven or eight thousand people had perished. Upon receiving the news, Wu Long was filled with shock and rage.
He believed that at least ten thousand people were involved in the case; otherwise, it would have been impossible to solve it.
He didn't even bother to pursue the perpetrators; he immediately summoned his men back to his residence.
Unexpectedly, three days later, another three thousand people were burned to death in the distance.
The enemy was in the dark while we were in the light; Wu's carriage company, whose people in the distance were too late to learn of the situation, had already suffered over four thousand deaths and looting in the following six days. The
once invincible Wu's carriage company had lost over fourteen thousand people in just over half a month, and the remaining three thousand had already gathered at Wu's residence and the surrounding area.
At least fifty million taels of silver were stolen in this operation.
While this wealth didn't cripple Wu Long's strength, it caused him considerable distress, as he had to guard against the enemy's overwhelming force.
Fortunately, he had recalled over a thousand top-tier warriors beforehand to prevent retaliation, so after consulting with eight trusted confidants, he decided to cease operations of the carriage company.
The three thousand-plus men then remained at Wu's residence and the surrounding houses and shops as a precaution.
Meanwhile, at Shenmu Fortress, located in the suburbs of Wanping City south of the capital, melodious singing and music drifted through the air, strangely, the fortress gates and hall doors were tightly locked.
Mentioning Shenmu Fortress would send shivers down the spines of any martial arts expert.
Even Wu Long, Tian Yuan, and Zhuo Dao would give way. This
was because the lord of Shenmu Fortress was Deng Yiyan,
universally acknowledged as the number one master in both the righteous and the wicked.
His special skills lay in his eyes and his hands.
He possessed squinty eyes and small, snow-white hands, which, combined with his five-foot height and fair skin, made him quite suitable for a role in a 'Dream of the Red Chamber'.
However, the world trembled at the mere mention of his small stature.
A single glare from him was enough to captivate and confuse his opponent, leaving them momentarily disoriented.
His tiny hands, in that instant, would unleash two palm strikes with lightning speed, instantly killing his opponent with blood gushing from all seven orifices.
More than thirty years had passed since he killed Luo Yang with a single blow at the age of thirty, and in those thirty years, at least two thousand people had died from his squinty eyes and tiny hands.
And all of them were figures of considerable renown.
So, ten years ago, when he said he would build a fortress in Wanping, the three big shots of Wanping completed the magnificent and resplendent Shenmu Fortress for him in less than three months.
For the past ten years, besides being entrusted with slaughtering people in the fortress, he practiced palm strikes a thousand times and meditation for an hour every day in the fortress, because he needed to maintain his peak condition.
In addition, he had to play with girls every three nights. The girls serving him had to be between eighteen and twenty years old, and he had to deflower them before continuing to play with them for a period of time.
Moreover, these girls had to be beauties.
Furthermore, they had to have a voluptuous figure like Yang Guifei.
Most importantly, these girls had to have a pair of large, voluptuous breasts.
Everyone knew of Deng Yiyan's fetishes; therefore, some privately described him as having an 'Oedipus complex'!
Okay! Let's get back to the main topic!
It was noon, and twelve young boys from the eight major hutongs of Beijing were performing a 'Rainbow Fairy Dance' in the main hall of Shenmu Fortress, accompanied by music!
This woman is a descendant of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, and has always appeared only in the palace. The Eight Great Hutongs specially trained young boys to perform this fairy dance in order to attract distinguished guests.
The music and dance are the same, but the difference is the addition of fiery chili peppers.
Although the Twelve Maidens also wear palace attire and carry two feather fans, their palace attire is made of white gauze as thin as a cicada's wing, and there is nothing underneath.
What was truly deadly was that the gauze covering their breasts and crotch was sewn into a 'loose-leaf' style, and the two feather fans were the perfect tools for arousing lust.
As they danced and waved their fans, the three loose-leaf panels of gauze would frequently lift, exposing their breasts and private parts to the heat!
Their seductive glances were constantly being flirted with.
The veteran general Deng Yiyan and his three older brothers were already swaying their hips!
They were burning with rage!
They were about to lose their composure!
They had long since lost their appetite for food and drink!
Suddenly, they saw Eleven girls forming a wall of feathers with their swords, twisting their waists, shaking their breasts, and throwing seductive glances. Another girl quickly removed her palace attire behind the feather wall.
The feather wall dissipated, revealing her standing naked, legs together, breasts covered. Her
cherry lips were slightly parted.
Her seductive eyes were like silk.
Wow! That's hot!
Deng Yiyan chuckled, "Excellent! A reward!"
"Thank you for your generous gift, Elder Deng!"
The girl then raised her hand, smoothing her hair, twisting her waist, shaking her breasts, and walking away.
The four old pigs stared at her intently.
As soon as she approached Deng Yiyan, she knelt and cupped her breasts.
He chuckled and gently scratched her nipples with the tip of a red envelope.
Soon, they were swollen and tight!
"Hehe! So flirtatious!"
he said, placing the red envelope in her cleavage and averting his gaze.
The girl thanked him for the reward and gracefully returned to her place.
Soon after, she and ten other girls were weaving feather fans to conceal another girl removing her palace attire.
The feather fan suddenly appeared, and the girl stood there, cupping her ample breasts and smiling seductively.
Deng Yiyan chuckled again, "Wonderful! A reward!"
"Thank you for your generous gift, Master Deng!"
the girl said, shaking her breasts and swaying her hips as she walked away.
Soon, she cupped her breasts again, about to kneel.
Deng Yiyan suddenly grabbed her and pressed his hand against her sensitive spot. The girl let out a soft "oh," and he chuckled as he pulled out his wet middle finger.
He stood up and reached out to pick her up.
The girl giggled and pressed her breasts against his back.
He chuckled and carried her away.
The other three gangsters couldn't wait and each carried a girl away.
The remaining eight girls squatted in front of the table to get some food and wine. As
the saying goes, "Small in stature, but big in heart," Deng Yiyan carried a girl back to the room and quickly undressed. The girl immediately exclaimed, "My darling!"
Deng Yiyan chuckled and climbed onto the bed with his "treasure" erect.
"Good Master Deng, please be gentle with me!"
"Hehe! Don't worry! I'll make you feel like you're in heaven!"
"Thank you, Master Deng!"
she said, ready for anything.
But he slowly and deliberately caressed her breasts, sucking, licking, and licking.
The girl twisted her body and gasped, "Good Master Deng, come on up!"
"Hehe! The best is yet to come, don't rush!"
He kissed and caressed her from top to bottom.
After a long while, he kissed and caressed her from her legs upwards.
"Good Master Deng, please come on up!"
With a "smack," he kissed her; the wonderful moment.
She trembled and cried out, "Good Master Deng, I can't take it anymore!"
But he continued to suckle with
relish . She then
urged him on repeatedly. After a long while, he finally mounted her.
"Good Master Deng, faster! Faster!"
she eagerly opened her mouth to welcome him.
But he plunged his head into her breasts and suckled back and forth.
After a long while, her feigned cries turned into real moans, and her lower body overflowed with desire during the repeated thrusts!
He teased her for a while longer before finally breaking through her defenses.
"Mmm! Good...good..."
"Does it hurt?"
"No! More soreness than pain!"
He chuckled and rode on with unrestrained pleasure.
By this time, the other three big brothers were already drenched in sweat!
The sounds of their lovemaking mingled with their moans.
After a while, the three big brothers lay limply on his body.
They had transformed from a dragon into a worm.
After a long while, Deng Yiyan suddenly stopped and kissed her cherry lips.
The girl suddenly felt a swelling in her lower body and immediately woke up.
She trembled with pleasure.
She groaned repeatedly.
Soon, her limbs were limp and lifeless.
Deng Yiyan flicked the back of her head, and she immediately fainted.
He released his lips and slowly rose.
Fresh blood immediately flowed from her private parts.
He opened his mouth and sucked several mouthfuls of blood before taking out the porcelain bottle under his pillow. Soon, he swallowed three elixirs and began to slowly practice his internal energy cultivation on the bed.
Soon, his manhood deflated and drooped.
He had already entered a deep meditation.
This was his greatest secret.
He secretly used the Yin-Yang cultivation method to enhance his power.
※※ ※※ ※※ During the Dragon Boat Festival, Wu Long and his family, along with eight trusted confidants, enjoyed food and wine at the Wu residence. After three months of peace, they decided to go out and secretly investigate their enemies. 　　Therefore, they and others celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival with food and wine in and around the residence
. 　　In addition, Wu Long gave each person six hundred taels of gold to boost morale. 　　Late that night, a thousand men disguised themselves and left! 　　They decided to secretly investigate the murder scene. 　　Meanwhile, Zhuo Dao, Ba He, Guo Ba, and Pang Da were enjoying meat dumplings, delicacies, and wine at Guo's residence. 　　Due to his increased alcohol tolerance and booming sales, Ba He had accumulated a large fortune during this period, so he rewarded his servants with three to fifteen taels of silver. 　　Nearly one hundred thousand people admired and expressed their gratitude. 　　At this time, Di Jinlian and the long-haired naked man were leaping back and forth through the large and small monkey caves in the valley. She had already mastered the Wind-Chasing Movement technique during this time. 　　However, she was still not proficient and lacked finesse. 　　Therefore, she followed him from the east cave to the west cave and then to the south cave. 　　Next, they leaped to the north cave. 　　They continued to leap in these four directions.

Now she was completely naked, having taken off her robes, because he had not made any move to violate her. She had freed herself to facilitate her use of the 'Wind Chasing Technique'.
More than an hour later, the two finally stopped their practice and ate fruit under a tree.
She was extremely satisfied with her progress!
After a long while, she finally went to bathe in the pool.
After bathing, she returned to the stone bed, put on her robes, and practiced meditation.
After nightfall, she followed him up the sloping path. Soon, they were traversing the mountain path, and she, completely naked, felt completely refreshed.
She could now leap over forty zhang (approximately 33 meters) in
a single bound! She had followed him through this mountainous area many times before, knowing that no one else was around at night, so she chased after him with abandon.
After a long while, the two stopped habitually before the waterfall.
They both dipped their legs in the water and sat on the rocks by the water's edge.
Suddenly, his breathing quickened, and he turned and embraced her.
She was momentarily stunned, but he had already pressed his body against hers.
She immediately saw that his eyes were bloodshot and his breathing rapid.
Her flesh ached slightly from the tight embrace, a strange, oppressive pleasure combined with their time together made her decide to submit.
Because she too felt a strange, inexplicable hunger!
She lay down on the ground, spreading her pink legs.
He, panting heavily, thrust into her.
She felt a rush of pleasure, both intense and tingling.
She twisted her hips to meet him, and his massive member immediately entered her.
A wave of fullness and satisfaction made her moan softly.
She had only ever been with Shang Ying, whose skill was far inferior to the man before her. She involuntarily cooperated with his thrusts, responding repeatedly.
The waterfall roared.
The noise from Di Jinlian and her companion also boomed loudly.
In the distance, two snakes suddenly appeared in the water, swimming up to a large rock.
They huddled behind the rock, watching the two humans.
They had just been enjoying themselves by the water!
Their saliva, the moment it touched the man's buttocks, immediately ignited his lust, which was why he was panting so heavily as he embraced her and thrust into her.
After a long while, she responded with pleasure.
He continued his vigorous thrusts.
With each rise and fall of the tide, he finally trembled.
She, too, was sweating profusely with pleasure.
She had never felt so good, and couldn't help but thrust wildly.
Soon, he not only stopped thrusting but also let her thrust at him.
After a while, she held him contentedly as they thrust.
She calmed down!
She closed her eyes, savoring the moment.
Suddenly, she felt a swelling in her lower abdomen, and she was startled!
Her 'Qi Hai' acupoint trembled, and her internal energy seemed to be stirring.
Startled, she immediately spread her legs.
Her 'Qi Hai' acupoint trembled again, and her internal energy surged forth.
She hurriedly pushed him away and sat cross-legged to practice her internal energy. She
immediately saw her internal energy flowing freely.
She exclaimed in surprise, "How can I have such power?"
Because her internal energy, which was originally steady, was now running wild and exuberant!
She had no time to be distracted, because her internal energy was now flowing at an accelerated pace!
So she focused on practicing her internal energy.
At dawn, the rising sun roused her from her meditation. As soon as she finished, she looked at the man and saw him open his eyes, grinning broadly. She couldn't help but smile too.
She knew he was thoroughly enjoying himself!
But her smile froze instantly.
His eyes hadn't moved, nor had his eyelids blinked.
She quickly reached out to touch his nose.
"No breath! Oh my god!"
She checked his pulse and paled.
She rolled her eyes and shuddered.
Seeing his body was cold, she exclaimed, "He's dead! He's dead! How could this be?"
She examined his entire body.
After a long while, seeing no injuries, she stammered, "Did he die from 'frightened horse'? Could it be? This… why did he suddenly seek pleasure last night?"
She pondered for a moment, then, seeing that it was already bright, she decided to leave.
So, she picked him up and leaped away.
In a flash, she had covered over fifty feet.
She immediately turned and looked back.
"Heavens! I absorbed his power? How could this be?"
she cried out as she swept away the monster.
After a long while, she entered the valley and carried him to the pool to cleanse himself.
Immediately, two large monkeys came and grabbed his hands.
Di Jinlian knew they had noticed the strange occurrence, and her heart ached.
Soon, she carried him into the cave and placed him on the stone bed.
The two large monkeys immediately followed to the stone bed, squeaking and pulling at his hands. Soon, they squeaked and wept, and Di Jinlian wept too!

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