Chapter 8
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Senior Long leaned on his cane and approached, causing You Mengzhe to burst into uncontrollable laughter, nearly falling to the ground.
Tang Hui was slightly surprised and cast a glance at You Mengzhe. The whole Long family from the center of the lake appeared, with Senior Long’s face covered in tears as he began to recount the events from half a month ago in Jiangzhou. The crowd was moved to anger as they listened to his story.
“That little demon used the ‘Heavenly Jedi Bone Piercing Needle’ to harm my entire Long family. He even helped the Imperial dog, humiliating the martial artists who came to celebrate my birthday!” Senior Long sobbed. “Please, Alliance Master Zhao, help me seek justice!”
Zhao Feihong gestured for Senior Long to calm down and comforted him one by one. He held Senior Long’s hands, and everyone present was filled with righteous indignation. Then, an elderly woman came forward.
“My son and daughter-in-law…” the elderly woman wept.
Zhao Feihong introduced her to the three thousand attendees, saying, “This is Compassionate Daoist nun Zheng Ba.”
The elderly woman nodded to Zhao Feihong and continued, “Three years ago, that wretched Left Protector of the Demonic Sect coveted my daughter-in-law. He forcefully abducted her to Mount Yuheng in the dead of night. My twenty-seven-year-old son followed them to Mount Yuheng, hoping to seek justice, but he suffered at the hands of the Demonic Sect’s lackeys. When he returned home, he didn’t utter a word and locked himself in his room, refusing to come out. It’s truly a tragedy!”
The crowd was speechless and full of sympathy. You Mengzhe, curious, asked, “Isn’t she a Daoist nun? How could she have a son?”
Tang Hui explained with a serious tone, “Why can’t a Daoist nun have a son? Her son is even a Daoist himself.”
Then, the head of the Thousand Flowers Clan came forward to accuse the Demonic Sect. Sixteen years ago, their female disciples were left on Mount Yuheng without any knowledge of their whereabouts. They didn’t know whether they were alive or dead. Tears flowed as they condemned the actions of the Demonic Sect.
On a wedding night, a bride was abducted by members of the Demonic Sect. In Taizhou, a prominent family was looted of all their belongings. In Yunmeng Pond, a confrontation with members of the Demonic Sect on a street in Huzhou left someone severely beaten. The salt trade in the East Sea was manipulated by the Demonic Sect, leading to skyrocketing prices and financial ruin for the descendants of wealthy martial families.
The entire male disciples of the Qingping Sect went to visit friends in Sili and ended up in a chain of Hua Lin Lou establishments owned by the Demonic Sect. The girls in the establishments swindled them out of all their wealth, and the youngest son of the Qingping Sect’s leader, carrying the sect’s treasured Qingping Sword, was also detained in one of the establishments. After several attempts to retrieve their belongings, the Hua Lin Lou turned malicious and even reported the matter to the authorities, resulting in the loss of the sect’s treasured sword, which remains unaccounted for to this day.
Upon hearing this, the head of the Qingping Sect was enraged and died on the spot, spitting blood…
“Hahaha——!” You Mengzhe couldn’t help but burst into laughter, and his laughter was quite abrupt.
Tang Hui quickly gestured for him to lower his voice.
Several people in the pavilion glared at You Mengzhe, who awkwardly fell silent. Tang Hui looked at You Mengzhe with suspicion and asked, “Aren’t you one of us from the Orthodox faction of the Central Plains?”
You Mengzhe replied, “Not really… never mind.”
You Mengzhe didn’t want to tell Tang Hui, fearing it might complicate matters. He suddenly thought of Sun Bin and his sworn enemy among this group. Where was Sun Bin? He couldn’t see him anywhere.
After the victims of the Demonic Sect’s atrocities had spoken, Zhao Feihong cleared his throat and continued, “So today, we have invited fellow martial artists to come together with the goal of working unitedly to eradicate the Demonic Sect. As long as the Demonic Sect exists, there will be no peace for the martial artists of the Central Plains.”
“That’s right!”
“Alliance Master’s words make sense!”
Many people echoed their agreement, saying, “Especially that Hua Jin Lou, it must be completely demolished! It’s not a good place. We have to tear it down entirely!”
Someone asked, “What about the girls in the establishments if we tear it down?”
Another person replied, “Naturally, each of us will take one home, hahaha…”
Laughter, filled with lewd intent, erupted with “hahaha,” “hehehe,” and “hehehe,” creating a cacophony.
You Mengzhe thought to himself that his family was just trying to run a legitimate business, while these people were forcibly demolishing buildings and taking advantage of girls. He couldn’t help but wonder who was behaving more like the Demonic Sect. He then heard Zhao Feihong awkwardly cough and say, “Let’s discuss this matter later.”
“However, the Demonic Sect has been around for hundreds of years, and it has substantial resources…”
“That’s right!” Someone else chimed in, “They must have many secret martial arts manuals. When we storm their base, we can snatch…”
Before the young man could finish his sentence, he was loudly rebuked by the leader of his own sect and had to stop speaking.
Zhao Feihong expressed his displeasure, saying, “Dealing with such a major sect and completely eradicating it is not a task that can be accomplished in a day. We need to take it one step at a time. Today, I have invited everyone here to discuss this matter thoroughly and gather ideas…”
You Mengzhe’s gaze wandered around, and he looked into the distance. Not far from him, a group of young people sat by the lakeside, led by a middle-aged man with a rugged face. Huh? Why do some of the young people in the group look familiar?
The young man also stared at You Mengzhe with a puzzled expression. You Mengzhe turned to Tang Hui and asked, “Which sect are those people from?”
Tang Hui glanced at them and casually said, “They are from the Yangzhou Thunderbolt Hall, and their sect specializes in ‘thunder’ and ‘electricity’ martial arts.”
As soon as it was mentioned, You Mengzhe immediately remembered that it was the owner of the stolen item from the day when Sun Bin stole something! Thunderbolt Hall… You Mengzhe asked, “Are they the ones who use thunderfire bombs and flexible steel swords?”
“That’s right,” Tang Hui seemed to have noticed something, shook his fan, and teased, “Do you know them? Why are they staring at you so intently? That guy is Liu Wuwei, the young master of Thunderbolt Hall. He wields the Lightning Sword and throws Thunderfire Bombs. If you get hit by one, it’s not child’s play. How did you get into trouble with him?”
You Mengzhe felt very uneasy under the scrutiny of that person. He guessed that the night when Sun Bin jumped out of the Hua Jin Lou carrying him had been discovered. Previously, Liu Wuwei and he had a brief encounter outside the window of Hua Jin Lou, and both had a deep impression of each other.
“I’ll go… handle something,” You Mengzhe said.
Tang Hui clicked his tongue and said, “Tsk tsk.”
You Mengzhe replied, “Don’t make that expression. I’m not a coward like you. Don’t jump to conclusions.”
Tang Hui thought to himself, “F*ck you” but he said, “Alright.”
However, as You Mengzhe stood up to leave, the young man on the opposite side suddenly got up, radiating hostility as he walked around the crowd. At that moment, Zhao Feihong was still speaking in the middle of the lake, discussing the plan to gradually eliminate the Demonic Sect by dividing territories and appointing regional leaders to root out the Demonic Sect’s bases. You Mengzhe couldn’t care less about listening anymore. He tried to run, but Liu Wuwei angrily shouted, “Stop! What’s your name?”
Liu Wuwei took a quick step forward, and You Mengzhe shouted from a distance, “None of your business!”
Liu Wuwei said, “This guy is with the thief who stole my Thunderbolt Hall’s Supreme Celestial Sky-Annihilating Deity of Nine Realms Scattering Blossoms with Thunderous Destruction Technique! Stop him!”
The name of Liu Wuwei’s artifact was too long. After he finished yelling, You Mengzhe had already disappeared. Liu Wuwei immediately became furious, shouting, “Catch him! He’s with the Demonic Sect!”
The crowd erupted into chaos, even Zhao Feihong in the lakeside pavilion couldn’t help but pause.
Has the Demonic Sect infiltrated here?! This can’t be happening!!!
Someone immediately exclaimed, “There he is! I see him!”
You Mengzhe just wanted to make his way through the crowd towards the mountain path, but there were simply too many people. He plunged into the crowd, where women’s voices were heard shrieking, clutching their chests.
“Little demon—!”
“Demon!”
“The demon touched me!!!” A burly man’s panicked voice rang out. You Mengzhe yelled, “Wow, who would want to touch you? Don’t be so shameless…”
Almost simultaneously, shouts from the west side of the crowd rang out, “The demon is over here!”
Immediately, that area exploded, and You Mengzhe couldn’t understand what was happening. There’s another person? Suddenly, it dawned on him…
It was Sun Bin’s voice! Sun Bin was here too! He’s trying to distract people with a diversion?
You Mengzhe tried to slip away, struggling to activate the qi he had learned from Sun Bin. He leaped onto a wooden bridge, avoiding the crowd. Then he heard another loud shout.
“It’s him!” Although Senior Long had just celebrated his seventieth birthday, his gaze was razor-sharp. He slammed his cane heavily and roared, “Catch him! Beware of his Heavenly Jedi Bone Piercing Needle!”
With that shout, the crowd immediately scattered in all directions, fleeing the scene. You Mengzhe, prompted by the reminder, quickly retrieved a small round box from his pocket and threatened, “Stay away, all of you!”
Zhao Feihong, standing on the lakeside, squinted his eyes slightly as he took a quick glance. He found something suspicious and immediately said, “Worthy younger brother, you chase to the east, and I’ll chase to the west.”
Note: Worthy younger brother here just mean sworn brother term.
Zhang Yuanshan arched his hand in agreement, and the two of them shot out like arrows. Zhang Yuanshan pursued You Mengzhe, while Zhao Feihong went after Sun Bin.
In an instant, everyone was scrambling to escape, pushing and shoving one another, and some were screaming loudly as they were pushed into the lake, turning the scene into a horrifying spectacle. You Mengzhe, turned and rushed towards the bridge, while Senior Long, hiding in the crowd, shouted loudly, “Catch him! Catch that little demon!”
You Mengzhe activated a mechanism, causing the pursuers to fall to the ground, writhing and crying out in pain.
“Don’t be afraid of his needles!” Tang Hui, an expert in poisons, immediately grasped the situation and declared loudly, “My Tang Clan can detoxify for everyone!”
With a quick flick of his fan, he released a shower of fragrant pollen that filled the air with a sweet scent. It was the Heavenly Fragrance Pollen that the Tang Clan used to detoxify. The cries of pain gradually subsided, and more than ten people who had been hit by the needles straightened up and rushed toward You Mengzhe.
You Mengzhe ran while operating the mechanism. The group of Thunderbolt Hall disciples, who had been hit by the needles, took a few steps before being struck by another round of Heavenly Jedi Bone Piercing Needle, collapsing on the ground, screaming in pain. Tang Hui flicked his fan again, and the twelve Thunderbolt Hall disciples got up. You Mengzhe shot the needles again, and the disciples fell once more. This cycle continued several times until the flying needles were depleted.
In the blink of an eye, Zhang Yuanshan, dressed in black martial attire, had arrived in front of You Mengzhe. He extended his long arm and, with one foot lightly touching the bridge railing, pounced towards You Mengzhe like a black eagle, revealing a weapon in his hand!
With his left hand on acupressure points and his right hand wielding the Judge’s Pen, Zhang Yuanshan elegantly aimed at You Mengzhe’s shoulder well, preparing to strike at vital acupoints!
You Mengzhe hurriedly withdrew, and amidst the thunderous applause of the onlookers, someone screamed, “Noble warrior Zhang! Noble warrior Zhang!” You Mengzhe was secretly astonished at the man’s incredible martial skills.
In a brief moment, You Mengzhe noticed that Zhang Yuanshan had a slender face, deep-set eyes, and a high-bridged nose. He was already considering cultivating a dual cultivation, but he knew this man wouldn’t be easy to handle.
Suddenly, a shadow darted out from the crowd, using one hand to pull at Zhang Yuanshan’s ankle. Zhang Yuanshan was pulled away from You Mengzhe by half an inch and crashed onto the wooden bridge with a loud thud, leaving the crowd in shock.
Zhang Yuanshan quickly flipped and leaped up, ready to confront his assailant. However, there was no enemy to be found. His face was filled with anger, and if he could speak, he would have surely unleashed a barrage of curses. However, the mysterious person remained hidden, leaving him with no options.
You Mengzhe, without looking back, continued his mad dash, already reaching the center of the wooden bridge. At this moment, Liu Wuwei had bypassed Zhang Yuanshan and was chasing after him, shouting, “Don’t let him escape!”
Before the words had fully left Liu Wuwei’s mouth, he threw a Thunderfire Bomb, causing a deafening explosion that destroyed half of the bridge ahead. You Mengzhe had to come to an abrupt stop, almost falling into the lake. He paddled with his hands for a while, finally regaining his balance.
The central part of the bridge had collapsed into the lake, carried away by the water towards the waterfall. You Mengzhe turned his head, and Liu Wuwei had caught up to him. He demanded fiercely, “Are you from the Demonic Sect? What’s your name? Where are your accomplices? Hand over the Thunderfire Bomb!”
You Mengzhe replied, “I don’t know him, maybe you’ve got the wrong person.”
Senior Long shouted from afar, “It’s him! Everyone, join forces and capture this little demon from the Demonic Sect! We’ll use his blood to form an alliance!”
Liu Wuwei drew his sword, and You Mengzhe pressed the button on the circular box mechanism, but there were no more needles left.
“He’s out of hidden weapons!” Someone immediately shouted, “Let’s all go after him!”
You Mengzhe put away the round box, realizing the situation was turning unfavorable. He sneered, “Hehehe.”
The wooden bridge was narrow, only allowing one person to pass at a time, and there was no handrails. Over a dozen disciples from the Thunderbolt Hall stood in a single line on the bridge. More and more martial artists were crowding onto the bridge, but they dared not move recklessly, fearing that any pushing and shoving would cause them to fall off.
“Who’s laughing with you!” Liu Wuwei drew a three-foot-eight-inch long steel soft sword from his belt, gleaming brightly and dazzling everyone’s eyes.
Seeing that Liu Wuwei was the only one leading the charge, You Mengzhe thought he might be able to hold on for a while longer. He needed to find a way to escape. Sun Bin’s Water Surface Drifting technique was unique. None of these experts knew it. Otherwise, they would have surrounded him on the water from all directions, and he would have been captured instantly.
Now that everyone was standing on the wooden bridge in a long queue, even Zhang Yuanshan was sandwiched in the middle and couldn’t move.
Unfortunately, You Mengzhe hadn’t trained his light-footwork skills. Otherwise, he could have floated across the lake to the opposite shore.
Just as he was running out of ideas, Liu Wuwei drew his sword decisively!
“Huh?” You Mengzhe had some foundation in Qigong. He quickly bent his body backward to avoid the sword that was sparkling with electric light.
Liu Wuwei’s sword stabbed him in the lower rib.
“Ah?” You Mengzhe stood at the end of the bridge, gracefully moving his waist to the left, like a dance.
Liu Wuwei thrust his sword again, this time aiming for You Mengzhe’s left waist. You Mengzhe lifted his body and bent to the right. Liu Wuwei angrily said, “Take this!”
Liu Wuwei’s sword moves were unpredictable, involving stabs, slashes, chops, sweeps, and cuts. You Mengzhe stood still, relying on his upper body to dodge the attacks. Liu Wuwei was panting heavily, unable to touch him even slightly.
You Mengzhe said, “You should leave quickly.”
Upon hearing this, Liu Wuwei’s face turned crimson. The onlookers on the winding wooden bridge began to jeer. Liu Wuwei shouted, “You’re too humiliating!”
He then threw three more thunderfire bombs at You Mengzhe. You Mengzhe ducked and dodged them. Liu Wuwei launched another attack, and You Mengzhe, off-balance from evading, fell into the water.
As he entered the water, a tremendous commotion erupted on the bamboo bridge. Dozens of people were sent flying into the water with a thunderous crash. A person in gray clothes swiftly glided past, lightly touching a Thunderbolt Hall disciple’s shoulder at the end of the line. The entire group of disciples was sent flying into the air like candy apples, screaming as they soared.
In just an instant, the gray-clothed figure shot into the air like an arrow, splashing into the water grabbing You Mengzhe’s wrist.
You Mengzhe, who had swallowed a few mouthfuls of cold water, was struggling to breathe in the frigid early winter lake. In his dazed state, someone suddenly grabbed him, and they both floated towards the lake’s edge.
The crowd was in chaos, with people loudly questioning what had happened. Many onlookers rushed from the shore to see what was going on, and in the midst of the pushing and shoving, quite a few of them ended up tumbling into the water, creating further confusion.
You Mengzhe barely regained his senses and found himself holding onto the gray-clothed man as they both tumbled headfirst. He screamed frantically, clutching the man’s neck and grabbing wildly along the edge of Mirror Lake. Then, they plunged down the waterfall together.
When You Mengzhe resurfaced, his eyes were spinning, and he was weakly carried by the gray-clothed man, floating and sinking with the river’s current.
“Huff… huff…” You Mengzhe panted, trembling.
The gray-clothed man said, “Young Master… just hold on a bit longer.”
You Mengzhe: “?”
The gray-clothed man: “……”
They remained submerged in the water, carried downstream by the river’s flow. You Mengzhe clung to the man’s neck and furrowed his brow, asking, “Who are you?”
The gray-clothed: “I’m from….the Shadow Guard.”
You Mengzhe: ”What’s the Shadow Guard?”
The gray-clothed man explained, “The Shadow Guard is a type of… personal guard. We usually stay hidden and don’t come out unless needed. Personal bodyguards.”
You Mengzhe questioned, “Whose bodyguard are you?”
The gray-clothed man: “Yours.”
You Mengzhe nodded and said, “Oh, thanks.”
The Shadow Guard seemed a bit embarrassed and just responded with a low, “Mm.”
Although the Shadow Guard appeared to have a protective aura around him, making him feel warm even in the icy water, You Mengzhe’s heart was still overwhelmed with emotions. A Shadow Guard, huh? He had no idea when his father had arranged for a Shadow Guard to be by his side. If he had known, he would have asked him to come out earlier, which might have spared him from many troubles. Having someone to talk to during his journey down the mountain would have been nice too.
You Mengzhe’s mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, and after a moment, he asked, “What’s your name?”
“I’m Yu Wenhong,” the Shadow Guard replied with utmost sincerity and respect. He continued, “Today, there was no other choice, so I had to reveal myself.”
You Mengzhe nodded and said, “It-It’s…. okay. Why didn’t you show yourself before?”
Yu Wenhong explained, “I was afraid of causing you trouble, so I usually protected you from the shadows.”
You Mengzhe pondered this for a moment and said, “Oh… protecting me from the shadows without me knowing.”
Yu Wenhong carried You Mengzhe ashore and said, “I’ll go into hiding now.”
As he spoke, You Mengzhe suddenly felt a blur before his eyes, and Yu Wenhong disappeared.
You Mengzhe called out, “Wait! Come back!”
“What is it?” Yu Wenhong emerged from behind a tree.
You Mengzhe said, “Don’t hide. Stay with me. Otherwise, in this remote wilderness, I’ll be caught by pursuers again.”
With Yu Wenhong’s protective aura gone, You Mengzhe shivered in the mountain wind. Yu Wenhong quickly said, “I’ll follow Young Master’s orders.”
In the distance, there were shouts from people by the stream, likely the Orthodox martial artists who had followed them. You Mengzhe decided, “Let’s find a place to hide first.”
Yu Wenhong followed You Mengzhe as they moved away from the stream and into the forest. After a while, they reached a cliff. With pursuers behind them and a cliff in front of them, they faced a dilemma.
Yu Wenhong glanced down the cliff and said, “There’s a cave below.”
Saying this, he wrapped one arm around You Mengzhe’s waist and leaped off the cliff. You Mengzhe almost screamed, but at that moment, Yu Wenhong reached out, grabbed a pine tree on the edge of the cliff, swung in an arc, and landed safely in a cave on the mountainside.
You Mengzhe breathed a sigh of relief. The two of them looked up to hear voices from the top of the cliff.
“They’re not here!”
“Search in that direction!”
The voices gradually faded, they were safe now.
You Mengzhe couldn’t help his curiosity and asked, “Did my father send you?”
Yu Wenhong replied, “No, it was your mother who sent me to watch over you.”
You Mengzhe was momentarily stunned by this revelation.
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
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