Chapter 88 - 86: Martial Technique
"Young master, this is a Jianghu conflict and has nothing to do with us. Let’s leave here first," Xiu’Er stepped forward and suggested.
"Mm." Xiao Shuyun also realized this place was not suitable for a long stay, and they were about to retreat.
Suddenly, one of the people involved in the conflict pointed at the towering Song Changming and shouted, "I’ve already handed the treasure map over to him!"
Song Changming squinted his eyes, emitting a cold light.
This person was trying to shift the blame onto him.
The intention was simple and direct, yet the Jianghu people besieging them, holding the idea that it’s better to kill wrongly than to let someone go, began to look at Song Changming with malice.
"Catch him for me!" With an order, more than ten people rushed at Song Changming, not intending to give him a chance to explain.
If there are any issues, catch them and sort it out later.
"Wait, you! My father is the Governor of Donglai, do you dare to do this?" Seeing this, Xiao Shuyun was anxious and tried to use her identity to intimidate them.
The group of people charged forward, hesitated upon hearing Xiao Shuyun’s words, but then their eyes became even more vicious.
Someone said resentfully, "Imperial Court’s dog official! Oppressing us for years, today we’ll capture you to vent our anger!"
Xiao Shuyun didn’t expect that mentioning her father’s name would backfire.
"Take the Fourth Lady away!" Song Changming instructed the two maid attendants in a deep voice while taking out the signal flare he carried and shot it into the sky.
"Damn! It’s the signal flare of the government’s patrol guard, catch them and leave quickly!"
The flare made the opposing side more anxious, swinging their blades directly at Song Changming.
Song Changming suddenly drew out the blade from his waist.
Since the Dragon Pattern Saber was too conspicuous, he didn’t carry it today, only brought along a less noticeable long blade.
Although this blade was not as good as the Dragon Pattern Saber, its quality was excellent. He bought it for a thousand silver from a northern merchant team half a year ago.
The blade was thin as a cicada’s wing, glowing with a blue light, light and sharp, more suitable for his swift blade martial arts than the heavy Dragon Pattern Saber.
While the Dragon Pattern Saber was better for an explosive exertion of strength, at the same body refining realm, few could withstand the might of his Dragon Pattern Saber.
After drawing his blade, Song Changming struck first, slashing through the neck of the person in front of him and repelling two others advancing alongside.
"Don’t worry about me; go help Song Weizhang," Xiao Shuyun was uneasy about Song Changming being alone at the rear and wanted the two maids to assist him.
"No, Miss, your safety is the most important," Xiu’Er said firmly.
No matter when or where, ensuring the safety of their lady was their most important duty.
Even if it meant sacrificing their own lives, they would not hesitate.
Min’Er was worried about Song Changming but didn’t dare to disregard her lady’s safety.
Just as she was torn, she quickly realized her worry was redundant.
Although these Jianghu martial artists seemed fierce and unruly, facing Song Changming was like seeking death.
Among them, none could withstand three cuts from Song Changming’s blade.
After just one engagement, several were struck down, and the rest were so intimidated by Song Changming’s fierce sword skill that they dared not advance.
"We have so many people, what do we fear? Go, everyone go, don’t disgrace our Dinghai Water Gang!" yelled a leader from the back.
Those remaining dared not disobey, so they glared and roared as they charged at Song Changming.
Without surpassing Song Changming, they couldn’t touch the three of Xiao Shuyun.
In fact, these Jianghu martial artists were not weak; some had Third Realm of Body Refining strength, capable in wielding swords, spears, or staffs, able to match a standard patrol captain.
However, compared to Song Changming, they seemed insignificant, like a disorderly mob.
The blade in Song Changming’s hand moved swiftly like lightning, killing back and forth among the crowd, easily vanquishing the more than twenty people, himself unharmed.
On the other side, seeing a bad situation, the leader intended to flee alone.
But as soon as he ran into a small alley, a blade shot towards him, directly aiming at his back.
The leader felt a chill down his spine, quickly turned around to slash, blocking the flying blade, but the impact force knocked him off balance, causing him to stagger and fall.
Delayed by this, as he raised his head and tried to get up, the blade was already pointed at his raised forehead, stopping him from moving.
Song Changming stared at him, indifferent, seeing beyond him the vacant lot outside the alley where his people lay, either wailing or silent in pools of blood.
"Mercy, mercy..." the leader begged anxiously.
Even imprisonment was better than being killed by Song Changming in a rage.
Without life, there would be nothing.
"Are you from the Dinghai Water Gang?" Song Changming asked hearing the man’s previous shout.
"Yes, yes," the leader replied hastily.
Song Changming had some impression of the Dinghai Water Gang, a large guild spanning several county’s waters, primarily involved in water transport, having close cooperation with the government at some ports.
A semi-black semi-white water-based force.
The Luolong River outside Donglai County City also had traces of this Dinghai Water Gang’s activity.
Seems recently the Lord Governor of theirs had been eyeing this guild’s revenue channels, intending to drive Dinghai Water Gang out of Donglai Prefecture and have the government fully take over port water transport operations.
This explained why Xiao Shuyun’s revelation of her father’s identity heightened this gang’s hostility.
Disrupting someone’s revenue path is a great enmity, even if that person is a provincial governor, they would still hold grudges.
"Speak, what treasure map are you talking about, dare to deceive, your brothers will face the same fate," Song Changming asked directly.
He had just clearly overheard that the group seemed to be fighting over a treasure map, which was also why they turned against him because of it.
Upon hearing Song Changming mention this, the leader of the Dinghai Water Gang hesitated again.
It looked like he really didn’t want to tell Song Changming.
He also realized that Song Changming was originally unaware, but now he wanted to know.
"Not talking?" Song Changming slowly pushed his long blade forward, the thin blade easily piercing through the skin of the opponent’s forehead.
Blood trickled out, slid down the blade, and dripped onto the person’s nose, feeling warm.
Song Changming continued to press on, seemingly ready to slowly pierce through the opponent’s skull this way.
"I’ll talk! I’ll tell everything!" The leader, fearing for his life, couldn’t bear it any longer and confessed.
The treasure map they were fighting over was dug out from an ancient tomb between cliffs by someone.
The initial spread of information claimed it was a route map leading to treasures left by bygone people.
After the matter fermented, through open and covert struggles, the treasure map passed through several hands.
Another rumor about the treasure map then emerged, saying that the treasure within the map contained the secret of a martial technique.
This rumor drew more and more Jianghu martial artists into the struggle for the treasure map.
"The original, complete treasure map was somehow divided into three parts, and according to my investigation, members of the Golden Palace Sect hold one of the pieces..."
The leader, enduring a splitting headache, revealed everything he knew.
"A martial technique?" Song Changming was quite surprised upon hearing this.
If it was just an ordinary treasure map, he wouldn’t be so amazed. After all, there were many treasure maps outside, some real, some fake.
Perhaps after all the effort to find the treasure map’s destination, they’d only uncover some useless old jars.
It wouldn’t be worth his attention.
But a martial technique is different!
It is rumored that every emergence of a martial technique possesses divine power that shakes the heavens and earth!
They are martial arts far beyond ordinary skills, rare in the world!
Those legendary mighty figures possessing god-like abilities are often said to have a martial technique.
Therefore, any news linked to a martial technique is highly attractive, especially to martial artists.
This treasure map sounded plausible, which is why it attracted so many Jianghu individuals to fight over it.
In fact, even Song Changming, upon hearing it, felt a surge of irresistible excitement.
The more he practiced martial arts, the more concerned he became about these immensely powerful martial techniques.
Song Changming aimed to find the leader’s target, the member of the Golden Palace Sect who carried one of the treasure map pieces.
After a series of death threats, this person, finally seeking survival, confessed that the treasure map was left within the sect.
He offered to have the disciples send it to him to save his life.
Song Changming, after repeated questioning, could only confirm that the treasure map was within the sect.
After hearing this, Song Changming did not continue to interrogate further. He stood up with his sword and suddenly asked, "Why did you say earlier that the treasure map was on me?"
"This..." The Golden Palace Sect member was momentarily speechless, fearing to provoke the fierce man before him with a misstatement.
"I’m sorry, you’ve got the wrong person." After saying this, Song Changming’s long blade silently cut across the opponent’s neck.
The Golden Palace Sect member’s face bore a look of shock, unable to understand why Song Changming suddenly attacked him.
He thought that as long as the treasure map wasn’t handed over, his life could at least be preserved.
But Song Changming didn’t act according to his expectations.
In fact, even though Song Changming was interested in the treasure map, if it was indeed placed within the Golden Palace Sect, retrieving it would take a long time.
Song Changming did not want to wait long, increase uncertainty, or attract too much Jianghu trouble and get into a huge mess.
Thus he chose to straightforwardly give up, and that sword was his revenge for drawing trouble onto him.
After glancing at the headless corpse, Song Changming returned to searching the body.
He had considerable experience in this area, given that he started searching bodies from his Night Patrol days.
Soon, he found some scattered money and silver on the opponent, along with some carried injury medicine and antidotes.
There weren’t many things, and the treasure map was nowhere to be found.
After thoroughly searching everything, Song Changming did not stop.
He knew that meticulous and cautious people often hide important items in inconspicuous places on their clothing.
He continued to explore along the clothing, searching for anomalies.
Soon, he discovered some unusual thickness at the hem of the inner shirt’s back.
Raising an eyebrow, this scene seemed somewhat familiar.
...