Chapter 140 - 139: The Rules of Yunxi Land
Yunxi, a vast and turbulent martial world,
This realm possesses various rules because it is home to numerous powerful beings, and rules are always set by the strong. Different strong individuals naturally have different rules.
Therefore, in this land of Yunxi,
Different places have different rules, resulting in chaos throughout Yunxi, where various rules blend together, ultimately leading to a lack of order.
In this martial world, there is a city called Canglan City, a rare place with stable order in this chaotic land of Yunxi. This is because a Grandmaster, known among the martial world as the Nu River Dragon King, established the rules here. These rules have persisted for thirty years, and through these thirty years of nurturing, the order here has stabilized.
However, these rules,
Belong to the martial artists, which is to say, the order of the fist.
Thus, beneath this vast expanse of snow, violence cannot be concealed. In such circumstances, many yearn to enter Canglan City, because it houses the strongest fist of the entire Canglan Dao. As long as none can defeat that pair of fists, it remains a sanctuary.
However, Canglan City is ultimately just a city,
Incapable of accommodating too many people. Consequently, many towns have emerged outside Canglan City, some flourishing, others housing mixed clans or diverse societal classes, some hopeful of entering the city while others await those who yearn.
One city, two worlds,
Inside the city, tranquility and harmony; outside, chaos and violence.
The wind and snow raged,
Outside the largest town beyond Canglan City, Thousand Lights Town, a black-clad figure wearing a bamboo hat pressed forward against the wind and snow, leading a black horse and leaving a trail of footprints in the snow which were quickly buried by the snow.
When the black-clad figure had yet to reach the entrance,
He was already noticed by those inside.
Outside Thousand Lights Town, there was only windswept grass and desolation. By just one step, inside was bustling prosperity, with many braving the wind and snow, encompassing vibrant marketplaces filled with shops, taverns, and orderly intersecting alleyways.
There was a teahouse at the entrance,
Business was not good, with only a few robust men chatting idly. When they saw the black-clad figure outside town, smiles on their faces became broader.
They scrutinized him carefully,
Despite the hat, from his attire, figure, and the skin on his hands, it was evident that he was a very young person.
The horse was thin, but its frame was large and sturdy, a good horse.
On the saddle hung a black bow and a quiver, both of high quality, with two equally good horizontal sabers on the other side.
Looking again at that young man, his clothes were somewhat tattered and dirty, but clearly of fine material.
Based on comprehensive judgment, he appeared to be a novice venturing into the martial world, perhaps aspiring for Canglan City, or for the romanticized tales of the martial world.
Such people,
In these men’s eyes, were merely fat sheep.
The men laughed as they approached the entrance, blocking the black-clad man’s way.
"Sir, where are you headed?" asked the leading man.
The black-clad man slowly raised his head, his features delicate, with fine demeanor though his stubble was thick, clearly untrimmed for a long time,
It was Gu Zhan, who had hurried all the way from Linjiang City.
On his journey, he wasted not a moment,
For he knew the chase from Chengyang Marquis’s Mansion and the Celestial Sword Alliance would come swiftly.
Fortunately, he traveled alone,
Taking various side paths and leveraging time differences, he had reached Yunxi without significant risk, making headway straight to Thousand Lights Town outside Canglan City, as directed by Yang Yuzhi.
By now, the men were relatively certain,
This was a wealthy young master venturing out without martial world experience.
"In such cold weather, have a cup of hot tea to warm yourself!" One man handed over a cup grimy with tea stains, half-filled with tea laced with oil.
The men grinned slyly, their gaze filled with mockery.
Gu Zhan slowly raised his head, glancing at the men,
He was used to such situations,
Be it in Yunxi or back in Linjiang City, such occurrences were frequent, with gang members extorting outsiders. Like now, offering a cup of tea meant surrendering all possessions as tea fees. If refused, it was considered disrespectful, often resulting in a beating and robbery.
Of course, those who orchestrated such acts were usually the least powerful thugs, relying on such petty means to eke out a living.
However, Gu Zhan had no interest in wasting time with such small fry, coldly stating: "Scram!"
The martial world men were stunned,
Then, they were furious,
The leading man pointed at Gu Zhan, roaring, "What, boy, disrespecting our Black Tiger Gang..."
Mid-sentence, his voice abruptly ceased, and he stood motionless.
The other men were puzzled,
But before they could speak,
The leader’s neck suddenly spewed a torrent of blood, head flying off onto the snow, leaving a clean cut on his neck.
"Murder!"
"Brother Hu..."
"..."
The men shouted in alarm and panic,
Only then did they notice,
The black-clad youth was holding a horizontal saber,
With a drop of blood falling from its tip.
The men were terrified, realizing they had encountered a true martial world expert.
"Spare us, hero!"
"Hero, we’re just surviving, not doing anything heinous!"
"Spare us, hero, I have an old mother and young children..."
"Hero, I won’t do such things again!"
"..."
The seasoned martial world hustlers swiftly adapted, begging for mercy by kneeling and kowtowing frantically.
Gu Zhan said nothing,
Simply tugged the reins gently, leading his horse into the town.
The thugs breathed a sigh of relief,
Exchanging glances, feeling fortunate, for over the years they had often encountered such young heroes. However, as long as they knelt and pleaded, these self-proclaimed righteous heroes always spared them.
But once the ordeal was over, they’d teach these young heroes about the dangers of the martial world, about how open attacks are easy to dodge, but hidden arrows are hard to avoid. They were local bullies, using underhanded means beyond the young heroes’ ability to defend against.
Indeed, another self-styled righteous hero.
The men started plotting which poison or honey trap to use this time,
But then,
A cold voice suddenly sounded in their ears: "Killing you now won’t stain my shoes, so in your next lives, open your eyes wider!"
The wind and snow roared, a flash of blade light,
Snowflakes shattered,
Several heads rolled into the snow.