Chapter 69: Corpses As War Letters, Battle At Twin Dragon Gorge
“How could it be, how could it be… These people don’t understand etiquette and offended Your Excellency. Even if Your Excellency didn’t act, I would punish them later.”
Zhou Wenjie shuddered upon hearing this, his body involuntarily bowing, trembling slightly.
“Commissioner Zhou is indeed a reasonable man,” Hong Yuan praised.
Zhou Wenjie heard bursts of screams from downstairs, his face twitching as he hurriedly asked: “But I don’t know what Your Excellency wants me to do…”
“Simple!” Hong Yuan’s gaze turned to the ceiling, saying indifferently: “Chen Jiulang is dead. I want you to help me send his body to the Grain Transport Gang and challenge ‘Surging Waves Hand’ for me…”
By now, Hong Yuan had already learned that the Grain Transport Gang’s top master was ‘Surging Waves Hand’ Lei Meng, a grandmaster-level martial artist.
However, the man had not appeared for many years, and rumors abounded in the jianghu, with many speculating he was dead.
This was not important to Hong Yuan. Without Lei Meng, there was still the Grain Transport Gang.
Rather, his original goal was the Grain Transport Gang organization itself.
“This…” Zhou Wenjie was dumbfounded.
Hong Yuan turned to look at him: “Can you do it?”
“Yes, yes, of course I can!” Zhou Wenjie nodded like pounding garlic.
Hong Yuan gave him an approving glance, patted his shoulder, and laughed: “People like you, who can bend and stretch, endure what ordinary people cannot, are truly rare talents in the world. It would be a pity to die. I have high hopes for you.”
“Thank you for your praise, Your Excellency. I dare not accept it.”
“Alright, handle this matter for me!” As he spoke, Hong Yuan had already turned around.
Zhou Wenjie’s taut nerves suddenly relaxed, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. He reached to stroke his chest, suddenly feeling that being alive was better than anything.
Sizzle!
A flash of silver light suddenly darted out, fast and venomous like a poisonous snake that had lurked for a long time, abruptly piercing through the hand he was using to stroke his chest and into his torso.
Zhou Wenjie felt a chill surge in, looking down in shock.
Hong Yuan turned his head, looked at the Silver Spear he had thrust out behind his back, then at Zhou Wenjie, his face even more ‘shocked’ and ‘astonished’ than Zhou Wenjie himself.
He said full of apology: “Sorry, sorry! This hand of mine is a scholar’s hand. It moved inexplicably. This, this was really not my intention!”
Zhou Wenjie saw Hong Yuan’s face full of sincerity, but the intense pain erupted at this moment, making him roar in agony. His originally handsome face instantly became hideous and terrifying.
A venomous curse issued from his throat: “Bastard… you dog spawn who deserves a thousand cuts and ten thousand scrapes, fuck you…”
Pfft!
The dark spear tip flashed, nailing into Zhou Wenjie’s glabella.
Hong Yuan disgustedly pulled out the spear tip, wiped the filth on the other’s clothes, and sighed: “We scholars should have the demeanor to disregard life, death, honor, and disgrace. It’s just one death, yet he lost composure like this. He has completely disgraced scholars!”
“I even thought you were a promising talent earlier. What a blind eye!”
“Pah! I, Hong, am full of righteous spirit and ashamed to associate with trash like you!”
He kicked out, and Zhou Wenjie’s corpse immediately tumbled out the window, followed by the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground.
“Ah! Another one dead!” Shouts of alarm instantly rose again on the street.
“It’s Zhou Wenjie, Salt and Iron Commissioner Zhou Wenjie is also dead!”
Amid the shouts, Hong Yuan’s force burst from his feet. He leaped up, crashing through the rooftop, landing again on the rooftop ridge of Dingsheng Tower.
“Bring a message for me to Grain Transport Gang’s ‘Surging Waves Hand’ Lei Meng, Senior Lei…”
Hong Yuan gathered his qi and blood in his throat, his voice like rolling waves, booming out with the breeze, reaching the ears of many in Jinshi Market.
Thousands raised their heads to look toward the rooftop, but saw only a blurry figure in the glow, face unclear, only that powerful presence impacting everyone’s mind.
Bang!
Hong Yuan flicked his foot, and Chen Jiulang’s corpse was also tossed into the air, rapidly falling.
Then his other foot lightly tapped, and the Dragon Pattern Hook-Spear suddenly shot out.
Hong Yuan leaped up, his speed even faster than the Hook-Spear, arriving first despite starting later. A blue shadow flashed, and he was already in front of the corpse and the Hook-Spear.
While in midair, one hand intercepted the Hook-Spear. With a surge of force, he hurled it flying.
Everyone heard a sharp arrow-piercing-air sound, then Chen Jiulang’s corpse was pierced through by the Hook-Spear, hooked by the entire body, and slammed onto the huge ‘Dingsheng Tower’ plaque on the fourth floor.
“Let this corpse serve as the challenge letter. Three days from now, at noon, we will fight atop Twin Dragon Gorge.”
As Hong Yuan’s voice floated out, he landed simultaneously. His toes touched the glazed tile, and he darted like lightning toward another restaurant on the other side, his figure flashing, vanishing from sight after a few leaps.
The scene fell into brief silence. Everyone stared dumbly at Chen Jiulang’s suspended corpse. After a moment, the commotion erupted in waves.
“‘Startled Swan Spear’ Hong Yuan challenges ‘Surging Waves Hand’ Lei Meng?”
“Two great masters, dueling at Twin Dragon Gorge?!”
“Will the Grain Transport Gang agree?”
“With Chen Jiulang’s corpse as the challenge book, as long as the Grain Transport Gang wants to survive in the jianghu, they have no choice but to agree…”
“That Hong Yuan’s martial arts are profound and immeasurable, Lei Meng is also a generation grandmaster. Such a battle of masters hasn’t been seen in Linjiang Prefecture for at least a decade! Both nicknames have a ‘startled’ character. This battle might as well be called the ‘Dual Startled Battle’!”
“Heh! Lei Meng is a lurking dragon in the Grain Transport Gang, and Hong Yuan’s spear technique is also known as agile as a swimming dragon. The duel site is Twin Dragon Gorge, so naturally it’s the ‘Twin Dragon Battle’!”
Numerous jianghu people discussed animatedly, spreading the word. In just one day, the news spread like wildfire from Yan Quan County to surrounding counties, and onward to farther places.
In the southwest of Linjiang Prefecture, at the foot of Mangcang Mountain.
A vast manor stood there.
Houses stood in rows within the manor, without any luxurious decorations. Shadows of people moved about inside. Besides servant women, servants, and stewards, there were mostly robust men with vigorous qi and blood and a fierce, bloodthirsty aura.
There were over a dozen training grounds in the manor. In each, strong men were either practicing martial arts alone, sparring hand-to-hand, or clashing with weapons.
Though not fighting to the death, injuries occurred from time to time. Yet these men seemed accustomed to injury, not feeling the pain, instead laughing as they bandaged and quickly returned to the training ground.
On one training ground, a robust man with a physique like a bear and eyes sharp as a hawk stood with arms crossed, watching the two sparring in the field.
One had a square, resolute face full of masculine vigor: it was Yang Lie.
But now Yang Lie had shaved his cheek beard, making him appear even more heroic and extraordinary.
“That brat Yang Lie didn’t practice martial arts diligently before. Though more proactive at Crouching Tiger Manor, he was still somewhat lazy… Lately stimulated, he’s willing to put in hard work, and his martial arts progress is extremely fast.”
The robust man was naturally Wu Duxiong. His gaze appraised Yang Lie sparring, nodding inwardly, while his palm extended, qi energy faintly flowing, flickering.
“Even for me, Wu, I could only barely achieve ‘freely control’ before, but now it’s much more solid.”
Wu Duxiong’s gaze shifted from Yang Lie to the others. “There are indeed many masters in this Crouching Tiger Manor. Manor Lord Song has invested so much effort and wealth to maintain these thousands of guests honing martial arts daily. His ambitions are not small…”
As Wu Duxiong was thinking this, he suddenly saw a scholar in Confucian robes walking over slowly.
He recognized the man as one of Manor Lord Song Yinglong’s staff officers and strategists at Crouching Tiger Manor, named Xu Jinming.
Wu Duxiong had no prior dealings with Xu Jinming, so he paid it no mind. Unexpectedly, the other headed straight for him, cupped hands in greeting upon approach, and smiled: “Greetings, Brother Wu. Are you free now?”
Wu Duxiong didn’t know his intent and was somewhat wary, but outwardly stretched lazily: “Plenty of free time, bored enough to drink. What guidance does Mister Xu have?”
“Haha, what a coincidence. The manor lord is just about to invite Brother Wu for a drink.”
