Seizing a Man

Qingyan Secret Voice Transmission reminder, and Si Ming carefully avoided the courtyard.

He had been warned multiple times along the way and successfully avoided many dangers, which is why the three of them were not discovered.

"Uncle, you're really good at infiltration, almost like a professional assassin," Si Ming said casually.

Qingyan was slightly startled, but his expression remained unchanged. He explained, "It's something I've learned from years of dodging city management officials."

"No wonder, from both an active and passive standpoint, dodging the urban management officers is much harder than this."

After expressing his feelings, Si Ming dared not say anything more, for fear of being discovered by the enemy.

The three of them walked to the bamboo forest courtyard. According to the information provided by Yu Shuying, Huyan He often went to the bamboo forest to fetch spring water to make tea at this time, and today was no exception.

Si Ming sensed the presence of three people in the courtyard. Peeking inside, he saw a middle-aged man in a silk robe squatting in front of a small red clay stove burning pine charcoal. Sweat beaded on his nose from the heat of the charcoal fire, but he didn't bother to wipe it away. He was focused intently on the tea stove, holding a bright gold dragon-shaped scepter in his hand. He picked up a small dragon-shaped tea cake and slowly roasted it for a few minutes. Then he covered the stove, wrapped the tea cake in layers of fine white cotton paper, and took out a silver tea grinder to grind it.

What's going on here?

Si Ming didn't understand, and Qingyan wrote two characters on the ground, "Make tea".

Is making tea really that complicated?

Continuing to look, one could see the middle-aged man take out a piece of silk, put the freshly ground tea powder on it to sift it, then pick out the finer part and put it in a small jade cup, placing it on the table. He then picked up a golden teapot, filled it with spring water from the bamboo forest, and began to slowly boil the water on the charcoal stove.

Next, they waited for the tea to boil. The man said to the two guards behind him, "In the art of tea, the timing of the water's temperature is crucial. This water must not be overboiled; it must be a tender brew. Lu You, the Sage of Tea, earnestly taught in 'The Classic of Tea, Chapter Five: Brewing,' 'Overboiled water is unsuitable for drinking.' This means that tender water produces a sweet tea, while overboiled water is excessively bitter. Therefore, the moment the water boils and the first small, fish-eye-like bubbles appear on the surface, the teapot must be removed from the pot..."

Si Ming in his past life either used tea bags or simply brewed tea with hot water, couldn't understand why there were so many rules about drinking tea.

If you discard the trace elements, even the finest tea will contain 99.9% hydrogen monoxide as its main component.

He had no interest in listening to the other person's explanation of tea ceremony knowledge, and immediately gestured—let's get started!

Chapter 232 Arresting People

Si Ming leaped out, unleashing divine power to attack the two guards in the courtyard. His fists struck out rapidly, his Fist Intent chasing the shadow, the shadow arriving as the fist arrived. The Bullet Fist, at its peak, was silent, yet its power was fierce and vigorous.

The moment Si Ming leaped out, the Bian brothers, Bian Jiong Bian Jiang, became alert. They shouted "Assassin!" and rushed forward, unleashing four palm strikes. In an instant, a cold wind howled and scorching waves pressed down.

One of them cultivates the "Mystic Ice Art," and the other cultivates the "Blazing Flame Art." Both have reached the Internal Cultivation Level Ten cultivation. Even when they are alone, they are rare masters. If the two join forces, the fusion of water and fire will have a transformative effect, Spirit Transformation.

However, as soon as the three clashed, Bian Jiong Bian Jiang felt as if the opponent's palm was collapsing like a mountain, and it was both fast and fierce. Before their Internal Cultivation could even combine, they were shaken by the force of the palm, causing their muscles and bones to tremble and their skin to go numb.

Si Ming already knew about the other party's intelligence. In terms of Internal Cultivation, he was no match for him in a one-on-one fight. Of course, he had to abandon his weaknesses and choose his strengths to win with external skills.

In an instant, his internal True Qi surged forth, golden light enveloped his body, and he entered a state of Solar Prominence Eruption, further increasing his power.

Bian Jiong Bian Jiang were instantly shaken so badly that their bodies felt like they were about to fall apart. They fell more than ten feet away without their feet touching the ground, and they couldn't stand up. They spun around twice, their faces turning red and white. Before they could stand up, Si Ming arched his back as if a pair of wings were flapping, generating a new force. He shot out like a whirlwind, and his palms attacked again.

Bian Jiong Bian Jiang knew that a direct confrontation was unwise, but having lost the initiative and fallen into a passive position, they had no choice but to stand their ground and fight back unless they abandoned Young Master Huyan. So they gathered their remaining strength, raised their palms to meet the attack, and desperately blocked it.

The four palms clashed, producing a sound like muffled thunder. The two brothers suddenly started dancing and retreating rapidly. Bian Jiang crashed into the bamboo forest, crushing a stalk of bamboo. Bamboo is usually flexible and can bend without breaking, but the cold air surrounding him froze the bamboo stiff and caused it to crack.

Bian Jiong fell to the other side and plunged into the lake with a splash. He also pushed the "Blazing Flame Art" to its limit. At this moment, his body was as hot as burning coals, not only splashing water everywhere, but also steaming up large clouds of white water vapor.

At the same time, Qingyan rushed towards Huyan He on the other side. With a flick of his sleeve, the short sword fell into his palm, and he made his move "Sincere Heart Linked Rings". He slashed out an arc of sword energy with the speed of flowing clouds and water. Each sword energy was connected end to end, continuous and unbroken. When the strong wind swept by, the bamboo forest trembled and hundreds of bamboo leaves were like arrowheads, shooting towards Huyan He.

"Hmm, Blunt Weapons and Dull Sharpness!"

Huyan He activated the Military School classic "Spring and Autumn Martial Canon," opening his palms and naturally generating a heavy aura around his body, as if turning air into mud. Bamboo leaves that reached him hissed and fell, disappearing into the mud.

The Sword Intent emanating from Qingyan suddenly surged, the arc-shaped sword energy merging into a single line, transforming into a dazzling One Sword strike. Instantly, bamboo leaves fluttered down, the cold sword exuding a chilling killing intent, the desolate aura symbolizing the decline of all things—this was the killing move, "Frost Dots Autumn Temples."

The highly condensed Sword Qi sliced through Huyan He's protective energy with unstoppable force. Originally aimed at his heart, it changed course midway and struck his shoulder instead.

Huyan He felt Anomalies, but he didn't have time to ponder the reason. He reached out and picked up a drop of spring water from the ladle, concentrated his True Qi into it, and flicked his finger. The drop of water, carrying the force of a hundred pounds, shot out through the air.

"Exhaust Strength and Deplete Resources!"

The water droplet struck the blade, instantly deflecting the short sword. Qingyan, struggling against the force, was also deflected.

But Huyan He bells had not been silenced. He instinctively looked up and saw an arrow silently falling from the sky, almost within reach. It was too late to defend himself. He managed to turn his body to the side and felt a sharp pain in his left arm. The arrowhead had cut a long gash, and blood splattered everywhere.

Qingyan charged forward again, his sword flashing like brilliant fireworks, attempting to seize the opportunity of his injured opponent and capture him in one fell swoop.

But Huyan He didn't even flinch. He endured the pain and unleashed his full power, his palms flashing all over his body. The violent energy formed a wall, blocking the sword that attacked him and preventing it from advancing an inch.

In a normal duel, Huyan He's actions would undoubtedly lead to his own defeat. As time went on, he would become exhausted and unable to continue. The moment his momentum waned would be the moment of his defeat.

However, what he sought now was not to defeat his opponent, but to buy time. The commotion in the courtyard had already attracted the attention of the other members of the Thousand-Ren Society. However, since he had previously instructed them not to disturb him while he was enjoying his tea, it would take some time for his men to arrive.

If he could hold out for just two or three more minutes, stalling until his men arrived to provide reinforcements, then it would be the assassins' turn to consider how to escape.

"Sharp reflexes and decisive judgment—these are abilities possessed only by top-tier martial artists. Rumors outside suggest that Young Master Huyan is ambitious but lacks talent, a mediocre individual at best, merely a guard dog. Indeed, rumors are unreliable."

With this thought in mind, Qingyan's hands never stopped moving. His sword thrusts were like stars, and his attacks were like a storm, giving his opponent no chance to breathe, entering the most intense rhythm of the battle.

On the other side, the Bian Jiong Bian Jiang, suffered an initial setback, but they did not give up. They regrouped and entangled Si Ming, unleashing their palm techniques. One was filled with heat, while the other was chillingly cold, making Si Ming feel as if he were in a furnace of ice and fire. Gradually, the right half of his body turned as red as blood, while the left half of his body turned a bluish-green color.

From an outsider's perspective, one would probably think that Si Ming was about to suffer a terrible fate, but in reality, this situation was exactly what he wanted.

What Si Ming feared was the penetration of internal force, so he used speed to fight speed. As soon as he threw a punch, the next two punches had already caught up with the shadow of the first punch. When the fight got urgent, their forms overlapped and came and went like a tide. In this way, he did not give his opponent any chance to penetrate with internal force, and stopped all the fighting on the surface of the body.

This bluish-red discoloration is actually a symptom of the ice and fire True Qi acting on the physical body. However, given the resilience of the Jade-Clad Dharma Body, this temperature difference is neither painful nor itchy.

The three exchanged rapid punches and palm strikes, exchanging hundreds of blows in just one minute. Si Ming had intended to subdue them with brute force, but unexpectedly, Bian Jiong Bian Jiang were also skilled in external martial arts. Although their physical strength was not as great as his, the difference was not significant. Si Ming was only slightly outmatched. Even though the force of the blows caused his Qi and Blood to surge and his internal organs to be injured, he stubbornly held on and refused to retreat. In the heat of the moment, Si Ming was unable to defeat them.

A sudden inspiration struck Si Ming, and he let out a long howl, startling the Bian brothers. They instinctively increased their power and unleashed their full palm strikes, but Si Ming did not make a move. Instead, he clasped his hands together, forming a sword seal, and allowed the four palms to land on his body.

Juntian Sword Art - Cauldron Armor Seal!