The Eleventh Chapter

Chang'an felt this was a huge conspiracy targeting him, aiming to ruin his reputation.

He said coldly, "Liu Bao'er, didn't you elope with someone? Why are you at Crimson Blood Fortress, and now you're slandering me with false words?"

A burly man with hawk-like eyes pushed through the crowd, holding a wolf-tooth club. His booming voice rang out, "Madam Liu was abducted by a scoundrel and suffered humiliation. However, we from the Wolf Fang Gang rescued her from Sanhe Commandery the day before yesterday and brought her back to Crimson Blood Fortress. My brothers and I can all testify to this." Several of his subordinates behind him shouted in agreement, "Yes, we can all testify."

Chang'an looked coldly at the hawk-eyed man and said, "Sangmenlang, do you dare bet your life on it?"

Sangmenlang slammed his wolf-tooth club onto the ground with a clang and thumped his chest, "Absolutely!" He pulled out a receipt from his embrace, unfolded it for everyone to see, and said, "This is the receipt for the bounty paid by Master Liu, with his personal signature. You can verify it yourself if you don't believe it."

Chang'an paused. He had never seen Liu Ye's handwriting, how could he verify it?!

Cao Jing said, "Do you have anything else to say?"

His face was no longer smiling, and his hand rested on the hilt of his sword.

Suddenly, a group of people emerged from Crimson Blood Fortress, supporting each other as they walked. These people should have been poisoned to death by Guo Qingshui, but now they were alive, walking out leaning on each other, dressed in mourning clothes with sorrowful expressions.

At the very front was a dignified woman.

It was Guo Qingshui.

Chang'an could hardly believe his eyes.

Guo Qingshui walked to Liu Ye's corpse, crouched down, and took out a white jade bottle, shaking it in front of Liu Ye's nose. Liu Ye, who had died with his eyes wide open, actually came back to life and jumped up from the ground frantically.

The first thing Liu Ye said upon jumping up was, "Where is Ning Family's Chang'an? I'll fight you to the death!"

Everyone was shocked.

Cao Jing suddenly smiled again and looked at Guo Qingshui, "Miss Guo, you truly are the last disciple of the Hundred Herbs Divine Doctor. Your skill in saving lives can be described as miraculous. Crimson Blood Fortress and everyone in it are saved."

Guo Qingshui said, "If I had been half a moment later, even an immortal could not have saved them. Crimson Blood Fortress was not destined to perish."

Liu Ye staggered into the crowd, his eyes fixed on Chang'an, and roared, "He is Ning Family's Chang'an, the murderer who poisoned our Crimson Blood Fortress, a demon of slaughter! Everyone attack him together... we can't let him go!"

The crowd erupted in an uproar, unable to believe that the fat man standing before them was Ning Family's Chang'an.

Liu Ye shouted loudly, "Ning Family's Chang'an has cultivated poison arts to the point of madness. Look at him, he has so many poisoned needles and hidden weapons stuck in him and he's fine. This shows he's proficient in poisons and can heal himself. He, he's a great demon... even Bao'er's poisoned hidden weapons can't harm him!"

Everyone knew that Liu Ye's wife, Liu Bao'er, was skilled in poisons and hidden weapons, a famous "poisonous" beauty in the martial arts world.

Liu Ye's words were very convincing.

Chang'an's reputation was utterly destroyed in an instant.

Cao Jing suddenly drew his sword, swung it, and shouted, "The evidence is conclusive, kill this demon!" The heroes brandished their weapons and surged forward, intending to surround Chang'an.

An iron rod suddenly flew from above the crowd. The iron rod embedded itself into the stone slab with a loud clang.

A dark-skinned young man leaped out, blocking in front of Chang'an.

"Whoever dares to harm Ning Family's Chang'an, I will be his sworn enemy."

The subordinate always spoke fiercely, without regard for consequences. He had already gripped the iron rod, his dark skin covered in sweat.

No one cared about the subordinate's threats.

Someone even let out a fierce cold snort, "Aiding and abetting evil!" A cold glint flashed towards the subordinate's neck.

The subordinate hadn't moved yet, but the attacker was sent flying, his weapon disarmed, and he lay on the ground screaming. A poisoned needle was now stuck in his hand.

Cao Jing's pupils contracted. Only he saw Chang'an make a move. He only saw Chang'an incredibly swiftly pull out a poisoned needle from his own body, flick his wrist, and the needle shot out, precise and vicious, with astonishing force.

The crowd was also stunned.

The subordinate swung his iron rod violently. His staff technique wasn't sophisticated, rough and powerful, but one person after another was sent flying, spitting blood from being hit by the rod. The subordinate's staff technique was incredibly powerful.

Cao Jing's face was full of surprise, and Chang'an was even more surprised.

At the Youke Tea House, the subordinate couldn't even block Curly Bear's blade.

The subordinate shouted, "Ning Family's Chang'an, hurry and go!"

Cao Jing sneered, "Where do you think you're going?!" He drew his sword, flicked his wrist, and a flurry of cold light, nine sword strikes, erupted.

The subordinate was dead for sure.

The Cao family's Cao Gongyang Sword Scripture was known for its speed, ruthlessness, and unpredictable changes. Where the cold light passed, everything was torn apart.

The subordinate's hair stood on end. He suddenly and clumsily held his iron rod horizontally, blocking Cao Jing's sword. Cao Jing sneered with disdain. The subordinate suddenly shrank his body and flew out. The iron rod flew out of his hand, but the subordinate was unharmed. Cao Jing had never seen such a strange thing; the subordinate, with his mediocre martial arts, should have died.

At this moment, not a single poisoned needle remained on Chang'an.

Cao Jing suddenly let out a strange cry and froze, completely covered in poisoned needles.

All the poisoned needles from Chang'an were now on him.

Chang'an's speed was too fast. When he drew his sword, Chang'an had already fired the poisoned needles. He thought he could dodge them, full of confidence, but the poisoned needles were waiting for him on his escape route. He had actually run into the poisoned needles himself.

This was experience and wisdom; it was something that moves could not compensate for.

Cao Jing's acupoints were sealed, as if struck by a paralyzing spell.

Chang'an felt as if his entire body was a red-hot piece of charcoal, burning intensely. The Three Pure Nine Nether Wonderful Dharma Lotus Heart Sutra naturally circulated, and the heat flowed throughout his body. A desire, a desire to kill, surged within him, and his whole being felt like it was about to ignite and spew flames.

He suddenly turned and threw a punch. A gaunt man who had been sneaking an attack from behind him looked on in horror. The dagger in his hand hadn't even been drawn before he was sent flying, his chest caved in.

Chang'an suppressed the burning desire in his heart, feeling a wave of fear, and shouted, "Those who block me die!" He tightly embraced Yu Fu with one arm, and with his other fist, he blasted open a path. Cao Jing and Guo Qingshui watched helplessly as Chang'an boarded a carriage and rode away.

Guo Qingshui gritted her teeth and said hatefully, "How could this happen?! Hmph, Ning Family's Chang'an is ruined and disgraced, so what if he escaped? You will die by my hand in the end! Even the Miao Yaowang won't be able to cure my poison!" Immediately, Guo Qingshui casually pulled the poison needle from Cao Jing's body and gave him the antidote pill.

Cao Jing finally caught his breath and could move, his face extremely pale and sickly.

The heroes of the jianghu were nothing more than a disorganized mob, not daring to pursue further.

Chang'an had left, but his subordinate was captured.

Miao Suyi was in Myriad Flower Valley in Sanhe Commandery. Her grandfather was the Valley Master of Myriad Flower Valley, Miao Yaowang Miao Chengfeng. It took a day and a night to travel from Qingshan Prefecture to Sanhe Commandery by carriage.

However, Chang'an knew the road would not be easy. Someone wanted him dead, and they wouldn't just let him escape like this.

Chang'an had already switched to two carriages, a fine fast horse and a light carriage. He had never driven a carriage in such a desperate hurry, racing against time. The carriage was fast, but the rumors were faster than Chang'an's carriage.

As the sun began to set, Chang'an was about to break through the border of Qingshan Prefecture and reach Sanhe Commandery.

Half the evening sky was like the blush of rouge a young girl secretly applied, and the cooking smoke was like lightly drawn eyebrows.

In the setting sun, a steep and straight uphill road lay in the distance ahead. On both sides of the main road was a dense pine forest, which at this moment looked dark and oppressive. Chang'an gave a sharp lash of his whip, and the docile horse let out a long neigh, its speed increasing instead of decreasing as it charged up the slope. He had no mind to look at any scenery; at this moment, even the most magnificent view in the world appeared before him, he wouldn't have spared it a second glance. Yu Fu was more important than anything, and more beautiful than anything.

Just as Chang'an was about to turn back to check on Yu Fu in the carriage, the horse suddenly reared up. The carriage immediately lost control. Chang'an was greatly alarmed, fearing Yu Fu would be injured again. He let out a loud shout and struck the side of the carriage with a palm, shattering it instantly. Chang'an leaped forward, picked up Yu Fu, and jumped out of the carriage, landing by the roadside with a look of shock and disbelief.

Yu Fu's face was pale and bloodless, her lips already purplish-black, and her consciousness was hazy. With the first jolt, black blood had already spilled from the corner of her mouth.

Chang'an glanced at the carriage that had crashed about twenty to thirty yards ahead. The horse was pinned beneath the carriage, half-dead, unable to run any further. Chang'an gritted his teeth, picked up Yu Fu on his back, and prepared to run forward.

Suddenly, a beggar in tattered clothes, reeking of foul odor, crawled out from under the carriage.

The beggar was very old, his hair disheveled, yet he had managed to lift the carriage and the horse, then stand up. It turned out he had been crushed beneath the horse and dragged along by the carriage for twenty to thirty yards. However, the old beggar seemed completely unharmed. A smile appeared on his dark, grimy face, revealing a set of surprisingly white teeth. He looked at Chang'an and chuckled, his smile exceptionally simple and honest, even a bit foolish.

Chang'an narrowed his eyes.

The old beggar sighed, "This is a good place!"

Chang'an nodded, "It is indeed a good place."

The old beggar chuckled, "If I lie down in the middle of the road here, all the horses coming down the slope will die."

Chang'an said, "After all these years, you still haven't changed."

The old beggar sighed deeply, "Beggars have their own way of life. This is my skill; others can't learn it, nor do they understand the fun of it. I was born to be someone who loves to eat and hates to work, but I'm also afraid of death, so I have to find ways. Heh heh, being a beggar isn't exactly getting something for nothing; it requires skill. When I'm hungry, I lie here. If a carriage suddenly crashes into me, even if I don't get any financial compensation, I can get a dead horse, enough for me to eat for half a month. Today, I didn't expect you, kid, to be the unlucky one. Hahahaha..."

The old beggar laughed heartily.

Chang'an said, "I need to go to Myriad Flower Valley to save someone!"

The old beggar immediately stopped laughing and stared at Yu Fu on Chang'an's back, "Saving the person on your back? The young lady is quite good-looking, but how could a great devil like you, Ning Family's Chang'an, be worthy of her?!"

Chang'an gave a wry smile, "You've heard?! Alright, stop teasing me. It's a matter of extreme urgency, I have to go..."

He truly hadn't expected the news to spread so quickly. He was probably becoming a public enemy now. However, no matter what, he had to get Yu Fu to Myriad Flower Valley as quickly as possible, and no one would be able to stop him. If anyone dared to block his way, he feared he would have to become a true murderous devil.