Narrowly Crossing Paths with an Enemy

"Aw, damn, how did we run into this melonhead!"

Sha LiFei had obviously seen him too. He instinctively hunched his neck and chest, but when he saw Li Yan standing straight ahead with his left hand gripping the hilt of his saber, his face fell. He straightened up as well.

"Everyone, I'm back."

Troupe Leader Zhou snorted and prepared to lead the group into the courtyard.

A bare-chested, fat man beside him immediately grinned. "Yo, Troupe Leader Zhou really is a man of his word. We brothers were thinking that if you didn't come back soon, we'd go in ourselves..."

"Get lost!"

Before he finished speaking, a hand reached out from beside him and shoved him staggering.

The fat man was about to curse, but when he saw who had done it, he immediately shut his mouth.

The one who had acted was none other than Meng HaiCheng.

He looked at Li Yan, his eyes filled with delight. "Good lad, enemies really do meet on a narrow road! You son of a bitch, I was just thinking about going to find you!"

Li Yan gave him a cool glance. "Not convinced? Want to exchange a few moves?"

Hearing them, Troupe Leader Zhou was instantly surprised.

He had not expected the young man behind Daoist Wang to have a grudge against the Iron Saber Gang as well.

"Exchange moves with you? What a load of crap!"

Meng HaiCheng's face reddened as he cursed. "Don't you know what place Xianyang is? Brothers, get this kid on the ground first!"

"Brother Hai, you got it!"

A crowd of riffraff immediately surrounded them.

"Hey, hey, hey..." Sha LiFei panicked and shouted, "Meng HaiCheng, do you have no shame? You want to gang up on one person? Do you even understand Jianghu Rules?"

Meng HaiCheng sneered. "Rules? You think you're worthy of talking about them?"

Swish!

Before he finished speaking, a figure shot straight forward.

It was Li Yan, who had suddenly exploded into action. His left hand thrust forward while his right hand reached down.

"That move again!"

Meng HaiCheng flew into a rage when he saw it.

The last time, Li Yan had used this stance to land a solid Heart Piercing Elbow on him, forcing him to abandon the wheat cutter in his hands and flee in disgrace.

He knew that he was completely finished in the wheat-cutting trade.

Forget enduring the ridicule of his fellow tradesmen—just the fact that he had abandoned the wheat cutter halfway and left meant that, whatever the reason, no one would dare work with him again.

As for Li Yan's plan to find Zhou Pan and seek justice, that was simply needless worry.

Meng HaiCheng knew his own master too well. If he merely taught Li Yan a lesson, that would be one thing. But if he learned that Meng HaiCheng had suffered a loss and disgraced himself, Meng HaiCheng would certainly meet a miserable end.

Thus, he did not dare publicize the matter and was even afraid it would reach Zhou Pan's ears.

After thinking it over, he realized that he would never rise in the saber-wielding trade anyway. He simply gritted his teeth, ran to Xianyang City, sought refuge with his senior apprentice brother, and became a lackey.

Seeing Li Yan attack, Meng HaiCheng did not dodge at all.

He drew in his body while twisting his waist. At the same time, he raised his right hand backward like a canopy, looking exactly like a big macaque crouching on the ground.

It looked ridiculous, but it was a killing move passed down by Zhou Pan.

If Li Yan continued using the Heart Piercing Elbow, he could unleash Old Ape Falling Branch, flipping his foot to strike the lower route and kick Li Yan into a eunuch.

If his opponent changed moves and kicked sideways, he could follow up with Nimble Monkey Entangling Silk, gouging out the enemy's eyes and ripping his face to shreds.

In short, he had changes for the lower, middle, and upper routes, each one vicious and fierce.

With preparations this time, how could he suffer the same loss as before?

However, the hand Li Yan had lowered toward his waist suddenly gripped the hilt of his saber. Then he abruptly changed moves and gave it a violent shake.

Clang!

The saber flashed like cold light, tearing through the curtain of rain.

How could the Guanzhong Quick Saber be anything ordinary? Before Meng HaiCheng could react, a saber had already been placed against his neck. He felt the blade's chill pressed tightly against his skin, which had already been cut.

In everyone's eyes, however, it was a comical scene:

Meng HaiCheng was crouched on the ground, as though Li Yan were swinging a saber to butcher a monkey.

Humiliated once again, Meng HaiCheng raged, "This was supposed to be a contest of fists and feet, yet you drew a saber! You don't follow the rules!"

Li Yan raised an eyebrow. "Rules... You think you're worthy?"

"You..."

The moment Meng HaiCheng heard that, his head buzzed with rage.

Before he could speak, his expression changed. He stumbled backward.

Li Yan advanced with his saber, forcing him back step after step into the courtyard. Then he turned his head and calmly said, "Whoever dares cross this threshold, I'll give them this head."

Unfortunately, those words failed to scare away the members of the Iron Saber Gang outside.

Although these men were unlike saber wielders, who hung their heads from their belts, every one of them was the sort who lived for today and had no tomorrow.

During the previous dynasty, Daxing called them "La Hu," while the Golden Horde Khanate called them "Unregistered People." Organizations of all kinds usually called them "No Life Societies." They were all desperadoes.

In Jinmen these days, for instance, Guo Huo members often drew lots for deadly duels. They would leap into boiling oil, perform Three Knives Six Holes, or stab each other in the eyes. If they merely furrowed their brows, they could not be called heroes.

People of Guanzhong were rough, reckless, and stubborn, so naturally they were no less fierce.

At once, a burly man stepped forward. One of his eyes was large and the other small. He shook the short saber in his hand, cocked his neck, and glared. "Yo, drawing a saber, are you?"

With that, he pointed at his own neck.

"Come on, come on! Let him go and strike right here. Kill me, and I'll admit you're a real man. Brothers, all of you watch carefully!"

"Hahahaha..."

The gang of ruffians burst into laughter, utterly fearless.

They had seen plenty of saber wielders and naturally knew how to deal with them.

The method was to play the scoundrel!

The Great Xuan Dynasty's laws were strict. Whether they were Jianghu people or Xuan Gate People, everyone was treated equally. Anyone who killed would immediately be wanted with a bounty, especially in broad daylight.

As for them, they had nothing to fear.

First, the Iron Saber Gang backed them, and they had already scattered silver through the official channels.

Second, they had IOUs, and they were merely squatting at the gate. Even if they were brought before the authorities, they would not suffer.

Whenever they encountered a saber wielder, they had only one thought: If I die, that's my bad luck. But don't think you'll have an easy time afterward either. Not only would the authorities hunt the person, the gang would also put a bounty on them.

But if the saber wielder could not kill them...

Heh heh, today would be the day they made a name for themselves!

How could anyone who moved between black and white have no tricks up their sleeve?

When he encountered such a fool, Li Yan could not be bothered to waste words. He gave a cold chuckle and exerted force through his wrist. The blade immediately sank into the flesh.

Blood gushed from Meng HaiCheng's neck, instantly staining half his body red.

"Don't, don't!"

Meng HaiCheng's face had gone white with terror. His scalp felt tight as he shrieked, "None of you come over! This man's a lunatic! Do you want me dead?!"

Hearing this, the Iron Saber Gang members outside stopped advancing, but their gazes toward Meng HaiCheng were now full of mockery.

He was the gang leader's junior apprentice brother, so it would be difficult to explain if he died.

Who would have thought that the man who usually shouted orders and threw his weight around would turn out to be a coward at the critical moment?

Facing these unreasonable men, Li Yan could not be bothered with them either.

Their way of conducting themselves was entirely different from that of Jianghu people. They seemed overbearing, but in truth they merely played the scoundrel, using the law to suppress Jianghu people and their fists to bully ordinary commoners.

If this had happened in some wilderness with no one around and no laws to shield them, not one of them would have been left alive. They would have been slaughtered clean.

The commotion had long since alarmed the people inside the courtyard.

A huge crowd came pouring out of the dilapidated mansion. There were men and women, old and young, most of them ordinary people with little martial skill.

An ugly girl with tear-streaked cheeks carried a broom. An elderly musician trembled as he held a short saber. There were even children clutching wooden sticks.

Naturally, there were plenty of young people as well, each glaring furiously.

With one look, Li Yan understood why Troupe Leader Zhou possessed a body full of martial skill yet did not dare resist these ruffians in the slightest.

A shadow-puppet troupe generally needed singers, puppeteers, and instrumentalists.

Sometimes the singers also played instruments, pulling the strings while singing. Together with a dedicated puppeteer, two people could make up a troupe and perform at temple fairs.

Clearly, the Spring Breeze Troupe was a large troupe.

Aside from the performers, they had probably brought along all their families and children as well.

They had no choice. Land annexation had grown severe in recent years, and the people of the Divine Land were deeply attached to their homes. Unless they had lost their land, who would be willing to drag their entire family around the Jianghu?

"It's fine, it's fine."

Although this string of developments had caught Troupe Leader Zhou off guard, he forced himself to remain calm and spoke. "This is Daoist Wang, whom I invited. Go back inside for now. Don't come out and add to the chaos."

With that, he looked at Li Yan, hesitating to speak.

He was helpless as well. He had never expected the savior he found to also be a calamity. Li Yan drew his saber at the slightest disagreement and even had a grudge against the Iron Blade Society.

Once the hotheaded young man had his fun, he could simply pat his backside and leave. At worst, he could hide for a while. But they would have to face the Iron Blade Society's retaliation.

At this thought, Troupe Leader Zhou was completely at a loss for how to respond.

Seeing this, Wang Dao Xuan's expression softened slightly. He nodded and said, "Troupe Leader Zhou, rest assured. One matter is one matter. I've accepted your case."

Seeing this situation, most of his doubts had vanished.

This whole family had both old and young members. No matter how he looked at them, they did not resemble demons who skinned people and practiced wicked arts.

Even so, he still looked toward Li Yan.

Li Yan held a saber in one hand and formed the Yang Seal with the other. He drew a deep breath, and the scents within a hundred meters surged into his nostrils. He then used the Yin Incantation to shut them out.

The smell of the leather cases inside the trunks all came from livestock.

There was no unusual, sinister aura in the troupe either.

He nodded at Wang Dao Xuan, then suddenly raised his foot, flicking up a stone from the ground. He caught it casually and threw it over the courtyard wall.

Everyone in the Jianghu knew this skill, the Flying Locust Stone.

His family had once kept sheep for a time. He could hit a sheep's horns with a raised hand and make it return to the flock, so his practice was fairly polished.

"Ow, you melonhead!"

The stone flew over the wall, and a scream immediately came from behind it.

A ruffian had apparently tried to climb over the rear wall, seize some member of the troupe, and exchange him for Meng HaiCheng, but Li Yan had spotted him.

Li Yan chuckled. Holding the saber by its hilt, he patted Meng HaiCheng's cheek with it and said calmly, "Do you want to settle this today, or in a few days?"

Meng HaiCheng gritted his teeth. "What happens if we settle it today?"

"Simple!"

Li Yan raised an eyebrow. "I'll butcher you first, then kill every last one of those mongrels outside. After that, I'll be wanted by the court and hide somewhere else for a while."

Meng HaiCheng swallowed. "And if we settle it in a few days?"

Li Yan lifted his eyes. "Then we'll follow the rules of the Martial World. Once the business here is finished, I'll take action, and you can find whoever you like. We'll have a life-and-death duel in the ring!"

In this situation, Meng HaiCheng had no choice, but he still tossed out a threat. "Fine. When the time comes, you'd better not run."

Li Yan sneered. "The son of Li Hu ran away on Zhou Monkey's turf? You might be willing to accept that, but I'm not!"

With that, he kicked Meng HaiCheng out the door.

Meng HaiCheng had martial skill after all. Although he stumbled when he went out, he quickly steadied himself, turned around, and roared, "You little bastard! Three days from now, I'll be collecting your corpse!"

"Let's go!"

With that, he turned and led his men away.

After they left, Li Yan finally turned his head and said, "Uncle Sha, go spread the word that Li Hu's son has arrived. They won't be able to refuse this duel even if they want to!"

"Got it!"

Sha LiFei immediately understood and hurried out.

Only after watching him finish handling the matter did Wang Dao Xuan nod and say to Troupe Leader Zhou, "The rain should stop tomorrow. Troupe Leader Zhou, prepare everything as soon as possible."

"Tomorrow night, we'll go to the Mass Burial Grounds!"