Jianghu

When the bell rings, when the bell rings!

"Hey! The Jianghu is in turmoil, and the Three Religions and Nine Schools are making their appearance. Warriors spar, scholars discuss principles, Taoists display their Spiritual Power, each showing their unique skills..."

When the bell rings, when the bell rings!

"Look at this! Red Fist masters strike fast, Xingyi is domineering, Bagua is dark. The Three Religions and Nine Schools gather like dragons and snakes. The Jianghu is treacherous, so be careful. The sound of the quick story spreads in all directions, singing of the beauty of the world..."

At the entrance of Paifang Street, the crowd was bustling, and the quick story artist's Mandarin Duck Clappers were flying.

As the saying goes, dragons, snakes, mice, and ants each have their own way.

A Life and Death Arena match involves the life and death of both combatants, with various interests at stake behind the scenes. But for ordinary people and Jianghu members, it is a grand event.

The people of the Divine Land love excitement; it has always been this way.

Even when heads are being chopped off in the market, many people gather to watch, with food vendors scurrying around. How much more so for a martial arts competition?

It's more exciting than watching a play at a temple fair!

Ordinary people are fine. They heard the match was scheduled for the Shen Hour, so they came early after lunch to secure a spot, lest they be unable to get in later.

But for ordinary Jianghu travelers, it's a good opportunity.

As the saying goes, "If you meet someone and they talk about hardship, they must be a Jianghu person." Those who stir up trouble are only a minority; most are just working hard for a few scattered coins.

Before dawn, a group of people came to "draw the circle."

What is "drawing the circle"? It's when Jianghu performers set up their acts on the ground. They draw a circle with white sand on the ground. One purpose is to claim territory, and the other is to clear a space for the audience to step back, creating room for performance.

But this group was clearly not here to perform.

They were from the Evergreen Society in Xianyang.

Whenever there are temple fairs or grand celebrations, Jianghu performers and vendors are always present. But everything has its rules. If arrangements aren't made in advance, fights will break out over the performance space.

The Evergreen Society is the organization responsible for this.

They are usually composed of respected Jianghu performers and are responsible for planning the territory in advance and maintaining order.

Of course, they have to pay tribute to the local gangs and also collect fees from small vendors and street performers, earning the difference.

Just after noon, the intersection was already packed.

On one side, there were quick storytellers playing what they called "Short Instruments." On the other, erhu players, known in the business as "Long Instruments." There were also Fengyang Flower Drum performers with their families...

Vendors selling all sorts of snacks, of course, were there. People from the Leather Gate also came to join the fun.

Those who set up stalls and used Iron Files to grind fake Rhinoceros Horn were known as "Setting Up Four Corners."

Those who stripped naked and beat themselves with iron rods to sell liniments for bruises and sprains were called "Releasing Border Han." Even more extreme, those who used small knives to cut their arms to sell medicine for stab wounds were known as "Green Mark Picture"...

In the distance, there was also a group of porters from the Carriage Guild.

Unlike fringe figures like Du DaYa of Li Family Fortress, these porters were all strong and muscular. In the cold weather, they rolled up their trouser legs, revealing their thick, bony calves. They were all men who had practiced Poking Foot...

In short, this martial arts match had stirred up the tranquil Jianghu of Xianyang City.

"Why aren't they here yet?"

"Are they still going to fight?"

"What's the hurry? It's not the Shen Hour yet..."

As more and more people gathered, many idlers clearly became impatient.

The entire intersection of Paifang Street and the old street was crowded, but fortunately, the wooden arena was built three zhang high, so it could be seen from any corner by looking up.

The taverns and teahouses facing the street undoubtedly had the best vantage points.

As long as one secured a private room on the second floor, opened the window, and brewed a pot or two of tea, inviting a few friends over would be quite impressive.

Of course, ordinary people couldn't book them even if they wanted to pay.

Anyone who could secure a good spot was a prominent figure in the Xianyang Jianghu, and they were clearly divided.

On the eastern tavern's second floor sat Zhou Pan's faction of the Divine Fist Society. Besides a few old masters from the boxing gyms, the Eight Great Vajras were all present.

And Zhou Bai was among them.

He looked at the arena outside, his eyes eager to try, and said, "Why don't I go up first? We can't let the atmosphere go cold."

After all, he was young. Although he often sparred with others, this was his first time fighting in an arena in front of so many people. To say he wasn't excited would be a lie.

"Why would the atmosphere go cold!"

A middle-aged man with black hair, white temples, and an Eight Characters Beard reprimanded coldly, "Do you think this is a juggling act? Sit properly and calm your mind to cultivate your fighting spirit!"

The speaker was Zhou PeiDe, the leader of the Eight Great Vajras.

He was the oldest and the most rigid. His martial arts skills were only average among the eight, but he was Zhou Pan's cousin and Zhou Bai's father.

It was because of this relationship that he held the foremost position.

Zhou Bai shrunk his neck upon hearing this and dared not speak again, but his eyes were full of defiance.

Yuan Qu saw him and immediately smiled, "Zhou Bai, don't rush. This isn't a matter of first come, first served. That kid sent a calling card to get on the arena first, and you'll go later. That will make your status seem more noble."

"Oh, so that's how it is."

Zhou Bai immediately understood.

Beside him, Zhou Peide saw this and his brow furrowed.

To be honest, he really looked down on Zheng HeiBei and Yuan Qu. These two scoundrels had often caused trouble outside, using the Zhou family's name.

Unfortunately, his elder brother Zhou Pan needed money to stabilize the Divine Fist Society and to maintain connections in Chang'an. He couldn't do without them, so he had to tolerate these two.

It seemed that after this matter was over, he would have to tell Zhou Bai to interact less with this person...

In the western restaurant sat Zhang YuanShang and several elders.

Relatively speaking, it was much quieter here.

Finally, someone couldn't help but speak, "Old Zhang, by personally handling this, you've completely fallen out with that old monkey. It's not worth it."

Zhang YuanShang's expression remained unchanged. He calmly packed his water pipe, lit it, and took a few puffs. "For a family, for a sect, the old guys are the foundation, but what's truly important are the young people."

"If the children in a family are accomplished, even a poor household will be looked up to. If the descendants are useless, even a prominent family will inevitably fall..."

"In this generation of the Zhou family, only Zhou Bai is worth mentioning. The rest are either incompetent fools or greedy and lustful individuals."

"Don't be fooled by the Zhou family's current prominence. The old monkey is old, and his cultivation has stopped at Transformed Strength. If Zhou Bai loses, some people will naturally reconsider their positions..."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Although the Jianghu valued strength, it was ultimately driven by interests. Especially the Divine Fist Society, which had to survive within the rules of the Great Xuan Dynasty and couldn't act like bandits, killing and seizing territory everywhere.

Even bandits, if they lack virtue, will bring disaster upon themselves.

Zhou Pan had gone too far in some matters over the past decade.

In Xianyang City, there were many people waiting to tear down the walls.

"Is there a chance to win?"

"Two or three tenths."

Zhang YuanShang took a few puffs of his water pipe and said lightly, "I'm old. Trading this old face for a two or three tenths chance of winning is not a loss!"

"Father, he's here!"

Just then, Zhang ShiTong, who was watching from the window, reminded him in a low voice.

Everyone looked outside and saw a commotion at the street entrance to the northwest. Then, under the shouts of some Zhang Clan Martial Hall instructors, the crowd parted to create an opening.

On the street, a young man strode forward.

He wore a coarse black cloth martial arts uniform and leg wraps, looking like a villager. However, due to his tall stature, fair skin, and a pair of Dragon Eyes and Phoenix Pupils, he was very noticeable in the crowd despite his rustic attire.

Behind him followed a Taoist and a burly, bald man with a full beard – Sha LiFei and Wang Dao Xuan.

"This is Li Hu's son?"

In the teahouse, an elder asked with some surprise, "Li Hu had the appearance of a bear, so how could his son be so handsome? He's quite a good prospect for playing the Dan role..."

The others chuckled and shook their heads slightly.

This was Luo ShiHai, an elder of the Eight Trigrams Palm in Xianyang City, and also the troupe leader of the Longsheng Opera Troupe. He was a complete opera fanatic.

If it weren't for a promising female disciple being defiled by a descendant of the Zhou family and subsequently hanging herself, leading to enmity, he wouldn't have gotten involved in the Jianghu disputes and stood with them.

Putting aside everyone's varied thoughts, Li Yan arrived at the center of the intersection. Ignoring the gazes of the surrounding crowd, his attention was entirely focused on the arena.

Upon seeing the arena, his eyes narrowed slightly.

Sha LiFei beside him sneered, "The Zhou family people are indeed like this, always resorting to petty tricks."

The arena was built strangely.

A normal arena, even without Plum Blossom Poles for climbing onto the stage, would have tiered wooden frames for people to ascend.

However, the Zhou family's arena had wooden boards on all four sides, offering no purchase. It even emitted a lustrous sheen in the sunlight, clearly coated with tung oil.

This was clearly a show of intimidation.

With so many people watching, if he couldn't even get onto the arena, he would likely lose face and be unable to continue even before his opponent appeared.

"It's nothing, just a small trick..."

Li Yan swept his gaze lightly and looked around.

He saw that around the arena, there were also sections of rope as thick as an arm, used to pull and secure the central pillar of the arena. They were tied to iron stakes driven into the ground and stretched taut.

Li Yan said nothing and walked towards the ropes.

The surrounding commoners and Jianghu figures watched, their eyes widening.

Although the ropes were thick, the angle of inclination was quite steep, and they only reached halfway up the arena. Was he planning to climb up along the rope?

While it wouldn't be difficult for a martial artist, it was rather ungraceful.

From a momentum standpoint, it was a bit weak.

But to everyone's surprise, Li Yan didn't use his hands. Instead, he stepped onto the hemp rope and, with his feet alternating left and right, steadily walked step by step...

"Good!"

The surrounding crowd immediately burst into applause.

"What is this?!"

Among the onlookers were many thugs from the Iron Saber Gang and White Ape Gang. Seeing this, they mocked, "Isn't this just wire walking from the Acrobatic Arts Sect? Was this kid a street performer before?"

"What do you know?"

An old man nearby heard this and immediately snorted, "Wire walking is done on a soft rope, and it involves specific techniques for exerting force. This young man is clearly using his lower body strength to climb up. If you don't understand, don't speak nonsense here."

The thugs, angered by being called out, cursed and prepared to attack, "You old geezer..."

But before they could finish, they slumped over and fainted. It turned out that many young people in the crowd had secretly knocked them out and then kicked them hard in the ribs. These thugs were unlucky to have run into a senior from the Acrobatic Arts Sect.

Below, there was a commotion, but Li Yan's expression remained unchanged. He walked along the rope to the center of the arena, paused, and using the rebound force of the rope, leaped into the air, grabbing the edge of the arena with his right hand. Then, with a Leap of the Falcon, he landed steadily on the stage.

Cheers erupted from below again.

Li Yan cupped his fists to the surroundings, then glanced sideways at the arena, measuring its area and looking for any smooth or uneven spots.

Swish!

On the opposite side, Zhou Bai could no longer wait. Seeing Li Yan on the stage, he leaped directly from the window of the second floor of the restaurant. He rolled forward to dissipate the force and arrived at the edge of the arena. Facing the smooth wooden wall, he simply reached out and gripped it, his five fingers sinking directly into the wood. Like a gecko climbing a wall, he swiftly ascended the stage