Snow Mountain Swordplay vs. Shadowless Divine Fist

"I say, Great Hero Ding, after all these years, you're not numb, but the officials have become numb from beating you," Song Qingshu said deliberately, looking at Ding Dian below the hall. "You should just confess."

"Bah!" Ding Dian glared at Song Qingshu fiercely.

Ding Dian's gaze sent a shiver down Song Qingshu's spine. My goodness, his acting deserves an Oscar, he thought.

"Beat him," Ling Tuis said with a cold laugh. Years of torture had yielded no results, and now he was bored, merely ordering the yamen runners to carry out the punishment out of habit.

"Thwack, thwack, thwack!" The water and fire cudgels landed on Ding Dian, making sickening thuds against flesh. Ding Dian remained silent, enduring the blows. He dared not circulate his internal energy to resist, fearing Ling Tuis might notice a weakness. After all, these superficial wounds were nothing; a few cycles of circulating his true qi in the prison cell would naturally heal them.

"Father, please don't force Brother Ding anymore!" A female voice from behind made Ding Dian tremble. He turned his head excitedly, and indeed, it was Ling Shuanghua, whom he had longed to see.

Ling Tuis, in the hall, was both shocked and furious. He pointed at Ling Shuanghua and exclaimed, "Why are you here? Have you forgotten the vow you made that day!"

"Your daughter has not forgotten," Ling Shuanghua said as she walked over to help Ding Dian up. Turning back, she continued, "Fortunately, your daughter received guidance from a master and finally understood that Mother lived a life of good deeds and has likely reached the Western Paradise. She would naturally not be suffering in the underworld."

Ling Tuis's expression changed drastically. He shot a venomous glare at Song Qingshu, who stood nearby. Just then, with a deafening roar, the main gate was smashed to pieces, and a soldier, spitting blood, was thrown inside.

"Assassin!" The shrill cries from outside made everyone in the room jump.

A clash of weapons ensued. Ling Tuis's guards were clearly no match for the attackers and were being pushed back steadily. Soon, several men dressed as swordsmen rushed in amidst the chaos. Their eyes lit up when they saw Ling Tuis in the main seat, and they lunged forward.

Ling Tuis's guards on either side drew their swords and met the charge head-on. Song Qingshu watched as the swordsmen's techniques were intricate and ever-changing. Ling Tuis's guards were no match for them, falling one by one.

"Father!" Ling Shuanghua cried anxiously as one of the swordsmen seized an opportunity, leaped high, and thrust his sword towards Ling Tuis.

Ding Dian loved Ling Shuanghua dearly and couldn't bear to see her suffer even the slightest grievance. Seeing this, his body trembled, and the chains binding him snapped one by one. He pushed off the ground, striking faster than the attacker, and unleashed a punch. Even before his body arrived, his force had already reached the swordsman.

The swordsman was startled and hastily drew his sword to defend himself. Ding Dian ignored his complex swordplay and went straight for the center line of his defense. He changed his punch into a claw and grabbed the man's chest. With that single grab, the man's entire body went limp.

Song Qingshu, hiding behind a pillar, peeked out. He saw that the man had stopped breathing. He gasped and quickly retracted his head, muttering to himself, "May my neighbor die, not me. Let them fight. The more chaotic it gets, the better. Just please don't notice me. My martial arts are not yet complete, and I don't want to die before I've even begun."

"Divine Illumination Skill, Shadowless Divine Fist? You're Ding Dian!" Several swordsmen below the hall, having dealt with the remaining guards, turned around and exclaimed in shock upon witnessing the scene.

It turned out that the Snow Mountain Sect had made inquiries about the experts in the Jingxiang region before this mission and had learned of the highly skilled Ding Dian.

With the arrow already nocked, there was no turning back. Given the circumstances, the Snow Mountain Sect had to act quickly. Otherwise, once the outer guards of the prefectural yamen reacted, their only outcome would be annihilation. The leader understood this. "Junior Brother Feng, Uncle-Master and the others are barely holding on outside the gate. I'll hold him off. You quickly go and kill Ling Tuis, and then we'll retreat." With that, he drew his sword and attacked Ding Dian.

"Huh?" Ding Dian's claw missed its target. Seeing a faint chill emanating from the sword's edge, he knew this person's martial arts were far superior to the previous one. With a glance out of the corner of his eye at other Snow Mountain Sect disciples heading towards Ling Tuis, he grew anxious. He flicked his foot, kicking a chair towards them, temporarily blocking their path. He then seized the opportunity to leap over and intercept them.

Ding Dian single-handedly held off all four Snow Mountain Sect swordsmen. Exploiting several openings, he killed two more swordsmen. This left the two most skilled swordsmen from the Snow Mountain Sect struggling to maintain their defense.

Ding Dian saw that these two were far more skilled than the other Snow Mountain Sect disciples and found it difficult to defeat them quickly. A thought struck him, and he asked, "Are you two the renowned 'Cold Qi of the Northwest,' Bai Wanjian, and 'Wind and Fire Divine Dragon,' Feng Wanli?"

Bai Wanjian and Feng Wanli grew increasingly alarmed as they fought. Ding Dian's martial arts were so profound, perhaps even surpassing their father's (or master's). Hearing the shouts from a distance, they knew the mission was a failure. Exchanging a glance, they launched a few rapid strikes to force Ding Dian back and then leaped out of the room together. "Ding Dian, the Snow Mountain Sect will remember this day's grudge."

Ding Dian had no intention of pursuing them and silently returned to Ling Shuanghua's side. Ling Tuis, his face ashen, looked at the two men below the hall, observing the miserable state of his subordinates groaning in pain throughout the room.

Before he could speak, the roof tiles shattered, and a dark figure descended from the sky, instantly subduing Ling Tuis. With his left hand, like an iron clamp, he gripped Ling Tuis's throat, while his right hand was poised against his back. If Ling Tuis made any sudden move, the force from his palm would be enough to end Ling Tuis's life.

Song Qingshu, hiding behind the pillar, inwardly lamented, Wu Liuqi's appearance now will likely ruin my grand plan.

Wu Liuqi roared, "Ding Dian, you learned my senior brother's Divine Illumination Skill, yet you aid and abet this villain who murdered my senior brother! Have you been bewitched by his daughter's beauty?"

Song Qingshu's expression became quite interesting. Ling Shuanghua doesn't look beautiful at all right now. Wu Liuqi probably assumed she was a great beauty based on her graceful figure.

"Who are you?" Ding Dian was also greatly surprised. He had spent very little time with Mei Niansheng and didn't know he had a junior uncle.

"Mei Niansheng is my senior brother. Who do you think I am?" Wu Liuqi asked angrily, seeing that Ding Dian didn't recognize him.

"The Beggar of the Snow, Wu Liuqi. It's understandable that Great Hero Ding doesn't recognize you," a pleasant female voice announced as Huang Rong slowly walked in. It turned out that as soon as the fighting started at the prefectural yamen, Huang Rong and her group quickly realized something was wrong and rushed back, just in time to encounter Wu Liuqi holding Ling Tuis hostage.

"Sect Leader Huang..." Wu Liuqi's expression turned grim upon seeing Huang Rong.

"Elder Wu, your departure from the Beggar's Clan that day was understandable. But why are you now aiding the Mongol barbarians in assassinating an official of our Great Song Dynasty?" Huang Rong asked calmly. It turned out that Huang Rong had been diligently supporting her husband in defending Xiangyang for many years, neglecting the management of the Beggar's Clan. Furthermore, during the Song-Mongol wars over the years, the Beggar's Clan had suffered heavy casualties. Some members grew dissatisfied, feeling that Huang Rong was using her position for personal gain and was too involved in interstate conflicts. Many felt despair for the future, and with Huang Rong, a mere woman, holding the position of sect leader, discontent among the members grew.