Collateral Damage, Zhao Qiankun

The sun was bright and the season was midsummer. Outside the city, the vegetation was incredibly lush, and the main road leading to Mountain City was crowded with travelers, with caravans passing by from time to time.

Xu Yang walked along the road with a pack on his back. Seeing the outside world for the first time, he felt a surge of excitement. His eyes darted everywhere, and he became particularly interested when he saw the guards hired by the caravans, who carried swords and sabers with fierce expressions on their faces.

This trip to Mountain City was a task Li Yuan had entrusted to him on his deathbed, instructing him to use an imperial token to meet with an organization on his behalf. Xu Yang believed this could serve as his training, and if he could become an imperial secret agent, it would make future actions much more convenient.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and he was getting closer and closer to the capital of Mountain City. With only half a day left until he arrived, Xu Yang felt a slight sense of relief. Looking ahead, he saw a tea shed and felt a wave of joy; he had been sleeping in the open and eating dry rations for days, and his mouth was practically begging for flavor. Now, he could finally have a proper meal.

He quickened his pace and entered the tea shed. An old man immediately came up to greet him, saying, "What would you like to eat, young man? We only serve simple home-cooked dishes here." As he spoke, he took out a rag to wipe down the table and chairs.

Xu Yang sat down nimbly and said, "Boss, bring me a pot of tea first. Also, two side dishes, half a catty of beef, and two steamed buns." As he spoke, he casually tossed out a piece of silver.

The old man took the silver, nodded repeatedly, and turned to prepare the food. Xu Yang watched the old man's back, frowned slightly, and immediately became vigilant.

It didn't take long for the food to be laid out on the table, and Xu Yang picked up his chopsticks and began to eat heartily. After only a moment, a rumbling sound of hooves came from behind him. Xu Yang turned his head to look and saw a group of five people appearing in the distance. The leader was about fifty years old, with a square face, large ears, and a dignified air; he looked like someone who held a high position.

Behind him were two men in their thirties, looking spirited and capable. Between them were a young man and a woman, both around seventeen or eighteen. The young man was handsome but wore an arrogant expression, while the young woman was extremely beautiful with expressive, large eyes and a gentle, water-like temperament.

Before long, the group arrived at the tea shed, reined in their horses, and leaped down. The old man hurried forward to greet them. The five of them scanned their surroundings, their gazes lingering on Xu Yang for a moment. Finding nothing amiss, they walked into the tea shed and sat down.

Soon, the food they ordered was placed on the table. One of the men reached into his sleeve, pulled out a silver needle, and tested the food one by one. Finding no poison, the five of them began to eat.

Xu Yang watched their every move. His heart skipped a beat, and he immediately quickened his eating pace. Before long, he finished everything, drank a few sips of water, stood up, greeted the boss, and headed toward the road leading to Mountain City.

Clatter. Just as Xu Yang was about to leave the tea shed, a soft sound rang out. Xu Yang's heart jumped, and he quickly turned to look. He saw the arrogant young man from the group of five collapse onto the table, while the other three were in bad shape, their bodies swaying unsteadily. Only the leader remained unchanged.

Seeing this, Xu Yang felt helpless; it seemed he was about to be dragged into trouble again. Some things were truly impossible to avoid. At this moment, the old man walked out slowly. He was a completely different person now, his lips curled into a cold sneer as he looked at the group of five.

Xu Yang coughed dryly, cupped his hands toward the old man, and said, "Senior, I am a traveler who stumbled upon this place by accident. May I ask if you would allow me to leave?"

"Haha! Consider yourself unlucky, kid! Since you ran into this, it just means your luck is bad. Accept your fate!" The old man heard Xu Yang's words, turned to him, and gave a sinister laugh.

"Sigh! It seems you don't want me to leave this place, Senior. Then I have no choice but to offend you." Xu Yang let out a soft breath and said.

Just then, the leader sitting to the side suddenly erupted into action, raising his hand to strike at the old man. The old man chuckled and said, "Zhao Qiankun, you truly deserve your reputation as a top-tier expert. The Ten Fragrance Soft-Muscle Powder couldn't keep you down, but I don't believe you haven't been affected at all."

As the old man spoke, he raised his hand to strike at Zhao Qiankun. With a loud slap, the two collided palms. Xu Yang looked on and saw the old man sway and take a step back, while Zhao Qiankun retreated three steps, a trail of blood leaking from the corner of his mouth.

Seeing this, Xu Yang's heart sank. It appeared Zhao Qiankun was no longer a match for this old man, and the other four were even less reliable. Thinking of this, he cursed his luck and had no choice but to bite the bullet, leap forward, and join Zhao Qiankun in attacking the old man.

Although Xu Yang's martial arts were not as good as Zhao Qiankun's, they were not weak, and he successfully shared some of the pressure. Zhao Qiankun was overjoyed and immediately coordinated with Xu Yang to attack the old man.

The old man let out a surprised cry and said in a sinister voice, "I didn't expect a kid like you to have such decent skills. I misjudged you. I'll remember you, kid; make sure you never fall into my hands." Having said this, he intensified his attacks.

Zhao Qiankun laughed heartily and said, "Old Ghost Yin, you didn't expect this, did you? With all your scheming, you never anticipated this little brother would appear here!" He then said to Xu Yang, "Little brother, don't worry. Our Shunfeng Escort Agency will give you an explanation. You don't need to worry about this Old Ghost Yin; he won't be jumping around for much longer."

"Scoundrel! Do you think I'm afraid of your Shunfeng Escort Agency? My Yin Moon Hall is not to be trifled with either!" The old man's face turned livid with rage upon hearing this.

Xu Yang groaned inwardly. He had heard of the Yin Moon Hall; it was a first-rate evil faction in the martial arts world. He hadn't expected to provoke them the moment he stepped out of his home. His future days were not going to be easy.

Thinking of this, Xu Yang gritted his teeth, pushed his internal energy to the limit, and unleashed the Ice Palm, striking fiercely at Old Ghost Yin. As for the Heavenly Demon Great Art, he decided to skip it; that was a demonic technique and shouldn't be revealed in front of others. If discovered, the consequences would be severe.

As Xu Yang unleashed the Ice Palm, a cold wind began to howl, and the temperature in the surroundings plummeted. Old Ghost Yin let out a strange cry and shouted, "Whose successor are you, kid? How do you know the Ice Palm?" While he shouted, his movements were not slow at all, and he slammed his palm against Xu Yang's.

With a soft pop, the two separated upon contact. Xu Yang swayed and spat out a mouthful of blood; his internal energy was not as profound as Old Ghost Yin's, and he had suffered some internal injuries, though fortunately, they were not too serious.

Old Ghost Yin, relying on his deep internal energy, was not injured, but he didn't fare well either. A thin layer of frost had appeared on his left hand, and the skin had turned a deep, trembling blue. It seemed his left hand was temporarily unusable.

Seeing this, Zhao Qiankun was shocked and then overjoyed. Seizing the opportunity, he launched a series of fierce attacks, forcing Old Ghost Yin into a chaotic, defensive state. Old Ghost Yin wailed and fell into a disadvantage.

Seeing this, Xu Yang endured his injuries and quickly joined the fray. With this, Old Ghost Yin's situation became increasingly dire. After fighting for a while longer, a miserable scream rang out, and Old Ghost Yin flipped backward and disappeared in the blink of an eye. From far away, his shrill roar echoed: "I'll remember you, kid! The Yin Moon Hall will not let you go!"

Xu Yang gave a bitter smile and spat out another mouthful of blood; he had been struck in the chest by Old Ghost Yin, and his internal injuries had worsened. Zhao Qiankun, who was standing nearby, hurried over to support him and asked with concern, "Are you alright, little brother?"

"It's nothing major, just some internal injuries. I'll recover in a few days. Senior Zhao, you should go check on your companions!" Xu Yang waved his hand.

After hearing this, Zhao Qiankun first helped Xu Yang to the side to sit down, then turned to walk toward his companions. After a flurry of activity, the four poisoned individuals began to recover. Zhao Qiankun brought the four of them to Xu Yang and thanked him repeatedly, though the seventeen or eighteen-year-old man looked sullen and only offered a reluctant salute.

After the group finished their thanks, Zhao Qiankun asked Xu Yang, "Where are you headed, little brother Xu? You are currently injured, and the Yin Moon Hall is lurking in the shadows. What are your plans? My Shunfeng Escort Agency will not sit idly by."

Xu Yang felt a surge of joy; it seemed the Shunfeng Escort Agency was a group that distinguished between gratitude and grudges and repaid kindness. Thinking of this, he said to Zhao Qiankun, "Senior, this place is not safe. Let's leave first. Besides, I have some things I need to discuss with you."

Zhao Qiankun was stunned for a moment, then nodded immediately. "You're right. Let's leave this place first; we can talk about everything else later." With that, Xu Yang, Zhao Qiankun, and the others departed quickly.