The sun shone brightly in the height of summer. The plants outside the city were lush, and the road to Mountain City Prefecture was crowded with travelers. Every so often, a merchant caravan passed by.
Xu Yang walked along the road with a bundle on his back. Seeing the outside world for the first time, he felt a little excited, his eyes darting everywhere. He was especially interested whenever he saw the escorts hired by merchant caravans, with sabers at their waists and swords at their sides, their faces fierce and battle-hardened.
His journey to Mountain City Prefecture had been arranged by Li Yuan on his deathbed. Li Yuan had told him to take the imperial token and meet with the organization in his place. Xu Yang thought this would be good experience, and if he could become an imperial secret agent, it would make things more convenient for him in the future.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye. He was drawing closer and closer to the prefectural capital of Mountain City, and he should reach Mountain City in another half day. Xu Yang felt somewhat relieved. Looking up, he spotted a tea stall ahead and was delighted. He had spent the past few days sleeping rough and eating nothing but dry rations. His mouth had grown so bland he could barely stand it. Now he could finally have a proper meal.
He hurried over and stepped into the tea stall. An old man immediately came to greet him. "What would you like, young man? We serve simple home-style dishes." As he spoke, he took out a rag and wiped down the table and chairs.
Xu Yang sat down briskly. "Boss, bring me a pot of tea first. Then two side dishes, half a jin of beef, and two steamed buns." As he spoke, he casually tossed over a small piece of silver.
The old man accepted the silver and quickly nodded before turning to prepare the food. Xu Yang watched him go, frowning slightly. A moment later, he immediately grew wary.
Before long, all the food was served. Xu Yang picked up his chopsticks and dug in. He had only been eating for a short while when a rumbling of hoofbeats sounded behind him. He turned to look and saw a group of five riders in the distance. The man leading them was around fifty, with a square face and large ears, and an imposing air that marked him as a man of high standing.
Behind him rode two burly men in their thirties, both spirited and sharp-eyed. Between them were a young man and woman, both around seventeen or eighteen. The man was handsome, but his face was full of arrogance. The woman was exceptionally beautiful, with large, expressive eyes and a gentle temperament as soothing as water.
Before long, the group reached the tea stall. They reined in their horses and dismounted in a flash. The old man hurried over to greet them. The five glanced around, their gazes lingering briefly on Xu Yang. Seeing nothing amiss, they entered the stall and sat down at a table.
Their food was soon brought out. One of the men reached into his sleeve and took out a silver needle, testing each dish in turn. Only after finding no poison did the five begin to eat.
Xu Yang watched their every move. A thought stirred in his mind, and he immediately sped up his meal. Before long, he had polished everything off. He drank a couple of mouthfuls of water, stood up, greeted the boss, and headed for the main road leading to Mountain City.
Clang! Just as Xu Yang was about to leave the tea stall, a sudden sound rang out. His heart leaped, and he hurriedly turned around. The arrogant young man among the five had collapsed face-first onto the table. The other three were also in bad shape, swaying unsteadily, while only their leader seemed unaffected.
Seeing this, Xu Yang could only smile bitterly. It seemed he was about to get dragged into trouble again. Some things really couldn't be avoided, no matter how hard he tried. Just then, the old man slowly stepped forward. He looked like a completely different person now, the corners of his mouth curled in a cold smile as he watched the group of five.
Xu Yang cleared his throat and cupped his fists toward the old man. "Senior, I wandered in here by mistake. Would you let me leave?"
"Haha! You're just unlucky, boy! Since you've stumbled into this, I can only say your fate is sealed. Accept it!" The old man turned to him with a sinister grin.
"Phew! It seems you have no intention of letting me leave, Senior. In that case, I'll have to offend you." Xu Yang let out a soft sigh.
Just then, the leader sitting nearby suddenly sprang up and struck at the old man. The old man chuckled. "Zhao Qiankun, you truly are a top-tier expert. Even Ten Fragrance Soft-Muscle Powder couldn't bring you down. But I refuse to believe you weren't affected at all."
As he spoke, the old man raised his hand and struck at Zhao Qiankun. Their palms collided with a loud crack. Xu Yang hurriedly looked up and saw the old man stagger and retreat one step, while Zhao Qiankun stumbled back three, a trail of blood running from the corner of his mouth.
Xu Yang's heart sank. It seemed Zhao Qiankun was no match for the old man anymore, and the other four were even less useful. Thinking how unlucky he was, Xu Yang had no choice but to grit his teeth and leap forward, joining Zhao Qiankun in attacking the old man from both sides.
Though Xu Yang's martial arts were no match for the two of them, he was still quite skilled. He successfully took some of the pressure off Zhao Qiankun. Delighted, Zhao Qiankun immediately coordinated with Xu Yang to attack the old man.
The old man let out a surprised cry. "I didn't expect you to be so skilled, boy. I underestimated you. I'll remember you. Just make sure you never fall into my hands!" As he spoke, he intensified his attacks.
Zhao Qiankun burst out laughing. "Old Ghost Yin, never thought this would happen, did you? You calculated everything, but you never expected this young brother to show up here!" Then he turned to Xu Yang. "Don't worry, young brother. The Shunfeng Escort Agency will see you right. You don't need to worry about Old Ghost Yin. He won't be able to strut around for much longer."
"Damn it! Do you think I'm afraid of your Shunfeng Escort Agency? The Yin Moon Hall isn't to be trifled with either!" The old man's face turned livid with rage.
Xu Yang inwardly groaned. He had heard of the Yin Moon Hall, a first-rate demonic faction in the martial world. He couldn't believe he had antagonized them the moment he left home. The days ahead would be rough.
At that thought, Xu Yang gritted his teeth and pushed his power to its limit, striking Old Ghost Yin with the Ice Palm. As for the Heavenly Demon Great Art, he would have to leave it aside. It was a martial art of the Demonic Path, and not something to display in public. If anyone discovered it, the consequences would be severe.
As Xu Yang unleashed the Ice Palm, a freezing wind howled around him, and the temperature plunged. Old Ghost Yin let out a strange cry. "Boy, whose disciple are you? How do you know the Ice Palm?" He shouted as he struck at Xu Yang without slowing down, his palm colliding fiercely with Xu Yang's.
With a light smack, the two separated at once. Xu Yang swayed, then spat out a mouthful of blood. His inner force was not as deep as Old Ghost Yin's, and he had suffered some internal injuries. Fortunately, they were not too serious.
Old Ghost Yin, relying on his profound power, had escaped injury, but he was not unscathed. A thin layer of frost had appeared on his left hand, and his skin had turned dark blue as it trembled. It seemed he would be unable to use that hand for a while.
Seeing this, Zhao Qiankun was first startled, then overjoyed. Seizing the opportunity, he launched one attack after another, forcing Old Ghost Yin into a frantic scramble as he howled and fell onto the back foot.
Xu Yang gritted his teeth against the pain and quickly joined the fight. Old Ghost Yin's position grew even more perilous. After a few more moments, a scream rang out. Old Ghost Yin flipped backward and vanished in the blink of an eye. His shrill roar drifted from far away. "Boy, I'll remember you! The Yin Moon Hall won't let you off!"
Xu Yang smiled bitterly and spat out another mouthful of blood. Old Ghost Yin had struck him in the chest, worsening his internal injuries. Zhao Qiankun hurried over and supported him, his face full of concern. "Are you all right, young brother?"
"It's nothing serious. I've only suffered some internal injuries. A few days of rest should be enough to recover. Senior Zhao, you should check on your companions!" Xu Yang waved a hand.
Zhao Qiankun first helped Xu Yang sit down nearby, then turned to his companions. After a flurry of activity, the four who had been poisoned gradually recovered. Zhao Qiankun brought them over to Xu Yang and thanked him profusely. The young man of seventeen or eighteen, however, looked displeased and managed only a stiff cupped-fist salute.
After thanking him, Zhao Qiankun asked Xu Yang, "Where are you headed, young brother Xu? You're injured, and the Yin Moon Hall is lurking in the shadows. What do you plan to do now? The Shunfeng Escort Agency won't stand by and do nothing."
Xu Yang was pleased. It seemed the Shunfeng Escort Agency knew right from wrong and repaid kindness. He said to Zhao Qiankun, "Senior, this place isn't safe. We should leave first and talk later. There's also something I need to discuss with you."
Zhao Qiankun paused, then nodded. "You're right. Let's leave first. We can talk about everything else later." Xu Yang, Zhao Qiankun, and the others quickly departed.
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