Crouching Tiger Villa and Lanyue Garden, the Hero Arena! (4k)

"Lanyue Garden?"

"The Hero Arena?"

In Flagstone Alley, Hong Yuan murmured to himself. He pressed down slightly with his foot. The scar-faced man struggled desperately, muffled sounds escaping his mouth as his face sank into the muddy stone road. Then came a sharp crack. His body went rigid, and he fell silent.

Looking around, Hong Yuan saw some twenty vicious thugs sprawled across the ground, sleeping very peacefully.

Wei Zhenzhu had recruited them with power and silver. With their lives at stake, no one could expect them to keep their mouths shut.

A little pressure from Hong Yuan, and they spilled everything at once.

As their leader, Scarface knew the most. Wei Zhenzhu had ordered them to take Hong Yuan alive, after all, and if they caught him, they would have to bring him to her.

According to Scarface, Wei Zhenzhu should be on her way to Lanyue Garden right now.

Lanyue Garden had an elegant name, but the things that happened there were rather bloody.

It stood thirty li east of Linjiang Prefectural City. Originally a private garden built by a high-ranking official decades ago, it covered a vast area and was lavish within.

After the official died, the garden gradually fell into disuse. Only a dozen or so years ago did more than ten powerful families buy it from his descendants and remodel it extensively. It had since become an enormous dueling ground.

In other words—

The Hero Arena!

Through every means at their disposal, from enticement to coercion, those families gathered skilled fighters from across the martial world to take the stage, fight, and establish their rankings.

For more than a decade, the Hero Arena had opened every late autumn without fail.

Fighters serving the various families took the stage to vie with others for fame, drawing gentry, dignitaries, and wealthy households to watch, place bets, and throw down fortunes in silver and gold!

The Hero Arena ran for a full month and had gradually become Linjiang Prefecture's greatest event after the Qionghua Gathering.

"A month. No need to rush, then!"

Before setting out, Hong Yuan had told Yang Erhu that he intended to travel around before returning to the Martial Arts Hall.

Having seen Hong Yuan's martial prowess, Yang Erhu was quite confident in him.

Wei Zhenzhu...

Hong Yuan was certainly going to kill her. She had even dared to plant men in his "home" to capture him alive. The thought stuck in his throat like a fishbone, leaving him sick and restless.

If he did not kill her, he would hardly sleep soundly.

But with so many powerful families, gentry, and dignitaries gathered at Lanyue Garden, its defenses were undoubtedly formidable—far beyond those of the Jade Wutong Immortal Realm.

Even if Hong Yuan only meant to slip in and kill Wei Zhenzhu, he had to prepare for the possibility of being exposed.

So he did not intend to hurry over. He would use the time to raise his fighting strength another level.

Studying Spiral Force offered one path forward.

Hong Yuan stepped into the tiled house and swept his gaze over this "home." He could only shake his head.

He had no idea how many days those thugs had stayed here, but they had ruined both rooms beyond recognition. Broken bowls and plates littered the filthy floor, and the furniture had been chopped up for firewood.

Even the few books their former owner had treasured on the shelf had gone into the brazier. Embers still glowed inside it, while a cool breeze through the window stirred the ash into the air.

Hong Yuan showed neither attachment nor outrage. He walked straight out and pulled the door shut behind him.

He considered leaving a few words for his second uncle with a "familiar" neighbor, but after a moment's thought, he abandoned the idea.

Today, he had killed people at Huang Mansion, cut off one of County Magistrate Zhang's ears, and crushed every thug Wei Zhenzhu had sent. Contacting a neighbor now would only bring disaster to their door.

The people of Flagstone Alley already struggled to survive. He would not add to their troubles.

Besides, word of what he had done today would soon spread through Flagstone Alley. If his second uncle returned, a few questions would tell him everything. Leaving a message would be drawing legs on a snake.

Hong Yuan shook his head and gradually vanished at the end of the alley. Behind him, pairs of fearful eyes continued to peer from the windows of the cramped houses.

At the same time...

Beside an official road a hundred li away—

Bang!

A figure flew out of a dilapidated tea shed made of thatch beside the road, coughing blood and crying out as he tumbled. His head struck a sharp-edged piece of bluestone, killing him instantly.

An enormous footprint marked his chest. Someone had kicked him clear out.

Shing!

Blades rang as they left their sheaths, accompanied by a fierce shout: "Sneaking about like rats! I knew something was wrong with you. You think you're fit to harm me?"

A tall, powerfully built figure rose, his gaze keen as a hawk's. Cold light blazed as his long saber swung.

As he chopped down, he drove power through his hips and waist, throwing the strength of his whole body into the blow. The tall, thin tea seller before him paled in terror, his movements falling apart. With that single slash, his head flew into the air.

As blood sprayed, a thick-limbed woman beside him shrieked. A short blade shot from her sleeve straight for the swordsman's brow.

A bench hurtled in from the side with a vicious rush of wind. It knocked the short blade away, then struck the woman's forehead with a resounding crash.

Her skull burst open!

Yang Lie leaped through the flying splinters and landed beside the swordsman, back to back with him. His gaze was just as sharp as he shouted, "Why keep up the act? Anyone who wants our lives can come on out!"

The two men were Wu Duxiong and Yang Lie.

After leaving the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall, they had followed the Yudai River downstream, traveling at a leisurely pace. Sometimes they stopped for a day or two to hone their martial techniques; other times they sought out nearby martial arts masters for instruction. Thus, after more than half a month, they had passed through only three counties.

That day, seven or eight li after leaving a county town, they had come across a tea shed on the official road and stopped for a drink.

But soon after they sat down, three groups arrived one after another, with three or four people in each. They took positions that faintly surrounded the pair and blocked their retreat.

The "husband and wife" running the tea shed also looked at them strangely and exchanged signals behind their backs.

Wu Duxiong and Yang Lie were both seasoned in the martial world. They sensed the danger at once and struck first.

With the tea shed "couple" dead, the people at the three tables around them rose together. Some held clubs, while others pulled weapons from the bundles on their backs. Every one of them bristled with murderous intent.

Besides the dozen or so people in the tea shed, foliage shook in the woods on both sides of the road. Another dozen men charged out, each carrying a sharp weapon.

Yang Lie's expression darkened. "Are you that fat sow Wei Zhenzhu's men?"

"How dare you insult our mistress!" roared a gray-clad man wielding a steel saber. "You're dead—"

"Enough talk!" Seeing another wave rushing in, Wu Duxiong straightened and shoved Yang Lie with his back.

Yang Lie understood at once. He twisted around, smashed through the thatched wall, and rolled outside.

Wu Duxiong wheeled his long saber and severed the wooden posts supporting the tea shed. With a series of rattling crashes, the thatched roof collapsed, burying the dozen or so people inside.

Wu Duxiong had already leaped clear as his saber cut through the posts. He exchanged a glance with Yang Lie, neither man needing to say a word.

Yang Lie had drawn his weapon too. Together they hacked wildly at the figures writhing beneath the thatch, setting off a chorus of screams and wails.

"Bastards!" The dozen or so men rushing from the woods saw their companions cut down in such a muddled slaughter. Their eyes reddened with fury.

Three men at the front reached them first, steel sabers cleaving down with a vicious rush of wind.

Wu Duxiong snorted and stamped forward, meeting them at even greater speed. The Fish-Scale Blade in his hand swept upward from below, its edge flashing like a streak of cold lightning.

Clang!

Metal rang against metal. The foremost man's saber flew from his hand, and the force drove him stumbling backward.

Wu Duxiong's stroke had not spent itself. The blade swept across the man's chest, its icy edge tearing flesh. A few drops of warm blood struck Wu Duxiong's face, making him calmer still.

Almost simultaneously, the men on either side attacked his ribs. He twisted and shifted his footing, evading their strikes. His saber followed his body in a vicious half-circle.

Slash! Slash!

Where the blade passed, both men lost their weapon hands at the wrists. Their screams were swallowed almost as soon as they began.

On the other side, Yang Lie attacked even more ferociously, but he had not managed to kill everyone trapped under the thatch. Three or four people rolled free, their faces full of terror.

Yang Lie gave a cold chuckle. His feet moved in swift steps, and his saber swept forward in a fierce assault.

Though Wu Duxiong and Yang Lie had caught their enemies off guard, nearly twenty opponents remained. Two of them were exceptionally skilled—the sort of fighters who demanded caution even one-on-one.

Weapons clashed amid an endless barrage of heavy impacts. Wu Duxiong and Yang Lie fought while retreating, drawing their enemies toward the dense woods on the other side.

Both sides plunged among the trees. Figures crossed and recrossed as their fierce struggle sent dead leaves and branches flying, obscuring their sight.

Between the clashes of steel came occasional shrill screams.

By the time both sides had fought themselves breathless, Wei Zhenzhu's men looked around in horror. Their companions' bodies lay scattered across the dead leaves and branches. Some had not quite died and still made hoarse sounds in their throats. Only four remained on their feet.

"Run!"

The four survivors blanched and hurried to retreat, but Wu Duxiong and Yang Lie had no intention of letting them go.

Though the two men were weary as well, they still had strength enough for another fight.

"Leave this one to me!" Yang Lie fixed his gaze on a middle-aged man in blue. The man was short and nimble, and he had nearly brought Yang Lie down earlier.

More importantly, the man had already entered True Force. Though unarmed, he was as cunning and slippery as a venomous snake, and his attacks were stealthy and vicious.

Earlier, while Yang Lie had been fighting two opponents, the man had darted out from behind a tree. His power had erupted in a sudden strike aimed at Yang Lie's throat.

He had been like a venomous snake lying in wait before pouncing on its prey.

The attack had been too vicious and too fast, and Yang Lie had been distracted. He had survived through sheer luck: a hollow lay beneath the fallen leaves where his foot landed, causing him to stumble.

Though a blade had cut his chest and a club had struck his back, he had at least dodged the blow to his throat.

The blue-clad man had entered True Force, but he was still far from blending hardness with softness or achieving Receive-and-Release-at-Will. His breath had caught slightly after that strike, and he had missed his chance to follow up.

"Come on, then. Let's trade a few more moves!" Yang Lie shot after the blue-clad man and attacked with his saber.

The man excelled at circling and fighting on the move, but he was a little slower. Unable to shake Yang Lie, he said urgently, "Young man, you've won this round. Don't push too far."

"You think you can fight when you please and run when you please? Did you ask my blade?" As if answering him, Wu Duxiong sent the Fish-Scale Blade flashing through a succession of cold arcs, hemming in the other three.

Yang Lie had no desire to waste words. He unleashed the Seven Waves-Breaking Slashes, every stroke driving straight for the blue-clad man's vital points.

The man's face darkened. He used his agile footwork to circle and harry Yang Lie, slipping in an attack now and then but never meeting him head-on. He meant to wear down Yang Lie's strength.

Inside, though, he was growing frantic. Wu Duxiong had already finished off two of the others!

Suddenly, the blue-clad man's eyes lit up. He spotted a slight hitch in Yang Lie's saber technique. Delighted, he swayed aside from a slash, then sent five fingers darting toward Yang Lie's chest like a snake bursting from its hole!

"Die, boy!"

At that moment, Yang Lie smiled. The long saber slipped from his hand. His breathing rhythm changed, and he sprang upward like a fierce tiger leaping from a high mountain crag.

He evaded the blue-clad man's strike, and a vicious punch came crashing down!

Bang!

His fist smashed into the man's forehead. A crisp crack sounded, as though an egg had shattered. The man's brow caved in, and his body flew several yards away like a rag doll.

Yang Lie landed unsteadily and barely stayed on his feet. Cold sweat streamed down his face, which had gone deathly pale.

Yet his eyes were bright. Joy filled him, and he wanted nothing more than to burst out laughing.

I've entered True Force!

From today onward, Yang Lie had finally stepped into True Force. Who would dare say he was not an expert now?

A moment later, Wu Duxiong finished off the last man and came over. He clapped a large hand onto Yang Lie's shoulder and laughed loudly. "Good lad! I knew I was right about you. You—"

With a thud, Yang Lie dropped to one knee and looked up at Wu Duxiong, his face full of resentment.

A quarter of an hour later, Wu Duxiong carried Yang Lie to a stream about a li away to wash him off, then bandaged his wounds. Yang Lie recovered some strength, and his fighting spirit surged anew. "Uncle Wu, now that I've entered True Force, why don't we join forces and kill that fat sow Wei Zhenzhu?"

Wu Duxiong sneered. "You've only just entered True Force, and already you think there's no limit to the sky or depth to the earth. Never mind whether you can even find Wei Zhenzhu. If you do, do you know how many guards she has? After one setback, wouldn't she make sure to keep experts around her?"

"She sent a fighter who'd entered True Force just to deal with us. You think she won't have one at her side?"

Worry crossed Yang Lie's face. "Then what about my eldest uncle and Brother Hong...?"

Wu Duxiong waved a hand. "That isn't for you to worry about. Once martial artists set foot in the martial world, their lives depend on their own two hands. Trust old Yang and the Hong lad. Even if the worst happens, all we can do is avenge them."

Yang Lie said, "In that case, Uncle Wu, shall we keep traveling the martial world?"

"No." Wu Duxiong shook his head. "Now that you've entered True Force, fighting ordinary martial artists won't do you much good. To improve quickly from here, you need a place full of experts."

"Hm?" Yang Lie looked up in surprise.

Wu Duxiong gazed in one direction, his expression steady.

"I've heard of a formidable man southwest of Linjiang Prefecture named Song Yinglong. He built an estate against Mangcang Mountain called Crouching Tiger Villa. Not only does he host guests from all quarters, he befriends heroes from everywhere. His generosity has drawn many skilled fighters to his side. They say he has a thousand retainers at the villa alone, with no telling how many experts among them..."

At this, Wu Duxiong suddenly smiled. "It's called Crouching Tiger, and we belong to the Tiger-Subduing Sect. You could call that fate. So this time, we'll go to—"

"Crouching Tiger Villa!"

"And see whether it truly lives up to its name, with dragons hidden and tigers crouching!"