Crouching Tiger Villa and Lanyue Garden, Hero Arena!

"Lanyue Garden?"

"Hero Arena?"

In Flagstone Alley, Hong Yuan murmured softly to himself. He put the slightest pressure under his foot, and the scar-faced man struggled with all his might, whining through his mouth, his face sunk into the muddy flagstone road. But with a crisp crack, his whole body went rigid, and then he made no more sound.

Looking around, twenty-some vicious thugs lay scattered all over the ground, sleeping very peacefully.

These thugs had all been recruited by Wei Zhenzhu through power and silver. Under threat to their lives, there was naturally no expecting their mouths to be all that tight.

Hong Yuan applied just a little pressure in interrogation, and they spilled everything in one breath.

As the leader, Scarface knew the most. After all, Wei Zhenzhu had given the order to take him alive; if they really captured Hong Yuan, they were to bring him over.

According to Scarface, judging by the time, Wei Zhenzhu had currently gone to Lanyue Garden.

Though Lanyue Garden had an elegant name, the things that happened within it were rather bloody.

Lanyue Garden was located thirty li east of Linjiang Prefecture's city outskirts. It had originally been a private garden built several decades ago by a high official, covering a vast area, luxurious within.

After the high official died, the garden gradually fell into disuse, until a dozen or so wealthy clans joined hands more than ten years ago to buy it from his descendants and carried out extensive renovations. Now, it had already become a massive dueling ground.

That was—

Hero Arena!

Those wealthy clans used all manner of methods, whether enticement or coercion, to gather many skilled jianghu fighters inside, making them take the stage and fight in the arena, setting ranks and order.

For more than ten years, every late autumn, Hero Arena had opened without interruption.

The skilled fighters under the various wealthy clans all took the stage one after another, competing against others in martial contests for fame, drawing many gentry, nobles, powerful officials, and great households to come watch, placing bets, throwing down thousands upon tens of thousands in gold!

And this Hero Arena lasted for a full month, gradually becoming Linjiang Prefecture's grandest event second only to the Qionghua Gathering.

"One month. No need to be too anxious, then!"

Before Hong Yuan came out this time, he had already told Yang Erhu that he planned to travel around a bit before returning to the martial hall.

Since Yang Erhu had seen Hong Yuan's martial arts, he was also quite at ease about him.

Wei Zhenzhu...

Hong Yuan was definitely going to kill her. Especially since she had even dared to plant men in ambush at his "home" and wanted to capture him alive—this made him feel as if a fishbone were stuck in his throat, only nausea and vexation filling him.

If he did not kill this person, he simply would not even be able to sleep peacefully.

But since Lanyue Garden gathered many wealthy clans, gentry, and powerful officials, the strength of its defenses went without saying; it was bound to far surpass the "Jade Wutong Immortal Realm."

Even if Hong Yuan only intended to sneak inside and kill Wei Zhenzhu, he still had to prepare for the possibility of being accidentally exposed.

Therefore, he did not plan to rush over in a hurry. He still had to take advantage of the time to raise his own combat strength another level.

Studying "Spiral Force" was one direction for a breakthrough.

Stepping into the tiled house, Hong Yuan swept his gaze over this "home" and could not help shaking his head.

Who knew how many days that group of thugs had been living here? In any case, the two tiled rooms had already been ruined beyond recognition. Bowls and plates lay shattered across the floor, the ground was filthy, and the furniture and such had all been chopped up for firewood.

Even the few books placed on the shelf, treasured dearly by the original owner, had gone into the brazier. Embers still remained in the basin, and as the cool wind blew in from outside the window, dust drifted up and down.

Hong Yuan's expression was indifferent. There was no attachment or indignation. He went straight out of the room and even casually pulled the door shut behind him.

Hong Yuan had originally wondered whether he should go to a "familiar" neighbor's home and leave a few words for Second Uncle, but after thinking it over briefly, he gave up on the idea.

Today, he had fought and killed his way through Huang Mansion, cut off one of County Magistrate Zhang's ears, and then crushed to death every last man Wei Zhenzhu had sent. If he went to contact these so-called neighbors now, he would purely be bringing disaster down on them.

The people of Flagstone Alley were already living with extreme difficulty. There was no need to add to their troubles.

Moreover, with the moves he had made today, word would soon spread through Flagstone Alley. If Second Uncle came back, he would know with just a little asking around. There was no need to draw legs on a snake.

Shaking his head, Hong Yuan's figure gradually vanished at the end of the alley, leaving behind only pairs of fearful eyes peering through windows from within the cramped houses.

At the same time.

By the side of an official road a hundred li away—

Bang!

A figure sprayed blood from his mouth, cried out in pain, and tumbled out from a shabby tea shed built of thatch beside the official road. His head smashed heavily against a sharp-edged bluestone, and he immediately breathed his last.

A huge footprint was visible on his chest; clearly, he had been kicked flying by someone.

Clang!

Amid the sharp ring of blades leaving their sheaths came a furious shout: "You sneaky rats! I knew there was something wrong with you long ago! You want to harm me, Wu? With the likes of you?"

A tall, powerful, and imposing figure rose to his full height, his eyes fierce as a hawk's. As his long saber moved, cold light flared brilliantly.

At the same time he chopped down with the long saber, he exerted force through his waist and hips, making this strike gather the strength of his entire body. With just one slash, the tall, thin man selling tea before him was so horrified that his face drained of color and his hands and feet turned flustered. A head shot into the sky.

As blood sprayed, a rough-handed, rough-footed woman beside him screamed. A short blade flew from her sleeve, shooting straight for the swordsman's brow.

A long bench burst out from the side on a diagonal, wrapped in a foul gust of wind. As it knocked the short blade away, it landed with a thunderous crash on the woman's forehead.

Brain matter burst apart!

Amid flying shards of wood, Yang Lie leaped and landed beside the saber-wielder, back to back with him. His gaze was likewise sharp and fierce as he shouted, "Why keep pretending? Anyone who wants our lives, get the hell out here!"

These two were none other than Wu Duxiong and Yang Lie.

Ever since leaving the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall, the two of them had followed the Yudai River downstream, traveling in fits and starts. From time to time, they stopped for a day or two to polish their martial skills and techniques, or sought out nearby martial masters for guidance. Thus, more than half a month had passed, yet they had only gone through three counties.

That day, they had just left the county town by seven or eight li when they came across a teahouse on the official road, so they naturally stopped to rest their feet and drink some water.

Only, not long after they sat down, three groups of people arrived one after another, each group three or four strong, faintly forming an encirclement that cut off the two men's retreat.

The pair of "husband and wife" running the teahouse also had something wrong in their eyes, secretly making hand signs.

Wu Duxiong and Yang Lie were both old hands of the jianghu. They immediately knew something was wrong and erupted on the spot.

As the teahouse "couple" died, the three tables surrounding the two men stood up at the same time. Some held clubs, while others pulled weapons from the bundles on their backs, all of them bristling with killing intent.

Beyond the dozen or so people inside the teahouse, the brush and grass in the woods on either side of the official road shook, and another dozen-plus men charged out savagely, each gripping a sharp weapon.

Yang Lie's face darkened. "You're Wei Zhenzhu's people, that dead fat sow?"

"Impudent! You dare disrespect the mistress!" a gray-clothed man carrying a steel saber shouted furiously. "You're courting death..."

"Why waste words?!" Wu Duxiong saw another wave of men rushing in to kill them, straightened his back, and shoved Yang Lie.

Yang Lie instantly understood his meaning. He flipped his body, smashed through the thatched wall, and rolled outside.

The long saber in Wu Duxiong's palm spun, chopping through the wooden post that supported the teahouse. A string of crash, clatter rang out, and the thatched roof above came collapsing down all at once, burying the ten-odd people in the teahouse beneath it.

Wu Duxiong had already taken advantage of the moment his saber cut the wooden post to leap out. His eyes met Yang Lie's, and the two exchanged not a single word.

Yang Lie had also drawn his weapon. The two of them hacked wildly down at the figures writhing beneath the thatch, and miserable screams burst out, wails rising one after another.

"Bastards!" The dozen-plus men who had pounced out of the woods saw their own side cut down in such a muddled mess, and their eyes instantly reddened.

Three men directly in front were the first to close in, their steel sabers cleaving over with a foul gust.

Wu Duxiong gave a cold snort, stamped his foot, and met them head-on with even greater speed. The Fish-Scale Blade in his hand swept upward from below, the saber-light blooming like a streak of cold lightning.

Clang!

Amid the ringing clash of metal, the long saber in the foremost man's hand was knocked flying outright, and the man himself was forced backward by a surge of great force.

But Wu Duxiong's saber momentum had not yet spent itself. It followed through and skimmed across the man's chest, the icy blade tearing open flesh. A few drops of blood carrying a warm breath landed on Wu Duxiong's face, instead making him even steadier.

Almost at the same time, the two men to his left and right had attacked beneath Wu Duxiong's ribs. He twisted, shifted his step, avoided their attacks, and the saber moved with his body, drawing a fierce half-arc.

Pchht, pchht!

Where the saber-light passed, the weapon-bearing wrists of the two men were severed clean at the root. Their screams had just left their mouths before they were drowned out.

On the other side, Yang Lie killed even more fiercely, but in the end he still had not managed to slaughter all ten-odd people trapped beneath the thatch. Three or four rolled out, each of them wearing a terrified expression.

Yang Lie chuckled coldly. His feet moved in swift steps, saber-light surging forcefully as he pressed the attack.

Even though Wu Duxiong and Yang Lie had caught the other side off guard, nearly twenty opponents still remained, and among them were two whose skills were extremely impressive—the sort they would have to handle carefully even one-on-one.

Blades and weapons struck against each other, bang, bang reverberations sounding without end. Wu Duxiong and Yang Lie fought as they retreated, drawing the crowd of enemies toward the dense woods on the other side.

The two sides plunged into the dense forest, figures weaving past one another. In the fierce battle, fallen leaves and withered branches were constantly kicked and flung up, obscuring the eye.

Amid the clang of metal on metal, shrill screams rang out from time to time.

When both sides had fought themselves weary and paused to catch their breath, Wei Zhenzhu's people were suddenly horrified. Atop the withered branches and rotting leaves lay the corpses of their companions everywhere. Some had not yet died completely, making "hoh, hoh" sounds in their throats, while only four were actually still alive.

"Run!"

The remaining four men's faces changed drastically, and they retreated in panic. But at this point, how could Wu Duxiong and Yang Lie possibly let them go?

Though Wu Duxiong and Yang Lie also felt a wave of exhaustion, they still had the strength for another fight.

"This bastard's mine!" Yang Lie fixed his eyes on a middle-aged man in blue. The man was short, his steps nimble, yet he had nearly made Yang Lie fall headlong.

Most importantly, this middle-aged man in blue had already entered the realm of force. Though he held no weapon, his entire person was as tricky and slippery as a venomous snake, and his attacks were extremely hidden and vicious.

Earlier, when Yang Lie had been tangled up fighting two opponents, this man had darted out from behind a large tree at the side and suddenly attacked. Force erupted as he struck to lock the throat.

He was just like a venomous snake that had lain hidden for a long time, hunting its prey.

The attack had come too viciously and too fast, and Yang Lie had been distracted. The only reason he survived was pure luck: beneath the fallen leaves under his foot was a hole, causing him to step into empty air.

Although his chest had been slashed and his back had taken a blow from a staff, he had at least dodged the throat-locking strike.

And while that middle-aged man in blue had not relied solely on raw strength, he was clearly still far from combining hardness and softness, from releasing and withdrawing as he pleased. After that one strike, his breath had stagnated slightly, and he missed the chance to follow up.

"Come, come, come, let's trade a few more moves!" Yang Lie swept forward in pursuit, caught up to the middle-aged man in blue, and swung his saber to attack.

The middle-aged man in blue's movement art was better suited to circling and roving combat, but he was slightly inferior in speed. He could not shake Yang Lie off at all, and could not help saying urgently, "Young man, count this round as your victory. Don't push people too far."

"You want to fight when you want and run when you want? Have you asked the saber in my hand?" On the other side, as if in answer to the middle-aged man in blue, Wu Duxiong's Fish-Scale Blade drew streak after streak of cold light, hemming in the fleeing figures of the other three.

Yang Lie had no desire to waste words with the other man. He only brought out the Seven Waves-Breaking Slashes, each saber strike driving straight for the middle-aged man in blue's vital points.

The middle-aged man in blue's face darkened. Relying on his agile movement, he fought like a roaming skirmisher, occasionally slipping in an attack, never clashing head-on with Yang Lie, only wearing down his opponent's strength.

But inwardly, he was already frantic, because Wu Duxiong had already dealt with two people on his side!

All of a sudden, the middle-aged man in blue's eyes lit up. He saw a slight stagnation in Yang Lie's saber technique, and delight flashed across his face. His figure swayed as he avoided a cleaving slash, and his five fingers shot like a venomous snake leaving its hole, drilling toward Yang Lie's chest!

"Die, brat!"

But at that moment, Yang Lie suddenly laughed. The long saber in his palm dropped of its own accord, the rhythm of his breathing changed, and he abruptly leaped up, like a fierce tiger springing from a high mountain crag.

As he dodged the middle-aged man in blue's strike, a ferocious punch came crashing down!

Bang!

His fist met the blue-clad middle-aged man's forehead head-on, and a crisp crack rang out at once, as though an egg had been smashed. A large part of the man's forehead caved in, and he was sent flying several meters away like a rag doll.

Yang Lie landed on the ground, staggered, and barely managed to stay on his feet. Cold sweat streamed down his face, which had already gone deathly pale.

Yet his eyes were very clear, and his heart was filled with joy. He wished he could throw back his head and laugh.

He had entered Force!

From this day forth, he, Yang Lie, could finally be counted as having stepped into True Force. From now on, who would still dare say he was not an expert?

A moment later, Wu Duxiong finished off the last man and came to Yang Lie's side. His big hand slapped Yang Lie's shoulder as he laughed loudly. "Good lad, I, Wu Duxiong, didn't misjudge you. You—"

With a thud, Yang Lie half-knelt on the ground, his face full of resentment as he looked at Wu Duxiong.

A quarter of an hour later, Wu Duxiong carried Yang Lie on his back to a small creek about half a li away to wash up, then bandaged his wounds for him. Yang Lie had also recovered his strength, and his fighting spirit surged up. He proposed, "Uncle Wu, now that I've entered Force too, why don't the two of us join hands and go slaughter that fat pig Wei Zhenzhu?"

Wu Duxiong sneered. "You've only just entered Force, and you already don't know how high the heavens are or how deep the earth is. Never mind whether you can find Wei Zhenzhu's location—say you did find her. Do you know how many guards she has by her side? After suffering a loss once, could she not find a few experts to stand guard?"

"Just to deal with us, there was already a Force-entered martial artist among them. You think there wouldn't be one by her side?"

A trace of worry appeared on Yang Lie's face. "Then Uncle and Brother Hong's side..."

Wu Duxiong waved his hand. "That isn't something you should be worrying about. For martial artists like us, once one foot steps into the jianghu, our lives can only depend on our own two hands. You have to trust Old Yang and that Hong boy. Even if something unforeseen happens, all we can do is avenge them."

Yang Lie said, "In that case, Uncle Wu, do we continue wandering the jianghu next?"

"No!" Wu Duxiong shook his head and said flatly, "Since you've already entered Force, there's not much meaning in seeking out ordinary jianghu people to fight. If you want to improve quickly next, you need a place with many experts."

"Mm?" Yang Lie lifted his eyes in surprise.

Wu Duxiong looked in one direction, his gaze steady.

"I heard that southwest of Linjiang Prefecture, there's a heroic figure named Song Yinglong. With Mangcang Mountain at his back, he built a villa called Crouching Tiger Villa. Not only does he invite guests from all directions, he also befriends heroes and men of valor from the four corners. Because he is righteous and generous with his wealth, opening his purse freely, many good hands have been drawn to serve him. It's said that under him, just the villa retainers alone number over a thousand, and among them, who knows how many experts there are..."

At this point, Wu Duxiong suddenly smiled. "It is Crouching Tiger, while we are the Tiger-Subduing Sect. That counts as fate. So on this trip, we'll go there—"

"Crouching Tiger Villa!"

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