Urgent Wind and Rain

As he walked to the center of the escort agency, the young master in green cupped his hands and bowed, "My apologies, my clothes were soaked earlier and it was inconvenient to approach. Du Yuhan greets everyone here." His young attendant stood behind him, holding a sword.

He Dahai heard this and quickly returned the bow, his expression solemn. "Could you be the young hero Du, known in the martial world as the Iron Sword Young Master?"

Du Yuhan gave a self-satisfied smile. "Indeed, it is I."

"Young Master Du is too kind. We have long heard of your reputation. I am He Dahai of the Yangwei Escort Agency." He Dahai dared not be negligent.

"Not at all, not at all. Chief Escort He, why don't you introduce these gentlemen?" Du Yuhan gestured to the people beside him.

He Dahai smiled and introduced, "These two are our escort leaders, He Xiangshan and Xu Ying. This is my daughter, He Yuqing. She grew up listening to stories of the martial world and now insists on following me everywhere."

"Escort Leader He, Escort Leader Xu, Miss He, meeting on the road of the martial world is fate. Chief Escort He, may I impose upon you for a chat?" Du Yuhan said with a smile. He Xiangshan and Xu Ying cupped their hands in return. He Yuqing's face flushed slightly as she awkwardly returned the gesture.

He Dahai quickly said, "We'd be honored. Young Master Du, please take a seat."

"No rush, no rush. Let me retrieve my personal belongings and I'll be right back," Du Yuhan said with a smile, cupping his hands again before turning and walking back towards his campfire with his attendant.

"Chief Escort, is that the Iron Sword Young Master, one of the Four Young Masters of the Martial World?" Xu Ying asked in a low voice.

He Dahai said with a mix of emotion and envy, "Looking at his age, his martial arts, his attire, he's very likely him. It's said he's already opened five minor meridians. Tsk, tsk, the renowned sects are truly different. If I had a Grandmaster as a master, why would I still be struggling to find a way to measure my minor meridians?"

"They say Young Master Du has the lowest martial arts among the Four Young Masters of the Martial World, and that he only made the list by borrowing his master Gu Juejian's name. Seeing him today, I realize rumors can't be believed. His cultivation, aside from being inferior to the White-Clad Young Master, is on par with the other two. He's only one step away from being a top expert," He Xiangshan nodded thoughtfully.

"Yes, yes, Young Master Du's martial arts and demeanor are excellent," He Yuqing said with full agreement.

The two returned to the campfire. The attendant picked up the luggage and slung it over his back, still holding the sword in his arms. Du Yuhan then casually extinguished the campfire with a palm strike and instructed his attendant, "Cheng Ying, let's go."

Although Shi Xuan had his eyes closed, his keen senses had been covering the entire dilapidated temple. He had observed every action and word from over there. Suddenly, Shi Xuan's eyes snapped open. He noticed someone rushing towards the temple from outside, their lightness skill even superior to his own. He then shifted his attention to the entrance.

Due to the heavy rain and howling wind, Shi Xuan realized the person's presence when they were already not far from the temple. Within a few breaths, the slightly ajar door was pushed open, and an elder with white hair entered, water dripping from his head and clothes. His black boots were covered in mud and water, and there was a large bloodstain on the front of his black cloth robe. Under the rain, specks of red could be seen falling to the ground.

Du Yuhan, who had just sat down, suddenly stood up as the elder ascended the steps, drawing his sword with his right hand. This startled the escort agency members around him, who also stood up. Then, they saw the elder walk in.

The old man had an ancient appearance and an imposing aura that didn't require anger. After entering, he surveyed the surroundings. Seeing everyone watching him warily, he chuckled and walked towards the campfire Du Yuhan had extinguished without a word. It was then that everyone noticed the numerous horizontal and vertical wounds on the elder's back, from sabers and swords. Through the torn clothing, they could be clearly seen. The wounds were tight, and the surrounding muscles, washed by the rain, had turned pale, no longer bleeding.

The black-clad elder lit the campfire, took out some dry rations, and began to devour them after a cursory roasting, completely ignoring the gazes of those around him.

Seeing that the elder had no other intentions, Du Yuhan sheathed his sword and signaled for everyone to sit down. He then said in a low voice, "This is 'Tremor Through the Rivers' Liang Shenglou. I've seen him at my master's place before."

"Young Master Du, since he knows your master, why doesn't he come over to say hello?" He Yuqing interjected.

"Heh heh, Miss He, I know him, but he doesn't know me. Senior Liang has been a renowned master for over thirty years. When I went to my master's place last time, I was less than ten years old," Du Yuhan smiled.

He Yuqing secretly glanced over there. "I wonder how Senior Liang's martial arts are now. He seems to be in some trouble."

"Miss He, you've only recently entered the martial world, so it's normal not to have heard of Senior Liang. More than ten years ago, he was already a top expert with all his meridians open. Even if he hasn't reached the subtle realm now, he's likely not far from it. Unless one of the Five Great Grandmasters intervenes, it's hard to imagine any trouble he can't handle. I was planning to greet him earlier, but it's said that Senior Liang acts on his whims, and approaching him rashly might just anger him," Du Yuhan seemed unconcerned about any trouble Liang Shenglou might bring.

"Yes, I remember hearing of Senior Liang's great reputation when I was just an unknown nobody. I never expected to meet him today," He Dahai said with emotion.

Du Yuhan suggested, "Chief Escort He, perhaps we should go and pay our respects to Senior Liang together later. If he needs any assistance, we can help out a little."

"Young Master Du, you're right. It's a rare opportunity to meet a senior, isn't it, Father?" He Yuqing chimed in before He Dahai could answer.

He Dahai could only nod with a wry smile. This Senior Liang's reputation was indeed great, but not exactly a good one. Because his entire family was murdered, his actions were always ruthless and severe. Unfortunately, his enemy's martial arts advanced even faster and was already 'Long River Sunset,' one of the Five Great Grandmasters. He was unable to avenge himself, and his moods were more than just capricious.

Seeing the old man enter and noticing his wounds, Shi Xuan worried that trouble might arise later. He secretly turned his back to the others and began to activate his talismans: a Lightness Skill Talisman, a Vajra Spell Talisman, and a Dragon Elephant Great Strength Technique Talisman. Fearing he might be drawn outside the temple later, he also cast a Dark Night Vision Spell and formed a Rain Evasion Art. In addition to preparing for combat, he placed a Qi Induction Thunder Talisman at the edge of his hidden pouch, waiting with outward relaxation but inner tension.

As expected, less than half an hour later, before they could even go to pay their respects to Senior Liang, Shi Xuan heard the sound of noisy footsteps approaching from a distance. At this time, due to the heavier rain, no one in the temple, except Shi Xuan, noticed.

The footsteps of nine people stopped about two Zhang away from the entrance and then split into four groups. One group remained stationary, while the other three groups of two each quietly moved towards the left, right, and rear of the temple.

The three people in front of the temple waited for a moment, then one of them used lightness skill to jump onto the roof. At this point, Liang Shenglou noticed the situation, put down the dry rations in his hand, and stood up. He shouted to the outside, "Peng Tianxiao, since you've chased me here, come in. What kind of hero hides and sneaks?"

One of the people outside the temple walked in while laughing heartily, "Big brother, don't think that in this heavy rain we can't catch you. Hand over the secret manual, and we can give you a quick death."

The two who entered were both middle-aged men. The one speaking was tall, with eyes like copper bells and a full beard, but his head was completely bald. The other was of medium build, with a sallow complexion and eyes that seemed half-open, half-closed.

Liang Shenglou spat and said, "Come on, I've killed five of you along the way. Let's see how many more I have to kill. Don't think that just because there are two top experts, I'll be afraid of you. We've known each other for over twenty years, and I never thought you'd turn on me like this for a secret manual."

Du Yuhan and the escort agency members also stood up. After hearing Liang Shenglou's words, except for Du Yuhan, who remained unfazed, the escort agency members turned pale. They couldn't afford to get involved in the grudges between top experts. Shi Xuan slowly stood up and leaned against a pillar.

Du Yuhan took a few steps forward and said to Liang Shenglou, "Senior Liang, I am Du Yuhan, and I wish to join you in killing these villains."

Liang Shenglou glanced at him and said, "So you're Old Man Heavenly Sword's disciple. You'd better think carefully. Facing you are 'Overlord Cleaves Mountains' Peng Tianxiao and 'Wax God Lord' Cao Chuyu. Both are top experts who have been famous in the martial world for many years, and they are the two great protectors of the Great River Alliance. Weigh your own capabilities."

"Even if we can't defeat them, with Senior Liang and me working together, we can still escape," Du Yuhan said with ease.

"Hahaha, good, good, good." Before he could finish speaking, the two opponents rushed over. Peng Tianxiao wielded a Mountain Splitting Saber and blocked Liang Shenglou. His moves were simple, with great slashes and chops, like a fierce general from the army. Liang Shenglou's skill was all in his fists. As he dodged and weaved, his fists always aimed for Peng Tianxiao's vital points.

Cao Chuyu and Du Yuhan were both skilled swordsmen. However, Cao Chuyu wielded his sword with his left hand, making his attacks tricky and unpredictable. Every sword strike was beyond Du Yuhan's expectations. But Du Yuhan's iron sword was incredibly heavy, and he wielded it with sword light like a wall. Although his martial arts far surpassed Cao Chuyu's, their styles were a counter. In the heat of the moment, Cao Chuyu couldn't finish the fight quickly.

At this moment, except for the person on the roof, the remaining six black-clad figures from the left, right, and rear of the temple rushed in. Two of them dealt with the escort agency, one person came to deal with Shi Xuan, and the remaining three prepared to join the fight against Liang Shenglou.

These six black-clad figures appeared to be first-class experts or above, but not quite top-tier experts. Two of them made it difficult for the nearly twenty escort agency members, who were struggling to fend them off, and soon several escort guards had fallen.

The black-clad man who charged at Shi Xuan saw that his opponent was a young Daoist priest and felt disdain. He planned to finish him off in two or three strikes and then go after the others.

Seeing him charge, Shi Xuan smiled slightly. He stomped his foot, and a small stone he had prepared earlier flew out with a whistling sound. With the power of the Major Heavenly Cycle and the boost from the Dragon Elephant Great Strength Technique, the small stone shot towards the black-clad man's chest at an incredible speed.

The black-clad man, seeing Shi Xuan smile fearlessly, felt a jolt of unease. Just as he was about to brace himself, he saw a dark shadow break through the air. He could even hear the whistling sound, but it was too late to dodge. He watched helplessly as the small stone pierced through his chest and landed far away. With a few gurgling sounds, he collapsed and died.