Wind and Rain Raged

By the time he reached the middle of the escort agency, the blue-robed young master cupped his hands in salute. "My clothes were soaked through earlier, so it was inconvenient for me to come over. Du Yuhan greets you all." His little page stood behind him to one side, holding a sword.

He Dahai hurriedly returned the salute, his expression solemn. "Could you be the young hero Du known throughout the Jianghu as the Iron Sword Young Master?"

Du Yuhan smiled with restrained pride. "It is indeed this unworthy one."

"You are too modest, young hero Du. We have long heard of your great name. I am He Dahai of the Yangwei Escort Agency." He Dahai did not dare slight him.

"Not at all, not at all. Chief Escort He, why not introduce these people?" Du Yuhan gestured with his gaze toward those beside him.

He Dahai smiled as he introduced them. "These two are Escort Leaders of our agency, He Xiangshan and Xu Ying. This is my daughter, He Yuqing. Since childhood, she has loved listening to stories of the Jianghu, and now she keeps pestering me to take her everywhere with me."

"Escort leader He, escort leader Xu, Miss He—meeting by the roadside in the Jianghu is fate. Chief Escort He, might you permit me to come over and trouble you with my chatter?" Du Yuhan said with a smile. He Xiangshan and Xu Ying raised their hands in return salute, while He Yuqing's face reddened slightly as she awkwardly returned it.

He Dahai hastily said, "Nothing could please us more. Young hero Du, please take a seat."

"No rush, no rush. Let me fetch my belongings first, then I'll come over." Du Yuhan smiled and cupped his hands, then turned with his page and headed toward his own fire.

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

He Dahai said with a mixture of admiration and envy, "At his age, with those martial skills and that manner of dress, most likely. They say he has already opened five minor meridians. Tsk, tsk—great sects and famous schools truly are different. If I had a Grandmaster as my teacher, why would I still lack a method to measure the minor meridians?"

"They say that among the Four Young Masters of the Martial World, Young Master Du has the lowest martial arts, and only earned his place by borrowing the prestige of his master, Gu Juejian. Seeing him today, I know rumors cannot be trusted. Apart from being inferior to the White-Clad Young Master, his cultivation is evenly matched with the other two. He is only one step away from becoming a top expert." He Xiangshan nodded thoughtfully.

"Yes, yes, Young Master Du's martial arts and bearing are both excellent." He Yuqing looked entirely in agreement.

The two returned to the fire. The page picked up the luggage and slung it onto his back, while still cradling the sword in his arms. Du Yuhan casually struck out with his palm and extinguished the fire, then instructed the page, "Cheng Ying, let's go over."

Although Shi Xuan had been resting with his eyes closed, his keen senses had enveloped the entire ruined temple, taking in every movement and word from that side. Suddenly, Shi Xuan opened his eyes. He discovered someone racing toward the ruined temple from outside, their Lightness Skill even superior to his own, and immediately shifted his attention to the doorway.

With the rain pouring down in torrents and the Wind's Sound howling, by the time Shi Xuan noticed the newcomer, the person was already close to the ruined temple. A few breaths later, the half-closed gate was pushed open. An old man with a head of white hair entered, water dripping ceaselessly from his head and clothes. His black boots were caked in mud and rainwater, while a large blotch of blood stained the front of his black cloth robe. Even beneath the washing rain, drops of scarlet could still be seen falling to the ground.

Du Yuhan had already sat down, but when the old man stepped onto the stairs, he abruptly sprang to his feet and drew his sword with his right hand. The people from the escort agency were startled into standing as well, and then they watched the old man walk inside.

The old man had an ancient, unadorned visage and an imposing air even without anger. After entering, he swept his gaze around. Seeing everyone watching him warily, he gave a hoarse chuckle without speaking, then walked toward the fire Du Yuhan had extinguished. Only then did everyone notice the crisscrossing wounds across his back—saber cuts and sword marks, clearly visible through the tears in his clothing. The scars had tightened, and the muscles on either side had been washed pale by the rain. They were no longer bleeding.

The black-robed old man lit the fire, took out some dry rations, gave them only a cursory roast, and began wolfing them down, utterly unconcerned by the stares from either side.

Seeing that the old man made no further move, Du Yuhan sheathed his sword and signaled everyone around him to sit as well. Then he said in a low voice, "That is Liang Shenglou, 'Tremor Through the Rivers.' I once saw him at my master's place."

"Young Master Du, since he knows your master, why not go over and greet him?" He Yuqing interjected.

"Hehe, Miss He, I know him, but he does not know me. Senior Liang is a great expert who made his name more than thirty years ago. The last time he visited my master, I was not yet ten." Du Yuhan smiled.

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

"Miss He, you have only entered the Jianghu recently, so it is normal that you have not heard of Senior Liang. More than ten years ago, he was already a top expert whose meridians were all connected. Even if he has not entered the Subtle Realm now, he is likely not far from it. Unless one of the Five Great Grandmasters acts, no trouble can stump him. I had intended to go forward and pay my respects, but I hear Senior Liang follows his joy and anger as his heart wills. Rashly approaching him might instead provoke his fury." Du Yuhan did not seem worried at all about any trouble Liang Shenglou might bring.

"Yes. I remember that when I was merely an unknown nobody, I had already heard Senior Liang's illustrious name. I never expected to be fortunate enough to meet him today." He Dahai sighed with feeling.

Du Yuhan suggested, "Then, Chief Escort He, we should go together later and pay our respects to Senior Liang. If he has any errands for us, we may be able to lend a small hand."

"Young Master Du is right. Such a rare chance to pay respects to a senior—don't you agree, Dad?" He Yuqing said before He Dahai could answer.

He Dahai could only smile bitterly and nod. Senior Liang's reputation was indeed great, but it was not exactly a good one. After his entire family had been slaughtered, he had become ruthless and vicious in all he did. Unfortunately, his enemy's martial arts had advanced even faster, and he had long since become one of the Five Great Grandmasters, "Long River Sunset." Liang Shenglou could not take his revenge—how could his joy and anger merely follow his heart?

When Shi Xuan saw the old man enter and noticed his body full of wounds, he worried that trouble might come shortly. He secretly turned his back to both sides and began activating talismans: the Lightness Skill Talisman, the Vajra Spell Talisman, and the Dragon Elephant Great Strength Technique Talisman. Afraid that the fighting might spill outside the temple, he also cast the Dark Night Vision Spell upon himself and formed the Rain Evasion Art. Besides preparing to fight, he placed the Qi Induction Thunder Talisman at the edge of his hidden pouch, then waited there, outwardly relaxed but inwardly tense.

Sure enough, before even half a quarter-hour had passed, before they could go pay respects to Senior Liang, Shi Xuan heard chaotic footsteps approaching from afar. By then, the rain had grown even heavier, and no one in the temple except Shi Xuan noticed.

The footsteps of nine people stopped two zhang from the entrance. Then they split into four groups: one remained where it was, while the other three groups, with two people each, quietly moved toward the left, right, and rear of the temple.

The three people before the temple waited for a while. Then one used Lightness Skill to leap onto the roof. Only then did Liang Shenglou notice something was wrong. He put down the dry rations in his hand, rose to his feet, and shouted outside, "Peng Tianxiao, since you have chased me here, come in. What kind of hero skulks and hides?"

One of the people outside walked inward as he burst into laughter. "Eldest brother, don't think that such heavy rain means we cannot catch you. Hand over the secret manual, and we can still grant you a quick death."

The two men who entered were both middle-aged. The one speaking was tall and powerfully built, with eyes like bronze bells and a face covered in a thick beard, yet his scalp was smooth and bare without a single hair. The other was of medium build, with a waxy yellow complexion and eyes that seemed half-open, half-closed.

Liang Shenglou spat. "Come, then. I have killed five of your people along the way. Let us see how many more there are for this old man to kill. Do not think that having two top experts means this old man fears you. We have known each other for more than twenty years, yet for the sake of a secret manual, you turned your faces on the spot."

Du Yuhan and the escort agency's people all stood as well. Upon hearing Liang Shenglou's words, apart from Du Yuhan, who showed no reaction, the escort agency people all went pale. They could not afford to involve themselves in a grudge between top experts. Shi Xuan slowly rose and retreated to lean against a pillar.

Du Yuhan stepped forward several paces and said to Liang Shenglou, "Senior Liang, I am Du Yuhan. I am willing to join you in slaying these bandits."

Liang Shenglou glanced at him. "So you are Old Man Heavenly Sword's disciple. You had better think this through. Across from us are Peng Tianxiao, 'Overlord Cleaves Mountains,' and Cao Chuyu, 'Wax God Lord.' Both are top experts who have been famous in the Jianghu for many years, and they are also the Great River Alliance's two great Protectors. Weigh yourself carefully."

"Even if we cannot defeat them, Senior Liang and I can still join forces and leave." Du Yuhan said with complete ease.

"Ha ha ha! Good, good, good!" Before he finished speaking, the two opponents had already charged forward. Peng Tianxiao wielded a Mountain Splitting Saber to block Liang Shenglou. His moves were simple, broad cleaves and savage chops, like a fierce general in the army. Liang Shenglou's entire art lay in his fists; as he dodged, shifted, and darted about, every punch targeted Peng Tianxiao's vital points.

Cao Chuyu and Du Yuhan were both expert swordsmen. Yet Cao Chuyu wielded his sword in his left hand, his moves cunning and bizarre, every thrust beyond Du Yuhan's expectations. But Du Yuhan's iron sword was exceptionally heavy, and he used it to create a wall of sword-light. Though Cao Chuyu's martial arts surpassed his by far, their styles countered each other, and in the rush of the moment, Cao Chuyu could not swiftly end the battle.

At this moment, apart from the person on the roof, the other six black-clad men from the left, right, and rear of the temple rushed inside. Two went to deal with the escort agency's side, one came for Shi Xuan, and the remaining three prepared to join the fight against Liang Shenglou.

These six black-clad men appeared to be first-rate experts or above, though not yet at the level of top experts. Two of them drove the nearly twenty people from the escort agency into a desperate defense, battered and disordered. Before long, several escorts had already fallen.

The black-clad man charging toward Shi Xuan saw that his opponent was a young Daoist priest and inwardly sneered. He planned to finish him in two or three strokes before going to kill the others.

Seeing him charge over, Shi Xuan smiled faintly and exerted force beneath his feet. The small stone he had prepared earlier shot through the air. Empowered by the Internal Energy of the Major Heavenly Cycle and the Dragon Elephant Great Strength Technique, it flew toward the black-clad man's heart at an unbelievable speed.

Seeing Shi Xuan laugh rather than fear him, the black-clad man's heart tightened. Just as he was about to guard himself, he saw a black shadow tear through the air. He even heard its shriek beside his ear, but it was already too late to dodge. He could only watch helplessly as the small stone pierced his chest and fell far away. After making two hoarse sounds, he collapsed and died.