What Zhang Cuishan and his wife didn't notice was that their son, Zhang Wuji, had a look of admiration, envy, and longing in his eyes at that moment.
Ling Yi chased after them for over a thousand meters, killing more than a dozen people in succession, before finally returning to the dilapidated temple.
"Rest now. We'll continue our journey tomorrow at dawn." Ling Yi glanced at them indifferently, then sat cross-legged again before the Buddhist shrine to continue his cultivation.
The family of three naturally didn't dare to say anything more.
Nothing more was said that night, and the group continued their journey early the next morning.
Around noon, the four of them arrived at a ferry crossing.
A thousand-strong imperial army blocked their way, with the leaders all wearing extremely conspicuous flying fish robes.
" The Brocade Guard?" Zhang Cuishan frowned.
People in the Jianghu are generally reluctant to deal with officials from the imperial court, since Jianghu ideals clash with the rules of the court.
Most people in the Jianghu have at least some experience in fighting, and those with a bit of fame Central City a history of killing. If the imperial laws were followed, they would all be arrested.
Therefore, people in the Jianghu generally keep their distance from the imperial army.
Although the Southern Song was now corrupt and decadent, some of its basic institutions remained, still maintaining the normal operation of the court.
Among them, the most famous was the Brocade Guard.
This is a well-trained and Li Qiang army; in the modern world, it would be equivalent to a royal special forces unit.
However, as the imperial court became increasingly corrupt, the power of the Brocade Guard grew, and the ambition of Brocade Guard commander also swelled.
"I am Mao Rang, Commander of the Brocade Guard, serving His Majesty and sharing his burdens," the leader said, clasping his hands in a fist salute towards the air.
"These are matters of the Jianghu, to be settled within the Jianghu world. Is Commander about to break the rules?" Ling Yi said coldly, taking a few steps forward with a wicked smile.
These people all have a uniform negative 100 Affection floating above their heads.
Although apart from those few Brocade Guard, the rest were all second- or third-rate Martial Practitioner, their sheer numbers made up for it.
The tenfold feedback caused Ling Yi's strength to increase dramatically once again.
This caused Ling Yi to lose control of his suddenly surging strength. A chill rose from his body, and the chill caused the surrounding air to churn and form a misty current around Ling Yi.
"Such profound Kung Fu Hustle." Mao Rang's expression turned solemn.
He raised his right hand, and all the Brocade Guard behind him simultaneously raised their crossbows, tightened the springs, and aimed at Ling Yi.
"All land under heaven belongs to the emperor; it is laughable that you speak of rules before the imperial court."
"Haha, what a fine saying, 'All land under heaven belongs to the emperor.' Then tell me, in this vast northern land, is there still an inch of it that remains as territory of the Han people?"
Mao Rang had nothing to say about this. The emperor was incompetent and the officials were corrupt. From the time the Yuan army marched south until now, all the emperor did was run away.
The hundreds of officials in the court were all incompetent, cowardly, and greedy people.
"Therefore, I want the Book of Wumu.' You said yesterday that the Book of Wumu' is the true secret to the Dragon-Slaying Saber- Slaying Saber's power over the world. I only want the Book of Wumu.'"
"Your ambition is quite large, but unfortunately, the rules I set yesterday cannot be broken so easily. If you want the Dragon-Slaying Saber, then come and participate in the Lin Da at the Green Willow Manor. Otherwise, anyone who tries to snatch it will be my enemy, Ling Yi, and any fight will be a matter of life and death."
"You're now facing a thousand crossbows. Rules? I'm the rule."
"Furthermore, you are a Han Chinese, yet you serve a mere Yuan girl; it is utterly foolish."
"Further words are useless. Might makes right. It's either fight or not," Ling Yi said coldly.
His aura suddenly surged at this moment, and terrifying Icy True Qi swept around, freezing the ground into ice shards.
"Kill!" Mao Rang was not one to hesitate. Since words failed him, he would simply kill Ling Yi. As long as Zhang Cuishan's family was around, he was confident he could find out the whereabouts of the Dragon-Slaying Saber.
At Mao Rang's command, a series of spring-loaded sounds rang out, and a thousand crossbow bolts burst forth. At such close range and with such dense fire, an ordinary expert would certainly not survive.
But Ling Yi had already reached Transcendent level. His True Qi, as deep and unfathomable as a hell, circulated around Ling Yi, forming a blue Shield of Ice.
The crossbow bolts struck the Shield of Ice, producing a metallic clanging sound that rang out Dingdang unison.
"How can there be such a terrifying person in this world? What level has his martial arts reached?" Mao Rang seeing this.
After a volley of crossbow bolts, not a single mark was left on the blue Ice Shield, demonstrating its terrifying defensive capabilities.
"Shake!" Ling Yi shouted coldly, Cold Ice Shield shattered instantly, scattering like a shower of flowers as it rushed straight towards the Brocade Guard.
In an instant, screams filled the air and horses neighed mournfully. In a short while, the Brocade Guard in front of them, along with their horses, fell to the ground.
Absolute Zero!
Ling Yi Leap into the crowd, his body enveloped in a mist that spread wildly, turning anyone caught in it into an ice sculpture in the blink of an eye.
Watching Ling Yi move through the crowd with No Man's Land, Zhang Cuishan, watching from afar, couldn't help but sigh, "No wonder the Final Master once said that once you reach the Transcendent Master Realm, you can be called Land Immortal; this is no longer considered martial arts."
"I don't know what kind of martial art Ling Yi is practicing, but it's definitely not the Hunyuan Primordial Unity Skill or the Thunderbolt Hand that's rumored in the Jianghu."
"This person has grand ambitions; we'd better be careful."
Yin Susu shook her head. How could she be careful? Faced with such power, any thoughts were meaningless.
The light in Zhang Wuji's eyes shone even brighter. This was the kind of master he admired: invincible, domineering, and respectful of strength above all else.
The Combat didn't last long. Through this fight, Ling Yi gained a clear understanding of his own strength and a guess at the upper limit of strength in this world.
The Transcendent Grade Master level is already the Limit; it's unknown whether there's any possibility of advancing further in this world.
If one can advance to a higher level, this world could be developed into something similar to the Feng Yun World, a world with only Jianghu and no nations.
We'll find out by having Zhang Sanfeng try it out later.
At the scene, a pile of ice fragments mixed with red cesium was left behind, emitting a strange and eerie glow under the sunlight.
This battle was witnessed by many and quickly spread throughout the Jianghu.
For the next two weeks, no more enemies came looking for trouble.
To Ling Yi's disappointment, Zhang Sanfeng did not appear. Instead, after holding his 100th birthday banquet at the Wudang Sect, he announced that he had gone into seclusion.
Zhang Cuishan's family did not return to the Wudang Sect, but were instead kidnapped by Ling Yi, so some plot points naturally did not occur.
Zhang Sanfeng's 100th birthday celebration went very smoothly.
Ling Yi knew that everyone was waiting for the fifteenth of August, the day of the Lin Da.
As for Zhang Sanfeng, he will probably have to wait until that day to appear.
In another Half Moon, Ling Yi and his group will be able to arrive at the Green Willow Manor.
Ling Yi, on the contrary, became less and less anxious. There were still nearly two months until the Mid-Autumn Festival, and he had already achieved his first goal, so he truly had the mindset of traveling and enjoying the scenery.
The four of them traveled at a leisurely pace, stopping frequently along the way, and arrived at Rushui Town on this day.
This is a very prosperous town with a large population and bustling streets.
In the heart of the town stands a luxurious three-story restaurant.
This sight piqued the curiosity of all of them.
Along their journey, they saw mostly impoverished people and few prosperous places.
"It seems this place must be protected by a powerful force to be so prosperous," Zhang Cuishan said.
"This is Yuan Dynasty territory, but the Han and Yuan people seem to get along quite well, unlike other places where they Shui Huo." Yin Susu observed more carefully.
Zhang Wuji was eating a candied hawthorn with great relish, showing no sign of being a prisoner.
Compared to Half Moon, Zhang Wuji had gained some weight and become fairer, shedding his rustic appearance and looking even more handsome, resembling a refined young gentleman.
Although the group's Affection towards Ling Yi remained negative, Zhang Cuishan and Ling Yi wife no longer felt the same aversion towards him as before.
The four entered the restaurant, Ling Yi immediately offered a gold leaf. Then, under the enthusiastic guidance of the waiter, they arrived at a good spot by the window on the third floor.
Ling Yi asked the shop assistant curiously, "Waiter, why is Rushui Town so prosperous? Is there some story behind it?"
"These four gentlemen are clearly from out of town; naturally, they know nothing about our small town."
"This is Princess Shaomin's fiefdom. Although Princess Shaomin is young, she cherishes the people and treats both Han and Yuan people equally. If any Yuan people bully Han people, Princess Shaomin will not show favoritism but will punish them even more severely."
Over time, this place has become the bustling place it is today.
Ling Yi nodded, but didn't ask any more questions. He had a pretty good idea of what Zhao Min Ling Yi thinking.
That little girl has big ambitions.
"Judging from this, Princess Shaomin is not bad at all, unlike other Yuan people who are cruel." Zhang Cuishan nodded approvingly.
Upon hearing this, the shop assistant immediately nodded and said, "What this gentleman says is true. It's just a pity that Princess Shaomin is young and her fief is only this one place. If Princess Shaomin's fief were several times larger, the Han people in the surrounding area wouldn't have to suffer."
"Alright, you can go now!" Ling Yi waved his hand, interrupting the shop assistant and sending him away.
"A clever plan, a clever mind," Yin Susu said.
"Would you believe me if I told you that little girl is only 12 years old?"
"What?" Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu exclaimed at the same time.
"That's right, she's a prodigy. That girl's mental maturity far surpasses that of adults."
Zhang Cuishan and his wife remained silent for a long while, then they looked at Zhang Wuji, who was picking at a candied hawthorn skewer...
Seeing this, Ling Yi couldn't help but laugh out loud. The "other people's children" series always ends in tragedy, or is about to become tragedy.
The food was served quickly, and just as the group was halfway through their meal, a middle-aged nun, accompanied by a little girl, came up the stairs.
Ling Yi's eyes narrowed, a slight smile curving his lips. He then took out his phone, snapped a picture of the two of them, and sent it to Zhou Zhiruo in the Ling Realm...