A second-rate expert

At the end of June, the moon was full but small, its light faintly red, like a bloody eye staring down at the dark expanse of earth.

Bang!

An explosive report shattered the night. An axe-shaped firework appeared in the sky above Linhu Town to the east, dazzlingly bright. It lingered for five breaths before gradually fading. This was the warning arrow unique to the West Canal Gate.

"Enemy attack! Send help..."

The courtyard was already in chaos. Most of those there were former members of the Red Flower Society who had only recently surrendered. Their hearts still unsettled, they ran outside like headless flies. Two figures stood beneath the eaves and looked up, their expressions changing sharply.

Bang, bang, bang...

Three more reports.

To the south, to the north, and over the lake to the west, axe-shaped fireworks rose in succession.

Man Zhan exclaimed in shock, "Attacking from all four sides at once-is it the Divine Dragon Cult or the Wolf Head Stronghold? How many have come... Have any brothers from the perimeter come to report? How many men? Which direction is the main attack coming from?"

"Everyone, stay calm!"

Ge Zhixiong descended the steps and strode into the middle of the courtyard, filling his voice with internal power as he roared.

"Stay calm!"

"Report!"

A man staggered through the main gate, his hair disheveled, his face and hands covered in blood. Carrying a sword, he approached the middle of the courtyard and spoke urgently. "Deputy gate master, the Divine Dragon Cult and the Wolf Head Stronghold have joined forces to attack us. Our brothers weren't prepared... Li Yu and Zhou Xiao are already fighting their way up from the south..."

The enemy is to the south! The other three sides are feints...

Having reached his conclusion, Ge Zhixiong was about to order his men to meet the enemy. But he had taken only five steps when he suddenly felt a chill at his back...

This is bad!

Beneath the night sky, Flying Crane's body seemed like a reflection in water swept by a gust of wind. He twisted left into a fully drawn bow, narrowly evading a sword thrust, then instantly sprang more than twenty feet into the air and struck backward with his palm without even turning his head.

Clang!

"Iron Sand Palm?"

The third sword thrust had pursued him into the air like a maggot clinging to bone, but the heel of his palm struck the blade precisely. A powerful surge of internal force traveled along the tempered-steel sword. Li Yu was horrified, immediately feeling the web of his hand split and his arm go numb.

The gap between his internal power and mine is too great.

Li Yu's figure dipped slightly. Stepping on a courtyard lamp post, he swiftly leaped onto the eaves.

Ge Zhixiong spread his arms in midair, bent his legs slightly, and landed on that same lamp post. A stabbing pain shot through his right leg-the second thrust had wounded him. He had dodged, but not completely. He looked upward.

The two had exchanged several moves at tremendous speed, their figures crossing as one rose and the other fell.

The onlookers had seen only a bewildering blur and could not tell who had held the upper hand.

Beneath the moonlight, on the eaves, the "West Canal Gate disciple" who had come to report raised his head, revealing a decidedly striking face. He held his sword lightly, giving the impression that he was holding a willow twig.

"How did you discover me?"

"No disciple of the West Canal Gate calls me deputy gate master!"

Had those four fireworks not distracted him and divided his attention, he should have noticed immediately.

"Flying Crane certainly lives up to his reputation."

Ge Zhixiong sneered. "Your lightness skill is hardly weak either. But for someone who styles himself the master of a cult to stoop to disguising himself as a West Canal Gate disciple and ambushing me is hardly open and honorable. Aren't you afraid the jianghu will laugh at you?"

Li Yu chuckled. "When it comes to ambushes, your West Canal Gate is still the expert. I'm merely returning tooth for tooth, blood for blood."

Ge Zhixiong seethed inwardly and said coldly, "There's no point in trading words. Come down, and we'll fight again, one on one!"

Li Yu's gaze was cold and stern, his right hand trembling slightly. That palm strike had carried considerable internal force. He had landed one thrust, but had not dealt his opponent a fundamental injury. Today, he had at least sounded out Ge Zhixiong's capabilities.

"The West Canal Gate is forever using numbers to bully the few and shooting hidden arrows to wound people. I came here for no other reason than to take you down a peg on behalf of the heroes of South Canal's jianghu. If you want a fight, we can arrange another time. Hahahaha..."

After delivering those words with his full internal force, Li Yu turned and stepped away, laughing loudly as he left. His figure bounded along, his blue robe fluttering. In just a few breaths, he vanished amid the overlapping rooftops, giving the West Canal Gate no time at all to mobilize its men and surround him.

Man Zhan roared furiously, "After him!"

Still standing on the lamp post, Ge Zhixiong said in a low voice, "Don't pursue him."

Man Zhan stamped his feet in agitation, looking up. "Brother Ge, he came here alone, caused an uproar, and dealt the West Canal Gate a heavy blow to its standing. If we let him escape so easily, how will we cow the jianghu of South Canal?"

Ge Zhixiong gave him a cold look. "Put away that beaten-dog look! This man has excellent lightness skill and considerable cunning. If we rashly pursue him, we're very likely to fall into a trap. Losing again after one defeat would be truly disgraceful."

"Then... what should we do?"

"The monk may run, but the temple cannot. We'll plan for the long term!"

Ge Zhixiong staggered slightly when he jumped down from the lamp post. His expression remained composed as he assigned tasks to the members. He judged that tonight was merely a retaliatory raid; they only needed to guard their doors well and give the enemy no opening.

The chaos was soon quelled.

Sixteen members of the West Canal Gate had been killed, and several houses had burned.

"Hmph. We killed fifteen people from the Divine Dragon Cult that night, so he killed sixteen of ours tonight. Tooth for tooth, blood for blood. Good. How ruthless!"

The jianghu had its own language, and most of its speaking was done with blades and swords.

By the time Ge Zhixiong entered his room, a patch of his trouser leg was soaked. He undid his outer robe, sat in a huanghuali folding chair, and gritted his teeth as he raised his right leg, letting a trusted subordinate cut away the cloth and clean the wound. The pain made him laugh aloud, his laughter brimming with killing intent.

"What a Divine Dragon Cult master! He has courage, and he knows the ways of the jianghu!"

Half his martial prowess lay in his legs. Had he not been ambushed first, Li Yu would never have escaped so easily.

"What a deep wound. What fierce swordsmanship..."

The black-clad man beside him spoke in shock.

"So tonight I've finally witnessed the Returning Wind Brushes the Willow Sword!"

Ge Zhixiong's face was ashen. He had sealed his acupoints in time to prevent excessive blood loss, but the internal power attached to the sword had been extraordinarily tenacious, like silk, like willow strands, slipping into his meridians. Although his internal power surpassed his opponent's by a margin, he could not immediately expel it.

The black-clad man asked worriedly, "Brother Ge, how does his martial skill compare to yours?"

Ge Zhixiong snorted coldly. "His internal power is only third-rate. In an open, one-on-one fight, he is absolutely no match for me!"

Man Zhan breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. The Yellow Crane in the Nine Heavens that Brother Ge cultivates is an extremely profound internal art. Never mind a third-rate fighter-even a second-rate expert couldn't possibly match your internal power."

Ge Zhixiong endured the pain of having medicine applied and his wound bandaged as he looked at the map of Gusu's jianghu situation on the table, which had not been put away in time. Blood had stained a patch of it red. His expression darkened, and his fingers clenched. "To possess such martial skill and cunning at so young an age-if we don't eliminate him early, he will surely become a grave threat to the West Canal Gate!"

Before tonight, neither of them had thought much of the Divine Dragon Cult, whose reputation exceeded its substance. After this uproar, both found it troublesome.

Man Zhan frowned. "The Divine Dragon Cult has close ties with the Seventy-Two Peaks, and Green Willow Manor backs onto Lake Tai. Even if we disregard the threat of the Wolf Head Stronghold, muster our men, and launch a full-scale assault, he could flee onto the lake and hide on any little island. If he keeps doing what he did tonight, we'll face endless trouble."

Ge Zhixiong looked at the two lotus-shaped candleholders. Over the course of the upheaval, the candles had burned down more than halfway. His eyes slowly brightened.

"Force him out and settle who's stronger! Once he dies, the Divine Dragon Cult will scatter on its own."

Man Zhan paused slightly. This seemed to be Zhang Hengye's old scheme.

In the battle at the Flower Reverence Pavilion, the Divine Dragon Cult master's might had shaken South Canal. Only twenty days had passed since then, and the whole story had already spread. Still, the same plan, used by different people, might meet with a different outcome.

The only concern was whether their opponent would take the bait.

Man Zhan reminded him, "Li Yu's martial skill is far inferior to yours, Brother. He gained a little advantage through an ambush. If he knows his own limits, he absolutely won't agree."

Ge Zhixiong slowly leaned back in the huanghuali folding chair, tilted his head back, and laughed. "Chen Youchun of the Beggars' Sect's Gusu Branch is greedy for wealth and women. Have him act as the intermediary. I don't believe the Divine Dragon Cult would dare refuse the Beggars' Sect face!"

"Dragging the Beggars' Sect into this... brilliant..."

Man Zhan's eyes lit up, and he praised the idea repeatedly.

Ge Zhixiong looked at the wound on his leg. It would take at least another month to heal completely.

"First prepare gold and beautiful women, and make contact with the Beggars' Sect."