Splash...
Ye Xingge darted out of the window, his eyes sweeping over the crowd below before spotting the horrified, yellow-robed rich man who had looked up.
He immediately stomped heavily on the suspended walkway connecting the two floors with one foot, and his whole body shot towards the ground like a falling meteor, leaving a trail of dark red blade light along the way!
Sa--
The guards protecting their young master were terrified upon hearing the sound and drew their swords in unison.
As soon as Zhang Jin looked up and saw Ye Xingge charging towards him, his eyes filled with disbelief, he didn't hesitate to use his legs to propel himself towards the north wall as if he were taking off from dry land.
Boom--
The next instant, the figure, accompanied by a flash of light, slammed into the ground, cracking the white stone tiles, and then relentlessly pursued the wall.
Zhang Jin moved swiftly between the buildings, knowing that being blocked by Ye Xingge would mean certain death, and dared not linger for even a moment.
However, the Wind-Traveling Talisman increases speed by 70%, so those who can outrun it don't need to run at all, and those who need to run absolutely cannot outrun it.
Zhang Jin hadn't run far when he saw a figure leap over the alleyway and land in front of him. His gaze immediately sharpened, he gritted his teeth, lowered his shoulders, and slightly bent his legs.
Clang--
With a muffled thud, cracks appeared in the blue bricks of the alley.
Zhang Jin's movements may seem small, but the " Bow Body, Springing Shadow " technique of " Vast Gang Fierce Bridge Force " makes his body leap up like a scallion from dry land, soaring more than ten feet into the air!
Ye Xingge intended to intercept, but found that even though the other party flashed forward, facing the incoming cannonball, he used his left hand to intercept it, and his body used the force to fly back, landing steadily in the courtyard, his eyes showing a slight doubt.
After all, this person was young but had a very solid foundation in martial arts, yet he was not carrying any weapons, which was unlike a normal martial arts practitioner.
Knowing that this Living Taisui wouldn't let him go, Zhang Jin landed on the eaves and then leaped into the courtyard again, his steps as swift as a dragon soaring across the wilderness, attempting to get close to the blade with his bare hands.
Wandering Dragon Steps...
Ye Xingge had already gone too far in killing Qian Zhong. If he didn't find out more about this man's background before silencing him, the Great Beauty Luo would have made a sharp, explosive sound. At this moment, she didn't draw her sword, but instead stepped forward with both feet and delivered a seemingly simple yet skillful elbow strike!
Seeing that the other party had a knife but didn't use it, Zhang Jin thought that this Ye Grand Duke Jupiter was a man of martial virtue and disdained to take advantage of weapons.
But the next second, he felt he might as well just take a knife and chop him up!
Bang! Seeing the elbow strike coming from the doorway, Zhang Jin used his left arm to entangle it, while his right hand struck the doorway with a half-step collapsing fist from the Esoteric Xingyi.
But to his utter surprise, Ye Grand Duke Jupiter, who was in front of him, turned his elbow strike halfway through and then smoothly transformed it into a blocking and shoving hand from the bottom up, just like the one in the Esoteric Xingyi.
Upon seeing this, he immediately used the "Hawk Piercing the Forest" technique from the Piguaquan, attempting to deflect a single-armed punch into the center.
But Ye Grand Duke Jupiter in front of him then pulled back, turned over and twisted his waist, swinging his arms back and forth, using the Wulong Pan Strike from the Piguaquan style, striking continuously up and down.
slap slap slap--
Piguaquan emphasizes striking from a distance and storing strength within softness!
Ye Xingge moved with graceful, arched movements, transforming his arms into steel whips. He swung them around with wide, sweeping motions, and in an instant, a series of firecrackers exploded in the courtyard. The whooshing wind and energy from his palms overturned the surrounding debris.
No matter what moves Zhang Jin used, he was countered and taught a lesson. His eyes were filled with horror and confusion. After three or five slaps, his arms were almost numb.
Moreover, Ye Xingge's wrist and arm span were astonishing, and his perfect distance control made it impossible for Ye Xingge to land a straight punch. Ye Xingge could only grit his teeth, cover his head and neck to protect himself, and try to kick Ye Xingge's shin with Chuojiao.
The "Chuojiao" Chuojiao is known as " Chuojiao three inches of soil." Its movements are stealthy and extremely powerful; if one is not careful, one's leg bones can be broken.
But before Zhang Jin could make a move, Ye Xingge's descending right foot abruptly stopped, and he instead raised it upwards, kicking at Zhang Jin's shin as he was about to exert force.
Bang!
With a muffled thud, Zhang Jin's face contorted instantly, and he lost his balance, collapsing to the ground.
Thump~
To avoid being finished off, Zhang Jin endured the excruciating pain, kicking and swinging his arms in an attempt to block the completely incomprehensible punches and kicks.
Hoo hoo hoo~~
But the anticipated fatal blow did not come.
Ye Xingge Chuojiao his attack, one hand behind his back, calmly watching the yellow-clad man flailing his arms on the ground. Though he didn't speak, his eyes conveyed a similar meaning:
"Hahaha~ With your lousy skills, you can't beat me..."
Zhang Jin was clearly stunned by the attack. His eyes widened in fear, and he tried to block the blows with his hands and feet before realizing that his opponent had stopped.
Although he didn't know why, he instinctively retreated until he was against the wall, staring at the figure in front of him as if he were looking at a possessed old demon!
After all, he had personally witnessed Ye Xingge five opponents at Shangjin Ferry, proficient in all kinds of weapons, and his strength was indeed formidable. However, he used common martial arts moves, which Ye Xingge could understand and believed he could exchange a few blows with.
But when it comes to fists and kicks, this Living Taisui seems like a completely different person.
The moves were a jumbled mess, yet flowed smoothly and seamlessly. He still couldn't figure out how to generate power from a direct elbow strike to turn it into a blocking and lifting hand, not to mention the long string of firecrackers that followed.
Moreover, he used the same tactics as his opponent, and even managed to strike first despite being the one to attack later. This wasn't a one-on-one fight; it was more like an old devil playing with a child.
Any martial artist who is hit like this would probably have their resolve shattered on the spot, and would never be able to muster the will to practice martial arts again.
Zhang Jin's arms were almost numb from the blows, and his right leg was also kicked, leaving him limping. He tried to stand up by pushing himself against the wall, but fell back to the ground, his eyes filled with incomprehension.
"You... what kind of kung fu is that?"
"Free fighting, commonly known as 'omnipotent'."
Ye Xingge's martial arts skills were indeed superior to his combat techniques.
After all, he had always been at odds with his second uncle since childhood, constantly scheming against each other.
In a fistfight, a hit won't kill you, and a missed hit will at most leave you bedridden for half a month.
Swords, spears, and halberds, on the other hand, could really cause serious injury if one were hit, so both sides would certainly be wary of them.
Therefore, he spent most of his childhood honing his bare-knuckle fighting skills, and his military fighting skills were developed in recent years while helping the government with official business.
If they were evenly matched and fought one-on-one without weapons, he was confident he could kill ninety percent of the people on the Gold List with three punches.
As for the remaining ten percent, they are extraordinary people like the second uncle who "observe the Dao through his nephews".
Not only did they steal all his Muay Thai, Sanda, and Jiu-Jitsu skills, but they also used their twenty years of extra training to turn the tables on him, arm wrestling and kicking his chair, then. "Hahahaha~ In war, strategy is the best policy, and all's fair in war..."
If you can't develop real skills through this, then something truly strange would happen.
At this moment, Ye Xingge carefully examined the yellow-robed figure sitting on the ground:
"He's learned a wide variety of martial arts, including the Bow Body, Springing Shadow, the Open-Gate Eight Extremes' style, the Esoteric Xingyi, and the Northern School Chuojiao ' style... but he's not proficient in any of them."
Driven by a desire for revenge, Zhang Jin had been practicing martial arts diligently since childhood, making a living in the Seven Hundred Mile Dongyuan Lake. He may not have encountered any of the most outstanding talents on the Gold List, but he had never lost a fight and considered himself to have achieved some minor success.
But given Ye Xingge's stance just now, if he hadn't held back, two punches would have definitely sent him flying. He couldn't even understand the intricacies of the first move, and he didn't even know how he died.
Is this the threshold for choosing a master for a divine weapon...?
Zhang Jin gritted his teeth and stood up against the wall, his eyes fixed on an unshakeable deity.
"With such skills, why are you serving as the Emperor of Yan's lackey?"
Ye Xingge shrugged slightly:
"Everyone has their own ambitions. At least I have never committed any unjust acts or broken the law. I killed Cao Xiong's men without hesitation. And who are you serving? The Later Zhou of Western Shu?"
"..."
Zhang Jin guessed that Qian Zhong was dead, and after thinking for a moment, replied:
"I'm just a nobody in the martial world, I don't work for anyone, I only want to kill Emperor of Yan to avenge myself. Emperor Huai Huai's mysterious death was orchestrated by Emperor Ai, but it was the Eight Pillar States of Hezhong were behind it..."
"?"
Upon hearing these seemingly familiar words, Ye Xingge blinked and carefully examined the person:
" Yang Tuyan already said these things last time. You're a assassin hired by the Eight Pillars Hall to plot an assassination attempt on the emperor and frame the Cao Clan during the birthday banquet? Was Qian Zhong also involved?"
"..."
Zhang Jin was indeed surprised; his former assassin Yang Tuyan, had already mentioned it.
But Yang Tuyan's experience was similar to his. Huang Guan hired assassins to kill the emperor, so they must all be orphans like them, burdened with blood feuds and disregarding life and death. It's not surprising that they would use similar phrases.
Seeing Ye Xingge, Zhang Jin responded:
"I know more than Yang Tuyan. My grandfather was Zhang Zhiping, who served as a court attendant and other positions, serving Emperor Huai and Emperor of Yan. Later, he was implicated in the ' Song Wei treason case,' and his entire family was killed by Emperor of Yan..."
Gibberish...
Ye Xingge listened carefully and quickly grasped the information Zhang Jin had provided:
When Emperor of Yan ascended the throne, many veteran officials in the court outwardly submitted, but secretly attempted to restore the legitimate dynasty.
Zhang Zhiping was one of them, but as a minor official on the fringes, he couldn't shake the overall situation and could only secretly study the ins and outs of the Xiao Clan's plot to seize power.
Although Zhang Zhiping held a low-ranking official position, he was quite knowledgeable, having previously served as a court attendant, assistant minister of the Ministry of Rites, and secretary of the Imperial Secretariat.
According to his account, Emperor Huai and his younger brother, Prince of Ning, were like brothers since childhood.
However, in the ninth year of the Xuande reign, when the Eight Pillar States of Hezhong came to the capital to offer birthday greetings, Xiao Bieli, a cousin of the Xiao Family, had a chance encounter with Prince of Ning on the street and they chatted briefly in the carriage.
It was obviously taboo for a minister with military power to contact a prince. At the time, someone reported it, but Emperor Huai did not pay attention and suppressed the matter. Very few people knew about it, but Zhang Zhiping, who served as the Imperial Diarist, recorded the matter.
Then, in the twelfth year of the Xuande reign, the emperor and the crown prince died suddenly. Prince of Ning was rescued and ascended the throne, becoming the later Emperor Ai.
According to Zhang Zhiping, Emperor Ai was gentle and humble before ascending the throne and relied heavily on his elder brother. However, after ascending the throne, he seemed to be stimulated by his brother's death and gradually became suspicious and bloodthirsty, almost slaughtering all his brothers and collateral relatives who had the right to inherit the throne.
At that time, the ministers such as Heaven-Observing Decree, Chancellor Li, Wu Chenglie, and Cui Fo were only in their thirties or forties and had not yet taken power. Meanwhile, several power-hungry and scheming officials emerged from the older generation. After more than ten years of such turmoil, the situation of the Great Zhou Dynasty deteriorated rapidly, and righteous armies appeared in various places.
The most crucial matter was that someone accused the Yang Clan, the Marquis of Liaodong who guarded the north, of treason. Emperor Ai was furious and summoned the Yang Clan to the capital under the pretext of bestowing rewards upon them.
However, the Yang Clan received advance notice and knew that Emperor Ai was suspicious and bloodthirsty, and that his return would surely result in his death and the extermination of his clan. So, they made a snap decision and actually surrendered to the Northern Liao, which led to the barbarians of the Mobei marching south and ravaging the Central Plains.
What followed was the arrival of the Eight Pillars of the State in the capital to quell the rebellion. They discovered that Emperor Ai Emperor Ai his brother to seize the throne. Unable to refute this, Emperor Ai went mad, was placed under house arrest, and died. Xiao Clan then ascended the throne.
According to Zhang Zhiping's guess, the source of all this should be the contact between Xiao Bieli and Prince of Ning!
Zhang Zhiping originally intended to compile these documents and hand them over to the loyalists of the Great Zhou for verification, but shortly after Emperor of Yan ascended the throne, Xiao Bieli began a massive purge, and Zhang Zhiping was also among the targets. Zhang Jin was thus exposed among the common people...
Ye Xingge listened attentively to Zhang Jin's account, then frowned slightly.
"These are all personal speculations, without any empirical evidence, so what's the point?"
Zhang Jin leaned against the wall and said in a deep voice:
"Unfounded speculation is useless, but if this is true, then the person who caused the world to fall apart and the people to suffer is not the Yang Clan and Emperor Ai, but the Emperor of Great Yan and all the court officials sitting in the palace. Now, very few people know about this, and I can't take it to my grave."
Ye Xingge actually knew that Zhang Jin and Yang Tuyan were telling the truth most of the time.
But he had already told Yang Tuyan before that the Great Yan had usurped the throne by force, and bringing up these things would only ruin its reputation. With the three dynasties competing to see who was worse off, it would be difficult to shake the Great Yan's rule.
According to his understanding, Xiao Bieli was once the second-in-command of the Xiao Clan, the teacher of Murong Xie, a confidant of the Emperor of Yan, and was enfeoffed as the Prince of Qingzhang after the founding of the country. Now nearly eighty years old, he is enjoying his retirement in the Prince's Mansion. Before retiring, he was a top-tier Second Rank -class talent.
This old bastard can't use the Great Memory Restoration Technique at all right now.
Ye Xingge thought for a moment, then asked:
"Was it Qian Zhong who contacted you this time? Did Black Dragon Island dare to attempt an assassination? Who were you in contact with in the capital?"
Zhang Jin shook his head. "We won't tell Qi Zi about this. Neither Qian Zhong nor I know who the person we contacted is; we only address him as Mr. Huang. Besides, if this gets out, Qian Zhong will definitely be branded as a traitor to his sect, and the blame won't fall on the person behind it."
Ye Xingge thought about it and agreed, but with such a big tiger hiding in the capital, neither the Mountains and Rivers Association nor the Heaven-Observing Pavilion knew its identity. If they didn't find out, he would definitely feel uneasy doing things in the capital in the future. He thought for a moment and then asked:
" Qian Zhong has a fresh wound on his chest. Who stabbed him?"
"Today at Shangjin Ferry, Mr. Huang asked me to kill someone to test my courage."
"Oh..."
Ye Xingge suddenly realized.