Chapter 55 Making a Name

Having mastered the Shaolin Seventy-Two Arts over the past two to three years of rigorous training, the three elders of the Beggars' Band possessed martial arts skills that were no longer what they used to be.

However, Duan Yanqing had comprehended the Muscle-Changing Classic, making him even stronger than them!

Fighting three opponents at once, Duan Yanqing showed not the slightest sign of losing the upper hand.

Seeing Duan Yanqing act with such arrogance, the other Beggars' Band disciples rushed forward to help one after another. Unfortunately, a gust of wind swept by, causing a stinging sensation in their eyes and a flood of tears, instantly rendering them completely immobilized.

Not only were they immobilized, but even the martial artists gathered within the Apricot Grove were unable to move a muscle.

"Heh..." Duan Yanqing casually flicked his staff a few times, causing the three elders of the Beggars' Band to vomit blood.

"Poison..." One of the elders tried to speak, only to find he could not utter a word.

The poison they had fallen victim to was none other than the legendary "Tragic Wind of Bliss," a colorless and odorless poisonous gas.

Once poisoned, tears would flow like rain, hence the name "Tragic"; the entire body would become paralyzed and unable to move, hence the name "Bliss"; and because the toxic gas was colorless and odorless, it was called the "Clear Breeze."

Just as their bodies stiffened entirely, they abruptly heard the mournful wailing of horns in the distance, followed faintly by the thunderous sound of a large troop of horsemen galloping from several miles away.

Watching everyone collapse to the ground with dull thuds, Duan Yanqing felt a deep sense of satisfaction.

When he and the Xixia Realm-One Hall had come to the Central Plains, their very purpose was to weaken the strength of the Central Plains martial arts world. After arriving, a subsequent investigation had unexpectedly revealed that he had somehow become framed as the murderer of the Beggars' Band's deputy chief.

He had already received intelligence regarding the affair at the Apricot Grove long beforehand, which was why he had been lurking outside the grove the entire time. To his surprise, he had then heard that he was supposedly the mysterious person who had taught the One-Finger Zen to Qiao Feng.

How utterly bizarre!

When had so many scapegoats and false accusations been heaped upon his head?

Yet, as a notorious villain whose crimes filled his ledger, a louse-ridden dog never fears more bites. He might as well make use of this misunderstanding to sow discord and cause a split within the Beggars' Band, and then eliminate the martial artists gathered in the Apricot Grove to complete his mission!

Truly, Heaven was aiding him!

Therefore, he had simply admitted that he was the one who taught Qiao Feng the One-Finger Zen, and then made a move to rescue Qiao Feng!

In this way, Qiao Feng had fallen into a vat of mud; even if it wasn't excrement, it would be treated as such!

As the sound of hoofbeats drew closer, a troop of roughly fifteen or sixteen armored Xixia horsemen appeared.

"Kill those who don't matter! Take the rest away!" Duan Yanqing called out to the troop of Xixia cavalrymen.

"Hold on!"

"Hold on!"

Suddenly, two cries of "Hold on!" echoed across the Apricot Grove.

One of the cries came from Duan Yanqing, who had suddenly remembered that he needed to leave a couple of living prisoners.

Otherwise, who would spread the notoriety of their evil deeds?

The other cry came from Shi Fei.

Nibbling on melon seeds, Shi Fei remarked, "With several living people like us right here, you're planning to kill everyone? Isn't that a bit too arrogant?"

You couldn't blame Duan Yanqing for not noticing Shi Fei earlier; Shi Fei had been sitting quietly in a corner cracking melon seeds, maintaining a very low profile.

The toxic poison known as the Tragic Wind of Bliss had no effect on Shi Fei whatsoever. The moment the poisonous wind approached, he had covertly released a surge of inner breath, altering the direction of the toxic wind and blowing it entirely toward Murong Xing and Duan Yu.

Having ingested the Man-Heart-Devouring Crimson Toad, Duan Yu was immune to all poisons, which meant Murong Xing ended up absorbing the entire wave of the Tragic Wind of Bliss meant for that area.

It irritated his eyes to the point where tears streamed down uncontrollably.

Murong Xing glanced at Duan Yu, then at Wang Yuyan, and finally at Azhu and Abi.

He was certain of it—Shi Fei had definitely done this on purpose!

He was the only one who had been poisoned!

"Hmm?" Only then did Duan Yanqing notice Shi Fei and his group of companions.

His gaze was first drawn to Duan Yu, because Duan Yu was a member of the Duan family and was currently making faces at Yue Laosan, the God of Fierceness and Evilness.

Back in Dali, through a twist of fate, Yue Laosan had taken Duan Yu as his master. Every time Yue Laosan encountered Duan Yu, he invariably ended up being toyed with.

Only afterward did Duan Yanqing notice Shi Fei, who was still cracking melon seeds, alongside the men and women surrounding him.

In particular, the pile of melon seed shells and watermelon rinds at Shi Fei's feet made the corner of Duan Yanqing's eye twitch involuntarily.

A person like this, if not a fool, must certainly possess formidable backing.

"May I ask who Your Excellency is?" Duan Yanqing asked cautiously.

"An idle wanderer of the martial world!" Shi Fei replied.

Seeing that none of them in the group had been poisoned, Duan Yanqing deduced that the other party was unfathomably deep, and said, "If Your Excellency wishes to leave, please feel free!"

He had no desire to complicate matters with extra branches, but his subordinate, Yun Zhonghexin the Wicked-est of the Wicked, was an insatiable lecher.

The moment Yun Zhonghe arrived, his eyes fell upon the stunning, flower-like women surrounding Shi Fei—each one more breathtaking than the last—and he found himself utterly unable to restrain his lust!

Without a second thought, he leaped forward, lunging directly to grab Wang Yuyan.

"You can leave, but you must leave one behind to keep your grandfather company and bring him joy!"

His eye for beauty was not bad; Wang Yuyan was indeed exceptionally gorgeous, possessing an heroic bearing that added a unique charm other women lacked.

However, he severely underestimated Wang Yuyan's prowess.

Facing Yun Zhonghe as he flew toward her with lightness kung fu, Wang Yuyan let out a cold laugh. Then, amid a sound resembling a dragon's roar, a powerful, robust palm strike hit the precise flaw in Yun Zhonghe's grabbing posture.

Wang Yuyan was deeply familiar with all the martial arts of the world and could easily discern the weaknesses in other people's techniques.

While this sounded useful in theory, it wasn't always practical in reality. During the heat of battle, one's moves and physical reactions were often much faster than the brain!

By the time you figured out someone's flaw, your body had already reacted accordingly!

It was only effective when bullying weak opponents; against true masters, it was completely useless.

Much like Qiao Feng, whose attacks followed no fixed routines and were executed entirely according to his own will.

Yun Zhonghe never expected the palm force of this young maiden to be so formidable. By the time he wanted to alter his stance, it was already too late.

With a resounding "smack," Yun Zhonghe was sent flying backward by the blow.

Next, he saw a full moon.

In broad daylight, where would a full moon come from?

Very soon, he realized that it was not a full moon, but the flash of a blade!

The blade light flickered and vanished in an instant, and Yun Zhonghe uttered no further sound as his body split into two halves, his entrails and brains spilling all over the ground.

The person who had drawn the blade was not Wang Yuyan, but Azhu.

Watching Azhu—who usually wore a smiling expression—suddenly unleash a flash of blade light that cleaved Yun Zhonghe cleanly in two, Duan Yu felt a chilling sensation ripple down his spine.

No one could witness that single blade stroke without feeling a chill down their back.

Because that blade represented death.

"Meddling in other people's business!" Wang Yuyan glared at Azhu, who had just sheathed her blade, and let out a cold snort.

Ever since they were children, she and Azhu had never quite seen eye to eye.

Azhu merely put away the wooden saber in her hand and said indemptively, "He was a lecher! Any lecher encountered must be executed on the spot!"

That wooden saber was as black as iron, and strange symbols were carved onto it: "NMSL."

According to what Shi Fei had said, these symbols represented the most venomous curse within the Nine Nether Hells, capable of bringing bad luck to anyone!

Staring at Yun Zhonghe, who had been cleaved into two halves, Duan Yanqing's expression darkened as he said, "Are Your Excellency and your companions deliberately trying to make things difficult for us?"

Shi Fei replied with a look of astonishment, "I was sitting right here eating melon seeds, watching the commotion, minding my own business and keeping out of worldly disputes. The moment you arrived, you deployed poison and tried to kill all of us."

"And you even sent your subordinate to grab my cousin."

"If my cousin hadn't been the female overlord of Suzhou with a bit of strength to her name, she might well have fallen victim to your scheme!"

"Clearly, you were the one making things difficult for us; how did it somehow turn into us making things difficult for you?"

"Turning black into white and completely unreasonable—this is the caliber of the dignified deposed crown prince of Dali! Truly disappointing!"

"The deposed crown prince of Dali?" Duan Yu exclaimed in shock.

The ugly man before his eyes was actually the deposed crown prince of the Kingdom of Dali.

Duan Yanqing's expression shifted drastically, and he asked in a strange, grating voice, "Who on earth are Your Excellency?"

"Who I am is not important. What matters is that you offended us first—are you prepared to pay the price?" Shi Fei asked.

"What price does Your Excellency want?" Duan Yanqing asked, maintaining his guard inwardly.

Shi Fei said, "Your heads, to help make the female overlord of Suzhou famous!"