Chapter 1 An Overture

Dada-da—

Hooves pounded, raising a cloud of dust.

Twenty-eight riders, travel-worn, galloped along the official road.

"This road leads to Tongwu County. That Chen Feng is likely headed there next. I wonder if he's committed any crimes yet."

One of the riders, a middle-aged Jianghu (martial world) man carrying a sword, frowned as he spoke. This man was named Yan Hanjun, the head of the Qinglian Sect. In the Jianghu, he was known as "Lonely Moon Sword" and had quite a reputation in the south.

"We've been chasing him for ten days, starting from Ningtian. We should be able to intercept that Chen Feng soon."

Another burly man with iron rings on his arms spoke. This man was An Dafeng, the leader of the Sea Whale Sect, nicknamed "Iron Hand Blood Shark." He was also a prominent figure in the southern martial world.

"We're finally catching up. Let's kill this person as soon as possible, complete the orders of the dignitaries, and quickly return to report."

A lean old man with a saber at his waist spoke with vigor. This man was Lu Xilin, the head of the Taiyi Sect, the "Mystic Void Saber," also a well-known figure.

All twenty-eight riders were well-established Jianghu experts. They were either heads of sects or renowned veterans, joining forces to punish Chen Feng.

If a Jianghu sect wants to develop along a righteous path, it cannot avoid currying favor with influential figures and finding official backing. Therefore, these Jianghu veterans dared not neglect the invitations from several noble families in Ningtian and treated this task with great importance.

After all, even a small favor from these great figures would be enough for them to benefit greatly.

The others were quite envious of Shen Sanqiu, who led the group. Not only was he currying favor with the noble families like them, but he had also climbed up to the Yufeng Zhenren (Real Person) through his disciple. There would be countless benefits waiting for him in the future.

"It's getting late. We might not be able to reach the county town today. Let's find a place to stay for the night," Shen Sanqiu said, looking up at the sky that was gradually turning yellow.

The others nodded in agreement, with no objections.

The group slowed their horses to conserve their strength. After traveling four or five *li*, they discovered a dirt road branching off from the official road, leading to a rural inn. They turned onto it.

After a short distance, an inn came into view, surrounded by a fence. It was quite large in size.

The sounds of drinking and boisterous cheering from a drinking game came from inside the inn, indicating a thriving business.

The group led their horses forward, and a waiter quickly came out to greet them, bowing and scraping.

"Greetings, sirs! Are you here for a meal or a stay?"

"A stay. Take our steeds to the stables and take good care of them," Shen Sanqiu nodded.

Hearing this, the waiter quickly bowed and said cautiously, "Oh dear, sirs, you've come at a bad time. A few dozen guests just arrived and occupied most of the rooms. We only have three rooms left. Considering there are twenty of you, sir, what do you think?"

Seeing that these people were carrying swords and sabers, they were probably troublesome Jianghu people. Therefore, he adopted a humble attitude, apologizing repeatedly in a polite manner.

Shen Sanqiu heard the lively noises inside and knew that the waiter was telling the truth. He asked, "Are there any other inns nearby?"

The waiter said with difficulty, "Sir, we're the only village inn within ten *li*. There's a village market twenty *li* ahead, but it's getting late, and it will probably be dark by the time you get there..."

Hearing this, An Dafeng frowned and said, "There's no need for such trouble. Sect Leader Shen, let's just make do here for the night. I'll ask those people inside to spare us a few rooms. A little silver will solve the problem."

"Very well," Shen Sanqiu nodded.

"Sir, this..." The waiter was a little anxious.

The guests inside were also carrying weapons and didn't seem easy to deal with. He couldn't afford to offend either side and was afraid that a conflict would erupt over a disagreement.

Shen Sanqiu ignored him, told the others to tie up their horses to one side, and strode into the inn.

The hall was full of people, who were originally drinking merrily. Hearing someone enter, they turned to look.

Shen Sanqiu and his group entered and also observed the guests present.

The inn fell silent for a moment as the two groups sized each other up.

The group quickly discovered that the people inside included strong and muscular men as well as gaunt and thin farmers, all carrying weapons. They didn't seem like honest people.

Shen Sanqiu glanced around and suddenly spotted a familiar face in the crowd. He opened his mouth in surprise:

"Lin Song? What are you doing here?"

"Sect... Sect Leader?!"

Lin Song's eyes widened in astonishment.

The group inside was none other than Chen Feng and his companions, who had found a place to eat and rest, having arrived not long ago.

Hearing this, Guo Haishen and the others were quite surprised and curiously sized up Shen Sanqiu.

"Is this the expert known as the number one sword in Jiangchun?"

Fang Zhen looked him up and down, quite curious.

Shen Sanqiu wasn't sure where this group came from. He frowned and stared at Lin Song, rebuking, "Weren't you supposed to be escorting some goods to Luhe? Why haven't you returned to the sect yet?"

Lin Song came back to his senses, his face filled with terror. He subconsciously looked at Chen Feng, who was standing to one side.

At this moment, Chen Feng turned to face the doorway, looked at Shen Sanqiu, and said, "You're the Wu Mountain Sect Leader? What a coincidence, running into you here."

Currently, he was still in placement mode; Zhou Jing hadn't personally descended.

Hearing this, Shen Sanqiu and the others couldn't help but turn their attention to him. They realized that this person was muscular, exuded a fierce aura, and looked quite familiar.

Chen Feng?

The group immediately recognized him, their expressions changing slightly.

In recent days, the wanted posters for Chen Feng had been greatly increased in various prefectures, and the accuracy of the images had also improved. Now, he looked very similar to Chen Feng, making him easy to identify.

The group didn't expect to encounter their target in a village inn. They exchanged glances in secret.

Shen Sanqiu was even more puzzled. How did his disciple end up with Chen Feng? Had he turned into a bandit?

He composed himself, secretly making hand gestures behind his back, signaling everyone to prepare to attack. Then, he cupped his fist towards Chen Feng.

"Greetings, hero. I am Shen Sanqiu. I happened to be passing by this place, and seeing that it's getting late, I'd like to stay here for the night. I hope you all will be accommodating..."

Shen Sanqiu spoke politely.

Taking advantage of the fact that the other party's attention was focused on him, he suddenly twisted his body, creating an opening.

*Shua!*

A glint of cold light suddenly flew out from where he had been standing, heading straight for Chen Feng.

A Jianghu expert had used Shen Sanqiu's body to conceal his movements, secretly throwing a poisoned flying knife in a surprise attack.

Almost in the blink of an eye, the flying knife arrived in front of Chen Feng, swift and sudden.

Chen Feng's expression didn't change. He waved his large hand, striking first, and slapped the flying knife away.

With a *duo* sound, the deflected flying knife stuck into a beam of the inn.

"Hmph, petty tricks."

Chen Feng's palm was unharmed. He picked up the nearby *bintie* (fine iron) dragon-patterned spear and stood up.

"The visitors aren't friendly! Brothers, grab your weapons!"

Guo Haishen and the others changed their expressions drastically and stood up one after another.

At this moment, the group of Jianghu experts took the initiative to draw their weapons and scattered to attack.

"Kill! Leave no one alive!"

Shen Sanqiu roared and drew his sword, his sword movements swift and nimble, instantly cutting down two enemies beside him.

More than twenty Jianghu veterans fought wildly in the inn, instantly cutting down many people.

Their martial skills were outstanding, each of them capable of fighting dozens of ordinary people, who were not their match at all. Only the heroes of the Green Forest could withstand them for a while. However, the number of Green Forest experts around Chen Feng was less than half of their opponents, and they couldn't protect all their followers.

In this narrow indoor environment, the agility of this group of Jianghu people was even more effective, and they instantly engaged with Chen Feng's group.

In the eyes of these Jianghu veterans, Chen Feng's group were all important criminals wanted by the imperial court. Although some of them seemed to be ordinary villagers who didn't know martial arts, they wouldn't be soft-hearted at all.

"Courting death!"

Chen Feng roared and kicked the spearhead with a force as heavy as a mountain, directly stabbing at the nearest person.

"Good!"

This Jianghu veteran shouted loudly, actually raising his saber to block, treating Chen Feng as an ordinary martial artist and wanting to counter his move.

However, as soon as the blade touched the spear tip, it was bounced open by a twisting force and couldn't resist at all.

The Jianghu veteran's expression changed drastically. He wanted to dodge, but it was too late.

*Shua!*

In the next second, the spearhead directly pierced through the person's chest without any hesitation.

Chen Feng shook his spear, splitting the person in half from the middle.

*Peng!*

As if a water bag had exploded, blood splattered everywhere.

The brutal scene shocked the hearts of many Jianghu people.

Shen Sanqiu's eyes shrank suddenly, and he shouted loudly, "This guy is tough, cut off his wings first, then surround and kill this fiend!"

"Your grandfather is here, how can you be allowed to run wild!"

Chen Feng spun his spear and roared, directly charging into the crowd.

Many Jianghu experts knew that he had amazing strength and didn't dare to confront him head-on. They scattered quickly, wanting to fight him by moving around.

However, although their ideas were good, they were all useless.

Chen Feng was not only strong but also agile, wielding his spear like a giant bear and leaping like a fierce tiger.

Originally, an indoor environment wasn't suitable for a spear to be used, but all the obstacles blocking the spear's trajectory, whether they were tables, chairs, or pillars, were directly smashed to pieces and couldn't stop the spear at all.

As soon as he attacked, it was either death or injury, and no one could dodge.

No matter what martial arts this group of Jianghu experts practiced or what unique skills they relied on, none of them were a match for him.

Chapter 2 The Assassin

The twenty-eight people who came to punish him were all well-known experts. Now, they were being pinched to death by Chen Feng like chickens. In just a few breaths, they had lost six or seven lives. The others were terrified, their hearts trembling, and their souls fleeing.

"What martial arts are you practicing? How can you have such power?!"

Shen Sanqiu's expression changed drastically.

This was completely different from what he had expected.

He regretted it in his heart. He shouldn't have acted so rashly. He should have found a way to retreat first and take the Yanggong Dan (power boosting pill) before attacking.

However, this unexpected encounter would make the other party suspicious if he retreated rashly. Now, the arrow was on the string and had to be fired.

At this moment, Chen Feng didn't say a word and directly shook his hand and smashed his spear over.

Shen Sanqiu quickly used his *qinggong* (light body skill) to dodge, his steps changing, and retreated violently. Only then did he narrowly avoid the spear's edge, his cheeks stinging from the force of the wind. He was so scared that cold sweat broke out.

Just when he thought he had dodged this move, Chen Feng suddenly shook the spear tip, shaking out an invisible spear force that hit Shen Sanqiu's chest from a foot away.

Shen Sanqiu realized that something was wrong and urgently mobilized his energy to resist, and shifted his body to reduce the force, but he still suffered a heavy blow.

*Bang!*

He spat out a mouthful of blood and flew out, crashing through the wall.

"Splitting Force Energy!"

Seeing this scene, many Jianghu veterans were shocked and exclaimed in horror.

This kind of power was a legend that Jianghu people could only dream of. They had practiced martial arts all their lives and had never seen anyone use it with their own eyes. Today, they finally saw it.

"This person's martial arts have reached perfection. We can't fight him head-on, run!"

Yan Hanjun's eyes were tearing apart. He shouted miserably, quickly attacking with his sword a few times, as if moonlight was falling, forcing back the two Green Forest experts who were entangled with him. Then, he jumped out of the window without hesitation and fled.

Not far away, Guo Haishen and An Dafeng were fighting fiercely. Both of them were excellent in hand-to-hand combat. The four iron arms collided hard, but Guo Haishen's power was deeper and he had a slight advantage.

Seeing that Chen Feng was so fierce, An Dafeng didn't dare to entangle himself any longer. He endured a few punches from Guo Haishen, coughed up blood, and used the force to escape.

On the other side, the Taiyi Sect Master Lu Xilin and Hong Dingxian were fighting, using knives against each other. A long knife sometimes moved forward and sometimes backward, sometimes fast and sometimes slow, both real and illusory, and his knife skills had the upper hand, making Hong Dingxian struggle to parry.

But at this time, he didn't dare to fight any longer. He brushed his knife a few times to force Hong Dingxian back, stepped on his *qinggong*, turned around and ran.

Seeing this, the other Jianghu veterans also had the intention to retreat. They scattered like birds and beasts, forcing back their opponents and fleeing for their lives.

Their mounts were tied to the door of the inn. The Jianghu veterans who escaped jumped on their horses, without looking back, and galloped away in all directions, not caring about their companions.

At this time, it was better for their companions to die than for them to die!

Chen Feng chased and killed for a while, killing and injuring several more people. Seeing that the remaining people had run far away in different directions, he stopped chasing.

He turned back to the messy inn and asked loudly:

"What are the casualties?"

"Second Brother, we lost ten or so brothers, all of whom were poor people who have been following us recently," Fang Zhen said through gritted teeth.

The group of Jianghu experts ran away as soon as they saw the situation was bad. From the beginning of the fight to the end, the process wasn't long. The Green Forest people around Chen Feng weren't killed or injured. The people killed by the enemy were all villagers who had only recently followed them and hadn't had time to practice martial arts diligently.

"Bury them properly," Chen Feng responded.

At this time, Guo Haishen picked up a Jianghu veteran who hadn't breathed his last breath from the ground and forced him to ask why.

The man didn't dare to disobey and tremblingly told the whole story. Only then did everyone know the origins of this group of enemies and the reason for their sudden attack.

"Hateful! These Jianghu veterans actually act as government dogs!"

Guo Haishen roared angrily.

Fang Zhen also gritted his teeth hatefully: "It's a pity that we couldn't leave them all behind!"

Of the twenty-eight enemies, most of them died in Chen Feng's hands, and about ten of them escaped on horseback.

Chen Feng threw down the person in his hand and said coldly: "It doesn't matter, the monk can run away, but the temple can't! Wu Mountain Sect, Qinglian Sect, Sea Whale Sect, Taiyi Sect... Since these Jianghu sects have attacked us, I will return the favor and visit them one by one, smash their mountain gates, and seize their martial arts!"

Guo Haishen nodded, and didn't say that stealing martial arts was a taboo in the Jianghu. He wasn't pedantic, and if others did the first day of the month, they could do the fifteenth.

At this time, Lin Song suddenly gritted his teeth and stepped forward to speak:

"Brothers, I am willing to help you."

The others turned their heads to look, their eyes questioning.

Lin Song calmed himself down and said helplessly: "The Sect Leader is at odds with you, and he recognized me here. He will definitely think that I am with you and regard me as a traitor. I have nowhere to go. I hope you brothers will take me in. I am willing to serve you."

Shen Sanqiu was shot by Chen Feng and seriously injured, but after cleaning up the battlefield, his body was not found. Obviously, he dragged his injuries and ran away on horseback.

The Sect Leader had run away. Lin Song knew that from now on, he would not be able to stay in the Wu Mountain Sect. It was impossible for Chen Feng's group to take him to get the ransom, so he would lose his use.

In order to protect himself and avoid being used by this group of people to vent their anger, he felt that he could only choose to express his intention to join them, and there was no other way.

The others turned to look at Chen Feng, waiting for him to decide.

Chen Feng nodded: "Then you can follow us."

After speaking, he ignored Lin Song, took out a money bag and threw it on the counter, scaring the shopkeeper and waiter hiding behind the counter.

"A little silver, as compensation."

Chen Feng said casually, without looking at the shopkeeper's reaction, and turned to clean up the battlefield and bury his brothers with the others.

...

On the other side.

Shen Sanqiu drove his horse wildly, his face as pale as paper, and blood spilled from his mouth.

"Cough cough... This Chen Feng is so good, how can there be such a talented martial artist in the world..."

When he thought of the bloody storm just now, his liver and gallbladder trembled, and he was frightened.

Shen Sanqiu tremblingly took out the healing pills from his sect, swallowed them into his mouth, and silently practiced his skills to heal his injuries on the horse.

Although he had taken a blow from the Splitting Force Energy and was seriously injured, fortunately it wasn't fatal and he could still hold on.

He was already scared out of his wits and didn't dare to rest for a long time on the road.

After escaping for several days, he felt completely safe and slowed down.

That night, Shen Sanqiu settled down in a broken temple.

It was raining outside, and he was warming himself by the fire in the temple.

"Alas, this matter couldn't be accomplished, and I can't report back to Ningtian. I have also provoked a strong enemy like Chen Feng. This is a big loss..."

Looking at the crackling firewood, Shen Sanqiu stared blankly, his mind in a mess.

Just then, there were footsteps outside the broken temple, and someone was approaching.

"Who is it?!"

Shen Sanqiu came back to his senses, suddenly drew his sword and stood up nervously, already a startled bird.

The next moment, a man wearing ink-green and green-patterned attire walked into the broken temple, with two swords hanging on his waist, soaked all over.

This person looked heroic, but at this time his expression was gloomy, as if he was full of worries, it was Duan Yunfeng.

Seeing Shen Sanqiu's nervous appearance, Duan Yunfeng glanced at him, then cupped his fists and said in a deep voice:

"I am passing by this place, just to stop here to avoid the rain."

Shen Sanqiu saw that this person was also a practitioner, and was wary in his heart, and said: "I have already occupied this place, you can find another place."

Duan Yunfeng frowned: "I walked in the rain for a long time before finding this place, just to come in and avoid it. Moreover, the broken temple has no owner, brother, don't push your luck."

After speaking, he ignored Shen Sanqiu and walked straight into the broken temple, went to the corner and sat down, avoiding the firelight, hiding in the darkness, and couldn't be found at a glance if he didn't look carefully.

"A rude person..."

Shen Sanqiu muttered in his heart, but it was not good to drive people away again, guarding the fire, secretly guarding against Duan Yunfeng.

The two were speechless and ignored each other.

After a while, there was suddenly a sound of horseshoes outside the temple, and a team of soldiers stopped outside the temple.

The team of soldiers tied up their horses and walked into the temple to avoid the rain. They saw Shen Sanqiu by the fire at a glance.

"Eh, isn't this Sect Leader Shen of the Wu Mountain Sect?"

The leading soldier recognized Shen Sanqiu and asked curiously.

Shen Sanqiu raised his eyes and looked, but he didn't recognize this person, and asked in surprise: "Do you know me?"

"We are from Ningtian Prefecture. We happened to meet Sect Leader Shen half a month ago," the soldier captain cupped his hands, his expression polite.

Shen Sanqiu understood, looked at the group of people, and asked: "What are you doing here?"

"A few days ago, someone assassinated the emperor in disguise. The assassin is missing. The Prefecture dispatched soldiers from the city and sent out teams of people to find the assassin's whereabouts. We are one of the teams." The soldier captain responded casually.

"What? The emperor was assassinated?!"

Shen Sanqiu was slightly stunned. He left Ningtian Prefecture before the incident happened and had been in the wilderness for a while, so he heard about this for the first time.

"That's right, it is said that the court was furious, and those adults issued a death order to capture the assassin. Those who perform meritorious service can be promoted and rewarded... It's just that we don't know the assassin's appearance or name, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack. We only know that the assassin is good at using dual swords and can kill in and out of the Imperial Guards, which is very remarkable. If Sect Leader Shen is free, why not go with us for a while?"

The soldier captain invited.

"Good at using dual swords?"

Shen Sanqiu was stunned and subconsciously looked at the dark corner on the other side.

The soldier captain was puzzled and looked along his gaze, only to find that there was another person in the temple.

Seeing Duan Yunfeng's appearance in the shadows, he couldn't help but be stunned.

Duan Yunfeng was expressionless, secretly counted the number of people present, then silently got up and slowly drew his sword.