Chapter Twenty-Four: Reunion

  Votes increased slowly, 12 tears ran... and then came back to continue canvassing T_T

  A flash of silver light, an aura of fury. In the blink of an eye, Yang Zhao drew out the Flying Wing short sword and counterattacked with a backhand slash.

  The sound of "clashing" echoed through the night sky, and the silver light was chopped like a silver wheel, spinning and flying upwards. The person who threw out the silver light let out a low cry of "ah", seemingly feeling extremely surprised that his fatal blow had no effect. With a joyful heart, he immediately burst into loud laughter and shouted: "Good little thief, come and receive another move from Li!" He leaped out of the house and flew to catch up with the silver light, which turned out to be a bright silver long spear.

  In an instant, countless silver lights flashed, like countless hailstones pounding down on his head. Yang Zhao felt that he was locked in by the silver gun's energy from all sides, and there was truly no way to avoid it. With no choice but to turn around and fight seriously, he transformed his palm technique into a sword technique. He unfolded the "Infinite Rain of the Four Symbols" that he had newly comprehended on the plank road the day before. The flying wing's divine tip turned into a flurry of fine rain, entwining the silver gun's energy with thousands of threads, dissolving that fierce attacking momentum one by one. By his ear, he only heard the clear and crisp sound of "ting ting tang tang" ringing out continuously, like large and small pearls falling onto a jade plate. Although the battle was fierce and perilous, it also made the onlookers feel delighted and pleased, truly a spectacular sight to behold.

  Both sides had exchanged over a hundred blows, and each other's moves were already familiar. The Silver Spear Guest shook his spirits, took a deep breath, and let out a loud roar. Thousands of spear shadows converged into one swift thrust, its power and momentum astonishing. Yang Zhao hadn't eaten for two days, and at this moment, his hands and feet felt weak; how could he still have the energy to fight hard? He dodged the heavy blow with ease, using the Mantis Questions Heart Circle to deflect the incoming attack, then shifted to the side, intending to use a clever trick to turn the tables.

  The silver spear shot out in a spiral motion, its force highly concentrated. Yang Zhao tried to brush it aside, but couldn't move it, and by the time he wanted to change his stance to counterattack, it was too late. The Silver Spear Guest let out a breath and shouted, transforming his straight thrust into a horizontal sweep. With great strength, he swept across Yang Zhao's waist, lifting him up like a baseball player swinging a bat. The young master flew backward like a cannonball, crashing into the guesthouse wall with a loud "Boom!" The humble earthen wall couldn't withstand this impact, and it immediately collapsed with a "Rumble". A large amount of dust and debris filled the air, obscuring everyone's vision. The Silver Spear Guest sheathed his spear and stood tall, his face cold and disdainful. Just then, the sound of tinkling jewelry came from behind him, followed by light footsteps descending from upstairs. The woman in the carriage called out softly, "Li Gongzi, what happened?"

  The Silver Gunman was about to turn around and respond when suddenly a rustling sound came from the pile of bricks, Yang Zhao pushed away the bricks that were pressing on his body and struggled to get up. Weakly waving his hand, he shouted: "Stop, stop, I'm not a thief!"

  "Miss!" The crowd was still unclear what was going on, when the little maid in yellow clothes ran back from the warehouse, tears streaming down her face, and rushed upstairs, throwing herself into the woman's arms. "That bad man, he...he...Waaahhh..." she sobbed pitifully. The woman was bewildered, patting the maid's back to comfort her, and frowned at Li Gongzi, saying:

  The Silver Gunner's eyebrows rose, and he shouted: "Sneaky and disheveled. One look and you can tell he's not a good person. I think he's probably a philanderer. Qin, the leader of the escort!"

  The commotion was so great that everyone in the inn was startled, and the escorts from the escort agency were no exception. They had already stood in the lobby of the inn, forming a triangular array to protect the woman behind them. However, Silver Gun Guest and Yang Zhao were still fiercely battling, and they couldn't intervene. At this moment, Silver Gun Guest gave an order, and Qin Wu'an, Hu Jing Shui, and Tuo Ba Wen Zheng exchanged glances before immediately picking up their weapons and rushing out to strike while the iron was hot.

  Tuoba Wen's stature was the tallest and his footsteps were the fastest. He rushed to the front of the brick pile first, shouting angrily: "You damned lecher! Look at your appearance, do you think you can pick flowers? Bah! My grandfather is so elegant and refined, but I don't have the guts yet. It's your turn to suffer first." He raised his giant knife, turned it over, and slashed at Yang Zhao with a swift chop.

  This slash is quite powerful, but it's nothing more than that. If you put it on the battlefield to kill enemies, it would be a great success, with unparalleled ferocity. But if you want to use it against me? Yang Zhao felt a strange sensation in his heart, thinking that even when he had just crossed over, he could easily defeat this black giant, let alone now. He was still half-lying on the pile of bricks and stones, and at this time, he didn't even bother to get up. With a flick of his right leg, he drew a small circle with his foot, using it as a substitute for his hand to perform the Mantis Questions Heart Circle. In an instant, everyone's eyes were dazzled, and they heard a loud, strange cry of "Wow!" Ta Ba Wen was flailing about wildly, flying from the east end of the inn yard to the west end, and with a loud thud, he crashed heavily to the ground, no one knew how badly he was injured.

  Qin Wu'an and Hu Jing-shui were both shocked at the same time, thinking that Yang Zhao had already been beaten by the Silver Gun Guest into a toothless tiger, but it turned out to be not so. Qin Wu'an's short spear flipped over and merged, "Ka" forming a double-headed long spear, shouting: "* , you left me right, go up!" The long spear rotated and stabbed rapidly at Yang Zhao's chest, who cried out in surprise, calling out: "Light cavalry charge, Blood Battle Ten Styles?"

  Blood Battle Ten Forms, originally in the world of "Twin Heroes", was a knife technique taught by Li Jing to Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling. However, Yang Zhao only found out after crossing over that this martial art was widely spread among the Sui army, and almost all junior officers would receive instruction. It's not just limited to knife techniques either, but also includes spear techniques, sword techniques, axe techniques, hammer techniques, halberd techniques, and many other variations.

  Yang Zhao initially followed the famous general of Sui to lay the foundation for practicing martial arts, and was often bullied by Lai Hu Er with this set of martial arts. So, he is very familiar with it and doesn't need to think much about how to deal with it. The flying wing short sword shines out in a flash, immediately opening up the double-headed long spear. Just as he was about to connect with another circle and force him to drop his spear, suddenly the knife light flashed, the sword energy was dense, and Hu Jing Shui on the side had already made his move, his sword moves were elegant and unexpected by Yang Zhao.

  Young Master Wang hastily dodged to the side, turned his head to take a closer look, and saw that Hu Jing Shui's left knife and right sword were even more ruthless than he had imagined. For a moment, he didn't know what kind of background his opponent had, nor did he want to really kill him. So, he used the Xiantian Bagua Step to dance around and observe, wanting to get a clear view before making a move. On the other side, Qin Wu An and Hu Jing Shui, the two escorts, saw their enemy retreat and became even more spirited. They joined forces again, one powerful and one agile, and coordinated perfectly. The three weapons flew up and down, forming a huge silver circle that surrounded Yang Zhao, making it seem like they had the upper hand.

  Yang Zhao dodged left and right, seemingly surrounded by danger, but in reality, it was all just a slippery mess. The three weapons, whether slashing horizontally or vertically, or stabbing and thrusting, always missed by a hair's breadth. After observing for a while, Young Master Wang discovered that although Hu Jing Shui's knife and sword techniques were extremely impressive, he seemed to be limited by his own abilities and couldn't fully unleash the power of his moves. If he had focused on practicing either sword or knife, it would have been better. But this guy didn't know what got into him, insisting on using both knife and sword at the same time. As a result, not only did he fail to gain an advantage from combining his moves, but he also ended up hindering himself at every turn, greatly reducing his martial arts abilities.

  In comparison, Qin Wu'an's Blood Battle Ten Forms may be just a common goods, but in the hands of this leader, it truly brings out the momentum of the bloody battle on the sandy field, and his inner strength cultivation is also relatively high. Therefore, although the moves are not as good as those of Hu Jingyi, the overall evaluation is still stronger than that of Hu Jingyi.

  The silver gunner beside him was still staring fiercely, with a strong killing intent like a thorn on his back, making Yang Zhao feel uncomfortable. As for the old man and the two escorts entangling each other, it didn't make much sense either. Although he was curious about Hu Jing's martial arts skills, Yang Zhao didn't want to continue this battle anymore. He retreated while fighting, gradually moving his footsteps towards the side of the inn near the street. Suddenly, he inserted the flying wing into his waist and burst out laughing, rushing straight up. The mantis claws were launched in a series of rapid-fire attacks, with each one falling as another rose, using a single move to knock down all the knives, swords, and spears. At the same time, he gathered water and fire energies under his feet, rubbing them together to create an explosive force that propelled him forward like a shooting star.

  The Silver Gunner's face changed slightly, and he hummed a cold tune as he picked up his silver gun and chased after him. Unexpectedly, just as he was about to leave the house, he suddenly stopped in his tracks again. Yang Zhao, who should have taken advantage of the opportunity to escape, was instead retreating backwards at this moment. Lifting his head to look around, under the clear light of the silver moon, on top of the earthen wall of the courtyard, a slender and elegant figure appeared, as gentle as a chrysanthemum, seemingly out of nowhere.

  She wore a blue long shirt, with a thin veil covering her face, making it impossible to see her appearance. However, her standing posture with her hands behind her back and gazing up at the moon was so noble and beautiful that it was as if she were the Goddess of Coldness, inspiring reverence in anyone who saw her, even causing them to feel ashamed of themselves.

  The Silver Gunner had long since harbored feelings for someone else, and although he was astonished by the beauty of this woman, he didn't pay much attention to her. However, as a master of the Negative Martial Arts, he surprisingly failed to notice when she arrived. He couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine, subconsciously gripping his silver gun tightly, focusing his energy and being fully on guard. Just then, the "Flower Thief" wrapped in two pieces of tattered cloth stopped in her tracks and bitterly laughed, saying: "Miss Fan, you really are something else. You've caught up with me again."

  That woman who suddenly appeared was naturally the successor of Ci Hang Jing Zhai, Fang Qing Hui Liao. Hearing Yang Zhao's voice, she lightly sighed and turned around, saying: "Yes, we meet again. The world is big, but why do we always keep running into each other, as if we can't avoid it?"

  Yang Zhao bitterly smiled and said, "In Buddhist terms, maybe this is fate? But even if it's really fate, I think most of it is just a cursed fate. Miss Fan, at this time we should be cutting off our emotional ties with the wisdom sword. Ah no, not possible. Your sword has already been taken away by me, there's nothing to cut."

  "Then... I suppose it's just fate. " Fang Qinghui sighed lightly, took a step back and turned to the Silver Gun Guest, bowed slightly and said: "I am Fang Qinghui, an outsider, nice to meet you, Brother Li."

  He was taken aback, and exclaimed in surprise: "You... Ah! Are you the Fairy of Purity?" He hastily put down his silver spear, and with a deep bow, he said sincerely: "I didn't know that the Fairy of Purity had arrived, I, Li, have failed to welcome you from afar, it's truly impolite."

  Yang Zhao saw the two of them chatting and thought to himself, "This is not good. That Li guy's martial arts skills are not ordinary, if he teams up with Fan Ni Gu to attack me from both sides, will I still be alive? It's better to make a quick escape." Just as he was about to run away, he saw Fan Qing Hui quietly move two steps to the side, perfectly blocking his path. He sighed and said, "You... are you trying to run again?"

  Her tone was not only devoid of any intention to take action, but also somewhat resentful. Yang Zhao felt a great headache and didn't know how to respond. Just then, the Silver Spear Guest suddenly asked, "Feng Xianzi, do you know this...this..."?

  Fang Qinghui turned back with a faint smile, but immediately transformed into that noble and elegant demeanor that was beyond worldly desires. He said: "I was just about to introduce you to Li Shixiong. This is..." Before he could finish speaking, Yang Zhao hastily interrupted him, saying: "My name is Yang Yu, I'm... a distant relative of the King of Yue. Haha, Li brother, how are you?"

  Yang Zhao's title was King of Henan, and Henan was also known as Yu Province during the Han Dynasty. He didn't want to reveal his identity in front of people from the Li family, so he gave himself a fake name. Although Yang Su, Duke of Yue, shared the same surname, he wasn't from the same clan as the Sui imperial family. There were many young men in his family, and it was likely that although the other person was a member of the Li family, they would have interacted with Yang Su normally, but it was unlikely that every single one of them knew each other.

  Yin Gun guest was stunned again, and then suddenly realized. The gaze swept over Yang Zhao's body, the unspoken meaning, all in silence. Yang Zhao smiled bitterly, also couldn't explain himself. Fan Qinghui's eyes flowed with waves, her bright eyes shining, as if she too found it amusing. But pretended not to see, changed his words: "Ah Yu, this is Tang Guo Gong's younger brother, Li family's young generation's most outstanding master, Li Shentong Li Shixiong. Last year on the Double Ninth Festival, Qinghui visited the Tang Guo Gong Mansion, so he has a connection with Li Shixiong."

  Li Shentong also gave Yang Zhao a fist bump and said, "I'm Li Shentong." After a pause, he furrowed his brow and asked, "So you're from the royal family of Yue State. No wonder your martial arts skills are so impressive. However... how is it that..."

  Li Shentong is Li Yuan's cousin, and it's said that his martial arts skills are not inferior to Li Yuan's. However, he didn't practice the Li family's traditional Seven Array Style, but instead created his own Divine Movement Eight Methods. These things aren't secrets, they're even common knowledge, and Yang Zhao had already heard about them from Hu Er's mouth. But the other person's question was really embarrassing, so it's better to avoid the main issue and be vague. He replied vaguely: "This... haha, the reason is very complicated... Simply put, I encountered some trouble and ended up without even clothes to wear. So... haha... I didn't expect that just as I was about to slip away, I bumped into that little girl and scared her half to death. Haha, in short, it's all a misunderstanding."

  "So that's how it is. It turns out the young master is not a thief and did nothing improper. On the contrary, I was the one who was reckless." The woman who had been standing by listening to both sides' conversation spoke up in a gentle voice, walked out of the house, and bowed her head to Yang Zhao, saying: "I apologize on behalf of Xiaoshi to Young Master Yang."

  Fang Qing's eyes swept over, and she said: "Is that Mingyue? We parted ways for a year, I didn't expect to see you again here." Her tone was filled with genuine emotion, revealing a hint of heartfelt joy. This was something Yang Zhao had never seen before since he got to know her. Just as he was about to exclaim in surprise, his stomach suddenly growled loudly, and he smiled wryly: "Ah, no need for formalities anymore. Since everyone is so happy today, why don't we all sit down and have a few drinks? Ah, right. That Li brother, if it's convenient, could I borrow a set of clothes to wear?"

  That bright moon everyone covered their mouths and chuckled, saying: "My humble abode also has a few sets of men's clothes. If Young Master Yang doesn't mind, please follow me this way."