Chapter 81 Hunting [New] Let the people of Blackwood Cliff fight amongst themselves...
Grain in Ear (芒种).
You Mingjiang left Pingding Prefecture alone on horseback.
She rode swiftly along the official road to the dock in Zhengding Prefecture. She had heard that the current Prefect of Kaifeng, Bao Zheng, was incorruptible and a brilliant judge of cases, quite unlike those incompetent and foolish officials, and that he also had a skilled swordsman like Zhan Zhao by his side.
She had no intention of provoking the other party for the time being, so she deliberately bypassed Kaifeng Prefecture on her route and instead planned to follow the Hutuo River, Ziya River, and Wei River into the Grand Canal, and then turn onto the Huai River and Ying River to reach Ganzhou.
After traveling for a short while, she arrived at a dock on the outskirts of Zhengding Prefecture, adjacent to Taipingzhuang Village.
You Mingjiang dismounted and walked towards the ferry.
Her expression was serene, as if she couldn't perceive that this dock, which should have been bustling with activity, was eerily quiet.
A river breeze swept through the willow branches, bringing dampness and a faint, almost imperceptible, smell of blood. She didn't stop walking, but her gaze already swept over several unnatural marks on the riverbank.
The area is flat and open, and as far as the eye can see, the willow branches along the riverbank have sprouted tender green buds.
At the dock, several thick wooden stakes were driven deep into the ground, with an idle ferry tied to them.
A tall, dark-skinned boatman sat at the bow, and the ferry swayed gently with the current, making a creaking sound.
This young woman seemed shrewd and capable, exuding a cleverness. As You Mingjiang approached, the black bear, disguised as a boatman, revealed a hint of greed in his eyes.
"Hmph, the more like this a person is, the more 'benefits' they can squeeze out." Black Bear licked his lips. This woman's flesh looked firm and smooth; it should be tender and chewy to eat.
You Mingjiang could tell at a glance that the boatman was a skilled fighter.
He was tall and strong, and clearly practiced a powerful external martial art that relied on brute force to overcome skill.
But she didn't point it out; instead, she leisurely sat down on the boat.
The dark-skinned bear looked at her, and she looked back at the bear.
Her eyelashes were damp with moisture, but her cool, indifferent eyes pierced through the rain and mist, fixed firmly on him.
The look in his eyes was like that of a hungry wolf eyeing its prey, which sent a chill down the black bear's spine and gave him goosebumps.
The two northern bears are cannibals, but under her gaze, the black bear felt more like prey.
Fortunately, You Mingjiang simply smiled and politely said, "Let's set sail."
The black bear breathed a sigh of relief, mustered all its strength, and swung the bamboo pole to quickly push the ferry to the middle of the river.
.
Seeing You Mingjiang's innocent face and his complete lack of vigilance as he boarded the pirate ship, Black Bear couldn't help but chuckle to himself: He's nothing special.
He thought to himself: those rumors are mostly exaggerated. No matter how powerful this young lady is, she can't escape his grasp.
Black Bear had even begun to fantasize about how to capture her, a smug smirk appearing on his face.
He could almost hear her piercing screams and smell the scorching aroma of flesh roasting over the fire.
Seeing that she seemed completely unaware, and that the boat was already in the middle of the river with nowhere to escape, the black bear could no longer contain his excitement. He lowered his voice and said in a sinister tone, "Young lady, have you ever heard of the 'delicacies' on the ferry boat? Generally speaking, there are two kinds: one is called 'board knife noodles,' and the other is called 'wontons'..."
This is the slang of bandits.
"Ban Dao Mian" refers to hacking a guest to death with knives and then throwing the body into the river; "Bao Wonton" means tying up a guest's hands and feet and throwing him into the river to drown.
You Mingjiang blinked and said slowly, "So, would you like to treat me to some sliced noodles, or some wontons?"
The black bear's mouth stretched wider and wider, his ferocious grin growing more intense, revealing a set of menacing yellow teeth: "Those are ordinary meat coupons. For coupons like this young lady's, I usually prefer to work as a laborer, eating human flesh buns—"
Before he could finish speaking, the black bear suddenly pounced on You Mingjiang.
"Flank!" At the same time, the polar bear suddenly dug a hole in the bottom of the ship.
The Twin Bears of the Northern Desert honed their fist and palm skills in the desert, cooperating seamlessly with each other, and were especially adept at pincer attacks. Once they struck, the two attacked from both sides, making them difficult to defend against.
The black bear pounced with tremendous force, its paws aimed straight for You Mingjiang's shoulders, intending to cut off her escape route. It had calculated that on the swaying boat, she had no chance of completely dodging. Furthermore, the leaking hull and the rushing river water forced her to act quickly, knowing that haste would inevitably expose an opening.
You Mingjiang knew without turning around that the white bear was standing behind her, attacking from both sides, and they wanted to take her life.
She shifted her body slightly, a movement so subtle yet so precise that it thwarted the black bear's determined grab. As the bear's fist grazed her cheek, she seized its pulse point, releasing her inner force. The black bear instantly felt numbness and weakness in half its body, its strength completely dissipated. She then used her hand to push the black bear's body forward, blocking the white bear's attack.
Before the polar bear could stop, its powerful fist pierced through the black bear's navel, instantly causing its intestines to burst open.
Yu Mingjiang was kind-hearted and couldn't bear to let the white bear witness the black bear's miserable state. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he grabbed the white bear by the neck, gently twisted it, and snapped the white bear's head back.
In this way, the polar bear would never again see the black bear's miserable state.
.
As the river water gradually overflowed, You Mingjiang sighed softly. She caught sight of a bamboo pole lying across the river, lightly touched the ground with her toes, and leaped onto it, landing steadily.
The bamboo pole was thin and round, floating on the turbulent current, yet she moved as if on flat ground, her clothes barely fluttering.
Imagine, she was able to shoot down a man in front of Chu Liuxiang and escape unscathed. Even if her lightness skill wasn't unparalleled in the martial arts world, it was more than enough to protect herself.
The ferry tilted and sank in the torrential rain.
It gradually sank to the bottom of the deep river.
In an instant, more than twenty dark figures sprang up from both banks, their hands gripping bows and arrows, the arrowheads wrapped in tinder soaked in black oil and set ablaze. The burning arrows were not extinguished in the slightest, and they were all aimed at You Mingjiang.
These archers were clearly well-trained, not ordinary bandits; their staggered positions blocked all her possible avenues for maneuver. The rockets not only brought flames, but also light and smoke, intended to disrupt her senses.
With a light touch of her toes on the bamboo pole, it floated steadily across the middle of the river. You Mingjiang looked up at both banks, and a sudden understanding dawned on her. She wiped the rain from her face and couldn't help but sigh.
Why are they here to kill her again?
This is never going to end.
Whether by water or land, I've lost count of how many times I've done this.
.
For some people on Blackwood Cliff, You Mingjiang is no longer the inconspicuous newcomer she once was.
When she first entered the martial world, she could barely draw a bow with a weight of three jin (approximately 1.5 kg). But after returning from Bat Island, she seemed like a different person. Every day, she would rise at dawn to train her arm strength by lifting a hundred-jin (approximately 50 kg) stone weight, and she could draw the bowstring for three hours straight, gradually increasing the target from ten paces to a hundred paces. In just half a year, she could easily draw a strong bow with a weight of one shi (approximately 0.5 kg).
Such a rapid pace of progress has startled many of the elderly people who have spent years working their way up Blackwood Cliff.
What's even more unsettling is her ambition. She doesn't want to be a wealthy idler, nor a caged bird.
She wanted to gain a foothold on Blackwood Cliff, to wield real power, and even to the point of seemingly standing shoulder to shoulder with a saint.
Recently, some people have even started distributing porridge and providing free medical care at the foot of the mountain to win over the hearts of the people. This is no longer a small-scale operation, but rather a grand strategy.
"A quack doctor, shaking his tattered tiger-shaped cane, thinks he can be the reincarnation of the Medicine King?" someone scoffed. "Can he save one person, or the whole world?"
But there was a barely perceptible tension in his laughter.
It was no secret that Dongfang Bai valued her highly.
She didn't associate with unknown figures in the martial arts world, but with people like Chu Liuxiang, Ye Kai, and Fu Hongxue.
Each of these is an opportunity that is difficult for others to achieve.
Now it's even more incredible; the leader's token has been given to her, and the position of Left Envoy of Light is vacant.
On Blackwood Cliff, someone finally couldn't sit still any longer.
"We must nip her in the bud before she gains any power."
.
"Elder You—don't rush off, we haven't had a proper chat yet."
Ji Wushi said loudly, as if inviting an old friend to reminisce, but his tone was forceful and left no room for refusal, "Since we have met unexpectedly today, why don't you stay a little longer and have some fun with us?"
With his eyes half-closed, You Mingjiang stood on the bamboo pole and said calmly, "Unlike you gentlemen, I have plenty of free time. I have important matters to attend to now, so please excuse me. See you at the Dragon Boat Festival banquet another day."
After saying that, she paused, then casually added, "Oh, I forgot, none of you are qualified to enter Chengde Hall."
These words immediately caused an uncontrollable commotion among the people lying in ambush on both sides of the river. Chengde Hall was the important meeting place of Blackwood Cliff, and only those who could enter the hall were the core members.
Her words were tantamount to a public slap in the face.
As soon as he finished speaking, rockets from both sides of the strait were launched at the figure on the bamboo pole.
With a gentle turn of the bamboo pole, water splashed everywhere, creating a glistening mist on the river surface.
Her figure blurred in the mist, as if she had turned into a wisp of smoke. The rocket crashed into the water, the flames went out instantly, leaving only a string of rapid bubbles.
The arrow pierced the water and was swallowed up by the rushing river in the blink of an eye. Looking closely, there was no one left in the river.
Just as everyone was searching for her, she silently surfaced about ten feet downstream, took a deep breath, and then submerged again, swimming swiftly and silently downstream like a fish. It turned out she had already planned her escape route.
.
The pursuit not only failed to harm her in the slightest, but also resulted in the loss of many of their men.
The two bears of the northern desert lay dead at the bottom of the river. More than twenty archers had toiled in vain, failing to even touch the hem of her garment. If the news reached Blackwood Cliff, those who planned this ambush would surely lose all face.
For a moment, everyone stared blankly at the sunken bamboo pole, the rumbling of thunder and rain seeming to mock their incompetence. No one dared to jump into the water to continue the pursuit; a silence filled the air, a mixture of resentment and fear.
The rain washed away the surprise and doubt on their faces, and some people began to subconsciously back down.
"She got away!" Huang Bolu said in a deep voice. "Let's go back."
Ji Wushi chuckled and interjected, "Backing down when faced with trouble, is that the style of the Tianhe Gang leader?"
Huang Bolu's face instantly turned bright red, and he retorted angrily, "Then what do you suggest we do? Are you suggesting we risk our lives here?"
His roar made everyone's eardrums ache, and for a moment, everyone fell silent.
The red-robed monk Xibao watched with a silent, cold laugh.
He knew Huang Bolu's character all too well: on the surface he pretended to be generous and willing to sacrifice himself, but deep down he was very shrewd. How could he be willing to give up the Tianhe Gang's assets?
“This You Mingjiang is indeed quite capable, but unfortunately, as long as Xie Xiaofeng lives, no one can touch Shenjian Manor,” Ji Wushi said slowly.
Zhou Gutong interjected, his voice hoarse: "My wife and I saw Xie Xiaofeng unleash a sword strike from afar back then, just one strike... and we felt that half a lifetime of martial arts training had been wasted. That's a realm that no human can reach." His wife, Wu Baiying, also nodded silently, her eyes still tinged with the fear of the past.
The group of heroes remained silent.
The soul of Shenjian Villa is naturally Xie Xiaofeng, the unparalleled swordsman of our time. No matter how powerful a swordsman is, he will eventually be defeated and die, but Xie Xiaofeng seems to have transcended that day.
Back then, Yan Shisan's Fifteen Deadly Swords could have defeated him, but he managed to survive against all odds, making that sword a legendary feat.
From then on, the sword was the man, and the man was the sword.
At this level, everything in heaven and earth can be a sword, so how could one be defeated?
The Tongbai Twins are ruthless, but when Xie Xiaofeng is mentioned, their voices become very low, as if they are afraid that the person from Shenjian Villa, who is thousands of miles away, will hear their discussion and take their lives with a single sword stroke.
At the foot of Cuiyun Peak, beside the Green Water Lake, lies Shenjian Manor.
That was a place that inspired fear.
Neither the Western Demonic Cult, the Sun Moon Cult, nor the Azure Dragon Society dared to easily set foot in that area.
It was like a sacred place, a forbidden zone marked by Xie Xiaofeng's long sword, where no one dared to cross the line.
Back then, the Demonic Sect sent several elders to challenge them, hoping to establish their authority in the martial arts world.
But in just three days, these people were defeated by Xie Xiaofeng's sword, becoming yet another witness to his reputation as a "sword god".
You Mingjiang is doomed this time.
The thought arose in everyone's minds almost simultaneously. No matter how brilliant she was, facing that almost mythical sword god, the outcome seemed predetermined.
“But, but…” someone hesitated, their voice trembling slightly. How could they explain their unauthorized retreat?
You Xun was always shrewd and cunning, prioritizing his own interests above all else. He smiled easily and said, "Let's go back and report. So many brothers have died; we've done our best."
“Besides,” he lowered his voice, a cunning glint in his eyes, “it would be a far more ingenious strategy to force her into the Divine Sword Manor and then have Xie Xiaofeng eliminate her, thus using one tiger to devour another.”
Someone chimed in, "Yes, Shenjian Manor is a place where there is almost certain death. We'll just have to wait to hear the news of her demise."
After a moment of silence, everyone nodded and turned to leave.
Let the people of Blackwood Cliff fight amongst themselves.
.
.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com