The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 178 - 133 Snowy Night in Daming Village_2

Chapter 178: Chapter 133 Snowy Night in Daming Village_2

"Spin the wheel! Don’t stop in wind or rain!"

Slap!

The driver, a young man, shouted loudly, whipping his horse fiercely, the sound echoing through the streets as several carriages charged into the blizzard.

As he said, the road to the Great Ming Palace was clear.

Carriages, enveloped in the blizzard, moved swiftly without any obstruction; there were no night watchmen or patrolling soldiers to be seen.

This was the prowess of the Carriage Shop.

One should not underestimate this road that led to the duel.

In the pugilistic world, some disregard the rules, openly talking of negotiations and challenges, but in reality, they lay ambushes along the road, striking treacherously.

Though the Carriage Shop seemed to have only a few carriages, many workers had already scouted the road and even bribed the night watchmen and patrolling soldiers to avoid them.

If someone tried to stop them, they would strike fiercely and kill.

No one understood the nature of the Fire Bear Gang in Chang’an better.

They definitely had strength, otherwise, they couldn’t establish a foothold in the chaotic Chang’an and its mix of dragons and snakes.

The Fire Bear Gang was generous in their spending, many skilled fighters from Green Forest Road and evil magicians were driven and bought by them, and behind them, there was rumored to be the shadow of a high official from the Commander Department.

But this group was utterly despicable in their actions.

Indeed, in the alley the carriage was about to pass, a group of people vaguely appeared, moving a manure cart with mules.

"Remember, wait for my command."

"Big brother’s strategy is great, covering themselves with manure, let’s see how they will lose face later..."

Before he could finish, a group of adept fighters from the Carriage Shop rushed out, swinging their whips, wailing and howling those men down.

The leader, covering his nose, scolded, "A bunch of useless fools, extorting money by spilling manure, tricking people with manure, do you like it that much?"

"Brothers, let’s give them a taste!"

"Eat it all, don’t allow them to leave!"

As they spoke, the carriage had already passed through the street.

"Quite a lively night..."

Inside the carriage, Li Yan covered his nose and slightly shook his head.

The carriage arranged by the Long-sheng Carriage Shop was not small; he, Wang Dao Xuan, and Sha Lifei were in one, while Feng Feiyan and Crimson Yaksha were in another.

Hearing his words, Sha Lifei, guessing something, smiled and said, "Let’s not talk about anything else, but this boss Feng sure has a lot of influence."

Li Yan’s mind stirred, and he made several hand signs.

This was the hand signal language of the pugilistic world, used when it was inconvenient to speak, covering many cryptic terms of the Spring Festival.

Li Yan meant: hawks, covert, be vigilant.

Sha Lifei and Wang Daoxuan suddenly understood.

The three of them now had an unspoken agreement; what to say and what not to say in front of Mr. Feng was clear in their minds.

As the night grew deeper, the blizzard intensified.

The streets were slightly slippery, but the drivers who were all skilled navigated quickly, undeterred by the risk of overturning.

Soon, they arrived in front of the gate of Anfu, the original imperial city.

Because the Taiji Palace and Great Ming Palace had been abandoned, it had been renovated as one of the exits from Chang’an.

Though it was a small gate and sparsely populated on ordinary days, there was still a military guard, and it would be closed at night.

But now, the gate was already open.

The carriage whistled past, and the guards, as if blind to their passage, only yawned after the team passed, then lazily closed the gate.

Seeing this, Li Yan shook his head slightly.

The Great Xuan Dynasty had been established for a hundred years, the national strength increasingly flourishing, but the most recent large-scale war had still been the rebellion at the Northern Border.

In the inland areas, the military preparedness was inevitably slackened.

In the past, such situations would have led to beheadings.

But now, looking at it, it probably happened often.

Of course, this thought was fleeting.

Once out of the city gate, the carriage did not slow down, weaving through the remnants of the Taiji Palace in the snow, and within the time it took an incense stick to burn, they arrived at the ruins of the Great Ming Palace.

In the blizzard, the ruins of the Great Ming Palace appeared even more desolate.

The majestic palaces were now only remains of walls and broken tiles, with occasional wild foxes and badgers roaming in the snow, standing on the ruins, watching this group of uninvited guests from afar.

Li Yan maintained his Divine Skills throughout, soon discerning the heavy scent of people and the smell of burning wood.

Indeed, faint flames could be seen ahead, and the carriage had come to a stop.

Several people jumped down from the carriage, and in a ruins ahead, a roaring bonfire had been lit, and several tents had been pitched.

On the perimeter, numerous faction disciples were holding torches and sharp blades for defense.

Inside, a few people were sitting beside the bonfire chatting. Seeing the carriage approach, they all stood up and walked over.

"Ha ha ha..."

Before the man arrived, his hearty laughter could already be heard, "Boss Feng, you seem quite at ease; it looks like you’re holding all the winning cards!"

The speaker was a white-bearded elder.

He was exceptionally tall, his face suntanned, his white beard bristly, his nose broad and mouth wide, and as he walked with large strides, he exuded the aura of a fierce beast.

Two people followed beside him.

One, a middle-aged man dressed in sheepskin, had an indifferent look in his eyes, a Meteor Cone hung at his waist, and a bamboo basket on his back that seemed to have something alive jumping inside...

The other, a young man in a blue robe, had a fair complexion and a scholarly air but wore white gloves and held an iron fan.

"Boss Tie jokes."

Feng Feiyan covered her mouth and chuckled, "I’m just a woman who couldn’t stand the Fire Bear Gang using their power to bully others. The real action is up to these gentlemen."

"You all certainly recognize Crimson Yaksha Luo, this here is Sha Lifei, this gentleman is Daoist Wang Daoxuan, and this is..."

"Eh, I know,"

The white-bearded elder laughed heartily, "That old Zhou Pan has always displeased me, wanting to plot against the Divine Fist Association. I had wanted to teach him a lesson, but Brother Li beat me to it."

"That old Zhang Yuanshang has a deep connection with me; he has mentioned you before, so naturally, I should take care of you."

"That makes us practically family then."

Feng Feiyan followed with a smile, "Let me introduce, this is Hall Master Tie from the Broker Brotherhood, this is Mr. Lu from Chang’an Carriage Shop, and this is Hall Master Bai from the Community of Brokers."

"Greetings to the seniors."

Li Yan bowed respectfully, "I have just arrived in Chang’an, and there are still many unfamiliar roads. Thank you all for coming to help."

Lu from the Chang’an Carriage Shop responded indifferently, "We’re just here to strengthen the ranks, to prevent the Fire Bear Gang from bending the rules, or reneging on agreements afterward, taking advantage of their numbers."

"Winning or losing in the duel will depend on everyone’s skills."

The remark was somewhat rude, and from his demeanor, it was clear that he was reluctant to be there and wasn’t optimistic about their prospects.

Hearing this, Tie’s face showed a touch of displeasure, "Hallmaster Lu, this isn’t just about the Mystical Sect, but also about the Chang’an Five Elements. Since Chairman Wang has promised, don’t be a killjoy."

Lu from the Chang’an Carriage Shop nodded slightly but didn’t say anything more disheartening.

Li Yan wasn’t bothered.

Being a newcomer, although he had made a name for himself in Xianyang, he still had little interaction with the Chang’an Mystical Sect, so it was normal not to be favored.

Seeing this, Hallmaster Bai from the community, a scholarly looking young man, smiled and deflected the topic, "Everyone, Hallmaster Lu means well. The Fire Bear Gang and that Liu Wenchen keep things tight, and we still don’t know who they have invited."

"This time, it’s probably going to be hostile..."

Hearing this, Tie’s expression became serious, and he nodded, "The Fire Bear Gang has always been at odds with our Five Elements. Hearing that the Five Elements were pushing back, they’ve also been restless."

"It looks like they’re probably planning to make things difficult for us."

Swoosh!

While they were talking, a signal arrow suddenly shot up from the opposite direction.

Li Yan turned his head and saw from hundreds of meters away, in the snowy wind, the faint glow of the enemy camp.

And between the two groups lay a palace foundation, large in size, with many snow-covered broken walls, resembling a labyrinth.

Hearing the signal arrow, Tie sneered, "It seems that the ones bearing the surname Bear can’t wait any longer. Let’s go and meet him!"

With that, he led everyone towards the palace foundations.

At the same time, fiery dragons emerged from the snow on the opposite side.

There was also a large open space beside the palace foundations.

Both parties hadn’t walked long before they met, stopping simultaneously about tens of meters apart, facing each other off.

Li Yan looked up and saw the leader from the opposite side was a burly, bearded man with a fierce face, dressed in a black fur coat, a large Jade Trigram Plate hanging around his neck.

He looked like a giant black bear.

Li Yan’s attention was drawn to the Jade Trigram Plate.

This object, circulating with Astral Bane Energy and forming a defensive stance, was a protective amulet, and felt significantly more powerful than his own previously owned Hundred Battle Plate.

Ordinary fierce ghosts and evil spirits probably couldn’t even get close.

This leader of the Fire Bear Gang seemed to be quite wealthy...