The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 41 Qin-Han Battle Drums, Golden Treasure Gambling House

Chapter 41: Chapter 41 Qin-Han Battle Drums, Golden Treasure Gambling House

Early autumn was bleak, and the old street was gradually becoming chillier.

The cold wind weaved through the bluestone pathways, pushing the fallen leaves to flip and flutter, rustling as they scraped the ground.

Accompanied by the creaking and rumbling sounds, a cart led by an ox slowly approached from the end of the old street, against the morning light, as if draped in a layer of gold.

Aboard the cart, three large drums were securely placed.

Each drum, over a meter wide, bore a mottled black lacquer with a dark yellow oxhide surface, ancient and robust.

Though they were relics of a longstanding heritage, they still exuded an unmistakable aura, as if ready to emit heart-stirring drumbeats at any moment.

Before even approaching Wendao Temple, Li Yan and two others came out to welcome the visitor.

Wang Daoxuan stepped forward, clasped his hands with a smile, and said, "Mr. He, thank you very much."

The cart driver was an elderly man with salt-and-pepper hair, a face crisscrossed with wrinkles, wearing a dog fur hat, sitting sideways on the shaft, smoking a clay pipe.

Seeing Wang Daoxuan, he hurriedly jumped down, shook the reins to stop the old ox, and then cupped his fists with a smile, "Daoist, you are too kind. You saved my family’s lives; these material things are nothing in comparison."

After leaving the Zhang Martial Arts Dojo, Li Yan expressed his desire to find Qin-Han war drums.

A good drum, from material selection to crafting, and then painting and drying, takes a long time, and there was no time to spare, so they had to borrow one.

Fortunately, Wang Daoxuan knew an old artisan who had the drums to lend.

This old man, surnamed He, was also a figure in the pugilistic world.

Not all who belong to the pugilistic world practice martial arts or live by the blade; many are petty thieves, swindlers, or rely on a craft to wander the lands.

Old He ran a drumming troupe; whenever there was a store opening or a major event across Xianyang, he would perform to uplift spirits and earn some reward money.

In the world of pugilists, those involved in music, opera, and drum-singing were all part of the Li Family’s domain, hence he knew Wang Daoxuan.

After receiving the message, he personally came to deliver the drums.

Li Yan also politely thanked him and went forward to examine them.

The three war drums were quite old but still well-preserved; despite some wear, it did not hinder their use. After some maintenance, they would be impressive once again.

He gently touched them, growing fonder the more he looked.

The Qin-Han war drums were a tradition of Xianyang locals. Legend had it that a Qin flag-bearer retired, passing the war drums down to the villagers, and it had been handed down ever since.

Emperor Qin united the six states, and Han King conquered all under heaven, both invigorated their armies with these drums.

Seeing his interest, the old artisan showed a trace of gratification in his eyes, "I can tell, young man, you have a passion for drums. Giving them to you is indeed fitting."

Li Yan quickly waved his hands, "I’m just borrowing them; these are your livelihood, old master. I couldn’t possibly take them."

"I have no more use for them."

The old man shook his head slightly, reluctantly caressing the war drums, and sighed, "When I was young, I was so ambitious, always dreaming of being a drum king and gaining fame. Half my life has slipped by just scraping a living, and I even neglected my family."

"I wanted to pass them on to my son, but because I love drums, he hates them. He wants nothing of them and dreams only of making a name for himself in Jinmen."

"Now that I am old, I will follow him for a while longer, teach him the rules of the pugilistic world, and perhaps make up for my past neglect."

Wang Daoxuan frowned slightly and said, "Mr. He, your health..."

The old man waved his hand and said with a calm expression, "Returning to one’s roots isn’t that important. Wherever I die, that’s where I’ll be."

"Besides, with Emperor Qin’s drums shaking the Divine State, under the heavens and where the sun and moon shine, where isn’t home to an old man like me?"

"You are indeed broad-minded."

"Ha ha ha, what broad-mindedness—it’s just acceptance..."

The old man waved with a smile and turned away.

Others couldn’t persuade him otherwise and finally stuffed some silver coins as travel expenses into his hands before watching the stooped figure of the old man and the creaking ox cart disappear into the sunlight of the old street...

...

Boom!

Inside the courtyard, the sound of the drum resonated.

Li Yan gently tapped with his hand, feeling its vibrations.

The competition was set for the day after tomorrow; in such a short time, it was extremely difficult to improve in terms of techniques or experience.

The only possibility was to quickly master the Divine Drum Thunder Sound, at least to the extent of controlling Hidden Energy at will, to use it at a critical moment.

The Thunder Sound was essentially a more intense type of thunder sound.

The Qin-Han war drums were the most majestic, most suitable for practicing Divine Drum Thunder Sound.

The manual passed down from the ancestors of the Spring Breeze Class stated that the drums used for practice had to be specially made, from leather drums to wooden drums, ending with iron drums, all with specific methods.

Now, there was no time, so he had to make do with a regular war drum.

Thinking this, Li Yan squared his stance, his stomach contracting rhythmically and his diaphragm moving up and down as if compressing air, inhaling deeply several times before suddenly opening his mouth.

"Hum!"

Hum (hōng), a Buddhist Taoist mantra, also sounds like thunder.

Great Cloud Thunder Sound, a Buddhist Taoist Secret Technique, was practiced using this sound as a benchmark.

As described in the scriptures, some high masters from the Buddhist domain often practiced this during thunderstorms, and those without exceptional talent found it difficult to master.

Once mastered, the benefits were numerous.

It not only vibrated the fasciae and internal organs but, combined with the True Word, also cleansed the Divine Soul, cleared away distractions, and solidified the Fist Intent.

However, the technique had a drawback: it relied on external conditions.

Therefore, the ancestor of the Zhou Family combined it with his lineage, using the sound of drums to complement the practice—although not as vast as True Thunder, it was advantageous because it progressed gradually and could be practiced anytime.

As Li Yan uttered "Hum," his palm also struck down, vibrating the drumhead, producing a thunderous sound.

An impressive boom resonated throughout the courtyard.

"Excellent!"

Sha Lifei immediately applauded loudly.

"What excellence is there."

Li Yan smiled wryly, then shook his head slightly, pondering, "This Magic Method is perhaps more difficult than I anticipated."

According to the secret manual, the Divine Drum Thunder Sound has three challenges.

The first is the timing of the drumming, the drum sound and the "True Word" must resonate.

The second is switching breaths, using one’s body as the drum to unleash the Thunder Sound.

The third is control, mastering the intensity to avoid harming oneself.

This first step would likely take some effort.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Li Yan struck the drum a few times more, carefully feeling the vibrations of the drum surface.

Beside him, Sha Lifei found it boring, his eyes rolled, and he spoke, "Daoist, the food here is too plain. I’m going to get some beef to nourish myself these next few days!"

Having said that, he turned around and left the courtyard.

Li Yan was already fully concentrated, frowning in deep thought, paying no attention to what he said.

Soon, the sound of the drum rang out intermittently again in the courtyard.

...

Meanwhile, having left the courtyard, Sha Lifei first walked several rounds around the old alley, ensuring no one was watching or left special marks, before leisurely moving on.

He was very familiar with Xianyang City. Not taking the crowded main streets, he moved through the small alleys, turning left and right, intentionally selecting quieter places to go.

Before long, he arrived at West City Archway Street.

Named after a large archway from the previous dynasties, both sides of the street were lined with brothels and gambling houses, making it the most bustling and chaotic place in Xianyang City.

This street, relatively to the south, where merchants from north and south of the ferry stayed overnight, they always came here to unwind for the night, and the bladesmen, living from day to day, also spent most of their earnings here.

Hence, the Three Religions and Nine Sects gathered, a mix of dragons and snakes.

At this moment, it was still early morning. After a night of hustle, most of these brothels were still closed, with only the lingering scent of makeup drifting through the opened windows.

Every so often, lightly dressed women would comb their hair by the windows.

But Sha Lifei didn’t spare a glance.

He quickly walked to the front of a two-story building, looked up, and saw the door wide open with two tall and strong men standing at the doorway, their arms bare despite the cold, with leather and brass studded wrist guards.

Above the door hung a plaque boldly inscribed with "Golden Treasure Gambling House."

Some are addicted to lust, others to gambling.

In this vast Xianyang City, from high-ranking officials to ordinary laborers, whether people of the pugilistic world or those working for the officials, there were always some indulged in gambling.

The street was still quiet, yet inside the gambling house, there was already a bustling noise.

Not because the patrons had arrived early, but because they had been gambling all night!

Crash!

As Sha Lifei was about to enter, he saw the curtain shake, and a middle-aged man was pushed out, stumbling and falling face first into the ground.

Half of his face was scraped and bleeding, but disregarding it, he turned around and got up, begging, "Lend me some more, lend me some more... I’ll repay double once I win it back!"

"Mr. Lü."

A man in white came out, with broom-like eyebrows and narrow eyes, a smile on his lips but a cold gaze that was rather uncomfortable to meet.

He squatted down, patted the middle-aged man’s cheek, and sneered, "Calling you ’young master’ is elevating you, heed my advice, stop playing, you have nothing left to bet anyway."

The middle-aged man’s eyes were bloodshot, "I... I still have my life!"

"Your life is worthless!"

The man in white stood up, gestured, and the two door guards dragged the middle-aged man away and threw him into a nearby alley.

At this moment, he caught sight of Sha Lifei standing in the distance, his expression changed, and he put on a flattering smile, "Oh, Sha the warrior, it’s rare to see you here. Are you here to play a few hands today?"

"Get lost!"

Sha Lifei, without even looking at him, walked straight toward the door.

He knew the details of this man in white, an old cheat from the Hua Family.

They were in cahoots with the gambling house.

The first was "laying traps," observing people’s behaviors, finding wealthy young masters and sweet-talking them into the game.

The second was "manipulation," cheating them until they lost everything.

This gang even included a team with the "Swallows" who lured with beauty, Old Rong who specialized in faking and thieving, and the alert goons who did the dirty work.

Should you suddenly become wealthy, you would be targeted by this gang.

It had always been this way, throughout history.

Their methods were diverse, exploiting greed, beauty, familial affection, friendships, empathy... If you had a weakness, they had a trap to match it, even the most seasoned tricksters could be duped if careless.

The Young Leader of Spring Breeze Class had fallen for their schemes.

Sha Lifei naturally didn’t bother, pushing the man aside and entering the gambling house.

The white-clothed man snorted behind him and followed closely.

Inside the gambling hall, the air was thick with haze.

Above each gambling table, lanterns hung, surrounded by gamblers in disheveled clothes, eyes red, faces ashen, in the dim candlelight looking akin to starving ghosts.

The smell of sweat and smoke made Sha Lifei stagger.

"Damn cowards..."

Sha Lifei cursed under his breath, then held his head high and shouted, "The day after tomorrow, there’s a life-and-death challenge, does your Golden Treasure House hold stakes?"

His shout immediately drew many people’s attention.

"What’s all the shouting about?!"

The door to the second floor’s private room was kicked open.

A group of men in black surrounded a man as he came out of the room.

The man was not tall, appearing to be around thirty, but he had albinism, with a pale and slightly red complexion, and stark white, thick hair and beard.

He resembled, strikingly, a White Ape...