Yan Shouyi had not truly made a move yet, but his companions were already displaying their sharpness. Although outnumbered by the lowly thugs blocking their path, their presence alone completely overwhelmed the opposition.
These thugs, despite their fierce appearance, seemed as weak and helpless as caterpillars when faced with such overwhelming strength. Their dragon tattoos appeared insignificant.
"Yan Shouyi, just give the word, and I'll chop them all," Wang Jiwang said, turning back.
Yan Shouyi shook his head. "Chopping people in the street is too cruel."
The thugs quickly expressed their support. Previously, outnumbering the group, they had been emboldened. But upon seeing Yan Shouyi himself, they realized they had been manipulated.
Once their minds cleared, they no longer wished to be cannon fodder. Seeing Yan Shouyi speak for them, they even felt a touch of gratitude.
Unexpectedly, Yan Shouyi then declared, "Arrest the men and castrate them. Disfigure all the women. I think that's more appropriate, so they don't cause trouble in broad daylight again."
The thugs: "..."
Yan Shouyi, you're truly inhuman!
To think we felt a sliver of gratitude for you moments ago. Now it seems you and your father deserve a thousand lashes!
The thugs were enraged but dared not make the first move, standing in place, impotent in their fury.
Meanwhile, Wang Jiwang and his group had received the message. Wang Jiwang rubbed his hands together, sharpening his cleaver, and said with a sinister grin,
"This cleaver hasn't tasted any little princes yet. It's perfect for practicing!"
Luo Ning sneered, "My zombies' fingernails carry a corpse poison. A single scratch on their faces will surely cause the entire flesh to rot. Perfect for disfigurement!"
Listening to their chilling descriptions, the thugs trembled, already regretting their involvement.
They were momentarily confused as to who the bad guys were – themselves, or Yan Shouyi and his companions.
Abbess Guan Yun stood in the rear, smiling and observing Yan Shouyi and his peculiar companions.
"Attack!"
A Gong let out a low cry, and the paper figures swarmed forward. The others also charged into the crowd, engaging in a chaotic melee.
A group of less than ten individuals charged into a crowd of a hundred, yet it was like wolves entering a sheep pen. They sent their opponents scrambling, begging for mercy.
Zhu Feifeng, watching from before the carriage, couldn't help but marvel.
He had always believed Dragon Tiger Mountain was the pinnacle of power. Now, witnessing Yan Shouyi and his group's prowess, his convictions began to waver.
Dragon Tiger Mountain was merely the orthodox lineage of the world. Perhaps folk sects were the true origin of all cultivation...
In the shadows of the forest, several figures maintained their distance, hidden in darkness, unable to see each other's faces, all concealing their auras.
"I told you we shouldn't have hired these misfits. They couldn't stop Yan Shouyi."
"We never expected them to defeat Yan Shouyi. Their job was merely to test Yan Shouyi's capabilities."
"It seems this kid is indeed not simple... No, it's not just him; none of the people around him are simple!"
"That's where you're wrong. I think that kid wielding the lightning-struck peach wood sword is nothing special. He has a perfectly good lightning-struck peach wood sword but insists on using cheap tricks like gouging eyes and attacking the groin. Utterly despicable!"
"They are still below Dragon Tiger Mountain. If we're going to act, we should do it now. Once they reach the mountain, we might lose our chance. What do you think?"
"If you want to act, you act. This is broad daylight. We all have reputations to uphold, and the Luo Tian Grand Ceremony is fast approaching. I don't want to expose my identity and ruin my name."
"By your words, you must be from a righteous sect."
"And you, a heretic?"
"Heh."
"I don't care about you lot anymore. I have a mortal grudge against Yan Chou. Today, I will kill his son for revenge. I'm going first!"
After a heated argument, a figure shot out from the forest like lightning!
His speed was astonishing. Even on the complex terrain, he moved as if on level ground, leaving only afterimages. The wind followed, swaying the surrounding grass.
The forest fell silent for a few seconds, then someone chuckled sinisterly,
"That must be Wang Ba, right? His name suits his character and skills perfectly."
"Fine. If we don't want to reveal ourselves, let him go and stir up trouble."
"It would be best if he killed Yan Shouyi. If not, he can at least probe their limits for us."
It seemed many people were still hidden in the forest. They maintained a tacit understanding, not revealing their faces or probing each other's identities. They simply communicated, much like in a chat group.
As Yan Shouyi and his group were dealing with the thugs, they suddenly felt an immense pressure descending from the sky!
Yan Shouyi's expression changed, and he immediately shouted, "Everyone be careful, an expert has arrived!"
All of them tensed up, and Abbess Guan Yun furrowed her brow.
"This aura is overbearing and savage. It doesn't feel like a cultivator... Is it a martial artist?"
Suddenly, a person leaped out from the forest, like a fierce tiger descending from a mountain. After landing among the crowd, he punched away a thug blocking his path and then charged directly towards Yan Shouyi.
Anyone who tried to stop him was roughly thrown aside or kicked down!
And Long Feicheng happened to be standing between the two!
"Brother Yan, I'll stop him!"
Long Feicheng rushed to the man, feigning a sword thrust before attempting to poke the man's eyes with his left hand.
However, the man was prepared and grabbed Long Feicheng's wrist.
Long Feicheng's expression changed. He quickly dropped his sword, Caiwei, and reached to attack the man's groin!
But he was still accurately intercepted by the man!
"Despicable scoundrel, resorting to such vile tricks! Get lost!"
The man sneered and threw Long Feicheng away. Fortunately, He Xiping timely threw out a divine rope, pulling Long Feicheng to his side, where he landed safely.
Upon landing, Long Feicheng said with lingering fear, "Who is this guy? His strength is terrifying. When he grabbed my hand, it was like being caught in a vise. I couldn't move at all!"
He Xiping said grimly, "This person is not simple. Judging by his physique and the calluses on his hands, he's clearly a practitioner. He might even be a martial arts grandmaster."
"Martial arts grandmaster?"
"The Daoist and Buddhist sects, along with folk sects, are now collectively known as the Mystic Gate. The martial arts lineage, however, stands apart, primarily because they lack magical abilities and rely solely on their formidable strength to navigate the world. In the past, they were powerful guards for households, chivalrous heroes, or even notorious thieves... In essence, they are not of the same path as us. It's just that in this era, they have been somewhat abandoned and have found common ground."
He Xiping had also roamed the world, and as a magician, he knew some basic martial arts stances used by those who roamed the jianghu, so he understood this person reasonably well.
Long Feicheng said, "You've been talking a lot of nonsense. I just want to know who that guy is, if he's powerful, and if Brother Yan can handle him."
He Xiping replied uncertainly, "It's hard to say. That guy hasn't revealed his true skills, so it's impossible to tell which school or sect he belongs to."
"Damn it!" Long Feicheng exclaimed angrily. "I used my strongest killing moves, and he still hasn't revealed his true abilities. It seems he is indeed very strong!"
He Xiping: "..."
The man who had emerged from the forest cut through the dense crowd and finally reached Yan Shouyi.
Yan Shouyi was also prepared, ready to face the man's deadly attack.
However, the moment the man raised his fist, Yan Shouyi's pupils constricted.
Behind the man, he clearly saw a phantom image of a giant tiger!
Who was this person, whose punch carried a phantom image?!
At that instant, Abbess Guan Yun recognized the man's identity: "He is Grandmaster Ma Hong of the Xingyiquan school from Sanjin!"
Sanjin was a province renowned for martial arts, with countless schools. Among them, Xingyiquan was the most representative. Through his mastery of Xingyiquan, Ma Hong became a grandmaster, his fame spreading far and wide in the jianghu!
Xingyiquan featured the Sandui posture training, the Five Elements Fists, and the Twelve Forms of Animals, all of which were unpredictable and delivered deadly blows. Even Abbess Guan Yun did not wish to cross Ma Hong!
And now, Ma Hong was directly attacking Yan Shouyi. Yan Shouyi was no match for him!
Abbess Guan Yun was anxious but it was too late to intervene.
As Ma Hong unleashed a punch, Yan Shouyi felt a sense of dread and blocked with both hands. A crisp sound echoed, and Yan Shouyi's arms were broken. The next moment, Ma Hong had him by the throat!
Yan Shouyi was utterly shocked. He believed he had encountered formidable figures like Zou Shazi, and there were few experts left in the world who could surprise him. Yet, he never expected a Xingyiquan practitioner who appeared out of nowhere to easily shatter all his defenses!
Now, with his throat held by the man, Yan Shouyi finally understood the saying that there is always someone better. His reverence for the world needed to be heightened.
"My name is Ma Hong, Grandmaster of Sanjin Xingyiquan. I'm killing you today, but I won't let you die as an unjust ghost. I'll tell you my name, and when you reach the underworld, you can mention to King Yama that it was I, Ma Hong, who eliminated you, a scourge!"
Ma Hong's voice was loud, and his actions were decisive. As he finished speaking, he was about to deliver the killing blow.
He brought his right hand together, fingers forming a snake's head, as if to pierce Yan Shouyi's skull.
Yan Shouyi gritted his teeth, raising his arms that had just regained a semblance of feeling, attempting to block this terrifying strike.
Seeing Yan Shouyi's broken arms still moving, Ma Hong couldn't help but feel a touch of surprise, but he did not slow down.
"Brother Yan!!"
"Yan Shouyi!"
"Shouyi!"
Everyone cried out in panic, but it was too late to help. They could only watch helplessly.
Just as Ma Hong's attack was about to land on Yan Shouyi's forehead, a whisk descended from the sky, entangling Ma Hong's arm and forcing his fingers to stop just one centimeter from Yan Shouyi's brow.
Ma Hong inwardly trembled. He knew the speed of his punch. Even ten bulls couldn't stop him once he committed.
Yet, this person had stopped him, at such close range, in such a short time, using a seemingly fragile whisk.
The identity of the attacker was self-evident.
The assassination had failed.
Ma Hong's face darkened. He released Yan Shouyi, turned, and bowed to an old Taoist who had appeared behind him, saying,
"Old Heavenly Master, are you well?"
---
There will be another update early this morning.
After finishing Chapter 435 yesterday, I asked my girlfriend for her recent feelings. She said she was very touched. I was surprised, as I didn't think the plot yesterday had anything particularly moving.
My girlfriend told me that when Yan Shouyi first came to Rongcheng alone, his grandfather died, his father was in prison, he was then disdained by the Li family, hunted by the Bai family, and had no place to belong in this vast world. He was like a lonely grass root. Especially during the part where Yan Shouyi forced a marriage proposal to Lin Zitong's father, Lin Ruofu, he had lost everything and offered his all just to get Lin Zitong, showing that beneath his strong exterior, he had always harbored a soft heart.
And now, Yan Shouyi has his own companions. When facing difficulties, his companions give their all. Especially in last night's final chapter, facing the thugs who blocked their path, everyone stood by Yan Shouyi, showcasing their unique abilities... At that moment, I truly felt Yan Shouyi's transformation. He was no longer alone.
Hearing my girlfriend's words, I was also deeply moved. I never expected to write such a story unintentionally. I am very happy and satisfied.
"Yin Yang Lu Ban Incantation" is quite different from all my previous novels. In past novels, the structure was loose, and each character was shallow. This book has a tight framework, and every character is connected. It's as if, before I wrote about them, they were already living their own lives in the novel's world, with their own stories, their own joys and sorrows, and they just happened to meet Yan Shouyi here and appear in his story...
It's wonderful to be able to write such a novel. It's truly wonderful.
I will do my best to write "Yin Yang Lu Ban Incantation" to its fullest potential. Rest assured, this story will not disappoint you!