"What... what's happening..."

It was past the third quarter of Xu hour, and the streets of Silver Bridge Ward were still bustling. Shops radiated warmth, and pedestrians carrying small lanterns chatted and laughed as they traversed the blue stone-paved roads, with a trickle of sewage flowing in the shadows. Not many noticed the two figures now facing off.

The plump aunt who had offered a few words of conciliation had already scurried away. From the second floor of the Xiang Family Restaurant, Yu Hezhang and Meng Biao had both been beaten by that "Monkey King." As seasoned veterans of the underworld, they roughly understood his prowess and had heard countless tales of the dangers of confrontations between masters of the greenwood. Moments ago, the young man walking along the road seemed to have suddenly noticed something, then stepped across the crowded street to confront the other figure in front of the sundry stall.

From above, they could see that Brother Sun's movements appeared normal, yet his speed was incredibly fast. Even without blinking, they couldn't comprehend how he generated that power.

Opposite him, the standing man was powerfully built. Though his identity was unclear for the moment, they could guess that he was a formidable figure from the greenwood.

Only yesterday had they reunited with Long and Sun. They had always been somewhat puzzled by their arrival in Fuzhou to set up a stall and sell goods, without causing trouble. At this moment, with a rival coming to their door, they felt a sense of "so it was" and sudden understanding.

How could such devils truly be law-abiding citizens…

Below, the dialogue began between the two stalls.

"As I thought… I felt something was off about you the last time I came here…"

"Nonsense," the youth across from him said, hands on his hips. "Why would I trick you? You wouldn't even be able to guess."

"When bad people do bad things, it's because they're itching for a beating."

"See, you didn't guess."

"..."

Yue Yun's fists were already clenched, his teeth grinding.

After a moment, he said, "Speak. Where did you monkeys come from, daring to run wild in Fuzhou?"

"Messing with you is running wild? Is Fuzhou your family's?"

"Sharp tongue will get you a beating. "Yue Yun extended a finger. "Yue某(mǒu - a humble way of referring to oneself) doesn't hit the nameless. Report your name early, and I'll go easier on you."

"Tch, crazy. If I don't report my name, won't that prevent a fight… Hehe, did you know? When I argued with Auntie, I just wanted you to give her less money, so I tricked you. You really fell for it, hahaha…"

"..."

The intersecting crowds moved back and forth on the street, lanterns and torches casting dappled light and shadow. Between the light and shadow, the auras of the two figures stirred, and with seemingly casual movements, each gesture, each step, a subtle sound seemed to rise from their bones.

The pedestrians on the road hadn't yet noticed, but the nearby Auntie couldn't help but jump out: "You little rascal, I knew you were up to no good! Young Master Yue, Little Official, hit him!"

"Nyaa, I'll make you angry…" Ning Ji stuck out his tongue.

Yue Yun was equally infuriated, veins bulging on his forehead.

However, he had come this time to find clues about Zuo Xingzhou and Zhan Yunhai. Relying on the last vestiges of his rationality, he turned his gaze aside.

"Auntie, tell me, what are these two little brats called…"

The plump aunt emerged from behind the stall…

…

"...Long? Aotian—"

It was late May, close to Hai hour. In the sky above Silver Bridge Ward, a terrifying roar suddenly erupted.

From the second floor of the Xiang Family Restaurant, Yu Hezhang and Meng Biao could even feel the waves of sound rippling over them. As underworld figures responsible for recruiting experts, they were particularly sensitive to certain signs. They couldn't clearly hear what the two facing off were saying, but at this moment, it was clear that the discussion had broken down. The robust young man's roar revealed a profound mastery of orthodox Xuanmen inner strength, even more terrifying than some of the "Grandmasters" and "Elders" of the Fujian region.

Qu Longjun and a group of young women, who were telling stories and chatting in front of the pastry stall, all turned their gazes toward the rice cake stall, toward the scruffy and furious young man. At the same time, nearby, Ning Ji opened his arms, a "Roar—" erupting from his mouth like a series of howls, soaring into the night sky.

Last year, in Jiangning City, Lin Zongwu had countered the raised black flag with a single roar. The inner strength of the number one figure in the greenwood was shocking, and Ning Ji, though he yearned for it, knew he was far too lacking. But at this moment, facing the suddenly mad Yue Yun, he didn't show the slightest weakness.

The inner energies of both sides surged, and Yue Yun waved his hand: "Everyone, get out of the way—"

Get out of the way, get out of the way… the sound echoed down the long street, followed by overlapping roars.

"I've long heard of Grandmaster Zhou's Flipping Boxing and Five Steps Thirteen Spears! Others may fear you, but I've wanted to try it for a while now!"

"I—try—your—whole—family—"

With a thunderous crash,

the two figures collided!

The flurry of fists erupted in an instant, the exchanges so rapid that people couldn't even see them clearly. Blue bricks on the ground crunched and cracked under their feet.

Yue Yun possessed innate divine strength, and would unconsciously hold back a little during sparring. But facing this young man, a head shorter than him, his anger pushed him to exert seven-tenths of his power. However, in the midst of the terrifying wind of fists, the other's figure was low and crouching, his upper body rounded, his legs charging left and right like a wild bull plowing the ground. In the blink of an eye, he lunged toward Yue Yun's waist, embracing him.

Yue Yun's first punch missed, and his second punch lowered its trajectory, but the other's figure was even lower. His elbow blocked the punch, and the upward swing was like an exploding vortex, using both force and skill to deflect Yue Yun's fist upward. Then, both hands reached for the back of his waist.

With just this charge, block, and embrace, Yue Yun understood that the young man before him was extremely experienced in combat. He was a head shorter than him, and there was a difference in age and strength, so he directly lunged to embrace the middle, relying on the only advantage of a lower center of gravity to compete in the midsection and lower body. But Yue Yun had immense strength, and a solid waist and stance. He had never feared such petty tricks. His feet sank, his knee was about to strike, and both hands reached to grab the other's back.

But in the next moment of this collision, the young man changed his embrace to a push, pulling his body back for a moment. Then, one arm shot upward from between their embrace, striking directly at Yue Yun's chin and face. Yue Yun struggled to dodge to the side, and the palm's edge changed in the air, flexing and rotating, then smashed down with a whoosh.

Grand Tumbling Stele Hand - Heaven-Turning Seal!

With a crash, a table beside them exploded outward, and a piece of clothing on Yue Yun's shoulder was also blown away, fluttering like butterflies.

The two figures slightly shifted. Yue Yun's knee strike hit empty air, but he had finally grabbed the clothes on the other's back and was about to pull the person up. However, at the moment the Tumbling Stele Hand shattered the wooden table, the young man's center of gravity had reached an extremely low level. Both hands re-embraced Yue Yun's waist, and borrowed his strength to leap up, pulling Yue Yun down to the ground.

Neither of them gained any advantage in this exchange. Yue Yun lifted the other's figure for a moment, but the other's waist and stance were unified, and he borrowed Yue Yun's strength to step back. But the young man was also unable to pull him to the ground. In the next moment, Yue Yun sank his elbow and smashed it down, while the young man lunged forward in a bow stance. With a few tugs and tears, both figures tumbled forward towards the ground.

In ordinary Jianghu (martial arts world) duels, there wouldn't be much fighting on the ground. However, on the battlefield, ground-lying sabers and ground-lying boxing were the most important survival skills for veteran soldiers. As soon as the two figures made contact, they rolled towards the ground with a crashing sound. But the lunging and fighting didn't stop. In the blink of an eye, tables and chairs in front of the rice cake stall were flying, blue stones exploded, and the two rolled, got up, pounced, and exchanged blows, their clothes torn to tatters in the blink of an eye, their bodies beginning to show bloodstains.

The pedestrians on the road all began to run and dodge. Some recognized Yue Yun's identity, and ran while shouting random things. On this side, Qu Longjun coldly watched everything, protecting the group of young women with a calm expression, saying, "A little something has happened. Please leave first."

But not many people left.

Some of the women said, "That person looks like a bad guy."

Some who recognized the other said, "That's the younger brother of the Yue family siblings from the Beiwei Army. He always likes to cause trouble. Look, he looks like a monster."

Some said, "I didn't expect Young Master Long to really be a Jianghu person?"

Others said, "So Brother Sun is also so amazing…"

Someone added, "...I don't like that kind of man... I mean, the one who looks like a monster!"

The fighting on the opposite side was swift and violent. Insiders were horrified, but to outsiders, the two were sometimes rolling on the ground, which was a bit unsightly. At one moment, the two briefly distanced themselves. Yue Yun adjusted his breathing in the posture of Flipping Boxing, looking at the young man opposite him, whose figure was low and crouching, his boxing stance round and menacing, a fire of anger burning in his heart.

He had immense strength, plus the advantage of thick skin and flesh. In the previous fight, he hadn't suffered too many serious injuries. But the young man before him was more agile. Although his cultivation was not as good as his, he used all sorts of weird tricks to drag him to the ground, and with the advantage of a low center of gravity, he was unable to gain an advantage for a time. This fight was extremely unglamorous, and rarely made him feel a little embarrassed.

Ground-lying boxing was practiced in the barracks, but it was rare to drag someone completely to the ground and not let them get up at all. The insult was greater than the actual harm.

And what made him most angry was, of course, the handsome young man named "Long Aotian" further away.

Last year, when he and his sister rescued a girl named Yan Yunzhi while on a mission in Jiangning, he had once liked her.

Unfortunately, this girl had her reputation tarnished by that Long Aotian, and later even vaguely fell in love with him—this matter, his sister had once analyzed with him. He was upright in nature, and felt absurd and indignant in his heart, but ultimately there was nothing he could do.

In Jiangning, he had been curious about what the other person looked like. Now that he had seen him with his own eyes, some things in his heart seemed to suddenly become clear, but on the other hand, he also became even more angry.

Sure enough, women just like this kind of pretty boy?

Yan Yunzhi, whom he once admired, seemed independent and strong, but in the end...she also fell for this face?

He pointed over there, hesitated for a moment, and tried to make the most righteous and just sound: "You... you stay away from him. These two are not good people!"

Over here, Ning Ji was talking to the plump aunt: "We'll make him pay compensation. His family has money."

Plump Auntie: "Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey—" ignored him.

From behind, a woman had already shouted, "Who are you!"

"You're making false accusations! You're not a good person!"

"Look at yourself, you look like a monster!"

"That's right, that's right, that's right…"

"Young Master Long must be a good person…"

In the chattering voices, Yue Yun gritted his teeth and gave a cold laugh: "Long Aotian, Sun Wukong (Monkey King), you two lechers, do you think no one knows what you've done outside?"

"Lech... lechers?"

A group of women revealed complicated expressions, all widening their eyes, gleaming.

Yue Yun finally attracted the attention of this group of people. At this moment, he waved his hand and gave another cold laugh, his inner strength erupting as he said: "Long Aotian, do you still remember Yan Yunzhi of Yan Family Fort—" his voice was righteous and awe-inspiring, spreading through the night street.

Over here, Ning Ji heard this name, his expression stiffened, and his face immediately fell.

Not far behind, Qu Longjun frowned slightly. Before she could speak, a group of women had already reacted.

"Yan...Yan Yunzhi?"

"Yan Family Fort…"

"Could it be... the chivalrous woman Yan the Ninth?"

People looked at each other. Someone raised the book in their hand and made an association: "Young Hero Long... Chivalrous Woman Yan... Could it be that there really is a Chivalrous Woman Yan…"

"..."

Yue Yun was stunned by this reaction, and for a moment didn't understand what was happening.

At this moment, Qu Longjun glanced at Ning Ji, then said calmly: "Then what does my business with Miss Yan have to do with you?"

As soon as these words came out, a burst of enthusiastic screams rang out in the crowd.

Some of the women lowered their voices, their eyebrows dancing: "Ahhhhhh... there really is a Chivalrous Woman Yan—"

Some of the women even jumped up hand in hand: "Her name is Yan Yunzhi…"

"The two of them really…"

Someone began to roar at Yue Yun:

"Yeah, yeah, what are you to Chivalrous Woman Yan—"

"Ahhhhhhhh—that's right, that's right, what does it have to do with you, you monster—"

"I approve of them being together…"

"No, I don't approve, I don't approve…"

The scene was so enthusiastic that Yue Yun felt strange. He looked at the scene before him and didn't understand what kind of world this was.

…

"Then the two of them—are lechers—"

After a moment, a stifled and angry roar echoed through the night sky!