The road stretched forward, and the number of pedestrians dwindled, leaving the stalls selling goods deserted. Only scattered tents and the dwellings of displaced people remained by the roadside, huddled against the walls.

Yan Yunzhi moved swiftly, attempting to use the sparse crowd as cover to reach the opposite intersection quickly. However, someone bumped into her from ahead.

It was a rugged-looking outlaw in tattered clothes, seemingly strong and powerful. He strode up and spread his arms, intending to embrace her. Yan Yunzhi abruptly stomped on his foot, then used her arm to strike and pull, knocking the man to the ground. At the same moment, someone lunged from the side, their hand reaching out to grab her. Yan Yunzhi reacted swiftly, grabbing two of the attacker's fingers and using a grappling technique to control his wrist.

Her movements were fluid as she retreated, holding onto the attacker's fingers, effectively seizing his vitals. The attacker, relying on his superior strength, tried to break free with his other hand. As they moved back and forth, Yan Yunzhi twisted and manipulated the man's fingers, causing him to cry out in pain as his arm dislocated with a snap. Beads of sweat the size of soybeans poured down his face. Yan Yunzhi released him and turned to leave.

Although she had practiced swordsmanship for many years and was strict with herself, she was, after all, the daughter of a regional strongman. Aside from the time she killed two Jurchen soldiers, which led to a breakthrough in her combat skills in life-or-death situations, she had always been in a relatively safe position. But this time, after leaving Ju Xian Ju in Shibao City, her state of mind aligned perfectly with the righteous and solitary spirit of the Tan Gong Sword. Her skillful handling of her opponents could be described as clean and efficient, and her martial arts had improved significantly.

However, after injuring these two individuals just enough to stop them, she could no longer proceed forward.

Several other figures were already running toward her, panting. From behind, the pursuers from earlier were also gathering.

The man with the dislocated arm still wanted to attack, his face contorted with anger. Yan Yunzhi's gaze turned cold, and she unsheathed her twin swords, one of which she thrust toward his face, forcing him back. She slowly retreated toward the wall of a courtyard beside the street.

"Young lady, stop running," the leader of the pursuers shouted. "This is the territory of 'Iron Fist' Cha Jiu. You can't escape."

"Anyone who comes closer dies," Yan Yunzhi said coldly.

The few remaining pedestrians on the street were now fleeing. A total of ten people were closing in. The leader, "Iron Fist," shouted, "Young lady, 'Equality King' wants to take you back. You can't escape, so why bother? Look, we've been ordered not to use weapons and not to harm you. But you can't fight us all. How long can you resist? If we catch you and use ropes or a fishing net to tie you up, a young lady like you will lose face. Since you can't escape anyway, why make it that far?"

This man was tall and imposing. Although his clothes were ragged, suggesting he was just the leader of a small group, his words were reasonable and persuasive. However, as he finished speaking, Yan Yunzhi kept her right-hand short sword pointed forward, while her left hand flipped over and pressed the sword's edge against her throat. "Get out of my way!" she shouted.

Her actions stunned everyone. In the next moment, the girl suddenly turned to run toward the wall behind her, intending to use this opportunity to scale the wall and break free.

As she turned, she saw three figures on the wall, preparing to throw a fishing net down. They were slightly taken aback by Yan Yunzhi holding a sword to her throat. Yan Yunzhi was also surprised. Just then, a wooden staff came spinning through the air, whistling past Yan Yunzhi's head and landing directly in the fishing net. Several "Ah!" and "thump" sounds followed as the three figures on the wall were pulled back by the net and fell into the courtyard behind.

On the street, Yan Yunzhi, Cha Jiu, and the others turned to see a young man walking toward them.

"A bunch of lowly dogs ganging up on one person. It's too much to watch. If you want to fight, count me in."

The young man was tall and straight, walking directly toward them in the sunlight. The pursuers went to meet him. "'Equality King' is handling business. Unrelated individuals, state your name."

"I'm your long-lost father."

In the haze of light, one of the pursuers charged forward. The young man casually waved his hand, and the pursuer seemed to shrink as he suddenly transformed into a rolling gourd. It was a display of overwhelming skill and power. Yan Yunzhi saw "Iron Fist" Cha Jiu shake his right hand, revealing a fist covered in an iron gauntlet. He roared and tensed his muscles, then lunged forward with a thunderous punch.

As the leader of a small force in Jiangning City, Cha Jiu possessed some skill. Yan Yunzhi, lacking experience and training, could still sense the ferocity of the punch and the surging inner strength behind it. "Iron Fist" Cha Jiu was nearly a head taller than the young man. His full-force punch was aimed directly at the approaching youth's face. Theoretically, it was a punch that needed to be dodged.

However, what followed was the dull sound of iron striking flesh. The young man extended a single hand, right in front of his face, directly catching the incoming fist. His clothes billowed, and the outlines of his bulging arms were faintly visible beneath his taut sleeves.

"Ah... Aaaaaaaah!"

"Iron Fist" Cha Jiu maintained his punching stance, one foot forward, one foot back, trying his best to push forward. But then, his feet began to slide on the ground. The brave young man, using a single hand, held onto his fist, and pushed the grown man back one step at a time.

"'Iron Fist' Cha Jiu, more than ten grown men, bullying one woman."

The young man stepped forward, speaking as he walked. Cha Jiu's feet slid backward, leaving marks on the dirt ground. Just as he wanted to retract his fist and retreat, the young man grabbed his fist with one hand and reached for his wrist with the other.

"Today, I'll pretend I never had a son like you."

"Aaaaaaaah..."

In the autumn sunlight, Cha Jiu, with his towering stature, had his arm seized and pressed down slowly. He screamed in pain as his arm was bent, and his knees slammed onto the ground with a thud. The young man pressed his entire body toward the ground.

This was the first time Yan Yunzhi had seen someone with such innate, heaven-defying strength.

He was even more powerful than that detestable Long Aotian.

The others hesitated for a moment, then shouted and charged toward them, brandishing their weapons. What followed was a one-sided street brawl.

Dust billowed on the street.

As the young man landed punch after punch, using overwhelming force to beat everyone to the ground, Yan Yunzhi saw another young man, slender and handsome, walking toward her with a gentle smile.

"Practicing the Tan Gong Sword suggests a distinguished family background." He smiled as he spoke. "May I ask your name, young lady, and why you're being harassed by these villains?"

Even in times of chaos, there were still good people.

Yan Yunzhi's mood suddenly relaxed.

************

On the other side of the city.

Ning Ji had casually glanced around the street where the newspaper office was located.

This wasn't about smashing up a martial arts school, nor was it a rash attempt to challenge the world's top expert. A surprise attack on a newspaper office wouldn't be too dangerous, even if the office was under the protection of "Wheel King" Xu Zhaonan.

Therefore, he didn't wait long before scaling the wall from the side and entering.

The back of the courtyard was cluttered with objects, including some old jars and vats, and the stench of pickled vegetables. It was a normal enough place. Ning Ji crept toward the building in front, but as he got closer, he suddenly sensed something was off. The sounds coming from upstairs and in front didn't seem right.

He frowned slightly. But seeing the simple structure of the wooden building, he scurried up it. In a few brush strokes he reached the window at the rear of the second floor.

People inside the room were shouting strangely, as if they were injured. Ning Ji pressed his ear against the window and listened for a moment. The footsteps of some people in the wooden building sounded strange, and a hint of blood seemed to seep through the strong smell of ink.

What was going on? Had someone hit themselves over the head while printing newspapers?

He pushed open the window and peeked inside. The room inside the window was cluttered with a few tables and chairs. Some papers were knocked to the ground, and there were specks of blood on the floor - signs of a fight.

Huh? Had these slanderous scholars suddenly discovered their conscience and started fighting among themselves? So violently?

Suddenly seeing something like this, Ning Ji felt a little excited, wondering if he should immediately join in and give them some guidance.

At that moment, the sound of commotion came from outside. A large group of people were rushing toward this place, and some had already reached the front gate.

Ning Ji frowned, pulled the window shut, and dropped down along the wall.

Amidst the commotion, someone opened the courtyard gate, and a group of people came in, cursing and swearing. Although some of the words were dialect and difficult to understand, Ning Ji could roughly guess that he had come at the wrong time and that the chaos in the room might be more than just infighting.

This was a bit unlucky.

He didn't have time to think about it. He scurried back the way he had come and used the wall at the rear to jump out. As he popped his head over the wall, he saw someone looking over from the alleyway behind, drawing a knife and charging toward him: "Who's there?"

This person seemed to be good at footwork. He probably hadn't expected someone to appear behind the courtyard. Now, seeing Ning Ji, he instinctively tried to intercept him. Ning Ji flipped out of the courtyard and turned to run, feeling quite frustrated.

It wasn't me... Of course, he couldn't say that.

The man ran and shouted from behind: "This is 'Wheel King's' territory. I am 'Quick Blade' Qiao Bin. Since you dare to cause trouble here, why are you running away like a rat? Have the guts to leave your name and fight me one-on-one!"

"Hmph." Ning Ji's footsteps were swift as he flew over some debris and garbage piled in the alley ahead, as if flying. He didn't bother to hide his identity. "Alright, I am the legendary martial... martial arts alliance leader! Long Aotian!"

"Long Aotian? This name... uh... Are you that five... five-foot lecher?"

The voice originally intended to remember his name according to Jianghu customs, but halfway through, he suddenly remembered. Actually, now that heroes had gathered in Jiangning, a small lecher was only written down in a broken newspaper. Not many people were concerned.

But this newspaper was published in this neighborhood, and the man remembered the article after reading it, so he blurted it out.

The "Five-Foot Lecher" was running in front. He chased after him with his knife. People from the courtyard were alarmed and also seemed to be encircling him. However, seeing that the infamous youth was extremely good at martial arts and had created distance in the blink of an eye, he was likely to lose him. But at that moment, the youth who was about to rush out of the alley suddenly stopped upon hearing his words.

"What the..."

Qiao Bin saw the young man cursing and stretching his arms before turning around and running toward him.

"Well done!"

Qiao Bin laughed and slashed with his knife. But then, everything blurred before his eyes. His "Quick Blade" was blocked, and he was pushed into the air, flying more than ten feet backward before slamming hard into the ground, dazed and confused.

The young man kicked him in the stomach.

"I told you to use Quick Blade... told you to be a lecher... lecher... lecher... slandering people..."

The people in the courtyard rushed over and saw a young man frantically kicking someone in the alley. Qiao Bin, who was quite skilled in this neighborhood, was beaten into a corner, curled up, and covered his head with his hands, unable to resist.

The cursing youth had a fierce look in his eyes and glared at everyone coming. He looked truly ruthless. But then, he flipped over a wall and ran into the courtyard of someone else's house.

The entire neighborhood was filled with shouts of killing. People banged gongs and drums, and the crowd with knives and spears surrounded and hunted the youth, chasing him through courtyards, over roofs, and back onto the streets.

It was too unlucky...

Ning Ji ran, feeling indignant.

If he usually went out to cause trouble, he might prepare a scarf to cover his mouth and nose at the appropriate time. But today, he thought that he was just attacking a broken newspaper office, so there was no danger, and he didn't have any cloth strips on him. It was too late to cover his face now.

He realized that just before he arrived, some unlucky thing had come to this newspaper office and smashed things up. He had heard some of the people cursing, and it seemed that the one who came to smash things up was likely a subordinate of "Equality King" Shi Baobao.

Damn it, Shi Baobao, why did you go to someone's newspaper office and smash things up? Is your brain full of shit...

He cursed in his heart, running wildly down the street. Behind him, ten or more, even dozens of people were chasing after him. The surrounding pedestrians avoided this scene of what looked like a gang vendetta. Even those who looked like Jianghu heroes stepped aside and watched the excitement. At that moment, in front of a restaurant, a little monk who was begging for alms with a rice bowl was startled by the commotion. He turned his head and looked at Ning Ji, his mouth opening into an "o" shape.

"Long... Long, Long..." He raised a finger, wanting to recognize him, but seemed hesitant, not understanding what was happening.

Ning Ji ran all the way, hesitating for a moment, then ran toward him.

"Ha, Wukong!"

He ran to the little monk, stretched out his arms, and hugged him. The little monk seemed to want to avoid him, but his body was grabbed, and he was suddenly lifted into the air and thrown backward by Ning Ji: "Block them!"

More than ten people at the front of the street rushed over. The little monk wasn't flustered by this, sighing in the air as he put the rice bowl in front of him.

The few people in the front couldn't brake in time, and there were clanging sounds in the air. As the little monk landed, he waved his rice bowl, knocking away the weapons of the people in front. As he landed, he stepped twice on the legs of the person in front of him, and his body knocked the person away. Then, he grabbed a staff from someone behind him and started to beat the people. The shins of the four or five people in front were hit, and they fell into a chaotic mess.

After landing, the little monk held the rice bowl in his left hand and waved the stick in his right hand. He took two steps forward and then retreated back on the street. He held up the stick horizontally, his small figure blocking everyone. At this moment, he nodded a little embarrassedly and bowed slightly: "A, Amitabha..." He didn't know what to say, looking back at the "Long Brother" here.

Long Aotian scratched his head. He knew that the little monk was quite skilled in martial arts, but he didn't expect him to fight so beautifully. For a moment, he opened his mouth: "You've got something..."

"Long... Long Brother..."

"Wukong did well! Worthy of being my brother, the martial arts alliance leader, Long Aotian!"

This change made the Jianghu heroes watching the excitement on the street look cautious. Ning Ji waved his arms and shouted loudly, taking the opportunity to make a name for himself. Then, seeing more pursuers arriving, he suddenly turned around: "Run!"

"Oh... Oh!" The little monk reacted, threw the stick forward, and ran after him.

A large group of people waved knives and guns and chased through this neighborhood. The two figures in front were even faster, and they soon distanced themselves from the others, then passed through the streets and alleys, leaving the pursuers behind.

Slowing down, the little monk took the opportunity to catch up. "Long, Long Brother... You also know martial arts..." They hadn't seen this at their meeting outside the city, but the technique and strength he used to grab him and throw him, combined with his mad dash, made him understand.

"Of course, I'm a doctor!"

"Uh..." The little monk scratched his head.

Long Aotian put his arm around his shoulder: "Let's go, I'll take you to eat something delicious!"

"Oh! Okay! Thank you, Long Brother!"

Smiling, the little monk forgot what he wanted to say earlier.

The two figures disappeared into the crowd, laughing. It was the morning of August 18th, the autumn sun was warm and the sun was balmy. Long Aotian and Sun Wukong wandered Jiangning together.