Chapter 163 Wind and Thunder

Chapter 163 Wind and Thunder

Chapter 163 Wind and Thunder

The river surface was sparkling, and several black boats appeared from afar.

There is a riverside restaurant on the southwestern border of Pingding Prefecture, next to a pier. From time to time, people get off the boats and go into the restaurant to rest. Therefore, although this place is not on the official road and is not a town, its business is quite good.

The man was covered in a black robe and a worn-out bamboo hat. He walked quickly up to the second floor and just as he sat down at the table by the window, he shouted, "Waiter, filter two pounds of wine to quench my thirst."

"Sir, please have some tea first. The wine and meat will be ready soon."

"Stop talking nonsense, go, go!"

The man in the bamboo hat laughed loudly, took off the weapon he was carrying from his waist, and placed it on the table with a "bang" sound. It was obviously not light, which attracted the attention of guests from several tables nearby.

It was a long weapon, wrapped with dense strips of gray and white cloth, like a piece of a broken limb.

A moment later, a jar of wine and a pot of meat appeared on the table.

The strange man did not take off his hat. He held the jar of wine in his left hand and a large piece of orange peel in his right hand. He was like a starving ghost, frantically sweeping away the wine and food on the table, as if he would be dragged back to the underworld in the next second.

"Damn, after being annoyed by these flies for three days, I finally had a full meal."

The strange man wiped the oil stains on his mouth and looked out the window. Two black boats were just docking at the pier.

"Bill, please!"

"Sir, have you finished your meal?"

The waiter smiled and was about to ask for the money for the food and drinks when he saw a silver ingot thrown to him. He subconsciously reached out to take the silver ingot, weighed it lightly, and was shocked to find that it was at least ten taels.

"Keep the change, please!"

The waiter was shocked and asked, "Sir, is this too much money?"

The man laughed and said, "Not much, not much, it will be gone soon!"

Just as he finished speaking, there was a sound of dense footsteps coming from the stairs.

The group rushed upstairs carrying weapons.

The waiter was not surprised by this, so he quickly put the silver ingot away and hid to the side to avoid the blood splashing on himself.

The man in the bamboo hat sat on the table, picking his teeth slowly, and chuckled, "Those puppies are biting really hard!"

More than a dozen gangster killers, carrying various weapons, including men, women, young and old, of different identities, were intimidated by his aura for a moment.

The scarred man in the lead shouted, "Whoever kills him will get half of the reward!"

"kill him!"

A single-edged long sword and a mixed iron mace swept over with a strong gust of wind that broke through the air.

"boom!"

"Crash..."

The wooden table by the window shattered into pieces in an instant.

All the diners in the building ran away immediately, and many of them took advantage of the chaos to escape after paying for their drinks, and the shopkeeper couldn't stop them.

"You bastards, you're so fierce, aren't you? How many pounds of bone sticks did he promise to give you?"

The man in the bamboo hat had already risen into the air, holding onto the beam with one hand, and looking at the gangster killer below with a smile.

"kill!"

The scarred man in the lead roared, drew his sword, leaped forward, and stabbed at the man in the bamboo hat.

"Shadong Black Owl, you must have secretly learned this sword technique from your master's wife, right?"

As the man spoke, he shook open the cloth, revealing a long straight-bladed sword with a crescent-shaped bronze casting on the end of the handle.

"when!"

Swords clashed in the air, sparks flying.

The man in the bamboo hat fell from the sky, forcing the 'Black Owl of Shadong' to kneel on the ground with his long sword. Four or five cracks instantly appeared on the floor. Seeing this, the killers quickly waved their weapons to call for help.

"How unruly!"

The man in the bamboo hat abandoned the scarred man, swung his long sword, and attacked those people...

They were not ordinary gangsters, but notorious figures in various places. The 'Black Owl of Shadong' had been rampant in Changsha Prefecture for many years, raping and looting, and had no scruples against attacking ordinary people. He was offered a bounty by the Embroidered Uniform Guards, but no one could do anything to him.

Half a year ago, this group of underworld killers gathered together at the recruitment of a mysterious employer to hunt down the man in the bamboo hat.

A quarter of an hour later.

The man in the bamboo hat was covered in blood and limped down from the upstairs.

He glanced at the waiter hiding behind the counter and grinned, "Is the silver enough?"

The waiter was so frightened that he kept saying, "Enough...enough..."

He laughed loudly towards the sky, put the long sword on his shoulder, and strode towards Pingding City.

Pingding City is densely populated and the spring scenery is beautiful.

The constant coming and going of people from all walks of life make this city seem unusually prosperous.

Among the six major halls of the Sun-Moon Divine Cult, the headquarters of the Vermillion Bird Hall is far away in Jiangxi, the Dharma Protector Hall is in Heimu Cliff, and the other four halls all have their headquarters in Pingding City.

In front of the vermilion door stood sixteen black-clad disciples.

In terms of grandeur, the Fenglei Hall headquarters far surpassed the Jinyiwei Qianhu Suo Yamen, with green tiles, red walls, flying eaves and animal horns. There was a two-meter-long horizontal plaque with the four characters "风雷激荡" written by the Eastern Sect Leader himself, and Tong Baixiong invited expert craftsmen to make the large plaque.

"Partridge, what do you think?"

"Foster father, Zhang Yu has been transferred to the Dharma Protector Hall. It is indeed inappropriate for him to want to interfere in the affairs of the Cloud and Rain Altar."

"This Su Qiqi, I have never heard of him. How can we allow him to be recommended as the incense master of the Cloud Rain Altar?"

Tong Baixiong put the letter in his hand on the table with a very dissatisfied tone.

Qi Queqiao nodded and said, "Then reject him?"

Tong Baixiong began to hesitate. Is it worth it to break off his relationship with Zhang Yu for the sake of Yunyutan?

That young man is already the deputy head of the Dharma Protector Hall, and his status in the sect is incomparable.

If he holds a grudge against her and joins Yang Lianting, Fenglei Hall will suddenly have an extra enemy.

"I will think about it again..."

In just one year, Tong Baixiong's hair and beard turned completely white. He wore a long, wide brocade robe and sat leaning on an armchair. His face showed fatigue, but his voice was deep and heavy, and his heroic spirit seemed to have not diminished much.

Qi Queqiao shook his head secretly. His adoptive father’s influence was still there, but he had really grown old.

Time is merciless. Tong Baixiong, who killed the elder of Suzaku Hall with one sword, was so decisive.

He had made up his mind. He glanced at Tong Baixiong who was still frowning in thought and spoke slowly.

"From what I have seen and heard during my visit to Shaanxi, I know that the Cloud and Rain Altar was built by Zhang Yu himself, and all those incense protectors and flag owners are loyal to him."

"If foster father wants to completely control the Cloud and Rain Altar, he will need to send a large number of experts to Guanzhong to carry out the cleansing."

"Otherwise, even if we use our people to manage Yunyutan, I'm afraid it will be difficult to eliminate Zhang Yu's influence." Tong Baixiong thought for a moment and sighed, "Then agree to Zhang Yu and let Su Qiqi continue to be the incense master of Yunyutan. You choose two capable people from Fenglei Hall, appoint them as deputy incense masters, and send them to Tianyue Mountain."

Qi Queqiao smiled and said, "Foster father, you have given Zhang Yu such a great honor. He must be grateful to you."

Tong Baixiong shook his head and said, "Now there is the treacherous minister Yang Lianting in the sect, and the imperial guards outside the sect. We are surrounded by tigers and wolves. Fenglei Hall really should not have any more powerful enemies. I will make things easier for him this time."

The current situation of Fenglei Hall is really not good.

Ren Yingying retreated to Luoyang, Tong Baixiong lost his ally who helped him, and Yang Lianting was in control of Chengde Hall and suppressed Fenglei Hall whenever he had the chance.

He did not hesitate to break off relations with Wan Chong Lou and paid a heavy price to destroy Zhong Xiao Tang, but failed to control the underworld of Shuntian Prefecture as he wished.

The Imperial Guards supported six small gangs, and instead of fighting for territory, they carried out guerrilla warfare and emptied Tong Yuzhong's purse.

Qi Queqiao asked, "Foster father, I heard that the Third Young Master was promoted to Purple Shirt Envoy?"

Tong Baixiong frowned and said, "Why are you mentioning that little beast?"

"The last few of our old acquaintances in Chengde Hall were all cleared out by Yang Lianting."

Tong Baixiong said angrily: "This beast is an accomplice to the tiger! Sometimes I really want to...I want to kill him."

Qi Queqiao sighed slightly in his heart and could only advise: "The Third Young Master is confused for the time being, but one day, he will wake up."

Ever since the Third Young Master formally surrendered to Yang Lianting, all the people from Fenglei Hall on the Black Wood Cliff were picked out one by one. Yang Lianting found various excuses to kill or expel them, completely blinding Fenglei Hall.

Tong Baixiong couldn't make up his mind after all. Although the senior leaders in the hall didn't say it, they were inevitably dissatisfied in their hearts. If this continued, it would be difficult to lead the team.

But who could openly persuade him to kill his own son?

After Qi Queqiao left Fenglei Hall, he had tea at Qianhong Tower. When he came out, he was followed by a sturdy man with a broadsword on his back. The two of them got on a carriage and headed towards Sihai Teahouse.

On the west side of the counter, thirty-six teapots were neatly arranged in several rows on the stove. When the water boiled, the iron lids of the kettles hit the kettle bodies up and down, and the "clang" sound was endless, like a noisy urban music.

"Nowadays, villains are fighting for supremacy, and yellow sand is rising all over the world... We are sworn brothers and sisters in blood today, and we will dominate the world in the future..."

On the high platform, Mr. Ma told an old storytelling entitled "The Ten Brothers of Taizu Yishe".

People in the underworld are crude and uncultured. They disdain to listen to the twists and turns of stories about talented men and beautiful women, and they cannot understand the stories of strategists and powerful officials who are scheming to the core.

"...The Panlong Staff is world-famous, and it has been used in battles from north to south to decide the outcome of battles."

The story of Emperor Zhao conquering four hundred states with a stick as high as his eyebrows can resonate with people in the world.

There were cheers from the building.

The private room on the third floor is fully stocked with fruits, tea and other necessities.

When Zhang Yu saw the two people coming in, he stood up to greet them.

The big man with the broadsword on his back was slightly surprised when he saw Zhang Yu. He bowed and said, "Greetings, Master Zhang."

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "Brother Changfeng, you and I are old acquaintances. Why should we be so polite? Please take a seat."

Zhao Changfeng looked at Qi Queqiao and said, "Brother Qi said he would introduce me to a friend. It turned out to be Brother Zhang."

Qi Queqiao grabbed a handful of melon seeds and laughed, "Are you surprised?"

Zhang Yu poured them a cup of tea.

Zhao Changfeng nodded and said, "There are some rumors in the sect that Brother Zhang and Brother Qi... have become enemies."

Zhang Yu put down the teapot and chuckled, "Wang Shuan is Yang Lianting's lackey. He has evil intentions and intends to sow discord. Brother Qi and I took advantage of his trick and put on a show for him."

Zhao Changfeng nodded slightly and said, "I see."

Qi Queqiao sighed and said, "The situation in the sect has become increasingly murky. Right Envoy Qu has been in seclusion for several years and has not been involved in sect affairs. Left Envoy Xiang has not returned to Blackwood Cliff for a year. If Yang Lianting had some concerns before, now he is truly dominating the world with one hand."

Xiang Wentian is the left emissary of the sect. He had been ordered to travel outside to inspect various branch temples and affiliated gangs. He used to return to Heimu Cliff to report on his work on time, but he has not shown up since a year ago.

If it were an ordinary member of the church, if he had left the church for more than a year without any reason, he would have been listed as a traitor long ago.

Yang Lianting intended to order the Dharma Protector Hall to hunt him down, but Xiang Wentian was very popular among the high-level members of the Divine Religion, which caused many people to oppose it.

Zhao Changfeng said: "Dark clouds cannot cover the sun and the moon. Those villains will die without a burial place sooner or later!"

Zhao Changfeng is obsessed with martial arts and has little interest in factional struggles. However, as a disciple of Qu Yang, just like Zhang Yu is branded as a "disciple of Wu Lianjiang", he naturally belongs to the old-school faction and is opposed to Yang Lianting's new noble faction.

The Xunjiu faction has three branches. Some support the Eastern Sect Leader, some are obsessed with Miss Ren, and some are in the middle. Facing Yang Lianting's relentless pressure, their forces are always dispersed and each has their own ideas.

Zhang Yu smiled and asked, "I heard that Brother Changfeng is now working for the White Tiger Hall?"

The elder of the White Tiger Hall is the "Eagle Knight" Shangguan Yun. As a member of the Divine Religion, he holds the "definition" discourse power in the orthodox religion. In the martial arts world, he can be called a "knight". To put it nicely, he has a good reputation. To put it bluntly, he is a character who is smooth on both sides.

"At the beginning of the year, the Right Envoy returned from the south and arranged some of his old followers to various halls. He then left Blackwood Cliff with Miss Feiyan."

"Where did Master Qu go, Brother Changfeng, do you know?"

"My Lord didn't say. Maybe she went to the south, or to the seaside, or to Bashu. Doctor Ping saw her before. He said that Miss Feiyan's illness requires her to find a warm and humid water town to rest. The wind and sand in the north are too strong."

Zhao Changfeng did not hide the fact that he knew the relationship between Zhang Yu and Qu Yang. Before the Right Envoy left, he left a message to give the Bamboo Courtyard at the foot of the Black Wood Cliff to Zhang Yu. Du Xiaochai complained about this several times, accusing the Right Envoy of being partial.

Zhang Yu thought to himself, it seems that Master Qu has already agreed with Liu Zhengfeng to retire from the world.

He held the purple bamboo flute at his waist and sighed, "I don't know when I can ask Master Qu about the way of music again, and Feiyan's storytelling book..."

The three of them continued to chat about some matters of the martial arts world and their experiences in martial arts, but of course the most important thing was to curse Yang Lianting.

Just like today.

Zhang Yu returned to Pingding Prefecture half a month ago. With the introduction of Qi Queqiao, he met more than a dozen young and strong men from the old-timers. These people were not in high positions in the Divine Religion, but most of them were the backbone of the sect, such as incense masters and hall elders.

After leaving Sihai Teahouse, Zhao Changfeng did not return to Baihu Hall, but went to a farmhouse outside Pingding City.

There was a willow tree in front of the door, and behind a low mud wall, a sturdy woman in black was dancing with a dark green steel spear with kingfisher feathers in the yard. A cold light flashed, and the spear head shook, shooting four gun flowers in the air one after another.

The woman put away her gun, looked at the man who pushed the door open, and asked, "Do you have an errand in the hall?"

Zhao Changfeng shook his head and said, "I went to see Zhang Yu."

Du Xiaochai frowned and asked, "Did he invite you to join the Dharma Protector Hall?"

Du Changfeng smiled and said, "That's not the case. Brother Zhang gave me three martial arts secret manuals, all of which are first-rate sword techniques in the world."

Du Xiaochai sneered, "Are you calling each other brothers now? Zhao Changfeng, don't be so careless! Be careful that he sells you out."

Zhao Changfeng sat down on the stone bench in the yard.

The two of them have been following Qu Yang since they were teenagers. In name, they are master and servant, but they are almost like family members.

This time, Qu Yang found them a job as incense master in Baihu Hall, and Shangguan Yun did not really send them there, so the two of them were free for a while.

Zhao Changfeng said, "No matter what, Zhang Yu has a very good relationship with the Right Envoy, and they are like half-teacher. He now holds an important position in the Dharma Protectorate, so it's not a bad thing if he wants to make friends with him."

The woman said, "That person is too cunning, just like Yang Lianting. He just returned to Blackwood Cliff and he's busy forming cliques. You'd better stay away from him, or he'll be used as a knife by others in the end."

Zhao Changfeng looked at Du Xiaochai, sighed, and said, "How can you really stay out of trouble when you are in the Divine Religion?"

"If you can avoid it for a while, then avoid it for a while."

The woman in black held up the dark green steel spear with kingfisher feathers. A strong wind suddenly arose, and the whole yard was filled with the shadow of the spear.

(End of this chapter)