Chapter 251

After the disaster was averted, Ye Guhong and his apprentice left Tai’an and headed north. After crossing the Yellow River in a few days, they continued for a few more days until they reached Cangzhou.

They naturally wanted to conserve their horses’ strength, so they traveled 60 or 70 li a day and rested the rest of the time.

However, they did not know that the Shandong government had sent messengers on fast horses in relay, day and night, to report the matter to the capital city.

Upon receiving the imperial decree, the Prince of Ruyang mobilized his troops and generals in his own mansion without saying much. The newly appointed Imperial Grand Master Yang Lianzhenjia even dispatched a large number of people and spread rumors among the martial arts community in Hebei Province 鈥�

saying that the meritorious officials had been killed and that His Majesty was furious. He offered a reward of 10,000 gold pieces to anyone who captured the teacher and his disciple and presented them to him, and he would even teach him to succeed the post of the great general Wang Yinghuai.

When the news spread, the rivers and lakes of the north were abuzz with excitement.

The Master and Disciple of the Destruction Sect had no idea. One day, as they were walking, they suddenly saw a man running towards them with two swords on his back. He was faster than a galloping horse, kicking up a cloud of dust wherever he went, as if a yellow dragon had risen from the ground.

The Master of Destruction whispered in admiration, 鈥淭his man has excellent light skills. Even if he were to compare himself to Gui Yifei back then, he would not be outdone!鈥�

Ye Guhong frowned and said, 鈥淛udging from the situation, is he not coming towards us?鈥�

Mie Jie shook his head. The two of them pulled back on their horses at the same time. When the man came close, he really made a sharp stop, looked at Mie Jie, then at Ye Guhong, and said with a bow, 鈥淢ay I ask if you are the Emei Sect’s Mie Jie and Ye Guhong?鈥�

Ye Guhong answered, 鈥淵es, it is me and my master. You are blocking the path of my master and I. What do you want?”

The man wiped the sweat from his face and a simple smile appeared on his plump face: 鈥滶xcellent! I have hurried as fast as I could and I have not arrived too late after all. I have not come here for anything else, but to tell you this: the master and disciple have displayed their prowess in Tai’an, and the Tai’an government reported to the Yuan court by night. It is rumoured that the Yuan emperor is furious and has decreed that whoever captures the two of you and brings you to to the capital, a reward will be given and they will be made generals. As a result, the martial arts world in Hebei is in an uproar, and a large number of masters in the capital are scrambling to take credit. Just now, when they passed through Cangzhou, they saw that the sixteen schools in Cangzhou were also contacting each other, fearing that they would also make things difficult for the Divine Nun and her disciple.鈥�

Upon hearing this, Mie Jie was taken aback, and then sneered, 鈥淔ine, do you think my master and I are made of clay?鈥�

The man said with a sincere face, 鈥淚 know that the Holy Nun and the Jade Knight are extraordinary, but two fists are no match for four hands, and even a hero cannot withstand the crowd. Please take the small path immediately and go around from the deserted area. Don’t let them catch you.鈥�

Mie Jie could not help but angrily say, 鈥淚 have always stood up for what is right, so why should I give way? Hmph, it’s fine if the Yuan court’s henchmen come to make things difficult for me, but these northern martial arts schools have never had any grudges against me, so why do they have to work for the Tartars?鈥�

The man smiled bitterly and said, 鈥淗oly Nun, you have been in the south for a long time, so you must not know the situation in the north. The land of Hebei, for example, was occupied by the Jin Kingdom at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, and then captured by the Mongols. It has been more than 200 years since then, and the people have been passing down the idea of family and country for generations, so they inevitably have become indifferent. Naturally, there are fewer heroes aspiring to restore the country, and there are more powerful people just seeking fame. Just think, every time the imperial examinations are held, the major martial arts schools still fight desperately with each other, beating each other’s brains out. How much more so when the Yuan court is offering the Grand Admiral Huaiyuan as a prize? They all want fame and fortune, and seeing this shortcut to success, how could they not try their best?”

Mie Jie sneered, 鈥漈rying to use a poor nun as a shortcut? Fine, I have a great head here, let them take it! I’d like to see if he’ll be a general faster, or if he’ll go to hell faster!鈥�

The man hurriedly said, 鈥淚 know that the Holy Nun is peerless in martial arts, but the Holy Nun must not underestimate the martial artists of the northern lands. Not to mention other places, just look at Cangzhou in the distance. Since ancient times, it has been a place of many battles. The northern barbarians have caused trouble from time to time, and it was later the front line between the Song and Liao dynasties. There have always been constant battles. Therefore, it has become a common practice for the people to practice martial arts for self-defense. In particular, it is located next to the canal, which is a key water and land transportation hub between the north and the south . All trades flourished, and competition was extremely fierce. Those with less strength found it difficult to establish themselves, and martial arts became even more popular. Masters emerged in droves. The nun said, 鈥淚f there are many ants, they can still bite an elephant to death. If they rise up together, no matter how high the martial arts of the master and apprentice, they will inevitably run out of strength.鈥�

Mie Jie listened to him talk with such confidence and sincerity, and was slightly moved. He dismounted and bowed eleven times.

Ye Guhong also dismounted and clasped his fists. He only heard his master say, 鈥淵our Excellency came here without complaint to report the news. I appreciate this intention, but I don’t know your name. We don’t know each other, so why did you come to help my master and apprentice?鈥�

The man sighed and said, 鈥淎lthough the north has been occupied for many years, there are still people who remember who their ancestors are! To be honest with you, I am surnamed Sha and named Yu. My ancestor was Sha Dandan, a minor general under the command of Yue Fei. When Yue Fei was recalled by the twelve gold medals, the army scattered. My ancestor was injured and drifted around Zhuxian Town. He had no way to make a living, so he became the son-in-law of a traveling merchant and went to Dadu with his father-in-law to settle down. This has been going on until now.鈥�

He spoke of his ancestors with a gradually more confident air: 鈥淚n my family, we have our own ancestral teachings. Future generations must never forget their Han Chinese bloodline. If there are any Han heroes who rise up to expel the Tartars in the future, the Sha family will certainly follow them to the death.鈥�

After hearing this, Mie Jie could not help but feel a surge of respect: 鈥淥h, I did not expect that you are actually a descendant of a loyal family. My apologies.鈥�

Sha Yuhan laughed foolishly, 鈥淭hat scoundrel Wang Ying was a loyal dog of the Yuan court. Over the years, countless heroes have fallen at his hands. Master, you have truly made everyone happy by beheading this old villain. Anyway, now that the news has spread, I will go back to Dadu and try to think of some way to delay a few good men for the Holy Nun and Jade Knight.鈥�

After saying this, he gave a fist salute, turned around and left, and in an instant, all that could be seen was a small back.

This person came and left as he spoke, and it was impossible to stop him from escaping. There was nothing we could do but watch him go. We couldn’t help but marvel, and said to Ye Guhong, 鈥淭he world is vast, and there are many extraordinary people. This good man Sha Yu, whose name I have never heard, is truly worthy of the name hero, judging by his abilities and his heart.鈥�

Ye Guhong also said, 鈥淚 hope this uncle will be safe on his journey, and that we will have the opportunity to meet again in the future.鈥�

Mie Jie nodded and after a moment of thought said, 鈥淪ince the various schools of Cangzhou are here to make things difficult, you and I might as well not enter the city, but go straight around it to avoid any more trouble.鈥�

Ye Guhong was surprised. His master had always been unbending, so how was he willing to back down this time? He thought to himself, probably because his master was eager to avenge Xie Qian and therefore didn’t want to waste any more time.

He casually said, 鈥淭hat’s fine, we’ll go around Cangzhou as you wish, and we’ll go around any place that’s lively.鈥�

Mie Jie blinked his eyes, showing a look of gratification, and nodded with a smile, 鈥淚’m too stubborn by nature, and I’m afraid of teaching you to be like this. You’re not like me, you just mingle with the common people. In the future, if you want to do great things, you must be both tough and gentle! I’m really happy that you’re willing to give in today.鈥�

Ye Guhong was momentarily stunned. Only then did he realize that Master Yue Jie, who was known for her fiery temper, was actually willing to concede. It turned out that she was afraid that he would be too upright in his dealings in the future, so she set an example herself. He was moved.

The master and apprentice briefly discussed the matter and planned to take the fork in the road ahead and turn onto a small path, taking the rural route around Cangzhou.

However, the sky refused to cooperate, and after walking a short distance, they saw a large group of people coming towards them on the main road. There were no less than a thousand people, with more than ten banners in front and behind, each with a different color and the name of a martial arts school written on it, such as 鈥淐razy Demon Staff鈥�, 鈥淓vil Pistol鈥�, 鈥淧oke-Foot School鈥�, 鈥淜ick-Leg School鈥�, 鈥淵anqing Boxing鈥�, 鈥淭aizu School鈥�… There were all kinds of schools.

The image of the Master and Disciple of Destroying Calamities is eye-catching. They meet face to face, and the other party exclaims in surprise. They pull out all the stops, splitting into more than ten groups of people, forming a semi-circle to block the way.

Immediately, more than ten men and women of different appearances, each of them the leader of a group, walk to the front of the formation. Some clasp their fists, some cross their arms, scowling angrily, clearly showing that they mean business.

In the center of the formation, a large man stepped forward, pointed his finger at the two of them, and shouted, 鈥淗ey! You nun, are you the Emei Sect’s Master Mei Jie!鈥�

Although Mei Jie had the intention of avoiding a fight, she naturally would not back down when she was blocked by her enemy. She immediately pulled back her horse and shouted coldly, 鈥淵es, I am Mei Jie. Who are you people? Why are you blocking the way of my master and I?鈥�

The big man showed signs of joy and shouted, 鈥淚t really is you! Hahahaha, your notorious reputation for killing the famous general Wang in Shandong has reached the ears of the current emperor. We, the heroes of Cangzhou, are here to capture you and your master by imperial decree and deliver you to the capital to be executed by a thousand cuts and a thousand burns to avenge General Wang.鈥�

Mie Jie said proudly, 鈥淚 am killing a traitor to the Han dynasty, doing the work of heaven. I don’t think you are Manchu, so why are you helping the tiger?鈥�

The man angrily said, 鈥淚t is because of traitors like you, who have no respect for their country or their parents, that there is unrest every year and the people cannot live in peace! We, the sixteen clans of Cangzhou, serve the court and are truly doing the work of heaven.鈥�

Ye Kuhong looked at Mie Jie and said with a smile, 鈥淢aster, there is one thing I don’t understand鈥攜ou say that other gangs are willing to work for the Tartars, but the Taizu Sect is mixed in with them, and they are not afraid of Zhao Taizu’s apparition coming to trouble these unfilial descendants!鈥�

Although this remark seemed to be directed at Mie Jie, in fact, with internal strength, his voice could be heard for miles, and more than a thousand people could hear it clearly.

Then, under the banner of the Taizu Sect, a short, stocky man in his forties suddenly turned bright red and shouted, 鈥淵ou little thief surnamed Ye, you’ve only been weaned for a few years, and you dare to say such nonsense? If the Great Yuan had not followed the will of heaven and responded to benevolence, how could it have obtained such a splendid world? Even if Emperor Taizu of Song were still alive, he would have to admire the heroes of the emperors of the Great Yuan over the generations and offer the country to them with clasped hands.鈥�

Upon hearing this, Ye Guhong laughed out loud, then his face turned cold as he stared at the head of the Tai Zu Sect with a sinister expression, and said, 鈥淭ai Zu’s long fist is a very widely practiced martial art, and your sect is one of the many that have inherited it. I will destroy your Tai Zu Sect today, so that the spirit of Emperor Taizu will not be disgraced by you rats.鈥�

The short, fat man’s face turned even redder as he angrily said, 鈥淵ou little thief, you’re full of shit! This is not Mount Emei! Not to mention just the two of you, even if the whole Emei Sect came, what would the sixteen families of Cangzhou be afraid of?鈥�

The big man who spoke first called out, 鈥淢aster Lang is right! The nuns are out to destroy you, and they don’t care who they hurt with their fists and feet. I advise you and your master to surrender and you can still live for a few more days. Otherwise, if a fight breaks out, I’m afraid it won’t stop. Today, your master and you will lose your lives.鈥�

Ye Kuhong removed his spear and sneered, 鈥淐ut the crap! If you’ve had enough of living, come and reincarnate under my spear!鈥�

The big man frowned slightly, took a few steps back, and called over the heads of the martial arts masters. He whispered, 鈥淭his Ye person, I heard that he killed the 鈥楲ittle Knife King鈥� with dozens of moves, so it can be seen that his riding and spear skills must be extraordinary. If it’s a melee, I don’t know how many disciples will fall to his spear. We might as well compete with him one-on-one. For one thing, it’ll be hard for him to show off his horseback skills, and for another, if we capture this kid, then we can deal with the nuns who destroyed the temple. The opponent will naturally be handicapped.鈥�

The short and fat head of the Tai Zu Sect immediately said, 鈥淭hat’s right! That little thief just insulted me, I’ll challenge him!鈥�

The group of sect leaders were slightly surprised, thinking to themselves that this fat guy has never been one to stick his neck out, but what’s gotten into him today? Has he really gone crazy and wants to be a general?

But although they are known as the sixteen families of Cangzhou, they usually fight with each other quite a bit, and seeing someone willing to take the lead, they are all happy to watch the fire from the sidelines.

Then they saw Lang Men Zhu stride out, pointing at Ye Guhong and shouting, 鈥淵e little thief, you’ve got some nerve, don’t brag about your spear and horse skills. You don’t look down on my Taizu boxing, do you? Do you dare to compare your boxing skills with my Taizu School?鈥�

Ye Guhong shook his head disdainfully, hung up his spear, turned over and dismounted, and walked over with empty hands.

Lang Men Zhu only shouted again, 鈥淲ait! What I just said was not to compete with me, but to compete with my Taisu School! Haha, a man of honor keeps his word, didn’t you just say you want to destroy my Taisu School? Lang will give you a chance, I will put all the disciples of my school on display, if you have the guts, come and destroy us!”

After saying this, he did not wait for Ye Guhong to reply, and shouted, 鈥榃here are the disciples of the Taisu School!鈥�

Then he heard more than a hundred people in the thousand-person formation shout in unison, 鈥漌e are here!鈥�

Master Lang laughed loudly, 鈥淐ome out, come out! Someone from Emei wants to destroy our Taizu Sect. You all follow me and experience the supreme martial arts of the Emei Sect together!鈥�

Immediately, more than a hundred disciples responded and came out. Among them, more than 20 were similar in age to Master Lang and were obviously his seniors.

The remaining 15 masters of the sect all pursed their lips in unison, thinking to themselves, 鈥淣o wonder Lang dares to lead the way, it turns out he has such intentions!鈥�

This is clearly bullying Ye Guhong because he is young, and they want to put him on a pedestal, forcing him to fight one against many to save face. But Master Lang didn’t think about it. His master is still there, and an old hand like Mie Jie, how could he let his disciple fall for it?

These masters all looked at Mie Jie, but they saw a sneer at the corner of his mouth, and he didn’t even try to stop Ye Guhong.

Ye Guhong also had no intention of being trapped, and after realizing that he was not being tricked, he nodded and said, 鈥淢aster Lang is indeed considerate, but you have saved me the trouble of distinguishing between them.鈥�

Master Lang was slightly surprised, and then ecstatic. He thought to himself, 鈥淲ell, the master and disciple of Emei Sect are both idiots. Today is the day that my ancestor’s sect will become famous, and I, Lang, will be promoted and become rich!鈥�

He shouted out, taking the lead, followed by the 20-year-old-old, and behind them were the 70-80 young disciples, more than 100 people all striking the same move, 鈥淪itting on the Golden Throne鈥�. Two punches, they gathered their strength, lowered their waists and crouched, their movements clean and uniform!

Ye Guhong nodded to himself, thinking that you could see the whole picture from a single spot. Judging from the Taizu Sect, it seems that the 16 families from Cangzhou have brought out the best fighters from their respective sects.

He smiled slightly, and his pace suddenly quickened as he charged straight at Langmen Zhu.

Langmen Zhu laughed loudly, 鈥淵ou fell for my trap! Change formation!鈥�

He said this and took a few quick steps backwards, while his fellow disciples behind him quickly pulled apart. The disciples behind him all ran even faster, quickly transforming into a circular formation that enveloped Ye Guhong in the centre. Langmen Zhu then bellowed, 鈥淵ou won’t take the path to heaven, so let me show you the power of our school’s long fist formation! Fight!鈥�

With a shout, eight older and stronger men rushed out together, using the same move, 鈥淐harging the Formation and Slaying the General鈥�, and eight casserole-sized fists attacked Ye Guhong from all directions!

The fifteen masters’ faces all changed slightly, exchanging glances with each other, thinking to themselves that this fat man Lang is not simple, and this formation was actually hidden so deeply that even we did not know about it.

Then Ye Guhong shouted, 鈥淕ood!鈥� With a series of loud bangs, the eight burly men who had taken the lead in attacking seemed to have crashed head-on into a city wall and fell backwards together.