Starting with the divine power of the Great Vajra, he traversed the heavens.

Chapter 15 Famous Throughout Northwest China (Bonus Chapter, Please Vote!)

P.S.: Stop raising it, please keep reading!
Zhou Huai'an's expression darkened; he knew how formidable Cao Shaoqin was.

During their encounter in the capital, he discovered that Cao Shaoqin's swordsmanship was not as swift and elusive as that of Jia Ting and others. Instead, it was profound and dignified, with a Confucian spirit of strength and integrity even in the swordplay.

This is what is meant by "using power to oppress people in a grand manner".

He didn't know where Cao Shaoqin, that eunuch, had learned such Confucian classics, nor did he know how someone with such a vicious nature could achieve such mastery.

Zhou Huai'an only knew that "when heroes meet on the road, the brave will prevail." If he couldn't get through today, he might die.

With a clang, Zhou Huai'an drew his longsword, leaped forward, and swiftly thrust three times towards Cao Shaoqin's chest and abdomen.

"Juque!" "Yutang!" "Zhenwei!"

Cao Shaoqin, with his hands behind his back, smiled like a spring breeze. Dressed in white, he casually uttered the names of three acupoints on his chest and abdomen.

As if by magic, the sword tip indeed struck those three spots.

But in the blink of an eye, he slipped past her.

"Impossible!" Zhou Huai'an exclaimed in shock, his sword flashing even faster. "How do you know where my sword will strike?"

Cao Dugong remained motionless on the ground, his upper body moving like a shadow, dodging the long sword with the fluidity of flowing clouds and water.

At this moment, the sun was shining brightly in the sky, but the white-haired eunuch's eyes shot out a strange light, as if autumn water had been drawn from a box, and for a moment they were so dazzling that they could not be looked at directly.

"You~!"

Zhou Huai'an felt an immense chill in his heart.

Cao Dugong smiled slightly, his figure suddenly approaching, like a wisp of smoke.

With a long, sharp sound, a cluster of shimmering white sword shadows, like fireflies on a summer night, pierced through his chest.

Zhou Huai'an paused, then asked in a low voice, "What kind of swordsmanship is that?"

Clang!
The Grand Eunuch sheathed his sword and walked away without looking back: "The secret of Mount Hua, the forty-nine forms of Mount Tai."

Zhou Huai'an exclaimed, "Excellent swordsmanship!"

"Of course, excellent swordsmanship." The voice drifted back from afar.

Zhou Huai'an took a deep breath and suddenly ran towards Longmen. After running only a few steps, he suddenly felt a pain in his chest and stumbled and fell to the ground.

With a "whoosh," his upper body fell, but his lower body continued running, blood splattering like ink onto the bright yellow sand—
Fengyangchuan.

"Wow~!"

A commotion erupted at a teahouse as a burly man punched a gaunt man to the ground with two fists, grabbed his clothes, and slammed him onto the square table.

"What did you say? Dripping Cliff was massacred?" the burly man roared. "Damn it, where did you get this news from?"

The surrounding martial arts practitioners looked horrified and shouted, "San Lengzi, if you're deceiving Old Master Li, you'll be in for a beating!"

San Lengzi coughed, spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, and said rather defiantly, "How could I speak without evidence? The fire a few days ago could be seen from a hundred miles away! Now, the wanted posters for that thug are everywhere. Are you blind?"

"Damn it!" Old Kuai Li shouted, "You saw it with your own eyes?"

San Lengzi retorted, his neck stiff: "I saw it with my own eyes!"

Li Laokuai felt that he wasn't lying to tease him, so he slowly let go of his hand.

San Lengzi's stubbornness immediately vanished, and he quickly slid off the table.

"Damn it!" Old Kuai Li suddenly roared in fury, "My goods!"

As he spoke, he slammed his fists down with all his might, and with a crack, the table shattered into pieces, scattering across the floor.

At this moment, a swordsman wearing a bamboo hat laughed and said, "Old Kuai, don't mess with the table. Why don't you go find that thug?"

"Yeah, yeah, why are you arguing about this?"

Old Kuai Li cursed, "Shut the hell up, all of you!" He turned around and kicked San Lengzi to the ground again. "Tell me! What's that thug's name?"

San Lengzi felt a tightness in his chest and couldn't breathe. He said urgently, "That man is called Ren Shaoyang. He is a local from Dishuiya. He is skilled with an iron cudgel, has high martial arts skills, and is ruthless!"

Do you have a portrait of him?

"Yes, yes!"

"Aren't you going to hand it over yet?"

When Li Laokuai saw San Lengzi shakily pull out the portrait from his pocket, he snatched it away and spat, "Pah, what a coward, trying to act tough with me."

At this moment, everyone crowded around, craning their necks to look at the portrait.

Unfolding it roughly, one sees a young man with a sharp, angular face, bright eyes, and a somewhat handsome appearance.

He didn't look like a heinous criminal; instead, he seemed like a respectable young man focused on his studies.

"No way, buddy!" the swordsman exclaimed incredulously. "Where did this kid show any martial arts prowess?"

"Yeah, he looks like he hasn't even grown any hair yet, how could he have slaughtered the entire Dripping Cliff all by himself?"

Great martial arts skills?

Murderers littered the fields?
That's an overstatement.

The few martial arts practitioners scoffed, refusing to believe it; they thought the news was mostly a rumor.

San Lengzi finally stood up, but he couldn't stop coughing.

"Hey buddy, have some water, take a break!"

Just then, a voice came from behind. San Lengzi glanced over and saw a young man with thick eyebrows and fierce eyes, holding a bowl of tea.

Looking further down, it was discovered that he only had one arm, with his right hand severed at the root.

San Lengzi paused for a moment, then quickly took the teacup, gulped it down, thanked the young man, glanced at the small figure beside him, and then turned away.

"You know nothing!"

San Lengzi shouted at the top of his lungs, "Ren Shaoyang, this kid, wiped out the bandits and hunters who had been entrenched around Dishui Cliff for years as soon as he debuted." He glanced at the crowd with their mouths agape, "And that's not all, Feilong was about to wipe out Lianfenghao, but he killed him too."

"Good heavens, the dragon is dead?!"

"Holy crap, is that a flying dragon?"

"This kid is that strong?"

“Of course, the arrest warrant is written clearly!” San Lengzi continued, “You think that’s all? Compared to the big things he’s about to do, these are just small fry!”

"Tell me, what did he do?"

"Hurry up, stop dawdling!"

San Lengzi took a deep breath: "This kid's gone up against the Eastern Depot!"

"."

The scene suddenly fell silent, like a hot iron knife being quenched in cool water; the surface was calm, but beneath it, undercurrents surged.

"In this battle, Ren Shaoyang killed dozens of people from the Eastern Depot, including many skilled Black Riders and agents of the Depot's guards. It is even said that some important figures from the capital have fallen at his hands!"

"Hi~!"

Everyone gasped in astonishment, as if they were listening to a fairy tale.

Li Laokuai grinned and said, "Damn, that's really extravagant."

"So now both the legitimate and criminal worlds are after him, dead or alive. If they get his head, they can exchange it for five hundred taels of gold!"

San Lengzi stretched out his hand, fingers spread wide: "Five hundred taels!"

As soon as these words were spoken, seven or eight people rushed out of the teahouse.

"Brother, are you going to arrest someone?"

"No, it's going to rain heavily. I'm going home to collect the laundry!"

All that could be heard was the neighing of horses, as someone, disregarding the blazing midday sun of autumn, rode off at breakneck speed.

"Yes, I need to go home too."

"Collecting laundry?"

"My wife cheated on me!"

"Come along, I want to see what's going on!"

"."

In an instant, the noisy teahouse fell silent.

These wandering swordsmen, some on horseback and others on the run, scattered in all directions, like vultures feeding on carrion, heading to find the injured Ren Shaoyang.

After all, a human head is worth five hundred taels of gold.

Whether you practice martial arts or not, how could anyone not be tempted?
Only a few can suppress their desires.

The wind and sand are strong in the border region, which makes people bolder and their methods more ruthless and cruel.

Despite knowing that Ren Shaoyang was highly skilled in martial arts.

But they still believed that even a fierce tiger couldn't withstand a pack of wolves, and they all fantasized about the possibility of finding a bargain.

"boom"!
Ding An slammed the teacup down on the table, his expression somewhat uneasy.

"No worries, no hand loss!" Hongxiu chuckled softly, finishing her flatbread in a few bites. "Oh dear, the cripple will definitely be alright."

Ding'an remained silent, his left hand gripping the broken knife tightly, his fingers clenched. Hongxiu leaned closer, her round eyes blinking rapidly, and whispered, "Are you struggling with yourself?"

Ding An sighed: "Yes, I shouldn't have run away first that night."

“But you did nothing wrong.” Hongxiu’s small hand grabbed his large hand. “This was a pre-arranged plan. If you hadn’t left, we would all have died.”

"But...but the cripple's fate is unknown, and he's being hunted down by the entire world."

"Sever your hand!" Hongxiu interrupted him, staring intently at him. In just a few days, she had become a completely different person. "The cripple once said that in chaotic times, it's not easy to survive."

The little beggar lowered her head, strands of hair falling in front of her eyes: "A house can be rebuilt, things can be found again, but a person is truly gone."

"As long as you're alive, there's hope!"

Ding'an looked at her and finally chuckled, "Hehe, what should we do next?"

"Dragon Gate!"

Hongxiu pointed in a direction, her expression inexplicably confident.

“Go to Longmen and wait for him. The cripple said: go to Dishui Cliff first and then turn to Longmen. He wouldn’t say that for no reason.”

Ding An clicked his tongue in amazement: "Little beggar, your skill is amazing! You actually managed to turn a wild girl into a wise man?"

Hongxiu snorted twice and said, "At least you're not completely stupid. Alright, we should go."

Just then, a melodious voice came from across the table: "Hero, heroine, please wait!"

Ding'an and Hongxiu paused, turned around and looked, only to see three people sitting at the table.

Two bald men, looking menacing.

The leader was dressed in black with a single sword, wearing a bamboo hat, and a white veil that obscured his face.

All that can be seen is a slender figure with sculpted shoulders and a graceful waist, exuding a heroic and elegant charm.

Ding'an and Hongxiu exchanged a glance, then asked loudly, "May I ask why you have stopped my brother and sister?"

But then the man in the straw hat slowly walked over, sword in hand. A sharp sword aura made Ding An's expression change.

"Sit down!" The man in the straw hat chuckled and greeted them. "I am Qiu Moyan. I have no hostility toward you two. In fact, we can cooperate."

"Cooperation?" Ding An chuckled coldly twice and said, "I'm a cripple, and my sister doesn't know martial arts. She's not good enough to climb the social ladder for a great hero!"

Hongxiu didn't speak at this moment, but stared at the person in front of her with her big, round eyes. After a long while, a smile appeared on her lips.

Then Qiu Moyan laughed and said, "Hey, you can't say that."

Before he could finish speaking, what he said next made Ding'an's expression change drastically.

"You are the swordsman who defeated the Flying Dragon single-handedly with your sword. I am the one who is trying to climb the social ladder!"

"Wow~!"

Ding An suddenly stood up and shouted, "Are you from the Eastern Depot?"

"What do you want to do?"

"Want a shootout?"

The two bald men behind them drew their weapons with a clang and shouted at Ding'an.

"Tiezhu, Hehu, put down your weapons, there's no need to worry."

Qiu Moyan held a teacup in his hand, casually turned to look at Ding An and the other two, raising his eyebrows: "I have a grudge against the Eastern Depot, I am definitely not one of them, don't worry."

Ding An frowned and looked at Hong Xiu.

The little beggar smiled and tugged at his sleeve.

With two clangs, Tie Zhu and He Hu snorted coldly, sheathed their swords, and sat down.

Ding An also put away his broken sword and slowly sat down.

Qiu Moyan smiled and said, "I still don't know your honorable names?"

"Li Ding'an".

"Ren Hongxiu!"

"I apologize in advance," Qiu Moyan said, cupping his hands in apology. "I overheard your conversation just now, which is a grave taboo in the martial arts world!"

Hongxiu suddenly laughed and said, "Sister, since that's the case, why don't you take off your bamboo hat? That way, we can both be more aware of the situation, right?"

Qiu Moyan paused, and Tie Zhu and He Hu behind her were both startled and looked at her.

"Hehe, little sister has a good eye!"

He removed his straw hat, revealing a strikingly handsome face with arched eyebrows, clear, bright eyes, and a weathered appearance that made him look even more dashing than most men.

"Gentlemen, Mo Yan's purpose in coming here is to team up with you two and go to Longmen together."

Ding An frowned and said, "Now that you know our identities, you must also know the relationship between Shao Yang and us."

Qiu Moyan nodded and said, "Of course I know. Hero Ren killed the eunuch of the Eastern Depot with heroic spirit and courage. I admire him."

"But everyone in the world is after him, and it won't be long before they trace it back to us!" Ding An said coldly. "If you come with us, won't you be inviting trouble?"

Qiu Moyan shook her head and said, "No, no!" She looked at Hongxiu, "My mortal enemy is the Eastern Depot, and your mortal enemy is also the Eastern Depot! The eunuchs act tyrannically and kill without reason. Therefore, our only opponent is the Eastern Depot!"

Ding'an frowned, unable to understand.

Hongxiu chimed in from the side, "What Sister Qiu means is that if we go with her, we'll only be facing the Eastern Depot."

Seeing that Ding'an was still confused, the little beggar punched him in annoyance: "Idiot, when martial arts practitioners see the Eastern Depot, aren't they all like mice seeing a cat? Wouldn't it be much easier to go to Longmen then?"

"Oh!" Ding'an suddenly realized, "So that's how it is."

Hongxiu rubbed her forehead and said to Qiu Moyan, "Sister Qiu, we can walk with you. As the saying goes, 'There is no road in the world, but by helping each other, a road is formed!'"

Qiu Moyan smiled and said, "Sister, you have a brilliant mind! It's better to go together than to be attacked from different directions by the Eastern Depot."

"However, once we reach Longmen," Hongxiu chuckled, "then you'll go your way, and I'll cross ours!"

"make a deal!"

Qiu Moyan raised her hand, and Hongxiu also raised her small hand, and the two high-fived in the air.

"Snapped!"
-
"Ouch~!"

Someone shouted, "What—ah!"

With a series of "whoosh" sounds, several people screamed almost simultaneously, only to fall silent again in an instant.

The desert stretches as far as the eye can see, and the lonely wind howls as it blows across the vast sky and the distant land.

It was dusk, and the setting sun dyed the desert a blood-red orange, a scene both desolate and terrifying.

In the vast expanse of heaven and earth, the remaining dozen or so people huddled in a circle, their legs trembling with tension.

The leader yelled, "Ren Shaoyang! If you have any guts, don't try to shoot me in the back. Do you dare to face me head-on?"

As he spoke, he winked at his brothers to prepare bows and arrows.

"Haha, shameless scoundrel, what wouldn't I dare to do?"

A clear, long whistle came from the east. At first, the sound was still dozens of feet away, but in the blink of an eye, it seemed to be right next to their ears.

The leader was greatly alarmed, thinking to himself, "They've come so fast!"

Just then, with a "whoosh," a young man in a tattered blue jacket leaped out from the yellow sand under the setting sun.

He had a sharp, angular face, arched eyebrows, and bright, piercing eyes that shone like stars in the setting sun. He seemed to ignore the dozen or so people around him, and stood firmly as a mountain ten feet away.

The leader looked at the iron spike at his waist, the iron bow in his left hand, and the quiver on his back; the vigorous and imposing aura emanating from him sent a chill down the leader's spine.

"Hey!" Ren Shaoyang grinned, revealing his clean, white teeth. "I'm here. Why didn't you call me again?"

The leader took a deep breath: "Ren Shaoyang, you dare to provoke our Shuofeng Village? Surrender now!"

Ren Shaoyang smiled and said, "Really? You."

Before he could finish speaking, the leader shouted, "Fire the arrows!"

More than ten people raised their bows and crossbows, and a dense chorus of bowstrings rang out as more than a dozen arrows were fired at the same time.

Ren Shaoyang snorted, "The local gangs are so rude!" He drew an iron rod from his waist and drew circles in the air, instantly creating an impenetrable circle.

The sound of clanging and clattering filled the air as a black light flickered in the center of the field, blocking each incoming arrow.

After shooting for a while, the leader saw the black light dazzling, and all the arrows flew away and stuck in the ground, soon making him look like a hedgehog.

The people behind them were so frightened by what they saw that they couldn't even draw their bows. Only a dozen or so arrows flew by, most of which fell into the ground midway.

Seeing this, the leader couldn't help but shout angrily, "Bring me arrows!" The man behind him handed him a quiver, and just as he took it, he suddenly heard the man behind him cry out in surprise. Before he could react, with a "whoosh," the man was sent flying sideways.

The leader looked down and saw that the man had been pierced through the chest by an arrow and was convulsing on the ground.

He cried out in surprise and hurriedly drew his bow and turned around, but his hand jerked and another arrow struck the bow ridge with such accuracy that it seemed as if it had been waiting for him to turn around all along.

The leader was initially confident of victory, and the iron bow was drawn in a full circle. However, he didn't have time to pull back his strength. With a "bang," the bow broke, and all the force was suddenly rebounded, with the bowstring striking him hard.

He let out a terrible scream as his entire face was sliced ​​off, his nose and mouth disappeared, his eyeballs fell out, and he coughed up blood before collapsing backward.

In an instant, the entire desert fell into a deathly silence.

(End of this chapter)