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

Chapter 52 Xiang Family Village (Seeking monthly votes)
The three of them, in a donkey cart, traveled eastward in a winding path.

Passing by a teahouse, I heard even more rumors.

They said that Tianning Temple was a small place, and although many people went there, only about a hundred people actually managed to get in, mostly martial arts heroes, none of whom escaped.

Even the supposedly dead Qi Changfa reappeared, choking to death while plundering the treasure, stuffing jewels into his mouth. A young martial arts expert arrived and risked his life to retrieve the body, but the day after its burial, the corpse was dug up, the jewels ripped from its throat, and the body mutilated in revenge.
Yan Daping was found dead in front of Qi Changfa's tomb, clutching jewelry, his face purplish-black, clearly poisoned.

After the collapse of Tianning Temple, the corpses that fell into the river were eaten by fish, and this morning there were many of them floating belly up.

The emperor already knew about this and sent three elite guards to investigate.

Upon hearing these rumors, Ren Shaoyang thought to himself, "People die for wealth, birds die for food. The martial arts world in Jiangnan was already in decline, and after this incident, it will probably be even more devastated." He no longer cared about it and chatted happily with the two of them along the way.

After traveling for a while, we could see the distant mountains with their verdant peaks, and through a grove of trees, we could see a huge fortified village standing in the distance.

At this point, we were still some distance away when the dirt road under our feet turned into a bluestone path.

The little beggar felt the shade of the trees and was very comfortable. He couldn't help but say, "Severed hand, your master's family is very powerful!"

With the creaking of the donkey cart, we had already left the woods, and the stone-paved road seemed even more open.

Ding An smiled and said, "I just found out too."

Just then, the three saw a tall stele standing by the roadside, with the three large characters "Xiangjiazhuang" engraved on it. The calligraphy was powerful and vigorous, seemingly the work of a famous calligrapher.

Ren Shaoyang looked at it and said, "Ding'an, we're almost there."

Ding'an didn't reply, but smiled at the monument with a relaxed expression.

When we arrived at the village, we saw that it was surrounded by fields against the mountains, covering a vast area of ​​thousands of acres, with towering walls that stretched far into the distance.

The trees on both sides are planted with Jianmu trees, the forest is secluded and the cicadas chirp, and birds sing from time to time.

At this moment, the gate opened wide, and suddenly someone called out, "Ding'an, Ding'an! It really is you!" As they spoke, a person ran over, his face filled with surprise and joy.

The three looked closely and, sure enough, it was Tie Tou.

Tie Tou, beaming with joy, took the reins and exclaimed, "Hero Ren, Heroine Ren, you've arrived too!"

Ren Shaoyang laughed and said, "Brother Tie is getting married. I am Ding'an's brother, so naturally I am your brother too. How could I not come?"

Upon hearing this, Tie Tou was overjoyed: "Oh dear, I'm really in luck!"

At this moment, Ding'an got off the donkey cart and hugged Tie Tou with big laughs.

After exchanging a few words, everyone went inside.

Inside, the roads were wide and open, and as they extended southward, the houses were stacked one on top of another, with deep corridors and secluded passageways. In the distance, a column of smoke rose straight into the sky.

Hongxiu glanced at it, her eyes flashing with brilliance, and asked, "Brother Tietou, has Lianfeng opened for business again?"

Tie Tou shook his head: "Not yet, this is the opening ceremony that will begin next." As he spoke, he walked briskly, leading everyone south for several dozen steps, and they arrived at a courtyard.

As they were walking, a woman in white suddenly came running up, panting, and called out, "Ding'an!"

Ding An laughed heartily, "Xiang Ling." He took her outstretched hand with one hand, his expression joyful.

Xiang Ling scolded, "Why didn't you let me know you were coming? I could have sent someone to pick you up."

Ding An glanced at Tie Tou and said, "It's to give everyone a surprise! By the way, how is Master's health?"

Tie Tou said, "Master is in good health. He's even gained weight since we came here!"

Xiang Ling chimed in, "Yes, Father will be even happier to know you're here."

Upon hearing this, Ding An grinned happily and continued walking with Tie Tou and Xiang Ling.

Ren Shaoyang and Hongxiu followed behind, watching the servants in the manor who were all cheerful and in a hurry, and who were all strong and healthy, clearly having trained their strength regularly.

The two understood that the Xiang family was a renowned forging family in the martial arts world, supplying weapons to outsiders, and possessed considerable influence.

After walking for about half an incense stick's time, we finally arrived at the center of the village.

Just then, a loud laugh rang out: "Hero Ren, Heroine Ren, welcome, welcome!"

Suddenly, Xiang Qie came out from inside the gate to greet them. He was now wearing a brocade robe and looked much more prosperous than he had looked when he was miserable at Dripping Water Cliff. Ren Shaoyang and the other man greeted him with smiles and clasped their hands in greeting.

Ding'an then knelt down and kowtowed, shouting loudly, "Master!"

Xiang Qiezheng responded, pulled him up, and looked at the severed arm. Looking back on the past, he felt both joy and sorrow.

Seeing that Ren Shaoyang was still standing there, he quickly composed himself and invited everyone into the house.

After tea and water were served, everyone reminisced for a while. They were surprised to find that only half a year had passed, yet time had flown by. The days at Dripping Cliff seemed like a dream, and after escaping death, they never expected to meet again in Jingzhou.

They all sighed deeply.

During this time, after Xiang Qiezheng and the three returned to Xiang Family Village, they had a strange experience.

Xiang Qiezheng was originally the second son of the Xiang family, but because he and his elder brother fell in love with their sister-in-law at the same time, he felt guilty and went to the northern frontier to establish the Lianfeng Company.

If it weren't for the attack by the Eastern Depot, he probably would never have returned in his lifetime.

However, when he returned to Xiangjiazhuang with his daughter and disciples, he was shocked to learn that his elder brother, the head of the village, had died of illness two years earlier and had no children. Now, Xiangjiazhuang was in a state of leaderlessness.

When the elders of the clan saw Xiang Qiezheng return, they were overjoyed and recommended him as the new head of Xiang Family Village.

Thus, Xiang Qiezheng transformed from a country bumpkin from the northern frontier into a prominent figure in the entire Jingzhou region and even the martial arts world of Jiangnan.

Life's circumstances are truly unpredictable.

Ren Shaoyang's lips twitched after hearing this: "Second brother loves sister-in-law, ran away for many years and came back, but eldest brother and sister-in-law have passed away, and he became the head of the manor. Why does this sound so familiar?"

It's you, Master Ouyang!

After a moment of silence in the hall, Tie Tou suddenly said, "Master Ren, are you aware of the Liancheng Treasure incident the other day?"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at him.

Ren Shaoyang chuckled and said, "I know, Blood Blade Ancestor was just saying that Ding Dian and I have a treasure!"

Xiang Ling hurriedly asked, "Master Ren, I heard that there is a golden Buddha statue about ten feet tall in Tianning Temple. Is that true?"

Ren Shaoyang nodded: "It's true."

Tie Tou and Xiang Ling gasped in shock, exclaiming, "My God, all that treasure is gone!"

Xiang Qiezheng snorted coldly: "Nothing much? Didn't you hear that the imperial court has sent the Embroidered Uniform Guard? They'll make sure to salvage it!"

Ren Shaoyang's mind raced, and he asked, "The Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

Xiang Qiezheng said, "That's right. It's said that the team is led by the Three Swordsmen of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

Holy crap!

Ren Shaoyang cursed inwardly, "Damn it, as long as it's not Wei Jinzhong who cultivates the 'Heavenly Wrath Heart Method'!"

Just then, Xiang Qiezheng saw the iron rod in Ren Shaoyang's hand again, and hesitated to speak.

When Ren Shaoyang saw this, he asked, "Master Xiang, please speak if you have something to say."

Xiang Qiezheng then said, "Master Ren, may I examine the iron cudgel at your waist?"

Ren Shaoyang handed over the iron rod and said with a smile, "Master Xiang, do you recognize this thing?"

Xiang Qiezheng was about to go and receive it.

To everyone's surprise, Ren Shaoyang put it away and said solemnly, "Master Xiang, this iron rod of mine has become increasingly heavy lately, so please be careful."

Xiang Qiezheng laughed and said, "Hero Ren, I have been forging iron for many years and I am quite strong. How can you underestimate me like this?"

Ren Shaoyang nodded and handed the iron rod to him.

Xiang Qiezheng reached out with both hands to catch it, but as soon as he took it, he felt an incredible weight. He was pulled by the weight and, with a "bang," he involuntarily knelt down!

Ren Shaoyang: "Σ(っ°Д°;)っ"

(End of this chapter)