Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 97 The Great Battle of Wanjie Valley (Part 2)
The felled paulownia trees, like a long bridge, spanned countless thorny bushes.

As Jiang Mingzhe and his group of five walked through, they saw colorful bushes with many venomous snakes swimming around. However, the five of them were standing on high ground and walking fast, and they crossed the area before the snakes could climb up.

Then came a large meadow, with many balsam flowers planted along the edge. Zhu Danchen pointed and said, "This flower is called Little Peach Blossom, also known as Impatience Flower. It was introduced from India during the Tang Dynasty. Hehe, the Zhong family is also very impatient, no wonder they planted this kind of flower."

Jiang Mingzhe recalled the "Records of the Old Immortal of the Starry Sky Pretending to Be Cool," which mentioned this flower. He laughed and said, "The roots of this flower have a sulfurous smell, which repels snakes and ants. He probably planted it here to prevent snakes from the forest from running into the valley and hurting people."

Zhu Danchen said in surprise, "So that's how it is. I've learned something new."

After passing through the meadow, there was another pine forest, but for some reason, it had been cut down haphazardly, with the pine trees piled up to form two wooden walls, seemingly to build a passageway.

The tallest pine tree at the entrance of the passageway has a piece of bark peeled off, revealing the words "Anyone with the surname Duan who enters this valley will be killed without mercy," and a small hammer hangs next to it.

Upon seeing this, the four guards all snorted angrily. Gu Ducheng picked up his axe and, with a few quick strokes, shaved off the words.

When the blade was shaved down to the character “段”, it made a metallic sound. It turned out that an iron plate was embedded behind the character, and the back of the plate was hollow. Presumably, striking the character “段” with a small hammer was the way to ring the doorbell.

The five continued on their way. As Jiang Mingzhe walked, he looked around carefully. The unfinished passageway was only wide enough for one person to pass through, and large patches of dry moss were stuffed between the pine trees.

He nodded and said, "I think I've guessed his heinous scheme. He planned for us to call for reinforcements, so he built this tunnel. When we pass through, he'll set it on fire. As long as we guard the front and back exits, everyone inside will be burned to death. In this way, the loyal ministers and righteous men of Dali will all perish here in vain."

Gu Ducheng asked, "Can't we use our lightness skill to leap away?"

Zhu Danchen said, "Once the passageway is completed, it will surely be sealed with large timbers at the top. How will you then jump out?"

Chu Wanli said, "Since we see this passage, we might as well not go in..."

He shook his head first, saying, "He has hostages in his hands. If he had lured us in, we would have had no choice but to go in. Luckily, luckily..."

Fu Sigui laughed and said, "Luckily we arrived quickly!"

Zhu Danchen suddenly bent down, picked up half a piece of fried dough, squeezed it, and said, "It's still warm. It must have been the servants in this valley who heard Lao Gu chopping down the tree and that's why they left."

Passing through the pine forest, towering cliffs on both sides outline a clearing. Looking around, flowers, trees, melon trellises, and ponds conceal houses of varying heights, but it is quiet and deserted.

The five men didn't care and went straight to the largest house. Zhu Danchen called out loudly, "The Duan family of Tiannan, who worships Long Aotian, and the Zhennan Prince's Mansion, including Chu Wanli, Gu Ducheng, Fu Sigui, and Zhu Danchen, have come at the invitation of the notorious Duan Boss. Why doesn't Duan Boss show himself?"

Then the gate opened to the left and right, and Ye Erniang stood inside with a gloomy face. She glanced at the five people and said coldly, "My elder brother said that only this kid will stay. The other four, get out of here and wait at the valley entrance. Otherwise, we'll collect the little girl's corpse and have another fight."

Zhu Danchen argued, "Boss Duan didn't say before that he wanted Long Gongfeng to come here. He only said that there shouldn't be too many people. There are only five of us, which isn't a lot, is it? Boss Duan is a man of such status. How could he go back on his word? If word gets out, wouldn't our friends in the martial arts world laugh at us?"

Ye Erniang scoffed, "We are inherently wicked people, and going back on our word is commonplace for us. If you want to spread this, go ahead and do it."

After saying that, he turned and left. Jiang Mingzhe looked over and saw Duan Yanqing sitting casually in the middle, while Azi was sitting pitifully on the ground, probably because her pressure points had been acupunctured.

Ye Erniang returned to Duan Yanqing's back and stood on his left, while Zhong Wanchou stood on his right.

Jiang Mingzhe pondered for a moment and said in a low voice, "In that case, the four of you should wait for me at the valley entrance."

Zhu Danchen hesitated, then the four of them sighed and turned to leave.

Before their departure, Zheng Chun had instructed the four men to obey Jiang Mingzhe's orders. Therefore, although the four were worried about his safety, they dared not disobey and try to detain him.
Jiang Mingzhe composed himself, walked slowly into the main room, and said in a deep voice, "Duan Yanqing, you are a big shot in the martial arts world. You actually use a hostage to threaten a junior like me. Aren't you afraid of losing face? If you have the guts, release Azi. Whether it's one-on-one or all of you coming at me at once, I'll take you on."

Duan Yanqing remained expressionless and chuckled twice: "No need to provoke me. Whether I have guts or not is none of your business. Why don't you tell me how I should address you, as Young Friend Long or Young Friend Jiang?"

Jiang Mingzhe said, "A true man does not change his name or surname. My surname is Long and my given name is Aotian. I like to eat ginger, so my senior sister calls me Big Ginger. When Miss Zhongling first met us, she heard Azi call me that and thought my surname was Jiang, so she called me Brother Jiang."

Duan Yanqing, unsure whether to believe it or not, asked again, "How do you know my identity? Does the Duan family know?" Jiang Mingzhe pondered for a moment and said, "I heard about your identity from a good friend. From what he said, your identity might be of great use to him. Therefore, although I became a retainer of the Duan family, I have never told anyone about it."

Duan Yanqing shouted, "Who is your friend?"

Jiang Mingzhe remained silent. Upon seeing this, Duan Yanqing raised his black staff and held it between Azi's eyebrows, staring at Jiang Mingzhe with a sinister look.

Jiang Mingzhe roared, "Damn it, how can a master like you be so shameless? Fine, I'll admit I'm sorry, my friend. I'll tell you, but you have to release my senior sister!"

Duan Yanqing readily agreed: "Okay! Tell me, and I'll let her go."

Jiang Mingzhe said, "No, you're a liar. I don't trust you anymore. You have to release her before I'll tell you anything."

Duan Yanqing chuckled and said, "Then I don't want to know. You can prepare to collect this young lady's corpse."

Jiang Mingzhe gritted his teeth and said, "Don't try any tricks with me. My senior sister is in your hands. You can keep threatening and extorting her. When will it end? Let me tell you straight, this matter is extremely important to you. If you don't know, you'll become someone else's tool sooner or later. If you do know, when that person comes looking for you, you'll be caught off guard. You might even be able to use him to achieve the career you've dreamed of your whole life! You decide what to do!"

I was secretly nervous: I hoped that what I said would scare him, otherwise if he really tried to kill me, I would have no choice but to recite the mantra of Guanyin under the Bodhi tree.

When Duan Yanqing heard the phrase "a lifelong career," his heart skipped a beat, and his eyes widened in surprise and uncertainty.

He thought to himself: This kid seems to know something important. Hmm, it's fine if I return this little girl to him. Once he tells me the truth, I'll immediately go up and stop him, so that Ye Erniang can take the opportunity to capture her again.

Having made his decision, he chuckled dryly, "You're just being petty and judging others by your own standards. Fine, I'll return this girl to you for now!"

After saying that, the black staff lifted Azi up and gently pushed her up. Azi floated up involuntarily, and Jiang Mingzhe quickly caught her. He saw Azi looking at him with anxious eyes, but she didn't say a word. He thought to himself that she had been silenced by someone.

Duan Yanqing said, "The person has been returned to you; you can speak now."

Jiang Mingzhe whispered, "Senior sister, don't be afraid, I can protect you!"

He gently placed her behind him before saying, "My friend here is famous throughout the world. She is the only current successor of the Murong family of Gusu, and her given name is Fu."

Although Duan Yanqing had no expression, his eyes clearly changed.

Jiang Mingzhe continued, "This 'Fu' means to restore the country. The Murong family are not Han Chinese, but descendants of the Xianbei Murong clan. They have always taken the restoration of the Yan Kingdom as their mission. He told me personally that the most evil person in the world is actually Prince Yanqing of the Dali Kingdom. He also said that your identity might be of great use in the future. I guess he will look for you one day and use your identity to do something to help restore the country."

Duan Yanqing nodded slightly, thinking to himself that it wouldn't be surprising if someone from the Murong family knew his identity, but what was surprising was...

He stared at Jiang Mingzhe and asked, "Your surname changes from Jiang to Long. Murong Fu even tells you such secrets, yet you are a retainer of the Duan family and have learned my family's divine skills. You call this young girl 'senior sister,' but this young girl is skilled in using hidden weapons, all techniques of the Xingxiu Sect... I am also very interested in the secrets you possess. Why don't you open your heart and tell me in detail, and we can become friends despite our age difference? Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Although his voice was deep and unpleasant, his tone became increasingly gentle. As Jiang Mingzhe listened, he couldn't help but nod, feeling that the other person was very kind and approachable. He couldn't help but want to reveal his family's secrets, but a clear-headedness kept reminding him: I can't say it, I can't say it!

Jiang Mingzhe's brows furrowed as he struggled with whether to speak or not. A hint of surprise flashed in Duan Yanqing's eyes, and he said, "I also have the surname Duan. Since you are a retainer of the Duan family, aren't we on the same side? If we are family, what is there to be ashamed of?"

Jiang Mingzhe couldn't help but nod and say, "Yes, they are indeed our own people..."

He was about to say, "I was just lying to you. I don't know Murong Fu," but before he could speak, a soft, sweet voice cried out urgently, "Brother Jiang, run! Don't fall for his magic!"

Jiang Mingzhe was startled and quickly channeled his inner energy. In an instant, his senses cleared and he immediately realized that Duan Yanqing had used a mind-controlling technique on him.

Seeing that his eyes cleared, Duan Yanqing knew that the other party had come to his senses, and shouted angrily: "Zhong Wanchou, what a fine daughter you have! Everyone, attack!"

With a push of his black staff, he leaped into the air towards Jiang Mingzhe!
(End of this chapter)