Playing with fantasy beasts in the martial arts world

Chapter 33 How Can I Be Without You?
"King of Joy, King of Joy...!"

"I have a vague impression of the names, but I really can't remember who they are or where they come from!" Cha Nan felt that it was necessary for him to set aside some time to record and compile the martial arts masters from all over the world that he could recall, otherwise he would not be able to remember some familiar names in the future.

It's fine to just get the information in advance now; we'll have time to think about it later. But if we encounter it in battle and can't remember it, we'll lose a huge informational advantage.

"Since the Mongol Tartars have experts to help them, does Xiangyang have any to assist them?" Cha Nan asked a question that was of greater concern.

If we consider Xiangyang City, where we are about to go, as a beginner's village, Guo Jing and Huang Rong are the minimum requirements. If we can gather more experts from different worlds, then Cha Nan is confident that he can gain even more benefits from it.

The world of fantasy beasts is an incredibly vast treasure trove, and Cha Nan has not even utilized one ten-millionth of it yet.

Even among the resources currently available, there are things like Palu eggs, mythical beast hides, and meat that can be collected and traded with others.

With the acquisition of Fang Dongbai and Shi Shugang, Cha Nan will undoubtedly have many more things to do after returning to the world of Fantasy Beasts.

Hearing Cha Nan's question, Guo Fu spoke first: "Of course there are. Besides those who volunteered to help, there are fellow martial artists from all over the world. There is one named Qi Shaoshang. Although he has lost an arm, his strength is only a fraction less than Father's."

Guo Xiang added from the side, "At first, Father mistook him for someone else, which caused a joke, but it was a case of becoming friends after a fight."

"Qi Shaoshang?"

"Nine Divine Dragons?" Cha Nan found it intriguing.

This man was originally the leader of Lianyun Village. He was highly skilled in martial arts and extremely righteous. However, due to the betrayal of his friend Gu Xichao, he lost an arm and became a homeless dog.

Perhaps it was because they both had lost an arm that Guo Jing mistook him for Yang Guo?
Qi Shaoshang is not considered a top-tier fighter in Wen Ruian's martial arts world; he is roughly on par with the Four Great Constables. However, he is not only highly skilled in martial arts but also adept at organization, management, and troop deployment, making him a rare all-around talent in the martial arts world.

Guo Jing has found a good helper.

"Anything else?" Cha Nan had a premonition that Xiangyang would be the center of this world's vortex, where both local martial arts experts and masters from other worlds who came through the interdimensional gate would make their appearances inside and outside Xiangyang City.

Guo Fu said several more names in a row, but Cha Nan couldn't recall any of them.

They either touched on Cha Nan's blind spots in his knowledge, or they were all seemingly top-notch but actually unremarkable 'small fry'.

"So, it seems that our Xiangyang side has a gap in top-level combat strength!" Cha Nan said.

Although the Five Greats who are still alive in the local world are basically on Xiangyang's side, both Huang Yaoshi and Master Yideng are old. Unless they practice martial arts to the level of Zhang Sanfeng or even higher, the weakening of their strength due to old age is inevitable.

Old guys like Huang Yaoshi and Yideng can only maintain their peak level for a short while, and they may even suffer serious damage to their vitality and shorten their remaining lifespan after the battle.

Therefore, they can only be used as a deterrent and a safety net, and cannot be regarded as a regular reliance.

"maybe!"

"Big sister! Have you forgotten that strange woman who's been bothering our mother?" Guo Xiang... It's Guo Xiang again, she's still revealing information.

As expected of the girl known as the "Little Eastern Heretic," who is actually a gossip, she didn't just hang out in the beggar's den for nothing.

"What strange woman?" Cha Nan's interest was piqued again.

In the world of martial arts, there are many strong and powerful female masters whose internal energy miraculously compensates for the natural physical differences between men and women.

"A tall, somewhat burly, strange woman!"

"She kept pestering Mother, wanting her to go with her. Father fought with her several times, but it could only be considered a draw!"

"Even I had no choice but to play along with her and keep her calm for the time being."

"She even said she wanted to take me as her disciple, but Mother directly refused." Guo Xiang's description wasn't very specific, and Cha Nan couldn't immediately match it with a master who fit the description. However, being able to fight Guo Jing to a 'draw' certainly qualifies her as one of the top combatants in the current world.

When Guo Xiang mentioned this strange woman, Guo Fu's expression also became somewhat strange, as if she had also been harassed.

"She didn't mention her own name?" Cha Nan pressed on, his curiosity growing.

Guo Fu and Guo Xiang shook their heads at the same time.

The rest of the journey was mostly spent chatting, with Guo Fu and Guo Xiang telling Cha Nan many things about the martial arts world.

Cha Nan also heard some familiar names repeatedly. Some of these names were just fleeting moments in this world, while others left a lasting mark and even, in a sense, caused some changes to this world.

For example, Chu Xiangshuai stole the Great Khan's golden knife at night and used it as a threat to prevent the Mongol army from massacring the city.

Yan Nantian entered the capital with his sword, killing seventeen high-ranking officials who advocated surrender in a single day. He even shot an ordinary iron sword into the palace, hitting a pillar in the main hall. This caused the Song emperor, who was determined to continue fleeing south, to temporarily abandon his plan to abandon Lin'an and run to Ryukyu.

Through the inter-realm communication channels, the fact that the Yuan Dynasty was about to sweep across the world could not be kept secret from those who were interested.

Upon learning that Xiangyang could not be defended and that the Song Dynasty was doomed, most of the Song rulers and ministers did not feel any desire to resist. Instead, the ministers surrendered and the ruler fled. If it weren't for Yan Nantian's divine sword, which was used to kill indiscriminately and hung over the heads of the Song rulers and ministers, they would not have supported Guo Jing in defending Xiangyang. They would have fled with their wealth and people long ago.

Of course, it was precisely because of this that Yan Nantian, the great hero, was pursued by the Song Dynasty and was unable to appear in Xiangyang to resist the Mongol army together with Guo Jing.

Whether he is still in this world today is unknown.

In short, those powerful figures from different martial arts worlds have all made their spectacular appearances in different worlds through the interdimensional gates, which inevitably stirred up a lot of emotions in Cha Nan as she listened to the story.

"This is an era that produces many heroes. I have fallen behind quite a bit, but how can such a wonderful martial arts world be without me?"

When the group got hungry, they would find a place to gather firewood and roast some steamed buns. When they were thirsty, they would drink boiled snow water. They basically did not enter cities or stay in inns along the way. Thanks to the wolf hunter's excellent speed, the four of them finally arrived near Xiangyang City on the evening of three days later.

At this moment, small groups of Mongol vanguard troops were already gathering outside Xiangyang City, intercepting and killing martial arts practitioners and righteous soldiers who were heading to Xiangyang to provide support.

Similarly, some martial arts practitioners, under Guo Jing's organization, formed small teams to ambush and hunt down small groups of Mongol cavalry.

In a head-on confrontation, ordinary martial artists would certainly be no match for fully armored Mongol cavalry. Most of the swords and knives that martial artists were skilled with could not even penetrate the armor of the Mongol cavalry.

However, if they use poison, hidden weapons, sneak attacks, or even some firearms, martial arts practitioners actually have the advantage in small-scale conflicts.

Both sides suffered casualties in the ensuing battle.

While it's not easy to train a skilled martial artist, Mongol soldiers, once they don armor, can rival even the third-rate martial artists. In reality, this still poses a disadvantage to Xiangyang.

"It's getting dark, it's not a good time to open the city gates. Let's go knock on the gates tomorrow morning!" Guo Fu said to Cha Nan, looking at Xiangyang City, which was already not far away.

Guo Xiang, familiar with the area, led the way to a secluded temple outside the city for a temporary rest.

However, when the group arrived at the entrance of the wild temple, they could see the flickering flames inside through the cracked window.

"Someone's there!" The four men simultaneously went on alert.

Suddenly, a dark shadow flashed by, and a person quietly stood out at the temple entrance.

Under the moonlight, one could see that this person was extremely tall with a dark face, but his upper body was unusually short. Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that both of his legs were broken, and he was supported by a pair of six-foot-long canes under his arms. His trouser legs were sewn very long and dragged on the ground. Zhu Ru had stepped on Gao Jiao, making him a giant.

"Be careful, this is the Mongolian master Nemo Xing!" Guo Fu said.

(End of this chapter)