All the heavens, starting with Little Li Flying Dagger

Chapter 103 The 'Strange' Ten Years
Good news: the dream he just had was just a dream; his head wasn't ripped off.

Bad news: Someone actually came to his doorstep and left a head by his bedside.

"Ancestor! Ancestor!?"

"Where is the Ancestor?!"

The emperor was also terrified and repeatedly called out for his greatest support!

A tall, slender figure appeared in a flash, bowing slightly to the emperor.

"His Majesty.."

The old ancestor was dressed in a long eunuch's robe, with a thin face, clearly an old eunuch, but what was strange was that the old ancestor actually had a mustache on his chin!
"What on earth happened?! How did this head end up in my bedchamber?!"

"Where are the Imperial Guards? Where are the Embroidered Uniform Guards? Where are the Azure Dragon Guards?!"

"Are they all dead?!"

The emperor stared intently at the ancestor's face, his expression a mixture of thunderous rage and profound terror.

But he didn't say the final question, "And you, Ancestor?"

Because the emperor saw the old ancestor's pale face and the bloodstains at the corner of his mouth.

"The Azure Dragon Guards have all been killed."

Neither the Imperial Guards nor the Embroidered Uniform Guards noticed the man's arrival.

The ancestor also looked despairing and knelt deeply on the ground.
The emperor's pupils dilated in shock; he never expected his words to come true—the Azure Dragon Guards were indeed wiped out.

However, the emperor still couldn't believe it, because the Azure Dragon Guard was his last and deepest reliance.

Every member of the Azure Dragon Guard is selected from the best martial arts talents since childhood, and they practice the best martial arts. After many battles and eliminations, they are finally selected as the strongest and most loyal guards.

There is only one purpose: to protect the last line of defense against those who break the law with violence.

Each member of the Azure Dragon Guard is a master who can command respect in the martial arts world, and there are a total of 108 such masters by the emperor's side!

Moreover, the members of the Azure Dragon Guard are proficient in various killing methods and combined attack techniques. When they work together, they are enough to kill any person or any martial arts force in the world. It can be said that with this power, one can go anywhere in the world!
"Do you know what you're talking about?"

"The Azure Dragon Guard has a full 108 people! 108 experts, not 108 dogs!"

The emperor's tone had become almost calm, not because he had accepted the facts, but because he was so shocked by them that he had no more emotions left.

"That's right. The entire Azure Dragon Guards attacked, but they couldn't capture that person. In fact, he killed them all."

"It only took less than half an incense stick's time, so it didn't alert the Embroidered Uniform Guard or the Imperial Guard at all."

The old ancestor spoke the truth with trembling hands.

"Who is that person?"

The emperor pressed on,
"That person didn't say, but based on my guess, he was extremely skilled in martial arts, yet he fought bare-handed, killed countless people, and had an arrogant personality. He often uttered shocking words. He should be the legendary 'Unpredictable Hand'—Wang Gan!"

The ancestor guessed.

"Wang Gan..."

The emperor pondered the name carefully, as if trying to imprint it deep into his soul.

"I know him. He has offended many people in the martial arts world. He killed Bai Xiaosheng, disrupted the plans of the Money Gang, and even slept with my imperial concubine. I am indeed prepared to order his elimination."

"But I remember he was only ranked in the top five of the weapons list, how could he possess such martial arts skills?!"

"And you?! Didn't you say that your martial arts had reached the level of transcending yin and preserving yang, and that the only one who could fight you was Shangguan Jin Hong, who was ranked number one on the weapon ranking list?!"

The emperor stared at the ancestor, hoping to get an answer from him.

This ancestor is a living fossil in the Forbidden City. He has lived for so long that even his name has been forgotten, but what is certain is that his martial arts skills were extremely high. He was able to compete for the title of the best in the world decades ago.

Later, he reversed the yin and turned yang, cultivating pure yang internal energy as a eunuch. With yin and yang in harmony, he lived for nearly a hundred years and his strength remained undiminished. His cultivation level can be described as that of a celestial being!

The old ancestor looked at the hideous head on the ground with a wry smile.
"This person is Shangguan Jin Hong."

Seeing that the emperor remained silent, the old ancestor continued to sigh.

"In terms of internal strength, this old servant is indeed not much inferior to Wang Gan. However, this Wang Gan has somehow cultivated an indestructible body like that of a Vajra King, making him unlike an ordinary person. Every move he makes has the strength of Bodhidharma throwing an elephant, and he also has an indestructible body." "In terms of strength, this old servant is no match for him. When I strike him with my palm, it doesn't even hurt. I was injured after exchanging five moves with him."

"If he were determined to kill me, it would only take him twenty or thirty moves."

The emperor spoke slowly,
"But he didn't kill you, and he didn't kill me either."

The old ancestor seemed to want to say something but hesitated.

"He only said that since you were sleeping so soundly, he wouldn't disturb you, but asked this old servant to pass on a message to you."

"If you provoke him again, he will..."

The emperor frowned.

"What are you going to do to me?!"

For a moment, the emperor even forgot to refer to himself as "朕" (zhen).

"Then we'll strip you naked and hang you on the gates of the Forbidden City, so the world can see whether there's any difference between the emperor's dragon body and the human body!"

The old ancestor gritted his teeth and lowered his head deeply.

"Outrageous! Outrageous!? How dare he!? How dare he!?"

The emperor's face was contorted with rage as he tore the bedsheets to shreds with his fingers.

The emperor knew that Wang Gan had not killed him not out of fear, but out of complete disregard and confidence!

Ignoring imperial authority and everything else! He was confident that he could break into the palace time and time again as if it were empty, and that no means could stop him!
After an unknown amount of time, the emperor spoke again, his voice hoarse, amidst an atmosphere as gloomy as a dark cloud.

"Can we kill him? If we use the army to surround and kill him?"

The emperor didn't question the use of江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world) methods to deal with Wang Gan anymore. Even the Azure Dragon Guards had been wiped out. It would be too foolish to still try to use jianghu methods to deal with Wang Gan.

The ancestor had anticipated this problem and only uttered one word.

"Disaster!"

The emperor sighed deeply, knowing that this word, "difficult," was no different from "impossible."

"Even a thousand troops can't do anything to him?!"

The old ancestor's tone was heavy.

"Even a massive army would struggle to surround a master of this caliber. And even if they were surrounded, they could fight their way out."

"Such a person is no longer like an ordinary person. Like Bodhidharma, Lü Dongbin, and Chen Tuan, he can be called a living Buddha or a deity on earth."

The emperor fell into a deep silence.
It can only be said that living in the same era as such a person is a profound misfortune for any authoritarian monarch.

After a long while, the emperor finally spoke.

"Let the Azure Dragon Society disappear. From now on, this name will be taboo. Never listen to or care about anything related to him again."

"Including the people around him."

Shangguan Jin Hong died, killed by Wang Gan. His death was very easy, and the once powerful Money Gang, which had spread throughout the north and south, collapsed overnight.

The martial arts world fell silent for a moment.
Some say that Wang Gan's martial arts skills are comparable to those of the legendary "Number One Swordsman Under Heaven," Shen Lang.
Some say it's more than that; Wang Gan has surpassed Shen Lang and become a celestial being or Buddha.
Because someone saw Wang Gan in the capital, and saw him carrying Shangguan Jin Hong's head towards the Forbidden City, and then returning unharmed.

Some even say that Wang dared to go to the Forbidden City because he slept with one of the emperor's concubines.
Some people say that's not right; Wang Gan went to the Forbidden City because he slept with the emperor.

After that, the name Wang Gan became a complete taboo. Whether in the martial arts world or the imperial court, people would remain silent whenever these two words were mentioned.

But these are all rumors. The only certainty is that this era has become Wang Gan's era.

The previous era was the era of Shen Lang. Shen Lang had no desires in his heart, and thus entered the Dao. In the end, he drifted overseas and became a carefree hermit. This decade was the decade of the "Dao".

Wang Gan, on the other hand, is an unrestrained and unfettered outsider, with desires and principles in his heart, as well as affection and hatred.

It was a remarkable decade.

(End of this chapter)