All the heavens, starting with Little Li Flying Dagger

Chapter 24 The Hand of Impermanence

The girl with the braid asked in surprise, "Grandpa, are all the people you're talking about dead?"

"To die at the hands of Wang Gan?"

The old man said calmly, "That's right, they're all dead, just because they thought Wang Gan's martial arts skills were mediocre."

The girl with the braids was somewhat unconvinced.
“Grandpa, although the people you mentioned have names, they are not experts on the weapon ranking list. At most, they are just good fighters.”

"If it were just about killing so many people, how could it be worthy of the title 'famous throughout the world'?"

The white-haired old man took another puff of his cigarette.

“You’re right. Those people weren’t exactly mediocre, but they weren’t exactly experts either. Compared to the experts on the Weapon Ranking, they were worlds apart.”

"However, besides these people, there were also experts who died at the hands of Wang Gan."

The girl with the braids was somewhat surprised, "There's another expert?"

The old man nodded.
"The recently renowned Mr. Iron Flute possesses an iron flute acupoint striking skill that is effortless and his internal strength is superb, on par with the leaders of the major sects. If he were to be ranked in the weapon rankings, he would certainly have a place."

The girl with the braid asked in astonishment, "He died at Wang Gan's hands too?"

The white-haired old man nodded, then shook his head.

"No, but it's practically the same as being dead."

The girl with the braid asked, puzzled, "If you're dead, you're dead; if you're not dead, you're not dead. How can it be the same as being dead?"

The white-haired old man smiled.

"Wang Gan took away Mr. Iron Flute's iron flute with just one move. Don't you think it would be easier to kill him?"

The girl with the braid nodded in admiration.

"Indeed, for martial artists, weapons are more important than life itself. Losing a weapon so easily is no different from losing one's life."

The white-haired old man continued.

"Not only that, Wang Gan also exposed the hidden weapon in Mr. Iron Flute's iron flute, criticizing him for 'impure use of martial arts and lack of perseverance'."

"After this battle, Mr. Tie Di lost all his spirit and his martial arts were mostly destroyed. Wouldn't you say it's no different from being dead?"

The girl with the braid agreed wholeheartedly, "So, this Wang Gan is indeed quite capable."

"More than just a couple of skills!"

The white-haired old man's tone suddenly rose, he squinted his eyes, and exhaled a long puff of smoke.

"Last night, Wang Gan killed another person, the Green Demon Hand—Yi Ku!"

This time, not only the girl with the braid, but all the martial arts practitioners around her changed their expressions.

"Yi Ku? Yi Ku, the Azure Demon Hand, ranked ninth on the Weapon Ranking?"

"Of the seven poisons in the world, the Azure Demon Hand is the most deadly! Even Yi Ku died at the hands of Wang Gan?"

"How is that possible? Yi Ku is a top expert who has been famous for many years!"

The girl with the braid quickly pressed on, "Then how did Yi Ku lose to Wang Gan?"

The old man continued,
"How she was defeated is unknown. All that is known is that when she died, she was smiling, and there was no trace of a fight around her."

The girl with the braids exclaimed in surprise, "So, Wang Gan won very easily?"

The old man shook his head.

"No one would dare say they could win easily against a master of poison like Qing Mo Shou. Even Li Xunhuan wouldn't dare say that."

The girl with the braid pressed on,

"So who exactly is this Wang Gan, what kind of martial arts does he use, and what is his relationship with Li Xunhuan?"

The old man exhaled a puff of smoke and firmly uttered three words: "I don't know!"

The girl with the braid was taken aback.

"Huh? So many experts have died, and no one knows which sect or school this Wang Gan belongs to?"

The white-haired old man explained slowly.

"This Wang Gan rose from humble beginnings; no one knew his origins, only that he was proficient in martial arts from various schools and sects, skilled in everything and adept at everything,"

"When he makes a move, each and every one of his techniques often incorporates the essence of several martial arts schools, yet he integrates them all to create his own unique style!"

"He killed Yu Er with the Great Arhat Fist, killed Qin Xiaoyi with the Twelve-Road Tan Leg, crippled You Longsheng with the Shaolin Vajra Finger, and defeated Mr. Iron Flute with the long-lost Dragon-Capturing Silk Hand."

"If he attacks you, you'll have no idea what his next move will be or which school of martial arts he'll be using."

"Therefore, someone in the martial arts world has already given him a fitting name—the Unpredictable Hand!"

The girl with the braids wholeheartedly agreed, saying, "Martial arts have no moves or styles, and are formless and unpredictable; that's certainly a fitting description."

The white-haired old man continued.
"The 'Unpredictable Hand' is not just a description of Wang Gan's martial arts skills, but also of his temperament: eccentric, capricious, and vindictive."

"Those who offend Wang Gan include evil figures, blacklisted experts, and even members of reputable sects. Regardless of your background or identity, your fate is either death or maiming."

"Li Xunhuan and Wang Gan were originally good friends and hit it off immediately, but he was forced by Master Long to question Wang Gan about whether he was the Plum Blossom Bandit, which offended Wang Gan."

"Li Xunhuan was then tricked by Wang Gan into drugging him and being placed in the boudoir of Long Siye's wife, Li Xunhuan's sister-in-law!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed.
"That's so insidious!"

"How despicable! If you have the guts, let Li Xunhuan go and let me handle this!"

"Master Long is having such a great time, he was actually forced to wear a green hat!"

The old man changed the subject.
"but."

"I also heard another version. It says that Li Xunhuan did it on purpose, after all, he is the invincible Little Li Flying Dagger,"

"If he doesn't want to, no one can drug him."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed once again.
"What?! This Li Xunhuan is too cunning, and even a little shameless!"

"What's so special about this? I've also heard that Li Xunhuan gave Lin Shiyin to Master Long back then, just for this day!"

"I know your information is outdated. It was because Li Xunhuan loved Master Long but could not have him that he resorted to this desperate measure to take revenge on Master Long!"

Wang Gan laughed out loud when he saw this.

Unexpectedly, there are still some clever people in the martial arts world who can see through the truth that Li Xunhuan and Long Xiaoyun are a couple at a glance.

Seeing that the storyteller was being led astray by these perverted fellows, the white-haired old man quickly coughed twice to bring his attention back.

"cough cough"

The girl with braids was also surprised by such rumors, her big eyes filled with the excitement of watching the drama unfold.

"Grandpa, so Wang Gan's martial arts skills are so high, and his actions are so wicked, is he really the Plum Blossom Thief?"

The old man shook his head.
"Nobody knows. Logically speaking, the Plum Blossom Bandit came out of the mountains thirty years ago. Wang Gan is at most twenty years old now. If Wang Gan is, then thirty years ago, he was not even a child."

"But that's not absolute. What if Wang Gan has some kind of relationship with the Plum Blossom Thief? They might be master and apprentice, or father and son. It's not certain."

The girl with the braids darted her big eyes around, then smiled freely.
“Grandpa, I think Wang Gan is probably not the Plum Blossom Thief. Look at how reckless and arrogant Wang Gan is, daring to offend even Little Li Flying Dagger, and his martial arts are so superb.”

"I think that given his personality, even if he were to become the Plum Blossom Thief, he wouldn't hide behind a mask."

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(End of this chapter)