Martial Arts Crossover: My master tricked Huang Rong into becoming my wife!

In just a moment, Chen Yanzhou took a deep breath and suddenly flicked his wrist.

"call!"

The emerald green stick traced a strange arc in the air.

At first, he was a bit awkward, like a new bride getting into a sedan chair, hesitant and shy. But after a few moves, Chen Yanzhou's quick wit came through.

The "Dog-Beating Stick Technique" can be summed up in one word: "deception."

Deceptive and unpredictable, Chen Yanzhou smiled, his feet moving with the slippery grace of a mudfish, his bamboo stick moving with an unpredictable and chaotic motion.

"trip!"

The bamboo stick moved swiftly along the ground, and though it had no equal, it precisely hooked onto a protruding blue stone. With a burst of force, if it were a real person, their ankle would either shatter or break.

"hack!"

With a flick of the wrist, the bamboo stick, propelled by the strength of the waist, chopped down on the head without a sound, until it exploded with a burst of energy just inches from the ground.

Following that, the techniques of "entanglement," "poke," "teasing," and "leading"...

The eight-character formula was dismantled into pieces in his hands, then pieced back together. One move was the fierce "No Dogs Under Heaven," and the next move immediately turned into the extremely insidious "Pushing the Dogs Up to the Sky."

The fallen leaves in the yard suffered, swept up by the gust of wind and flying everywhere, but not a single one managed to land.

Hong Qigong sat by the stone table, holding a shriveled red date in his hand and putting it into his mouth. His eyes were slightly narrowed as he watched the figure jumping around in the arena, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.

"This kid..."

Just then, a series of hurried yet steady footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate.

Lu Youjiao stepped into the courtyard gate, sweating profusely, with a newly opened secret letter in his hand. As soon as he looked up, he was stunned by the lush greenery that filled the courtyard.

He didn't dare to make a sound, staring wide-eyed at the dog-beating stick that Chen Yanzhou was flipping up and down in his hand.

Chen Yanzhou suddenly shrank back, and the bamboo stick in his hand shot out like a snake from its hole, stabbing at a point in the void with extreme cunning. Then, with a flick of his wrist, the bamboo stick seemed to become sticky, drawing a circle in the air and shredding all the surrounding air currents.

"good!"

Lu Youjiao couldn't help but cheer.

Hearing the commotion, Chen Yanzhou stopped his stance and stood still. The countless shadows of the bamboo sticks vanished instantly. He casually slung the bamboo sticks behind his back and looked at the newcomer with a grin: "Grandpa Lu, your voice is really loud."

Lu Youjiao didn't bother with pleasantries and quickly walked up to Hong Qigong. He then looked back at Chen Yanzhou with disbelief on his face.

"Master, is this Yanzhou's first time practicing the Dog-Beating Stick Technique?"

Hong Qigong nodded lazily: "I just taught him once, and this kid is still getting into it."

"Just taught it once?" Lu Youjiao gasped, his hand trembling slightly as he pointed at Chen Yanzhou. "That move, 'Vicious Dog Blocks the Road' followed by 'Slanting Strike on the Dog's Back,' was executed flawlessly. Without three to five years of dedicated practice, how could one execute that? Yanzhou's comprehension... it's simply monstrous!"

He had spent most of his life in the Beggars' Sect and had seen many disciples with excellent aptitude, but he had never heard of anyone like Chen Yanzhou who could grasp the essence of something after just one look and even incorporate it into his own style.

Hong Qigong chuckled and glanced sideways at Chen Yanzhou: "What high comprehension? This kid is just cunning."

Chen Yanzhou walked over and, without any ceremony, grabbed the teapot on the table and took a sip: "Master, just praise me directly, don't beat around the bush."

"Praise you?" Hong Qigong snorted, pointing at the stick in Chen Yanzhou's hand. "This Dog-Beating Stick Technique emphasizes 'skill' and 'change.' Upright gentlemen often find themselves constrained and unable to unleash their full potential when practicing this skill. On the contrary, those who harbor wicked intentions and are quick-witted can achieve twice the results with half the effort."

At this point, Hong Qigong looked at his apprentice with a half-smile: "You're just like that in business, swindling and cheating... cough, but you're also a master strategist. The 'leading' and 'tripping' techniques in this staff technique are practically tailor-made for you. Look at those moves just now, that insidious edge, it's just like the old beggar back in the day... cough cough, it perfectly matches the true meaning of this staff technique."

Chen Yanzhou chuckled, taking it as the highest praise.

"Alright, stop being so smug." Hong Qigong's smile faded, his gaze falling on the secret letter in Lu Youjiao's hand, his expression becoming more serious. "Youjiao, why are you in such a hurry? Is there any news from the north?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Youjiao's joy vanished instantly, replaced by a worried expression.

He handed the secret letter to Hong Qigong and sighed, "Chief, the situation is not optimistic."

Hong Qigong took the letter and scanned it quickly. His originally relaxed brows gradually furrowed, eventually forming a deep frown.

Seeing this, Chen Yanzhou also stopped his playful smile and stood quietly to the side.

Lu Youjiao said bitterly, "Ever since our Yiyun Division expanded its business northward, it has been constantly obstructed by the Iron Palm Gang. We originally thought it was just a territorial dispute in the martial arts world, but recently our scouts have reported that the Iron Palm Gang's caravans are frequently entering and leaving the Jin Kingdom's military camps, transporting not goods, but provisions and weapons!"

"Not only that." Lu Youjiao paused, his voice becoming even lower, "Qiu Qianren seems to have accepted the Jin Kingdom's investiture. Now he's running rampant in the north, suppressing anti-Jin righteous men. Several of our branch brothers have fallen at the hands of the Iron Palm Gang."

Chen Yanzhou's heart skipped a beat.

Iron Palm Clan, Qiu Qianren.

This is a notorious villain in The Legend of the Condor Heroes, whose martial arts skills are second only to the Five Greats.

Hong Qigong did not respond, but instead looked up at the four corners of the sky above him, his eyes revealing a deep weariness and desolation.

"Back in the day..." Hong Qigong's voice was hoarse as he slowly spoke, "Shangguan Jiannan, the previous leader of the Iron Palm Clan, was such a heroic figure."

Lu Youjiao also nodded, his face showing a look of reminiscence.

"Han Shizhong, the leader of the Shangguan Gang, was a subordinate who dedicated his life to the cause of resisting the Jin dynasty." Hong Qigong picked up his wine cup but did not drink it. He just stared at the turbid wine in the cup. "He once went to great lengths to sneak into the palace and steal Yue Fei's last book, hoping to present this military strategy to the court and help the Song dynasty recover its lost territories."

At this point, Hong Qigong's hand trembled slightly, and a few drops of wine spilled out.

"But what was the result?"

"Those incompetent and treacherous officials in the imperial court not only showed no gratitude, but also regarded him as a rebel! They sent a large army to besiege Iron Palm Peak!"

"The leader of the Shangguan Gang fought desperately, but ultimately succumbed to his injuries and died with regret. The whereabouts of the 'Wumu Legacy' were lost."

The courtyard was deathly silent.

The only sound was the rustling of leaves in the wind.

Chen Yanzhou fell silent. He had read about this incident in a book, but hearing it spoken by Hong Qigong, who had experienced it firsthand, made the sorrow and despair feel so real.

A hero who wanted to save his country was forced to his death by the very country he wanted to save.

This is not only Shangguan Jiannan's tragedy, but also the tragedy of this era.

"Qiu Qianren was once Chief Shangguan's prized disciple." Hong Qigong closed his eyes, seemingly unwilling to think about it anymore. "It must have been his master's death that completely chilled his heart. Therefore, he saw through the corruption and incompetence of the Southern Song court, and concluded that the Northern Expedition was hopeless, which is why..."

"This is absolutely not a reason for him to betray his country and defect to the enemy."

Chen Yanzhou then spoke up.

"Master, you are a hero, with the world in your heart, so you always tend to think the best of people, believing that the world forces good people into prostitution. Chief Shangguan is a true hero. The court has wronged him, but he has not wronged the world. He would rather die than bend his back. That is called integrity."

"The Iron Palm Clan's foundation, left behind by Chief Shangguan, was the basis for resisting the Jin. If Qiu Qianren were truly disheartened, he could have retired to the mountains or lived a life of pleasure like you. But what did he do? On one hand, he used Chief Shangguan's name to win people's hearts, while on the other hand, he sold this group of passionate men to the Jin to become their lackeys."

"He wasn't desperate, he was greedy."

"Go away, you talk too much, do you think I don't know?"

"Go practice your dog-beating stick."

Hong Qigong said irritably.

Chen Yanzhou pursed his lips, didn't say anything more, and walked to the open space next to him to practice with the dog-beating stick.