Heaven rewards diligence; he fought his way through chaos to become a saint.

Seeing that they couldn't pass for the time being, the driver shook his head helplessly:

"I used to hear that the old woman Tianmu was quite nice. She preached doctrines of following nature and told believers not to plunder and to live peacefully."

"When family members starve or die of disease, the Heavenly Mother says it's because they committed grave sins in their past lives and are suffering in this life. She says that as long as they sincerely believe in the Heavenly Mother, their deceased relatives can be freed from the cycle of reincarnation. To put it bluntly, these refugees are suffering too much and need a place to belong."

"But now, how come they're spreading this in the streets, saying that if you don't believe in the Heavenly Mother, you'll be punished by God... It's gotten a bit distorted."

Inside the carriage curtain, a thoughtful look flashed across Ye Ci's eyes.

He peered through the curtain at the people shouting loudly, then looked at the crowd in front of him, scrutinizing them carefully for a moment.

"What was bound to happen has finally happened."

A faint hint of mockery curled at the corner of Ye Ci's lips.

The crowds are getting closer.

The coachman moved the carriage aside and stopped at the entrance of the alley.

Huang Guoshu became curious and climbed out of the car again, running to the roadside to watch.

Ye Ci raised his hand and lifted the carriage curtain, standing calmly by the carriage and surveying the procession ahead.

At the back of the refugee group, there were a few people whose clothes were tattered, but whose figures and complexions did not resemble those of starving people.

They looked hurried, annoyed that the refugees were walking too slowly, and showed signs of impatience.

But after seeing Ye Ci clearly, he immediately looked away.

If there had been no bow and arrows in the carriage, Ye Ci thought he could have shot them out one arrow at a time.

So stupid.

Those people practically had "I'm a fake refugee" written all over their faces.

Then, Ye Ci instructed the coachman:

"There's something fishy about this group. Go back to the mansion via the alley next door; you don't need to wait for me."

The driver dared not ask any more questions, bowed and replied "Yes," then whipped the cart and drove away through the narrow alley.

Ye Ci turned around and his gaze fell on the tea stall under the tree at the entrance of the alley not far away.

The tea stall was simple, with a few old wooden tables casually placed around it. Several porters sat beside the tables, their clothes open, drinking heartily from rough porcelain teacups while chatting and laughing in a rough and hearty manner.

Ye Ci walked over and ordered a pot of tea.

"Sir, ten copper coins."

The stall owner was an elderly man who was holding a kettle of hot water and smiling as he reached out his hand.

Ye Ci called out, "Fruit Tree! Come here!"

Huangguoshu, standing on tiptoe watching the commotion, immediately turned its head upon hearing the noise. Seeing that the carriage was gone, it hurriedly ran over.

"Brother Ye, where's the car? How did it disappear in the blink of an eye?"

Ye Ci tapped the table: "Pay for the tea."

"Ten copper coins," the old man said.

Huang Guoshu took out a small piece of silver and threw it on the table: "Keep the change, and give me the best Xin tea."

"It's all aged tea." The old man looked troubled.

These old-fashioned tea stalls cater to the general public, emphasizing a lively atmosphere and affordable prices. Customers can sit for a long time and have their water refilled, and the teas served are all inexpensive, aged teas.

"Big brother, is this okay?"

Huang Guoshu asked Ye Ci, and seeing Ye Ci nod, he waved his hand and said, "Alright, hurry up."

"Okay, okay."

The old man happily accepted the silver with both hands.

After saying that, Huang Guoshu sat down casually to the side, put his feet up on the long bench, reached out and grabbed the teacup, and asked again:

"Where's the car?"

Before Ye Ci could answer, a middle-aged man in a blue robe sat down at the table and cupped his hands in greeting:

"Could I borrow your light?"

"Yes." Ye Ci nodded.

The middle-aged man in the blue robe bowed again, then called out to the old man:

"A pot of aged tea."

This man had thin features and wore a slightly faded blue robe. What caught people's attention was the long black knife he carried at his waist, making his entire attire seem somewhat strange.

What's even stranger is that this knife has a somewhat horizontal shape, unlike the knives of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Soon, the old man brought over two pots of tea and poured the boiling tea into rough porcelain teacups.

The water vapor was thick and blurred the view.

Ye Ci picked up the teacup but didn't drink it; he just touched the rim of the bowl with his fingertips, feeling its warmth.

Huangguoshu was still casually asking, "Brother, where's the car?"

"I told the driver to go first because someone was going to attack me..."

"Make a move?"

Huang Guoshu gasped, covering his mouth in shock, and looked around, asking, "Who? Who? Where?"

Ye Ci said unhurriedly, "Don't rush, wait and see. If it's really coming for me, then go find Commander Qin."

"That won't work."

Huang Guoshu patted his chest and said, "I, Huang Guoshu, am a man of honor. How could I abandon my elder brother and flee alone? No matter what danger there is, I will fight alongside you."

As he spoke, the teacup beside him gently tapped against the table, making a soft sound.

The middle-aged man opposite looked up at Huangguoshu, his gaze deep.

Just then, the large group of refugees approached, and several dark figures suddenly darted out from the crowd, raising their sleeves to unleash dozens of hidden arrows.

shhhhh--

The hidden arrow was extremely fast, but Ye Ci reacted just as quickly, kicking the bench to the side and landing outside the attack range with a flick of his toes.

At the same time, Huang Guoshu suddenly overturned the tea table with both hands...

It didn't budge.

The desktop remained completely still, even though it felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

The middle-aged man in the blue robe picked up the teacup and calmly brought it to his lips.

Seeing that something was wrong, Huang Guoshu reacted very quickly. He pushed off with his feet, flipped over, and landed seven or eight steps away.

Then, without looking back, he ran away, shouting:

"The grievances have their perpetrators, and the debts have their debtors; this has nothing to do with me."

The sudden and shocking change stunned many people on the street, and the refugees who had been shouting "Heavenly Mother" stood frozen in place.

At this moment, Huangguoshu blended into the crowd and disappeared in an instant like a small mudfish.

Seeing his disloyal behavior, Ye Ci smiled. The kid's Moon Chasing Step is quite good.

After thinking it over, he didn't stop for a moment. Without pausing, he ran towards the alley, intending to lure the attacker into the alley.

In that brief instant, the hidden arrow arrived from the spot.

Although Ye Ci ran away, these hidden weapons did not turn and shoot straight at the tea stall.

The middle-aged man in a blue robe sat upright at the table, holding a teacup, but he didn't even lift his eyelids, only lightly tapping the table with his fingertips.

The hidden arrows seemed to be blocked by an invisible force and scattered.

No sooner said than done.

The two attackers at the forefront had already scattered black powder in their hands.

Originally, the group's attack involved some using hidden darts and others throwing poison powder.

No one expected Ye Ci to run so fast; the poison powder and hidden arrows attacked the tea stall around the same time.

As soon as the middle-aged man in the blue robe slammed his hand on the table, the poisonous powder scattered into thin air three feet away from him.

He took a sip of tea from the bowl, then brushed his sleeves; the fabric of his clothes was plain and hung down very smoothly.

"The soup is pale and lacks aroma and flavor; it's been overcooked and the water has boiled too much."

The middle-aged man in the blue robe spoke softly, setting down his teacup. The bottom of the cup touched the table with a very soft "tap," making no noise, yet it silenced the surrounding assassins for a moment.

The group immediately realized that the person in front of them was no ordinary person. They took a few steps back, and the leader of the assassins cupped his hands and was about to speak when he heard the other party say something.

"Don't disturb me while I'm drinking tea."

Seeing the middle-aged man in the blue robe lower his gaze and the tea smoke still rising lightly, the group of assassins immediately changed direction and chased after Ye Ci.

After a long while, the middle-aged man in the blue robe finally raised his eyes and looked in the direction Huangguoshu had left, muttering to himself:

"Is he Huang Guoshu? He seems quite unruly and utterly disloyal, but the footwork of those two just now was very familiar—'Chasing the moon over mountains, unleashing devastating punches across the Huai River'..."

Having said that, he shook his head and put down his teacup.

He had only come to Songjiang County on a side trip and hadn't expected to hear the name mentioned by the secret guards.

Should we take it with us?

******

Ye Ci moved swiftly and disappeared into the narrow alley in an instant.

The alley was lined with low earthen walls overgrown with weeds.

They had only taken a dozen or so steps when a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from the alleyway ahead. Immediately afterwards, four muscular men rushed out and blocked their way.

These men were tall and straight, holding short blades in their hands.

"Looks like they've been waiting for me all along."

Ye Ci stopped in his tracks, the tip of his knife pointing directly at the assassin in front of him. There was no panic in his eyes, only cold indifference.

"Master Ye, how have you been lately?"

Behind the four assassins, a figure in a gray shirt walked out unhurriedly.

He gave a half-smile, touched the corner of his mouth with his hand, and seemed nonchalant.

What's striking is that this person has six fingers.

The alley was blocked from both the front and back.

The four assassins stepped aside, and the six-fingered middle-aged man paced back and forth, touching the corner of his mouth with a mocking smile:

"Six-Fingered Eagle Hu Yu greets Grand Master Ye."

"I wonder why you're out today, Lord Ye? And I just happened to run into you. Wasn't Commandant Qin protecting you this time?"

At the same time, the assassins in front and behind were in place, weapons in hand, staring intently at Ye Ci.

The story is quite simple. Feng Ji waited for Hu Yu to recover from his injuries until he was almost fully recovered before deliberately releasing the news about the "White Jade Snow Lotus" to lure Ye Ci into the trap.

To be on the safe side, he borrowed some more people from Tianmu and even set up spies near the Shen residence.

According to the plan, the group would use poison arrows and poison powder to force Ye Ci to a secluded place, and then surround and attack him.

Originally, this was a foolproof plan devised by Feng Ji.

Unexpectedly, this move displeased Hu Yu.

Why would a master of the Transformation Realm need help to kill someone with the Dark Realm?!

Wouldn't that be insulting to oneself?

"Senior Hu, let's make a move together."

The lead assassin waved his hand, and the men on both sides immediately understood and approached with their weapons in hand.

"Get out of here."

Hu Yu said coldly, "I, a Grandmaster of Transformation Realm, am more than capable of killing a mere Youth of Dark Force. I don't need you juniors to lift a finger. You bunch of useless trash built up with Bone Spirit Mushrooms are no use no matter how many of you there are."

Neutralizing force?

Ye Ci's expression darkened slightly.

Last time I fought with Commander Qin, Commander Qin suppressed his strength in his hidden energy, leaving me helpless and unable to harm him. However, Commander Qin is at the Core Formation stage... and he has also said that he is not afraid of Transformation energy.

Let's give it a try today.

Thinking of this, a slight smile appeared on his lips.

……

Words that attack the heart will alienate and alienate people from their hearts.

The leader of the assassins froze, then raised his hand, a surge of resentment rising within him.

Calling you "senior" is a sign of respect, but ultimately it's because the Heavenly Mother is giving you face, not because of your great abilities, Hu Yu.

Just then, a figure descended from the sky.

The long sword came crashing down with tremendous force!

Not a word.

He immediately slashed at Hu Yu's forehead!

At the very moment the blade was about to strike.

Hu Yu felt a growing sense of doubt.

"He dared to attack me instead of kneeling and trembling?!"

He didn't understand Ye Ci's personality. Although he had heard about Ye Ci fighting with Commander Qin, he only heard that Commander Qin had suppressed his strength to the point of internal force.

That's all there is to it.

But today, does someone with hidden strength dare to take the initiative to attack someone with transformed strength?

That's incredibly audacious!

Hu Yu roared, "You dare!" and then raised his right palm, slamming it down on the long sword.

There was a loud "bang".

The blade of the long sword shattered.

In contrast, Ye Ci smiled and discarded his knife, raising his palm.

With a dull thud, the palm struck down hard towards Hu Yu's forehead once more.

"Hehe..."

Hu Yu sneered, smashed the long sword with his right hand, and continued to block, but his arm suddenly sank. Before he could even be surprised, he was forced to his knees by a tremendous force.

His knee slammed into the ground with a thud, and the bluestone slab shattered instantly.

This attack did not seriously injure Hu Yu.

But what happened next left everyone around them stunned.

Seeing that his attack had not seriously injured Hu Yu, Ye Ci seized the opportunity to grab Hu Yu's throat with his left hand and shoved him forward violently in the next second.

"Embracing the mountain and chasing the moon".

Originally, this move should have used the Moon Chasing Footwork, combined with the power of the Mountain Embracing Seal, to unleash tremendous force.

However, the two were too close, making it difficult for Ye Ci to exert force. So he took the opportunity to grab the other's throat and used a push-hand move from the Baoshan Fist. In a flash of inspiration, he used "Baoshan Zhuiyue".

With his left hand tightly gripping Hu Yu's throat, the immense force in his palm surged into Hu Yu's body like a tidal wave, pressing down on his limbs and making it difficult for him to exert any strength.

Before Hu Yu could struggle, Ye Ci suddenly exerted force in his waist, using the weight of the Embracing Mountain Seal and the skillful force of the Chasing Moon Step, like an old ox plowing a field, he pushed Hu Yu's body forward fiercely!

"boom--"

Hu Yu lost control of his body, and his feet scraped two deep grooves in the bluestone slab.

Accompanied by a screeching sound, I felt like a heavy boulder being slammed against the blue brick wall at the end of the alley.

With a deafening roar, the wall shattered, and rubble and debris rained down, raising clouds of dust.

Ye Ci did not stop, and the force with which he gripped Hu Yu's throat did not lessen at all, pushing his body to forcefully create a path.

Smoke and dust billowed, like a huge cloud of gray fog.

The entire alley was completely shrouded in mist, with only two intertwined figures vaguely visible moving rapidly through the fog.

The onlookers, mostly assassins, froze in place, their eyes filled with terror.

No one expected that a martial artist with internal strength could defeat Hu Yu, who was at the level of transformation, in such a way.

This force, like a plowshare ramming across the land, completely overturned their understanding of the realm of martial arts.

After a few breaths, the smoke and dust dissipated slightly, and everyone was able to see the scene before them clearly.

A huge hole was smashed in the wall at the other end of the alley, with rubble piled up to half a person's height, and a long drag mark was left on the ground, extending from the place of the fight all the way into the hole.

This is beyond the reach of martial artists with internal strength.

The assassins exchanged glances and whispered to each other:

"withdraw?"

"Retreat! The commotion is too great!"

Those men completely ignored Hu Yu, stepped onto the courtyard wall, and left their original positions in a few leaps.

"Hehehe..."

Amidst the rubble, Hu Yu's rough laughter echoed as he propped himself up on his knees and spat out a mouthful of blood.

This familiar feeling...

A playful look flashed across Ye Ci's handsome face. He pressed his left hand against his arm, shook his upper arm to loosen his muscles, and said calmly:

"Is it time to transform?"

"You'd better hurry, otherwise I won't be able to enjoy myself."