A man stands before the heavens, his sword emerges from the Emei Mountains.

Frost falls like snow, and river mist turns into clouds in the evening.

At midnight, Yang An stood up, and Chen Yu, who was in the same room, looked up.

The two, understanding each other perfectly, walked silently to the bow of the boat without disturbing anyone.

"Senior Sister Bei, Junior Brother Tang, go back and rest," Yang An said.

"My two junior brothers, please take care to keep warm," Bei Jinyi instructed.

"Okay."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries and words of advice, Bei Jinyi and Tang Zhihu left.

"I'll keep watch, you can take a nap."

"I'm full of energy," Chen Yu said, as he retrieved fishing line from the boat and set up a simple alarm device around the bow using a porcelain jar.

Yang An asked with interest, "How did you come up with that?"

"When I was chatting with the镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) at Changwei Escort Agency in Guan County, I learned that whenever they stayed overnight while escorting goods, they always kept their clothes on their bodies and their swords under their pillows, and they would do the same on the doors and windows."

"Better safe than sorry."

"That's true." Chen Yu nodded, and the two sat down against the mast. He said, "I don't understand the essence of the Chuojiao technique in our sect's leg techniques. Could you tell me about it, brother?"

Yang An was taken aback, but a warm smile appeared on his face.

"it is good."

"This 'Chuojiao' technique is actually a skill that your Uncle-Master Gu Hongzi is skilled in, but no one practices it. The main reason is that they are afraid that the sect leader will be injured if he sees this technique," Yang An explained. "It also has something to do with the many senior and junior sisters in our sect."

"That makes sense." Chen Yu nodded with a smile.

"Don't underestimate the power of the 'Chuojiao' kick. As the saying goes, 'Chuojiao can kill a tiger with a single kick, even if it only covers three parts of the body.'" Yang An began to explain the key techniques. "The body sways like a willow in the wind, with both feet wrapping around the lower body in a continuous loop, specifically kicking the shinbone, back of the knee, and ankle. One kick with each step, a continuous series of kicks. The basic leg techniques include the 'pick,' 'scissor,' 'T,' 'turn,' 'door-blocking,' and the 'eight kicks to the left and right'..."

Yang An spoke eloquently, while Chen Yu listened attentively.

The night was deep, with the occasional sound of owls. Wild cats and dogs rustled as they walked along the small dock in search of food, adding an eerie atmosphere to the quiet.

A deep voice came from a corner of the dock.

"The incense master has arrived."

"What's going on?"

"There were more than ten people on the boat, half of whom were women, and each of them was absolutely beautiful."

"Hey, I've got both people and money."

"What if they have some powerful connections?"

"After the deed is done, the riverboat will sail out, run aground and be destroyed. Who can find out anything about it?"

"The incense owner is wise."

"Walk."

As the river breeze blew across the dock, twenty or thirty men dressed in black emerged from the darkness and silently approached the boat heading towards the river. The burly man at the head of the group leaped onto the bow of the boat.

"Looks like an inexperienced newbie, doesn't even know how to set a trap." The man said in a low voice, then his face suddenly froze, as if his calf had touched something, followed by the sound of earthenware pots clashing in the air.

"have……"

The burly man had barely uttered the words "there's a trap" when a heavy sword came hurtling down from the mast with a thunderous roar.

"Ah." The burly man's attendant, along with his sword, was cleaved into the river by Yang An's heavy sword. A staggering amount of blood was still hanging in the air. Yang An's heavy sword had already clashed with the man's long sword several times, sparks flew, a lantern's shade shattered, and the flames were whipped around wildly by the force of the energy.

Chen Yu leaped onto the riverbank with lightning speed and rushed into the group of black-clad men who had not yet boarded the boat. His palm strikes were elusive, like snowflakes falling densely towards the black-clad men in front of him.

Unable to discern the truth, the opponent took two steps back, leaving his center wide open. Chen Yu stomped his right foot on the ground and unleashed a Bajiquan Iron Mountain Leaning on Snow Mountain Collapse attack on his opponent.

In a flash, Chen Yu's body slumped and dropped in front of the man, and with a thud, the man flew backward, knocking down two others in the process. As Chen Yu took a breath, he shifted half a foot to the side, turned his elbow, and smashed down, sending one of the men's heads tilting and flying diagonally.

Something's up.

"Junior brother is on the shore."

Ding Minjun, Ji Xiaofu, Su Mengqing and other Emei disciples, swords in hand, leaped onto the bow of the boat like rabbits and falcons. The sound of swords clashing turned into ripples that spread outwards in an instant.

Ji Xiaofu, Su Mengqing, Bei Jinyi, and Li Mingxia, like swallows, landed on the shore through a thin layer of mist.

"You scoundrel, stop being so arrogant." Ding Minjun swayed her body, stepping on the Nine Palaces Dragon Walking Step, her long sword moving lightly as if painting, and in the blink of an eye, she drew several lines of blood.

Then she heard Chen Yu's voice, "Senior Sister Ji, Vermilion Bird of the South; Senior Sister Li, White Tiger of the West; Senior Sister Bei and Senior Sister Su, Azure Dragon and Black Tortoise, form a sword formation against the enemy. I will launch an attack to cut off their retreat."

Without hesitation, Ji Xiaofu, Su Mengqing, and Bei Jinyi swayed and took their places.

Li Mingxia hesitated for a moment, then immediately drew her sword and landed in the White Tiger position. The Emei Sect's "Four Symbols Sword Formation" was activated. Instantly, sword lights intertwined and sword flowers fell like petals, surrounding more than ten men. The four of them constantly darted left and right and changed positions as they fought, like dragonflies skimming the water or butterflies flitting through flowers. In the blink of an eye, they had killed several of their enemies on the ground.

"This is a tricky idea, let's go."

A burly man screamed hysterically. The next moment, Chen Yu rushed at him, punching him in the stomach and then raising his elbow. The man, who was already suffering from Chen Yu's attack, had no time to react. His jaw was struck by the elbow, and he was thrown backward and flipped over in mid-air.

In the darkness, a man brandished his claws to grab Chen Yu, but Chen Yu smashed the claws away with a punch. His fist went straight in, first stabbing with his fingertips and then striking with his knuckles. With a resounding crack, the man staggered backward and crashed into a carriage.

"I'll fight you to the death!" A powerful punch and a furious curse came at the same time. Chen Yu spread his palms to the left and right, using the Four Symbols Palm technique, which was square within a circle, to gather the opponent's punch into it. He then followed up with the move "Parting the Clouds to See the Sun." His right hand thrust upwards and brushed away the opponent's arm, while his left palm landed smoothly on the opponent's chest. With one strike and one press, the internal force was released outwards, and the man flew away like a sack of potatoes.

The fighting on the riverboats and at the docks was like boiling water, but the situation was brought under control in just over a hundred breaths.

On the bow of the ship, Yang An's heavy sword slashed down from mid-air. The leader parried with his knife, but was forced back several steps by the blow. Ding Minjun then swiftly stabbed the man to the ground with two sword strikes.

When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter; the black-clad men who had attacked lost all will to fight and were either captured or killed in no time.

No one on the riverboat, including the boatman and crew, was injured or killed.

Someone hung a lantern, and Ding Minjun walked to the leader's side. "Who are you waiting for?"

"Kill me if you must."

"Let's see how long you can keep up your stubbornness." Ding Minjun flicked her wrist, and her longsword drew a flower of blood from the other person's body.

"Go ahead and kill me if you dare."

"I dare not."

"Senior Sister Ding, let me do it."

Ding Minjun took a step back and said, "This scoundrel is stubborn. We have to teach him a lesson."

"Alright." Chen Yu guided the Qi with his mind, channeling the Emei Nine Yang internal energy through the Hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian, and then used the Qi to stimulate the Yongquan acupoint on his index finger. He then raised his hand and pressed the Jiuwei acupoint on the other person's hand.

At the hour of Si (9-11 AM), the Jiuwei acupoint was struck, causing turmoil in the abdomen and a rush of qi to the ribs. The person hunched over, howled in agony, and died instantly from the severe injury, vomiting blood.

Suddenly, he felt as if his ribs were being pierced by needles and chopped by an axe, his heart and body were wracked with pain, and he was panting heavily.

"Junior brother's acupressure skills are truly superb," ​​Bei Jinyi sincerely praised.

In reality, Chen Yu only used the Emei acupressure technique that everyone knows; he simply refined it and mastered the timing perfectly.

The leader held on for several breaths before breaking out in a cold sweat. "I told you," he said.

"Are you going to wait until the acupoints are released before we talk?"

"I am a disciple of the Wushan Gang."

Chen Yu was taken aback. He knew about the Wushan Gang. Although they were not described much in the novel, they were known for their despicable and vile methods. Their members had once tricked and captured Zhang Wuji.

The young leader of the Wushan Gang died at the hands of Xie Xun. The gang leader, Mei Shijian, coveted the Dragon-Slaying Saber under the guise of revenge.

"What is the purpose?"

The leader dared not tell the truth, and said, "I want to get some money."

"You scoundrel!" Ding Minjun raised her sword and stabbed the man to death.

Yang An sighed inwardly.

"There are still survivors. Let me question them some more." Chen Yu whispered to Yang An, then jumped ashore and interrogated several people, only to receive the response that they were merely following orders.

The group gathered together again, and Chen Yu said, "They clearly saw the riverboat and came here to kill and rob."

"That's right." Ji Xiaofu, Bei Jinyi, and others nodded.

"The Wushan Gang is just a small gang, how dare they! Let's find out where their headquarters is, we must get revenge!" Su Mengqing said.

"Agreed," Chen Yu and Yang Anqi said.

Miejue often taught that one should punish evil and eliminate wickedness, and Ding Minjun had no objection. Chen Yu interrogated the disciples of the Wushan Gang to find out the location of the main headquarters and arranged for two outer disciples to stay behind.

On a dark and windy night, the group headed straight for the Wushan Gang.