Chapter 557: Killing the Young Brings Forth the Old
Chapter 557: Killing the Young Brings Forth the Old
Yang Kaitai was pleasantly surprised. "It seems Brother Lian and his wife are also planning to head northwest. It looks like I won't be traveling alone after all."
Lian Chengbi replied, "I still need to return to the south and make arrangements for the Pure Heart Manor. I probably won't be able to join you on your journey."
"Not necessarily," Yang Kaitai said. "This time, I'll be transporting a large amount of gold and silver to the frontier regions. I'll need to gather funds in Qi, Lu, Zhongyuan, and Jin, then travel through Guanzhong, so it will take some time."
Shen Wenyu asked, "Why is that?"
"It's because the frontier regions lack funds," Yang Kaitai explained. "Merchants from central China carry silver notes, but merchants from the western regions don't accept them. So, they exchange their silver notes for gold and silver in the frontier regions before continuing their journey."
"Those are massive transactions," Lian Chengbi remarked with a meaningful smile. "I presume the news has reached the ears of bandits along the way, Brother Yang? How many escort agencies have you hired for this trip?"
"This time, we have seventy-two joint escort agencies from seventy-nine provinces, south and north, providing insurance," Yang Kaitai said. "And Steward Zhongping will be personally escorting us."
Lian Chengbi laughed and said, "In that case, it's as good as done!"
"I hope so," Yang Kaitai sighed.
"Won't the Shaolin Sect send anyone?" Lian Chengbi asked.
"How do you know about that, Brother Lian?" Yang Kaitai asked in surprise. "Not only will there be two elders from the Shaolin Sect, but we'll also be accompanied by three eminent monks from Baima Temple, Baozhu Temple, and Qinglong Zen Monastery. They wish to see the ancient Buddhist lands of the western regions and how they have changed over the past millennium."
Lian Chengbi blinked and reiterated, "In that case, it's as good as done!"
Shen Wenyu couldn't help but laugh.
At that moment, Liu Yongnan joined their small circle and casually glanced at everyone before offering a smile. "I've also heard of the wonders of the western regions and have long desired to see them. May I join you on your journey to the frontier?"
Yang Kaitai nodded. "Since we're heading in the same direction, you're more than welcome to join us."
Liu Yongnan smiled and said, "Then consider it a promise!"
...
Upon returning to the Shen family's estate, Lian Chengbi didn't give Yang Kaitai's matter much thought.
He and Shen Bijun stayed in Shandong for several more days to keep Shen Laotaijun company.
Shen Bijun was blissfully happy, but Shen Laotaijun saw through the situation and gave Shen Bijun a few words of advice before sending them back to the south.
On a southbound passenger ship in the Grand Canal, Shen Bijun recounted Shen Laotaijun's words to Lian Chengbi as she admired the scenery along the river.
Lian Chengbi smiled and said, "Old Madam Shen has more experience than us, so her words are always wise."
Shen Bijun's expression turned slightly guilty.
Then she heard Lian Chengbi's tone shift as he said, "But..."
"But what?" Shen Bijun asked.
"But the premise of her reasoning is that my martial arts are not strong enough to extinguish the wild ambitions of those people," Lian Chengbi said with a smile.
Lian Chengbi patted Shen Bijun's hand and said, "When a person's martial arts reach a certain level, many things become much simpler."
"Moreover, I have enough experience to handle any aftermath," Lian Chengbi added.
...
A month later, when Lian Chengbi and Shen Bijun embarked on their journey north to Guanzhong again, they had no worries or regrets.
In that month, not only had the Pure Heart Manor been efficiently managed, but Shen Bijun also felt that she had grown a lot.
On this northward journey, Shen Bijun chose to ride alongside Lian Chengbi instead of traveling by carriage, solidifying their reputation as the "Pure Heart Hero Couple."
As they passed through the northern part of Huai'an City again, Shen Bijun couldn't help but remember the events that had taken place there a month ago and sighed.
Just then, the sound of a bowstring being pulled reverberated through the air, followed by a sharp tearing noise.
Shen Bijun felt a flash of silver light suddenly shoot out from the trees beside her, heading straight for her.
This silver light was as quick as lightning, chasing the wind in its speed. Before she could react, it had already streaked past her, as if it would strike the face of Lian Chengbi by her side in the next moment.
But the next instant, just as Shen Bijun's scream lodged in her throat, she saw the silver light suddenly disappear.
No, it hadn't disappeared, but had suddenly come to a halt in mid-air!
The silver light took on a form, revealing itself to be a thumb-sized silver pellet.
Two fingers appeared out of thin air, pinching it.
They were Lian Chengbi's fingers!
Shen Bijun subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, but she seemed to hear a gasp coming from the trees.
The sound of a bowstring rang out again, this time in quick succession—twice.
This time, what flew out wasn't a single streak of silver light, but six.
Three flew towards Lian Chengbi, and the other three towards Shen Bijun.
Lian Chengbi narrowed his eyes and finally drew his sword.
"Chaa—"
Lian Chengbi guided his horse closer to Shen Bijun with his left hand, while his right hand brandished his sword, chopping the six pellets into twelve pieces that fell to the ground.
"Nice swordsmanship!" A hoarse voice rang out from the trees, "Now, face my Flower Rain!"
In the next moment, the sound of bowstrings being pulled reverberated continuously from the trees, and the silver lights that shot out were too numerous for Shen Bijun to count.
They were dense and relentless, coming from all directions, covering a space of nearly ten feet, blocking off any chance of evasion or retreat.
Shen Bijun's breath caught in her throat.
Though she didn't mix with the martial arts world, she knew basic martial arts and was familiar with common knowledge.
Most people used concealed weapons by throwing them with their hands, and the power of these weapons depended on the individual's strength and internal energy, as well as the design of the weapon itself.
The Golden Needles of the Shen family fell into this category—light, small, and not meant for brute force.
The technique Shen Bijun had practiced to counter such weapons was also suited for this situation.
Beyond this, there were also spring-loaded concealed weapons, which were typically more powerful and rarely stopped by hand.
However, the springs in such weapons tended to be small and concealed, and while they packed a punch, they weren't the most potent.
The most powerful was the bow!
A three to five-foot-long bowstring could unleash a force far surpassing human strength, and the arrows shot from it could easily pierce the human body.
Moreover, the opponent wasn't using arrows but tiny silver pellets.
Lian Chengbi's ability to catch one pellet by hand and chop six with his sword had already exceeded Shen Bijun's expectations. Could his swordsmanship be swift enough to deflect this rain of pellets?
The answer was yes!
As the pellets drew near, Lian Chengbi's sword flashed.
The sword light danced like rain, forming a net that met the relentless silver lights.
As Lian Chengbi swung his sword, his voice rang out clearly, "This isn't called Flower Rain. It's called Rapid-Fire Silver Pellets. Although you tried to make them arrive simultaneously, your technique isn't refined enough. Controlling the bowstring isn't as precise as using your hand."
As Lian Chengbi's words trailed off, the rain of silver lights vanished.
...
In the trees opposite them, a tall, silver-haired elder clad in a bright red cloak watched this scene, stunned. He stomped his foot and turned to leave.
However, just as he turned, a clear voice rang out by his ear, as if the speaker were right next to him.
"Li Qingfeng, aren't you going to avenge your son?"
(End of Chapter)
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