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Chapter 571: Xiao Shi Yi Lang, Once Again
Chapter 571: Xiao Shi Yi Lang, Once Again
Shen Bijun's face was flushed with anger as she exclaimed, "They have no sense of reason!"
Yang Kaitai grit his teeth in fury, "They deserve to die!"
"Indeed, they are all dead," Feng Siniang chimed in with a smile, "Those who managed to escape fled beyond the Congling Mountains, never daring to set foot in the Central Plains again. In my travels beyond the border these past few years, I've ventured as far as Turpan, and even there, encounters with martial arts experts from that side are rare."
"Wow, you've really ventured far," Lian Chengbi exclaimed in admiration.
"As long as you bring enough provisions and avoid the southern Death Desert, it's not that dangerous," Feng Siniang replied nonchalantly.
Lian Chengbi nodded in agreement. The area around Turpan and Hami was a basin filled with oases, a rare lush and fertile land in the Western Regions, famous for its grapes and melons. Even so, it was impressive for Feng Siniang, a woman, to venture there alone.
"You're amazing, sister," Shen Bijun praised.
Outside of Suzhou Prefecture, at the Jiayu Pass, they had reached the western frontier of the imperial court. Beyond this pass lay unclaimed territories.
It was truly admirable for Feng Siniang to have ventured abroad alone as a woman.
"It was nothing!" Feng Siniang laughed proudly, "The customs and cultures beyond the border are indeed very different from those in the Central Plains, but they are mostly small towns and tribes that pose no threat to me."
As Lian Chengbi listened to the conversation between Shen Bijun and Feng Siniang, he finally understood where the Wealthy Prince had amassed his wealth—enough to rival that of a nation. He also realized why the Wealthy Prince's martial arts skills were so extraordinary.
For the Wealthy Prince's real name was Gushu Tian!
Persia had a long history, with its own unique martial arts lineage.
India, the birthplace of Buddhism, was renowned for its yoga and esoteric practices.
And of course, the Central Plains needed no introduction, with its myriad flourishing martial arts styles.
Aside from his natural talent, the Wealthy Prince must have also mastered the martial arts of both the Western Regions and the Central Plains, blending and transcending them to create his own unique style.
In the original novel, the protagonist's martial arts skills were already considered top-notch, yet he had his bones shattered by Xiao Shi Yi Lang in the darkness. And Xiao Shi Yi Lang, an almost unbeatable warrior, had also exhausted himself after two hundred exchanges with the Wealthy Prince.
According to Xiao Shi Yi Lang, the Wealthy Prince had clearly not been using his full strength during their encounter, instead toying with him.
Lian Chengbi pondered this new information.
The Wealthy Prince was clearly not the type of boss who could be defeated in one move, but with his martial arts skills and willpower, it might be possible to break through his defenses. Moreover, his light martial arts skills were also exceptionally high.
There were many dwarves in the Gu Long world, but the Wealthy Prince was probably the most powerful among them.
Lian Chengbi silently adjusted his evaluation of the Wealthy Prince, having gleaned some insights into his secrets. He had already begun to envision a potential battle with him in his mind.
Moreover, with the additional secret mentioned by Gushu Bing from the original novel, he now knew two of the Wealthy Prince's secrets.
"It doesn't matter. You may have the heritage of several regions, but I have the heritage of five worlds," Lian Chengbi stroked his chin, "Five worlds against three regions, the advantage is mine."
Lian Chengbi: ()
Of course, the battle with the Wealthy Prince was still a long way off.
For now, it was time to pay respects to Shen Jinfeng and his wife, as well as Lian Qingyun and his wife, who had perished here.
Lian Chengbi retrieved the tablets, incense, paper money, copper jars, and yellow wine that he had brought all the way from the pass. Feng Siniang and Yang Kaitai also stepped forward to help.
They set up the offerings, placing the golden needle that Lian Chengbi had just found in front of Shen Jinfeng's tablet.
Incense, paper money, and wine were burned and poured, honoring the fallen heroes.
...
On the way back to the city, Shen Bijun's mood was somewhat low.
Feng Siniang, like a caring older sister, rode beside Shen Bijun and said, "Beyond the Jiayu Pass lies nothing but yellow sand, and the Death Desert further ahead is too dangerous to explore. There's not much scenery to enjoy."
"If you're not in a hurry to return to the Jiangnan region, you can come with me to the frontier," Feng Siniang suggested with a smile, "In a few more days, it will be the season of clear autumn skies and pleasant breezes. The frontier will be lush with grass and water, and there will be endless grasslands where you can ride horses and herd cattle and sheep. It will surely lift your spirits."
Upon hearing this, Shen Bijun smiled.
Feng Siniang couldn't help but ask, "What are you smiling about?"
Shen Bijun shook her head repeatedly, then added, "I'm just feeling a bit sentimental."
"Sentimental about what?" Yang Kaitai inquired.
"About Xiao Shi Yi Lang," Shen Bijun replied.
At the mention of Xiao Shi Yi Lang, both Feng Siniang and Yang Kaitai's expressions shifted slightly.
Feng Siniang nonchalantly asked, "Isn't Xiao Shi Yi Lang a notorious thief in the Central Plains? What's there to be sentimental about?"
Shen Bijun studied Feng Siniang's expression carefully but couldn't discern anything.
However, she trusted her husband's judgment and asked, "Are you and Xiao Shi Yi Lang friends?"
Feng Siniang immediately scoffed, "He's nothing but a big idiot! Who would be friends with him?"
Seeing Shen Bijun's puzzled look, Feng Siniang continued with a calm expression, "I've known him for quite some time, but he's a real headache and hardly has any friends."
Shen Bijun, being a perceptive woman, finally caught a hint of something in Feng Siniang's tone.
She was also a kind person, and upon realizing this, she said to Feng Siniang, "Since my husband mentioned that Xiao Shi Yi Lang is quite a pity, I was thinking that if you are friends with him, perhaps you could offer him some advice."
Feng Siniang was taken aback by this suggestion and immediately asked, "A pity? What happened to him?"
Yang Kaitai was also anxious, but his concern was for Feng Siniang's reaction.
He comforted her, "We didn't hear any news of him when we left Chang'an. The latest rumor was that he chopped off one of Old Man Ge's arms in Nanyang, stole two hu of pearls, and left arrogantly with his signature tune."
Feng Siniang pouted, "Old Man Ge, or Ge the Second, used to be a bandit in Funiu Mountain. He later bribed the local officials and bought himself the title of a respectable gentleman. He bullied the people of Nanyang, so chopping off his arm was letting him off easy!"
Yang Kaitai wryly smiled. Although Ge the Second's dark past was well-known, there was no solid evidence, and since he hadn't caused any trouble in recent years, the righteous path of the martial arts world wouldn't take action against him. Usually, they would even greet him as 'Old Man Ge' when they met.
Shen Bijun spoke softly, "But he also slaughtered the entire Li family in Daming Mansion, beheaded the Qingping Swordsman, Wan Daxia, and stole fifty thousand taels of silver from Ding Lao Ye of Jibei, which was meant for disaster relief in Qi and Lu..."
"Impossible!" Feng Siniang almost jumped off her horse. "Xiao Shi Yi Lang is not a good person, but he would never do such things!"
Yang Kaitai was taken aback. "If he's not a good person and is a solitary thief, then isn't it normal for him to kill and steal?"
"But... but..." Feng Siniang was flustered. She pulled Shen Bijun closer and asked, "When did all these things happen?"
"They all occurred in the last three to four years, during the time when Xiao Shi Yi Lang's name shook the martial world," Shen Bijun replied.
"These incidents have nothing to do with Xiao Shi Yi Lang!" Feng Siniang asserted. "He's being framed!"
Shen Bijun nodded. "My husband said the same, but Xiao Shi Yi Lang has never appeared to deny these accusations."
She then shared Lian Chengbi's assessment of Xiao Shi Yi Lang.
Feng Siniang listened, her eyes widening in disbelief, and then she exclaimed, "Xiao Shi Yi Lang is not just a big idiot, he's also a big fool!"
(End of Chapter)
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