At nightfall, in Ranfang Street, Shuanggui Alley.
Ye Jingtang led his old horse and walked through the dimly lit alley, looking around.
The bird had been out for a whole day and was in a good mood. Lying on the pack on the horse's back, its claws facing the sky as it looked at the stars, it even hummed a little tune:
"Jiji ji~..."
Just from the name, one could tell that Ranfang Street was a slum area where handicraft workshops were clustered. Now it had declined, and there were only a few small workshops around. Once it got dark, it was hard to see anyone around.
Shuanggui Alley was even more so. It had been neglected for years, and there were a lot of fallen leaves on the ground. When stepped on, it made a soft "擦擦~~" sound.
He had just taken a turn in the talent market. There were quite a few jobs available, but those with a monthly salary of three strings of cash were highly sought after.
As the saying goes, "The poor study literature, and the rich practice martial arts." As a martial artist, Ye Jingtang would need a lot of money just to buy all the necessary martial arts equipment, not to mention the exaggerated appetite of a martial man. Obviously, these jobs wouldn't work for him.
Although he didn't find a job, he did find a place to live. Ye Jingtang had thought that with only two taels of silver, he couldn't possibly find a place to stay in the capital city. But after making some inquiries, he discovered this treasured place, Shuanggui Alley. There were more than a dozen courtyards in the whole alley, all properties of a landlady. It cost two taels of silver a year, and he could choose any courtyard he wanted to live in.
Ye Jingtang paid half a year's rent. The landlady didn't even give him the key. When he came to take a look, it met his expectations. There were more than ten old courtyards that had been in disrepair for a long time. Almost none of the walls hadn't cracked, and only two or three doors were intact. It seemed that few people would be willing to live here even if they didn't have to pay.
Ye Jingtang, with just himself and the bird, didn't care about these things. He found a courtyard that looked decent and pushed the door open.
The courtyard was full of fallen leaves, and the doors and windows were all open. Inside, there was only a bed frame, and there were no tables or chairs.
"Jiji..."
The bird jumped down from the horse's back. After walking around the room, its big, bright eyes looked at Ye Jingtang. It probably meant something like—How about we go back and live with Sister Big-breasted?
Ye Jingtang ignored the bird. He tied the horse in the corner of the courtyard, fed it some forage, and then carried the bedding off the horse's back.
Dada—
The flint struck and produced sparks. Then, the dim yellow candlelight filled the shabby house with bare walls.
Ye Jingtang leaned his knife against the wall and looked around the empty room. Suddenly, he noticed that the ground was quite clean. The dry thatch for making the bed had some depressions. When he looked down carefully, he also found a long strand of hair.
"Hmm?"
Ye Jingtang picked up the long hair and examined it. The hair quality was quite good, and he could be sure that it hadn't been there for too long. Someone had lived here recently.
However, in this era, both men and women had long hair, so he couldn't tell the gender of the owner.
Could it be left by the previous tenant...
Ye Jingtang was a bit puzzled, but he didn't pay too much attention to it. After throwing the hair outside the door, he brought the bed sheets and bedding to make the bed.
The bird, on the other hand, was very naughty. It pecked at its small package, trying to get the dried meat it had bought from inside.
"You still want to eat? Don't you see we're living in this shabby place? If I can't get any more money, I'll have to sell you for money next month."
"Jiji~"
The bird jumped twice, indicating that it was just chubby and couldn't be sold for much money.
Just as Ye Jingtang smoothed out the bed sheet, he suddenly heard a slight noise outside:
Whoosh—
It was like a gentle breeze that blew into the courtyard, lifting the fallen leaves on the ground.
Ye Jingtang frowned and gripped the handle of the knife beside him. He looked out through the window that was only for decoration.
There was an extra figure in the courtyard!
It was dark, and the silver moon was like frost. The moonlight that shone over the wall only illuminated half of the courtyard.
The figure stood between the light and the darkness, wrapped in a cloak and wearing a bamboo hat. It was impossible to tell if it was a man or a woman, fat or thin. It held a long spear wrapped in black cloth obliquely.
The figure didn't move at all and didn't say a word. Obviously, it had come with ill intentions.
Ye Jingtang secretly raised his finger, signaling the bird to quietly go and find the escort head under him. At the same time, he inserted the knife horizontally behind his waist and came to the door:
"Who are you? Is this your residence?"
The person wearing the bamboo hat was naturally Sister Big-breasted who had come to visit the young man in the middle of the night.
However, Pei Xiangjun didn't say a word. The long spear in her hand slid out. She held the end of the spear with one hand, raised the long spear horizontally, drew a half-circle in the old courtyard, and pointed it at Ye Jingtang. At the same time, she lifted the bamboo hat, revealing a ghost face mask on her face.
Holding the end of the nine-foot-long spear with one hand was something that couldn't be done without solid basic skills.
Seeing this, Ye Jingtang stepped back half a step without showing any emotion. He held the handle of the knife with his left hand, ready for battle. But the opponent didn't attack directly. Instead, he held the long spear horizontally and gently shook his wrist.
Pa—
In the deep alley under the moonlight, there was a sound like a whip cracking.
The black cloth wrapped around the spear instantly shattered into pieces, revealing the black-lacquered body of the long spear.
The silver spear tip emitted a gloomy cold light under the moonlight. After the black cloth was shattered, one could hear the龙吟-like trembling sound of the spear tip:
Weng~~~
Ye Jingtang's eyes were slightly startled. It was easy for him to hold the spear with one hand, but directly shattering the wrapped cloth was beyond his ability.
Knowing that he was no match, Ye Jingtang's expression showed a "joyful" look. He raised his eyes and looked towards the courtyard gate:
"Master Wang?!"
Pei Xiangjun quickly turned her head to check.
Peng—
Ye Jingtang stomped on the ground and leaped up, flying onto the roof and running towards the bustling street.
Unfortunately, this trick might work on ordinary martial artists, but this time, the person who came was no ordinary person!
When Ye Jingtang jumped onto the roof, he didn't hear the sound of the other person jumping up behind him, but there was a strong sound of breaking through the air above.
Sa—
Ye Jingtang unsheathed his knife. Out of the corner of his eye, he was stunned to find that the person wearing the bamboo hat, who had been motionless just now, had overtaken him and leaped into the air three zhang high. Holding the spear with both hands, he struck down towards the top of Ye Jingtang's head with a powerful force like splitting Mount Hua.
The house was only one zhang high. This jump was equivalent to three floors. It was the first time in Ye Jingtang's life that he had seen someone jump so high, and he couldn't help but be horrified!
Facing the overwhelming offensive, Ye Jingtang quickly raised the knife horizontally above his head and simultaneously pressed his right hand against the back of the knife.
Dang—
Hua la—
Amid the sound of metal clashing, the old roof instantly collapsed.
Ye Jingtang was smashed into the house by the spear. He felt that the spear contained a fierce force that he simply couldn't withstand. Even after landing, his feet still ached from the shock.
"Master, wait a moment..."
Ye Jingtang wanted to talk his way out, but the sudden arrival of the spearman didn't give him a chance. The spearman pierced through the hole in the roof and directly thrust the spear towards Ye Jingtang's face.
Dang—
Ye Jingtang slashed the knife horizontally. With a loud noise, several sparks burst out in the room, and the precarious candle was also blown out.
The long spear that pierced through the roof was like an iron pillar weighing a thousand catties. After being slashed, it shifted slightly to the side.
Taking the opportunity, Ye Jingtang leaped up, held the knife with both hands, and slashed towards the five fingers of the person wearing the bamboo hat along the spear shaft, trying to counterattack.
But the person poked the tip of the spear on the ground and then flew out of the roof upside down, landing lightly on the roof. The tip of the spear pointed obliquely at the courtyard, and he didn't attack again.
Seeing this, Ye Jingtang stopped quickly. He held the knife in both hands in front of him, maintaining a stance to face the enemy.
Dong dong dong...
The courtyard under the moonlight fell into silence, and one could clearly hear a heartbeat that seemed about to burst.
Ye Jingtang had sweat on his forehead. Holding the knife, he didn't move at all, staring at the figure on the roof.
After a moment of confrontation, the person on the roof slightly raised the bamboo hat and let out a hoarse voice that was neither male nor female:
"You don't know the 'Eight Steps Frenzy Saber'?"
Ye Jingtang frowned. Since he was a child, he had learned martial arts from his adoptive father. He had learned normal knife and spear skills and had never heard of the "Eight Steps Frenzy Saber".
As for the related secret manuals, he had never come across them either. The books that described the martial arts world in the small border town were all miscellaneous books such as "The Tears of the Female Knight", "The Amorous History of the Martial Arts World", and "The Legend of the Amorous Knight". He had read a lot of them. He didn't learn the moves, but he did learn a lot of postures...
"I'm just an escort guard. I've never heard of the 'Eight Steps Frenzy Saber'. I only know a few miscellaneous skills. You might have the wrong person."
"The 'Eight Steps Frenzy Saber' was created by the Saber Champion of the previous dynasty and passed on to the saber technique grandmaster 'Zheng Feng'. When you unsheathed your knife at Mingyu Pavilion today, the starting move was similar to that of the 'Eight Steps Frenzy Saber'. The imperial court will probably come knocking on your door soon. But since you really don't know it, you don't have to worry. At most, they'll beat you up again to test your abilities."
?
Another beating?
Ye Jingtang could roughly infer that "Zheng Feng" was the alias of his adoptive father, Pei Yuanfeng, in the martial arts world. He really didn't expect that his adoptive father was actually a real grandmaster.
But if you had such powerful saber skills, why didn't you teach me earlier?
If you didn't teach me, why did you use that starting move? What if someone recognized it...
It seems I can't burn paper for you this year...
Ye Jingtang had many thoughts in his mind, but his expression was natural. Seeing that the other person seemed to be giving a kind reminder, he asked:
"I've never heard of these things. Who are you?"
"The Red God of Wealth."
Ye Jingtang thought for a moment and was secretly shocked. He had heard of the "Red God of Wealth". It was the title of the leader of the prestigious martial arts family "Honghua Pavilion" in the martial arts world, also known as the "Champion of the Spear", ranking seventh in the world, even higher than the ranking of his adoptive father's enemy in the martial arts world.
Although he had heard that the "Champion of the Spear" seemed to have been replaced, a lean camel was still bigger than a horse. No wonder this person was so powerful...
"So you're the leader of Honghua Pavilion. I've long admired your name. I wonder what your intention is for visiting me, a junior, and giving me some guidance?"
"I see that you're a promising talent and cherish your talent. Do you want to learn the spear technique?"
Ye Jingtang was taken aback: "Do you want to accept me as your disciple?"
Pei Xiangjun held the long spear and pointed it obliquely at the ground, exuding the aura of a master:
"The Overlord Spear is only passed on to one person in each generation, and that person must serve as the leader of Honghua Pavilion. This is our first meeting, and we don't know each other. It's too early to talk about taking you as a disciple. First, show your abilities and character. If you're qualified, I'll consider passing on the skills to you and telling you the details of Honghua Pavilion."
Honghua Pavilion was different from forces such as the Green Bandits and the Pingtian Sect. It was a very low-key martial arts force in the martial arts world. It focused on managing its own territory and was not on the list of those to be eliminated by the government.
Ye Jingtang came from an escort agency background and was originally a person in the martial arts world. Being able to enter such a "decent" prestigious martial arts family in the martial arts world and be cultivated as the heir by a martial arts giant was like rising to the top in one step.
Ye Jingtang didn't have the intention of learning martial arts from a master. But currently, he had no stable place to live, and such a great opportunity was right in front of him. For a moment, he couldn't find a reason to refuse. After thinking for a while, he first asked:
"I've long admired your name, Master. If I have the opportunity to learn excellent spear skills, I will be honored. I wonder what your impression of me is?"
"Honghua Pavilion is in the business. Although the martial arts of the leader are important, what's more important is to understand 'the ways of the world'. You went to the Pei family today, and it seems that there is some connection. In the past, if you go to help the Pei family with their affairs, I will observe your abilities and character secretly."
?
Ye Jingtang blinked his eyes and felt something was wrong. He carefully sized up the figure of the person wearing the bamboo hat, but unfortunately, he couldn't see anything...
"My father asked me to give the family property to the Pei family, and there is no more connection between us..."
Pei Xiangjun said seriously: "I'm asking you to go and help, get paid for the work, and we'll be even. It's not like I'm asking you to be a rich young master. If you're really embarrassed, you can just not take the money. Helping a relative, aren't you willing to do that?"
The voice was hoarse, and the person exuded the aura of a master. But these words didn't sound like those of a martial arts hero... It was more like a woman acting coquettishly...
Ye Jingtang had some guesses in his heart, but he couldn't confirm them. After thinking about it, he nodded:
"Alright, let's do as you say, Master. But I have a straightforward temper. Martial arts skills are like 'shoes' to me. The quality of the shoes is not important. I only care about the person wearing the shoes. If I think you're not suitable in the future, please forgive me, Master."
"This is how a martial artist should be. I came unannounced and wasted your time. Whether it works out or not in the end, I won't let you be disappointed for nothing."
After saying that, Pei Xiangjun's figure disappeared from the roof and melted into the night...