Jinshan Temple.
Ma San originally intended to go to the city to gather information but was stopped by Liang Sheng. After listening to Ma San's report yesterday, the more he thought about it, the more something felt off.
The situation in Jinzhou City became increasingly tense recently, and it might completely erupt any day. Anyway, the situation in these two days had been a bit unusual.
Adopting a cautious principle along with Liang Sheng's uneasy intuition, he asked Ma San to stay in the temple and not to go to Jinzhou City to gather information for the time being.
When night fell, Liang Sheng looked at the bright moon in the sky. Amidst the mottled shadows of the trees, he became more and more restless.
He feared that something would happen tonight, but he didn't know what the outcome would be. He hoped that the news he would receive tomorrow would be good.
...
Jinzhou City.
At this moment, the streets were silent, and the usual patrol guards were not on duty tonight. Even the Yichun Building was not open for business.
The lower-class people of the Three Teachers and Nine Streams were the most observant. Whenever there was a slight disturbance, they would seek fortune and avoid evil.
At this time, the night breeze was gentle, and the bright moon was high in the sky. Yet, for some reason, there was an aura of solemnity and killing intent on the streets.
Just then, footsteps suddenly appeared on the street. As time went on, the footsteps grew more and more dense.
Afterward, a large number of men and horses appeared on both sides of the street, all armed with weapons. As soon as the two sides met, they fought without saying a word.
Cold steel showed no mercy. Amidst the flashes of their blades, flesh and blood flew, and screams of pain and cries for battle mixed together, creating an unparalleled chaos.
However, this was just a fight between ordinary martial artists. Not far from the battlefield, more than a dozen figures stood facing each other.
"Father-in-law, I'm afraid I've offended you today."
It turned out that the leaders of both sides were Liang Ying and Wu Chang. Upon hearing Liang Ying's words, Wu Chang couldn't help but sneer.
"My good son-in-law, you are merely at the Postnatal Seventh Realm. How can you compete with me without Liang Ping's presence, forcing me to bully a weaker opponent?"
"Really?"
Liang Ying did not get angry upon hearing this, but instead chuckled lightly. Then, a burst of hearty laughter came from behind him.
"Lord of Wu Family, I think with me here, there's no need for Liang Ping to show up, right?"
The next moment, Zheng Wanchun appeared before both sides. Wu Chang looked at him, and his brow furrowed, but then he burst into laughter.
"Zheng Wanchun, you're just a minor constable, merely at the Postnatal Seventh Realm. How dare you act wildly in front of me?"
Wu Chang's words had just fallen when a burst of Qi emanated from Zheng Wanchun, and Wu Chang's laughter abruptly stopped.
"Hmm? You broke through?"
Zheng Wanchun simply smiled without speaking. Wu Chang's face turned extremely ugly as he looked at Liang Ying standing calmly to the side, appearing to have suddenly understood something.
"So, you colluded with the county government, which is why you dared to act like this." He couldn't help but turn his gaze to the other side of the battlefield, his expression even more unsightly.
For there was now a third force there, the constables from the county government. In an instant, the previously evenly matched Wu family guards were retreating in defeat.
"Alright, let's spare the meaningless words. Father-in-law, it's all just a matter of winners and losers. As long as you submit to my Liang Family, I guarantee that your Wu Family will suffer no losses."
"You really are my good son-in-law, but, dream on!"
The next moment, Wu Chang instantly charged from a distance of ten meters, and a powerful palm wind directly appeared in front of Liang Ying.
Liang Ying remained motionless at this time, as if he hadn't reacted. But in the next moment, a figure stood in front of Wu Chang.
"Lord of the Wu Family, you're a bit too anxious. Your opponent is me!"
The two immediately tangled with each other, unleashing fierce winds with their punches. The bluestone beneath their feet broke one after another. In just a few breaths, all the stones within ten meters had been shattered.
The terror of the Post-Natal "Eighth" Level Realm.
After battling for a few more rounds, Wu Chang retreated several steps, his face extremely pale.
"It turns out you didn't just break through to the Eighth Level. You've been pretending to be at the Postnatal Seventh Realm all along."
"Master Wu, it indeed shows you have great judgment."
At this moment, Zheng Wanchun, with a triumphant expression, didn't chase after them but instead said with a smile, "Master Wu, there's no use waiting for your ancestor to come to your aid. The Liang Family Ancestor has already gone to visit the Wu Family."
Upon hearing this, Wu Chang's face turned bright red with anger, and he couldn't help but scold, "Despicable!"
At this point, Liang Ying stepped forward and said, "Father-in-law, you should just admit defeat. Even if you don't care about yourself, you should think about the Wu Family. If we keep going like this, I'm afraid I won't be able to protect you any longer."
Wu Chang stared at Liang Ying in a daze, as if his eyes were about to catch fire, but there was nothing he could say at this moment.
After all, the other party had the advantage, so what could he do?
At this moment, a sudden burst of laughter came from behind Wu Chang and a figure appeared right in the middle of them. It was none other than Gao Yuqiang, the head of the Gao Family.
Then, several experts from the Gao Family and guards from the Wu Family joined together, and the situation changed instantly.
"So, what can you do if I help Brother Wu?"
Seeing Gao Yuqiang suddenly appear, Zheng Wanchun and Liang Ying's expressions changed in unison. Their brows furrowed and Gao Yuqiang's smile on his face became even more apparent.
"Gao Yuqiang!"
Wu Chang seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at this time. "Brother Gao, I didn't expect to make a fool of myself this time."
"No matter, our families have always been close, so why bother with such trifles?"
After saying this, Gao Yuqiang looked at Zheng Wanchun and Liang Ying with a smile, his tone full of amazement, "I never expected that young Master Liang would have such boldness, daring to defy the world and work with the County Government Office. It really is a great strategy."
It has been several hundred years since Jinzhou City's Liang, Gao, and Wu families have had conflicts, but they have never let the County Government interfere.
One could say that Liang Ying's current actions were something that Gao Yuqiang had never expected before, and it also dispelled his doubts about why the Wu Family had lost to the Liang Family earlier.
How could the Wu Family win when they had the county government's secret support?
"Brother Gao, let's resolve the matter at hand first. I want to have a good, candlelit talk with my son-in-law. As for other matters, I will personally visit the Gao Family to express my gratitude tomorrow."
Wu Chang did not say how he would thank the Gao Family, but Gao Yuqiang naturally understood his meaning at this moment.
"Brother Wu, you and your son-in-law can talk freely. I don't think Sheriff Zheng will interfere in your private affairs."
At this moment, Gao Yuqiang looked at Zheng Wanchun with a calm expression. How could the other party dare to take action with him present?
Sure enough, Zheng Wanchun only carefully watched him without daring to make any moves. Wu Chang then angrily glared at Liang Ying and slowly walked towards him.
"My good son-in-law..."
At this point, Wu Chang had just walked behind Gao Yuqiang and suddenly burst out. He yelled, "Why don't you make a move?"
In an instant, Wu Chang had a green, luminescent dagger in his hand, which he wrapped in his internal energy and directly stabbed into Gao Yuqiang's back, drenching his entire back in blood.
At the same time, Zheng Wanchun made his move, striking directly at Gao Yuqiang. The fist wind hit first, making Gao Yuqiang's face ache from the blow.
Previously, Gao Yuqiang's attention had been entirely on Zheng Wanchun, and he had not been prepared for Wu Chang's attack. Who could have thought that the trio who had been fighting for their lives had actually been working together all along?
Moreover, Wu Chang's dagger was made of meteorite iron. When he wrapped it in his internal energy, it was able to pierce Gao Yuqiang's back so easily.
In fact, the dagger alone wouldn't have been a big deal, but the fact that it was coated with a deadly poison made it an even greater threat. At this moment, as Gao Yuqiang tried to force the poison out with his internal energy, the poison spread even faster.
Of course, Wu Chang and Zheng Wanchun wouldn't hesitate at this moment. They relentlessly attacked Gao Yuqiang, never giving him a chance to counter.
With his internal energy in chaos, Gao Yuqiang could only hold out against the onslaught of the two "Eighth" Level masters for a few moves before his vision went black and he collapsed to the ground.
At that moment, Liang Ying walked over with a knife in his hand and cleanly cut Gao Yuqiang's neck. There was no muddling about at all.
At this time, Gao Yuqiang's eyes widened in shock, and he lay still on the ground, his spirit not resting in peace.
At this moment, Liang Ying and the others exchanged glances and smiled, everything unspoken. As for the Elder of Gao Family...
The Ancestor of the Wu Family couldn't come to this place, but right now, he was actually joining forces with the Liang Family Ancestor and heading to the Gao Family together.
At this moment, all of Gao Yuqiang's experts had been wiped out. The moment Wu Chang stabbed Gao Yuqiang, the Wu Family's experts had all moved simultaneously.
In an instant, blood flowed like a river...