In the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, the Liaodong region was as if shrouded in a heavy gloom. The sky resembled a tattered gray cloth, weighing heavily on people's hearts. The small town at the foot of Qipanshan Mountain, which used to be quite lively, now appeared somewhat desolate under the turbulent situation. The shops along the street were half - closed, and occasionally a few pedestrians hurried by, their eyes full of vigilance and unease.
Early one morning, the sunlight filtered through the thick clouds, casting a few faint rays that barely illuminated the stone - paved road of the town. Ma Zouri, dressed in a black gown with a long knife at his waist, walked briskly on the street. He was tall and straight, with sword - shaped eyebrows and star - like eyes, exuding an innate heroic spirit. Although he had lost his parents since childhood, he had never been defeated by the hardships of life. Instead, under the guidance of a mysterious master, he had cultivated extremely yang - based martial arts. With a chivalrous heart, he was determined to do something for the common people in this troubled world.
"Is there no law in broad daylight?" A furious roar broke the tranquility of the town. Ma Zouri looked in the direction of the sound and saw a group of people gathered ahead, and something seemed to be happening in the middle. He quickened his pace, pushed his way through the crowd, and what he saw made his anger rise. Several burly bullies were surrounding a thin old man. The old man was tightly holding a shabby package in his hands, and his face was full of fear and helplessness.
"Old guy, be sensible and hand over the things, or you'll have a hard time!" The leading bully, with a fleshy face, said viciously.
"This... This is a family - heirloom of mine. I can't give it to you!" The old man said in a trembling voice, holding his hands even tighter.
"Humph, not giving it? Then don't blame us for being rude!" The bully said, reaching out to snatch the package from the old man.
Seeing this, Ma Zouri shouted, "Stop!" His figure flashed like a black lightning bolt and instantly arrived in front of the bully. He grabbed the bully's wrist. The bully only felt a searing force coming from his wrist and cried out in pain.
"Who... Who are you? Dare to meddle in our business!" The bully glared at Ma Zouri viciously.
"Seeing injustice on the road, I draw my sword to help! You bullies have been oppressing the common people on weekdays. Today, I'll teach you a good lesson!" Ma Zouri said, exerting a little force with his hand. There was a "click" sound from the bully's wrist, and it was obvious that it was broken.
"Ah!" The bully let out a scream and fell to the ground. When the other bullies saw this, they surrounded him one after another, brandishing the sticks in their hands and pouncing towards Ma Zouri. Ma Zouri was not afraid at all. He took a deep breath, and a blazing aura immediately surged around his body, as if it could ignite the surrounding air. He pushed off with his foot, leaped into the air, spun around, and drew his long knife. With a cold glint, a blade - light flashed. Before the bullies could react, the sticks in their hands had already been cut off.
"What powerful martial arts!" Exclamations came from the on - looking crowd.
Seeing that the situation was not good, the bullies turned around and fled one after another. Ma Zouri didn't chase them either. He sheathed his long knife, walked up to the old man, helped him up, and asked with concern, "Are you okay, old man?"
The old man looked at Ma Zouri gratefully, with tears in his eyes. "Thank you, young hero, for saving my life! If it weren't for you, these old bones of mine would have been doomed today."
"You're welcome, old man. It's what I should do. By the way, why did they want to rob your things?" Ma Zouri asked.
The old man sighed and said, "This is a medical book handed down in my family. It is said that it records some long - lost medical skills. These bullies somehow heard about it and wanted to snatch the medical book to sell for money."
Ma Zouri nodded and said, "I see. Old man, you should be more careful in the future. These bullies might come to cause trouble again."
"Thank you for the reminder, young hero. I know." The old man said.
Just then, a woman in white clothes in the crowd watched all this quietly. She was Xiang Zoutian. Her face was delicate and pretty, and her eyes were filled with a cold and aloof air. Xiang Zoutian was born into a famous martial - arts family in the Jianghu. Her family was once renowned in the martial - arts world, but a sudden change had led to the extermination of her family. She had managed to escape by a fluke in the chaos and had since embarked on a path of revenge. In order to find clues for revenge, she came to this small town. Ma Zouri's performance just now had caught her attention.
"This young man has quite good martial arts skills," Xiang Zoutian thought to herself. "However, his way of doing things seems too impulsive. Acting like this in this troubled world will probably bring him a lot of trouble."
After Ma Zouri finished talking with the old man, he turned to leave. Just as he turned around, his eyes met Xiang Zoutian's. Their eyes collided in the air, as if a spark had been struck. Ma Zouri was slightly stunned. He had never seen such a cold and beautiful woman. Xiang Zoutian also frowned slightly. She felt a strong masculine aura emanating from Ma Zouri, which formed a sharp contrast with the feminine aura on her body.
"Miss, why have you been staring at me?" Ma Zouri stepped forward and asked with a smile.
Xiang Zoutian gave him a cold look and said, "I just think your martial arts are good and I'm a bit curious."
"Haha, thank you for your compliment, miss. May I know your name? And why are you here?" Ma Zouri asked.
"My name is none of your business. I'm here for my own business." Xiang Zoutian said and turned to leave.
Seeing this, Ma Zouri was a bit displeased. He thought this woman was too cold - hearted and didn't take him seriously. So, he reached out to block Xiang Zoutian's way and said, "Miss, are you leaving just like that? Without even leaving your name, isn't that too impolite?"
Xiang Zoutian stopped, and a glint of anger flashed in her eyes. "What do you want? Get out of the way!"
"I just want to make friends with you, with no ill intentions." Ma Zouri said.
"I don't need friends." Xiang Zoutian said, and with a flash of her figure, she tried to bypass Ma Zouri.
Ma Zouri thought Xiang Zoutian was going to attack him, so he subconsciously blocked her. Their hands met in the air, and a powerful force collided, causing the surrounding air to seem to distort for a moment. Xiang Zoutian was shocked. She didn't expect Ma Zouri's martial arts to be so powerful. Ma Zouri was also equally surprised. He didn't expect Xiang Zoutian, who seemed so weak, to have such profound internal strength.
"Good skills!" Ma Zouri couldn't help but exclaim.
"Humph, you're not bad either." Xiang Zoutian snorted coldly, and the two of them stood facing each other. When the surrounding crowd saw this, they scattered one after another, for fear of being affected by their fight.
"Since the miss doesn't want to be friends with me, I won't force it. However, the move you made just now makes me feel that there seems to be some misunderstanding between us." Ma Zouri said.
"Misunderstanding? Humph, I think you're deliberately looking for trouble!" Xiang Zoutian said.
"Miss, I really have no ill intentions. I just think you're very special and want to get to know you." Ma Zouri explained.
Xiang Zoutian looked at Ma Zouri's sincere eyes, and the anger in her heart gradually subsided. She knew that she had misunderstood Ma Zouri just now.
"Alright, I misunderstood you just now. My name is Xiang Zoutian." Xiang Zoutian said.
"Xiang Zoutian? What a nice name! I'm Ma Zouri. Nice to meet you, Miss Xiang." Ma Zouri said with a smile.
Just then, a sharp whistle suddenly came from the sky. Ma Zouri and Xiang Zoutian looked up at the same time and saw several carrier pigeons flying across the sky, with some letters tied to their feet. Xiang Zoutian's face changed slightly. She seemed to realize something.
"I still have something to do. I'm leaving first." Xiang Zoutian said, and then turned and disappeared into the crowd.
Ma Zouri looked at Xiang Zoutian's departing back, feeling a bit lost. He didn't know why Xiang Zoutian left suddenly, nor did he know what she was up to. However, he believed that they would meet again.
With Xiang Zoutian's departure, the small town returned to its former calm. But Ma Zouri knew that this calm was only temporary, and a bigger storm was quietly approaching...