Chapter 54: The Blue Shadow in the Valley
Once the decision was made, Longhu Men was in a state of high alert. They not only monitored Heifeng Fort as a key area but also set up secret spies everywhere—from the banks of the Su River, the mountains surrounding Heifeng Fort, to its stronghold—waiting for Kai Xin’s arrival!
But what they never expected was…
Three experts from the Nangong family who were skilled in traveling in and out of the city, along with three experts from Longhu Men, waited in these places for two full days without any sign of Kai Xin.
For two consecutive days, Kai Xin seemed to have vanished without a trace. He wasn’t only absent from Gusu City but also from many good training spots and combat areas outside the city.
Having wasted a great deal of manpower and resources, Longhu Men could no longer sit idly by. They couldn’t afford to keep waiting!
As time passed, more and more people grew impatient, including two proud disciples from the Nangong family. If not for Nangong Ying’s constant presence by their side, they wouldn’t have continued to waste time in Gusu City.
“What’s going on?”
“Still no news of that person?”
The leader of Longhu Men wasn’t one to give up easily. He knew full well that Kai Xin wouldn’t leave Gusu City without reason. After repeated disappointments, he sent even more people to gather information. Finally, on the third day, they received news about Kai Xin from a player at an inn!
It was discovered by pure chance…
It turned out that the witness had originally gone to the depths of the Zizhu Forest in the east of the city to collect herbs. As he walked, he accidentally got lost and entered a valley he had never been to before.
The valley was quite ordinary—there were no herbs or wild animals—but inside, there was a player running around the valley at astonishing speed.
At first…
The witness found it very strange and puzzled, so he stopped to watch for a while. When the person got closer, he recognized him as the famous Blue-Clothed Gentleman Sword from Gusu City. Thinking of the rumors about his rapid rise in strength, the witness was overjoyed! He stopped at the entrance of the valley and watched more closely, trying to figure out if there was any shortcut to becoming stronger by observing him over time.
Gradually, he realized…
The Blue-Clothed Gentleman Sword was concentrating on practicing lightness skills in this secluded valley. If you looked closely during his runs, you could see that his feet never touched the ground. His breathing was steady, his movements graceful—just like a martial arts expert in a movie. He moved as swiftly as the wind, and even as he stepped on the grass, it didn’t bend, showing remarkable elegance.
The witnesses also tried it…
But they found that lightness skills consumed an enormous amount of internal energy. For players like them who hadn’t even reached the level of entering and exiting the realm, their internal energy would be exhausted in less than two minutes. It took over fifteen minutes to replenish their internal energy by meditating and practicing mental techniques—a huge waste of time…
But Happy was clearly different!
His internal energy lasted for over five minutes, and his lightness skills seemed to have reached a certain level as well, with an exceptionally high speed—more than twice that of ordinary players.
What made the witnessing players even more frustrated and helpless was that every time Happy ran out of energy and meditated to restore it, a thick white mist would appear above his head, with swirling air currents—clear signs that his mental technique had reached a high level. What was even more astonishing was how quickly Happy regained his internal energy; in less than three minutes, he would be full of energy and continue to race around the valley…
He would run all morning long!
The combination of mental techniques and lightness skills left the witnessing players utterly convinced, finally understanding why the Blue-Clothed Gentleman Sword could enter and exit the realm so quickly.
When the Dragon and Tiger Gate learned of this, over fifty of its top fighters mobilized and, led by six experts in entering and exiting the realm, quickly gathered on the outskirts of the eastern part of the city…
In “Jianghu,” it was very rare to see so many players mobilized and acting together.
Nearly sixty well-trained, fully armed players, dressed uniformly, setting off together, attracted a lot of attention and fear. Especially when they saw the unfriendly expressions of the Dragon and Tiger Gate group, people took detours to avoid them and watched from afar.
Soon!
The group arrived at the valley pointed out by the witnessing players…
The valley was over a hundred meters in diameter, but it had only one exit, with steep slopes on all three sides, making it extremely difficult to navigate. After the Dragon and Tiger Gate group quietly surrounded the entire valley, its master, Long, vice master Long Meng, the new vice master Zhang Bao, along with Nan Gong Ying, Luo Zhiqiang, Xiao Leng from the Nan Gong family, and sixteen top fighters from the sect entered the valley.
…
After three days of intense practice, Happy had raised “Cloud-Ascending Steps” to the ninth level. Starting from an almost imperceptible movement technique, it had now evolved into a swift and agile skill, allowing him to move at speeds three times faster than before. Like a dragon or fish in water, when his speed reached its limit, it was as if the wind rushed past his ears, and with each leap, he could reach heights of three to four meters.
However…
When the members of Longhu Men entered the valley with grandeur and momentum, it immediately alerted Happy. His heart sank, and he quickly stopped practicing his lightness skills from a distance. He took out a pill from his Qiankun Bag, chewed it, and quickly restored his depleted internal energy. With a serious expression, he watched the newcomers closely!
His gaze swept over the group from Longhu Men, lingering briefly on Long Meng.
“Longhu Men.”
With disdain, he shifted his gaze, stopping briefly on “Wen Long,” who was dressed in magnificent crimson leather armor, before quickly scanning the veiled woman he had met before and the two defiant-looking youths. He quickly realized they were all in league.
It seemed this matter couldn’t be resolved peacefully today…
Well! Anyway, a confrontation with Longhu Men was inevitable sooner or later. Since they had come looking for trouble, he might as well engage in a fierce battle. Before leaving Gusu City, he wanted to crush their arrogance, so they wouldn’t think he was an easy target…
Smiling slightly, two willow-leaf flying knives appeared in Happy’s hands. His sharp gaze locked onto Wen Long and Long Meng at the front.
Seeing Happy draw his knives, the group from Longhu Men suddenly halted!
They drew their swords one after another, and a battle was about to erupt.
“You must be Happy!”
It was the first time he saw this opponent. Faced with the proud young man who stood unflinching and faced the crowd with his sword held high, Wen Long’s firm resolve wavered slightly. Unconsciously, he spoke out, feeling a sense of regret for not recognizing such talent!
“Since you’ve come here, there’s no need for words. Let’s fight! I want to see what kind of experts Longhu Men has to offer.”
Facing these skilled fighters from Longhu Men, Happy’s expression remained calm, but inside, his fighting spirit burned fiercely. He couldn’t wait to see the results of his recent training.
As soon as he finished speaking, the willow-leaf flying knives spun in his hands. Without any visible motion, two streaks of light shot out!
Ding! Ding!
Two clear sounds echoed as the knives were deflected.
It turned out the members of Longhu Men were prepared. Two men jumped out from either side of Wen Long, holding shields half the size of their bodies, which successfully knocked the usually accurate flying knives away!
Happy was stunned!
They actually brought shields…
“Haha! Hangzhou is full of experts in hidden weapons. Do you really think your little tricks can do much?” Luo Zhiqiang from the Nan Gong family laughed and stepped forward.
“Is that so?”
With a scornful sneer, Happy took out two more willow leaf daggers, speaking in a calm tone, “Battle shields are military supplies, costing three thousand taels of silver each. How many do you have?” Before his words faded, the willow leaf daggers effortlessly pierced the chests of two skilled members of the Dragon and Tiger Gate!
Luo Zhiqiang’s sneering words still echoed in his ears, and those two stab wounds felt like a severe slap to him. His face turned red, and he roared angrily in a truly ugly manner: “You brat are seeking death!”