Sweeping Through the Martial World: Starting with Max Level Yi Jin Jing

Chapter 23 Itinerary

Along the official road, the mountains begin to undulate, and the forests gradually become denser.

Liu Er and Zhou San, true veterans of the trade, made meticulous arrangements along the way. They knew exactly when to stop for a meal, where to rest, and how to avoid potential trouble.

Wednesday was a man of few words, but he drove extremely steadily and knew the roads very well. Liu Er, on the other hand, was a chatterbox, recounting the local customs, folklore, and legends along the way as if they were his own.

"...To be honest, Yunzhou is much more chaotic than our Qingzhou."

That afternoon, the carriage stopped at a roadside tea stall for a rest. Liu Er, while drinking his coarse tea, said...

"Qingzhou has many experts and major sects, so it is relatively peaceful on the surface."

"Yunzhou is different; it's a melting pot of all sorts of people. Tingyu Tower and Tang Clan both have branches there, and the local 'Flowing Cloud Sword Sect' and 'Five Tigers Breaking the Gate Saber' are no pushovers either."

"Not to mention, Yunzhou leads west to the Western Regions and south to the Southern Frontier, where all sorts of monsters and demons gather."

Chen Xuan listened quietly, then asked, "Where in Yunzhou is Black Wind Ravine?"

"It's in the northeast of Yunzhou, near the border of Qingzhou," Liu Er pointed to the west.

"That place is treacherous, with crisscrossing mountain streams and poisonous miasma that lingers year-round. Locals avoid it, and only some herb gatherers and outlaws occasionally venture in. A few years ago, I heard that a man-eating mountain demon appeared there, causing quite a stir, but it eventually faded away."

On Wednesday, he suddenly said in a muffled voice, "Five years ago, I had a brother who was escorting a shipment near Black Wind Ravine and never came out again. Later, his body was found; it was all black, like he had been poisoned, but we couldn't figure out why."

Upon hearing this, Su Wan asked, "Brother Zhou, do you remember if your brother had any special injuries at the time? Like tiny needle marks, or any unusual spots on his skin?"

On Wednesday, after thinking for a moment, he shook his head: "Several days had passed since the body was discovered, and the face was already blurry. I only remember the coroner saying that his internal organs seemed to have been hollowed out by something, which was very strange."

Su Wan and Chen Xuan exchanged a glance, both thinking of the symptoms of "Marrow-Eroding Powder". If it really was this poison, then it was probably the Shadow Pavilion, and their activities in Black Wind Ravine had likely been going on for more than five years.

After resting, they continued their journey. The further west they went, the sparser the population became, and the more rugged the road became. As evening approached, the carriage entered a hilly area, with mountains rising higher on both sides and dense, shady forests on either side.

"Young master, ahead lies 'Wild Wolf Ridge,' where wolf packs often roam. We must get there before nightfall and rest at 'Pine Breeze Town' ahead," Liu Er said, pointing ahead.

On Wednesday, a sharp crack of the whip spurred the horse to gallop faster.

Just then, at the bend in the mountain road ahead, a sound of metal clashing suddenly came, mixed with shouts and screams.

"Whoa—" Wednesday suddenly pulled on the reins.

The carriage stopped in the middle of the mountain road. Chen Xuan lifted the curtain and saw two groups of people fighting about thirty feet ahead.

On one side were seven or eight men dressed in black, wielding steel knives, and their attacks were ruthless.

The other side consisted of only three people, two men and one woman, who were desperately resisting against an overturned carriage. There were already four or five corpses lying on the ground, and judging from their clothing, they were mostly guards from the other three's side.

Among the three, the leader was a young man in a blue shirt whose swordsmanship was quite impressive, but he was already struggling to defend himself against the attacks of several men in black.

Another middle-aged man wielded a pair of short halberds and was already wounded.

The only woman was about sixteen years old, dressed in a pale yellow dress, holding a short sword. Her swordsmanship was light and agile, but she was clearly lacking in internal strength, and she was already in grave danger.

"They're from Tingyulou." Liu Er's expression changed slightly, and he whispered, "Those men in black have silver cloud patterns on their cuffs; they're assassins from Tingyulou. Let's not get involved and take a detour..."

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Xuan had already pushed open the door and gotten out of the car.

"Young Master!" Su Wan called out urgently.

"Stay in the car and don't come out," Chen Xuan said, then flashed forward.

It wasn't that he liked to meddle, but he recognized the girl in the pale yellow dress who was being attacked—it was the mysterious girl who sat next to him at the sword-tasting competition yesterday, Dongfang Ling.

The two had a pleasant conversation yesterday, and Xie even gave Chen Xuan a piece of advice. They weren't strangers, and it was only right and proper for them not to stand idly by.

At this moment, Dongfang Lingxiu's hair was slightly disheveled, and her pale yellow dress was stained with dust and bloodstains, but her eyes remained clear and calm.

Her short sword moved with exquisite skill, striking, stabbing, slashing, and flicking. However, her inner strength was too shallow, and every time she clashed with the enemy's weapon, her arm would go numb from the impact, and she would have to retreat repeatedly.

A man in black saw her weakness, grinned maliciously, and swung his steel blade straight at her face with a whistling sound. The blow was powerful and heavy; if it landed, there would be no chance of survival.

Dongfang Ling gritted her teeth and slashed with her short sword, trying to deflect the force. But as the swords clashed, she felt a tremendous force surge through her, her hand split open, the short sword flew out of her grasp, and she fell backward.

The man in black, having gained the upper hand, stepped forward, raised his steel knife again, and was about to kill her on the spot.

Just then, a green shadow cut into the battle like a ghost.

The man in black only saw a blur before his eyes, and his wrist, which was holding the knife, was gripped by a hand like an iron clamp. He was shocked and tried to break free, but he couldn't budge it.

Before he could react, an irresistible force surged forth, sending him flying as if he were riding the clouds. He crashed into the rocks by the roadside with a thud, his bones shattering. He passed out without even uttering a sound.

Chen Xuan released his grip, not even glancing at the man in black, and turned to face the other assassins.

The room fell silent for a moment.

The remaining five assassins in black all took a step back, staring at the suddenly appearing young man in blue robes with surprise and uncertainty. They hadn't even seen how he had made his move.

The young man in blue and the middle-aged man also took the opportunity to retreat to Dongfang Ling's side, panting heavily, their eyes filled with surprise and gratitude as they looked at Chen Xuan.

"Who are you?" a black-clad assassin, seemingly the leader, asked in a deep voice. "This is an operation for Tingyu Tower; bystanders must stay away!"

Chen Xuan didn't answer. His gaze swept over the corpses of the guards on the ground, then looked at Dongfang Ling's pale but composed face, and finally landed on the black-clad leader. He said indifferently, "Get lost."

The leader of the men in black's expression changed, his eyes flashing with a fierce light: "Kid, you're asking for death! All of you, attack him and finish him off!"

The five assassins exchanged glances and pounced simultaneously. Their blades flashed like snow, slashing at Chen Xuan's vital points from five directions. Their coordination was impeccable, clearly indicating they were used to coordinated attacks.

Instead of retreating, Chen Xuan advanced, his figure blurring as he cut through the gap in the blade's light.

He neither throws a punch nor raises his palm; with just his bare hands, he can slap, press, guide, or lead. The internal energy of the Yi Jin Jing flows freely, and every movement contains immense power.

With several muffled thuds, the five assassins were sent flying backward at an even faster speed than when they arrived, crashing into trees, falling onto rocks, and tumbling into the grass. Each of them coughed up blood and lay on the ground, clearly dead.

From the moment Chen Xuan made his move to the moment it ended, it only took three to five breaths.

The young man in the blue shirt and the middle-aged man stared in disbelief. Their opponents, whom they had fought so hard against and who had suffered heavy casualties, were like clay chickens and earthen dogs in front of this young man in the green shirt.

Dongfang Ling retrieved the short sword, walked up to Chen Xuan, curtsied, and spoke in a clear voice, though with a hint of weakness:

"Thank you for your help, Young Master Chen."

"Miss Dongfang, you're too kind," Chen Xuan said. "It was nothing."

At this moment, Liu Er and Zhou San also arrived in their carriage. Su Wan alighted, quickly walked to Dongfang Ling's side, took her wrist to check her pulse, examined the wound on her hand, and said softly:

"The girl was frightened, her blood was stagnant, and her hand was torn. I have medicine in my car; you need to apply it as soon as possible."

Dongfang Ling looked at Su Wan, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, then smiled and said, "Thank you for your trouble."

The young man in the blue shirt and the middle-aged man also stepped forward to express their gratitude. The young man in the blue shirt introduced himself as surnamed Lu, the leader of Dongfang Ling's guards. The middle-aged man was surnamed Zhao, and was both the coachman and a guard.

They were originally escorting Dongfang Ling to visit a friend in Yunzhou, but unexpectedly they were ambushed by Tingyulou.

"Why did Tingyulou ambush you?" Chen Xuan asked.

Guard Lu gave a bitter smile: "To be honest, young master, my young lady's family business... is somewhat competitive with Tingyu Tower. This trip was exposed, which led to this calamity. If it weren't for your rescue, young master, we would probably all be dead here today."

Chen Xuan glanced at Dongfang Ling. This young woman had a mysterious background, and her family's business was able to compete with assassin organizations like Tingyulou; she was definitely not an ordinary merchant.

But he had no intention of delving deeper, only asking, "This is not a place to stay for long. What are your plans?"

Dongfang Ling said, "The carriage is destroyed, and the horses have been frightened and scattered. If Young Master Chen doesn't mind, could we travel together for a while? I know someone in Songfeng Town ahead; we can go there."

Chen Xuan hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Alright."

The group quickly cleaned up the battlefield, dragging the bodies of the Tingyulou assassins to the roadside bushes. The bodies of the guards on Dongfang Ling's side were simply buried and marked, to be collected by their families later.

Su Wan applied medicine and bandaged up Dongfang Ling and the injured Lu and Zhao.

Dongfang Ling's injuries were the least severe, consisting only of superficial wounds and shock. Guard Lu suffered a deep stab wound to the shoulder, exposing the bone. Uncle Zhao received a blow to the leg, but fortunately, no bones or tendons were broken.

After everything was settled, everyone got back onto the train. The carriage was already small, and with three more people, it felt even more crowded.

Dongfang Ling and Su Wan sat on one side, Chen Xuan and the injured guard Lu sat on the other side, while Uncle Zhao and Zhou San sat on the carriage shaft. Liu Er led the way.

The carriage continued on its way, and the interior remained silent for a moment.

Dongfang Ling looked at Chen Xuan and suddenly whispered, "Is Young Master Chen going to Yunzhou?"

"Exactly."

"What a coincidence." Dongfang Ling smiled slightly.

"I have an elder who runs a medicinal herb business in Yunzhou and is quite familiar with the geography and people of Yunzhou. If you have any business to attend to in Yunzhou, you may seek his assistance. He is a very enthusiastic person and especially appreciates talented young people."

As she spoke, she took out a small jade pendant from her bosom and handed it to Chen Xuan. The jade pendant was warm and smooth, with the character "medicine" engraved on the front and the characters "rejuvenation" surrounded by cloud patterns on the back.

"This is the guest token of 'Huichuntang'. Young master, take this token to any Huichuntang in Yunzhou City and show it to them, and they will do their best to help you."

Dongfang Ling said, "This is my humble way of repaying the young master for saving my life."

Chen Xuan's heart skipped a beat. Huichun Hall was the place Su Wan's father had mentioned. He took the jade pendant; it felt warm and smooth to the touch, clearly not an ordinary item.

"Thank you, young lady." Chen Xuan put away the jade pendant.

Dongfang Ling then looked at Su Wan and smiled:

"Miss Su is a highly skilled physician with a kind heart. My elder loves to associate with renowned medical experts, and if he knows that you have arrived in Yunzhou, he will definitely want to consult you personally. I hope you will not refuse."

Su Wan smiled and said, "Miss Dongfang, you flatter me. I will certainly pay you a visit if I have the opportunity."

As they spoke, the carriage had already left Wild Wolf Ridge. The terrain ahead gradually opened up, and lights could be seen in the distance.

We've arrived at Songfeng Town.