coobybook Chapter 658 Fame Spreads Throughout the World 6
Chapter 658 Fame Spreads Throughout the World 6
The city walls of Zhongzhou displayed a unique atmosphere under the scorching August sun.
Yun Chu reined in his horse and stood on the long slope, gazing at the gray behemoth ahead, which resembled a coiled dragon. The hot wind carrying the sounds of clashing metal and shouts could be heard from a mile away.
The official road splits into three wide paths here, with dust billowing up like rolling yellow dragons.
On the left side of the road, two groups of men in tight-fitting clothes were fighting fiercely, each wielding a weapon. The flash of blades and the shadows of guns intertwined, and drops of blood splattered onto the dry, loose soil.
Along the main road, more than ten men in blue robes galloped away on horseback. Their horseshoes crushed a vegetable cart, scattering radishes and greens all over the ground. The riders laughed wildly as they rode off.
The post road on the right was a little quieter, but a man in gray was grabbing an old coachman by the collar and demanding "passage money." Behind him, a corner of the guard flag was torn and drooped in the wind.
Arena.
The noise was even louder than the desolate path overrun by bandits, but the atmosphere was even more murky and viscous, like a pot of boiling beast blood.
She rode her horse slowly along the post road on the right.
The sky-blue cloth robe wrapped around his thin frame was inconspicuous, except for the simple longsword at his waist that attracted a few glances.
Something suddenly bumped into the front of the horse.
It was the old coachman who had just been forced to pay. He stumbled backward, tripped on a stone, and his withered body fell in front of Yun Chu's horse.
The burly man in gray who grabbed his collar grimaced and cursed, while his large, fan-like hand followed closely behind.
Yun Chu did not dismount.
He lightly touched the stirrup with his left toe, leaned forward and reached out his arm—his fingertips just brushed against the old man's shoulder, a quick pull and a push.
The old man felt a gentle force supporting his entire body, like a clump of grass rolling down a slope, being gently pushed upright by an invisible hand, and standing steadily by the roadside.
The gray-clad giant's thick claws missed their mark, and he staggered half a step due to the momentum of his forward charge.
He suddenly looked up and met a gaze.
That gaze was so deep and still that it carried a palpable chill when it fell upon my face.
The anger he was about to unleash was trapped in his chest. He opened his mouth, then glanced at the sword, and finally spat out in frustration before turning to find the next "fat sheep."
"Thank you... thank you for your help, young lady..." The old man, still in shock, bowed repeatedly.
Yun Chu waved her hand gently, and the horse's hooves continued at a steady pace, crushing the scattered vegetable leaves on the ground.
The broken vegetable juice stained the bluestone slabs, and was trampled into muddy footprints by the hurried boots of others.
The city gates stood majestically like the maw of a giant beast, swallowing up the influx of carriages and people.
The guard, drowsy and clutching his spear shaft, stopped the stranger and demanded a few copper coins as a toll.
Yun Chu handed over the money and collected the cards, her fingertips touching the other person's sweaty palm, the underlying tension clearly discernible.
Even the soldiers guarding the city were no ordinary men.
The noise in the city suddenly increased several times over, filling our ears.
The sounds of hawkers shouting, weapons clashing, arguments and curses mingled with the stench of perfume, sweat, cheap liquor, and livestock, all coalescing into a thick, hot wind.
She led her horse into a side alley, and just as she was about to find a place to rest, another commotion and angry shouting erupted in the middle of the street ahead.
A magnificent carriage with red wheels and an ornate canopy was surrounded by seven or eight burly men, and the strong horses pulling the carriage trotted their hooves restlessly.
The leader, a burly one-eyed man with a hideous scar across his face revealing several yellow teeth, said, "Goods from Guangyuan Escort Agency? You injured my brother, pay up before you leave!"
The carriage curtain was flung open, revealing the pale, panicked face of a young man: "You... how dare you be so rude! It was clearly you who knocked over my calligraphy and painting box first!"
"Stop talking nonsense!" A skinny monkey jumped out from beside Scarface and One-Eyed, grinning as he lifted the carriage curtain. "Let me see what kind of pretty girl I'm hiding..." Before he could finish speaking...
"Buzz!"
Something hurtled through the air, accompanied by a rapid, short, trembling sound.
The skinny monkey's paw froze in mid-air as a 1-inch-long willow-leaf throwing knife was firmly embedded in the vermilion carriage shaft he was about to touch, the blade still trembling rapidly.
The room fell silent for a moment.
Scarface narrowed his remaining fierce eye and quickly scanned the direction from which the flying knife had come.
Yun Chu's gaze swept over the heads of the crowd and landed on the roof ridge diagonally opposite.
A tall, slender figure sat lazily among the roof tiles, his dark green outfit almost blending into the moss-covered old tiles, with only his long legs dangling under the eaves, swaying gently.
The man also held a second throwing knife, as thin as a cicada's wing, between his fingers; the blade gleamed with a blinding, cold light in the sunlight.
"Iron Falcon Xu Bao, all you do is grin and sneer at a young master?" The person on the rooftop spoke with a laugh, his voice lazy as if he had just woken up, yet every word was sharp and clear, hitting everyone in the face.
Scarface, one-eyed and red-faced, said, “You little sparrow from the Tang Clan, you dare to come to Zhongzhou and provoke us? You’re courting death!” His shoulder suddenly slumped, his arm muscles bulged, and he pulled out a short iron staff from behind him. With a flick of his wrist, it shot out like a venomous dragon from its lair, slamming into the carriage with a muffled thud!
"Oh!"
There was a loud bang.
The stick did not strike the fragile car wall, but was instead deflected by a figure in sky blue, causing the stick to tremble violently!
Yun Chu had silently appeared in the arena at some unknown time, with the Cold Moon Sword Sheath positioned horizontally at the point where the staff's momentum was at its peak. The two powerful forces collided, causing dust to rise three feet high from the ground!
Scarface, the one-eyed man, trembled violently. He looked up in astonishment, only to see the other man's calm, unwavering eyes and the sword that was still sheathed.
at the same time--
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Three sharp, urgent whistling sounds pierced the air from above! They aimed straight at the vital points on the back of Scarface and One-Eyed!
Even with his arrogance, Xu Bao dared not ignore the Tang Clan's flying knives, and he suddenly twisted his body to parry with his staff.
With three sharp, crisp clanging sounds, sparks flew as the three willow-leaf knives were separated by the fine iron rod, yet they seemed to be alive as they drew strange arcs in the air before finally embedding themselves into the cracks in the bluestone slab three inches in front of Xu Bao's feet!
The red tassels at the end of the blades still hummed and trembled, forming a chilling blockade line.
"Does the Central Plains only recognize the principle of might?" The figure on the roof chuckled and finally straightened up. "Is my flying knife strong enough?" He touched the edge of the tile with his toe and floated down like a weightless green feather, landing steadily on the roof of the carriage.
The sunlight outlined his slender yet exceptionally upright figure. The leather belt slung across his waist was densely packed with various throwing knives, silver shuttles, and black iron caltrops, which gleamed coldly in the sunlight like an inverted galaxy.
Xu Bao's temples throbbed with veins. His fierce gaze swept over Yun Chu's unsheathed longsword, then over the cold, sparkling blades at the waist of the boy on the roof of the carriage, then glanced at the pale, terrified face of the young master inside the carriage, and finally fixed itself on the three trembling throwing knives in front of his feet.
He slammed the iron rod heavily on the ground, producing a chilling thud, and after a few throat movements, let out a muffled growl:
"Bullshit!"
Seven or eight men came quickly and retreated even faster, surging out of the alleyway like a tide, leaving only the swirling dust in the alleyway in the blink of an eye.
The young man on the roof bowed to the people inside the carriage and said, "Young master, you must be frightened. The prestigious reputation of Guangyuan Escort Agency is not something these petty thugs can tarnish." His voice was clear and bright, carrying a touch of youthful spirit.
The young master inside the carriage hurriedly leaned forward to return the greeting, but before he could utter a word of gratitude, a green shadow flashed across the roof—
The green-clad youth soared into the air like a hawk, lightly touching the tips of the locust tree branches by the roadside with his toes, his body transforming into a swift, streamlined shadow.
He turned around in mid-air, his gaze passing over the swirling dust and landing precisely on Yun Chu.
His gaze was like lightning and mist in that instant.
The corners of his lips curved into an enigmatic smile, a smile that seemed to convey both surprise and insight.
Immediately, using the force of the treetops as a springboard, the figure darted swiftly into the depths of the layered houses, disappearing in a few leaps into the heavy shadows cast by the eaves and ridge beasts.
Only a faint, lingering sound, like the tinkling of bells, remained, quickly swallowed up by the cacophony of voices on the long street.
The alley returned to calm, leaving only a few swirling fallen leaves and trampled vegetable leaves, along with the sweltering air mixed with dust and a faint hint of blood.
Inside the luxurious carriage, the white-faced young master looked at Yun Chu tremblingly: "Thank you... thank you for your righteousness, heroine..."