Chapter 5

The two of them, to avoid the officials, did not take the main road. Naturally, they went wherever it was more secluded.

On the way, Wei Xiaobao spoke humorously, often making jokes and indirectly mocking Mao Shiba.

Feng Xiaoxiao found it quite amusing to follow behind, and he was thinking about how to befriend the two of them.

When he heard Wei Xiaobao ramble on about the "Mub王府 Legend" version of the animal chess, he deliberately burst out laughing.

Mao Shiba quickly turned around, holding his knife in front of his chest, and asked, "Who are you, and why are you following us?"

Feng Xiaoxiao, dressed in a blue cloth robe, had an extraordinary demeanor, but he didn't look like a Taoist. He also carried a sword, so he didn't seem to be from the government. Therefore, Mao Shiba spoke to him quite politely.

Feng Xiaoxiao, dressed as a Taoist, felt he should act like one, so he smiled and said, "In the dust, I met a fairy, in the misty clouds, the road is wide, each goes their own way. If you can walk this road, why can't I?"

Mao Shiba was furious. The place they were in was just a small, broken ditch. It was a stretch to even call it a road. This person was still reciting poetry, wasn't he mocking him? He tightened his grip on his long knife, pulled Wei Xiaobao behind him, and said, "Why are you pretending to be confused? Where is the main road here?"

Feng Xiaoxiao felt a bit awkward. He had been so focused on his literary style that he forgot to pay attention to the surroundings. He hurriedly bowed and flattered, "In the tavern earlier, the hero was already injured but still bravely condemned the traitor, which was truly admirable."

Mao Shiba's anger subsided a bit, and he said, "I hate Wu Sangui the most in my life. Unfortunately, this evil bandit is far in Yunnan, and I can't find him to cause trouble. Today, I beat one of his little traitors, and it was truly satisfying."

"I am Feng Xiaoxiao, and I greatly admire such a hero. I didn't have the chance to help earlier, so I didn't dare to speak. I've been following the hero, hoping to find an opportunity to make friends." He then looked at Wei Xiaobao and smiled, "I heard this young brother tell the 'Mub王府 Legend' just now, and I found it very interesting, so I laughed out loud, disturbing the hero. Please don't be angry."

"My name is Mao Shiba, and this is my brother Wei Xiaobao, known as the White Dragon."

Feng Xiaoxiao bowed and praised, "Brother Wei is exceptionally intelligent and is a remarkable person."

Wei Xiaobao was very pleased and also bowed, saying, "Brother Feng is also a remarkable person." He glanced at Mao Shiba and added, "Brother Mao is also a remarkable person."

Feng Xiaoxiao smiled, took out a small porcelain bottle, and handed it over, saying, "This is high-quality white medicine, suitable for both internal and external use."

Mao Shiba thanked him, took the bottle, unwrapped the wound, and applied the medicine. The bleeding stopped immediately, and the pain subsided, leaving a cool sensation. He said, "Good medicine."

Feng Xiaoxiao sighed with relief, finally establishing a connection with Wei Xiaobao. From now on, he just needed to follow him.

That night, the three of them stayed at a farmer's house. Mao Shiba rested for about ten days, and his wounds healed significantly before they continued their journey.

A few days later, they arrived in the capital city in the afternoon.

Mao Shiba instructed Wei Xiaobao to be careful with his words and actions, as the capital was full of officials' eyes and ears, and they shouldn't reveal any flaws.

Wei Xiaobao said, "What flaws do I have? You should be the one to be careful. You want to challenge Ao Bai to a duel, don't you? Just go to his place."

Feng Xiaoxiao interjected, "Brother Mao, are you here to challenge Ao Bai to a duel?"

Mao Shiba smiled bitterly and didn't answer. When he said he wanted to challenge Ao Bai, it was just a bold statement in a moment of passion. Although he was rash, he had been in the martial world for over twenty years and knew that Ao Bai was a high-ranking official. How could he possibly challenge him to a duel? His martial arts were only second or third-rate. Wei Xiaobao wasn't a martial artist, so he could still bluff his way through. But he couldn't gauge Feng Xiaoxiao's martial arts skills at all, and he was definitely not an ordinary person. This was a huge loss of face.

So he patted his stomach and changed the subject, saying, "We've been traveling in a hurry today and haven't had lunch. Let's fill our bellies first."

The three of them went to a small tavern in the western part of the city, ordered some wine and dishes, and started eating and drinking.

Suddenly, two people, one old and one young, walked into the tavern. The old man was about sixty, with a sallow complexion, a hunched back, and a constant cough. The young one was only twelve or thirteen, with a downcast expression. They were dressed strangely.

Feng Xiaoxiao looked up and felt a chill. He thought to himself, this old man's eyes were full of inner light, and he walked without raising any dust, indicating deep internal cultivation. He was a first-rate expert in internal martial arts. However, his constant coughing suggested a lack of yang energy in his body, and he had been practicing a yin-yang balancing technique, trying to generate yang from yin, which had damaged his meridians. The capital city was indeed full of hidden dragons and tigers. He had only been there for a short time and already encountered such a person.

Mao Shiba whispered, "These are two eunuchs. We shouldn't provoke them."

The old eunuch's ears twitched, and he looked over, but then started coughing violently.

Feng Xiaoxiao wondered to himself, "This old eunuch is a master of internal martial arts and is constantly coughing. Could he be Hai Dafu?"

The old eunuch dissolved some medicine in his wine and drank it. After a moment, he suddenly started convulsing and shaking uncontrollably. The young eunuch tried to give him another dose, but the old eunuch stopped him.

The sound of footsteps came from the tavern door, and seven large men walked in. They were all bare-chested, with their braids coiled on top of their heads, their bodies greasy and shiny, and their muscles bulging.

The seven men split into two tables and shouted, "Bring us wine quickly, and beef and chicken, the faster the better."

Feng Xiaoxiao glanced at them and knew that although they were strong, their movements were slow. Even before the Qing Dynasty, he could easily take them down, let alone now. He paid no more attention to them and continued observing the old eunuch, trying to figure out his weaknesses.

Suddenly, the waiter started yelling and was picked up and thrown out of the door by one of the bare-chested men.

Mao Shiba whispered, "These are wrestlers. When they grab someone, they throw them far away to prevent their opponent from attacking back."

Feng Xiaoxiao nodded, thinking that although Mao Shiba's martial arts were not great, he still had some insight.

Wei Xiaobao, who had been bullied before, was annoyed. He glanced at Mao Shiba, learned that these seven men were not his match, and started provoking them. His verbal skills were excellent, and before long, he had them fighting with Mao Shiba.

Mao Shiba kicked and punched, quickly taking down two of them. The remaining five cursed and rushed at him. He was agile and used grappling techniques, elbow strikes, and palm pushes, quickly taking down four more.

The last one saw an opportunity, picked up Mao Shiba, and tried to throw him onto the stone steps.

Mao Shiba kicked him in the chest with both feet, and the man spat out blood and let go.

Mao Shiba used a backwind sweep technique, slashing diagonally.

With a crack, the man's ribs broke, and he fell to the ground.

Mao Shiba grabbed Wei Xiaobao, called out to Feng Xiaoxiao, "Let's go!" and ran towards the tavern door.

The old eunuch suddenly stood up and blocked the door.

Mao Shiba lightly pushed the old eunuch's right arm, trying to push him aside. However, as soon as his palm touched the eunuch's shoulder, he felt a massive shock and fell back several steps. His right waist hit a table, which collapsed, and Wei Xiaobao was thrown out with him, shouting, "Ouch, my mother, it hurts so much."

Mao Shiba felt a burning sensation all over his body, as if he were on fire. He was terrified, knowing he had likely encountered a high-level expert.

Feng Xiaoxiao saw Mao Shiba injured and immediately stood up, lifted his foot, and used his strength to kick towards the old eunuch.

The old eunuch was shocked and quickly sidestepped, trying to avoid the attack. At the same time, he placed his hands in front of his chest and pushed forward with all his strength.

Feng Xiaoxiao stopped, twisted his body, and stepped forward with his right foot, striking the old eunuch's face with a diagonal punch.

It was too fast. The old eunuch was terrified and barely managed to block with his hand. There was a "slap," and he was pushed back several steps, staggering before regaining his balance.

Mao Shiba was stunned. He had no idea Feng Xiaoxiao was so powerful, and he couldn't speak.

Wei Xiaobao, unaware of the situation, was still complaining about the pain.

The old eunuch caught his breath, coughed, and said, "Sir, you have excellent skills. May I ask your name?"

Feng Xiaoxiao wouldn't reveal his name and instead shouted, "You attacked my brother without a word. What's your reasoning?"

The old eunuch coughed again and said, "In the capital, under the emperor's feet, you injured someone and tried to run away. What's your reasoning?"

Feng Xiaoxiao laughed coldly and said, "Didn't those wrestlers also injure people?"

The old eunuch slowly said, "If they injure someone, their master will handle it. It's not for outsiders to interfere."

Feng Xiaoxiao moved his arms and said, "What about when you injure someone?"

The old eunuch smiled bitterly, knowing it couldn't be resolved peacefully, and secretly gathered his internal strength. "I also have my master."

Mao Shiba finally caught his breath, helped Wei Xiaobao up, and asked, "Are you okay?" He then turned and shouted, "Brother Feng, be careful, this old man is very powerful."

Feng Xiaoxiao smiled at him, looked at Wei Xiaobao, and then said to the old eunuch, "You hit my brother, so I'll hit you."

As soon as he finished speaking, his body shot forward like an arrow.

The old eunuch saw his speed and knew he couldn't hold back. His body suddenly stiffened, and he also rushed forward, his left hand slowly drawing a circle, and his right hand drawing an arc, as if chopping but not chopping.

When Feng Xiaoxiao was two arm's lengths away from the old eunuch, he suddenly turned his body and threw two punches, one at the waist and one at the neck.

The old eunuch used all his strength to block both punches, feeling intense pain in his arms. He knew he couldn't block again and turned his body to dodge behind Feng Xiaoxiao.

Feng Xiaoxiao twisted his body backward, and his right fist, moving from top to bottom, "whooshed" and struck backward with incredible speed.

The old eunuch had no choice but to cross his hands and block. There was a "bang," and he was hit like a pile driver, his body sinking into the floor.

Both of them spat blood and retreated four or five steps, temporarily unable to fight.

The tavern was silent, and everyone was shocked.

Three holes were left on the ground. One was made by Feng Xiaoxiao's last punch, and the other two were where the old eunuch's feet were forced into the ground. The floor was made of blue stone, not wood.

Suddenly, the old eunuch turned to the side, took a step, and grabbed two people. He didn't want to fight Feng Xiaoxiao head-on; he had rushed over to grab Mao Shiba and Wei Xiaobao.

Feng Xiaoxiao realized the danger and flew forward with a punch, hoping to make him block.

The old eunuch, holding the two men, retreated quickly, shouting, "Stop!" At the same time, he secretly used his internal strength to attack the two men.

Mao Shiba was a tough man and didn't make a sound despite the pain. Wei Xiaobao, however, screamed loudly.

Feng Xiaoxiao's punch was only an arm's length away from the old eunuch, and the wind from his punch made the old eunuch want to close his eyes, but he finally stopped.

The old eunuch was terrified. He was only two steps away from the two men, while Feng Xiaoxiao was ten steps away. His speed was too fast.

Feng Xiaoxiao didn't waste words and directly said, "Make your demands, but don't be too unreasonable." He was also cautious, as the old eunuch was too cunning and might trick him again.

"You have excellent skills, truly admirable. It seems you use the Jade-Breaking Fist of Huashan!" the old eunuch slowly said. With hostages in hand, he wasn't in a hurry and hoped to drag it out, waiting for the officials to arrive and gain the upper hand.

Feng Xiaoxiao's heart skipped a beat but only smiled faintly and said, "Make your demands quickly. Be careful, or I might destroy everything. I'll follow the two brothers to the afterlife if necessary."

Mao Shiba shouted excitedly, "Brother, you're right. Don't worry about us. Take out this old turtle, and we'll drink together in the afterlife."

Wei Xiaobao, though pale with fear, still managed to say, "Good brother, you're loyal. If we die, we die together. In eighteen years, we'll be heroes again."

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