Chapter 24

Chen Ang rode his horse along the path, heading west. In no time, he arrived under an ancient tree by the roadside. The morning dew was heavy, and the moss under the ancient tree had a faint, barely noticeable damp mark.

Chen Ang noticed this indentation and suddenly laughed out loud.

"Friends from Mount Song, don’t hide anymore! Ding Mian, Mount Song is a prestigious and upright school, and at least you haven’t done anything to disappoint me, Chen Ang. If you don’t come out, don’t blame me for taking action!"

Chen Ang’s gaze turned towards the forest to the north, his eyes filled with a playful look. A silver light flickered in his hand, and a flying swallow dart moved nimbly between his fingers, ready to be released at any moment.

The only sound around was the rustling of branches in the wind, which was quite pleasant. The place where Chen Ang’s gaze fell was calm, and even the birds singing in the treetops didn’t change their tune.

"Ding Mian, this is somewhat disappointing! You clearly know I’m not bluffing, yet you neither advance nor retreat. What do you intend to do?" Chen Ang shouted into the forest, and the flying swallow dart in his hand disappeared in a flash.

A silver light shot over the treetops and vanished without a trace.

After a long while, a Songshan disciple fell from the treetops, landing on the ground in a heap. A silver dart, gleaming with a cold light, was embedded in the branch right next to his head, missing him by just half an inch.

A large hand appeared out of nowhere and caught the silver dart from his hat.

A short, fat, yellow-faced old man twirled the silver dart, saying disdainfully, "Forged from fine steel and crafted by a skilled artisan, this silver dart is not only made of unusual material but also shows exceptional craftsmanship. Its value is probably greater than hundreds of gold darts!"

"Even if you have a fortune, how many such silver darts can you carry with you?"

The surrounding Songshan disciples, upon hearing his words, looked somewhat relieved. Ding Mian and Lu Bai stood behind him, and in addition, Zhong Zhen, the wielder of the Nine-Curved Sword, along with two other bodyguards, had circled around to Chen Ang’s rear.

Chen Ang roughly counted and found that there were at least five or six people here with martial arts skills comparable to Fei Bin, and three more whose skills surpassed his, clearly senior figures of the Songshan School. With just a glance, Chen Ang saw prominent figures like the White-Headed Immortal Bu Chen, Bald Eagle Sha Tianjiang, and the Furry Lion Gao Kexin.

If these people died here, the Songshan School would likely never recover.

Chen Ang raised his eyes and smiled, not refuting Le Hou’s words. He simply plunged his long sword deep into the ground, flicked the scabbard, and a pebble the size of a marble fell into the air.

With a swing of his sword, he struck the pebble.

A light "ding" sound echoed as the pebble shot out, and a sharp whistling sound followed. Le Hou saw a shadow heading straight for his face and quickly raised his iron gauntlet to protect himself.

A loud "clang" resounded, and Le Hou’s hands went numb, his wrists striking his face hard. He staggered back three or four steps, ending up against a tree, his face bruised and purple, his hands trembling. The iron gauntlet on his hand now had a marble-sized pebble embedded in it, looking as if it had always been there. Le Hou’s face turned pale, and he couldn’t help but spit out two large front teeth.

"My silver darts are precious, but the pebbles on the ground can be picked up at any time. If you think the pebbles on the ground are fewer than your numbers, feel free to come forward!" Chen Ang’s lips curled into a mocking smile.

The Songshan disciples present all turned pale, holding their swords tightly in front of their chests.

"Ha ha! Doctor, you jest!" a deep voice said. The Songshan disciples, upon hearing this voice, seemed to have found their backbone, their eyes becoming sharp. The sound of a large group of people moving came from behind, and Chen Ang saw dozens more Songshan disciples suddenly appear, each carrying a large shield in both hands.

They carefully protected all the Songshan disciples. These leather and wooden shields were so strong that even a powerful bow couldn’t penetrate them. They also pulled out exquisite crossbows from behind, aiming at Chen Ang’s vital points.

Chen Ang didn’t even glance at them, focusing only on the old man who had emerged from the forest.

Zuo Lengshan stepped out, hands behind his back, standing in front of Le Hou. "Doctor, don’t misunderstand. I have no ill intentions. I just want to ask who you are acting on behalf of in interfering with the affairs of the Five Mountains Sword School."

Chen Ang smiled slightly but didn’t answer, instead chuckling, "I once heard that before Zuo Lengshan became the leader, the Songshan School was just a mid-level school among the Five Mountains. It was Zuo Lengshan who worked tirelessly, day and night, to bring the Songshan School to its current glory. Even though I am new to the martial world, I have heard of the great reputation of the Songshan Sword School."

"Moreover, I’ve heard that Zuo Lengshan, who brought the Songshan School to such fame, is an extraordinary person."

Zuo Lengshan’s face showed a hint of pride as he clasped his hands and said, "It’s all thanks to the respect of my fellow martial artists!"

"Pity!" Chen Ang’s lips curled into a smile. "This world is full of narrow-minded people. Their praise often exaggerates and misleads. So..."

Chen Ang paused, looking at Zuo Lengshan, and said, word by word, "Is the Songshan School really that great now?"

Seeing Zuo Lengshan’s suddenly darkened face, Chen Ang laughed. "Zuo Lengshan, are you really that great? Or have you forgotten a principle?"

"What principle?" Zuo Lengshan asked with a cold laugh.

"The principle that a sparrow cannot understand the aspirations of a swan!" Chen Ang looked at him and recited loudly, "The phoenix is noble and will not perch on anything but a phoenix tree. The kite, having obtained a rotten mouse, fears the phoenix."

"Zuo Lengshan, the position of the leader of the Five Mountains, which you consider a treasure, is nothing but a rotten mouse to me. Now you tremble with fear, scheming and plotting, even resorting to the schemes of despicable people, all for a mere joke."

"Today, when you ask me, it’s like a kite asking the phoenix, 'Why don’t you want my rotten mouse?' Isn’t that the same principle?"

Chen Ang shook his head and laughed, his eyes filled with regret and sighs as he looked at Zuo Lengshan.

Zuo Lengshan lowered his head, staring at the empty space three feet in front of him, and said in a low, slow voice, "A sparrow cannot understand the aspirations of a swan! Can a wanderer in the mountains understand my aspirations?"

"Ha!" Chen Ang shook his head and sighed. Seeing Zuo Lengshan’s lonely, misunderstood look, he couldn’t help but sneer.

"Aspirations of a swan? With a hundred armed followers, you are surrounded and called 'Master Zuo' and 'Alliance Leader Zuo.' You lead thousands of disciples from the Five Mountains and manage the vast green forests, rivaling the Wudang and Shaolin. Indeed, it’s impressive and powerful! Ha ha!"

Chen Ang pointed at him and sneered, "Should I call you the boss of Tongluowan, Zuo Lengshan?"

Although they didn’t understand what Chen Ang was saying, the sarcastic tone was clear. The Songshan disciples’ eyes flashed with anger, and they gripped their swords tighter.

"You think the sky has only one sun and the earth has nine regions. You see the vastness of the four seas and think it’s the world. You see the brilliance of the martial world and the competition in the江湖 and think it’s your world. A sparrow trapped in a well can only move on the ground, and a dragon in shallow water can only have the aspirations of a fish. This is not your fault."

"But Zuo Lengshan, the world is not just the martial world, and the pursuit is not just fame and profit. My path, how can you judge or understand it? I hope that after today, you can broaden your horizons and not be a short-sighted person."

Chen Ang raised his long sword and said slowly.

Zuo Lengshan listened to these words, his eyes flickering. He looked at the sword in Chen Ang’s hand and sighed, "This is your sword? Indeed, it’s excellent, but what a pity!"

He sighed deeply, his face showing deep regret, "Such a fine sword, such excellent swordsmanship, but it’s wielded by a madman!"

"Even if you are a madman, you should have a bright future. But you should blame yourself for acting madly in front of the Songshan School!" Zuo Lengshan smiled slightly, raised his sword, and stood opposite Chen Ang, saying slowly, "Since I am here, you won’t get the chance to soar like a swan today!"

"I want to see if a dead sparrow can still chatter!"

As he spoke, the Songshan disciples around him pounced, several sharp sword lights swiftly cutting towards Chen Ang, tearing the grass and branches into pieces. Each of them was a top-notch martial artist, and together, even a Five Mountains master would be defeated.

A sword light burst from Zuo Lengshan’s waist, the sharp energy tearing apart the grass and trees around him. The sword light flickered like a bolt of lightning, shooting straight at Chen Ang’s heart.

Dozens of sword lights advanced and retreated in a coordinated manner, forming a net that sealed Chen Ang’s escape. The bodyguards wielded their swords and pounced, striking Chen Ang’s vital points, forming a deadly trap with Zuo Lengshan.

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