Chapter 4

The Qunyu Courtyard in Hengshan City was a place of great renown. Even Chen Ang, who had only been in Hengshan for a few days, had heard of its fame. It was the most famous brothel in the city. Tian Boguang was a notorious womanizer who not only often stayed in the brothel but also brought Linghuchong there to treat his injuries.

Poor Yilin, a young nun, was willing to brave any danger for her beloved. Even though her face was flushed, she mustered the courage to ask Chen Ang to come in.

Chen Ang pushed open the door and saw a young man with a long, square face, thin lips, and arched eyebrows lying on the bed. His chest wound was wrapped in bandages, and there was a faint medicinal smell. To Chen Ang, the wound looked very deep, just three inches away from his heart.

The young man laughed carelessly and teased Yilin, "If you want to bring a doctor, you might as well bring me a pot of wine. When I have good wine, all my pain disappears!"

"Why not give it a try!" Chen Ang smiled, and with a flick of his wrist, five silver needles were inserted into the young man's chest, forming a silver web. In no time, Linghuchong's body was covered with the fine needles.

The silver needles sealed the blood vessels, and the wound no longer throbbed.

"Truly remarkable medical skills!" Linghuchong said, raising his head. Despite his severe injuries, he looked carefree. "With your treatment, I don't have to fear the King of Hell inviting me for a drink!"

"You can still drink with me!" Chen Ang picked up a wine cup from the table and handed one to Linghuchong. Yilin was about to stop him, but Chen Ang raised his hand and said, "I am the doctor here, and everything should be done as I say. If I want to drink with him, you can't stop me!"

Linghuchong also laughed and agreed, "Without mentioning other things, this man is truly a divine doctor! He knows that when I drink, my injuries heal faster. Those mediocre doctors always advise against drinking, probably because they don't know that some people have wine in their veins instead of blood!"

Chen Ang sprinkled a packet of medicine into the wine, mixed it, and poured a cup for himself and Linghuchong. "I've never heard of this before, but I think taking medicine with wine might make you more willing to take it!"

"Why did you pour a cup for yourself?" Linghuchong pointed to Chen Ang's cup and laughed.

"To show sincerity!"

Hearing this, Linghuchong raised his cup without a word and drank it all in one gulp, laughing heartily. "I consider you a gentleman, and I hope you don't treat me like a villain!" His boldness was indescribable.

Chen Ang also raised his cup and took a sip. "I guard against villains, not gentlemen!" After saying this, the two of them laughed heartily, drinking and chatting with great pleasure.

Suddenly, someone outside shouted, "Yilin! Yilin!"

Yilin was startled and said in a panic, "It's my master!" She was about to get up to answer, but Qu Feiyun quickly covered her mouth and whispered, "What kind of place is this? You can't answer!" She then looked at Chen Ang, realizing there was a stranger present.

Seeing the intense gazes of the two, Chen Ang felt something was amiss. He coughed and smiled, "I came to treat Linghuchong, and I haven't seen any little nun!"

After a while, Tian Boguang's laughter echoed from the west room, and he taunted Dinglei Shitai. Dinglei Shitai, being a nun, couldn't match Tian Boguang's street smarts and soon turned blue with anger. Fortunately, Yu Canghai also arrived, looking for trouble with Tian Boguang.

But after a brief fight, they were evenly matched, and it was hard to tell who was better. Suddenly, Liu Zhengfeng's voice was heard, "Master Yu, Tian Boguang has done many evil deeds and will surely meet a bad end. We don't need to rush to deal with him. This brothel is a den of iniquity. Let's search it, and don't let anyone escape."

Hearing this, Yilin became increasingly anxious. The shouts outside were getting closer, and they were heading towards their room. Seeing Yilin's panic, Chen Ang pointed to a cabinet and said, "You two hide in there. I'll make sure they don't come in."

Yilin, in her state of confusion, was pulled by Qu Feiyun and hid in the cabinet. The people outside saw the light in the room and called out, "Search over there!" They rushed in.

The door was kicked open, and the first person to enter was Hong Renxiong of the Qingcheng Sect. Seeing Linghuchong sitting there, he was so shocked that he stepped back, which made Chen Ang quite curious.

Chen Ang hadn't read "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" in a while and didn't know that Linghuchong was believed to have been killed by Luo Renjie. No wonder everyone thought they were seeing a ghost.

Then a short man in a green robe stood up from behind and looked at them coldly, demanding, "Which one of you is Linghuchong?"

Chen Ang glanced at him and feigned surprise, "Where did this child come from, to enter such a place? His parents should be punished!" Hearing this, Linghuchong couldn't help but laugh, but he was still worried: Chen Ang had no martial arts skills, and he was in no condition to fight. If Yu Canghai attacked, what could they do? Well, they could only risk their lives.

Yu Canghai's face turned purple with anger. As the head of a sect, he had never been spoken to like this. He raised his hand, and a green light flashed. A flying dart shot towards Chen Ang. His skill with hidden weapons was formidable, and the dart reached its target in the blink of an eye.

Linghuchong was caught off guard and could only watch helplessly, thinking, "Not good," and tried to kick Chen Ang's chair away.

But Chen Ang's feet were firmly planted, and he stood his ground. Facing the deadly dart, he only sneered. Just as the dart was about to hit his face, he suddenly raised his hand and pressed it down.

Bang!

The redwood table was struck with a loud thud, and a five-inch-long green steel dart was embedded in the table, as if it were fixed there. The onlookers couldn't help but gasp. The dart, which had been moving so fast, was stopped mid-air by his palm. Such skill and strength were truly astonishing.

"Legend has it that during the Northern Song Dynasty, there was also a Qingcheng Sect on Qingcheng Mountain. They used a unique weapon called 'Leigonghong.' Their 'Qing' word nine strikes and 'Cheng' word eighteen breaks were their signature techniques. The 'Qing' word nine strikes were all about hidden weapons. Master Yu's flying dart has a bit of that style," Chen Ang said calmly.

Yu Canghai's eyes flashed with surprise. These old martial arts stories were known only to the Qingcheng Sect, but Chen Ang seemed to know them well. Such a person must either come from a long-standing martial arts sanctuary or have inherited the teachings of a predecessor.

"Speaking of which, this is related to a famous martial arts case. It is said that during the Northern Song Dynasty, there were two famous heroes, 'Northern Jiaofeng' and 'Southern Murong.' One was truly a hero, while the other... well, let's not talk about that!" Chen Ang glanced at Yu Canghai and changed the subject. "Southern Murong had a mysterious skill called 'Doubanzhengxing,' which was said to 'return the enemy's own methods against them.'"

"Quite a boastful claim!" Yu Canghai suddenly said, not sure if he was referring to 'Doubanzhengxing' or Chen Ang.

Linghuchong was a bit confused. He didn't understand why Chen Ang was talking about old stories from hundreds of years ago, but he was impressed by Chen Ang's detailed knowledge of martial arts history.

"Southern Murong's martial arts were so famous that he caused a disaster. Many renowned martial artists died from their own signature moves, causing a stir in the martial arts world..."

"Enough nonsense, young man! What does this have to do with my Qingcheng ancestors?" Yu Canghai interrupted, his voice stern.

"Oh, don't be in a hurry! The Qingcheng Sect is just a background. One of the famous martial artists who died from their own moves was a Qingcheng Sect member, a minor character. But the 'Qing' word nine strikes and 'Cheng' word eighteen breaks made the Qingcheng Sect famous!" Chen Ang clapped his hands and laughed.

"Nonsense!" Hearing Chen Ang's words, Yu Canghai roared in anger. His hands suddenly swelled, and his flesh turned the color of iron. Although the Qingcheng Sect was known for its sword techniques, their true specialty was the Heart-Crushing Palm.