Chapter 41 of 100

Chapter 41

13 min read3,130 words

North Dragon and South Eagle, these are the names of two renowned heroes in the martial world. South Eagle is Lao Ying, the personal bodyguard of Zeng Guoquan. He is a disciple of Southern Shaolin, and his Eagle Claw Kung Fu and lightness skills are unparalleled in the martial world. However, during the height of the Taiping Rebellion, he left the mountain to join the Taiping forces, hoping to exchange his martial skills for wealth and glory.

Unfortunately, times had changed. Although martial arts still had some market in the late Qing Dynasty, they were already in their twilight years. After a volley of gunfire from the Qing army, Lao Ying was buried under a pile of corpses. Later, when he recovered from his injuries, he carefully reflected and suddenly realized that martial arts could only shine in specific environments in this era.

For example, high-ranking officials' bodyguards, assassins, spies... these professions that require dealing with all kinds of complex situations are the ultimate destination for martial artists. After that, Lao Ying joined the Xiang Army's Ji Camp. After just two or three reconnaissance missions, he gained the favor of the Ninth Marshal and was eventually promoted to a personal bodyguard.

Xiang Shaolong's story is even more legendary. This young man, not yet thirty, showed a talent for martial arts at a very young age. His family spared no expense to have Xiang Shaolong study under many masters, even spending three years learning on Wudang Mountain.

When he came down the mountain at the age of 25, it took him only three years to establish the formidable reputation of "North Dragon" in the north. Xiang Shaolong was originally from Xiang Family Village in Yanqing, said to be a descendant of the noble Xiang Yu of the Chu State. Of course, Chinese people have always liked to claim famous ancestors, and with events from thousands of years ago, who knows what's true and what's false. Most people just took it as a joke.

But when the name "North Dragon" became well-known and Xiang Family Village began to prosper, this seemingly laughable rumor gradually became a reality. Ten days ago, a stranger came to Xiang Shaolong, claiming that if he completed a task, Xiang Family Village would be recognized as part of Xiang Yu's lineage and would be granted a quota for a scholar-official. Xiang Shaolong was stunned. He couldn't believe his ears, but when the stranger mentioned a name, Xiang Shaolong dispelled all his doubts and immediately set out.

For the ancients, whether they were merchants, bandits, or top martial artists, the opportunity to bring glory to their family or enter the ranks of scholars was something they would go crazy for. Fan Ru was like this, and so was Xiang Shaolong. The idea that "all professions are inferior, only scholarship is supreme" had been ingrained in the Chinese psyche for a thousand years. For the sake of his family's reputation, Xiang Shaolong left the mountain without a penny and headed straight for Xiao Letian. He even crossed mountains and valleys to investigate Xiao Letian's background, and although he didn't find Shi Dakai, he had a vague idea of their true identities.

"Good, collaborating with the Taiping rebels, writing heretical foreign scriptures to deceive the people of the Qing, any of these crimes is enough for the death penalty. I, Xiang Shaolong, am executing justice on behalf of heaven..."

Xiang Shaolong had no psychological burden in killing Xiao Letian. In the mind of someone educated in Confucian traditions, being a collaborator, writing heretical foreign scriptures, and collaborating with rebels were all unforgivable.

But what he found unbelievable was that after successfully kidnapping the couple, he seemed to have stirred up a massive hornet's nest, with one incredible event after another.

Xiang Shaolong didn't expect that just after leaving Beijing with his disciples, they were already being followed. Moreover, on the main road, there were checkpoints set up by martial artists, checking each caravan. Xiang Shaolong thought he could use his reputation as "North Dragon" to smooth things over, but these people showed no respect and immediately attacked.

Xiang Shaolong had to break through four checkpoints set up by martial artists, and eventually, he found checkpoints set up by the Shun天府 and the Nine Gate Inspector. This made Xiang Shaolong hesitate. He finally realized that this task was not as easy as he thought, and Xiao Letian was a hot potato.

In fact, the fight Xiao Letian saw after regaining consciousness was already the sixth line of defense that Xiang Shaolong had broken through, and it was almost over.

Xiang Shaolong thought that once they entered the mountains at night, they would be safe, but he didn't expect that Lao Ying, like a bone-deep poison, would catch up and quickly take out the last two disciples. Now, only a novice disciple, who had been in the sect for less than two years, was guarding the hostages in the hut, while Xiang Shaolong was entangled with Lao Ying.

To be honest, the skills of Xiang Shaolong and Lao Ying were evenly matched. Lao Ying's lightness skills were slightly better, while Xiang Shaolong was proficient in Wudang internal kung fu. Once these two were entangled, it would take at least a couple of hours to determine a winner.

In the hut, the young disciple, who was only about seventeen or eighteen, was holding a wooden stick, unsure of what to do, watching the fight outside. The duel between experts was so intense that it left afterimages, and the sound of their punches and kicks was like thunder.

The young disciple was naturally curious and was gradually drawn to the exciting fight outside.

Just as he was distracted, a figure pounced on him like a tiger. His wrist hurt, and he screamed as the wooden stick fell to the ground.

"Damn, Hu Nü!" Xiao Letian was surprised by Hu Nü's boldness, attacking when the enemy was off guard. Without hesitation, Xiao Letian rushed forward, grabbed the wooden stick, and swung it at the back of the young disciple's head.

A dull thud, and the young disciple fainted. "Impressive, a wooden stick is so effective..." Hu Nü didn't waste time, pushing open the back door, "Let's go, we need to get out of here..." She grabbed Xiao Letian's hand and disappeared into the darkness.

"Don't... don't go out the back door, it's a ravine..." Xiang Shaolong instinctively shouted, but it was too late. Xiao Letian and Hu Nü screamed as they fell.

At this moment, Lao Ying found an opening, and his eagle claw struck Xiang Shaolong's ribs, breaking two of them. "Ah! That's strong..." Xiang Shaolong kicked out, aiming for Lao Ying's chest. As Lao Ying dodged, Xiang Shaolong pulled out the foreign gun he had taken from Xiao Letian.

The Colt revolver was very easy to operate, and even someone who had never fired a gun before could use it after a quick look. Two crisp gunshots echoed in the valley, the sound lingering.

"Ah!" Lao Ying clutched his shoulder, stopping the blood, and retreated. "Dragon Sir is indeed formidable, even using a foreign gun. Mr. Xiao, follow the valley down, your men are coming to rescue you..." With that, he disappeared into the darkness.

Xiao Letian and Hu Nü were dazed and bruised, but fortunately, it was a gentle slope, not a cliff. Although their foreheads were bleeding, they had no fatal injuries.

"Hu Nü, where are you? Are you okay?"

"I'm here, right next to you..."

The two hugged in the dark, unable to tell which direction they were going. However, Xiao Letian knew that the terrain was higher in the west and lower in the east. As long as they followed the lower ground, they would eventually get out of the mountains.

In Xiao Letian's pocket, he had a signal flare with a wax-sealed phosphorus head, specially made by a fireworks shop. Fortunately, Xiang Shaolong hadn't taken it. As long as Xiao Letian could get close to the rescue team, this signal flare would ensure his escape.

The two stumbled through the darkness, and Xiang Shaolong's voice echoed from behind, "Don't go any further, be careful of the cliffs..." Xiao Letian thought, even if there were cliffs, falling to his death would be better than dying at Xiang Shaolong's hands.

Damn, when I get back, I'll have Shi Dakai send out hero invitations. I'll hire a few top-notch experts, no matter the cost. I don't want to go through this again.

Just as Xiao Letian was fleeing, Xiang Shaolong finally received reinforcements. Over fifty Xiang Family disciples rushed into the hut and saw Dragon Sir, who was in pain, sweating profusely.

"Dragon Sir! Who hurt you? We'll fight to the death for you..." The disciples surrounded him, and in the light of the torches, Xiang Shaolong's face was pale.

"I'm fine, my bones aren't broken, just cracked. Lao Ying ambushed me, but he's more injured than I am... Now, split into two groups. One group search the valley for Xiao Letian, the other block the mountain pass to intercept the reinforcements..."

"Master, should we kill anyone named Xiao on the spot?" Xiang Shaolong hesitated for a moment and shook his head. "No, capture him alive. I'm curious about this person..."

Before he could finish, a series of rapid footsteps approached, followed by a loud voice. "Musketeers... load ammunition... fire..." A thunderous explosion echoed, and the wooden door of the hut was riddled with iron shot. The courtyard was filled with screams.

"Brothers, load ammunition. We are Mr. Xiao's trained soldiers. Even if we die today, we must save Mr. Xiao... Fire!" Another volley of bullets rained into the courtyard, and all the disciples and soldiers were terrified, having never seen a real musket volley before.

The rescuers were none other than the ten musketeers Xiao Letian had personally trained at the mountain temple. When they heard Mr. Xiao was in danger, they gathered and insisted on joining the rescue.

The one shouting orders on the left was Luo Huo, who had received the most whippings from Xiao Letian. He was now the core of the ten-man squad. Under the guidance of the innkeeper Fan Lian, the ten men had abandoned their business and spent their free time practicing musket drills, which Xiao Letian often supervised.

Today, the ten muskets once again proved their power. Last time it was at the mountain temple, this time it was at the thatched hut. The deep mountains became the best training ground for the musketeers. If Lao Ying were here, he would be stunned by the superior skills of these ten musketeers, who displayed better discipline and faster reloading and firing speeds than seasoned veterans.

At that moment, Luo Huo and the others should have been grateful for Xiao Letian's whippings. Without that discipline, they wouldn't have been able to achieve such results.

Xiang Shaolong was now in despair. He had seen the Eight Banners' musket corps before, but never a group of musketeers who dared to fire at close range, and with such rapid fire.

Painfully, Xiang Shaolong tried to break through from the side, using his martial skills to disrupt the enemy, but when he saw more figures approaching in the darkness, he gave up.

"Scatter, move into the valley in the dark, don't engage them head-on..."

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