Chapter 23

Dong Xuan, a renowned knife wielder in Tianshui City, came to the city over a decade ago. His origins are unknown, but from his martial arts style, it is likely that he is a disciple of the Wu family from Qingzhou.

Outside the Dong residence, an old man and a young man were discussing Dong Xuan.

The young man was somewhat surprised, "Eighteen years ago, was it the Wu family, one of the ten great surnames in the world, that was wiped out?"

The old man said, "The Wu family's Knife Tomb was once a holy site for knife techniques. Even if Dong Xuan only learned the basics, it would still be beneficial for your knife skills. During this training, besides learning the martial arts of the noble families, you should also observe the martial arts of these ordinary warriors to absorb the strengths of various schools."

The young man suddenly understood, "No wonder the senior brought me to Tianshui City."

At this moment, the steward of the Dong residence came out and said, "I apologize, sirs, but Master just left. There was a disturbance at the pawnshop, and he went to handle it."

After the old man asked for the location of the pawnshop, he took his leave.

The old man and the young man used their martial arts techniques and soon arrived at the main street in the city, just in time to see a figure ahead moving at great speed, at least at the Sixth Rank cultivation level.

This person was undoubtedly Dong Xuan.

The purpose of their trip was to observe Dong Xuan's knife skills, so they followed him.

Before long, they arrived at the pawnshop.

Dong Xuan seemed very anxious and rushed in immediately.

The old man and the young man followed to the entrance and stopped there.

...

"Yuer!"

Dong Xuan, seeing his daughter injured, was both anxious and angry, "Are you alright?"

The young girl felt weak all over, her true qi seemingly scattered. She endured the pain and shook her head, "Father, I'm fine."

Seeing her in pain, Dong Xuan's anger reached its peak. He turned to look at the young hunter, his gaze cold, "Sir, you have inflicted such a severe injury on my daughter. If you don't give me an explanation today, you won't leave here alive."

For many years, he had always been kind to others, giving due respect to martial artists and rarely causing conflicts, known for his smooth handling of situations.

But this daughter was his Achilles' heel.

He had been married for many years and had several concubines, but only this one daughter, whom he cherished from a young age.

At this moment, seeing his daughter injured, his killing intent boiled.

Gu Yang sneered, picked up the cleaver on the table, and said calmly, "This is my explanation!"

In a flash, he was already in front of Dong Xuan, slashing a knife at him.

Sixth Rank?

Dong Xuan was shocked. He never expected that this young man, who looked like a hunter, was actually a Sixth Rank martial artist.

He originally thought the other party was at most an Eighth or Ninth Rank.

This was based on the person's age.

But he never expected that such a young Sixth Rank would appear in Tianshui City.

At this moment, Dong Xuan had no time to think. He drew his knife.

In the next instant, his pupils dilated, and cold sweat poured down his forehead.

This knife was unpredictable. He couldn't capture the trajectory of the blade and had no idea how to defend.

It's over!

He couldn't block it!

No matter from which angle he tried to block, he couldn't stop this knife.

Dong Xuan, who had immersed himself in knife techniques for decades and considered himself skilled, found himself without the courage to even draw his knife at this moment.

To others, it seemed he was standing there foolishly, letting the knife cut his head.

Just as Dong Xuan thought he was doomed, the blade stopped at the tip of his nose.

From extreme movement to extreme stillness, this level of control was truly remarkable.

"Is this explanation satisfactory?"

When these words reached Dong Xuan's ears, he came to his senses. The precious knife he cherished fell to the ground with a clatter, and he collapsed to the ground.

He said hoarsely, "I have offended you, sir, and deserve to die. Thank you for sparing my life... and for showing mercy to my daughter..."

...

"Amazing."

Outside the door, the young man, who had witnessed the entire battle, his eyes lit up with excitement, "What kind of knife technique is this?"

The old man's eyes also showed some surprise, praising, "This knife technique is like a hanging antelope horn, leaving no trace. This young man has already glimpsed the threshold of knife techniques. In this small Tianshui City, such a person has emerged. As long as he doesn't die prematurely, within ten years, he might have a place on the Hidden Dragon List."

The young man didn't expect the old man to have such a high opinion of the young man.

The Hidden Dragon List is only for martial artists under thirty, with a total of twenty slots. Those who make the list are the most outstanding young talents in the world.

The young man was a bit不服气 (unconvinced), "How can you tell? He is only at the Sixth Rank, far from the Third Rank."

To make it onto the Hidden Dragon List, one must be at least at the Third Rank.

The old man stroked his beard, "At his age, to have mastered knife techniques to this level, he is a prodigy in knife skills. Even you are not his match now. With such talent, as long as his cultivation keeps up, making it onto the Hidden Dragon List is a certainty."

The young man knew the old man's discerning eye but still felt a bit不服气 (unconvinced). He changed the subject, "Can you tell his background, senior?"

The old man pondered, "From his knife technique, it seems to have evolved from military knife techniques, but its foundation is the Wu family's style. He has combined both to create his own unique knife technique."

The young man said, "Could he be a descendant of the Wu family?"

"Perhaps not. When the Wu family was wiped out, their techniques spread throughout the martial world. Many have obtained the Wu family's knife techniques."

...

Gu Yang was unaware that the old man and the young man outside were studying his background. Although he saw the two people at the door, he couldn't hear their conversation.

At this moment, his attention was on Dong Xuan.

Dong Xuan's reaction vividly illustrated the essence of this world: the strong rule.

Just a moment ago, Dong Xuan was full of rage and killing intent, but after one move, he knelt before Gu Yang, his attitude extremely humble.

He sheathed his knife and said, "Now, it's your turn to give me an explanation."

Dong Xuan trembled and said, "Please, sir, what do you require?"

"I brought a jade hairpin to your shop to pawn it. Your people accused me of stealing and tried to take my belongings. How do you plan to resolve this?"

After hearing this, Dong Xuan raised his head and glared at the shop manager, wishing he could flay him on the spot.

He never expected that this disaster was caused by his subordinates.

The old shop manager, seeing his master's fierce gaze, was terrified and collapsed on the spot.

Dong Xuan gritted his teeth and said, "I failed to discipline my subordinates, leading to this incident. I will give you an explanation, sir."

"Tell me, what kind of explanation do you plan to give?"

Dong Xuan understood, "Please, sir, specify."

Gu Yang extended one finger, "Ten thousand taels of silver, in cash, delivered to me today. I will consider this matter resolved."