C1 (1/2)

Flying Crane

Chapter 1: Mysterious brocade boxes

As the first rays of the morning sun appeared, the cold wind howled. At the foot of Wu Shan, the ground was covered in mist. The cold wind dispersed the fog, bringing with it a wave of sickening smell of blood. The stench of blood became stronger and stronger, and from the vast fog, a black shadow suddenly appeared.

The black shadow moved extremely quickly and in the blink of an eye, it rushed out of the fog, bringing with it a bloody smell. The black shadow was a beautiful young woman, with a flustered expression on her face, she was dressed in azure and violet clothes, and her clothes were stained with blood.

The child was about five or six years old, and he was extremely handsome. His long eyelashes trembled on his face, and his small and exquisite face shone with the radiance of the stars. He firmly grabbed the young woman's clothes.

Every step she took was a faraway desire, completely supported by her strong heart. There was nothing that mattered in her life, but she could not let her child fall into someone else's hands. She kept telling herself that she absolutely could not stop.

While she was running forward with all her might, more than ten horses appeared out of nowhere behind her. Immediately, all of them were big and sturdy men with different weapons in their hands, and right in front of them was a short and fat man in a yellow tight suit, with a short beard on his round face, like a hairy meatball. His large hand was holding a long sword. As he ran, he drew out the sword and shouted, ”Mrs. Zhang, now, you only have a chance at survival if you hand over the item. Otherwise, don't blame us for not recognizing you as our sword.” The sound was as loud as thunder, making people's ears ring. The sound reverberated for a long time, showing that the person had a lot of inner strength.

This beautiful young woman was the wife of the Thunderbolt Sword Zhang Anqi. Her name was Chen Fang, and she was nicknamed the ”Jade Butterfly Lady” in Jianghu. How could she fall to such a miserable state and be chased by so many top experts?

Last night was a beautiful starry sky. The stars twinkled like precious gems in the serene night sky. A handsome snow-white horse rushed out without a speck of dust. This horse was abnormally fast, and in the blink of an eye, it was over ten zhang away. The person riding on the horse was a monk. He was obviously an expert from the inner sect. With a Soul Chasing Blade hanging from his waist, he quickly rushed into a small village at the foot of Wu Shan.

Arriving at the front of a manor, he suddenly tightened the reins of his horse. The horse let out a long hiss and stood up. The monk looked around and murmured, ”Here we are.” He got off the horse, removed the knife, and walked to the front of the courtyard. He said in a clear voice, ”Is Hero Zhang at home?”

Not long after, the door creaked open and an old man came out. He wore a long green robe, and when he saw the monk, he could not help but feel astonished. This monk was someone who feared the experts of Green Forest Sect and was known as the ”Flying Swallow Divine Monk”. Although his name was nice to hear, the paragraph he gave off was extremely spicy.

Zhengde chanted a Buddhist prayer and said, ”Greetings, Hero Zhang. This old monk came late into the night to visit. Please be weird.”

The old man cupped his fists and smiled, ”No, no. Master has arrived today, and should be greeted soon. I wonder what Master will do if he comes here late at night.”

Zheng laughed and said, ”This old monk wants to ask for something from Hero Zhang, I wonder if you are still willing.”

The elder Zhang Fanhui said, ”I wonder what master is referring to?”

At this time, another handsome horse came down the road. It was a middle-aged man wearing a light yellow robe. He held a long sword in his hand as he floated down to the ground. Without raising a speck of dust, his attainment in Qing Gong could be considered as having reached a high level. With eyes brimming with vigor, he laughed loudly, ”Hero Zhang, I also want to ask you for something. Would Hero be willing?”

When Zhang Fanrei heard that this person was surnamed Tang, with his lightness skills being so high, and his face so sallow, could this person be the Tang Sect's ”Thousand Li Darts” Tang Jiu, he was secretly shocked, ”Young Master Tang, why are there so many martial arts experts gathered here tonight? I wonder what kind of items this is? I'll have to trouble you to come here from such a distance.”

Tang Ju smiled at the sky, ”Master Zhang, you are too polite. I heard that you have received a treasure from the” Immortal Crane Island Lord ”Lu Xiaotian. I wonder if you can lend it to me for a look?”

Zhang Fangrui looked over to the righteous man and said, ”I wonder what it is that master wants.”

Zheng De gave a cold humph and said, ”Take it out first.” Before he finished speaking, he suddenly threw out a punch, sending out a whistling sound towards Zhang Fan's reed.

Zhang Fangrui used all the strength in his legs and slid back five feet just in time to close the door behind him. Righteousness and Righteousness punched the door, and with a loud bang, a large hole appeared in the door.

Zhang Fangrui retreated into the courtyard, and a middle-aged man walked up to him. When he saw Zhang Fangrui, he couldn't help but reveal a look of doubt. He asked, ”Father, what's wrong? What happened?”

”Anqi, don't ask so much. If we're late, I'm afraid we won't make it in time.” After saying so, he took out a delicate box and handed it to Zhang Anqi. He then said seriously, ”Anqi, protect this box well. Use your life to protect it. Don't let it fall into other people's hands.”

Zhang Anqi saw his father's anxious expression. Although he did not know what had happened, he knew it was extraordinary. He did not ask any further questions and took the embroidered box from him.

Zhang Fanhui said, ”Anqi, call Chen Fang and leave quickly.”

Zhang Anqi said, ”Daddy, won't you come with us?”

Zhang Fanhui said, ”Anqi, you guys go first, I'll come later.”

At this moment, Chen Fang walked out with her child, Zhang Qingyun, in her arms. She asked, ”Brother Qi, what happened?”

Zhang Fanhui said, ”I'm afraid the odds are against us tonight. There are a lot of martial arts experts gathered outside, take Yun'er and leave quickly.”

Zhang Anqi was well aware of his father's personality, and knew that he had no intention of saying more. He looked deeply at Zhang Fanhui and said, ”You have to be careful. We'll be waiting for you up ahead.”

Zhang Qingyun suddenly broke away from Chen Fang's embrace and rushed towards Zhang Fanhui. He looked up at her kind and amiable face and gently said, ”Grandfather, my parents and I will be waiting for you in the front. Grandpa must come, okay? Promise Yun'er.”

Zhang Fangrei held Yun'er. His eyes suddenly turned red, and tears could not help but stream down his cheeks. ”Yun'er, quickly go with your parents. Your grandpa promises you that he'll be here soon.” As he finished speaking, his voice trembled as he became a bit more focused. He then said, ”You guys take the embroidered box and go find 'Dugu Wuxia' Lu Hongshuang.” If I hand the embroidered box to her, perhaps there might be a glimmer of life. When that time comes, everything will be clear. ”

Zhang Anqi and his wife were both surprised at the same time. They thought that the ”Dugu Witch” had disappeared from the martial arts world more than ten years ago and no one knew where she had gone. They couldn't help looking for their father.

Zhang Fangrui also did as they were told, but he didn't know if Lu Hongshuang was still alive or not. His eyes were filled with confusion. He recalled a story from more than a decade ago, which happened on a rainy night. A lone girl was hurrying through the night. The girl's movement technique was extremely fast. In the blink of an eye, the girl appeared in front of him. She was as beautiful as a flower, her eyebrows were raised slightly and her eyes were as clear as autumn water.

He took a closer look at her and saw that she was holding onto a sword that was dripping blood, as well as a lot of wounds on her body. It was obvious that she had suffered a lot of internal and external injuries, and he could not help but feel a sense of pity for her, thinking that no matter what kind of injury she had suffered, she should save her. He took off his outer robe and rushed into the rainy night, saying, ”Miss, it's raining heavily outside, come in and avoid the rain.” After saying that, he pointed at the thatched cottage where he had been hiding from the rain.

The young lady turned around and saw Zhang Fanhui walking towards her with a robe in hand. The robe fluttered in the wind, and she felt a warm sensation in her heart. Suddenly, she raised her sword and thrust it towards Zhang Fanhui.

Zhang Fanhui was shocked, seeing the gentle look in the young lady's eyes, without a shred of hostility, he suddenly raised his sword and stabbed towards her. He could not help but panic, the young lady's body moved as fast as a meteor, and in that moment, the tip of the sword touched his throat.

Zhang Fanhui was even more shocked. This woman's movement technique was actually fast to such an extent. Without even thinking about it, he leaped and retreated. He moved three feet away. However, the young girl's sword followed her like a shadow, and it was finally less than half an inch away from her throat where her vitals were. He could not avoid the sword no matter what. In the end, Zhang Fangrei simply stopped moving. He thought to himself that with his good intentions, he couldn't possibly kill him without thinking clearly. Besides, his martial arts skills were too far off from the other party's, so no matter what, it would be useless. He might as well stop and see what you want.

The young girl noticed that Zhang Fangxiao had suddenly stopped moving and was staring at her. She couldn't help but ask curiously, ”Why aren't you dodging anymore? Aren't you afraid that I'll kill you?”

Zhang Fanrei rolled his eyes and said helplessly, ”Miss, if you want to kill me, can I hide?” Why did you kill me? This humble one has kindly invited the young lady to shelter herself from the rain, why would you treat me like this? ”

The young girl sized up Zhang Fan Xiao from head to toe. Seeing that he had an imposing manner and an extraordinary bearing, the other party's tone was also very sincere, as if he wasn't lying. Maybe it was really out of good intentions, but he couldn't help but have a better impression of Zhang Fan. But he still said coldly, ”Then who are you? Why did you send a woman to the thatched cottage in the middle of the night? You are not a good person. ”

Zhang Fangrui's face turned red. He thought to himself that he was indeed in the wrong. No wonder she was suspicious of him. He hurriedly explained, ”I …”

Looking at him, it was impossible for him to be the assassin that had been sent to kill her. Before Zhang Fanglei could finish his sentence, she took the lead and said, ”Gongzi, you don't have to panic, it's my fault, it's your fault.” Putting away her sword, she bowed to try and apologize.

Zhang Fangrui hastily returned the greeting and said, ”This humble one also has something wrong with him. I was too rude and offended you.”

The young girl's kung fu was actually several times higher than that of Zhang Fan Xiao. When Zhang Fan Xiao told him to go inside to take shelter from the rain, the young girl's kung fu was actually higher than Zhang Fan Xiao's. He thought that it might be another assassin's trick, but he was afraid of accidentally killing a good person, so he gave it a try, otherwise, with Zhang Fan's martial arts skills, he would have already died by his sword. At this time, he saw Zhang Fan raising his fingers steadily, being humble, polite, and not losing his demeanour of a gentleman, and said: ”Young master, there is no need to be so polite, I was too reckless.

Zhang Fanhui saw that the young girl asked for his name, he could not help but look at her again, only to see that her lips were red and her teeth were white, her skin as white as snow. A pair of bright eyes was looking at him, quickly collecting his thoughts. ”My surname is Zhang and my name is Lu Xiao. May I know what advice you have for me?”

The girl cupped her fists in a greeting, ”I have indeed offended you just now. So you are the” Meteor Sword ”Zhang Fanhui, Great Hero Zhang.”

Zhang Fanhui said his name when he saw the young girl talking. Seeing that she was only around 21 to 22 years old, his martial arts skills were surprisingly high. He could not help but ask, ”How is that so? I only know of my own infamy, I am far from you, and I am ashamed of myself. Lady Ji is truly a rare expert in this world. I don't know where Lady Ji can go.”

The young girl said, ”Hero Zhang is too serious. How can a young girl be a rare expert? Her lowly name is Lu Hongshuang.”

Zhang Fangrei was very surprised to hear this. This young girl in front of him was actually the 'Dugu Witch' Lu Hongshuang who had been popular in the martial arts world for the past few years. Her kung fu was so high, and she was actually so young. ”Ah, so it is the Dugu Witch. I am truly disrespectful.”

Lu Hongshuang changed the subject and said, ”Hero Zhang, I have a request. I hope that you can agree to it.”

Zhang Fanhui saw that Lu Hongshuang's body was covered in wounds and blood, and thought that she must have met an extremely dangerous opponent. ”I wonder what I can do for Lu Witch?”

Lu Hongshuang took out a black embroidered box with gold lining from her pocket. However, she could see that this box was extremely ordinary and didn't have anything special about it. He said slowly, ”Great Hero Zhang, I hope you can help me keep this embroidered box safe. You absolutely cannot let anyone know about this. Otherwise it will be life-threatening. ”

Zhang Fangrei was surprised to hear that, and he said emotionally, ”This one …”

Lu Hongshuang replied, ”As long as you remain calm and collected, no one will know and no one will suspect you. As long as you help me keep this embroidered box safe, I will definitely repay you in the future.”

Zhang Fangrui saw Lu Hongshuang's anxious face, her eyebrows knitted together in a deep frown. She looked extremely anxious as she said, ”Lu Witch, don't worry. I will save this box with my life.”

Lu Hongshuang's face lit up, ”Thank you, Hero Zhang. For the sake of not implicating Hero Zhang, I will take my leave.” Upon saying that, he clasped his hands and bowed. He turned around and disappeared into the dark night rain.

Zhang Fan arrived at the thatched cottage. His clothes were all drenched, but when he saw more than ten shadows chasing after Lu Shuang like ghosts in the rainy night, there was no news of Lu Hongshuang anymore …

The wind gusted in the room, and wood shavings flew everywhere. Zhang Fan was startled, and immediately woke up from the past, only to see a big monk standing in the courtyard with his clothes fluttering in the wind. (TL: Chinese idiom: monk = monk = monk = monk = monk = monk = monk = monk = monk = monk = monk = monk = monk = monk = monk = monk)

Zhang Fanhui said, ”Master is really good at kung fu!” With both hands on their backs, Zhang Anqi and the others took the opportunity to leave.

Zhang Anqi also kept the box. Hugging Zhang Qingyun, he walked away hand in hand with Chen Fang.

Zheng De laughed and said, ”Young hero Zhang, take care, you make him look extremely cute and handsome. This old monk really likes him and even wants me to hug him.” Before he finished speaking, the five fingers of his left hand became like claws as they swiftly grabbed towards Zhang Qingyun.

”Yun'er is so naughty that even his grandfather doesn't like him. I'm afraid that he will anger the master later.” Zhang Fanhui turned to Zhang Anqi and said, ”Why aren't you carrying Yun'er in?”

Zhang Anqi wanted to turn around and leave. Zheng laughed and said, ”Hero Zhang, this naughty child must be very smart. This old monk is very fond of him.” Then he leaped up and reached for Zhang Anqi's back.

Zhang Fangrui also followed like a shadow, dodging and once again blocking Righteous and Moral front.

Righteousness's eyes flashed with a cold light. With a loud shout, he raised his blade and chopped towards Zhang Fan's shoulder. The momentum behind the strike was so great that it created a whistling sound.

Zhang Fangrui moved to the side and took out his long sword. He then slashed at the face of Righteous Beard. Righteous Bestowal was a very fast skill, as well as a very fast change in moves. However, as soon as Yi Qingfeng was about to attack him, he immediately dodged to the side. When he dodged to the side, he felt a burning sensation on his face. In his heart, he was secretly shocked at the high level of Zhang Fan's kung fu skills. He flipped over and rolled away, slashing towards Zhang Fan's waist with all his might.

Zhang Fanhui's body tilted and he took two steps forward. The long sword in his right hand drooped down, sealing the Soul Chasing Blade. The blades intersected, and sparks flew. They both took a step back.

Right at this moment, Tang Jiu landed in the courtyard. He smiled and said, ”You two sure are good at martial arts. Seeing you, I am really good at taking care of you.” Before he finished his sentence, he pulled out his sword and stabbed towards Zhang Fan's reed. In the darkness, the light and shadows of his sword filled the air with killing intent.

He untied the two white horses and quickly ran out of the mountain. But before he had covered half a mile, more than ten big men suddenly jumped out from the grass, led by a man with a full beard. His eyes shone brightly, and he held a machete in his hand as he laughed, ”Want to run? Do you think you can run tonight?”

Zhang Anqi was shocked to see her loud voice. It was clear that she was another expert. Without another word, he flipped his hand and drew out his sword. The sword tip turned into tens of thousands of swords and pierced towards the big man.

The big man coldly said, ”Good timing!” He immediately waved his broadsword and brandished it.