"May I ask, brother, who you are? Why are you beating and harassing the people of the Hong Family Caravan?"
Manager Liu glanced at the two men on the ground without showing immediate anger. The ten guards accompanying him looked unpleasantly at the dark-skinned young man, each holding their scabbards with their left hands while keeping their right hands away from the hilts.
The young man looked fearlessly at Manager Liu, showing not the slightest timidity because Jiang Yi had produced Wushi San just moments before. In fact, Jiang Yi had taken out the oil-paper packet, poured out a tiny pinch of powder, tossed it into his hand for him to put away—the whole process was extremely brief, clearly seen only by the dark-skinned youth and the two men on the ground, while the onlookers in the distance could not tell what was inside at all.
"I am Cao Zhen of the Qing Gang. These two men attempted to force themselves upon my wife, and this woman actually used her foot to break my wife's right arm!"
Although Cao Zhen, the dark-skinned youth, could not figure out why Jiang Yi chose not to expose his wife's peddling of Wushi San in front of everyone, he didn't care about that at all. Today, he had come here simply to vent a rush of bitter anger for his wife.
"People from the Qing Gang?" Manager Liu frowned slightly. The Qing Gang was a gang formed by coolies at the Yongnan docks; such a minor gang naturally could not compare with a large mercantile family like the Hongs. Yet all of the Hong family's freight transport at the Yongnan docks was inseparable from these coolies. If they caused him even a little trouble, the losses in time and money would be immeasurable.
However, Manager Liu could see that the youth named Cao Zhen had come single-handedly. Although he had proudly declared his Qing Gang background, he presumably did not want to blow the matter out of proportion, and likely intended to settle it privately.
"I wonder how brother Cao wishes to handle this matter?" Having figured this out, Manager Liu intended to cast a brick to attract jade, listening to what the youth planned to do. As for his two guards being beaten and losing face, since the other party dared to come alone and state his affiliation, it meant things wouldn't escalate. That way, neither side suffered any real loss, nor would the organization truly lose face, while those who got beaten would simply have suffered for nothing.
"These two attempted to force themselves upon my wife and have already been taught a lesson by me, so this matter can be dropped. But..." Cao Zhen's gaze shifted sharply to Jiang Yi. "Since she injured someone, she must pay the price."
Seeing Cao Zhen look at Jiang Yi, Manager Liu also turned his gaze toward her.
Jiang Yi understood what Cao Zhen was thinking. He had already cast all caution to the wind, disregarding the matter of the Wushi San altogether, single-mindedly determined to vent his fierce resentment for his wife. In Manager Liu's eyes, no matter how brotherly Zhang Liancheng was with him, or how much respect he showed Cui Yingyue, Jiang Yi was merely a passerby to the Hong family, and he probably felt a bit displeased with her for stirring up trouble.
Yet Jiang Yi only gave a gentle smile. Ignoring Manager Liu's gaze, she looked at Cao Zhen and, to the astonishment of everyone present, bowed slightly in apology.
"This was my rashness, and I offer my apologies..." Jiang Yi naturally did not specify what she was being rash about, but Cao Zhen understood.
After the bow, she swiftly retrieved a long strip of oil-paper and several bottles of medicine from the Medical Pouch at her waist, had a guard come over to take them, and delivered them before Cao Zhen.
"Inside this rectangular paper wrapper is Bone-Setting Ointment, a secret ancestral remedy of my family for mending broken bones. There are also some healing salves to promote blood circulation, taken as my apology to you."
Manager Liu's eyes lit up at this sight, and he quickly motioned for the guard to hand the medicine over to Cao Zhen. As for Cao Zhen, he was left staring in utter bewilderment, thinking, *This woman is apologizing and making amends just like that? Shouldn't you people who bully others with your power be acting a bit tougher for the sake of your pride?*
Taking the medicine, Cao Zhen quickly tucked it into his pocket, but the fire in his eyes did not go out.
He knew very well why he was the one who had come here today to seek justice. With his impoverished background, he had joined the Qing Gang since childhood, working as a dock coolie while practicing martial arts. His wife was his childhood sweetheart, both of them lives marked by hardship, until they were finally driven to desperation and accepted the Qing Gang's clandestine sale of Wushi San. He knew that if peddling Wushi San were exposed, the Qing Gang would never protect him or his wife, but his wife's right arm had been broken, and he had to go to any lengths to vent this anger.
"You broke my wife's right arm; treating her is only right and proper. But since you dared to strike my wife, I must retaliate." With his mind made up, Cao Zhen gripped his long staff tightly once more. He was determined to beat this young female doctor to vent the bitter fury in his chest.
"Brother Cao, Doctor Jiang has already apologized to you and even offered such precious medicine to treat your wife—don't push people too far!" Hearing Cao Zhen's unrelenting words, Manager Liu's expression grew impatient, and inwardly he became convinced that this punk from the Qing Gang truly did not know what was good for him. With that, his Hundred Refinements Realm true qi began to project outward, and the dozen or so people present immediately felt the oppressive aura of an expert.
"Manager Liu, a thousand years ago in Falling Dust Valley, Boping Commandery, in the northern lands of Dahong, a fourteen-year-old female Greater Grandmaster surnamed Pei wiped out the thousand-man bandit gang Black Wind Stronghold with just her two fists, shaking the entire world. Today, this Lady Jiang is about the same age as the legendary Greater Grandmaster Pei, and she even dresses like a roaming swordsman with the audacity to recklessly injure people. Though I, Cao Zhen, am untalented, I insist on sparring with Lady Jiang for three moves!"
To everyone's surprise, Cao Zhen showed not the slightest fear of Manager Liu's intimidation. Holding his long staff, standing as straight as a ship's mast, he still glared fiercely at Jiang Yi with burning eyes. No one expected that in order to avenge his wife's broken arm, this man would resort to such devastating praise.
"You scoundrel...!" Manager Liu was naturally extremely displeased. Did this guy really think his Qing Gang was something special? Didn't he understand taking a step back for peace and quiet? Since the man refused to let up, Liu felt there was no need to worry about making a big scene, and just as he was about to strike directly, Jiang Yi suddenly reached for the sheathed short sword at her waist and took two steps forward.
"Hehe, Brother Cao jokes. What qualifications do I, a mere traveling physician, have to be compared with the legendary female hero Pei? But since Brother Cao is interested, I shall exchange a single move with you."
The crowd was stunned. Three moves turned into one—what a cunning young girl! Yet everyone was also somewhat surprised. The young man named Cao Zhen before them had dark skin, robust muscles, a steady breath, and no shortage of courage. At a glance, he was clearly a martial artist who had immersed himself in the Ten Revelations Realm for many years. As for Jiang Yi, she was merely a traveling physician, a doctor, and so young at that—could she possibly pull this off?
Soon, however, the guards from the Hong family recalled that when the Jianglong River Dragon Zhang Liancheng had brought her to the Hong Family Caravan today, he had mentioned that this Lady Jiang had severed the heads of two wild boars—known as mountain tyrants—with just two strokes of her sword. The tale was so shocking that many had taken it as mere Jianghu boasting between Zhang Liancheng and Manager Liu and hadn't taken it seriously. But if it were true, even if only half of it were true, this contest might hold a tremendous surprise.
Just as she finished speaking, Jiang Yi unstrapped her Medical Pouch, pulled out some coarse hemp bandages from it, and wrapped them tightly around the joint where the foot-and-a-half short sword met its scabbard, looking as if she were securing the blade inside to prevent it from flying out of the scabbard. Afterward, Jiang Yi held the sword in her right hand, gave it a casual, effortless wave, and looked back at Cao Zhen.
Could this woman actually have some real skill?
Cao Zhen's hesitation lasted only for a fleeting moment. He had been in the Ten Revelations Realm for ten years, and the forty-nine variations of his Roaming Dragon Seven Staves were already thoroughly mastered. The person before him was neither some young mistress of the Hong family nor any monstrous genius—if she were, why would she travel to the commandery town with a slow and arduous trading caravan? The conclusion, therefore, was that she was just a small-time martial cultivator newly stepping into the jianghu with a bit of talent, and he could easily crush her with his experience and cultivation.
"Humph! Three moves turned into one, sharp-tongued! So be it!"
Cao Zhen gripped the staff with both hands, planting his right foot forward with a solid horse stance, his entire body as steady as Mount Tai. He had already made up his decision: since he and his wife had no support left for the rest of their lives, one move was all it took. He would strike to kill and smash her right in the temple.
Cao Zhen wanted to see what on earth this frail, delicate young woman was relying on to dare take on his long staff.
Seeing Cao Zhen take his stance, Jiang Yi also readied herself with the sword held in both hands by her side. At that exact moment, Cao Zhen kicked off the ground with his back foot, his figure soaring forward like a dragon emerging from the sea.
The tip of the staff in his hands led the way, weaving like a dragon tossing its head, spitting clouds and mist unpredictably, fully displaying the forty-nine variations of the Roaming Dragon Seven Staves. The sound of the wind splitting was razor-sharp, and in a mere instant, he arrived within five paces of Jiang Yi.
Not a single ripple stirred on Jiang Yi's face. Like an industrious apprentice practicing sword forms in a small-town martial arts school, she slashed horizontally with both hands, her target aiming straight for the staff shaft that was cleaving through the wind!
As the saying goes, "an inch longer, an inch stronger." In Cao Zhen's view, his long staff should have held an absolute, innate advantage against such a short sword. Coupled with his advantages in experience and cultivation, plus the exquisite nature of his staff technique, there was a high probability he could severely injure or even kill this damned little bitch with a single strike.
Yet he never dreamed that her two-handed sword strike would be as fast as lightning. His target was her head, but her target was his staff!
*Bang!* With a deafening crash and visible shockwaves rippling through the air, Cao Zhen had no time to change his stance before Jiang Yi's terrifying sword strike slammed into the shaft of his staff. The dreadful impact felt like a thousand-pound boulder crashing down, directly snapping the staff in two. His right hand, gripping the front section of the staff, was violently jarred free of its hold. The horrifying force transmitted through the staff threw Cao Zhen off balance, sending him staggering backward.
Dead silence fell over the crowd, followed by utter shock!