After that, they searched three of Shi Qingquan's estates, but each time they found them either abandoned after being disturbed by Woguer or left with only a gatekeeper. The news from local constables and friends of young Lord Wen was roughly the same.
Their last hope was the Tongbai Villa.
Ma Yunlong couldn't help but say, "It's hard to believe that Shi Qingquan, that madman, is so wealthy with estates everywhere."
Young Lord Wen replied casually, "Shi Qingquan probably has no trouble finding a gold mine to use."
The further south they went, the more the spring was in full bloom, with warm winds and pleasant weather. Young Lord Wen noticed that Ji Yaoguang's leg ailment seemed to only flare up during rainy weather, especially during thunderstorms. In such a gentle climate, he appeared like a normal person. Ji Yaohua's expression also eased, and her beauty became increasingly radiant, like the spring light itself, making it hard to look away.
However, she remained formal and almost reserved in front of young Lord Wen, never showing any warmth. Towards others, she was even more formal, almost cold.
Ma Yunlong couldn't help but doubt his suspicions. It was clear that Ji Yaohua's entire focus was on her brother, to the point where she ignored everyone else unless it concerned him.
If she was deliberately trying to tempt young Lord Wen, it seemed... probably... not very plausible?
Yet he always felt that the boy, Ji Yaoguang, who also rubbed him the wrong way, seemed to look at them with a subtle pity, as if he knew something but hadn't spoken up.
Upon reaching the Tongbai Villa, it was early morning, and Ji Yaoguang, whose leg ailment hadn't flared up for days, insisted on riding up the mountain with them this time, not wanting to be left behind again. Ji Yaohua looked at young Lord Wen with a dilemma, but Ma Yunlong said, "It's better to go together, to avoid being caught by Woguer's group if we stay here."
Young Lord Wen no longer hesitated.
The mountain forest at dawn was the time when hundreds of birds left their nests. The sound of their hooves startled the birds in the forest, causing them to fly up in a panic. Ma Yunlong and young Lord Wen both frowned. Ji Yaoguang suddenly whistled a series of notes, and as his whistle flowed, the birds gradually calmed down and stopped flying around in panic.
Ma Yunlong and young Lord Wen were both taken aback.
It was unexpected that the boy, who everyone found unpleasant, had such a skill.
Ji Yaohua looked at her brother with a gentle smile and said softly, "Yaoguang has always loved birds since he was young. He once told me he could understand many bird languages and could even converse with many birds. I didn't believe him, but it turns out he really can."
Young Lord Wen sighed, "Your brother's mobility is limited, perhaps he loves birds because he wishes he could fly freely like them."
Ji Yaohua glanced at young Lord Wen and then turned her gaze away, saying softly, "If Yaoguang could hear your evaluation, he would surely feel understood."
Young Lord Wen couldn't help but look at Ji Yaohua's beautiful and gentle profile, wanting to ask if everything had to be related to Ji Yaoguang to catch her attention.
However, her formality made him don't dare to make mistakes.
Growing up in the bustling city of Kaifeng, even though he was accustomed to the world of romance, facing Ji Yaohua, he always felt a secret shyness, unable to be as free and easy as usual.
The Tongbai Villa was now in sight.
Ma Yunlong and young Lord Wen, leading the way, both changed expressions as they looked ahead. The sounds of battle faintly drifted up from the valley bottom, indicating that Woguer had entered the valley from the other side of the mountain ridge and had arrived before them, engaging in combat with the people at the villa.
They spurred their horses down the mountain, hoping to arrive in time to save the people at the villa.
At that moment, a young boy holding a staff as tall as himself burst out from the back gate of the villa, with several burly men in hot pursuit.
Young Lord Wen's horse was fast, and he intercepted the boy before he could climb the mountain path, his two short halberds combining into a single square halberd, blocking the way.
With no escape forward and pursuers behind, the dark-skinned, stubborn-looking boy stopped abruptly, holding his staff ready, fearlessly facing both groups of enemies.
The pursuing men also stopped.
The burly man at the front, as robust as a tiger, with a beard, turned his back and grasped the long sword on his back, not looking at the boy but at young Lord Wen on horseback. After a moment, he asked in slightly awkward Chinese, "Are you young Lord Wen?"
Ma Yunlong had caught up and whispered to young Lord Wen, "That's Woguer."
Young Lord Wen nodded slightly and said to Woguer, "With me here, I will not allow you to take Shi Qingquan."
Woguer pointed at the boy and asked, "Does young Lord Wen think he is Shi Qingquan?"
Young Lord Wen fixed his gaze on him and replied, "Shi Qingquan should be in his forties by now, so he certainly isn't him, but it's very likely that this is our last clue to finding Shi Qingquan."
Woguer's grip on his sword tightened, "Does young Lord Wen think we'll just step aside?"
Young Lord Wen smiled slightly, "I know what you mean. How about we make a bet? If you win, we'll leave immediately; if I win, you'll have to go back from where you came."
Woguer weighed the situation and, realizing he was at a disadvantage, hesitated briefly before answering, "Fine, but how do you want to bet?"
Young Lord Wen's long halberd slightly lifted, pointing at the boy, "We'll bet on who can capture him, how about that? You first or me first?"
Woguer was taken aback.
Despite his rough exterior, he was very astute. After young Lord Wen's question, he had already turned the matter over in his mind several times.
The one who acted first would undoubtedly tire the boy out, giving the second person an advantage; however, the second person would also be taking a risk, as they might not even have the chance to capture the boy.
The boy said coldly, "Good idea, keep fighting for days and nights, someone will eventually knock me down. But if you think you can get any information from me, you're dreaming!"
Young Lord Wen turned his gaze back to him, "My halberd technique has thirty-six moves, if I can't capture you within thirty-six moves, I'll naturally stop."
Woguer suddenly pointed his sword at the boy, "Then I'll also limit myself to thirty-six moves, if I can't capture you, I'll stop too! Young Lord Wen, I'm sorry, but I'll try my sword first!"
He shouted loudly, spun around, and swung his sword down. The boy did not dodge or evade, using a "raising fire to the sky" stance, the staff just barely parried the deer knife, although it couldn't deflect the blade, the deer knife couldn't cut down either.
Both of them showed surprise in their eyes.
Woguer was known for his great strength, and he hadn't expected this unassuming boy to also possess such power. And that unremarkable iron staff could actually parry the deer knife.
Young Lord Wen's expression also showed a slight tremor.
Woguer was known for his strength and heavy sword, his moves were swift, but the boy, although slightly passive in his defense, was extremely steady, as firm as a mountain in a storm.
Ma Yunlong couldn't help muttering, "I wonder what sect this boy comes from and what he is to Shi Qingquan. If he's his disciple, then Shi Qingquan himself must be even more troublesome."
Turning his head, he noticed an odd expression on the face of an old constable behind him, Ma Yunlong looked questioningly at the old constable.
The old constable's voice seemed to tremble, "Chief constable, the iron staff in the boy's hands looks like the Qitian Staff, I recognize the pattern on it."
Ma Yunlong then noticed that the dark staff was adorned with peculiar snake patterns, which shimmered with a faint blue light in the afternoon spring sun.
Ma Yunlong's expression changed as well, "I should have noticed earlier—Young Lord, I'm afraid our troubles are big!"
Young Lord Wen responded with an "Oh,"he slightly turned his head, but his gaze remained fixed on Woguer and the young man.。
Ma Yunlong whispered, "The boy is wielding the Qitian Staff from the Saint Spring Peak of the Wiccan Sect."
Young Lord Wen's expression changed slightly, "Are you sure?"
Ma Yunlong nodded, "I'm sure."
The enigmatic Wiccan Sect, with talents emerging for generations, has been unique for a century. Although located in a remote area, it is still held in awe across the great rivers. In the Wiccan Sect, only twelve disciples are chosen each generation to correspond with the twelve peaks of Wiccan. The unpredictable and eccentric behavior of the Wiccan disciples is well-known throughout the world. Some secretly mock that the twelve disciples of Wiccan are truly the "Twelve Mad Ones of Wiccan," hence no one is willing to provoke them unless absolutely necessary, keeping a respectful distance.
Ma Yunlong was extremely troubled and very angry. Why did the disciples of Wiccan never like to make their identities clear when they walked abroad? It would save innocent people like them from accidentally running into their swords.
It was already unfortunate enough for the Kaifeng Prefecture to constantly navigate among the royal relatives, generals, and nobles, so why invite trouble by provoking the Wiccan Sect, a veritable hornet's nest?
The only consolation was that, thankfully, young Lord Wen was in front. The Wiccan Sect would likely think twice before challenging him. He could only hope that those unpredictable disciples of Wiccan, who defied common sense, wouldn't dare to provoke young Lord Wen but instead target them, the soft targets.
Young Lord Wen watched the young man. Woguer's men and the guards from the Marquis's mansion had counted to the thirtieth move, and the young man was still parrying with ease, which made Woguer visibly impatient.
He frowned.
The young man's stamina seemed endless, as if he could continue fighting for another three days without issue.
The guards from the Marquis's mansion, with schadenfreude, shouted, "Thirty-four, thirty-five, thirty-six! Ah-ha, it's our young lord's turn now, that barbarian better step down!"
Woguer's expression was sour as he reluctantly stepped aside.
Young Lord Wen dismounted from his horse, signaled his guards to clear the area a bit more, and with his long halberd on his back, he looked at the young man and said, "I'm impatient and not one for waiting. And I can see that you still have enough strength to withstand another thirty-six moves, so I won't hold back. Be careful, my halberd technique is originally meant for breaking through enemy lines and killing generals on horseback, so it's quite lethal. If I accidentally kill you, don't blame me."
Those around felt a growing aura of grim determination emanating from young Lord Wen. With the halberd in hand, he was no longer as amiable as the spring sun. They instinctively stepped back a few paces to avoid the increasingly intense aura of destruction coming from young Lord Wen.
The young man's stance remained as firm as a mountain. But there was a flicker of hesitation in his eyes.
He was too young and perhaps had never encountered an opponent like young Lord Wen before, making it difficult to maintain his steadfast composure.
Suddenly, young Lord Wen's halberd flashed out, his wrists snapped, and it whistled towards the young man. The young man leaped to the side and swung his staff at the halberd head, but the head's small branch caught the staff's end. Young Lord Wen twisted his wrist, and the halberd head turned, forcing the young man to quickly step back and pull his Qitian Staff back, while the halberd followed up, thrusting towards his right hand that held the staff.
At some point, Ji Yaohua and her brother had ridden up to Ma Yunlong. Ma Yunlong noticed a hint of tension in Ji Yaohua's expression; was she worried about young Lord Wen?
The young man had parried several moves and had retreated to the edge of the clearing, next to a large green stone. With nowhere left to retreat, he suddenly swung his staff, sending the large stone towards young Lord Wen.
The stone spun towards young Lord Wen, who blocked it with his halberd, but the stone curved along the halberd and flew towards young Lord Wen's right side. The guards from the Marquis's mansion and the constables all gasped, but young Lord Wen added a bit of strength, and the small branch of the halberd head flipped over, pressing the flying stone to the ground. Then he kicked the stone away with his foot.
The young man clearly hadn't expected young Lord Wen to be able to deflect his attack and hastily dodged, as the stone almost grazed his body, crashing into a large camphor tree several feet away. The old tree snapped in half and fell with a loud crash.
Young Lord Wen's halberd was already close to the young man again, the wind it brought causing even Woguer and his men to step back a few paces.
Woguer muttered, "I never imagined there would be someone so brave among the southern barbarians."
Ma Yunlong felt Ji Yaohua exhale softly. Behind her formal and reserved demeanor, was there a deep concern for young Lord Wen? Ma Yunlong felt a bit closer to Ji Yaohua and whispered to her, "Young Lord Wen is invincible, Miss Ji need not worry."
Ji Yaohua paused for a moment, then smiled at him, "Thank you, Chief Constable Ma, for your concern."
Ma Yunlong was also taken aback. Ji Yaohua's smile, when she let down her formal and cold demeanor, was like the rich aroma of fine wine, intoxicating.
Even he couldn't help but be moved.
And even during the tensest moments of the battle, many eyes were inadvertently drawn to Ji Yaohua.
Ma Yunlong couldn't help but think, "A beautiful woman is indeed a calamity."
Beside him, Ji Yaoguang still spoke in a lazy tone, "Yes, sister, young Lord Wen is sure to smash that stone to pieces, there's no need to be so tense."
Ji Yaohua smiled lightly, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she said nothing.
The guards from the Marquis's mansion had counted to thirty moves, and it was clear that the young man could only defend. Everyone was tense, waiting for the final outcome.
The thirty-sixth move, young Lord Wen's halberd forced the young man to kneel, but the Qitian Staff still firmly blocked the halberd.
The young man's arms were trembling slightly, his dark complexion had turned pale, and sweat drenched his head and body.
There was a moment of silence all around.
Perhaps just one more move and young Lord Wen could have finished off this young man as hard as stone.
That moment of silence seemed to last forever, but young Lord Wen finally slowly withdrew his halberd and looked at the young man, saying, "If Shi Qingquan can teach a disciple like you, I look forward to discussing martial arts with him personally. You may go, I give you three hours. After three hours, I will resume my pursuit of you."
The young man was almost completely exhausted, relying on the Qitian Staff to support his body to barely stand up. He didn't dare to speak, fearing that the last bit of his true energy would dissipate, so he just glanced at young Lord Wen and then struggled into the forest.
Woguer raised his thumb to young Lord Wen, "Good man! We will definitely not set out to pursue that boy before you!"
Young Lord Wen looked at the nearby Tongbai Villa, "Let's rest here for a while."
Ma Yunlong nodded, "I was also thinking of going into the villa to see. Hopefully, we can find some more clues."
He had to prepare in case they couldn't find the young man; he needed to have clues to track him.
Woguer sneered, "Everyone in the villa is dead, where are the clues!"
Ma Yunlong frowned. Barbarians were barbarians, always ready to kill and burn. But at this moment, he couldn't argue with him, so he simply replied coldly, "I naturally have my ways."
Upon entering the villa, Ma Yunlong couldn't help but ask, "Why did you suddenly decide to look for that madman Shi Qingquan?"
Woguer grinned, "Of course, we were guided by a sage to realize Shi Qingquan's usefulness." He looked at Ma Yunlong and young Lord Wen and continued, "Since the sage guided us to look for Shi Qingquan, they will surely let us find him."
Ma Yunlong's heart skipped a beat.
Behind each group, it seemed there was an invisible giant hand pushing them from different directions onto the same path.
