Chapter Seventeen: The Dragon and Tiger Fight

  Xiao Ziyang returned outside of Furei Inn and chose a secluded corner, climbed over the wall to enter.

  He followed the shadow and slipped into a deserted courtyard with no guests, quietly climbing onto the roof.

  This courtyard is not far from the one where Cao Tianhao's brothers live, with only a small flower bed in between. Xiao Ziyang poked his head out of the roof and looked over, just in time to see that bald-headed man bringing in a fat guy dressed like an accountant.

  Soon after, the bald man left the yard, and as he walked around in the inn, many people began to gather towards the yard where the Cao brothers were staying.

  Xiao Ziyang looked from afar and saw that although these people were dressed differently, they all had an air of ferocity that could not be concealed.

  These people lurked around the house where the Cao brothers had settled down.

  The inn suddenly fell silent.

  Zheng Xiaoyang led the coachman and disciples, swaggering into the Fu Rui Inn, heading straight for the courtyard where the Cao brothers were staying.

  As they arrived outside the courtyard, Zheng Xiaoyang waved his hand and everyone stopped in their tracks.

  Zheng Xiao Yang cupped his hands towards the gate and sneered, "I've long heard that Cao Da Dang Jia's name shakes Jin Zhou. I've always wanted to learn from him, but unfortunately had no chance. Today, I heard from my subordinates that Cao Da Dang Jia has arrived in Shuo An without a word. I, Zheng, am both shocked and delighted. Shocked because Cao Da Dang Jia came to Shuo An and I didn't even go far to welcome him, which is truly impolite. Delighted because I can finally fulfill my wish. Please, Cao Da Dang Jia, grant me some guidance...and please give me some face..."

  A loud, long laugh echoed through the courtyard, and the large gate swung open by itself. Cao Tianhao was sitting majestically on a long bench in the center of the courtyard, with a gleaming blue light emanating from the scabbard of his waist knife, which was casually leaning against one end of the bench.

  Cao Tianhao pointed at Zheng Xiaoyang outside the door, "I, Cao, have always hated people like you who are thieves and prostitutes behind closed doors but speak of benevolence and morality on the surface. You clearly want to take my, Cao's, head to gain favor with Hanmubao, yet your words are twisted and roundabout, both disrespectful and condescending. Even if I were to drop my pants, I couldn't let out a fart!"

  "Who on this road doesn't know you, Zheng Xiaoyang? You've monopolized the sales channels of dozens of mountain strongholds in Qinglongzhai, making you the biggest tyrant on the Ganzhou Road!"

  After listening to Cao Tianhao's ruthless words, Zheng Xiaoyang's face suddenly fell, and his expression turned gloomy.

  Cao Tianhao sneered, "Haha, I forgot that Zheng Longwang is used to being the king of this Gan state and no one dares to expose your true nature. What? Not happy now..."

  He pointed down at his feet and said, "I, Cao, am right here. If you want my head, come and take it!"

  Zheng Xiao Yang waved his hand to stop the restless hands of his subordinates, walked slowly into the courtyard and said in a deep voice: "I've only heard that Cao Da Dang Jia is the number one master of Jinzhou, but I didn't know you're also good at being sharp-tongued and bloodthirsty."

  He grasped the hilt of his shoulder sword with a reverse grip, "However, you did say one thing that wasn't wrong. I, Zheng, have come today to take your head and eliminate a great evil from the northwest martial arts world!"

  As soon as he finished speaking, he stomped his foot, and the bluestone ground was crushed to powder. His massive body was like a giant stone thrown out by a catapult, bringing a dull wind sound towards Cao Tianhao.

  This momentum is as fierce as a tiger, but if you look closely, you will find that Zheng Xiaoyang's feet are only three inches off the ground. His slightly bent legs can touch the ground as soon as they straighten up.

  Xiao Ziyang, who was lying on a distant rooftop, saw Zheng Xiaoyang's pounce and couldn't help but secretly cheer him on.

  External family kung fu is extremely hard and fierce. When internal family masters encounter external family masters, they mostly adopt the strategy of dodging and weaving, relying on their light body skills and the internal family's long and smooth breathing to temporarily avoid the sharp edges.

  What surprised Xiao Ziyang was that Cao Tianhao did not use his agility to dodge Zheng Xiaoyang's powerful pounce as he had expected.

  He suddenly counterattacked, drew his waist knife, raised it above his eyebrow, let out a loud shout, and with a trail of afterimages, slashed down at Zheng Xiaoyang's head.

  Zheng Xiao Yang saw that his opponent was using his weakness to attack his strength, clearly looking down on him. Suddenly enraged, he drew out the Ghost Headed Great Knife and fiercely struck at the opponent's slender waist knife.

  "Bang", a burst of air exploded at the point where the two swords intersected, blowing the clothes and long hair of the two people flying outwards.

  The shrill sound of clashing steel made the instructors and disciples of Iron Dragon Martial Arts Hall, as well as the bandits lurking around the courtyard, all tremble with fear, their vision blurring, dropping their swords, and covering their ears.

  After the double-edged sword was handed over, both of them were pushed out by the counter-shock force.

  Zheng Xiaoyang's heavy body retreated backwards, step by step, until he reached the gate of the courtyard, where one foot stomped on the threshold and finally stopped his retreat.

  Cao Tianhao was knocked flying backwards, and all that could be seen was him curled up into a ball as he crashed into a pillar behind him.

  Just before hitting the pillar, he suddenly opened his body and lightly tapped his feet on the pillar.

  A loud crash, and the pillar that one person could not wrap their arms around suddenly snapped at his feet!

  Cao Tianhao borrowed the reaction force and flipped over, standing steadily in the middle of the courtyard.

  The horse thieves lurking around couldn't help but take a cold breath.

  Only to see Cao's master holding a knife with his hand already covered in blood, the tiger's mouth and the back of his hand were split open with strips of red mouths. The sleeves on his forearm were also torn to shreds by the air wave!

  Fresh blood flowed down the handle of the knife and dripped from the tip onto the ground.

  Looking at Zheng Xiaoyang again, except for his pale face, there was no sign of injury.

  The bandits saw that the master was at a disadvantage, and their hearts were drumming, with no morale. The people of Iron Dragon Martial Arts Hall burst into applause, and suddenly the momentum was like a rainbow.

  In the distance, Xiao Ziyang looked at the two with a puzzled expression.

  Cao Tianhao, who was at a disadvantage, surprisingly had a sly smile on his face, while Zheng Xiaoyang, who had the upper hand, had a hint of fear in his eyes!

  Cao Tianhao grasped the blood-stained waist knife and walked towards Zheng Xiaoyang step by step, his pace very slow and his footsteps light. As he approached, Zheng Xiaoyang's face turned even paler.

  As his opponent approached, Zheng Xiaoyang's grip on the knife tightened, and the knotted muscles bulged under his sleeves.

  He suddenly let out a loud shout, his voice filled with the desperation of a beast fighting for its life!

  He was seen with his sword across his chest, his left hand also grasping the hilt, charging towards Cao Tianhao. Three steps later, his feet suddenly stomped on the ground, and his iron tower-like body produced an even more mournful and piercing sound of breaking through the air.

  The ghostly head knife brought a golden afterimage, chopping down towards Cao Tianhao's head.

  Cao Tianhao approached with a ferocious cold smile, both hands grasping his knife, his body accompanied by a black residual shadow, as if a ghostly apparition.

  The waist knife in his hand was emitting a cold blue light, but now it had risen to an eerie red glow.

  The two swords clashed again, and an even more violent gust of air burst out, rolling up clouds of dust in the sky.

  Zheng Xiao Yang let out a loud roar, his body standing upright like a pillar holding up the sky, while Cao Tian Hao was knocked flying again, smashing through the large door of the house behind him and tumbling inside.

  Outside the temple gate, the crowd at the Iron Dragon Martial Arts Hall erupted into cheers once again.