Chapter 19: The Four Schools of Kanto

  The next morning, Zhang Ping and Shi Qing couple had just finished breakfast and were about to set off. Suddenly, they found Shi Zhongjian and Mei Fang rushing down from the mountain, and out of curiosity, Zhang Ping went over to ask them what was going on.

  "He thinks Chang Le Bang wants my son to be a scapegoat, how easy is that? This time I'm going as his mother to seek justice for him. And from now on, he's called Shi Tian Yi, no other name, got it?" It seems like Mei Fang knew that Zhang Ping was the adopted son of Shi Qing and his wife, so she didn't have a good tone when speaking to Zhang Ping.

  Jian De Mei Fang Gu was genuinely concerned about Shi Zhong Jian, and Shi Qing Fu couple didn't mind her cold face either. Instead, they helped Mei Fang Gu buy a good horse, and the five of them set off to Songjiang Prefecture immediately.

  On this day, they arrived at Xiahe Town and the five of them saw that it was already late in the evening, so they stayed overnight at an inn. Zhang Ping suggested that he would go ahead to Chang Le Gang to gather information, while the remaining four went to Songjiang Prefecture to contact their allies. Shi Qing and his wife had great confidence in Zhang Ping's martial arts skills, so the next day they split up from there.

  Zhang Ping and Shi Qing couple parted ways in Xiahe Town, then headed northeast, planning to go to the old nest of Chang Le Gang in Zhenjiang to probe into the situation.

  Seven days later, Zhang Ping arrived in Zhenjiang. To avoid drawing attention to himself, he had already changed out of his Taoist robes and into ordinary clothes.

  After spending a day in Zhenjiang without much gain, Zhang Ping found a decent inn to have dinner. It was just after the beginning of the month, the weather was pleasant and it was also a good season for business. However, there were not many people in the restaurant. After ordering food, seeing that he had nothing else to do, Zhang Ping started chatting with the shopkeeper.

  "Old gentleman, by rights it should now be a good season for travel and trade, why is it that I observe the people in this town of Zhenjiang to be so sparse and dull?"

  The shopkeeper heard Zhang Ping's question and smiled bitterly, saying: "You're not a local, so you don't understand the situation here. This is where the Longle Gang is headquartered, and although they've been tyrannical in the past, at least they didn't harm their own people. But since that Shi fellow became the gang leader three years ago, it's been a disaster for the common people of Zhenjiang. No matter whose daughter or wife, as long as he takes a fancy to her, she'll be taken away by him. In these three years, countless girls and respectable families have been ruined by him. It's gotten to the point where everyone is living in fear..."

  Zhang Ping stopped and said: "But I heard that recently this Shi Bangzhu seems to have turned over a new leaf."

  "The official said that in recent months, indeed nothing of this sort has happened. But perhaps it's because the Chang Le gang hasn't had time to bother with it lately."

  "What's this all about?" Zhang Ping asked hastily after hearing what the shopkeeper had said, feeling that there might be some clue or information.

  "This isn't the rumor that the four major schools of Kanto are coming to find trouble with the Chang Le Gang, these martial artists once they start fighting, it's hard to avoid harming innocent people. Didn't everyone hear the news and close their doors, afraid of suffering from unprovoked disaster? Only old man Xiao still has a family to support, so he can't help but open his door to earn more money to make a living." The shopkeeper, perhaps due to boredom, explained the reasons one by one.

  Zhang Ping felt that this was a good opportunity, and when the time came, if he could unite with the four major schools of Guandong to attack Chang Le Gang together, it would definitely add a lot of help.

  And he estimated that the four major schools of Kanto would come, regardless of the big or small road, must be from the southwest direction. Thinking of this, Zhang Ping rested in the inn for a night and set off early the next morning to ride his horse towards the southwest direction.

  Half a day later, Zhang Ping arrived at a small town about sixty miles away from Zhenjiang. After confirming that the Guandong Four Great Gate Schools had not yet arrived, Zhang Ping found an inn to stay in. Every day he just practiced his skills, and at night he went out to scout around, quietly waiting for the arrival of the Guandong Four Great Gate Schools.

  In the blink of an eye, several days passed. On this day, about ten Kanto men rode horses to the small town. They came to a restaurant, dismounted and went in to order wine and meat, preparing for a big meal.

  Zhang Ping saw this and hurriedly followed them in. He only saw that the three large white wooden tables inside the main hall were already filled with those northeastern men, so Zhang Ping sat down at a small table in the corner of the room. This restaurant was not very big, and the waiters were temporarily busy serving the guests at the three tables, pouring wine and dishes, and no one paid attention to Zhang Ping for the time being.

  Zhang Ping saw that they were only nineteen people in total, and was afraid that after a few days, they would only be able to make a big show of it. It's just unknown how the kung fu of these leaders is, and how many masters of the Chang Le Gang they can hold back.

  At this time, an old man with white hair and beard suddenly walked in from outside the store. As he walked, he said: "Good, there is wine and meat, Grandpa is very hungry." After finishing speaking, he walked to a large bench next to a big table in the middle, squeezed out a big man who was originally sitting on it, sat down and started eating and drinking heavily.

  That old man was extremely rude, and the four major schools of Guandong were exchanging pleasantries with him. Unexpectedly, that old man suddenly wanted to take down Feng Liang, the leader of Jinzhou's Qinglong Gate, for no reason other than not allowing others to use the nine-section whip like him. And that old man was actually Ding Bu Si. Zhang Ping had heard before that Ding Bu Si was a master of martial arts on the Jianghu, with unpredictable temper and mood swings. Today, upon meeting him, it turned out to be true - he was indeed unpredictable and unorthodox. The two sides didn't see eye-to-eye, and soon they agreed to go outside and engage in an all-out fight.

  Only to see that Ding Bu Four is not humble, after many years of roaming the rivers and lakes, one day he can make people hear his name and lose their courage. A golden nine-section whip makes it dense and windless, floating like a cloud, proud like a startled dragon. Fighting with the leader of the four major schools in Guandong as one team.

  The leaders of the four major schools in Kanto are obviously not weak, and they seem to have practiced combination techniques. Liao Dong He Fan Yifei and Zi Jin Dao Lü Zhengping attacked Ding Bu from close range, Qing Long Men Feng Liang checked for weaknesses on the side, and Fei Huai Dao Gao San Niangzi stood far away, occasionally attacking Ding Bu to test his skills.

  For a time, both sides were evenly matched, and the battle was intense. Zhang Ping was secretly observing from the side, ready to lend a hand if the leaders of the four major sects were in danger. If Ding Bu was no match for them, he would look for another opportunity.

  Perhaps heaven itself was helping Zhang Ping. After the Third Princess's flying knife cut off a few of Ding Bu Si's whiskers, Ding Bu Si suddenly let out a long whistle and his offensive immediately increased greatly. The leaders of the four great sects seemed to have already used up all their strength, and the originally balanced situation gradually shifted in favor of Ding Bu Si.

  Just as the five of them were fighting intensely, Ding Wu suddenly stretched out his left arm and his palm was already on Lü Zhengping's shoulder. Lü Zhengping swung his knife to chop off his arm. Zhang Ping saw that this knife would definitely hit, and Ding Wu took advantage of the momentum to counterattack with a slap, which would inevitably hit him in the face. With his ruthless palm strength, Lü Zhengping's life was in danger, so he quickly opened his mouth to shout: "You want to hit my face?"

  Zhang Ping's internal force was astonishing, and with one loud shout, even amidst the whirring of various swords and blades, everyone could still hear it clearly. Lü Zhengping's martial arts skills were exceptional, and upon hearing this loud shout, he immediately came to his senses. In the midst of chaos, he hastily threw away his knife, rolled onto the ground, and despite changing his stance quickly, his face had already been slapped with a palm wind that left him gasping for breath, his face feeling as if it had been slashed by a knife, extremely painful.

  Lü Zhengping rolled out several feet before jumping up, his heart racing wildly. He knew that just now, life and death were only a hair's breadth apart. If someone hadn't reminded him, this palm would have been fatal.

  Lü Zhengping rolled out of the battle circle, and Fan Yifei immediately encountered danger again. Lü Zhengping took a deep breath and shouted: "Knife, come!" His eldest disciple instantly threw up his single-edged sword, and Lü Zhengping caught it in mid-air, then attacked again.

  However, he saw that Ding Wu's golden whip had entwined with Feng Liang's soft whip. With one pull, Feng Liang's body was lifted off the ground and sent hurtling towards Lü Zhengping's knife blade. Lü Zhengping hastily withdrew his knife.

  Zhang Ping shouted again: "The small mind of the pen, grab your throat!" Fan Yifei was taken aback, and before he could think carefully, Judge Pen protected his throat first and then said that indeed five fingers of Ding's hand grabbed at the same time, making a rubbing sound, brushing past his throat, and grabbing out five blood marks. It really was only a difference of an instant.

  Zhang Ping shouted twice, saving the lives of two people one after another. The heroes from Guandong were all grateful and looked back at him. Zhang Ping saw that his goal had been achieved, so he displayed his lightness skill and jumped into the battle array.

  Only to see Zhang Ping's palms flying, cutting into the blades of the crowd. His right hand clapped twice, and Lü Zhengping and Fan Yifei felt a soft and powerful force coming from the blade, involuntarily gripping the hilt tightly and retreating two steps. Meanwhile, Zhang Ping's left hand transformed into a claw, like a spirit crane catching a snake, and his "Exploring Cloud Claw" caught Ding Bu's whip tip. Ding Bu tried to pull it back with force, but Zhang Ping remained still, looking calm and unruffled.

  Zhang Ping then spoke up, "Master Ding, I, your younger brother Shi Tianyi, have had dealings with you on Purple Smoke Island. You and the four major schools of Guandong don't have any deep-seated grudges that can't be resolved. So I'm taking a risk to ask Master Ding to call it quits here. As they say, 'it's better for enemies to part ways than to keep fighting'. What do you think, Master Ding?"

  "What's your name, I don't know you, are you from the Snow Mountain Sect?" Ding Bu Si saw that the newcomer's martial arts skills were higher than his own, and he spoke more cleanly.

  "In the previous chapter, it was mentioned that Brother Shi Tianyi was a big shot at that time. I don't know what Old Master Ding thinks about this now?" Zhang Ping said, and with a subtle movement of his internal energy, Ding Wusi felt another surge of great power coming from the whip tip. Thinking that a good man doesn't take advantage of others in front of him, he said: "Considering the face of Big Shot Shi, I won't bother you about this today, let's just forget it."

  Zhang Ping let go of the whip at this point. However, Ding Wu suddenly struck a palm towards Zhang Ping's chest. This palm was swift and venomous, if Zhang Ping were to be hit, he would either die or suffer severe injury. At this moment, Zhang Ping calmly pushed out a palm with his right hand, which ordinary yet sealed off all of Ding Wu's variations. In the blink of an eye, both palms clashed, as soon as they made contact, Ding Wu felt a surge of immense power coming from it. Before he could even dissolve it, he was struck flying, crashing into the earthen wall of the restaurant and tumbling inside.

  Following Zhang Ping and others, they suddenly heard four miserable cries. A Guandong youngster and three idlers fell forward with their backs, and fresh blood gushed out from their backs. When Zhang Ping and others rushed over to look, they only saw that the four people's backs were either hit by broken bowls or bamboo chopsticks. Ding Wu was already nowhere to be found. It turned out that he knew he couldn't win, so in a fit of rage, he grabbed whatever he could find - broken bowls and bamboo chopsticks - and struck the four people with them.

  Fan Yifei and others quickly helped the four people up, only to see that each of them had been hit in a vital spot and were already dead. Seeing Ding Wu's cruelty, they were all shocked. They thought that if Zhang Ping hadn't come forward with justice, it would be the four masters who would be lying on the ground dead at this moment. Immediately, they all bowed down to Zhang Ping and said: "Young hero, your righteousness is high, your kindness is unforgettable, please tell us your surname and name."

  Zhang Ping said, "No need to be polite! It's a small matter, why bother? I'll introduce myself, my humble name has not been used for many years, don't mind." Then he asked the four people their names and sects. Fan Yifei and others then told him one by one.

  However, Zhang Ping deeply understood the benefits of knowing when to stop. Afterwards, Zhang Ping bid farewell to the people from the four major sects one by one, citing that he had something to attend to.