Liver into a martial arts legend: starting with Embroidered Spring Blade

Chapter 199 Martial Arts Gather, Granny Golden Flower

The Xi'an battle was not only about the imperial court's exoneration, but also about the struggle between the righteous and the evil factions in the martial arts world, thus attracting widespread attention.

Numerous meddlesome martial arts practitioners flocked to join in the fun.

Among them were Tianji Laoren and his grandson, Lu Xiaofeng and Hua Manlou, as well as Li Xunhuan, the Little Flying Dagger, who also came from Baoding.

It is said that even Chu Liuxiang, who had disappeared for more than ten years and once caused quite a stir in the martial arts world and was known as the "Thief King", has returned to the martial arts world and followed the people of the Iron Blood Banner Sect from beyond the realm.

When these messages spread, they caused an even greater sensation in the Xi'an campaign.

In just a few days, martial arts practitioners flocked to Xi'an.

What was originally a simple battle to exonerate the imperial court seemed to have turned into a grand martial arts event that was rarely seen in many years.

……

Xi'an was now under heavy defense and completely under martial law.

According to reports, the allied forces of the rebel leader Li Zicheng and the Ming Cult have marched south from Qingyang, crossed the Qinling Mountains, and are now less than 200 li (approximately 100 kilometers) from Xi'an.

In other words, the Ming-Zhuang allied forces will be at the city gates within the next two or three days at the latest.

Therefore, Xi'an City has also entered a state of emergency preparedness.

Looking into the distance, the city walls were covered with Ming army battle flags, and all kinds of defensive equipment were ready. The soldiers on duty stood densely packed, their weapons and armor reflecting a cold light.

A chilling atmosphere pervaded the entire city.

However, recently, a number of martial arts figures have been arriving, some simply to join in the fun, while others have come to provide reinforcements and have voluntarily requested to join the battle against the Ming Cult.

After discussing it, Jiang Xuan and Lu Xiang Sheng decided that it would be inappropriate to completely shut these people out, so they did not close the city gates and left an entrance in the south of the city for these martial arts practitioners to enter.

Under the sunlight, martial arts practitioners lined up in a long queue to enter the city, registering one by one.

These people were dressed in different ways; some were in groups of three or five, carrying knives and swords, while others were alone, aloof and indifferent.

The only thing they had in common was the unique aura that belonged to people from the martial arts world.

"Damn it, it's so hot, and we still have to queue to get into the city. It's unbearably hot!"

"Yes, we came here to cheer them on, but the imperial court still has to check and register each of us. What do they take us for?"

"Shh, say less. Didn't you see that even the people from Lin Family Village are queuing up? It's said that the allied forces of the nine major sects, including Shaolin, Wudang, and Emei, entered the city yesterday. These nine major sects came specifically to deal with the Ming Cult. With their help, the imperial court's chances of winning have greatly increased. Why would they care about us small fry?"

“Hey, Brother Zhang, you can’t say that. The rebel army and the Ming Cult will arrive soon. The court is doing this to prevent the enemy from taking advantage of the chaos. Registering them is for safety reasons. You should understand…”

"What do I understand? People from the nine major sects are people, but aren't we? This kind of differential treatment is ridiculous. If I hadn't come all this way, would you really think I cared? I came all the way from Guanzhong, and you still want to treat me like a prisoner? This is just too much!"

"Sigh, there's nothing we can do. We had to come and join in the fun. Now that we're on the imperial court's territory, we have to follow their rules. I heard that the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Western Depot are all in the city. Even the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the head of the Western Depot are personally overseeing things in the city. If we anger them, we won't have a good time!"

"Yes, with so many martial arts sects gathered together, this is probably the largest martial arts event in the last ten years. If you miss it, you don't know how long you'll have to wait."

"Hmph, what's so great about them? We don't even know if they'll survive this great battle..."

Under the scorching sun, a group of martial arts practitioners lined up to enter the city, inevitably leading to many complaints.

However, given the tense situation in Xi'an, no one dared to cause trouble at this time.

The group of Imperial Guards responsible for registration at the city gate were all armed with embroidered spring knives, crossbows at their waists, and had sharp eyes and a murderous aura.

Add to that the densely packed soldiers guarding the city walls, and they were no joke.

Although everyone in the martial arts world knows a little bit of martial arts, it doesn't mean they are invincible.

Even a grandmaster wouldn't necessarily be able to leave alive if they dared to cause trouble in such a place.

Only martial arts masters and above would dare to say they can come and go freely and are not afraid of being surrounded by thousands of troops.

But such a figure wouldn't be foolish enough to cause trouble directly in the city, after all, there are powerful figures of equal caliber within the city. For example, the legendary Commander Jiang of the Embroidered Uniform Guard once held the record of defeating a Grandmaster.

Moreover, given the current situation, not to mention Grandmasters, most of the experts above the Grandmaster level have already entered the city and become honored guests of the imperial court.

Those queuing to enter the city at the city gate were almost all people with innate talent, acquired talent, or some insignificant figures.

In short, everyone is just there to join in the fun, and no one cares whether they have any opinions.

But at that moment, a strange pair of people skipped the queue and headed straight for the city gate, clearly not intending to wait in line.

This scene attracted the attention of many people.

The leader was a girl of about seventeen or eighteen, dressed in simple clothes and a rustic outfit. She was a poor country girl with a dark complexion, puffy and uneven skin, which made her quite ugly. However, her eyes were quite bright, and she had a slender and graceful figure.

Behind her was a woman with a white wooden cane in her right hand, dressed in cloth, who looked like a poor old woman. She had a low nose, thick lips, a square face, and large, protruding ears, and her appearance was not exactly beautiful.

"Damn it, even the village women are here?"

"What are they trying to do? Are they trying to cut in line?"

"It's really courting death!"

"This young lady has a slim figure, but what a pity about her face..."

The crowd whispered among themselves; some were surprised, some were regretful, and some were gloating, waiting to see what would happen.

But to my surprise, the girl had very sharp ears and was quite unruly.

Hearing the crowd's murmurs, she immediately glared back angrily and shouted in a delicate voice, "What are you looking at? Look again and I'll gouge your eyes out!"

"Damn, this little wench is so arrogant?"

"You little bitch, are you looking for death?!"

Everyone was immediately enraged.

Someone tried to make a move, but was stopped by others.

"Forget it, Brother Wang. This little wretch is unruly and will likely end up in a bad way. Why bother arguing with a dead person!"

"Exactly, these lackeys aren't kind-hearted..."

Many people stared at the ugly old woman and the young girl with cold smiles, ready to see how they would die.

In the past few days, there have been some reckless individuals who tried to break the rules and cut in line to enter the city, but the Imperial Guards in charge of registration showed no mercy and most of them were thrown out.

Some of the more arrogant ones were taken away on the spot, and their fate remains unknown.

These two unremarkable village girls are probably nothing special, and they want to cut in line? They'll have to see if they're tough enough!
At the city gate, the Imperial Guard in charge of registration frowned slightly as he watched the old man and the young man walk straight across the procession.

The person leading the team was Xu Longqing.

Seeing that the old man and the young man seemed to be really going to cut in line, he calmly reminded them: "Xi'an has its own rules. If you two want to enter the city to join in the fun, you'd better follow the rules and go back to queue up."

The ugly girl in front snorted and said, "What a big shot! My mother-in-law has come to help you defend the city against the Ming Cult, and you not only don't come out to greet her, but you also expect us to line up to enter the city like this rabble? Do you really think we're the same as this bunch of good-for-nothings?"

These words immediately drew angry glares from the people queuing behind.

Xu Longqing also frowned slightly, feeling somewhat puzzled by the origins of the surprisingly confident young girl and the old woman, and at the same time becoming more cautious.

Although the Embroidered Uniform Guard acts domineeringly, they are selective in their dealings with people. They treat those from top-tier sects or those experts who have expressed their intention to help defend the city with preferential treatment.

Xu Longqing then inquired, "May I ask who you two are?"

The young girl didn't speak this time. The old woman stepped forward and said calmly, "I have been wandering the martial world for many years. My name is insignificant and no one knows me anymore. However, many fellow martial artists give me face and call me 'Golden Flower Granny'."

(End of this chapter)