Three months later, the crisp air of early autumn filled the sky with clarity and light.
On a wide official road, a black steed was hemmed in by two groups of mounted men. Atop the horse sat a youthful rider, his face still bearing the traces of inexperience.
This young man was none other than Li Chaofeng, long since separated from Hu Tiehua. Such partings and reunions were commonplace in the martial world.
Since parting ways with Hu Tiehua, Li Chaofeng had learned a lightness skill—the Wandering Dragon Step.
It was not the same as Hu Tiehua's Wandering Dragon Dream, which, while a creation of Hu Tiehua himself, was ultimately a derivative of his sect's internal martial arts.
As one who honored tradition and respected his teachers, Hu Tiehua would never break the unspoken rules of the martial world. Since Li Chaofeng was not his disciple, he could not teach him his sect's skills.
But since Wandering Dragon Dream was Hu Tiehua's own creation, he could strip it of the sect's internal force techniques and leave behind a version tailored for Li Chaofeng—a simplified, pure movement technique: Wandering Dragon Step.
In the two months they spent together, Hu Tiehua had come to understand Li Chaofeng's strengths and weaknesses.
In offense, he had powerful weapons. As long as he could make contact, he could injure his opponent.
In defense, Hu Tiehua had sensed during their sparring that Li Chaofeng possessed a remarkably strong physique.
Relying on physical strength alone, Li Chaofeng was already a formidable powerhouse. Combined with the anatomical knowledge of meridians and acupoints Hu Tiehua had imparted, Li Chaofeng could now avoid having his vital points seized. It was enough to hold his own in most brawls.
But he was lacking in speed. Whether in long-distance travel or close-quarters dodging, he was outmatched by those with refined martial training.
The Wandering Dragon Step filled that gap. With it, Li Chaofeng finally had the means to evade pursuit and survive encounters in the chaotic world of Jianghu.
As for why Hu Tiehua helped Li Chaofeng overcome this shortcoming, it was because his own Wandering Dragon Dream technique had largely been inspired by the Wedding Dress Manual Fragment.
And that fragment, in theory, rightfully belonged to Li Chaofeng.
Hu Tiehua had played no part in the death of Jiang Biehe, and had in fact nearly messed everything up.
In the end, Li Chaofeng gained nothing, while Hu Tiehua obtained enlightenment and created a supreme martial art.
Feeling undeserving of such a reward, Hu Tiehua decided to give something substantial back—within the bounds of tradition and propriety.
Thus was born the Wandering Dragon Step. It was purely a movement technique, with no sect-internal energy cultivation methods, yet it was still an exceptional skill for both travel and combat maneuvering.
After Hu Tiehua's departure, Li Chaofeng trained in the step method daily. Once he had fully grasped it, he resumed his journey toward his long-set destination:
Mount Emei.
Jiang Biehe's appearance had nearly cost Li Chaofeng his life, but it also confirmed the timeline of The Proud Twins.
Given Jiang Biehe's age, it was certain that Little Fishy (Xiao Yuer) had not yet escaped from the Valley of Villains.
And if he hadn't escaped, then the legendary Five Supreme Arts, painstakingly created by the Heaven-Earth Five Supremes, was still lying forgotten in Ouyang Ting's tomb.
Li Chaofeng clearly remembered that the passage Little Fishy used to escape the tomb was located behind a sacred statue in the Emei Sword Sect's temple.
Though called a sacred ground, the site was little more than a small shrine with some incense burning. The sect only prohibited killing on its grounds.
Otherwise, Xuan Yuan Sanguang wouldn't have dared to gamble and kill there so brazenly.
Things were now simple. Li Chaofeng didn't even fear the threat posed by Xiao Mimi, for the woman saw Ouyang Ting's underground palace as nothing more than a grand tomb. She had no idea how many priceless treasures surrounded her.
With his acute senses, Li Chaofeng could clear out the tomb of gold, silver, and jewels, and Xiao Mimi would still happily play queen in her underground kingdom, none the wiser.
This was the confidence behind his decision to burn the counterfeit Wedding Dress Manual.
But his journey to Mount Emei was far from smooth. Not long after setting out, Li Chaofeng began to face a new kind of obstacle—bandits and thieves.
They came to snatch his bundle, pick his purse, rummage his sleeves, and even cut the belt at his waist.
It was as if every thief in the world had set their eyes on his belongings.
Li Chaofeng caught a few of them, but when he seized their sleeves, they simply tore their robes. When he gripped their wrists, they cut off their own hands.
Faced with such ruthlessness, he ultimately couldn't bring himself to grab them by the hair.
So Li Chaofeng changed course. Instead of heading directly west, he decided to take a detour and see the desert landscape of the northwest.
Coincidentally, just as he changed direction, a group of riders appeared ahead of him.
Another group had already been following behind for quite some time.
In this era, long journeys could only be made by traveling official roads. One could traverse the wilderness or mountains, but never as quickly as a horse could run.
So the group blocking him ahead had indeed come from the front—but he had just changed his destination.
Glancing at the roadside, he saw dense mountain forests, overgrown with thorny weeds. Not even a man could easily pass through, much less a horse.
Even if one forced their way through the thicket and scaled the mountains, they'd only be greeted on the other side by another ambush.
The official road allowed for galloping. The forest did not.
With a calm smile, Li Chaofeng looked at the men blocking his path and spoke:
"The road is wide—perhaps you gentlemen could make a little room?"
The boyish, fair features of the young man earned some amusement from the men, but they did not move. Instead, they laughed boisterously.
"We can make room—but you'll have to pay a toll."
Li Chaofeng sighed and turned to look behind him, where the road was now completely sealed off as well.
"Even for banditry, you've gathered quite the force. You should be robbing armed escort agencies, or caravans with richly dressed guards. At the very least, go after the kind of carriages that belong to wealthy families."
His tone grew increasingly helpless.
"And me? I'm just a lone traveler," Li Chaofeng said quietly. "Even if you rob me, will there be enough to go around?"
The leader shook his head. "We don't want your money. Though I know you're carrying tens of thousands in silver notes from Master Jin Siye, your money is still yours. What we want—is your blade."
Li Chaofeng's eyes narrowed. A fire was smoldering in his chest, but he had no outlet for his fury.
Those who had earned his wrath—he had already killed.
Jin Siye knew he had silver notes worth tens of thousands. Hu Tiehua and the innkeeper's wife knew he carried a remarkable blade.
But only Jiang Biehe had known that he possessed both the money and the blade.
Can a dead man still stir up trouble? Li Chaofeng thought darkly.
He said calmly, "I've got three knives in my bundle. One's a boning knife, used to carve out bones. One's a cleaver for chopping meat. The last's a little dagger, good for slicing ginger and garlic."
He paused, face scrunched as if deep in troubled thought.
"Not sure which one you're after. If you want all three, that's fine too. I'm not short on coin—once I reach the next market, I can buy three more."
Li Chaofeng played the fool, but the leader wasn't so easily fooled. His eyes gleamed as he cut straight to the point.
"We want the knife you use to kill."
At that, Li Chaofeng's expression turned solemn, his tone serious and deliberate.
"I'm just a cook. I enjoy making meals for people. I've never killed anyone."
The leader's mouth twitched, a flicker of menace in his eyes. He could tell Li Chaofeng was playing games—but he still forced a smile.
"Is that so? Then how did the Five Tigers of Tianmen end up dead?"
Li Chaofeng's eyes lit up with feigned realization. He glanced around at the crowd, then slowly shook his head with a wry smile.
"Ah, those beasts? I'm a chef—killing livestock is second nature to me."
'Beasts.'
Silence fell. The men understood—they were being rebuffed.
Li Chaofeng continued calmly.
"So it's my butcher's knife you're after? I'm afraid that won't do, because…"
His voice trailed off, as though searching for a fitting excuse. Eventually, he gave up and simply said:
"…because that knife is my life."
As the words fell, his eyes turned sharp as blades, locking onto the leader's face.
"You can take my money. But you can't take my life."
The leader, unshaken, responded with a threatening gleam in his eye.
"Then you've surely heard—if the Azure Dragon Society wants your life, it's best you hand it over yourself… rather than wait for us to come and take it."
The moment that name was spoken, a cold edge crept into Li Chaofeng's expression.
Because he'd never heard of the Azure Dragon Society before.