Eagle Soars

On the spacious Baishahe Street.

Dozens of burly men, shirtless, were carrying a huge stone statue that was three zhang tall, almost dominating the entire street.

The scene was extremely spectacular.

The stone statue had a dragon's head and a human body, with flowing beard and hair, and a solemn and dignified expression, full of divinity.

Many children followed behind, finding it all novel, while the adults on the road looked on with awe.

"The Sha Gang holds a Dragon King worship ceremony every year, but this year it seems to have started much earlier."

Zhong Xuan walked to the side.

We watched as the enormous Dragon King statue passed through the city gate and onto the official road.

In Qing Kingdom, people from all walks of life have the custom of worshipping ancestral masters and gods, and almost every village along the river worships the river god.

The Shabang people made their living by the river, so they naturally developed the custom of worshipping the Dragon King.

This is a major event for the Sha Gang.

Therefore, the annual Dragon King worship ceremony is extremely grand, and it is one of the few large-scale events in Baisha County.

Zhong Xuan lived in Baisha County for decades and witnessed the Sha Gang's Dragon King worship ceremony several times. They would throw three large sacrificial animals—pig, cow, and sheep—into the Baisha River to worship the Dragon King. The scale of their sacrifice was impressive, and only a large gang like the Sha Gang could afford such a feat.

"Aside from the county government, among the many forces in Baisha County, the Sha Gang can at least rank in the top three. Perhaps only the Zijin Hall and the Martial Arts Association can surpass it."

The Martial Arts Association is an organization formed by the union of eighteen martial arts schools in the city.

With three major martial arts schools, including the Flying Eagle Martial Arts School, in charge, the martial arts are abundant. Even when the government encounters a difficult situation, they will seek help from the masters of the martial arts association.

As for Zijintang.

It was actually a huge chamber of commerce, and the Zhang family patriarch was one of the five elders of the Zijin Hall.

More than 80% of the businesses in Baisha City are related to Zijintang, and their business has even expanded to several neighboring counties.

The fact that the Sha Gang could rival these two powerful factions demonstrates its profound strength and resources.

Once the procession carrying the Dragon King had completely disappeared into the distance.

Zhong Xuan then walked onto the official road.

Not long after.

He then returned to his home on the westernmost side of Xiahe Village.

Zhong Xuan hid the five hundred coins he had earned that day in the bottom of the cabinet, along with the three taels of silver he already had, enough to cover his rice expenses for several months.

After doing all this.

Zhong Xuan picked up the wooden sword that was placed at the foot of the bed.

"The nine sword techniques are: thrust, chop, point, flick, lift, collide, intercept, slash, cloud... These are the basic skills. The nine Eagle Strike techniques emphasize the foundation. The Eagle Flight technique mainly uses point and lift, which imitates the momentum of an eagle taking flight."

Thinking to myself.

Zhong Xuan twirled the wooden sword in his hand, and his feet moved accordingly.

Swordsmanship is not just about hand skills; it must be supplemented by footwork, breath control, and so on.

Zhong Xuan's sword moved faster and faster.

Suddenly—

The sword tip swiftly pointed downwards, producing a soft popping sound in the air.

It's like the cry of an eagle spreading its wings.

"It's done!"

Zhong Xuan was overjoyed.

The hallmark of mastering the Eagle Soaring Form is this wailing sound.

"With proper physical constitution and bone structure, sword practice is indeed fast."

Zhong Xuan mastered the Eagle Soaring Style in just two months of sword practice, which is more impressive than many formal disciples of the Flying Eagle Martial Arts School. This is because his crane-like bones are a perfect match for the Eagle Style sword technique.

"With this swordsmanship, I will have some confidence in protecting myself if I encounter a martial artist in the future."

There's a saying in the martial arts school in Baisha County.

"Practicing martial arts without internal skills is a waste of time."

It means that in martial arts, the most important thing is the method, and one should not blindly pursue technique.

But Zhong Xuan knew that there was actually a second half to this statement.

"Practicing martial arts without mastering the skills means bowing your head when you go out."

Martial arts are inherently killing techniques.

Even if it's not for fighting and killing, if you have great strength but can't use it, and you're always at a disadvantage when fighting, and you can't even protect your life, how can you become a grandmaster?

Therefore, even Zhong Xuan, who was focused on stability, had to learn some swordsmanship to ensure his safety.

Taking advantage of his high spirits, Zhong Xuan cultivated for another hour.

Then he went into bed and fell into a deep sleep.

......

......

The next morning.

Zhong Xuan got up early, cooked a large bowl of porridge with dried pheasant meat, ate it, and then continued to practice the Eight Pieces of Brocade standing meditation.

Wait until you hear footsteps outside the door.

He had been practicing for an hour.

God rewards hard work.

His natural talent isn't top-notch yet, so of course he needs to work harder.

They practiced until noon.

It was only interrupted by Old Wu from next door coming over for a visit.

"Old Zhong, as people get older, they should go out and move around more, otherwise, who knows when they might pass away and no one will even know."

Old Wu said this while smoking his pipe.

"By the way, have you heard of Old Sun from the east end of the village?"

Zhong Xuan: "What's wrong?"

"I don't know why, but I haven't seen him for seven or eight days. Many people are saying that he has gone missing due to hysteria, and that he is probably going to die outside the village."

Zhong Xuan knew about the old Sun that Old Wu was talking about.

Just like him.

They were all old widowers.

She was a little younger than him, but she was already in her fifties.

Old Sun's sudden disappearance is likely a sign of impending doom.

Old Wu sighed, "A few days ago, my son made me a four-inch-thick coffin. I guess I'm finally enjoying a good life."

He is in his fifties this year.

Even a minor bump or bruise can be fatal.

In Xiahe Village, it's rare to live past fifty.

That is why only people over fifty years old are qualified to become village elders.

"Old Zhong, how about I make you a coffin too? Then I'll have my rascal burn some paper money for you and cry for a few days."

Zhong Xuan shook his head with a smile: "Don't curse me. I'm still hoping to live to seventy and receive the imperial silver."

Old Wu gave a thumbs up:

"Old Zhong, you still have ambition."

Seventy years old is a rare age.

This is not just empty talk.

Let's put it this way: in the past fifty years, only one person in Xiahe Village has lived to the age of seventy.

It is already quite remarkable that Zhong Xuan lived to be sixty years old.

Old Wu and Zhong Xuan basked in the sun for a while before reluctantly returning home after being urged by their wives.

Old Wu was seen off.

Zhong Xuan resumed practicing the Eight-Section Brocade.

......

......

Langzi Bay.

The waters of the Baisha River gurgled and washed over the riverbanks.

A fortified wall, seven zhang high, suddenly appeared on the riverbank, with the laborers of the Sha Gang coming and going.

Ma Lao Da and Ma Lao Er were among them.

The two men carried a burlap sack into Wengcheng.

"Here you are."

When Hu Liu, who had a large beard, saw Ma Laoda and Ma Laoer appear, two rows of gleaming white teeth were revealed from his beard.

"A remarkable person has emerged from Xiahe Village. We should keep in touch more often in the future."

Hu Liu patted Boss Ma on the shoulder.

Then he winked at the Sand Gang members beside him.

Three gang members stepped forward and took the sacks from the shoulders of the two Ma brothers.

With a cold face, Boss Ma simply clasped his hands in a slight gesture of respect: "Chief Hu, the goods have been delivered, so my brother and I will be leaving now."

"Come often, come often."

Hu Liu's voice rang out.

Boss Ma's heart sank.

Only he and his brother Ma Lao Er knew that the sack contained Old Man Sun from the village.

The reason why the Sha Gang wanted an old man was...

It was for the purpose of worshipping the Dragon King.

Human sacrifice!