The Legend of the Heavenly Book: Chapter 1 - Pursuing and Slaying the Japanese Pirates

  While the Japanese pirates were talking, a young man appeared at the door, carrying a large and heavy sword that looked like it weighed over 100 kilograms. The young man was in his early twenties, with a tall and strong physique, exuding an aura of grandeur; his muscles were robust, as if he could uproot mountains and overturn cities; his chest was broad, with the air of embracing hundreds of rivers. He had a square-shaped face, with eyes that shone brightly and intimidated others, two thick eyebrows lay flat like black ink, a straight nose and a wide mouth, with an impressive demeanor.

  The man stood at the door, holding a large knife horizontally, and shouted loudly to the Japanese pirates in the house: "Japanese pirates, dare to sneak into my Liaodong territory, Liang Qing, the sixth-grade Yunqiwei, is here!"

  Konishi was taken aback, and Takeda also gasped. Takeda asked Konishi: "Is this the man who killed my master Kameyama Hidenori, Ryōkei?"

  Konishi said: "It seems like it should be."

  While the two were talking, the Japanese pirates in the house had already drawn their weapons, and the owner of the shop had long been frightened into hiding. Koishi whispered to Takeda, "Takeda, today is not a day for revenge, we must prioritize the bigger picture! This place is not suitable for battle, it's easy to attract the attention of the authorities, which would be detrimental to our overall situation. So, let's retreat and gather at the foot of the mountain village fifty miles ahead. There's a horse behind the house."

  Takeda gritted his teeth and nodded slightly, saying in a low voice: "Let this kid off today."

  Liang Qingzhi could not hear their words, he jumped out of the wine house, stood at the door and shouted loudly to the Japanese pirates: "Japanese pirates, don't you come out to die!"

  At this time, Takeeda flew out of the wine house with a pair of knives in his hand and jumped to Liang Qing's face. He looked at Liang Qing with a ferocious expression and said: "Are you Liang Qing?"

  Li Qing said: "Exactly, what about you?"

  Takeda said: "I am Japan's No. 1 knife master Kameyama Hidenokami Toshitsune, the successor of Kameyama Hidenokami Toshitsune."

  Liang Qing burst out laughing and said, "Your first-rate swordsmen are indeed numerous, but unfortunately they all became ghosts under my knife." After finishing speaking, he swung the Spring-Autumn great knife in his hand towards Takeda Matsumoto. Takeda Matsumoto did not dare to be slow and hastily retreated a step to dodge. Just as Liang Qing was about to launch his second attack, he suddenly discovered that the little westerners inside the house were coming out one after another, mounting their war horses and horse-drawn carriages.

  Liang Qingzhi was about to rush over, but Takeeda Matsumoto swung his twin blades to block the way. Liang Qingzhi had no choice but to decide to defeat this opponent in front of him first, so he wielded the Spring and Autumn Great Blade to engage in a fierce battle with Takeeda Matsumoto.

  Takeda was indeed a renowned swordsman, his dual blades complementing each other perfectly, with precise techniques and accurate force. Liang Qing didn't dare to be negligent or underestimate his opponent, so he exerted himself to wield the large knife in his hand to fight against Takeda. Takeda's dual blades were like a skilled tailor's scissors, moving left and right with ease; Liang Qing's large knife was like a butcher's sharp blade, effortlessly slicing through the air. Takeda's dual blades were like ghosts from heaven and earth, while Liang Qing's large knife was like a giant dragon overturning the seas. The two men fought for over twenty rounds, but Takeda's attention began to wander because he saw that the Japanese pirates had all escaped on horseback or in carriages. As a result, flaws appeared in his techniques, and Liang Qing also discovered the fleeing pirates, which made him even more anxious. Therefore, both of them revealed openings, yet neither of them focused on attacking each other.

  Takeda saw Liang Qingzhi and immediately turned around and ran. Liang Qingzhi saw that the direction Takeda was running in was different from where the Japanese pirates were, so he gave up chasing Takeda and instead chased after the Japanese pirates.

  As a result, he chased out three miles and was thoroughly shaken off by the Japanese pirate's horse cart. He was about to crouch down to catch his breath and chase again when a warhorse flew over from a distance of more than five zhangs away. Liang Qing raised his head and looked up, and couldn't help but feel angry and furious because the person riding the horse was none other than Takeda Koma.

  Liang Qingzhi sat on the ground with a thud, scolding as he sat down. However, just sitting there and scolding the Japanese pirates wouldn't solve anything. Just then, an old man walked out of the town, his hair and beard all white, looking like he was over 70 years old. Liang Qingzhi asked the old man, "Old sir, does your town have any horses?"

  The old man smiled and said: "Of course, we have several families here with horses that can be driven."

  "What about the horse that can be ridden?"

  The old man snorted and said: "What's the point of raising that? We're just ordinary people!"

  Li Qingzi felt deflated and struggled to get up, waving goodbye to the old man. He pulled out a note, read it repeatedly, and stuffed it into his pocket. He thought to himself that this note was sent by Cui Hengfei of the Brocade Guard through a homing pigeon, instructing him to ambush the Japanese pirates near Changbai Mountain Villa. Now that the Japanese pirates had indeed appeared in the Changbai Mountain area, it seemed that Cui Heng's intelligence was accurate, and they must be heading towards Changbai Mountain Villa along this road. This Changbai Mountain Villa has always been a sacred place for the martial arts world, but it has never had any dealings with the imperial court. More importantly, if the villa were to be utilized by the Japanese pirates, it could serve as a strategic location to invade Liaodong. It seems that I cannot stand idly by; for the sake of the imperial court and the country's prosperity, I must pursue them, even if the road ahead is treacherous!

  With this in mind, Liang Qing stepped onto the path of pursuing and killing the Japanese pirates. From this moment on, he had already put life and death aside, and walked on this road regardless of good or bad fortune, with no regrets. This was not just a road leading to Changbai Mountain Villa, but also a turning point in his life...

  ……

  At the foot of the vast mountains, there is a quiet little village. The people here live very quietly, as if anything that happens outside the village has nothing to do with them.

  Until one night, the whole village was originally quiet, but after a burst of gongs and drums, the whole village seemed to wake up from sleep. People curiously walked out of their doors and came to the empty space at the village head. What they saw were rows of snow-bright long knives, followed by black shadows wielding big knives. Under the moonlight, the cold light flashed, and the cries of misery continued...

  The next day at noon, the sun was shining brightly.

  Liang Qingzhi arrived at the village and stood at the entrance, gazing out at the peaceful countryside, where paths crisscrossed and cooking smoke wafted gently into the air, creating a serene atmosphere. He spotted an elderly man standing at the entrance of the village and approached him to pay his respects. He asked the old man, "Sir, may I ask if there has been a group of people entering the mountains recently, about 100 or so?"

  The old man said: "Yes, there is a group of young people, both men and women, and they are driving ten horse-drawn carriages, which should still be loaded with grain."

  Liang Qing nodded and said: "They are indeed much faster than I imagined!"

  The old man shook his head and said: "They are just a little faster than you think they're dead."

  Li Qingzi looked puzzled and asked: "Old man, what makes you say that?"

  The old man turned around and sat down on a bluestone slab, let out a long sigh and said: "Young man, you don't know that our mountain is a place where one can enter but not leave. The mountain gate ahead is actually a Ghost Gate Pass. In the past two hundred years or so, no one who entered that mountain gate has come out alive."

  Li Qingshi heard this, looked up at the mountain gate, which was just two stone pillars and a gate with a strong sense of history. But on the other side of the mountain gate was a breathtaking scene, after passing through the mountain gate was a very steep slope, the slope became steeper and steeper, extending to the distant horizon, from the beginning of the slope there were dense forests, extending to the infinite distance, until the snow-capped mountains and blue sky met in the distance. This majestic mountain, showing its magnificent temperament, made people involuntarily feel a sense of shock, as if walking into the mountain would be like entering another world, or receiving a magical baptism. Li Qingshi couldn't help but let out a long sigh, the old man beside him continued to say: "Young man, do you know? The people living in that mountain are not ordinary people, they are demons!"

  Li Qiang shook his head and said: "Are they human?"

  The old man said: "I know they are human, but they are not ordinary people. What do you think they are doing? No one knows, because they never set foot out of this vast Changbai Mountain. But in all these years, we've seen many people go into the mountain, and not a single one has come out alive. Just the other day, some people did enter the mountain, but so far, none have come out. Do you think anyone can still make it out?"

  Liang Qing heard this and suddenly a hint of a pleased smile appeared on his face. He asked, "Old fellow, do you know what kind of people went into the mountains the other day?"

  The old man shook his head and didn't speak, while Liang Qing said slowly: "They are Japanese pirates! The Japanese chieftain sent them to invade Korea, perhaps with the intention of taking advantage of the situation to harm China. So this group of Japanese pirates must have ulterior motives, being sinister and cunning."

  The old man asked in surprise: "How can it be that the Emperor sent you? They have been friendly to us, haven't they?"

  Li Qing furrowed his brow and said: "Tian Huang? Old man, you speak very smoothly!"

  The old man burst out laughing and said: "Young fellow, you really know how to joke! The Emperor has given us grain!"

  "He said: 'That's because they haven't prepared to show their fox tail yet.'"

  The old man said: "That's also stronger than our Great Ming dynasty, right? Look at those officials, all they do is rob and plunder. What else can they do?"

  Liang Qingzhi heard this and said with a displeased expression: "I'll go into the mountain to take a look."

  Then he turned around and walked towards the mountain gate. Just as Liang Qingzhi turned around, the old man stretched out his hand and tore off his "skin" - a human skin mask. A pale long face was exposed, looking like he was in his 40s. He stared at Liang Qingzhi's back with eyes like electricity, shouting: "Ba Ga!"

  As soon as the shout fell, seventeen or more people rushed out of the village, each carrying a grass hat and holding a short-handled wooden knife. They gathered around the middle-aged man with a long face. The long-faced middle-aged man picked up a short steel knife from the pile of firewood on the ground and shouted: "Don't go, come and take my life!"

  He immediately stabbed forward with his knife at Liang Qing. Liang Qing had already heard the man's loud and hoarse shout, but when he turned around, he saw over a hundred people standing behind him. Each of them held sharp blades and glared menacingly as they surrounded Liang Qing, who was carrying a large knife.

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