Chapter 687 - 687 Sha Men vs Shen Family
At 9:30 in the morning, the people of the Shen Family, led by Shen Qianyue, rushed to the teahouse.
The Sha Men members had been waiting there already, having dismissed all the miscellaneous staff, leaving only the internal members of Sha Men.
As soon as the people of the Shen Family entered, Ghost King Li Ruoyuan, who was hiding at the doorway, immediately closed the gates of the courtyard. He stood behind the people of the Shen Family, his eyes coldly staring at them, while constantly letting out a chilling laugh, as if he was watching turtles in a jar.
The people of the Shen Family showed no fear; their vehicle stopped in the middle of the courtyard, and Brother Jiu led about twenty of them straight to the doorstep of the teahouse.
The members of Sha Men were also sitting at the doorway, with the Right Protector at the forefront. Upon seeing the people of the Shen Family approaching, a cold sneer flickered across the Right Protector's face. He said, "You are quite punctual, eh, you said you would come today, and indeed you are here!"
Shen Jiu proudly said, "The people of the Shen Family always keep their word, a promise worth its weight in gold. Failing to do as promised would invite mockery from the worthless."
"I didn't mean to mock," the Right Protector said with a slight smile, "I just wanted to say..." He continued, "You all must be exhausted from the journey, and I guess none of you slept well last night, probably not feeling spirited enough. And having come over so early this morning, everyone looks listless, how are you going to fight like this?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Jiu immediately realized that those mourning people last night were indeed arranged by Sha Men. He immediately furrowed his brow, glared at the Right Protector, and said sternly, "I had long heard of the Right Protector, Blood-Sealed Throat, being despicable and shameless. Seeing you today, the reputation is indeed well-deserved. To engage in such vile acts, hmph, that truly fits your character. The people of Sha Men are indeed all despicable and shameless, that bloody battle ten years ago was absolutely justified!"
At these words, the Sha Men members immediately stirred into commotion. Ten years ago, when the Shen Family slaughtered miles in their way, except for these few stronger individuals who escaped, most of the others were killed, which was what they resented the most. And now, the people of the Shen Family were saying that act was justified; how could the Sha Men members possibly accept this?
"It seems that the Shen Family hasn't thought of reflecting upon their actions at all!" the Right Protector sighed and said, "That's very much in line with your character, arrogant and self-righteous. You were like this ten years ago, and ten years later, you have become even more extreme. Hmph, no wonder the reputation of the Shen Family has been getting worse in the Southern Six Provinces, so this is why. In my view, your so-called Martial Arts Holy Land of the Southern Six Provinces is merely a name with no substance!"
"Blood-Sealed Throat, cut the crap!" Shen Anyun couldn't hold back any longer and stood up, angrily saying, "Are we here to fight today or to argue? What kind of people are you Sha Men to judge us, the people of the Shen Family? Hmph, truly a bunch of shameless villains. We failed to root you out completely ten years ago, today, I will make sure Sha Men is completely annihilated!"
At these words, the Sha Men members also immediately started shouting, tension instantly escalating at the scene.
"Hahaha..." The Right Protector laughed heartily and said, "Are the people of the Shen Family so eager to die? I was thinking, since you didn't sleep well last night, I specifically ordered someone to prepare some Mind Refreshing and Brain Nourishing Tea, ready to offer you a taste. Although we can't resolve our grudges, why not drink a couple of cups first, build up your spirits, and then fight?"
"Who wants to drink your tea, you despicable people, you might have put poison in it!" Shen Anyun yelled angrily, "Stop talking nonsense, let's just fight. How do you want to fight? One by one, or all at once?"
"Why bother being so troublesome in fighting you losers!" Cui Yulong shouted loudly, holding a wooden box and stepping forward, pointing at the people of the Shen Family and saying sternly, "All of you come at once!"
"What an arrogant tone!" Shen Anyun was furious and said, "You must be Cui Yulong, right? Hmph, you killed two of our Shen Family members and broke my brother Shen Anming's arm. Today, I will kill you with my own hands!"
With a loud yell, Shen Anyun charged towards Cui Yulong, intending to fight him first.
It was already too late for Shen Jiu to intercept. He could only shout loudly, "Anyun, be careful!"
Shen Anyun had no intention of being careful; she charged forward and launched a lethal attack, her hands clenched tightly, smashing directly towards Cui Yulong's temples. Her speed and strength were both extremely fast, and this move was entirely unexpected by everyone around; any of the Sha Men members, except for the Right Protector, would hardly be able to dodge this strike!
However, the person Shen Anyun was facing was Cui Yulong, which made the situation different. Before her fists could hit Cui Yulong's temples, the wooden box in Cui Yulong's hands was already pressed against her chest. If she continued forward, she would inevitably be hit by this wooden box, making her fists unable to reach Cui Yulong and causing her own injury instead.
Shen Anyun reacted very quickly. She immediately smashed her fists downward, forcefully knocking Cui Yulong's wooden box askew. However, Cui Yulong immediately followed with a step forward, raising his hand towards her neck, his movements extremely swift.
"You're seeking death!" Shen Anyun shouted loudly, sweeping her hand to clear away Cui Yulong's attempt to grab her, and then she prepared to rush forward a few steps, getting close to Cui Yulong.
The Wing Chun of the Xihang Shen Family is genuinely terrifying in its power. Moreover, Wing Chun is known as invincible in close combat. Having practiced Wing Chun for many years, Shen Anyun was seeking the right opportunity to engage Cui Yulong in close combat, to unleash the full power of Wing Chun.
Cui Yulong seemed completely unaware of Shen Anyun's intentions. Seeing her rush towards him, he had no intention of retreating; instead, he also charged forward, swinging his hand at Shen Anyun.
As the distance between them closed, Shen Anyun immediately used Wing Chun Fist techniques to block Cui Yulong's arms, then she pressed forward step by step, either blocking or striking with her hands, moving extremely fast, with her hands fluttering so rapidly that it dazzled the onlookers. As for Cui Yulong, he seemed somewhat baffled by her boxing technique and was forced to keep retreating, appearing to be at a disadvantage!
Even though Shen Anyun appeared to have the upper hand, Shen Jiu was frowning deeply because he had noticed something was off. Wing Chun Fist emphasizes close combat and, crucially, the boxing style itself is about adapting flexibly to myriad situations. However, Shen Anyun, eager to attack, took the initiative to strike before Cui Yulong. It seemed like she was forcing Cui Yulong into continuous retreat, but only someone with Shen Jiu's skill could truly understand the situation.
It looked as though Cui Yulong had no strength to counterattack, but Shen Jiu, who was observing intently, saw that his resistance was completely effortless, as if playing with ease. It seemed like he was being driven back, but in reality, he was the one leading Shen Anyun all along, and she had no idea about it. Even the spectators thought that it was Shen Anyun forcing Cui Yulong to retreat!
"Anyun, be careful, don't chase him!" Shen Jiu shouted sternly, but at that moment, filled with the thrill of fighting, how could Shen Anyun be stopped by his shout?
"Old Nine Shen, they are fighting; what are you yelling for?" the Right Protector sneered. "If you disagree, why don't you fight him yourself? What skill is there in shouting here and disturbing others?"
Shen Jiu paid no attention to the Right Protector, seeing Shen Anyun's strikes getting faster and faster, his heart grew more and more anxious. The faster Shen Anyun struck, the more it meant that she was leaving herself without options for defense. In such a case, if Cui Yulong seized the opportunity to counterattack, she might not even have the chance to block!
"Anyun, get out of the way!" Finally, unable to bear it anymore, Shen Jiu shouted loudly and rushed towards Cui Yulong, prepared to replace Shen Anyun.
"What, planning to fight two against one?" The Right Protector immediately charged up and coldly blocked Shen Jiu, and the two began clashing directly.
Knowing he could not bypass the Right Protector quickly, Shen Jiu could only shout loudly, "Quick, go save Anyun!"
The rest of the Shen Family hurried to assist, but the people of Sha Men had been lying in wait. Seeing them make a move, the Sha Men crowd immediately charged forward, holding them off, and both sides immediately plunged into a melee.
Meanwhile, Shen Anyun was finally sensing that something was wrong. But by then, it was too late for her to withdraw her hands; she was completely caught up in the rhythm led by Cui Yulong, completely unable to stop.
Shen Anyun's complexion changed. She had never taken anyone outside the Shen Family seriously and thought that the people from Sha Men were easily defeatible. Therefore, as soon as she entered, she arrogantly chose to challenge the powerful Cui Yulong alone. However, she could never have imagined that Cui Yulong would be so strong that he could lead her through the fight; it was far beyond just being slightly better than her!
Feeling Cui Yulong's strikes getting faster and faster, fear began to take hold in Shen Anyun's heart, her voice trembling, "Brother Jiu, save… save me…"
Although Shen Jiu was clashing with the Right Protector, he was still keeping an eye on the situation on the side. Seeing Shen Anyun's plight, he knew she couldn't escape on her own. But, entangled by the Right Protector, he could not free himself to save her, leaving Shen Anyun in an extremely passive situation. Unless there was another master of Shen Jiu's caliber, no one could save Shen Anyun!
"Cui Yulong, if you're brave, don't hit women!" Shen Jiu shouted angrily. "Fight me if you are capable!"
"How many women did Sha Men kill ten years ago?" Cui Yulong replied coldly. "Now, ten years later, you tell me this, do you think I'll spare her?"
Shen Jiu was furious, but he truly had no retort to Cui Yulong's words. Ten years ago, many female assassins from Sha Men were also dealt with. Now, this was their retribution!
As the fierce battle continued endlessly by the tea house, out on the small road outside, three cars were speeding toward them. However, before their cars reached the entrance of the tea house, a large truck suddenly burst onto the road in front of them, directly blocking their way.