The Path of the Martial Arts BOSS
Chapter 189 - 1 Azure Dragon Association

Chapter 189: Chapter 1 Azure Dragon Association

The weather was clear and bright, the verdant fields sprawling in all directions, and although April’s sunshine bathed everything, it still carried a warm and cozy feeling.

By April, the harsh early spring chill had long departed, making way for milder weather, and the small town’s streets were bustling with more people than in previous months.

"Slap—"

Inside a tavern in the small town, a white-haired old man slammed his hand on the table and loudly proclaimed, "Speaking of General Zhao, his spear was like a Shocking Dragon..."

He was a storyteller by trade, and his subject matter now was none other than General Zhao Zhonglin, who had passed away in mid-February.

Throughout his life, Zhao Zhonglin had been a soldier, and many from Daqian had grown up listening to his stories. Therefore, after his death, the entire world wore mourning clothes to commemorate the contributions that General Zhao had made to Daqian.

Following Zhao Zhonglin’s death, the storytellers across the Daqian Realm, meeting the expectations of the masses, recounted the numerous contributions the old general had made to Daqian, including the various battles he had encountered throughout his life.

However, no matter how engaging the stories, after two months, they could still become tiresome, and even the most touching tales of heroism couldn’t keep the common people saddened for two months.

After all, the common people needed to eat. In this ancient setting, the average people, burdened with their daily struggles for sustenance, truly didn’t have the time to continuously grieve over someone who had passed away, even if he was a hero.

No sooner had the storyteller begun his narrative than someone interrupted, "I say, Old Man Xu, you’re all out of stories! You’ve been talking about General Zhao for a month now, and my ears are developing calluses!"

The heckler was a burly Jianghu man dressed in a short, practical outfit, with a large saber lying on his table, emanating an air of untamed ruggedness.

Naturally, people from the worldly society were typically uninterested in matters of the court. Since ancient times, those in the Jianghu had defied the laws through martial prowess and naturally stood at odds with the court. That they had listened to Mr. Xu, the storyteller, recount the exploits of Zhao Zhonglin for an entire month was already showing considerable respect to General Zhao.

With the big man making a scene, others who had already lost interest joined in the clamor, demanding that Mr. Xu tell a fresh story.

Mr. Xu, unlike these people of Jianghu, had been a scholar in Daqian in his early years, but failing repeatedly in the imperial examinations, he had ultimately turned to storytelling as a means of livelihood. Nevertheless, this did not diminish his sense of identity with Daqian, and hearing the disinterest in Zhao Zhonglin’s deeds from the people of Jianghu, he felt quite aggravated.

Yet, one must bow to reality, especially when that reality is backed by the blade of a saber.

There’s a saying that ’a scholar encountering soldiers finds words are of no avail,’ but years of experience taught Mr. Xu, the scholar, that reasoning with these rough men of Jianghu was useless even if he could make them understand.

Therefore, Mr. Xu very willingly switched to another story, fortunately having a fresh one at hand.

"Slap—"

Mr. Xu again slapped the table and said, "Since the esteemed audience dislikes this story, I will tell you a very recent tale that has been circulating in the worldly society..."

"Some say the two oldest professions in the world are assassins and prostitutes. And recently, there’s been a new assassin organization in the worldly society."

"This organization’s members all wear black clothes, and from head to toe, only a pair of eyes emitting a chilling murderous aura can be seen..."

"Which assassin isn’t?" the same big man who had led the earlier heckling retorted.

However, his point was valid, and those present in the audience silently nodded their agreement. Assassins, being creatures of the shadows, must keep their identities concealed to survive long. Wearing black and covering their faces could be considered basic gear for an assassin.

"Cough cough, if it was just about the attire, surely there wouldn’t be anything worth mentioning. The most noteworthy characteristic of this organization is that they are extremely cautious before accepting an assignment, but once they do, it’s a fight to the death.

Huai’an’s Jingyun Sword, Xie Shaonan,

Yun Province’s Jue Guang Divine Palm, Liu Angxing,

Yan Province’s Ru Yunlong, Kai You,

and Central Province’s Mountain Splitting Divine Stick, Jie Lu..."

Mr. Xu listed the names of those who had been assassinated by this organization, each a master unreachable by the people present, the weakest among them being from the Innate Fifth Realm.

Though the Innate Realm is only the second realm in martial arts, just attaining this realm is the ultimate and highest aim for most in the worldly society. Now, in an era of relative peace across the worldly society where few Divine Origin Realm masters from the various factions intervene, those active in the worldly society are mostly martial artists of the Innate Realm.

The ability of this new assassin organization to kill numerous masters of the Innate Realm demonstrated their capability to stir up trouble in the current climate of the worldly society.

"And not just that," Mr. Xu continued, "just a few days ago, in early April, on the occasion of the fiftieth birthday of the well-known Hero Tian of Tian Mansion from Jiangdong—a noted Divine Origin Realm master..."

The people inside the tavern swallowed hard and nodded in unison, suspecting something about this Divine Origin Realm hero...

"On the third of April, the day of Hero Tian’s fiftieth birthday, this assassin organization suddenly appeared, aiming to take Hero Tian’s life. However, Hero Tian had always been charitable and sociable with many friends, who were also masters in their own right, and naturally, they could not stand by and watch. What ensued was an intense battle, where both sides fought a deadly combat..."

"Was the leader of this assassin organization also a Divine Origin Realm master?" The question came from Chang Daxian, but this time without any earlier bluster, his expression was one of intense concentration, clearly drawn into the storyline by the old storyteller.

"Not at all, according to the few survivors who fled, the assassins who came were all from the Innate Realm; there were no Divine Origin Realm masters among them. But it is precisely because there were no Divine Origin Realm masters that the organization seems so terrifying!"

Mr. Xu’s eyes dimmed, his voice barely concealing a tremble, "They truly were fearless of death, existing solely for the sake of slaughter. Dozens of Innate Realm masters continually sacrificed themselves, trading their lives for the lives they took, claiming the lives of many masters who came to assist and even the life of Hero Tian. According to one of those who escaped, those people were hardly human; what ran through their veins wasn’t blood, but a poison deadly enough to claim lives."

"Moreover..." Mr. Xu’s face took on a sinister and eerie look, "They also drank human blood. After the killings, Tian Mansion was put to the torch, but those who later examined the charred bodies found that the numbers did not match; some had been taken away. It is speculated that those taken had been captured to serve as food."

After Mr. Xu finished his story, no one inside the tavern spoke for a long time. Even though it was broad daylight, everyone felt chills, as if a cold wind had swept through, bringing with it an eerie, haunting feeling.

"What... What’s the name of this assassin organization?"

"Azure Dragon Association."

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