Chapter 24 — What Kind of World Is This!

"The third bout: Teng Rongjun's Teng Sunning against Li Family Village's Li Jinfu. Both of you, into the circle, if you please," said the silver-haired old man on the crutch.

Teng Xuanji studied Li Jinfu closely.

"This Li Jinfu—look at the murder in those eyes. He's a wild beast in human skin." A sliver of worry stirred in Teng Xuanji for his eldest uncle, Teng Sunning.

"Yongxiang, be careful. Don't try to match him strength for strength," Teng Yuning said quietly. "This Li Jinfu's arms are every bit as powerful as mine." Among all of Teng Rongjun, Teng Yuning was the undisputed strongest. If even he said so, one could imagine what the opponent was made of.

"Understood," Teng Sunning said with a slight nod.

The thousand-odd spectators fell silent.

Li Jinfu swept his great bell-like eyes over Teng Sunning, then strode into the ring and growled, "You. Hurry it up." Teng Sunning narrowed his eyes and strode in as well. The two squared off, and Teng Sunning did not dare let his attention wander for an instant—beads of sweat stood out even on his forehead.

"Both of you—begin," said the silver-haired old man, and as his voice fell, Li Jinfu moved.

"ROAR—"

A bellow like a wild beast's burst from Li Jinfu's throat. He drove both hands and both feet against the ground and sprang, a tiger pouncing at Teng Sunning with all its speed. The animal skins he wore made him seem all the more a beast.

"So fast." Teng Sunning flung himself backward. "I meant to fight him with speed—but it seems he's faster than I am."

Wham! Wham! With the tiger's pounce came two clawing strikes that raked furrows across Teng Sunning's body.

Li Jinfu's eyes flew wide, savage light pouring out.

He planted both hands and leaped again, his fists like iron hammers, pounding blow after blow.

Teng Sunning had no time to dodge; he could only take them.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The heavy fists came down in succession. Teng Sunning blocked two, and then two more smashed into his chest and sent him flying, to land hard outside the circle, blood spilling steadily from his mouth.

"Yongxiang!" Teng Yuning, Teng Xuanji still in his arms, ran to him.

"Eldest Uncle." Teng Xuanji watched closely as well.

"Hmph. You didn't kill my uncle, so I held back too—spared his life. When my fists landed, I used only half my strength. He won't die." Li Jinfu's voice was hoarse, and he fixed his eyes on Teng Yuning. "Teng Yuning, you're strong enough. In all of Teng Rongjun, you're the only one fit to be my match."

Teng Yuning looked up.

Li Jinfu, eight chi tall, stood like some demon god, staring at Teng Yuning. He sneered, "A pity. Stay in this village, and this is all you'll ever be." With that he turned, picked up that chilling wolf-tooth club, shouldered it, and strode off.

The Li Family Village folk parted at once to let him through.

"The third bout goes to Li Family Village's Li Jinfu. With three bouts concluded, Teng Rongjun and Li Family Village have each taken one victory and one draw. By the rules, from today the water in the channel is divided between Teng Rongjun and Li Family Village, six shichen apiece each day," the silver-haired old man announced.

Half to each clan—Teng Rongjun and Li Family Village alike accepted it with calm hearts.

"Li Huojun, that grandson of yours looks to be leaving your Li Family Village," Teng Zhaoxian said.

"Haha!" Li Huojun, as if fearing those around him might not hear, boomed, "My grandson Jinfu—when he was thirteen, he went alone into the Dayan Mountains and spent five years in bitter training, keeping company with wild beasts, and there he hammered out a Tiger Fist. He has only just finished that training, and he has already made up his mind: he will go sit the examination and join the Cang Sect."

A clamor broke out at once.

"Join the Cang Sect—" At those three words Teng Xuanji gave a start.

"Zong Yuanyue?" Teng Xuanji had never heard of it—never in all Chinese history had there been such a thing as a Zong Yuanyue.

"It seems your precious grandson has a boundless future ahead of him," Teng Zhaoxian said with a laugh.

With the water contest over, the people of Teng Rongjun and Li Family Village dispersed, though everywhere there was talk—talk of this fight, and mostly, of course, of Li Jinfu.

On the road home.

"Father, what is the Cang Sect?" Teng Xuanji asked, puzzled.

"A very, very powerful Zong Yuanyue. My goal in the years to come is to enter the Cang Sect," Teng Xuanzheng put in firmly from the side.

His father Teng Yuning smiled. "Qinghu has spirit. Qingshan—this Cang Sect is a Zong Yuanyue, and a Zong Yuanyue teaches its disciples to cultivate inner force. Inner force is not the same as the strength of sinew and bone; its power is immense. The experts that come out of those Zong Yuanyue are sometimes soft-skinned and delicate-looking, and yet a single slap from one of them can shatter a boulder."

Teng Xuanji nodded to himself.

The marvel of inner force—of course he understood it.

"Father, why didn't you go to the Cang Sect?" Teng Xuanji went on. "And are there no other Zong Yuanyue? Must one enter the Cang Sect?"

Teng Xuanji was clever and quick, and though only four, he spoke with perfect logic.

Teng Yuning was glad to have such a son.

Teng Yuning sighed with feeling and explained at length. "Qingshan, the whole world under heaven is divided into nine provinces. Yangzhou is the most flourishing of them. Within Yangzhou, the first Zong Yuanyue is Green Lake Island, and the second is the Cang Sect—though, of course, the Iron Cloth Sect stands level with the Cang Sect as second, their strength all but equal."

Teng Xuanji nodded. "Then why not join Green Lake Island? Isn't Green Lake Island the first Zong Yuanyue?"

"Yangzhou has thirteen commandery cities. Of those thirteen, nine are wholly in the grip of Green Lake Island—that one Zong Yuanyue. Within those nine commandery cities, Green Lake Island is the only Zong Yuanyue. The officials and troops of the nine commandery cities and the hundred-odd towns beneath them are all appointed by Green Lake Island—or to put it precisely, the officials and troops are outer members of Green Lake Island."

Teng Xuanji's head swam.

What kind of world was this?

What kind of age was this?

A martial sect that wholly controlled nine commandery cities—and the so-called officials and troops were appointed by the sect, and counted as its outer members?

"Of Yangzhou's thirteen commandery cities, the first Zong Yuanyue, Green Lake Island, controls nine outright. The Cang Sect, in turn, controls our Jiangyuan region outright—the nine great cities of our Jiangyuan. The so-called officers and soldiers are in fact all outer members of the Cang Sect. Those officials are all Cang Sect disciples. In Jiangyuan, the Cang Sect is heaven—there is no other Zong Yuanyue at all, and none dares set foot in Jiangyuan."

Teng Xuanji's head was still swimming.

He was certain: nowhere in Chinese history had a martial sect ever held the world in its grip.

This world was no dynasty out of Chinese history—not any of them.

"Qingshan." His cousin Teng Xuanzheng spoke up too, face alight with excitement. "Take the White Horse Gang and Li Shuoheng—eight thousand core gang members. And yet every year it must pay tribute to the lord of Yicheng. If the lord is displeased, he leads a band of martial artists over there—hmph. Never mind his eight thousand; a mere one or two hundred martial artists could slaughter the White Horse Gang to the last man."

Teng Xuanji understood completely now.

In Jiangyuan, the Cang Sect was the emperor.

The officials of the government were Cang Sect disciples. Even gangs like the White Horse Gang trod carefully, not daring to offend the Cang Sect.

"Is it hard to enter the Cang Sect?" Teng Xuanji asked.