The Bloody Case of the Tang Clan Stains the Sky

In Suzhou, there was a manor. Its gate was painted with vermilion lacquer and densely studded with copper nails. A plaque was hung at the top of the gate, on which were written three golden Chinese characters, "Tang Family Manor", with powerful strokes. In the martial arts training ground of the manor, Tang Yan and his wife Shui Wanyue were teaching their son Tang Qi the Tang Family's Pingtian Swordsmanship. Tang Qi brandished his sword, making it move with great force. He stabbed upwards and swept downwards in turn. His body was light and agile, moving as fast as the wind and as swiftly as lightning. He managed to finish using all the 108 moves of the Pingtian Swordsmanship and then sheathed his sword.

Tang Yan smiled and said, "Qi'er, this Pingtian Swordsmanship was created by our Tang family's ancestors. It can hold its own in the martial arts world. You must study it carefully and carry it forward." Tang Qi said, "I will keep it in mind, Father. I won't let you and Mother down. I will definitely carry forward this swordsmanship!" The couple smiled and remained silent.

After a while, Shui Wanyue said, "Qi'er, now that the Qing soldiers are invading our Ming Dynasty, and Lord Yuan is fighting the enemy to serve the country, but there are traitors in the court disrupting the country. Your father and I are going to the capital to assassinate Wei Zhongxian. You will go to Shanhaiguan to help Lord Yuan defeat the enemy. What do you think?" Tang Qi said, "I will definitely drive the Manchu Tartars out of the Central Plains! I will never let you down, Father and Mother!"

Just as he finished speaking, suddenly, a miserable cry came from outside. The cry was shrill and desperate. The three of them were greatly shocked and quickly ran towards the source of the cry. The Tang Family Manor was a large manor in the Central Plains' martial arts world. For hundreds of years, the successive manor lords had created a lot of glory with the "Pingtian Swordsmanship". When people in the martial arts world mentioned the words "Tang Family Manor", nine out of ten would give a thumbs-up.

 This manor was built in the Tang Dynasty and had remained standing for hundreds of years. After being built and expanded by several generations of manor lords and disciples in the manor, it had become a large manor. The martial arts training ground was divided into three sections. The outermost section was where they usually practiced. The middle section was where senior and junior brothers practiced and competed with each other. And the place where Tang Qi was practicing now was a place specially selected by the master and mistress to train their proud disciples.

At this time, the miserable cry was coming from the outermost section. The three of them felt their hearts pounding, and an inexplicable sense of worry welled up in their hearts. Just as they reached the entrance of the second section of the martial arts training ground, a disciple stumbled over, bleeding from his mouth, and stammered, "Master—Mistress—There—are—people attacking the manor—We—can't—resist!" After saying that, a sleeve arrow suddenly shot over and pierced his throat, killing him.

The three of them were greatly shocked. Tang Yan shouted angrily, "Who are you? How dare you attack my Tang family? Show yourself quickly!" He rushed out the door in a hurry. They saw a Taoist priest in his fifties, wearing a loose robe and large sleeves, as thin as a stick, with a pair of rat-like eyes. He was standing in the middle of the martial arts ground, with dead bodies all around, and there was not a single survivor. All 120 disciples had been killed by hidden weapons, and the air was filled with the smell of blood.

The three of them felt a pang of pain in their hearts. Tang Yan saw that more than a hundred disciples he had painstakingly trained had all died at the hands of the villain, and grief welled up in his heart. His stomach twitched, and he almost fainted. Shui Wanyue usually treated these disciples like her own children. Now, seeing such a tragic scene, she was heartbroken and tears streamed down her face. Tang Qi had a deep affection for these senior and junior brothers as they usually practiced martial arts and played together. Seeing his senior and junior brothers lying in a pool of blood, he was filled with grief and indignation and stared angrily at the Taoist priest, ready for a fight.

The Taoist priest said coldly, "Tang Yan, I intend to unify the martial arts world of the Central Plains. Your Pingtian Swordsmanship is a unique skill in the martial arts world, and I'd like to see it for myself!" It turned out that this person was called Mitianhun. Taking advantage of the Qing soldiers' invasion and the presence of Li Zicheng within the martial arts world of the Central Plains and the Manchu cavalry outside, he was 妄图 to rule the martial arts world and dominate the world.

 Tang Yan knew that the person who came was not friendly. He winked at his wife and son. Suddenly, the three of them attacked the Taoist priest together. The Taoist priest's palms danced, and the shadows of his palms were like scattered snowflakes, changing constantly. The father and son used their full strength and made the 108 moves of the Pingtian Swordsmanship impenetrable and flawless, with the shadows of their swords moving nimbly.

Tang Yan used the move "White Crane Spreading Its Wings" to slash horizontally at the enemy's neck. Shui Wanyue used the move "Startled Swan Flying to the Sky" to chop at Mitianhun's right shoulder. Tang Qi used the move "White Eyebrow Brushing the Willow" to slash horizontally at his lower body. Mitianhun tilted his head to avoid it, shifted his right shoulder to the left, and clamped Tang Qi's long sword with his index and thumb fingers of his left hand. Tang Qi tilted the tip of his sword slightly, drew a circle from the right, and attacked his chest.

 Tang Yan and Shui Wanyue's swords attacked simultaneously. Mitianhun took three steps back, and his right palm fluttered. Three bone-piercing nails flew out from his wide sleeves and attacked the three of them respectively. Tang Yan and the other two were very angry when they saw the enemy suddenly launching hidden weapons. They rushed forward with their swords. Shui Wanyue usually abided by the woman's virtues, was extremely gentle, and treated the disciples very kindly. But today, when she suddenly encountered a powerful enemy, she showed her tough side. Her long sword shook like the wind, avoiding the hidden weapons, and with three quick swishes, she stabbed at the enemy's vital parts.

 Tang Yan dodged to the side and brandished his long sword, as heavy and powerful as a mountain. He used all the essential moves of the "Pingtian Swordsmanship", skillfully applying the six-character formula of "stabbing, thrusting, slashing, blocking, parrying, and chopping". His sword strikes were as fast as lightning. In a flash, he successively stabbed out three exquisite moves, "Tiger Leaping off the Cliff", "Setting Sun Slanting Westward", and "Solitary Swan in the Desert", attacking the enemy's upper body.

 Tang Qi had sharp eyes. When he saw the hidden weapon flying towards him from three feet away, his long sword was already in position. With a clang, the bone-piercing nail flew obliquely away and was firmly nailed to the wall on the right. It was evident that Mitianhun's strength was extraordinary, and the momentum was strong and urgent.

Tang Qi stepped forward and attacked Mi Tianhun from the left. His long sword slashed at Mi Tianhun's wrist, and his left palm struck at the kidney point on Mi Tianhun's waist. Mi Tianhun hooked his left hand backward to grab Tang Qi's wrist. Tang Qi's long sword missed, and he quickly retracted his left palm. Then his right hand's long sword stabbed at Mi Tianhun's wrist again. This repeated three times, and neither side could gain the upper hand.

Shui Wanyue's long sword slashed towards Mi Tianhun's forehead. Mi Tianhun leaned backward, and his index and middle fingers of his right hand pointed at the major acupoint on her waist. Tang Yan used the move "Splitting the Sky and Covering the Moon" with his long sword and slashed towards Mi Tianhun's right hand. If Mi Tianhun didn't retract his right hand, his wrist would surely be cut off. Unexpectedly, in the middle of the move, he suddenly changed his move and grabbed Tang Yan's long sword with an anti-grabbing motion. Tang Yan retracted his long sword, and his left hand came to meet Mi Tianhun's palm. When their palms collided, they both exerted their true energy and felt that the other's inner power was pure and refined.

Suddenly, Mi Tianhun waved his two palms like a tempestuous rain. Tang Yan and Shui Wanyue's two long swords both broke. The two were greatly shocked. They never expected that the opponent had such great martial arts skills and couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. They secretly thought that they had met such a powerful enemy today and didn't know what their fate would be. 

Out of the corner of their eyes, they saw the corpses on the ground covered in blood, and their anger grew even stronger. They threw away the sword hilts and waved their bare palms to attack Mi Tianhun together. Although Tang Qi's long sword in his hand was not broken, seeing that his parents' swords were both broken, he guessed that this person had profound martial arts skills. Just the power in this person's hands alone already made him admire. 

Tang Yan attacked with his left fist and right palm at the same time. The fist struck at Mi Tianhun's temple, and the palm pushed at his Shenfu acupoint. Mi Tianhun waved his palm to block. Shui Wanyue's palms danced, using her famous unique skill, the "Water Wave Phoenix Singing Palm". It was like the surging of water waves, with the phoenix flying over the water surface. Each wave was stronger than the last, each surge higher than the previous one, and each move faster than the last. It was really powerful. Mi Tianhun waved his palms like the wind. Facing the three of them alone, he still didn't fall into a disadvantage. 

Tang Qi's long sword specifically attacked Mi Tianhun's left side. Each move was extremely fierce and ruthless. At this critical moment of life and death, he unleashed all his true qi, filling his whole body with qi. The sword qi was menacing. Suddenly, Mi Tianhun slapped a palm from the side, hitting Tang Qi right in the middle of his chest. Tang Yan and his wife saw that their son couldn't dodge in time. Their hearts tightened, and their true energy leaked out. Unexpectedly, Mi Tianhun's move was a feint. He just wanted to make the couple focus their attention on Tang Qi so that he could take the opportunity to strike with his palm. 

They saw that he suddenly struck back with his palm, hitting Tang Yan. Then, in a flash, he attacked Shui Wanyue. With a slap, his poisonous palm hit Shui Wanyue right in the middle of her chest. The two quickly retreated and spat out a mouthful of blood. Tang Qi was extremely anxious and stabbed eight consecutive swords at Mi Tianhun's vital parts with his long sword, shouting, "Father, Mother, are you all right?" 

At this time, Tang Qi was filled with anger and grief. He used successive killing moves with his long sword. Mi Tianhun's palms flipped like the wind, dispelling all of Tang Qi's attacks. Tang Yan and Shui Wanyue were already seriously injured. Seeing that the opponent's martial arts skills were far superior to Tang Qi's, they both had the same thought: "Today, our Tang Clan has suffered a great disaster. This person's martial arts are truly powerful. If he doesn't kill all of us in the Tang Clan, he will surely never give up. Our Tang Clan's foundation that has been built over hundreds of years is about to be destroyed by this person. Qi'er must not die. We must risk our old lives to let Qi'er leave safely. The bloodline of the Tang Clan must not be cut off!"

The couple had slept in the same bed for decades and knew each other's thoughts well. At this moment, they both wanted to let Tang Qi leave safely. Suddenly, Tang Yan and Shui Wanyue rushed towards Mi Tianhun at the same time and each hugged one of his legs. When Tang Qi saw what his parents were doing, he understood that they were going to risk their lives to protect him. His long sword didn't stop. Although Mi Tianhun had his legs hugged, his palms were like the wind and rain, and Tang Qi couldn't hurt him either. 

Tang Yan shouted, "Qi'er! Run quickly! We are no match for him at all. You are the only bloodline of our Tang Clan. You must escape, practice your martial arts well, avenge us, and revive the Tang Clan's foundation in the future!" Shui Wanyue cried, "Qi'er, Mother can't take care of you anymore. Take care of yourself in the future. Find a good wife someday. If your father and I know it in the underworld, we will be happy for you. Qi'er, run quickly!" 

Tang Qi shed tears and said, "Father, Mother, your son can't leave you behind. Let's go together or die together." After saying that, he increased the speed of his swordplay. Shui Wanyue shouted sharply, "Qi'er, why don't you run quickly? Do you want us to die with grievances? The Tang Clan's foundation is still waiting for you to rebuild. Don't forget what your father and mother have taught you on weekdays. You must uphold justice, eliminate the violent and protect the good, rob the rich to help the poor. This is the way of a hero. Run quickly..." Tang Qi shouted with tears in his eyes, "I will surely avenge you, Father and Mother!" and then rushed out quickly. 

When the couple saw that their son was safe, they were relieved in their hearts, but they still held tightly to Mi Tianhun's legs. Mi Tianhun, with his legs hugged, couldn't move his lower body. He fiercely waved his palms and struck at the two's heads. But they held on so tightly that after hitting them several times, Tang Yan and Shui Wanyue were bleeding profusely, and their brains burst out, yet they still held his legs tightly. 

Mi Tianhun then slashed at the two's shoulders violently. I don't know how many times he slashed before their hands gradually loosened. But by this time, Tang Qi had already run far away, and there was no way to catch up with him. Mi Tianhun was furious and kicked the two corpses twice each. He had originally planned to annihilate the Tang Family Village in one fell swoop. Who would have thought that in the end, he would be held by the legs, and he could only watch as the only descendant of the Tang Clan escaped. Wasn't all his efforts in vain? 

He felt an indescribable sense of failure in his heart. He glared at the more than a hundred corpses a few times in anger, then set the village on fire. It was pitiful that more than a hundred lives were all lost here. The flames soared into the sky, and the raging fire dyed the sky red.

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