Volume 1 Chapter 5: A Disparity in Strength

The meaning behind Dong Ping’s words was clear enough; his offer to “make friends” was merely a pretext to recruit the two of them into Qingfeng Stronghold.

However, since ancient times, it has been easy to turn to banditry but difficult to return to a righteous path. Seeing that Bai Chou remained silent, Zhao Yun mistook his hesitation for a desire to compromise. He turned to Dong Ping and said, “I am Zhao Yun. I am willing to be friends, but if you expect me to join your stronghold, I will never agree to it.”

Bai Chou, noticing Zhao Yun’s haste to clarify his position and distance himself, realized that Zhao Yun had misunderstood his intentions. Although Bai Chou had a great desire to befriend this legendary warrior from the Water Margin, if he had to choose between Zhao Yun and Dong Ping, he would choose the former without hesitation. He echoed, “Zhao Yun’s intentions are mine as well. Being friends is fine, but we have urgent matters to attend to. If you expect us to accompany you to Qingfeng Stronghold, I am sorry, but we truly do not have the time.”

Dong Ping had noticed Bai Chou’s look of surprise when he revealed his name, and he had assumed it was due to his own widespread fame. He thought to himself that since this young man possessed decent skills, recruiting him would strengthen his own influence within Qingfeng Stronghold. To his surprise, the young man’s refusal was completely devoid of respect. Annoyed, he replied coldly, “I saw that your skills were not bad, which is why I considered recruiting you. Since you both speak this way, it seems you look down on Qingfeng Stronghold and have no intention of giving me, Dong Ping, any face.”

As soon as Dong Ping finished speaking, a powerful killing intent radiated from him. His black robes stirred without a breeze. The vast, overwhelming pressure caused Bai Chou to shiver involuntarily, and he instinctively took a step back.

Zhao Yun also took a defensive stance, saying, “It seems you have no intention of letting us leave today.”

As the saying goes, correct footwork makes for fluid strikes; precise footwork makes for swift and agile movements. Footwork is the foundation of martial arts. Dong Ping was a master of combat techniques; a mere glance at Zhao Yun’s lower-body stance told him that the young man had never received formal training. He scoffed, “It has been a long time since I last fought. If I do not personally take action today, you two will never understand the methods of the ‘Twin Spear General.’ Come, both of you attack at once!”

With that, he crossed his arms, retrieved the twin spears from his back, and stepped forward.

The moment he took his first step, Bai Chou felt the temperature of the surrounding air drop significantly. In Bai Chou’s understanding, even if a person were incredibly strong, it should be impossible to influence the surrounding environment or temperature. Yet, the icy oppression emanating from Dong Ping was undeniably real. The “Five Heavens of Frost” lived up to its name indeed.

While Bai Chou stood in shock, an immense, frigid wave of energy surged toward him and Zhao Yun. Before Dong Ping even closed the distance, the two were already shivering, their teeth chattering from the cold. Only then did they truly grasp the terrifying extent of Dong Ping’s power.

An ordinary person would have been paralyzed with fear or surrendered long ago. However, Bai Chou and Zhao Yun were resolute; even knowing they were outmatched, they would never submit.

“I will hold him off. Run if you can,” Zhao Yun whispered.

“It is no big deal. If we can win, we fight; if we cannot, we die,” Bai Chou said with solemn dignity. Having already experienced death once, he felt a strange sense of liberation facing it again.

Hearing this, Zhao Yun cast an appreciative look at Bai Chou, his own spirit rising. “Very well, then let us give it our all today!”

“Hmph, thinking you can escape from my hands? You truly are ignorant of the vastness of the world,” Dong Ping muttered. His hearing was keen, and though Zhao Yun had lowered his voice, Dong Ping had heard every word clearly.

His momentum suddenly surged. With a swing of his powerful wrists, the twin spears unleashed a torrent of energy like solid snowflakes, rushing toward the two like a blizzard.

Seeing this inconceivable technique, Bai Chou finally understood why Dong Ping had called them ignorant. They braced themselves, each facing a spear, but the snowflake-like energy did not come solely from the weapons; it felt as if it were pressing in from all directions. Taking advantage of the misty frost, Dong Ping vanished from sight.

Bai Chou could not afford to track Dong Ping; he had to focus on dodging the incoming spear. He swung his dagger, blindly parrying the strike.

*Clang!*

With a thunderous crash, Bai Chou was sent flying back several meters. Before he could even feel relief, he sensed a phantom-like movement beside him. A sharp, icy pain shot through his left shoulder, and a freezing numbness instantly flooded his body. He realized that at some point, Dong Ping had closed the distance and landed a solid palm strike on his shoulder. His entire left arm was now frozen, completely devoid of sensation.

Fortunately, Dong Ping was not aiming for a swift kill. Like a cat playing with a mouse, he turned his lightning-fast assault toward Zhao Yun.

With his twin spears in hand, Dong Ping carved a strange trajectory through the air. The frigid energy enveloped Zhao Yun from all sides, leaving him no room to maneuver. Yet, Zhao Yun’s reflexes were peerless. His body swerved to the left with such speed that he left an afterimage behind, narrowly evading the terrifying strike.

*Boom!*

Dong Ping’s spear missed, gouging a crater a meter wide where Zhao Yun had stood a moment before. Dong Ping paused, unable to fathom how this youth, who seemed to know nothing of formal martial arts, had dodged his attack through sheer reaction and speed.

Dong Ping was a man prone to jealousy. He thought, *This youth’s natural talent is too high. If he ever learns advanced martial arts, he will surely become a formidable rival. I must nip this threat in the bud!*

With that thought, killing intent flared in his eyes. Frost began to form on the ground around him. His left spear began to glow faintly, and before their eyes, the entire weapon became encased in ice.

Without any visible exertion, Dong Ping flicked the spear. Wherever it passed, the ground froze, and the very air seemed to solidify—including the space around Zhao Yun, toward whom the tip was aimed.

Just as the spear was about to pierce Zhao Yun’s chest, a low grunt echoed through the air.

To everyone’s astonishment, the expected scene of Zhao Yun being impaled never occurred. Instead, it was Dong Ping who was sent flying backward, spear and all.

The force was immense. After flying back some forty or fifty feet, Dong Ping only managed to steady himself by crashing into a large tree. He looked toward Zhao Yun’s position in disbelief.

Standing before Zhao Yun was an elderly man with white hair and a youthful complexion. His expression was calm, yet a peerless aura radiated from him, commanding awe without anger. Everyone present, including Dong Ping, was bewildered; they had not seen the old man move, nor had they seen him arrive. The only reality was that Dong Ping had been repelled by this mysterious elder in a single exchange.

Dong Ping had never encountered such a powerful expert since leaving his stronghold. He looked into the elder’s eyes and felt a shiver run down his spine. The elder’s gaze was like two flashes of lightning, making Dong Ping feel weak at the knees.

Qingfeng Ridge was only a few dozen miles from Wolong Mountain, and Dong Ping had heard the legends of the “Old Immortal” of Wolong Mountain. He had previously dismissed them as mere peasant exaggerations, but after a single encounter, he realized how insignificant his own martial arts—of which he was so proud—were before this man.

Dong Ping sheathed his spears and cupped his hands in a salute. “May I ask, what is the elder’s relationship to these two?”

“None whatsoever,” the elder replied calmly.

“Then, if Qingfeng Stronghold wishes to take these two...”

Before Dong Ping could finish, the elder waved his hand dismissively. “I care not for your Qingfeng Stronghold or your Bright Moon Stronghold. You shall not run wild in my Wolong Mountain region. Begone, before I change my mind.”

Dong Ping was a man who knew when to retreat. Though he had lost face before his subordinates, the disparity in their strength was too great. He nodded, signaled to Zhou Tong, and the dozen men quickly vanished into the dense forest.