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Chapter 2
Annihilating the Enemy, Bloodbath in the Magnificent Hall
Wei Kongkong hitched up his horse, then told the waiter to bring him a jug of pure rice wine and a catty of sliced cooked beef.
Long Chengbi put on a smiling face. “Rare to see Little Bro Wei in the mood for a drink. Naturally, your unworthy brother will accompany you till the end.”
Wei Kongkong sighed. “Indeed it was I who cut off Yin Shiyuan’s head.”
Long Chengbi stared at him wide-eyed. Xu Qiaozhi was also quite surprised.
Yin Shiyuan was the owner of Bamboo Wave and the good friend of Martial World Alliance Head Dongfang Wuyou.
No matter who it was who killed Yin Shiyuan, Dongfang Wuyou would never let him off. Xu Qiaozhi couldn’t help but say, “Why did you do that?”
Wei Kongkong opened the luted seal of the wine jug and poured some out and sniffed it. He smiled. “This certainly is good wine. Pity it’s just like Yin Shiyuan: nice on the outside, but more poisonous than a venomous scorpion.”
Long Chengbi and Xu Qiaozhi’s faces sank.
Wei Kongkong retrieved a long silver needle from his sleeve and dipped it in the wine.
The silver needle immediately turned black.
Sima Xue was the first to jump up in fury because he had almost taken a drink of the wine.
Luckily Wei Kongkong arrived just in time, or else he might have already swallowed a cup of the stuff.
Sima Xue leapt up swiftly, sword drawn.
A sallowfaced waiter with bushy eyebrows had pulled out a steel stave and swung it at Wei Kongkong.
Once the steel stave was flashed, Long Chengbi knew who the waiter was because that steel stave was the Backbreaking Black Bone Life Snatching Stave, ranked 8th of the Top Ten Non-Standard Weapons of the World.
The sallowfaced waiter with bushy eyebrows without a doubt was the wielder of the Life Snatching Stave, Sallowfaced Black Stave Du Tiandu.
Du Tiandu was not at all second-rate. His Backbreaking Black Bone Life Snatching Stave specialized in striking a killing blow to the small of a person’s back with a move that was peculiar and unique. It was said that he never killed anyone with a blow to anywhere else, just one blow, a fierce strike to the small of the back, and as soon as it hit, even a bronze arhat or someone made of iron or steel would be paralyzed and collapse to the ground and die.
However, even though Du Tiandu was incredible, he was a far cry less fearful than his two senior brothers.
Now, his two senior brothers snuck in from the north and south, their eyes a deep red.
Deep red eyes.
Eyeballs the color of blood.
Some even thought they were blind, but actually no, their eyes weren’t blind. It’s others who would be blinded.
Because the two middle-aged men were the Twin Eye-Gouging Monsters who among the jianghu most loved to gouge out people’s eyes.
They loved gouging out people’s eyes because they loved to eat blood-dripping eyeballs.
As far as they were concerned, a person’s eyes were the most delicious delicacies.
Especially the eyes of masterhands of the martial world. Such a flavor made it even more delightful to eat them.
× × ×
It takes a certain amount of skill to gouge a living person’s eyes out, and a special eye gouging weapon.
Others called them the Twin Eye-Gouging Monsters, but they called themselves the Gold & Silver Hooks.
Because the eldest of them used a pair of delicate, slender gold hooks to gouge out eyes, and the second used silver hooks.
The eldest’s surname was Qiu, given name Cangzhi, and the second’s surname was Yu, given name Lianfei. No matter who it was in the jianghu who heard their names, they’d all get a jittery, fearful feeling.
Although Sima Xue’s reputation within the jianghu was not great, tthis killer with bloodstained hands was much more likable than those eye-gouging monsters.
Sima Xue smiled coldly and said to Qiu Cangzhi, “I never imagined you two would come all the way here from the Helan Mountains. Could it be that you’ve already gouged out the eyes of all the people of the martial world in the Ningxia and Lanzhou areas, and now you’ve come here to open up a new frontier?”
Qiu Cangzhi laughed. “Sima Xue, if you know then good. If you were sensible you’d gouge out your own left eye and I’ll let you keep your right one, and you can be a one-eyed man, a thousand times better than being a blind man.”
Sima Xue said, “If I gouge an eye out, how would that be enough for you two to split?”
Qiu Cangzhi said, “We’re attached to each other like brothers, as long as there’s an eye for us to eat, it doesn’t matter who eats it.”
Sima Xue shook his head. “Two people but only one eye to eat, no matter who gets to eat it, it’s not fair, I can’t stand for that.”
Yu Lianfei gave a beastly laugh. “Sima pal, do you mean to say that we should gouge out both your eyes?”
Sima Xue shook his head. “Every part of my body was given to me by my parents, I wouldn’t dare damage it, let alone my eyes. However, I have a compromise to make that will allow me to keep both my eyes and let the both of you have two eyes to eat.”
Qiu Cangzhi’s sharp eyes gleamed and he looked toward Du Tiandu, Long Chengbi, and Xu Qiaozhi who were in the middle of fighting. Finally he cackled, “Your old man understands. You’re thinking of gouging out their eyes in place of yours. Heheh, that’s not a bad idea.”
Yu Lianfei grinned hideously. “If you really gouge out Long Chengbi’s and Xu Qiaozhi’s eyes, then we’ll definitely not gouge out your eyes. It will be a fair trade.”
Probably only Heaven could say if such a trade was truly fair.
But Sima Xue shook his head a third time and said flatly, “I think you all are mistaken. I really do want to gouge out four eyes and give them to you two, but not their eyes. Your eyes.”
Yu Lianfei roared, “Bullshit, little boy, the nerve!”
Sima Xue smiled coldly. “Aside from gouging out my own eyes there’s nothing that I don’t have the nerve to do.”
Did you forget who this person was?
He was Sima Xue, the world’s number-one professional killer, Sima Xue.
× × ×
Yu Lianfei’s silver hooks, since the day they had been cast, had gouged out at least several hundred people’s eyes.
Gouging someone’s eyes out is not at all an easy matter.
But as far as Yu Lianfei was concerned, gouging someone’s eyes out was as easy as scratching the bottom of one’s foot.
His silver hooks were solid and long, the tip of the hook sharp and barbed. Once it caught an eye socket, those eyes were done for.
Although Sima Xue was a great, world-famous killer, his eyes weren’t made of iron.
And even if his eyes really were cast iron, Yu Lianfei had enough confidence that he could gouge them out.
Too bad he neglected one thing.
His own eyes were also not cast iron.
He had enough confidence that he could gouge out someone’s eyes, and that person also had enough confidence that he could gouge out his eyes.
Whenever Sima Xue killed someone he always did it cleanly and neatly.
Sometimes he even felt that whoever died under his sword was really fortunate.
Because when he killed he never let the victim suffer too long. One sword thrust and the person’s heart would absolutely not be beating a moment later.
But the Twin Eye-Gouging Monsters?
Sometimes after they gouged someone’s eyes out, they wouldn’t kill them, but the victim’s world of light from that point on would fall into an eternal hell of darkness.
Though there was a happy aspect of being blind, the difference between that kind of happiness and suffering is not worth mentioning.
The only happy part about being blind was you never again had to see the savage faces of humankind.
Otherwise, these people’s whole world was pitch-black, never any brightness.
So even though Sima Xue wasn’t some gentleman, he still detested the sight of Qiu Cangzhi and Yu Lianfei.
—How you all gouge someone’s eyes out is how I will gouge your eyes out
× × ×
The Eighteen Eye Gouging Forms were the most abnormal, most vicious hook moves.
These eighteen hook forms were all aimed at the enemy’s eyes, and no matter how you tried to defend against them, the result was murderous.
At the very least, Yu Lianfei had not failed in twenty years.
Even if the opponent’s martial arts was incredible and he wasn’t able to gouge both eyes out, he would always find a way to gouge one eye out.
So, over the last decade or so there had suddenly appeared a lot of one-eyed masterhands of the martial world.
Of course these people would never admit to such an embarrassing thing, but with the increasing amount of heroes whose eyes had been gouged out by the Twin Eye-Gouging Monsters, the secret gradually came to light out in the open.
Over the years of course there had also been not a few one-eyed masters who had run to the Helan Mountains seeking revenge on the Twin Eye-Gouging Monsters.
These one-eyed masters had the guts to once again take on Qiu Cangzhi and Yu Lianfei because they had trained harder after the previous defeat and had improved their martial arts a lot before coming to seek revenge.
But although the one-eyed masters improved their martial arts, they were still unable to defeat the Twin Eye-Gouging Monsters because the Twin Eye-Gouging Monsters’s kungfu had not stopped improving, and the internal force of their moves had advanced quicker than that of the one-eyed masters.
Therefore, not a few one-eyed masters were not able to hold onto even the one eye and became blind people.
Normally, the Twin Eye-Gouging Monsters would not attack their enemies after gouging out their eyes but would let them go about their business.
It wasn’t because they were benevolent, quite the opposite, it was because they were so cruel.
—They were no match when they had eyes, so once they became blind, what more could they do? It was better to let these people have a taste of what it’s like to be blind.
Even so, Heaven’s order goes in a cycle and retribution is unfailing.
Yu Lianfei never dreamed that Sima Xue also had the skill to gouge out eyes.
× × ×
Sima Xue’s sword was a renowned sword and a treasured sword.
Anyone who saw Sima Xue’s treasured sword would definitely have that feeling—all the more so if it was their sword.
Because this sword was the world’s thinnest, sharpest, and keenest-edged Righteous Blood Sword that could cut through iron like it was mud.
Yu Lianfei’s silver hooks were fast, but Righteous Blood was faster.
The silver hooks were sturdy and sharp, but they could not withstand a blow from Righteous Blood. Two clangs and the two silver hooks were cut in half.
If Yu Lianfei had known how incredible Sima Xue’s sword was, then he wouldn’t have dared meet Righteous Blood head on.
But by the time he realized it, it was too late.
After he cut the silver hooks in two, Sima Xue thrust at Yu Lianfei’s eyes with two swishes of his sword.
Yu Lianfei was shocked, this was really no small matter, and he quickly staggered back.
But Sima Xue was highly intelligent, his sword like a swift arrow, speeding up considerably.
Would those two sword strokes be enough to gouge out Yu Lianfei’s eyes?
No, those two sword strokes could not gouge his eyes out because Sima Xue’s sword was Righteous Blood, not a silver hook designed to gouge out eyes.
So Yu Lianfei’s eyes were not gouged out.
But he was still blinded by Sima Xue’s two sword strokes.
Yu Lianfei was shocked and furious. He shouted at the top of his lungs, “My eyes, my eyes…”
Sima Xue smiled coldly. “Settle down, your eyes were not gouged out. I only eat fish eyes. I’ve never been interested in eating human eyes.”
The eye gouger had his eyes gouged out by someone else. Even though they weren’t really gouged out, but he was blinded by the stabs, so there was really no difference.
Qiu Cangzhi was likewise shocked and furious at Yu Lianfei being blinded.
Sima Xue pointed the tip of his sword at him and said haughtily, “Qiu Cangzhi, I heard your gold hooks were a hundred times sturdier than the silver hooks. A treasured sword is sharp, but it still might not be enough to cut through the gold hooks.”
Qiu Cangzhi sneered, “I don’t need you to tell me that.”
Sima Xue said, “In that case, why aren’t you fighting? What are you waiting for?”
Qiu Cangzhi roared and his gold hooks raised up a flurry of golden blurs, putting to use his Eighteen Eye Gouging Forms.
Qiu Cangzhi’s kungfu was better than Yu Lianfei’s, his flurry of hooks one after another coming on in strange form and vicious, but where the hooks were not necessarily aimed at Sima Xue’s eyes. His throat, heartm and even his scrotum became targets of Qiu Cangzhi’s attack.
Clearly Qiu Cangzhi was fully aware that Sima Xue was a renowned, powerful foe. If he aimed every move, every form at his eyes, then it would not be easy to deal with him. With a strong foe before him, knocking him down first was most important.
If he could knock Sima Xue down, don’t mention his gouging out his eyes, even his heart and liver, spleen and lungs could be gouged out, no problem.
× × ×
For the Twin Eye-Gouging Monsters to be able to do their evil in the jianghu for so many years, they must have some unique skills.
Just then Yu Lianfei was stabbed in the eyes and blinded in a few moves by Sima Xue mainly because Yu Lianfei underestimated his opponent and did not count on having his silver hooks cut in half by his opponent’s treasured sword, which put him in a dilemma, and he was finally made into a blind person by two strokes of Sima Xue’s sword.
But the situation now was different.
Having learned from past mistakes, Qiu Cangzhi not only did not underestimate his foe, when he attacked he used a different skill than the Eighteen Eye Gouging Forms—the Thirteen Heart Piercing Hooks!
The Thirteen Heart Piercing Hooks was a style that Qiu Cangzhi had painstakingly created over the past several years. It’s chief purpose was the result of the fact that the Eighteen Eye Gouging Forms were too narrow in scope. When one was faced with a master among masters, it would not be suitable for fighting at close quarters. So he expended a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to create the Thirteen Heart Piercing Hooks so that at the most necessary moment he could put them to use and catch his enemy unprepared.
Now, Yu Lianfei’s eyes had been stabbed blind by Sima Xue. With a great foe before him, if he didn’t use the Thirteen Heart Piercing Hooks, then when would he?
Sima Xue sneered, “Nice hook moves.” Righteous Blood in his hand did not take him the least bit lightly but closely tied up Qiu Cangzhi’s two gold hooks.
Qiu Cangzhi used the Eighteen Eye Gouging Forms and the Thirteen Heart Piercing Hooks together and found he was getting the better of it as they fought, and his confidence and courage increased a lot.
Every seven or eight hook strokes from Qiu Cangzhi and Sima Xue would back up a step. Seventy or eighty strokes later, Sima Xue had been backed up over ten steps.
Qiu Cangzhi was constantly sneering, thinking that Yu Lianfei had really been too careless. It seemed this number-one killer in the world Sima Xue’s kungfu was just so-so.
Suddenly, Qiu Cangzhi shouted, “Give my Second Brother his eyes back!”
Two bangs of the gold hooks and they shot straight for Sima Xue’s eyes.
Two sharp-pointed and barbed gold hooks, in this can’t-miss situation, struck at Sima Xue’s eyes.
Two thuds and the gold hooks stuck in.
Was Sima Xue blinded?
No, the gold hooks thudded, but they didn’t stick into Sima Xue’s eyes.
The pair of gold hooks were lodged into a large wooden pillar, and Sima Xue suddenly passed under Qiu Cangzhi’s ribs.
Qiu Cangzhi was shocked and knew he was in trouble. He let go of the hooks at once and readied to flee.
But he was half a step too slow.
Sima Xue swiftly spun around like a ghost and reached out and pressed the “Spirit Terrace acupoint” in the middle of Qiu Cangzhi’s back.
With Qiu Cangzhi’s Spirit Terrace acupoint pressed, it wouldn’t release for at least twelve double-hours. All at once he could not move a muscle, like a carved wooden statue.
But Qiu Cangzhi could still speak.
He heaved a long, sad sigh. “I never imagined the illustrious name of the Twin Heroes of the Helan Mountains would fall today at the hands of some youngster. Is Heaven destroying me?”
Sima Xue inwardly thought it funny. The Twin Eye-Gouging Monsters were the Twin Eye-Gouging Monsters, when were they ever called the Twin Heroes of the Helan Mountains? Utter nonsense!
He glanced over and saw Long Chengbi and Xu Qiaozhi still fighting with Du Tiandu.
× × ×
Actually, Du Tiandu’s martial arts was absolutely no match for Long Chengbi and Xu Qiaozhi.
But his Backbreaking Black Bone Life Snatching Stave was ranked eighth sharp weapon among the Top Ten Non-Standard Weapons of the World.
And Long Chengbi and Xu Qiaozhi were not worried. Long Chengbi ultimately stood with his hands behind his back and quietly watched Xu Qiaozhi fight Du Tiandu one on one. One Xu Qiaozhi was more than enough to handle Du Tiandu.
Du Tiandu had originally been brimming with confidence, but after they’d come to grips he began to understand that there is a heaven beyond the heavens, a man beyond other men. Though he relied on his sharp weapon, he couldn’t get even the slighest bit of advantage.
Xu Qiaozhi was highly skilled and he was audacious, fighting barehanded against Du Tiandu’s Black Bone Life Snatching Stave, launching a fierce all-out battle.
Suddenly, just outside the tavern doors someone laughed coldly. “You’ve got a lot of nerve to dare to start killing here.”
Xu Qiaozhi turned a deaf ear to this and suddenly dropped his palm, aiming at Du Tiandu’s weak point, and struck at his left side.
This was the fifth form of his world-famous Seven-Form Thunderbolt Palm—Five Thunders Show of Power. When his palm struck, if he used all of his internal power, even a gigantic pig weighing 500 catties would have its internal organs burst and die on the spot.
All things considered, Xu Qiaozhi showed mercy, and only used half of his power.
Du Tiandu let out a muffled groan and wanted to counter with his stave.
But he had suffered the Five Thunders Show of Power and his perfected qi was discharged. Don’t even mention countering with his stave, even standing up properly was going to be a problem.
In the end, Du Tiandu fell down, and Xu Qiaozhi laughed coldly and turned to the person who had just spoken, who was now slowly stepping into the tavern.
That person was a masked person in white.
× × ×
When Wei Kongkong saw the masked person in white he muttered, “Why is there another masked person in white?”
He was sure that this masked person in white was not the one he had seen at Fu Sanyuan Inn.
His reasoning was that this person in white was much bigger and taller than the one in Fu Sanyuan.
At the same time, the most important reason was that the masked person in white who had shot the arrow at Fu Sanyuan had already had his head cut off by Wei Kongkong.
Even though that masked person in white’s lightness skill was better than Wei Kongkong’s, Wei Kongkong had used his unswerving patience and his sharp mind to guess where he could once again find him.
That masked person in white turned out to be Bamboo Wave restaurant’s owner, Yin Shiyuan.
Bamboo Wave restaurant was part of the martial world, and had a small reputation, but no one would have imagined that its owner was a secret lightness skill master.
If just going by lightness skill alone, Yin Shiyuan at the very least was one of the top five masterhands in the world.
Too bad Yin Shiyuan’s martial arts, aside from his superlative lightness skill, was nothing special.
In the end, his head was cut off by a single stroke of Wei Kongkong’s sword.
Wei Kongkong hadn’t any intention of killing him at first, but Yin Shiyuan’s every move, every form, was aimed at fighting him to the death.
This outwardly kind old man actually used martial arts moves that were as diabolic as could be. The only pity was that though diabolical, his kungfu was not advanced.
Wei Kongkong’s murderous intent blazed at how sinister his moves were, and with one stroke of the sword he swapt off his head.
Even now he still regretted it. He really shouldn’t have been so impulsive.
Because Yin Shiyuan’s death cut off a clue. Now they would take a lot of mental work to investigate who was behind this incident.
Of course he didn’t imagine that here another masked person in white would appear.
× × ×
Though Sima Xue killed for a living, he never used a mask to cover his face.
Whenever he killed someone, he would first let his adversary get a clear look at his face.
Because he felt that killing people for money was just and honorable.
He often said, “Only once you’ve seen my face clearly will you be able to make your plaint against Sima Xue to King Yama.”
He always most hated those masked-faced, stealthy people of the martial world. Whether it was a petty thief or a great assassin.
“Friend, you can not wear pants in front of me, but you cannot cover your face with a mask in front of me.
“Because you can see my face, but I can’t see what you really look like. That’s jut not fair at all.
“So, I’m gonna knock you flat, then take off every fingerwidth of fabric off your face.”
As soon as Sima Xue said that, he thrust his sword at the masked person in white.
As soon as his sword got started he unleashed nineteen moves.
Every move was a three-stroke thrust, every stroke three times as quick as a bolt of lightning.
After nineteen moves, Sima Xue had thrust 57 strokes.
Wei Kongkong, seated in a corner of the tavern, watched, entranced.
His decapitating swordplay was as mighty as could be, but he could never stab 57 times in a row.
Whether with speed or with moves, he could never compare to Sima Xue’s 57 sword strokes.
Still, that didn’t mean that Sima Xue’s swordplay would for sure beat Wei Kongkong.
× × ×
The masked person in white actually faced master swordsman Sima Xue barehanded and handled his nineteen-move swordplay.
Fifty-seven sword thrusts later and the masked person in white sneered, “Truly worthy of the the King of Assassins. Pity that it’s just not enough to fell this old man.”
Sima Xue suddenly sheathed his sword and said coldly, “You’re right, there’s probably not more than seven people in the world could knock down Your Excellency.”
The masked person in white’s impenetrable, keen eyeslocked on Sima Xue. “You’ve guessed who this old man is?”
Sima Xue slowly extended his hand, pointing at the masked person in white. “If I’m not mistaken, you are Ximen Piao!”
Ximen Piao!
Callous Thearch Ximen Piao!
Was the masked man in white really Ximen Piao?
× × ×
Another person suddenly arrived outside the tavern doors. This one was a white-haired old person wearing blue shirt and pants.
“Sima Xue, you guessed wrong, he’s not Ximen Piao.” The white-hairs old person brandished a kitchen knife cleaver as he spoke. “However, it’s someone ten times worse than Ximen Piao, but I wonder what color his heard and liver are?”
As soon as Long Chengbi saw the old white-haired man’s cleaver he immediately thought of a jianghu eccentric.
Could this person be Mr. Cleaver Kou Wutong, who had vanished from the jianghu twenty years ago? In the jianghu, aside from Kou Wutong, who else would use a cleaver as a weapon?
The white-haired old man seemed to catch what Long Chengbi was thinking. He suddenly laughed loudly. “This old man indeed is Mr. Cleaver Kou Wutong. Everyone has probably already pretty much guessed that.” His face sank. “However that masked stranger I believe you all will never be able to guess the identity of, no matter how hard you rack your brains.”
The masked person in white suddenly shouted violently and chopped a palm out toward Kou Wutong.
Kou Wutong cackled. “Wou want to do away with the witness? Too late, you are…”
If the masked person in white was not Ximen Piao, then who was it?
But Kou Wutong suddenly stopped speaking and brandished his cleaver to block the masked person in white’s palm strike.
The masked person in white’s palm strike changed suddenly into a finger strike, in the blink of an eye poking seven times, each finger strike aimed at Kou Wutong’s vital acupoints.
Kou Wutong’s complexion suddenly turned ashen and he cried out savagely, “You… You’ve learned the Mara Soul-Seeking Finger…”
The masked person in white said nothing but once again struck seven times in a row, every finger strike more ruthless than the last, more sinister. Clearly he wanted to kill Kou Wutong to do away with a witness.
Long Chengbi suddenly loosed a long cry, Blizzard Blade in hand.
He was quick, but his sword was quicker, getting there before he did, one sabre stroke thrusting at the masked person in white’s back.
The masked person in white darted to the right to avoid the stroke and said coldly, “An absolutely shameless surprise attack.”
Long Chengbi never attacked someone in the back, but this time was an exception.
Because if he didn’t strike, Kou Wutong would be dead for sure.
But, in the end he was too late.
Kou Wutong quickly dodged thirteen finger strikes, but he couldn’t dodge the fourteenth.
A finger punctured his throat.
Mr. Cleaver Kou Wutong, eccentric hero of the ages, breathed his last and died.
Long Chengbi sneered.
Xu Qiaozhi and Wei Kongkong gathered around, trapping the masked person in white in the center.
Long Chengbi said icily, “The Mara Soul-Seeking Finger is a long-lost masterful unorthodox technique from the Western Regions. I never imagined I would get to see it here today.”
Xu Qiaozhi said, “Your Excellency, are you in fact a hallmaster of the Thousand Demon Alliance?”
The masked person in white laughed wildly. “So you know the name Thousand Demon Alliance. You do know a thing or two.”
Thousand Demon Alliance.
A name that had never before appeared in the jianghu.
But now, the Thousand Demon Alliance had grown in a big way and raised an army.
Long Chengbi and Xu Qiaozhi learned of this before anyone else.
Because Dongfang Wuyou had told the two young men about the Thousand Demon Alliance.
The alliance head of the Thousand Demon Alliance was Ximen Piao!
Although Ximen Piao, together with Dongfang Wuyou were known as the Twin Thearchs of the Central Plains, he had never been able to get over his “alliance head addiction” like Dongfang Wuyou had.
On this matter, Ximen Piao would not be able to give it up even if he died.
When it came to martial arts and ability and wisdom, Ximen Piao was not at all inferior to Dongfang Wuyou.
The only difference was that Dongfang Wuyou had been able to win the love and support of the outstanding heroes of the world, and Ximen Piao had become more and more like a demon or a monster, everyone respecting him but steering clear of him.
Ximen Piao had decided to pull Dongfang Wuyou down from his alliance head throne.
And so he secretly formed the Thousand Demon Alliance.
The alliance head of the Thousand Demon Alliance of course was Ximen Piao. Aside from an alliance head, they also had a vice alliance head.
But not even Dongfang Wuyou was sure who the vice alliance head was.
He only knew that the vice alliance head’s martial arts was not only not inferior to Ximen Piao’s, it might very well be even better than Ximen Piao’s.
If the vice alliance head’s martial arts was even better, that was clearly an even more dangerous matter.
How could Ximen Piao rest easy in his position as alliance head?
This was an enigma.
A mysterious, frightening mystery.
Just one Ximen Piao was already not easy to deal with, much less a vice alliance head with even more formidable martial arts.
Long Chengbi mulled this over and couldn’t figure out why Ximen Piao would look for a person with even better martial arts than his to be vice alliance head.
Could this vice alliance head be Ximen Piao’s wife, the one known in the jianghu as Fourth Lady Iron Pearl, Ren Yuechang?
But did Ren Yuechang’s martial arts surpass Ximen Piao’s?
Long Chengbi didn’t believe so. He could never believe that Ren Yuechang’s martial arts was even more formidable than Ximen Piao’s.
So then, was the masked person in white before him the vice alliance head or not?
× × ×
The masked person in white finally stated his position within the Thousand Demon Alliance.
“You all might as well be clear on this point. This old man is the hallmaster of Mara Finger Hall!”
Long Chengbi gave a faint smile. “That’s not enough. It doesn’t matter what hall you’re a hallmaster of, the question is who are you and what is Your Excellency’s name?”
Hallmaster Mara Finger said coldly, “That, you are not worthy to ask.”
Long Chengbi said, “And if I insist on getting to the bottom of it?”
Hallmaster Mara Finger pointed to the body of Mr. Cleaver Kou Wutong on the ground. “That old devil is a prime example.”
Long Chengbi laughed loudly. “Mr. Kou was chivalrous and righteous his whole life, always forthright, anyone who can accompany him to the netherworld would not be lonesome on the journey.”
Hallmaster Mara Finger rolled his eyes. “There’s nothing this old man hates more than a fainthearted, sentimental woman. Kou Wutong was peculiar, all his life using something only a woman would use, a kitchen cleaver, as a weapon. I hate that kind of person even more. It’s more suitable for Little Brother Long to accompany him on his journey to the Yellow Springs, this hallmaster will absolutely not accompany him.”
Wei Kongkong interrupted, “Enough with the nasty remarks. Great Xia Kou used his kitchen cleaver to perform chivalrous acts throughout the jianghu, the people he killed were all treacherous, evil fiends. Now even though his soul has returned to Paradise, who are you to slander him with your filthy words?”
Hallmaster Mara Finger sneered, “Are you that guy who specializes in stealing people’s heads?”
Wei Kongkong said coldly, “Relax, I would never steal your head.”
Hallmaster Mara Finger said, “You afraid I might steal your head?”
Wei Kongkong shook his head.
Hallmaster Mara Finger chuckled. “What, do you think my head is too fragrant or too smelly?”
Wei Kongkong replied indifferently, “Regardless of whether your head is too fragrant or too smelly, I wouldn’t steal your head.”
Hallmaster Mara Finger hmphed. “Actually you say this and that, but the truth is you don’t dare try to steal my head.”
Wei Kongkong said, “It’s not that I don’t dare, it’s that I don’t need to.”
He smiled and looked at Long Chengbi and continued, “Because Long Chengbi already has Hallmaster Mara Finger’s head in the bag.”
The look in Hallmaster Mara Finger’s eyes changed.
Wei Kongkong laughed even louder and clearer. “There’s more people in the world who will cut a person’s head off than just Me. It’s probably easier for Long Chengbi to cut off someone’s head if he has a mind to, and more appropriate.”
Hallmaster Mara Finger’s face was covered by a cloth mask, but his eyes flamed with fury.
But he was, after all, a top masterhand of the martial world and knew full well that that flames of fury brought only collapse and defeat, so in the blink of an eye he had returned to normal.
Long Chengbi glared at Wei Kongkong.
Wei Kongkong inwardly found it funny, wondering where his bragging would end things up.
Because there was absolutely no move in Long Chengbi’s sabreplay that was for cutting someone’s head off.
Even though death would be too good for Hallmaster Mara Finger, using a sabre to cut his head off was a difficult problem.
Even so, Wei Kongkong truly was Long Chengbi’s close, intimate friend.
Long Chengbi would never want his friend to be pointed out as a blowhard.
So, he had already decided to take this big risk.
He was going to cut off Hallmaster Mara Finger’s head.
It was the only way to make sure that Wei Kongkong’s words just now would not make him into a blowhard.
× × ×
The tavern had already turned into a gory place suffused with murderous intent.
Du Tiandu was struck dead by Xu Qiaozhi’s Five Thunders. He’d be laid up in bed for at least three months, then he would have to continue recuperating quietly for another year.
The Twin Eye-Gouging Monster Yu Lianfei had been blinded in both eyes. He was now groping around trying to put metal-wound medicine on the wounds.
And Elder Qiu Cangzhi had had his Spirit Terrace acupoint pressed by Sima Xue and could not move a muscle.
The most unlucky was Mr. Cleaver Kou Wutong who had up and been killed by Hallmaster Mara Finger for no clear reason at all.
Now, Long Chengbi once again faced Hallmaster Mara Finger.
In this battle, who would win and who would lose?
Sima Xue had all along known that Long Chengbi’s sabreplay had reached the peak of perfection, had reached an unimaginable state.
But he didn’t dare get his hopes too high.
Because Hallmaster Mara Finger truly was a masterhand. He himself had struck out nineteen moves and fifty-seven sword strokes and his opponent had gotten away unharmed.
Of course, that didn’t mean he couldn’t defeat Hallmaster Mara Finger.
But at the very least it proved that Hallmaster Mara Finger’s martial arts was really quite frightening.
At least as frightening as someone like Sima Xue.
× × ×
The Blizzard Blade was of course a good sabre.
The Long clan’s Eight Dragon Sabreplay of Jinan prefecture in Shandong was also one of the mightiest sabreplays in the world.
Long Chengbi had used his Blizzard Blade and his Eight Dragon Sabreplay to defeat who knew how many opponents.
But now, he didn’t use the Eight Dragon Sabreplay to deal with Hallmaster Mara Finger.
Furthermore, what he used was not sabreplay at all, but swordplay.
Wei Kongkong was the first to recognize this—Long Chengbi was using his Blizzard Blade to launch a ferocious attack of swordplay.
No one was more familiar with this swordplay than Wei Kongkong.
Because it was Wei Kongkong’s Head Chopping Swordplay.
Now Wei Kongkong finally admired Long Chengbi.
Long Chengbi hadn’t stolen his swordplay manual, nor had he secretly practiced his Head Chopping Swordplay.
But Wei Kongkong one night had performed his sabreplay in full in front of him once.
Wei Kongkong and Long Chengbi had been drinking and they were both pretty much dead drunk.
After Wei Kongkong’s performance he laughed loudly and said to Long Chengbi, “that’s the Head Chopping Swordplay. Take as much from that just now as you can. If you master it you’ll be able to cut off any evildoer’s head. But if you don’t learn it properly you might as well just go to the kitchen.”
Long Chengbi laughed. “Go to the kitchen and cut the heads off chickens?”
Wei Kongkong had meant that, originally, but when he explained it to Long Chengbi he changed it. “Not cut off chicken heads but your own head, because if you can’t even learn this simple swordplay, then your head is obviously as stupid as a pig’s. If you don’t cut it off, what else will you do with it?”
Long Chengbi guffawed.
Wei Kongkong guffawed as well.
Now, seeing Long Chengbi’s emergency quick wit, using the Head Chopping Swordplay, he couldn’t help but laugh.
Head Chopping Swordplay, as a matter of fact, was not the least bit simple.
Although Long Chengbi was extremely intelligent, it would be impossible for him to learn an entire swordplay set by only see it once.
But he did learn a few of the best moves, which he used now and surprisingly were mighty powerful.
Because in addition to the Head Chopping Swordplay, Long Chengbi also mixed in his Eight Dragons Sabreplay to form a strange sequence of moves that was both sword and sabre.
Hallmaster Mara Finger took a big stride forward and sent a finger strike in return, jabbing straight a the nape of Long Chengbi’s neck. This move was quick and savage, and right on the mark. With Hallmaster Mara Finger’s finger power, even you were jabbed by him, all the major blood vessels in your neck would explode.
Long Chengbi immediately twisted his waist and dodged three fingerwidths to the left, just barely avoiding the finger strike.
Hallmaster Mara Finger shouted violently and he closed in then separated, finger a blue as it struck out toward Long Chengbi’s head, neck, and chest at twenty different fatal acupoints.
In fact, with Hallmaster Mara Finger’s finger strength, even if he didn’t aim at the fatal acupoints, his opponent would most likely die, but with his added remarkable accuracy in identifying acupoints, if any finger strike struck, his opponent would be off to see old King Yama at once.
Long Chengbi had his Blizzard Blade, but it was not easy to get through the wall of finger strikes to close in for an attack.
Hallmaster Mara Finger time and again rashly advanced after missing the mark, his murderous intent becoming ever stronger.
Suddenly, he saw a flaw in Long Chengbi’s sabreplay.
A flaw so small it couldn’t get any smaller.
Hallmaster Mara Finger was an old hand of the jianghu who had fought countless fights both small and large in the jianghu, so of course he knew that many people would intentionally leave a weak point open to lure the enemy into a trap.
Therefore, the first time the weak point showed in Long Chengbi’s sabreplay, Hallmaster Mara Finger didn’t charge in and attack.
By the second and third time the weak point showed, he could confirm that this weak point was not a trap.
Therefore, brimming with confidence, he waited for the weak point to appear again.
Finally, Long Chengbi’s sabreplay showed a flaw for the fourth time.
Hallmaster Mara Finger hesitated no longer and shot in like a shooting star, jabbing with all his might.
This finger strike was a jab aimed directly at Long Chengbi’s five major fatal acupoints simultaneously.
The Mara Soul-Seeking Finger was incredibly powerful. Even if Long Chengbi had learned the Golden Bell Cover or Iron-Cloth Shirt kungfu, there’s no way he would be able to withstand it.
Such an incredible Mara Soul-Seeking Finger. One finger strike in an instant diverged into five finger strikes, and every strike powerful enough to kill the largest black bear in the world.
Much less Long Chengbi, who was only 1/5 the size of a large black bear.
× × ×
Outsiders see things more clearly than those involved.
Those eight words will always be correct.
Hallmaster Mara Finger thought it was a weak point, but Wei Kongkong could tell early on that it was in fact not a weak point.
It was just a phantom created by Long Chengbi continuously switching between the moves of two different martial arts styles.
In the split second that he went from using the Head Chopping Swordplay to the Eight Dragons Sabreplay, there certainly was a moment where the moves didn’t seem to flow seamlessly.
Even so, that was absolutely not a flaw.
Anyone who charged into that “flaw” would face utterly terrible consequences.
× × ×
When Hallmaster Mara Finger struck out with his five finger jabs, Long Chengbi’s sabreplay was just in the middle of changing.
And it was the Eight Dragons Sabreplay changing to the Head Chopping Swordplay.
Even Long Chengbi didn’t foresee that Hallmaster Mara Finger would surprisingly get up the courage to rashly charge in and risk it at that moment.
Could it be that today it was fated that the cooked duck should fly away and a sure thing slip from his fingers?”
When engaged in a battle to the death, whether it’s a cooked duck or a man-eating vulture, you cut its head off first and ask questions later.
The Head Chopping Swordplay had just been put to good use and he was becoming more and more proficient at it.
Long Chengbi used a sabre as a sword and cut down using a Head Chopping Swordplay, and with execution-ground beheading force pulled it off nicely.
Just at that moment, Hallmaster Mara Finger screamed out four words.
“It was a trap!”
Those four words were so savage and miserable it made one’s hair stand on end and chill their spine.
Then, Hallmaster Mara Finger’s head rolled like a bottle gourd over to Long Chengbi’s feet.
Who would have thought that, Hallmaster Mara Finger, though beheaded, still stared up at Long Chengbi with wide eyes.
Long Chengbi was struck dumb for a moment, then mumbled, “A trap? What trap? A honey trap, or a swindler’s trap? But I’m no honey and I’m no swindler. This is very odd!”
Hallmaster Mara Finger had been executed.
Sima Xue went over to Long Chengbi and picked up Hallmaster Mara Finger’s head and sighed. “Though those 57 sword strokes earlier didn’t level you, but now in the end you’ve fallen to such a conclusion. I knew this would happen, and why did you bother with a mask?”
Xu Qiaozhi said, “This Hallmaster Mara Finger referred to himself as old man, so he’s presumably in his sixties.”
Long Chengbi said, “No need to guess, just take off his cloth mask and we’ll know.”
The cloth mask was removed to reveal a hideous face.
It was indeed an old man.
In fact, this old man’s face was not originally hideous.
But on his face there turned out to be no nose!
An old man without a nose was actually the hallmaster of Mara Finger Hall of the Thousand Demon Alliance.
What kind of person had he been originally?
× × ×
Inside the tavern, Yu Lianfei was now blinded in both eyes, Du Tiandu was on the verge of death, and Qiu Cangzhi’s acupoints had been sealed and he couldn’t move a muscle. At the same time, there was a an old man who had been beheaded, but who had previously had his nose cut off. Long Chengbi frowned and suddenly said to Xu Qiaozhi, “I guess you heard about that incident a year ago at Wind Chime Pavilion in Little Chang’an?”
Xu Qiaozhi’s complexion changed slightly. He said gravely, “Don’t tell me Hallmaster Mara Finger cut his own nose off at Wind Chime Pavilion a year ago?”
Long Chengbi heaved a long sigh. “Yep.”
Xu Qiaozhi’s complexion changed again.
Wei Kongkong interrupted just then. “I recognize that old man. He’s Shangguan Tang, head escort for the Red Hawk Escort Agency of the seven southern, six northern thirteen provinces.”
Xu Qiaozhi blurted out, “He’s Red Hawk Deva Shangguan Tang?”
Long Chengbi wiped the blood off his Blizzard Blade and said, “Yep. He is Shangguan Tang, who a year ago cut his own nose off in Wind Chime Pavilion. Afterwards, he, along with nine other masterhands of the martial world never showed their faces again in the jianghu.”
Wei Kongkong sighed. “Who would have thought that this Red Hawk Deva would turn from a Deva into a Mara and become the hallmaster for Mara Finger Hall of the Thousand Demon Alliance.”
Xu Qiaozhi said, “It’s said that on the day that that old man cut off his own nose in Wind Chime Pavilion, the head of the Seven Swords of Mount Hua, Great Chiliocosm Divine Sword Fang Xu, cut his nose off as well.”
Long Chengbi said, “Did Fang Xu become a hallmaster for the Thousand Demon Alliance too?”
Wei Kongkong said, “There’s a strong possibility.”
Long Chengbi said, “Looks like Ximen Piao truly does have vaulting ambition and a mind to stage an all-out battle to completely take over Alliance Head Dongfang’s position.”
Wei Kongkong said, “If that battle really happens, the martial world will likely not recover for a hundred years.”
What a great catastrophe.
That word “great” didn’t really mean good but tragic, terrible.
Long Chengbi said, “But what was Shangguan Tang and Fang Xu’s aim in cutting off their own noses?”
Xu Qiaozhi rubbed his nose and smiled wryly. “Even if my nose were uglier I would never be willing to cut it off. A person without a nose is simple more hair-raising and more spine-chilling than a eunuch.”
Sima Xue, who had said nothing for a long time, suddenly broke in. “Perhaps someone purchased his nose, and Shangguan Tang was willing to sell it, even voluntarily cutting it off himself to close the deal.”
Wei Kongkong said, “Brother Sima, do you mean to say that Ximen Piao purchased Shangguan Tang and Fang Xu’s nose?”
Sima Xue negated that sentence without a moment’s thought. “Ximen Piao is savage and fierce, but he has absolutely no interest in a severed nose.”
Wei Kongkong’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Maybe the vice alliance head of the Thousand Demon Alliance?”
Sima Xue sighed. “That’s just what I was thinking, but this vice alliance head’s identity is as mysterious as a bat in a dark cave. Who knows just who this person is?”
He paused and his eyes suddenly swept across to Qiu Cangzhi.
Qiu Cangzhi’s acupoints had been pressed and he had been standing there stiff for more than half a double-hour.
Sima Xue strolled over to him and said coldly, “Ol’ Qiu, do you want me to gouge out your left eye first or your right?”
Qiu Cangzhi’s face was already ashen, but now it was shocked as well and he wanted nothing more than to escape, or even the luxurious hope of dashing his head against the wall and killing himself.
Qiu Cangzhi frowned and suddenly said sternly, “Sima Xue, I could see all along that you were a coward. You only have the guts to gouge someone’s eye out but, you’d never dare kill him.”
Sima Xue clapped his hands and laughed. “That’s really something. I make my living by killing, but now I’m ridiculed as a coward who dares not kill.”
He turned to Long Chengbi. “Now I will plunge my sword through Qiu Cangzhi’s heard at once, that’ll teach him not to run his mouth.”
Long Chengbi knew what was up. He knew that Qiu Cangzhi was goading him so that he would kill him.”
When a person no longer has any hope of living and cannot even die, of course it would be best to have an opportunity to survive, but when staying alive is hopeless it’s better to hope for a quicker, straightforward death.
Qiu Cangzhi specialized in gouging his enemy’s eyes out, but when this awful fate was turned on himself, he’d really rather die by Sima Xue’s sword.
Sima Xue’s sword was drawn.
Qiu Cangzhi, fearing that he wouldn’t stab him, kept on cursing him. “You fucking hick, filthy son of a bitch, hurry up and kill your old man if you have the guts, why be such a sissy you little bastard, do it!”
Sima Xue heaved a long sigh. “I just wanted to gouge both your eyes out, but now you’ve force me to change my mind.”
Qiu Cangzhi spat, “Change what damn mind, anyway you don’t dare kill me!”
Sima Xue said icily, “Yes, I surely don’t dare kill you, but dare to cut off your tongue so that your mouth can’t keep cursing on and on.”
Qiu Cangzhi now looked even more unsightly.
Sima Xue extended the tip of his sword to the edge of Qiu Cangzhi’s mouth and suddenly lowered the tip of the sword a bit.
A thin small slice of flesh was cut from Qiu Cangzhi’s jaw.
Qiu Cangzhi was shaking all over, furious. “What… What are you going to do?”
Sima Xue revealed a cunning smile. “Just who is the vice alliance head of the Thousand Demon Alliance?”
Qiu Cangzhi shook his head and clenched his teeth. “I don’t know.”
Sima Xue smiled again.
But suddenly, Righteous Blood in his hand lashed Qiu Cangzhi’s face like a whip.
Qiu Cangzhi didn’t so much as hmph.
Sima Xue said, “What mettle! Too bad you’ve done too many bad deeds to be able to soften my heart enough to give you a way out.”
Qiu Cangzhi sneered.
Sima Xue spat “Bah!’ and said with a raised voice, “What manner of trash are you with you conduct to sneer at me to my face? You fucking hick, I’ll poke your left eye out first!”
The sword flashed and blood suddenly appeared.
Sima Xue really did poke Qiu Cangzhi’s left eye out with his sword.
Qiu Cangzhi was shaking horribly, and he didn’t dare curse Sima Xue anymore.
Sima Xue seemed dissatisfied with that stab. “That stab was a little off. It blinded your left eye, but it didn’t stab deep enough, not ruthless enough, not near how you do it when you gouge people’s eyes out with your gold hooks.”
Wei Kongkong laughed. “Ol’ Qiu still has a right eye left. Why not try it again?”
Sima Xue said intentionally, “That’s no good, is it? That eye is his, it would be rather impolite to blind it without interrogating him first!”
Xu Qiaozhi couldn’t help but join in the fun, laughing, “Don’t be so pedantic, did you interrogate him before you poked the left eye out?”
Sima Xue laughed haha. “Valleylord Xu, you’re so good at pulling my legs out from under me. Admirable! Admirable!”
Only now did Long Chengbi suddenly realize that though Sima Xue was a professional killer, he wasn’t entirely a sinister, frightful, coldblooded killer.
This guy also had his candid, bold side to him as well.
So even though he was a professional killer, Long Chengbi believed that a person like this was still worth befriending.
At the very least, Sima Xue was absolutely not a hypocrite.
Long Chengbi trusted that his eyes were not mistaken in judging this Sima Xue.
× × ×
Qiu Cangzhi’s forehead was oozing sweat.
But his left eye was oozing blood.
Qiu Cangzhi normally rarely sweat, but now he was sweating like he had just crawled out of a bathtub, every follicle of hair on his head was soaked.
Qiu Cangzhi really rarely bled. He was even very careful when he peeled fresh fruit so that he wouldn’t nick his fingers.
He treasured every bead of his sweat, every drop of his own blood.
But did not cherish at all the blood and sweat of others.
Especially his enemies’. The more they bled the happier he was.
He would always say these three words to anyone whose eyes he’d gouged out: “Gouged out nicely!”
But now, his blood and sweat were flowing, and his left eye had been blinded. What did he have to say now?
Now he only had his right eye.
If he couldn’t even keep that eye, then he resolved that even if he escaped with his life he would find a good sturdy rope and hang himself.
If he was blinded in both eyes and didn’t commit suicide, then he would die even more savagely.
Because he had made too too many enemies.
× × ×
Sima Xue’s sword rose once again.
The tip of the sword was still dripping blood.
Qiu Cangzhi was anxious and alarmed and hurting and angry, but all the courage he had had to open his mouth and sling insults had vanished without a trace.
Sima Xue smiled. “Ol’ Qiu, what’s with the long face, why don’t we make a deal?”
Qiu Cangzhi said, “What do I have now to make a deal with?”
Sima Xue said coldly, “You do, as long as you’re willing to tell me all the details about the Thousand Demon Alliance, I guarantee I’ll let you live.”
Qiu Cangzhi said, “Just your guarantee is not enough, or else you can let me go, but if Long Chengbi and the others come after me, wouldn’t that be the same as a setting me off down a dead end?”
Sima Xue said, “Relax, I said I would let you go. If anyone dares to hard a hair on your head, Sima Xue vows to chop that person up into mince meat.”
Qiu Cangzhi mulled this over for a while. Finally, he nodded resolutely. “Alright, when a real man gives his word, not even a team of four horse can pull them back. I agree to this deal, but to tell you the truth, I don’t know very much about the inner details of the Thousand Demon Alliance.”
Sima Xue said, “More is fine, less is fine. Just say what you know.”
Qiu Cangzhi said, “In addition to an alliance head and a vice alliance head, the Thousand Demon Alliance also has ten great Mara Halls. Shangguan Tang was one of the hallmasters.”
Long Chengbi said seriously, “Are the ten Mara Hall hallmasters the ten people who cut off their own arms and legs and ears and noses at Wind Chime Pavilion a year ago?”
Qiu Cangzhi said, “That I don’t know, I really don’t know.”
Long Chengbi said, “In that case, what is Your Excellency’s position within the Thousand Demon Alliance?”
Qiu Cangzhi said, “Yu Lianfei and I are aides to Hallmaster Mara Finger Shangguan Tang. Nominally we’re vice hallmasters.”
Long Chengbi said, “So you two are Hallmaster Mara Finger’s vice hallmasters. That’s not a low position.”
Sima Xue sneered, “I’m very interested in the vice alliance head of the Thousand Demon Alliance. Who is that person?”
Qiu Cangzhi shook his head. I’m not too sure, but some say that the vice alliance head is not a member of the martial world of the Central Plains.”
Long Chengbi did not appear surprised at that.
Because he already had a faint feeling that the vice alliance head had very big connections, but there were few within the Central Plains’ martial world who could compare to Ximen Piao, so this vice alliance head very well could be a rare remarkable talent from afar.
Now, from what Qiu Cangzhi said, that conjecture seemed much more likely.
But Sima Xue questioned Qiu Cangzhi over and over again but was not able to find out who the vice alliance head was.
Finally, Sima Xue made good on his promise and unsealed Qiu Cangzhi’s acupoints and let him go.
Things were getting more and more mysterious, and was tending more and more toward a path to doom.
Once the big conflagration began, the entire martial world would be burned to the ground.
Kaifeng prefecture in Henan province was situated on the banks of the Yellow River and was one of the great famous capitals of China. The Liang, Jin, Han, and Zhou dynasties of the Five Dynasties period, and the Northern Song had all founded their capital here.
Here, everyone knew the saying: “Break the seal in Kaifeng, spend money like the wind.”
Actually, people couldn’t be short of money no matter where they were, but in Kaifeng prefecture, having money was even more important.
Because there were just too many places to spend money in this place.
Delightful Hall in the northwest of Kaifeng prefecture was was especially good at letting people spend the most amount of money in the shortest amount of time.
Wei Kongkong arrived at Delightful Hall on an extremely buzzing night.
Delightful Hall was buzzing every night.
Because this place had the most exciting gambling and women who made men the most excited.
There were three kinds of guests who came to Delightful Hall.
The first kind: only gambled, didn’t whore.
The second kind: only whored, didn’t gamble.
The third kind: also the kind who spent the most money, because they both whored and gambled.
Who would have thought that on this night a fourth kind would appear in Delightful Hall.
This fourth kind of guest neither whored nor gambled.
Wei Kongkong was this fourth kind of guest.
× × ×
Le Xiaotian was the most courteous, always smiling manager of Delightful Hall.
No matter who came to Delightful Hall, no matter what it was that was unsatisfactory, they all looked for Le Xiaotian.
He would always take care of things well for you.
One time a drunk guest came up to Le Xiaotian and said, “The girls here are not bad, but after looking them all over, it seems Manager Le, your wife is the prettiest. Too bad she’s not a whore.”
Le Xiaotian said immediately with a smile, “As long as you’re happy, a woman who is not a whore can become one temporarily, and the price is guaranteed to be very reasonable.”
The result was this drunken guest really did get what he paid for and enjoyed Le Xiaotian’s wife the whole night, and it wasn’t expensive at all but very reasonable.
Everyone in Kaifeng prefecture knew of this incident.
But Le Xiaotian didn’t mind one bit. He felt it an honor to be able to take care of anything for his guests.
Of course, the most important point was whether or not the guest could spend money in Delightful Hall. The more money one spent, the more courteous and attentive Le Xiaotian would be. Even if you wanted him to roll around in the gutter and grunt like a pig, he would act accordingly.
But if you came to Delightful Hall and were not willing to spend money, not even a single coin?
Heheh, well that of course was a completely different story.
× × ×
Wei Kongkong went looking for Le Xiaotian as soon as he walked through the Delightful Hall doors.
Wei Kongkong didn’t know Le Xiaotian.
But just about every guest in Delightful Hall knew Le Xiaotian, so finding him was really easy.
Le Xiaotian smiled as soon as he saw Wei Kongkong. “Sir, whatever you want just say the word. As long as I am able I will do whatever you need.”
Wei Kongkong wasn’t the least bit smiling.
As soon as he saw Le Xiaotian he wanted to cut his mouth open with his sword, because a mouth like this was too sweet and slippery, but his character was not necessarily so kind, so although Le Xiaotian was beaming a smile, in reality he was just a fox that could smile, and its goal was nothing more than to take a bite out of him.
Moreover, Wei Kongkong had already checked into Le Xiaotian’s background. He was not simply the manager of Delightful Hall, he was also the Smiling King of Killers of the Thousand Demon Alliance!
At Delightful Hall, besides Le Xiaotian, there was also a big boss.
And the big boss was the Thousand Demon Alliance alliance head Ximen Piao!
× × ×
Wei Kongkong’s eyes blazed like a torch as he regarded Le Xiaotian.
After a while, Wei Kongkong said, “Manager Le, tonight I’ve decided not to whore, not to gamble, but I do want to talk about something.”
Le Xiaotian was still smiling. “Then Lordson, please tell me, what is that will work for you?”
Wei Kongkong said, “I’m looking for someone.
Le Xiaotian said, “This person you are looking for, is it a man or a woman?”
Wei Kongkong said, “A woman.”
Le Xiaotian said. “What is her name?”
Wei Kongkong suddenly reached out and grabbed Le Xiaotian’s right wrist. “Xue Xiyao.”
A look of surprise appeared on Le Xiaotian’s face. “Xue Xiyao, you mean the world-famous Third Miss Xue?”
Wei Kongkong said, “Who else would it be but her?”
Le Xiaotian’s smile immediately became forced. “If you want to find Third Miss Xue, you ought to go to Pearl Mountain Villa on Seven-Layer Cloud and Mist Peak. Why did you come looking for her here?”
Wei Kongkong’s face sank. “Manager Le, an open and honest person doesn’t say shady things. Even if Ximen Piao had three heads and six arms it wouldn’t be able to save your head.”
Le Xiaotian said smiling, “Your Excellency must be Great Xia Wei Kongkong?”
Wei Kongkong said, “You ought to have guessed that already.”
Le Xiaotian said, “No wonder you didn’t come to Delightful Hall for whoring or gambling, you came looking for a fight.”
Wei Kongkong shouted coldly, “Where is Third Miss Xue, speak up!”
Le Xiaotian said, “If I don’t say, will you use your sword to cut my head off?”
Wei Kongkong sneered, “You think I wouldn’t dare cut your head off here?”
Le Xiaotian said, “It’s not that you wouldn’t dare, however, I fear you lack the ability.”
Saying that, he dropped his right wrist in a palm strike aimed at Wei Kongkong’s belly.
Wei Kongkong didn’t draw his sword.
Because once he drew his sword, Le Xiaotian’s head would have a big problem.
Right now, Wei Kongkong didn’t want to kill him in one stroke. Because Le Xiaotian definitely knew where Xue Xiyao was.
Furthermore, Wei Kongkong was sure that Xue Xiyao was now being held prisoner in Delightful Hall.
Le Xiaotian’s training was in the Eighteen-Form Little Star Palm. It was not as powerful as the Stele-Breaking Palm, but it often could kill by taking one by surprise.
Wei Kongkong was a great world-famous swordsman, but few in the jianghu know how good his punching and kicking was.
Le Xiaotian of course knew that Wei Kongkong’s swordplay was incredible, so he decided not to give Wei Kongkong a chance to draw his sword.
Striking Wei Kongkong with a palm while up close was the most brilliant method.
However, there were two things he didn’t know.
One: Not only was Wei Kongkong’s swordplay incredible, his fists and feet were also equally accomplished.
Two: He thought that a sudden palm strike in close quarters could take away Wei Kongkong’s opportunity to draw his sword. That was an even more serious mistake.
If Wei Kongkong wanted to draw his sword, he could still swing his sword and cut off Le Xiaotian’s head.
The problem was Wei Kongkong didn’t intend to kill him.
A living Le Xiaotian was must more valuable that a dead Le Xiaotian.
Because if he died, it would take more time to save Xue Xiyao.
If not for Xue Xiyao, Le Xiaotian would likely have already been turned into a headless corpse.
However, also Wei Kongkong didn’t draw his sword and kill him, Le Xiaotian would no longer be able to use his right hand to use his Eighteen-Form Little Star Palm.
Because when his right palm struck at Wei Kongkong’s belly, he didn’t hit Wei Kongkong’s belly.
What he hit was Wei Kongkong’s fist.
Even though he knew in that last split second that he was going to hit Wei Kongkong’s fist, he still forcefully shot his palm at his fist.
Le Xiaotian’s palm strike was probably powerful enough to smash a block of granite have a span thick.
So even if Wei Kongkong’s fist were made of granite, it would be smashed just the same.
And this was Wei Kongkong’s right fist.
If Wei Kongkong’s right fist was crippled then his Head Chopping Swordplay would also be done for.
But in the end, the right hand that was done for was Le Xiaotian’s.
× × ×
Wei Kongkong’s hand was fairskinned and slender, and as soft and smooth as suet jade.
And Le Xiaotian’s hand was just the opposite, coarse like a rock eroded away by sea waves every day.
Comparing the two hands, the former seemed to belong to a woman, and the other belonged to a gorilla.
No one would believe that a woman’s hand would be more powerful than a gorilla’s.
But the facts were before them, Le Xiaotian’s hand was maimed.
And Wei Kongkong’s hand was not even the least bit swollen, as if he had never even come in contact with Le Xiaotian’s internal arts Little Star Palm.
Le Xiaotian, finally, could not smile.
Le Xiaotian was no longer smiling, but someone else was laughing.
This laugh was pleasing to the ear, charming and sweet, so sweet it would make any man’s heart pound.
The laugh was beautiful, but the person was even more beautiful.
Wei Kongkong saw a girl with her hair in a long braid walk out smiling.
Her fair, flushed face in the lamplight made her look like a springtime flower.
Wei Kongkong took a deep breath and said coldly, “Don’t tell me you’re smiling like that because you’ve just picked up a gold ingot?”
The longbraid girl gave a winsome smile. “What I picked up isn’t a gold ingot but a big fool.”
Wei Kongkong said, “There’s no other fool here but you.”
Longbraid girl shook her head. “Even if I really was a big fool, I wouldn’t pick myself up. Besides, the real big fool in fact isn’t me, but you.”
Wei Kongkong asked, “I’m a big fool? How so?”
Longbraid girl suddenly walked over to a bronze crane and asked him, “Do you know what this bronze crane’s real name is?”
The bronze crane stood in the corner of the antechamber. It was very lifelike and looked really expensive and beautiful.
Suddenly, Wei Kongkong had a bad feeling and wanted to get away from here.
Because he had figured out what that bronze crane was.
He blurted out, “Mechanical lever.”
Longbraid girl chuckled daintily. “You guessed it too late.”
Wei Kongkong’s reaction time was more or less like an agile sparrow. As soon as he thought that the bronze crane was a mechanical lever, he was already leaping out of the way.
Wei Kongkong’s lightness skill was really good.
But his even if his lightness skill had been better he wouldn’t have been able to dodge the enormous iron cage that suddenly dropped on him.
Longbraid girl laughed again.
And this laugh was even more charming than before, and more cheerful.
Because she really had picked up a big fool.
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