Chapter 84

Zhao Zhengyi, the judge of the martial arts world, asked warily, “What do you mean by this, Lord Zhang?”

“It’s very simple. There are two choices. One is to pretend nothing happened, hand over my Uncle Li, and I will take him away. You and your families can live. The other is that I will kill the entire Guiyun Manor and all your families. There will be no witnesses or evidence left, so he will naturally not be the Plum Blossom Thief.”

“This is my first mission. I promised my father and the Empress Dowager that I would be taking the imperial examination next year, and I might even become the top scholar. A future as a high-ranking official would be just around the corner. You wouldn’t want to put me in a difficult position or cause me to lose face in front of the Empress Dowager, would you?”

“You…you…you’re trying to distort the truth?”

“No, no, no, I say what is the truth and that is the truth. Do you think the court believes you bunch of Jianghu people or me, a mere Grand Secretary? Let’s not even talk about whether Li Xunhuan is the Embroidered Bandit or not. Even if he is, as long as he is valuable to me and can help me, what does it matter? It’s just burning, killing, and looting. What’s the big deal? We civil officials can decide the life and death of millions with a single word.”

Zhang Weihao then touched Lin Xian’er’s pretty face and said, “She looks alright, but she’s not a virgin. She’s not as clean as the prostitutes in brothels. I went to brothels when I was eight, and I experienced all your tricks when I was thirteen. I already have more than a dozen concubines and mistresses at home. These tricks are useless against me.”

You say that I, Uncle Li, like you and am interested in your body? Fine, then go and serve him well and satisfy him. If you do, you can live, and you might even have the chance to become his concubine.

“Don’t underestimate my uncle. The Empress Dowager doesn’t speak lightly, but once she does, he’ll surely rise to prominence. The court is currently in dire need of talent, and is desperately seeking capable individuals with both literary and martial skills. All of you dying a hundred times wouldn’t be as important as a single hair on his head.”

Long Xiaoyun and his group were completely dumbfounded. They had seen ruthless and cunning people before, but they had never seen anyone as ruthless as this.

This is what it means to be a high-ranking official, a scion of a top family, whose words can decide the life or death of hundreds of people… Now this group of people truly understands the origin of the term “corrupt official”.

Lin Xian’er was completely dumbfounded. She didn’t expect him to be a real veteran. But considering his background, it seemed normal.

Compared to Zhang Lingyu, this Zhang Baigui is the true direct descendant of the Zhang family. He is truly capable of mobilizing the army and directly annihilating the entire Guiyun Manor, leaving no one alive.

Long Xiaoyun and his group, who were so proud before, are now in a worse state than crying. It’s true that what goes around comes around, and what goes around comes around.

If they hadn’t offended Li Xunhuan too badly, this group would have backed down long ago. But the problem is that they don’t understand Li Xunhuan and don’t dare to gamble on his character.

Especially Zhao Zhengyi, who used to be the most arrogant and hated, is now feeling incredibly frustrated.

Among the group, Gongsun Moyun, the “Cloud Hand,” was the second most skilled martial artist, excluding Lin Xian’er. He was roughly at the level of the Grand Protector of the Songshan Sect, as evidenced by his reputation in the martial arts world.

Most first and second-rank masters can be listed on the martial arts ranking list or the famous sword list and weapon list. They are famous for their signature moves and weapons. These are terrifying beings who are top masters and not to be trifled with.

Third-rank Grandmasters are usually gang leaders, who are often given honorific titles such as the Gentleman Sword of Mount Hua, the Leader of the Five Mountains Alliance, or the Master of Swords and Sabers of Mount Emei. These titles immediately convey the image of a powerful and renowned figure in the martial arts world.

Fourth and fifth rank masters are the backbone of the martial arts world. There are a lot of people at this level. Some famous sects have dozens of them. You can even slowly work your way up to this level by working your way up in a big sect.

Therefore, masters at this level usually adopt titles such as “Skill of So-and-So” or “Skill of So-and-So,” directly indicating which aspect of their skills they are most proficient in, and showing that they have expertise in their craft.

Those in the lower and middle ranks of the martial arts world below the fifth rank had very flamboyant and arrogant names, such as Ironclad Vajra, Eight-Armed Nezha, Leopard Head, and Tiger Gate Dragon King, which contained place names or deities. They also liked to use some mythical beasts to refer to themselves, such as Golden Goose Eagle, Cloud-Piercing Dragon, and Thunder Tiger. These names were the most varied, chaotic, and intimidating.

Gongsun Moyun’s skill naturally lies in his Moyun hands. Because he is far from reaching the realm of returning to simplicity, his joints and temples have obvious characteristics of an external martial arts master. His whole body is full of flaws and weaknesses. If he encounters a true master, he will be killed in one move.

“Young Master Zhang is indeed a master strategist and a man of great skill. However, has Young Master Zhang forgotten something? A noble man should not sit under a dangerous roof. This place is…” Gongsun Moyun’s words were abruptly cut off before he could finish speaking. The others only saw Zhang Weihao make a gesture of sheathing his sword.

Soon everyone saw clearly that in that instant, Gongsun Moyun’s throat had been slit by Zhang Weihai’s swift sword. Because it was so fast, there was no blood drawn. It took quite a while for a thin line of blood to slowly appear on Gongsun Moyun’s neck. Then, affected by the recoil of the blood gushing from his carotid artery, he collapsed in anger, instinctively clutching his neck and trying to speak. But as more and more bright red blood gushed from his throat, he slowly lost the ability to utter a word.

Although not completely dead yet, it was clearly already dead; it was just a final, feeble struggle.

The eyes of Long Xiaoyun and the others were filled with terror. The first to react was Lin Xian’er, a woman.

She was naturally frightened as well.

She had seen Jing Wuming’s sword before, and it was the fastest sword she had ever seen, but now… this young master Zhang’s sword was even faster. This was the top family of the Ming Dynasty, the Six Arts of a Gentleman.

Previously, Lin Xian’er didn’t understand why the world belonged to scholars, but now she vaguely understood a little; it turned out that scholars could be very powerful. Li Xunhuan and Zhang Lingyu also seemed to be scholars.

“Young Master Zhang’s swordsmanship is truly remarkable; no wonder he is Lord Lingyu’s cousin.”

“His swordsmanship was learned from me. I wonder how it is now, whether he is faster or I am faster.”

“Xian’er understands. I’ll go and invite Lord Li Xunhuan out right away. This cup is my apology to you, Lord Zhang, on behalf of Fourth Master and the others.” Lin Xian’er immediately poured and offered the wine very respectfully, even deliberately bending down to reveal the magnificent scenery of her chest.