Chapter 98

Chapter 97: Design (2)

Six warriors in ceremonial armor were walking through the market street.

They had come for a brief inspection and were chatting as they looked around the shops.

Just as they stopped in front of a rather splendid inn,

a middle-aged man pointed to the inn and said,

"Since we're here, why don't we have a meal first?"

It was Jia Hong, the second-ranked guard.

It was naturally the time for lunch, and they were all quite hungry.

Guang Shixiong, the right-hand man of Baek Yangcheon, the head of the Changlong Sect, and the chief guard,

did not respond, but one of the guards standing beside him spoke up kindly,

"I'm fine with that. In fact, this inn is quite famous in the area. They say their Mapo Tofu is delicious."

The other guards nodded in agreement.

As the guards gradually agreed, a man suddenly interjected,

"However, Chief, isn't this inn managed by Jin Manzhong? We don't need to risk a misunderstanding just by having a meal here, do we?"

Jia Hong immediately frowned and countered,

"What are you talking about? We are responsible for most of the security in this area. Haven't the ruffians become less visible since we arrived?"

"That's true, but..."

"Jia Hong is right."

At that moment, the chief guard, Guang Shixiong, finally spoke.

He looked up at the large signboard of the inn and said,

"By showing some courtesy, some people still don't realize who the real owner of this area is. It's time to remind them."

With that, he walked into the inn.

The curtain beads swayed as the group entered.

Since it was around lunchtime, the inn was already filled with people here and there.

"Over there..."

The guards' eyes were drawn to a particular spot.

A round table in the center of the inn.

The chairs and the wood material gave it a rather luxurious feel, so everyone started to walk over and sit down.

"Take your order."

One of the guards shouted, and a waiter hurried over, bowing.

"What would you like?"

"Bring out the best dishes this inn has to offer."

"Excuse me?"

"Didn't you hear me? Bring out all the best dishes this inn has."

The waiter's gaze shifted to their attire.

Gray martial robes. And the embroidered dragon on the right chest of the robes. He immediately understood who they were.

"Understood."

The waiter quickly bowed and hurried away.

Before long, the table was filled with numerous dishes.

* * *

"Ah, delicious."

"I'm stuffed."

Most of the food on the table was gone.

The Changlong Sect guards were patting their bellies, expressing their satisfaction.

"Wow, a famous restaurant really is different."

Jia Hong, the second-ranked guard, looked at the chief with a pleased expression, subtly giving a hint.

"Well, shall we go then?"

As Guang Shixiong stood up, the guards quickly followed.

They naturally headed towards the entrance.

"Sir, you haven't paid for the food."

The waiter rushed in front of them, speaking urgently.

"What?"

The largest man in the group, a guard, glared fiercely at the waiter, who immediately ducked his head and muttered,

"The food... uh!"

At that moment, his body was lifted higher than his own height.

The man had grabbed him by the collar and lifted him to his own height.

"Don't you know who we are? Huh?"

"Uh... ah!"

The waiter's face turned red, and he couldn't speak.

At that moment, Guang Shixiong intervened.

"Enough."

Thud.

The man let go, and the waiter fell to the ground, writhing in pain.

"From now on, we'll waive one month's protection fee for this shop."

Guang Shixiong glanced at him and then looked around.

A middle-aged man who seemed to be the owner and a few employees were standing to one side, but they just watched without interfering.

He sneered at them and turned.

"Let's go."

Just as he took a few steps,

"Wherever you go, there are always ruffians, aren't there?"

"...What?"

Guang Shixiong slowly turned around.

Not far away, a man was sitting in a chair with his legs on the table.

His face seemed familiar.

So he asked,

"Are you...?"

"Yes, I serve Elder Jin Manzhong."

"...!"

Guang Shixiong's expression hardened.

He realized that this was a warrior who served Jin Manzhong, the highest expert of the Jinhuang Merchant Guild.

"Are you following us?"

If it was by chance, they could let it go, but if it was intentional, a fight was inevitable.

"If I am, what will you do?"

The result was the latter.

In the end, Guang Shixiong had no choice but to glare fiercely. Fighting this man was a significant risk.

"Are you aware of what it means to fight us now? It means war."

"War?"

Xue Hui chuckled.

He found the sudden warning amusing.

"Exactly. So, let's do this. Hand over four hundred gold pieces right now, and we'll let you go home alive."

"You're crazy."

"Arrogant!"

Perhaps sensing that negotiations had broken down,

the Changlong Sect guards openly showed their hostility.

"Chief."

Jia Hong approached Guang Shixiong and spoke quietly.

For a moment, Guang Shixiong hesitated, then

he nodded silently at a guard who had moved behind the enemy.

At that moment,

Swish.

One of the guards swiftly extended his sword towards Xue Hui.

The opponent, sitting in a chair with his legs on the table,

seemed like an easy target.

However,

just as the guard's sword was about to touch the man's back, he vanished as if by magic.

"Ugh!"

The guard's head was forced down, and he collapsed on the spot.

'Technique strike!'

Guang Shixiong was momentarily shocked.

A type of boxing technique that strikes with one side of the hand.

It was a method primarily used for lethal strikes involving punching, kicking, and striking.

However, he couldn't see the exact movement that subdued the guard.

"It's a fight!"

"Run!"

People who witnessed the death started to flee outside.

In the store, only a few remained.

"This fight might be interesting."

Xue Hui, who had transformed into Shang Tianzhang, smiled gently.

Indeed, these men seemed more skilled than the subordinates sent from the main temple.

"Attack!"

Just then, a loud shout rang out.

Guang Shixiong had charged at Xue Hui, intent on killing him.

However, their martial arts were far inferior to Xue Hui's.

Clang!

One sword stroke.

It was enough to sever the head of the leading guard with that single attack.

The remaining four,

including Jia Hong, the second-ranked guard, stopped.

He instinctively realized that he couldn't defeat the opponent in front of him.

However, his subordinates, unlike him, moved towards the enemy without hesitation.

"No, no!"

Despite his warning, the subordinates didn't stop.

This time, they seemed well-prepared, drawing their swords and aiming at Xue Hui's neck from both sides.

However, he witnessed something that made him doubt his eyes.

Blocking the two sword attacks as if by magic, he extended a palm technique.

Boom!

One of his subordinates' bodies exploded, and another guard was already grabbed by the hair.

His body was gradually covered in flames.

And the martial art he used reminded everyone of the terrifying demonic art that was etched in their memories.

"...Blood Water Demonic Art."

The name of the martial art slipped out of Jia Hong's mouth.

An extremely yang demonic art.

Only those from the demonic sect could use it, and a guard serving Jin Manzhong had just demonstrated it.

Moreover, the martial art that had made the man's body vanish without a trace was unknown.

Swoosh.

Xue Hui looked at the remaining two Changlong Sect guards and said,

"You two are quite skilled."

It wasn't just a compliment.

[State Summary, Status Brief Summary]

Jia Hong [First-Rank Guard of the Changlong Sect Head]

Health 550,000/550,000

Internal Energy 320,000/320,000

Combat Power 1,200,000

[State Summary, Status Brief Summary]

Guang Shixiong [First-Rank Chief Guard of the Changlong Sect Head]

Health 1,880,000/1,880,000

Internal Energy 990,000/990,000

Combat Power 2,010,000

These two possessed skills that were hard to find even among guards of a single sect.

"Let's use the Plum Blossom Seven Lines."

Clank.

Guang Shixiong gave the order to Jia Hong and drew his sword.

"Indeed... there's no other way."

Jia Hong also nodded and gripped his sword.

To become a peak Plum Blossom Sword expert, one must simultaneously bloom five plum blossoms, it is said.

Guang Shixiong's limit was four.

Jia Hong could manage three.

If they combined their efforts to create seven, they could use a peak-level martial art.

He thought this might be enough to subdue the enemy.

"Is this your best move?"

Xue Hui had already guessed the meaning of their tactics.

According to the Plum Blossom Sword technique, the Plum Blossom Seven Lines is an extremely fast sword technique that unfolds in seven directions in a single breath.

Given the considerable internal energy, it couldn't be taken lightly.

"Then I'll show you something good, something I haven't used in a while."

Xue Hui positioned his sword diagonally.

As the tension in the inn grew,

Guang Shixiong and Jia Hong, making eye contact, moved.

'...!'

Xue Hui's eyes widened.

The sword technique they used was slightly different from what he had in mind.

The direction of their swords was not straight but curved like a loop.

Moreover, the speed was much faster than expected.

Swish!

Left and right.

At the point where he hesitated about which sword to block first,

'Ah!'

An unexpected situation unfolded.

[Warning! Guang Shixiong has found a weakness in 'Xue Hui'. How will you respond?]

[Warning! Jia Hong has found a weakness in 'Xue Hui'. How will you respond?]

He couldn't understand.

Why would such a warning appear when he was fully capable of responding?

'Could it be...'

Xue Hui's gaze shifted to the top of their heads.

He saw something strange.

Combat Power 2,200,000 (↑1,000,000)

Combat Power 3,010,000 (↑1,000,000)

Their combat power had suddenly increased.

Was such a thing possible?

'Hmm.'

Xue Hui's contemplation was brief.

Even if they found a weakness,

even if the situation was unpredictable,

there was already an insurmountable gap between their martial arts and his.

So,

['Counterattack' selected.]

With a flash, a curved blade extended.

Guang Shixiong's sword struck Xue Hui's body accurately.

"Victory...?!"

But their triumph was short-lived.

Their swords couldn't penetrate Xue Hui's body.

Bingyuan Juejia.

His defense was successful due to the protective technique of the Lesser Mind Demon Art.

At that moment, Xue Hui let go of his sword and grabbed their swords.

Flames erupted from his fingertips.

Whoosh!

"...!"

"...!"

The fire technique traveled up their swords and onto their bodies.

They didn't have time to drop their swords.

The flames spread too quickly, completely engulfing their bodies.

"Aaaah!"

With a scream, their movements gradually slowed.

Thud.

They both knelt and didn't move any further.

That was the end for them.