ebookslot Chapter 41 You still say you don't know martial arts!
Chapter 41 You still say you don't know martial arts!
Along the way from Zhengqi Hall to Haoyi Manor, Lin Zhuo's group continued to grow, and Qingde Daoist, who was initially brought in, was starting to have some doubts.
He looked to his left and saw a haggard, weathered middle-aged man with a scraggly beard, holding a frosted iron rod and wearing a set of dirty iron armor. Although his steps were slow and sluggish, there was a steel-like body throbbing beneath his skin, like a sick tiger crossing a river.
This is Liu Cang, whom they found at a blacksmith's shop by the roadside. Three years ago, his wife brought his younger sister home to visit relatives, but they were killed by the notorious thief Ye Toufeng because they were carrying gold and silver. Upon hearing the words "I'll take you to find Ye Toufeng," he followed without hesitation.
Looking further to the right, he spotted a young swordsman with a lazy smile. This was also a wandering swordsman recruited by the Righteous Hall, named Cao Youdao, also known as Cao Youcai. He wouldn't do anything without money. Qingde didn't like his style, but he also admitted that this man was quite capable.
Before being recruited into the group, Cao Youdao was lying in the courtyard sunbathing, saying that even the Heavenly King himself couldn't disturb him. Then, Lin Zhuo won him over with two gold leaves in a single meeting.
Many less skilled swordsmen, upon hearing from Lin Zhuo that they had Master Qingde as their leader, impulsively followed along.
They circled the Zhengqi Hall and strolled around Liquan Town, using either enticement or persuasion to quickly recruit about a dozen wandering martial artists. Their force immediately grew incredibly strong, almost enough to attack a bandit stronghold in a treacherous terrain.
Qingde did not doubt the intentions of Lin Zhuo and his fellow disciple, after all, none of the people they recruited were suspicious.
What puzzled him was that Lin Zhuo and his companion had clearly planned this nighttime sneak attack for a long time. However, under normal circumstances, such a plan would involve arranging the time, place, and manpower to ensure that nothing went wrong.
Although these two were very organized and had an impeccable grasp of human nature, able to recruit people with just a few words, making even the most clueless and skeptical people sweat profusely, they still managed to gather this large group of people in a makeshift, amateurish manner.
Was this a spur-of-the-moment decision, or a well-thought-out plan? Qingde admitted that he was completely baffled by their thinking.
Once they had gathered enough people, the group headed to Haoyi Manor in a grand procession. Such a spectacle attracted many onlookers who followed them from a distance. The servants and guards of Haoyi Manor noticed the situation early on and went inside to report to the manor owner.
Before they even reached the gate of the manor, Shu Yuliu beckoned to Qingde and said, "Daoist, please come with me."
Due to their extraordinary performance along the way, the true disciples of the White Egret Sword Sect had already taken them quite seriously and immediately nodded in agreement.
She and Jin Xiaohu, along with a bewildered Qingde, broke away from the group. After walking a short distance, she said, "I'm leaving this place to you."
"What do you mean by this, young lady?"
"She's talking to me," Jin Xiaohu suddenly said.
Qingde shuddered, his usually calm eyes widening like a bull's. "A cat! A cat can talk! How can a cat talk? Could it be that I accidentally ate my Sixth Uncle's homemade elixir and am hallucinating? This dream feels so real! Could it be that the 'Nanke' and 'Huangliang' stories are real?"
"I already said it's a guardian beast of the mountain. It's normal for it to be able to talk." Jin Xiaohu faithfully played his role. "Hey, come with me. Let's sneak in quietly. In case the enemy discovers our intentions, we can't secretly seal off the secret room with a mechanism."
"This, this..." Qingde suppressed his shock and followed after them in a daze.
As the large group arrived at the main gate, the manor owner, Dai Xianyong, walked out surrounded by his retainers.
This man was tall and thin, with a withered appearance. Judging from his appearance alone, he looked sickly and about to die, which was very inconsistent with his name. It was even more unexpected that such a frail person would be a highly skilled, ruthless bandit.
Before Dai Xianyong could even ask any questions, Lin Zhuo preemptively declared, "You notorious thief, Night Stealer, you've been caught! Surrender now!"
Upon hearing this, many of Hao Yi Manor's retainers began to curse. In the distance, the townspeople whispered among themselves, and some with sharp ears repeated Lin Zhuo's words, immediately causing a commotion as everyone watched with great excitement.
Dai Xianyong's face flushed red, and he was about to speak when he coughed repeatedly, his coughing and wheezing making everyone feel suffocated.
"Young hero... what... what makes you say that? I, Dai Xianyong, have been ill for many years, everyone in Liquan Town knows that. How could someone as frail as me possibly be a notorious thief stealing the night wind?"
These words were spoken with such sincerity that even Liu Cang, who was eager for revenge, looked at Lin Zhuo with hesitant eyes.
"You claim to be sick, which conveniently allows you to shut yourself off from guests and go out to commit crimes. Once you fall ill, even the closest people will be kept out of your bed, and guests can only see you through the gauze curtains, unable to see your face clearly."
"Little did you know, the person lying in bed was your double, Han Dawei, the steward of the manor. This man has a nickname, 'Tongue-Cut Myna,' and is also a bandit under your command, you great thief."
"You claim to be generous and righteous, welcoming people from all directions. You have taken in many retainers in this Haoyi Manor, but in reality, it is a den of thieves and thieves. Even if true heroes come here to seek refuge, they are secretly ostracized and driven away by you. What remains are mostly petty thieves and evil outlaws."
"In the end, the master thief Ye Tou Feng never works alone, but as a gang. And if you weren't doing business without any initial investment, where would the money come from to support guests from all directions every day?"
The villagers who had been shouting and cursing suddenly fell silent, and Dai Xianyong started coughing again.
"Your words are so defamatory. What have I done to offend you? Can you spread rumors so easily just by talking? Where is justice in the martial arts world?"
Lin Zhuo's original intention was to stall for time and attract the enemy's attention. Once Jin Xiaohu and Qingde had collected evidence, he would immediately follow the instructions in the speedrun guide and begin to expose the private misdeeds of this group of thugs like reciting a menu.
"There's a guy in your village nicknamed Zhang Yidao who has an affair with his brother and sister-in-law. There's also a guy nicknamed Touching the Sky who secretly poisoned the dog that King Tian Weiyi loves. Then, he conspired with Banbianjun and Rogue Jiang to dig up the dog's grave in the middle of the night, stew it, and eat the meat."
"There was also the one nicknamed 'Landlord,' who was supposed to deliver the resettlement allowance that the village had given to the heroes' relatives living elsewhere, but he secretly took it and gambled it all away, causing Brother Liu's entire family to die of hunger and disease. When he came back, he only claimed that he was a step too late and couldn't save them in time..."
Lin Zhuo's description of his various schemes was so detailed and vivid that it was easy to see that a group of bandits wouldn't be living peacefully together. His words infuriated the band of outlaws, who immediately drew their swords, their eyes red with rage.
"Enough!" Dai Xianyong's face turned pale and then turned around and unleashed several palm strikes, sending several servants flying. The chilling intent in his eyes intimidated the thieves, preventing them from acting recklessly.
Shu Yuliu shouted, "Dai Xianyong, you still say you don't know martial arts!"
"This is nothing more than divine strength!" The notorious thief, Night Stealer, continued his vehement defense, his face twitching. "No matter what you say, it's nothing more than my poor judgment in choosing people and making the mistake of associating with scoundrels. Once I've thoroughly cleaned up Hao Yi Manor, it will be as righteous as ever. Where is the evidence to harm me?"
"The evidence is here!" Qingde burst out of the manor carrying a box of jewelry, with Jin Xiaohu perched on his shoulder. No one could stop him along the way, not even the strong servants and bandits.
Upon arriving at the gate, they dropped the box on the ground. When they opened it, a dazzling array of jewels caught their eye, making Cao Youdao and the others on Lin Zhuo's side drool.
"These are all stolen goods reported by wealthy households from all over Tiannan Prefecture. Master Dai, why don't you explain why the stolen goods were hidden in the secret room under the rockery in your garden?" Qingde's expression was solemn. Jin Xiaohu on his shoulder jumped down and ran back to Lin Zhuo and the others in a flash.
Dai Xianyong finally couldn't keep up the act any longer, and his voice changed from a soft whisper to a deep, resonant tone, "Shoulder to shoulder, the wind's picking up! Liang Qingzi, get the party started!"
The villagers responded in unison and drew their weapons. Lin Zhuo's side of the knights were equally quick, their swords flashing with a clang.
"You start spouting nonsense the moment you open your mouth, and you still say you're not a thief!" Cao Youdao clicked his tongue.
Liu Cang roared, "Give me back my wife's sister's life!" He then charged forward like a madman, swinging his stick and striking her.
The battle erupted immediately. The master thief Ye Toufeng hated Lin Zhuo the most. His eyes were bloodshot, and he ignored everyone else, focusing only on Lin Zhuo as he attacked.