Jiang Hengchuan hesitated, wanting to stop him, but after a moment’s hesitation, he sighed and stepped forward, positioning himself beside Meng Qi to guard against any sneak attacks from the two experts.
“Ghost Shadow” Ding Xiaofeng and the other swordsman were both shocked and furious, unable to believe that “Wild Blade” Su Meng dared to attack You Shaohui directly! Wasn’t he afraid of provoking the wrath of “Impartial and Fearless”?
Likewise, they couldn’t believe that Meng Qi’s blade could be so fast, leaving them unable to react in time, almost rivaling the “Lightning Flash Sword Technique.” Wasn’t he known for his sheer power?
Environment influences temperament; years of living as a high-ranking person enabled You Shaohui to maintain the dignified bearing of a powerful local lord in Maoling, even after his initial shock and panic. Ignoring the blade at his throat, he coldly stared at Meng Qi: “Aren’t you afraid you won’t be able to walk out this door?”
“Meng Qi and I, working together, who in the Heaven’s Number One Gambling House can stop us?” Meng Qi wore a smiling expression.
An expert of the Outer Courtyard level would be considered a major power in any faction, sufficient to establish a family or sect. Even You Shaohui’s brother-in-law, “Impartial and Fearless” Ye Taoguang, would have at most a few trusted Outer Courtyard-level subordinates, being more of a cooperative partner than a direct subordinate. How could he possibly attract an Outer Courtyard-level expert to guard his gambling house?
Unless he had handed over more than half of his Maoling assets, but with the deterrence of his brother-in-law, why would he need to do that?
As for Half-Outer Courtyard experts, unless encountering particularly outstanding individuals or two or more together, with the combined strength of Meng Qi and Jiang Hengchuan, even if they couldn’t win, couldn’t they still escape?
You Shaohui didn’t back down, coldly snorting: “Can you guarantee there won’t be repercussions tomorrow if you get through today?”
“If you, Master You, can overlook past grievances and tell us the identity of the person Qiu Fei saw, allowing you to remain unharmed, I believe this small matter won’t draw the attention of ‘Impartial and Fearless’ Senior. As for any other retaliation, Master You are welcome to try—we’ll handle it.”
Meng Qi’s voice carried a smile as he shifted tone: “But if you don’t value your own life, I, Su, am a lone wolf with nothing to lose. What do I have to fear?”
You Shaohui’s pupils slightly constricted as he looked at Meng Qi’s smiling, clean face delivering chilling words: “Those who come to the gambling house—those without ability needn’t be mentioned. Most of those capable of threatening you have families and businesses and wouldn’t dare offend Senior Ye. Even Left Path experts, unless necessary, wouldn’t provoke unnecessary conflicts, since they’re already universally hunted. I believe precisely because of this, you’ve underestimated heroes across the land.”
“The world is vast—how much territory can the Great River Gang truly control? Even in the Jiangdong region, they’re merely on par with the Wang and Ruan families. I, Su, though mediocre, have confidence I can escape before the Great River Gang’s Outer Courtyard and Half-Outer Courtyard experts arrive, fleeing to the far corners of the earth—to the Northern Zhou, the grasslands, the Eastern Sea, the Southern Wilderness, the Western Regions—wherever I can’t go?”
“Moreover, with the potential I’ve displayed, there are plenty of major factions willing to accept me. Even if they don’t openly offend the Great River Gang, they can still offer covert protection. After changing my name and identity, I believe I have a two or three in ten chance of surviving and staging a comeback.”
“As for you, Master You—if you provoke this blade, all your wealth and comfort will vanish. After painstakingly building up the Heaven’s Number One Gambling House, are you willing to let your children inherit it?”
You Shaohui’s expression turned grim. Several times he tried to speak, but Meng Qi kept interrupting him. Listening to these seemingly considerate words and looking at that gentle, smiling face, he suddenly felt that Meng Qi truly might go through with it.
“The world is vast, but martial cultivation reigns supreme. So, Master You, do you really want to test how sharp my blade is with your own neck?” Meng Qi’s smile was ambiguous as he looked into You Shaohui’s eyes, slightly increasing the pressure of Tianzhi Shang against his throat.
You Shaohui’s expression changed several times. After grinding his teeth in anger, he finally decided that a wise man doesn’t suffer immediate losses. He had plenty of money, women, and subordinates. Life was so wonderful, his life so precious. Why quarrel with a young hothead who hadn’t even tasted life’s pleasures?
“Qiu Fei met several days in a row with ‘Money Talks’ Sun Ke, the leader of the Money Gang. He must have been seeking information from him. As for why it was so secretive, that’s beyond outsiders’ knowledge.” You Shaohui finished explaining the matter and looked at Meng Qi, waiting for him to remove the blade.
“‘Money Talks’?” Meng Qi and Jiang Hengchuan exchanged a concealed glance, feeling relieved inside. This Half-Outer Courtyard expert was known for his smooth dealings. Qiu Fei had already colluded with the Nine Evil Paths, ruining his reputation. As long as the price was right, Sun Ke shouldn’t keep secrets for him.
Sun Ke came from a solitary cultivation background, a native of Maoling. He’d built the Money Gang from scratch, one of the local power brokers, integrating all sorts of people and possessing superior intelligence-gathering capabilities. As long as you paid, he could help you investigate.
You Shaohui snorted again: “You can remove the blade now.”
“We still need Master You to escort us out. Your subordinates seem rather unfriendly,” Meng Qi cheerfully eyed the menacing “Ghost Shadow” and others, leisurely saying.
Jiang Hengchuan shook his head helplessly and whispered into Meng Qi’s ear, “Young Master Su, your methods may be effective, but the consequences could be dire.”
“Master Jiang, are you afraid of retaliation from a mere gambling house?” Meng Qi smiled in response.
Jiang Hengchuan’s lips tightened slightly, his jawline sharp, his voice filled with the pride of being among the Top Ten of the Mortal List: “What is there to fear?”
Without involving the Great River Gang, how strong an expert could Heaven’s Number One Gambling House hire for retaliation? Framing or false accusations? They weren’t without connections themselves!
Even if You Shaohui hired assassins from the Benevolent Sect, killing the two of them wouldn’t be easy. Without any vested interest, just for the sake of pride, would You Shaohui be willing to spend a fortune hiring an Outer Courtyard-level Red-Rank assassin?
As for the Golden-Rank assassins, although they were dangerous, the two of them still had a chance to counter-kill. What was there to fear?
Though anger showed on his face, You Shaohui restrained himself, slowly rising to escort Meng Qi and Jiang Hengchuan to the door with the blade still at his throat.
Along the way, Meng Qi’s voice suddenly echoed in You Shaohui’s mind: “Master You, I apologize for the rudeness.”
Whispering transmission? You Shaohui was also a Nine-Orifice expert. Though not strong in actual combat, he could still perform whispering transmission. He angrily replied: “It’s too late to apologize now.”
“Not too late. I believe Master You had other intentions,” Meng Qi’s voice carried a hint of playfulness.
You Shaohui was startled, his voice slightly fluctuating: “What are you talking about?”
Meng Qi’s expression remained unchanged as he continued whispering: “I, Su, only know one thing: walking by the river too often will eventually get your shoes wet. Heaven’s Number One Gambling House has existed for twenty years already. Master You, if you’ve always behaved this way, how could you have waited until today to encounter someone like me, a fearless threatener?”
“This only proves you’re a reckless fool,” You Shaohui’s anger strangely disappeared from his voice.
Meng Qi smiled: “Outsiders all think Master You only achieved your current status because you have a beautiful sister who married a powerful husband. But the Great River Gang’s headquarters is in Hechuan, quite a distance from Maoling. Master You didn’t establish your gambling house in Hechuan, that important Jiangdong town and vital Great River location, the heart of the world’s prosperity, but instead built your own foundation in Maoling, away from the close protection of ‘Impartial and Fearless’ Senior. How could you achieve this if you only relied on your family?”
You Shaohui chuckled: “You do have some insight.”
Who doesn’t like compliments?
“Even with the Great River Gang’s support, for Heaven’s Number One Gambling House to become famous throughout the land and the top in Jiangdong, would you have acted the way you did earlier? Narrow-minded, careless, disdainful of experts, hostile toward rising talents, treating martial artists like performing monkeys. I couldn’t stand it, and I believe many other experts couldn’t either. Thus, Master You surviving until today is truly no small feat.”
Meng Qi’s voice carried a smile: “I believe that those who achieve great things are never easy opponents.”
You Shaohui’s chubby face trembled slightly: “Is that so?”
Meng Qi half-jokingly said: “Master You’s performance earlier seemed to be saying to me, ‘Come hit me, come hit me, hurry and hit me.’ With such a tempting posture, I couldn’t help but test it out.”
You Shaohui sighed: “I’m getting old. I acted a bit too rashly, not as subtly as I used to.”
This was a kind of indirect admission.
“Didn’t expect ‘Wild Blade’ Su Meng to be other than reckless,” You Shaohui added with another sigh.
Meng Qi smiled: “I, Su, always act only when I have a certain degree of confidence. May I ask, Master You, what deeper intention did you have?”
“Prince Wang asked me for a small favor. How could I refuse?” You Shaohui frankly replied.
Meng Qi wasn’t surprised: “So it was him indeed.”
Information obtained through arduous efforts was naturally more credible and convincing than easily acquired information.
“You figured it out?” You Shaohui was surprised instead.
Meng Qi chuckled ambiguously: “In a game of chess between two sides, if the opponent has already made several moves, Prince Wang must respond somehow, right?”
By now, the three had retreated to the door. Meng Qi planned to release Tianzhi Shang and push You Shaohui toward the opposite side.
“Your guess might have a high probability, but if after testing, I indeed turned out to be the person I appeared to be earlier, how would you handle it?” You Shaohui suddenly asked.
Meng Qi’s smile was ambiguous: “The first words I spoke weren’t lies either.”
You Shaohui was instantly speechless, deeply shaken. He was pushed by Meng Qi and stumbled toward the other side.
Hei, I was just kidding. Without some confidence, I’d rather find an opportunity to use the Heaven-Changing and Earth-Shaking Method… Meng Qi successfully shaped his image in You Shaohui’s mind. Using the push’s momentum, he soared like a giant bird, landing with Jiang Hengchuan on the roof of the private room, evading the sword qi and “Ghost Shadow.” Within a few moments, they disappeared from Heaven’s Number One Gambling House.
…
“This concerns the Nine Evil Paths. I won’t charge you for this,” “Money Talks” Sun Ke said solemnly.
Actually, he was afraid of being implicated in the affairs of the Death and Life Sect, right? Meng Qi wasn’t the least bit swayed.
He and Jiang Hengchuan were now sitting in the main hall of the Money Gang’s headquarters. Behind Sun Ke was a calligraphy piece with the character for “money” written nine times in a row, symbolizing that money opens all doors.
Sun Ke was a middle-aged man with a square face, thick eyebrows, and large eyes, exuding an impressive aura. However, he wore ten rings on his ten fingers, made of jade and emerald, rare treasures, some even being excellent materials for crafting weapons. Around his neck hung five chains, along with brooches. His clothes were embroidered with golden threads. In short, he was dazzlingly adorned, like a walking treasury.
Jiang Hengchuan ignored this Half-Outer Courtyard expert’s peculiar attire and politely bowed: “Please, Master Sun, inform us.”
“On the first day, Qiu Fei asked our gang to track down a group of people. On the second day, we found them in a courtyard in the northern part of the city and reported back to Qiu Fei. He then asked us to investigate further to confirm who was among them. On the third day, through delivering vegetables and disguising ourselves as constables investigating a case, we confirmed that among them were ‘Eight-Armed Heavenly Dragon’ and ‘Yunling Three Hawks.'” Sun Ke answered clearly and methodically.
“‘Eight-Armed Heavenly Dragon,’ ‘Yunling Three Hawks’…” Jiang Hengchuan’s expression slightly changed.
“What’s wrong?” Meng Qi whispered through secret transmission.
Jiang Hengchuan’s expression shifted slightly: “At that time, another opportunity lay in their hands.”
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