Chapter 1: Li Musheng

Great Li, Wanzhou, Shun'an City.

Today, the Yu Family Martial Arts Hall, famous throughout the city, is decorated with lanterns and streamers inside and out; gongs and drums thunder, and guests from all directions come in a continuous stream.

"Ah Sheng, there aren't enough tables in the East Hall; come with me to the backyard and move a few more over."

Amidst the clamor of voices, a burly man with corded muscles hurriedly called out, then grabbed the young man standing in the front courtyard and pulled him toward the back.

The young man had sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, with a handsome face; precisely because he possessed such good looks, he had been assigned the easy task of greeting guests in the front courtyard.

"Brother Zhang, what's the rush? Let those guests stand for a while; they won't die from it."

Li Musheng yawned and dawdled, following the Zhang Dazhuang ahead.

The other man turned back, glared, and said in a bad mood:

"Today is the grand day of our Old Hall Master's retirement ceremony; all who come are big shots with heads and faces in the Jianghu. If you young rascal are so lazy, you'll just invite trouble and get beaten."

Hearing this, Li Musheng rolled his eyes; he actually wanted to find someone who could beat him these days, but he feared it would be hard to find.

At this moment, Zhang Dazhuang shook his head, slowed his pace, and spoke with grave earnestness:

"You young rascal are just too ambitious but incompetent; since you look so handsome, if you were more diligent in practicing martial arts, perhaps the Old Hall Master would marry off the Second Young Lady to you."

"Brother Zhang, spare me; the Second Young Lady weighs four hundred catties, and her palm is wider than my head. With my build, I have no fortune to enjoy her."

Li Musheng chuckled, but then he changed the subject, saying:

"If that Iron Rooster Old Man Yu could give me the Third Young Lady, I might reluctantly consider it."

"Forget it; the Third Young Lady is an angel, her martial arts talent is terrifyingly high, and she has even entered the famous Qingyun Sect of Wanzhou; would she look at you?"

Zhang Dazhuang snorted and ruthlessly insulted Li Musheng a few more times.

Li Musheng didn't mind; after bantering with the other man for a while, they soon arrived at the warehouse in the backyard.

Zhang Dazhuang stacked five tables together, hoisted them onto his shoulder, and strode briskly toward the front courtyard, but as soon as his feet stepped into the yard, he heard a voice like a great bell ring out over the entire mansion:

"Yu Zhentian, it has been twenty years; today I come to take your dog's life!"

That voice exploded like thunder beside the ear, making eardrums ache violently; before seeing the person, one heard the sound, and the originally noisy mansion suddenly fell silent.

Inside the main hall, the gray-haired Yu Zhentian sat in the primary seat, and the golden basin for the retirement ceremony had just been brought up.

"This person has incredibly strong internal energy!"

A middle-aged man in splendid robes sitting below him showed a strange expression; he was burly, with broad shoulders and a thick back, and carried an aura of authority that commanded respect without anger.

"I had a premonition long ago that today's events would not be peaceful; let the City Lord Hao see the joke."

Yu Zhentian stood up and bowed to Hao Shen, then his face immediately turned gloomy.

At the same time, a group of disciples had already rushed anxiously to the door outside the main hall to come and protect his safety.

"Master, terrible news; someone has killed their way to our door!"

"What is there to panic about? Mere rats who hide their heads and tails; I do not yet place them in my eyes."

Yu Zhentian snorted coldly, then, with every step generating wind, walked out of the main hall:

"City Lord Hao, wait a moment; after I deal with this matter, I will return to drink three cups in deep joy."

Hearing this, Hao Shen's eyes shifted slightly, but he stood up and followed, saying:

"Brother Yu, wait; I will go with you. I want to see what kind of person dares to cause chaos in Shun'an City!"

The group arrived at the front courtyard with fierce momentum.

At this moment, the guests in the courtyard were crowded together, all gazing up at the high roof, whispering quietly, and the atmosphere appeared somewhat solemn.

And upon the black tiles of the roof, which resembled a mountain ridge, a tall man in black clothes with a black cloth covering his face stood upright, the long blade in his hand flashing with a sinister cold light.

Zhang Dazhuang and Li Musheng squeezed themselves behind the crowd.

Zhang Dazhuang held a staff in his hand, looking up at the man in black with an anxious expression, while Li Musheng beside him leisurely crossed his arms, looking like someone watching a spectacle.

"He doesn't even dare to show his face; clearly he is a villainous thief who cannot see the light of day." Zhang Dazhuang spoke angrily.

Seeing Yu Zhentian and others arrive, he was about to rush up to help, but alas, too many people were gathered in the front courtyard, and he simply could not squeeze in for the moment.

Li Musheng reached out and pulled the other man, smiling:

"This person's strength is not weaker than Old Man Yu; if you go up, Brother Zhang, you won't be useful; you couldn't withstand a single strike from him and would lose your life."

Zhang Dazhuang was slightly stunned, then immediately recalled the other man's method of making his presence known before his appearance; he must be a master with profound internal kung fu.

He paused his steps and did not continue to squeeze forward, after all, he was not a mindless and rash person; he knew his own weight and measure.

"For such a thief, the Old Hall Master will surely capture him easily."

Zhang Dazhuang coughed lightly twice, then immediately stayed beside Li Musheng, merely leaning on his staff and gazing toward the middle of the courtyard.

"Who are you, sir? Why do you not show your true face, and what grudge do you hold against this old man?"

Yu Zhentian suppressed the anger in his heart and directly questioned the man in black.

"You old thing are truly senile!"

That person let out a heavy, cold snort and said in a sinister tone:

"Let me help you recall; twenty years ago, at the Battle of Junliu Mountain, you once slashed my fifth brother's arm with a sword; do you still remember?"

Hearing this, Yu Zhentian's gray eyebrows furrowed, as if recalling the words the other person had spoken.

Quickly, he suddenly raised his head and said: "Which one of the Zha River Seven Thieves are you?"

"What? The Zha River Seven Thieves!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the guests in the courtyard were all startled.

The Zha River Seven Thieves were infamous; over the past ten years, they had committed countless evils in Wanzhou and killed countless people, year after year ranking in the top three on the government's wanted list.

More importantly, the Zha River Seven Thieves possessed extremely high martial arts; many famous masters in the Jianghu had miserably died at the hands of these seven men.

And the major case they recently committed was, three months ago, slaughtering the entire Zhao Family Armory in Shen City in a single night; over a hundred people, young and old, left not a single survivor.

Once this matter was spread, it made the entire Jianghu of Wanzhou tremble with fear.

It must be known that the Zhao family's weapon shop is a century-old martial arts family; the clan lacks no Wu Gong masters and is one of the top powers in Shen City.

Yet even so, they still could not escape the poisonous hands of the Seven Thieves of Zha River, proving the terrifying strength of this band of villains.

"Correct, you have finally remembered."

Zhe Laosan's gaze was cold and sharp; he slowly swept his eyes over the crowd of guests below, who were now buzzing with noise, then suddenly spoke in a heavy voice:

"From now on, I give you ten breaths of time. Anyone except the Yu family may leave this place."

"After ten breaths, if anyone remains, I will kill them all!"

Zhe Laosan's voice, driven by profound internal energy, shook the bark of the date tree before the courtyard open and its branches snap, causing leaves to rustle down; everyone's ears rang incessantly and their heads grew dazed.

Some ordinary people without Wu Gong were even more terrified in spirit, their liver and gallbladders trembling; the timid ones even directly urinated in their trousers.

After coming to their senses, the crowd was so frightened they dared not think further and fled in panic.

(End of this chapter)