Chapter 81: On the night of the full moon, at the peak of the Forbidden City, the madman in red challenges all

At this moment, Hua Manlou no longer had any intention of persuading his younger brother; only today did he realize that he and this person were two completely different kinds of people.

And for someone like him, whose actions followed no rules and were entirely dictated by his own whims, how could anyone persuade him?

"Neither righteous nor evil, eccentric in conduct, and ruthless in heart—yet in wisdom, martial arts, courage, and daring, you are peerless. You are worthy of the title 'Madman,' and only someone like you could train martial arts to such an inhuman degree."

After Ye Gucheng finished speaking, he strode away. Since he already knew this youth in red had no intention of stopping him, he did not wish to stay any longer.

"Hua Qitong, have you been well lately?" Zhuang Buran picked up the wine flagon and poured a cup for Hua Manlou with a chuckle.

"Having a younger brother like you, life is both not good and yet very good."

"If you didn't think so much, you wouldn't feel that anything was wrong. You should learn from me; let me teach you a mantra: it's fine to die, and it's fine to live." The youth in red said leisurely:

"If you handle everything according to this, you will surely attain an incomparably transparent life."

Hua Manlou wore a look of helplessness:

"Since you are in the mood to joke, I presume you are certain of victory in this duel?"

The youth in red looked indifferent:

"There is always someone stronger than the strong, and beyond the mountains lie more mountains. Who can say for sure? At most, I am confident in preserving my life."

Hearing that he was confident in preserving his life, Hua Manlou felt slightly relieved and could not help but try one more time:

"Must you fight?"

"I want to see how deep and how murky the waters of the Jianghu are." Zhuang Buran sipped his wine slowly:

"Therefore, I must fight."

"Father and Mother are very worried about you," Hua Manlou said with utter helplessness.

"Precisely because of that, didn't I say I can preserve my life?"

"You really have thought of everything." Hua Manlou said no more.

Lu Xiaofeng and the others on the second floor heard the conversation below clearly.

"Little Chicken Lu, you who have always feared neither heaven nor earth, to think there would come a day when you hide from someone—and it's not even a woman," Sikong Zhaixing said with a laugh.

"If you had seen him strike, you would only want to retreat three hundred paces the moment you heard his name, and it would be best never to meet him again for the rest of your life," Lu Xiaofeng said with a bitter smile.

"Seeing this madman today, I realize his appearance is even more eye-catching than his martial arts. I feel that none of the Four Great Beauties of the Jianghu could compare to even a ten-thousandth of him," Xue Bing sighed:

"No wonder Big Sister unexpectedly picked someone up back then."

Shi Xiuxue replied:

"That's because you haven't seen him often. I actually think what's most eye-catching about him isn't his appearance or his martial arts, but that mouth of his that could anger a person to death without needing to pay for it."

"What else is there? Tell me quickly," Xue Bing said with interest.

The two women began to whisper to each other.

Seeing this, Lu Xiaofeng could not help but sigh that women's focus was simply different from men's. He then fell into deep thought, seemingly pondering the riddle-like conversation from just moments ago.

The fifteenth of the ninth month, the bright moon hung in the sky.

The Taihe Hall of the Forbidden City was located inside the Taihe Gate, and the Golden Water Jade Belt River outside the Taihe Gate looked just like a golden belt under the moonlight.

Lu Xiaofeng and the others arrived outside a palace gate, only to see a large group of Jianghu experts holding ribbons.

Immediately, Sikong Zhaixing slipped into the crowd without a sound and quietly returned to Hua Manlou's side.

"Little Chicken Lu is stingy and unwilling to give you ribbons, so I'll take you in to watch the excitement."

As Sikong Zhaixing spoke, he stuffed a ribbon into the hands of Hua Manlou, Shi Xiuxue, and Xue Bing.

Lu Xiaofeng was full of astonishment:

"This isn't right. Wei Ziyun only gave me six ribbons; where did these people get so many? He even swore to me that they were extremely difficult to forge on the market. I've been hiding here and there for days for nothing."

"Don't sigh here; let's go in first." As soon as Sikong Zhaixing finished speaking, several curses erupted from the crowd not far away:

"Where is my ribbon? Which dog thief swiped it!"

"Damn it, my ribbon is gone too!"

"And mine!"

Before long, a group of people crossed the Heavenly Street under the moonlight, entered the Donghua Gate and Longzong Gate, turned into the Meridian Gate beneath the dragon towers and phoenix palaces, and finally arrived at this forbidden place within the forbidden city.

They saw that the patrolling guards along the way were stationed every three steps and every five paces, and they could not help but feel a sense of trepidation, not knowing how many powerful bows and crossbows were aimed at them from the shadows.

Especially around the Taihe Hall, where at least seven or eight thousand elite soldiers were stationed, each one ready for battle. Such a scene showed just how much pressure a certain madman had brought upon people.

Wei Ziyun, known as the Xiaoxiang Swordsman, led a group of imperial experts and looked at the thirty or forty Jianghu experts with heavy auras outside the Taihe Hall, saying sternly:

"I have already sealed all four gates of the Forbidden City. From now on, absolutely no one else will enter."

"You are all top figures in the martial arts world, but you should know this is not a teahouse. If you want to chat and laugh, you have come to the wrong place."

"That person will likely arrive at the hour of the Rat. The time is almost here. You may wait at the edge of the hall's ridge, where you can see more clearly."

"However, I must remind you that the glazed tiles paved on top are slippery. Remember to watch your step; if you fall off, you will lose face completely."

A short while later, after Wei Ziyun called Lu Xiaofeng over, the many Jianghu guests displayed extremely brilliant lightness skills and leaped onto the edge of the hall's ridge.

"Now that the palace gates are closed, has your brother actually entered the Forbidden City?" Xue Bing asked Hua Manlou in a low voice beside her.

"Didn't Lu Xiaofeng tell you about the Jinpeng Dynasty case earlier? From that, can't you guess that he has the ability to fly through the heavens and escape the earth?" Hua Manlou replied in a low voice.

"That is true."

Xue Bing was stunned, but then she saw a red shadow stepping on the moonlight as it arrived. The clothes and hair flowed, clouds swirled around the body, as if an immortal from the world below, and the silver threads in the hair shone with the same brilliance as the moon, but with three parts more eerie charm than the cold moon.

Once he landed in the center of the hall's ridge, the Jianghu guests at the edge fell silent, the shock on their faces frozen. They were filled with doubt, wondering if this was a magic trick or so-called lightness skill. Most believed it must be his superb lightness skill, capable of leaping seven or eight zhang, that made him appear like an immortal descending.

"Although not everyone has arrived, it can barely be considered a fight worth having."

Zhuang Buran stood with his hands behind his back and said indifferently:

"Daoist Mu, you are a main course today. Do not avoid the fight; judging by the people you brought, I assume you won't avoid it."

"If you insist on finding an excuse to avoid the fight, I will not only wipe out the entire Wudang Sect, but I will also turn the villa you built into a mortuary. Do you believe me?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's expression changed in shock, feeling that the nickname was indeed not wrongly given.

"The name 'Madman'—how is it not a lunatic? This old Daoist knew you were uninhibited, ruthless, and heartless." Daoist Mu floated out.

Seven or eight more people leaped out from the crowd. They appeared somewhat mysterious; some covered their faces with iron masks, some wore bamboo hats and had burly builds, and others had fierce auras and held iron hooks.

From their movements, it could be seen that they were all first-class experts in the Jianghu. Not only were they fast in reaction and movement, but their tacitly understood positioning revealed their battle-hardened experience.

"Old Daoist, you and Gusong Jushi have always been inseparable. This person wearing the human-skin mask is likely him, the successor of Gu Daoren of Bashan. I have long wanted to test the 'Forty-Nine Moves of the Returning Wind and Dancing Willow Sword'."

"And the one wearing the iron mask should be Daoist Mu's disciple, Shi He. His swordsmanship should not be inferior to the White Cloud City Lord."

"The others are likely Hai Qikuo, Du Tiexin, Zhong Wugu, and the like."

Zhuang Buran's gaze fell on Daoist Mu:

"You really brought all your accumulated assets."

"No wonder the Jianghu rumors say that although the Madman is blind, he has eyes like torches and a heart that sees the subtle, causing the schemes of people like Huo Xiu and Jin Jiuling to fail and leading to their sudden deaths."

Daoist Mu's temperament was no longer as amiable as before; his eyes became sharp, containing hidden killing intent.

"That young master over there, how much longer do you intend to hide? Does the pretty girl beside you not know a long-lost martial arts secret called the 'Ruyi Orchid Hand'?"

"And the person beside you carrying a hint of wine, does he not know the 'Drunken Lying Flowing Cloud Seven Killing Hands' which has been lost for eighty years?"

The youth in red chuckled:

"You are also a few main courses! Come up here!"

Gong Jiu, Niuroutang, and Minister He's expressions changed slightly. They had come under orders to watch the excitement and see what kind of demeanor the madman who stirred up the Jianghu winds had, but they did not expect this person to be so sharp, having already discovered them.

Several figures swept over, and it was seen that not only Gong Jiu and the other two, but two white-clothed swordsmen also landed in the center of the hall's ridge.

(End of chapter)