Chapter 121: Who is the Plum Blossom Thief?

That string of black shadows came truly too fast.

It seemed even faster than the movement technique of Yu Liancheng.

The black shadow was originally meant to strike Yu Liancheng on the back, or force him to turn and parry, thereby giving Zhao Zhengyi time to react.

But no one could have expected that while Yu Liancheng was in mid-air, he could still shift his position—shifting horizontally through the air.

As a result, the black shadow struck toward Zhao Zhengyi's face, the wind whistling.

Although Zhao Zhengyi had a great reputation, his martial arts were somewhat inferior, and coupled with the suddenness of the event, he was unable to react in time.

Only a "bang" was heard; blood flowed from Zhao Zhengyi's seven orifices, his eyes widened, and he fell backward, twitching twice before his breath ceased.

And the black shadow from before also fell to the ground.

It was a string of Buddhist prayer beads.

Blood-stained prayer beads.

"Amitabha." This Buddhist chant came from the mouth of Yu Liancheng, who was already standing before the door of Meixiang Small Abode, still holding a wine pot, carefree and relaxed: "A monk should be compassionate; how can you kill so casually?"

"This old monk slipped up for a moment; it is truly a sin."

Five monks in grey robes, straw sandals, and white socks were seen slowly walking out from the side.

The one in the lead had eyebrows that were entirely white, yet his eyes were piercing and imposing, looking like an angry Vajra; this person was Xinmeidashi of Shaolin Temple, and those prayer beads had indeed come from his hand.

His hands were pressed together, his palms broad and thick like two door panels, clearly having cultivated his Buddhist palm power to a state of perfection.

"Benefactor, your schemes are deep, using this old monk's hand to kill. But to accumulate such killing karma, I fear your baleful energy will only grow deeper day by day; by then, it will be too late to repent. It would be better to follow this old monk to Shaolin and use the Dharma to dissolve it."

Yu Liancheng could not help but laugh: "Strange, strange. Clearly, it was you, monk, who killed the man, yet you blame it on me. I think the obsession in your heart is too heavy for the Dharma to dissolve; you might as well become my attendant, drinking wine and eating meat all day—perhaps you might even attain great freedom and great liberation."

Tian Qi said sharply: "How bold! You, Plum Blossom Thief, not only killed Master Zhao before our eyes but dare to be disrespectful to a Shaolin Dharma-protecting master."

Xinmei pressed his hands together: "It is no matter; a youth's tongue is naturally sharper than a sword. But the benefactor should know that while the sharpness of the tongue injures others, it also damages one's own virtue."

"No matter, as long as I can injure others, I am very happy myself. Once I am happy, I cannot care about the rest."

Yu Liancheng smiled, his gaze suddenly looking toward two other directions, and he said loudly: "Since you have come, you might as well come out; hiding and sneaking around truly damages the demeanor of you famous families."

A cold snort rang out, and You Longsheng appeared on the roof to the right; in his hand was a long sword adorned with jewels, shimmering and brilliant—it was by no means an ordinary item.

He had originally intended to hide in the shadows and strike with one sword when Yu Liancheng revealed a flaw during combat to wash away his past shame, but he had not expected to be discovered by Yu Liancheng so early.

"As expected of Sword Mountain Manor, Young Master You has another precious sword in his hand; I just wonder if this sword is also a showpiece that shatters at a touch," Yu Liancheng smiled lightly.

And You Longsheng's face was already green with anger.

At this moment, a burst of flute music suddenly sounded.

The flute music was melodious and clear; the accumulated snow on the eaves was stirred by the sound, drifting down in flakes, landing one by one on Yu Liancheng.

Amidst the drifting snowflakes, one could see a person leaning under a plum tree several yards away, playing the flute.

Unfortunately, in this scene, the flute player was not a refined young gentleman, but an old pedant wearing a worn-out cotton robe.

The flute music gradually turned from high-pitched to low and melancholy, winding and twisting, stirring up deep thoughts.

"It is Master Iron Flute."

"With Master Iron Flute and Xinmeidashi here, this Plum Blossom Thief will definitely not be able to escape."

Master Iron Flute was a highly renowned expert in recent years; it was said his martial arts were not below those of the heads of the Seven Great Sects. This man was self-proclaimed and aloof, and originally would not have participated in this matter, but his lover Ruyi had been killed by the Plum Blossom Thief, so he had been invited by Long Xiaoyun and the others.

The flute music was lingering and sorrowful, continuous and unending, intending to make Yu Liancheng feel despondent.

Dang, dang~

Just at this moment, two crisp sounds rang out abruptly; it was Yu Liancheng flicking his wine pot with his finger.

To ordinary people, this sound was crisp and even somewhat pleasant. But Master Iron Flute's expression suddenly changed, his breath became obstructed, and the flute music seemed to fall into chaos.

Because these two crisp sounds came exactly at the turning points of his melody, like two nails driven down, completely disrupting his thoughts and rhythm.

Dang~

Just as Master Iron Flute was about to force himself to finish the piece, another crisp sound rang out.

This crisp sound, containing true energy, drifted out; not only did it make him unable to continue playing, but his breath surged, and his face turned pale.

Master Iron Flute's originally calm face was completely broken, and he looked at Yu Liancheng with an astonished gaze.

Yu Liancheng tilted his head and took a drink from the wine pot, smiling faintly: "With your level of musical skill, you are still quite far off; in the future, never come out to embarrass yourself again."

He had already attained high mastery in the "Shattered Dragon Chant," and having diligently studied the "Lianhua Precious Mirror" these past few days, which also contained records regarding music, his skills in this area had reached an even higher level.

Master Iron Flute's face also turned as green as You Longsheng's.

"Alright, I know that anything more is just a waste of words; everyone, please make your move," Yu Liancheng said with a smile.

Although he said this, everyone saw how he had first used Xinmei's hand to kill Zhao Zhengyi, then used three taps to stop Master Iron Flute from playing, and considering the reputation of the "Six Absolute Mad Guest" himself, for a moment, no one dared to act rashly, and they stared at each other.

"Amitabha." Xinmei chanted a Buddhist name, and with four monks, was about to subdue the Demon.

Just at this moment, someone outside the main hall said: "Miss Lin, where have you returned from? Who is this?"

Lin Xian'er was seen with disheveled clothes and messy hair, hurrying in from outside.

Beside her followed a youth; in such freezing weather, he wore only a very thin garment, yet his spine was held straight, as if nothing in the world could make him bow.

And on his back, he carried a corpse.

—It was Afei.

Afei and Lin Xian'er had also arrived outside Lengxiang Xiaozhu.

Tian Qi frowned and looked at Afei: "I am Tian Qi. Where is my friend from? What is your business coming to this manor?"

Afei said coldly: "I have no name, and I do not wish to make friends like you."

Others' expressions changed again, but Tian Qi remained full of smiles, though the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

Afei suddenly said: "I heard you say, he is the Plum Blossom Thief?"

He was naturally referring to Yu Liancheng.

Tian Qi still smiled, though a trace of killing intent had already appeared in his eyes: "That is correct. Could it be that you are his friend?"

"He is not my friend, but I know he is not the Plum Blossom Bandit." Afei's expression was very cold, and he suddenly put the corpse down: "Because this person is the Plum Blossom Bandit."