Chapter 157: The Blade-Protecting Expert and the Thief (Bonus chapter for the Deacon

A small town.

The small town is naturally not large, yet it is very prosperous.

Because it is the essential path for entering the Central Plains from beyond the pass. Ginseng merchants from east of Changbai Pass, horse traders, and even foreign merchants from beyond the frontier must all pass through this place.

And it is precisely because of the extravagance of these people that the town's deformed and peculiar prosperity was created.

This place has two things that are most attractive.

One is women; there are few men in the world who do not like women, and here there are all kinds of women who can accommodate the requirements of all kinds of men.

One is food; there are few men in the world who do not love to eat, and here there are all kinds of delicacies to satisfy the palates of all kinds of men.

Among them, a halal restaurant called "Endeyuan" is particularly famous; the owner, Ma Huihui, can not only prepare a cow in one hundred and eight different ways, but he is also one of the top wrestling experts beyond the Great Wall.

"Endeyuan" is not large, and the decor is not sophisticated.

But Ma Huihui, who stands at the entrance with a wide leather belt around his waist, a bald head, and a puffed-out chest, is a living signboard.

If the heroes of the capital passing through here do not come to "Endeyuan" to have a couple of drinks with Ma Huihui, they always feel as if it is not quite right.

On this day, Ma Huihui walks out of the door from time to time, his face glowing, eyes wide as he gazes toward the intersection, as if waiting for the arrival of distinguished guests.

Around the hour of the Dog, a black carriage appeared at the end of the road, drawn by four horses galloping side by side, approaching extremely fast. The driver's skill was remarkable, and the four horses were also well-trained fine steeds, so even though there were many pedestrians on this road, no accidents occurred.

The carriage stopped at the entrance of "Endeyuan," and Ma Huihui had already rushed forward, smiling as he opened the carriage door.

The first to step down from the carriage was a middle-aged man with a fair face and a slight beard; a smile rested on his round face, and he wore a green satin robe over his plump frame, looking like a prince traveling in disguise.

Ma Huihui cupped his hands and said, "Hero Zhao, you have had a tiring journey from afar; please come inside and take a seat."

The middle-aged man also smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "Shopkeeper Ma is too polite; please, please."

Someone on the side had already recognized that this middle-aged man was the sect leader of "Innate Wuji," Zhao Wuji, who was world-renowned for his "Innate Wuji" true skill and the eighty-one forms of the "Wuji Sword."

The second person to get off the carriage was an old man with white hair, dressed plainly, holding a dry tobacco pipe in his hand. He looked like a rustic old country man, but his eyes flashed with divine light, and there was an inherent dignity in his gaze.

Ma Huihui called this old man Old Master Tu.

Could this person be the hero of Guandong, Tu Xiaotian, who has held down the fort in Guandong for forty years and whose dry tobacco pipe is specialized in striking the thirty-six major and seventy-two minor acupoints on a person's body, known as the "Number One Acupoint-Striking Expert under Heaven"?

The third person was a gaunt and tall Daoist with an eagle nose and a high forehead.

Although he was a Daoist, his attire was extremely luxurious; on his back, he carried a strangely shaped long sword with a golden guard inlaid with cat's-eye stones, and his pair of triangular eyes were slightly upturned, as if he did not hold anyone in his eyes.

Ma Huihui called this person "Daoist Hai," and with this person's attire and arrogant posture, anyone with any discernment could guess his identity.

Hai Lingzi, the only remaining expert of the Hainan Sect.

Years ago, Tongye Island and the Hainan Sect fought to the death; no one from Tongye Island survived, and of the nine great experts of Hainan, only Hai Lingzi remained. After this battle, his reputation grew even louder, and he became even more arrogant.

As for the fourth person, his appearance was peculiar; he was less than five feet tall, but his head was extraordinarily large, his hair was disheveled, and his eyebrows almost formed a single line.

His right arm had been severed at the shoulder, and the remaining left arm was even more terrifying, long enough to almost touch his own toes.

In his hand, he carried a rectangular Yellow Cloth Bundle.

This person was the world-renowned "Eagle King with One Arm," Sikong Shu, whose Eagle Claw Technique was peerless under heaven, rarely meeting an opponent.

The four people who got off the carriage were all prominent figures in the Edo with superb martial arts; no wonder Ma Huihui had to come out to welcome them personally.

Especially when Sikong Shu stepped down, Ma Huihui did not even dare to lift his head, smiling obsequiously: "I heard the senior was coming, so this disciple specially selected a bull, which is in the backyard, ready for the senior to taste at any time."

Sikong Shu laughed loudly: "Very good, you grandson finally knows how to show filial respect to me."

He actually treated Ma Huihui as a grandson, and Ma Huihui was surprisingly in a state of flattered surprise; not everyone could be the grandson of the Eagle King with One Arm, Sikong Shu.

Endeyuan has a small courtyard in the back, which is specifically for entertaining distinguished guests.

In the courtyard, there is a rockery, and beside the rockery are several large trees, with a sturdy bull tied to one of them.

And not far from the bull, a man and a woman were sitting.

The man had long, jet-black hair draped loosely, tied only by a cloth band, and he wore a black silk robe tailored to fit perfectly. His appearance was handsome, like a prince, with an underlying air of elegance.

The woman wore no makeup, dressed in a green gown, but her appearance was extremely beautiful, and every frown and smile was full of charm. She was leaning in the man's arms, looking sweet and moving.

To anyone, they were a pair of lovers, a match made in heaven.

"Oh no, didn't I tell these two guests not to come to the backyard? To avoid disturbing the Eagle King's mood." Seeing that man and woman, Ma Huihui's expression changed, and he hurried toward them.

"Wait!" The Yellow Cloth Bundle in Sikong Shu's hand had disappeared somewhere, and his left arm stretched out, already resting on Ma Huihui's shoulder.

Ma Huihui's physique was not weak, but at this moment, he felt as if he were a little chick.

"Everything should follow the principle of first come, first served. Since others arrived first, it is already good enough that they didn't drive us away; how could we drive others away?" The 'Eagle King with One Arm' Sikong Shu smiled, appearing surprisingly polite.

But the people here were all shrewd, and none of them would believe such nonsense. They could already see that when Sikong Shu looked at the woman, his eyes were glowing.

This 'Eagle King with One Arm' could be said to be old in age but not in heart; it was feared he had already taken a fancy to that woman.

But one had to admit, that was indeed a very beautiful and seductive woman. She was almost like a peach, fully ripe, and one could squeeze water out of her with a single touch.

It was just a pity that the young man in black would likely not only be unable to protect his beautiful wife, but even his own life might not be guaranteed.

The Eagle King with One Arm had already walked to the front of the bull, circling it continuously, making clicking sounds with his mouth.

His single arm suddenly waved in front of the bull; the bull was startled, and its two long, knife-like horns rammed toward the stomach of the Eagle King with One Arm.

The Eagle King with One Arm shouted: "Well come!"

Amidst the shout, his body flashed, suddenly diving under the bull's belly, and his single arm reached upward, actually plunging alive into the bull's stomach.

The bull felt the pain, broke the rope, and charged forward, "Bang" hitting the wall, creating a large hole, and after struggling crazily for a long while, it finally stopped moving.

Looking again, a living bull heart was already in the hand of the Eagle King with One Arm.

The bull blood was still dripping from the hand of the Eagle King with One Arm; he walked to the young man and woman, grinning hideously: "This is the freshest way to eat beef." He laughed loudly and opened his mouth, actually swallowing the bowl-sized bull heart in one bite, chewing with sound.

That sound was truly enough to make one's hair stand on end.

After eating, looking at the young man and woman who had been unable to recover for a long time, the Eagle King with One Arm grinned hideously: "Kid, give this woman to me, otherwise what I eat later will be your heart." He turned to the charming woman: "Beauty, come with me, and I guarantee you will know what a real man is, and what it means to be old but still vigorous."

"Hiss—" The young man in black finally came to his senses, and he gasped: "Madam, how do you think this person would eat it if he were eating beef?"

The woman shook her head: "I don't know."

The young man in black said: "I fear he would chase after the bull's backside and gnaw from early in the morning; that would be the freshest way."

"Pfft!" The woman let out a giggle, truly charming and alluring beyond compare.

Even Hai Lingzi and the others behind her could not help but laugh out loud.

This Dubi Yingwang was relying on his seniority to act presumptuously, and they had suffered quite a bit of frustration along this journey; now that they had a chance to mock him, they naturally would not let it pass.

But at the same time, Hai Lingzi and the others could not help but become alert.

The Dubi Yingwang's previous display of Eagle Claw Power—piercing a cow's abdomen and skillfully extracting its heart—possessed such ruthlessness, precision, and speed that even they, as martial arts experts, could not muster the courage to cross hands with him, let alone ordinary people.

This man and woman were likely here with ill intent.

But regardless, with the four of them as experts present, it was still foolproof.

"You're courting death!" Dubi Yingwang was suddenly enraged and was just about to move to seize the young man's heart.

"Wait." The young man had suddenly spoken.

Dubi Yingwang did not know why he actually stopped his hand, sneering, "Kid, it's too late to beg for mercy now."

"You're wrong, I just wanted to ask you one thing. Although you are a bit ugly, you are at least a strapping man, so how can you steal people's things?" the man in black said.

"Stealing things? Hahaha, I, 'Dubi Yingwang', only rob, I never steal." Sikong Shu laughed loudly.

The young man gave a cold snort: "If you had admitted it, I would have considered you a hero, but I didn't expect you to be a rascal after all."

Seeing the young man in black's demeanor, not only Sikong Shu, but even the people on the side were extremely curious. They could all see that Sikong Shu hadn't even touched them yet, so how could he have stolen anything?

"Not only are you a thief, but all of you are too." The young man in black pointed at Hai Lingzi, Tu Xiaotian, and the others: "It's just that you, this one-armed old man, stole the most."

"That youth, why don't you tell us, what did we steal from you?" Zhao Wuji said.

"Still denying it!" The young man in black slapped the table and pointed at the beauty in green clothes in his arms: "I bought her by exhausting my family fortune; she is worth a king's ransom, yet you didn't pay a single cent and still enjoyed her beauty along with me, especially you, this one-armed old man, with your lecherous eyes. If this isn't stealing, then what is?"

Including Dubi Yingwang, everyone was stunned, unable to speak for a long while.

They had walked the Edo for many years, but they had never heard that merely looking at someone else could be considered stealing; if that were the case, being a thief would be far too easy.

"Fine, tell me how we should compensate you." Dubi Yingwang suddenly gave a ferocious laugh; internal energy surged on his withered arm, and killing intent overflowed. Clearly, he had already decided to kill.

In fact, even Dubi Yingwang himself did not know how he had suppressed his anger earlier and not immediately reached out to rip out and eat this young man's heart.

The young man in black seemed not to notice, smiling: "I am a generous person; as long as you give me the yellow cloth bundle behind you, I will consider it your compensation."

"Sure enough, you came for it. You're courting death!"

Dubi Yingwang could no longer restrain himself, gave a cold shout, and his left arm reached out, five fingers like hooks, already grabbing toward the young man in black.

The momentum of this grab was truly like a goshawk extending its talons, both fast and swift. The long fingernails flashed with a chilling light, tearing through the air with a hiss, and layers of claw shadows blanketed all the vital points of Yu Liancheng's body.

Dubi Yingwang was famous throughout the world for his Eagle Claw Power and had few rivals in the Edo; not only was his speed exceptionally fast, but the tearing power contained within his eagle claws was enough to make countless martial artists pale with fear.

Furthermore, his eagle claws were ever-changing and could never be easily dodged or blocked.

This young man did not look like a martial arts expert and didn't even have a weapon on him; what exactly was his reliance that he dared to come and snatch the Deer-Carving Saber?

Who would have thought that at this very moment, the young man in black brought two fingers together and reached forward.

His fingers had not yet collided with the Eagle King, merely frozen in mid-air, but the Eagle King's eagle claw hand had already suddenly stopped in mid-air, motionless.

PS: This volume will not be too long; I estimate it will conclude in five or six days. Another ten thousand words updated, requesting monthly votes.