Chapter 241: Iron Tiger, Wind-Cloud-Thunder Tiger

The child had already walked toward Li Zhenzhen; he was not very old, only thirteen or fourteen, but his face already bore the wrinkles of hardship and tempering.

The child stood before Li Zhenzhen, revealing a slightly frivolous appearance.

But before he could speak, Li Zhenzhen had already revealed a smile, a very bright, very sweet smile: "You must be thinking, do I often sleep with men?"

As soon as this woman spoke, the child was stunned, and his face turned red; although he was mature for his age, he was ultimately still just a child.

"I can tell you, I am still a virgin." Li Zhenzhen gently stroked her cloud-like hair with her jade hand, her beautiful eyes carrying a crafty smile: "Because I am an Emei Disciple, no matter how dissolute I am, I cannot ruin the reputation of Emei, otherwise my master would surely expel me from the sect."

The child nodded, his expression somewhat dejected.

Because he discovered that he suddenly really liked this beauty who seemed dissolute but was actually conservative.

Suddenly, Li Zhenzhen changed the subject: "But our Emei Sect allows disciples to return to secular life and marry; as long as one is married, even the master cannot interfere. Although you are a bit young, I like you very much. By the way, what is your name?"

"His name is Xie Xiaodi, the 'Xie' from Xie Xiaofeng, the 'Di' from Murong Qiudi; he is the son of the Divine Sword Third Young Master Xie Xiaofeng and the Murong Family Head Murong Qiudi."

Yu Liancheng sipped his tea and smiled faintly: "As for the one behind him, that is the famous Third Young Master Xie Xiaofeng; presumably, you should have known long ago that he is not dead."

Xie Xiaodi's expression darkened, and immediately, anger arose. He did not take pride in this identity, knowing only that he had suffered bitterly since childhood, a child with no father or mother.

Who would have thought that Li Zhenzhen's eyes would suddenly light up, and she said sweetly: "I already thought highly of you, and now we are even a match in social status; as long as you propose, it is not impossible for me to agree, at most I can wait two years. However..."

Xie Xiaodi asked hurriedly: "However what?"

Yu Liancheng smiled slightly: "However, she is my person now. You can take her away if you wish, but you must at least prepare ten martial arts. These ten martial arts do not necessarily need to be unfathomably profound, but they must at least be interesting, such as the Demonic Sect Ten Divine Arts, or the Nine Styles of the Flying Dragon, or Earth-Shattering Heaven-Startling, Heaven and Earth Consumed..."

He naturally knew Xie Xiaodi could not produce them; this was said for Li Zhenzhen to hear. If she wanted to leave Yu Liancheng's hands, she would naturally have to pay a price.

Xie Xiaodi snorted coldly: "But I don't want to pay anything."

Yu Liancheng shook his head and said: "This can also be considered a bride price. To marry a woman like Li Zhenzhen, if one does not pay a little more in bride price, wouldn't it be demeaning her?"

Speaking of which, in the original path, Xie Xiaodi did indeed become husband and wife with Li Zhenzhen, though it was for the position of Alliance Leader of the Seven Sects Alliance.

"But my martial arts are quite good; I can just snatch her away."

Xie Xiaodi had already made his move; he struck a palm toward Yu Liancheng, the palm wind whistling. His martial arts were indeed quite good; at least at his age, few could compare.

"But my martial arts are even better." Yu Liancheng wore a smile, his arm reaching out, his sleeve enveloping Xie Xiaodi like a cloud.

Xie Xiaodi only felt his palm momentum dissolved in an instant, and then his whole body went limp and weak; he had already been lifted by the collar by a hand: "Fly!"

Xie Xiaodi indeed flew up.

He was thrown out of the window by Yu Liancheng, screaming in fright. His True Qi had been sealed, and if he fell like this, it would be a miracle if he didn't end up bruised and battered.

"Xiaodi!"

A figure shot toward Xie Xiaodi like lightning.

This was, of course, Xie Xiaofeng.

Xie Xiaofeng considered himself to have done right by everyone in the world, but he was the only one who had failed Xie Xiaodi, so ever since he learned of Xie Xiaodi's existence, he had been following behind him, not letting him suffer the slightest injury.

"This child..." Yu Liancheng shook his head.

Outside the building, a rumbling sound of carriages suddenly rang out; a line of escort carriages was passing through the street.

Where there are escort carriages, there are escort flags.

The escort flag is the amulet of the escort business, and also the honor of the escort agency; the flag inserted on these escort carriages was a red flag.

A red flag redder than fresh blood.

The red flag on the first escort carriage fluttered, embroidered on the front with a bucket-sized "Iron" character, and on the back with a gleaming silver sword and twenty-eight Cloud-Piercing Arrows.

This was the command flag of the Chief Escort of the Red Flag Escort Agency; with this flag present, it meant this shipment was being personally escorted by the "Iron Cavalry Fast Sword" who shook the Edo.

With this flag present, the heroes of the greenwood throughout Jiangnan and the north, even if they did not flee at the sight, no one dared to reach out and touch this shipment. With this flag present, there were Red Flag Escort Agencies spread across the eighteen regions of the north and south.

This flag was no longer just one person's honor; it was also tied to the livelihoods of two thousand people, large and small, across the eighteen escort agencies.

No matter who insulted this escort flag, the two thousand-plus people up and down the Red Flag Escort Agency would not hesitate to risk their lives against him.

Who would have known that at this moment, Xie Xiaodi, whose acupoints had just been unsealed by Xie Xiaofeng, suddenly burst into loud laughter.

Amidst the loud laughter, he had already charged into the line of escort carriages, knocked the escort in front off his horse with a punch, snatched the escort flag from the air, and with a twist of both hands, actually snapped this silver-sword red flag that shook the north and south into two pieces.

In an instant, the sound of wheels, the sound of hooves, and the shouts of the escort guards all stopped at once.

Even Li Zhenzhen could not help but be dumbfounded, muttering to herself: "So this brat is actually a lunatic; it's fortunate I didn't really intend to marry him."

No matter who looked at it, Xie Xiaodi was a lunatic. Because the things he did could only be done by a lunatic.

Although Xie Xiaodi was born to Xie Xiaofeng and Murong Qiudi, these two were not true husband and wife; they had illicit relations without a matchmaker. Therefore, neither the Xie Family nor the Murong Family could possibly acknowledge him.

Because his existence was a disgrace to these families that placed great importance on reputation.

Murong Qiudi managed the Murong Family and the two major forces of the Heavenly Venerable, having no leisure time to manage Xie Xiaodi, and Xie Xiaofeng did not even know of his existence, so he had been an orphan with no father or mother since childhood.

Today he saw Xie Xiaofeng, and Xie Xiaofeng seemed to want to protect him, yet he wanted to do the opposite, determined to seek death.

Cold light flashed, and killing intent permeated the air.

A dozen blades had already slashed toward Xie Xiaodi. Although Xie Xiaodi's martial arts were good, he was facing experienced escort guards who licked blood from the blade. At this moment, with the red flag broken, they were exceptionally furious, all using moves intended for mutual destruction.

Although Xie Xiaodi was seeking death, these people wanted to hack off his limbs to interrogate him about the mastermind behind the scenes.

He dodged hurriedly, in constant peril.

Then, Xie Xiaofeng made his move.

As soon as he acted, all the escort guards' moves were dissolved into nothingness.

The group of escort guards looked at Xie Xiaofeng as if they had seen a ghost, completely unable to believe there was such an expert in the world.

Suddenly, a person came running, shouting: "The Chief Escort has arrived, the Chief Escort has arrived..."

The Chief Escort of the Red Flag Escort Agency was Tie Zhongqi, known as the "Iron Cavalry Fast Sword"; this man had once, with one man and one horse, a single silver sword, and twenty-eight Cloud-Piercing Arrows, wiped out the Lianshan Eighteen Strongholds.

Such a person was someone even Xie Xiaofeng respected from the bottom of his heart.

It was just that Xie Xiaofeng had been away from the Edo for a long time and did not know that the Chief Escort of the Red Flag Escort Agency had changed.

The one who came was a youth; he wore white cloth socks, black cloth shoes, and had a square, upright face, looking not at all outstanding.

The youth was named Tie Kaicheng, and he was the adopted son of Tie Zhongqi.

Tie Kaicheng did not trade blows with Xie Xiaofeng, but with a few understated words, he made the flag-guarding man draw his sword and commit suicide, and he did so willingly, filled with gratitude.

Tie Kaicheng looked at Xie Xiaofeng again: "May I ask if you are the Third Young Master of Shenjian Shanzhuang?"

Xie Xiaofeng said: "I am."

Tie Kaicheng's gaze was scorching as he stared down Xie Xiaofeng: "Good. Zhang Bao was negligent and failed in his duty to guard the flag. Although he was an old acquaintance of my late father, I, as a junior, cannot disregard the law. I wonder, if a disciple of Shenjian Shanzhuang breaks the rules of the Edo, are they also guilty?"

Xie Xiaofeng naturally could not deny it.

Tie Kaicheng was sharper than a blade: "Causing trouble in a busy market, not only injuring people but also destroying the escort flags that the livelihoods of over two thousand people in the escort agency depend on—what punishment should this incur?"

"A death sentence." Xie Xiaofeng was silent, but he soon spoke: "But these acts of disregarding Edo morality and breaking Edo rules were all things I ordered him to do, so the one who should receive the death sentence is also me."

Upstairs in the tavern, Li Zhenzhen could not help but clap: "This youth has such brilliant methods. If Ouyang Yunhe and the others had even half the ability of this youth, I wouldn't be able to lead them around by the nose. Under this youth's leadership, the Tieqi Escort Agency will surely become famous throughout the land."

Yu Liancheng glanced at her: "It is just a pity, a pity that your Heavenly Venerable has already stretched this Demon's hand toward the Tieqi Escort Agency; whether the Tieqi Escort Agency will even exist in the future is another matter."

Li Zhenzhen frowned: "What do you mean by that?"

"We can go now." Yu Liancheng suddenly rose to his full height.

He had stayed here originally to take a look at Tie Kaicheng's sword technique.

Tie Kaicheng was not only proficient in the 132-style continuous fast sword technique passed down by Tie Zhongqi, but he had also been fortunate enough to have Yan Shisan teach him the Thirteen Swords of Death. It was just a pity that Tie Kaicheng and Xie Xiaofeng did not seem to have any inclination toward a fierce battle.

"Go where?" Li Zhenzhen was a smart woman, and she did not resist, obediently following behind Yu Liancheng.

"To kill."

……

The Big Boss's mansion was, of course, very large, with a grand and imposing air.

In the past, outside the Big Boss's mansion, there were not only two stone lions but also eight men like iron towers standing on both sides, guarding the peace of the mansion.

These eight men were all hand-picked by the Big Boss; their martial arts were quite good, and they were loyal to the core.

But now, there was one more man in front of the mansion, sitting right before the main gate.

The main gate was clearly not a place for sitting, yet this man insisted on sitting right in front of it, and the eight men beside him not only did not drive him away, but were actually very respectful toward him.

This man was broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, exceptionally burly. His posture was very casual, yet he naturally possessed an indescribable momentum, fierce and imposing, still carrying the scent of blood on his body. It was as if a crouching tiger were ready at any moment to open its blood-red maw and launch the most violent attack.

As for the eight sturdy men standing tall and straight, compared to him, they seemed to have turned into the most obedient little dogs.

This tiger-like man was waiting.

It seemed he knew someone would inevitably come today.

Footsteps sounded.

Yu Liancheng and Li Zhenzhen had walked over from afar.

The eyes of the eight men suddenly erupted with sharp light, sweeping toward Yu Liancheng at once, and they shouted sternly: "This is the Big Boss's mansion, get out now!"

Before Yu Liancheng could speak, the broad-shouldered and thick-waisted man had already raised his head, his eyes emitting a tiger-like, violent, and bloody gaze, and he said in a deep voice: "Kill him!"

Upon hearing this, the eight men drew their blades from their sheaths one after another, the blade light connecting into a single sheet as they attacked Yu Liancheng.

These eight men were not simple Edo figures; they had learned a set of combined attack techniques. Coordinating with each other, they could even trade blows with a First-class Expert in the Edo.

Yu Liancheng reached out a hand and flicked it lightly, and a formless, quality-less True Qi swept out.

The eight men suddenly felt that the move they had struck with all their might had inexplicably lost its aim. Only the sound of "chi" as sharp weapons pierced into flesh was heard, followed immediately by a series of miserable cries.

Yu Liancheng stood calmly with his hands behind his back, while the eight men had all fallen. The blades in their hands were already embedded in the bodies of the men beside them. After groaning a few times, they made no more sound.

Li Zhenzhen's beautiful eyes narrowed. This "borrowing force to strike" technique of Yu Liancheng's was truly perfected to the peak. If she could learn this technique, she feared there would be few people in the world who could be her opponent, and there would be no need to resort to schemes and tricks.

"Trash, a bunch of trash, they couldn't even test out his background." The sturdy man shook his head in great disappointment, his pair of tiger eyes staring directly at Yu Liancheng: "Bamboo Leaf Green said someone would come to the mountain gate to deal with the Big Boss today; it seems it is you."

Yu Liancheng said: "Wrong."

"Wrong?" The sturdy man frowned.

"It is merely dealing with him while I am at it; the word 'deal with' is quite unnecessary. He is not worth me spending so much effort."

The sturdy man was stunned for a moment, then burst into loud laughter: "Good, good, good! I, Tiehu, have not seen someone as arrogant as you in a long time. If the situation were not wrong, I would definitely invite you to drink."

Yu Liancheng nodded and smiled: "If you invited me to drink, I would definitely ask you a question."

The sturdy man said: "Oh, what question?"

Yu Liancheng said: "Is the person inviting me to drink the unknown 'Tiehu', or the 'Wind-Cloud Thunder Tiger' Leizhentian who shakes the Edo?"

The sturdy man suddenly rose to his full height, and an incomparable, fierce aura erupted. Even a Edo swordswoman like Li Zhenzhen could not help but take two steps back.

"You know me?" The sturdy man's eyes stared fixedly at Yu Liancheng, filled with an indescribable violence and ferocity, just like a tiger ready to devour someone.

Yu Liancheng, however, was like a spring breeze brushing his face, smiling: "I just happened to know, you don't need to take it to heart."

Leizhentian looked at Yu Liancheng and said: "So what if I am 'Tiehu'? So what if I am 'Wind-Cloud Thunder Tiger'?"

"'Tiehu' looks like a tiger, but in reality, he is just a dog raised by the Big Boss. I don't have the habit of drinking with dogs. As for 'Wind-Cloud Thunder Tiger', although his martial arts are a few notches worse than mine, he can be considered a person of note. Drinking a couple of cups with him wouldn't be bad."

After saying this, Yu Liancheng's eyes became as sharp as swords: "So... are you 'Tiehu' or 'Wind-Cloud Thunder Tiger'?"

……

PS: Begging for monthly tickets. I will try my best to update 10,000 words today, and write another 4,000 in the evening.