Chapter 262: Rules

Li Miao is not a greenhorn like Shen Xunning.

Coincidence is the least credible explanation in the world.

According to Ji Tianrui's estimation, plus the four Heaven-Man retainers who escaped, there were at most ten Heaven-Men in the Jianghu at this time, and at most no more than fifteen.

It doesn't sound like many, but according to the register reported by the Ministry of Revenue the year before last, the Great Shu had ten million households and over sixty million people paying taxes. If you add refugees, military households, and hidden households, the entire Great Shu likely had over one hundred million people.

Oh, and Li Miao just happened to bump into these few Heaven-Men on his first time entering a city in half a month? Even if Duan Jue didn't reveal a flaw in time, Li Miao wouldn't believe this was an "accidental encounter."

However, it didn't matter; rather, it was just right.

Li Miao had originally set the destination of this trip to Dali; Duan Jue coming to see him instead saved him the trouble.

Duan Jue frowned.

Li Miao's attitude was too arrogant.

The things Ji Tianrui and Li Miao did during the New Year were basically confined to the Imperial Mausoleum; almost no one had seen Li Miao make a move.

Since Li Miao began wandering the Jianghu, the number of times he had struck in front of others could be counted on one hand. The vast majority of spectators were either sect leaders of prominent factions or had already been recruited under Li Miao's command, so naturally, they would not go around talking nonsense.

If one were to really tally it up, Li Miao actually had only one and a half recorded instances of striking in public. Once was in Tai'an City, where he saved the commoners and revealed the realm of a Heaven-Man; the half-time was at Shaolin, where he saw off Xing Chi and forced back over a dozen first and second-rate experts with a single move.

This led to the fact that in the entire Jianghu, except for Ji Tianrui, no one knew what realm Li Miao's martial arts were.

Say he is strong, but he let the Ming Sect throw that punch at the Emperor; say he is weak, but the Sword King Pavilion did indeed shrink its influence and no longer competed with the Tang Men.

Therefore, Duan Jue and other Heaven-Men who wanted to "bump into" Li Miao were actually holding two kinds of thoughts—

If Li Miao is strong enough, then what they are testing is "attitude";

If Li Miao is not strong enough, then what they are testing is "force."

But Li Miao's realm was hidden by cultivation techniques, and even the Emperor couldn't detect it, let alone Duan Jue. Unless they turned against each other and fought, he fundamentally couldn't judge Li Miao's martial force and could only test it from Li Miao's attitude.

Li Miao's attitude was simply as if he didn't put all the Heaven-Men in his eyes at all. Being so arrogant actually made Duan Jue unsure whether Li Miao was bluffing or was at ease.

Thoughts flashed, Duan Jue sighed.

"It is my scheming that is too much, and instead, I fell into a lower position."

"Fine."

He stood up and bowed respectfully to Li Miao.

"Speaking of this, I haven't reported my name and master to the official yet; it is my rudeness, and I will make up for it now."

"I am Duan Jue. I come from the Dali Duan family and am the current head of the Duan family. For the sake of family legacy, I had to come and meet the official; please forgive me for any rudeness."

After speaking, he straightened his body.

"Disciple of Sect Leader Yin."

"The few people just now were just a coincidence and have nothing to do with me."

"My Dali Duan family is the former imperial family of Dali. Even if I was rude today, we Duan family would never disdain to use human lives as a raft!"

Li Miao swept a glance up and down at him.

"Really?"

"…"

Duan Jue straightened his back, as if he didn't want to answer anymore.

"Then I will treat what you said as the truth for now."

Li Miao put down the wine cup, making a light sound on the table.

"Sit down."

Duan Jue sat down slowly.

"You are 'Sumeru,' how many Heaven-Men are in the family?"

Li Miao asked lightly.

Duan Jue frowned.

This attitude again.

This kind of question is as abrupt as Li Miao asking a stranger in his previous life "how many times did you do it last night."

There are only two possibilities for asking such a question. Either this person is a fool who doesn't understand things, or he fundamentally doesn't treat the person he is asking as a human.

"Which one is it…"

Duan Jue slowly raised the wine cup, took a shallow sip, borrowed this time to think, and then answered.

"Only I am one."

Li Miao pointed at him with chopsticks.

"I will also treat this sentence of yours as the truth."

"Speak, what does your Duan family want?"

Duan Jue almost couldn't maintain his expression.

No, we haven't reached this point yet, and you ask this?

I just came to test, to recognize, how come you are sentence by sentence, as if you want to set a rule for my Duan family today?

You are not the Emperor!

Even within the Embroidered Uniform Guard, you still have a Guard Commander above you!

Does it have anything to do with you what my Duan family wants?

But Duan Jue definitely couldn't say this, otherwise, it would be slapping Li Miao in the face; if they fought, the Duan family would become that bird that sticks its head out.

No matter how tired the court looks, it is not something a single Jianghu sect can contend with. The Ming Sect, which was the first to throw a punch at the court, has already been destroyed, and now the court urgently needs a target to re-establish its prestige.

The Duan family cannot become this target.

He hesitated for a moment, considering his words.

"Official, it is noisy here, and the official also has official business; why not find a quiet place and a convenient time later, and I will explain to the official, so the official can report upward, how about that?"

He bit extremely lightly on the words "report upward."

Except for Li Miao, no one noticed.

Li Miao sneered.

"Are you afraid I can't make the decision?"

Duan Jue couldn't hold it anymore.

No, is there no end?

Before he could react, he heard Li Miao say lightly.

"You can rest assured about this."

"I cannot manage the Great Shu court. But I can decide the Great Shu Jianghu in one word."

Li Miao glanced at Duan Jue.

"Were you thinking just now why I asked so abruptly, as if I wanted to set a rule for your Duan family right now?"

"You thought correctly."

"Today, I am going to set a rule for your Duan family."

"Since you didn't say what you wanted just now, I don't want to hear it now—listen well to my rules."

Li Miao extended a finger and drew lightly on the table; instantly, wood shavings rolled up, leaving a deep scratch.

"Do not strike against those who have no Wu Gong."

"Keep your eyes on this dead line."

"Blocking is not as good as dredging; I am also too lazy to go door-to-door to kill people, so keep this line firmly in your heart and don't forget it."

"Otherwise, I will go to your door personally and twist off every neck of your Duan family, regardless of old or young. And then hang the heads on the flagpole, letting my subordinates carry this flag and travel through the entire Jianghu."

Duan Jue's expression changed greatly, his gaze deep, staring fixedly at Li Miao's eyes.

Li Miao withdrew his hand and picked up the wine cup.

"Drink this cup of wine, and your Duan family can start walking the Jianghu, and can also accept disciples and pass on martial arts; as long as you don't cross this line, my Embroidered Uniform Guard will treat you as an ordinary Jianghu sect."

"But drink this cup of wine, and I will treat it as you accepting my rules. When I go to your door to kill people, I will not notify you again."

Li Miao raised the wine cup and looked at Duan Jue, whose expression was uncertain.

"Family Head Duan."

"You can drink this cup of wine."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 263 =====