Chapter 82: Held Up Well

This line was not the style of the Jianghu.

Jiao Qingfeng, a small official, where would he know about Jianghu matters? He could only "improvise on the spot" based on the style of storytelling he heard in teahouses daily.

As a result, he got it wrong; this was clearly adapted from "Who is the general, report your name," the opening line for a challenge when two armies faced each other.

When the Flood Banner Master heard this, he also felt something was not quite right. Besides the strange way the other side spoke, why was there a hint of the local Taian accent?

Wasn't that "Li Miao" always staying in Shuntian Prefecture, never having left the capital?

Was his hometown here in Taian?

Left Envoy Lan, had he met with a tragic end because he happened to run into him returning home to visit relatives?

His heart stirred, and the look he gave Jiao Qingfeng became increasingly strange.

After Jiao Qingfeng finished saying this line, he felt that the little bit of courage he had finally gathered was completely exhausted.

He could only feign an attitude of disdain, squinting at the Flood Banner Master, and said nothing.

"Your Excellency, are you Li Miao, Lord Li, in person?"

After a long while, the Flood Banner Master spoke.

"Indeed."

"Oh... Left Envoy Lan was killed by you, Your Excellency."

"Indeed."

"Sect Leader Zuo was also killed by you, Your Excellency."

"..."

This sentence was a trap.

Zuo Lishan had died at the hands of Yun Zelin, not Li Miao.

If Jiao Qingfeng had followed the previous question and said "Indeed," the Flood Banner Master would have immediately stepped forward and killed him.

However, the only thing Jiao Qingfeng was good at was "observing expressions."

For a small official like him, the first thing to learn was to act according to the superior's expression. After years of muddling through the yamen, this skill was already at the "peak" level.

Jiao Qingfeng had already been wary of this series of questions, and upon discovering the hint of killing intent leaking from the Flood Banner Master, he immediately stopped speaking.

Weighing his words, he then spoke: "Who killed Sect Leader Zuo... don't you know?"

This sentence was ambiguous; if Li Miao had killed him, it meant "You don't know who I've killed?"

If Li Miao hadn't killed him, it meant "You killed him, yet you come to ask me?"

When it came to being vague and evasive, the Flood Banner Master, a big brute in the Jianghu, was truly no match for Jiao Qingfeng.

If it were normal times, Jiao Qingfeng might truly have been able to use Li Miao's prestige to bluff the Flood Banner Master into retreating.

But it wouldn't work now.

The Ming Sect was determined to succeed in this matter; they had already thrown away the life of a Left Envoy, and the plan on the Mount Tai Sect had already been ruined by Yun Zelin.

Having paid such a high price, they had to achieve something. The Ming Sect was determined to succeed in the matter of Taian City.

Seeing the Flood Banner Master hesitate for a moment, he finally made up his mind, a look of ruthlessness creeping onto his face.

"I don't care if you're surnamed Li or what; since you block the way here, you are the enemy of our Holy Sect!"

"Even if I can't defeat you, dragging you here will mean one less obstacle for Dharma Protector Mao!"

Having decided, he did not hesitate.

In an instant, the Flood Banner Master flashed forward, striking a palm toward Jiao Qingfeng's face!

"Whether you die or I perish, let's see the truth in our hands!"

"It's over... I can't hold him back..."

In despair, Jiao Qingfeng braced himself not to lose his composure, watching helplessly as that palm grew larger and larger in his field of vision.

"I suppose I can consider this... having shouldered the burden of the word 'official' a little bit..."

————————

Let us turn the time back a moment.

On Li Miao's side.

Five hundred Gu soldiers.

Wang Hai was already stretched thin facing one or two Gu soldiers. When two came at once, it forced Mei Qinghe to fight for her life.

Although there were reasons like his true energy hitting bottom, being unable to retreat, and only being able to face them head-on, one could also see from this how difficult these Gu soldiers of the Ming Sect were.

And the Gu soldiers on Mao Yingxia's side were even harder to deal with than those placed in the city beforehand.

The Gu soldiers scattered into Taian City beforehand were, to a certain extent, "discarded pawns." But the Gu soldiers on Mao Yingxia's side were the capital that the Ming Sect had accumulated over a dozen years, refined using "materials" with good bones, and truly used for conquering cities and seizing land.

The consensus in the Jianghu was: no matter how high one's martial arts, if surrounded by heavy troops and unable to escape, one would still meet one's end on the spot.

First, even if one were "Sumeru," true energy was not infinite; there would eventually be a moment when it hit bottom.

Second, no matter how high one's martial arts, one was still human and had to breathe.

Being surrounded by heavy troops was not like what was played in the movies of Li Miao's past life, where the protagonist only fought the people in front, and the enemies behind only responsible for strange cries, posing, and waiting for the protagonist to turn around.

Truly falling into a heavy encirclement meant having to face attacks like raindrops simultaneously; at the same moment, your face, lower crotch, waist, back, arms, and legs were all under attack.

Facing such an offensive, even a master of hard-style training could resist, but they still had to breathe. The moment they breathed, the moment their strength loosened, the moment their hard-style technique slackened, they would be injured.

As injuries accumulated, movements became increasingly sluggish, true energy became increasingly thin, and they would die.

And what Li Miao faced was an encirclement of five hundred Gu soldiers who feared not death and were hard to injure with blades.

At this moment, one hundred remained.

Li Miao's forehead was slightly sweaty; he brought his fingers together into a palm and pulled it to his waist.

Slashing diagonally!

The "One Blade" from the "Iron Punishment Battle Post"!

The sharp true energy left his body, cutting three human shapes in front of him into two halves; after their upper bodies hit the ground, they were still crawling and roaring toward Li Miao.

Li Miao's initial plan was to kill Mao Yingxia and quickly return to Taian City to support Xiao Si.

But after seeing these five hundred Gu soldiers, he changed his mind.

Only by intercepting and killing these Gu soldiers here could Taian City be safe.

At this moment, it was almost done.

Li Miao flashed forward, his hand forming a claw, using "Falling Leaves," scraping from top to bottom across a Gu soldier's face.

On his hand remained half a skull, red and white mixed.

That Gu soldier made no sound and crashed to the ground.

Li Miao leaped high, dodging the pouncing of several Gu soldiers.

Then, "Thousand-Catty Drop," "Powerful Jin Gang Leg"!

His figure dropped suddenly, smashing several Gu soldiers into the ground; Li Miao's fists smashed fiercely into the back of these Gu soldiers' heads.

When his fists were raised, the dark black gloves were already covered in red and white brain matter.

And Mao Yingxia, lying on the ground nearby, had already fallen into despair.

No matter how much she couldn't believe it, she had to admit this fact: Li Miao was truly killing off the Gu soldiers that the Ming Sect had accumulated for over a dozen years.

"How could this be... how could this be..."

"How is your true energy not exhausted yet... you are not 'Sumeru,' how could you have such profound true energy..."

"How could you possibly be both 'Jin Gang' and 'Jiezi' at the same time, why are you not dead yet!?"

"Who exactly are you! Who exactly are you!"

Mao Yingxia was Ji Tianrui's direct disciple, incomparably loyal to the Ming Sect; at this moment, seeing with her own eyes the Ming Sect's grand plan for revival being broken by an inexplicable anomaly in an incomprehensible way, she was powerless.

Coupled with heavy injuries and excessive blood loss, she was already delirious, shouting frantically at Li Miao.

Li Miao turned a deaf ear, only continuing his slaughter.

A short while later, the last Gu soldier was grabbed by the arms by Li Miao and torn into two halves; after hitting the ground, it crawled for a distance before losing all sound.

Li Miao turned and walked toward Mao Yingxia.

"Who are you! You are—"

Profound Heaven Finger.

The sharp true energy pierced through her forehead; Mao Yingxia's words remained unfinished, and she collapsed softly.

"Talking to a beast like you who slaughters cities is a waste of time."

Li Miao stepped forward and grabbed a mass of blurred flesh and blood from Mao Yingxia's corpse.

Leaving behind the mountain of corpses and sea of blood, Li Miao did not linger, using his light-body technique to the fullest, rushing toward Taian City.

————————

Just as Jiao Qingfeng was opening his eyes wide, waiting for death.

Suddenly, warm liquid splashed onto his face.

And then, the palm that had already reached his face fell to the ground.

Jiao Qingfeng turned his head blankly and saw a severed hand on the ground.

And Li Miao, grabbing the head of the one-armed Flood Banner Master, crashed into the Ming Sect crowd.

Flesh and blood flew.

A moment later, Li Miao walked to Jiao Qingfeng's side and reached out to pat his shoulder: "Held up well."

Having said that, Li Miao moved along the wall, as if walking on flat ground, and flew into Taian City.

After another long while, Jiao Qingfeng suddenly collapsed softly onto the horse's back, sweating profusely, panting heavily.

"Heh... hehe..."

He couldn't help but laugh out loud, feeling a sense of relief.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 83 =====