Chapter 91 : Chapter 91

Chapter 91: I’ll Promise Not to Kill Anyone. How About That?

Two Seventh-Rank martial artists, together with a large number of Jiannan Circuit’s martial artists,

released their Internal Energy without the slightest concealment, and their combined aura erupted all at once.

Zuo Hong and Tie Ke in particular were especially imposing. Behind one, a great banner appeared out of thin air; behind the other, a massive halberd.

They had entered the martial path through weapons, their Internal Energy taking visible form!

The sheer pressure made the Jinyiwei shudder at once.

And yet, the Jinyiwei’s gazes remained utterly steadfast. Gritting their teeth, they did not retreat a single step.

Cheng Yu moved to shield the Jinyiwei behind him.

A surge of majestic Internal Energy swept outward, instantly dispersing the pressure weighing on the Jinyiwei.

“Would these be Chief Escort Zuo, ‘The Dragon Begets Nine Sons,’ and Sect Master Tie, ‘Quick-Witted Beyond Compare’?”

The moment those two titles were spoken,

the Jinyiwei who had just been suppressed by force burst out laughing.

Those were deliberately insulting sobriquets. They had already appeared in that invitation letter!

Zuo Hong and Tie Ke’s expressions changed instantly, and both flew into a towering rage.

“You insolent brat, what did you just say?!”

Zuo Hong was over seventy years old. In total, he had married nine wives and fathered more than twenty sons.

Not a single one had inherited their father’s martial talent or domineering spirit. All of them were idle wastrels who did nothing but gamble on fighting cocks and chase after hounds.

Only in his old age had he finally managed to father a youngest son of extraordinary talent.

That son had been accepted into the Army-Breaking Sect, one of Great Qian’s Nine Great Sects.

Naturally, it should have been a joyous thing, proof that hardship had finally given way to glory and that his ancestors had been honored.

But Zuo Hong had noticed that when others congratulated him, there was always something strange in their eyes.

After fathering dozens, he had finally managed to produce one who looked halfway human…

It should have been proof that there was nothing wrong with his seed, yet everyone seemed to think Heaven had merely taken pity on him.

And the more they thought that way, the more people suspected there really was something wrong with his seed—and even began wondering about other things as well.

The Zuo Hong who should have been overjoyed instead looked at the courtyard full of sons and daughters, old and young alike.

His youngest son was about to leave to study under a master, yet at Zuo Hong’s age, he still had no proper heir to take over. He often still had to brave the elements personally to escort caravans.

Because of that, Zuo Hong had been deeply troubled and no longer mentioned his children to others.

And now Cheng Yu had come up with a title like “The Dragon Begets Nine Sons.”

It was far too pointed and insulting!

The first time Zuo Hong had heard it, he had already flown into a fury once before.

Now Cheng Yu had said it to his face.

This was simply going too far!

“You! You!”

Zuo Hong was so angry he began to stammer, utterly unable to think of how to retort.

“The Dragon Begets Nine Sons” was, by itself, originally a complimentary phrase. He could hardly curse it back, could he?

On the other side,

the tower-like Tie Ke glared darkly at Cheng Yu.

“Young brat, you have a sharp tongue and a vicious hand, but I wonder how much skill you really possess!”

He knew that “Quick-Witted Beyond Compare” was mocking the black mark in his past—that he was dull-witted and had been deceived again and again.

The great halberd in his hand slammed into the ground, and a terrifying pressure burst forth.

The scholar Qin Mosheng hurriedly cut across the exchange to change the subject.

“With these two experts present today, nothing you say will matter! We will never allow you to slaughter Plum Saber Stockade!”

Zuo Hong nodded with his brows raised and shouted in a ringing voice:

“You have already killed Martial Artist Mei. Under heaven’s clear gaze, we absolutely cannot allow you to create more bloodshed!”

Cheng Yu showed no fear at all before the pressure from the group and firmly declared that he was acting with just cause.

“The theft of a Tiger Tally is already a capital offense punishable by household confiscation. What I’ve done is entirely justified.”

“If we say it is not, then it is not! If you insist on remaining stubborn, then do not blame us for showing no courtesy! And if blades and swords prove blind by then, do not regret it too late!”

The two Seventh-Rank experts stood proudly before Cheng Yu, their attitudes incomparably overbearing.

“Thousand-Household Commander Cheng, you should turn back today! Give up all thought of Plum Saber Stockade!”

“We are advising you kindly. Do not fail to appreciate what is good for you.”

The great banner formed from Zuo Hong’s Internal Energy spread out behind him, and his pressure grew even more terrifying.

Cheng Yu liked to erupt into sudden violence and kill.

Then today, they would use force to make Cheng Yu submit!

Cheng Yu frowned slightly.

Once a martial artist reached the Upper Three Ranks, his influence was no longer limited to a single circuit. Such people already counted as pillars of the Jianghu in Great Qian.

Unless they caused some monstrous disaster like the affair at Sword-Forging Manor, the Great Qian Emperor would not interfere too heavily, lest it create even greater trouble.

The two of them were so fearless because they were sure they had him cornered!

Cheng Yu sneered inwardly. If not for the fact that stirring up too many complications would hinder his steady development of the Jinyiwei and the earning of rewards, he could make them understand right now what came of offending him!

What was interesting, however, was that some people still did not seem to understand the situation.

“Ah!”

Cheng Yu let out a long sigh.

Spreading his hands, he wore a helpless look. “Although the theft of a Tiger Tally is a crime that absolutely deserves death, I cannot very well waste the good intentions you gentlemen have shown.”

“The Tiger Tally is too important. There must be a search so that an account can be given. I promise you this: when the Jinyiwei go in shortly, we will not kill a single person. How does that sound?”

Not kill a single person!

Zuo Hong and the others were overjoyed.

The Cheng Yu who killed like he drank water, savage and tyrannical, had backed down!

So the arrogant and overbearing Cheng Yu was, at bottom, nothing more than a bully who feared the strong and preyed on the weak?

“Excellent! Nothing could be better! Hahahahaha!”

Zuo Hong had barely stepped forward for long and had shown only a little of his power,

yet this mere junior had already been frightened into obedience. His heart swelled with delight.

“Cheng Yu, oh Cheng Yu, the way you strutted about before was truly laughable!”

Qin Mosheng, Liu Erniang, and the others, who had been holding themselves back for so long, felt as though a crushing burden had been lifted.

At the very least, Plum Saber Stockade had been preserved. A great disaster had been averted!

“I thought Cheng Yu was ferocious to the extreme. Who would have thought he was nothing more than a coward before the strong!”

“And a man like that dared humiliate us? What a ridiculous fantasy!”

The whole group broke into loud, wanton laughter.

If Cheng Yu yielded one step, he would yield a second, then a third!

In the end, Jiannan Circuit was still ruled by people of the Jianghu like them. How could they allow an Imperial Hound of the court to climb all over them?

The Jinyiwei stared at the scene before them, then blankly looked toward Lord Cheng.

Were these people idiots?

Their mission had never required them to kill anyone in the first place!

Lord Cheng had not promised them anything at all, so what exactly were they so happy about?

Cheng Yu stood with his hands behind his back, shaking his head as he looked toward the lake.

Some of the martial artists saw that expression on his face and sneered one after another.

He had already suffered the humiliation of yielding out of weakness, yet he still dared act so lofty?

Ridiculous!

But while the mockery was still ongoing, someone suddenly spotted a few small boats rowing across the lake.

A swordsman clad all in coarse hemp stood with a sword on his back, accompanied by more than a dozen fully armed elite Jinyiwei.

They were unmistakably coming from the direction of Plum Saber Stockade.

Zuo Hong and the others were instantly puzzled.

Why were Jinyiwei men coming from the direction of Plum Saber Stockade?

It was as though Qin Mosheng had suddenly realized something.

His lips began to tremble. “Too… too… too quiet…”

Tie Ke frowned. “Quiet in what way?”

As Qin Mosheng caught the increasingly heavy scent of blood at the tip of his nose, he collapsed to the ground.

“Plum Saber Stockade has more than a hundred martial artists. Boats go back and forth there every day. How could no one have appeared after all this time? It’s as if…”

Liu Erniang finished in a trembling voice, “As if the entire place was exterminated overnight…”