Chapter 7: The Underlying Threads of Romance (4)
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This tea house was just like the ones depicted in most martial arts novels, with a tattered flag at the entrance, embroidered with the character for “Tea” in a cursive style.
No matter who sat down, they would shout, “Waiter, bring me half a pound of cooked beef and a pound of Daughter’s Red (a type of wine).”
Once the members of the Giant Wave Gang settled in, the tea house was nearly at full capacity.
Martial artists, no matter where they hailed from or if they had acquaintances here, immediately blended into the atmosphere, which alternated between casual lounging and the need to perk up and listen for surrounding movements.
Lin Nan, adhering to the customary practice of female heroes wandering the martial world, donned a layer of white veiling, revealing only her sharp, lively eyes.
There had been a noticeable number of similarly dressed women recently in Lehua Town, so when Lin Nan sat at a window-side table for one, only those nearby stole a glance before shifting their attention to a swordsman in green attire at the center of the tea house.
“I am Mu Zhi from the Qingcheng Sect.”
The green-clad swordsman cupped his hands in greeting, “I trust everyone has heard of the bl**d Cloak Building; they don’t discriminate between right and wrong when money is involved.”
“We all know that—get to the point already!”
“Yeah, yeah! What happened last night?”
Mu Zhi smiled at the crowd, knowing he was the most eye-catching presence in the tea house before any official news was released.
So, he took a moment to milk the suspense, relishing the feeling of being the center of attention before dropping the big news.
The Giant Wave Gang, who had just returned from the nearby mountain stronghold, quickly joined in the game of promoting Mu Zhi, knowing that only by making him happy would he share the juicy gossip he had.
Lin Nan observed coldly,
She too was eager to hear what the townsfolk of Lehua would say regarding the assassination initiated by bl**d Cloak Building the night before.
After some flattery, the satisfied Mu Zhi raised his hands to signal for silence,
Thus, everyone knew this guy was finally ready to get to the meat of the matter.
“I have a fellow villager working at the bl**d Cloak Building, so you can bet on the authenticity of this news.”
With that assertion, Mu Zhi continued,
“Last night was the wedding of the Demon Sect’s Female Demon Leader and Shi Jinghai’s son, Shiyuan.
The bl**d Cloak Building took on a commission to deal directly with the Female Demon Leader. If she were killed or captured, the stronghold would naturally collapse, and Young Master Shi would be saved accordingly.
To be absolutely sure of success, two of the bl**d Cloak Building’s renowned top ten gold medal assassins went on this mission.”
At these words, the tea house erupted in astonished chatter.
“What? They sent out gold medal assassins? Those guys are known for killing without blinking, having taken the lives of at least a hundred martial arts experts.”
“Who can argue with that? Sending two gold medal assassins means bl**d Cloak Building is taking the Female Demon Leader seriously.”
“So, the outcome is obvious, right? The Female Demon Leader couldn’t have already been slain by the gold medal assassins, could she?”
“If that were the case, we wouldn’t be sitting here in Lehua Town listening to this guy’s story! We’d probably be rushing into the stronghold to loot!”
“Wait, you don’t mean even the gold medal assassins flubbed it, do you?”
Mu Zhi intentionally paused for dramatic effect, and once everyone’s eager gazes were back on him, he smiled and said,
“The folks from the bl**d Cloak Building stealthily infiltrated the rear mountain while the stronghold’s members were drinking themselves into a stupor. They managed to locate the Female Demon Leader’s bridal chamber and surrounded it without a hitch.
At this point, the noise coming from the bridal chamber was quite lively, with those giggling and cooing sounds filling the air.”
Little Shiyuan, tightly guarded by two gang members, felt as if he had just downed a large bowl of alcohol, his face suddenly turning crimson.
He tried multiple times to muster the courage to refute Mu Zhi face-to-face, accusing that guy of spouting utter nonsense.
He had deliberately gotten plastered that night to avoid any contact with that d*mn woman, and when he woke up the next morning, his clothes were all neat and tidy—nothing had happened.
But every time he tried to lift his backside from the chair, he just sat right back down, unable to summon the nerve to call out in public.
Lin Nan leaned on her hand, listening with great interest, as if Mu Zhi were narrating a story about someone else.
The gang of martial artists in the tea house were all seasoned veterans of lustful tales, and hearing Mu Zhi’s words had them bursting into laughter, their minds spinning with countless animated scenarios.
“Hey! I heard that the Female Demon Leader is quite beautiful and has a great figure. How could Young Master Shiyuan be considered unlucky?”
“Haha, if I were Shiyuan, I’d take that bargain wife in a heartbeat.”
“Right, we can talk about it later.”
Lin Nan took mental notes of these fellows’ appearances. If she got the chance, she’d give them a good kick that would ensure they wouldn’t have any descendants.
“And then? Could it be that the folks at bl**d Cloak Building eavesdropped all night and ended up with jelly legs come morning?”
“No wonder the stronghold was peaceful; it was like that.”
“Shhh… some things shouldn’t be said out loud… we can’t afford to offend the bl**d Cloak Building.”
Mu Zhi coughed lightly and said, “With over thirty people dispatched from bl**d Cloak Building, normally, they could wipe out a small gang clean; let alone when they’re just after the Female Demon Leader.
They planned to strike while the two were in the bridal chamber, but who would have thought the Female Demon Leader would pull a trick with an empty city scheme.
Even scarier was her martial arts reaching an extraordinary realm. In that room, she could discern each individual’s skill level just from the sound of footsteps on the roof, then used a Phoenix Ascending move to sh**t into the sky.
Guess what happened next?”
Silence fell over the tea house as everyone’s eyes fixed on him.
Mu Zhi beamed with pride, as if he were the protagonist of a novel, “With that single move, the Female Demon Leader reduced the third-ranked gold medal assassin to a bloody pulp. This shows that her skills are not on par with ordinary martial artists but can rival the leaders of the seven major factions.”
“Ahhh! Could it be that the Demon Sect is on the rise again?”
“Is the Female Demon Leader really that powerful? Don’t the righteous factions see this?”
“Not quite,” Mu Zhi shook his finger. “That Female Demon Leader kept herself hidden; if it weren’t for the probing efforts of bl**d Cloak Building, who would’ve guessed that the demoness had dramatically improved her martial arts and become a significant threat to the martial world?
After the first gold medal assassin fell, the remaining members of bl**d Cloak Building surrounded her.
The demoness tore through them without a shred of fear, even claiming the head of a high-ranking general in their midst.
Yes, just as you assumed, the second gold medal assassin met his demise on the spot, his body left unrecognizable.
Since the establishment of bl**d Cloak Building, they had never faced a situation where two elite members fell in a single operation. The others immediately retreated, no longer daring to prolong the fight.
Fortunately, the demoness didn’t want to engage in a bloodbath and ruin her joyous occasion, which was why she reluctantly let bl**d Cloak Building escape.
So, I advise you all,
This Female Demon Leader is no pushover; think thrice before entering her stronghold.”
Lin Nan, “…”
Why did it feel like her conscience was a bit troubled? Should she really be basking in all this praise?
The higher you elevate someone, the harder they fall; she was just an ordinary Outer Door Disciple of the Demon Sect!
No! She had to change the warped impression people had of her. What if some experts came looking for her to challenge her?
Lin Nan cleared her throat a couple of times, preparing to speak up.
