Chapter 77: Defeat the Blood Palm and Wait for the Result
Li Xian secretly observed and saw that Zheng Xuezhang was so brave that he defeated Pang Long in just a few moves.
Instead, he was secretly pleased and couldn't help but think:
"With Zheng Xuezhang's outburst, the conflict has escalated, and someone as insignificant as me has become unimportant."
"I'm afraid he was just using Xiang Zhuang's sword dance as a pretext to target Liu Bang."
Li Xian analyzed the situation. If it were truly for revenge for his son, why mobilize such a large force, and why travel at night?
Revenge is a pretense; annexation is the true objective.
"Who dares to be so insolent here?"
The maid Qiuyue approached, glanced at Pang Long, and seeing his extremely disheveled state, she took a small step back, faced Zheng Xuezhang, and demanded, "Who are you? Do you want to die by coming to visit like this?"
"So you are the lady?" Zheng Xuezhang asked calmly.
"Pah! Pah! Pah!" Qiu Yue cursed angrily, "What nonsense are you spouting? How could I be a lady? If you don't want those dog eyes, then take them off!"
"How dare you! I don't care who you are, take this!"
Without a word, Zheng Xuezhang struck with his palm. Qiu Yue was startled and took several steps back. As a maidservant of the lady, she had the right to enter and leave the "Xianwu Pavilion," but her martial arts skills were very shallow.
Seeing the palm strike coming with overwhelming force, she didn't know how to dodge and her face paled. Before the palm even arrived, the wind it generated had already struck.
He was about to smash Qiu Yue's head with a single blow.
Suddenly, a flash of sword light appeared, and a bloody palm landed on the ground. Everyone looked closely and saw that Zheng Xuezhang, who had displayed such ferocity, had lost a palm.
Madam Zhuang, Wen Caitang, dressed in white, emerged from the inner courtyard, several dozen feet away from this place. It was unclear how she managed to do so.
She said coldly, "Who has disturbed my peaceful sleep?"
Zheng Xuezhang's hair stood on end. He rolled backward, creating several more feet of distance. The crowd parted to make way for the manor's owner, who walked slowly in.
"What a fast sword!"
"when……"
Zheng Xuezhang broke out in a cold sweat, filled with shock and doubt.
Only then did the pain of his severed hand gradually surge back up. He suppressed the pain, clenching his left hand so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh. He used this other kind of pain to distract himself.
"Is this really the lady?" Zheng Xuezhang forced a smile.
"Who are you?" Wen Caitang glanced around and saw the mess on the ground, but her expression remained unchanged.
"Reporting to Madam," Pang Long said, getting up and supporting his broken hand, "this man is Zheng Xuezhang of the Blackwater Gang. I'm afraid he's here with the intention of taking over our territory."
Upon hearing this, Wen Caitang looked over, and Zheng Xuezhang's blood vessels swelled. He felt a tremor run through his body and instinctively felt fear.
He immediately drew his knife with his left hand, but the lady flicked a leaf, and the flying leaf swept over, severing both of his fingers cleanly.
Zheng Xuezhang was terrified. He knew he had really kicked a hornet's nest today, and he used his lightness skill to try to escape.
But then the lady waved her sleeve, and immense pressure descended upon her.
Zheng Xuezhang's Qi circulation was sluggish, making it difficult for him to use his lightness skill, and he was already stunned.
Wen Caitang spun her palm and pushed lightly from a distance, and a gust of wind surged forth from her palm.
The palm strike was silent and without a trace, but wherever it passed, the snow on the ground turned into water mist, which stretched all the way until it hit Zheng Xuezhang.
In an instant, Zheng Xuezhang was swept away, spitting out several mouthfuls of blood in mid-air, and blisters appeared on his skin as if he had been burned.
Extremely disheveled.
Zheng Xuezhang had seven sons. The seventh son studied, while the first six learned martial arts. Seeing their father in great distress, the fourth son, who had learned whip techniques, immediately swung it into the air.
He grabbed Zheng Xuezhang, pulled his father to his side, and saw that he was unconscious, his breathing weak. He shouted, "Retreat! Beat the drums! Form the battle formation!"
A man was seen rapidly beating a drum. The drumbeats were deafening, and the Blackwater Gang members formed a battle formation, their discipline remarkable even in the darkness. They retreated in disarray along the road.
"Madam, I'm going to kill them!"
Pang Long knelt on one knee.
"No need," Madam Wen said. "They've set up their formation; there's nothing you can do about it."
The Blackwater Gang excels in naval warfare but is less adept at land combat. However, their large numbers and well-coordinated formations make them formidable opponents.
Even extraordinary martial artists would find this formation troublesome.
"Madam..." Pang Long knelt on one knee, unable to move his right hand due to a fracture, and could only make a gesture of respect with his left hand, saying:
"Pang Long... Pang Long... If I may be so bold as to ask, why... why not kill this villain instead of leaving him to cause future trouble?"
Madam Wen said softly, "Get up." With a flick of her sleeve, Pang Long was lifted up by an invisible force. She then replied, "How can the Blackwater Gang be considered a future threat? I deliberately spared his life. Jianghu gangs are constantly swallowing each other up and fighting each other."
"He dies today, and the throne will change hands tomorrow. He's a close neighbor, yet he keeps nagging and disturbing my peace."
“I will spare his life so that he will know my power and never dare to offend me again.”
"If we suffer losses today, we can settle accounts with him later."
Pang Long felt a sudden chill, though he couldn't pinpoint where it came from. He only felt a vague sense of unease.
"Madam's thoughts are truly beyond my comprehension," Pang Long said with a wry smile.
"Pang Long, take stock of the dead and wounded. The matter of compensation is your responsibility."
"Furthermore, we should also find out who this person is visiting."
After saying this, Madam Wen left lightly.
...
Having witnessed the entire event in secret, Li Xian had his own assessment.
The lady was by no means a kind-hearted person, but rather extremely snobbish.
Clearly distinguishing between rewards and punishments is a form of snobbery.
Calculating one's own interests is also a form of opportunism.
Disregarding human life is also a form of snobbery.
"Madam is a selfish and snobbish person." Li Xian felt he had glimpsed a corner of Madam's character.
"When someone comes to your door to attack you, you will naturally lose face."
"But……"
"The Blackwater Gang is not like Li Haitang's, and they don't even know who his wife is."
"In the lady's eyes, it was like a clown putting on a show, and she didn't feel that she had lost face."
"The lady's dignity does not lie here at all."
"If we take into account the loss of face, no matter how many lives Zheng Xuezhang has, it probably wouldn't be enough to compensate him."
Li Xian sighed, it was truly a pity that Zheng Xuezhang hadn't been able to die here.
...
Unable to sleep that night, the guards returned to their rooms to rest. When they saw Li Xian, everyone looked at him with strange eyes.
There was turmoil just now.
They vaguely heard the words "Li Xian".
It's likely related to Li Xian.
The next day.
Because Pang Long was injured, the morning training of the guards was handed over to Hua Hanying. The guards ran around the manor to exercise their bodies and bones.
[Proficiency +1]
[Proficiency +1]
Li Xian practiced martial arts as usual, his body surging with energy. After an hour, when he felt tired, he wiped away his sweat and went to find Pang Long.
Pang Long's compound was empty; he was no longer there, presumably having gone to the Blackwater Gang to demand compensation.
"This matter started because of me."
"Although Zheng Xuezhang has been repelled, this matter is probably not over yet."
Li Xian, with her keen senses, sensed something unusual.
And so another day passed.
Pang Long took the initiative to find Li Xian, his expression solemn.
Li Xian said, "Commander Pang, what is it? Just tell me."
"Come on, let's go for a drink and talk while we drink," Pang Long said thoughtfully, pulling Li Xian back to the courtyard to fetch several jars of fine wine.
He patted the wine jar and said, "I haven't had a drink in a long time."
"Wine disperses qi and blood. Sometimes it's very good, and sometimes it's very bad. We are just clay figures, and when qi and blood are dispersed, you see, isn't even more of it leaking away?"
Li Xian laughed and said, "That makes sense. Wine disperses qi and blood, but it also reveals one's temperament. Although it is made of clay, it has a fleshy heart. Drinking whenever you want is what makes it truly enjoyable."
"Well said!" Pang Long poured his left hand over, and the two clinked glasses and drank it all in one gulp.
Pang Long grimaced, unable to withstand the heat after not drinking for a long time. After a moment, he said, "Madam already knows about Zheng Xuezhang's matter."
(End of this chapter)
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