Chapter Twenty: Fierce Battle in the Middle of the Night
Xie Yunfeng and Chunxiang did not disturb the two of them. They stopped one after the other and listened quietly to the song "Ode to a Gentleman". It was pure and sincere, elegant and open, and full of heroic spirit. The sound of sword and zither intertwined, which was a spark, a light, and a gentleman who kept the whole audience in check.
On the rooftop opposite the garden, Murong Hanchan, clutching a wine jar, muttered, "Pairs, pairs, only I am all alone. Brother Xiaoyao, where are you? If you were here, we could embrace and crush them. But now, Second Brother is with his zither and sword, Eldest Brother is hand in hand, and I, alone, drink and get drunk, questioning the heavens, my love has no home. Brother Xiaoyao, where are you!" She then collapsed on the rooftop.
As the song "Ode to a Gentleman" came to an end, Yi Qingxue stood up, walked to the two men, and bowed, saying, "Qingxue greets Young Master Xie and Miss Chunxiang!"
Xie Yunfeng: "Greetings, Miss Yi!"
Chunxiang: "Greetings, Miss Yi!"
When returning the gift, Yin Xiaosheng was shocked to see the sword in Chunxiang's hand. He exclaimed, "Miss Chunxiang, this sword, Xuanjing, has been with my senior brother for many years. I never expected that it would be in your hands after so long. You can imagine the relationship between you two!"
Chunxiang smiled and said, "Brother Yin, please don't laugh at me. Miss Yi is playing the zither here, and you are practicing your sword dance here. This one-foot distance between us must not be a coincidence, right?"
Upon hearing this, Xie Yunfeng hurriedly said, "Indeed! The relationship between you two, revealed by this playing of the zither and this dance, is self-evident!"
Upon hearing this, Yi Qingxue lowered her head and remained silent. Seeing this, Yin Xiaosheng said in a low voice, "I can't win an argument with the two of you!"
At this moment, Yi Mingzhao walked over: "Everyone is here! Young Master Xie! Young Master Yin! Miss Chunxiang!"
The three returned the greetings in turn, and Xie Yunfeng asked, "Is there anything I can help you with, Second Young Master?"
Yi Mingzhao: "I'm here to see my little sister!"
Xie Yunfeng: "Excuse me! Let's excuse ourselves for a moment!"
Yi Mingzhao hurriedly said, "No, no, no! It's nothing serious. It's just that a treasure appraisal event will be held at Xiyu Manor in two days, and I'd like to go and take a look. I came here to say goodbye to my cultivation, little sister. I'll be setting off early tomorrow morning!"
Yin Xiaosheng laughed and said, "An appraisal event? It must be very exciting!"
Yi Mingzhao laughed and said, "That's natural. Anyone who has treasures will participate, and anyone who wants to buy treasures will also go."
Chunxiang asked, "Brother Xie, if that's the case, it must be a grand event. Shall we go together?"
Xie Yunfeng: "Alright! Let's go and see what treasures they have!" He then said to Yin Xiaosheng: "Junior brother, what are your plans? Are you going to bring your junior sister along, or do you intend to return to the Murong residence?"
Yin Xiaosheng thought to himself: You take your beauty on a trip to enjoy the scenery and ask me to return to the manor. How can you say that? Just as Yin Xiaosheng was struggling to answer, Murong Hanchan flew down from the rooftop.
She stepped forward and said sternly, "Senior Brother! Father called you here to protect us, didn't he? Now look at you, you've found a beauty and forgotten your mother, you've forgotten all your important duties!" After saying that, she glared at Chunxiang.
Xie Yunfeng smiled and said, "Junior Sister, you are mistaken. Your martial arts are already superior to Master's, so why do you need my protection? I know what you want. If you want to go to Xiyu Manor, then let's go together!" After saying that, he looked at Murong Hanchan.
Murong Hanchan declared boldly, "Alright! It's settled then. Let's go to Xiyu Manor together. What happens next depends on the situation!" After saying that, she looked at Chunxiang, then at Yi Qingxue, and then turned and left.
Yi Mingzhao said, “Since everyone is going, I will make preparations later. Please get some rest. We will set off early tomorrow morning!” After saying that, he walked towards Yi Qingxue and said, “Little sister! I will be going to Xiyu Manor tomorrow and may not be back for five days. Please take good care of yourself at home. The garden is chilly in the evening, so please do not sit for too long and you will hurt yourself.”
Yi Qingxue said softly, "Second Brother, please be careful on your journey. Safety is the most important thing. I will take good care of myself at home." After Yi Qingxue finished speaking, Yi Mingzhao smiled deeply and turned to leave.
Xie Yunfeng: "Miss Yi, we're going to rest too!" After saying that, Chunxiang and Xie Yunfeng left.
Yin Xiaosheng: "Qingxue, let me take you back to your room!"
Yi Qingxue nodded, and the two of them left the garden.
Outside Longyang City, on Xiangcheng Street, in front of the Sihe Inn, Yu Linglong and Qiu Xia were waiting when a waiter came out and said, "It's so late, why are you knocking on the door? Don't you want people to sleep?"
Qiuxia: "Shopkeeper! We apologize for disturbing you so late at night. We just want to stay for one night. Please make an exception for us."
The shop assistant rubbed his eyes and said, "Alright! Come in!" He then led the two horses to the backyard.
The shop assistant came in and led the two to a guest room upstairs, saying, "If you need anything, just let me know. I'll get some rest after I'm done!"
Qiuxia: "Then please help us get some hot water. Thank you!"
Just then, a banging sound began: "Thump! Thump! Thump thump! Thump thump thump!..."
The shop assistant yelled, "Are you trying to kill us?!" He ran downstairs to open the door, and four middle-aged men entered, each with a fierce and angry expression. One of them roared, "Why are you only opening the door now? Didn't you hear the knocking?"
The shop assistant trembled with fear and dared not say a word. Indeed, he was the shop assistant who had been slapped by Young Master Qiao. He had been extremely unlucky lately!
Another said, "Brother, don't waste your breath on him, quickly tell him to bring up some wine and food!"
The third brother said, "Big brother! Second brother is right, we are starving! Look at fourth brother, he's almost collapsed from hunger!"
Seeing this, the older brother shouted, "Did you hear that? Hurry up and get some wine and food!"
After they finished speaking, they sat down rudely. The waiter said with a roguish look, "Gentlemen, it's not that I don't want to serve you food and drinks, I'm just a deliveryman. The chef has already gone home."
Upon hearing this, the second brother kicked the waiter in the chest. The waiter fell to the ground, clutching his chest, seemingly in great pain. The second brother shouted, "You can't cook? You'll still cook for me! Good wine and good food, hurry up and prepare them. If you anger me, you're dead!"
At this moment, Qiuxia, who was upstairs, heard this and said indignantly, "Palace Master, should I take action and send them away?"
Yu Linglong sat cross-legged on the bed, not replying. Qiu Xia felt helpless, watching as the shop assistant was bullied.
Several other guest rooms upstairs were also occupied. Hearing the commotion, the guests opened their doors to investigate. However, seeing the menacing-looking individuals, they quickly closed their doors, fearing they might get into trouble and lose their lives.
The shop assistant rubbed his chest, got up and walked towards the kitchen. He picked up a bundle of firewood, poured some wine, went around from the back door to the front street, lit a fire to signal the news, and then quickly ran back to the kitchen to cook.
Upon seeing the firelight, the guards of Longyang City immediately rushed into the city to report. Moments later, a group of people emerged from Longyang City, their torches blazing and illuminating the city streets. Leading them was none other than Xiong Ba!
Inside the Sihe Inn, the third brother said, "Eldest brother, second brother, the Fine Rain Manor is holding an appraisal event this time. How much can we get for our treasures?"
The second brother said, "Third brother, let's not talk about this now. You'll find out when we get to Xiyu Manor!"
Qiuxia: "Palace Master, the Treasure Appraisal Conference is being held at Xiyu Manor. It will surely be a lively event. If Senior Sister is also in Longyang City, she will definitely go to visit. Why don't we go and check it out as well!"
Yu Linglong: "Then let's get some rest!"
Xiong Ba and his men arrived at the scene of the fire at top speed. Upon hearing the sound of hooves, the shop assistant rushed out of the shop, shouting, "Help! Help!"
Xiong Ba dismounted and led his men inside. There were four men in the shop, who were already prepared: the eldest was unarmed, the second wielded a longsword, the third waved a horsewhip, and the fourth held a large knife.
Xiong Ba roared, "Who are you people, daring to run wild in Longyang City?"
The second son said, "Your grandfather's name is Sun Bu'er!"
The third brother said, "My ancestors numbered three thousand!"
The fourth brother said, "Old Wu!"
The old man said, "My name is Xiong Ba!"
Xiong Ba: "Hmm?..."
One of Xiong Ba's subordinates exclaimed, "Master, he's also called Xiong Ba?!"
Upon hearing this, Xiong Ba was enraged and cursed, "How dare you share the same name as me! I'll kill you today!" With that, he struck Xiong Ba with a fierce palm. Seeing this, Xiong Ba kicked out and sent the table flying towards Xiong Ba, breaking it in two.
Zu Sanqian shouted, "Let me show you my whip!" He then swung the whip at Xiong Ba. The short whip was fast and unpredictable, and combined with Xiong Ba's fists and palms, Xiong Ba was unable to gain the upper hand for a while.
Meanwhile, Sun Bu'er and Wu Laosi, facing off against the martial arts brothers, coordinated their swords and sabers with great tacit understanding, making it difficult for the martial arts brothers to get close.
In no time, the inn was completely unrecognizable. The innkeeper hid behind the counter, thinking: when the boss comes tomorrow, I'm afraid I'll lose my job.
After exchanging dozens of blows with the two men without gaining the upper hand, Xiong Ba picked up a knife and launched a strong counterattack. His attacks were bold and fierce, and Zu Sanqian and his companion gradually lost ground.
On the other side, Sun Bu'er and his companion, though working together seamlessly, were also struggling due to the large number of brothers in the He Martial Arts Hall and their own hunger. Their strength was waning, and they gradually lost ground.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Sun Bu'er took the opportunity to retreat to the back door. When he found a chance, he rushed out, cut two horse reins, and shouted, "Run!"
Upon hearing this, the third and fourth brothers rushed out and mounted their horses. The eldest brother also wanted to leave, but He Xiong Ba wouldn't let him. In a moment of panic, Xiong Ba slashed down with his sword, and the eldest brother was already dead.
Upon seeing this, Zu Sanqian cried out in anguish, "Big Brother!"
Sun Bu'er shouted, "Hurry up and go! Giddy up! Giddy up..."
The brothers from the martial arts hall rode after them, and Xiong Ba said, "Check the number of casualties."
"Reporting to the hall master, eight people were injured, and six died!"
Xiong Ba roared, "What? Six dead! What have you been doing all this time? Have you been practicing your martial arts?" After a long silence, he continued, "Take all the bodies back to the back mountain and bury them immediately after the deputy hall master confirms their identities. Don't let it cause a plague!"
"Yes, Master!"
Shop assistant: "Master! Would you like a cup of tea?" The shop assistant brought over hot tea and stood in front of Xiong Ba.
Xiong Ba took the teacup, smashed it on the ground, and glared fiercely at the waiter: "Hmph!"
They then cleaned up the body and left with their men.
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