"My silly brother, why are you dazed! This world does not allow you to harbor a bodhisattva's heart and be unable to bear seeing people die. Do not forget that this guy also has hands stained with blood; he deserves to die!" Murong Jing really wanted to slap Jiang Yichen twice right now.
If he hadn't been staring closely at the commotion on Jiang Yichen's side, guarding against this child getting stuck on a point before Jiang Yichen even lost focus, he wouldn't have been able to fly over in time to shove Jiang Yichen away. Simultaneously, he broke Fan Jian's sword. If either of those two actions had been half a beat slower, Jiang Yichen would have been severely injured, if not dead.
Fan Jian's One Strike missed, and the next moment, he was pulled close by the Swordsman who had taken Shi Ding's Life, using Cloud Lock Qi Force, and was run through the gut with a saber.
Lying on the ground, Fan Jian did not feel too much pain; he only felt his eyelids were too heavy to open.
Unable to live together, but hoping to die together—there are many in the Jianghu who swear oaths when they become sworn brothers, but in the end, those who truly die together are few. This time, Fan Jian could at least be considered to have died with his sworn brother, which was true to its name. With these thoughts, Fan Jian slowly closed his eyes.
"Another one dead..." Jiang Yichen felt heartache in his heart.
"Those who don't want to die, follow this young master to Chrysanthemum Garden to plead guilty!" Seeing the bandits of Flying Swallow Village preparing to slip away, Murong Jing shouted.
"Hmph, Chrysanthemum Garden. What is Chrysanthemum Garden!"
"Chrysanthemum Garden? I'm not going!"
"Brothers, the worst that can happen is death, let's fight them!"
"Whoever is a coward will be my grandson in the next life!"
The remaining bandits of Flying Swallow Village stopped and did not flee. They had no intention of admitting defeat, but instead turned back to fight for their lives, which surprised Murong Jing.
According to Murong Jing's thoughts, this group was just a Rabble; some should have continued to flee, and some should have admitted defeat and accepted punishment. The result was that they were all so tough and immediately joined forces to kill their way back... Since that was the case, he could not be blamed for being heartless.
Just as Murong Jing was about to make a move, a figure had already rushed forward, and quickly and efficiently, all ten bandits were dead.
Seeing this, Jiang Yichen strove not to turn his head away, calming his state of mind, and admonished himself to face the life and death of the Jianghu squarely. These bandits deserved to die, and he could not always be so soft-hearted and womanish. He must not harm himself, let alone implicate others.
It was just that his attention still subconsciously avoided the blood-stained scene, shifting toward that stranger. In his line of sight, the Swordsman who had easily knocked down the bandits was sheathing his saber and turning to walk back. Only then did he see the other person's appearance clearly; the person who arrived was naturally not Liu Menghen.
This person had a tall physique, a face like ice, cold brows and eyes, and wore short, neat Silver White hair. He was at most twenty years old, yet he appeared resolute and steady, and his strikes were even more decisive and ruthless. This was Jiang Yichen's first impression of this Silver-haired man.
"You're even snatching this." Murong Jing postured and shouted at the Silver-haired man.
"Since you've already opened the slaughter, I'll just help, to save you from dirtying your hands," the Silver-haired man replied coldly.
"Forget it, forget it, I won't argue with you. Brother Jiang, come, let me introduce you. This is Brother Feng, that's right, just the single name 'Feng', the Feng of Red Maple. A brother from the north, he's a tough guy, doesn't like to talk much, and is very compatible with someone quick-witted like me. We get along very well, right!" Murong Jing introduced him to Jiang Yichen, while simultaneously nudging Feng's chest with his elbow.
When did being quick-witted and not liking to talk become compatible? Jiang Yichen muttered criticism in his heart. But strangely, are people who use sabers all so lazy to talk?
"In a rush." Feng couldn't be bothered to waste words with Murong Jing, giving the other party a look to hurry up and get things done. Regarding Jiang Yichen's situation, Murong Jing had already chattered to him about it while in the dark, and he had a general understanding. However, from what he had just seen, it was not hard to see that the Youth's disposition was not yet mature, even appearing slightly naive and tender. He was not cut out for the Jianghu, so he greeted him with a look.
Jiang Yichen thought that was just Feng's personality, so he didn't care and gave a slight nod to return the greeting.
"Alright, alright, Brother Jiang, time is tight, so I'll make a long story short. It's quite a coincidence; Brother Feng and I came from the old man's side and happened to catch this show. I didn't expect you to move first, so we just hid in the dark to provide backup for you, also wanting to see if the opponent would bring more people. You handled it well this time and were agile enough, but next time you act, you must not hesitate."
"We have received the old man's instructions and still need to rush back to Taoyuan Town to make arrangements. Oh right, that's about the Thousand Bamboo Forest Winery. As for the situation here, I have already sent a letter to Chrysanthemum Garden. Someone will come to handle it, so you don't need to worry. Feel at ease and continue your journey."
The long story was not made short, and the amount of information covered was only more, not less. Although Murong Jing was talking about one thing and then another, he at least made things clear and wouldn't leave people confused.
It was just that, while talking, Murong Jing hurriedly chased Jiang Yichen onto the Little Brown Horse, which was laughable. The Little Brown Horse received a kick to its butt, turned its head to neigh in dissatisfaction, but still sensibly galloped away.
"Brother Jiang, let's find an opportunity to catch up again! Brother Feng's sword skills are also good; next time we meet, I'll have him guide you a bit." The Little Brown Horse had already run over ten zhang away, and Jiang Yichen could still hear Murong Jing's loud shouting.
After watching Jiang Yichen leave, as soon as Murong Jing turned around, he saw Zhen Shibei, who should have been scared out of his wits, rubbing his hands, squinting his eyes, and hanging a smile behind him. Looking at Feng, he was unexpectedly turning his back to pretend to wipe his Treasure Saber!
"Eh, Young Master Murong, we meet again! This humble one is honored, truly honored!" Zhen Shibei couldn't wait to come up and flatter this Young Master before him. Looking so young, yet he was already the main person in charge of the Righteousness Alliance's line from Jiangning to Gusu. If he could open up this line, his financial prospects would be limitless! Limitless!
"Stop, stop! Boss Zhen, seeing you now gives me a headache. You also know we have met again and again and again! Should I say you have good luck, or that your luck is too bad? You are a big boss, why can't you just stay at home guarding your treasury, eating and drinking well, with money flowing into your pockets? You have to risk your Life following the Goods, running east and west. Every time you get into trouble, I say you really are Tang Sanzang's meat; wherever you go, you are delivered! If it weren't for running into my young brother this time, I'm afraid you would have been dragged back to be castrated and turned into a golden hen!"
"If I remember correctly, last time you went to Pinghai Commandery to deliver goods, and as a result, you ran into the Red Robe Cult eyeing your goods. It just so happened that people from the Righteousness Alliance were passing by. You lost the goods, but at least you were saved, otherwise, you would have already met King Yama. The time before that, it was still Pinghai Commandery, you still went to deliver goods yourself, and as a result, you ran into a heavy rain on the way that triggered a flash flood. The goods were washed away, and you were washed away, only to be picked up by me. The time before that..."
Before Murong Jing could finish listing Zhen Shibei's "deeds," the red-faced, heartache-stricken Zhen Shibei ignored his Identity and covered Murong Jing's mouth with his fat palm. He really regretted provoking this sharp-tongued ancestor.
Having these embarrassing things exposed in front of those employees was one thing; as long as he, Zhen Shibei, could pay their wages, he was still their boss, and they would continue to risk their lives for him. But to have his scars exposed like this in front of them was not kind. Every time these things were mentioned, he would recall those goods—like bright yellow and white gold and silver—leaving him, which was truly more painful than cutting flesh from his own body!
"So I say, Boss Zhen, please save yourself some trouble and stop going against money! You must thank my good brother for today's matter. If you run into him in the future, you must look after him more."
"As for Chrysanthemum Garden, I said just now that I have already sent a letter for you. You all stay here and wait; if there are still those who don't have eyes coming to find trouble, you know how to deal with it. I am really in a rush and don't have time to chat with you." After Murong Jing's first offensive of words achieved its purpose, he broke free from Zhen Shibei's palm blockade and gave his instructions earnestly.
After witnessing the power of this Young Master's sharp tongue again, Zhen Shibei was much more honest. His main purpose was to confirm that Murong Jing had sent the information to Chrysanthemum Garden, and secondly, he wanted to build a relationship. Now that his main goal was achieved, he could be at ease. As for building a relationship, it wasn't that he didn't dare to think about it, but that there would be plenty of time in the future, and there would always be opportunities. Thus, he responded submissively, wishing he could send this master away quickly.
Watching the sharp-tongued Young Master and the cold-faced Swordsman ride away, Zhen Shibei finally heaved a sigh of relief.
Who knew that after Murong Jing rode a few steps away, he would actually pull a Returning Horse Spear.
What made Zhen Shibei's jaw drop was that after Murong Jing returned, he politely took his leave again and said to him seriously: "I say Boss Zhen, I suggest you go and change your name. Maybe your luck will turn around. Look at you, always Zhen Shibei (Zhen 'Back Luck'), it's really back luck, how can your luck not be bad?"
"If you don't believe me, look at your brother, that name is so good, Zhen Youcai (Zhen 'Has Talent'), he really has talent. He is doing so well in Chrysanthemum Garden now. I think you might as well change your name to Zhen Youqian (Zhen 'Has Money'), it just so happens that you are both of the 'You' generation. Alright, I won't say anymore, let's part ways here, let's part ways here."
Zhen Shibei was originally quite angry, but as he listened, he found that although this Young Master was poisonous, if he thought about it carefully, what he said actually made a lot of sense. Should he just follow what the other party said and change his name to "Zhen Youqian"?
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