Easy Slaughter

Li Mochou had not paid the slightest attention to what Old Master Zhang was shouting about.

She had been busy counting heads.

After counting them, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness. Just as Sister Rong'er had predicted, the Hanshui Gang had not come out in full force. Only a dozen or so had flooded into the inn, and judging by the sounds outside, there could not have been more than twenty or thirty more waiting there.

Just as she was celebrating, the Hanshui Gang's Third Boss, "Water Leopard" Zhang Yong, gave a hey-heh laugh.

"Cousin, what nonsense are you talking about? How could such a beautiful woman be sent to a brothel? Wouldn't that be... what was it, wasting something precious? Anyway, it would be ruining fine goods. In my opinion, this beauty should be given to Inspector Song as a concubine."

As a criminal gang, the Hanshui Gang could run rampant in the region not only because it had backing in the Martial Arts World, but also because it had patrons in the government.

Hearing this, Old Master Zhang hurriedly forced a smile.

"Third Boss is right. This little lady has fair skin, a pretty face, and a fine figure. Naturally, she should be presented to Inspector Song. A fine horse deserves a fine saddle, and a pretty girl deserves a fine man!"

Seeing that there were not too many enemies, Li Mochou had already found her courage again. Then she heard Zhang Yong and Old Master Zhang trading such filthy remarks. Her pretty face flushed red, her almond eyes widened, and she slammed a hand onto the table before coldly rebuking them.

"What nerve! You dare bully your way onto your auntie's head? Do you think I do not dare kill?"

"Guanzhong Accent?" Zhang Yong laughed. "Excellent. Who would have thought you were a Jin Dynasty spy? Sending you to Inspector's Manor will be perfectly justified now!"

After speaking, he swept his gaze around the inn and shouted sternly.

"The righteous men of the Hanshui Gang are arresting a Jin Dynasty spy! Everyone else, get lost!"

There had not been many people in the inn hall to begin with. After Old Master Zhang had left behind his threats and departed earlier, half the guests at the tables had already gone. Now that Zhang Yong was clearing the hall under the pretext of arresting a "Jin Dynasty spy," even the bolder guests who had stayed to watch the show feared getting caught in the crossfire and hurriedly rose to leave.

The innkeeper too wore a miserable expression as he slipped away through the back door with two serving boys.

In an instant, the inn hall became empty. Only Lu Chen, Huang Rong, and Li Mochou remained.

Seeing that some people had actually not left, Zhang Yong cast a cold glance toward the corner table. When he saw Huang Rong smiling as though she were enjoying a spectacle, his eyes lit up. He raised a hand and pointed at her.

"That little lady is a Jin Dynasty spy too. Take her as well!"

"Eh? Me?"

Huang Rong froze. She had not expected Zhang Yong to provoke her as well. Pointing at the tip of her own nose, she said.

"Listen carefully. I have a Jiangnan accent!"

Li Mochou also said angrily.

"One person bears responsibility for one person's deeds. Do not drag others into this!"

Zhang Yong gave a hey-heh laugh, looking from Li Mochou to Huang Rong and Lu Chen.

"So what if you have a Jiangnan accent? Everyone else has left, yet you refused to go. This Jin Dynasty female spy is even speaking up for you. Do you dare say you are not in league with her? I say you must have accepted bribes from this Jin Dynasty spy and were planning to guide her while she gathered intelligence on the Great Song Dynasty's military affairs!"

He spoke with such righteous indignation that, if not for the vicious and crafty smile on his face, one might truly have taken him for a righteous hero.

Huang Rong puffed out her cheeks and was about to speak when Lu Chen suddenly said.

"Why waste words on scum like this? Just kill them."

Huang Rong giggled and said nothing more. Li Mochou, meanwhile, looked curiously at Lu Chen. He appeared to be about her age and had been refined and courteous all along. His tone had sounded casual enough, yet there seemed to be something rather heavy in his killing intent.

Looking more closely at the huge sword on his back, she muttered to herself.

Such a large sword must weigh at least twenty or thirty pounds, right? Can it really be wielded properly?

Though she had some doubts about whether such a heavy sword could be used freely, a fierce warrior carrying a heavy weapon still gave people a sense of security.

At the very least, with both Lu Chen and Huang Rong standing on her side, Li Mochou felt much more at ease.

Hearing Lu Chen's words, Zhang Yong was slightly startled. Then, seeing Lu Chen's youthful appearance, he sneered.

"Where did this greenhorn come from, daring to boast before me, Water Leopard?"

He waved a large hand.

"Leave the two little ladies alive. Kill the boy!"

Old Master Zhang had been waiting for the order. The moment he heard it, he took the lead, charging toward Li Mochou with several subordinates swarming behind him. He had gone back to retrieve his saber, and every one of his men now carried one as well. With his cousin backing him, his courage swelled, and he laughed as he shouted.

"Little bitch, let's see if you still dare challenge Old Master Zhang!"

On the other side, another skilled Hanshui Gang fighter wielding a staff banded with copper at both ends led several saber-wielding gang members toward Lu Chen and Huang Rong's corner table. Once he closed in, he said nothing and swung the staff, bringing it down at Lu Chen's head with a whoosh.

That blow was meant to kill.

If that copper-banded end struck someone on the head, then unless they had mastered the Iron Head Technique, their brains would likely burst and they would die on the spot.

Lu Chen remained seated, calm and unhurried. He did not use the Profound Iron Heavy Sword. Instead, he merely gripped the hilt of the steel sword Huang Rong had bought for him, drew it like lightning, and swept it backhandedly. Sword light flashed. With a sharp crack, he effortlessly severed the staff descending upon him. Then he flicked his wrist and thrust. With a wet sound, the sword tip pierced the Hanshui Gang fighter's chest.

The gang members following behind had not yet understood what had happened, but still charged forward with their sabers raised. Lu Chen's longsword struck repeatedly, its light flashing like lightning. After several short, sharp whistles through the air, those Hanshui Gang members stiffened all over before they could even bring down their sabers. Then, some clutching their chests and others grasping their throats, they collapsed one after another.

In only a few breaths, several Hanshui Gang members had all died beneath Lu Chen's sword. The thick stench of blood began to spread through the inn hall.

Meanwhile, Li Mochou was still exchanging sword and saber blows with Old Master Zhang and the others, their fight dazzling to behold. In terms of martial arts, Li Mochou far surpassed them, but Ancient Tomb Sect Swordplay had a weakness: it possessed elegance and intricacy in abundance, but its killing power was seriously lacking.

When facing enemies, it could look exceptionally graceful and fluid, every movement as splendid as a sword dance. Yet it lacked a fierce killing stroke that could decide the battle in one blow. Even when it struck, enemies were often wounded but not killed.

Just like now, after one series of exquisite moves, Li Mochou had already cut several bloody gashes into Old Master Zhang and the others. Yet they were mostly shallow flesh wounds. They looked horrifyingly bloody, but were far from fatal.

Old Master Zhang and his men were hardened rogues who often worked as river bandits, outlaws who lived with blood on their blades. Though such minor wounds hurt badly, they were not enough to make them lose their fighting strength. Instead, they allowed them to see the weakness in Li Mochou's swordplay.

They immediately endured the pain and attacked wildly with desperate moves that risked mutual destruction. For a time, they actually forced Li Mochou into a fluster.

Of course, that was also because she was inexperienced, having only just entered the world and possessing virtually no real combat experience.

Otherwise, with her martial arts, even if her swordplay lacked killing power, she could still have calmly bled Old Master Zhang and the others dry at leisure. No matter how desperately they fought, they would never have disrupted her rhythm.

Though she had been forced into some confusion at first, once she fully unleashed her Movement Technique and swordplay, she discovered that these men might fight viciously, but their saber techniques lacked any true sophistication. Their speed and accuracy were both beneath notice to her. They could not touch her at all.

After exchanging several more moves, Li Mochou's confidence rose. She gradually steadied her rhythm and stopped panicking, even finding time to glance toward Lu Chen and Huang Rong.

One look left her startled. Huang Rong was smiling as she poured wine for Lu Chen, while Lu Chen's sword had already returned to its sheath. Several corpses lay beside their table, and blood had spread all across the floor.

He killed them that quickly?

Li Mochou was shocked. She had been entirely focused on fighting Old Master Zhang and the others and had not seen at all how Lu Chen had killed those men. She could not help but admire his martial arts greatly. At the same time, Lu Chen's composed manner of drinking wine after killing his enemies made her feel as though she had learned something.

Zhang Yong had noticed Lu Chen's swift and ruthless slaughter immediately.

Seeing several skilled fighters fall beneath Lu Chen's sword almost the instant they met, Zhang Yong's eyelid twitched, and he felt something was very wrong.

Even I would need around ten moves to deal with those skilled fighters. That brat does not even look twenty, yet he kills so cleanly and decisively, one sword strike for each man. What famous sect produced this young expert?

Zhang Yong knew he had likely kicked an iron plate this time.

He thought that a wise man did not fight when the odds were against him. Most of his martial arts were practiced on the water. In water, he was the nearly unmatched Water Leopard, capable of diving, swimming, boring holes through ships, and killing beneath the surface. But once ashore, his skills were cut in half.

Besides, the First Boss and Second Boss were absent, he had not brought many men, and he had not prepared to besiege an expert. He could only swallow his anger for now and make plans later. At once, he shouted sharply toward Old Master Zhang's group.

"Cousin, fall back!"