Easy Kill

Li Mochou didn't hear what Old Master Zhang was yelling about at all.

She was busy counting heads.

After counting, she immediately felt relieved:

Good, good. As expected, just as Sister Rong'er predicted, the Hanshui Gang didn't come out in full force. Only a dozen people rushed into the inn, and by the sound of it, there shouldn't be more than twenty or thirty waiting outside.

Just as she was feeling fortunate, she heard Zhang Yong, the "Water Leopard," the Third Boss of the Hanshui Gang, let out a laugh:

"Cousin, what nonsense are you spouting? How can such a beautiful woman be sent to a brothel? Isn't that wasting... what's that phrase? Anyway, it's ruining something good. In my opinion, this beauty should be given to Inspector Song as a concubine."

As a notorious gang, the Hanshui Gang could run rampant in the area not only because they had power within the Martial Arts World, but also because they had backing in the government.

Old Master Zhang quickly smiled obsequiously upon hearing this:

"The Third Boss is right. This young lady has fair skin, is beautiful, and has a good figure. She should naturally be given to Inspector Song. This is what you call a good horse with a good saddle, and a good girl with a good man!"

Li Mochou, seeing that there weren't too many enemies, had already regained her courage. Now, hearing Zhang Yong and Old Master Zhang echoing each other with such vulgar words, her pretty face instantly turned red with anger, her almond eyes widened, and she slapped the table hard, coldly rebuking:

"How dare you! You dare to provoke this grandma? Do you think this grandma doesn't dare to kill people?"

"Guanzhong Accent?" Zhang Yong chuckled. "Excellent! I didn't expect you to be a Jin Dynasty spy! Now, sending you to the Inspector's Manor is perfectly justified!"

With that, he looked around the inn and sternly said:

"Hanshui Gang brave men are apprehending Jin Dynasty spies. Unrelated people, get out of here quickly!"

There weren't many people in the inn lobby at this time anyway – after Old Master Zhang had left with his harsh words, half of the guests at the tables in the lobby had already left. Now that Zhang Yong was clearing the place under the guise of apprehending "Jin Dynasty spies," those brave guests who had stayed to watch the excitement also worried about getting caught in the crossfire and quickly got up to leave.

The innkeeper also had a long face and slipped away through the back door with two waiters.

In an instant, the inn lobby became empty, leaving only Lu Chen, Huang Rong, and Li Mochou.

Seeing that there were still people who hadn't left, Zhang Yong swept a cold glance at the table in the corner and saw Huang Rong, who was smiling and looking like she was watching a show. His eyes immediately lit up, and he raised his hand to point at Huang Rong:

"That young lady is also a Jin Dynasty spy! Arrest her too!"

"Huh? Me?"

Huang Rong was stunned. She hadn't expected Zhang Yong to provoke her. She reached out and pointed at the tip of her nose:

"Listen carefully, I have a Jiangnan Accent!"

Li Mochou also said angrily:

"A person's actions are their own responsibility. Don't involve others!"

Zhang Yong let out a laugh, looked at Li Mochou, then at Huang Rong and Lu Chen:

"So what if you have a Jiangnan Accent? Everyone else left, only you didn't leave, and this female Jin Dynasty spy is even speaking up for you. Dare you say you aren't in cahoots? I think you might have taken bribes from this female Jin Dynasty spy to guide her and spy on our Great Song Dynasty's military intelligence!"

He said this with such righteous indignation, that if it weren't for the evil and cunning smile on his face, people might actually believe he was a brave hero.

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

"What's the point of wasting words with such a petty person? Just kill them."

Huang Rong chuckled and stopped talking. Li Mochou, on the other hand, looked at Lu Chen curiously, thinking that this young man, who looked to be about the same age as her and had always been gentle and polite, sounded quite casual, but his killing intent seemed a bit heavy.

Looking closely again at the large sword on his back, she muttered to herself:

Such a large sword must weigh at least twenty or thirty pounds, right? Can it be used effectively?

Although she was a bit skeptical about whether such a heavy sword could be wielded freely, a fierce warrior carrying a heavy weapon could still give people a sense of security.

At least with Lu Chen and Huang Rong on her side, Li Mochou felt even more at ease now.

Zhang Yong was slightly taken aback when he heard Lu Chen's words. Looking at Lu Chen's young appearance, he sneered:

"Where did this fledgling come from, daring to boast in front of me, the Water Leopard?"

He waved his hand:

"Leave the two young ladies, kill that boy!"

Old Master Zhang had been waiting for his order. Upon hearing it, he immediately took the lead, rushing towards Li Mochou with several of his subordinates in a swarm. He had gone back and gotten his saber, and his subordinates were all armed with sabers as well. With his cousin backing him, his courage was bolstered. He laughed and boasted:

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

On the other side, another Hanshui Gang expert, carrying a staff with copper rings on both ends, led several sword-wielding gang members towards Lu Chen and Huang Rong at the corner table. Upon getting close, he didn't say a word and swung the staff, smashing it towards Lu Chen's head with a whoosh.

This blow was truly aimed at killing him.

If the copper-ringed end of the staff hit someone's head, unless they had practiced the Iron Head Technique, their brains would likely be splattered, and they would die on the spot.

Lu Chen sat still, unhurried. He didn't even use the Profound Iron Heavy Sword. He simply grabbed the hilt of the Steel Sword Huang Rong had bought for him, drew his sword like lightning, and swung it back. The sword light flashed, and with a crisp sound, it easily cut off the staff that was smashing down on him. Then, he flicked his wrist and thrust. The sword tip pierced through with a poof, entering the Hanshui Gang expert's chest.

The several gang members who were following closely behind hadn't even understood what had happened and were still rushing forward, swinging their sabers. Lu Chen's long sword pointed repeatedly, the sword light flickering like lightning. After a few short, sharp whooshes of air being cut, those Hanshui Gang members stiffened simultaneously before they even had time to swing their sabers. Then, either clutching their chests or pressing their throats, they fell to the ground one after another.

In just a few breaths, several Hanshui Gang members had all died under Lu Chen's sword. The strong smell of blood began to fill the inn lobby.

On the other side, Li Mochou was still exchanging blows with Old Master Zhang and the others, fighting a spectacular battle – in terms of martial arts, Li Mochou was far superior to Old Master Zhang and the others, but Ancient Tomb Sect Swordplay had a drawback: it was overly elegant and exquisite, but severely lacked killing power.

When fighting enemies, she could fight very gracefully and fluidly, her movements as beautiful and captivating as a sword dance, but it lacked decisive, fierce killing moves. Even if she hit, the enemy was often injured but not killed.

Just like now, after a series of brilliant moves, Li Mochou had already cut several bloody gashes on Old Master Zhang and the others, but they were basically not deep or shallow surface wounds. They looked bloody and terrifying, but they were far from fatal.

Old Master Zhang and the others were ruthless bandits who often engaged in river banditry and lived on the edge of a knife. Such minor injuries certainly caused them extreme pain, but they were not enough to make them lose their fighting ability. Instead, they made them realize the drawback of Li Mochou's swordplay.

The next moment, they suppressed their injuries and unleashed desperate, mutually destructive attacks with their blades, temporarily forcing Li Mochou into a state of disarray.

Of course, this was also because she was new to the Martial Arts World and had virtually no real combat experience.

Otherwise, with her martial arts, even if her swordplay lacked killing power, she could easily and leisurely bleed Old Master Zhang and the others dry, no matter how desperately they fought, they wouldn't be able to disrupt her rhythm.

However, although she was momentarily forced into a bit of a panic, once she fully unleashed her Movement Technique and swordplay, she realized that while these few individuals fought fiercely, their blade techniques lacked sophisticated form. Neither their speed nor accuracy were worth mentioning to her; they couldn't even touch her.

After a few more exchanges, Li Mochou's confidence grew, and she gradually regained her rhythm, no longer flustered. She even had the leisure to cast a glance towards Lu Chen and Huang Rong.

She was startled by what she saw: Huang Rong was smiling as she poured wine for Lu Chen, while Lu Chen's sword was sheathed. Several corpses lay around their table, their blood pooling on the floor.

"Killed them so quickly?"

Li Mochou was inwardly startled. She had been fully focused on fighting Old Master Zhang and the others just now and hadn't seen how Lu Chen had dispatched those few. She couldn't help but feel great admiration for Lu Chen's martial arts. At the same time, Lu Chen's composed manner of drinking wine after killing his enemies also made her feel she had learned something.

Zhang Yong, on the other hand, was the first to notice Lu Chen's sharp and swift killing.

Seeing several skilled fighters fall under Lu Chen's sword almost instantly, Zhang Yong's eyelids twitched slightly, and he felt a strong sense of unease.

Even he would need about ten moves to deal with those skilled fighters. That young man looked to be under twenty, yet he killed people so cleanly and decisively, one sword, one kill. Which renowned sect or school had trained such a young master?

Zhang Yong knew they had likely kicked a steel plate this time.

He told himself that a wise man doesn't suffer immediate losses. Most of his skills were on the water; in the water, he was the rarely matched "Water Leopard," capable of anything from diving and scuttling boats to killing underwater. But on land, his skills were halved.

Furthermore, the First Boss and Second Boss weren't present, and he hadn't brought many men, nor had he prepared to surround a master. He could only endure for now and plan slowly. He immediately shouted towards the battle group where Old Master Zhang was:

"Cousin, retreat!"