Keep Your Style!

Yan Xiangma was a perfectionist.

His looks were perfect, his family background was perfect, and his character, knowledge, morals, and martial arts were all flawless—anyone who said otherwise had been stuffed into a sack by him and thrown into the Beast Forest to feed the wild boars.

But he just couldn't understand it. How had he ended up finding such a dog of a servant to handle matters for him?

With intelligence like that, wasn't it an insult to his master?

Hadn't someone said it before? People of a feather flock together. If others assumed that the master and servant had the same level of intelligence, would Yan Xiangma still have the face to go out and meet people?

"Li Da Lu, how many times have I told you?" The more Yan Xiangma thought about it, the more serious he felt the problem was. He decided to have a proper talk with this trusted henchman.

"Young Master, what have you told me—how many times?"

"I told you to keep your eyes peeled when you go out to handle business."

"Young Master, my eyes are already peeled." Li Da Lu strained himself to widen his eyes and said, "Young Master, look—"

Pfft—

The songstress singing a little tune was amused by the master and servant. She couldn't continue singing, so she hurriedly bowed and apologized. "Sir, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I just couldn't hold it in—"

"Enough, enough. You can leave." Yan Xiangma was no longer in the mood to listen to music. He tossed the mung bean cake in his hand onto the plate, wiped his hands with a handkerchief, then picked up the Dragon Spine Fan from the table and smacked it down on Li Da Lu's head, cursing, "You idiot, who wants to see you widening your eyes and acting cute? We're handling serious business here. Can you damn well be a little more serious?"

"Yes, yes, Young Master. Stop hitting me, or you'll make me even stupider—" Li Da Lu begged for mercy with his head covered.

Only then did Yan Xiangma stop. Looking at the street outside the window, he said, "Didn't you say Li Mu Yang would definitely pass along this road? Why hasn't he set out yet? If he doesn't leave soon, the exam will probably start and the examination hall will be closed."

"Exactly. I'm puzzled too." Li Da Lu nodded in agreement.

Yan Xiangma was about to explode again. He barked, "When I raise a question, you dog of a servant are supposed to find a way to solve it. Are you planning to wait for me to analyze the answer for you?"

"I wouldn't dare." Li Da Lu hurriedly apologized. "How about I send someone to Li Mu Yang's house to take a look? You know that boy never applies himself. He's late for class every day. Maybe he overslept again today, or perhaps he ate something bad and has diarrhea—"

Yan Xiangma waved his folding fan as he thought it over, then said, "We should go to his house and give him a reminder."

"A reminder?" Li Da Lu was somewhat confused. "Young Master, didn't we kidnap that boy precisely to keep him from taking the exam?"

"Exactly." Yan Xiangma nodded.

"If something has already gone wrong on his end, then don't we no longer need to do anything?"

Yan Xiangma thought it over again, then smacked Li Da Lu on the head with his fan once more and cursed, "Do you really need to point out something so simple?"

"Young Master—" Li Da Lu had been beaten into fear. Standing far away, he asked in a small voice, "Are we kidnapping him or not?"

"We are." Yan Xiangma declared, "Otherwise, won't all our preparations this morning have been for nothing?"

"Young Master is right." Li Da Lu said, "I'll take the brothers to surround their house."

"Go." Yan Xiangma waved his hand. "Be civilized. We need to maintain our style."

"Young Master, kidnapping needs style too?"

"Of course. Have you ever read Legend of Chu Liuxiang? Chu Liuxiang may be a petty thief, but look at how he steals things. Before taking action, he leaves the owner a note: 'I hear you possess a jade-white beauty, exquisitely carved and possessing every grace. I cannot help yearning for it. At midnight tonight, I shall come by moonlight to take it. You are a refined and understanding gentleman, and surely will not make my journey in vain.' To reach such a realm as a thief—why, even the victims are willing to be robbed."

"Young Master, are we supposed to write them a note too?"

Yan Xiangma wanted to smack him over the head again, but Li Da Lu had run too far away for him to reach.

"You idiot, if you send them a note saying that I'm going to kidnap their son and that they should get him ready, aren't you just waiting for them to report us and surround you?"

"—"

--

He wore black clothes and a black hat, his entire body wrapped in a black robe.

Black qi streamed from his body, making him look like a moving smokestack.

Killer Crow!

Killer Crow, the assassin!

Li Mu Yang didn't know his name, but he recognized the man's face.

When Cui Xiaoxin had been attacked at the Beast-Faced Pavilion, this was the man who had disguised himself as a waiter and committed the assault.

He had been driven away last time. Li Mu Yang hadn't expected him to choose himself as his target this time.

Li Mu Yang was extremely tense, staring at him without blinking.

"Mu Yang, who is that?" Luo Qi asked.

Her first reaction was to assume he was Li Mu Yang's friend, but she instantly remembered that Li Mu Yang had no friends at all. Thus, like a mother hen protecting her chick, Luo Qi rushed over, shielded Li Mu Yang with her body, and shouted, "Who are you? What do you want?"

Li Yan was washing dishes in the kitchen. Hearing the commotion outside, he leaped straight through the kitchen window.

He pulled the long spear he usually practiced with from the corner and walked over, placing himself in front of his wife and son.

"Who might you be, and what business do you have here?" Li Yan asked in a deep voice. "We are an ordinary household. We have no grudge against you. I think you've come to the wrong place."

"I haven't come to the wrong place." Killer Crow stared expressionlessly at Li Mu Yang and said, "Someone paid me to kill him."

"Who?" Li Mu Yang was stunned. He hurriedly explained, "I'm just a powerless student. How could anyone pay to have me killed?"

"Me." Killer Crow said, "I gave myself one Gold Coin and told myself to kill you."

"—" Li Mu Yang felt that the man outside was shameless beyond belief. How could anyone do something like that? By his logic, he could give himself one Gold Coin every day and then order himself to praise himself as a handsome young man. Was there any law left? Was there any justice?

"I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you." Li Yan secretly gathered his qi. The long spear in his hand hummed and trembled incessantly, as though it had come alive.

"Heavenly King Spear? Are you from the Lu family of Tiandu?"

"I'm not from the Lu family." Li Yan denied it. "I'm only the boy's father. If you want to touch him, step over my corpse first."

"Brother—" Li Sinian came downstairs with her schoolbag. Seeing the scene in the courtyard, she was frightened out of her wits and hurriedly called, "Brother, are you all right?"

She shielded Li Mu Yang with her body, glared fiercely at Killer Crow with her small face, and said, "Who are you? I'm warning you, I've already reported you to the authorities. Leave at once—"

"Now the whole family is here, right?" Killer Crow looked at Li Mu Yang's family and asked.

Then he shook his head and said, "What a pity. No one bought the others' lives, or I could have killed every one of you."

"—"

Red light flickered in Li Mu Yang's eyes. His voice was cold and utterly devoid of emotion as he said, "You'd better leave immediately. I stopped you last time, and I can still stop you this time—

"That won't do. I spent so much effort finding you, and even deliberately chose the time of your Literary Examination today to bring you a surprise. How could I leave now?" Killer Crow shook his head.

"My classmate will be here soon to take me to school. If you don't leave, you'll end up seriously wounded just like last time. They're still looking for you." Although Li Mu Yang didn't know the full story, he imagined that the attack on Cui Xiaoxin must have set countless people's nerves on edge. They certainly wouldn't let an assassin like this continue causing trouble in Jiangnan City while preparing for another assassination.

Killer Crow's expression tightened slightly. Li Mu Yang's words had clearly struck a sensitive nerve. He was indeed wary of the guards at Empire's Bright Moon's side. That Ning Xin Hai's strength was unfathomable, and Killer Crow truly had no confidence that he could escape from him.

If things were really as Li Mu Yang said, and his classmate was on the way to pick him up for school, then the time left to him was indeed limited.

Killer Crow bared his teeth in a smile and said, "In that case, let's hurry. Don't worry, I move quickly. I won't take too much time."

As he spoke, his figure vanished from where he stood. A mass of black mist surged toward the place where Li Mu Yang stood.

Li Sinian moved.

No one had expected the first to counterattack would be the seemingly delicate, fair-skinned, adorable little sister, Li Sinian.

She flung the schoolbag from her back. It smashed toward the mass of black shadow.

Then she punched.

Smack, smack, smack—

Countless fist shadows flashed through the air.

The fist imprints behind pushed the ones in front, and the long row of fist imprints linked together, transforming into a surging, peerless force that thundered toward the black shadow.

Breaking Fist!

The first move of the Body-Breaking Technique—using the power of the fist to draw upon the power of nature. Fist imprints overlapped, using force to break force.

Bang—

The black mist was blasted apart, becoming clusters of fragmented black clouds that scattered in all directions.

Killer Crow's body flew backward. He stared in shock at Li Sinian, who was panting heavily, her chest rising and falling.

"This is Breaking Fist? You know the Breaking Fist of the Body-Breaking Technique?" Killer Crow's voice was hoarse. He stared fixedly at Li Sinian and asked, "What is Daoist Master Ziyang to you?"

"He's my master." Li Sinian answered in a clear voice. She thought that since this villain knew about her master, it proved that her master was an extremely formidable person. If she could scare him away by invoking her master's name, all the better.

"So you're that old Daoist Ziyang's disciple. It seems I have been discourteous today." Killer Crow said coldly, "But you've only learned a little of the surface. I'm afraid that won't be enough to stop me from killing someone. Little girl, I advise you to move aside. Otherwise, old Daoist Ziyang will suffer the loss of a beloved disciple—"

"Don't even think about harming my brother." Li Sinian refused to yield an inch, her attitude resolute. "If you dare kill him, I'll kill you."

"Little girl, have you ever killed anyone?" Killer Crow laughed loudly. "Killing is an art. It isn't something you can accomplish just by mouthing off. Can't you feel your own voice trembling?"

"There has to be a first time." Li Sinian said, "Killing him means nothing to you, but if you die, many people will cheer. Do you want the people who oppose you to laugh at you?"

"Are you threatening me?"

"We can make a deal."