Far Too Rude

Qian Sanbao was highly efficient. Since he ran shops and did business here in Falling Moon Market, he naturally had dealings with Golden Saber Hall and was well acquainted with its hall master.

In less than two hours, news came back.

"My lord, those two from Golden Saber Hall invite you to a banquet at Stone Manor this evening. I will take you there then."

"Good!" Yang Yi agreed.

"Then, my lords, please rest for now. I will come again when the time arrives." Qian Sanbao withdrew respectfully.

"This banquet... who knows whether it will be a good one!" Shen Qian stroked his chin, deep in thought.

Qin Siniang was more easygoing. "Whether it is a good banquet or not, we'll know once we go." She had figured it out: when working with Yang Yi, there was no need to use too much brainpower.

As night fell, the group of three entered Stone Manor.

Stone Manor's master was called Shi Zhongtang, the hall master of Golden Saber Hall. He had lived in Falling Moon Market since childhood. After growing up and cultivating considerable skill, he founded Golden Saber Hall and gathered all sorts from the three teachings and nine trades.

Though Stone Manor was nowhere near comparable to the Qiao Household, it was still considered a prominent household in Falling Moon Market. The entire estate covered nearly three times the area of Yang Yi's Bamboo Garden.

Upon entering Stone Manor, a man who looked like a steward came forward to lead them. They passed through corridors and pavilions, soon arriving at a great hall.

Yang Yi swept his gaze around. When he did not see the host, his brows rose slightly.

Qin Siniang, who had arrived shoulder to shoulder with him, turned to glance at him and immediately understood.

The steward-like man arranged seats for them, then said, "Esteemed guests, please sit for a moment. The master will arrive shortly."

As he spoke, he ordered someone to serve hot tea before withdrawing.

Seeing this, even Qian Sanbao, who had brought Yang Yi and Qin Siniang here, sensed that something was wrong. "My lords..."

What host invited guests over without coming out to receive them? Even if Shi Zhongtang had previously feared Black Wind Stronghold and dared not greet them outside the gates, he should at least have waited in the main hall.

Yet now that Yang Yi and Qin Siniang had arrived, Shi Zhongtang still refused to show himself. There was clearly a problem.

"Drink your tea!" Yang Yi cut Qian Sanbao off.

Qian Sanbao tremblingly picked up his teacup, cold sweat covering his forehead.

"What was that sound?" Qin Siniang suddenly frowned.

Yang Yi immediately looked down at his feet...

Crack... Accompanied by the sound of machinery turning, the ground beneath the three of them suddenly vanished, opening into a pitch-black hole.

Qian Sanbao had only just raised the tea to his lips. Before he could take a sip, he fell straight into the hole with a startled cry.

The change came too quickly. Not only had Qian Sanbao failed to react, even Qin Siniang had been caught off guard.

Though she had sensed something was amiss, she had never imagined they would act so quickly. She had still been guarding against the tea, wondering whether they might poison it.

Just how impatient were they?

But this also proved one thing: Golden Saber Hall had indeed thrown in its lot with Black Wind Stronghold. Otherwise, there was no reason for them to act with such utter resolve.

Perhaps, in their eyes, this group had walked right into the net of their own accord. If they did not strike, they would be letting such stupidity down.

As she fell, Qin Siniang was not the least bit flustered. She swiftly lowered her gaze and swept the area below. Seeing no sharp weapons or anything of the sort, she simply let herself drop.

Once she landed steadily, she even reached out and gave Qian Sanbao a hand. This plump shopkeeper was clearly an ordinary man. Falling from such a height, he would be crippled even if he did not die.

Qian Sanbao was still reeling from the fright, half his body drenched in sweat.

Beside Qin Siniang, Yang Yi had likewise steadied himself. He turned to survey their surroundings and found it was a typical bag-shaped pit, narrow at the top and broad at the bottom. In a cursed place like this, there was not even a point to leverage against. Unless one could leap straight out, there was no hope of escape.

Even if one could jump that high, so long as someone blocked the mouth of the pit, they could easily knock the trapped person back down.

The light dimmed. Yang Yi looked up and saw a man staring down at them from above.

The man looked to be around fifty. He wore a brocade robe and held a long saber, his gaze cold as he looked down.

"Shi Zhongtang?" Yang Yi looked at him.

The man nodded. "I am Shi!" After a brief silence, he continued, "People of the Qiao Household, do not blame Golden Saber Hall for lacking loyalty and righteousness. You are simply too foolish. I had originally wondered whether the Qiao Household might send some capable people this time. If so, perhaps we could have cooperated to some extent. But now it seems the Qiao Household has exhausted its tricks."

Just look at the people the Qiao Household had sent: a young brat who still smelled of milk, and a woman. What could they possibly accomplish?

What future could Golden Saber Hall have by cooperating with these two?

It was precisely because he had seen Yang Yi and Qin Siniang's faces that he had made his decision. Otherwise, he truly would not have acted so quickly.

And these two had not guarded against his arrangements in the slightest, allowing themselves to be easily trapped here. It seemed his decision had been correct.

"You local gangs..." Yang Yi let out a soft breath. "You are simply far too rude!"

Even if they had exchanged a few words and only fought after failing to reach an agreement, Yang Yi would not have been this angry. Who triggered a mechanism and dumped their guests into a trap the moment they entered?

Snap...

Qin Siniang's whip had already wrapped around Yang Yi's waist, then she violently flung it upward. The two had practiced this kind of coordination back in Clearwind City, so Qin Siniang did not need Yang Yi's instructions to know what to do.

"Rude?" Shi Zhongtang was about to sneer when he saw Yang Yi suddenly soar high into the air, hurtling straight toward the pit's opening.

"Don't even think about it!" he roared, viciously chopping downward with the long saber in his hand.

The reason he had stationed himself here from the start was to prevent those below from jumping out. Though the opening was far above the ground and ordinary people could not leap so high, he had keenly noticed from concealment earlier that Qin Siniang carried a soft whip at her waist.

Now his suspicions had indeed been confirmed, but he was not alarmed. With the strength he had cultivated over thirty years, how could a young brat possibly withstand this saber strike?

In the end, Yang Yi would only be forced back down again.

Whoosh... In the darkness below, two crimson points lit up like ghostly flames and rapidly drew near.

Yang Yi reached out.

In the next instant, Shi Zhongtang's expression changed, because his certain killing blow had actually missed.

How was that possible? He had merely seen Yang Yi's body shift slightly, yet his saber had slashed down past Yang Yi's shoulder.

It could be said that Yang Yi's evasion had been perfect to the very inch.

Just as he was about to strike again, the hand Yang Yi had extended had already seized his wrist.

As immense force erupted, Shi Zhongtang felt piercing pain shoot through his wrist. Then his body was fiercely yanked forward, making him stagger.

Within his vision, a fist wrapped in scarlet blood energy rapidly expanded.

Battle-hardened as Shi Zhongtang was, he immediately activated a defensive technique to protect his forehead.

Bang...

His blood energy scattered into disorder. Shi Zhongtang's head snapped back, golden stars bursting before his eyes. The defense he had activated with all his might was directly shattered by that blow.

That was only because Yang Yi was in midair and could not exert his full strength. It could be said that this punch had only displayed sixty to seventy percent of its power.

Shi Zhongtang was filled with horror. The person before him was not some young brat at all, but a powerful True Blood cultivator who had trained for many years!

Yang Yi finally landed. The moment he steadied himself, his second punch was already on its way.