[Ding! The host has snatched the destined male protagonist's Six Meridians Divine Sword! Reward: 3,000 Villain Points!]
As the Shadow Ninja handed the stolen sword manual to Nalan Sheng, a pleasant system notification chimed in his ears.
With Jumozhi there to take the blame, even if Heavenly Dragon Temple discovered that the manual had been stolen, they would surely suspect him rather than Nalan Sheng.
Besides, given the strength Nalan Sheng had displayed, and the fact that he counted as half a member of the Duan Royal Family, he could simply learn the Six Meridians Divine Sword openly. There was no need for him to resort to theft.
To be honest, if not for farming Villain Points, Nalan Sheng really would not have sent the Shadow Ninja to steal the sword manual.
More than half a month later.
"Clop, clop, clop..."
Amid a flurry of hurried hoofbeats, three fine horses appeared on the main road outside Wuxi City.
The three horses were different colors-black, white, and yellow-and each carried a rider.
The rider on the black horse was a young woman of seventeen or eighteen, dressed in black.
Her beauty was exquisite and peerless, her skin smooth and lustrous, and her figure graceful and alluring. A charm unique to a young married woman lingered about her brows.
The rider on the white horse was a girl of sixteen or seventeen.
Lively and adorable, she wore a green robe and had a round face, large eyes, and dimples when she smiled. An unmistakable sensuality likewise lingered about her brows.
The rider on the yellow horse was an elegant young martial artist dressed in white, with sword-like brows, star-bright eyes, and a straight, finely shaped nose.
These three were none other than Nalan Sheng, Mu Wanqing, and Zhong Ling, who had traveled all the way from the Dali Kingdom.
Since Nalan Sheng had already snatched practically every fortuitous opportunity within the Dali Kingdom, he had used traveling the martial world as an excuse to leave with Mu Wanqing and Zhong Ling.
Originally, it would have taken them only a few days to travel from Dali City to Wuxi City.
After all, their fine steeds were all exceptional horses capable of covering a thousand li a day.
However, on the way to Wuxi City, Nalan Sheng had frequently taken Mu Wanqing and Zhong Ling sightseeing in the cities along their route, which had added considerably to their journey.
After entering Wuxi City, they did not rush to wander around. Instead, they first found an inn and settled in.
After traveling all that way through wind and dust, the sensible thing was to wash up and get some proper rest.
Early the following morning.
When the gentle morning sunlight spilled through the window onto Nalan Sheng's face, he slowly opened his eyes.
Looking at the two women sleeping soundly against his chest, Nalan Sheng smiled and squeezed their pert bottoms. "You two little lazy piggies, time to get up~"
"Sheng, stop teasing me~"
"Darling Sheng, let me sleep a little longer..."
Nalan Sheng shook his head in amusement, then began his daily wake-up service.
Several two-hour periods later, the two women, flushed and ravenous, finally took an arm each and accompanied him to Pine Crane Tower across the street for lunch.
Pine Crane Tower was a long-established restaurant in the city. Its signboard had been blackened by years of smoke, yet the three golden characters still gleamed.
The aromas of wine and meat drifted from the restaurant, mingling with the clatter of the cooks' knives and ladles and the waiters' calls.
When Nalan Sheng brought the two women upstairs, a burly man seated on the west side suddenly turned around. His eyes, like two flashes of cold lightning, swept over Nalan Sheng's face twice.
While the burly man was sizing him up, Nalan Sheng was discreetly studying him as well.
The man appeared to be in his thirties. He wore an old gray cloth robe and had thick brows, large eyes, a high nose, and a broad mouth.
His square face bore the marks of wind and frost, and every glance carried an imposing presence.
Judging by the aura he radiated, his strength should be no less than Jumozhi's. Surely only Qiao Feng, the current leader of the Beggar Gang, possessed such looks and strength.
This must be Murong Fu. Leaving aside his own strength, even that woman in black beside him gives me a faint sense of danger. A great reputation truly casts no empty shadow!
Though Qiao Feng's expression remained unchanged, he inwardly marveled.
"Waiter, bring us all your signature dishes, along with two pots of good wine."
After withdrawing his gaze from Qiao Feng, Nalan Sheng did not hurry over to make his acquaintance. Instead, he ordered a tableful of good food and wine and began feasting with Mu Wanqing and Zhong Ling.
As the saying went, people were iron and food was steel-miss a single meal, and hunger would make itself felt!
Although Nalan Sheng had cultivated the Six Vault Immortal Thief and could fill his belly by directly absorbing the energy of heaven and earth, Mu Wanqing and Zhong Ling had not.
After joining Nalan Sheng for several two-hour periods of morning exercise, the two women had not even had time for breakfast. He could hardly let them keep going hungry, could he?
Seeing that Nalan Sheng had no intention of engaging him, Qiao Feng was not offended. He simply drank his wine and ate the braised beef before him.
After three rounds of wine and a sampling of the dishes, both parties were soon nearly finished eating.
"Sir..."
Just as Qiao Feng was about to introduce himself, footsteps suddenly sounded, and two middle-aged men dressed like beggars came upstairs.
The two middle-aged beggars approached Qiao Feng and saluted him with cupped hands before reporting solemnly, "Gang Leader, the other party has arranged to meet tomorrow morning at the pavilion on Huishan."
"Good."
Qiao Feng nodded slightly. "You two, pass down the order. Everyone is to gather on Huishan at the third watch tonight. We'll arrive first and wait for the other party to come to the meeting."
"As you command."
The two middle-aged beggars bowed in acknowledgment, then left Pine Crane Tower together.
Once they had gone, Qiao Feng turned his gaze back to Nalan Sheng, only to find him watching with a smile.
Seeing this, Qiao Feng raised his wine bowl. "Young Master Murong, I imagine you've already guessed who I am. Why not come over and share a drink?"
"Since Gang Leader Qiao has invited me, I certainly won't refuse."
Nalan Sheng cupped his hands. "However, Gang Leader Qiao, you seem to have mistaken me for someone else. I'm no Young Master Murong.
"My surname is Nalan, and my given name is Sheng. I only arrived in Wuxi City yesterday."
"Nalan Sheng?"
Qiao Feng instinctively repeated his name, then looked surprised. "Could you be the Young Master Nalan who killed the Four Great Evils?"
"That's right!"
Nalan
Sheng smiled and nodded. "The Four Great Evils did indeed die by my hand. I hadn't expected even Gang Leader Qiao to know about it. The Beggar Gang truly deserves its reputation as the greatest gang under heaven. Your information travels remarkably fast."
In fact, the main reason Qiao Feng had learned of it so quickly was that Duan Zhengming and Duan Zhengchun had deliberately spread the news.
After all, the Four Great Evils were notorious throughout the martial world.
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