Wei Tuo

Lu Shaoyou set down his teacup. The bottom struck the table with a faint tap, yet in the silent room, it sounded exceptionally clear.

He slowly rose to his feet, his movements devoid of the slightest trace of mortal bustle.

"You... how did you know we..." Scarface Zhang's voice was somewhat dry. The four underlings behind him wore equally stunned expressions, their grips tightening again and again around their weapons as their formation visibly fell into disarray.

Lu Shaoyou strolled forward. "If I hadn't known, wouldn't you have already succeeded by now?"

He stopped three paces in front of Scarface Zhang. "Tell me, are you here to rob me of money, or beauty?"

Scarface Zhang choked on the teasing remark. Then a vicious gleam flashed through his triangular eyes.

He forced himself to remain calm. "Kid, quit putting on this mysterious act! If you know what's good for you, hand over all the money on you, then kowtow a few times. Maybe I'll spare your dog life!"

"Oh? With just the few of you?" Lu Shaoyou's tone remained calm, as though he were discussing some utterly trivial matter.

"Hmph! We're men of the Giant Whale Gang! In Dragon Snake Crossing, offending our Giant Whale Gang means you're sick of living, kid!" Scarface Zhang tried to use the Giant Whale Gang's name to crush him.

Another man with a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks also shouted, "Why waste words with him, Brother? This kid's all delicate skin and tender flesh—one look tells you he's a soft persimmon! Brothers, shoulder to shoulder, get him and chop him down!"

"Courting death without knowing it," Lu Shaoyou said.

Scarface Zhang was thoroughly enraged by Lu Shaoyou's utterly unconcerned manner. Gritting his teeth, he pointed his short blade forward. "Get him! Hack him to pieces!"

The four lackeys screeched as they charged at Lu Shaoyou from different directions, brandishing short staffs and sabers.

They had done this sort of work for years, and their coordination had some degree of tacit understanding. They tried to swarm him all at once, using numbers to bully the few.

Lu Shaoyou did not move until the first man's saber was about to touch him.

Everyone merely felt their vision blur. Lu Shaoyou's figure seemed to turn into a wisp of blue smoke, slipping out of the encirclement from an inconceivable angle.

Pfft!

With a muffled sound, the pointed-mouth, monkey-cheeked man stiffened. He looked down at his chest, where a dark staff tip had pierced through his body, bearing warm droplets of blood.

He opened his mouth as though he wanted to say something, but only bloody froth spilled out. His body went limp and collapsed.

Killed a Third-class Warrior, Slaughter Value +50.

"Third Brother!" one lackey cried out.

Having landed one blow, Lu Shaoyou did not pause. He twisted his wrist, and the Qi Mei Cudgel swept horizontally.

Bang! Bang!

Two more dull impacts rang out, accompanied by crisp cracks of breaking bone.

The other two lackeys charging forward were struck across the waist by the Qi Mei Cudgel. As though they had been hit by galloping steeds, their bodies folded in half as they flew backward, smashing heavily into the wall before sliding down. It was clear they would not survive.

Slaughter Value +50.

Slaughter Value +50.

In the time it took for a hare to rise and a falcon to fall, three companions had already died.

The last lackey was scared out of his wits. He had only raised his short staff halfway when, seeing this, he no longer dared to advance. With a shriek, he turned and tried to flee for the door.

Lu Shaoyou snorted coldly. With a tap of his left foot against the floor, he pursued like a shadow following a form. The Qi Mei Cudgel in his hand swept upward in a slanting strike, hitting the lackey squarely in the center of his back.

Crack!

The sound of a snapping spine was clearly audible. The lackey could not even let out a scream before he toppled to the floor, twitched twice, and fell silent.

Killed a Third-class Warrior, Slaughter Value +50.

In only a few breaths' time, the four fierce-looking bandits had all become cold corpses.

Scarface Zhang stood where he was, completely dumbstruck.

The fleshy muscles on his face twitched without stop. The hand gripping his short blade shook like chaff in a sieve, the blade tip scraping the ground with a piercing sound.

He had never imagined that this young man, who looked so refined and weak, would be so swift, decisive, and ruthlessly merciless once he moved.

What fat sheep was this? He was clearly a ferocious tiger that chose its prey and devoured it!

"You... you..." Scarface Zhang's throat made a rattling sound. His legs gave out, and with a thud, he dropped to his knees. The short blade fell from his hand as well, striking the ground with a sharp clang.

"Spare me, hero! Spare me!" Scarface Zhang wept and sobbed, desperately knocking his head against the floor. "This lowly one failed to recognize Mount Tai! This lowly one deserves death! Please, hero, for the sake of this lowly one having elders above and children below, spare this lowly one's dog life! This lowly one will never dare again!"

Lu Shaoyou walked before him and looked down at him. Blood dripped from the tip of the Qi Mei Cudgel as it rested against his forehead. "Elders above and children below? When you wanted to kill me and rob me of my wealth just now, did you ever think of sparing me a way to live?"

The icy killing intent made Scarface Zhang feel as though he had fallen into an ice cellar. He trembled even more violently. "Hero, I... I know I was wrong! I truly know I was wrong! You are a great man with great magnanimity—just treat me like a fart and let me go!"

"Tell me, how many people does your Giant Whale Gang have in Dragon Snake Crossing? Who is the leader? What sort of dealings do you usually engage in?" Lu Shaoyou asked, his voice utterly emotionless.

Scarface Zhang did not dare conceal anything. Like beans pouring from a bamboo tube, he spilled everything. "In reply to the hero, our Dragon Snake Crossing branch's leader is Master Wei Tuo, known as the Iron-Faced Buddha. He is a Super First-rate Master."

"There are roughly... roughly two or three hundred brothers in the branch. Usually, we mainly... mainly guard the docks and collect tolls. Occasionally, we also... also do some other business..."

"Other business?" Lu Shaoyou pressed.

"Just... just things that can't see the light of day, like helping people dispose of stolen goods, or... or settling certain troubles for others..." Scarface Zhang's voice grew quieter and quieter.

Lu Shaoyou nodded. "It seems your Giant Whale Gang is no good thing either."

He raised the Qi Mei Cudgel in his hand.

Seeing this, Scarface Zhang's soul nearly left his body. He shrieked, "Hero, don't kill me! I know I was wrong! I..."

At that moment, a sharp shout suddenly came from outside the inn. The voice was powerful and full of vigor. "Stop! What rat dares run wild on the territory of my Giant Whale Gang!"

Before the words had faded, the inn room's door was kicked open from outside with a bang, sending wood splinters flying.

A brawny middle-aged man strode inside. Behind him followed seven or eight Giant Whale Gang members wielding sharp weapons. Each had bulging temples and steady breaths; clearly, they were all skilled fighters.

The leading man was around forty. His face was square and upright, his skin dark, and his gaze sharp. Even as he walked, he carried an innate air of authority.

At a glance, he took in the miserable scene within the room: Scarface Zhang trembling on the ground, and Lu Shaoyou standing with his cudgel in hand.

"Branch Leader! Branch Leader, save me!" As though he had seized a lifeline, Scarface Zhang scrambled and rolled behind the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man was Wei Tuo, the Giant Whale Gang's Dragon Snake Crossing branch leader.

Wei Tuo's gaze swept over Lu Shaoyou, lingering especially on the Qi Mei Cudgel in his hand and his calm, unruffled bearing.

He waved a hand, stopping the gang members behind him who had wanted to step forward.

"This little brother is young, yet his hand is ruthless enough. How did my Giant Whale Gang's men offend you that you struck with such deadly force?" Wei Tuo asked. His voice was steady, revealing neither joy nor anger.

Lu Shaoyou turned to face Wei Tuo, his tone calm. "They broke into my room at night, intending to rob me and take my life. I merely defended myself."

Hearing this, Wei Tuo looked at the corpses on the ground, then at Scarface Zhang hiding behind him. He already understood several parts of the matter.

The subordinates he had brought were not fools either. Naturally, they could tell that Scarface Zhang and his men had been in the wrong first.

"So that's how it is." Wei Tuo nodded, a meaningful smile appearing on his face. "A misunderstanding. Still, little brother, to take care of several of them alone in such a short time—those skills are not something an ordinary wanderer of the martial world would possess."

He paused, then continued, "My name is Wei Tuo. I am, undeservedly, the branch leader of the Giant Whale Gang's Dragon Snake Crossing branch. I see that little brother possesses extraordinary bearing and formidable martial arts. Would you be interested in visiting my branch for a talk?"

"Perhaps there may be some cooperation between us."

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