Jianghu Affairs, Settled the Jianghu Way

"How can you be such a shameless scoundrel!" Mr. Mengfei frowned as he looked at Guo Tianren, who was acting like a rogue.

"You ganged up on me and called me a scoundrel. You used such despicable tactics to frame me. Who's the scoundrel here?"

Guo Tianren pointed at Mr. Mengfei, and then at Daoist Jin was guarding the door.

"You don't need to be so scared. We just want to ask you why you're being so awful. Then we want you to apologize and make amends to us!" Mr. Mengfei pointed at Guo Tianren.

"You're ganging up on us, your victory is dishonest. Don't be fooled by your numbers; you might not come out on top in a real fight."

Seeing that his shameless methods were ineffective, Guo Tianren gritted his teeth and became ruthless again.

"Then let's give it a try!" Daoist Jin stepped forward, picked up a teacup from the table, and with a gentle squeeze, the teacup shattered into pieces.

Guo Tianren, who was originally prepared to fight, took a step back after seeing what Daoist Jin done.

"Alright then, let's settle this matter in the martial world. Since you've blocked my way, no matter what you do to me, I won't back down. Besides, with so many of you, you can't possibly convince me willingly. So, I propose a civil war: let's set up a tournament. Best two out of three, the loser has to obediently apologize."

Guo Tianren inspiration and came up with this idea.

Mr. Mengfei turned around and looked at Mr. Mengfei Daoist Jin, Daoist Jin nodded in return.

Mr. Mengfei looked at Guo Tianren: "Okay!"

"Alright, then let me and my apprentice go! Let me out the door." Guo Tianren pulled up Zhang Guozhou was as limp as a noodle, and tried to walk out the door.

"You can't just leave like that! Your words have no credibility here, so we don't trust you!" Daoist Jin reached out and stopped the two of them.

"What more do you want? A man of the martial world keeps his word!" Guo Tianren patted his chest, reaffirming his promise.

"You are who you are, stop with the nonsense about the martial arts world. You need to leave something behind before you go. Otherwise, if you run away, where will we find you?"

Mr. Mengfei stated his requirements directly.

"What do you want to keep!" Guo Tianren held Zhang Guozhou tightly to his side, looking at Mr. Mengfei with a gloomy expression.

"We've heard that Master Guo possesses a rhinoceros horn hairpin, which is quite extraordinary. Why don't we leave it with us as collateral? We'll definitely return it during the competition!"

Daoist Jin thought for a moment and suggested an item to be used as collateral.

"Dream on!" Guo Tianren said through gritted teeth.

"Then you might not be able to leave so easily today."

After saying that, Daoist Jin and Su Ziyang leaned forward again, and even Mr. Mengfei, who had been sitting to the side, stood up.

Guo Tianren gritted his teeth as he looked at the three aggressive individuals, placed the black hairpin in his hand on the dining table, grabbed Zhang Guozhou, pushed open the door, and quickly left.

Mr. Mengfei picked up the hairpin from the table, played with it in his hands for a while, then closed his eyes to feel it. "What a fine piece! I reckon this item belongs to that old man Yang Jinguang!"

"Very likely!"

Daoist Jin also played with the rhinoceros horn hairpin for a while, praising it repeatedly.

"Seniors, if you ask me, haven't we gone too far? A bit like bullying them?"

Fairy Li, who had been sitting silently to the side, finally spoke up and asked.

"Xiao Li, you don't understand Guo Tianren at all. Guo Tianren is no good person. You have to be even more ruthless than the wicked when dealing with the wicked!"

Daoist Jin sighed, patted Fairy Li on the shoulder, and sat down to recount all the evil deeds of Guo Tianren that they had learned about, including the stories that Elder Yang Jinguang had told about how Guo had cheated people when he was an apprentice.

Upon hearing this, Daoist Master Xiao Yang and Fairy Li frowned repeatedly.

"In that case, we really need to teach them a lesson!"

Fairy Li and Daoist Master Xiao Yang reached the same conclusion.

"They're gone, but we can't waste the food we ordered. Eat it quickly, it's getting cold!"

Adhering to the principle that waste is a great crime, Mr. Mengfei and his group cleaned up every last plate.

After paying the bill at the bar, the cashier's microphone beeped. The cashier then stopped the group and said apologetically, "Sir and Madam, I'm sorry, our waiter found a teacup broken while cleaning the private room. Our Little Jiangnan teacups are all custom-made, so you should be responsible for paying for it. So, which of you would like to pay for it?"

As soon as the cashier finished speaking, Master Daoist Jin had just smashed the teacup and made a show of it, blushed.

"How much is it? I'll pay for it!"

Daoist Jin looked at the cashier.

"The total is 78.6 yuan. Sir, would you like to scan the code or pay in cash?"

The cashier glanced at the screen on the counter and said very politely.

"So expensive!" Daoist Jin hadn't expected a teacup to be so pricey.

"Well, sir, let me explain again. At Little Jiangnan, we operate on a service-first principle, and all our tableware is custom-made. If you break any tableware, we will compensate you at the original price, without deducting any extra money. After you pay, we will provide you with a receipt or other documentation!"

The cashier was highly professional and did not show any displeasure at Daoist Jin's questioning. Instead, she patiently explained.

"How can you be so clueless? Pay Master Jin's money!" Mr. Mengfei nudged Su Ziyang in the waist.

Su Ziyang finally came to his senses. "Ah, let's scan the code, scan the code."

He then took out his phone, quickly scanned the QR code, and paid. The waiter then presented the corresponding receipt to Su Ziyang with both hands.

"Hehe, Xiao Su, I'll send you a red envelope later."

Su Ziyang offered to pay, Daoist Jin very happy. He chuckled and immediately said he would give Su Ziyang a red envelope.

"Of course, of course. No need, no need!" Su Ziyang said, feigning politeness.

"Let's go back to my place. Guo Tianren's treasure is in our hands; he'll definitely come looking for us. Let's discuss how to deal with them!"

After leaving the house, Su Ziyang suggested going to his own home.

"I still have work to finish with the clinic's expense report today, so I have to go back. You guys discuss this amongst yourselves, and call me if anything comes up, okay?"

Daoist Master Xiao Yang was part-time accountant and supervisor at the Daoist Medicine Clinic, so he was usually very busy. After dinner, he had to go back to work overtime, so the others didn't insist that he stay and let Daoist Master Xiao Yang Su Ziyang and the other three went back to their residence.

Su Ziyang took out a teapot and brewed tea. The four of them sat around in Su Ziyang's living room.

"Master, what's the significance of Guo Tianren's suggestion to hold a martial arts competition on a stage?"

After pouring tea for the three of them, Su Ziyang sat down and asked with great curiosity.

"Yes, this is an ancient custom. If two sects have a conflict, in order to avoid large-scale fighting and multiple casualties, both sides will invite a person of high prestige to act as a notary. Then, the two sides will propose several matches, and the losing side will compensate the winning side according to the pre-agreed terms. That's the routine."

Daoist Jin took a sip of tea and began to preach to Su Ziyang.

"What are we comparing?" Su Ziyang asked, his eyes wide, like a curious child.

Daoist Jin pondered for a moment and slowly said, "Well, there are all sorts of them. The most common is still martial arts, because that's the most direct and obvious way to determine the winner. The rest are all over the place, ranging from weapons competitions to ritual music competitions, and there are also competitions based on things like cockfighting, cricket fighting, and quail fighting. Anyway, there are all sorts of them, with different forms."

"I think Guo Tianren will definitely pose a difficult problem in his area of expertise. Although I can't be completely sure, this kid will definitely be better at some medical things, such as treating vulvovaginitis, which he's good at. One side poisons, the other side detoxifies!"

Mr. Mengfei took a sip of tea and then shared his thoughts.

"I think so too!" Daoist Jin, finding Mr. Mengfei's words reasonable.

"That's quite possible." Su Ziyang also felt that Mr. Mengfei's words made sense. "Master, what should we do if they do something like that? We don't know what kind of poison this guy might use."

"It's alright, don't worry. I'll prepare some medicine to deal with him!" Mr. Mengfei said confidently.

"What medicine is it, Master?"

Su Ziyang's eyes light up at the mention of medicine.

"That's a secret!" Mr. Mengfei looked at Su Ziyang smugly and took a sip of tea.

"Tch~ Fine, don't tell me then." Su Ziyang knew that his master was the type who would never directly tell him the formula he used; he had to guess and figure it out.

Mr. Mengfei often said to Su Ziyang, "Understanding leads to attainment."

You only truly understand something when you grasp it yourself. What others impose on you isn't your own, and you won't be able to use it effectively.

The master and apprentice teased each other for a moment, then Su Ziyang said with some concern, "Masters, do you think he might suggest a contest of acupuncture points? After all, that's his specialty!"

Daoist Jin and Mr. Mengfei both shook their heads. "No. Because you fought him on the train, and he didn't gain the upper hand, so he won't compete in this. If he hadn't fought you on the train, he wouldn't back down tonight; he would definitely have charged out!"

"That makes sense! That's true." Su Ziyang took a sip of tea and nodded.

"In this kind of competition, one side doesn't have the final say. So we can propose a set of rules. As long as we ensure we win the matches we propose, then we've already won!"

Daoist Jin provided a further explanation of this kind of martial arts arena competition.

"What are we competing in?" Su Ziyang looked at Mr. Mengfei and Daoist Jin.

"We haven't figured it out yet. This Guo Tianren is flexible and resourceful; he's not someone to be trifled with. If he were a pushover, he wouldn't have managed to scam people for so many years without getting caught. He's probably still trying to figure out what tricks we're going to pull! Let's think about it and come up with a foolproof plan!"

Daoist Jin and Mr. Mengfei haven't yet come up with a sure-fire way to defeat their opponent in one move.

"Alright, then you two will have to do your work. I really don't know anything about this kind of thing, so I'll leave it all to my two knowledgeable masters to arrange, hehe!"

Su Ziyang chuckled and refilled their teacups.

"My main concern right now is finding a notary. We need to get Yang Jinguang to come out of retirement. Although that old man is protective of his own, with him around, we're not afraid of not being able to deal with Guo Tianren!"

Upon hearing Daoist Jin's words, Mr. Mengfei's eyes lit up. "We're really on the same page! That's what I was thinking too. If Yang Jinguang tries to protect his own, then we'll deal with both disciple and master together."

Seeing his master say this, Su Ziyang suddenly felt a little nervous. The scene of Yang Jinguang throwing darts at the dog flashed before his eyes again. If that really happened, it would probably be difficult to handle.

"Kid, you're scared! You've always wanted to see what the martial arts world is like, haven't you? Today I'll teach you another lesson: the martial arts world is all about the survival of the fittest! Ah~ha!"

Mr. Mengfei stood up as he spoke, patted Su Ziyang on the shoulder, and then yawned.

"I can't stay up late anymore, I'm too old for that. Time for bed! Lao Jin, let's go!"

Mr. Mengfei gave Daoist Jin a wink, Daoist Jin smiled knowingly and immediately stood up, "I'm sleepy too. You two should get some rest too. Don't stay up too late, take care of yourselves!"

After saying that, the two cunning old men, as shrewd as monkeys, quickly went out and disappeared into the night.

Su Ziyang and Fairy Li were left in the room again.

"Hehe, Daoist Jin is just talking nonsense, don't take it to heart!" Su Ziyang was so angry at Daoist Jin's two sentences that he was itching to bite him.

Just take care of your health and don't stay up too late.

Fairy Li didn't respond to Su Ziyang's words, but instead stretched and said, "Ah, I'm sleepy too."

"How about I drive you home? It's too late, it's not safe for you to go alone!" Su Ziyang asked nervously.

"Are you trying to chase me away?" Fairy Li pouted and glared at Su Ziyang.

"No, no." Su Ziyang's face flushed instantly after being glared at by Fairy Li, and he became flustered, spinning around in a panic.

"Hey, hey, are you hungry? I bought some snacks the other day, they're pretty good, let me get them for you!"

"What are you taking? Take it! We just finished dinner, aren't you afraid of gaining weight from eating snacks so late at night?!"

Seeing Su Ziyang's flustered state, Fairy Li covered her mouth and chuckled.

"Ah! Ah! That's right, that's right!" Su Ziyang scratched his head. "So, do you want a drink? There's Coke and Mirinda in the fridge."

"There's tea, why would you like a drink? I don't want any." Fairy Li rolled her eyes at Su Ziyang.

"Oh, okay, okay!" Su Ziyang looked at Fairy Li restlessly.

"So tonight...?"

"I'm not going back, I'm sleeping here, okay?" Fairy Li said coquettishly.

"Oh, isn't that a bit inappropriate?" Su Ziyang said somewhat embarrassedly, "This... it would damage your reputation, after all, you're just a young girl."

"What do you mean?! I'm a girl, and I didn't say that. What are you doing, acting all coy like that? Are you even a man?"

Fairy Li put her hands on her hips and gave Su Ziyang a good scolding.

"Don't overthink it! Don't you love meditating? You can sit on your cushion by yourself. I'm going inside to rest!"

After saying this, Fairy Li went into the bedroom and locked the door behind her with a click.

After Fairy Li went inside and locked the door, Su Ziyang's tense mood eased, and he thought to himself: Damn, this is a bit like the guest taking over the reins.

After saying that, he sat down on a futon in the corner of the living room and began to meditate with his eyes closed.