The round-faced youth’s eyes were wide with disbelief, staring at Li Muzhan. He had expected a lamb, but was confronted with a lion—this stark contrast instantly left him stunned.
Li Muzhan’s gaze slowly settled upon him, and he shook his head. “You are quite rare. Tell Zheng Haishi that Li Canghai has returned!”
“Li Canghai.” A ripple of whispers went through the crowd.
“It’s Li Canghai…”
Li Muzhan’s eyebrows twitched, and he smiled inwardly. The great name of Li Canghai had indeed spread far, making his journey worthwhile.
“You are Li Canghai?!” The round-faced youth’s face darkened, anger surging. He felt utterly fooled, having wasted his earnest concern!
Li Muzhan nodded with a smile. “I am Li Canghai!”
“No wonder you are so bold!” The round-faced youth glared coldly, then sprang up, catching the square-faced youth and floating down gracefully.
The square-faced youth was rigid as a log, his body locked immobile. When the round-faced youth slapped him twice, the youth involuntarily let out a scream that made the listeners’ hair stand on end.
The round-faced youth quickly stopped, glaring resentfully at Li Muzhan. “What did you do to Senior Brother Li?!”
Li Muzhan chuckled. “I merely sealed his xuedao (acupuncture points). We’ll see what Zheng Haishi intends to do!”
“You just wait!” Clutching the square-faced youth, he rushed out. The patrons of the tavern watched them go, their expressions varied—some gloating, others worried, some filled with admiration.
Li Muzhan picked up the wine ewer and poured another cup for himself, sipping it slowly.
The tavern keeper stood among the crowd, his thin face shifting through various emotions. Finally, he stamped his foot, turned, and hurried downstairs, deciding it was best to play deaf and blind. He desperately wanted to chase this plague god away, but it was too late; this fellow dared to provoke the great hero Zheng—he must have the heart of a leopard and the courage of a bear to dare such a thing. After measuring the situation, he concluded retreat was the wisest course.
The surrounding people watched Li Muzhan with growing excitement; there was going to be a good show!
Li Muzhan paid them no mind, drinking leisurely and at ease, suppressing the thrilling excitement that made his whole body feel light.
The time it took to drink a cup of tea felt endless to the crowd. Soon, two elderly men in blue robes appeared. They were remarkably alike in features, possessing tall, straight figures and long arms. The sword scabbards at their waists were plain and unadorned, yet one could immediately tell they were extraordinary.
“Are you Li Cangjian?” the two elders demanded in unison.
Li Muzhan set down his wine cup and slowly regarded them. “Is Zheng Haishi too cowardly to come in person?”
“What status does Martial Nephew Zheng hold? How could you expect him to meet you casually?!” The two elders snorted coldly.
Li Muzhan shook his head. “I think he prefers hiding like a turtle! Afraid he can’t beat me, are you?”
“Why use a butcher’s knife to kill a chicken!” The two elders snorted and stepped forward. Two streams of cold lightning rose from their waists, making the crowd unable to look directly.
Holding their glittering long swords, the two elders almost simultaneously snorted, “Man named Li, we two are merely foot soldiers, sent ahead to test your skills!”
Li Muzhan studied them and laughed, shaking his head. “Your Qinghe Sword Sect is truly formidable. Men like you are just foot soldiers?”
The two elders pursed their lips. “Your experience is too shallow!”
Their words and actions were almost identical, astonishing the onlookers. Li Muzhan realized they must practice some strange internal technique, otherwise, even twins would struggle to achieve such perfect synchronicity of mind.
Li Muzhan said, “Since that is the case, please begin!”
“Behold the sword!” As soon as Li Muzhan finished speaking, sword light rained down. The two blades transformed into countless sword shadows engulfing him.
Li Muzhan shook his head and pressed his right thumb down. With a sharp ‘Chi’ sound, like silk tearing violently, people clearly saw a white light shoot from his thumb, colliding with the sword shadows.
‘Ding…’ Amidst six crisp sounds of clashing metal, the sword shadows thinned instantly. One glittering long sword was knocked away, forcing its owner to stumble back two steps.
The other sword remained unaffected, instantly arriving above Li Muzhan’s head. He remained unhurried, pressing his left thumb toward the sky.
‘Chi!’ ‘Ding…’ Two sounds erupted almost simultaneously.
That elder retreated two steps, his long sword vibrating incessantly, as if it had come alive and wished to break free from his grasp.
The elder’s face grew grim as he glared intently at Li Muzhan. He could not believe Li Muzhan possessed such profound cultivation at so young an age.
Li Muzhan shook his head. “You two are no match for me. You should have Zheng Haishi come himself!”
“Hmph!” The two elders sneered and joined their hands.
One brought forth his left-handed sword, the other his right, while their remaining two hands clasped together. The sword light suddenly flared exponentially, and a chilling aura spread outward, causing the surrounding crowd to involuntarily sneeze.
Li Muzhan frowned. Their cultivation had doubled instantly, and their sword light became blinding, transforming into a chilling cage that enveloped him, inescapable.
Li Muzhan still extended both his hands, pressing his thumbs down. ‘Chi! Chi!’ Following two sharp whistles, the vast expanse of cold light vanished. The two men staggered backward, their hands separated.
As Li Muzhan shook his head, his thumbs pressed again. The two men hurriedly brought their swords up to block, managing to fend off the first finger, but not the second.
‘Peng! Peng!’ The two men were flung two zhang away, embedding themselves into the wall behind them.
Li Muzhan lowered his fingers, turned, and smiled. “Young Master Zheng, since you are here, why hide?”
‘Clap! Clap!’ Zheng Haishi began to applaud, emerging from the crowd to stand before Li Muzhan, glancing briefly at the two men stuck in the wall.
Two elders flew out from the crowd, catching their respective comrades, their expressions sullen.
Li Muzhan smiled and appraised Zheng Haishi. Handsome and elegant, he stood like a young tree flourishing in the wind—truly possessing great bearing that subconsciously inspired goodwill.
“Young Master Li, we meet again!” Zheng Haishi’s smile was bright and handsome, as if greeting an old friend.
Li Muzhan smiled. “Young Master Zheng must be quite disappointed that I didn’t die?”
Zheng Haishi shook his head. “Young Master Li has misunderstood me.”
Li Muzhan said, “Young Master Zheng wouldn’t claim that the men from the day before yesterday weren't sent by you?”
“What men?” Zheng Haishi feigned surprise.
Li Muzhan shook his head and chuckled. “The night before last, a group of people stormed into my inn while I was sleeping, intent on killing me. They were from your Qinghe Sword Sect.”
“I think Young Master Li is truly mistaken,” Zheng Haishi replied, shaking his head.
Li Muzhan nodded. “Since they weren't from the Qinghe Sword Sect, I can finally rest assured. They probably won’t have long to live now.”
“What do you mean!?” Zheng Haishi frowned.
Li Muzhan smiled faintly. “My pressure-point sealing technique is different from others; it has two layers of restriction. You might have managed to undo one layer, but the second one—well, it should be acting up about now.”
Zheng Haishi exchanged a look with a middle-aged man in the crowd, who nodded and silently began to back away. Li Muzhan smiled, glanced at the man, and shook his head. “It’s no use. The time is up, it will act up any moment. Even the Great Golden Immortal couldn't save them now.”
“Xinlan, regardless of whether they were my men or not, your technique is too malicious!” Zheng Haishi said gravely.
Li Muzhan laughed. “They came to kill me. Is it malicious for me to kill them? ... If your Qinghe Sword Sect tries to kill me, I’m not allowed to kill you?!”
“Young Master Li, we haven’t offended you, have we?” Zheng Haishi frowned. “You are being so aggressive, yet our Qinghe Sword Sect is not a group to be trifled with!”
Li Muzhan chuckled. “Finally ready to drop the pretense?”
“When you push us this far, we can only fight back!” Zheng Haishi stated grimly.
His temper flared. He had already lost more than ten experts whose martial arts were crippled, and now their very lives were at stake. Even a clay figure has three parts fire!
Li Muzhan said, “Very well. I’d like to see the skills of the Qinghe Sword Sect. Young Master Zheng, shall we exchange a few moves?”
“I will do it!” A stout, square-faced elder stated in a deep voice.
He had been standing behind Zheng Haishi, rigid and dull, looking like a wooden figure. But as he stepped forward now, his entire form suddenly came alive. His blue robes fluttered as if he stood in a strong gale.
His beard and eyebrows rustled, and an invisible power emanated from him, surging like a tide. The bowls and saucers on the tables trembled slightly, threatening to float up.
The onlookers instinctively backed away, as if pushed by an invisible tide, unable to control themselves.
Li Muzhan swept his sleeve, and a lightness enveloped everyone; the tabletops settled down.
“Martial Uncle Meng, be careful of his finger techniques,” Zheng Haishi advised softly as he stepped back.
The stout elder’s slightly purplish face was solemn. He slowly nodded to Zheng Haishi, then stepped forward again, his blue robe snapping in the wind.
The area around Li Muzhan remained peaceful, while the surrounding people retreated a full zhang away.
“Behold the sword!” the elder roared, and a white rainbow shot toward Li Muzhan, incredibly fast as lightning.
Li Muzhan remained seated, facing the tip of the sword, and merely flicked his index finger lightly. ‘Ding…’ A crisp, lingering sound rang out as the sword tip was deflected. The elder used the force to thrust again, even faster. Li Muzhan did not move, flicking only his index finger.
‘Ding…… Ding……’ The elder’s sword grew faster with each thrust. Eventually, people could no longer see the blade itself, only a streak of phantom light connecting Li Muzhan and the elder.
Li Muzhan sat by the table, flicking his left index finger while holding his cup of fine wine with his right hand, exuding an indescribable air of leisure. He glanced with a slight smile at Zheng Haishi standing in the distance.
Zheng Haishi gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, “Martial Uncle Meng, stop it!”
The square-faced elder’s heart sank, turning to despair. No matter how fast his sword became, breaking past the limits of speed, he could not penetrate the interception of that single index finger. The force transmitted through the blade grew stronger, and each time he borrowed strength, he suffered a backlash, his vital energy surging violently, threatening to scatter out of control at any moment.
Hearing Zheng Haishi’s words, he thrust one final time and attempted to retreat.
Li Muzhan, however, let out a light chuckle. “You want to fight when you want, and retreat when you want? It’s not that simple!”
His index finger flicked suddenly. With a ‘Chi’ whistle, a beam of white light shot through the sword’s phantom image, striking the square-faced elder in the chest. The elder shot straight toward Zheng Haishi.
Zheng Haishi could not evade; he reached out to catch the elder and used his inner power to neutralize the impact. With a succession of ‘Deng, deng, deng, deng’ sounds, he retreated four steps, his handsome face flushed crimson as if drunk.
Li Muzhan smiled, rose, set down his wine cup, and tossed down a silver ingot. “Innkeeper, the bill!”
He stepped past Zheng Haishi, and the crowd automatically parted to form a path. He walked slowly downstairs without glancing back at Zheng Haishi or his group.
Zheng Haishi’s teeth ground audibly. Since childhood, he had never suffered such humiliation; it felt worse than being injured.
“Young Master, we should…” one elder whispered low.
Zheng Haishi waved a hand and said heavily, “We were outmatched; it’s no great matter. I can afford to lose!”
“Yes, Young Master!” The elder did not press further. Against a tough character like Li Canghai, there was truly no recourse. They would have to ask the sect’s top experts to come retrieve their honor; simply having numbers was useless.
Seeing Zheng Haishi’s expression, the onlookers were struck silent and quietly slipped away, secretly regretting their curiosity. Zheng Haishi would surely hold a grudge against anyone who witnessed such a shameful event; they should never have stopped to watch this spectacle!
Zheng Haishi took a deep breath, then slammed his hand down hard on the table Li Muzhan had occupied. With a ‘Peng!’, the table turned to dust that drifted down like fine powder, releasing the lingering fragrance of wine.