Chapter 151: Spitting Right in Your Face, and Celebrities

Chapter 151: Blasting You in the Face, and Celebrities

"Hearing you all talking about me here, and having such a good time... so I've come!"

The figure on the slope spread his hands and spoke these words.

The disciples of the Hundred Blade Alliance were also surrounding them from all directions at this moment.

This sudden turn of events left many people speechless for a moment. In the distance, Su Tan'er watched the figure toss away the rope, stunned for a second. A moment later, she gave a soft gasp, covered her mouth, and her eyes welled up with tears. Nearby, a member of the Hundred Blade Alliance looked at Cheng Lie and Su Boyong, who were also looking somewhat bewildered: "P、Palm Thunder?"

From this perspective, the figure had merely stood up and raised his hand to the side, and fire had jetted outward. At this moment, the astonishing roar was echoing throughout the entire vicinity of Ten-Step Slope. Judging by the sheer momentum, it was truly no different from the legendary Daoist divine art of the Palm Thunder. However, those standing a bit closer could more or less see a cylindrical object in Ning Yi's hand, with dancing sparks and a faint, eerie glow after the discharge.

The horse was startled, struggling frantically in place, until it was firmly reined in by a Su family servant. The carriage was also rocking unsteadily for a moment, yet the figure named Ning Yi remained completely unmoved as he spread his hands and continued speaking. When Ma Lin fell, someone in Ou Peng's group shouted, "Ah!" and made to charge forward, but the glowing cylinder immediately turned toward them, and someone beside him abruptly pulled him back.

Jiang Jing was speechless for a long time, swallowed hard, and looked around.

Originally, their side still had around twenty people, basically retaining a chance to break through on the spot. Although breaking through now might still not allow them to escape the shadow and threat of the Hundred Blade Alliance, the hope at the moment had at least been very high. But right then, they had circled right back into the encirclement of the Hundred Blade Alliance.

Looking upward, Ning Yi's figure stood there, his expression indistinguishable. In truth, these people had more or less heard of or seen Ning Yi before, because starting several months ago, they had already been colluding with Xi Junyu to plot these affairs concerning the Su family, and they had naturally conducted some investigations into this matrilocal son-in-law. Yet, their perception of him back then was one thing, and upon hearing the news of the Su family clan assembly tonight, it was quite another. Before they could even digest the implications of the clan assembly, this gentle scholar who had thoroughly fooled them suddenly appeared before them in such a jaw-dropping manner—an image they perhaps never would have imagined, even after the news of the clan assembly broke out.

Everything had happened far too pressingly, leaving them no room for deep thought. Kidnapping or secretly orchestrating an accident to eliminate Ning Liheng was a plan Jiang Jing and Xi Junyu had settled on long ago, and tonight happened to serve as a contingency. The four people they had sent out just happened to be disguised in Su family servant attire. Given the tense situation moments before, once these clues matched up, how could they not be wild with joy?

Yet abruptly, they discovered that the direction which a moment ago seemed like a door of hope had its light slammed shut. Coupled with the bewilderment following the public exposure of the four-month layout against the Wu family, as well as the overwhelming presence of this figure's appearance and the might of that mysterious fire weapon, Jiang Jing and the others were momentarily left almost entirely dazed. The burly man holding a giant shovel looked around, preparing to charge forward, and Ou Peng also tightened his grip on his heavy spear. Everyone was already injured, Qi-drained, and exhausted, but for a moment, no one dared to rush ahead.

For behind Ning Yi, several Su estate guards were also drawing their sabers in alert, and the disciples of the Hundred Blade Alliance were closing in from the sides. The burly man with the giant shovel took a step forward, and the weapon with its receding red glow suddenly pivoted toward them, causing the man to hastily step back as well.

Ning Yi abruptly lowered the weapon in his hand and burst out laughing.

"I have science, you have divine arts... Heh, I lied to you." His voice echoed across the slope. "Something made on a whim, I just turned a bamboo tube into an iron tube. After packing it with gunpowder, it's no different from a double-bang firecracker. Reloading is extremely troublesome and it's single-shot only. Without rifling or a sight, it just drifts wherever it pleases, and the effective lethal range is less than a zhang..."

He shook his head, speaking with listless nonchalance words that people might or might not understand. In the distance, Su Tan'er, still covering her mouth with the tears unfallen in her eyes, felt a familiar sensation wash over her, and with a soft "pfft," her smile grew even wider.

"Because of this, unless you blast someone right in the head or face at close range, apart from being very scary, it's practically useless. This..." He turned his head to look at the corpse on the ground, pondering for a moment before choosing an adjective, "This brave hero was hit on his very first try; I have to say his luck is quite good. Therefore, I've decided to name this thing 'Blast You in the Face'."

With a backhand motion, he tossed the "Blast You in the Face" back behind the carriage curtain. Tilting his head, he instructed the guards beside him: "Set up a stone tablet for them later: Died of a running mouth..."

By this time, the encirclement of the Hundred Blade Alliance was complete. As he spoke at length from above, Ou Peng and his company were completely unable to gauge his true strength—partly due to the psychological pressure brought on by the old patriarch's revelations, the recent incident, and Ning Yi's excessive composure. Having run out of options, they grew somewhat quiet instead, conserving their strength in preparation for a final desperate struggle. Over there, laughter rang out: "Haha, this must be Worthy Nephew Ning." It was Cheng Lie, who walked over carrying a saber.

"I am Ning Liheng, given the nickname 'Bloody Hand Butcher' by the pugilistic world. And this is... Alliance Leader Cheng?"

His voice carried far in the night breeze. Ning Yi cupped his fists in greeting, pulling out an impressive moniker to intimidate them. Cheng Lie was momentarily taken aback, and the surrounding disciples of the Hundred Blade Alliance exchanged confused glances, perhaps somewhat doubtful—they had never heard of such a famous moniker in the martial arts world before! Ou Peng, Jiang Jing, and the others were also stunned, never expecting that this Ning Liheng had already gained such a reputation in Jianghu; perhaps his previous scholar persona was entirely a facade.

An image formed in their minds: long before marrying Su Tan'er, this Ning Yi might well have been a Jianghu wanderer who had carved out a massive reputation in some region, earning the moniker "Bloody Hand Butcher," only to return home to get married, leaving their own group to kick an iron plate... Because of this, he wasn't afraid of them at all now...

After a brief moment of astonishment, Cheng Lie recovered: "Heh heh, this old man is Cheng Lie. Worthy Nephew Ning is truly as legendary as rumored. This time, the Su family owes everything to the worthy nephew's brilliant strategizing, and now, with just a slight display of skill, we've cut off the escape route of these scoundrels... Ou Peng! What else do you have to say!"

Cheng Lie's voice reverberated through the night sky. Ou Peng gripped his spear tightly, slowly turning toward Ning Yi, glancing at the dead body on the ground, and speaking almost word by word: "My brother Ma Lin was injured by your bizarre hidden weapon, you won an unchivalrous victory... Bloody Hand Butcher? Do you dare to fight me in a duel!"

"Ma Lin... Ou Peng?" Ning Yi turned his head to look at the corpse on the ground, his expression turning peculiar for a moment. After a long while, he stretched out the tip of his shoe to kick the body on the ground; sure enough, it was dead, blood pooling on the road. Ning Yi sighed, looking at Ou Peng holding the heavy spear: "What qualifications do you have... to fight me now?"

He naturally possessed a convincing demeanor, and as soon as these words were uttered, the absurd, steady, and nonchalant emotions were fully manifested. He then turned and walked toward the carriage at the side, grabbed the reins, and turned the carriage around.

"To deal with such treacherous villains, there's no need to speak of Jianghu chivalry and righteousness with them... Let's all charge together!"

For a moment, everyone felt that this fellow spoke rather bizarrely. Whether it was the men of the Hundred Blade Alliance or Ou Peng's subordinates, engaging in gang fights and turf wars every day, where was there so much romantic Jianghu chivalry to speak of? But the meaning was understood after all—they should all charge together and end this battle; it was how things should have been originally. Thus, as soon as these words fell, the bloody aura of slaughter abruptly condensed. Among the crowd, the burly man holding the iron shovel let out a roar of "Ah—" that tore through the night sky, followed by even more wave-like shouts that boiled the night sky once again.

"Charge—"

Cheng Lie took the lead, charging toward the center of the encirclement, his long saber cutting across the sky like rolling thunder. Numerous members of the Hundred Blade Alliance brandished their sabers and lunged forward.

The carriage drove away in the opposite direction. Ning Yi turned back to look at the enclosed sea of humanity, where saber light and blood intersected. Ou Peng, holding his heavy spear, and his companions began their final desperate struggle, while Xi Junyu was also trapped in the center—though naturally, this person was of zero importance to him and needed not occupy his thoughts.

Ou Peng, Ma Lin... Weren't these figures from Mount Liang... His mind was entirely preoccupied with this thought right now, which was truly amusing. Although he had appeared to stage this little performance in the beginning purely because these fellows had such foul mouths, and he had raised a hand to ensure they couldn't escape the Hundred Blade Alliance's encirclement just to buy time, to be honest, after the one-versus-three battle in the Su estate courtyard earlier, he had gained a bit more confidence in his second-rate internal energy. He had experience in gang fights and blade-swinging from his previous world, so this time he could be considered to have arrived with a sense of confidence. But upon hearing these two names, he suddenly felt it prudent to execute a strategic retreat for the time being.

Naturally, the internal energy he practiced was second-rate, and he hadn't practiced it for long either. Why bother? Why on earth run over to pick a fight with celebrities? Looking back at Ou Peng risking his life in the crowd to carve out a bloody surge, Ning Yi roughly imagined what Lin Chong, Li Kui, and Lu Zhishen ought to look like, what other formidable martial artists ought to look like, or what Fang La, who had already raised the banner of rebellion, ought to look like. Hearing rumors over the past year or two, that Fang La was also exceptionally formidable.

He thought of Lu Hongti again. The gang fights and brawls of these people seemed somewhat different from Lu Hongti's style. They were indeed much fiercer than street brawls from a millennium later, yet they still seemed to lack the chill and tragic bloodiness that Lu Hongti exuded when she carried out assassinations. Ou Peng appeared very powerful, especially now under the threat of death, practically wielding his heavy spear like a frenzy, sweeping away all resistance. Cheng Lie, equally formidable, was even forced back by him for a time, yet there was still a clear methodology to it. Ning Yi could not discern too deeply at the moment, only feeling that it differed from the almost savage and primal sensation inherent in Lu Hongti's martial arts.

She had once said her martial arts were forged entirely through battle arrays against the Khitans, with little entanglement with the martial artists of the Central Plains. He wondered how many moves these people could block against her, or how the top martial artists of Mount Liang like Lin Chong, or figures like Fang La, would fare against her in a fight.

Ning Yi didn't care much about the outcome of the ongoing brawl. Ou Peng led his men rampaging across Ten-Step Slope, but his companions were steadily dwindling in number. Ning Yi simply watched the battle from afar while pondering various jumbled thoughts. When he turned back, he pulled out a telescope and looked toward Jiangning.

A line of torchlight seemed to be approaching from over there; presumably, the government authorities had finally reacted to the brawl on this side. Ning Yi drove the carriage, amid the tragic carnage, shouts, and roars, turning toward the location where Su Tan'er and Su Boyong were.

By the time the authorities arrived, a clear result should have been reached here anyway. Whatever; he was a scientist and didn't participate in fistfights. Holding that crude little fire-gun—or rather, little cannon—he thought about it with boredom.

Over there, the fierce brawl continued. Here, Su Tan'er pushed her father's wheelchair, surrounded by estate guards, and came out to meet him. Under the night sky, the scene before Ten-Step Slope looked like two entirely unrelated factions, the two polar extremes of yin and yang: one side playing out a reunion, while the other was weaving a parting of death...

I used to want to write a wuxia novel where the protagonist is nearly invincible, but every time, he loves standing behind a crowd of people, shouting righteously: "To deal with such treacherous villains, there's no need to speak of Jianghu chivalry and righteousness with them..." and then letting a bunch of martial arts masters all die of frustration.

Double monthly ticket period, begging for monthly tickets!