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Chapter 262: The Inept and Clueless Seven Heroes of the Marketplace
Chapter 262: The Inept and Clueless Seven Heroes of the Marketplace
By the time Su Shaoying arrived at the south gate, it was already the second day at the Snake hour.
He bought three steamed buns from a bun shop at the gate and then went to the neighboring porridge shop for a bowl of porridge. As he finished his breakfast, he spotted a squad of knights riding their horses through the south gate, heading west.
Not long after, he saw a group of about ten people stumbling back, clearly drunk.
There was an old bald man with a sallow complexion, dressed in coarse cloth, looking like a rustic old man from the countryside visiting the city.
Behind him followed an elderly man with a tobacco pipe tucked into his belt, and a poor scholar whose blue robe had faded to almost white from frequent washing.
Surrounding these three were seven seemingly insignificant commoners from the marketplace, including a beggar without a backpack.
They wore drunken expressions, clearly not yet recovered from their hangovers, but their faces were lit up with happiness as they burped, sang drinking songs, and walked shoulder-to-shoulder into the city.
"I'm hungry!"
"Me too. I only drank last night, and my stomach is still empty."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's find a place to eat!"
"Boss, give me ten large buns and a hot bowl of porridge for each of us!"
The ten of them shouted to the bun shop owner and then rushed into the porridge shop, crowding around two tables.
Su Shaoying glanced at them and secretly admired their spirit.
In the original novel, He Tianqing had arranged a duel with Lu Xiaofeng, but his senior from the same martial arts sect, Shan Xiyan, and Jinbei Shuangxiu Fan and Jian, as well as the Seven Heroes of the Marketplace, knew that He Tianqing was no match for Lu Xiaofeng. So, they came to stop the duel.
These people risked their lives to prevent Lu Xiaofeng from keeping the appointment, and Lu Xiaofeng, touched by their loyalty, agreed to call off the duel.
Then, He Tianqing conveniently sent a message canceling the duel and announcing that the Pearl and Jade Pavilion would be given to Shangguan Danfeng. Lu Xiaofeng's heart warmed at this, and he went to a dog meat restaurant in the suburbs with these men to drink until they were completely drunk.
Of course, Su Shaoying's admiration wasn't for their decision to commit suicide to stop Lu Xiaofeng from keeping the appointment, but for their ability to drink all night on an empty stomach.
Since Sikong Zhaoxing had disguised himself as Zhao Damazi but didn't know how to cook dog meat, he used the excuse that the dog meat was sold out.
"No wonder their faces are so jaundiced," Su Shaoying shook his head, thinking, "Drinking like that, their livers must be made of iron. Not everyone can be Li Xunhuan."
However, a young man with a blue cloth wrapped around his head, still smelling of steamed buns, and apparently another bun vendor, snorted and said loudly, "They say that butchers are often the most righteous, while scholars are the most heartless. I never thought this bad influence would blow into the martial arts world."
A man with a leaf still on his head, apparently a vegetable vendor, asked, "What do you mean?"
The bun vendor smiled and said, "He's a descendant of a famous family, visiting another place, yet when his elder encounters a disaster, he's too cowardly to help. Isn't this a typical heartless man?"
Su Shaoying's eyebrows twitched. He hadn't expected this group of people to shift the blame onto him.
It was also surprising how fast news spread in this martial arts world. Lu Xiaofeng had no doubt that this group knew about his duel with He Tianqing, but he wondered how they knew so much about what had happened at the Water Pavilion yesterday.
Neither Lu Xiaofeng nor Hua Manlou were talkative, especially since this matter involved He Tianqing.
If it weren't for Lu Xiaofeng going to find them later, and He Tianqing's timely appearance to stop the bun vendor from committing suicide, he would have suspected that this group was involved in He Tianqing's plot.
Frowning, he waved his hand in front of his nose, making a slightly disgusted expression before shifting his position slightly. With a detached tone, he said, "Using others' kindness to achieve their shameless goals under the pretense of righteousness, they truly are spineless cowards. It's no wonder they're so cunning, having grown up in the marketplace. In terms of having no bottom line, the scholars from prestigious families indeed pale in comparison."
Shan Xiyan's face darkened, and Jinbei Shuangxiu turned abruptly, while the Seven Heroes of the Marketplace slammed their hands on the table.
"What did you say?"
"You're spouting nonsense!"
"Su Shaoying, others may fear your Emei Sect, but our Heavenly Bird Sect is not intimidated!"
Su Shaoying turned, a look of surprise on his face, "I was talking about a potter who broke his own wares and then threatened to suicide in front of a passing scholar. Why are you so angry? Do you know that peddler?"
The bun vendor's face twitched, his half-raised fist frozen in mid-air as he wondered if Su Shaoying was telling the truth or not.
"Bang!"
Before he knew it, Mr. Fan struck him on the head with his pipe, "Are you stupid? Of course, he's lying!"
Enraged, the bun vendor leaped forward, grabbing Su Shaoying by the shoulder and waist.
However, before he could get close, he felt a sharp sword qi pressing against his brow.
To the onlookers, they saw Su Shaoying raise his chopsticks and lightly point at the bun vendor, causing him to abruptly change his move and flip through the air.
While the Seven Heroes of the Marketplace were one thing, Shan Xiyan and Jinbei Shuangxiu were experts, and they couldn't help but be astonished by Su Shaoying's swordplay, which had reached an extraordinarily high level.
The three of them were stunned and jumped to their feet.
Su Shaoying put down his chopsticks and picked up another bun, careful not to dirty his hands as he usually disliked getting them dirty. "The Emei Sect and the Heavenly Bird Gate have had no entanglements for decades. Are you trying to create enmity with your barbed words?"
Shan Xiyan cupped his hands, "Pak Crow speaks his mind, please forgive him, Su the Second."
Su Shaoying nodded, "Speaking his mind means what he said is true, but he should be more mindful of his manners."
The bun vendor turned and shouted, "You didn't dare to stand up to Ximen Chuixue, but now you're trying to bully us. Do you think I'm afraid of you?"
Su Shaoying laughed, "I believe you're not afraid to die."
The bun vendor might have been a bit foolish, but he truly wasn't afraid of death, as evidenced by his three suicide attempts in the original novel, which were not fake.
"But you are truly stupid," Su Shaoying added.
"How am I stupid?" the bun vendor asked angrily.
"If you weren't stupid, you wouldn't have dared to sarcastically insult me to my face, even bringing up my sect. If you want to die, that's your business, but can you afford to bear the responsibility of starting a war between the Emei Sect and the Heavenly Bird Gate?" Su Shaoying said with a smile.
The bun vendor paused, about to speak, when five figures walked into the bun shop.
A tall, dignified elder with a broadsword at his waist, his hair and beard still black despite his age, dressed in the garb of a Taoist priest, followed by four beautiful women in purple robes.
Su Shaoying stood up and smiled, "Master, four junior sisters, good morning!"
(End of Chapter)
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