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Chapter 398: The Western Devil Cultists are All Dead
Chapter 398: The Western Devil Cultists are All Dead
"A clumsy attempt at goading," Ji Gong commented with a faint smile before closing the inn's window.
"If you have such a trump card, why not wait until you face him to use it?" Ouyang Qing asked anxiously.
"Because it won't work on him," Su Shaoying replied.
"How so?" Xue Bing inquired.
Huaman Lou answered for Su Shaoying, "Because Ji Gong would never allow Su Shaoying to get close, and the moment Su Shaoying draws his sword, his movement and killing intent would be more than enough for Ji Gong to react."
"Then there was no need to demonstrate it to him!" Ouyang Qing exclaimed.
Huaman Lou smiled, "That's precisely Su Shaoying's cleverness."
Xue Bing didn't quite understand, "How so?"
"There are two benefits to what he did," Huaman Lou explained, holding up a finger, "First, to goad. Ji Gong appears arrogant and confident. What if he wants to test himself and see if he can counter Su Shaoying's sword strike?"
Huaman Lou raised a second finger, "Second, even if Ji Gong doesn't want to test himself, once they face off, he will focus on Su Shaoying's exceptionally swift sword strike, which will consume his energy regardless."
"When experts duel, life and death hang in the balance during those fleeting moments. It all comes down to the tiniest of details," Huaman Lou said calmly.
Although Huaman Lou hadn't made many moves himself, he was still considered a top-notch expert in the original story. Lu Xiaofeng once commented about him, "If one can control Huaman Lou, there's nothing that person cannot accomplish in this world."
"Moreover, I know his weakness," Su Shaoying added with a smile.
"That weakness won't be of any use when you two fight. Do you plan to assassinate him?" Ouyang Qing asked.
Su Shaoying smiled but remained silent. In the end, Lu Xiaofeng killed Ji Gong by exploiting this weakness, but it required a combination of timing, location, opportunity, and exploiting Ji Gong's overconfidence to break his mental defenses and force him into a desperate, all-or-nothing attack.
Similar to the outcome at Youling Mountain Villa, the conclusion had a bit of a 'plot armor' feel to it. With the current uncertain situation, there was no guarantee that the story would continue to follow the original plot.
"Nevertheless, he probably won't make a move now," Xue Bing said after some thought.
"Indeed," Huaman Lou nodded in agreement and smiled at Su Shaoying, "You won the bet."
At this point, Huaman Lou couldn't help but add, "Ximen Chuixue was right after all."
"What did he say?" Ouyang Qing asked.
"He said that Su Shaoying didn't catch Ye Gucheng's 'Heavenly Swordplay' not because he couldn't, but because he didn't want to. He was right, you truly have no competitive spirit," Huaman Lou smiled.
"That's not true! He's talking nonsense!" Su Shaoying waved his hands in denial, causing everyone to laugh.
The sword technique Ji Gong had just displayed was indeed on par with Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuixue, but Su Shaoying had also revealed a sword technique of the same caliber. And no matter how high the martial arts of the woman by Ji Gong's side were, they wouldn't surpass Huaman Lou's skills.
"In that case, if they don't have any other accomplices, we might actually have the upper hand," Ouyang Qing smiled, "That Ji Gong clearly didn't expect your sword skills to be so exceptional!"
"Don't jinx it!" Su Shaoying said helplessly, "How can you be sure they don't have any more helpers?"
"Who else could they have?" Ouyang Qing asked, "Even that Mu Yiban is dead. Experts of their caliber are rare. Do you think there are more hidden experts on that unnamed island?"
"You're forgetting that they still have a expert with a finger knife technique," Huaman Lou said with a bitter smile, "Moreover, they remain hidden while we are exposed. Even though we've shown our strength, they are still lurking in the shadows, and we dare not make a move."
"Wait?" Xue Bing asked.
"Yes, wait." Huaman Lou nodded, "We wait for Lu Xiaofeng to return."
"After all, their true target is the Luosha Plaque, not us." Su Shaoying said.
"How do you know their target is the Luosha Plaque?" Xue Bing asked.
"If you're suggesting that a woman might act on her emotions, then what do you think is the real reason for the Crown Prince of Taiping Kingdom to come here after already having the support of the invisible people from the unnamed island?" Su Shaoying questioned, "Could it really be to capture Lu Xiaofeng?"
Xue Bing nodded in understanding, "Of course, it's the Luosha Plaque!"
A flash of realization crossed Ouyang Qing's eyes, and she let out a cold laugh, "So, they've gathered all these experts and forces... Does the Taiping Kingdom intend to repeat the past events of the Pingnan Kingdom?"
Xue Bing blinked, "Probably not. Does the Crown Prince of Taiping resemble the Emperor?"
"Of course not. If they looked alike, how could the Emperor have let him live this long?" Ouyang Qing smiled.
Su Shaoying looked towards the closed window across the street and then glanced at a man turning the corner, a hint of playfulness in his eyes.
"Even Gong Jiu has arrived. I wonder how the Black Tiger Hall will react?" Su Shaoying wondered. "Fang Yfei has been following Lu Xiaofeng, and they might be nearing the Songhua River by now. But who's in charge here?"
Su Shaoying had been speculating about the relationship between the Black Tiger Hall and the Taiping Kingdom.
Logically, there shouldn't be any connection between them. The Taiping Kingdom and the unnamed island were one faction, while the Black Tiger Hall was an outer force of the Ghostly Manor, making them two parallel lines that shouldn't intersect.
However, Fang Yfei and Gong Jiu clearly knew each other, and Fang Yfei even seemed a bit afraid of him. Yet, despite Gong Jiu saving Sha Man, he didn't kill Fang Yfei.
Why was that?
There were so many things that were never explained in the original story, leaving behind countless mysteries and enigmatic characters that were truly mind-boggling.
...
However, the very next day, things took an unexpected turn.
"All the members of the Western Devil Cult who remained in the town are dead!" Ouyang Qing announced, "Nineteen of them, killed silently and without a trace."
"Who did it?" Su Shaoying asked.
"Don't know. All we know is that they were all killed by a thin blade," Ouyang Qing replied.
The intelligence network of the Red Shoes had always been reliable.
Huaman Lou suddenly asked, "How thin was the blade?"
"So thin that there was no blood on the blade when it was drawn," Xue Bing said, "The attacks were fast and ruthless. If not for the fact that the coroner had decades of experience, most people probably wouldn't have been able to figure out the cause of death."
"What a bizarre martial arts technique and what a domineering method," Huaman Lou sigthed.
"Do you think this is the doing of someone from the unnamed island?" Ouyang Qing asked.
"They arrived yesterday, and now all the members of the Western Devil Cult are dead. Who else could it be?" Su Shaoying said, "Looks like this Gong Jiu doesn't put the Three Friends of Winter in his eyes at all!"
"Isn't that better?" Huaman Lou smiled, "You've always wanted to watch the show, right? It's better for Gong Jiu to target the Three Friends of Winter instead of us, isn't it?"
"That's true." Su Shaoying nodded, "After all, he knows we're not interested in the Luosha Plaque."
Although Su Shaoying and Gong Jiu had clashed, and Gong Jiu wanted to kill Su Shaoying, as the Crown Prince of Taiping, he could still distinguish between priorities.
Ouyang Qing continued, "But the Three Friends of Winter will definitely not let the Luosha Plaque go."
"Exactly!" Su Shaoying laughed.
(End of Chapter)
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