Chapter 460: Assassins at the Door
Chapter 460: Assassins at the Door
Once again, Cao Hanyun and Yuan Feiyun returned empty-handed.
Tie Kaicheng, on the other hand, found himself facing Mei Changhua from Mount Hua once more.
"What's going on?" Tie Kaicheng was exasperated. "In the past, I would wander around aimlessly and stumble upon trouble. But ever since I've been at the Red Banner Escort Agency, trying to settle down and focus on perfecting the Fifteenth Sword of Death, people keep showing up at my door."
As expected, Mei Changhua had come to invite Tie Kaicheng to join the alliance of the Seven Great Sword Sects.
"This is your business, Sword Sect. Why involve me?" Tie Kaicheng refused.
"It's not just me," Mei Changhua said in a low voice. "Wu Dang's Ouyang Yunhe and Emei's Li Zhenzhen also want to invite you to join them. I was sent because I know you personally."
"Ouyang Yunhe and Li Zhenzhen?" Tie Kaicheng blinked. "Why?"
"It's because of the hidden murder of Tie Laoye by Tianzun," Mei Changhua explained. "This is no longer a secret."
Tie Kaicheng immediately understood and couldn't help but snort. "So, you want to use the Red Banner Escort Agency as your weapon?"
While the Seven Great Sword Sects had greater influence than the Red Banner Escort Agency, they certainly didn't have as many people they could command. Against an organization like Tianzun, which had infiltrated all corners of the Jiangnan region, the agency's role was crucial.
Thus, the ambitious Li Zhenzhen and the hypocritical Ouyang Yunhe had their eyes on the agency's power and resources, just as Tianzun did.
Mei Changhua had anticipated that Tie Kaicheng would see through their intentions, so he didn't bother hiding them. Instead, he offered a warning. "Ouyang Yunhe is an expert at manipulating people with lofty ideals, and Li Zhenzhen will stop at nothing to get what she wants."
Mei Changhua continued sincerely, "I, Mei, have always been grateful for your mercy, Tie Zongbiaotou. I know you don't want to get involved in this mess, so I took it upon myself to come here in person."
The advantages of the Red Banner Escort Agency were clear. Not only had Tianzun set their sights on it, but so had Ouyang Yunhe and Li Zhenzhen, attracted by its influence and manpower.
While the Seven Great Sword Sects prepared to form an alliance against Tianzun, they were not a monolithic bloc. This was a test for the disciples of the various sects, and each sect had its own agenda.
If one were to stand out in the alliance, they would gain a significant position and influence in the future Seven Great Sword Sects. However, if they did nothing, they would be unable to hold their heads high, even if they eventually inherited their sect's leadership.
Mei Changhua was no fool. He, too, was tempted by the idea and wanted to bring Tie Kaicheng into his camp. But he had witnessed Tie Kaicheng's swordsmanship, and he knew such a man could not be controlled.
If they could control him, they would have used him to deal with Tianzun or the Demon Sect long ago, instead of waiting until now.
So, while Mei Changhua's visit appeared to be an invitation to join the alliance, his true purpose was to establish a mutual understanding.
In the original story, when the young disciples of the Seven Great Sword Sects came to challenge Xie Xiaofeng to a duel, Li Zhenzhen stood out with her unique character, and Ouyang Yunhe's personality underwent the most drastic transformation.
Setting aside the traitors—Kunlun's Tian Long, Hainan's Li Pingzi, and Diancang's Wu Tao—Qingtong's Qin Duxiu and Hua Shan's Mei Changhua were rather ordinary and unremarkable, lacking any distinctive features.
But how could Mei Changhua, the current generation's designated disciple of Hua Shan, be an ordinary person?
"However, Ouyang Yunhe and Li Zhenzhen may not give up," Mei Changhua cautioned. "Tie Zongbiaotou, please be prepared. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."
...
After seeing Mei Changhua off, Tie Kaicheng didn't give Ouyang Yunhe and Li Zhenzhen another thought.
They were all reputable sects, and even if they had conspiracies and tricks up their sleeves, they wouldn't dare to act openly. As for moral coercion...
I'm not Tie Zhongqi's biological son. It's already challenging to protect the Red Banner Escort Agency from Tianzun; how can I worry about anything else?
You, the Seven Great Sword Sects, uphold justice in the martial arts world. Won't you seek revenge for the Red Banner Escort Agency, a fellow righteous path?
The leader of the Tianzun organization is none other than Murong Qiu. Now that you know this, why don't you just pay them a visit?
Tie Kaicheng prepared at least twelve responses to deal with Ouyang Yunhe and Li Zhenzhen, but after Mei Changhua left, he never heard from them again.
As he waited impatiently, he grumbled to himself, "If you don't come soon, I'm leaving!"
In the dark of the night, just as Tie Kaicheng finished his musings, his ears twitched, and he looked toward the window.
The unusual rustling of the wind and the abnormal swaying of the treetops signaled that more than one person had entered the courtyard without alerting the escorts and thugs patrolling outside.
The Red Banner Escort Agency occupied a sizable area, and while there were no valuables within the compound, the core areas were guarded day and night.
After all, they were engaged in a bloody business, and although they had a wide network of connections, they had also made many enemies in the underworld. It would be foolish not to take precautions.
Tonight, for instance, there were four escorts leading twenty thugs on night watch in the four cardinal directions. While a regular martial artist might be able to wander the outer areas, they would never be able to reach the innermost courtyard of the chief escort.
However, the visitors tonight were clearly experts. If Tie Kaicheng hadn't been awake, they might have gotten even closer to his room unnoticed.
The sound of rustling clothes and swaying treetops ceased.
There were no footsteps or sounds of objects colliding, but Tie Kaicheng was certain that three people had arrived outside his room—one at the door and one at each of the east and west windows.
Then, Tie Kaicheng got out of bed.
"Just a moment, please. Don't break down the door or the windows. Replacing them costs money, and the Red Banner Escort Agency is a small business, so we need to save where we can. I'll come out."
The night remained silent.
After a moment, a hoarse voice with a strange laugh spoke up. "We've long heard that the new chief escort of the Red Banner Escort Agency is an extraordinary swordsman, but we never expected him to be a stingy one as well."
"No, no, no," Tie Kaicheng said as he put on his clothes. "I just don't know if you have any money on you. If you don't and you break my things, I'll be the one losing out, won't I?"
After getting dressed, drinking some water, and grabbing his longsword, Tie Kaicheng pushed open the door and saw three figures retreating into the shadows beneath a pomegranate tree in the courtyard.
"You actually waited for me to get ready?" Tie Kaicheng asked in disbelief.
"We're not in a hurry," the shadow on the left said. "If you had called for help just now, it would have meant that you wanted to die sooner, and we would have been happy to oblige."
The shadow on the right added, "By letting you prepare, you can die with a little more peace of mind."
The middle shadow, with a strange laugh, concluded, "We're only here to take your life, and we don't have any money on us."
(End of Chapter)
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