"Your face is as thick as your virtue is deep!"
The Saint said angrily, "Shameless madman, how dare you act so recklessly!"
Pan Dehai laughed, "You virtueless tyrant, facing your death, why still so stubborn?"
"Well said, Master Pan!" A painting unfurled in mid-air, and an exquisitely beautiful woman stepped out from it.
The woman was dressed in a high-collared, diagonally-buttoned, wide-sleeved brown coat with circular flower patterns. It seemed a bit old-fashioned but didn’t obscure her ravishing beauty in the slightest.
Upon seeing the lady, Pan Dehai hastened to pay his respects: "Greetings, Elder Mu, this junior pays his respects."
The lady frowned and said, "It’s fine that you call me elder, but why add ’old’? You make it sound as if I’m your grandmother."
Pan Dehai laughed, "Speaking of seniority, calling you ’Grandma’ would hardly be a loss for me."
The Saint was fidgeting in the yard; Mu Yuejuan had arrived.
"Whose woman is this, shamelessly coming out to claim a grandson?" A drunkard staggered over to Mu Yuejuan and said with a smirk, "As if I don’t know you! You’ve slept with plenty of men, yet you can’t bear children. You don’t even have a son, so where would this grandson come from?"
Half a Cup of Yellow Soup Qiao Wuzui had also arrived.
A middle-aged man holding a smoking pipe said, "No matter how many men Miss Mu sleeps with, it’s none of a drunkard’s business. Your cravings are futile!"
Three Pot Pipe Leaf Yellow Ye Jianhuang had arrived.
Qiao Wuzui frowned and said, "She looks down on me, this drunkard, so she’ll look up to you, this smoke fiend? Why don’t you take a piss and look at your own reflection?"
Ye Jianhuang laughed and said, "I’ve been in a foul mood these past two days, so my piss is too yellow; I can’t see a reflection. Don’t believe me? I can piss in a pot, and you can try looking for yourself."
Another middle-aged man, his face as white as a sheet without a trace of blood, stepped forward with a smile. "Gentlemen, let’s not argue here. Today we have come to see the Emperor; let’s not forget our manners."
The Smiling Face Ghost King, Gui Jianchou, had also arrived.
Mu Yuejuan looked around at the crowd and said, "Since we are here to see the Emperor, as a woman, it is not proper for me to lead the way. Who among you would like to go first?"
Everyone kept their heads down in silence.
With a cold laugh, Mu Yuejuan said, "It’s no wonder I look down on you all. Any random young lad has more spirit and courage than any of you."
Qiao Wuzui laughed, "Miss Mu, how do you know I lack courage? I haven’t entered this courtyard, not because I’m afraid of this tyrant, but because I fear someone might stab me in the back."
Ye Jianhuang tapped his smoking pot. "What are you implying? Who are you talking about?"
Qiao Wuzui replied, "Whoever has backstabbed before knows I’m talking about them. Can you really forget what you’ve done?"
Ye Jianhuang sneered, "Why dredge up those old scores? If you’re so capable, go in there right now and take that foolish Emperor’s head for me to see."
Qiao Wuzui responded, "I certainly have the guts, but you have to go ahead of me; otherwise, I won’t feel at ease."
Gui Jianchou chuckled, "Brothers, let’s not have internal strife. All who came today are heroes."
Mu Yuejuan said, "If you’re such a hero, then you go first!"
Gui Jianchou shook his head. "It’s not that I’m a coward; I have Ghost Servants aplenty. Sending a few to scout ahead wouldn’t be difficult. The Mountain Stacks of Arrays are indeed gone now, but it’s hard to say if the Saint has any other tricks up his sleeve. Old Xu didn’t clarify in the letter, and he hasn’t shown himself, so I think this matter..."
"Stop the nonsense!" Qiao Wuzui interjected, displeased. "Old Xu is helping Yao Xin guard the territory, so it’s understandable he couldn’t come. You’re gutless; don’t try to drag others into it."
Cui Tiq watched from a distance.
The Greenwater Beggar raised his eyebrows and jingled his begging bowl. "I’ll go then."
Ye Jianhuang looked down at the Greenwater Beggar with a sneer. "Is this your place to meddle?"
From his tone, the Greenwater Beggar’s status and cultivation level were presumably inferior to his.
Green Flower raised his head and addressed the crowd, "None of you will go, and you won’t let me go either. So, what now? We just wait here? Wait for the Knife Labor Ghost to attack so we can have a chaotic battle right here?"
No one spoke. Green Flower, shaking his bowl, walked towards the estate’s main gate.
The gate flew open suddenly, and the Saint’s Disciple Song Deke, leading more than a dozen men, charged outside.
They had been commanded by the Saint to act as vanguards and dampen the enemy’s morale.
Charging in to fight might have caused some apprehension, but dealing with these few disciples at the door was naturally considered an easy task.
The Smiling Face Ghost King, Gui Jianchou, summoned his Ghost Servants, preparing to act first.
Song Deke showed no fear. Puffing out his chest and holding his head high, he lifted the hem of his robe and led his men. With a THUMP, they all knelt before the crowd.
The scene changed rather quickly, causing some confusion among everyone.
Song Deke said nothing. Placing his hands on the ground, he led his subordinates in a kowtow!
BANG!
More than a dozen people kowtowed, their heads hitting the ground with a single, unified sound. What did this prove?
It proved that their kowtows were synchronized! It proved the sincerity of Song Deke and his men!
After three continuous kowtows, their intentions were clearly conveyed without a word.
The Greenwater Beggar asked, "Who among you will lead the way?"
The men scrambled, but Song Deke asserted his position over them, "I have the highest seniority! I must be the one to lead the way!"
PS: Mu Yuejuan had a fling with Hong Ying’s second brother in Chapter four hundred and seventy-seven.
Dear readers, I wish you a safe and happy Dragon Boat Festival.