Chapter 166: A Case of Assault
Meng Qi almost burst into laughter and suddenly felt Ruan Yushu a lot more amiable.
“Just now your means were really unpredictable. You are terrific!” After he changed the way he viewed her, Meng Qi did not feel so constrained as before and sincerely praised her.
However, Ruan Yushu totally lacked modesty, putting on a proud look on her face.
She swallowed the food in her mouth, took out a handkerchief and wiped her mouth, “Unfortunately, I haven’t seen your performance yet.”
“Why?” Meng Qi asked with a hint of arrogance.
“We’re almost at the same age, but your name is on the Ranking List of Young Masters though you’ve just reached the Four Apertures realm.” In return for Meng Qi’s dinner, Ruan Yushu said a little more than before.
“Aye.” Meng Qi felt very comfortable.
Cool as a cucumber, Ruan Yushu said,”I wonder what the demeanor of the Thunder Blade Furious Monk or the Reckless Monk would look like in a battle.”
Meng Qi doubled up with laughter and said, “You’re wrongly informed by Jianghu men. Do you think I resemble a furious monk? To be honest, I think I’m a gentleman.”
He had no choice but to blew his own trumpet with a red face.
Ruan Yushu picked up the remaining food with her chopsticks. With her eyes moving downwards, her head hanging a little low, and the corners of her mouth rising a bit, she said in a steady voice, “It’s said that there’re inaccurate names but no imprecise sobriquets.”
“Will you listen to my explanation? This isn’t true!” Meng Qi’s expression suddenly froze as he yelled in his heart.
When they returned to the room where they met, Lu Zhongqi was there waiting for them. He nodded to them and said, “Rumor came that Gao Tong died of a sudden disease just now, but I don’t believe there’s such a coincidence. Brother Meng and Lady Ruan, it’s very kind of you to help us remove the worries behind. Let me show you General Lu now.”
Lu Guan was demoted here for many years. Even the sons of Family Lu, who had been accompanying him, were married and had kids. Although they arranged to hide there long ago, Gao Tong was Turf Lord in Yuexi, and it was possible for him to harass them. Hence, if he was not eliminated, Lu Zhongqi and others could not lightheartedly escort Lu Guan to the capital city.
Over their conversation, his eyes skimmed across the Seven-string Zither in Ruan Yushu’s arms as if he had thought of something.
As one of Lu Guan’s constant subordinates for dozens of years, he became a skilled observer. He did not think that Xiao Meng, a silent swordsman, could so strangely slay Gao Tong. Actually, Jianghu men hardly saw a weapon like the Seven-string Zither. Lady Ruan was bound to have some special methods.
“It’s just a fluke,” Meng Qi briefly answered while Ruan Yushu maintained her cool and otherworldly look. She slightly nodded and said nothing.
Lu Zhongqi did not talk much either, took the two to weave themselves in and out of the alleys, and finally entered a grocery store near a bustling street.
He directly went through the grocery store and into the backyard. The tavern keeper and the errand boys seemed to pay no attention to him.
There were dozens of Jianghu persons in the yard wearing swords and blades. The men and women were divided into three or four heaps, leisurely talking with each other.
Seeing Meng Qi and Ruan Yushu come in with Lu Zhongqi, they looked at them with a little surprise. Never did they think their new companions were so young. One was a 17-year-old boy and the other a 15-year-old girl. Could their strength be very powerful?
Lu Zhongqi nodded to them and led Meng Qi and Ruan Yushu straight to the study.
“Though he had defeated West Invaders time and again and helped the royal court to recover the lost territory, General Lu was framed and exiled here, making a lot of Jianghu men in admiration and resentment. When the news of his going to the capital city spread, a number of his friends came to escort him. As many men have many minds, it’s easy to let the news out. What’s more, some of these friends’ strength is just so-so. If they joined in us, they’d lose their lives in vain.” On the way to the study, Lu Zhongqi briefly introduced the current situation to them. “Therefore, to observe their strength, I’d set some tests for them and have politely refused most of the enthusiastic, leaving dozens of the pros who are trustworthy top-classed materialists staying here.
“This was what he really meant…” Meng Qi thoughtfully nodded. If escorting General Lu to Beijing became a farce, no matter how powerful he was, he would not be able to resist overwhelming numbers.
Through the path guarded by the sons of Family Lu, they arrived at the study. Lu Zhongqi reverently knocked at the door.
“Zhongqi, please come in,” Lu Guan said in a fatigue yet firm voice. Though he was not a master, he also had a good Kung Fu foundation.
Lu Zhongqi quietly pushed the door open and signaled that they had to wait outside for a moment. After he reported to Lu Guan, he invited them to enter.
“You have such lofty sense of justice that I wholeheartedly appreciate,” Lu Guan politely said.
He was seven feet tall with dark skin and five wisps of a long beard. The most outstanding feature on his face was his eyes, which were bright and determined. As a whole, he was a scholarly but doughty general.
Meng Qi cupped one hand in the other before his chest, saying, “General Lu is a great hero in the world, devoted to both the country and the people. I won’t hesitate to lay down my life if need be.”
He simply made his attitude clear.
“Both for the country and the people, a great hero…” Lu Guan was a little inspired and repeated these words.
“Yes, General Lu is worthy of the title of a great hero both for the country and the people.” There were another two men there: One was a graceful old man in a silk robe and the other a fierce-looking Taoist with a sword on his back. It was the Taoist who said so.
Lu Zhongqi smiled and pointed to the Taoist, “This is ‘Taoist Hu’ Jin Yan, Predecessor Jin.”
Then he turned to the man in the silk robe and said, “And this is Tower Lord Jiao, Jiao Chong of the Watching-Water Tower.”
It was easy as pie for Meng Qi to figure out that Taoist Hu and Jiao Chong were the top-classed master among these Jianghu men. Of course, the two also might gain the most considerable prestige here, so they nearly became the chiefs of Jianghu men and closely protected Lu Guan as his bodyguards.
After greeting each other, the impassioned Taoist Hu praised, “Young as you are, you have reached such high martial realm. You’re really something. What makes me most admire is that you know where your loyalty lies, and you’re so brave that you offer to help General Lu. What great young heroes!”
Jiao Chong also smiled and said, “It has been many years since I saw such outstanding youths. You are bound to have promising prospects.”
As senior masters, the two half-heartedly praised them while Meng Qi and Ruan Yushu were cool and silent before strangers and simply expressed their thanks.
Lu Guan sighed, “As for the title of a great hero both for the country and the people, I don’t feel worthy of it. I do care about the incidents of the frontier and the national safety, but I’ve been banished in Yuexi–killing time and making no contributions to our court.”
Taoist Hu loudly said, “General Lu, this time you go to the capital city, you’ll realize your lifetime dream. You’ll drive West Invaders out and massacre traitor ministers on the court, making a peaceful world for our Emperor and ordinary people.”
Lu Guan became determined and said, “Difficult as it is, I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my court.”
Then thanking the two youths for slaying Gao Tong, Lu Guan asked Lu Zhongqi to well arrange for their stay.
Lu Zhongqi had intended to let Meng Qi and Ruan Yushu join with other Jianghu men to go on patrol, but considering that one was cool, the other silent, and both of them were not easy-going, he simply decided to have them accompany with himself.
A few days later, Meng Qi and his team quietly left Yuexi to escort Lu Kuan to the capital city.
At night, Meng Qi pulled out his “Evil Ordeal” and slowly practiced Five Tiger-like Bladesmanship and Blood Bladesmanship in the hotel.
These two kinds of bladesmanship were the foundation to which he was deeply immersed. After reading the Primary Instruction of Heaven Blade, he performed them again and had a new feeling. It seemed he had comprehended something new as if understanding nothing.
His action was very slow, sometimes halted. While pondering, he was experiencing the combination of theory with practice. It seemed his bladesmanship was clumsy as if he had just started to learn it.
“The Primary Instruction of Heaven Blade did really contain the bladesmanship theory that Song Que summarized all his life. Thus, it’s difficult for him to understand it.” At this moment, Meng Qi admired Kou Zhong very much, a hero in Twin of Brothers, who could fight with Heaven Blade Song Que face-to-face and motivated by the blade momentum with his instruction, making him grasp the gist of bladesmanship within a short time. However, he himself had to carefully read the script and practice it day and night.
In comparison, he made great progress in the “Thunder scream” he cultivated at a fast speed perhaps owing to the marks of Thunder God on his body and the impartation of part of the Nine Annihilation at Heavenly Nights.
“Xiao Meng, have you just learned the blademanship?” asked Taoist Hu. Jiao Chong and he closely guarded Lu Guan in turns. When he came out to have a short break, he saw Meng Qi practicing his blade and thought it was a waste of his blade of excellent quality.
“No, I’m trying to figure out its gist,” Meng Qi politely answered.
Taoist Hu noncommittally smiled and continued to ask him, “Xiao Meng, you seem to have been cultivating both sword and blade. Why have I not seen you practice your sword?”
Meng Qi slightly raised his head and said, “That’s because my sword is bound to be soaked with blood when it comes out of its scabbard.”
The arrogance of a swordsman was completely revealed.
Taoist Hu’s face convulsed, and he walked away.
The other Jianghu men and the sons of the Lu Family nearby all smirked.
Meng Qi did not care about it. No matter what they thought, at least in their eyes, they would think more highly of his sword art and definitely believed his sword art was better than his bladesmanship which he had just learned. And this was the very image he would like to establish.
Ruan Yushu quietly strolled out and saw Meng Qi practicing his bladesmanship at a very slow speed.
She thoughtfully watched for a while and said with the Secret Voice-sending, “Has your bladesmanship hit a block?”
“Ah.” Meng Qi nodded his head. Ruan Yushu had a good family education, so it was easy for her to tell his present blade strength.
“If you break through the bottleneck, your bladesmanship would be nearly perfect. What’s more, you’ve already learned ‘Ananda Oath-breaking Bladesmanship’.” Ruan Yushu no longer had any doubts about the strength of Meng Qi’s bladesmanship and still said to Meng Qi in Secret Voice-sending, “No wonder your name is on the Ranking List of Young Masters.”
When it came to his having a place on the Ranking List of Young Masters, Meng Qi felt proud with a happy smile.
“It’s said that only a handful of senior monks of Shaolin Temple has grasped this bladesmanship and its Gist of Trueness throughout history, isn’t it?” Ruan Yushu a little curiously asked.
“You’re right.” Meng Qi softly nodded.
He felt much prouder of himself.
Ruan Yushu slightly wrinkled her beautiful eyebrows and said, “It seems that most of them had broken away from the Buddhism first, but at last, they turned monks again and really became the senior ones. What about you?”
Meng Qi’s face turned dark instantly.
Ruan Yushu carried her Seven-string Zither on her back with her hands holding it and slowly paced out of the room.
At this time, the son of the Lu family who went out to buy food and wine returned. Her steps suddenly slowed down.
As a precautionary measure, after they conventionally tested the poisons, they also made a black dog taste the foods one by one.
After a while, the black dogs were still all right. Only then did some of them separately take away their portion of food and wine, leaving the remaining for the guards on patrol.
Meng Qi was about to approach when he saw Ruan Yushu pausing there.
“As a foodie, it was surprising to see her pause there, which was strange.” Meng Qi put his “Evil Ordeal” into the scabbard and asked, “Lady Ruan, why not have dinner?”
Ruan Yushu lightly frowned and said with distrust, “It doesn’t seem appetizing but a bit strange.”
Hardly had her voice faded away when several men covered their throats, made some “hee-hee” sounds, and fell to the ground with their faces blackening.
However, the black dog was still frisky.
“Poison? This poisoning ability…” Meng Qi’s pupil slightly contracted.