Chapter 120: Do You Know Tang Jia San Shao?

Chapter 120: Do You Know Tang Jia San Shao?

The expressions of Hui Gu, the old monk, and Shan Yifei shifted drastically. From the elegant and decisive strike of Zheng Jian’s sword, they sensed the chilling breath of death.

Zheng Jian looked at the crippled Shan Yifei and asked, "I have a piece of good news and a piece of bad news. Which one would you like to hear first?"

Shan Yifei had already realized the terrifying nature of Zheng Jian. Though baffled by the question, he braced himself against Zheng Jian’s mocking expression and replied, "Tell me the bad news first."

Zheng Jian said unhurriedly, "The bad news is that your other leg also needs to be amputated."

The group: "..."

A threat. This was a naked, blatant threat.

Shan Yifei looked as if he were seething with anger but dared not speak. After a long moment, he asked, "And the good news?"

Zheng Jian pondered for a moment and smiled. "The good news is that I happen to know someone who sells wheelchairs, and the quality is quite decent."

Shan Yifei: "..."

[Grievance points from Shan Yifei +1999.]

Listen to that—is that something a human being would say?

Shan Yifei hesitated for a second, then suddenly pushed off the ground with his prosthetic wooden leg, launching himself into the air. He turned and fled without the slightest hesitation. There was no helping it; he was terrified of a monster like Zheng Jian who played by no rules. "Swallow in Flight" Shan Yifei could barely fly with one leg, but if he lost the other, how was he supposed to fly at all?

Zheng Jian’s eyes turned deep. He leaped up calmly, instantly blocking Shan Yifei’s path. Ignoring his panicked expression, Zheng Jian flicked his sword. A flash of light passed, and amidst Shan Yifei’s screams, his other leg was severed at the knee.

As the severed leg hit the ground, Shan Yifei tumbled down, howling incessantly in the garden. Seeing this, the old monk and Hui Gu broke into a cold sweat. It was too horrifying!

Shan Yifei—or rather, "Shan No-Flight"—was deathly pale, with beads of sweat the size of beans rolling down his face. The heart-wrenching pain made him wish he were dead. Xie Xiaofeng looked on with a sense of unbearable pity. The old monk and the fat man, Hui Gu, scrambled to his side, one on each flank.

"Great Hero Xie, save us..."

Neither of them dared to posture anymore. After all, no matter how important face was, was it more important than their lives?

Xie Xiaofeng was silent for a moment, then finally said, "Great Hero Zheng, let it end here..."

Zheng Jian arched an eyebrow. "Third Young Master Xie, I can stop, but I have a few questions. If you can answer them, I will spare them."

Xie Xiaofeng nodded. "Ask."

Zheng Jian mused, "First question: You are the Third Young Master of the Xie family. Tell me, do you know Tang Jia San Shao?"

Xie Xiaofeng looked blank, recalling the name. "Are you referring to the third son of the Tang family in Shu? I only know the eldest son, Tang Tianyi... I do not know the third son."

Zheng Jian chuckled inwardly; this was his own twisted sense of humor. Outwardly, he said, "Fine. Next question: You have been away from home for years. I want to ask, when you 'left your home well' (bei jing li xiang), was the well heavy? Did your family run out of water? I hear you are exceptionally brilliant; are you... wearing a wig?"

Xie Xiaofeng: "..."

The old monk and Hui Gu: "..."

What kind of insane questions were these? Was this man a lunatic?

[Grievance points from Xie Xiaofeng +200.]

Zheng Jian thought, "There is no wool that I, Zheng Jian, cannot shear!"

After a moment of thought, Zheng Jian continued, "Next task: A couplet. The first line is: 'Li Bai, Li Taibai, Li Taitai Bai, Li Taitaitai Bai.' Give me the second line!"

Xie Xiaofeng: "...How about you just kill them both?"

[Grievance points from Xie Xiaofeng +500.]

He had realized that while Zheng Jian appeared normal on the surface, the moment he opened his mouth, everything went wrong. What kind of nonsensical gibberish was this? It was no wonder Liu Kuzi and the others couldn't help but attack. Even now, Xie Xiaofeng could barely resist drawing his sword against Zheng Jian.

Hui Gu’s pancake-like face was filled with terror, while the old monk was racking his brain for a reply to the couplet.

Zheng Jian watched this curious scene and suddenly laughed. "Can't answer? Sigh. 'Startled from a deathbed, the clown was you all along.' Old monk, you attacked me, so now it is my turn to retaliate."

The old monk’s expression froze. He hurriedly said, "Benefactor, wait! I—I apologize. I'm sorry. Please, just let us go..." He was truly terrified.

Zheng Jian offered a playful smile. "Whether or not to let you go is up to the Buddha. My task is to send you to meet him!"

As he spoke, the Tearful Sword struck from a devious angle, like a falling galaxy or a surging river. The sword light instantly enveloped the old monk. In desperation, the old monk grabbed the still-terrified fat man, Hui Gu, and shoved him directly into the path of Zheng Jian’s blade, while he himself scrambled backward.

The Tearful Sword pierced accurately into Hui Gu’s heart. The fat man's expression froze in place. Zheng Jian looked at the fat man who had taken the bullet for the old monk and chuckled, "Thanks for the patronage (Hui Gu)..."

The "Soul-Searching Hand of the Rich Immortal," the fat man Hui Gu, was eliminated. By then, the old monk had already escaped the Han Family Mansion.

Zheng Jian did not pursue him. He pulled out the Tearful Sword, letting the fat man’s corpse hit the ground with a heavy thud, and turned his gaze to Xie Xiaofeng. "Third Young Master, where is your sword?"

Xie Xiaofeng fell into silence.

"Return to Cuiyun Peak to retrieve your sword. Seven days from now, at dawn, before Green Water Lake. Be there or be square!" Zheng Jian said lightly.

Xie Xiaofeng hesitated. A battle raged within him. On one hand, he recognized from Zheng Jian’s performance today that he was a peerless swordsman, no less than Yan Shisan, and he truly wanted to fight him. On the other hand, he truly did not want to return to Cuiyun Peak.

"No need for Green Water Lake. I will meet you at the barren mountain outside the town. Seven days from now, I will be there." After struggling for a moment, Xie Xiaofeng finally accepted the challenge, choosing a nameless mountain outside the small town as the venue.

In this world of Gu, the town was nameless, and the mountain was a nameless wasteland.

Zheng Jian pondered. "Very well. Seven days is enough time for you to recover your strength. Don't disappoint me, Xie Xiaofeng."

With that, Zheng Jian ignored the unconscious Shan Yifei and strolled out of the Han Family Mansion.

Xie Xiaofeng stood frozen for a long time before sighing. They say that once you enter the world of martial arts, you lose control of your own destiny. Now, he truly understood the depth of that saying. After all his wandering, in the end, Ah Ji had turned back into Xie Xiaofeng. He could never escape; this was his fate, preordained.

As for Zheng Jian, he was already overjoyed. His grievance system backend showed his points had reached over 22,000. This trip to the Han Family Mansion had been incredibly worth it!

"It seems I should take the initiative more often. For these martial arts posers, you have to provoke them! Heh, they can't beat me anyway, and they have to swallow their anger when I mock them! That’s how you generate maximum resentment..."

Zheng Jian muttered to himself. From Liu Kuzi and the others, he had discovered a new way to quickly shear "wool." Although the method was a bit wild and gathered hatred quickly, the results were excellent! That’s what they call: "Why use oars when you can just drift?"