The world of martial arts, the immortal swordsman in the mortal realm.

Chapter 31, Easy Slaughter

Li Mochou didn't hear what Master Zhang was yelling about at all.

She was too busy counting heads.

After counting them, I immediately felt relieved:

Thankfully, just as Rong'er predicted, the Han River Gang did not mobilize their entire force. Only a dozen or so people rushed into the inn, and judging from the commotion, there were no more than twenty or thirty people still waiting outside.

Just as he was feeling relieved, he heard Zhang Yong, the third leader of the Han River Gang, nicknamed "Water Leopard," chuckle:
"Cousin, what nonsense are you spouting? How can such a beautiful woman be sent to a brothel? That's a waste of... what was it again? In short, it's a squandering of a good thing. In my opinion, this beauty should be given to Inspector Song as a concubine."

As a criminal gang, the Hanshui Gang was able to run rampant in the region, not only because it had influence in the martial arts world, but also because it had powerful backers in the government.

Upon hearing this, Master Zhang quickly put on a smile:
"Third Master is right. This young lady has fair skin, a beautiful face, and a good figure. She should be given to Inspector Song. This is what they call a good horse with a good saddle, and a good girl with a good man!"

Seeing that the enemy wasn't too numerous, Li Mochou had already regained her courage. But hearing Zhang Yong and Zhang Ye's offensive and obscene remarks, she was instantly enraged. Her pretty face flushed red, her almond-shaped eyes widened, and she slammed her hand on the table, coldly rebuking them:

"How dare you bully me! Do you think I wouldn't dare to kill someone?"

"A Guanzhong accent?" Zhang Yong chuckled. "Very good. I never imagined you were a Jin spy! Now it's perfectly legitimate to send you to the inspector's residence!"

Having said that, he circled the innkeeper and said sternly:

"The Han River Gang is here to arrest Jin spies! All irrelevant people, get out of here!"

The inn's lobby was already sparsely populated—half of the guests at the tables had left after Master Zhang's stern words and departure. Now, with Zhang Yong using the pretext of capturing "Jin spies" to clear the area, even the bolder guests who had stayed to watch the spectacle were worried about getting into trouble and quickly got up and left.

The innkeeper, with a long face, led two waiters and slipped away through the back door.

In an instant, the inn's lobby became empty, leaving only Lu Chen, Huang Rong, and Li Mochou.

Seeing that some people were still there, Zhang Yong glanced coldly at the corner table and spotted Huang Rong, who was grinning and watching the commotion. His eyes lit up, and he pointed at Huang Rong:
"That young lady is also a Jin spy, arrest her too!"

"Eh? Me?"

Huang Rong was stunned, not expecting Zhang Yong to have offended her. She pointed to the tip of her nose:
"Listen carefully, I have a Jiangnan accent!"

Li Mochou also angrily said:

"One person does the deed and takes responsibility for it; don't involve others!"

Zhang Yong chuckled, glanced at Li Mochou, then at Huang Rong and Lu Chen:
"So what if you speak with a Jiangnan accent? Everyone else has left, but you're the only ones who aren't. This Jin female spy is even speaking up for you. Do you dare say you're not in cahoots? I bet you've all been bribed by this Jin female spy to guide her and spy on our Great Song army!"

These words were spoken with such righteous indignation that, if it weren't for the wicked and cunning smile on his face, one might really think he was a chivalrous hero.

Huang Rong puffed out her cheeks, about to speak, when Lu Chen suddenly said:

"Why waste words on such a despicable person? Just kill him."

Huang Rong chuckled and stopped talking, while Li Mochou looked at Lu Chen curiously. She felt that this young man, who looked to be about the same age as her and had always been gentle and polite, sounded quite easygoing, but his murderous aura seemed a bit heavy.

Upon closer inspection of the greatsword on his back, he muttered to himself:
Such a big sword must weigh at least 10 or 20 pounds, right? Will it be easy to use?

Although I have some doubts about whether such a heavy sword can be wielded freely, a warrior carrying a heavy weapon still gives people a sense of security.

With Lu Chen and Huang Rong on her side, Li Mochou felt much more at ease.

Upon hearing Lu Chen's words, Zhang Yong was slightly taken aback. Looking at Lu Chen's youthful appearance, he sneered:

"Where did this brat come from, daring to speak so arrogantly in front of me, the Water Leopard?" He waved his hand:
"Leave the two young ladies here, kill that brat!"

Master Zhang was just waiting for his order. Upon hearing it, he immediately led the charge, leading several of his men in a swarm towards Li Mochou. He had gone back to get his knife, and his men were all armed with knives as well. With his cousin backing him up, he was emboldened and laughed loudly, shouting:

"You little wench, let's see if you still dare to challenge Master Zhang!"

On the other side, another skilled member of the Han River Gang, carrying a staff with copper bands at both ends, led several gang members with knives to rush towards Lu Chen and Huang Rong at the corner table. After getting close, he swung the staff without saying a word and smashed it down on Lu Chen's head.

This blow was truly aimed at killing someone.

When that copper-bound rod struck someone's head, unless they had practiced Iron Head Kung Fu, their brains would most likely splatter and they would die instantly.

Lu Chen sat still, unhurried and unhurried. He didn't use the Xuan Tie Heavy Sword, but simply grasped the hilt of the steel sword that Huang Rong had bought for him. He drew the sword with lightning speed, swung it backhand, and with a flash of sword light, easily sliced ​​off the whistle stick that was smashing down on his head. With another flick of his wrist, the tip of the sword pierced the heart of the Han River Gang expert with a soft thud.

Before the gang members following behind could understand what was happening, they charged forward with their knives. Lu Chen's longsword flashed like lightning, and after a few short, sharp whooshing sounds, the Han River gang members didn't even have time to swing their knives before they all froze, then clutched their chests or throats and fell to the ground one after another.

In just a few breaths, several members of the Han River Gang were killed by Lu Chen's sword, and a thick stench of blood began to permeate the lobby of the inn.

Meanwhile, Li Mochou was still exchanging swords with Zhang Ye and the others, putting on a spectacular show. In terms of martial arts, Li Mochou was far superior to Zhang Ye and the others, but the Ancient Tomb Sect's swordsmanship had a drawback: it was elegant and exquisite, but seriously lacked killing power.

When facing an enemy, they can fight very gracefully and elegantly, with movements as wonderful and beautiful as a sword dance. However, they lack a decisive and sharp killing move. Even if they hit the target, the enemy is often only injured but not killed.

Just now, Li Mochou's clever moves have already cut several bloody wounds on Zhang Ye and the others, but they are mostly superficial wounds that are neither deep nor shallow. They look bloody and frightening, but in reality, they are far from fatal.

Master Zhang and his men were notorious bandits who often engaged in river banditry and lived a life of constant danger. Although such minor injuries caused them great pain, they were not enough to render them incapable of fighting. Instead, they made them realize the flaws in Li Mochou's swordsmanship.

As each of them endured their pain and used desperate, mutually destructive tactics to launch a fierce attack, Li Mochou was forced into a state of panic and disarray.

Of course, this is also because she is a newcomer and has basically no practical experience.

Otherwise, with her martial arts skills, even if her swordsmanship lacked killing power, she could still easily bleed Zhang Ye and the others slowly, and no matter how desperately they fought, they couldn't disrupt her rhythm.

Although she was momentarily flustered by the situation, once she unleashed her lightness skill and swordsmanship, she discovered that while these men fought fiercely, their knife skills were utterly lacking in finesse. Their speed and accuracy were negligible to her, and they couldn't even touch her.

After exchanging a few more blows, Li Mochou's confidence grew, she gradually regained her composure, and no longer panicked. She even had time to cast her gaze toward Lu Chen and Huang Rong.

A quick glance revealed a startling sight: Huang Rong was smiling as she poured wine for Lu Chen, whose sword was already sheathed. Several corpses lay on the ground beside the table, their blood pooling around them.

"Killed so quickly?"

Li Mochou was startled. She had been so focused on fighting Zhang Ye and the others that she hadn't seen how Lu Chen had killed them. She couldn't help but admire Lu Chen's martial arts skills. At the same time, she felt that she had learned something from Lu Chen's calm and composed manner of drinking after killing his enemies.

Zhang Yong noticed Lu Chen's swift and fierce killing immediately.

Seeing several skilled fighters fall to Lu Chen's sword in almost a single exchange, Zhang Yong's eye twitched slightly, and he sensed something was wrong:

Even he would need about ten moves to deal with those skilled fighters. That kid looks to be under twenty, yet he kills people so cleanly and efficiently, one sword at a time. Which prestigious sect has trained such a young master?

Zhang Yong knew he had probably kicked a hornet's nest.

He thought to himself that a wise man doesn't fight a losing battle. Most of his skills were in the water, where he was a "water leopard" with few rivals. He could swim, scuttle boats, and kill people underwater. But on land, his skills would be halved.

Besides, the top two leaders weren't around, and he didn't bring many men. He wasn't prepared to gang up on a master, so he could only swallow his anger for now and plan his next move. He then shouted at Zhang Ye's group:
"Cousin, step back!"

(End of this chapter)