Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 100 Grudges Settled

Duan Zhengchun heard a whooshing sound behind his head and dodged it with a step. Zhong Wanchou missed his first punch, but then threw two more punches, followed by a sweeping kick.

Duan Zhengchun blocked left and right, leaping backward, and said in a deep voice, "Brother Zhong, this is your home. I've given you three moves as a courtesy to a guest. If you continue to cause trouble, I, Duan, will have to fight back!"

Zhong Wanchou shouted, "Call your wife here. I'll call her 'Baby,' and if you're not angry, I'll let you hit me back!"

Duan Zhengchun laughed and said, "'Pretty Yaksha' Gan Baobao, if I don't call her by her name, should I call her 'Pretty Yaksha'?"

Zhong Wanchou was stunned for a moment, then suddenly turned around and ran to Jiang Mingzhe's side, clasped his hands and said, "Mr. Long, this man is very eloquent. I know that what he said is wrong, but I don't know how to talk to him. Please teach me."

Jiang Mingzhe sighed, "Prince Duan is my uncle!"

"Mr. Long!" Zhong Wanchou suddenly knelt down, tore open his clothes, pounded his chest twice, and cried out, "I'm so frustrated here! Ahhhhhh!"

This person's voice was rough and hoarse, and his speech was extremely unpleasant. When he shouted like this, it sounded like the braying of a donkey or the bellowing of a pig. However, in addition to being unpleasant to hear, there was also a sense of indignation and resentment.

Jiang Mingzhe helped him up and whispered, "Have you forgotten the Dao, the Law, the Technique, and the Weapon? Right now, the Dao is saving people! Zhong Ling is, after all, surnamed Zhong. You invited Prince Duan to save her, and arguing with him is your fault. In your wife's eyes, she will only think you are petty. After you've saved her, tell my uncle that no matter if she's called Gan Baobao or Xian Baobao, you should call her Madam Zhong!"

Zhong Wanchou stared blankly, then looked at Jiang Mingzhe with surprise: "That's right!"

Jiang Mingzhe said fiercely, "After saving Zhong Ling, you must thank my uncle and treat us to a meal. Then, under the influence of alcohol, do this and that, and it will surely have a miraculous effect. If you say the wrong thing again this time, even Zhuge Liang can't help you."

Zhong Wanchou nodded repeatedly: "Okay, okay, I promise I won't be wrong this time!"

He suddenly stood up, clasped his hands in a fist and said to Duan Zhengchun, "Your Highness Duan, it was my fault, Zhong. You helped me save my daughter, and I was jealous of you. That's not like a man at all. If it weren't for my Mr. Long pointing it out, I would have offended a good person. Please forgive me, you are a magnanimous person!"

Duan Zhengchun was exchanging glances with Gan Baobao when he was completely taken aback by Zhong Wanchou's words. He paused for a moment, then forced a smile and said, "It's alright, it's alright. It was just that I lost my composure upon seeing an old friend for the first time. Don't blame the Valley Master."

Jiang Mingzhe was slightly surprised; Zhong Wanchou's words were actually meant to cover for him.

When others saw Zhong Wanchou crying and begging for advice, he whispered something to him. Zhong Wanchou got up and apologized. They must have thought that he was helping Duan Zhengchun to reprimand Zhong Wanchou, so they wouldn't blame him, the retainer, for "colluding with the enemy."

Jiang Mingzhe wasn't afraid of offending anyone, nor did he need Zhong Wanchou to cover anything up. But Zhong Wanchou's actions showed that he was a good friend, at least not the kind of person who would use people and then forget about them.

Gan Baobao was quite surprised to hear her husband's words and asked in confusion, "You..."

Zhong Wanchou said impatiently, "What do you mean 'what do you mean'? Saving my daughter is the most important thing! Boss Duan, Duan Zhengchun is here now too. Tell me, what do you want in return for my daughter's release?"

Duan Yanqing said, "It's very simple. I want him to agree to let me go, and within three days, he must not send anyone to pursue me. After three days, when we meet again in the martial world, we'll each rely on our own methods."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Duan Zhengchun said, "Is that so? Very well, I agree. Go ahead and release the child."

Duan Yanqing gave him a deep look, said nothing, released his grip on Zhong Ling's throat, and crawled away on the ground.

If he had two hands, he could walk, but now that he only has one hand, he can only crawl like this.

As everyone watched the greatest villain in the world slowly crawl away, his long hair trailing on the ground, soon covered in mud and dust, they couldn't help but feel some pity for him, even though he was their enemy.

Zhong Ling was the youngest and had a softer heart. She felt sorry for the old man and forgot that he had just tried to strangle her. Suddenly, she shouted, "You big villain, wait a minute!"

Duan Yanqing's expression changed slightly. He stopped struggling to sit up and said coldly, "What, is the dignified Prince of Zhennan of Dali going to break his word?"

Zhong Ling laughed and said, "I asked you to wait, not the prince!"

After saying that, he ran into the house, picked up his two black staffs, and suddenly saw that Azi was still sitting on the ground. He quickly said, "Oh dear, didn't your big ginger help you release your pressure points? It's okay, I'll have Brother Jiang release them for you." After saying that, he ran out again under Azi's fiery gaze, and threw the black staffs far away next to Duan Yanqing.

Duan Yanqing looked surprised and stood there for a long time before slowly saying, "I don't have my right hand, so I can't hold a cane. If you're going to be a good person, go all the way and tie it to my arm."

Zhong Ling struggled for a moment, then said with a bitter face, "I'll tie you up, but you can't take the opportunity to grab me again."

After saying that, he found a rope and tied a black staff to Duan Yanqing's amputated arm.

Duan Yanqing used his two canes to stand up again, and with a exertion of his right arm, the blood that had stopped flowing started dripping down again.

His face was as white as a corpse, yet he showed no sign of weakness, and said arrogantly, "Zhong Wanchou, you betrayed me today, killed Ye Erniang, and ruined my grand plan. If I were in the right mood, once I recovered from my injuries, I would definitely kill every last one of you in Wanjie Valley, leaving no one alive, and everyone would die a horrible death before I could vent my hatred. However, for the sake of your little girl, I will forgive this debt."

Zhong Wanchou's expression changed slightly. He thought to himself that with his martial arts skills, even if he lost a hand, he would be no match for him. However, if he said he would erase it now, then he must have erased it. Zhong Ling, that brat, clearly did something stupid, but I didn't expect to get such a benefit from it.

Duan Yanqing didn't bother to care what Zhong Wanchou thought, and looked at Jiang Mingzhe and said, "Boy, you are so young and you already have such martial arts skills. Your future achievements will probably be earth-shattering. It will be difficult for an old cripple like Duan to do anything to you. However, I, Duan, have always been one to avenge any wrongs I have committed. You killed the Four Evils and scattered them like clouds. I will settle this score with you slowly."

Jiang Mingzhe said solemnly, "Excellent! The world of martial arts is vast. Without grudges, how can one find joy? Old Duan, take good care of yourself. I'm waiting for you to come and take your revenge!"

Duan Yanqing chuckled and exchanged a glance with Jiang Mingzhe, a mutual appreciation seemingly emerging between them. Duan Yanqing turned to leave, but after taking a dozen steps, he suddenly stopped.

He didn't turn around, but said indifferently, "Little girl surnamed Zhong, since you have a kind heart, do one more thing for this old man: bury Ye Erniang properly. Although she is the most wicked person in the world, she is also pitiful. When a person dies, the debt is settled. Let her rest in peace."

Without waiting for Zhong Ling's reply, he braced himself with his staffs and dashed far away, disappearing in a few leaps.

Duan Zhengchun praised, "Even in death, the tiger retains its might. Just this imposing presence alone is enough to make him worthy of being called the greatest villain in the world. It was worth it for us to let him go. Hmm, it's just that he only said he wanted to seek revenge on my nephew, but he didn't come to me. That's a bit of a shame."

Jiang Mingzhe said in a low voice, "I once heard a remarkable person say that this Boss Duan was actually the former Crown Prince of Yanqing in Dali. The deep-seated hatred between him and his uncle and brother is well-known."

Duan Zhengchun was greatly surprised and subconsciously assumed that it must have been Ding Chunqiu who told Jiang Mingzhe. He exclaimed, "It was him! He's not dead? Oh dear, this is no small matter! I must inform my brother immediately!"

Gan Baobao frowned and said, "Are you leaving so soon after you arrive? Are you always going to be this busy?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized she had lost her composure. She subconsciously looked at her husband, only to see Zhong Wanchou's face ashen. He forced a smile and said, "Yes, yes, you rescued someone and left without even having a drink. If others find out, they'll say I, Zhong, am stingy! Men, clear away the banquet. I want to thank King Duan for saving my daughter!"

At the sound of someone arriving, the servants who had been hiding somewhere rushed out to tidy up the rooms and prepare food and wine, which need not be described further.

Gan Baobao was greatly surprised, feeling that her husband's behavior today was quite incomprehensible, and she couldn't help but look at him in astonishment.

Zhong Wanchou noticed his wife's surprise and was secretly pleased, but he deliberately put on a stern face and did not speak to her.

Upon hearing him mention saving his daughter, Duan Zhengchun clapped his hands and immediately asked Jiang Mingzhe, "Is Azi alright?"

Jiang Mingzhe said helplessly, "I was acupunctured by Old Duan, and I don't know how to undo it. I was just about to trouble you, Uncle, to take a look."

Duan Zhengchun asked in surprise, "Old Duan? The great villain? Why do you call him that?"

Jiang Mingzhe frankly said, "In my heart, I call my uncle 'Old Duan.' He's much older than you, so naturally he's 'Old Old Duan.'"

Duan Zhengchun, being a magnanimous and cheerful man, didn't find the coroner's words offensive. Instead, he found them endearing and amusing, and laughed heartily, asking, "Then how do you address my imperial brother? Old Duan?"

Jiang Mingzhe glanced at him helplessly: "My uncle is the emperor's elder brother, so of course I call him the emperor. Uncle, please go and release my senior sister's acupoints!"

(End of this chapter)