Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 92 Enemy Face to Face, Chicken Soup for the Soul

Zhong Wanchou continued to laugh strangely.

Jiang Mingzhe also laughed.

The two smiled at each other.

Suddenly, another person burst out laughing.

Everyone looked over and saw Xin Shuangqing, the leader of the Western Sect.

The nun covered her mouth with her sleeve, and seeing everyone looking at her, she quickly suppressed a laugh and waved her hand, saying, "I'm sorry, I really couldn't help it. I saw those two laughing, and this Dragon Offering Master's laughter was like a spring breeze, rising spring waters, a spring tide surging in the spring sun, and spring trees covering the spring mountains..."

Duan Zhengchun's eyes lit up, and he gave a thumbs-up, praising, "Daoist Master's words are excellent. So, what about Valley Master Zhong?"

Xin Shuangqing couldn't help but laugh again, shaking his head and saying, "Valley Master Zhong's laughter is just like a horse neighing, a donkey braying, a mule grinning, and an old goat frolicking."

Duan Zhengchun clapped his hands: "Oh!"

Zhong Wanchou was furious. He glared at Xin Shuangqing and said, "You shameless slut, have you bewitched the Duan family too? Once I'm free, I'll slaughter your Sword Lake Palace, and then you'll know what 'killing anyone you see' really means!"

Xin Shuangqing glanced at Duan Zhengchun, then glared at Zhong Wanchou and sneered: "Judging from your unreasonable nickname, I know you and the Four Evils are birds of a feather!"

He then said to Jiang Mingzhe, “Lord Long, don’t make things difficult for him. His Wanjie Valley is not far from here. Go west for more than ten miles from the back mountain, pass the Shanren Ferry and keep going until you see a large forest with many pine trees. That is the territory of his Wanjie Valley. Your lightness skill is excellent. Find the tallest tree and climb it. You will definitely be able to see where it is.”

Zhong Wanchou grew increasingly angry and was about to shout curses when he suddenly realized something and looked at Jiang Mingzhe, saying, "What did this slut call you? Aren't you surnamed Duan? No, Ye Erniang wouldn't lie to me. She said my daughter is hanging out with a guy surnamed Duan. If it's not you, then who is it?"

Duan Yu coughed and stepped forward: "Greetings, Valley Master Zhong. The young man surnamed Duan that Ye Erniang mentioned is probably referring to me, but I dare not claim that we are mixed together. Your daughter was captured by Yun Zhonghe, and my elder brother and I rescued her. Then we encountered my elder brother's senior sister coming to rescue your daughter. Oh, actually, I just learned that the young lady A Zi is my sister..."

Zhong Wanchou was completely bewildered, and all he could make out was one word: Duan.

He glared at Duan Yu, then suddenly his face clouded with suspicion. He gritted his teeth and said, "Your surname is Duan? So you're the one with the surname Duan. Who is your father? What's his name?"

Duan Yu straightened his chest and said frankly, "My surname is Duan, my given name is Yu, my courtesy name is Heyu, and my father's given name is Zhengchun."

"Duan...Duan Zhengchun!"

Zhong Wanchou roared so loudly it nearly lifted the roof off, his whole body trembling: "You little beast, are you the bastard son of that dog Duan Zhengchun?"

Duan Yu was furious and was about to speak when Duan Zhengchun stopped him, stepped forward, and frowned, saying, "You surnamed Zhong, I, Duan Zhengchun, have never met you before. We have no grudges against each other. Why do you hate me so much?"

When Zhong Wanchou heard Duan Zhengchun introduce himself, his eyes widened suddenly, as if he had seen a ghost, and his teeth chattered.

He said in a trembling voice, "It really is you, it really is you! I knew your Duan family was powerful and had many lackeys. I invited the Four Evils to make things difficult for you, and I knew I couldn't hide it from you. Sure enough, you found out! No, no, you are not allowed to go to Wanjie Valley. If you take a single step into Wanjie Valley, I will cut off both your legs first, and then kill your son in front of you!"

Duan Zhengchun sneered, "You can't even protect yourself now, who do you think you can scare with these stupid words? So it turns out you're the one who brought the Four Evils. What have I done to offend you that you hate me so much? I, Duan Zhengchun, have always been upright and honest. Tell me how I offended you. If I am truly in the wrong, I will apologize to you without hesitation."

Zhong Wanchou's eyes were bloodshot, and he laughed in extreme anger: "You haven't wronged me? You haven't wronged me? Haha, haha, Duan Zhengchun, I wish I could eat you alive!"

Duan Zhengchun angrily said, "After all you've said, how exactly have I wronged you?"

Jiang Mingzhe wondered when this charade would end.

He added sinisterly, "Exactly, what did my uncle do to offend you? Just tell me, did he sleep with your wife?"

Duan Zhengchun, who was originally in a confident and righteous manner, suddenly became weak upon hearing this, his imposing aura dissipated by most, and he revealed an unnatural smile.

"what!"

Zhong Wanchou let out a bloodcurdling scream, his face contorted in agony.

He cried out in panic, "How did you know? Was it that guy surnamed Duan who was bragging to you? Damn it, damn it, Duan Zhengchun, you bastard, are you really going to come and steal my wife?!"

Although he was knocked down by Jiang Mingzhe and tied to a pillar, unable to move, his ferocity remained undiminished. At this moment, when he spoke of Duan Zhengchun stealing his wife, he suddenly became weak, and his voice even carried a hint of sobbing.

Duan Zhengchun grew increasingly uncomfortable. Seeing this, the four guards, familiar with the situation, smiled and clasped their hands, saying, "Sect Leaders, our master has important matters to ask this man surnamed Zhong..." Before they could finish, Zuo Zimu shouted, "Oh dear, it's time for our daily sword practice! Lord Duan, Valley Master Zhong, I apologize, but the rules set by our patriarch cannot be changed. The time has come, we must go and practice!"

After saying that, he led the Wuliang Sword Clan out of the main hall in a hurry. The four guards, two at the front door and two at the back door, guarded the four directions separately.

Jiang Mingzhe turned to leave, but Duan Zhengchun stopped him and said with a wry smile, "Nephew, you don't need to be so formal. Alas, your uncle is not good enough and has made you laugh."

Jiang Mingzhe said seriously, "Uncle, why do you say such things? A man who isn't romantic in his youth is wasting his life!"

Duan Yu immediately perked up: "Brother, what a fine young man! No wonder A Zi... my sister loves your poetic talent."

Jiang Mingzhe blinked, thinking, "Isn't this saying still around? Oh well, I'll accept it. It's like having too many lice and not feeling any itch, or too many debts and not worrying about anything."

He nodded and smiled, "I just had a thought, my dear brother, you flatter me."

Duan Zhengchun also praised, "My nephew's stroke of genius in coming up with this line is indeed excellent..."

Zhong Wanchou said bitterly, "Good, good my ass! If Duan Zhengchun wants to be a womanizer, what about us honest people? He's handsome and willful, but there are plenty of ugly people in this world."

Duan Yu exclaimed in surprise, "How could that be? There are many good-looking people. My sister is very beautiful, your daughter Zhong Ling is also very beautiful, my elder brother is naturally extremely handsome, and my father, although his beard is a bit long, is also quite handsome."

Duan Zhengchun patted Duan Yu affectionately: "My son, you are as handsome as jade."

Zhong Wanchou was about to argue when he saw the three men staring at him. They were all handsome, and he thought to himself, "There are four people in this hall, and three of them are quite good-looking. Is it really true that there are many good-looking people in this world?"

He cried out in grief and indignation, "Heaven is unjust! If Heaven were fair, it would have made everyone look the same."

Jiang Mingzhe laughed and said, "Zhong, don't complain. Let me ask you, if your wife looked like an ox, but had a good temperament and character, would you still love her this much? Afraid that someone would steal her away?"

Zhong Wanchou cursed, "Isn't that bullshit? Why would I love a cow? Even that old white-faced Duan Zhengchun wouldn't steal a cow-like woman. If he wants to steal my wife, it's only because my wife is incomparably beautiful."

Jiang Mingzhe clapped his hands and said, "Hey, aren't you just another woman who enjoys looking at things? And you're still complaining about God's unfairness?"

Zhong Wanchou thought for a moment, then shook his head again: "Heaven is just unfair. If Duan Zhengchun hadn't been born into wealth and was good-looking, why would he dare to steal my wife?"

Jiang Mingzhe sneered, "Heaven is naturally unfair. For example, your nickname is 'Kill Anyone You See,' so you must have killed quite a few people. If you hadn't been lucky enough to learn some powerful martial arts, how would you have dared to kill people indiscriminately? What ability would you have to kill people?"

Zhong Wanchou said smugly, "You're talking nonsense again. My martial arts skills are the result of my diligent practice. Do you think these skills just grew on their own? What's wrong with that?"

Jiang Mingzhe said, “You have the opportunity to learn martial arts from a master, while many people don’t even know where their next meal will come from. Those people may be more talented than you, and their perseverance may be stronger than yours, but they will never have the chance to learn martial arts in their entire lives. How can that not be unfair? So there’s no need to argue about fairness or unfairness. You are already you, so what’s the point of worrying about it? You might as well focus on the present and think about how to play to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses!”

He said these words, which anyone in later generations who had watched a few short videos could easily say, and it was not surprising at all. But for people of this era, it was extremely novel. Even Duan Zhengchun and Duan Yu couldn't help but nod in approval, thinking that their nephew/elder brother's words contained great wisdom.

Zhong Wanchou felt a sense of relief, as if the clouds had parted and the sun was shining through. He couldn't help but ask, "Play to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses? Will that even work?"

Jiang Mingzhe laughed and said, "How could it be useless? Take you, Valley Master Zhong, for example. Although you are not very beautiful, do you not have your own strengths? Why do you compare your appearance with my uncle's? Compare your strengths to his weaknesses. You should know that women admire strength. Since you are better than my uncle, why worry that your wife will not love you?"

"Dragon, Dragon Offering!" Zhong Wanchou became excited. If he hadn't been tied up with ropes, he might have already knelt on the ground: "I am foolish and ignorant. Please give me some pointers. How can I play to my strengths and avoid my weaknesses so that the man surnamed Duan can't take my wife away?"

Actually, Jiang Mingzhe originally wanted to teach this guy surnamed Zhong a lesson and force him to reveal the location of Wanjie Valley.

However, as they talked, they discovered that this person had a huge psychological weakness. Rather than torture him, they decided to use gentleness to overcome his strength. Perhaps he could even be used by them. With this person as an inside man, the chances of rescuing Azi would be much greater!
He chuckled and looked at Duan Zhengchun: "Uncle, since Old Zhong is no longer shouting for violence, how about we release him first?"

Although Zhong Wanchou's martial arts skills were not bad, Duan Zhengchun was confident that he could defeat him. Moreover, he had Jiang Mingzhe and the four bodyguards, so he was not afraid of Zhong Wanchou's antics.

Moreover, Duan Zhengchun was also extremely eager to know who Zhong Wanchou's wife was.

He immediately smiled gently and said, "Alright, perhaps it was just a misunderstanding. Azi and that little girl Zhong Ling are good friends, so we should release Valley Master Zhong and talk things over properly."

　Chapter Two will be a little later; you guys can read it after you've woken up.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)