blogombal Page 65
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"You two heroes, stop fighting! I, Wu Yong, have been watching from here for a while. Let's take a break. I have something to say."
Chapter 149: Wu Yong Joins the Party in Dongxi Village
Liu Tang turned around and saw a charming and sexy succubus dressed in an elegant white robe, striking a graceful pose. He was immediately confused. She had been beaten badly by Zhu Tong and was furious. So she started cursing and dismantling Wu Yong's chains as she did so.
"I'm Chao Baozheng's niece. Who the hell are you? Why are you acting like a virgin, you succubus?"
Zhu Tong turned around and recognized the man as Wu Yong, the strategist. She immediately became respectful. She knew him too; he was the most outstanding teacher in Yuncheng, and even Jizhou. Wu Yong had tried the imperial examinations in his early years and his written test scores were incredibly high, reportedly ranking in the top three. However, during the palace examination, he was eliminated because of his succubus identity and his overly unrestrained behavior. He then suffered a mental breakdown and went into seclusion in the mountains.
At that time, everyone in Jeju felt sorry for her and was also very nervous—this girl might be the second Zhang Yuan. Back then, Zhang Yuan was also among the top scorers in the imperial examination, but he was eliminated in the palace examination. In a fit of anger, he defected to Western Xia and became the prime minister, second only to the emperor, causing a lot of trouble for the Song Dynasty.
There's even a poem in the area praising Wu Yong's prowess: "He's read countless books, his mind is ingenious and clever. He's mastered the Six Secret Teachings and the Three Strategies. He harbors generals in his heart, and hidden armies within his belly. His strategies dare to outwit Zhuge Liang, and Chen Ping can hardly match his talent. A few clever tricks and even ghosts and gods are astonished. His name is Wu the Scholar, and people call him the Wise Star."
"Professor Wu! Don't get involved in this. I can take her myself!"
Zhu Tong addressed Wu Yong respectfully, but he wasn't idle either. He used his mind to control Wu Yong's chains and break free from their restraints!
"Sisters, please stop! Redhead, why are you arguing with the head constable?"
Liu Tang stared at Wu Yong with his eyes wide open and snorted coldly, "This has nothing to do with you, scholar."
Zhu Tong, however, remained polite: "Professor, you don't know, but this wretch was sleeping in the Lingguan Temple last night. We captured her and brought her to Chao Baozheng's manor. It turns out she's the Baozheng's niece. I released her out of respect for her aunt. King Chao treated us to wine and gave me some gifts. This wretch, without telling her uncle, came straight here to ask me for the gifts the Baozheng gave me? What kind of logic is that?!"
Wu Yong frowned, sensing something was amiss. She had grown up with Chao Gai since childhood, they were childhood sweethearts, and Chao Gai often held grudges against Wu Yong. Wu Yong knew all her relatives and acquaintances, but he had never seen this niece before. Moreover, her age was off. There must be something fishy going on. I'll try to calm things down first, and then ask him further.
“Red-haired one! Stop being so obstinate. Your aunt is a close friend and relative of mine, and she is also a brother to this Zhu the constable. She gave this constable some favors, and you are asking for them back. Wouldn't that be disgracing your aunt? For my sake, let's not fight anymore. Let's go back, and I will talk to your aunt myself.”
Most people would stop upon hearing this, but Liu Tang's intention was extremely clear—I'm not here to demand an explanation; I'm here to break the law and drag Chao Tianwang into this mess! I don't care what you say! He immediately started throwing a tantrum and making unreasonable demands.
"Scholar, you don't understand! This money wasn't given to her willingly; he swindled it from her! If he doesn't return it, I swear I won't go back!!!"
Zhu Tong was also angry at this moment: "I will only return it to him if the magistrate comes to collect it himself! Return it to you? Don't even think about it!"
The two argued for a while, neither willing to concede or listen to the other. Zhu Tong, his beard bristling with rage, brandished his sword, nine precious swords flashing in the wind. Liu Tang, on the other hand, gritted his teeth in hatred, his broadsword raised high, his crimson hair blazing as he roared. It looked like the two were about to fight again. Wu Yong stepped in to mediate, instantly casting two immobilization spells. A golden "fixed" character suddenly appeared above their heads, and golden lightning bolts of Confucian magic filled their limbs and bones, sealing their nerves, paralyzing their muscles, and restraining them.
However, Zhu Tong was a mind-stealer with ridiculously high resistance to spiritual energy, even surpassing Liu Hong. Wu Yong's immobilization spell only controlled him for a second.
Liu Tang also received Khorne's blessing, which sealed his magic and prevented his immobilization spell. The spell only lasted for two seconds before it was broken, and the two of them were about to fight, wielding their broadswords and large knives! Even Wu Yong couldn't control them.
At this critical moment, the soldiers pointed and shouted, "The village head is here! The village head is here!"
When Liu Tang turned around, he saw Chao Gai riding a horse at full speed on the road, wearing clothes. He looked like he had run in a great hurry, and his clothes were not properly put on. His front was open, revealing a pair of snow-white breasts.
It's not entirely her fault. Chao Gai only wanted to keep Liu Tang in check, but he never expected that this guy would just slip away! Chao Gai was so shocked that he broke out in a cold sweat, fearing that this audacious red-haired devil might do something that would drag him, his "aunt," into trouble, so he hurriedly left.
When Chao Gai saw Liu Tang, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and shouted, "Beast! How dare you be so rude!!!"
Wu Yong breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, if these two continued fighting, someone would die. Now that the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King has arrived, this disaster can finally be resolved.
"Lord! Go back and discipline your niece! She came here with a broadsword, asking me for money?!"
Seeing that Chao Gai was coming, Zhu Tong, unable to kill Liu Tang, could only angrily complain and even call himself a villain.
"Even if I were to repay the money, it would be to you personally, not to this red-headed devil! She fought me for thirty rounds. Even the professor's attempts to intervene were useless!"
Seeing Zhu Tong get angry, Chao Gai also started cursing Liu Tang, while simultaneously calling himself a villain in front of Zhu Tong.
"That beast! I had no idea. Please, Chief, go back for my sake. I will come to apologize another day."
Zhu Tong snorted coldly, said nothing more, and left with his men. Only after the officials had gone far away did Wu Yong ask curiously.
“It wasn’t the village head who came here on his own; he almost did something big. Your niece is exceptionally skilled in martial arts; she’s a real hero! I watched from behind the fence, and she fought Zhu the constable to a standstill. Unfortunately, she lacks experience and was almost killed by Zhu the constable several times, which is why I rushed out to stop her. Where did this niece come from? I’ve never seen her in the village before.”
"Well, it's a long story."
Chao Gai looked at Liu Tang with a complicated expression, while Liu Tang looked completely innocent—"I'm just trying to force you, Chao Gai, to rob the birthday gifts! But there's nothing wrong with what I'm doing. I'm playing the role of a reckless person. At most, you can scold me, what else can you do?"
Chao Gai was speechless for a moment, so he had no choice but to discuss it with Wu Yong.
“I was just about to meet with the professor when I discovered that Liu Tang was missing, and the broadsword on the gun rack was nowhere to be found. Then a shepherd boy reported: ‘A red-haired woman, carrying a broadsword, is heading south.’ I hurriedly followed after her, but the professor had already persuaded me to stop. Please come with me to my estate; there’s something we need to discuss.”
The three returned to the manor together, and Chao Gai then revealed the whole story.
"This young lady is a chivalrous hero of the martial world, surnamed Liu, named Tang, nicknamed Red-Haired Devil, from Dongluzhou. She came to seek refuge with me because of her wealth. Last night, she was drunk and asleep in the Lingguan Temple when Zhu Tong captured her and brought her to my estate. I managed to escape by recognizing her as my nephew. She said that Liang Zhongshu of Daming Prefecture in Beijing is buying 100,000 strings of gold and jewels to send to his father-in-law, Grand Tutor Cai, in Tokyo for his birthday celebration, and will pass through here soon. What harm is there in taking such ill-gotten gains!"
Even more remarkably, her visit fulfilled a dream I had: last night I dreamt of the Big Dipper, which fell directly onto the roof of my house. Another small star on the handle of the Dipper vanished in a flash of white light. Professor, what does this new city in my dream signify, good or bad?
Wu Yong laughed and said, "I've seen that Sister Liu Tang's arrival is quite unusual, and I've guessed about seven or eight parts of the reason. Leave this to me, and I'll help you gather the Seven Stars and One Light!"
Chapter 150: The Three Ruan Brothers Join Shijiebo (Bonus Chapter for 2500 Monthly Tickets!)
After Wu Yong finished speaking, he and Chao Gai split up and immediately set off. Chao Gai pulled together the alliance of wealthy landowners that he had previously organized. Unexpectedly, the first thing this alliance, which was formed to deal with Liangshan Marsh, did not do was attack Liangshan Marsh, but instead went to intercept the birthday gifts.
Meanwhile, Wu Yong first went to Shijie Village to recruit the three Ruan brothers. The small fishing village was surrounded by verdant mountains, with mulberry and osage orange trees reaching for the clouds. Streams flowed around the isolated village, and sparse bamboo groves lined the paths. Thatched eaves nestled beside the ravine, and ancient trees formed a forest. A wine flag hung high outside the fence, and fishing boats were idly moored in the shade of willows.
Wu Yong was renowned, and the entire Jeju Island respected her. When the three Ruan brothers saw Wu Yong arrive, they all came to greet her. The three six-armed mermaids, with their slender waists, swaying snake tails, and swaying breasts, greeted her with smiles.
The serpentine beauty, Ruan Xiao'er, was alluring and magnificent. Emerald scales gradually transformed into jade-colored skin from her slender waist upwards. Six lotus-like arms were wrapped in indigo silk, their voluptuous curves appearing and disappearing amidst the undulating waves. Her serpentine tail stirred up a pearly halo as it swam, and her dorsal fin, as thin as a cicada's wing, revealed coral-pink veins. Three water-repelling beads floated among her long, silvery-white hair, making the undried water droplets in her collarbone shimmer like stars. The delicate chain of her amethyst forehead ornament was perfectly concealed within her captivating snow-capped peaks.
The short-lived second son, Ruan Xiaowu, had dark gold snake scales that barely covered his full, peach-shaped breasts, and his bare waist shimmered with the iridescent colors unique to deep-sea sturgeon. His six wrists wore tortoiseshell armlets, which squeezed out honey-colored soft flesh as he gripped the water-splitting thorn. His tail scales were a drunken, flushed red, and as he swam, a mesmerizing fluorescent mucus seeped from between the scales, and the shadows of his pulsating organs could be vaguely seen through the translucent membrane of his belly.
Finally, the Living Yama, Ruan Xiaoqi, appeared. A black iron chain ran across her crimson snake body, drawing a breathtaking hourglass curve. Vermilion scales converged into sharp blades from her hip bones, and the poisonous stinger at the tip of her tail glowed with a peacock-green eerie light. Her uppermost arms lazily rested her chin on her hand, her elbows sunken into her snow-capped chest. Below, her four hands each held a poisoned dagger, the blades reflecting her torn red lips and teardrop-shaped scales at the corners of her eyes.
The three women were originally sisters, but the general level of education in Shijie Village was not high. The names of the three women were given according to the order of seniority in the clan. Their cousins occupied the first, third, fourth, and sixth positions respectively.
Therefore, these three sisters, who share the same father and mother, are named Ruan Xiao Er, Ruan Xiao Wu, and Ruan Xiao Qi, which is a strange mismatch.
"Professor, what brings you to Shijie Village?"
"I heard that you three sisters have been in trouble lately?"
Wu Yong didn't answer but asked a question instead.
"Hey, don't even mention it. Recently, a group of strongmen has appeared in Liangshan Marsh. Their leader is Liu Hong, the Great Sage of Chaos. He has seven fierce generals under his command: Lin Chong the Leopard Head, Wu Song the Pilgrim, Yang Zhi the Blue-Faced Beast, Suo Chao the Vanguard, Li Cunxiao the Little Protector, Lü Fang the Little Fengxian, and Guo Sheng the Second Rengui. These guys are really powerful. Add to that a thousand soldiers and several thousand fishermen, and they've almost caught all the fish on our side."
"Then why not compete with them?"
Wu Yong asked curiously.
"We can't beat them; they outnumber us."
Ruan Xiaoer was a little annoyed.
"Originally, there were enough fish here to eat, but as more and more people from Liangshan came, the fishing area expanded and now overlaps significantly with ours."
"Then why not join them?"
Wu Yong asked again.
"My aunt is used to being wild. She doesn't know much about Liu Hong, the Great Sage of Chaos. All she knows is that he is a hero who killed a rich man and saved the people. She knows nothing else. His name has only been circulating in the martial arts world for about a year. She knows nothing about his past. The sisters are still observing and dare not easily entrust their lives to him."
"I see."
Wu Yong nodded.
“I have a wealthy family to give to my three sisters. Do you know Chao Baozheng from Dongxi Village in Yuncheng County?”
Ruan Xiaoqi's eyes lit up and she said, "Could it be Chao Gai, the one called the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King?"
"Yes, yes, that's the person."
Wu Yong readily agreed.
"These past few years, I've only been teaching at the village school near Chao Baozheng's estate. Now I've heard that the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King has a fortune waiting to be seized, so I've come to discuss with you how we can ambush and kill him on the way!"
Ruan Xiaoer frowned, sensing that Wu Yong's visit was suspicious.
“That won’t do. The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King is a chivalrous and generous hero! He has lived in Yuncheng for over twenty years, helping his fellow villagers and saving lives. He has a great reputation. If we were to rob her of her money, we would be laughed at by the heroes of the martial arts world! Our consciences would not allow it.”
"That's right, that's right. Taking this money would be against my conscience. I won't go, I won't go."
Ruan Xiaowu and Ruan Xiaoqi also shook their heads.
Seeing the three talking like this, Wu Yong breathed a sigh of relief and stopped probing.
"I'm sorry, I was just testing you. I didn't expect the three sisters to be so kind! To be honest, I didn't come here to invite you three to ambush and kill the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King. Rather, the Heavenly King is going to do something big and needs your help, so I was testing you."
Ruan Xiaoer was a little angry.
"We three sisters are telling the absolute truth, without a single lie! Chao Baozheng is a hero. If she has any shady private business dealings, and as long as she doesn't lose her conscience and is willing to help us, then we three sisters will swear an oath with this leftover wine: may we all suffer misfortune, be afflicted with terrible diseases, and die a violent death!!!"
Ruan Xiaowu and Ruan Xiaoqi patted their necks and said, "This passion is only worth selling to someone who knows its value!"
Wu Yong nodded repeatedly upon hearing this.
"This matter is indeed of great importance! Grand Tutor Cai of the current court is celebrating his birthday on the fifteenth of June. His son-in-law, Liang Zhongshu of Daming Prefecture in Beijing, is about to send 100,000 strings of gold and jewels to celebrate his father-in-law's birthday. Now, a hero named Liu Tang has come to inform you of this."
Now, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King wishes to invite you to discuss gathering a few heroes to a secluded spot in the mountains to seize this ill-gotten wealth and enjoy a life of pleasure! Last year, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven seized the birthday tribute, and in just one year, he transformed Liangshan into the second most powerful force in Jizhou, second only to the Zhu Family Village! If we seize the birthday tribute this year, we will certainly be no less powerful than that Great Sage Equaling Heaven!
Therefore, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King has specially sent me to invite the three of you to discuss and resolve this matter. What are your thoughts?
The three Ruan sisters looked at each other, first surprised, then puzzled, and finally excited. Ten thousand strings of cash for a birthday gift! They did it!
The three Ruan sisters were overjoyed and joined in. Wu Yong used a prophetic spell, calculated with his fingers, and went to the nearby casino to recruit a man named Bai Sheng, nicknamed "White Day Rat." At this point, Chao Gai's high-ranking group consisted of seven people: Chao Gai, Wu Yong, Liu Tang, the three Ruan sisters, and Bai Sheng.
Chapter 151: The Cloud Dragon Skillfully Executes the Five Thunderbolts Technique
Just as the seven men gathered at Chao Gai's house to discuss robbing the birthday gifts, a servant suddenly came to report that a female Taoist priest had come to the door to request an audience with Chao Gai.
Chao Gai, who was focused on planning the robbery, waved his hand impatiently, saying, "We're talking about important matters, don't interfere." He then ordered the servants to bring out some rice wine to send the female Taoist away.
Unexpectedly, after a while, a servant came to report that the Taoist priest was not satisfied and insisted on seeing him. At this moment, Chao Gai was focused on the birthday tribute and had no time to worry about such trivial matters. He immediately told the servant to bring more rice wine and some copper coins to send him away.
Unexpectedly, this time, the servant did not return to continue the disturbance. Instead, a deafening thunderclap erupted at the door! Startled, the seven people rushed out. Bai Sheng, the White-Day Rat, volunteered to transform into a large, glossy white rat and go to investigate. He instantly merged into the ground and disappeared.
Strangely enough, although she had transformed into a mouse, she had thirteen twisted and deformed horns growing on her head.
After a while, the big white rat ran back in a frightened state and reported to everyone—a very powerful Taoist priest had come to the door!
"What's there to be afraid of! All the sisters are here now, why should we be afraid of a Taoist priest? Heavenly King! Watch me take her down!"
Liu Tang laughed three times, and his full head of red hair once again transformed into Khorne's Flame, bursting and enveloping his entire body. Liu Tang, wearing a Hellfire Coat and holding a burning broadsword, arrived at the manor gate with a raging fire, ready to fight the Taoist!
The Taoist priest, with his feather fan and silk turban, exuded an ethereal, otherworldly air, like a banished immortal. His snow-white crane-feather cloak, woven from ice silkworm silk, had wide sleeves adorned with subtle star patterns, and his jade-like feet were shrouded in swirling clouds, as if treading on the highest heavens. His snow-white shoulders, covered in dense blue scales, shimmered with light and shadow, making him appear like a true dragon coiled atop Kunlun Mountain!
The moon-silk sash draped over her waist like ice-blue tassels, each jade bead sealed with a violent, restless thunderous spell.
On her celestial face, amidst her long, frost-white hair, two crystal-clear pearl dragon horns emerged, their bases inlaid with Bagua runes carved from the marrow of the ocean, their tips crackling with indigo lightning. Three dragon-scale-like patterns adorned the corners of her eyes, and her irises, like polar glaciers, enveloped her molten gold vertical pupils. When she gazed, it seemed as if thunderclouds gathered and surged deep within her pupils, and her breath released a terrifying mist carrying arcs of electricity. When her hair fluttered without wind, the indigo dragon scales beneath were revealed.
At her feet lay a large number of villagers who had been electrocuted and were all soaking wet, as if they had been drenched by a downpour.
"Hey! You Taoist priest, why are you trespassing on the Heavenly King's residence?!"
Liu Tang roared, and the sound wave, carrying the smell of alcohol, shattered a wine jar three zhang away! His red hair exploded like flames burning backward, and the moment his feet crushed the blue bricks, his whole body transformed into a stream of crimson flames, charging forward with billowing black smoke. His broadsword, which was also wrapped in exploding hellfire, tore through the air waves, and the horrifying blood groove left on the blade emitted a deathly shriek like the sobbing of a demon!
The female Taoist priest looked at Liu Tang helplessly and was also very annoyed. "I just want to see the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, why is it so difficult?"
Helpless, the female Taoist priest made a hand seal with her left hand, and all seventy-two wells in Dongxi Village simultaneously boiled, with seventy-two water columns bursting from the well openings and shooting into the sky! The villagers were stunned. Under her command, the water droplets condensed into dragon scales in the sky, instantly transforming into a five-clawed dragon that blotted out the sun, roaring and howling as it flew and crashed down on Liu Tang!
In front of that giant water dragon, Liu Tang looked as insignificant as an ant.
"boom!!!"
The terrifying, towering water dragon not only halted Liu Tang's foot charge but also sent her flying! The Hellfire Garment covering Liu Tang's entire body barely managed to extinguish a section of the water dragon, which was then quickly extinguished. This caused Liu Tang's beautiful, enchanting, blood-red hair, resembling a fiery sunset, to spew out plumes of white smoke in frustration, and water filled her mouth and nose, making her gurgle and gurgle.
The fiery red robe, soaked through with water, clung tightly to her wheat-colored skin, partially concealing her strong and beautiful body, outlining wet, graceful curves. Drops of crystal-clear water seeped into her collar and then rolled down the slopes between her large breasts and the creases of her V-line into the crimson forest.
Her long, wet, blood-red hair clung listlessly to her shoulders and collarbone, no longer able to move without wind. It wanted to burn again, but could only exhale a wisp of damp white smoke.
"drink!!!"
The female Taoist priest stretched out her right hand, let out a fierce shout, and five slender jade fingers unleashed five terrifying bolts of golden lightning! The entire sky was torn open with five molten golden lightning fissures—these were no ordinary lightning bolts, but tribulations brought down from the Thirty-Third Heaven!
The moment the five golden bolts of lightning pierced Liu Tang's wet and delicate body, she was blasted away like a kite with a broken string! A magnificent rainbow mist rose around her, and every inch of her skin was crackling with dragon-shaped arcs of electricity. Her soaked body convulsed from the shock, and she foamed at the mouth! She crashed heavily to the ground.
As the lightning dissipated, Liu Tang lay sprawled on the cracked floor tiles, his proudly erect breasts sparkling with electricity as his wet silk robes billowed with each breath.
The female Taoist priest, however, remained calm and composed, as if dealing with Liu Tang was merely a trivial matter.
The three Ruan sisters exchanged a glance. They knew Liu Tang's abilities; in a one-on-one fight, any one of them could easily defeat him in the water. But on the road, Liu Tang could easily beat any one of them! And this ferocious red-haired demon was actually defeated by this Taoist priest in just two moves?!
"Sisters, let's go!"
The three sisters, Ruan Xiao'er, Ruan Xiao'wu, and Ruan Xiao'qi, wielding eighteen kinds of weapons, attacked Gongsun Sheng from the front, left, and right, while the three beautiful snakes launched their attack simultaneously.
The female Taoist priest remained calm. She slammed her left hand on the ground, and terrifying waves of water, like a supernova explosion, burst out in all directions from her body! The surging water was like the Qiantang River tide, and the turbulent current was like a river bursting its banks. In an instant, the three Ruan sisters were submerged, their clothes were soaked, and their snake scales were covered with water droplets.
Then, the female Taoist priest stretched out her right hand again, tearing five golden lightning cracks in the sky. With just one strike, she blasted the three sisters away! Chao Gai and Wu Yong, who were the last to arrive, were dumbfounded.