Finish watching it first?
Already seething with rage, the black-robed man laughed out of sheer fury upon hearing those words. "Fine, fine, fine! It seems you really love watching it!"
Before his voice had even faded, the longsword at his waist sprang from its sheath.
A sharp hiss cut through the air.
A wisp of sword qi skimmed the ground, reaching the shadow play screen in a mere instant.
With a light rip, the entire screen was sliced in two.
All that remained was the old man seated on the bench, holding the shadow puppet with a dazed expression, frozen in shock.
Slicing the screen did little to quell the man's fury. He bellowed, "I was wondering why you lot from the Lu'an Escort Agency hadn't shown your faces! So you were here watching a shadow play... Making me wait all this time in vain! Truly outrageous!!"
Lu Guiyan's expression darkened. "Xu Yuqing of the East Hall?"
Fang Shuwen, on the other hand, looked at the bisected screen with a twinge of regret. That story had just gotten interesting. Who knew how it was supposed to end? Had that fellow named Fang Huai succeeded or failed? What happened to him afterward?
A murderous glint flared in Xu Yuqing's eyes. "A tiny Lu'an Escort Agency actually fancied it could slip right out from under the Fierce Tiger Gang's nose... How utterly laughable! Tonight, every last one of you dies right here—"
Before he could finish, a biting wave of killing intent washed over him. He snapped his head around, only to see a small brass cymbal whistling straight toward his throat.
A jolt of shock went through him. Who would have thought an old man performing shadow plays was an expert?!
The old man's voice crackled with indignation. "He's the one who likes watching—why did you tear down my stage?"
At a loss for words, Xu Yuqing had no time to explain before the cymbal was right in front of him. He slashed out with his sword, and a sharp clang rang out.
The edge of the blade struck dead center. The cymbal was knocked back, yet it did not fall; instead, it used the rebound to whip right back toward him.
The old puppeteer flicked his sleeve, sending a second small cymbal flying. At the same time, his foot stomped down, and a bronze gong thundered.
The sound was deafening, blasting outward in every direction with an overwhelming shockwave.
It rattled their heads, leaving everyone dizzy.
Xu Yuqing felt a sudden tightness in his chest, his true qi screeching to a halt.
Immediately after came another crisp chime.
The second cymbal had collided directly with the returning first cymbal.
As the pair struck together, they released a piercing clash that, amplified by the gong's rumble, pierced straight to the bone.
Xu Yuqing was scared out of his wits, realizing he had run headfirst into a hardened master tonight... Yet the thought only left him feeling wronged. Who would have imagined that some old man performing shadow plays in the dead of night was an expert?
Those two waves of sonic arts alone proved how formidable he was.
Yet it was not over.
Shaken by the collision, the two small cymbals split into two paths and lunged toward him once more.
Though small, their whirling edges were no less lethal than keen blades. Xu Yuqing wanted to defend himself, but his true qi was blocked, and he could barely lift his arms.
He could only watch helplessly as the twin cymbals closed in from opposing angles, poised to sever his head on the spot!
In utter despair, just as he was about to close his eyes and await death, a voice boomed out:
"Elder Shixian, you dare kill a man of my Fierce Tiger Gang?!"
The voice seemed distant at first, yet in the blink of an eye it echoed right beside his ear. Two resounding clangs rang out in quick succession. Xu Yuqing snapped his eyes open.
The two deadly cymbals had been knocked back along their original paths.
Before him stood another figure.
The man was burly and stood six chi tall, his muscles corded so thickly that his clothes strained against his frame.
"Hall Master!" Xu Yuqing blurted out instinctively upon seeing him.
Elder Shixian caught the two cymbals with a casual sweep of his hand and sneered. "I was wondering who had the gall to bully others like this. Tearing down my stage the moment you show up... So it's Tong Tianba, Hall Master of the Fierce Tiger Gang's East Hall? Let alone you, even if Qin the Fourth stood before me, I'd slap him across the face!!"
"This old gentleman is actually Elder Shixian?!" Lu Guiyan murmured, her voice tinged with astonishment.
Fang Shuwen asked curiously, "The Young Chief Escort knows this old fellow?"
His knowledge of the jianghu was meager, and there were many figures he knew nothing about.
Lu Guiyan nodded. "He made his name in the jianghu half a lifetime ago, and his martial arts are one of a kind. Though not among the Three Immortals, Two Kings, and One Madman of the City, he is still a renowned veteran of the Eastern Domain. No one knows his true name anymore; for the past ten years, the jianghu has simply called him Elder Shixian. But he hasn't walked the jianghu for five years now... Who could have guessed he'd be out here putting on shadow plays?"
At this point, a wry smile crossed Lu Guiyan's face.
She truly had tremendous face...
Elder Shixian was a figure of great renown, an undeniable senior of the jianghu. Yet here she was, bringing the people of the Lu'an Escort Agency to watch him perform a shadow play. And according to Fang Shuwen, without even paying a coin. If word got out, anyone else would assume they were bragging.
Fang Shuwen nodded, feeling rather indifferent. The jianghu was teeming with experts; running into one or two in some forgotten nook was hardly a wonder.
While Fang Shuwen and Lu Guiyan exchanged words, Tong Tianba burst into loud laughter. "Relying on your gray hairs and old age to run your mouth without filter! What if I tore down your stage? Today, I'll snap your old bones so you can't go around flaunting your seniority!!"
Tong Tianba clearly possessed a fiery temper. With a furious roar, he kicked off the ground and closed the distance to Elder Shixian in an instant.
His massive fist surged forward, faint traces of a tiger's roar shaking the air as his punch cleaved the wind toward Elder Shixian!
This fist swept aside the surrounding air, seemingly ordinary yet cutting off every conceivable retreat around Elder Shixian.
Elder Shixian's expression sank. "Insolent junior, you truly court death!!"
With a flick of his sleeves, two iron rods slid out from his cuffs.
They were slender, their tips stained a deep crimson.
With a swift sweep, the rod tips targeted Tong Tianba's vital acupoints across his chest.
The rods had greater reach; before the fist could arrive, the tips struck Tong Tianba's body.
Yet before Elder Shixian could rejoice, two sharp clangs rang out.
The collision between iron and flesh actually produced the sound of clashing metal.
Tong Tianba roared with laughter. "You think two flimsy rods can harm me? Take my punch!!"
The thunderous strike slammed down. Though Elder Shixian brought his arms back to block, the sheer force of the blow surpassed his expectations.
He was sent hurtling sideways through the air!
Yet Tong Tianba's brow furrowed slightly. Elder Shixian truly lived up to his reputation as an expert who had made his name years ago. Heavy and potent as that punch had been, it had not truly injured the old man; rather, it had allowed him to slip right out of Tong Tianba's attack range.
Tapping his foot lightly, Elder Shixian spun around and landed right amidst the disciples of the Fierce Tiger Gang.
He chuckled wickedly. "Step right up and watch the shadow play!"
With a flick of both iron rods, he skewered a disciple who hadn't even had time to react.
With a subtle jerk of Elder Shixian's wrists, the disciple became just like a puppet in a shadow play, controlled by the twin rods as he was driven forward to attack Tong Tianba!
Lu Guiyan could not help looking over at Fang Shuwen. "Did you know about the Fierce Tiger Gang's ambush all along?"
Fang Shuwen smiled. "Waiting for them to come to us is better than walking into them ourselves. Young Chief Escort, isn't this far more entertaining than a shadow play?"
Lu Guiyan drew a sharp breath. Though she had asked the question, she hadn't expected Fang Shuwen to answer like that, assuming it was pure coincidence. Judging by the situation, the Fierce Tiger Gang must have been at least four or five li away, or they would have heard the commotion Elder Shixian was making. Yet over such a distance, Fang Shuwen had actually heard them... Just how formidable were his martial arts?
What kind of expert had she recruited for the Lu'an Escort Agency?
Chapter 54