Hall master Wu felt glad he hadn’t come alone. He had increasingly higher expectations for the spirit ginseng. As long as he could eat the spirit ginseng and break through to the innate realm, then there would be one more protector in the Iron Fist Gate, protector Wu. And he would have no need to lower his voice and stay humble like this when faced again with this lord Feng of the Eagle Wolf Guard.
Lord Feng smiled: “He actually has some skills. This kid is only fifteen years old?”
“Yes, he’ll be sixteen past the new year. Now he’s most likely gone to Suncheer House.” Liu Hong had also investigated a bit. He hadn’t directly told them Li Qingshan refused to come, out of fear he would anger lord Feng.
“All the experts must be there at this time, it’s somewhat interesting.”
Li Qingshan had already climbed upstairs Suncheer House. There were already no ordinary customer left up and down the restaurant. The crowd was vaguely split into several rival camps.
Even if everyone in the building had already heard the news about him executing Mad Monk Empty Slaughter, their hearts still filled with shock when they saw him carry Empty Slaughter’s famous weapon Mad Demon Staff with their own eyes.
Li Qingshan looked around left and right. There were only four persons who could make him take notice.
One was a one-armed old man with a great saber on his back. One was a middle-aged lady with a cold and gloomy face. One was a wealthy man with a face filled with smiles. One was the pale-faced Wei Dandong fitted with a long sword.
Someone who’d long mixed within the rivers and lakes would have turned pale with fright at this moment if they had been standing there instead of Li Qingshan.
That Wan Hao, could it really be the Mad Blade Gate’s sect leader Wan Hao. Men of the rivers and lakes called him One-Armed Blade King. He’d killed eighteen riders with one arm and one blade like a storm, his fame shaking Low Sand City. As to this Wei Dandong, he was most likely the Wei Dandong born from the Cold Marple Academy, called the Life s.n.a.t.c.hing Scholar. His Thirteen Life s.n.a.t.c.hing Swords possessed superb artistry and reached perfection.
As to these Chu Xin and Lu Tingrui, they even more extraordinary. Smile-Faced Ghost Chu Xin, Wasp Sword Lu Tingrui, both of them were figures that would be a thorn in any first-grade master’s side. Those fours were all currently first grade-masters without exception.
There was no weapon in their hands that didn’t glow with spiritual light. Since the weapons they used were uncommon, then would they also possess fearsome trump cards just like Empty Slaughter?
On top of that, each of them had a large retinue except for Wei Dandong. Their sect members and disciples were innumerable. There was no one else of the martial world who could occupy a seat upstairs the restaurant apart from those parties.
Of course, there was someone else now.
Li Qingshan walked to the center of the restaurant as if there were no one else there. It was as if he’d walked into a pack of beasts. His slim self didn’t look very strong, but he seemed to exude the might of a king among beasts.
Just like his nickname, the Black Tiger!
Li Qingshan sat down firmly and stuck the Buddhist staff inside the floor. “Bring food!”
The waiter bought up a tray with shaking hands, the wine splashing all over the tray.
“Your wine is spilled. I’ll offer you a cup!” Wei Dandong grabbed a cup of wine from his table and threw it over.
The cup of wine whizzed through the air, but not a single drop spilled out.
This was merely the more ordinary of probings, testing the depths of Li Qingshan’s martial arts. Following a normal script, Li Qingshan ought to likewise expose the same kind of tour-de-force to shock the crowd. Everyone fixated their attention on him.
Li Qingshan waved his hand. The cup of wine broke to pieces. Wei Dandong’s face became even paler, while the others were secretly trying to guess whether Li Qingshan had been injured when exchanging blows with Empty Slaughter.
“I have my own wine!” Li Qingshan lifted his gourd and pulled out the cork. He lifted his head and drank up with loud gulps. He paused a little. “It’s even spiritual wine!”
Everyone’s eyes became red. They one and all reined in their energies and waited, itching to act. They weren’t only taking the others into consideration, they were even more deterred by that pitch-black monk staff.
Li Qingshan felt his true qi restore back to fullness. “Correct, the spirit ginseng is precisely with me!” This attracted another uproar in the restaurant.
Chu Xin said, “What conditions are you asking to take it out, how much silver. You name a price, everything is open for discussion!”
Li Qingshan lowered his head as if he were thinking it over.
Lu Tingrui said urgently when she saw Li Qingshan being tempted, “Kid, do you what what’s this fatty’s nickname in the martial world?”
“What’s he called?”
“Smile-Faced Ghost. He looks amiable, but in fact he’s the most ruthless and greediest, he won’t even spit out bones when he eats someone. You can’t believe him even if he promised you thousands or ten thousands of silver taels.”
Chu Xiu was still chuckling. He dug out a pile of silver notes and put them on the table. “Don’t say nonsense, I’ve never cheated young nor old in any business deal. Is this silver enough, if it’s not enough just consider it a down payment.” This wasn’t a spirit ginseng, it was an opportunity to promote to the realm of an innate master. You could earn back the silver no matter how much you spent as long as you could become an innate master.
Wei Dandong coughed loudly a few times. “I need this spirit ginseng to save my life. Whoever wants to s.n.a.t.c.h it from me wants my life, and I can only fight to the death!”
Wan Hao said: “There’s not much left to this old man’s life, I won’t regret anything.”
Li Qingshan fiddled with the wine gourd and said with a faint smile, “There are four persons here, who should I give the spirit ginseng to? You people hurry to decide between yourselves!” It certainly wasn’t to show off the bravery of a coa.r.s.e man that he’d come, but because he’d expected this kind of scene. He’d also thought of a way to settle this matter for good.
Chu Xin laughed mildly and said: “Don’t fall prey to his dissension-sowing. Are we really going to go out all and kill each others here, this would really be a huge loss. Better to join hands and do this kid in, then split the spirit ginseng into four parts. No loss and steady profit for all, what do you think?”
Wei Dandong said, “It’s still an old ghost like you who’s best at thoroughly calculating the pros and cons. Three of us will have to die if we started to fight. Who dares to say they will be the last one standing?” He coughed several times in succession when his voice fell.
Wan Hao and Liu Tingrui both exposed a thoughtful expression.
Li Qingshan thought: really worthy of old hands of the martial world, they won’t be led by the nose, their reaction is pretty fast. Seeing he was about to be attacked from all sides, he put his hand on the gourd and prepared himself to proceed with his plan.
His plan was very simple. It was merely to eat the spirit ginseng in front of everyone. The spirit ginseng had been used to soak wine for so long and its spiritual energy had already become very faint, so he should be able to bear it.
Of course, he might infuriate those first-grade masters this way and cause them to join hands in attacking him, but Li Qingshan believed escaping wouldn’t be a problem. But a greater possibility was that those people wouldn’t act at all. Without the temptation from the spirit ginseng, those old hands of the martial world would certainly not be willing to struggle to the death.
If he’d escaped, or if he’d secretly eaten the spirit ginseng, then the troubles would endlessly nag at him, possibly even more and more as time went on. He could only spread out the news about the spirit ginseng being eaten under the gaze of those famous figures, and settle this matter for good.
This idea did definitely not rely on mere wisdom, it relied even more on strength. If he were a second-grade master, then there was no use saying anything. But it was precisely because he was a first-grade master and had a strength tyrannical enough to kill Mad Monk Empty Slaughter that he could make people hesitate in front of the consequences.
Some people walked inside this restaurant at this precise juncture. They drew everyone’s gaze.
The one in the lead was precisely lord Feng. He wore his black-colored dark wolves garments with a wolf embroidered on it using a dark pattern. One would need a certain angle to spot the wolf spreading its jaws open and float together with the clothes, looking as if it were a living creature.
A scabbard made from green sharkskin hung at his hips, sheathing a wind-st.i.tching blade with a green catseye inlaid on the golden hilt. His pair of triangular eyes were slightly upturned, as if he never paid attention to anyone else.
Li Qingshan saw his body release a brilliance similar to a spiritual weapon. Two words rose inside his heart without needing anyone’s introduction: “Innate master!”