Chapter 8

Su Zhong sat there calmly, eating meat and drinking wine. Xiao Sheng, who was not good with words, kept his head down and ate meat, ignoring Lin Pingzhi's arrival. In his heart, he only recognized Su Zhong as the young escort captain. As for Lin Pingzhi? A rich young master, how could he possibly impress the Hundred Steps Divine Fist?

After ten years of fighting, the fists had given Xiao Sheng great confidence and pride. He always regarded Su Zhong as his master and only listened to Su Zhong.

Su Zhong had his back to the door, and Lin Pingzhi did not recognize him. The two escort captains who followed him, after many years of separation, also failed to recognize him.

Su Zhong did not disturb them, watching the situation develop. He saw the guards flattering Lin Pingzhi, and then saw Lin Pingzhi get into a conflict with two Sichuan men.

Finally, the dagger pierced the heart of the man surnamed Yu, and Lin Pingzhi killed Yu Canghai's son.

Just like in the original story, Lin Pingzhi stood there in shock. The other man ran out the door, jumped on a horse, and tried to escape.

Lin Pingzhi did not have time to stop him, and the other escort captains were unsure whether to intervene. But Su Zhong could not let him escape, whether he died early or late, it was the same. Better to die early and be reborn!

Su Zhong reached out and took a chopstick, throwing it toward the door.

A sharp whistling sound broke the tense atmosphere. In an instant, all eyes in the tavern focused on Su Zhong.

With a thud, the man on the horse fell off, clutching his neck and making choking sounds, unable to speak. A chopstick had pierced his neck and emerged from his throat. He had been killed by a single chopstick!

With a clatter, the two escort captains, Zheng and Shi, drew their swords and protected Lin Pingzhi behind them.

"Who are you? We are the escort captains of the Fuyi Escort Agency, and this is our young escort captain. If you have no business, please leave," Zheng said confidently, using the jargon of the martial world.

"Fuyi Escort Agency? Haha." Su Zhong laughed lightly and continued drinking.

Lin Pingzhi, with his disheveled hair, came to his senses and heard the disdain in Su Zhong's voice, his handsome face turning red.

"Who are you, daring to look down on the Fuyi Escort Agency?" Lin Pingzhi shouted, his anger still high from the recent killing. His heart was burning, and he couldn't control himself, shouting in a hoarse voice.

Zheng felt bitter, thinking the young escort captain was too rash. That man had killed a Sichuan man with just a chopstick, a terrifying feat. Challenging him now was like an old man drinking arsenic.

Su Zhong ignored Lin Pingzhi's challenge. He put the last piece of beef in his mouth, drank the last cup of wine, and then turned around, his face expressionless as he looked at Lin Pingzhi.

Seeing the person in front of him, Lin Pingzhi, who was about to continue his challenge, suddenly stopped, his face turning red like a duck with its neck pinched.

After trembling for a long time, he finally spoke in a soft, almost inaudible voice: "Big Brother." His voice was as quiet as a mosquito.

But the tavern was silent, and the sound of a pin dropping could be heard. This "Big Brother" was still heard by everyone.

Zheng and Shi, the two escort captains, were stunned. After a careful look, they found that the man indeed resembled the young chief escort captain. It was really the young master! They were relieved and overjoyed. Thanks to the young master's timely reaction, he had eliminated the fugitive. If the other man had gone to report, they would have been in big trouble.

Su Zhong ignored the two escort captains, his eyes cold as he looked at Lin Pingzhi.

"Is this your martial arts? After years of not seeing you, you seem to be getting worse! A third-rate martial artist can make you look like this. If the other side hadn't been careless, you would be dead!" Su Zhong's voice was calm.

But to Lin Pingzhi, it was like being doused in cold water. When he was young, he dared to argue with his cold-faced big brother. But as he grew older, Su Zhong's sword skills improved, and his authority increased. In front of Su Zhong, he didn't even dare to breathe heavily. Even in front of his father, Lin Zhenan, he never felt this way.

Faced with Su Zhong's scolding, he could only nod dumbly, unable to speak.

"Also, are you stupid? You don't even know how to cut off the roots! Letting one person escape, do you want them to go back and bring enemies to us?!" Lin Pingzhi submitted, but Su Zhong didn't let up.

Su Zhong had created twelve basic boxing techniques, which made Xiao Sheng famous as the Hundred Steps Divine Fist. Lin Zhenan had also improved his martial arts by learning them. But seeing Lin Pingzhi's movements, his steps were unstable, and his boxing techniques were loose, clearly not well-practiced. His unarmed combat showed only the form of the basic boxing techniques, not the essence. To Su Zhong, this was a huge waste of resources!

The escort captains and guards watched Su Zhong scold Lin Pingzhi in silence. The usually proud young escort captain didn't dare to say a word in response, which surprised everyone. They never imagined the young master had such authority.

Su Zhong ignored the curious gazes of the escort captains and guards. He turned to look at Lao Denuo and Yue Lingshan, and said coldly, "Tell Yue Buqun that this is a private matter between the Fuyi Escort Agency and Songfeng Temple. Don't meddle where you shouldn't. If anything happens, don't blame me for not warning you." With that, he turned and left.

Yue Lingshan, the daughter of the Huashan Sect, had never been scolded like this.

"Who are you? Speak clearly. What does it have to do with you that we are selling wine here?"

Su Zhong snorted, his arm extended, and a green light flashed from his waist as he stepped out.

"Today's incident is because of you. If you come to trouble us again, I will personally go to Huashan and ask the famous Gentleman Sword how he teaches his children!"

Yue Lingshan felt a chill on her face, fearing that Su Zhong had cut her. She screamed and touched her face. When she opened her mouth, her facial muscles trembled, and with a puff, the disguise on her face flew off like a butterfly, revealing a charming and lovely face.

Lao Denuo was shocked. A single sword strike had shattered the disguise without harming the skin. What kind of sword skill was this? Could it be the *Evil-Dispelling Sword Technique*? A fiery light flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly extinguished. With such a skilled expert in the Fuyi Escort Agency, how could they obtain the *Evil-Dispelling Sword Technique*? It seemed his master's plan would fail.

His master was not Yue Buqun, but the ambitious Left Alliance Leader. Thinking of the incredibly fast sword technique, Lao Denuo felt his scalp tingle. The Fuyi Escort Agency had such a hidden expert, and no one knew about it. Lin Zhenan had deep plans!

What he didn't know was that this expert, Lin Zhenan couldn't control at all.

"What are you standing there for? Come home with me!" Su Zhong shouted at the stunned Lin Pingzhi. He left the tavern with Xiao Sheng, ignoring the various thoughts of the people inside.

...

In the main hall of the Fuyi Escort Agency.

Lin Zhenan smoked his pipe, and Lin Pingzhi stood in the middle of the hall, trembling.

Su Zhong sat on the left chair, and after he stood up, Xiao Sheng stood with his head down, silent like a statue.

Beside him, Lin's wife held Su Zhong's hand, asking about his experiences over the past six months. Hearing that Su Zhong had cleared forty bandit strongholds, she was deeply concerned and asked where he was hurt.

Lin Zhenan was surprised and a bit upset to learn that his son was the famous Death-Dealing Sword. His eldest son had always been at odds with him, and as he focused on the escort agency, he had neglected him. But before he could mend their relationship, he found that his eldest son had already carved out his own path, beyond his control.

Looking at Lin Pingzhi, standing in the hall, trembling, he felt truly regretful. He shouldn't have pampered him so much. Although his second son was well-read and skilled in martial arts, he was not a wastrel. But compared to his brilliant eldest son, his achievements were insignificant.

"Tell me, what trouble have you caused?" Lin Zhenan saw his second son's appearance and knew something had happened. Having been in the escort business for many years, he was calm and experienced. Although he was anxious inside, he remained composed.

Lin Pingzhi wanted to hide it, but looking at his father and his cold-faced big brother, he knew he couldn't. He told the whole story.

The more Lin Zhenan listened, the more shocked he became. By the end, he was standing up: "You said the man had a white cloth on his head and cursed with 'ge lao zi' and 'gui er zi'?"

"What's wrong?" Lin Pingzhi was confused.

Lin Zhenan became increasingly uneasy, pacing the floor, smoking his pipe. His wife, seeing his anxiety, also forgot about their eldest son.

"What's going on?"

"Ah!" Lin Zhenan sat down, sighing heavily: "That kind of dress is clearly from Sichuan. Last month, I just opened a route to Sichuan's Songfeng Temple. Master Yu said he would send disciples to discuss the escort business. Those two might be Master Yu's disciples. We haven't even started talking, and now we've offended them completely." Lin Zhenan frowned, deep in thought.

Hearing that Su Zhong had killed the fugitive, Lin Zhenan was slightly relieved. As long as this matter was covered up, there wouldn't be immediate problems. But when he heard that two people from the Huashan Sect were involved, he was shocked again.

After a few steps, he saw that his eldest son had not expressed any opinion, and his heart steadied. Yes, since he knew those two were from the Huashan Sect and still acted, he must have a plan.

"Yang'er, what do you think we should do?" Lin Zhenan asked, feigning calmness.

Lin's wife also came to her senses. Their eldest son had always been decisive. Seeing Su Zhong's calm demeanor, she relaxed and smiled at him.

Su Zhong didn't even look at Lin Zhenan: "What to do? Send all the guards home, keep the escort captains. Prepare the hidden weapons, all poisoned. Kill anyone who comes tonight, one or two, it doesn't matter!"

Lin Pingzhi was stunned, Lin Zhenan coughed repeatedly, and Lin's wife laughed: "Yang'er, don't scare your father."

Su Zhong's eyes flashed with cold light, making Lin Pingzhi stiffen.

"I'm not joking. That's what I planned. You may not know, but Yu Canghai never intended to cooperate. A month ago, when Captain Cui left Sichuan, he led all the disciples of Songfeng Temple to attack our Fuyi Escort Agency branches. By now, they should be in place, waiting for the right time to launch a total attack. He's not here to negotiate, he's here to exterminate us! If he wants to exterminate us, we must be prepared to be exterminated!"

His words plunged the hall into an icy silence, and Lin Zhenan stood there, stunned.