Chapter 34

The task to eliminate the Qing soldiers was quite broad in its definition. It included not only Qing court soldiers but also the court's lackeys.

Tong Zhaohuo was considered a martial arts figure, but since he had joined the Qing court, he was also counted among the Qing soldiers. His elimination completed one of Li Wuqing's quotas.

Afterward, Li Wuqing took out the iron box that dropped after killing Tong Zhaohuo from his storage space and opened it in front of everyone.

With a faint smile, Li Wuqing took out a book from the iron box. His eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands, causing the book to transform into a beam of light and merge into his body.

Watching Li Wuqing's series of actions, Xiu Yongqing's eyes revealed a hint of curiosity and speculation. He hesitated and asked, "Brother Leng, does killing people here make them drop items, just like killing monsters in a game?"

Xiu Yongqing knew better and asked in a very low voice. Even if Liu Hongjun, Zhao Dingkun, and the others nearby listened carefully, they wouldn't have heard.

In the hall, the many martial arts experts engaged in fierce battles. Although they had keen senses, it was impossible for them to hear Xiu Yongqing's words amidst the chaos.

Nodding to Xiu Yongqing, Li Wuqing praised him, "Your observation is very meticulous, and your imagination is rich. Yes, your guess is correct. In the Overlord world, killing major characters will make them drop treasure chests."

Xiu Yongqing's eyes brightened, and he said joyfully, "Indeed, I knew I was right."

Fan Qi, who had been listening attentively, her eyes flickered, and she said softly, "Brother Leng, I have a curiosity, I wonder if it's appropriate to ask?"

Looking at Fan Qi, Li Wuqing's eyes briefly showed admiration before he encouraged her, "Go ahead and ask."

Fan Qi was already very beautiful, and when she wore a lady's suit, she exuded the air of a strong woman. In the world of "The Book and the Sword," her attire changed to that of an ancient female warrior, making her even more heroic and valiant.

This valiant beauty made Li Wuqing's eyes light up. Subconsciously, he compared her to Leng Rubeibing, and Fan Qi's beauty surpassed Leng Rubeibing.

Fan Qi smiled faintly and said, "Brother Leng, what was the book you took out of the treasure chest just now?"

Li Wuqing replied, "It's a knife technique, known as a martial arts manual in the martial arts world, and a skill book in the Overlord space."

Upon hearing it was a martial arts manual, several people's eyes brightened. They cast envious and jealous glances at Li Wuqing, secretly vowing to obtain a few martial arts manuals as well.

The knife technique had no name. After learning it, Li Wuqing realized that it was not of high quality and was likely a basic knife technique.

While Li Wuqing and his group were having a low conversation, the battle in the hall continued. The eighth-ranked member of the Red Flower Society, "Iron Tower" Yang Chengxie, entered from outside.

An Jiangang was far from Yang Chengxie's match. After a brief fight, he was drenched in sweat. If the battle continued, he would inevitably die under the whip.

Seeing this, Zhou Zhongying became extremely anxious and shouted, "Heroes of the Red Flower Society, listen to me."

At this moment, Wei Chunhua had already replaced Xu Tianhong and was fighting fiercely with Wan Qinglan. Hearing Zhou Zhongying's shout, he and Yang Chengxie slightly slowed their movements.

Xu Tianhong shouted, "Be careful, don't fall for it." Before he finished speaking, Wan Qinglan indeed lunged at Wei Chunhua with his steel spear.

Wei Chunhua, having heard Xu Tianhong's warning, was prepared. Seeing the enemy's blade attack, he did not retreat but instead countered with a hook. Wan Qinglan, startled by his reckless attack, quickly retracted his steel spear to defend.

Xu Tianhong pointed and cursed, "In the martial arts world, they say you, Iron Gall Zhou, are a man of great righteousness. But you are truly undeserving of your reputation. You use underhanded tricks; what kind of hero are you?"

Zhou Zhongying, knowing he was misunderstood, could not help but become angry. He called out, "Your Red Flower Society is also too overbearing." He adjusted his robe and said, "Jiangang, step back. Let me fight these renowned heroes."

An Jiangang stepped back a few steps, and Zhou Zhongying stepped forward and asked, "Friends, what are your names?"

Yang Chengxie, seeing his white beard fluttering, did not dare to be disrespectful and said, "I am Iron Tower Yang Chengxie."

At this moment, Luo Bing had already regained consciousness and shouted, "Eighth Brother, why are you being so polite? This old man killed Fourth Brother."

Upon hearing this, Xu Tianhong, Yang Chengxie, Wei Chunhua, and Zhang Jin were all shocked. Wei Chunhua left Wan Qinglan and lunged at Zhou Zhongying, his twin hooks whirling like the wind, aiming straight for Zhou Zhongying's chest.

Zhou Zhongying stood firm with his large knife, using his inner strength to repel the twin hooks. Wei Chunhua was taken aback, knowing that his opponent was powerful, but he did not retreat and attacked again.

On the other side, Zhang Jin was fighting both Meng Jianxiong and Zhou Qi, and the battle quickly became intense. An Jiangang, panting, wiped the sweat from his forehead and joined the fight with his saber.

Yang Chengxie wielded his steel whip against Wan Qinglan.

The hall was a scene of fierce combat. In the battle between Zhou Zhongying and Wei Chunhua, Zhou Zhongying had the upper hand, and Wei Chunhua gradually found it difficult to defend.

The Red Flower Society had launched a large-scale attack. Soon after, the twelfth-ranked member, "Ghost Seer" Shi Shuangying, and the thirteenth-ranked member, "Copper-Headed Crocodile" Jiang Sigen, arrived.

The Red Flower Society now had a significant advantage in numbers. In several battle groups, except for Zhou Zhongying, who had the upper hand against Xu Tianhong and Wei Chunhua, the rest were being suppressed.

Zhou Zhongying tightened his knife technique, forcing Xu Tianhong and Wei Chunhua to retreat step by step. Just as he was gaining the upper hand, Jiang Sigen suddenly leaped forward and shouted, "I'll fight you, old man!" He swung his iron paddle down with great force.

Fighting three opponents, even with Zhou Zhongying's Shaolin orthodox skills and high martial arts, it was difficult to ensure victory. To break the deadlock, he swung his large knife at Wan Qinglan.

Originally, Zhou Zhongying did not want to oppose the government. He had lived in Iron Gall Manor for decades, with a family and a career. As the saying goes, "A county official can destroy a family." Offending the government would bring endless trouble.

However, the fight with the Red Flower Society grew more intense. Over time, someone would inevitably be injured or killed, turning a misunderstanding into a real grudge. Weighing the options, he decided to abandon Iron Gall Manor and attack Wan Qinglan to break the deadlock.

Seeing Zhou Zhongying's golden knife coming at him, Wan Qinglan was terrified and quickly dodged. Knowing Zhou Zhongying's intentions, he shouted, "Let's join forces to capture Zhang Wentai. Although you killed Zhang Wentai, the court has offered a reward of 20,000 taels of silver. Do you want to kill me and take it all for yourself?" He was deliberately framing Zhou Zhongying, hoping to incite a fight between Iron Gall Manor and the Red Flower Society to mutual destruction.

The Red Flower Society heroes were stunned when they saw Zhou Zhongying attack Wan Qinglan. They stopped their attacks and listened to Wan Qinglan's words. In the heat of battle, they were already saddened by the death of their brother and could not discern the truth.

Zhang Jin roared and swung his wolf-tooth club at Zhou Zhongying's waist. Zhou Zhongying, in a rage, could not explain himself and had to block with his knife.