Chapter 67. Just Eat Your Rice.

I stared at the lightning dagger embedded in the table.

"When I was young, there was a fun older brother in the neighborhood. You know, the kind of person who exists in every neighborhood, cheerful, fun, and good to me. He was also very manly."

"..."

"Our neighborhood's life-or-death duel was like this. We would stick our daggers in the table, try to resolve things through conversation, and if that didn't work, grab our daggers and stab each other. It was a life-or-death duel, but no one died every time. Still, a few fingers would always be cut off. To my young eyes, it was quite a brutal fight. The people in my hometown never backed down easily."

I looked at Yusaqing.

"One day, I found that older brother dead at the table. It wasn't particularly surprising. My grandfather cleaned up the body, and I came with a mop to clean the table. But the mop kept getting stuck. When I looked closely, there were dozens of dagger marks on the table. I thought, 'At least the older brother I knew didn't die in a pathetic fight.' I cleaned the table every day, and each time I wondered how to deal with my emotions."

"..."

"Because of the knife marks, the table was never cleaned properly."

"..."

"The name suddenly escapes me. He was an orphan, so there was no way to find out. Anyway, after some time, the guy who killed the neighborhood older brother died by the same method, at my hands."

I pulled out the lightning dagger.

"Ultimately, he ended up dying by my hand."

The bound Yusaqing writhed, even shedding tears.

Yusaqing finally spoke.

"Please, spare me!"

"Your pressure points are released?"

"Please spare me. I'll tell you everything I know. I'll cooperate fully."

"I don't care what you're going to say."

I extended the lightning dagger to cut his bindings. The thick ropes were easily severed, like slicing through a dumpling.

I grabbed Yusaqing's arm and placed it on the table.

"Your pressure points are just released. If you can't regain your composure, I'll make you eat fire. Try to steady your breathing."

I firmly held his hand and said,

"And why am I going to kill you?"

I activated the Absorption Technique.

"Gr...k..."

Yusaqing's pure internal energy flowed through my heart and into my body. I paused the Absorption Technique for a moment, then sent a stream of energy to scout inside Yusaqing's body. After that, I continued the Absorption Technique. Soon, the scouting energy returned to my body.

Yusaqing's face was a mix of tears, snot, and saliva.

I checked his condition, stopped the Absorption Technique, and steadied my breathing.

I also needed to meditate immediately.

The extreme yang energy in my dantian rose to the top of my head, making my face feel hot and my vision tinged with a reddish hue.

I turned Yusaqing's palm and embedded the lightning dagger into his hand.

With a "thud," the lightning dagger pierced his hand and stuck into the table. As Yusaqing's scream echoed, I said,

"Be quiet. If Dugu wakes up, he'll come here and twist your neck several times. It's better to endure the pain than to die."

"Gr...k..."

I glared at Yusaqing and sat cross-legged on the chair to meditate.

"If you're confident, pull it out and attack. That's our neighborhood's life-or-death duel method."

I started meditating, drawing on the power of the Heavenly Jade, and accumulated a considerable amount of energy, despite the short period. However, I felt a strange sensation because the Golden Jade Leisure Technique's realm was still at the Flame Stage.

I could break through the Flame Stage if I pushed myself, but the comprehensive martial arts principles contained in the Golden Jade Leisure Technique did not want that, so I did not rush.

After calmly completing one cycle of meditation and opening my eyes, Yusaqing had stopped the bleeding by blocking the circulation in his arm with his own method.

Yusaqing, with a pale face, said,

"...I've stopped the bleeding temporarily."

It seemed Yusaqing had regained some composure. Begging for his life or promising to reveal everything didn't work on me.

I looked at Yusaqing and replied briefly,

"Good."

"Thank you."

When I pulled out the lightning dagger, Yusaqing quickly tore off his collar with one hand and his mouth, wrapping it around his hand.

I poured wine into an empty glass and handed it to Yusaqing.

Yusaqing finally drank a glass of wine with his good hand, savoring it as if he had just had water in the desert. With bloodshot eyes, Yusaqing spoke,

"Thank you."

I drank wine and said,

"The reason Wu Aimen and Tie Shanfu came to bow to me is because their residences are fixed. They know I can wipe out Wu Aimen or set fire to Yuhua Valley, so they put aside their pride and came to apologize. It's not that they have less pride than you; they have disciples to protect and families to feed, so they feel responsible."

I pointed at Yusaqing and continued,

"But I'm not particularly interested in your situation. You're a gambling house owner."

"Yes."

"Your way to survive."

"Please tell me."

"If you can't help me kill Li Longnong and Shu Xian, there's no reason to keep you alive. They attacked me first, but they were bound to obstruct my path. Dajie died, and Heixianbao died for the same reason. I'm an orphan, so I don't have anything to protect like Yuhua Valley or Wu Aimen. The subordinates gathered here are a mix of Dajie's disciples, Heixianbao's followers, and the subordinates of those I killed. You don't have the qualifications to be my subordinate, and your chances of surviving under my hand are low. Your life depends on how I deal with Li Longnong and Shu Xian. How are you going to convince me?"

Yusaqing, with a look that suggested he was about to faint, tried to find the right words to answer but suddenly lost consciousness and hit his head on the table.

Thud!

I sighed.

"Tsk."

Why do people keep fainting when talking to me?

'Maybe I should consult Mr. Murong...'

At that moment, Dugu walked out from inside and asked me,

"Did you have a conversation?"

"He fainted."

Dugu placed his hand on Yusaqing's neck.

"He's still breathing."

Dugu glared at me and said,

"Get some rest. Your eyes are red. They have a strange purple hue."

I finally stood up.

"I'll rest."

* * *

I washed my face and returned to the main hall at the urging of my subordinates. Even without the concubines, the table was full of food prepared by the subordinates.

I scratched my head, sat down, and started eating.

One by one, they returned to their seats from yesterday and started eating. Xiaojunping asked while eating,

"Should we start with Li Longnong or Shu Xian?"

I chewed on the vegetables and replied,

"I don't know."

Bai Ren asked,

"Where did Yusaqing go?"

"I don't know. Eat your rice first."

I'm a man with many unknowns. In the middle of eating, the main hall door opened, and Dugu and Yusaqing entered together.

The gazes of the officers and disciples focused on them.

Dugu came first, pulled out a chair, and said to the wobbling Yusaqing,

"Sit down."

Yusaqing bowed and sat down.

"Thank you."

Everyone shook their heads and continued eating.

Yusaqing's face, which had been covered in blood, was now clean. Dugu patted Yusaqing's back and said,

"Let's eat. Eat a lot."

"Yes."

I wondered how many people he had beaten to reduce Yusaqing to this state. I was glad Yusaqing was still alive.

I ate while scolding Dugu,

"Is it right to be so cruel to people?"

Dugu replied,

"Don't make such boring jokes to me. They're not funny at all."

Dugu explained Yusaqing's condition to the others,

"This guy's hand was stabbed by our Fangzhu. I heard his internal energy was also taken. He was so scared of our Fangzhu that it was hard for me to talk to him. I only hit him a few times. Yusaqing, am I wrong?"

Yusaqing, while eating, replied,

"You're right."

Dugu said to the crowd with a strange tone,

"Fangzhu has many things to worry about. I'll take care of this guy. Remember that."

Dugu, who seemed to have a really bad temper, received no response. Suddenly, Dugu patted Yusaqing's back again.

"Eat a lot."

"Yes."

I felt a chill run down my spine.

Dugu kept speaking to me informally, so Chachengtai interjected,

"Dugu, you've worked hard."

"!"

Suddenly, everyone's gazes shifted between Chachengtai and Dugu.

Dugu replied with a cold expression,

"Chachengtai, you've also worked hard, only to ruin your appetite."

Everyone chuckled, and Chachengtai's face turned red again. They all ate in silence, but Yusaqing spoke up.

"Fangzhu."

"What?"

"If you allow it, I'll lead the troops and be the vanguard... I'll go with Dugu."

I glared at Yusaqing and replied,

"Just eat your rice."

"Yes."

As we finished eating, I said to Xiaojunping,

"Since we're full, let's have some daytime wine."

Xiaojunping smiled and replied,

"Sure?"

I'm the leader of the most pitiful group in the world. No plan, no direction. The only thing in my mind was a broad strategy and the belief that those who must die will die by my hand.

While drinking, Bai You said to me,

"Big Brother, I'll perform the fan dance."

"Go ahead."

Bai You performed the fan dance, Dugu started tormenting Yusaqing again, and Chachengtai occasionally glared at Dugu with a drowsy look while drinking.

In the midst of this, Hongxin sang as Bai You danced.

Bai Ren still drank calmly.

Qingjin looked at these fools with dissatisfaction.

It was a real mess.

As the alcohol took effect, I looked at my subordinates and clicked my tongue.

"Oh, what a pitiful bunch."

What was Dugu saying to Yusaqing? Yusaqing, who had been silently listening, was now shedding tears.

I was waiting for the enemy's strength to weaken on its own, so I didn't need to do anything specific. In the midst of this chaos, I sat cross-legged on the chair and meditated again.

Hongxin's singing faded away.

Dugu's words and Yusaqing's sobs also disappeared.

"..."

In a half-dream, half-awake state, mixed with the effects of alcohol and meditation...

I found myself sitting in the old Zhahe Inn.

"Zhahe, give me a bowl of noodles."

A neighborhood older brother, dressed in a clean white robe, entered the inn and sat down. I took a clean cloth and started cleaning the table where he sat. The table was clean, so it was easy to clean.

"Where are you going, Brother? You're dressed so neatly."

The neighborhood older brother, whom I hadn't seen in a long time, ate the noodles in silence. After finishing the broth, he put down the bowl and asked me,

"Didn't you remember my name? I feel disappointed."

"What was your name again?"

The older brother revealed his name, but I couldn't remember and just replied,

"Oh, right. I remember now."

"Good meal."

As the older brother paid and stood up, I asked,

"Why are you dressed so nicely? Are you going to meet a girl?"

The older brother shook his head and smiled brightly.

"Not a girl. I'm starting a new life."

"Are you not going to fight with knives anymore? You need to take revenge on Zhaige."

"He's already dead, so what revenge? Anyway, thank you. I'm leaving."

I met the older brother's gaze and smiled.

"Good luck with your new life."

The older brother smiled at the Zhahe Inn.

"Thanks."

...

I opened my eyes and exhaled a long, trembling breath.

It was a strange dream, but I didn't think it was particularly strange.

I just thought the neighborhood older brother had started a new life.

As I looked at my subordinates, a corner of my mouth curled up.