Chapter 30

Shenma's Selection (30)

Chao E Liang and Han Xuehua nodded.

The reason was that as they settled into their seats, people's gazes once again turned toward the entrance.

It was at that moment that someone entered the first-floor entrance.

He must have been in his mid-forties.

The man exuded a somewhat eerie feeling due to his pale face and the deep shadows under his eyes.

"Huh? That guy?"

At Fan Jie Wei's words, Chao E Liang turned his head toward the entrance, his eyes gleaming with interest.

It was because he, too, recognized the man.

"Do you know him?"

In response to Dan E Xian's question, Chao E Liang nodded.

"He's a very famous money ghost in this line of work."

"Money ghost?"

"His name is Sa Wuxin. Anyone who has encountered him shivers at his tenacity in hoarding money. No wonder his nickname is Money Guardian."

Fan Jie Wei added an explanation.

"His obsession with money is no joke. Moreover, he's so stingy with spending it that even I, Chao, dare not challenge him."

Chao E Liang glared at Fan Jie Wei.

"I'm just frugal."

At this, Han Xuehua's face mask loosened.

Seeing this, Chao E Liang's eyebrows twitched.

It was clear that she was smirking, even though her expression was hidden by the mask.

Sure enough.

"Frugality is a virtue for the rich, but for the poor, it's just..."

Han Xuehua's words were immediately echoed by Fan Jie Wei.

"Just miserly."

"These guys?"

Despite everything, they were sincere in their insults toward each other.

At that moment, Sa Wuxin, who had just entered the Hao Yuan Lou, suddenly flinched and looked around.

He, too, sensed something amiss.

Sa Wuxin then turned and walked out the way he came.

It was at that moment that the people who had filled the first floor all stood up at once, like a receding tide.

"Damn!"

"Chase him!"

They quickly chased after Sa Wuxin, leaving the place empty like a receding tide.

In an instant, the Hao Yuan Lou was almost empty, with only five customers remaining, including Dan E Xian's group.

"Were those Wu Lin Alliance guys waiting for that guy?"

At Fan Jie Wei's words, Chao E Liang showed his doubt.

"Why? Although he's a villain, there's no particular reason for the Wu Lin Alliance to chase him, right?"

At this moment, a conversation between other customers could be heard.

"Is that guy the Money Guardian?"

"The reason why Nan Zhou has been in turmoil for the past few days is because of him."

"I heard that all the nearby Demon Extermination Teams gathered to capture him."

"The Wu Lin Alliance?"

"Didn't you know? Didn't the Wu Lin Alliance recently announce the execution of the Hundred Great Villains?"

Chao E Liang and Fan Jie Wei exchanged glances.

The Sa Wuxin they knew was certainly a top martial artist in the black path.

However, it seemed quite forced to include him among the Hundred Great Villains instead of the many other villains. After all, his obsession with money had its own reasons.

"Sa Wuxin, that guy, is a bit ruthless, but he's not a bad guy. I heard he saved over a thousand orphans?"

At this moment, the waiter brought the dishes they had ordered.

"Wow!"

Dan E Xian repeatedly exclaimed in amazement at the lavish spread of dishes on the table.

As befitting their reputation, each dish was a delicacy.

The Kai Shui Bai Cai (stewed cabbage) made with cabbage had a clear and refreshing broth, and the Le Shan Bang Bang Ji (chicken dish) and Niu Rou Bian Si (shredded beef) made with finely shredded meat and seasoned were also excellent.

However, Chao E Liang and Fan Jie Wei only fiddled with their chopsticks and rarely touched the food.

Noticing this belatedly, Dan E Xian looked at the two with a puzzled expression.

"Is something wrong?"

"Huh? No, I just don't have much of an appetite."

At Chao E Liang's words, Fan Jie Wei subtly pulled his chair back.

"I need to use the restroom."

Chao E Liang's eyes flashed.

"Then I'll take a walk."

The two men stood up and left the Hao Yuan Lou side by side.

They happened to meet Feng Jin Cheng, who was heading this way, at the entrance.

"Have you already finished eating?"

At Feng Jin Cheng's question, Chao E Liang evaded the answer.

"Just a momentary business."

Feng Jin Cheng, who had been observing Chao E Liang and Fan Jie Wei's expressions, let out a low sigh. He couldn't miss the killing intent in their eyes.

"Please be careful not to reveal your identities."

At Feng Jin Cheng's warning, Fan Jie Wei nodded.

"That won't happen."

Fan Jie Wei was so confident for a simple reason.

The dead cannot speak.

* * *

"Huff huff!"

Sa Wuxin panted heavily.

His physical strength had long reached its limit, and his entire body felt as heavy as a water-soaked cotton ball. Despite the metallic taste in his mouth, it was far from easy to escape the Demon Extermination Team's encirclement.

Clang!

Sa Wuxin swung his unique weapon, the iron ruler, to block the sword flying toward him.

Swish.

But at that moment, a hidden dagger slashed across his side.

"Ugh...!"

A suppressed groan escaped Sa Wuxin's clenched teeth. Fortunately, the wound wasn't deep, but the real problem was elsewhere.

The accumulation of large and small injuries was finally starting to hinder him.

Chao E Liang, watching from a distance, clicked his tongue.

"Tsk tsk, you're trying hard, trying hard."

He was putting up a good fight, but he couldn't withstand the Demon Extermination Team, who attacked like a pack of wolves.

Finally, Sa Wuxin, surrounded on several sides, knelt down, overwhelmed by the relentless attacks.

One of the Demon Extermination Team members approached Sa Wuxin and raised his sword high.

But his sword never reached Sa Wuxin.

Thud.

Fan Jie Wei, who had suddenly appeared in front of Sa Wuxin, caught the falling sword.

Fan Jie Wei punched the surprised opponent's face.

Bang!

The Demon Extermination Team member flew through the air and landed a distance away.

Thud.

He convulsed once and then lay still.

His face was so sunken that it was unrecognizable.

He was clearly dead.

"..."

A cold silence fell over the area.

No one in the crowd spoke.

Especially Sa Wuxin, who felt an indescribable shock.

Having experienced the attacks of the Demon Extermination Team firsthand, he knew their strength better than anyone. Yet, the giant who had suddenly appeared had killed one of them as easily as twisting a chicken's neck.

He could only be dumbfounded by the overwhelming martial prowess.

At this moment, Fan Jie Wei put down Chao E Liang, whom he had been carrying, and warned him.

"Remember, Doctor Dan said not to use your inner strength."

"Against such guys, what's the point of using inner strength?"

The Demon Extermination Team members were incensed by the two men's blatant disregard for them.

At that moment, a man stepped forward from among them.

A middle-aged man in his late forties with a square face and a robust build.

"I am Pang Wu Wei, the leader of the three Demon Extermination Teams, acting on the orders of the Alliance."

Fan Jie Wei turned his head to look at the middle-aged man who had identified himself as Pang Wu Wei.

At that moment, Pang Wu Wei's heart sank.

It was due to the chilling gaze of the towering man, which made him feel uneasy just by looking at it.

He exuded an overwhelming presence.

"Who are you gentlemen?"

Normally, he would have asked why they were interfering with the Wu Lin Alliance's event and then issued a warning and demanded responsibility based on their answer. But in the face of the other's presence, he couldn't bring himself to say those words.

"You seem to be from the Pang family."

"Yes."

At Chao E Liang's words, Pang Wu Wei nodded.

A prestigious family in Hebei, known for its martial prowess.

His demeanor was confident, reflecting the pride of carrying on the family name. But soon, his gaze wavered.

It was because of the scholar standing before him.

At first, he only felt a cold gaze, and apart from that, he seemed like an ordinary person.

However, that was just the first impression. Soon, he realized that the oppressive aura emanating from the scholar's entire body was completely dominating the surroundings.

It was like the stability of a mountain or the vastness of the sea.

'Where did such a monster come from!'

And there were two of them, not just one.

The sudden appearance of these high-level martial artists left Pang Wu Wei's mind in turmoil.

Then, unexpectedly, an incident occurred.

Without any command, the Demon Extermination Team members launched themselves at the two men.

Pang Wu Wei's face contorted.

"No!"

He shouted too late, and his voice didn't reach the Demon Extermination Team members. It was as if they were possessed.

Pang Wu Wei belatedly realized something.

'Could it be...'

Without his notice, everyone present had been seized by fear.

They rushed forward instinctively, like moths drawn to a flame.

The giant's hand moved at that moment.

A faint shadow of his hand seemed to draw a large arc in the air, and that terrifying trajectory overlapped with his subordinates.

"Choke."

"Keh!"

Screams of agony erupted from all directions!

Behind them, a thick mist of blood spewed out.

The cold-eyed scholar also picked up a sword from the ground and walked into the midst of the Demon Extermination Team members.

He swung the sword.

He thrust forward, slashed up and down, performing extremely simple movements.

But the result was far from simple.

Each time the sword, which had absorbed the killing intent, drew a pale white arc, someone's head would inevitably be severed.

"..."

There were no screams.

In just three breaths, all the Demon Extermination Team members, except for Pang Wu Wei, were annihilated.

"Who, who are you?"

His voice trembled involuntarily, and Pang Wu Wei felt a deep sense of despair.

He prided himself on spending most of his life in the world of blades.

His martial arts were strong enough to command respect. But this was the first time he had encountered such a situation.

Fan Jie Wei answered by approaching Pang Wu Wei.

Just that was enough to make Pang Wu Wei feel his breath being cut off.

An intangible force seemed to grip his heart.

He could feel the shadow of death, which could not be avoided, looming before him.

Pang Wu Wei gritted his teeth.

If he couldn't avoid death, he had to at least achieve his purpose for coming here.

Swish.

Pang Wu Wei suddenly turned and swung his sword at Sa Wuxin.

Swoosh!

A chilling sound of breaking air accompanied a powerful sword qi that tore through the atmosphere.

"..."

Sa Wuxin's face turned pale.

He had no time to react.

The accumulated injuries from facing the Demon Extermination Team were bad enough, but he was also greatly shaken by the sudden appearance of these monsters.

Sa Wuxin closed his eyes tightly.

But the vicious sword qi did not harm him.

Someone had blocked it in front of him.

It was Chao E Liang.

The fierce sword qi that had suddenly attacked him was dispersed in an instant.

Following Chao E Liang's strange angle of pressing and grabbing, the sword qi gradually disintegrated and vanished without a trace.

"Ha..."

Pang Wu Wei was speechless.

It was a ghostly skill, hard to believe even for the one who had executed the sword qi.

How many people in the current martial world could dismantle sword qi with bare hands?

Pang Wu Wei completely lost his fighting spirit.

'Monster!'

He couldn't think of any other way to describe it.

The icy gaze that stared at him, before which any resolve or determination was useless.

"Brother Chao! I told you not to use your inner strength!"

"Huh!"

Pang Wu Wei, who had been standing in a daze, gasped.

When he came to his senses, the giant was already right in front of him.

Pang Wu Wei hastily raised his sword.

Clang.

The well-crafted broadsword, made from high-quality steel, broke effortlessly.

Thud!

"Keh!"

On the contrary, the opponent's hand struck his chest with a simple, decisive motion.

Deep despair clouded Pang Wu Wei's eyes.

The hand blade that had pierced through his ribs and entered his chest was already a fatal wound. But it didn't stop there; the hand blade continued to penetrate deeper.

Crunch.

It crushed his heart and other organs, then broke through his back and emerged.