Chapter 82

Chapter 81: The Five Great Sword Sects

Wei Xiaobao led a group of people to Simu Bolai and gave him a cold, mocking laugh.

"Whether you want to kill me or cut me, it's up to you! If a member of the Wangwu Sect frowns, he's not a real man." Simu Bolai snorted and turned his head away, no longer looking at him.

"Do you bunch of mud legs from the江湖 (jianghu) also want to cling to the leg of the Prince of Pingxi? Who would believe such lies?" Wei Xiaobao laughed and said, "I'm in a good mood today and am willing to let you off the hook..."

Hearing Wei Xiaobao's words, many of the Wangwu Sect members raised their heads, their eyes filled with hope. Originally, they had rebelled and been captured, and they would all be beheaded without any chance of survival. But now, a glimmer of hope had appeared.

"Let's do it this way. We were just gambling here, so why don't you come and gamble with me? The winner can leave, and as for the loser..." Wei Xiaobao continued to sneer.

"What happens to the loser?" one of the Wangwu Sect members couldn't help but ask.

"Oh, nothing much," Wei Xiaobao said nonchalantly, "Just leave your head behind."

Wei Xiaobao thought that the lies he had just told might fool these fools, but probably not Emperor Kangxi. He had to leave a few people behind to report to the young emperor and complete his mission.

The Wangwu Sect members all felt a chill in their hearts, thinking that half of their brothers would likely be left behind.

"How do we gamble?" a clear voice sounded. Wei Xiaobao turned around and noticed Zeng Rou in the crowd.

"Damn, how could there be such a beautiful woman that I didn't notice before?" Wei Xiaobao's heart fluttered. He wanted to leave a good impression on the pretty girl and quickly smiled, saying, "I, Wei Xiaobao, have always cherished beauty... Miss, you don't need to gamble. You can leave first."

Zeng Rou's face turned red and then pale, and she slowly shook her head, saying softly, "I don't want to. We... we are nineteen fellow disciples, and we will live and die together."

At that moment, she was clearly terrified, but she didn't want to escape alone. She looked up and saw Song Qingshu's warm gaze, and for some reason, her heart calmed down, and her speech became smoother. The people in the room couldn't help but admire her courage.

"Good, Miss, you are very righteous," Wei Xiaobao said. "Since we live and die together, there's no need to gamble one by one. Miss, you will gamble with me. If you win, all nineteen of you can leave. If you lose, all nineteen heads will be cut off. Isn't that fair?"

Zeng Rou looked back at Simu Bolai, waiting for his instructions.

Simu Bolai found it very difficult to decide. If the nineteen people gambled with the young general one by one, there would be winners and losers. If he kept his word, half of the nineteen could survive, and they could seek revenge later. But if Zeng Rou threw the dice, winning would mean all of them could leave, and losing would mean all of them would die. It was too risky.

"Little Sister, well said! If a woman can live and die together, how can I, a man, have the face to escape alone? Anyway, my life today is borrowed, so you should gamble with him. We will live and die together," a blue-robed man said loudly, and the others echoed his words.

Wei Xiaobao pushed the dice bowl in front of her. "Good, Miss, you go first. The higher number wins."

Zeng Rou reached out and grabbed the three dice, her eyelashes trembling, clearly very nervous. Her hand shook, and the dice fell into the bowl.

The Wangwu Sect members looked and their faces turned pale. Zeng Rou had rolled two ones and one two, and the chances of winning were almost zero.

A blue-robed man suddenly shouted, "My head, I will gamble for it myself. Others' rolls don't count."

Simu Bolai angrily said, "A man of honor, how can you be so afraid of death?"

The man replied, "You are just my master, not my father. Why should you decide my life and death?"

Someone in the crowd sneered, "When Little Sister threw the dice, you didn't say anything. Now that she rolled a four, you speak up. Heh heh."

Song Qingshu's heart stirred, thinking it was a good move.

Wei Xiaobao's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, "What's your name, brother?"

The man was delighted. "My name is Yuan Yifang."

"You have no righteousness, why don't you change your name to Yuan Fang?" The Wangwu Sect members burst into laughter.

"Yuan Fang?" Song Qingshu's face was strange. Yuan Fang, you are really busy, even appearing here.

"Is there anyone else who wants to gamble themselves?" Wei Xiaobao looked around. A few people hesitated but ultimately remained silent.

"Since no one else wants to, I'll throw the dice." Wei Xiaobao, though relaxed on the surface, was nervous inside. He hadn't practiced for days, and he wasn't sure if he could roll three ones. If he failed, not only would he be scolded by his master, but the flower-like girl would also die, which would be a pity.

The following is the original plot: Wei Xiaobao cheated and rolled three ones, and he let the Wangwu Sect members go. In the end, he severely tortured Yuan Yifang and sent him back to Beijing for Emperor Kangxi to decide.

"Damn, I let you go, and that little bitch didn't even look at me." Thinking of Zeng Rou's silent departure and her glance at Song Qingshu, Wei Xiaobao felt annoyed, thinking he had made the biggest loss in the world. He bitterly thought: Indeed, madams love money, and girls love handsome men.

Song Qingshu was startled by Zeng Rou's glance and broke out in a cold sweat: Women are unreliable in critical moments, almost exposing the truth.

To divert everyone's attention, Song Qingshu quickly asked, "Brother Wei, the Wangwu Sect has been dealt with. Who is the next unlucky sect?"

Wei Xiaobao took out the intelligence and glanced at it, his face somewhat embarrassed. He thought the characters on it recognized him, but he didn't recognize them, so he quickly handed it to Song Qingshu, "Brother Song, you read it out for everyone."

Song Qingshu took it and was surprised. "Taishan Sect?"

"Mr. Song, is the Taishan Sect very powerful?" Jiumozhi, standing beside him, asked curiously.

"The Taishan Sect's martial arts are not bad, but the only true expert is Yuzhenzi," Song Qingshu said.

"Yuzhenzi?" Dulong frowned. "The Daoist who is known as the top expert under the Prince of Bao?"

"That's not a problem. Although Yuzhenzi is the uncle of the current Taishan Sect leader Tianmen Daoist, he has been expelled from the sect due to his poor character," Song Qingshu, who had been collecting information about the jianghu, said. "What I'm worried about is the Five Great Sword Sects. Since they claim to be united, if the Taishan Sect is in trouble, the other four sects will likely not stand by."

"The Five Great Sword Sects?" Wei Xiaobao had heard of them. "But the other four sects—Songshan, Huashan, Hengshan, and Hengshan—are not in our Qing territory. Will they really travel thousands of miles to get involved?"

Chapter 82: The Method for Certain Victory

On the summit of Mount Tai, the leader of the Taishan Sect, Tianmen Daoist, looked at the leaders of the other sects who had come from afar, and he was extremely moved. He couldn't help but say, "Our Taishan Sect is in great trouble, but to receive such strong support from our fellow martial artists, I am deeply grateful."

"Tianmen Daoist, you are too kind. The Five Great Sword Sects are united. When one sect is in trouble, the other four will come to its aid, not just in words," the leader of the Songshan Sect, Zuo Lengchan, stood up and said.

"Leader Zuo is right. Now that Emperor Kangxi of the Qing dynasty has defied the world and caused turmoil in the martial arts world, we must stand against him to the end," the leader of the Huashan Sect, Yue Buqun, also spoke.

"Amitabha," Fangzheng Master recited a Buddhist chant. "The Qing emperor's massacre of the martial arts world is a great sin. My senior brother Xuanci has specially sent me to help, hoping to avert a great disaster."

"Our sect's Zhang Zhenren heard that there is a young expert in the Qing court who seems to have the same name as our disciple Song Qingshu. He has specially sent me to investigate," the abbot of Wudang's Zhenwu Temple, Chongxu Daoist, said.

Zuo Lengchan remained silent, thinking: Shaolin and Wudang are indeed the pillars of the martial arts world. Fangzheng Master is only one of the ten abbots of Shaolin, yet his martial arts are already above mine. I wonder how powerful the abbot Xuanci is? Chongxu Daoist is only the second among the five abbots of Wudang, yet his martial arts are not below mine. By this reasoning, the direct disciples of Zixia Palace's Zhang Sanfeng must be even more powerful...

"Having the support of Shaolin and Wudang, plus the help of the Five Great Sword Sects, our Taishan Sect can now rest easy," Tianmen Daoist was greatly relieved. He had been worried about the destruction of the sect and the possibility of becoming a sinner in the history of the Taishan Sect. Today, he finally relaxed.

"But the other side has thousands of troops. Using martial arts methods to resist them is not wise," Yue Buqun quickly identified the key issue.

Tianmen Daoist laughed. "Don't worry, I have already sought help from a great hero a few days ago, and he has agreed to help us deal with the Qing soldiers."

Fangzheng Master's heart stirred. "Could it be the Snake King Yuan Chengzhi, who has been gaining momentum in Shandong in recent years?"

"Exactly!" Tianmen Daoist stroked his beard and smiled. "The Snake King has defeated the Qing army several times and has a high reputation in the Shandong martial arts world. He has also promised to personally come and give the Qing army a heavy blow."

"Very good," Mr. Mo of Hengshan said. "I have heard that the Snake King Yuan Chengzhi is not only outstanding in strategy but also one of the top martial artists in the world. With his help, the Qing Tartars will likely suffer a great defeat this time."

"Amitabha, a battle will inevitably result in many casualties. I suggest we use martial arts methods to determine the winner and avoid unnecessary deaths," Master Dingjing of Hengshan said, her face showing compassion.

"Agreed. We can use our influence to force the other side to engage in a martial arts contest," the Taishan Sect had already discussed this internally. The senior uncles of the Yu generation believed that if this time...

Chapter 82: The Method for Certain Victory

On the summit of Mount Tai, the leader of the Taishan Sect, Tianmen Daoist, looked at the leaders of the other sects who had come from afar, and he was extremely moved. He couldn't help but say, "Our Taishan Sect is in great trouble, but to receive such strong support from our fellow martial artists, I am deeply grateful."

"Tianmen Daoist, you are too kind. The Five Great Sword Sects are united. When one sect is in trouble, the other four will come to its aid, not just in words," the leader of the Songshan Sect, Zuo Lengchan, stood up and said.

"Leader Zuo is right. Now that Emperor Kangxi of the Qing dynasty has defied the world and caused turmoil in the martial arts world, we must stand against him to the end," the leader of the Huashan Sect, Yue Buqun, also spoke.

"Amitabha," Fangzheng Master recited a Buddhist chant. "The Qing emperor's massacre of the martial arts world is a great sin. My senior brother Xuanci has specially sent me to help, hoping to avert a great disaster."

"Our sect's Zhang Zhenren heard that there is a young expert in the Qing court who seems to have the same name as our disciple Song Qingshu. He has specially sent me to investigate," the abbot of Wudang's Zhenwu Temple, Chongxu Daoist, said.

Zuo Lengchan remained silent, thinking: Shaolin and Wudang are indeed the pillars of the martial arts world. Fangzheng Master is only one of the ten abbots of Shaolin, yet his martial arts are already above mine. I wonder how powerful the abbot Xuanci is? Chongxu Daoist is only the second among the five abbots of Wudang, yet his martial arts are not below mine. By this reasoning, the direct disciples of Zixia Palace's Zhang Sanfeng must be even more powerful...

"Having the support of Shaolin and Wudang, plus the help of the Five Great Sword Sects, our Taishan Sect can now rest easy," Tianmen Daoist was greatly relieved. He had been worried about the destruction of the sect and the possibility of becoming a sinner in the history of the Taishan Sect. Today, he finally relaxed.

"But the other side has thousands of troops. Using martial arts methods to resist them is not wise," Yue Buqun quickly identified the key issue.

Tianmen Daoist laughed. "Don't worry, I have already sought help from a great hero a few days ago, and he has agreed to help us deal with the Qing soldiers."

Fangzheng Master's heart stirred. "Could it be the Snake King Yuan Chengzhi, who has been gaining momentum in Shandong in recent years?"

"Exactly!" Tianmen Daoist stroked his beard and smiled. "The Snake King has defeated the Qing army several times and has a high reputation in the Shandong martial arts world. He has also promised to personally come and give the Qing army a heavy blow."

"Very good," Mr. Mo of Hengshan said. "I have heard that the Snake King Yuan Chengzhi is not only outstanding in strategy but also one of the top martial artists in the world. With his help, the Qing Tartars will likely suffer a great defeat this time."

"Amitabha, a battle will inevitably result in many casualties. I suggest we use martial arts methods to determine the winner and avoid unnecessary deaths," Master Dingjing of Hengshan said, her face showing compassion.

"Agreed. We can use our influence to force the other side to engage in a martial arts contest," the Taishan Sect had already discussed this internally. The senior uncles of the Yu generation believed that if this time...

Chapter 82: The Method for Certain Victory

On the summit of Mount Tai, the leader of the Taishan Sect, Tianmen Daoist, looked at the leaders of the other sects who had come from afar, and he was extremely moved. He couldn't help but say, "Our Taishan Sect is in great trouble, but to receive such strong support from our fellow martial artists, I am deeply grateful."

"Tianmen Daoist, you are too kind. The Five Great Sword Sects are united. When one sect is in trouble, the other four will come to its aid, not just in words," the leader of the Songshan Sect, Zuo Lengchan, stood up and said.

"Leader Zuo is right. Now that Emperor Kangxi of the Qing dynasty has defied the world and caused turmoil in the martial arts world, we must stand against him to the end," the leader of the Huashan Sect, Yue Buqun, also spoke.

"Amitabha," Fangzh