Chapter 452: The Contest Behind the Scenes
With agile movements, Xiao Houzi hung outside Xu Xuejiao's room window.
Watching Lu Chengwen press down on Xu Xuejiao, Xu Xuejiao crying out unrestrainedly.
Her face darkened, an unprecedented jealousy suddenly arose in her heart.
Xu Xuejiao: "You're annoying! Bullying me as soon as you come in!"
Lu Chengwen: "Got excited, playing stick with you!" (Crude sexual innuendo)
Xu Xuejiao: "What are you say—ah—!"
Jiang Xiaohou snorted, turned, and flew into the vast night.
...
Zhao Ritian hung suspended in mid-air. After waking up, he saw Che Qi Tianwang to his left, Chu Bai to his right.
Er Ge (Second Brother - likely referring to Jiang Xiaohou's subordinate) released them.
The three fell to the ground. A lamp turned on in front. Under the spotlight, a long-legged beauty sat on a chair, face sullen.
Zhao Ritian rubbed his wrists: "It really is you!"
Jiang Xiaohou flicked her hand, a chain shot out, latched onto Zhao Ritian's neck, pulled inward. Zhao Ritian lurched forward, falling at Jiang Xiaohou's feet.
Jiang Xiaohou stepped on his neck, shua drew her long saber, the blade slowly pressing against Zhao Ritian's neck.
"What exactly do you want!?"
Jiang Xiaohou said: "I want Lu Chengwen's life."
"You could have done it yourself before! Why go through all this trouble?"
"Killing him myself wouldn't be fun."
Zhao Ritian was extremely gloomy: "He has so many Shangsimen protecting him, how can I kill him? With what can I kill him?"
Jiang Xiaohou bent down, stuffed a medicinal pill into his mouth: "Eat this, you will temporarily have the strength of initial Tiansimen. Kill him, and our accounts are settled."
Zhao Ritian got up, choked for a long time before his throat felt slightly better.
"Why do you want to kill Lu Chengwen?"
Jiang Xiaohou said: "He insulted me."
"Oh." Zhao Ritian was curious: "How did he insult you?"
Jiang Xiaohou turned her head, that cold gaze made Zhao Ritian's hair stand on end.
Quickly said: "Consider my question unasked."
"Anyway, kill Lu Chengwen, and we're even."
Zhao Ritian almost cried: "What do I owe you?"
"Life, your life. Handsome guy, don't you need to earn back your own life? Or... you don't want your life anymore?"
"No no no, I understand, I'll kill Lu Chengwen. I was going to kill him anyway."
Zhao Ritian gritted his teeth: "I thought for a long time afterward to understand. Those who beat me were all Lu Chengwen's people, it was him who beat me! Damn it, Long Aotian didn't lie, I even beat Long Aotian till he shat... ai."
Jiang Xiaohou sheathed her long saber: "The two of them will assist you. Must be quick."
"Rest assured." Zhao Ritian said: "Long Aotian and Lu Chengwen, I won't let either of them go. They actually dare date sister Xuejiao! Eh? Sister Xuejiao? This... who exactly is she dating? Aiya mama, things in Xuecheng are too messy... everyone is so complicated..."
...
Long Aotian's breathing had calmed significantly.
Opening his eyes, Zhuge Xiaohua lowered her head silently. Luo Shiyin asked caringly: "Young Master, how is it?"
"Mm, thanks to you."
Long Aotian said: "Didn't expect you, at the critical moment, used媚术 (mei shu - charm/seduction techniques), making Lu Chengwen save you. Truly intelligent."
Luo Shiyin said: "Lu Chengwen is inherently a pervert; seducing him isn't difficult. I just need to use a tiny bit of means, and he will act according to my thoughts. Unfortunately, there were too many people and prying eyes at the time, couldn't use higher-level seduction techniques, otherwise, could have saved Young Master you too."
"The situation was urgent then; your quick thinking in crisis was already remarkable."
Long Aotian said: "Rest tonight. Tomorrow, find Lu Chengwen."
"Find Lu Chengwen?"
Long Aotian sneered coldly: "Lu Chengwen suffered such a huge blow, probably completely disheartened now. Now is his most vulnerable time. Tomorrow, as long as I appear before him with the posture of Tiansimen, I refuse to believe he won't obediently submit."
Long Aotian slammed his fist on the bed edge: "Xuecheng, just one Xuecheng, messed up so badly. Still haven't handled it, I can't bear it anymore! I want a showdown with Lu Chengwen! You two prepare, tomorrow might be a bloody battle!"
"Yes."
Long Aotian clenched his fist: "Lu Chengwen, in the face of absolute power, you are also vulnerable! Finally let me see you helpless! Since that's the case, these Tiansimen fists of mine must demand an explanation from you!"
...
Meanwhile.
Piao Qi Tianwang stood at the entrance of Lu Chengwen's villa, face grim.
"Lu Chengwen!"
Piao Qi Tianwang clenched his fists: "First Di Sha, then Tian Gang... you bastard, all these things were caused by you!"
Me, the dignified Piao Qi Tianwang, chained like a dog guarding the gate on Qixing Feng!
Every time the old man comes home, demands I fetch!
If I don't fetch, he beats me!
Beating is one thing, he said he's afraid I'll go hook up with wild dogs, even wants to artificially sterilize me.
Piao Qi Tianwang tilted his head up, two lines of hot tears rolled down.
This kind of humiliation, I absolutely will not bear!
I'll kill Lu Chengwen first, then kill Long Aotian!
None of you will have it good!
The phone rang. Piao Qi Tianwang answered.
Junshi sounded displeased: "Piao Qi, why haven't you contacted the Main Helm for so many days? The matter you were tasked with, is it settled?"
"Soon."
"Soon?" Junshi said: "I received intelligence here, seems quite a few masters went to Xuecheng. Be careful."
"None of my business."
"What did you say?!"
Piao Qi Tianwang gritted his teeth: "Lu Chengwen must die!"
Junshi said: "Who said Lu Chengwen? I told you to handle the traitors, get the money back, hand over a portion to the Young Master, and send a portion back to headquarters."
"Long Aotian must also die!"
Junshi was confused: "Did you take the wrong medicine? Long Aotian is the Young Master! Why are you all damn like this? Arrive in Xuecheng and stop being human!"
"Damn you! Damn you! Damn you!"
Junshi was cursed three times consecutively by Piao Qi Tianwang, completely confused: "You... what's wrong with you? Are you rebelling?"
Piao Qi Tianwang roared: "So what? So what if I rebel? Who coming to Xuecheng doesn't rebel!? Do you know what Xuecheng is about? Do you know what the Young Master's Shifu did to me? What damn Young Master, money, mission! I don't care about any of it!"
Junshi's voice lowered: "What exactly happened? If these aren't important, then what is important?"
"Bones! What I want are bones!" (Ambiguous - could mean literal bones, dignity, or something else)
The phone hung up. Junshi's face was grim.
Turned and walked into the office: "Duozhu (Helmsman)."
A figure from behind, sitting in the boss chair, petting a cat.
"Don't tell me even Piao Qi has rebelled."
"Uh..." Junshi said: "The situation in Xuecheng is too bizarre. I want to go see personally."
The Duozhu stopped petting the cat: "Indeed too bizarre. A branch helm completely hollowed out in a few months, people and money gone. Heh."
"Several Tianwang sent from the Main Helm, rebelled, defected, died, fled..."
The Duozhu sighed: "But you can't go. Letting Piao Qi go was already a risk. Deploying Tiansimen combat power was already a risk. News came from headquarters, the reason Piao Qi didn't cause disaster wasn't because he was powerful, but because..."
"Those bored ones deliberately turned a blind eye, pretending not to see."
Junshi bit his lip: "Basically, as long as combat power doesn't exceed Shangsimen, both sides will leave leeway. This red line, few dare cross easily. Although Piao Qi is Tiansimen, if he quietly finished the job and returned, he wouldn't give anyone leverage."
"The previous lower-level Tianwang did things too shamefully. We had no choice but to send someone like Piao Qi. Unexpectedly..."
"But I really can't figure it out." The Duozhu said: "How could Piao Qi rebel?"
"Oh." Junshi said: "I don't think he looks like he rebelled, more like... received stimulus, went somewhat mad."
"Stimulus? Mad?"
"Mm." Junshi said: "Logically, even if rebelling, one wouldn't call and shout at us about rebelling. Would also transfer assets, arrange a way out. But this guy seems to just want to vent anger. Also, he wants to kill Lu Chengwen, and the Young Master."
The Duozhu said gloomily: "Idiot, stupid enough to belong in a museum."
Junshi said: "We've intermittently heard a name, called 'Hun Tiangang'. This person's intelligence, still haven't found it?"
The Duozhu swiveled his chair, pulled out a stack of documents from the drawer, threw them over.
Junshi picked them up, roughly scanned a few pages: "Just this?"
"Just these."
Junshi was also perplexed: "Meaning, if it really is this person, then in Xuecheng, there is a legendary figure? We are confronting a legend from decades ago?"
"Use your brain. It's all these damn stupid pigs bumping into him themselves." The Duozhu said: "If it really is this person, we are just insects in his eyes. Have you ever seen a mature adult insist on competing with a grasshopper?"
Junshi said: "But... the intelligence says, this person is the Young Master's Shifu, also Lu Chengwen's Shifu... This... the intelligence is completely chaotic!"
The Duozhu said: "I suspect the Shangzhu (Upper Lord/Master) clearly just wants to use us to add gold plating to the Young Master, fundamentally not letting him work for us."
"If his godson is the disciple of that legendary figure, why the hell would he work for us? Can easily rise to prominence anytime. He's letting us be practice dummies for his two godsons."
Junshi's eyes widened, then clenched his jaw tightly, eyes full of anger: "Meaning, we've all been played!"
Junshi's hand gradually tightened, crumpling the documents.
"Young Master coming to the North Kingdom wasn't fundamentally to help us build the North Kingdom treasury, replenish funds. But... using our lives to add achievements for the Young Master. Afterward, Young Master, with the merit of slaughtering our North Kingdom Big Organization... enters the hall... becomes a righteous figure..."
"Not only that." The Duozhu said: "If it's really like this, then Long Aotian is an obvious move ( piece visible on the board), Lu Chengwen..."
The Duozhu also gritted his teeth: "Is a hidden weapon (an qi)! They are attacking from two sides. We are just playthings."
Junshi said angrily: "How can they humiliate us so!?"
"Heh, don't be angry." The Duozhu actually smiled: "Anger is useless. In that Shangzhu's eyes, we are also insects."
"Are we just going to let them toy with and slaughter us like this!?"
"Otherwise?"
The Duozhu looked at Junshi: "I just said, in their eyes, we are just insects. Crushed just by saying so. Using scented markers to draw symbols on your path forward, watching you run around chaotically... this is their innate strength."
Junshi lowered his head, face full of unwillingness.
The Duozhu smiled: "When are you leaving?"
"Ah? Go where?"
"Aren't you going to Xuecheng?"
Junshi's mouth moved a few times: "I... these two days have an upset stomach..."