Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 710: The Master in the Tavern
In the wine shop,
A cold voice was heard, sounding a little arrogant and domineering.

A sound of heavy footsteps was heard from the entrance of the stairs. Judging from the voice, the person who spoke was obviously a master and very confident, but no one knew which school or sect he belonged to!

Of course, this incident made the atmosphere in the restaurant extremely tense, causing many diners to shrink their necks. Many people felt that the atmosphere was not right, and hurriedly took a few mouthfuls of rice. Some put down their bowls and chopsticks before swallowing, threw a few big coins, and left in a hurry.
Almost instantly,

Except for the diners who were leaning against the window and farther away, the other smart ones had already left, and the rest of the people were also busy eating with their heads down.

Ning Bian remained calm, his right hand reached for the hilt of the knife at his waist, and glanced towards the direction where the voice came from.
I saw several strong men in tight warrior uniforms standing at the entrance of the corridor, looking over with arrogant faces. The leader was a big and strong man, a head taller than the average man. It was obvious that he was not a good person. What was particularly eye-catching was his bald head with scars from ordination. Could he be a monk?
In the martial arts world, there are many monks who have become monks, and there are even more temples that can take in monks. However, the most famous martial monks are those from Jing'an Temple in Beishan. Like the Taoists in Longhu Mountain and Wudang Mountain, they are well-known, especially in Buddhist temples, which are famous for their hard skills. Looking at this person, could he be a martial monk from Jing'an Temple in Beishan?
Daring to ask about the affairs of the court, his face darkened and he asked in a deep voice;

"Who are you to speak so arrogantly?"

Ning Bian's hand silently stroked the hilt of the long sword at his waist, and he looked at them nervously.

"Hmph, who are you? You are not qualified to know. Our master has taken a fancy to this venison. If you know what's good for you, leave. Otherwise!"

The sturdy man in the lead smiled contemptuously, raised the short stick in his hand, and snorted coldly;
"I recognize you, but the stick in my hand does not recognize you."

A roar, accompanied by echoes, made Ning Bian's pupils shrink and his ears suddenly rumble with tinnitus. He was shocked. It turned out that he was a monk. He even knew the Buddhist secret technique of the Lion's Roar. It can be seen that the leading monk has a solid foundation.

For a moment, I felt my head swelling and my ears buzzing.
Ning Bian suddenly felt unwell, bit his tongue lightly, calmed his mind, and sank his Qi into his Dantian. The discomfort in his body was much better. He looked carefully and saw four or five people on the opposite side. They were so brave to attack the official family.
"What a joke, a bunch of swindlers, how dare they offend the Marquis's tiger whiskers, they are tired of living, shopkeeper, I have already paid the silver, these venison are packed, I will buy them."

A sinister look appeared on Ning Bian's face. He had always been a good guy, but today, he must have been angry. The veins on his hand holding the hilt of the knife were bulging.

Hearing Ningbian's arrogant words, a short man standing in the corridor could no longer hold back and cursed;

"What the hell, you have no shame, let me teach you a lesson on behalf of your mother."

After saying that, he drew out two long-handled swords from his back and moved forward. When he passed by the window, he horizontally swung the sword handles and raised his momentum. Under the sunlight, it seemed as if a silver mark was cut in the air, making a deafening sound.

He was a master at controlling the Qi with a sword. Ning Bian did not wait, and immediately grasped the hilt of the sword, drew out his long sword, and pushed hard with his feet, actually going forward.
Instantly, the two men swung their swords back and forth, slashing and blocking again and again. After several rounds of fighting, the blades collided, creating sparks and air currents that overturned tables and chairs.

The shopkeeper's face was pale and he hid under the table at the back, not knowing what to do. Seeing this, the diners had already put down their bowls and chopsticks and climbed out of the window in embarrassment.

It was okay for those with thin bodies, they could jump out in one go, but those with fat bodies fell straight out of the window, still shouting,

"Run! Killing! Killing!"

The cries of crying and shouting scared the passers-by, so they all hid away. They didn't dare to go to watch because they heard the sound of weapons clashing in the tavern.

At this time, Zhang Jinyu was still waiting outside. He heard the noise behind him, turned around, and saw that scene. His face changed. Something happened in Ningbian.
Who! A fierce look flashed across his face.
"Brothers, grab your weapons, take your crossbows, and go into the tavern."

"Yes, Lord Marquis."

The personal soldiers who were still driving the carriage and chasing sheep quickly jumped off the carriage, drew out their long swords, and several people behind them even took out their crossbows and loaded them.

When Zhang Jinyu saw that everyone was ready, he jumped off his horse, drew his sword, and rushed in first.
Just walked in,
In the lobby of the tavern, two figures were seen fighting each other. The two sides were evenly matched, which also shocked Zhang Jinyu.
Anyone who can fight Ningbian must be quite capable, but why would it be necessary to go through so much trouble?
"Line up, raise your crossbows, and aim."

Gave an order,
The guards behind him stretched out their arms, raised their crossbows, and aimed at the people in the hall.
The bald man on the opposite side had already seen the officers and soldiers rushing in, especially the crossbows in their hands, his face changed and he shouted loudly;

"The other party has a crossbow. If you use something to block it, the other party can only fire two rounds, which will give you a loophole."

In an instant, several people dispersed, and the bald leader even picked up a table and stood it upright in front of himself to use as a shield.

The dishes and chopsticks on the table fell to the ground with a loud noise. It was obvious that they could not be kept. More importantly, they woke up the two people who were still fighting in the hall.
Ning Bian heard the noise behind him and knew that the Marquis had come in. He immediately dodged and retreated, trying to expose the other party. Unfortunately, this man also knew how powerful he was. He took advantage of the situation and rushed forward to fight with Ning Bian again. For a while, the two sides fought hard and it was hard to separate.

There is no way. Ning Bian is wearing light armor, which cannot block the crossbow arrows. Zhang Jinyu could only point at the people behind him and shouted;
"Shoot an arrow within fifteen steps behind."

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

The arrow was shot out in an instant, and its speed was obviously beyond expectations. Several people who were unable to dodge were immediately shot and fell to the ground, wailing.

The bald man in the lead was furious when he saw this and rushed over carrying a table.

When the personal guards saw this, they aimed their crossbows at the man and another round of arrows flew out, but unfortunately, they were all blocked by the table. The personal guard captain's face changed and he waved his hand. Several people behind him immediately bent down, picked up a few benches, and stood them up to use as spears.

In an instant,
The man was already in front of him. The bald man roared and rushed forward. Zhang Jinyu retreated a few steps to avoid the sharp edge. The personal soldiers behind him raised a stool and pushed forward. He thought the man would be pushed back.
Don't know,
This man was extremely strong. He was able to block the combined force of three people. His face turned red, veins popped out on his neck, and he shouted loudly.
"Look at how powerful the Sa family is."

With a roar, he held the table with his body, then suddenly let go of it with both hands.

He quickly pulled out the short stick behind him and swept it across, instantly breaking the stools of the three people on Zhang Jinyu's side. The three personal soldiers staggered and rushed forward due to inertia.

The bald man laughed grimly, and with a short stick in his hand, he turned around and swept through the army. The short stick was swung out instantly, and with a muffled groan, three people immediately vomited blood and were knocked away. They were obviously injured.

Good courage,
Zhang Jinyu's eyes flashed with a fierce look, and he was obviously ready to kill. There was really no one in the capital who dared to randomly hurt his own people in front of him. This bald donkey was the first one.
"Kill, dead or alive."

He took out the dark sword, a dark shadow flashed by, and then he rushed forward.

"Well done!"

The big monk shouted and went forward with a stick in hand.

And upstairs,
But it looks different. In the spacious hall,

There was only one table there, and it was obviously reserved.
The table was filled with various dishes, and there were three well-dressed young men sitting on three sides. They had gentle faces, starry eyes and sword-like brows, and looked more noble than the young masters of aristocratic families. They were all wearing the finest Shu brocade, and on the wide belts around their waists hung jade pendants of fine quality.

The guards around were all burly men with slightly bulging temples, holding long swords and short blades in their hands. It was obvious that they were all masters of martial arts.

Behind the curtain in the north, there were a few people playing a little tune, and the sound of Sisi's wind instrument came over.
"Brother Wen, your tea from Jingnan has a unique flavor. Although it tastes bitter at first, after it goes around in the mouth, it actually has a sweet taste. It's rare, rare."

I saw Zhou Yunfu, the prince of Chen, dressed in white with slightly gold-rimmed patterns. His arrogant face was full of admiration. He always thought that the Jiangnan Yunwu Tea, paired with the Mirror Lake water, would make the tea the best in the world. Unexpectedly, the tea in the Song Wang's fiefdom was not simple either. It seemed to be another profitable business. Unlike his father's fiefdom in Hanzhong, although it was an important road between the north and the south, it was a pity that there were no special products. The palace was often troubled by money. If it were not for the bravery of the Hanzhong soldiers, there would be no Chen Wang Palace in this world.

"Ahahaha, hey, Brother Fu, you are Hanchan's elder brother. These are all the money that Jingnan County has to offer. If you make more money, you can enjoy a life of luxury. The people there are used to a comfortable life, so there is no point in thinking about anything else."

As he spoke, he shook his head with a wry smile, picked up the wine cup and drank it all in one gulp, as if it were real. Only the two people sitting next to him sneered in their hearts. They were all grasshoppers on the same rope. Who didn't know who? Jingnan was a large grain-producing county, comparable to the wealth of Jiangnan. With the fiefdom there, he must have no shortage of money. Who could believe that you had so much money but were thinking about living a life of debauchery? Even if you lived in a brothel, you would never spend all the money in your lifetime!

Prince Chen suddenly looked at Prince Wu again. It was said that the fief of Prince Wu was in Jingbei. As they were both bordering areas, they were obviously the same. Thinking of this, Prince Chen Zhou Yunfu became alert in his heart.

"Oh, what the two brothers said is good. Everyone knows what we are like. Although I am in Jingbei, I am not as rich as Brother Wen, and my subordinates are not worthy of being in a noble place. Brother Fu's prestige in Hanzhong County has spread to the ears of all of us brothers, and we are envious."

Zhou Lianghao, the prince of Wu, narrowed his eyes and spoke modestly. Anyone could see his pretentious look, especially since he was followed by a group of guards, all of whom were top masters from various factions. These people could not be hired without money, so it was not an exaggeration to say that they were wealthy.

Prince Chen looked at him coldly, smiled, and said politely,
"We are brothers, why should we be polite? We have been taking care of each other along the way. We should all be more careful. After all, the tribute convoy is still on the way. We are the first to enter the capital, so it is better not to make a fuss."

"Hey, brother Shi, you are wrong. If I am right, the palace already knew we were here. Instead of hiding, it would be better to come out and eat and drink freely. If we hide here and there, we might be suspected."

Zhou Lianghao, the prince of Wu, said nonchalantly that those people from the Imperial City Administration in the capital had such sharp noses, how could they not have discovered them? Rather than being suspected by His Majesty, it would be better for them to come out and play openly.

The other two were stunned when they heard this, but after thinking about it carefully, they felt that it made sense. They looked at the Prince of Wu with a scrutinizing look in their eyes. He was not a simple person.

"Brother Hao is right. I was wrong just now."

Prince Chen clasped his fists and apologized.
But he was stopped by Zhou Yewen, the prince of Song.

"It's not that we are being polite. We are all brothers. It's no big deal. We finally have a place to stay today. Let's eat and drink well together. Let's find a good place and book a yard tonight. Let's have some fun. No one should talk. Today, I will treat you."

"Okay, then I'll accept your kindness, brother."

The two were overjoyed, and they raised their glasses together, drinking the wine. Just as they were about to pick up their chopsticks, they heard the sound of fighting coming from downstairs. The three of them paused,
Zhou Lianghao grinned and consoled;
"Don't worry, my two brothers. It's just a small matter. The one guarding downstairs is a discarded monk I recruited from Jing'an Temple at a huge expense. He is invincible with his Coiled Dragon Staff. Back then, a hundred government officials were dispatched to encircle and suppress him, but he managed to escape safely. Those hundred officials and soldiers suffered heavy casualties."

Hearing what the Prince of Wu said, the two also knew that the martial monk of Jing'an Temple was quite famous in the martial arts world, and was also an abandoned disciple. It was impossible for him to rebel against the temple without some skills and still be alive and well. As a result, the two were no longer nervous and continued to drink and eat happily.

The first floor hall of the wine shop,
Zhang Jinyu drew his sword and dodged into the arena, and with a powerful move he rushed over. The monk on the opposite side held his short stick horizontally.
"boom"

With a sound, he took the blow, but felt a pain in his palm, and a cut appeared, with blood flowing out faintly.

The bald man was extremely surprised. He didn't expect that the newcomer had supernatural powers. He immediately retreated and kept his distance.

Zhang Jinyu also retreated more than three steps at this time, his palms were numb from the shock. Wow, this guy could actually block his full-strength attack. It was obvious that he was a gifted person. He became much more cautious in his heart.

When the guards around saw this, they dared not let the Marquis take any risks, so they drew their swords and rushed forward.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The sound of short sticks colliding with long swords was heard continuously. In the arena, there were shadows of sticks and flashes of swords. The bald man fought against more than ten personal soldiers alone and was not at a disadvantage. Zhang Jinyu was a little frightened. Who was the person upstairs who could afford these masters?
suddenly,

The monk shouted loudly, and swung the short stick in his hand, which turned into a long stick. He suddenly changed his moves and swept forward like a dragon emerging from the water. Many of the soldiers were not in a hurry to dodge and used their long swords to block. Those who were not in a hurry to block were knocked to the ground.

Seeing this, the others started brandishing their long swords again. They were like silk threads twisting around their fingers, and the sound of them cutting through the air was extremely harsh.

The leading captain shouted,

"Combined attack formation."

The three guards did not attack the monk, but chopped at the long sticks in his hands. With three slashes, they easily interrupted the monk's moves. The other few people seized the opportunity to get close to him, while the few who fell to the ground took out their crossbows, strung them, and shot them out when they saw the opportunity.

Although some of his moves were despicable, they were effective. In the narrow tavern, he was flexible with his long sword and his moves were fast-changing. His long stick was wide open and closed, but he obviously couldn't use it and fell into a disadvantage.
Zhang Jinyu saw the monk being suppressed, and turned to look at Ningbian. The opponent was obviously at a disadvantage. He had to take advantage of the weak and deal with one first.
Thinking of this, Zhang Jinyu grinned fiercely and slashed with his sword. He still couldn't believe that there were so many people born with supernatural powers.

A slash came over, and the man reacted quickly, blocking with his sword. Unfortunately, the sword in his hand was made of ordinary iron, so how could it block Zhang Jinyu's precious sword?

The blade just touched.

The man's face was extremely terrified. As the knife flashed, he screamed and was knocked to the ground by Zhang Jinyu's knife. He was dead.
The sword also broke into two pieces. Seeing this scene, the monk turned pale. Those who were still trying to draw their swords paused.
Someone ran towards the corridor in panic. Zhang Jinyu quickly took the crossbow and pulled the trigger at the person. With a "whoosh", another person fell to the ground.

"Kill, leave no one behind."

"Yes, Lord Marquis."

As the crossbows continued to shoot arrows, except for the monks in the hall, everyone else had already fallen in a pool of blood.
"You are so brave! Do you know who we are working for? How dare you kill someone like that?"

The monk was panting, staring at the person in front of him with bloodshot eyes, in disbelief. In broad daylight, not only was he killed, but he was also so cruel. He finally felt fear in his heart. He had only thought of bullying him just now, but he didn't expect that he would really kill someone.

Even if the people around him think so, it has nothing to do with him.

Zhang Jinyu picked up the blade and looked at it. There was no blood at all. It was indeed a precious sword. It was easy to use.
"Oh. What do you mean? You are afraid. When I was in the capital, no one dared to touch my soldiers. You are the first one. You are really brave. You beat me so hard that I am exhausted."

Of course, there were doubts in my mind. Ning Bian just came in to buy meat, so why did he get into a fight with others? I don't think he would do that given his temper.

Ning Bian, who was beside him, quickly calmed his breath and came over to report;
"My Lord, I came in to buy some venison, but this man stopped me and started talking nonsense, and then he started fighting."

After a pause, he continued;
"They were the first to attack, and they were all experts,"

"It doesn't matter who did it. If you dare to stop me, you must have some reason. It must be a master. Masters are good. I like masters..."

After speaking in a sarcastic tone, his eyes unconsciously glanced up at the second floor. Who is so arrogant?

(End of this chapter)