Your Majesty, Please Stop!

Chapter 44: The Betting Odds on the Assassination of Xin Zhuo in the Prefecture City

As the sun set, the scholar was finally carried back to the Fulong Village. Thanks to timely bandaging and medication, his bleeding was stopped, and he managed to regain half of his life.

Even so, his face was pale and he felt weak and powerless.

He looked at the setting sun, immersed in infinite sadness, his expression extremely gloomy.

Until the corner of his eye caught sight of dozens of straight and sharp figures standing at the entrance of the mountain stronghold.

Especially the one in front, dressed in brocade, with white hair, hands behind his back, square face, three strands of long beard, exuding an imposing aura. The scholar's expression changed, unable to describe the feeling of lightness and indifference.

"Ah Zheng, how are you?"

The old man walked up quickly, his eyes like torches, staring directly at the scholar's wound. "Why are you so badly injured? You couldn't defeat Xin Zhuo?"

The old man's words were full of concern, and very serious.

But to the scholar's ears, he felt uncomfortable all over, and coldly said, "That Xin Zhuo is only... eighth-grade. How could I not defeat him? I have practiced martial arts for forty years, studied under Master Ji Yun of the Taiping Palace. Master Ji Yun is a Great Master in the upper realm, with the power of Good Fortune. I have displayed my prowess by fighting the evil dragon with my bare hands. Who doesn't know that?"

"Naturally, I have also learned his leisurely Cloud-Stepping Body Technique. Ordinary people can't touch me, let alone a mere mountain bandit."

"Then your injuries..." The old man couldn't help but sigh. "It's really strange!"

The scholar smiled lightly. "It's difficult to walk in the forest, inevitably bumping into things."

"I see! I believe you!" The old man narrowed his eyes, stroked his beard, and looked towards the western horizon, as if the setting sun was infinitely beautiful.

The scholar's face turned red and then pale, and he sneered, "To be honest, your grandson followed the bandits!"

The old man's face changed slightly, then he snorted, "Actually, I knew that you were beaten by the bandits!"

"Your grandson followed the bandits!"

"You were beaten by the bandits!"

...

The crowd around them looked at each other in confusion.

It was said that the scholar and the head of the Murong family, Murong Zhe, had studied together at the Taiping Palace. When they were young, they both admired a girl who is now an old lady. The scholar came to Fufeng Prefecture this time not only to accompany his good friend, the prefect, but also because of his old rival.

The two old men argued for half an incense stick's worth of time, and the scholar finally sighed and said seriously, "Although Xin Zhuo is young, he is indeed extraordinary and full of tricks. He is proficient in mental techniques, saber techniques, fist techniques, qinggong, palm techniques, and sword techniques. We need to be careful!"

"You can rest assured and return to the city to recuperate. Leave it to me," said the old man.

Murong Zhe looked towards the dense forest in the distance, his face filled with killing intent. "Those bandits led by Xin Zhuo are probably fleeing towards the direction of the Autumn Palace Pavilion. Their goal is to enter the Fulong Mountain Range on the western foothills. You all must chase after them quickly."

A burly young man behind him cupped his fists and asked, "Are they alive or dead?"

Murong Zhe pondered for a moment, devoid of any emotion, and said, "Leave Murong Xiu alive. I will take him back to pay respects to our ancestors. As for the other bandits, there's no need to show mercy. Kill them all. I will be there shortly."

"Yes!"

...

Following Feng Sanbao's instructions, Xin Zhuo ran deep into the mountains. After running for two incense sticks' worth of time, the surrounding trees gradually became sparse, and a winding mountain path appeared ahead.

Following the mountain path to the west for a few more miles, in the dense forest to the south, a corner of a building with glazed tiles appeared. The closer he got, the clearer the outline of the building became. Soon, a gray-white walled courtyard appeared before his eyes.

The entrance was a structure similar to an archway, with a plaque hanging above the door that read "Autumn Palace Pavilion." On both sides were couplets that read "Cultivating the Arts and Martial Skills, Prosperity Lies Here."

This was the Autumn Palace Pavilion, it looked quite ordinary.

Outside the gate, on the ten-square-meter bluestone ground, two young students were sitting cross-legged, their eyes closed, practicing some cultivation technique. They were covered in sweat and trembling all over.

As Xin Zhuo was staring absentmindedly, a figure suddenly pounced towards him.

Xin Zhuo was startled and was about to draw his knife, but then he saw the person and exclaimed, "Big Boss, I knew you would be fine!"

It was Han Qiniang, her eyes shining brightly as she tightly held onto Xin Zhuo, as if she had found a precious treasure.

"The Sage Confucian Academy has nothing to do with us. Leave quickly!" Two students at the entrance suddenly stood up and angrily rebuked.

"What do you mean by threatening us? What nonsense about the Sage Confucian Academy?" Han Qiniang let go of Xin Zhuo, wrinkled her nose, put her hands on her hips, and retorted. Then she stuck out her tongue and said to her own boss, "It was these two people who stopped us and wouldn't let us pass. As a result, Sister Ying wanted to compete with them, so she lifted her skirt and showed her underwear. When they saw it, their bodies went weak! It was so funny!"

Indeed, Cui Ying'er didn't really differentiate between men and women, but how could these students from the Autumn Palace Pavilion be so fierce and cowardly?

Xin Zhuo asked, "Where are the second and third bosses?"

"Up ahead."

Han Qiniang led the way.

After walking for a few miles, in the midst of several towering old trees, Cui Ying'er, Murong Xiu, and Huang Dagui were sitting on the ground, eating bird eggs and potatoes. When Xin Zhuo rushed over, they greeted him with excitement.

"Boss, how's it going?"

"Not bad."

Xin Zhuo picked up a few potatoes and took a couple of bites, then sat down on the ground.

"Boss, what's the plan next?"

Murong Xiu rubbed his hands. After running all the way here, he had figured out that without Xin Zhuo, this group of bandits would disband and have no idea where to go. Of course, he was in the same situation.

Bai Jianxi raised her slender, pointed finger and said, "The place you mentioned earlier, with food and entertainment, could it be the Autumn Palace Pavilion?"

Cui Ying'er sneered, "The Autumn Palace Pavilion is where those scholars and students aspire to become officials and bring peace to the world. How could they allow us bandits to enter? Unless we listen to them, go down the mountain to farm, and then get caught by the government."

On the way here at noon, the Autumn Palace Pavilion had just had a confrontation with the nuns from the Water Moon Nunnery.

"They didn't care about us, otherwise they would have come knocking when we kidnapped Miss Su and brought her up the mountain."

Everyone turned to Xin Zhuo, seeking an answer.

Xin Zhuo smiled, "Don't we have a leader?"

"Hahaha..." Huang Dagui got excited and slapped his thigh, "You only think of Tiger Mountain Fort now? They have it easy there, with food, drink, entertainment, and stinky-footed girls."

Han Qiniang spat, "Big Brother Dagui, you only think about those stinky-footed girls. You're not reliable at all! We're running for our lives!"

Huang Dagui could only touch his nose and keep eating potatoes.

Murong Xiu tidied his hair and said, "But... they should expect us to go to Tiger Mountain Fort, right?"

"Tiger Mountain Fort is just a temporary resting place!" Xin Zhuo said, "Let's go play for a few days, then move to another place!"

Cui Ying'er asked in confusion, "Are we going directly?"

Xin Zhuo shook his head, picked up a branch, and poked through the dead leaves on the ground, drawing a circle, "Our whereabouts have been exposed. The experts from the four families are chasing us. The people from the Autumn Palace Pavilion will definitely not hide it. In these deep mountains and old forests, where few people tread, the traces left by six or seven people are not hard to find. So we can't go directly."

I just saw a river over there. Let's cross the river first, hide our tracks, and create a false impression that we've gone to the other side of the river. Let them fly kites for two days."

...

Deep in the wilderness, dozens of people displayed their light body skills and swiftly moved forward.

"Sister Guiyan, I heard that Ruyi Scepter Gambling House in the prefectural city has set odds on who will kill Xin Zhuo first. Have you heard about it?"

Yuan Yourong displayed the "Graceful Dance in the Air" of the Yuan family, her figure graceful and elegant, and in an instant, she was several zhang away.

As the leader of the Yuan family in the pursuit of the thief Xin Zhuo, she led eight experts from the Yuan family.

"Murong family pays three to one, Yuan family pays four to one, Chen family pays five to one, Song family pays six to one."

Chen Guiyan had slightly thicker eyebrows and slightly thicker lips. Her appearance was very ordinary, but her figure was one of the best among the young ladies of the prefectural city. Her bulging chest almost burst out of her clothes, but her legs were slender and straight, which made people worry.

This added a lot of points to her. Coupled with her young age of only twenty-three, she was already a seventh-grade martial artist, which made her an outstanding talent in Fufeng Prefecture.

"How was this standard set?"

Yuan Yourong found it difficult to understand. The four families were equally powerful, making it difficult to distinguish who had a greater chance of killing Xin Zhuo.

On the side, the leader of the Murong family, Murong Lei, the eldest son of the second branch, a burly man, chuckled, "Ruyi Scepter Gambling House, the oldest gambling house in a hundred years, is very shrewd. The odds are reasonable.

For example, our eldest young master from the Murong family bet on the thief and lost a lot of face. In order to clean up the family's reputation, naturally more people will come.

Next is Yuan Zhu and Yuan Mo, both of whom were defeated by Xin Zhuo. Miss Zhu will be forced to marry a merchant and will definitely take it seriously.

The Chen family has a good relationship with the prefect, so they will probably make an effort.

The Song family has nothing to do with this matter and only sent five people, which is more of a perfunctory gesture!"

"I see!" Yuan Yourong nodded in understanding.

A thin young man behind them sneered, "My Song family only sent five people, but we can still come out on top. You families have been played around by that little bandit. I'm not talented, but I have doubts in my heart!"

Yuan Yourong, Chen Guiyan, and the other three looked at each other and ignored him. Chen Guiyan thought for a moment and asked, "Is that little bandit Xin Zhuo really that formidable? I heard he's eight zhang tall, with a tiger's back and a bear's waist, and a huge mouth?"

The smile on Yuan Yourong's face gradually disappeared, "It's not that exaggerated, but he's quite handsome, like a girl. As for his martial arts... I... I can't understand it!"

PS: Thanks for the support from "Eternal Memories", "That Day I Was Naughty", and "The Fallen Prince". I'm grateful.

(End of this chapter)