Chapter 121
The manager of Pearl House heard Wei Lingshu tell him to chop off Mei Liangyu's hands or gouge out his eyes, and couldn't help cursing silently in his heart. If he really did such a thing, what would happen to him?
Setting aside whether Mei Liangyu would obediently accept punishment, just based on the Little Princess's relationship with Mei Liangyu, he wouldn't dare make a move.
The Pearl House manager was also one of Blackbeard's trusted confidants. Following Blackbeard in his work, he knew that the Little Princess was now the one they should be loyal to.
The banker stood behind with other guards, blocking customers who wanted to snatch chips, signaling them to calm down.
"The one using cheating techniques is this customer. Not only is he spouting nonsense, but he's also framing others. He should indeed be dealt with." The Pearl House manager waved his hand, having people drag Little Earth's father to the back. In front of Wei Lingshu and the others, a guard chopped off both his hands with a single blade.
This strike came without warning, catching everyone off guard.
Little Earth's father knelt on the ground screaming, letting out piercing cries of pain that shocked the customers who were trying to snatch chips in the chaos, and the commotion gradually subsided.
The Pearl House manager looked toward the customers and said in a deep voice: "Tonight we have customers from the Sky Crane Gang visiting. We just learned of this, so we have no choice but to close early today. Please everyone go settle your chips now and come back tomorrow."
As soon as he finished speaking, the gambling house guards immediately moved into position, opening up a passage for customers to leave.
Seeing him close the establishment directly, Wei Lingshu covered her mouth with the back of her hand and laughed: "But there's still another one, isn't there?"
She indicated Mei Liangyu with her gaze.
The Pearl House manager said: "What does this customer's cheating have to do with him?"
Wei Lingshu gently shook her head and sighed: "Who would have thought that the one using cheating techniques was actually working with Pearl House? I wonder how many other customers here are plants working with Pearl House, taking advantage of cheating techniques to win customers' money?"
Her eyes were bright and clear, sighing mournfully with a melancholy air. Looking pitifully at the customers, she aroused sympathy and they began echoing Wei Lingshu's words.
The customers clamored: "You have to give us an explanation for this! If you're all working together using cheating techniques, who would dare come here in the future?"
Sky Crane Gang members mixed in with the crowd of customers, following Wei Lingshu's words. One of them grabbed someone beside him and asked aggressively: "You must be a plant working with Pearl House! You never lost once at this table just now, you're definitely using cheating techniques!"
"Now that you mention it... I think that person earlier was too..."
"You were also using cheating techniques to win, weren't you? Give me back my money!"
"Try pointing fingers randomly again and see what happens!"
The customers who had been intimidated by the hand-chopping began getting restless again, only this time it turned into suspicion and cursing between customers.
The Pearl House manager didn't want things to become more complicated, so he had guards escort Mei Liangyu and Nian Qiuyan out first, then went to stop the customers who were fighting each other.
The banker stood on the table and shouted: "Everyone please calm down! Our Pearl House would never collaborate with customers on cheating techniques! Everything is fair and open..."
As Mei Liangyu and Nian Qiuyan walked through the crowd, someone suddenly broke through the guards, a dagger sliding from their sleeve, revealing a sharp blade as they stabbed toward Mei Liangyu.
Wei Lingshu crushed a small green insect at her fingertips. Large amounts of green mist immediately spread and dissipated. Sky Crane Gang members hidden in the crowd attacked simultaneously, slitting the throats of Pearl House guards before they could react. Green mist scattered everywhere as screams rose one after another.
In the panic and chaos, Mei Liangyu easily caught the man charging at him, grabbed his wrist and twisted. Hearing the man grunt in pain, he then dodged to the side, using the dagger in the man's hand to stab backward, forcing back another man attacking from behind.
Green mist rose from underfoot. Nian Qiuyan and Mei Liangyu simultaneously ignited golden protective energy around their bodies.
The captured man swung his free left hand at Mei Liangyu, but was kicked hard in the abdomen and sent flying. Mei Liangyu grabbed the dagger he'd seized from the enemy and threw it toward where Wei Lingshu had been standing.
Just as the dagger left his hand and flew out, through the heavy mist and shadows, the scarred man seized a long blade from a gambling house guard and charged at Mei Liangyu and Nian Qiuyan, separating the two with a single strike.
"Everyone don't panic! Head toward the bright light, don't panic!" The banker shouted loudly, forming hand seals and using the trigram technique Celestial Fire. Fierce flames drove away the mist, guiding customers toward safety.
The Pearl House manager angrily shouted: "Capture all the Sky Crane Gang members causing trouble! Don't let a single one escape!"
The crowd was in chaos, but fortunately Pearl House's people reacted quickly, immediately pointing out escape routes for customers and rapidly clearing the scene.
Among the customers were many Nine Schools Arts practitioners, but tonight was clearly a fight between the Sky Crane Gang and Pearl House. Both sides were ruthless and bloodshed was inevitable, so they didn't dare interfere easily and busied themselves with escaping to watch the excitement.
Nian Qiuyan covered his nose: "This mist is poisonous."
Mei Liangyu said: "Get out."
They couldn't take the route the customers were evacuating by, as it would bring the fighting there too.
Under the concealment of the mist, visibility was completely blocked. They could only see a green haze everywhere. Mei Liangyu heard a woman's soft laughter, and fine golden light flowed in his eyes.
The scarred man's figure silently charged forward again through the mist. Mei Liangyu reacted quickly, summoning back the dagger he'd thrown earlier and gripping it, using it to block the opponent's fierce and heavy strike.
The long blade struck hard against the dagger. After clashing for an instant they separated. The scarred man's figure flashed and disappeared into the mist again, but didn't give his opponent a chance to breathe, attacking again from behind.
Mei Liangyu turned to intercept. The dagger blade scraped along the long blade's edge all the way down with a harsh sound. The moment it caught on the hilt, the scarred man disappeared again.
After several exchanges like this, both the scarred man and Mei Liangyu struck almost simultaneously, canceling out each other's attacks.
The opponent disappeared too quickly, and Mei Liangyu also felt the invisible resistance when moving his body becoming increasingly obvious. His eyes flashed slightly as he glanced at the ground.
Military School Strange Gates: Nine Palace Blade.
He was trapped in the scarred man's Strange Gates blade formation. Each time the scarred man disappeared, he would attack again from a different location, while Mei Liangyu's position never changed, or rather, he was trapped in a fixed position unable to move.
The center palace position of the Nine Palaces was fixed and unchanging.
Those trapped in this palace could only wait for death.
Mei Liangyu visualized his current position in his mind. Among the nine squares, he stood in the fifth center palace position.
The Nine Palace memory method: Two and four are shoulders, six and eight are feet, left three right seven, wearing nine treading one.
He focused on capturing the flow of Five Elements energy around him while holding his breath, trying to reduce inhaling the green poisonous mist that had already filled Pearl House.
Mei Liangyu and the scarred man struck simultaneously again, blocking the long blade attacking from his left side. This time the scarred man didn't immediately disappear, but gripped his blade with both hands and applied force. The blade flashed with golden-blue lightning that numbed Mei Liangyu's hands.
Eastern exit, left third palace, Thunder.
The scarred man disappeared again. Mei Liangyu's peripheral vision swept behind him and he raised an eyebrow slightly. The people Sky Crane Gang sent this time were somewhat interesting.
……
Ethereal Hall.
Today was the old hall master's birthday banquet. According to the old hall master's style, such events weren't supposed to be celebrated with great fanfare, but this year was special. The gangs with standing in the academy's Outer City seemed to have agreed to cause trouble during this period, fighting each other quite badly, having a considerable impact on the entire academy's Outer City.
The Ethereal Hall master decided today to give everyone a chance for peace talks.
The banquet was set up in the mansion's open-air courtyard. Round platforms were stacked on top of each other, surrounded by lanterns and decorations, arranged festively and lively. Each gang's subordinates waited outside, while only gang leaders or hall masters brought one or two trusted associates inside for the banquet.
The banquet arranged one table per faction, so you could see huge banquet tables with only two or three people seated.
The round platform was built from black obsidian jade carvings with a smooth, lustrous surface that looked very impressive. There were three steps below and two levels on the round platform. Ethereal Hall's table was in the very center, with other tables all around the inner circle's edge, surrounding Ethereal Hall's main seat.
Everyone had arrived.
To Blackbeard's left was the Dragon Martial Gang, to his right was the Sky Crane Gang, and across from the Sky Crane Gang was the Ten Mountain Sect.
The one speaking now was the Ethereal Hall master sitting in the central main seat.
He wore luxurious golden robes, his hair mixed black and white, his face stern as his gaze calmly swept over everyone present. He said quietly: "I invited everyone here today hoping you'll give me some face and let the recent unrest settle down, turning swords into plowshares to prevent the Outer City from becoming increasingly chaotic with mounting losses."
"I naturally give you face, old sir." The white-dressed young woman at the Leaving Fire Sect's table spoke the first half politely to the Ethereal Hall master, then her voice turned icy cold: "But regarding the Star Moon Island Young Master poisoning and killing six lives from our Leaving Fire Sect, there's only one solution: blood debt paid with blood."
At the Star Moon Island table, the man who had just raised his wine cup to drink became angry: "Unproven matters are being stated as fact by your Leaving Fire Sect. My Young Master's reputation has been ruined by you people. I think it's internal strife within your Leaving Fire Sect, yet you're pinning these six deaths on our Young Master!"
Blackbeard grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds to crack in front of him. These families had already argued through one round. After the Ethereal Hall master called for a stop, they started a new round of mutual mockery. Thanks to their back-and-forth arguing, Blackbeard didn't feel bored.
The Leaving Fire Sect and Star Moon Island hurled verbal attacks at each other. The Ethereal Hall master frowned, his eyes scanning elsewhere as he addressed the Ten Mountain Sect: "The matter of Ten Mountain Sect and Dragon Martial Gang fighting over gambling houses and commercial buildings..."
Before he could finish, the Ten Mountain Sect people angrily slammed the table and stood up: "Old sir, our territory was taken by our own brothers' efforts. Many shops have belonged to our Ten Mountain Sect for a hundred years, everyone knows this!"
"Yet even with such well-known facts, Dragon Martial Gang insists on playing dumb, wanting to snatch them from us. Those are properties left by our predecessors and elders. If we just hand them over like this, where would our Ten Mountain Sect's face go? If our deceased predecessors in heaven knew about this, they'd be so angry they'd crawl out of the ground!"
"Then let them crawl out." The Dragon Martial Gang member held his teacup with a cold expression: "Saying it's been yours for a hundred years, such nonsense doesn't even make you worry about biting your tongue. Your Ten Mountain Sect has bandit origins, everything was stolen through murder and arson. Now the deeds are in our hands, so according to the rules, that territory belongs to our Dragon Martial Gang."
The Ten Mountain Sect angrily slammed the table: "Bullshit deeds! The people died eight hundred years ago, where did you get deeds from? Digging up corpses from the ground to stamp and seal them, only your Dragon Martial Gang would do such ridiculous things. Who would recognize such deeds?"
Blackbeard cracked sunflower seeds while listening to their back-and-forth arguing. The Ethereal Hall master initially called for order a few times, but seeing everyone absorbed in their own quarrels and ignoring him, his frown deepened.
He even said to his trusted aide Wei Liu sitting beside him, also cracking sunflower seeds: "The old man probably can't stand much more of this and will leave first. Today's peace talks probably won't succeed."
Wei Liu nodded and bit open a sunflower seed shell: "Whether it's Leaving Fire Sect and Star Moon Island, or Ten Mountain Sect and Dragon Martial Gang, none are easy to provoke. It feels like they're determined to fight to the death. Ethereal Hall can't mediate this."
The verbal battle between Ten Mountain Sect and Dragon Martial Gang escalated, with both sides pounding tables and arguing red-faced, looking ready to fight. But the previously silent Sky Crane Gang suddenly drew their blade first. The clear sound of unsheathing startled everyone into alertly looking up.
Blackbeard and Wei Liu were also very surprised. Their sunflower seeds had just reached their mouths before they could crack them, but they'd already turned toward the Sky Crane Gang's table.
The one who drew the blade was the Sky Crane Gang's leader, Qu Zhenghao. He'd just taken office three days ago but had already been active in the Outer City for over ten years with quite a reputation.
The man was tall and sturdy, his clothing embroidered with cloud and crane auspicious patterns, looking extremely refined yet completely opposite to the murderous intent he emanated.
Qu Zhenghao's fierce face wore half an eye patch covering his left eye. His right eye still bore a remaining scar that ran along his brow bone, over his eyelid, to his cheekbone.
This strike had been fast and vicious. He'd dodged too late, leaving such a deep scar.
Qu Zhenghao drew his blade and stood up, looking down to examine the blade as he said slowly: "While you're quarreling endlessly over these trivial matters, Pearl House will accept more and more customers, operating from night to day without rest."
Blackbeard and Wei Liu exchanged glances, not knowing how this wind had blown toward them.
He slowly put down the sunflower seeds at his mouth and smiled: "These are just temporary. Once everyone settles down, the customers will naturally return."
"The customers may return, but the money and profits lost during this time won't come back." Qu Zhenghao carried his blade toward Blackbeard's table. He walked very slowly and spoke very slowly: "Counting customers from my Sky Crane, Dragon Martial, Ten Mountain, Star Moon, and Leaving Fire five families, two months, sixty days total. Manager Black, tell me, how much money did Pearl House plus Xide Tavern earn during this period?"
Blackbeard's expression didn't change: "If Gang Leader Sky Crane is willing to come work as an accountant at my Xide Tavern, I'd naturally be happy to inform you."
Qu Zhenghao stopped in front of Blackbeard. He put one foot on the chair, leaned forward, placed his long blade on the table surface, pressed the hilt, and stared coldly at Blackbeard: "Because of these gangs fighting, you've secretly swallowed quite a few other small gangs' territories too."
Wei Liu looked over coldly and was about to stand up, but Blackbeard stopped him. He still smiled cheerfully: "Others coming to me with deeds asking me to take over their properties is reasonable and legitimate. In Gang Leader Qu's view, is there some problem with this?"
"Actively bringing deeds to find you for takeover? Your words are even more ridiculous than Ten Mountain Sect's claim of hundred-year properties." Qu Zhenghao laughed loudly. Just as Ten Mountain Sect was getting angry, he turned and continued: "At least Ten Mountain Sect only dares claim a hundred years, yet you have the audacity to say others came to you voluntarily. When the Nangong family brought people to Taiyi Academy the day they arrived, they robbed the deeds for eight streets of commercial properties. You haven't forgotten this, have you?"
Blackbeard cracked sunflower seeds in front of Qu Zhenghao: "Matters of mutual consent. What does Gang Leader Qu want to fantasize about? The Outer City's rule is that whoever holds the deeds owns that land and building. Everyone follows the rules. Does Gang Leader Qu have some dissatisfaction with my Xide Tavern?"
"Good, let's follow the rules!" Qu Zhenghao waved his hand. His subordinate handed him a Wind-Listening Ruler, which Qu Zhenghao threw on the table. The Wind-Listening Ruler was in voice transmission connection mode, and everyone heard sounds from the gambling house, starting from Little Earth's father pointing at Mei Liangyu.
"...He told me to come cheat at Pearl House tonight. He said this was his Junior Sister's gambling house, so I wouldn't get caught cheating here!"
Blackbeard and Wei Liu listened with slightly furrowed brows.
"Pearl House was caught cheating and won't admit it! Those Love Parasites were also drugged..."
"He's the Pearl House owner's Senior Brother... and said he'd share the money I won with my son!"
"...It was Mei Liangyu who made me do this!"
The Pearl House manager coldly rebuked: "Nonsense!"
Then came the sounds of customers in Pearl House erupting over the death of two poisonous insects, with overwhelming questioning and cursing that everyone present could hear clearly.
Wei Liu immediately took out his Wind-Listening Ruler to contact Xide Tavern, confirming whether this was true. After learning it was, he made a gesture to Blackbeard under the table.
Blackbeard could be certain that Qu Zhenghao was causing trouble, but didn't know why Mei Liangyu, the Little Princess's Senior Brother, was involved.
"The gambling house was caught red-handed cheating. Manager Black, your appetite is too big." Qu Zhenghao straightened up, looking down at him.
The Ten Mountain Sect people also said: "Not only caught cheating, but also publicly protecting the one using cheating techniques. Your customers are about to die of anger."
Dragon Martial Gang raised their teacup for a sip and said coolly: "Following the rules, your Pearl House should close down for good."
The white-dressed young woman from Leaving Fire Sect also looked over: "Manager Black, it would be difficult for me to speak up for you today."
The Star Moon Island people sneered: "With solid evidence right in front of us, your Leaving Fire Sect chooses to play blind and deaf."
Blackbeard looked around the circle and realized that the people who had been opposing each other earlier were now united against him. Truly, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
He asked Qu Zhenghao directly: "What do you want to do?"
Qu Zhenghao announced loudly: "Everyone has suffered heavy losses in both manpower and money over these two months, yet only your Xide Tavern has been living well, making money hand over fist. But all of this came from fleecing everyone else."
Blackbeard stared at the man standing across from him. Qu Zhenghao had a crooked smile, grinning wickedly: "Since today is a peace banquet hosted by the Ethereal Hall master, let's talk about how to settle these disputes. As long as your Xide Tavern returns all territories occupied within these two months and hands over all of Pearl House's earnings from these two months, that will suffice."
So today's peace banquet was meant to "negotiate" with his Xide Tavern!
Blackbeard sneered inwardly. Talk about having a big appetite, this was it. Opening his mouth to demand all of Pearl House's earnings from two months, not afraid of choking himself to death on such a big bite.
"Old sir, do you also agree with such an unreasonable demand?" Blackbeard looked toward the Ethereal Hall master sitting in the central main seat.
Before the Ethereal Hall master could speak, Qu Zhenghao said: "This is just asking you to return what you took from everyone over these two months. If you're unwilling, then regarding Pearl House's cheating tonight, according to the rules, by tomorrow morning, there won't be a place called Pearl House in the Outer City anymore."
By then, these families would unite their forces to make Pearl House disappear together.
Blackbeard ignored him, keeping his gaze fixed on the Ethereal Hall master, waiting for his answer.
The Ethereal Hall master's tightly furrowed brow hadn't relaxed from the beginning until now. Facing Blackbeard's question, he also said gravely: "Pearl House broke the rules first. The gambling house cheating was caught in public..."
Blackbeard said: "That was Saint Chang Gen's eldest disciple, Mei Liangyu."
The Ethereal Hall master's expression didn't change: "Business matters in the Outer City are beyond even Saint Chang Gen's authority to interfere with. Even his disciple cannot override this. But Taiyi Academy's rules are rules. If even Saints don't follow these rules, Taiyi Academy would descend into chaos. Saint Chang Gen obviously understands this principle better than any of us."
The light in Blackbeard's eyes dimmed. He'd thought the Sky Crane Gang was bold enough to directly demand money from the Nangong family, but it turned out they'd coordinated with everyone else beforehand.
This wasn't asking, but outright robbery.
Blackbeard slowly stood up, coldly scanning everyone present. His gaze finally settled on Qu Zhenghao as he sneered: "Do you think deciding whether to give up Pearl House's two months of earnings is something I can decide? If you're not afraid of the Nangong family's retaliation, why not let me send word to Qingyang Kingdom and wait for His Lordship's reply?"
Qu Zhenghao picked up the long blade from the table, pointing its tip at the Wind-Listening Ruler thrown on the table, his eyes full of challenging laughter: "Why go through the trouble of sending letters to Qingyang Kingdom? According to what I know, the heir to Qingyang Royal Manor is right here at Taiyi Academy, isn't she?"
Pick the soft persimmon to squeeze.
Qu Zhenghao knew that the Nangong family heir, Nangong Sui, was a Little Princess without much fighting power or cultivation talent, often called stupid and clumsy.
Having just arrived at Taiyi Academy, she was nearly killed in an assassination attempt. Without Blackbeard and others, she had no ability to protect herself, a complete waste.
Qu Zhenghao didn't know why that impressive Prince Nangong would choose a waste as heir, but at this moment, the more worthless this heir was, the better for him.
A little girl who hadn't experienced major storms couldn't handle the current situation and would definitely be scared into immediately agreeing.
Compared to this Little Princess who couldn't stir up trouble, Qu Zhenghao was more wary of that young man surnamed Gu. As for the Nangong family's Third Young Master, though he hadn't seen him manage Outer City business and only knew pleasure-seeking, his cultivation wasn't bad and he had some real strength, so it was better not to involve him in these matters for now.
Qu Zhenghao continued: "The Little Princess is the heir personally chosen by His Lordship. Her decision naturally represents the Nangong family's will. Even if the Prince in distant Qingyang Kingdom asks about it later, you can say it was the Little Princess's decision. Manager Black, you can escape unscathed in the end, can't you?"
Escape unscathed?
Blackbeard sneered inwardly. Wei Liu stepped in front of him, scanning the surroundings and calculating the possibility of fighting their way out. If they started fighting, even the Ethereal Hall people might try to stop them.
If they fought, these people would have even more reason to destroy Pearl House.
"Fine." Blackbeard took out his Wind-Listening Ruler and said grimly: "I'll consult the Little Princess right now to see if she agrees."