Chapter 653 - 653 Aomuhan
Aomuhan!?
The members of Sha Men looked at each other. In the entirety of Huaxia, there were not many who bore the surname Ao. Moreover, being referred to as a sworn brother by Chen San was equally rare. Combining these two factors, Aomuhan's identity was quite obvious.
Both Chen San and Chen Si were sworn sons of Ao Wuchang from Shu, and Aomuhan, also bearing the surname Ao and being their sworn brother, was certainly Ao Wuchang's biological son.
In Shuzhong, many wore the Red Robe; there was once a saying in Huaxia about "three hundred Red Robes descending to Jiangdong to settle the Central Plains with eight thousand Resounding Horsemen."
The phrase "three hundred Red Robes descended to Jiangdong" was talking about the time around the end of the Ming dynasty and the beginning of the Qing dynasty when the top leader of Pao from Shu had his goods plundered by a powerful local gang in Jiangdong. This gang, almost controlling the entire underground forces of Jiangdong and even colluding with the Qing Army, was untouchable. The leader personally demanded the return of the goods, but the gang snubbed him. Furious, he led three hundred Red Robes himself to Jiangdong and decimated the entire gang with the force of the Red Robes. Even after being besieged by the Qing Army, they managed to retreat back to Shuzhong without much harm, losing only seventy-three men, marking the battle as the "Pao from Shu Establishing Authority Battle."
As for "eight thousand Resounding Horsemen settling the Central Plains," it referred to an ancient episode where the White Horse of Eastern Shandong intervened during the Hu peoples' invasion of the Central Plains. The corrupt Imperial Court at that time had an army too weak to resist, and the common people suffered greatly. The White Horse led eight thousand Resounding Horsemen into the Central Plains, quelled the chaos, and drove the Hu people out. The might of the Resounding Horsemen from Shandong was evident from this, as they were said to be horseback bandits, whose real combat strength was no less than the Mongolian Iron Cavalry. Moreover, they were adept at guerrilla warfare, which is why to this day no one has managed to completely rid Eastern Shandong of the Resounding Horsemen.
Of course, whether these stories are exaggerated remains to be researched. However, the saying "Pao from Shu are spread throughout the world" definitely holds water. Ao Wuchang himself is the overlord of his generation in Shuzhong. Though not as domineering as Great General Helian Tiehua in swallowing the world, he is still an extraordinary figure of heroism. His son personally coming to the West Gate was definitely sensational news!
Everyone stared at Aomuhan. Being Ao Wuchang's son, what message was he conveying by coming to the West Gate? With Ludong White Horse Chen San arriving, and now Ao Wuchang sending his own to the West Gate, was the Southern Six Provinces truly about to plunge into chaos?
Chen San introduced Sha Men's members to Aomuhan, whose youthfulness held an evident arrogance. Hearing their names, he merely snorted coldly from the corner of his mouth, showing no respect for the members of Sha Men.
Notably irritated were Netherworld Scholar Li Ruoyuan and He Qinghua among others. However, they couldn't really say much. Given just the strength displayed by the White Horse of Ludong, Ao Wuchang from Shu was definitely not someone they dared to provoke!
Cui Yu, always calm, thus didn't mind. On the other hand, Cui Yulong was preoccupied with anticipating the arrival of the people from the Shen Family, hence he hadn't paid any attention to Aomuhan's matter.
"Lord Ao must indeed be the son of Ao Wuchang from Shu, truly majestic!" praised Cui Yu.
Aomuhan did not acknowledge Cui Yu's compliment and instead glanced at the Black Asura. He said, "Third Brother, this Black Asura, do we really have to return him? He has offended our Fourth Sister. How can we let someone like that go so easily?"
Hearing this, Cui Yu furrowed his brows slightly. Compared to Chen San and Chen Si, Aomuhan seemed to be too sharp-edged. It appeared that under Ao Wuchang's protection, he was no different from those spoiled young masters from the Shen Family, hard to approach!
Chen San smiled and said, "Muh Han, this Black Asura belongs to Sha Men. After all, Sha Men and our Chen Family share some history. Moreover, Mr. Cui came personally, we have to give them this courtesy!"
"Sha Men? Hmph!" Aomuhan scoffed coldly. "The Bloody Monk is no longer around; this Sha Men has become a name without substance, what courtesy is there?"
The members of Sha Men's expressions all changed. Cui Yu frowned and said, "Lord Ao, the Sect Leader is merely attending to his matters and has not yet returned. Moreover, our Sha Men has not become a mere name. Though the Sect Leader has not dealt with internal affairs in recent years, everything in Sha Men is operating as usual, no different from before!"
"Really?" Aomuhan smirked and said, "From what you're saying, Sha Men still has the strength of the past? Good, if you're so confident, I'll give you a chance. If any one of you can defeat me, I will return this Black Asura. How about it?"
At this, the members of Sha Men immediately became noisy. Netherworld Scholar chuckled coldly as he watched him and said sternly, "Young junior, you boast arrogantly, do you really think our Sha Men has no competent people?"
Cui Yu also showed a cold expression, and spoke sternly, "Our people from Sha Men have never had disputes with Pao Ge from Shu. Lord Ao, are you trying to meddle in Sha Men's affairs?"
Chen San found himself in an awkward position, quickly saying, "Muh Han, the issue between Fourth Sister and Black Asura has passed; don't dwell on it too much. Besides, today's meeting involves Sha Men discussing the matter with the Shen Family. We are after all the hosts, and the members of Sha Men are our guests. Since when do hosts and guests fight?"
Aomuhan snorted coldly and said no more. However, the members of Sha Men were furiously restrained, and if not for their fear of Ao Wuchang, they might have already started fighting with Aomuhan.
During this tense moment, a few people walked through the door, and it was the people from the Xihang Shen Family.
Nine members of the Shen Family had come, led by a middle-aged man in his forties to fifties. Although the man constantly wore a smile, his face always held a hint of sinister eagerness, making him quite uncomfortable to look at. Among the followers, only one was under thirty; the rest were older, likely constituting the third generation of the Xihang Shen Family. Names like Shen Qianyue and Shen Baichuan belonged to the fourth generation of the family.
Upon seeing the Shen Family members arrive, Chen San finally breathed a sigh of relief. He could tell that the men from Sha Men were very displeased with Aomuhan, and he was well aware of Aomuhan's temperament. If things continued this way, a fight would inevitably break out sooner or later. Now that the Shen Family had arrived, their presence could divert everyone's attention.
"Perfect, Mr. Shen has arrived as well!" Chen San approached, exchanged pleasantries with the Shen Family, and then brought them over to the Sha Men members.
The Shen Family had brought nine people compared to Sha Men's six, creating a significant numerical disparity. However, the men from Sha Men showed no fear and glowered fiercely at the Shen Family. Especially Cui Yulong, who stared intently at the man at the front, ready to strike at any moment.
"Come, let me introduce everyone!" Chen San began with a smile, but Cui Yu interjected, "Chen San, no need for introductions. We from Sha Men are very familiar with the Shen Family!"
Continuing, Cui Yu looked coldly at the leading man and said, "Shen Anming, it was you who led the attack on our Sha Men from the north. In your hands, not fifty, then at least thirty of our people died. It just so happens that we are here today, so let us settle the old blood debts!"
Shen Anming sneered coldly, eyeing the Sha Men members, and said, "Ten years ago, the failure to eradicate you completely has always been my life's greatest regret. Unexpectedly, you fools dare to show up again. Well, it saves me the trip to Shenchuan City to find you. Let's resolve the past today!"
"I have the same thought!" Cui Yu retorted with a cold smile, "Why don't we take this outside? This house is filled with Chen San's family treasures. It's inappropriate to damage any of them!"
"That suits me perfectly!" Shen Anming instantly gestured, "Let's go, we'll take this outside!"
The Shen Family members walked out, and the Sha Men members followed without any hesitation. Only the Black Asura was carried out by others. His fate would be decided after this battle!
Chen San's purpose was indeed to have the people from Sha Men clash with the Shen Family members, and seeing them proceed so directly, he said no more and led the spectators outside.
Within the estate of Chen Si, there was a specially designated martial arts field, expansive and highly suitable for combat. The group reached this field, separated into two sides, and Cui Yu loudly inquired, "How shall we fight?"
"You have only six people; if we all fought, it would seem our Shen Family is bullying the few with our many," Shen Anming said with a smile, "How about we fight in five rounds? One-on-one, best of five, and the winner takes the Black Asura."
The Black Asura immediately retorted, "Damn it, if you lose, just kill me instead. I'd rather die than be taken away by the Shen Family bastards!"
"Don't worry, you won't die!" Cui Yu waved him off and looked at Shen Anming, "That sounds fair, though I didn't see such fairness from your Shen Family ten years ago. What, have you started to feel ashamed of your despicable methods over the years?"
Shen Anming sneered, "The Shen Family has always acted openly and honorably, with nothing to feel ashamed about. I say this for the sake of fairness. If you really think my proposal is unsuitable, then we can all fight together, but the outcome will be the same!"
Cui Yu frowned, about to speak, when Cui Yulong stepped forward and said, "Then let's all fight together. To me, the result will be the same. Today, all of you from the Shen Family will certainly die!"
Among the members of Sha Men, only Cui Yulong could speak with such confidence. After all, he had received personal guidance from the Purple Robe Lama and possessed the Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade, making his power extraordinary.
"Damn, Cui Yu, that's your brother, right?" Black Asura, unaware of Cui Yulong's capabilities, said immediately, "Don't be dumb, this concerns my life. If we all fight, you better save me first!"
Shen Anming coldly eyed Cui Yulong and remarked, "Cui Yulong, I know you have the Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade. But don't think that just because you have it, you are invincible under the heavens. I anticipated encountering you, so I brought our Shen Family's Seven-Star Ancient Sword. Today, I want to see whether your Sha Men's Evil Blade is stronger, or if our Shen Family's Ancient Sword is superior!"