The Jianghu of Feng Qingcheng and Mo Xibei

Chapter 78

"Is that explosives?" Mo Xibei asked Chu Junfeng in a low voice.

"This is more than just explosives." Murong Songtao overheard this and grinned maliciously. "This is the Thunderbolt Fire Bomb, the treasure of the Northwest Thunderbolt Sect. If we let go, this weight is enough to blast this place to the ground."

"So powerful, does Senior Murong intend to perish together with us?" Mo Xibei sighed inwardly. He hadn't expected that the development of gunpowder weapons in the Ming Dynasty was so advanced that they didn't even need a tinderbox; they could just throw it on the ground to detonate the firearm.

"Whether you live or die depends on your choice." Murong Songtao frowned. "Miss Mo is incredibly wealthy, and there are many treasures here, but surely it's not worth Miss Mo risking her life for them?" He then said to Chu Junfeng, "Hero Chu has defeated me twice, making him a true master in the world. At such a young age, wealth is nothing but dust. I suppose Hero Chu wouldn't want to lose his life here so foolishly?"

"You scoundrel Murong. What do you want? Speak your mind!" Huang Jin stopped, already exhausted. His body swayed slightly, but his voice was still loud. It was clear he was on his last legs.

"We are just five worthless old men, our lives are nothing to us. We only want to use them to do business with two promising young men. As for you, Director, you destroyed my decades-long foundation, and we still have a score to settle. Besides, it seems your health is failing, so there's no need to discuss this business with you." Murong Songtao chuckled dryly. "I'm just after money. Miss Mo, Hero Chu, you can take the Imperial Seal from the treasure. The gold and silver are mine. Once my men have transported these things away, you can leave this place safely. I reckon the Ming emperor won't make things difficult for you after obtaining the seal. How about it? Is this a good deal?"

"Of course we can! We'd rather be a broken tile than a shattered jade. Deal!" Before Chu Junfeng could speak, Mo Xibei clapped his hands in agreement. "How could these treasures fall into the hands of Japanese pirates?" Chu Junfeng wanted to object, but Mo Xibei's change in attitude was subtle. He knew Mo Xibei's hatred for the Japanese pirates was even stronger, so he swallowed his words and left the decision to Mo Xibei.

“However, I don’t quite trust Miss Mo’s words.” Murong Songtao’s eyes were dark. “Miss Mo, we know what kind of person you are. This kind of word-of-mouth is not applicable to you. I want him to say it.” As he spoke, Murong Songtao pointed at Chu Junfeng. “Hero Chu, make an oath, so we can settle things here quickly.”

“Senior Murong, you now hold the Thunderfire Bomb in your hands and have the power of life and death. How can you make us swear oaths? This business is not fair.” Mo Xibei shook his head. “I know that Senior Murong does not trust us, but we may not be able to trust you either. If anyone is going to swear an oath, it should be you who starts. Please don’t say anything like your whole family is dead. Everyone knows that you are the only one left in your family now.”

"Miss Mo, your most formidable skill is your sharp tongue. Very well, to show my sincerity, I swear first: if I take away the treasure and detonate the thunderbolts, may I be struck by lightning!" Murong Songtao was getting impatient. He knew his accomplices below couldn't endure the turbulent river for long, while above, numerous experts from the Eastern Depot were waiting. The longer it dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for him. So he readily swore, "And what about you? What do you say?"

"Master Chu and I will only take the Imperial Seal of the State, and will not touch a single piece of the treasure. If we break this oath, we will be the same as Senior Murong." Mo Xibei blinked, smiling broadly, as if he had a plan in mind.

That confident and certain smile made Murong Songtao hesitate. He held the Thunderfire Bomb in his hand, stood still, and stared at Mo Xibei. "The treasure is already within our grasp, what are you still hesitating for, Senior Murong?" Mo Xibei smiled even more sweetly, revealing a puzzled expression, and deliberately tilted his head to think.

“Miss Mo, you don’t need to be so mysterious. Don’t think that I will be afraid just because you’re like this.” Murong Songtao remained standing in place, his eyes hesitant and flickering.

"Senior Murong, I swear, I really didn't do anything. This cave is very stuffy, let's finish this quickly." Mo Xibei urged him to take action.

“That’s true. How about this, Miss Mo, you come with my men. It won’t be easy to move all this gold and silver. With more people helping, it will be faster.” Murong Songtao pointed into the cave. “You go in first and close the lids of all the boxes containing the gold bars.”

Without saying a word, Mo Xibei went up and closed the lids of the several large boxes one by one.

Soon two more men in black arrived, took the luminous pearls, gems, and pearls piled on the ground, put them into an empty box, and quickly tied it securely.

With so many treasures in various locations, it was impossible to transport them all at once. Mo Xibei suspected that Murong Songtao had other helpers. As a result, after the treasures were packed up, light and disorderly footsteps came from the stone cave. A dozen or so men in black, each with their faces covered by black cloth, came over without saying a word, picked up the boxes, and left.

Huang Jin was so anxious and angry that he fainted on the ground.

Murong Songtao ignored them and waited until the last two men in black carried the box up into the narrow passage in the stone cave before joining the four men who had carried the Thunderfire Bomb at the back.

After the men in black left, Mo Xibei and Chu Junfeng each carried the Imperial Seal and the wooden box containing their books, and walked two steps behind Murong Songtao.

The whole process was quiet; you could barely hear anyone breathing.

Murong Songtao had been watching Mo Xibei the whole time, so when he got close to the cave entrance, he immediately saw the starlight that suddenly flashed in Mo Xibei's eyes. It was so bright that it made his heart tighten.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

As he turned around abruptly, sensing something was wrong, a great deal of icy river water poured over him. The Thunderfire Bomb would explode when struck by a heavy external force, and its only fear was water.

Volume Two: The Wind Leaves a Trace, Chapter Twenty-Four: The Deadly Kill

"How did you do that?" The cold water stung his eyes, and Murong Songtao couldn't help but blink. In the blink of an eye, the four henchmen holding thunderbolts were already lying on the ground, and in front of him, a young man wearing a silver metal mask was pointing a sword at him.

"I didn't do anything, I just briefly attracted your attention at some point." Mo Xibei replied casually when he saw that Murong Songtao ignored Mu Feinan's sword and instead looked at him.

"But why did you come down at this time?" Murong Songtao was slightly lost in thought before turning to look at Mu Feinan.

"Because I have never believed that the best ninja in Japan would die so easily at the hands of a woman whose martial arts are inferior to his and who is flustered." Mu Feinan raised the tip of his sword slightly, forcing Murong Songtao to raise his head slightly as well, before saying, "Senior Murong, my people have been following you for more than just a day or two. No matter what you do, you can't hide it from me."

"Very well, very well," Murong Songtao suddenly deflated like a punctured balloon, his body slumping and losing all strength. "The younger generation surpasses the older generation. It's not unjust for this old man to be defeated by you young people. Since your men were able to follow me without my noticing, it goes without saying that you replaced these people carrying the boxes long ago without anyone noticing. I've always been cautious and never trusted anyone. My men are just like me, always keeping their faces covered. I never expected that you would take advantage of such a loophole."

"The victor is king, the loser is villain. Murong Songtao, your current predicament is your own fault. Now, do you want to end your own life, or wait for me to make my move?" Mu Feinan ignored Murong Songtao's lament, his sword tip remaining still. He coldly asked the question.

“How can I die at your hands?” Murong Songtao said without hesitation. “Defeat is defeat. I have been lurking in the Central Plains for decades, but I have not completed the mission entrusted to me by my lord. There is absolutely no reason for me to live. If you have any kindness in your heart, then let me choose the way of a warrior to die.”

Mo Xibei didn't know how samurai died. But he had watched a lot of TV dramas about the War of Resistance against Japan. When the Japanese devils were defeated, they liked to commit seppuku, and their intestines would definitely spill out. Just thinking about it made him feel disgusted, and he couldn't help but turn his head slightly away.

Mu Feinan's men in black were methodically tying up boxes of gold and silver treasures and transporting them up the cliff. Chu Junfeng sighed inwardly, feeling that there was no point in lingering any longer. He called out to Mo Xibei, then went to the cave entrance, found the rope he had used to come down that morning, rang the bell, and began to climb upwards.

Mo Xibei also wanted to leave. After all, this stone cave was located in the middle of a cliff, giving one a feeling of being adrift. Staying any longer felt uncomfortable. However, with Mu Feinan's child and Murong Songtao still alive, she still felt uneasy.

Murong Songtao slowly raised the Japanese sword in his hand and stabbed it into his abdomen. Blood slowly soaked his clothes. His eyes were wide open as he slowly knelt down facing east.

Mu Fei hesitated slightly, but ultimately took a step back while holding his sword.

Mo Xibei watched as Murong Songtao took a step back because of Mu Feinan's sword, and a ferocious and venomous smile suddenly appeared on his lips.

"Watch out!" she shouted instinctively.

Murong Songtao's blade had already pierced through another layer of black undergarment he was wearing, and a dazzling, eerie red and blue light bloomed almost simultaneously on his chest.

It was a moment of carnage, with blood and flesh flying everywhere. Murong Songtao's blood splattered densely, and the air seemed to be filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder mixed with blood.

Mo Xibei didn't know how Murong Songtao had detonated the Thunderfire Bomb hidden inside his second layer of water. All she knew was that after the Thunderfire Bomb exploded, not only was Murong Songtao instantly blown to pieces, but the four men in black who had just been lying at his feet were also not spared.

As a result, more Thunderbolt Fireballs were detonated.

The distinctive red and blue light of the explosives burst blindingly before her eyes. Instinctively, she rushed forward and grabbed Mu Feinan, holding him tight, vowing never to be separated again, no matter what.

"Go!" Besides the deafening explosion, Mu Feinan's hoarse shout also filled the air.

Mo Xibei felt as if she were being lifted into the air. She didn't know if it was because Mu Feinan suddenly broke free from her grasp and pushed her forcefully, or because the power of the Thunderfire Bomb was so great that she was thrown out by the instantaneous airflow.

She only felt that she had fallen to the ground more than ten feet away, her back was burning with pain, and her limbs were unresponsive. She just fell heavily to the ground and then tumbled down the steps of the stone cave...

She desperately wanted to stop, to turn around and look, but she had no strength, absolutely no strength. Her consciousness was slowly slipping away.

There was a sound of rolling rocks, which came from the ground as she helplessly rolled over. It was very dull, like an instantaneous explosion, yet it was devastating.