Someone once told me that if you want to completely defeat a woman, then don't let her talk.
Now I finally understand what that sentence means.
I was lying on the ground in a very disheveled position, while Xiao Zuo sat smugly in his chair, dressed in white as snow. He looked so relaxed and carefree. I stared at him, my heart filled with unbearable hatred, but I couldn't even utter a curse!
There is no feeling in the world more tormenting than this helplessness, not even death!
"Are you feeling unwell?" Xiao Zuo looked at me leisurely and said, "Don't worry, perhaps the Chief Steward Feng, whom you trust so much, will come to save you."
"She can't come," came Liu Yun's voice from outside. "She was stunned by the young master's flute playing and hasn't woken up yet."
Xiao Zuo said "Oh," and smiled at me, "Luckily! Otherwise, if Ziyu Xiang had been slow to administer the poison, everyone would have ended up like your iron cavalry, meeting their maker immediately."
I knew he was deliberately trying to provoke me, and since I couldn't refute him, I simply closed my eyes and refused to look at him.
Just then, the sound of weapons clashing rang out outside, interspersed with shouts from Jin Zhaoyu.
I immediately opened my eyes again, knowing that the two maids were determined to save their master and were fighting against Bishui Liuyun.
However, in terms of martial arts, how could they be a match for the protectors of Baili City?
I didn't want them to die for me, but I couldn't say a word. I was anxious and worried when I suddenly heard Xiao Zuo say lazily, "These two girls are very loyal, but their martial arts are worse than their master's... Liu Yun, you should go back. Bi Shui alone can handle it."
"Yes." Liu Yun's voice seemed to carry a smile. "Sister Biyue has never seen blood, so she is indeed much better than someone like me who doesn't know how to hold back when I strike."
"Azure waters hold no killing intent, flowing clouds are ruthless, yet you extend your affection to everything connected to the beloved, a sentiment that is truly touching." The Ghost King's voice suddenly rang out, tinged with a hint of mockery. "I never imagined that the new city lord of Baili City would be such a deeply sentimental person. It's just a pity..."
"It's a pity that Heaven is blind, and no one appreciates my deep affection, is that so?" Xiao Zuo interjected with a smile, "The Ghost King's understanding of me truly moves me..."
When I heard him repeatedly address me as "this humble one," I knew he was up to some trick again. But then I heard him continue, "I have no choice but to offer you a generous gift to express my sincere gratitude. I hope the Ghost King will accept it with a smile."
Gifts? I was taken aback for a moment, when I heard Liu Yun announce loudly from outside: "Forty thumbs, forty index fingers, plus forty living people whose martial arts have been crippled. Please accept them, Ghost King."
What kind of gift is this? I was taken aback again and couldn't help but glance at Xiao Zuo, but he just looked at me and laughed without saying a word.
A moment later, the sound of hurried, dragging footsteps could be heard in the distance. Gradually, as the footsteps became clearer, weak groans drifted into the air.
At this point, my curiosity had reached its peak, but I couldn't see anything but the white curtains.
Xiao Zuo, though he clearly saw that I was impatient, deliberately ignored me.
Not only did he ignore it, he also stood up on his own, and it seemed that he was planning to leave!
Is he going to leave me here alone, only able to hear but not see? Doesn't he realize how worried I'll be?!
At that moment, my heart felt like it was being scratched by a kitten's claws, and I was so anxious that I couldn't even describe it. Xiao Zuo suddenly looked down at me and smiled, saying leisurely, "Now you've tasted the feeling of being speechless and only able to worry... How does it feel? Is it good?"
Upon hearing this, I was so angry that my vision blurred, and my nose stung, almost bringing me to tears. Suddenly, I felt a lightness followed by a heaviness as he lifted me and placed me on a chair. Before I could react, I heard him say in my ear, "Given your behavior in Zhashui, I really should teach you a lesson. However, having your speech acupoint sealed for too long can be harmful, so I've removed it. If you want to curse me, you'd better keep it to yourself and not let me hear it, lest it distract me. Because... I'm about to go out and fight someone."
After saying that, without waiting for me to stare at him with wide eyes, he smiled at me again and turned to leave the curtained area.
His distinctive, slow voice rang out from outside: "Ghost King, is this generous gift to your liking?"
Although I was already seated, I still couldn't see anything and was feeling worried when the curtain was suddenly lifted. Liu Yun stood to the side, smiled at me, and then turned her gaze to the center of the room.
Following her gaze, one could see that on the vast open space, the disciples of Baili City still formed an encirclement, the leaders of the mountain ghost gang remained standing in the same spot, and the Ghost King was still hiding in the sedan chair without showing his face.
However, Jin Zhaoyu Cui had already fallen to the ground, but it seemed that she had only been hit in acupoints and was not seriously injured.
Besides that, another unexpected development occurred—dozens more people appeared. Men.
To be precise, it was dozens of men whose right thumbs and index fingers had all been cut off.
These were the gifts Xiao Zuo gave to the Ghost King? I was both surprised and amused: what kind of gift is a finger? And why a finger, and not a tongue, an ear, or something else...?
As if answering the question in my heart, at this moment, I heard Ghost King say in a low voice, "I didn't expect that the forty best fighters of Thunderbolt Hall would still be no match for you alone. You cut off their fingers, did you mean that they could no longer make explosives with their hands? Very well, Young Master Xiao, I underestimated you... This gift is well given, I will accept it."
So it was the Thunderbolt Hall! They attacked Xiao Zuo?
My heart skipped a beat, followed by a bittersweet feeling mixed with a hint of indescribable joy. It was as if I understood something, yet I couldn't believe it was true. I opened my mouth, about to say something, when I saw Bishui shake her head at me and point to the location of a den of ghosts in the mountains, her expression very solemn.
I was immediately startled, thinking how close I had come to disaster!
Since Xiao Zuo chose to appear before the Ghost King, he has clearly decided to confront him directly. The situation on the surface seems relaxed, but in reality, a single disagreement could lead to a fight. I absolutely cannot allow this to distract him! Absolutely not!
At this moment, Xiao Zuo said to the Ghost King, "You did not underestimate me, but you underestimated Baili City."
After a moment of silence, the Ghost King's voice came from the sedan chair again: "No, I underestimated you. Because, to this day, I still can't figure out when or how you notified Baili City to send reinforcements."
Xiao Zuo laughed and said, "I know you've been sending little devils to secretly monitor me, but the contact information of any gang or faction in the martial arts world is a highly confidential matter. How could it be so easily seen through by outsiders? Just like Du San Niang's silver bracelet, its structure is exquisite. If you don't know how to open it, even if you get it, it's useless."
"Of course!" A shrill voice suddenly came from the Ghost King's sedan chair, chuckling, "If just anyone could open it, my hands should be chopped off and fed to the dogs!"
Xiao Zuo laughed loudly, "I said all the ghost heads, including the little ghost, the lustful ghost, the female ghost, and the water ghost, have appeared, but why is 'Ghostly Craftsmanship' the only one missing? It turns out she's hiding in the sedan chair with the Ghost King, acting like a beautiful woman playing the pipa."
Before the laughter subsided, the Ghost King said, "Young Master Xiao seems to know our identities very well. It seems that your trip to Hancheng has been very beneficial to you."
For some reason, there was a hint of anger in his voice as he coldly said, "The Dragon King must have already told you all the detailed information about us without reservation..."
“Yes, he told me, but you can’t blame him,” Xiao Zuo interrupted him. “Two years ago, you fell into his hands. Although he said he would never reveal your secrets to anyone, the condition was that you wouldn’t commit any crimes on the Yellow River. This time, you broke your oath first…”
Before he could finish speaking, the Ghost King interrupted him: "You're wrong, it wasn't us who broke the oath."
"No?" Xiao Zuo sneered. "You wouldn't be suggesting that Du Sanniang has married into the Thunderbolt Hall, and therefore doesn't count..."
"You're wrong again!" The Ghost King interrupted him once more, his voice suddenly turning incredibly sinister as he slowly said, "Back then, I swore to the Dragon King that as long as he was alive, none of the ghosts in the mountains would ever do business on the Yellow River. Did you hear me clearly? As long as he was alive... May I ask, Young Master Xiao, when you see the Dragon King, will he still be considered human?"
Xiao Zuo replied without hesitation, "Of course it counts..."