Chapter 28: Fraud!!

At this moment, Lu Xuan sat inside the gatehouse.

He cautiously glanced toward Ye Qingyi, and when he saw that she had finally turned away and resumed practicing her saber, he quietly let out a long breath of relief while feeling troubled inwardly.

This Ye Qingyi was becoming more and more troublesome, she noticed far too much.

Just when he was thinking of how to handle her, Lu Xuan's ears twitched.

Heavy footsteps, they were still about a hundred feet away from the escort agency, but they were clearly approaching.

They were coming here, Lu Xuan inwardly sighed.

After the Five Animals Transformation Art reached Great Perfection, his senses had become almost frighteningly sharp.

Any movement around him seemed to enter his perception. Even footsteps from far away could not easily escape his ears.

A moment later, Creak...

The main gate was pushed open, middle-aged man stood at the entrance.

His skin was dark, his face covered by a thick beard, and his body was enormous. His shoulders were broad enough to make the doorway seem narrow, while a large saber hung from his waist.

The man glanced around the courtyard before his eyes finally landed on Lu Xuan.

His lips curled, "The gatekeeper?"

Lu Xuan slowly stood up, "Who are you looking for?"

The man looked him up and down, his gaze openly contemptuous.

Then he sneered, "Old Guo told me your escort agency had a useless gatekeeper... the eldest young master kicked out of the Lu Family."

He clicked his tongue, "Didn't expect it to be true."

Lu Xuan's brows furrowed slightly, "And you are?"

The man straightened his back, "I am The Thunderclap Hand, Duan Lei."

He spoke the name with obvious pride before adding, "The great benefactor of your escort agency. I'm here to see Chief Fang."

With that, he strode forward and casually pushed Lu Xuan aside as though he were nothing more than furniture standing in the way.

"Old Guo! Old Guo!"

Lu Xuan stood there for a moment, Duan Lei.

So this was the famous "brother" Old Guo had been boasting about for half a month.

The man who had supposedly appeared at the perfect moment and killed more than ten Flying Cloud Fortress bandits, The man who had conveniently taken credit for everything Lu Xuan had done.

Interesting.

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"Aiyo! Brother Duan!"

Old Guo heard the shouting and immediately came hobbling out from the courtyard with his crutch.

The moment he saw Duan Lei, his entire face broke into a wide smile.

"Brother Duan! What took you so long? Come, come! Chief Fang is waiting inside!"

Old Guo grabbed Duan Lei's hand as enthusiastically as though he had just been reunited with a blood brother.

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The two of them walked toward the main hall together, their arrival immediately attracted attention of all, the escort warriors quickly gathered around them to thank him.

"Master Duan! We owe you a great debt for what happened at Flying Cloud Fortress!"

"If it weren't for you, we might not have made it back alive!"

"Master Duan, I heard you punched straight through someone's chest! Your martial arts must be incredible!"

Duan Lei waved his hand casually, "A small matter."

His expression was humble, unfortunately, the words coming out of his mouth were anything but humble.

"Those dozen bandits? One punch each. Nothing worth mentioning."

He began gesturing as he spoke, becoming more funnier than a joker with every sentence.

"When I charged down the mountain, I kicked their leader over first. Then I punched left, punched right... those people couldn't even touch the corner of my clothes!"

Xiao Lin listened with wide eyes.

"Master Duan, you used your fists? You didn't even use your saber?"

"Use a saber?"

Duan Lei slapped his thigh and laughed loudly.

"To deal with those petty thieves, why would I need a saber? These two fists are more than enough!"

Xiao Lin immediately gave him a thumbs-up.

"Amazing!"

Old Guo proudly added from the side, "Of course! My Brother Duan is no ordinary man!"

Lu Xuan sat quietly inside the gatehouse, listening to Duan Lei's increasingly exaggerated story.

He naturally had no intention of exposing him.

After all, someone else taking responsibility for the deaths of Flying Cloud Fortress's bandits was actually beneficial to Lu Xuan.

Why would he ruin such a convenient situation?

Still...

Lu Xuan's opinion of Duan Lei had fallen considerably. Taking credit for something you hadn't done was one thing, but enjoying it so openly... especially right in front of him... was another.

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Ye Qingyi stood alone near the edge of the courtyard.

Unlike Xiao Lin and the others, she didn't crowd around Duan Lei, she simply leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, her bright eyes quietly observing him.

She didn't say anything, but something felt wrong, Duan Lei's steps were steady.

His posture was confident, his movements looked powerful enough, Yet his Qi feel... too shallow.

Ye Qingyi's eyes narrowed slightly, a truly powerful martial artist could conceal many things.

But Qi was difficult to fake, Duan Lei's breathing was not much stronger than that of an ordinary Martial Artist.

With that level of cultivation...

Could he really kill more than ten bandits bare-handed?

Ye Qingyi's gaze shifted, for just a moment, she looked toward Lu Xuan.

Lu Xuan was sitting in the gatehouse with his head slightly lowered, his hands resting quietly on his knees, his breathing was almost imperceptible.

It was so faint that if she hadn't been paying attention, she might not have noticed it at all.

Ye Qingyi's eyes flickered, then she slowly withdrew her gaze.

A strange thought surfaced in her mind, this Duan Lei...

Somehow felt even less like a master than Lu Xuan.

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Upon reaching the main hall, Duan Lei continued boasting for a while before finally getting to the point.

"Chief Fang, I came to Azure Sun City this time for Huo Tianba."

Fang Tieshan raised an eyebrow. "Huo Tianba?"

"Yes."

Duan Lei pulled a wanted poster from his pocket and slapped it onto the table.

"The Lu Family of Azure Sun City is offering a reward of one thousand silver pieces for him, dead or alive. This bounty has attracted quite a few martial artists to the city."

Xiao Lin nodded in agreement.

"Mhm! When I came into the city this morning, I saw many unfamiliar faces."

Duan Lei laughed heartily.

"No matter how many people come, it won't matter. Huo Tianba's head has already been reserved by me, Duan Lei!"

Old Guo, Xiao Lin, and the others immediately chimed in.

"That's right! With Brother Duan making a move, catching Huo Tianba will be as easy as killing a fly."

Duan Lei slowly rose to his feet and patted the large saber at his waist.

"Chief Fang, I'm unfamiliar with Azure Sun City and need a place to stay. Your escort agency seems suitable, so I'll stay here for a few days and leave once I catch Huo Tianba."

Before Fang Tieshan could respond, Duan Lei continued, "Oh, and yesterday I tried a dish at Red Lotus Restaurant that was quite good. Have them deliver a table of food here every day, along with two pounds of wine. I can't eat more than that. You don't mind putting it on the escort agency's tab, do you?"

Fang Tieshan's brows furrowed tightly, and his expression darkened.

Duan Lei crossed his legs and looked at the silent Fang Tieshan.

"Hiss! What's wrong, Chief Fang? Is it too difficult?"

"Are the lives of seven people from your escort agency and an entire cart of goods not worth a few tables of food and wine?"

"I heard that you, Chief Fang, are a man who values loyalty and repays kindness. Could it be that there's some misunderstanding about your reputation in the Martial World?"

As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward Old Guo, seeing the tense atmosphere, Old Guo quickly tried to smooth things over.

"Aiya! Brother Duan, what are you saying? How could it not be worth it?"

Fang Tieshan glanced at Old Guo but said nothing.

After a moment, he finally spoke.

"All right. Brother Duan has shown kindness to our escort agency. There's a side room in the backyard. You can stay there."

Duan Lei laughed heartily, rose to his feet, and patted Fang Tieshan on the shoulder.

"Chief Fang is straightforward!"

With that, he strode toward the inner courtyard as though he were returning to his own home.

Old Guo glanced at Fang Tieshan before hobbling after him.

"Brother Duan! I'll show you to your room... "