Chapter 304 - 181: Fake Painting

Chapter 304: Chapter 181: Fake Painting

"You are truly magnanimous, Hero Dugu!"

Hearing this, Zhang Da’er beamed and gave Dugu Xiang a thumbs-up.

Dugu Xiang immediately took the lead, guiding the group down the mountain.

Xiaotao stuck nervously to Zheng Xiu’s side. In the presence of these elites of the Martial World, she hardly dared to breathe. The others could tell at a glance that the girl beside "Xiao Buping" knew no Martial Arts. They simply dismissed her as one of Bandit Xiao’s dalliances, paying her no mind and treating her as if she were invisible.

Xiaotao gently tugged on Zheng Xiu’s sleeve.

Zheng Xiu gently patted the back of her hand, signaling for her not to be nervous.

"Don’t worry. I’m here."

Zheng Xiu said calmly with a faint smile.

"Okay, Young Master."

Xiaotao nodded emphatically.

Dugu Xiang led the way, heading down the mountain.

The others followed behind him, keeping a certain distance from one another. They remained wary and silent.

Yet Zheng Xiu was the sole exception. He held Xiaotao’s sleeve, occasionally telling her jokes to ease her tension. Among the group, he appeared exceptionally calm and composed. The two of them strolled down the stone steps as if on a leisurely walk, completely out of sync with the tense atmosphere. This drew furtive glances from the others. ’This Xiao Buping may be infamous,’ they thought, ’but with such an unruffled demeanor, it’s no wonder so many married women fall for him.’ As this realization dawned on them, their vigilance only grew.

Zheng Xiu was completely unaware that the others already saw him as a dangerous figure, the so-called "Female Hero Butcher." Mid-sentence, he paused and looked up at someone who had walked up beside him.

"Brother Xiao, heheh, long time no see! It’s been years, but you’re looking even more dashing than before!"

The one striking up a conversation was none other than Zhang Da’er, the man who had publicly embarrassed Yue Chongyang. Zheng Xiu was taken aback. His first thought was, ’This Zhang Da’er actually knows the real Xiao Buping?’ But he quickly recovered, putting on a puzzled expression and asking, "Have we met?"

"You’ve forgotten?" Zhang Da’er slapped his forehead and narrowed his eyes. "Three years ago, we ran into each other at a brothel. We hit it off right away and shared three cups of wine. That day you had, heheh, one on your left, one on your right, and another one pressed against your back... Oh! My apologies, I should slap my own mouth. I shouldn’t bring this up in front of the young lady."

Hearing this, Zheng Xiu smiled faintly. "Brother Zhang, you’ve got the wrong person. As everyone knows, when I want a woman, I never pay."

The smile on Zhang Da’er’s face froze. He was momentarily speechless, at a complete loss for words.

’The bastard likes to get it for free.’

"Then I must’ve been mistaken!" Zhang Da’er let out a hearty laugh. Even though Zheng Xiu had seen right through him, he felt no embarrassment. He shamelessly fell into step with Zheng Xiu and, ignoring Xiaotao’s disgusted expression, lowered his voice to ask for tips on how to win the hearts of married women, subtly implying that he was a fellow connoisseur.

’Like hell I’m a connoisseur like you, you son of a bitch.’

Zheng Xiu cursed inwardly. He waved his hand and said humbly that his reputation in the Jianghu was just empty fame and shouldn’t be taken seriously.

Dugu Xiang glanced back at Zheng Xiu and Zhang Da’er, the corner of his mouth twitching. He knew Zhang Da’er was putting on this act for his benefit, but he remained silent and didn’t expose him. Instead, he quickened his pace.

The others followed wordlessly, leaving only the sound of Zhang Da’er’s boisterous voice on the stone steps.

The straight staircase led directly to the manor, flanked by dense shadows from the trees.

Just as they were about to enter the manor, Dugu Xiang, who was at the very front, suddenly stopped.

The heavy tree shadows swayed gently. Under the slanted moonlight, a solitary silhouette was stretched out several times its normal length, a narrow shadow extending all the way to the group’s feet.

A slender figure seemed to have been waiting at the foot of the mountain for a long time. Only when Dugu Xiang stopped did he begin to walk toward the group.

One step, two steps, three steps, four steps.

In the darkness, the newcomer’s steps were deliberate. He appeared to be walking slowly, but in an instant, everyone else on the steps instinctively reached for their famous weapons. They sensed that this person came with ill intent.

"Cheng Xiao?"

Dugu Xiang placed his hand on his waist, resting it on his sword hilt. He frowned as he identified the man.

"A private... grudge."

As Cheng Xiao spoke, he shot past Dugu Xiang like a flash of lightning. In the blink of an eye, all anyone saw was a flicker of white light from a blade. Cheng Xiao had already moved behind "Purple Blood Sword."

CRACK.

The head of the master from the evil path hit the ground.

No one had expected Cheng Xiao’s blade to be so fast, so sudden.

With no warning, no premonition whatsoever, the head of a famous master was lopped off by Cheng Xiao just like that.

"The grudge is settled."

Cheng Xiao turned back and sheathed his half-length Broken Saber.

With the exception of Zheng Xiu, the sudden slaughter made everyone react as if they were facing a formidable enemy. They all fell back, staring at Cheng Xiao with hostile expressions.

Cheng Xiao had killed a man so cleanly and decisively it made their scalps tingle. That strike had been too fast—as fast as lightning. But upon reflection, Cheng Xiao’s Swordsmanship had no finesse to speak of. It was just a simple strike, yet this utterly unadorned move was so fast that no one could react in time.

Dugu Xiang asked himself—he could have reacted when he first saw Cheng Xiao. But when Cheng Xiao had said "a private grudge," Dugu Xiang had hesitated. It was that momentary hesitation that made him too slow to block Cheng Xiao, just half a beat too late.

Dugu Xiang took a deep breath, his eyes locked on Cheng Xiao. "To kill someone at my Hidden Sword Manor... Demon Saber Cheng Xiao, have you considered the consequences?"

"I have." Under Zheng Xiu’s astonished gaze, Cheng Xiao walked expressionlessly to his side. His face was as pale and cold as a dead man’s. Cheng Xiao reached into his robes.

This movement made the already tense heroes retreat another step.

Yue Chongyang even used his Qinggong, stepping on leaves to land on a treetop, retreating the farthest.

But unexpectedly, what Cheng Xiao pulled from his robes was not a dangerous weapon.