Ch 137: Zhangdu County

The night was deep.

Within the Nantian Marquis Manor, the atmosphere was as oppressive as the black night before a storm.

With a loud “Bang!” the silence was shattered.

The Marquis of Nantian abruptly waved his sleeve, sweeping all the teacups on the table to the ground.

The teacups shattered, porcelain shards flew, creating a crackling sound on the ground.

The Marquis of Nantian trembled with anger, his eyes seeming to spew fire as he roared, “Damn Chongwang Pavilion!”

Li Zhe stood to the side, his expression flustered, cold sweat beading on his forehead, as he hurriedly advised, “Marquis, calm your anger, calm your anger.”

“Calm my anger? How can you ask me to calm my anger!” The Marquis of Nantian roared, his chest heaving violently. After a long while, he seemed to have exhausted his strength and calmed down slightly.

“Li Zhe, notify the dark guards and contact the people on the Da Wu side. This Marquis is willing to offer both hands of the land north of Qingshui, just to take Chong Wang’s head.” The Marquis of Nantian gritted his teeth, saying each word distinctly.

Upon hearing this, Li Zhe was greatly alarmed: “Absolutely not, Marquis! This is simply inviting a wolf into our house!”

“Sending it out is easy, but wanting to take it back will be as difficult as ascending to heaven.”

“Moreover, we haven’t reached the end of our rope yet.”

The Marquis of Nantian’s face was gloomy as he coldly asked, “Haven’t reached the worst time yet? When will that be?”

“Must we wait until that Chong Wang puts a knife to this Marquis’s neck?”

Li Zhe hurriedly replied, “That’s not the case. If we carefully consider the matter between us and Chongwang Pavilion, it actually started because of the Golden Dragon Gang.”

“If the current situation is caused by Zhao Tianlong, then there are still ways to deal with it.”

The Marquis of Nantian coldly snorted, “How could I not know?

But this Marquis set him up before, and the death of the Eighth Prince was framed on his head.”

“This current situation is all caused by our rash actions, making reckless moves without understanding the other side’s strength.”

Li Zhe helplessly sighed, “I don’t think we’ve reached the worst situation yet.”

“Let’s first offer an apology, admit our mistake, and see the other side’s reaction.”

“If that really doesn’t work, we’ll think of another way.”

“Also, who said that the death of the Eighth Prince must be us framing Chongwang Pavilion? Marquis, don’t forget, there’s also Saint of Thieves.”

“Before, we had him find trouble for the Prefect, who knew that he would directly kidnap the Princess in order to make a name for himself.”

“If he killed the Eighth Prince for even greater fame…”

As Li Zhe said this, a sinister glint flashed in his eyes, and the corners of his mouth slightly turned up, revealing a cunning smile.

“Moreover, the lineage of the Saint of Thieves has never been for profit, only for fame. This is their tradition.”

“Killing a prince is enough to make him famous throughout Great Liang. He might even gladly accept it.”

After hearing this, the Marquis of Nantian was thoughtful. Now he had no choice but to lower his head, even the Four Great Evils were dead.

But Chongwang Pavilion was unscathed. This kind of strength was definitely not comparable to ordinary Grandmasters.

“Are you saying to let Saint of Thieves take the blame for us?”

Li Zhe waved his hand, “Not at all. How can you say it’s taking the blame for us? It wasn’t us who did it in the first place.”

As soon as these words came out, a smile appeared on the Marquis of Nantian’s face. The previous coldness and anger disappeared, replaced by a look of relief: “Do as you say.”

“The gift for Chongwang Pavilion must be generous. Why don’t we just give him Qingshui? Send it to him in the name of the Heir Apparent.”

Li Zhe nodded, “That’s good too. After all, it was the Heir Apparent who issued the Martial World Kill Order.”

“But Marquis, you need to speed things up.”

“The rumors outside are very unfavorable to you.”

“Now, the Heir Apparent definitely has a rift with you in his heart. If this continues, once the Dragon Guards free up their hands.”

“The Heir Apparent is afraid that he will ask the imperial court to investigate this matter. At that time, Marquis, you will be in trouble.”

The Marquis of Nantian’s face darkened: “Then let him be at odds with the imperial court. It seems… it’s time to declare myself king!”

If Saint of Thieves heard their conversation, he would definitely curse: “I’m doing it for fame, but not to lose my head, damn it!”

……………………………………

The next day

Zhangdu County

Lin Tian and his group rode their horses into Zhangdu County. Although it was the cold of winter, it was bustling with activity.

Shops lined both sides of the street, their vermillion doors wide open, and the signs swayed in the cold wind, making slight creaking sounds.

There were women leading children by the hand, the children holding sugar hawthorns, which refracted colorful light in the sunlight.

More common were martial world travelers carrying luggage, with swords, sabers, axes, halberds, and forks.

“The finest silks, ladies, come and take a look! Have a look!”

Although the brothels weren’t as lively, their doors were wide open.

The candlelight inside had just been extinguished, and a wisp of white smoke rose, with vague figures swaying in front of the windows.

Scattered scholars walked out of the doors, their faces showing exhaustion and satisfaction.

As if savoring last night’s romance, and the romantic poetry.

Lin Tian and his group found a steamed bun shop and got a few baskets of steamed buns.

Lin Tian swallowed a mouthful of food, looked at the waiter who was busy to the side, and waved his hand: “Waiter!”

The waiter hurriedly ran over, his face full of smiles: “Esteemed Spectators, what are your orders?”

Lin Tian asked, “We’re new here and want to ask you something. Where is Zhenshan Hall?”

As soon as the waiter heard this, his eyes lit up, and the smile on his face became even thicker. He said, “Oh, Esteemed Spectators, are you also here to give gifts?”

Lin Tian looked puzzled: “Give gifts? Give what gifts?”

The waiter curled his lips, saying with a bit of teasing, “Hey, Esteemed Spectators, you don’t know? Today is the day the Grand Hall Master of Zhenshan Hall is marrying his fifth concubine.”

“This is a big deal in our Zhangdu County. Knights-errant from the martial world, as well as those high officials, are all here to congratulate him.”

“If you’re going, you have to go early. If you go late, there definitely won’t be any seats left.”

Lin Tian frowned: “How can the Grand Hall Master marrying a concubine be such a big event?”

The waiter chuckled: “You folks are from out of town, so you don’t know.”

“This Zhenshan Hall is a very famous power in our Zhangdu County. The Hall Masters are figures whose stomping feet can make the ground tremble.”

“Moreover, this Grand Hall Master likes excitement the most. Every time there’s a happy event, he holds a big banquet and invites martial world heroes.”

“Over time, it’s become a tradition. Even if you don’t give a gift, as long as you have martial arts skills, you can go and get a free meal.”

Lin Tian nodded: “Alright, that’s all.”

Lin Tian was amused in his heart: “A job has come. Later, let’s also go and join in the fun.”

“Give them a big gift!”