Chapter 18: The Dog Boss
“Who?”
“Li the Scholar?”
In the dining hall, someone recognized Li Xunhuan—Zhuge Lei, the escort captain known as the “Swift Wind Sword” from the Golden Lion Escort Agency.
The ruddy-faced, stout Zhuge Lei pointed at Li Xunhuan, his voice trembling: “You’ve returned from beyond the pass?”
They had met years ago.
“Impertinent! You filthy swine, how dare you speak to my young master!” roared a thick-bearded man. His voice wasn’t just fierce like a lion’s roar—it was even more overwhelming, causing Zhuge Lei to reel.
That single outburst caused many in the dining hall to quietly leave.
They had no desire to invite trouble.
The wind and snow outside were but minor nuisances; the real danger was inside!
Inside, those wishing to leave found the outside blocked, while those outside tried to force their way in.
Two figures entered from outside, slowly removing their snow hats to reveal two gaunt, yellowed faces, grotesque and waxy as if carved from yellow wax.
They looked nearly identical, though the one on the left was pale as death, while the one on the right had a face as dark as the bottom of a pot.
Originally here to stir trouble, they now saw that trouble already brewed inside.
But no matter how great the trouble, it was nothing to them.
They approached Zhuge Lei, the pale-faced one asked sharply, “Are you ‘Swift Wind Sword’ Zhuge Lei?”
His voice was sharp, urgent, like the hiss of a rattlesnake.
Zhuge Lei, sensing their ill intent, broke out in a cold sweat and stammered, “N-no, I dare not—”
The dark-faced man sneered, “Do you know why we’ve come?”
Zhuge Lei’s voice trembled, “I do not.”
The pale-faced man said, “Hand over the package brought back from beyond the pass, and you may live!”
Before Zhuge Lei could speak, the thick-bearded man bellowed, “My young master is here! There’s no place for you to speak! Get out!”
The two, seeing the thick-bearded man’s imposing presence as godlike, exchanged a glance. Recognizing he was not to be trifled with, they seized Zhuge Lei and began to exit.
Though they were troublemakers themselves, in the martial world, one must act from the heart.
Zhuge Lei struggled against their grasp, but suddenly a sword pressed against his throat. The dark-faced man had drawn his blade so swiftly no one noticed.
“Could you two be the Bloody Twin Serpents?” Zhuge Lei’s eyes widened at the sight of the sword.
Among the underworld friends along the Yellow River this year, none were darker of heart or more ruthless than the Bloody Twin Serpents.
“Looks like you’ve got some sense!” the White Serpent sneered.
They were already near the inn’s exit. If this continued…
Zhuge Lei’s eyes darted, and with a grim resolve, he said, “The items you seek—I already gave them to someone else.”
“Who?” the Black Serpent demanded.
Zhuge Lei pointed to the empty dining hall where Li Xunhuan sat. “To him! Li the Scholar!”
“Are you lying to us?” the White Serpent asked.
“Know the fate of those who lie to us!” the Black Serpent warned.
Zhuge Lei nodded repeatedly, fully aware.
But with death certain either way, why not take a chance?
The Bloody Twin Serpents dragged Zhuge Lei back into the inn’s dining hall. The thick-bearded man glared at them, his copper-bell eyes wide: “I told you to get out! Why haven’t you left?”
The Black Serpent pointed his sword at Zhuge Lei. “He says he gave the item to you.”
The thick-bearded man felt an inexhaustible strength welling inside him, shifting his mindset. “What item? I’ve never seen it! Leave now, before your grandfather gets involved.”
Zhuge Lei looked at Li Xunhuan, whose smile held a sinister charm, and suddenly said, “Li the Scholar has returned from beyond the pass to dominate the martial world! As an old friend, how could I come empty-handed?”
He tossed a parcel toward Li Xunhuan, but the thick-bearded man caught it.
Tearing it open revealed a strange vest of black-gold.
“I thought it was something else. Turns out it’s this!” the thick-bearded man said.
A golden-threaded armor, one of the “Three Treasures of the Martial World”—impervious to blades and fire.
Ordinary men who acquire it rarely survive; it only aids when two equally matched masters duel.
The two serpents’ eyes widened at the sight of the golden armor. The Black Serpent slashed at Zhuge Lei, while the White Serpent struck at the thick-bearded man.
The Black Serpent’s sword was swift; Zhuge Lei could not dodge, but the blade never touched him.
A flying knife had pierced his hand instead.
The White Serpent’s sword was equally fast, its gleaming arc dazzling the eyes, aiming for the thick-bearded man’s chest—but it couldn’t penetrate!
The thick-bearded man grabbed the sword, bending the sharp, flexible blade like a twisted braid of dough. He bit into it several times as if it were nothing but a piece of twisted bread.
The White Serpent’s pale face drained even further.
A swordsman without a sword was in grave danger.
He hurriedly retreated, only to be struck on the forehead by the thick-bearded man’s palm, groaning as he collapsed like a broken noodle.
The Black Serpent, wounded in the right hand, saw the White Serpent’s fate unknown and began to withdraw from the inn, when a voice with a hint of sinister charm rang out:
“One more step back, and this flying knife will be at your throat!”
Li Xunhuan’s Little Flying Dagger never missed its mark!
The Black Serpent looked at Li Xunhuan sitting beside the wine table, the dagger in his hand, sweat pouring down his face.
“People in today’s martial world have too little courtesy!” Li Xunhuan said involuntarily. “He said he gave me the item—why fight over it?”
“Do you think I care for this golden-threaded armor?”
“Impervious to blades and fire—it means nothing to me!”
Since no one could catch Li Xunhuan’s flying dagger, the armor was useless to him.
“But…” Li Xunhuan glanced down at Zhuge Lei, who clung to his leg like a wild dog, and said, “I’m stepping back into the martial world, and someone has offered me a gift. Though I dislike him and this gift…”
“As the overlord of the martial world, I must have a pack of lackeys. Don’t you agree?” he said to Zhuge Lei.
Zhuge Lei knew he had bet right and saved his life. Yet looking at Li Xunhuan, he found him unfamiliar.
So unfamiliar, he seemed a completely different man from the one he’d met over a decade ago.
Could love truly distort a person so?
He doubted it in his heart but said, “Yes, yes, Li the Scholar is right!”
Li Xunhuan looked at him and said, “From now on, you’re the chief dog.”
“Chief dog?” Zhuge Lei’s eyes widened.
“Yes, you’re now the chief dog under my command.”
Li Xunhuan stood and faced the Black Serpent: “Now, you must choose.”
“Will you become the henchman of the chief dog—my lackey—or will you choose another path?”