“Young master, even if you want to show off your noble air, you have to consider us guards as well.” The golden-robed wealthy man blocked Mu Nianhua’s path. “If something happens to you, even if I, the Thousand-Faced Wealth God, have a thousand more faces, your father will skin me alive.”
“I have caused you trouble,” Mu Nianhua sighed softly.
“In our line of duty, there’s no such thing as causing trouble or not; all we can do is give it our all,” the wealthy man in the golden robe said gravely as he looked at the burly man. “Crouching Tiger, have you truly resolved to turn against the Mu family?”
The burly man known as Crouching Tiger chuckled and said, “That’s right. What are you going to do about it?”
The Thousand-Faced God of Wealth was indeed a formidable figure. When he was young, his family was once rich and powerful. Later, his family was persecuted and exterminated. He alone survived, thanks to his miraculous martial art of a Thousand Faces. This skill was peerless for escape, but for taking lives, in Crouching Tiger’s eyes, it was utterly worthless.
“If you think that just changing your face will allow you to escape the pursuit of the Five Wheels of Reincarnation, then you underestimate me. You just said that I have a universe in my sleeve. What if I really do have a universe in my sleeve?” Thousand Faces Wealth God opened his sleeves and raised his head slightly.
Crouching Tiger narrowed his eyes slightly and glanced at the mustached swordsman.
The universe within the sleeve is merely a martial art; such a skill alone cannot intimidate them. Yet, the universe within the sleeve also signifies a person.
That person is the most unreasonable under the heavens.
That individual also possesses the only city in the world capable of standing against the Shanglin Heavenly Palace.
“Are you trying to scare me?” Crouching Tiger raised an eyebrow.
The Thousand-Faced God of Wealth still smiled and said, “I’m merely presenting Mr. Crouching Tiger with a choice.”
“Watch out!” the mustachioed swordsman suddenly cried out in alarm.
Crouching Tiger whirled around, just in time to see a dagger slicing through the air from the side, slashing the wrists of several disciples of Clear Sky Courtyard, and heading straight for his face.
“Ghost Knife Paving the Way!” Crouching Tiger exclaimed in a low voice, extending two fingers to catch the dagger mid-air, “Elder Long, this is too much.”
An elderly man with white hair and beard emerged from the cabin, his muscles knotted and his stature towering, standing a full half-head taller than Mu Nianhua. He looked at Crouching Tiger, his voice resonant as a deep bell, “Crouching Tiger, you are the one who has gone too far.”
Crouching Tiger shook his head, flicked his fingers, and sent the flying dagger back from whence it came. The old man stepped forward, swung his right sleeve with force, and deftly recaptured the small knife within its folds.
The Crouching Tiger’s expression was somewhat uncertain. “Elder Long’s skills are still as good as ever after coming down from the mountain.”
The Crouching Tiger turned around, and the dozen or so disciples of Clear Sky Courtyard knelt on one knee in unison. “Disciples pay their respects to the Master!”
The Crouching Tiger, however, did not care about this. It was only natural for disciples to be loyal and respectful to their teachers, and it was also normal for assassins to kill without regard for reason. The two were not contradictory. Even if this Elder Long before him was once a revered elder of Clear Sky Courtyard, should he dare to stand in the way, Crouching Tiger would still dare to draw his sword.
The elder sighed softly, “I am no longer of the Shanglin Heavenly Palace; I am unworthy of the title ‘Master’.”
The disciples of Clear Sky Courtyard buried their heads even deeper, none daring to respond to his words. Only Crouching Tiger, still seated on his tiger-skin lounge chair, looked at the elder with a cold laugh. “The head of our institute has always been concerned about Elder Long’s whereabouts. Courtyard of Thousand Inventions has kept tight-lipped, and to think you’ve gone to serve the Mu family. If you’re in need of money, you should have just said so. An elder of the esteemed Clear Sky Courtyard reduced to a merchant’s bodyguard—imagine the head’s disappointment upon hearing this.”
“Have you become the vice-chair of Clear Sky Courtyard?” Elder Long suddenly inquired.
Crouching Tiger paused, then replied, “And what if it is so?”
“You’re still the same child you were all those years ago, even as the vice-chair. You’re still so rude. The more arrogant a person is, the more it reveals the fear within their heart…”
“Enough,” Crouching Tiger stood up, lifting the surprisingly large cleaver with a golden hilt. “I am now stronger than you, no longer in need of your preaching. I respect you, hence I address you as Elder Long, and I’m giving that young Mu behind you one last chance. Hand over the person I want, and once we’re ashore, we shall part ways under the vast heavens.”
“Be careful, young master, step back!” Elder Long whispered.
The Thousand-Faced God of Wealth leaped out at that moment and charged at the Crouching Tiger.
With a cold chuckle, the Crouching Tiger fiercely swung his cleaver, unleashing a vast and surging wave of wind that forced the disciples by his side to retreat several steps. Meanwhile, the Thousand-Faced God of Wealth, with a vigorous sweep of his sleeves, shattered the blade’s wind and directly grasped the blade.
“Universe within the sleeve?” With a sudden raise of his blade, the Crouching Tiger flung the Thousand-Faced God of Wealth away. Landing beside Mu Nianhua, the God of Wealth’s long sleeves were torn to shreds, his hands trembling slightly. “Worthy of being the vice-chair of Clear Sky Courtyard, truly extraordinary.”
The Crouching Tiger slammed his sword heavily into the ground, propping himself on the hilt with his right hand, and with a flick of his left, he pointed at the Thousand-Faced God of Wealth, “To deal with you, it takes only one move.”
“Young master, please step back for now. Once we reach the shore, I will report this matter to the head of the family, and we will surely seek justice for the Mu family,” Elder Long said, his hands tucked in his sleeves, idly flipping a few small knives. Yet, he was well aware that even if he intervened, it would change nothing.
“The two of you should retreat; there’s no need for senseless sacrifice. I have made a promise to someone, and unless I am dead, the Mu family is bound to protect them to the end. If I die now to protect them, then the Mu family can be considered to have fulfilled its promise, and you need not intervene further. If they wish to take someone away, let them do so,” Mu Nianhua said as he stepped forward, sword in hand.
“Since the young master also knows that this is a futile sacrifice, then why is the young master so persistent?” Elder Long asked.
“Because I have already made a promise, and for a businessman, credibility is the most important thing.” Mu Nianhua smiled and said.
Elder Long sighed softly, “No wonder the head of the family and the old patriarch hold you in such high regard. If that’s the case, then I, Long, am prepared to risk my life to ensure your safety.”
“Are you done talking?” Crouching Tiger pressed both hands on the hilt of his cleaver. “Is it just the three of you? It won’t even take a stick of incense to finish this. Stop talking nonsense and come on.”
“No, there are also us.” A clear voice rang out, and Mu Nianhua turned his head and saw Su Baiyi, clad in white and wielding a long sword, stepping forward, accompanied by Nangong Xier, in her flowing purple attire, her beauty unparalleled.
“Senior sister, I told you, didn’t I? I’ve made a good friend. He may seem frivolous, but he’s actually a pretty decent person,” Su Baiyi said with a somewhat proud smile.
Nangong Xier playfully tapped Su Baiyi’s head, “Clearly, it was you who schemed against others, leaving the esteemed young master of the Mu family in a predicament akin to riding a tiger from which one cannot dismount.”
The Crouching Tiger watched the two before him, a slight smile curling at the corner of his mouth, “Things are finally getting interesting.”
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