Reborn as Murong Fu: This time I am the protagonist

Chapter 561

As soon as he finished speaking, a hoarse male voice rang out from behind the screen: "Mr. Mu is a guest from afar. The children are ignorant and have displayed these unseemly things in front of you. We hope you will forgive them."

A wiry man of medium build, wearing a cloak, emerged from behind the screen, clapping and exclaiming, "Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! Is it not a pleasure to have friends coming from afar? That corrupt official Huang Renbiao, who only knows how to scheme and plot, certainly doesn't have a top-tier master like Mr. Mu. In my opinion, even Zhan Zhao, the 'Imperial Cat' personally appointed by Emperor Renzong under Bao Zheng, couldn't compare to Mr. Mu. Mr. Mu must have quite a background."

"With your status, why would you make things difficult for my family? Why would you imitate those worthless, low-class characters, hiding your true identity and impersonating others?"

Murong Fu chuckled, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "I suppose this must be Chief Long. As they say, seeing is believing. Chief Long has dominated the southern mountains for over a decade, and his reputation is indeed well-deserved."

Chief Long, with a solemn expression, also clasped his hands in a salute. He had been secretly observing from behind the screen and had witnessed the other man's skills. He was confident that he could also do the same thing—catching a coin in the instant the iron pot was kicked over, throwing it like a concealed weapon, and embedding it in a chair.

Despite being in someone else's territory, deep in a den of dragons and tigers, the other party was able to easily knock down a person, using their body as a cushion to step over a board of nails. Such ruthlessness and decisiveness made even him feel ashamed.

As for the opponent's ability to casually grab a knife and retrieve objects from a distance, could it be the long-lost "Crane Control Skill" or "Dragon Capture Skill" from the martial arts world? And the fact that the opponent could casually break a steel knife and use the fragments to knock the broadswords out of the hands of dozens of people without causing any harm, this hidden weapon technique can truly be described as unpredictable and terrifying.

Chief Long had no doubt that if the other party harbored even the slightest murderous intent, they could kill everyone present with a mere glance. His men, including himself, were no different from a group of ants; he was at most a slightly larger ant.

Therefore, his words, though seemingly high-spirited, were actually just a cover for his true, cowardly nature. After speaking, his knees even felt slightly weak.

Hearing that the other party didn't seem angry, Chief Long breathed a long sigh of relief. He then lowered his tone and said, "I dare not accept your praise, young master! Your esteemed status and presence in our village have brought great honor to our humble abode. It is truly my great honor."

Murong Fu raised an eyebrow, finding the man before him to be initially arrogant but later obsequious, outwardly fierce but inwardly weak. While this made him laugh, he was also an interesting and witty person: "Interesting! It seems Chief Long has already guessed my true identity?"

Chief Long bowed his head and said, "I dare not. My name is Long Zhan, and I am the second son in my family. You may call me Long Er, young master."

Hearing their chieftain lower himself to the dust with just a few words, calling himself his subordinate, the bandits were all astonished. They looked at each other, wondering what was going on.

"Oh? It seems you already know who I am?" Long Er said, "In the martial world, who else besides Murong Fu and Qiao Feng of the North could possess such skill and age? I had the honor of meeting Qiao Feng when he was the leader of the Beggars' Clan, so the esteemed person before me is naturally Young Master Murong. We children have been rude, and we beg your forgiveness, Master."

Although Murong Fu had already guessed what was going on, he still asked with great interest, "You have a good eye, but where does this talk of 'master and subject' come from?" As he spoke, he slowly strolled to the animal-skin chair, sat down casually, and listened to the other party's explanation.

Seeing that Murong Fu remained calm and showed no anger, Long Er breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that his life was spared today. The moment he guessed the other party's identity, he knew that there was no way to settle things peacefully today, so he used a strategy of advancing as a retreat, seeking survival in the face of death. He first spoke rudely to test the other party's attitude, and it seemed that this move was the right one.

He didn't care about the astonished looks on his subordinates' faces. He knew that this man before him had been able to easily kill the infamous Starry Night Old Monster who was notorious in the Central Plains many years ago. Admitting defeat in front of him was nothing shameful: "Your Excellency, please forgive me: Ten years ago, Long Yuangong, a retainer of the Murong family, bestowed the Murong family's black flag. Since then, Black Cloud Village has been a subordinate force of the Murong family. At that time, the young master was traveling in the martial world, and I was unable to go to Suzhou to pay my respects to Your Excellency in time. Today, by the grace of heaven, Your Excellency has graced our humble village with your presence. I was blind to your greatness and offended Your Excellency. I beg Your Excellency's forgiveness!"

Murong Fu laughed and waved his hand, saying, "Ignorance is no excuse!"

Long Er was overjoyed, knowing that this matter was over for today. He turned to his subordinates and scolded, "You ungrateful bastards, hurry up and come over to thank the patriarch for his magnanimity!"

Although the subordinates hadn't fully recovered from the shock, what could they say when their renowned leader knelt down? They could only look at each other and kneel down one after another, saying, "Thank you for your magnanimity, Master!"

Long Er laughed heartily: "To see the patriarch today is like a child seeing his loving mother, or a long-awaited rain after a drought. It is truly an honor beyond measure. Minions, give the order to prepare a grand banquet to welcome the patriarch!"

That evening, the entire Black Cloud Stronghold was brightly lit and decorated, with a hundred tables set up for a lively feast. While the bandits were enjoying themselves immensely, they were also puzzled. It was neither a festival nor a celebration, so why was their stronghold leader holding such a grand event?

Long Er, dressed in formal attire, sat at the lower end of the table. On the tiger-skin chair that usually belonged to the chieftain, sat a young man in brocade robes with a calm expression.

The leaders, both big and small, looked at each other in confusion, when Long Er strode out carrying a bowl of wine: "Gentlemen, today, I, the chieftain, hereby announce something. For over a decade, our Black Cloud Stronghold has dominated Shandong. Thanks to the concerted efforts of all of you brothers, the stronghold has finally prospered day by day. I dare not take credit for this, and I thank you all here."

All the leaders, big and small, said they dared not accept such praise, and flattery and compliments were endless.

"My brothers, you may not know this, but our stronghold rose from humble beginnings. Our current prosperity is entirely due to the unwavering support of the Murong family of Gusu. As the saying goes, 'When you drink water, remember its source.' Even lambs kneel to suckle; if a person forgets their roots, are they no different from a beast? Therefore, I, the chieftain, hereby declare: From this day forward, all 3,680 members of our stronghold will obey the orders of the Murong family head. From now on, whatever orders Young Master Murong commands, everyone in our stronghold, from the chieftain down, will comply. Any disobedience will be punished according to the stronghold's rules!"