Starting with a blind date with a female constable, you acquire the Nine Swords of Dugu.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Tang Batian of the Mechanical Gate

Gu Guanqi stayed in Medicine King Valley for two days, during which he visited many places in Medicine King Valley and also got to know the Grandmaster Elder Mu Fenghua of Medicine King Valley.

after that,

On the morning of the fourth day after arriving at Medicine King Valley, he went to the Mechanism Gate with An Yi and several other disciples of Medicine King Valley.

Yunzhou is very large, at least three times the size of Qingzhou. Therefore, although the Mechanical Gate and Medicine King Valley are both located in Yunzhou, they are actually quite far apart.

Gu Guanqi and his group traveled for many days before finally arriving at Songlin County, where the mechanical gate was located.

That afternoon,

Gu Guanqi and a group of Medicine King Valley disciples arrived at a roadside inn that looked very new for a meal.

Several tables were already occupied in the inn, filled with people dressed as traveling merchants. Some were eating with their heads down, while others were talking in hushed tones.

Gu Guanqi and his group sat at two tables close together. They had just ordered their food and the waiter was about to go to the kitchen to give instructions when suddenly a series of rapid hoofbeats came from outside the door.

The sound of horses' hooves came to an abrupt halt at the entrance of the inn. Immediately afterwards, seven or eight young men filed in, each with swords at their waists, dressed in fine clothes, and behaving quite ostentatiously.

The leader was a young man dressed in a purple outfit, about eighteen or nineteen years old. A tuft of bangs covered one eye, but even with only one eye, his gaze still carried an air of arrogance. Beside him was a man in white, holding a folding fan, with an elegant demeanor and a faint smile on his lips.

The group was carrying various kinds of wild game, clearly indicating they had just returned from hunting.

As soon as he entered, the young man in purple looked around, his gaze sweeping across the inn. Then he slammed his hand on the table with a loud thud, making the dishes on the table rattle.

"Waiter!" His voice carried an unquestionable, imperious tone. "Cook these wild game pieces for me right now, we're in a hurry!"

The waiter hurried over, bowing and scraping, and said, "Young master, I'm so sorry, but those two tables of guests arrived first and they're in a hurry. Could you please wait a moment? Once their dishes are served, I'll prepare yours immediately."

The young man in purple frowned and slapped her across the face.

"Snap—"

With a sharp crack, the waiter staggered back two steps from the slap, a red, swollen handprint instantly appearing on his face. He covered his face, frozen in place, his eyes filled with shock and grievance, but dared not utter a sound.

The young man in purple withdrew his hand and said coldly, "I said immediately, didn't you understand?"

The inn fell silent instantly. The travelers dressed as merchants put down their chopsticks and turned their gazes toward them. Some looked resentful, while others whispered among themselves, but no one dared to step forward.

Upon seeing this, several disciples of Medicine King Valley turned pale. Two of them were about to stand up and reprimand them, but An Yi's glare made them swallow back the words they were about to say.

The waiter covered his face, looked at the young man in purple, and hurriedly nodded and bowed, "Yes, yes, yes, I'll go right away, I'll go right away..." As he spoke, he quickly walked to the table where Gu Guanqi and An Yi were, and said apologetically in a low voice, "Esteemed guests, I'm so sorry, could you please wait a moment? I'll serve that young master first, very quickly, very quickly..."

An Yi smiled slightly and said gently, "Since they're in a hurry, let's make it for them first. We're not in a rush."

The waiter bowed repeatedly and then ran to the kitchen.

The young man in purple snorted and sat down. His companions also sat down and began to chat, talking and laughing about their hunting experiences that day, oblivious to everyone else.

Meanwhile, on Gu Guanqi's side, a disciple from Medicine King Valley lowered his voice and said indignantly, "Senior Sister, that person is too arrogant, bullying others by abusing his power! Why didn't you let me stand up for that waiter!"

An Yi picked up her teacup, took a sip, and said in a low but calm voice, "Can you stay with him for the rest of your life?"

The disciple was taken aback.

An Yi put down her teacup and said slowly, "Let's take a step back and let this matter go. At most, the waiter only got slapped, and nothing else will happen."

"But if I step in to stand up for him right now, even if I could beat him, let me ask you, what happens afterward? If we leave, won't he retaliate? That waiter can run away, but he can't hide. You might vent his anger for a moment, but you could ruin his life, even his whole family."

The disciple opened his mouth, as if to say something, but couldn't utter a word.

An Yi said in a low voice, "It's good to have a chivalrous heart when you're out and about, but you can't just act on impulse. You have to think it over carefully and act thrice. You have to consider yourself and whether the people you're helping want your help. Many times, the so-called chivalry and helping the weak is just about moving yourself."

"I...I understand!"

The disciple lowered his head and remained silent.

After a while, a waiter and a cook each carried a large basin of wild game out of the kitchen, steaming hot and fragrant. The two placed the basins on the table, and the waiter said with a smile, "Esteemed guests, the dishes are ready. Please enjoy your meal. If you need anything, please let me know."

After saying that, the two turned to leave.

"stop."

The purple-clad youth's voice came from behind, not loud, but carrying a chill.

The waiter paused, turned around, a smile on his face but fear in his eyes, and stammered, "Young master, what...what can I do for you?"

The young man in purple used his chopsticks to pick at the game in the bowl, picked up a piece of meat, looked at it, then threw it back into the bowl. He slammed his chopsticks on the table and said coldly, "Is this pig slop? Is this even edible?"

The waiter's face turned pale, and he quickly bowed, saying, "Young master, this is the only thing we can cook at this roadside inn. Please forgive us, please forgive us..."

The young man in purple picked up the bowl of wild game with one hand and poured it on the ground with a "splash," splashing soup and scattering chunks of meat all over the place.

then,

He kicked the waiter in the stomach, and the waiter immediately knelt on the ground in pain.

"Eat clean, and I'll forgive you." His voice was light and airy, yet it sent chills down one's spine.

The air in the inn seemed to freeze.

The group of travelers dressed as itinerant merchants finally couldn't sit still any longer. A burly man suddenly stood up, slammed his hand on the table, and roared, "Young man, you've gone too far! Don't you have any respect for the law?"

The young man in purple turned his head, his gaze falling on the man, a slight smirk playing on his lips.

"The law?" He chuckled, then kicked the stool next to him.

The stool, carrying a strong gust of wind, slammed straight at the man. With a "bang," the man was struck in the chest, screamed in pain, and fell to the ground along with the stool, blood streaming from his mouth. He struggled a couple of times but couldn't get up.

The young man in purple withdrew his foot, dusted off his shoes, and said indifferently, "In Songlin County, I can beat whoever I want. Who do you think you are, talking to me about the law?"

The inn was completely silent.

The traveling merchants quickly helped the man up, their faces ashen, but none of them dared to speak again.

The young man in purple turned around, his gaze falling back on the waiter. The waiter was still kneeling on the ground, trembling all over, his face as pale as paper, and cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

The young man in purple looked down at him, reached for the short knife at his waist, its blade gleaming coldly in the sunlight. He patted the waiter's face with the back of the knife, his tone still nonchalant: "You're not happy about it?"

The waiter shook his head frantically, his lips trembling, and said, "No, no, I'll eat right away!"

"Too late. I can already see the resentment in your eyes," the purple-clad youth sneered. "I really dislike the way you look at me, so you might as well just get rid of those eyes!"

Having said that, he slowly thrust the short knife in his hand toward the waiter's eye socket.

A disciple of Medicine King Valley clenched his fist, leaned forward, and was about to make a move.

However, a hand pressed down on his shoulder.

It is Gu Guanqi.

The disciple turned his head to look, full of doubt.

Gu Guanqi shook his head slightly and said, "Take a closer look."

The disciples of Medicine King Valley looked over.

In that very instant—

The waiter, who had been trembling and looking terrified, suddenly changed his expression.

That fearful and humble demeanor vanished in an instant, replaced by a vicious killing intent.

His right hand slid out of his sleeve, revealing a short dagger in his palm. The dagger was jet black, without the slightest reflection, and moved with lightning speed, aiming straight for the purple-clad youth's throat.

This slash was swift and ruthless, without warning, and at an extremely tricky angle.

However, the young man in purple reacted very quickly.

With a flick of his wrist, the short knife changed direction in mid-air. With a clang, the blade collided with the dagger, sparks flying. The dagger was knocked away, tumbling twice in the air before landing on the ground.

Immediately afterwards, the young man in purple kicked out, hitting the waiter squarely in the chest.

With a muffled thud, the waiter was sent flying backward, crashing heavily against the wall before rolling to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

And almost at the same moment,

The guests dressed as traveling merchants at the inn overturned the tables.

"Splash—"

Bowls and plates shattered, and soup splattered everywhere.

They pulled gleaming weapons from their bundles and cargo.

In an instant, swords clashed and cold light flashed.

At that moment, the kitchen door was kicked open, and the manager, the cook, and two waiters, each holding a short knife, rushed out of the kitchen.

A dozen or so people surrounded the young man in purple and his seven or eight companions.

The young man in purple sat on the table, legs crossed, twirling a short knife between his fingers. Instead of showing any fear, he revealed a playful smile.

"Oh ho," he said slowly, with a hint of sarcasm, "finally couldn't keep up the act anymore? I thought you were going to keep up the act forever!"

The waiter who had been lying on the ground had already gotten up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and stared coldly at the young man in purple. He said in a deep voice, "Kid, you're deliberately messing with me!"

The young man in purple chuckled, "You guys like to act, don't you? Well, I'll play along. Boring, you're done playing after just a little while!"

The waiter's pupils contracted slightly as he asked, "Who are you?"

The young man in purple jumped off the table, dusted off his clothes, and said, "Listen up! I am Tang Batian, the fourth young master of the Mechanical Gate. Today, I've come to take you all down!"

"And me too."

At this time,

The young man in white behind Tang Batian also stood up, lightly waving his folding fan, and said with a smile, "I am Hua Jinhuan, the young master of Lingyun Manor in Chuzhou!"

Tang Batian rolled his eyes, patted Hua Jinhuan on the shoulder, and said, "Brother Hua, stay away from me, don't steal my thunder!"

The waiter and his men became alert, their expressions turning tense.

The name of the government office is very intimidating in Songlin County.

The waiter wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said, "So it's Young Master Tang from the Mechanical Gate. I never expected our little stunt to alarm such an important figure as you!"

Tang Batian said coldly, "What you're doing isn't some small-time operation. In the past few months, more than a dozen caravans have been robbed on this road, and more than twenty travelers have gone missing. If that's considered small-time, do you think you can storm into the government office?"

"Young Master Tang is quite humorous, hahaha..."

The waiter spoke with a smile, then suddenly shouted, "Let's go all out!"

The waiter shouted and was the first to rush out. He pulled out a second dagger from his sleeve, and with two daggers in hand, he moved like a bird towards Tang Batian.

The remaining thugs disguised as traveling merchants, along with the shopkeeper and waiters who rushed out from the kitchen, also brandished their weapons and pounced on Tang Batian and his group from all directions.

Swords gleamed, cold light flashed, and the inn's lobby was filled with murderous intent.

Tang Batian sneered and took a step back slightly.

The disciples of the Mechanical Sect behind him moved almost simultaneously, each taking out a palm-sized iron box.

The metal box was entirely black, its surface covered with intricate patterns, and the clasp on the lid gleamed coldly in the sunlight. They pointed the metal box at the charging thugs and pressed the clasp on the lid with their thumbs.

"Clatter—"

With a soft click, the mechanism snapped open.

The next moment,

"Swish, swish, swish..."

Countless steel needles shot out from the iron box, their sharp, piercing sound like the simultaneous flapping of wings of hundreds of poisonous bees. These needles were as thin as hair, their surfaces gleaming with a bluish luster, clearly coated with potent poison.

A deluge of needle-like rain descended instantly, covering the sky and enveloping everything.

The waiter at the front of the line had his pupils shrink as he tried to dodge, but there were simply too many needles, too densely packed. Before he could even make a move, dozens of steel needles pierced through his body.

"Puff puff puff—"

The muffled thuds were dense and frequent, like rain pattering on banana leaves.

"The Soul-Chasing Needle!"

The waiter exclaimed in surprise, then his body stiffened abruptly, and the dagger in his hand clattered to the ground.

His body, face, and hands were covered with countless steel needles, the ends of which trembled slightly and flashed with blue light. Blood seeped from the needle holes, but it was not red; instead, it was a dark purple, poisonous blood.

Those robbers disguised as traveling merchants, thugs, shopkeepers, and shop assistants were not spared either.

Steel needles rained down like a storm, and some people were hit in the face, their eyes, noses and mouths covered with needle holes, and fresh blood mixed with black blood flowed down their faces.

Some were shot in the chest, their robes instantly covered with needle marks, blood seeping out and staining their clothes a dark red; others turned to run away, but their backs were riddled with steel needles, making them look like hedgehogs, staggering a couple of steps before collapsing to the ground.

The screams rose and fell, but they were all very short, stopping abruptly after only one or two cries.

Many of the robbers didn't even have time to let out a complete scream before their lives were taken by the highly poisoned steel needles.

Within two or three breaths, the inn's lobby was filled with corpses lying haphazardly.

More than a dozen people, not one survived.

Fresh blood slowly seeped from beneath the corpse, forming dark red streams on the ground. A strong stench of blood filled the air.

Tang Batian withdrew his foot, glanced down at the corpses on the ground, curled his lip, and said in a nonchalant tone, "With this level of skill, you dare to act wildly on my turf?"

He turned to a disciple of the Mechanical Gate behind him and instructed, "Go to the county government office and have them come and collect the body. Tell them that Tang Batian of the Mechanical Gate dealt with a bunch of thieves for them, no need to thank me."

The disciple clasped his hands in acceptance of the order, turned around, and quickly left the inn.

Then, Tang Batian turned around and glanced at the two remaining tables in the inn. It was Gu Guanqi, An Yi and their group. He cupped his hands in greeting and said calmly, "I'm sorry everyone, we can't eat here. Please go somewhere else."

After saying that, he took a small brocade pouch from his waist and casually tossed it onto the table where Gu Guanqi and An Yi were sitting.

The money bag landed on the table with a soft "thud," and the opening of the bag opened to reveal several gleaming silver ingots inside.

"My treat."

After saying those two words, Tang Batian turned around gracefully and strode towards the entrance of the inn, with several disciples of the Mechanical Gate following closely behind.

But at this moment,

The white-robed young master Hua Jinhuan, who had been standing behind Tang Batian with a folding fan in his hand, did not leave. His gaze fell on An Yi, and then he walked straight towards her.

He quickly walked to An Yi's side, closed his folding fan, bowed respectfully, and said with a smile and refined manner, "My name is Hua Jinhuan, from Chuzhou. May I ask your age, where you live, and whether you are married?"

An Yi: "???"

She stood there, stunned, unsure how to respond. The disciples of Medicine King Valley behind her exchanged bewildered glances.

Tang Batian, who had just reached the door, heard the voice, turned around, and said helplessly, "Brother Hua, stop showing off like a peacock, I..."

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly noticed An Yi's face, his eyes lit up, and he quickly walked over, exclaiming, "Senior Sister An, are you Senior Sister An from Medicine King Valley? It's me! It's Tang Xiaosi, Senior Sister An!"

As he spoke, he quickly brushed aside a tuft of hair that was covering one eye and said, "Do you recognize me, Senior Sister? You used to hold me when I was little..."

An Yi's lips twitched. She picked up the chopsticks on the table and clamped them over Tang Batian's mouth, her eyes filled with a threat. She said, "What nonsense are you spouting? I'm only a few years older than you, okay?"

As she spoke, she secretly glanced at Gu Guanqi.

Tang Batian winced in pain and quickly pulled his mouth out of the chopsticks, but two red marks were already left. He rubbed his mouth and hurriedly said, "Yes, yes, I know you're only a few years older than me, Senior Sister An, but it's a fact that you held me when I was little, you..."

An Yi's sharp eyes swept over them.

Tang Batian felt a chill run down his spine and quickly changed the subject, asking, "Senior Sister, where are you going?"

"Go wish your father a happy birthday," An Yi asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Tang Batian said, "It's about upholding justice. You saw it yourself. I heard that this road has been unsafe for the past few months, so I came here specifically. I found something wrong with this inn and waited for several days before I confirmed that they were the robbers."

"I see." An Yi nodded slightly.

Tang Batian quickly added, "I'm sorry to have disturbed your meal. I know a small town nearby where the snake soup is famously delicious. How about I treat you to snake meat? We can also go to the Mechanical Gate together!"