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

Chapter 177 One-on-One Challenge Against the Martial Arts World of a Prefecture

At dawn, the first light of day breaks.

Before Jiang Liren, the leader of the Tianzhou Martial Arts Alliance, had even gotten out of bed, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the tent, followed by a somewhat panicked voice: "Alliance Leader, something has happened!"

Jiang Liren immediately got out of bed, quickly dressed and put on his shoes, walked to the door, opened the tent door, and stood outside was Wang Bo'an, the punishment elder of the Tianzhou Martial Arts Alliance, who was also Jiang Liren's number one confidant.

"Bo'an," Jiang Liren asked hurriedly, "What's wrong?"

Wang Bo'an said in a deep voice, "Alliance Leader, I just received a message by carrier pigeon. Xuanwu has failed and has been killed by Gu Guanqi."

Jiang Liren exclaimed in surprise, "How could this be? Even if Xuanwu is no match for Gu Guanqi, he shouldn't be unable to escape, right?"

Wang Bo'an said, "The plan failed. Gu Guanqi saw through our scheme and didn't fall for it at all. When Xuanwu appeared and kidnapped Shen Qingqiu, Gu Guanqi was secretly following him."

"this----"

Jiang Liren took a deep breath to calm herself and said in a deep voice, "What kind of mess is this? How did we get involved with Gu Guanqi? Zhang Donglou, that good-for-nothing, that self-righteous bastard!"

Wang Bo'an hurriedly said, "Alliance Leader, be careful, walls have ears. The Left Prime Minister dotes on Zhang Donglou. It would be bad if the Left Prime Minister heard this."

Jiang Liren said coldly, "So what if you heard it? You do the math. So far, the Yunzhou plan has failed, the Tingchao Sword Sect with three Grandmasters has been destroyed, the Siji Palace is now completely gone, Cangmang Mountain is gone, the Hua family, which was richer than a country, has also fallen, and even the Left Prime Minister's top advisor, Ji Sanqian, has been killed."

The Left Prime Minister's fingers have almost all been cut off; how many capable men does he still have? What is the root cause of all this? It's all because of that self-righteous good-for-nothing Zhang Donglou, who, on a whim, insisted on throwing some meaningless mud at the eunuch faction.

You should know that originally, it was the eunuch faction that had a grudge against Gu Guanqi. If we just go with the flow, we can gain Gu Guanqi's favor. Even if we can't recruit him, we can at least have a basis for cooperation.

But what happened? Gu Guanqi had no ambition for power or profit back then; she was only interested in going on blind dates and wanted a stable life. But Zhang Donglou insisted on dragging her out of the mountains, and look what happened!

"Can't I even curse him? I could curse him to death!"

Wang Bo'an sighed and said, "Alliance Leader, Zhang Donglou is already dead. Cursing him won't help. Let's think about what to do now!"

Jiang Liren said, "What else can we do? Abandon the Hua family, break up the Hua family's wealth into smaller parts, and distribute them to various sects."

Wang Bo'an said, "Gu Guanqi's attitude is very clear; he also wants a share of the pie. When he arrives, how much should we give him?"

Jiang Liren said in a deep voice, "How much can we give him? At most half a percent. The Left Prime Minister, the major sects, our martial arts alliance, and the scattered compensations, half a percent is already a lot."

Wang Bo'an said, "I'm afraid he won't be satisfied. It's said that he proposed a 50/50 split with the Eastern Depot, wanting 50% for himself!"

"That's utterly outrageous!" Jiang Liren said. "Even the Left Prime Minister wouldn't dare ask for so much."

Wang Bo'an said, "Alliance Leader, the problem now is that Gu Guanqi exposed the Hua family, and he was also the one who started the fight on Cangmang Mountain. Moreover, his martial arts skills are very high. Alliance Leader, can you defeat him?"

Jiang Liren curled her lip and said, "If I could beat him, there wouldn't be so much trouble."

Jiang Liren waved his hand and said, "However, I don't need to fight him. You can go and call all the leaders of the various factions who have arrived."

I may not be able to defeat Gu Guanqi, but can he defeat the entire Tianzhou martial arts world? I will divide the Hua family's wealth into smaller parts and distribute them to various sects, giving the bulk to those sects that have pledged allegiance to the Left Prime Minister. In the end, it will be a matter of moving from one hand to the other, and even if there are some losses, I can still recover 60% to 70%.

The 30-40% loss would be enough to make Gu Guanqi the public enemy of the entire Tianzhou martial arts world, subjecting him to pressure from the entire community. Then, I'll play the good cop and give Gu Guanqi 10% of the spoils, leaving him no choice but to accept the concession I offer.

Wang Bo'an nodded and said, "This is the only way for now. However, Alliance Leader, what if Gu Guanqi doesn't back down later?"

Jiang Liren said, "Are you crazy or is he crazy? Why won't he back down gracefully? Is he really going to take on the entire Tianzhou martial arts world all by himself? I won't even talk about whether he can win or not. Even if he does win, there will be rivers of blood. Doesn't he care about his reputation? If word gets out, it will be that the dignified leader of the martial arts alliance of three states has started a bloodbath for a share of the money."

Wang Bo'an thought for a moment and said, "But I still think it's good for all factions to be prepared. Gu Guanqi is domineering. Looking at all the battles he's fought since he entered the martial world, he's always been the kind who doesn't care about anything."

Jiang Liren nodded and said, "Precautions are indeed necessary, but unless he's truly insane, how could he possibly do something that would make an enemy of the entire martial arts world?" After saying that, Jiang Liren asked again, "By the way, which sects have arrived yet?"

Wang Bo'an said, "Among the three gangs, the Ziwu Gang and the Dihai Gang have arrived. Among the four sects, the Qianshan Sect and the Zhenling Sect have arrived. In addition, there are about ten first-class sects such as the Nanshan Sect and the Tieshan Sect."

Jiang Liren nodded slightly and said, "Alright, summon all the leaders of these sects."

Before long, a dozen or so people were sitting in a large tent.

These dozen or so people were all prominent figures in the Tianzhou martial arts world, including Ruan Jinyun, the leader of the Ziwu Gang, one of the three major sects and four major factions in the Tianzhou martial arts world; Peng Liangtao, the leader of the Dihai Gang; Wan Huiyi, the leader of the Qianshan Sect; and Feng Wanli, the leader of the Zhenling Sect.

These four individuals are all renowned as grandmasters in Tianzhou.

Besides these four, there are also martial arts masters such as Liu Yu, the head of Nanshan Sect, and Zhang Yang, the head of Dongting Sect. Although they do not have the title of Grandmaster, as martial arts masters of Tianzhou, which is recognized as the most prosperous martial arts region in the thirteen states, they would easily have earned the title of Grandmaster in other states.

After everyone was seated, footsteps sounded outside the door, and Jiang Liren, the leader of the martial arts alliance, and Wang Bo'an, the martial arts alliance's punishment elder, walked in.

Everyone stood up and bowed.

Jiang Liren waved and said, "Please sit down." He looked around at everyone and then said, "The main reason I've gathered everyone here today is for one thing: the matter of the Hua family colluding with Cangmang Mountain. The state government has already investigated and found out."

The Hua family is deeply entangled in criminal activities and will face the punishment of having their property confiscated. However, considering the numerous evil deeds committed by the Cangmang Mountain sect over the years, causing varying degrees of harm and loss to all martial arts factions, the government has decided to use the Hua family's various properties as compensation. This is also to prevent the Hua family's downfall from negatively impacting the local economy.

These words elicited various thoughts from the crowd.

Although the specific reasons are unknown, it is generally understood that the martial arts alliance and the government's previous plan failed, and now they are going to give the benefits to the various sects.

At this moment, Peng Liangtao, the leader of the Earthsea Gang, asked, "Alliance Leader Jiang, what exactly are the rules?"

Jiang Liren slowly said, "Besides the cash from Tinghua Manor, all of the Hua family's assets will be used as compensation!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was greatly surprised.

Originally, the various factions came here ostensibly to attack the Hua family, but in reality, they all wanted to share the profits. However, when the government troops and the martial arts alliance sat down together, they all knew that they could only get a small share at most.

Unexpectedly, things took an unexpected turn for the better.

Few sects cared about the cash in Tinghua Manor, because everyone knew that it must have been handed over to the imperial court after the Hua family's property was confiscated.

What everyone is seeking is the Hua family's industries and trade routes in various regions.

Moreover, it's not just one or two percent, but the entirety.

The Hua family is known as being incredibly wealthy!

In an instant, everyone could feel that the atmosphere in the tent had become oppressive and tense.

"Alliance Leader, are you sure it's all of them?" Wan Huiyi, the leader of the Thousand Mountains Sect, asked.

Everyone stared intently at Jiang Liren.

Jiang Liren nodded slightly, then shook her head slightly, instantly gripping the hearts of everyone present.

"Alliance Leader, what do you mean by this?" Ruan Jinyun, the leader of the Ziwu Gang, asked hurriedly.

Jiang Liren said, "According to the government and our martial arts alliance, the money will be used as compensation. However, there is one person we can't explain to them."

"Who?" "Who is it? What do you need to explain?"

'

""

The tent instantly became noisy.

Jiang Liren waved his hand and said, "It is Gu Guanqi, the leader of the martial arts alliance of the three states. The exposure of the Hua family this time was entirely due to him. Hua Zhongjun and Hua Manshan were also killed by him. He made great contributions to the Hua family incident."

As she spoke, Jiang Liren looked around and added, "However, Alliance Leader Gu has proposed that he alone must spend 50% of his family's wealth!"

"What! One person has to pay 50%?"

"Is he insane?"

"He did indeed contribute to the Hua family's affairs, but isn't this a matter of rewarding merit?"

"Exactly, we're talking about compensation. What losses has he suffered that warrant half of the Hua family's assets?"

"You can't ask for something like this!"

"6

'

Everyone started discussing it, and without exception, they all disagreed with Gu Guanqi's demand for a 50% share of the spoils.

Seeing this, Jiang Liren calmed everyone down and continued, "Please be patient, everyone. Alliance Leader Gu only mentioned it casually. As for what to do, we'll have to wait for him to arrive. When he comes, I'll have a good talk with him and ask him to give him half a share, how about that?"

"Why should we get half a percent?!" Feng Wanli slammed his fist on the table and exclaimed, "Half a percent is too much! Even if all the sects in our entire prefecture were combined, we might not even get half a percent!"

"that is!"

"All of our sects combined are no match for him alone!"

"Let's get this straight, this isn't about rewarding merit, it's about compensation. Gu Guanqi just got into a fight, so giving him some money is just showing consideration and following the rules in the Tianzhou martial arts world; not giving him money is also perfectly reasonable!"

'

"Jiang Liren said in a deep voice, "Everyone, Alliance Leader Gu will be arriving soon. When that time comes, we will all go with you to talk to Alliance Leader Gu. I believe that Alliance Leader Gu will be reasonable."

After parting ways with Shen Qingqiu, Gu Guanqi traveled for another day and a half.

On the third day at noon, they finally arrived in Tianhu City.

The three of them galloped along the official road. The mountains on both sides gradually sloped down, and the official road became much wider. There were more and more carriages and pedestrians on the road, and it was already a scene of suburban life.

As we passed through a mountain pass, we came face to face with a group of people.

There were about twenty people, dressed in black armor, with long swords hanging at their waists. In the center of the group, a flag of the Eastern Depot fluttered in the afternoon wind.

The leader was a middle-aged eunuch with a fair complexion, no beard, wearing a purplish-red round-necked robe, with a dark gold sash tied around his waist. He rode a jet-black steed with his back ramrod straight.

Upon seeing Gu Guanqi and his group...

The eunuch was slightly taken aback at first, then a hint of joy flashed in his eyes. He spurred his horse and galloped towards Gu Guanqi. Seeing this, the servants behind him urged their horses to follow, and the sound of hooves suddenly became more frequent on the official road.

At this moment, Chu Yaoyin, who was coming towards them, recognized the leading eunuch and said to Gu Guanqi, "Alliance Leader Gu, he is from the Eastern Depot. The one in charge is named Mi Dongwang. He is the adopted son of Eunuch Wei and also his trusted confidant. He is one of the seven grandmasters of the Eastern Depot and serves as the chief executioner. He is highly valued by Eunuch Wei."

Gu Guanqi nodded slightly.

Before long, Mi Dongwang had already rushed over. He pulled on the reins about ten feet in front of Gu Guanqi's horse, dismounted, and did so swiftly and decisively.

Then, he actually bent both knees and knelt down on the dirt road, stretched out his hands, touched his forehead to the ground, and said in a loud and respectful voice: "Mi Dongwang, Chief Executioner of the Eastern Depot, respectfully welcomes Alliance Leader Gu!"

The twenty guards behind him were completely dumbfounded. They looked at each other, unsure of what to do with the reins, and stood there helplessly.

Chu Yaoyin could understand the helplessness of those servants.

Mi Dongwang was a eunuch, and he could often lower himself and disregard his own dignity. But the servants were normal people. Although they worked for the Eastern Depot, few of them could truly learn the way those eunuchs acted.

At this moment, Gu Guanqi did not expect Mi Dongwang to do such a thing and perform such a grand ceremony.

He was stunned for a while before dismounting, bending down and reaching out to lift Mi Dongwang up, saying, "Chief Executioner Mi, why such a grand gesture? Please rise quickly."

As Gu Guanqi supported Mi Dongwang's arm, he felt a warm and mellow internal force coming from that hand, and he involuntarily straightened up.

He raised his head and said, "Alliance Leader Gu, my godfather specifically instructed me that when I see you, I must show you the same respect as I would when I see him."

Gu Guanqi waved his hand and said, "There's no need for that." As he spoke, he released Mi Dongwang's arm, his brows furrowing slightly. "Chief Detective Mi, are you injured?"

'

Mi Dong bowed and said, "Alliance Leader Gu has a good eye. A few days ago, when I first arrived in Tianhu City, I fought with Jiang Liren and was injured by him."

Gu Guanqi asked, "What's going on?"

'

Mi Dongwang sighed and said, "That day, my godfather received a secret letter and learned that you intended to take over the Hua family, so he immediately sent me to assist you. My godfather said that this time, 30% of the confiscated property will be returned to the Empress Dowager, the Eastern Depot will not take a penny, only some normal travel expenses, and the remaining 70% will go to Alliance Leader Gu."

I thought that with the imperial decree and the Eastern Depot's token in hand, things would go smoothly. But when I arrived, Wang Changnian, the prefect of Tianhu County, surrounded Tinghua Manor like an iron barrel, citing the reason that "local affairs need to be thoroughly investigated before they can be handed over," and wouldn't let me bring anyone in.

Not long after, Jiang Liren came to obstruct me again with an official letter from the government office. He was extremely arrogant and even demanded that the Eastern Depot cooperate with him. In a fit of anger, I fought with him.

At this point, Mi Dong paused, his tone tinged with helplessness: "In the end, I was outmatched and took a blow from him, sustaining some injuries."

Gu Guanqi said, "So, the Eastern Depot doesn't have much say here anymore?"

Mi Dongwang nodded and said, "Wang Changnian and Jiang Liren, one represents the local government and the other represents the Tianzhou martial arts world. The Eastern Depot is completely suppressed here and has little say."

Gu Guanqi nodded, reached out and patted Mi Dongwang on the shoulder, and said, "Come on, I'll get revenge for you!"

""

"Huh?" Mi Dong asked in confusion, "Wh-what?"

Gu Guanqi said, "You came here to help me, and since you got beaten up, this can't just be left like this!"

Mi Dongwang was shocked. As a eunuch, he had never heard such words before. He stared blankly at Gu Guanqi for a moment, his mind buzzing.

Soon, led by Mi Dongwang, Gu Guanqi arrived outside Tinghua Villa.

Looking around, one could see that the area around the manor was densely covered with tents of various colors, with banners fluttering in the afternoon sun and the cold glint of swords peeking out from among the flags.

The sounds of people mingled with the neighing of horses, surging from the depths of the camp area, creating a great commotion.

As Gu Guanqi and his group approached, a series of noisy footsteps suddenly came from the front of the camp area. Immediately afterwards, a large group of people filed out and marched towards them.

The man in the lead was about forty years old, tall and slender, wearing a moon-white brocade robe. He had a refined face, a gentle temperament, and an air of composure in his every move.

It was Jiang Liren, the leader of the Tianzhou martial arts alliance.

Behind him followed two or three dozen renowned martial arts figures from Tianzhou. Among them were elderly men with gray hair and beards, burly men with broad shoulders and thick waists, and swordsmen in blue robes with long swords hanging from their waists. Each of them had an extraordinary demeanor and a steady gait.

Further on, there were even more disciples from various sects, spreading out in a dense, dark mass, numbering at least three or four hundred. Their swords gleamed with a chilling light in the afternoon sun.

The massive procession approached, creating a very imposing atmosphere.

Jiang Liren, who was walking at the front, clasped his hands in a fist salute from a distance, his face full of smiles, and his voice was loud and enthusiastic: "I am Jiang Liren. I heard that Alliance Leader Gu has come from afar, so I have led my fellow martial artists from Tianzhou to welcome him!"

'

As he spoke, Jiang Liren had already approached, but his expression gradually stiffened.

Because Gu Guanqi neither dismounted nor returned the greeting.

He remained seated on horseback, his hand on the reins, his gaze fixed calmly on Jiang Liren's face, without moving or firing a shot.

The afternoon wind swept through the camp area, blowing the hair at his temples and the hem of his robes as he looked down at Jiang Liren from his high vantage point.

Jiang Liren's smile became slightly stiff.

The martial arts masters behind him also had different expressions, and many of them showed some dissatisfaction. In particular, Jiang Liren's disciples were almost unable to suppress their anger.

For a moment, the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

Jiang Liren quickly cleared his throat, then clasped his hands in a fist and bowed again, saying, "Alliance Leader Gu, you must be tired from your journey. I have already ordered the best tea and snacks to be prepared for you to rest. We can discuss the Hua family matter later, what do you think?"

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Gu Guanqi remained silent.

Jiang Liren's forced smile faltered. He lowered his hand, straightened up slightly, and was about to say something when Gu Guanqi suddenly spoke up.

"Is this the Mi Dongwang you injured?"

Jiang Liren was slightly taken aback, clearly not expecting Gu Guanqi's first words to be this.

The other martial arts masters also frowned, realizing that Gu Guanqi was probably up to no good.

Jiang Liren was taken aback for a moment, then cupped her hands and said, "What does Alliance Leader Gu mean?"

Gu Guanqi's face remained expressionless, and his tone remained calm: "Mi Dongwang is working for me right now. If you hit him, you're disrespecting me."

Jiang Liren suppressed his anger and remained polite, explaining, "Alliance Leader Gu, what I had with Master Mi that day was just a normal sparring match. In martial arts exchanges, some friction is inevitable. Master Mi is highly skilled, and I only managed to win by a fraction of a move by giving it my all. Getting injured in a sparring match is quite common!"

'

Gu Guanqi nodded slightly: "Alright, I'd like to spar with you now."

Jiang Liren's smile froze completely. He simply stopped faking it, flicked his sleeve, and said coldly, "Alliance Leader Gu, the martial arts world of Tianzhou is a place that values ​​etiquette. There is no reason to spar with someone upon meeting them. If you want to spar, find another opportunity later!"

'

Gu Guanqi's tone remained calm as he looked down at Jiang Liren and said, "I want to fight now."

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Jiang Liren's face darkened, and he was about to say something when a loud shout suddenly came from behind him.

"Gu Guanqi! Don't be so arrogant!"

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A burly man stepped out from the crowd, his face covered with a thick beard, his back broad and his waist thick. A pair of iron whips hung from his waist. His eyes were wide open, and his voice was like a bell: "Today, all the heroes of the Tianzhou martial arts world have gathered here. It is not your place to be arrogant here. We are giving you face by calling you Alliance Leader Gu. If we don't give you face, then what are you? Alliance Leader Jiang is giving you face, so you should take it!"

The burly man was an elder of the Martial Alliance named Huo Zhenshan. He possessed exceptional external martial arts skills and a violent temper, making him a prominent figure in the Tianzhou martial arts world.

He strode to Jiang Liren's side, his large, bell-like eyes fixed on Gu Guanqi.

Jiang Liren quickly raised his hand to stop him and whispered, "Brother Huo, don't be impulsive."

Huo Zhenshan shoved Jiang Liren's hand away and said gruffly, "Alliance Leader, you're giving him face because he's a guest from afar, but this guy doesn't know what's good for him. Does he really think everyone's afraid of him? Does he really think there's no one in the Tianzhou martial arts world? I, Huo Zhenshan, am not afraid of him! What kind of bullshit Three-State Alliance Leader is he? This is Tianzhou's territory, not a place for him to run wild!"

'

As he spoke, he pointed at Gu Guanqi and shouted, "Gu Guanqi, you want to spar? I, Huo Zhenshan, will take you on! Even without Alliance Leader Jiang's intervention, I can show you what true power really means!"

Before he finished speaking, he had already drawn the pair of iron whips from his waist. The iron whips gleamed with a dark luster in the sunlight, and their bodies were covered with dense ridges, making them obviously very heavy.

Huo Zhenshan weighed the two whips in his hands, then strode forward.

However, just as he took his second step, Gu Guanqi raised his hand and struck out with a palm. He barely moved, still riding on his horse, and casually struck out with his palm.

The palm strike was delivered from a distance of five or six zhang. Wherever the palm wind passed, the air suddenly surged, and a visible burst of energy, like an invisible giant hammer, struck Huo Zhenshan's chest with pinpoint accuracy.

"Bang!"

A deafeningly loud bang.

Huo Zhenshan was struck head-on by a massive hammer. His burly body was instantly lifted off the ground, flying more than ten feet away before crashing heavily onto the cloth of a tent behind him.

His body tore a huge hole in the tent's canvas, snapping the tent frame inside and causing it to collapse onto the ground with a crash.

Dust flew everywhere, and tattered cloths were scattered, burying Huo Zhenshan completely in the collapsed tent pile, his fate unknown.

The entire venue was deathly silent.

Those renowned martial arts figures from Tianzhou who had been whispering amongst themselves just moments before now stared, mouths agape, at the ruins of the collapsed camp, unable to utter a single word. Even the wind seemed to freeze at that moment.

Gu Guanqi withdrew his hand, sneered, and said, "So this is what the so-called heroes of the Tianzhou martial arts world are like!"

He looked down at Jiang Liren and said, "Jiang Liren, I don't have time to play games with you today. I also see you don't dare to lay a hand on me, so—"

Then all of you come at me together!

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