Tianlong: Starting with Mantuo Manor as fertilizer

The Ding brothers were originally the trusted henchmen of the eldest brother, Wu Liang.

They attacked Wuliang Northern Sect that day, inflicting heavy casualties.

Regarding this matter, Xie might as well let bygones be bygones.

But they actually continued to hunt me down, which was intolerable!

Although Ding Lao Da had been killed by the original owner's master, Ding Lao Er was still alive and kicking.

Moreover, that group is still searching the surrounding mountains and lakes, determined to eliminate them completely, killing and robbing them.

Xie Bu looked up at the crowd, pondering in his heart.

If you're a thief for a thousand days, how can you guard against thieves for a thousand days?

He scanned the faces of the crowd, and after explaining his situation, he added something.

"I have invited you all here for no other reason than to curb the arrogance of my senior brother. Of course, it is also to avenge the blood debt owed by our sect."

As he spoke, he raised his hand to his throat, making a throat-slitting gesture.

Every single person present was a ruthless killer.

They nodded slightly, indicating their understanding.

If it were them, they would also want to eliminate the threat completely.

In particular, Granny Ping looked relieved and let out a long sigh of relief.

She had assumed that today's meeting was aimed at her.

Upon learning that Xie Buruo did not intend to take the opportunity to retaliate, the anxiety that had been hanging over them immediately subsided.

However, the people from Mantuo Manor had no grudge against Wu Liang and his group.

Protecting Xie on Lady Wang's orders was acceptable, but to actually fight for him and avenge him was something he was very reluctant to do.

Xie naturally understood that you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub.

He had long since learned the temperaments and personalities of the people at Mantuo Manor from Youcao.

For example, Granny Nari is extremely lecherous.

She never married and spent her days thinking only of bullying women and dominating men.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have forced Doctor Xue to marry her, only to get a good beating in return.

As for Granny Ping, her interests are the same as in her previous life: money.

As long as these two leaders are controlled, the remaining maids and old women will naturally obey orders.

Xie Ruo said to Granny Rui first.

"Although my senior brother is not good-looking, he has many strong and muscular Western Xia warriors under his command, all of them are vigorous and fierce."

Upon hearing this, Grandma Rui's eyes lit up, and she licked her lips.

Her subordinates behind her whispered amongst themselves, and the atmosphere instantly became lively.

Xie Buruo continued, "These thieves have not only plundered all the wealth of my Boundless Northern Sect, but also robbed many merchants along the way. Now they are all rolling in money. In my opinion, we should act on behalf of Heaven and return all this ill-gotten wealth."

Upon hearing this, Grandma Ping nodded slightly, expressing her complete agreement.

Her subordinates behind her also looked up, their eyes filled with envy.

Seeing the expressions on everyone's faces, Xie Bu Ruo smiled slightly and said loudly.

"This time, Xie is determined to avenge our sect. I will only take the heads of Wu Liang and Ding Lao Er. I will not take any other wealth, people, or goods. All of them will be shared and enjoyed by the sisters."

As soon as he finished speaking, cheers erupted from inside the ship.

The old women and maids all praised and thanked him, saying that he was a true hero of the martial world.

Cheers pierced through the deck, echoed across the river, and carried far and wide.

The nearby fishing boats were startled by the noise.

Everyone by the lake knows that the women of Mantuo Villa are the most powerful women on Taihu Lake, even more formidable than the surrounding pirates.

The men on the fishing boat were both surprised and delighted to hear their shouts in unison, knowing that these female devils were probably about to start their business again.

The people living near Taihu Lake are simple and honest, and they help and support each other.

The fishermen grabbed their oars, rowed their boats, and swarmed toward the large ship, hoping to follow behind and make some profit.

Inside the cabin, only Granny Ping's expression kept changing among everyone else.

In the past, if she had encountered such a windfall, she would have been the first to rush forward to grab it.

However, he had just fought with Xie Buruo a few days ago and had a grudge against him. Moreover, Xie Buruo's martial arts were far superior to his own. At this moment, he could not afford to be concerned about money and silver. Instead, he should go with the flow and do Xie Buruo a favor.

Grandma Ping immediately stepped forward and loudly expressed her opinion.

"Thank you for your generosity, young master! This old woman is following your orders as instructed by my wife. Wherever you point, I will go. As for the gold and silver, there's no need to divide my share."

Xie Buruo quickly waved his hand and said, "No, no, if I let you work for nothing, how can I face people in the future?"

Grandma Ping was overjoyed upon hearing this, realizing that the other party was putting the old score aside.

If he were to refuse the ill-gotten gains again, it would be a disservice to him, showing that he was unwilling to collude with him.

She immediately laughed and said, "Since Young Master Xie puts it that way, this old woman will not be so polite as to refuse."

On the other side, Grandma Rui could no longer contain herself.

She rushed forward a few steps and repeatedly asked the group of Western Xia warriors about their appearance and build.

Xie Buruo said, "Their character isn't great, but a few of them are quite good-looking."

Grandma Rui never cared about character.

On the contrary, the more despicable the other person's character, the more excited she gets when she tries to manipulate them.

After hearing Xie Buruo say just a few words, Granny Rui was already pounding her chest and stamping her feet, her whole body trembling, wishing that the boat could grow wings so that she could find those thieves as soon as possible.

Xie Buruo added, "The enemy has a considerable number of men, and their skills are decent. It would be best if we could bring in reinforcements; that would make things even safer."

Grandma Ping, eager to make a name for herself, immediately spoke up.

"The fishermen in the water villages around Taihu Lake have always looked to Mantuo Villa and Yanziwu for guidance. I immediately ordered them to search around. As long as those people are still in Taihu Lake, finding them will be a piece of cake."

Having said that, he instructed a maid to come out of the cabin and summon the fishermen on the water for questioning.

The remaining people in the cabin then assessed the combat strength of both sides.

When the original owner fled from the Wuliang Northern Sect, he was in such a panic that he didn't remember exactly how many troops the enemy had.

Xie Bu Ruo paused to recall for a moment: "There were at least ten or so people."

Upon hearing this, Granny Rui laughed heartily, "There are about thirty people on our boat; three against one is more than enough!"

Granny Ping, being composed and not one to underestimate her opponent, asked, "I wonder, compared to Young Master Xie, who among those bandits is more skilled in martial arts?"

Xie Buruo recalled the image of his master being cleaved in two by his senior brother Wu Liang's sword and falling into the lake.

"In the past, there were many who were stronger than me. But now, I'm not sure how strong my senior brother is, and the others should be no match for me. Oh, right, there's another one who's quite formidable. He's bald and hangs out with those Western Xia warriors, but unfortunately, I don't know his name."

Granny Ping said in a deep voice, "To be on the safe side, let's wait until those Taihu Lake bandits arrive, then we can swarm them and win by numbers."

Xie Bu Ruo nodded, deeply agreeing.

Granny Rui sighed, "If Granny Yan and Xiao Cui were here, we wouldn't need the bandits from Taihu Lake. We could easily handle them ourselves."

Granny Ping took the opportunity to explain to Xie Bu Ruo.

It turns out that among the servants of Mantuo Manor, apart from a few people who were entrusted with important tasks by Madam Wang and whose identities were kept secret, the martial arts skills of Mama Yan were the best, followed by Xiao Cui.

"Then it was my turn, Granny Rui's turn, and that girl Xiao Shi's turn."

Xie Buruo, surprised to find a great general hidden among his men, was immediately eager to recruit him and hurriedly asked Granny Ping, "Where is Chief Shi now? Why don't you introduce me to him?"

Grandma Ping shook her head and sighed, "Xiao Shi is just like You Cao; somehow she caught a rash, and even her throat has become hoarse."

……

On the other side, the interior cabin.

Wang Yuyan was leaving home today, feeling both nervous and excited. She held a book for a long time but couldn't understand a single word.

Cheers could be heard from the cabin above, interspersed with occasional wolf howls from Granny Rui.

Wang Yuyan rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought.

"This young master Xie is quite capable. In less than a month, he has already become close friends with Granny Rui and Granny Ping."

"What's even more remarkable is the rapid progress in his swordsmanship."

Thinking of this, she suddenly sighed softly.

She was well-versed in all martial arts and understood the principles of the world.

Xie Buruo's internal strength foundation was ultimately too weak.

Although his swordsmanship has improved rapidly in recent days, he will soon encounter a bottleneck.

Unless one makes significant progress in internal skills, it is extremely difficult to make any further advancement.

If one's internal strength is insufficient, no matter how skillful one's techniques are, one is ultimately a tree without roots.

Just as I was lost in thought, I suddenly heard rustling footsteps outside the door.

Then came the creaking sound of the door opening.

It appeared that someone was pushing the hatches one by one.

Wang Yuyan was puzzled.

At this moment, all the maids on the ship gathered together to discuss something. Who exactly was wandering around here?

Curious, she quietly opened the hatch a crack and peeked outside.

The door had barely opened a crack when a faint fragrance wafted into my nostrils.

A masked woman stood at the hatch.

Judging from her clothes and appearance, Wang Yuyan thought she looked like a maid named Xiao Shi.

She often met with Xiaoshi and was afraid of being discovered, so she hurriedly reached out to close the door, only to find that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't close it.

The woman outside the cabin rested one hand lightly on the door panel, coldly scrutinizing her.

Then, he reached out and yanked, violently pulling off Wang Yuyan's veil.

"It was hidden here after all!"