Chapter 372: Catching a Turtle in a Jar

The ones who had broken into the Sanhe Commandery hall by night were precisely those two fifth-rank elders of the Beggar Sect who had betrayed and left the sect.

What they did not know, however, was that the Six Gates and the Caobang had long since made arrangements in secret. Experts had quietly arrived near the Sanhe Commandery hall and lain in ambush there for quite some time.

Using Lu Ping’an as bait, they lured the two men out!

It was a perfect case of catching a turtle in a jar.

As more than two hundred men from the Caobang hall poured out, drawing bows and nocking arrows to seal off the battlefield,

the yamen runners led by Constable Captains He and Yu of the Six Gates also arrived at the scene.

Within Sanhe Commandery, many martial artists were roused by the disturbance and leapt onto the rooftops to watch.

The two fifth-rank martial artists of the Beggar Sect had already been entangled by three opponents and could no longer break free.

The “Elder Wang” being tied down by Caobang’s Wan Xiwen still had a chance of escaping;

but Elder Xiong, who had been blocked by the two experts of the Six Gates, was already caught in a pincer attack from front and rear. There was no possibility of breaking out.

At that moment, Old Seven arrived with his men.

A Heart-Piercing Crossbow was quietly fired!

Elder Xiong gave a muffled grunt as an arrow struck his calf.

Captain Lin of the Six Gates cast his cloak down like a storm tearing through wind and rain, and at the same moment, another fifth-rank expert drove a sword straight through Elder Xiong’s forehead, punching out a bloody hole. He let out a scream and died on the spot!

“Old Xiong!!”

The moment Elder Xiong died, Elder Wang cried out in anguish and turned to charge outward.

Cui Mingjue, Lin Cunxin, and the others all raised their Heart-Piercing Crossbows at once.

Several Armor-Piercing Crossbow Bolts shot out from the crowd.

Delayed by the Armor-Piercing Crossbow Bolts, Elder Wang was immediately swallowed by the joint assault of three fifth-rank martial artists. Two fists could not stand against four hands. Before long, slash after slash opened across his body. His frame shuddered repeatedly before Wan Xiwen finally beheaded him with a single sword.

The two fifth-rank martial artists fell dead in the street.

Wan Xiwen cupped his fists with both hands and saluted the two captains.

“Many thanks, Captain Lin!”

“Many thanks, Captain Lei!”

“With these two murderers dead, the departed souls in Qinghe Commandery can finally rest in peace.”

“Heh.”

“It was only our duty.”

“We’ll be taking the corpses.”

With a wave of their hands, the men of the Six Gates came forward, took away the bodies, and departed.

Old Seven quickly came before Wan Xiwen, cupping his fists and bowing with utmost respect.

“Elder Wan!”

“This subordinate did not know Elder Wan had come and failed to welcome you from afar.”

“Heh.”

Wan Xiwen was in a good mood and nodded.

“This time, I came because of those two traitors from the Beggar Sect... Now that they have been executed, the matter here is settled! Your Sanhe Commandery hall has done well. Handle the martial tournament properly, and also protect that man from the Lu Family.”

“This subordinate obeys!”

Old Seven hurriedly accepted the order.

Wan Xiwen glanced toward the hall, then suddenly asked,

“By the way, who was that young man who first exposed the movements of those two intruders?”

“Reporting to Elder Wan! That was Wangchuan, the Deputy Hall Master of our Sanhe Commandery hall. He is responsible for personally protecting the Lu Family’s young master,” Old Seven answered.

Wan Xiwen smiled and nodded.

“His vigilance is not bad.”

“Yes, and you have all done well too.”

“Handle this martial tournament properly. Do not let anything go wrong. When this is over, the Gang Leader will surely reward you heavily!”

“Many thanks for Elder Wan’s guidance!”

Old Seven was overjoyed.

After saying this, Wan Xiwen turned and left.

Old Seven straightened up, his face wreathed in smiles.

In one single night, the Sanhe Commandery hall had not only shown its face and earned merit before Elder Wan, it had also cut down the two fifth-rank elders deliberately released by the Beggar Sect.

This time, the Beggar Sect had truly suffered a heavy loss!

And because those two men had already betrayed and left the sect, the Beggar Sect did not even have a reason to seek revenge.

What made Old Seven even happier was this:

the martial tournament had indeed already entered the Gang Leader’s field of vision.

Otherwise, Elder Wan would never have been sent over in secret to reinforce them and sit in hidden command.

With a wave of his hand, Old Seven led all the Caobang disciples back into formation and returned to the hall.

He then went straight to Wangchuan’s courtyard.

Lu Ping’an and Lu Ningshuang were both there.

Old Seven’s smile grew even more sincere as he said,

“The two murderers from the Beggar Sect have already been executed. For some time to come, Young Master Lu’s situation should be safe, and the danger over in Qinghe Commandery should also begin to ease.”

“Many thanks, Old Seven!”

Lu Ping’an offered his thanks.

Old Seven then looked toward Wangchuan and said,

“The one who came this time was Elder Wan. The martial tournament you proposed has already successfully entered the Gang Leader’s line of sight. By using this tournament to lure out and kill the Beggar Sect’s two fifth-rank experts, the tournament is already more than half a success! As long as nothing goes wrong from here on, your name will very soon be remembered by the great figures above.”

Lu Ping’an, Lu Ningshuang, and the others all looked toward Wangchuan, smiling broadly.

As fellow people of the Jianghu, they all knew that Wangchuan now stood only a single step away from soaring to great heights.

Wangchuan’s expression remained calm.

“Old Seven, rest assured. This subordinate will order the brothers under my command to be even more cautious and meticulous in handling every matter. I will certainly ensure that the martial tournament proceeds smoothly and reaches a successful conclusion.”

“Mm.”

“Get some rest.”

Old Seven turned and departed, his back straight and upright.

Wangchuan and Lu Ping’an looked at one another. The feelings in both their hearts were somewhat complicated.

In truth, neither of them had expected that the fifth-rank martial artists’ night assault on the hall would be resolved so quickly.

When the Caobang and the court joined hands, taking down two fifth-rank martial artists was simple and effortless.

“Hall Master Wangchuan.”

“Thank you for the timely warning tonight. If not for that, disaster might truly have struck.”

Lu Ping’an cupped his fists and offered his thanks.

Lu Ningshuang quickly echoed him.

Wangchuan waved it off.

“The Sanhe Commandery hall is my territory. This was only part of my duty! It was my responsibility.”

The two men smiled at each other, chatted for a while longer, and then each returned to rest.

Early the next morning,

the news that the two former elders of the Beggar Sect had been executed spread throughout Sanhe Commandery. In the streets and alleys, martial artists discussed it everywhere.

Those nearby martial artists fortunate enough to have witnessed the battle described it with such exaggerated flourish that it almost beggared belief.

They described the Caobang hall as a dragon’s pool and tiger’s den!

For the Caobang, this was a good thing.

In the Jianghu, there were gangs everywhere that boasted shamelessly.

All sorts of Jianghu legends could not be trusted in full.

But everyone could clearly feel that the Beggar Sect disciples looked much more dispirited now, and their numbers had also decreased.

Wangchuan, meanwhile, remained just as before.

He continued cultivating.

He continued fleecing the sheep.

There were only five days left before the martial tournament began.

The Gold-Medal Sparring Partner only had four days left during which he could still help him train.

He had to seize the time.

He decided to rapidly push 《Water-Moon Sword Art》 to Integration.

During the martial tournament, this fourth-rank sword art ought to prove somewhat useful.

Lu Ping’an sparred with him with his full strength.

After a full day and night...

“Ding!”

The system prompt sounded:

“《Water-Moon Sword Art》 has advanced from ‘Entry-Level Mastery’ to ‘Integration.’ Reward: +4 Agility.”

The moment the sword art broke through,

the effect brought by the breakthrough of the fourth-rank sword art 《Water-Moon Sword Art》 was extremely powerful.

Water-Moon Sword Art: Integration

+100 Attack; high chance of making the enemy unable to distinguish illusion from reality and incapable of defending; attacks that strike the enemy’s vital areas deal double damage.

Next Realm: Perfect Mastery

+120 Attack; very high chance of making the enemy unable to distinguish illusion from reality and incapable of defending; attacks that strike the enemy’s vital areas deal double damage.