Chapter 441: You Can’t Say Things Like That Carelessly

From the moment Wang Gu threw caution to the wind to the instant Su Wangchuan drew his flexible sword and severed his hand,

everything happened far too quickly.

Zhuang Xuyan could not have stepped in to save him even if he wanted to.

There simply was not enough time!

By the time Su Wangchuan said, “Thank you for the match,” he had already sheathed his sword and stood straight once more.

Zhuang Xuyan’s face looked utterly terrible!

The five Beggar Sect experts behind him all rushed over to examine Wang Gu’s condition.

“We won!!”

“Hall Master is mighty!”

“The Hall Master won!”

“Hahahaha...”

Cheers erupted all at once, echoing through the streets inside and outside the hall.

“Hall Master Su Wangchuan, you strike with a vicious hand.”

After checking Wang Gu’s condition, the old man with the red wine nose and smoking pipe turned back through gritted teeth. “Wang Gu’s hand has been severed, his chest has collapsed, and more than a dozen ribs have all been shattered without exception and driven into his lungs and organs. Even if he can be saved, he will still be a cripple!”

Su Wangchuan said nothing, but Chen Ergou, Zhao Heiniu, and the others were already shouting back at them:

“The Beggar Sect came to challenge us of its own accord and demanded that it be signed as a life-and-death duel. You should have expected this result from the very beginning...”

“That’s right!”

“You weren’t good enough, and you still came knocking to challenge us!”

“You lit a lantern in the latrine. You were asking to die!”

“Hahahaha...”

“What is it? Is the Beggar Sect a sore loser?”

Zhuang Xuyan’s expression was ugly.

This life-and-death challenge had been initiated by the Beggar Sect itself. They had only themselves to blame.

There was not much he could say.

The biggest mistake they had made in coming to Sanhe Commandery this time was never imagining that Su Wangchuan would be this strong, able to suppress Wang Gu and cripple him so easily.

“Go!”

“Take Wang Gu for treatment!”

“Keep him alive first.”

Zhuang Xuyan gave the order.

The Beggar Sect experts immediately scrambled together and carried Wang Gu off to find a medical hall, to find Divine Physician Shen.

Even the severed hand on the ground was taken with them.

The whole group left in utter disarray.

Su Wangchuan raised his head from afar and looked toward the constables on the rooftop.

Constable Captain Yu and Constable Captain He saluted from a distance, nodded, and led their men away.

Lu Ping’an came forward with his younger sister and his guards, a gentle smile on his face.

“Congratulations, Hall Master Su Wangchuan! By defeating Wang Gu, who is said to be nearly invincible within the Fourth Rank, your Jianghu reputation is bound to rise by another notch.”

“Ding!”

System prompt:

“Defeated Beggar Sect Outer Elder ‘Wang Gu’ in a challenge. Jianghu Reputation +50. Current ranking: [omitted].”

Su Wangchuan was startled for a moment, then smiled and said to Lu Ping’an,

“Let’s not talk about that. Young Master Lu came all this way to lend support. Su Wangchuan will remember such loyalty and goodwill. Please, come inside and sit... Ergou, serve tea.”

The Caobang hall was as lively as if it were still the New Year, full of joy and celebration.

Lu Ping’an and his group took their seats in the main hall.

Lu Ping’an said with a smile,

“If we had known earlier that Hall Master Su Wangchuan could already overpower Wang Gu, we would not have rushed all the way here... Haha, it seems we were worrying for nothing.”

“It is my good fortune that Young Master Lu has come as a guest to Sanhe Commandery.”

“And besides, spring will begin very soon. I just so happen to have a favor to ask of Young Master Lu.”

“Oh?”

Lu Ping’an paused, looking quite curious.

“What favor?”

“In at most half a month, once the spring departure begins, the Qinghe Commandery Hall will be handling a heavy consignment together with your Lu Family’s money houses and merchant firms. Would you like to cooperate?”

Su Wangchuan made the suggestion.

Lu Ping’an’s eyes lit up at once!

At present, the Lu Family and the Qinghe Commandery Hall had been locked in a fierce shadow struggle with the Beggar Sect, and both sides had suffered losses.

The first shipment of the spring season this year was extremely important to both the Caobang hall and the Lu Family. That first heavy consignment absolutely had to be kept safe.

“Hall Master Su Wangchuan is not asking us for help. You’re helping us, aren’t you?” Lu Ping’an said as realization dawned on him.

Su Wangchuan smiled.

“Every year, when Sanhe Commandery begins its spring departure, there is heavy-consignment business from the great families. At present, the Dongfang Family and the Ouyang Family have already made preparations with us for departure. I intend to join forces with the Qinghe Commandery Hall and your Lu Family’s strength to escort the shipment together and ensure that nothing goes wrong.”

“Good!”

Lu Ping’an agreed immediately.

“With the escort strength of Sanhe Commandery cooperating with us, our momentum will grow, and the safety of the spring departure will increase enormously! Cooperation! We absolutely must cooperate.”

“Then it is settled.”

Su Wangchuan had known from the beginning that Lu Ping’an would agree.

Without increasing their costs, they would gain a large number of additional escorts. Anyone would be happy to make that kind of arrangement happen.

The two of them immediately began discussing the specific rendezvous time and shipping route.

Not long afterward, someone entered from outside to report:

“Hall Master!”

“The Beggar Sect group has gone to Divine Physician Shen to have Wang Gu treated.”

Su Wangchuan was not surprised in the slightest and simply nodded.

The man continued:

“Divine Physician Shen sent out a servant to inform us that Wang Gu’s life has been preserved, and his severed hand has been reattached as well. However, his lungs and internal organs are badly damaged. He will suffer from consumption for the rest of his life, his cultivation will never return, and he will never again be able to wield a saber or sword.”

Su Wangchuan nodded and waved the man away.

Lu Ping’an smiled.

“Divine Physician Shen truly is a miracle doctor of this age. To think he could still save a man from injuries like that. He truly is worthy of being one of Medicine King Valley’s great experts...”

“Yes.”

Su Wangchuan said,

“Now that the man is crippled, that group from the Beggar Sect will probably leave overnight as well. This year, there should not be many Beggar Sect disciples left in my territory of Sanhe Commandery.”

At that point, Lu Ping’an raised a brow and asked about something else.

“Before the New Year, several gathering points for Beggar Sect disciples in various counties within Qinghe Commandery were struck. That was arranged by Hall Master Su Wangchuan, wasn’t it?”

“Yes.”

Su Wangchuan did not hide it. He nodded and said,

“That’s right. The Branch Master of the Beggar Sect’s Qinghe Commandery Sub-Branch was also eliminated by men from my hall. Originally, I was only worried that people from Qinghe Commandery might affect Sanhe Commandery in the new year. I never expected it would cause the Beggar Sect to misunderstand and turn on your Lu Family instead, leading to conflict between you. I am truly ashamed... Those strongholds were our way of making amends to the Lu Family.”

Lu Ping’an burst into relieved laughter.

“I knew it. The only person capable of silently wiping out four Beggar Sect strongholds and dozens of their elites at the same time had to be you!”

One of the two Lu Family guards behind him chimed in:

“All of those strongholds were outside the Lu Family’s sphere of influence. When those points were hit, it clearly caught them off guard and instantly made the Beggar Sect much more cautious.”

“The informants we planted inside the Beggar Sect sent word back that, for a time, they actually suspected they had been targeted by the Crimson Pavilion.”

“Haha...”

Su Wangchuan laughed aloud.

At that moment, Lu Ningshuang, who had been sitting quietly at the side all this time, suddenly spoke, and what she said startled everyone:

“In truth, Hall Master Su Wangchuan has already done very well in Sanhe Commandery, almost completely wiping out the Beggar Sect’s people and strongholds there. Elder Brother, why can’t we follow Hall Master Su Wangchuan’s example and eliminate all the Beggar Sect disciples within Qinghe Commandery?”

“...”

The main hall instantly fell silent.

The two guards looked at one another.

Chen Ergou even walked to the doorway to check the surroundings.

“My dear little sister.”

“You can’t say things like that carelessly.”

Cold sweat broke out across Lu Ping’an’s forehead.

If the young lady of the Lu Family’s words reached the ears of the Beggar Sect, the Beggar Sect would certainly target the Lu Family like mad.

Lu Ningshuang stuck out her little tongue and looked toward Su Wangchuan.

A thoughtful look appeared in Su Wangchuan’s eyes as he said,

“Now that Zhuang Xuyan has failed in challenging my Sanhe Commandery Hall, is it possible that he might look for another way to redeem himself through merit?”

Lu Ping’an froze.

“You mean... Zhuang Xuyan might change course and go challenge the Qinghe Commandery Hall instead?”