Chapter 007: Unexpected Turn

Wang Bo couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing this. "That's the first time I've heard someone praise themselves like that."

Hanyue was slightly taken aback, then realized that her words just now seemed to carry a hint of self-praise. She couldn't help but burst out laughing, her eyes sparkling. 'I once heard that Young Master Wang is a notorious libertine in Luoyang. Meeting you today, I never expected you to be such an amusing person.'

Interesting?

Wang Bo did not see himself as an amusing person. Hanyue found him amusing simply because the way of thinking of a modern person differs from that of an ancient one.

It is precisely because of this that Hanyue finds herself interesting.

If Hanyue were also a modern person, she wouldn't find Wang Bo interesting.

Crash!

Just then, inside Shuyu Pavilion, a sudden disturbance broke out.

From a private room on the second floor of the main hall, a tremendous crash suddenly rang out, and then a figure burst through the door, smashed through the second-floor railing, and plummeted down onto the lotus platform in the center of the hall.

In an instant, the dancing Hu beauties screamed in fright and fled in disarray.

The sudden incident threw the entire Shuyu Pavilion into an uproar. Many were frightened and trembling, and many immediately realized that this must be a vendetta in the martial world.

Some of the roving guests who had come seeking pleasure all changed color; a portion scurried away with their heads in their hands, while another portion remained utterly unafraid, holding the girls beside them and laughing heartily.

Of course, there were also some whose legs trembled, wishing they could turn and flee at once. And the reason they did not run was not out of backbone, but because they were so frightened by the sudden turn of events that they could not stand up.

Hanyue, beside Wang Bo, had a changing expression—fearful, terrified—but she did not leave. She still sat by Wang Bo's side, her hands gripping her clothes tightly, never loosening.

She was even comforting Wang Bo: 'Don't be afraid, Master Wang. It's just a vendetta among jianghu folk. These people have their own sense of propriety and won't harm the innocent excessively. Otherwise, the Court of Judicial Review would never sit idly by.'

Wang Bo couldn't help but laugh in spite of himself. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly saw a figure rush out from the second floor, leap up abruptly, sword in right hand, and slash downward like a flash of lightning.

The strike was like a flash of lightning, too fast for an ordinary person to see clearly.

But Wang Bo saw it clearly.

The man holding the long sword was dressed like a martial artist, just over thirty years old, with a down-and-out look and unshaven stubble, as if he hadn't groomed in a long time. His clothes were nothing more than the coarse cloth garments worn by common folk.

Even the long sword in his hand was no treasured blade.

This getup made him look like someone from the lowest rung of the jianghu.

Although Wang Bo had never met any so-called jianghu figures, generally speaking, those who had achieved fame and success in the jianghu should at least dress more cleanly and neatly.

Although the man was dressed very plainly, his martial skills were astonishing and his moves extremely vicious. The sword light, like a venomous dragon, was astonishingly fast, and in a flash it twisted toward the man on the ground.

The down-and-out man was resolved to kill, as if he intended to finish off the fallen man with a single strike.

The man on the ground had already been severely injured when he was knocked out of the room and fell from the second floor. Now he could not stand up at all and could only close his eyes and await death.

But just at that moment, an angry shout suddenly rang out from the crowd.

You wounded my second brother.

Then another man in purple flew out from the crowd, stepping on the heads of several pleasure-seekers as he lunged forward, drew his sword, and without a second thought thrust it at the down-and-out man's throat.

The down-and-out man had no choice but to twist his wrist, abandon the idea of killing the other man outright, and turn back to defend.

Everyone present heard only a crisp, tinkling series of sounds as the two swords clashed repeatedly in the void, and then the disheveled man and the purple-clad man exchanged a palm strike before drifting backward.

After landing, the man in purple retreated three or four steps before coming to a stop.

But after the disheveled man landed, he stood as if rooted, not moving an inch.

Clearly, in the exchange just now, the man in purple was slightly inferior.

Especially since he struck in anger, while the disheveled man was merely forced to respond. Even so, the latter still came off slightly worse, his face flushed, revealing the gap between them.

The down-and-out man's eyes were fierce, and he said in a hoarse voice, "Who exactly are you? I, Li, have no grudge against you. Why do you want to kill me?"

The man in purple suppressed the churning blood in his chest and gave a cold snort. “Li? What a fine ‘Li’ you are. But as far as I know, your surname is not Li—it’s Zhao, the Zhao of Zhao Wuyan!”

The down-and-out man's face changed, and he said, 'Who is Zhao Wuyan? I don't know him.'

The man in purple grabbed his own clothes, gave a fierce tug, and tore them to shreds, revealing the official robes beneath. He raised a token and bellowed at the top of his lungs, "The Court of Judicial Review is handling a case! All bystanders, clear out!"

At the same time, several more men who had appeared to be seeking pleasure burst from the crowd, one after another tearing off their disguises to reveal the official robes of the Court of Judicial Review, and surrounded the down-and-out man, Zhao Wuyan.

For a moment, the entire Shuyu Pavilion was in an uproar.

No one expected that an ordinary pursuit of pleasure would run into the Dali Temple, the imperial court's supreme judicial authority, in the midst of handling a case.

Everyone present knew the methods of the Court of Judicial Review and fled in disarray.

Hanyue said, "Young Master Wang, the Court of Judicial Review is handling a case. Idlers and bystanders must withdraw. We should leave this place."

She didn't want to stay here any longer either.

Although Wang Bo was not afraid of the people from the Court of Judicial Review, he did not wish to create complications and disrupt his pleasant life, so he couldn't help but nod and say, "All right."

He and Hanyue stood up, mingled with the crowd, and prepared to leave Shuyuxuan.

When the two walked out the main gate of Shuyuxuan, they heard clanking and clanging sounds from behind; clearly, the man named Zhao Wuyan had already come to blows with the people from the Court of Judicial Review.

After the crowd stepped out of Shuyuxuan's gate, some left without looking back.

But some stayed behind.

And among those who stayed, aside from a portion of busybodies, most were the girls of Shuyuxuan. Shuyuxuan was their home, and their indenture contracts were all here—how could they possibly leave Shuyuxuan.

Wang Bo also had some interest in the combat of ancient martial artists, so he stayed.

Hanyue stood beside him, her face seemingly calm, but her fingers were tightly clenched, and no one knew what she was thinking.

Wang Bo couldn't help asking, "Miss Hanyue, do you know who this Zhao Wuyan is?"

In ancient times, the girls in the pleasure quarters came into contact with all sorts of people from all walks of life, making it the most convenient place to gather information. That was why Wang Bo asked this question.

Hanyue did not disappoint Wang Bo either. After pondering for a moment, she said, "I once heard that in the jianghu—the martial world—there is a daring and reckless bandit who specifically targets the rich, not only robbing them of their wealth but also taking their lives. The number of rich people who have died at the hands of this bandit amounts to dozens. His nickname is the Butcher Bandit, and his real name is Zhao Wuyan."