Chapter 200: Just Smash It Up

Chapter 200: Smash It, Then It's Done

Speaking of which, my impression of Cui Yuanyong had once been limited to his duel with Yue Hongling—a draw where he was slightly worse off, both injured, with Cui Yuanyong perhaps hurt a bit more. Back then, I had to thank my brother-in-law for sending Yue Hongling to the stronghold as the chieftain’s wife; those days, even now, I recall with fond nostalgia.

At that time, my understanding of Cui Yuanyong’s strength was merely conceptual; I had no direct sense of how formidable he truly was. Now, comparing him to Situ Xiao like this, my brother-in-law is quite impressive…

Zhao Changhe knew that while his external martial arts had some toughening effects, making him relatively resilient against blows compared to ordinary folk, he wasn’t of that ilk. If he tried to ram through a door, he’d likely fail to break it, or take ages to barely manage it, looking utterly pathetic—so he refused.

Yet Situ Xiao casually charged headfirst through it, as if playing a game, turning the obstacles set by the Wang family into a joke.

The second-ranked Hidden Dragon was indeed no empty reputation.

Zhao Changhe had initially been reluctant to attend the banquet, but now he felt it was well worth the trip. Seeing more heroes of the jianghu—wasn’t that the very blood of a man?

Instead of rushing in, he found a spot like the loafers on the street, eagerly craning his neck to watch the street, curious to see who else would come and what they’d do.

Xuan Chong: “…”

He couldn’t help but laugh helplessly: “Brother Zhao? Brother Zhao?”

“Huh?” Zhao Changhe, hands tucked in sleeves, leaned forward: “Just watching, just watching. You go on in, Daoist.”

Xuan Chong shook his head, thinking that calling this guy a jianghu loafer wasn’t far off. He had no interest in spectating; wasn’t it fine that the door was open? Just go straight in, and don’t let the Wang family get foolish again and shut the door—that would be a nuisance.

Sure enough, as he reached the door, the Wang family guards fetched a new door bolt, intending to lock it again.

The new bolt was even made of copper, probably because they felt the wooden one had underestimated the heroes of the world.

But as the guards tried to close the door, they found it wouldn’t budge, as if blocked by a massive stone.

Looking closely, Xuan Chong stood there leisurely, one hand propping the door, greeting them: “Gentlemen, why shut the door in broad daylight? You make it seem like we’re entering to do something shameful.”

The guards pushed and pushed, but Xuan Chong, who seemed ordinary in build and not particularly strong, showed no strain or red-faced effort, his demeanor calm and effortless. Yet no matter how many of them pushed, the door wouldn’t move an inch.

One guard forced a smile: “Daoist, we’re just following orders. Why make things difficult for us?”

“Then I’d have to make things difficult for myself?”

“Not that, Daoist. Just go in yourself; why meddle in others’ affairs?”

Xuan Chong chuckled: “I meddle for your own good… The Hidden Dragons of the Divine Land aren’t all righteous. Situ Xiao is quite wicked. If someone comes for your necks, I doubt the Wang family would avenge you.”

“Th-they probably wouldn’t, right? That would offend the Wang family…”

Soon, several more people arrived, all obediently presenting their invitations for verification before entering.

Not a single one thanked Xuan Chong for holding the door for everyone; they even seemed to think him a bit foolish.

“Who are these?” Zhao Changhe asked from the crowd.

“I don’t recognize many, only the sixteenth-ranked, the young master of the Northwest Dai family.”

Zhao Changhe nodded: “Indeed, not everyone has backbone.”

Meanwhile, the Wang family guard was smirking at Xuan Chong: “See, Daoist? Why block the door for them? Let them show off their lightness skills—wouldn’t that be a grand spectacle of the jianghu?”

Before he finished, a shadowy figure like a monkey flashed by. One of the golden nails holding the Wang family’s plaque vanished, and the plaque creaked, tilting halfway down.

The Wang guards were startled: “Who!”

The monkey-like figure giggled, vanishing like a breeze through the door: “A thief never leaves empty-handed. The bolt’s too big, so I’ll just steal a nail.”

The crowd murmured: “Which master of the Thieves’ Guild is this?”

“Ji Chengkong. He slipped in with the two shifters, quietly making it to the bottom of the list.”

“Ah… at the time, the Chaos Book flashed too much; I didn’t notice.”

“The Wang family still thinks they’re so grand, but their plaque’s nearly been taken. If I were them, I’d open the main gate wide to welcome guests. If they keep this up, they’ll lose all face.”

“If you want a jianghu spectacle, watching them get slapped in the face is the real show, right?”

“Hehe…”

As the whispers continued, a fragrant breeze swept by.

A slender girl wearing a tiger-headed mask appeared silently at the door, curiously watching Xuan Chong and the guards locked in their standoff.

The mask was white, her clothes white, looking adorably naive yet eerily strange.

No one knew where she came from or how she appeared.

A name instantly surfaced in everyone’s mind: Sixth of the Hidden Dragons, White Tiger Saintess of the Four Symbols Sect, Xia Chichi!

Zhao Changhe couldn’t help but laugh.

When others saw a Vermilion Bird mask, they got the name Vermilion Bird; when they saw a White Tiger mask, they got this long string of information. Poor Chichi, the Chaos Book had completely exposed her identity, making the mask useless except to hide her face.

The crowd murmured: “She came too! How did the Wang family get an invitation to the Four Symbols Sect?”

The guards’ expressions turned grave, ignoring Xuan Chong. One who seemed to be the leader stepped forward and said to Xia Chichi: “If you’re the White Tiger Saintess, please show your invitation. It’s not that we’re being difficult, but with your sect’s masks, who knows if you’re the real one?”

“Is that so…” Xia Chichi gave a lazy smile, and a white shadow flickered.

Before anyone could react, her jade-like hand was already gripping the guard leader’s neck, her sweet voice laced with chilling murderous intent: “Do you know now?”

The crowd fell silent.

Even Zhao Changhe blinked a few times.

In his eyes, Chichi had always been well-behaved and cute…

What? She once tried to kill him with a dagger? He’d forgotten.

But at this moment, the little demoness was the spitting image of a white-clad Little Vermilion Bird, finally showing the demeanor of a demon sect saintess. She looked delicious…

No matter how tasty he found her, everyone else was terrified, convinced she would actually kill.

The guards abandoned their standoff with Xuan Chong, swarming out to surround Xia Chichi: “Demoness! Are you here for the banquet or to cause trouble?”

“Heh…” Xia Chichi gave a lazy laugh: “I don’t know if you’re here to invite guests or to put on airs. If this weren’t a formal banquet, in the jianghu, wouldn’t my Four Symbols Sect be killing Wang family dogs?”

With that, she flicked her hand.

The guard leader she held flew like a cannonball, crashing heavily into the door, rolling like a gourd all the way into the outer courtyard.

Xia Chichi strolled forward leisurely, and the guards dared not stop her, watching helplessly as she entered.

Inside, a few guards holding the copper bolt instinctively stepped back.

The eyes behind the White Tiger mask rolled mischievously. She reached out, and somehow the bolt was in her hand. Her slender frame holding the heavy bolt created a comical contrast.

The tiger head tilted, and she suddenly hurled the bolt toward the street: “What are you gawking at? This is pure copper, worth some coin. Go buy yourselves a drink!”

“Roar!” The bolt flew through the air with a sound like a tiger’s roar or a dragon’s cry, turning into a golden streak aimed at the crowd on the corner.

To the onlookers, it seemed as if the bolt transformed into a pouncing tiger mid-flight.

Would the crowd at the corner survive being hit?

Just as people were about to scatter, a large hand reached out from the crowd, catching the bolt effortlessly, as if subduing a tiger by the head.

Turning to look, Zhao Changhe held the bolt, laughing as he scolded: “Little tiger, you’ve ruined my fun.”

The little White Tiger tilted her head and smiled: “What’s there to see!”

Zhao Changhe weighed the bolt in his hand and grinned: “Then let’s smash it, and it’s done.”

“Whoosh!” The bolt flew back, fiercer and more violent than before.

If just now it was a tiger pouncing on its prey, now it is as if transformed into a golden dragon, soaring through the nine heavens.

With a thunderous crash, the door bolt slammed heavily into the gate, shattering the thick wooden door into splinters, never to be closed again.