Chapter 18: The Zheng Clan of Nanyang, Unfit for Great Things!

"Go!"

Zheng Renxin made an instant decision, retreating immediately.

But Li Ji let out a sinister laugh, leaped forward, and swung a massive saber like a door panel, sweeping it horizontally toward Zheng Renxin and the four others.

The four warriors of Miaoshou Garden, all in the realm of refining organs, erupted with their inner energy, raising their long swords to block in front of their chests.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang."

Four dull sounds echoed, and Zheng Renxin's body trembled as if struck by a heavy blow, feeling an overwhelming force pressing down on him.

Though he had unleashed all his inner energy, even undergoing bone-forging and organ-refining, his strength had surged. Yet, before this force, he still could not withstand it.

In the next moment, Zheng Renxin was swept by a blade and forced to stagger back several steps.

"Pfft."

Zheng Renxin clutched his chest, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood.

A metallic taste spread through his mouth.

He was wounded.

Just one strike, and he was wounded.

Moreover, not only Zheng Renxin, but the other three top warriors of Miaoshou Garden were also injured, more or less.

For a moment, the four top warriors of Miaoshou Garden were overwhelmed by a storm of shock and fear.

With just one strike, Li Ji had wounded them all.

Though they were all in the realm of refining organs, the difference in their strength was like heaven and earth.

"No wonder Li Ji, the Tuo Sha Heavenly King, was able to gather a crowd to block the trade routes and even escape the imperial army's siege. With such power, how many in the Shenli realm could rival him?"

"Master, flee quickly—you cannot die here. We three will hold them off and buy you time!"

"Master, we have lost. Please, hurry and leave!"

The other three top warriors of Miaoshou Garden roared with all their might.

This time, Miaoshou Garden had poured out all its might. If the warriors of refining organs were to be completely lost, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Especially if Zheng Renxin died here, the hundred-year foundation of Miaoshou Garden might be destroyed in one fell swoop.

"Want to leave?"

"I told you, none of you can go. Stay here with me!"

Li Ji, wielding the door-like saber, approached step by step with a grin of malice.

Zheng Renxin was not a stubborn man.

Though his eyes were red and veins bulged, clearly enraged to the extreme, he could not die in this situation.

If he died, Miaoshou Garden would likely collapse into chaos.

As Zheng Renxin was about to retreat,

"Rattle."

From outside the abandoned temple, a dozen or so bandits had appeared at some point.

Leading them was a warrior of the refining organs realm.

He and his men, armed with crossbows, blocked the retreat of the Miaoshou Garden warriors.

At that moment, the Miaoshou Garden warriors still fighting inside the temple were filled with terror, their morale shattered.

"Wait."

At this moment, Zheng Renxin shouted loudly.

He stared at Li Ji with a cold gaze and said, "Li Ji, stop. This time, Miaoshou Garden concedes."

"You came south to Nanyang City, risking so much. What you seek is nothing but gold and silver."

"Name a number."

Zheng Renxin's words made everyone pause.

Even Li Ji halted his steps.

"Concedes?"

"Not going to fight to the death?"

Zheng Renxin shook his head. "In this situation, a desperate fight would only bring more casualties. It's meaningless."

With that, Zheng Renxin threw down his weapon.

This "honest" approach also brought a faint smile to Li Ji's face.

"Hahaha, not bad. You're quite pragmatic."

"Have your people drop their weapons."

Zheng Renxin glanced at the temple, where the Miaoshou Garden's seventy or eighty experts had already lost nearly half, leaving only thirty or forty.

He sighed deeply and said, "All of you, lay down your weapons."

"Rattle, rattle."

Thus, the Miaoshou Garden warriors all threw their weapons to the ground.

At Li Ji's signal, his men quickly moved forward, surrounding and seizing the Miaoshou Garden warriors.

"Li Ji, name a number."

Zheng Renxin spoke again.

Though it was somewhat humiliating, the Nanyang Zheng clan was not a martial family. Miaoshou Garden's reputation was not built on the martial world's killings and conquests.

It was through generations of medical practice and a century of accumulation that they had built their current foundation.

Now, facing Li Ji, this ruthless bandit, they could not match him in strength. They could only buy safety with money to survive this ordeal.

Though Li Ji was tall and burly, he was quite shrewd.

He rolled his eyes and suddenly sneered, "Zheng Renxin, your Nanyang Zheng clan founded Miaoshou Garden, practicing medicine through generations, accumulating wealth over a century. The amount of gold and silver you've amassed is countless."

"Forget the numbers. Send someone back to bring all that can be carried."

"If you satisfy me, I'll let you go. After all, you're right—I and these brothers risked coming south, seeking only some gold and silver. Your lives mean nothing to us."

Zheng Renxin's face changed slightly.

He had expected Li Ji to be greedy, but not this greedy.

Li Ji didn't even mention a specific sum; he wanted to strip Miaoshou Garden bare.

That was the Zheng clan's century of accumulation!

But could he refuse?

Now, they were like fish on a cutting board—agreeing meant survival, refusing meant death.

Zheng Renxin's chest heaved violently, and he thought of the ancestral teachings left by the NanYang Zheng clan.

At any time, people are the most important.

Other than this, everything else can be discarded.

It was precisely because of such ancestral teachings that the NanYang Zheng clan could, over more than a century, repeatedly evade several great calamities of extermination and continue to this day.

Thinking of this, Zheng Renxin clenched his teeth and spoke in a deep voice: "Li Ji, I will have my son Zheng Yifeng return. You send someone to move the things. How much can be taken away depends on your methods."

Li Ji laughed heartily: "Haha, good. Erhu, take your men and escort Zheng Yifeng back. Remember, take away whatever can be moved."

"If Zheng Yifeng dares to play tricks, kill him outright."

"Yes, Heavenly King."

After that, Li Erhu led more than ten men and escorted Zheng Yifeng away from the abandoned temple.

There were many corpses in the abandoned temple, but the atmosphere suddenly became relaxed.

Zheng Renxin and others crouched on the ground, guarded by Li Ji's men.

Li Ji touched his head and said with a smile: "Zheng Renxin, you can bend and stretch, truly a remarkable person."

A thief beside him shook his head and said coldly: "Heavenly King, the NanYang Zheng clan has lasted for over a hundred years, naturally having their own ways of conduct."

"They are not a martial arts family, so they naturally won't fight and kill like us Jianghu people, risking lives for lives."

"Only, I thought they would still fight a bit more, after all, there are four great alchemical masters. I didn't expect them to be so cowardly, even worse than the court's hounds. Tch..."

"Looks like the Miao Shou Yuan has grown rich and wealthy, where would there be any martial spirit left?"

For a moment, many thieves burst into laughter, their gazes toward the Miao Shou Yuan people carrying a hint of mockery.

The Miao Shou Yuan people glared angrily, but most of them lowered their heads.

Because what the thieves said was the truth.

The NanYang Zheng clan had long lost their martial spirit and was no longer considered part of the Jianghu.

They had four great alchemical masters, but their actual combat power was weak.

Zheng Renxin's eyes were icy cold, his fists clenched tightly.

Yet he dared not act, only allowing Li Ji and others to mock him.

"Boom."

At this moment, the sky suddenly changed, and there were rumbling thunderclaps.

Soon, heavy rain began to fall from the sky.

However, the heavy rain had little effect on the people inside the abandoned temple.

The thieves continued eating meat and drinking wine in large gulps, waiting for the gold and silver of Miao Shou Yuan to come into their hands, naturally feeling very content.

"Slap slap slap."

It was unclear when, but a figure appeared in the rain.

The person wore a hat, all in black clothes, with a black cloth covering their face, wrapped tightly from head to toe, stepping toward the abandoned temple one step at a time.

"Stop! Who are you?"

The thieves guarding the temple entrance immediately shouted loudly.

The person was naturally Lu Changsheng.

He lifted his head, and his eyes could already see the situation inside the abandoned temple.

So many people from Miao Shou Yuan were crouching inside, clearly having become the prisoners of the thieves.

Lu Changsheng shook his head. The NanYang Zheng clan, indeed not up to the task!

After that, Lu Changsheng continued to approach step by step, as if not hearing the shouts.

He walked all the way to the entrance of the abandoned temple.

"Swish."

The thieves guarding the door immediately drew their knives.

Lu Changsheng stopped.

He glanced at the two thieves, then shouted loudly toward the abandoned temple: "A traveler hurrying on the road. The heavy rain has come, may I enter the temple to rest for a while?"