Chapter 31: The Debauchery of Jianghu

Chapter 31: The Decadent Side of Jianghu

Yu Prefecture City, Nanhe Courtyard, Zhongyi Hall.

Whether they were from the Jianghu or ordinary citizens, they all knew what this place was.

This was the Yuzhou Main Branch of the Cao Gang.

Carriages flowed endlessly at the entrance, and from time to time, rough-clothed men went in and out of Nanhe Courtyard.

Two Cao Gang night guards stood at the entrance, yawning.

"Ugh! I'm exhausted from the day, and now I have to stand guard at night."

"Did you hear? Altar Master Liu had a Breakthrough to Fifth-Grade."

"How could I not hear? Elder Tie has already summoned him. On the third day of next month, Altar Master Liu is said to be holding a grand banquet."

"I wonder when I'll be able to reach Sixth-Grade."

The two guards chatted idly, passing the time.

What kind of place was Jianghu?

Like a hundred rivers converging, there were Dragons soaring and leaping over the Dragon Gate in the Jianghu, but also countless ordinary small fish and shrimp. But not every small shrimp eventually became a peerless hero.

"Old Liu, I haven't been home for decades," one of the guards suddenly sighed, looking at the night sky.

He remembered it was winter when the village bullies broke into his home, intending to humiliate his wife. He finally couldn't bear it anymore, drew his blade, and stabbed two bullies to death. To escape capture, he changed his name and joined the Cao Gang in Jiangnan Province.

"I have no home; my parents died long ago."

The gang member next to him had a calm and indifferent expression, as if he was speaking about something unrelated to him.

"I wonder if my old woman ran away."

"Don't think about it; she definitely ran away."

"Damn it, can't you wish me well?"

"You weren't like this yesterday when you were toying with Zhang Mazi's wife."

"That little brat Zhang Mazi even dared to brandish a knife at me. How could I let him off so easily?"

"Let's go together tomorrow."

"Alright, Zhang Mazi's wife is quite exciting."

The two became more and more energetic as they spoke, until a figure walked to the entrance.

The man wore a dark blue robe, his face obscured, holding an ordinary iron sword in his hand, walking unhurriedly towards the main gate.

It was An Jing.

"Stop! Who are you?!"

Seeing An Jing's secretive appearance, both men felt a chill in their hearts.

An Jing didn't speak, continuing to walk towards the Yuzhou Main Branch.

"Pfft!"

A faint sword light flashed!

The man who spoke first felt his heart stop, then found it hard to breathe. He reached out his hand, but it ultimately fell powerlessly.

With one step!

That man had already fallen dead!

"Someone! Someone is breaking into the Main Branch! Help!"

The other man saw this, his heart pounding, and hurriedly shouted towards Zhongyi Hall.

This shout, like an arrow at dawn, completely ignited the night of Zhongyi Hall.

"Who dares to break into my Yuzhou Main Branch?!"

"How audacious!"

Countless Cao Gang members swarmed out from all directions.

An Jing didn't speak, his steps still unhurried as he walked forward.

"Courting death!"

One Sixth-Grade cultivation gang member's eyes flashed with ruthlessness. He took large strides forward, executing the Third-Grade martial art Dragon Capturing Hand, aiming directly at An Jing's vital shoulder blade.

This person was also a rising star among the Cao Gang members, not old in age.

Just as that person was about to approach An Jing, a sword light seemed to pierce through.

"Thud!"

The Cao Gang member's eyes lost their light, and then his body fell heavily to the ground.

The surrounding Cao Gang experts were all greatly shocked. That person just took one step forward, and someone died?

What kind of strength was this!?

How terrifying was this!?

"Attack together!"

Just then, several experts from within the Cao Gang walked out. These few were all Fourth-Grade cultivators, the Hall Masters of various halls in Yu Prefecture City, led by Zhu Hou.

Hearing Zhu Hou's words, the Cao Gang members present also mustered their courage.

An Jing didn't speak, but the gang members within ten feet in front of him fell one after another.

No drawing of the sword, no sheathing of the sword, no Move at all.

As he strolled leisurely, countless people were killed by his sword light!

With one step, a life was spilled!

And he remained unhurried, never saying a single word, as if he were walking ordinarily through a market or an alley—just as common, just as composed, just as calm.

Terrifying!

Looking at this Swordman as calm as water, only two words remained in everyone's mind present.

"You… who exactly are you?" a Fourth-Grade Cao Gang expert asked with a trembling voice.

Who exactly was such a Peerless Swordsman?

"Could it be the Peerless Swordsman who split open the dungeon?" Zhu Hou exclaimed, thinking of something.

He was a man of few words, holding an ordinary long sword, and the Aura emanating from him was like a sharp long sword, making people dare not look directly at him.

Killing invisibly!

An Jing still didn't speak, walking forward.

But with every step he took, countless people died.

This one step led to a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

He was performing the Hundred Steps Flying Sword!

In less than a moment, the ground was already stained red with blood. The path on the ground had become a bloody path, and there was only one corpse after another on the ground.

When An Jing walked into Zhongyi Hall, besides him, there were no living people within several feet.

Zhu Hou was already scared stiff by this scene, his body trembling.

"You… you…"

An Jing continued to walk inward, never saying a word from beginning to end, and his steps didn't falter in the slightest.

"Thud!"

Just as his toe touched the ground, Zhu Hou felt a chill on his neck, and then he fell heavily to the ground.

At the antique-style banquet.

Tie Yunshan sat high on the main seat.

Below was a young man, dressed in a moon-white brocade robe tailored for Body Integration, with a slender and upright posture, like a noble orchid or a jade tree, bright and clear as the moon, exuding an indescribable noble elegance, like a poem or a painting.

If Tie Yunshan and Hong Yuanwu were both 'crossing-the-river Dragons,' then this young man, or rather the Mu Family behind him, was a genuine 'local snake.'

Mu Jie of the Mu Family, ranked seventh on the Jianghu Prodigy List, known as the 'Jade Fan Glazed Young Master,' was the dream lover of countless wealthy ladies. His cultivation reached Fourth-Grade last year, and he was highly renowned in the Jianghu.

And among the Four Great Families of Jiangnan Province, Mu Jie was also among the top young talents of the younger generation.

Such a person would be a towering giant in Jiangnan Province in the future, controlling the winds and clouds of Jiangnan Province, and even having a place in the Great Yan Country.

Tie Yunshan raised his cup and smiled, "In recent years, the Mu Family's business has been doing better and better. I heard that the Mu Family's caravans have already reached Nanming Country. This is truly commendable."

"This is largely due to the Cao Gang's assistance in recent years," Mu Jie quickly and respectfully replied.

Tie Yunshan before him was a very terrifying figure, a ruthless man who had killed the Su Family Head. Although he was a Prodigy on the Prodigy List and the future Mu Family Head, he dared not put on airs in front of Tie Yunshan at this moment.

"No, it's merely sincere cooperation."

Tie Yunshan shook his head.

"Good, good, 'sincere cooperation.' For Senior Tie's words, let's drink another cup."

Mu Jie said loudly.

The two raised their cups again and drank them down.

What was Jianghu?

Jianghu was a battleground for fame and fortune. Only in this turbulent Jianghu could one achieve fame and gain benefits the fastest. This was the Jianghu dream of many people.

Some drifted aimlessly in the Jianghu, some sang heartily in this Jianghu, and some indulged in the decadent pleasures of this Jianghu.