Nine Tripod Commerce.
In the main hall, Fei Hou was laughing as he reported to Huang Xiaolong, "Young Lord, by now, everyone in Big Dawn County is spreading the news about Mei Pengliang and the Clear Cloud Pavilion's disciples being stripped naked and hung on the streets!"
Li Bin also joined in, "That's right Young Lord– I even heard Mei Sen was angered until he vomited blood."
Huang Xiaolong nodded.
"Young Lord, it is rather unexpected that this Mei Sen could restrain his temper." Fei Hou said in a serious tone, "It seems Young Lord's guess was correct."
Huang Xiaolong turned towards Li Bin and instructed, "Tell the Nine Tripod Commerce disciples not to go out for the next few days."
His son, Mei Pengliang, was caught, stripped of the last shred of his clothing, and hung high up in the streets for public viewing. With this degree of humiliation, Mei Sen being able to hold everything in was definitely something out of ordinary.
That meant there must have been a demon lurking if things were happening out of ordinary; once Mei Sen made his move, it would be on a grand and devastating scale.
"Yes, Young Lord!" Li Bin acknowledged the order respectfully with a heavy expression on his face because he knew the gravity of the situation.
Despite that, three days later, everything was still calm and peaceful.
The streets of Big Dawn County City seemed quieter than usual. Perhaps it was due to the fact that the big and small forces of the city caught a whiff of the scent of gunpowder in the air. Hence, each had passed an order warning their disciples and families not to venture out.
The brewing storm was so obvious that even the common folk detected it.
As for Huang Xiaolong, he remained in one of the Nine Tripod Commerce courtyards, practicing these past three days.
Even as he concentrated on Asura Tactics, he had never relaxed in training the Body Metamorphose Scripture.
Standing in the middle of the yard, Huang Xiaolong's feet spread out. His fists were in a guard position at the sides of his waist. Then, his right hand stretched out towards the left, and with clenched fingers, he loosened them into the shape of a hook as his upper torso turned to the left while his waist moved to the right from left. His right wrist then returned to fist form, turning in endless circles, all while controlling his breathing.
In the past year, Huang Xiaolong's Body Metamorphose Scripture had reached Stage Nine: The Azure Dragon Flexing Its Claws. He was at the peak late-Tenth Order. If he could breakthrough to Stage Ten, then Huang Xiaolong's internal force alone would be equivalent to the strength of a Xiantian realm expert.
Stopping a moment for a short rest after practicing the Body Metamorphose Scripture, Fei Hou came in to see him.
"Still no movements from Clear Cloud Pavilion's side?" Huang Xiaolong asked.
Fei Hou replied respectfully, "Yes, Sovereign. Mei Sen, this old fellow, really has patience."
A light rippled in Huang Xiaolong's eyes, "They are waiting."
"Waiting?" Fei Hou looked inquiringly at Huang Xiaolong.
Huang Xiaolong's solemn voice sounded, "Since it is so, we shouldn't let people wait too long. In a while, you're going out for a stroll with me."
"Go for a stroll at a time like this?" Fei Hou was dumbfounded. The hour was basically in the dead of the night.
Huang Xiaolong's head tilted up as he looked at the night sky; the moon tonight was a beautiful sight– it was farther away than usual, and even the night breeze seemed colder. This made Huang Xiaolong remember a saying: dark nights where strong wind blows are the best for killing.
"The moon's beautiful tonight, and we've come to Big Dawn County for a few days now, but we haven't taken a look around." Huang Xiaolong's sentence contained a double entendre as he smiled mysteriously at Fei Hou.
Watching Huang Xiaolong's mood, Fei Hou finally understood what he meant, and joined in the laughter, "Sovereign is right. Tonight, the moon is truly beautiful."
Moments later, Huang Xiaolong and Fei Hou stepped out from the Nine Tripod Commerce building and strolled casually in the streets.
Stopping in a deserted alley, Huang Xiaolong's footsteps suddenly halted, and his clear cold voice rang out in the night, "Since you've come, why don't you people come out and show yourselves? Or could it be those from Clear Cloud Pavilion are all cowardly sons of turtles?"
Just as Huang Xiaolong's voice sounded, shadows shifted and suddenly, several dark silhouettes appeared from above, landing right in front of Huang Xiaolong and Fei Hou.
Huang Xiaolong's eyes swept across the faces of these people and in the end, it fell on both Mei Sen's and Ning Wang's face.
Although Huang Xiaolong had never seen Mei Sen before this, just from Li Bin's description, it was enough for him to conclude that this short and stout middle-aged man was Mei Sen. However, it was Ning Wang's appearance that surprised Huang Xiaolong. Baolong Kingdom's Martial Ning Family's Patriarch, Ning Wang!
During the Enlightenment Lake episode, Huang Xiaolong met Ning Wang face to face, but both pretended indifference at that time.
Ning Wang approached Huang Xiaolong, letting out a cold smirk, "How about it? Are you very surprised seeing me here?"
Huang Xiaolong nodded, frankly admitting "I'm a little surprised, but, it's a pity…" He shook his head, his voice trailing off here, leaving the rest of the sentence hanging in the air.
"Pity what?" Ning Wang scowled uncomfortably.
"Pity because I originally wanted to let you live two more years." Huang Xiaolong answered with honesty.
Ning Wang was stunned with the answer whereas Mei Sen's stern face cracked slightly from a laugh. Standing at the back, the other four experts that came with them also laughed. All four of them were experts of the peak late-Tenth Order with half a foot in the Xiantian realm.
Instead of getting angry, Ning Wang laughed, albeit dramatically, "Huang Xiaolong, don't you realize the current situation that you're in at the moment? Are you assuming that once you come here, you can still walk out alive? Truth be told, the reason why Clear Cloud Pavilion has been making troubles at the Nine Tripod Commerce was for the very reason of luring you over here. But, I did not expect that you would dive right in so fast, so anxious to die. Since you've come, then this Big Dawn County will be your grave!"
Mei Sen's eyes had eerie lights flickering in them, "Later on, after I have killed you both, I will reciprocate your kindness and hang your dead bodies across the street from the Nine Tripod Commerce. Of course, stripped bare naked. When everyone in Big Dawn County wakes up tomorrow, they can enjoy a good view!"
Huang Xiaolong and Fei Hou both let out a soft chuckle.
"Are you sure?" Fei Hou laughed, "Perhaps, the bodies being hoisted up high for viewing will be yours instead?"
Ning Wang sneered, "Huang Xiaolong, I know you deliberately came out to lure us out; however, I really cannot figure out what trump card you have. Do you think Fei Hou can protect you? Unless that Haotian knows how to teleport and can appear in an instant from Luo Tong Royal City to here?"
Without the patience to delay things any further, Mei Sen clapped his hands and the hidden silhouettes moved in the dark from all four directions, revealing themselves, amassing up to two to three hundred people. Moreover, each of them was equipped with bows and arrows, with the arrowheads gleaming in a dangerous, deep green color. Obviously, all of these arrows were dipped in poison.
Watching the big wave of men in black clothing appear, Huang Xiaolong's mask of calmness did not change.
He had practiced the Golden Linglong Body up to the third stage, and once activated, even if it was noxious poison, it wouldn't bring him any harm. As for the Xiantian realm Fei Hou… he had the protection of his Xiantian Vigor Qi, thus these toxic poisons had no effect on him.
After he summoned the surrounding Clear Cloud Pavilion disciples hidden in the dark, Mei Sen snickered conceitedly at Huang Xiaolong, "What do you think, is my present acceptable? You've arrived for a few days in Big Dawn County, and I took a long time and effort to prepare it for you."
In Mei Sen's opinion, as long as Huang Xiaolong was below the Xiantian realm, with his strength, he would turn Huang Xiaolong into a dead dog once he's hit with the poison.
Hearing this, Huang Xiaolong laughed out, "The present is not bad, seems like you've made a painstaking effort in recent days."
Mei Sen laughed with joy, "It's something I should do; after all, you are the famous Nine Tripod Commerce's President! Preparing this level of gift for you is nothing. I was afraid you might be dissatisfied with them."
"Enough, stop bullshitting with a little brat!" Ning Wang interjected abruptly, cutting off the conversation between the two, "You and I will kill Fei Hou, the rest will kill Huang Xiaolong."
"Fine!" Mei Sen agreed. In the blink of an eye, both of them had already leaped towards Fei Hou, commencing their attacks.
Even though Mei Sen had just broken through into the Xiantian realm not long ago, he was still a Xiantian expert. Ning Wang had also just advanced into Xiantian Second Order. Fei Hou's display of strength in the Enlightenment Lake shocked Ning Wang, but he believed that together with Mei Sen, they could definitely take Fei Hou's life.