BXBX NOVEL Chapter 165 - 164: Slayer Taoist
A small town in Yangzhou untouched by war.
Because of its remote location, this town is not considered a battleground, it was luckily spared from the war, preserving a semblance of peace.
Pei Xuanjing entered an inn. After washing and freshening up, he sat at the table in his room, reflecting on his actions and counting his rewards.
Nearly a million taels in silver banknotes, six top-quality cultivation martial arts manuals, four Thousand Refinement Divine Weapons, and fifty bottles of heavenly elemental elixirs.
With such abundant rewards, a satisfied smile appeared on Pei Xuanjing’s face.
Just then, someone knocked on the door of Pei Xuanjing’s room. He tidied up and turned his gaze towards the door.
“Who is it!” Pei Xuanjing said.
The voice of Bai Xiaosheng came from outside the door: “It’s me!”
Pei Xuanjing slightly frowned, wondering why Bai Xiaosheng had suddenly come here.
“Please come in. ” Pei Xuanjing moved aside, allowing Bai Xiaosheng to enter.
After they settled down, Bai Xiaosheng laughingly told Pei Xuanjing: “Impressive, Pei brother. Facing numerous experts alone, beheading people amidst thousands of soldiers. You left after accomplishing your task, showing a heroic demeanor that has won my admiration.”
Pei Xuanjing modestly replied with a smile: “Bai brother, you’re too kind. If it weren’t for your invaluable assistance, it wouldn’t have been that easy.”
Without Bai Xiaosheng providing him with information, it would have been difficult for him to act alone.
Not to mention how hard it would be for him to ascertain Zhu Chenhao’s movements at all times. Even if he managed it, without Bai Xiaosheng’s supplied portraits, it’S unlikely he could identify the target.
Bai Xiaosheng shook his head: “It was but a token effort. Just providing some information can’t compare with your personal endeavors, your life-and-death struggles.”
He continued with a smile: “Pei brother, do you know that after this battle, your fame has spread throughout the world again, making you the most famous person in the world. From the imperial court to the martial world, who would dare say they have not heard of the Slayer Taoist, Pei Xuanjing?”
The Slayer Taoist, was the nickname Pei Xuanjing was now known by in the jianghu, the martial arts world.
His experiences were widely known and many came to understand his original title of Longevity Taoist. However, based on Pei Xuanjing’s trail of bloodshed, while longevity was uncertain, slaying certainly was.
Hence, the nickname Slayer Taoist had slowly started to circulate in the jianghu.
Pei Xuanjing was not satisfied with this title, believing that killing was not his true nature and that he was only forced to do it under pressure.
However, he also realized that he had no say in his martial world title. So he could only let it be, letting things take their course.
What he didn’t know was that Wang Boan had voluntarily tried to cover up for him regarding his assassination of the Ning King, Zhu Chenhao.
But, the situation at that time was too chaotic. Pei Xuanjing, not being a bloodthirsty man, did not kill every soldier of the Ning King that came his way, letting many escape.
Combined with his previous assassination of the Commander Chen from the Guard Command Department Yang Yunhui, which was widely known, it was impossible to hide the fact that Zhu Chenhao was killed by his hand. Thus, it quickly became public knowledge.
Pei Xuanjing was rather dismissive about becoming the talk of the martial arts world yet again, saying: “It’s just passing reputation, it will fade in due course.”
However, as Pei Xuanjing made this dismissive remark, there were people harbouring deep animosity towards him, desiring nothing but his swift elimination.
In a secluded secret chamber, the mysterious Lord of the Shenxiao Gate was once again shrouded in darkness, his entire body covered by a black robe and his face obscured by a bamboo hat.
A low voice resonated in the chamber: “Pei Xuanjing, you should die! Why do you always oppose me?” Yu Zhenzi, standing to the side, remained silent. He too was taken aback upon hearing this news.
No matter how much he pondered, he could not comprehend why Pei Xuanjing had interfered in this matter.
In his opinion, if he were in Pei Xuanjing’s shoes, given his hostile relationship with the imperial court, he would have preferred to sit back and watch Ning King Zhu Chenhao’s rebellion, waiting for the clash to reach its climax and seizing the opportunity to pursue his own advantage, instead of risking his life to kill Zhu Chenhao.
And yet, Pei Xuanjing’s choice to personally eliminate Zhu Chenhao was beyond Yu Zhenzi’s comprehension and he could not understand why.
The Lord of Shenxiao Gate asked Yu Zhenzi, “What were our losses this time?”
Indeed, Shenxiao Gate was also implicated in Ning King’s rebellion.
His initial order for Yu Zhenzi to bring the token to the Northwest Dao was to liaise with the leader of the Mire Sect, Zhao Baiyang.
Upon hearing Shenxiao Gate Lord’s question, Yu Zhenzi respectfully replied: “Most of our forces were in the Northwest Dao cooperating with the Mire Sect. We had few men in Yangzhou, thus our losses were minimal.”
Perhaps saving face or deceiving oneself ultimately mattered.
Even if they were indirectly colluding with Ning King, they considered themselves the orthodox lineage of Shenxiao and thereby, wished to avoid any deep entanglement with Ning King, a member of Great Ming’s royalty. As a result, their main forces were deployed in the Northwestern Dao and those involved in Yangzhou were few.
This move, unintentionally, saved them from disaster. Even with Ning King’s defeat in Yangzhou, their losses were minimal.
Simultaneously, Yu Zhenzi was struck with awe at Pei Xuanjing’s actions.
He knew that there were four first-grade experts on Ning King’S side, and it was not an exaggeration to say that any of them was as powerful as himself.
Yet, Pei Xuanjing was able to eliminate them single-handedly. His prowess and audacity left him speechless.
At this moment, his fear for Pei Xuanjing deepened. He felt that the nickname Slayer Taoist was indeed well earned.
The Lord of Shenxiao Gate’s following words interrupted Yu Zhenzi’s thoughts. He instructed ‘Yu Zhenzi, allocate a few people from the Northwest Dao to leave and, at the same time, send people to track Pei Xuanjing’s whereabouts.”
Upon hearing Shenxiao Gate Lord’s orders, shock was evident in Yu Zhenzi’s eyes as he ventured to express his guess, “Lord, are you planning to make a move on Pei Xuanjing?” “Indeed!” The Shenxiao Gate Lord responded coldly.
Pei Xuanjing had multiple times ruined his plans. He must be eliminated.
Yu Zhenzi, with an image of Pei Xuanjing in his mind, couldn’t help but say: “Lord… his strength is formidable. It’s not advisable for us to act at this time…”
“Yu Zhenzi, are you questioning my decision?” The Lord of Shenxiao Gate interrupted Yu Zhenzi.
Yu Zhenzi hurriedly replied, “I dare not.”
He dared not defy the Shenxiao Gate’s will and thus could only comply with the instructions.
But concurrently, he decided to secretly pass on this information to Pei Xuanjing. After all, he still bore the sword intent left by Pei Xuanjing within him..