Chapter 81: Heart Like a Snake and Scorpion (Part 1)

  Xiao Ziyang reached out and pulled out a letter from the attendant's body; under the moonlight, he saw that the envelope was addressed to "General Liu, Commander of the Imperial Guard" and signed "Wen Rongxuan", which was the name of Wen Weng.

  Xiao Ziyang held the envelope with the wax seal in his palm for a moment, and after a moment, the wax had slightly softened. He carefully opened the envelope and read the letter once under the moonlight.

  Xiao Ziyang's face was gloomy as if water was about to drip from it, and a murderous intent actually appeared in his eyes.

  The clerk wrote to Liu Bingbei, the messenger of this county, asking him to bring soldiers to assist Gao Shou in surrounding and killing Xiao Ziyang! He also framed Xiao Ziyang as the real Red Thread Guest. He also instructed Liu Bingbei to bring more archers. Promising that after the matter is settled, he would be rewarded with 5,000 taels of silver. The letter also mentioned that they would invite the famous high-hand of Shangyuan City, Jin Shengjie and Tang Pei to come and assist.

  Jin Shengjie and Tang Pei, Xiao Ziyang was a long-heard great name, these two were famous masters of the Wulin in southern Chu; presumably they were befriended by Wen Yuanwai after experiencing the Red Guest event.

  Xiao Ziyang was now burning with anger, he had always been kind to Wen Yuanshuai, but this official was ruthless and merciless, not hesitating to put people to death. If he didn't take action, it would be fine, but once he did, he would stop at nothing to destroy others!

  Xiao Ziyang pondered for a moment, then reinserted the letter into the envelope and carefully sealed it. He put the letter back in his bosom and jumped out of the carriage.

  The next day, Xiao Ziyang excused himself to Wen Yuanwai, citing personal matters. However, Wen Yuanwai tried every means to persuade him to stay and even offered to hand over the 150,000 reward to Xiao Ziyang immediately. Due to insufficient silver in the mansion at present, he asked Xiao Ziyang to wait a few more days. Looking at Wen Yuanwai's extremely enthusiastic appearance, Xiao Ziyang felt a chill in his heart.

  Xiao Ziyang, furious to the extreme, pretended to be overjoyed: "Sir Wen, your words are indeed true, and there's actually 150,000 taels, haha! No need to rush, even if it takes several tens of days, it's no big deal!"

  "Wu Daxia, you can rest assured and let the young master have a chance to express his gratitude. Last night, my younger brother was tired from traveling, so I didn't dare let him drink too much. I've prepared several jars of top-quality Shuangyuan red wine that has been stored for twenty years. I know my younger brother can hold his liquor, and tonight we must have a good time." Wen Wai said, holding onto Xiao Ziyang's hand.

  "Oh, with such good wine, if I don't get drunk, wouldn't it be a waste of the official's kind intentions?" Xiao Ziyang had a greedy look on his face.

  "Haha, good! Wu Daxia is indeed a man of the Jianghu, I like your bold and uninhibited style!" The officer patted Xiao Ziyang's arm with laughter and praise, then turned his head to shout outside: "Someone come in."

  "What instructions does Master have?" A young servant in a green robe came in and bowed.

  "Go and call Wen Jin over." The clerk said from outside.

  Before long, accompanied by the sound of the door opening, Wen Jin walked in.

  "Wen Jin, put today's matters aside for now and accompany Wu Da Xia to take his mind off things." Wen Wai instructed.

  "Yes, sir"

  Seeing this, Xiao Ziyang stood up and cupped his hands: "Wen Yuanwai, you are busy with many things, I won't disturb you anymore. Wen Jin is now a shopkeeper, accompanying me, an idle person, is not right. I am familiar with every street and alley in Ping Town, so there's no need for someone to accompany me."

  The secretary saw Xiao Ziyang and said so, fearing that he would be suspicious, so she didn't persist.

  After bidding farewell to Wen Yuan, Xiao Ziyang walked out of the Wen Mansion. Unbeknownst to him, whether it was due to fear of being discovered by Xiao Ziyang or confidence in not revealing any flaws, Wen Yuan did not arrange for anyone to tail him.

  Xiao Ziyang walked around the town and came to a casino, where he spent the whole day until the sun was setting in the west.

  Xiao Ziyang swayed and swaggered into a small alley, seeing no one around, his body shook violently, and in the blink of an eye, he transformed from a slender and handsome young man to a robust and burly giant, even his face was distorted by the bulging muscles on his neck. The loose martial artist's uniform on him also became tight and rounded.

  Then, Xiao Ziyang took out an object from his bosom and applied it to his face. He rubbed it a few times with his hand, and instantly, a white and clean face grew a full beard. Even if someone looked closely, they wouldn't be able to detect any flaws. Xiao Ziyang was confident that in his current appearance, even Er Zhuang and the others who had been with him day and night might not recognize him.

  Xiao Ziyang's shape-shifting technique is the "Purple Jade Smoke" which is naturally mastered when one reaches the sixth level of practice, allowing for control over every muscle in the body with just a thought.

  That fake mustache was made by An Jia's sisters according to the "Easy Disguise Manual" they got from Hong Niangzi.

  "Xiao Ziyang wasn't interested in 'The True Art of Disguise', but the An sisters were overjoyed, and quickly learned its techniques inside out."

  Xiao Ziyang took out a small copper mirror from her bosom, looked at her own face, smiled and turned to leave the alley.

  Xiao Ziyang, after disguising himself, swayed into a rather remote inn, asked for a room on the upper floor, and instructed the servant not to disturb him before entering the room.

  Xiao Ziyang resumed his true appearance and left the inn from the back window, returning to the Wen manor.

  Night fell over Shuangping Town, the Wen Mansion was brightly lit, with people coming and going, delicious dishes were served in a steady stream into the grand hall where the sound of music and dance could be faintly heard.

  In the hall, seven people sat separately, with more than a dozen exquisite dishes on each table in front of them. Beside each guest was a beauty pouring wine for the guests. In the center of the hall, five slender and elegant songstresses danced gracefully to the sound of silk and bamboo music.

  The man sitting in the middle of the main seat, with a loud and clear laugh, said: "Come on, Wu Daxia, let me introduce you," he pointed to a white fat man sitting in the first place on the left hand side and said to Xiao Ziyang: "This is Zhu Yuanwai, the owner of Qingfeng Rice Shop."

  Xiao Ziyang hastily raised his wine cup and said, "I've long heard that Qingfeng Rice Shop is the largest grain store in Shuangping Town, with grain business all over Chu State. Today I can meet Zhu Yuanwai, it's really a blessing for three lifetimes. Let me toast to Zhu Yuanwai."

  Zhu Yuanwai burst out laughing, and as he laughed, the white and tender flesh on his cheeks quivered. He raised his wine cup and said: "I have long admired the name of Wu Daxia, and when I heard that someone had killed the lecherous Red Silk Guest at the Wen Mansion, I came to visit the next day, wanting to see this heroic figure for myself. Unfortunately, Wu Daxia had already left, and over the past two years, I have often thought of him with deep regret. Today, when Wen Yuanwai invited me to join him in entertaining Wu Daxia, I was delighted to come; although my capacity for wine is shallow, I would risk my life to accompany Wu Daxia in a toast. Come, let us drink to victory!" With that, Zhu Yuanwai drained the cup of wine in one gulp.

  "Good, although Zhu Yuanzhang is not a rivers and lakes person, he has the heroic spirit of a rivers and lakes person, cheers to victory."

  Then, Wen Yuan introduced four more people to Xiao Ziyang. The four people sitting on the left were all prominent grain merchants in Double Peace Town, while the two people sitting below Xiao Ziyang on the right were both senior managers of the Wen family business.