Chapter Sixty: A Battle of Wits and Courage

  The eyes of the two men met for an instant, colliding with a loud spark. Zhao's heart secretly sighed that this sick old tiger was indeed not a good kind, and without 180 lives on his hands, he wouldn't have emitted such a strong killing aura. But how many people had he killed in his past life? Lu Xiangyao also felt a chill in his heart. Even someone with a big temper would feel their legs go soft and sweat all over when met with his gaze. Those with smaller tempers would pee their pants on the spot, but he was actually made to feel a little uneasy by this kid's smile.

  "Little brother, we haven't eaten for two days, can you spare some for us?" Lu Xiangyao withdrew his gaze and tried to ease the tense atmosphere with small talk.

  "You've been a master of the house before, how can you not understand things? We saved you and didn't even say thank you, but you still have the nerve to eat our food!" Zhao Yi said with a disdainful expression, tapping his chicken bone on the table, without any awareness of being a hostage.

  "Many thanks for saving my life, brother! I will definitely repay you handsomely in the future!" Lu Xiaoyao said with a fist and a bow, his face flushed with embarrassment.

  "I'm a person who doesn't like to play games, can you come up with something real? You're the master of the house, you have status, how..."

  "Second Master, don't say any more. We can't finish all these things anyway, let's leave them for them!" Zhao Xin said in a low voice. Is the old master getting his old illness again? He even dares to extort money from the people who kidnapped him, he really wants money but not his life.

  "Good-for-nothing, you think money is blown in by the wind? That's our hard-earned copper coins, one by one! You'll be a lowly servant for the rest of your life, idiot, idiot!" Zhao Yi heard this and immediately got anxious, turning his face to yell at Zhao Xin. Zhao Xin pouted, wanting to cry - Master Wang is usually not like this, he must have been driven mad by that evil woman too.

  "Right, right, we'll pay for it, Xiao Mei gives money to little brother!"

  "Senior brother......" Xiao Mei's face was filled with surprise as she looked at Lu Xiangyang.

  "Give me money and we'll buy it!" Lu Xiao Yao shook his head and stopped Xiao Mei, who was about to get rough.

  "Hmph, here you go!" Xiao Mei angrily pulled out a silver ingot from her bundle and threw it in front of Zhao Che.

  "Ah, about two taels, give them two flat breads!" Zhao Zhan 'seriously' weighed the silver and put it in his pocket, saying to Zhao Xin.

  "Kid, have you gone mad? In the capital city, a bun costs only two cents, and with two taels of silver, I can buy all the dishes on your table!" Xiao Mei first looked surprised, then furious, shouting loudly.

  "Second Master, you're going too far!" Zhao Xin was even blushing on behalf of Wang Ye.

  "Cut it out, Zhao Xin! You're a vegetable vendor now. How much are scallions per catty?" Zhao Yan asked with a slanted gaze.

  "Second Master, now leeks have just come on the market, good ones are selling for ten cents a catty!" Zhao Xin replied immediately.

  "How much does the leek in our greenhouse cost per kilogram in winter?"

  "Second Master, two strings of coins per catty, and you still have to pay a deposit in advance!" Zhao Xin replied.

  "You say he's stupid and doesn't even admit it, this is called being shameless. A pancake in the capital costs two cents, does he dare to go out and buy one? If I don't beat him to death, selling his life for two taels of silver would be a bargain!" Zhao Zhan slapped Zhao Xin on the back and said.

  "You... this is taking advantage of the fire to loot, and kicking someone when they're down. You're just a bandit!" Xiao Mei's veins bulged with anger at Zhao Che's theory.

  "Sister, was it you who jumped over the wall and sneaked into my house, and then knocked me unconscious and tied me up? Who's the real thief? Brother Zhao has been a master of the door, you should be the judge!" Zhao Che also got angry, stood up and pointed at Lu Xiaoyao.

  "Xiao Mei, don't say anything else, we were wrong first, he's right!" Zhao Chuai put a big hat on him, one after another, and Lu Xiang couldn't say anything.

  "Alright, alright! How much for the chicken on your table and that bowl of mutton? Name a price!" Xiao Mei said hastily, she would agree to whatever price he quoted.

  "Hmm..." Zhao Yan hesitated for a moment, estimated the price, "Your brother's face is pale, obviously due to excessive blood loss, and the wound has just been sutured. It's exactly when he needs nutrition. This chicken is a three-year-old hen, and the sheep is a lamb from Shaanxi. They're both good stuff. I won't ask for much. You can just give me 100 taels of silver!" Zhao Yan said leisurely, with an air of "I'm already being very considerate of you".

  "Haha, what kind of chicken and mutton is this? It's simply dragon liver and phoenix gall! The crab roe buns at the Chai Mansion aren't as expensive as your chicken!" Xiao Mei was amused by her anger, the price was outrageous, but now she had no choice, so she took out another gold ingot and threw it to him, exchanging for two dishes.

  "Zhao Xin, sometimes making money is just that simple, catching the rich and getting slaughtered, not slaughtering is a waste, slaughtering is also a waste..."

  "Damn it, I'm going to get you..." was taken as a joke. Originally already feeling angry, now this kid is still shamelessly showing off over there. Xiao Mei couldn't hold back her anger anymore and jumped up to scold him, but was interrupted by Zhao Che's impolite interruption.

  "You'd better shut up, or the next two words will cost you more than this. I've said that to the son of the prefect of Dongzhou before, and in the end his father gave me 200 mu of land, and I spared him; The son of Chancellor Cai also said that, and he ransomed his life back with 100,000 guan. If you think you have more money than them, go ahead and say it!" Zhao Ke smiled and played with the gold ingot.

  "You really think you're someone, don't you? If it weren't for the fact that you just saved the master's life, I'd kill you!" Xiang Mei's tone was harsh, but also somewhat ambiguous. Cai You knew that he was a person by the emperor's side, and only he had the privilege of bullying others, yet this child could make him lose face, so his background might be even more impressive, thinking about it, she endured."

  "Hehe, killing me will come at a cost!" Zhao Che's face was twisted in a smirk as he sneered, his eyes gleaming with amusement.

  "Hmph, I can kill someone in the palace and come and go as I please. Those few guards are just wooden stakes to me, what can they do to me if I kill you?"

  "You killed Zhang Kangguo, and perhaps Cai Jing can still protect you to prolong your life. But if you kill me, I'm afraid that even if you hide in a mouse hole, someone will dig you out and slaughter you!" Zhao Che suddenly changed his face and said coldly.

  "How did you know we killed Zhang Kangguo?" Today, Xiao Mei had already gotten too many 'miracles' from this child, but suddenly saying this still shocked her to the extreme.

  "It's really you guys who did it!" Xiao Mei's words confirmed her own speculation, Zhao Ye initially didn't dare to confirm that they had done this thing, he suddenly spoke deceitfully, Xiao Mei was so angry that she blurred out the truth.

  "I... I mean you're talking nonsense, Zhang Kangguo died of a sudden illness, how could it be us who killed him!" Xiao Mei immediately realized her mistake and hurriedly tried to explain and deny it, but only ended up making things worse.

  "Sister, don't say any more!" Lu Xiangyao stood up with his hand covering the wound, Xiao Mei hastily supported him. "Little brother, I originally looked down on you, but unexpectedly we two old rivers and lakes were taken in by your way. Now that you know, then it's not good for them, Sister kill them!" Lu Xiangyao knew this matter was too big, if it got out who knows how many people would lose their lives because of it, and he himself would never have a peaceful day again.

  "Yes, elder brother!" Xiao Mei drew out her twin blades, one in each hand, and walked towards them.

  "You repay kindness with enmity, Second Master saved you, but now you want to kill us..." Zhao Xin had been listening for half a day and finally understood the last sentence, and now the two of them suddenly turned against him, scaring him out of his wits.

  "Zhao Xin, don't mention it. Not everyone talks about benevolence and morality, especially these kinds of hitmen who kill for money." Zhao Cha pulled Zhao Xin aside, "It's just a pity that this gold has just arrived, hasn't been spent yet, and will now be used to bribe the little ghosts underground, so I won't end up in the 18th level of hell!" He said, putting the gold back into his pocket.

  "You little devil, even Yama would get a headache if he saw you!" Xiao Mei teased.

  "Hmph, who knows who'll be the one to die? You can keep this gold to buy paper money for the dead!" Zhao seemed to have been angered, and reached into his chest again to grab more gold.

  "Be careful, young sister!" Always staring at Zhao Che, Lu Xiaoyao suddenly realized something was wrong and hurriedly spoke to remind her, but it was too late. Two crisp sounds mixed with two "dang" sounds and a woman's shrill cry, the warm room fell into dead silence once again.

  "How about it, isn't it said that anyone who holds a knife can kill people!" Zhao Che's face was hanging with a smile, blowing the gunpowder smoke from the muzzle, pointing at two stunned people on the spot, no, three, and there was another one hugging his head and lying on the ground, Zhao Xin.

  "Alas, how did you get the Thunderfire in your hands? We're done for. Whether it's death or dismemberment is up to you now!" The knife on the ground had been struck with such force that its steel body had deep dents, proving that the legendary sharpness of the blade was no myth. With his own severe injuries, he couldn't even begin to resist him, and let out a sigh as he spoke.

  "Master..." Xiao Mei's two hands trembled as she sobbed, but her trembling wasn't from fear, it was because the bullet had hit the blade and shocked her. It was also a testament to her skills that her wrist hadn't been shattered. Lu Xiang didn't speak, he just waved his hand, signaling her not to make any sudden moves.

  "Both of you, put your hands on your heads and stand facing the wall. Don't move, or I'll make sure you die a miserable death!" Zhao Chu said to Zhao Xin, who was still lying on the ground, his gun still trained on the two people. "And you, Zhao Xin, stop pretending to be dead. Search them thoroughly, take all their knives, darts, medicine, and money. Don't leave anything behind!"

  "Second Master, they... they didn't kill us!" Zhao Xin lifted his head and said obediently.

  "Stop all that nonsense! Now it's our turn to kill them, you go quickly and leave a copper coin for them. If I don't starve you for three days afterwards!" Zhao Yi took a few steps back, creating some distance between them, and said with a vicious tone.

  "Yes, Second Master!" Zhao Xin got up and carefully searched the two people's bodies, even picking up a wrapped piece of cloth. There were quite a few things, and he had to make two trips to finish carrying them all.

  "There's nothing sewn into their collars or cuffs, otherwise they'd choke to death on something they shouldn't have eaten!" Zhao Shu flipped through the things laid out on the table and instructed.

  "Second Master, how did you know that there was something in their collars and cuffs?" Zhao Xin felt around and indeed found something. He cut it open with his knife and flipped out two medicinal pills and a small blade.