You Kill Me

The night was deep, the sky was as dark as ink, oppressing people until they could hardly breathe.

Zhang San didn't say anything.

Lu Gaosheng looked at him with a faint smile.

The two looked at each other, but made the three top-tier experts around them feel tormented.

They undoubtedly held Lu Gaosheng in great awe, but they also had lingering fears about Zhang San's body of "iron bones and steel muscles" martial arts.

Although Zhang San and Lu Gaosheng were both silent at the moment, this instead made the air feel oppressive, at least Li Xing and Blood Wolf both felt very uncomfortable.

Zhang San understood clearly that a person like Lu Gaosheng would not come without preparation. But no matter how Zhang San calculated, he had not expected that Lu Gaosheng would appear before him holding a wine cup and jug.

What was his purpose?

Zhang San decided to go with the flow for the time being before making any moves.

Zhang San revealed a smile, "Lord Lu, I trust you are well."

Lu Gaosheng also smiled, "Didn't we just meet not long ago?"

Zhang San however said, "Although I have only met Lord Lu twice, I feel as if we are kindred spirits. Does Lord Lu not know the saying, 'A day without seeing you is like three autumns'?"

Ha ha ha....

The two simultaneously 'laughed' after a meaningless exchange of pleasantries.

Zhang San took the lead walking towards the bookstore, after all they couldn't stand in the middle of the road to 'drink wine'.

Upon entering first, Zhang San noticed that Wang Xiaoer was no longer by the window. He sighed in relief, thinking fortunately this little fool is not so foolish.

Wang Xiaoer had hidden himself. Although there were surely hidden sentries outside, Wang Xiaoer could not leave the shop. But this was still better than standing outside, which immediately gave Zhang San more confidence.

Zhang San, who had not revealed his top-tier lightness martial arts earlier, could not help feeling delighted inwardly.

Zhang San believed he had now grasped the initiative. With three top-tier experts at the Earth rank protecting him, it would be difficult to kill an ordinary person with some martial arts skills. But to kill a scholar without any martial arts, just a touch would be enough.

Lu Gaosheng walked boldly through the dilapidated door of the bookstore, with the three experts closely following behind him.

What they feared, of course, was Zhang San suddenly attacking and directly killing their Lord Lu.

But for now Zhang San did not have any such plans.

He had faintly noticed earlier that the government troops seemed to have entered the southern city district. So if this Lu Gaosheng really wanted to kill him, it would be better to hide far away and just watch.

But now, why did this person with no martial arts dare to appear before him at such a close distance?

Zhang San brought over a small table, and Lu Gaosheng brought over two chairs.

The two sat facing each other across the table, and Lu Gaosheng poured the wine first.

After drinking a cup, Lu Gaosheng said, "Although I am not of the Jianghu, I also know that top-tier experts at the Earth rank in your Jianghu are almost all famous personages, like the Twin Wolves. Even in the government military, Li Xing who was formerly the commander of the Feathered Arrow Troops has quite a reputation."

Zhang San did not drink, only sitting there silently.

Zhang San understood very clearly the implication of Lu Gaosheng's words - how could someone with martial arts as high as him be completely unknown?

Lu Gaosheng continued, "You are much calmer and more composed than I imagined. I thought that as soon as I appeared, you would immediately take me hostage to use me, or just kill me directly, but you didn't do anything at all, you didn't even try."

Zhang San snorted coldly, "Lord Lu is extremely clever. Since you have already thought of all the possible consequences, yet still dare to appear in person, you must have made preparations. Tell me, what do you want?"

Lu Gaosheng immediately took out three documents from his sleeve describing in great detail some events in the southern Jianghu.

The first document was about Hei Shanke, ranked 2nd on the Earth rank, known as having the martial arts of a lower Heaven rank expert, along with eight of his archers being massacred in Xiaoyun County by a single person. From the autopsy done later by the Dark Building, the killer was just one person.

The second document was about the Yu Family, one of the top Jianghu families in Nan Commandery. Thirty members of the family, among whom were no lack of top experts at the Earth rank, were exterminated in one night. Similarly, the autopsy afterwards showed it was done by one person.

The third document was about someone breaking into the Zhennan General's Mansion, killing over a hundred guards when the General was away inspecting the troops. The lone surviving guard determined from the martial arts used that the intruder was from the Jianghu. No one knew in the end what was stolen.

These three events were undoubtedly the work of top masters, and furthermore, these masters did not leave any traces before or after, very mysterious.

Zhang San glanced over them quickly with lowered eyes, reading through the three events briefly, but he was completely unfazed.

Seeing Zhang San's expression, Lu Gaosheng thought to himself, this man really is quite calm.

High martial arts attainment, deep strategy, not lacking intelligence, decisive, ruthless, and more. If such a person could be recruited for his own use, it would be dozens of times stronger than the Twin Wolves. Lu Gaosheng could not help feeling this way.

At the same time, Lu Gaosheng said, "These are from my investigations over the past year into various events in the southern Jianghu involving some unnamed masters, or events where no clues could be found at all. To tell the truth, there were over 50 such incidents, but I looked through them again and again, and finally determined after your skirmish with those three tonight, that with your high level of martial arts, these three events are the most likely."

Zhang San revealed a slightly puzzled look.

The perceptive Lu Gaosheng immediately explained, "Because with your martial arts, you would simply have no need to fear the other 47 Jianghu vendettas and involved people or powers, nor have any need to specially come from the south to the central region to hide from those factions' sharp edges. Only the Dark Building, the top Jianghu families, and the Zhennan General are forces you cannot afford to provoke."

But Zhang San was thinking:

There were 50 incidents, yet Lu Gaosheng only brought these three.

Then this could already prove one thing.

His martial arts was one of Lu Gaosheng's aims, or at least one of them.

Otherwise, if he had just been killed by the Twin Wolves and Li Xing earlier, it would prove his martial arts were simply not capable of the three aforementioned acts. In that case, there likely would not have been the current conversation and scene.

But there were also still doubts.

How did this Lu Gaosheng determine that he was from the Jianghu, and had come from the south to the central region to avoid vendettas?

As if able to see Zhang San's doubts, Lu Gaosheng slowly explained, "You want to know how your identity was exposed?"

Zhang San's brow furrowed, but he did not speak.

Lu Gaosheng said, "Actually it's not difficult. To be honest, when I first noticed that you were no ordinary person, and likely had martial arts, my guesses about your identity with those three were twofold. First was that you were a former member of the Zhennan military, because the day after you entered the city you bought the shop beside Bai Fang's....."

At this point in his words, Li Xing could not help interrupting, "My Lord....."

Li Xing's meaning was that Lu Gaosheng speaking this way, given how exceptional Zhang San was, he could easily infer that this seemingly ordinary bean curd shop owner beside Bai Fang potentially had an extraordinary background.

But Lu Gaosheng raised his hand to stop Li Xing from speaking further, because he had already thought over everything before daring to sit here today speaking with Zhang San.

Lu Gaosheng said, "Li Xing, there's no need to say more. I believe that given this gentleman's exceptional qualities, he should have already noticed, so allow me to continue speaking about the 'second' speculation.

The second guess was that you were from the Jianghu, because if our conjectures were not wrong, that day the Twin Wolves acted only after being noticed by you first. And someone able to discern the Twin Wolves' Life-taking Skill is most likely a martial arts master from the Jianghu."