You Kill Me (Part 3)

Zhang San had been in the business for twenty years, and had never heard such a request before.

“Go ahead and kill me.”

Had Lu Gaosheng gone mad?

Zhang San knew that Lu Gaosheng had indeed gone mad.

But something still seemed too bizarre about this situation.

On the other side, when Zhang San's small night blade was pressed against Lu Gaosheng's neck, the three masters behind Lu Gaosheng were most worried about something that had already happened. But since Zhang San and Lu Gaosheng were sitting face-to-face, even if Lang Kan saw Zhang San's attacking motion, he had no chance to stop it.

Yet Lu Gaosheng still had a faint smile on his face as he stared at Zhang San. He slowly said,

"Let me guess what you're thinking. Perhaps you're planning to take me hostage and get out of Tian Ruo City, shouting 'Lu Gaosheng is in my hands, get out of the way immediately, or bear the consequences', and then safely leave Tian Ruo City. Am I right?"

"But have you ever thought that since I dared to sit face-to-face with you tonight, I've already considered all the consequences. So I can tell you now, abandon those boring ideas."

After speaking, Lu Gaosheng turned to the three masters behind him and said, "You three, get back, and get further away."

Facing this situation, the three looked at each other, still doubting for a moment whether they had misheard Lu Gaosheng's order.

"Get back!" Lu Gaosheng frowned, his tone unpleasant.

The three Li Xing finally reacted and didn't dare to disobey Lu Gaosheng. They all retreated to the far end of the street, but none went too far.

At this moment, only Lu Gaosheng and Zhang San were truly left in the bookstore lit only by moonlight.

Lu Gaosheng revealed a 'puzzled' expression and asked, "What's wrong? Not killing me?"

"Those three are gone, one slash of your blade, and I, Lu Gaosheng, would die on the spot. Wouldn't that be good?"

Zhang San frowned. Now even he couldn't figure this out.

But the doubts and confusion in his heart eventually kept him from slashing down with the blade.

Zhang San slowly sheathed his blade.

In fact, after the three Li Xing had left, whether he wielded the blade or not hardly mattered. At such a close distance, Lu Gaosheng's life and death were only a thought away for him.

Looking at Lu Gaosheng, who had 'escaped death' but was still calmly drinking wine, Zhang San said, "In all my years, you're the first to survive after my small night blade has been drawn."

"And you, sir, are the first to have offered your neck to my blade," Lu Gaosheng said tipsily with a delighted laugh, savoring the wine.

After putting down the wine cup, Lu Gaosheng continued, "Your personality is much as I imagined - calm, cool-headed, and somewhat cold-blooded. If I had faced Xuelang just now, I suppose my head would already be rolling."

Zhang San frowned again. Lu Gaosheng had also guessed his personality quite accurately, which gave Zhang San a very uncomfortable feeling.

It was like someone cheating while gambling against you by peeking at your cards.

Zhang San didn't respond to Lu Gaosheng's words, speaking plainly and directly, "Just tell me, what other cards do you have that would make me help you?"

Revealing whereabouts to the Southern Underground World, thirty thousand taels of silver.

Even with threats and temptations, Lu Gaosheng didn't arrogantly believe that this alone could make the formidable warrior, whose martial arts skill had proven to be unrivaled under the Realm of the Ancestors during the earlier skirmish, bow his head and obey.

Lu Gaosheng said, "In fact, these days I've been thinking about something else - why didn't you leave?"

"If my previous conjectures were all correct, your purpose in coming to the central region was to hide. And with your sharp, cautious personality, after our first meeting, you should have realized I had my eye on you. Yet you didn't leave, or even try to."

Zhang San vaguely sensed something amiss, as well as danger!

Noticing Zhang San's expression, Lu Gaosheng finally showed some discomfort for the first time, further confirming his speculations inwardly.

Lu Gaosheng then said, "Especially after witnessing your formidable martial arts skill that could be called ‘iron-boned’ just now, I'm even more certain that although you can't take on my thousand guards, my guards couldn't surround and trap you even if they really tried. You still have the ability to escape."

Able to match a thousand men, it would be hard for anyone below Ancestor Realm to accomplish, but a minor Heaven Realm expert could usually still slip away even if he couldn't win.

Pausing, Lu Gaosheng revealed an ominous smile, "So I wondered, exactly why? If my previous conjectures were all correct, your purpose in coming to the central region was to hide. And with your keen, cautious personality, after our first meeting, you should have realized I had my eye on you. Yet you didn't leave, or even try to."

"What unfinished business do you still have in the city that held back your steps? This makes no sense - with me watching you, anything you wanted to do would only become more difficult and restricted. If I were you, I would definitely choose to slip away first to make other plans."

Zhang San's fists gradually clenched.

Lu Gaosheng stared into Zhang San's eyes and said, "I thought it over and over. Being able to leave yet not leaving must be out of some concerns, but what could those concerns be? So I thought of your young disciple."

Killing intent grew thicker.

Murderous aura rising.

The will to kill - absolute!

Lu Gaosheng had never really believed those martial artists' talk about 'killing intent' in the jianghu, thinking it was just ethereal nonsense.

But in this instant, as all the hairs on his body stood on end, he believed.

So this was killing intent!

Yet Lu Gaosheng also became certain of his speculation.

Despite the fear in his heart when facing Zhang San's killing intent, Lu Gaosheng still maintained a casual, unconcerned appearance.

Lu Gaosheng calmly said, "Then let me put it this way: come, kill me!"

"But let me remind you - if you didn't know beforehand that JinWan Pavilion and I were cooperating, I'll tell you now. In addition to the original thousand guards, my forces now have three hundred of JinWan Pavilion's Jin Kill Repeating Crossbows and two Giant Destroying Kill Crossbows designed specifically to deal with top masters."

Upon hearing of the Jin Kill Repeating Crossbows and the Giant Destroying Kill Crossbows, Zhang San's grip gradually loosened a bit.

He wasn't afraid, he could withstand them.

But Wang Xiaoer definitely couldn't withstand them.

Let alone a child, even a Human Realm martial artist could possibly be shot dead on the spot by one of those arrows from the Jin Kill Repeating Crossbow, not to mention the Giant Destroying Kill Crossbow.

Seizing the opportunity, Lu Gaosheng went on, "Before you kill me, let me tell you one more thing. I made preparations beforehand - the moment I die, the thousand guards will arrive in an instant, and I have ordered that all the guards, crossbows, and the Li Xing brothers will prioritize killing that boy by your side first and foremost!"

"Also, everything about you two master and disciple will be spread throughout the entire jianghu world tonight, especially to the three major powers like Dark Building. They will likely receive my, Lu Gaosheng's, letters around noon to evening tomorrow."

Zhang San understood what Lu Gaosheng was doing - he was using his own life to measure Wang Xiaoer's place in Zhang San's heart.

To kill this person who knew so many of his secrets and posed an enormous threat?

Or, for the sake of his disciple's life, temporarily restrain his anger and killing intent?

But what normal person, much less a prefecture official wielding great power and wealth, would use his own life for such measuring?

Ruthless!

Madness!

This Lu Gaosheng was absolutely insane, completely insane!

Looking at this Lu Gaosheng whose neck he was grabbing, Zhang San felt a chill rise from the bottom of his heart.

But in the end, Zhang San gradually loosened his grip and sat back down.

Zhang San didn't know why, but in that instant, he suddenly felt that he had lost.

He, who had killed Hei Shanke and just now nearly killed Shuang Lang and Li Xing, had actually lost to a weak, bookish scholar without any martial arts skills.

Could this world get any more bizarre?

Lu Gaosheng, who had "escaped death" once again, coughed twice, with a pained expression.

But then he straightened his lapels and faced Zhang San, as Lu Gaosheng showed a relaxed demeanor again and slowly said:

"Do you know? Once a 'person' has a weakness, no matter how strong he is, he's not as strong anymore. Like Song Yan, the number one power holder in the world, he fears me yet wants me to marry his daughter. Just like you, your martial arts skills are so high, yet you can't kill me, a scholar."