Chapter 27: White Goat Horn

Sword Dynasty

Volume 1: Great Rebel

Chapter 27: White Goat Horn

Fatty Zhang’s name was Zhang Nan. Calling him fatty was indeed very appropriate, but only a few Changling gangsters like Wang Taixu would dare to call him that.

Even before he arrived at the Red Charm Tower, the people from the Two Level Tower had already surrounded the building. There were over a hundred members of the Two Level Tower in the surrounding streets and alleys, plus archers and other hidden individuals who posed a threat to cultivators.

Someone in another room of the Red Charm Tower was playing a melody that penetrated the thick walls, casting a strange atmosphere in the room.

Fatty Zhang’s face twitched when he saw Wang Taixu remaining silent after sitting down. He said with displeasure, “Wang Taixu, what do you want? We are guests, you are the host. Since you've come, what do you mean by remaining silent?”

Seeing Zhang Nan’s oily face, Wang Taixu's expression remained unchanged. He said with a slight smile, “Although I'm the host, you are the ones who want to talk to me. I don't want to talk to you. So, of course, I want to hear what you want to discuss with me.”

Zhang Nan’s expression cooled slightly. He snorted and did not speak.

Beside him, Tang Que slowly raised his head, his fierce eyes staring at Wang Taixu.

“I started killing at the age of fifteen. At sixteen, I came with Xu Jin and Lin Qingdie to Changling. I don't know how much blood I've shed to reach my current position,” Tang Que said coldly and slowly. “Of course, I'm not afraid of death… I've met you today not to beg you to spare the Jinlingtang, but to tell you, even if you can kill me and all my brothers, the Two Level Tower won't be able to maintain your business.”

Wang Taixu calmly looked at this extremely dark and cold man. He said unfazed, “And then?”

Fatty Zhang’s facial muscles trembled slightly, and he smiled awkwardly. “Wang Taixu, there's an old saying in the streets: be merciful and don't be too extreme. Too many of your men have died. If you continue fighting, it will give the higher-ups an opportunity to interfere. Then no one will prosper. You're smart, you know when to advance and when to retreat. You've killed so many Jinlintang people. You have enough bargaining chips. If you cooperate with Jinlintang, you'll only benefit.”

Wang Taixu smiled upon hearing this and remained silent.

“Wang Taixu, say something,” Zhang Nan shouted, suddenly irritated by Wang Taixu's behavior.

A look of disgust appeared on Wang Taixu's face. He stared intently at the fat man. He sighed softly, “Fatty Zhang, you're smart, and you're older than me. You should understand that there are trivial matters that people like you and I can't touch.”

Zhang Nan's expression turned grim. He said, “Wang Taixu, speak clearly.”

“Since you want me to speak clearly, I'll explain even more clearly.” Wang Taixu stared at the man, his eyes cold and distant. “You're speaking on their behalf. They've clearly told you some things and given you some benefits. But you know that the Two Level Tower has been doing business in Changling for many years. Wouldn't we be able to find backers among the higher-ups if we wanted to?

“But why don't we do it?

“Are people like us worthy of being considered friends of the powerful and nobles in the court? Finding backers means being dogs to them.”

Hearing Wang Taixu's words, a slight smirk appeared on Zhang Nan's plump face. He wiped his sweat with a cotton handkerchief and interrupted coldly, “But you must also understand that to those important people, our lives are the same as the lives of dogs.”

“Stray dogs can bite people at wil,” Wang Taixu sneered. “Dog pets can be killed and cooked at will. Backers aren’t always reliable. You never know when your backer might fall for some reason and ruin you along the way. If you follow someone, others will find you annoying. All these years, Two Level Tower has been obediently playing in the mud at the bottom of the pond, carefully avoiding allying with any important people. It’s not that I don’t want Two Level Tower to rise in level, but we were born with this destiny. We can live safely like this. You, a stray dog, want to steal meat from a tiger’s mouth. No matter how delicious the meat is this time, if you pay with your life and your family, is it worth it?”

Zhang Nan’s facial muscles trembled again. He said coldly, “Important people vary in their level of importance.”

“How important will they be?”

Wang Taixu remembered what Ding Ning had said to him earlier. He turned his head and saw Ding Ning calmly tasting the dish in front of him with confidence. He could not help but smile. “Other than the Ministers Yan and Li, whom His Majesty deeply trusts, who else, no matter how important, wouldn't fall for orders? Have you forgotten what happened two years before His Majesty's ascension to the throne?”

“You say this. It seems you are determined not to make any concessions Zhang Nan took out another cotton handkerchief to wipe away his sweat, his expression calming.

Wang Taixu did not look at him but instead looked at Tang Que. He said, “If you came to ask me to spare you and your brothers, I might agree as long as you never return to Changling. This is the greatest concession I can make.”

“Really?”

Tang Que stared coldly at Wang Taixu and said, “If I had been present that day, you would have died. Our only mistake was not expecting you to be a realm five cultivator.”

Wang Taixu smiled. “There aren't many such possibilities in this world. I only know I lost a tooth, and two leaders of the Jinlingtang were lying in the mud.”

Tang Que was not angry when he heard this. Her face turned red. He stared at Wang Taixu, and said coldly, “You are very confident.”

Wang Taixu smiled and said, “You need to do some self-reflection.”

Tang Que narrowed his eyes slightly, glancing past Ding Ning, who was sitting next to Wang Taixu and focused on eating, and the old man who had been quietly drinking tea since sitting down. “I don't know where your confidence comes from. An ordinary young man from Falling Parasol, and a fortune teller from under the bridge?”

Wang Taixu said seriously, “Those two are enough.”

“You're the one who gave up on your last chance.” Tang Que shook his head and said coldly.

Then, the wine cup fell from his hand.

The moment his wine cup started to fall, Zhang Nan’s eyes flashed with a cold light. “Now!” he shouted.

Before Wang Taixu, Ding Ning, and the silent white-haired old man entered, there were already eleven people in the room.

Besides Zhang Nan, Tang Que, and two others, the other seven were all from the Two Level Tower.

Those who had the right to sit with Wang Taixu here were naturally the most important people in the Two Level Tower and those he trusted most.

When Zhang Nan shouted, these seven people sprang into action.

However, three of the people from the Two Level Tower attacked the other four.

A strong wind blew, accompanied by a loud scream.

Zhong Xiu, dressed in purple robes, flew like a purple butterfly from beside Zhang Nan. A light purple sword appeared from his sleeve as if by magic. He pointed the sword towards Wang Taixu’s head.

The table in front of Tang Que split into pieces. A large indigo sword leaped from his knees and landed in his palm.

With a loud shout, Tang Que moved forward in a straight line, the vital energy in his body flowing into the sword. The sword surged with indigo waves and then shot towards Wang Taixu.

Behind him, the one-eyed Tang Mengchen, who had been sitting with his face lowered, raised his head and raised his arm.

A loud metallic clang rang out from his arm. Dozens of blue lights shot out and surrounded Wang Taixu.

At this moment, Zhang Nan remained silent and remained seated. As they had planned, there was no need for him to act now.

The three men on the opposing side, who were secretly on their side, could stop the four men loyal to Wang Taixu from assisting him. Wang Taixu, already injured, was unable to defeat Zhong Xiu, Tang Que, and Tang Mengchen, who were fighting together.

After Wang Taixu died, they were able to quickly control the situation here.

Thinking about how Changling's most important rival would fall, Zhang Nan should have felt confident and satisfied. However, he felt a strong sense of anxiety at this moment.

The young man and old man next to Wang Taixu seemed unaffected in the slightest.

Ding Ning was still calmly enjoying the food to himself.

On the other side, the white-haired old man was still drinking tea.

In this chaotic room, this scene was too calm and strange.

According to the people from the Two Level Tower whom Wang Taixu trusted most, these two people were ordinary people. The young man was just an ordinary youth from the Falling Parasol Alley. The white-haired old man was just a fortune teller Wang Taixu had met today at the market.

According to those people, Wang Taixu simply felt that this old man had an extraordinary aura, so he brought him along to make them suspect that he was a powerful cultivator.

This was why, in the previous conversation, Tang Que had said he did not know where Wang Taixu got his confidence from.

They had already seen all of Wang Taixu's trump cards.

However, why were these two people acting like this at a time like this?

Zhang Nan felt increasingly cold, and sweat began to pour down his forehead and body.

Wang Taixu sat motionless.

His right hand suddenly vanished into thin air.

A gray sword light appeared in front of him.

It was a foot-long sword. The tip was slightly blunt, and the blade resembled a gray ruler.

He ignored the long, light purple sword that was aimed at his forehead and the indigo sword light that was surging toward him. He focused on deflecting the blue light that was reaching him.

At that moment, Zhang Nan involuntarily cried out in fear as what he feared most happened.

The white-haired old man's teacup fell.

A white sword appeared in his hand.

This sword was thick and short, looking like a thick white goat horn.

Notes:

This novel is not my work... I just translated it from a Chinese web novel written by Wu Zui

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