10: Professional! Heaven is broken and earth is flawed, six kills are unparalleled!

"If I speak a secret, I'll be silenced? It seems this secret is very crucial!" Lu Xiaofeng's eyes lit up, like a cat smelling fish: "I love hearing these kinds of secrets the most."

Lu Jiuyuan used the tip of his sword to pick out a dart that was stuck in a nearby pillar; it gleamed with a faint blue light under the candlelight.

"The dart is poisoned, a ruthless move," he said softly, and with a flick of his wrist, the dart re-embedded itself into another pillar, emitting three dull thuds: "thump, thump, thump."

The tavern's window frames suddenly shattered simultaneously, and six dark figures, like specters, swept in. All were dressed in uniform green, and each had some physical deformity.

Some were missing an eye, some an ear, some a nose, some a tongue, some an arm, or some a leg.

All six people were disabled; not one was whole.

The leader held a pair of water-splitting Emei daggers, his single eye fixed on Lu Jiuyuan, and he said coldly, "Don't say what shouldn't be said, or people will die!"

Lu Xiaofeng stroked his two small mustaches and chuckled, "The Six Crippled Ghosts? This matter is actually related to the Green Robe Tower. It seems we won't be drinking tonight."

"Green Robe Tower," Lu Jiuyuan slowly stood up, the tip of his Guhong Sword pointing downwards, angled towards the ground: "You arrived two days later than I expected."

"Kill!" With the Green Robe man's command, all six attacked simultaneously.

Emei daggers, an iron fan, a chain spear, a judge's brush, a steel staff, and a soft sword—six weapons attacked from different angles, working in perfect coordination, blocking all escape routes.

Lu Jiuyuan took a step, and his triple-speed instantly activated.

His figure blurred in the candlelight, and the Guhong Sword transformed into a silver thread, piercing into the throat of the one-eyed leader holding the Emei daggers from an incredible angle.

"First blood."

Lu Jiuyuan's voice, with its strange language and peculiar tone, echoed through the tavern, sending chills down one's spine.

Before the Green Robe man's body could fall, Lu Jiuyuan's sword, like a venomous snake, struck towards the second target, the one-eared Green Robe man holding the iron fan.

The iron fan unfurled like a peacock's tail, attempting to block the fatal blow.

However, the tip of the Guhong Sword pressed against the fan's ribs, forcing him to retreat repeatedly until his back hit a pillar.

Lu Jiuyuan's left hand slapped the pommel of his right-hand sword, like a heavy hammer strike. The Guhong Sword directly severed the fan's ribs, aiming straight for the throat!

"Double kill."

"What a fast sword! What a powerful sword!" Lu Xiaofeng couldn't help but exclaim, but his movements were also swift. His Lingxi Finger instantly clamped onto a judge's brush aimed at him.

"Crack!"

The judge's brush snapped in response, and Lu Xiaofeng flicked his wrist, sending the broken brush like an arrow towards the wrist of another one-legged Green Robe man.

"Ah!"

The Green Robe man screamed, and his chain spear flew out of his hand.

Lu Jiuyuan seized the opportunity, his figure flashed, and the Guhong Sword sliced through with a cold gleam.

"Triple kill."

The remaining three Green Robe men saw this, and a hint of fear flashed in their eyes, but being well-trained, they did not retreat; instead, they attacked even more frantically.

"Seeking death!"

Lu Jiuyuan snorted coldly, his triple-speed fully engaged. His entire being moved like a specter through the tavern.

Sword light flashed like lightning, and with each flicker, one person fell.

"Quadra kill."

"Penta kill."

The last Green Robe man, seeing all his companions fall, finally broke down and turned to flee.

"Trying to leave?"

Lu Jiuyuan flicked his wrist, and the Guhong Sword flew out of his hand, piercing through the Green Robe man's back like a meteor.

"Hexa Kill."

He slowly walked forward, pulled out the Guhong Sword, and gently shook off the blood from its blade.

Inside the tavern, there was a deathly silence.

Lu Xiaofeng looked at the bodies strewn across the floor and sighed: "Once they make a move, they don't stop until death. The people of the Green Robe Tower are indeed madmen. What was that strange sound you just made?"

"A kind of bird language, just for nostalgia," Lu Jiuyuan said faintly as he sheathed his Guhong Sword: "Lu Xiaofeng, you're in trouble."

"What exactly is the secret you mentioned?" Lu Xiaofeng couldn't help but ask.

Lu Jiuyuan glanced at him and suddenly smiled: "Do you really want to know?"

"Of course," Lu Xiaofeng nodded, "My biggest flaw is being too curious. Moreover, being with you, I'm probably already on a kill list. If I don't know this secret, wouldn't I suffer a huge loss?"

"The Great Golden Peng King is fake, and Princess Danfeng is also fake. But the story is real; it's just that Huo Xiu wants to monopolize the Treasure Trove of the Great Golden Peng Kingdom. But as one of the four who escaped back then, he couldn't directly harm the other three, as that would make them all feel insecure. Moreover, this Treasure Trove belonged to the Great Golden Peng King, not to his Shangguan Jin, so he had no reason to act. If he rashly made a move, he also wouldn't be able to defeat Dugu He. That's why he set up this scheme, to kill with a borrowed knife."

"What?" Lu Xiaofeng was stunned: "He wants to use me to kill Yan Tieshan and Dugu He? He certainly thinks highly of me."

"He not only thinks highly of you but also of your friends. Killing Yan Tieshan is easy, but to kill Dugu He, the Sect Head of Emei, requires the combined efforts of you and Ximen Chuixue."

"Now that you know this secret, you too have become a thorn in the side of the Green Robe Tower," Lu Jiuyuan said with a smile.

"It seems he has quite a connection with the Green Robe Tower," Lu Xiaofeng stroked his mustache, though he didn't seem particularly worried.

"He is inherently the master of the Green Robe Tower's First Floor. This trouble is anything but small."

"I hate trouble! But I'm never afraid of trouble!"

Lu Xiaofeng held the golden cup, his two small mustaches trembling slightly.

The smell of blood in the tavern had not yet dissipated. Six bodies of Green Robe Tower assassins lay sprawled on the ground, their disfigured faces appearing particularly grotesque under the candlelight.

"Huo Xiu... the master of the Green Robe Tower's First Floor..." Lu Xiaofeng sighed softly, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes: "He is my friend; we're considered friends despite our age difference. His power is extremely strong, among the top tier in the world. I am not his match, nor is Ximen Chuixue. To use me as a knife, he's truly determined to get his way!"

Lu Jiuyuan wiped the blood from his Guhong Sword. He looked out at the dark night sky and said faintly, "A body without colorful Phoenix wings; your Qinggong is unmatched in the world. It's not too late to withdraw now."

"Withdraw?" Lu Xiaofeng suddenly laughed, a smile that made his four eyebrows stretch out. "There are no such words as 'retreat' in Lu Xiaofeng's life."

"Lu Xiaofeng is only afraid of trouble, but he is never easy to provoke!"

He took out a cup, filled it with wine, and pushed it in front of Lu Jiuyuan: "Come, a toast to us being hunted together."

Lu Jiuyuan didn't take it, just shook his head: "I don't drink. Drinking affects the speed of my sword."

"How boring," Lu Xiaofeng tilted his head back, pouring the wine into his mouth: "But I like it."

He put down the golden cup, a sharp glint in his eyes, "What do you plan to do next?"

"Wait."

"Wait for what?"

"Wait for them to come and kill me. I've been waiting for three days, and I'm still waiting. The enemy is in the dark, and I am in the light. Rushing out might not be a good thing."

Lu Jiuyuan's voice was frighteningly calm. "The more people who come to their deaths, the greater the opponent's flaws will be."

Lu Xiaofeng stroked his mustache and smiled: "Interesting! Alright, but we need a helper."

He took out a small bamboo tube from his embrace, pressed it lightly, and a red light shot into the sky, exploding into a small plum blossom in the night sky.

"Are you calling Hua Manlou?" Lu Jiuyuan raised an eyebrow.

"It is Hua Manlou!" Lu Xiaofeng smiled happily: "Although Hua Manlou's eyes cannot see, he is the least like a blind person among the blind. His heart is brighter than anyone's."

"Boss, clean up the trash!"

"Alright! Three taels each to throw them in the mass grave, fifteen taels each for a coffin and deep burial, thirty taels each for complete obliteration without a trace, esteemed guest, which option do you choose?"

"Complete obliteration is unnecessary. He came to kill me, and a deep burial in a coffin is too cheap for them. Just throw them in the mass grave!" Lu Jiuyuan said.

"Alright! Waiter, get to it!"

"Alright, boss!" The waiter skillfully put on leather gloves, cleaned the weapons, searched the bodies for silver, moved the corpses, and cleaned up the bloodstains.

A moment later, a package was delivered. These were the spoils from the bodies; if the guest didn't say no, they had to deliver them—that was the rule.

"That'll be eighteen taels!"

Lu Jiuyuan opened the package and looked inside. There were some scattered silver, weapons, and gold teeth.

"I don't want these things. Can they be exchanged for money?"

"Esteemed guest, these weapons are of good quality. If bought outside, they would cost at least a hundred or eighty taels of silver. However, for us to take them back, clean them, and the time and effort involved, we can offer two-tenths of their value for recycling," the waiter explained earnestly.

"Then just deduct it! Anything extra is a tip."

"Thank you for the tip, Master Lu!" The waiter left with the items.

"Professional, meticulous!" Lu Jiuyuan couldn't help but praise.