Chapter 57 – Greedy Justice (III)

Chapter 57

Greedy Justice (III)

Everyone slowly emerged from wherever they were hiding, joining me as the audience. Dai Xiu seemed a bit concerned, but others… yeah, they were here just for a good show.

“When you’re plundering his treasury,” Long Tao chimed in from the side. “Look and see if he has Silver-Tipped Viper’s glands.”

“Sure. Anything else?”

“Maybe a bit–“

“–I was being sarcastic.”

“Tsk.”

Ignoring the click of the tongue, the strange look on Light’s face, and Hua’s barely veiled snickering, I focused back on Xi Zhao, who stepped forth and faced the two other ones. They were on the older side of things, closer to twenty than Xi Zhao’s age, and looked the part, too.

One had already grown a beard–well, calling it a beard was a bit too much. It’s like how high schoolers back on Earth grow ‘beards’. It’s like someone grabbed a fistful of pubes and threw it at their glue-addled face, seeing what sticks.

Anyway, I had nothing against them, even as they taunted and snickered and spat and insulted me–okay, I started having some things against them, but, ultimately, they were just kids following the whim of their greedy Master.

Who looked as gleeful as one could get–eyes wide, lips curled into a sneer, shoulders relaxed, arms locked behind his back… He looked so assured you’d think the fight was between an MMA fighter in his peak and a coughing baby. Well, I’m sure that’s how he saw it.

“Begin,” I gently called out as they got into position, and the two immediately coordinated an attack together.

They were still smart about it, driving from the flanks at Xi Zhao, who didn’t even draw out his sword; well, he did lift it up, but with the scabbard still on, as he didn’t want to hurt them too much.

… hey. Why aren’t those two using the sword? Did that bastard teach them some Fire Sun martial arts? Does he really think everyone here is stupid enough not to notice it?!

Anyway, it didn’t matter.

A leg came flying toward Xi Zhao’s head as he ducked underneath, blitzing forward and using the dull hilt to gently strike at the boy’s jaw. The latter yelped in pain and staggered backwards while Xi Zhao spun in place and easily blocked the other incoming kick.

Deflecting it, he broke a few feet of distance, letting them gather their bearings and attack him again.

… smart. I couldn’t help but smile. Look at that little bastard. Hah! All this while I just thought he was an enthusiastic kid and not much else, but… he’s a devious little bastard. Beating them with ease would be one thing, but it would also cut off all our future paths; tsk, look at him, pretending to stagger, to be hit, to struggle.

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He even did actually take a few hits just to bruise himself. All the while, however, he inflicted more and more damage, drawing blood more than once.

“He’s learned well,” I heard Long Tao mumble.

“You taught him?”

“Yes.”

“Good job.”

“He he.”

“He he.”

“He he he he.”

Khm.

Dai Xiu and Light looked at us oddly, Hua seemed to nod in silent acknowledgement, and the battle just about ended.

Xi Zhao appeared short of breath and as though he was barely hanging on, but the other two were just a tad worse off. Just then, he went in for a ‘kill’, stabbing one of the boys with a scabbard directly toward his ribcage as the sound of a cracked bone mingled with a howl of pain, and immediately seeming to use the last bout of his energy to strike the other at the right forearm, also happening to crack yet another bone.

He retreated immediately after, seeming a moment away from collapsing, but the other two had collapsed, lying flat on the ground, crying in pain.

That relaxed demeanor Elder Zhang came with? Yeah, that shit was gone. He was confused, befuddled, angry, incensed, and whatever other fancy word for ‘pissed off’ I forgot about.