socalfunplaces Chapter 42 I'm short on time, so all of you can go together!
Chapter 42 I'm short on time, so all of you can go together!
With only three or four days left until the negotiations with the Six and a Half Hall, Yang Yan no longer concealed anything and brought Xu Qingya to the headquarters to meet with the managers.
A month ago, Yang Yan summoned managers from all over the country to Beijing for a meeting. Now that everyone who was supposed to come has arrived, it's a good opportunity to reassure people.
Linglong Pavilion deals in intelligence, and its branches in various prefectures mainly consist of restaurants, teahouses, pawnshops, silk shops, and other businesses, so it doesn't have many experts.
Most of these managers were not martial arts experts; instead, they came from all walks of life. There were eight managers in total, each running a different business.
Restaurant: Chen Qian, the former head chef of the imperial kitchen, whose real name is Chen Zhushui, offended the leader of the Yuxian Gang by forgetting to follow dietary restrictions while cooking, and was forced to flee the capital in anonymity.
Random Guest: Master Mu Sang, the leader of the Iron Sword Sect, is both a terrible chess player and an unparalleled chess fanatic. He lost thirty games to Yang Yan and joined the Linglong Pavilion to learn chess.
Silk: Cai Yudan, a wealthy businessman from the Jianghuai region, is a philanthropist and the largest supplier to the Xue family, who specialize in needlework.
Pawnshop: Tong Caomao, a man who was ignorant and unskilled in his youth, worked as an apprentice in a pawnshop. He mistook a copper gong for a "copper straw hat" and was laughed at by his colleagues. From then on, he learned his lesson and devoted himself to studying the knowledge of treasure appraisal. No fake can fool him.
Money Exchange: Ma Baiwan, the owner of Sitong Money Exchange, is extremely stingy. He always takes off his boots before walking through water, and when it rains, he always tries to find a way to use someone else's umbrella. He always smells like he hasn't showered in a long time and likes to eat sour soup dumplings.
Escort Agency: Shen Qinghong, the chief escort of Sanyuan Escort Agency, is short in stature, deeply loyal, and resourceful.
Qimen: The master of Lengqin Pavilion, "Lengqin Jushi", is a master who is proficient in Yin and Yang, Five Elements, Qimen Dunjia, astrology and divination, and Ziwei Doushu. Countless high-ranking officials and nobles have spent a lot of money just to have a divination by Lengqin Jushi.
Martial Arts: Qu Benlei, known as "Axe-Suppressing Guandong," is proficient in the Thirteen Protectors' Horizontal Iron Bell Cover technique, making him invulnerable to swords and spears, possessing immense strength, skilled in using two broadswords, and a man of his word. He has a rough and bold style, but is very popular.
Seeing these managers, Xu Qingya thought to himself that it was no wonder that Linglong Pavilion was beaten to the brink of collapse by the Six and a Half Hall. Yang Yan's managers came from all walks of life, but none of them were martial arts masters.
These managers are all industry leaders in their respective fields, especially Tong Caomao, Chen Zhushui, and Lengqin Jushi. The problem is, without a master to keep things in check, Yang Yan is helpless when Liufenbantang tries to force her way in.
Mu Sang, Cai Yudan, and Qu Benlei all possessed decent skills, but that was all. Even combined, they were no match for a master of the Six and a Half Hall.
As for Shen Qinghong, despite being the chief镖头 (chief镖头, a title in Chinese martial arts), his martial arts skills are actually quite average. He relies on his connections to succeed in his镖局 (镖局 is a type of security escort agency) missions. Among the chief镖头s of large镖局s in the Jianghu (江湖, the martial arts world), the only person Shen Qinghong is confident he can defeat is Lin Zhennan!
This raises a question: if Shen Qinghong couldn't defeat Baili Changqing, Ximen Sheng, and Deng Dinghou, could she not defeat Lu Sanjin? Why isn't Lu Sanjin included?
Because Lu Sanjin is the "Big Boss" and the head镖师 (chief镖师) of Longmen镖局 (Longmen Escort Agency) is Wen Liangong, if it weren't for the fear of being crushed by his ex-girlfriends, Wen Liangong's Fire Dragon Spear Technique would have been qualified to compete for the top eight in the "Spear Master Competition".
Those who came were all trusted confidants; there was no need to conceal their identities.
Xu Qingya glanced around, looked at the eight managers sitting upright, and took the initiative to greet them.
"Xu Qingya greets everyone!"
Yang Yan followed up, saying, "Esteemed hall masters, Qingya is my junior brother. From today onwards, he will serve as the deputy hall master of Linglong Pavilion. His words are my words! If any of you have any objections, please raise them here and now!"
Before he could finish speaking, the eight managers looked at each other in bewilderment.
Chen Qian and Tong Caomao squinted and pretended to sleep. Neither of them knew any martial arts; they were just going through the motions. No matter who offered an opinion, they both agreed.
Ma Baiwan glanced at Xu Qingya, clasped his hands in return, took out half a sesame seed cake from his sleeve, caught the falling crumbs and sesame seeds with his left hand, and put the cake into his mouth with his right hand, chewing it in small bites.
Cai Yudan and Shen Qinghong smiled and stood up to return the greeting, but neither of them offered any comments.
Lengqin Jushi raised his hand and began to calculate, muttering to himself as if he were calculating something. His face grew increasingly pale, as if he had been drained of blood by a zombie.
Qu Benlei stood up with a chuckle, patting his chest vigorously: "Pavilion Master, you understand the situation of Linglong Pavilion better than we do! I don't like to waste words. If Young Master Xu wants to become the Vice Pavilion Master, he needs to demonstrate his skills. If he can defeat my axe, I will follow his lead without hesitation!"
Shen Qinghong chimed in, "Sect Leader, we are naturally aware of Young Master Xu's reputation, but we've never met him. I have no other intention than to broaden my horizons!"
Xu Qingya nodded: "That's easy! Anyone who wants to learn martial arts, come at me all at once! Taking them one by one is too troublesome! Three moves. If I can't defeat you all within three moves, I'll consider myself a failure!"
Hearing this, the crowd was slightly annoyed.
They had heard of Xu Qingya's exploits and knew that his swordsmanship was formidable, capable of shattering a two-story building with a single strike. However, while this strike might be effective against Qu Benlei, three moves would likely not be enough to deal with Mu Sang and Shen Qinghong.
Shen Qinghong's martial arts skills were not high, but his lightness skill was excellent. Mu Sang was an even more renowned master of lightness skill. Thousands of transmigrators regarded him as the old man in the novice village and tried every means to extract the "Divine Speed and Ever-Changing Technique" from him.
Yang Yan pushed Xu Qingya to the front of the stage and stood firmly behind him: "Everyone, Qingya's martial arts skills far exceed your imagination. Don't be careless!"
How could anyone contain themselves upon hearing this?
Qu Benlei swung his battle axe at Xu Qingya, who raised his right hand, and a chilling ice flower bloomed from his sleeve as the Ice Jade Sword was suddenly drawn.
Hidden Knife Style: Green Dragon in the Sleeve!
The dragon travels thousands of miles, swallowing clouds and spitting out mist.
In the white mist, a crystal-clear blade suddenly slashed down, lying across Qu Benlei's shoulder.
Even now, Qu Benlei was still charging forward, his axe raised high, leaving long trails behind him, and his arm muscles were slightly strained.
one move!
This couldn't even be considered a single move; it should be called half a move. In just half a move, Qu Benlei, the most skilled martial artist, was defeated. Seeing this, everyone realized that Xu Qingya's earlier statement, "I want to fight eight," was not arrogance, but the truth, a golden rule.
Mu Sang and Shen Qinghong attacked from both sides.
Mu Sang uses the Divine Swiftness Transformation Technique, a top-tier lightness skill. Even when surrounded by thousands of troops, he can move freely through the jungle of swords and spears like a fish. Even without internal energy, he can still use two or three tenths of it.
Shen Qinghong, nicknamed "Flying Flowers Fill the Sky," is short and ugly, but her movements are fluid and beautiful. She changes position lightly in mid-air, like petals fluttering down.
Xu Qingya sheathed his Ice Jade Blade, soared into the air, his trousers moving without wind and his cloak fluttering in the wind, whistling past the two of them. He did not use any moves, but simply adjusted the height of his palm blade as his figures crossed paths.
"Slap! Slap!"
Mu Sang and Shen Qinghong landed on the ground clutching their necks, staring at Xu Qingya in horror. If Xu Qingya had intended to kill, ten heads wouldn't have been enough to chop off after that attack.
This is just bad luck for them both.
Xu Qingya had just learned the "East Wind Mystic Skill" and created the Wind God Leg. His lightness skill and movement techniques had improved by leaps and bounds. This was a secret room, not a wilderness. Within this distance, even if he were to compete with Wuqing in lightness skill, they could be evenly matched.
He killed Qu Benlei in one move, and his lightness skill was even better than Mu Sang and Shen Qinghong. He defeated three managers with two casual moves. How powerful is his real strength?
After finishing his calculations, Lengqin Jushi exclaimed that Yang Yan had truly struck gold. Xu Qingya's talent in martial arts surpassed even Yang Miaozhen's. This seemingly simple act of slashing and leaping contained a martial arts essence that would take him seven or eight years to learn.
Lengqin Jushi knew martial arts, but he disliked fighting with others and preferred to study the art of divination and strategy.
Give Leng Qin Jushi ample resources so that he can set up a Five Elements and Eight Trigrams Formation based on the mountains and rivers. Even if Lei Sun personally takes action, he will be trapped for two or three days.
Yang Yan straightened Xu Qingya's clothes and said smugly, "Does anyone else have any objections?"
Shen Qinghong laughed, "The female spear master is gone, and now the sword master has arrived. Truly, our ancestors are blessing us!"
Qu Benlei laughed loudly, "Whether Leng Qin, the Taoist priest, is convinced or not, I certainly am. Even if the Great Thunder God were alive, he would be no match for Young Master Xu!"
"Great Thunder God" was originally named Jin Kaijia. He was known as the number one axe master in the world. More than ten years ago, Great Thunder God fought a decisive battle with the master of Peacock Manor on Mount Tai. He was ultimately defeated by Peacock Feather and disappeared without a trace after that.
Qu Benlei practiced axe techniques and always felt sorry for him. There were already few people who practiced axe techniques, and it was rare to have a master axe technique of the Heavenly Gang level. In the end, he fell in the torrent of the martial arts world and disappeared without a trace.
Lengqin Jushi sneered: "I'm not a brute who only thinks about fists. As long as I can study Qimen divination in peace, I will support him."
Cai Yudan and Ma Baiwan had no objections.
Needless to say, Chen's boiled water is another story.
He never expressed any opinion about Linglong Pavilion.
He simply wants to pass on his culinary skills.
Before Xu Qingya could even catch his breath, everyone reported a troublesome matter: some were looking for treasure, some were looking for people, some were looking for bodyguards, and some needed someone to escort their goods.
Of course, someone also brought over a pile of account books.
As the deputy head of Linglong Pavilion, Xu Qingya was qualified to see all the secrets of Linglong Pavilion. However, looking at the mountain of account books, Xu Qingya felt like he had turned from a young man into an old ox and hurriedly ran out.
It's terrible!
Why does Linglong Pavilion have so many affairs?
With Xu Qingya in charge, the restless atmosphere in Linglong Pavilion quickly calmed down, and Yang Yan was finally able to settle down. Qin Nanqin smiled and said, "Miss, it's really different to have a man at home. We have someone to rely on now."
Yang Yan teased, "Nanqin, I remember you used to be stronger than anyone else, but now you keep talking about being a maid and relying on others. Your personality has changed quite quickly!"
Qin Nanqin said softly, "Miss, there are different kinds of support. Your shoulders are too soft, suitable for Young Master Xu to lean on. Young Master Xu's shoulders are strong, suitable for me to lean on. When I was changing his clothes..."
Yang Yan's eyes lit up: "Tell me in detail!"
The two gave each other a chilling smile.
Xu Qingya, who was petting his dog in the study, suddenly felt a chill down his spine and couldn't help but tighten his clothes.