RNP Page 105
Page 105
In everything you do, you need to have a "just cause".
In the martial arts world, this has become an unwritten rule that is more deeply ingrained in people's minds than any official law.
There is no provision in the laws of the Song Dynasty that explicitly stipulates that people must reason with each other.
For those in the martial arts world who make a living by licking blood, the thing they least want to do, and the thing they least despise to do, is precisely "reasoning".
Their reasoning often lies on the edge of a knife and in the depths of a fist.
Whoever has the sharpest knife and the hardest fist will ultimately grasp the "truth".
This is a savage, primitive law of the jungle.
Ironically, it is precisely this group of the most unreasonable people who care more about that "reputation" than anyone else before taking action.
Unless they are long-established notorious bandits and womanizers who no longer care about their reputation.
Otherwise, whether they are from prestigious families or local powerful clans, before they resort to violence or sabotage, they will always try to cloak their actions in a guise of "justice" or "reasonableness".
Eradicating the evil cult is to rid the martial arts world of a scourge.
Cleansing out the sect is to restore its reputation.
The struggle for treasures is to ensure that "the virtuous possess them," and to prevent "rare treasures from falling into the hands of the wicked."
Even if two gangs fight tooth and nail for territory, they will always claim to the outside world that the other side is "betraying them" and "going too far," while they themselves are "unable to tolerate it any longer" and are "forced to retaliate."
Ultimately, the martial arts world is a society built on personal connections, a complex ecosystem constructed from countless invisible networks of relationships.
Reputation is the most important passport in this network.
A good reputation can make you have a large following when you call upon someone.
A bad reputation, on the other hand, will make you the target of everyone's scorn when you're down on your luck.
As for those truly wicked people who have thrown their reputations to the wind... who would bother to find a "legitimate" reason before dealing with them?
Trying to reason with bad people?
Is there a legitimate reason to attack evildoers?
That would be a huge joke.
Therefore, the key to the problem is never the "reason" itself, but how to firmly position oneself on the side of "reason".
Meanwhile, in the Mantuo Manor, where emotions were running high and people were filled with anxiety, a perfect "reason" and a "title" that could unite everyone in hatred against a common enemy were taking shape at an astonishing speed.
But, to put it another way, fear is spreading!
At first, they were simply shocked by the audacity of the Murong family.
But now, when they replace the kidnapped Miss Wang with their priceless goods, and the maids lying in pools of blood with their own henchmen and bodyguards,
A chilling, visceral sense of crisis instantly gripped their hearts.
They came here to make money, not to die.
In their eyes, Mantuo Manor should have been an absolutely safe safe protected by powerful forces.
But now, a hole has been drilled into the inside of this safe!
"Where is Madam Wang?"
Where is Master Wang?
"right!
"Make them come out and give us an explanation!"
"After such a big incident, where have they gone?"
Are we just going to let Deng Baichuan and the Murong family come and go as they please?
"If you can't even guarantee the safety of us guests, what credibility does this Mantuo Manor have?"
Who would dare come here again?
The uproar completely escalated into angry denunciations.
Panicked merchants and fellow martial arts practitioners, equally worried about their own safety, spontaneously gathered from all directions toward the main hall in the center of the manor.
They want an explanation, an explanation that will put their minds at ease.
Just as this wave of fear and anger was about to overwhelm the order of the entire manor.
"Everyone, please be patient."
A cool, slightly languid yet undeniably authoritative voice suddenly rang out from the main hall.
The sound wasn't loud, but it was like a heavy ancient bell.
In an instant, all the noise and commotion were silenced.
The crowd fell silent as if frozen in place.
They looked up and saw that behind the high threshold of the main hall...
Two figures slowly walked out side by side.
Walking on the left is Madam Wang, Li Qingluo.
Those bright, sparkling peach blossom eyes were brimming with tears that were about to fall, and the corners of her eyes and brows were tinged with a pitiful sorrow and helplessness.
Her body trembled slightly, one hand tightly gripping the hem of her clothes, while the other hand was firmly and irresistibly held in the palm of the man beside her.
And that man was none other than Wang Meng, the new owner of the manor.
In stark contrast to Li Qingluo's pitiful and endearing appearance, Wang Meng's face showed no trace of the anxiety or anger that should have come from the trouble.
There was even a hint of amusement in his smile, as if he found the scene of the crowd's passionate outburst quite amusing.
He walked down the steps, step by step, until he reached the angry crowd.
He didn't stop, but continued forward, as if he didn't see the faces in front of him that were flushed and distorted with excitement.
That invisible, suffocating aura forced the people in the front row to involuntarily take a step back, then another, forcefully making way for him.
He finally stopped when he reached the shattered teacup.
He looked down at the broken pieces of porcelain on the ground.
Then, he raised his eyes, and those deep, seemingly magical eyes lazily swept over everyone present.
Those who were swept by his gaze, no matter how indignant they had been before.
At this moment, it felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over their heads.
Instantly, he shut his mouth, and his heart began to pound wildly for no apparent reason.
"I heard……"
Wang Meng finally spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but it was clear and reached everyone's ears.
"You are very scared?"
His tone was full of undisguised, condescending contempt, as if he were an adult looking at a group of ignorant children trembling with fear after hearing ghost stories.
"Are you afraid that those few members of the Murong clan, who aren't even third-rate figures, a bunch of so-called remnants of the Great Yan dynasty, will steal your goods and take your lives?"
As he spoke, he raised his other hand and gently wiped away the glistening tear that had finally slipped down Li Qingluo's eye with his thumb.
His movements were so gentle they could melt hearts, but his words made everyone's faces turn pale and then red.
"Do you really think that my territory, my women... are so easily trampled underfoot and allowed to run wild?"
He asked the question very softly and very slowly.
But the domineering and furious energy contained within it is like a real gale, rushing towards you!
Wang Meng seemed quite pleased with their trembling silence!
He released Li Qingluo's hand, took two more steps forward, and stood next to the guardian lion, cast from a single piece of bronze and as tall as half a person, in front of the main hall.
"I know you want an explanation."
He said it calmly!
I know you need a guarantee.
He turned around, his back to the majestic bronze lion.
Facing the crowd, the playful smile on his lips deepened.
"Verbal promises are the most useless!"
Before he could finish speaking, his hand, which had just been wiping away the beauty's tears and looked no different from an ordinary person's, suddenly reached back and grabbed!
His five fingers, like five red-hot iron hooks, easily and directly pierced into the head of that incredibly hard bronze lion, which was several inches thick!
"Zi la!"
A sickening sound, like metal being forcibly torn apart, clearly echoed in the deathly silent courtyard!
Everyone present, whether they were wealthy merchants who had dealt with gold and silver all their lives or martial arts heroes who considered themselves well-informed, all widened their eyes to their limit at this moment!
What did they see?
They saw Wang Meng use his hand as if he were grasping tofu to forcefully break the bronze lion's head, which weighed several hundred pounds, off the lion's body!
That solid, cold bronze, which represented power and authority, was as fragile in his hands as a piece of soft mud!
"boom!"
A loud bang sent a shiver down everyone's spine.
Wang Meng casually tossed the completely deformed bronze lion head, still bearing the imprints of his five fingers, onto the ground.
The heavy metal block smashed a shallow crater into the hard bluestone slab, and spiderweb-like cracks spread outwards.
The whole world seemed to have lost all sound at that moment.
Wang Meng patted the non-existent dust off his hands, ignoring the astonished expressions on everyone's faces.
His slightly languid voice rang out once again.
This time, however, every word seemed to carry the coldness and weight of bronze, crashing heavily into everyone's hearts.
"The Murong family of Gusu is courting death. They sent people to infiltrate my Mantuo Manor, kill my maids, frighten my wife, and kidnap my... daughter."