Martial Arts Crossover: Something's Wrong with This Evil Sect

Chapter 226 Impossible, absolutely impossible!

"The Iron-Shoe Thief?"

Lu Xiaofeng raised an eyebrow slightly, subconsciously raising his hand to habitually stroke his two signature mustache tufts.

He then quickly went through the name in his mind before slowly speaking.

"I've heard that this man was a notorious bandit who was famous throughout the martial arts world more than a decade ago, causing quite a stir in the Ming Dynasty along with the Plum Blossom Bandits..."

"Furthermore, this man, as a notorious thief, was extremely arrogant, always wearing a pair of iron shoes that clanged as he walked."

He was so arrogant that he was known in the underworld as the "Iron-Shoe Bandit"!

At this point, Lu Xiaofeng's gaze shifted and settled on Hua Ruling, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"If I remember correctly, at that time, the Six Doors of the imperial court were facing a shortage of capable successors and experts."

At the critical moment, it was Senior Hua who upheld righteousness, stepped forward, and united with the other major sects to meticulously plan...

After casting a wide net and engaging in a fierce battle, the notorious iron-shoe thief was finally eradicated.

"From then on, the Plum Blossom Thief and his gang disappeared without a trace, and the martial world finally enjoyed some peace for a while..."

"Not bad!"

Hua Ruling nodded slightly, her face beaming with energy.

After all, anyone would feel a little happier if their heroic deeds were mentioned.

The Iron Shoes Bandit case can be considered one of the few shining moments in Hua Ruling's life in the martial arts world.

Later, due to taking over the Hua family, he was entangled in many affairs and gradually retreated behind the scenes, rarely taking action himself.

"Lu Xiaofeng is indeed Lu Xiaofeng! He can even understand the old stories of the martial arts world from more than ten years ago so clearly. It is truly rare."

Hua Ruling looked appreciative and sincerely praised her.

"Senior Hua, you flatter me. Lu Xiaofeng is just a little phoenix who likes to meddle in other people's business."

Lu Xiaofeng smiled modestly, then abruptly changed the subject.

"I just don't know what this has to do with Hua Manlou?"

Upon hearing this, a hint of reminiscence flashed in Hua Ruling's eyes, as if her thoughts had been transported back to more than a decade ago.

"Back in the day, when I had just taken over the Hua family, I was at the height of my power and ambition."

"Seeing that Iron-Shoeed Bandit wreaking havoc on the martial world and harming the innocent, I could no longer tolerate it."

They then decided to unite the five major sects and use a rare treasure from the Hua family as bait to lure the Iron Shoe Bandit out, hoping to rid the martial arts world of this great scourge!

"I see."

Lu Xiaofeng nodded slightly, then asked, "And then what happened?"

After all, all he knew about these old stories was the cause and the outcome.

As for the details, I naturally don't know them very clearly.

What he knew was that the Iron Shoe Bandits were rampant at the time, which prompted Hua Ruling to join forces with the five major sects to take action.

Then it was simple: the Iron-Shoeed Thief arrived, and the Iron-Shoeed Thief was defeated...

"The initial capture of the Iron-Shoe Thief went very smoothly, with experts from several major sects working together."

The Iron-Shoe Bandit had been cornered, but who could have predicted that Seven Children would suddenly appear out of nowhere?

At this point, Hua Ruling's eyes dimmed instantly, and her voice became low and hoarse. After a moment, she continued.

"Unfortunately, the Iron-Shoeed Thief seized the opportunity, captured her, and then blinded Qi Tong."

As Hua Ruling spoke, her hands clenched into fists, her knuckles turning white, and veins bulging on her forehead, clearly indicating that she was trying her best to suppress her grief and anger.

"Although I finally gave it my all and personally killed the Iron-Shoe Bandit, Qi Tong's eyes... could no longer see."

"Not only that, since then, Qi Tong has been haunted by a demon in his heart, always feeling that the Iron-Shoeed Thief is still alive in the world..."

After listening quietly to the whole story, Shan Tianxie felt a little more at ease.

It's pretty much the same as the original plot he knew, with no major changes.

Next, presumably, will be the scene where Hua Ruling asks Lu Xiaofeng to act in a play.

According to Hua Ruling's original plan, Lu Xiaofeng was to impersonate the Iron Shoes Thief and return to the martial arts world, then pretend to be defeated and captured on the spot by Hua Manlou.

In this way, Hua Manlou can overcome his inner demons and further improve his martial arts cultivation, making it possible for him to advance to the Grandmaster realm!

As expected, just as Shan Tianxie had this thought, he heard Hua Ruling speak from the side.

"So I want to set up a trap to bring the Iron-Shoe Bandit back to life, and then have him killed by Qi Tong himself, so as to resolve Qi Tong's inner conflict."

Hua Ruling paused, her eyes filled with anticipation, and looked at Shan Tianxie and Lu Xiaofeng, asking earnestly.

"Could you two young heroes lend me a hand?"

"Lu Xiaofeng, it is an inescapable duty..."

Lu Xiaofeng was about to pat his chest and say that this was no big deal, but before he could finish speaking,

But then Shan Tianxie's slightly amused voice rang out from the side.

"Senior Hua, do you think there's a possibility... that Hua Manlou's guess was actually correct, and that the Iron-Shoe Bandit is really still alive?"

Upon hearing this, Hua Ruling was stunned for a moment, and then her mind quickly recalled the various details of the case from back then.

After a long silence, Hua Ruling said decisively, "Impossible, absolutely impossible. I struck that villain squarely in the heart with my sword. I can be certain that the Iron-Shoe Bandit is dead!"

"unless....."

Lu Xiaofeng's eyes suddenly lit up. "That person isn't the Iron-Shoeed Bandit?! Is that what Brother Shan meant?"

"That's probably unlikely, isn't it?"

Hua Ruling frowned, then continued to explain.

"At that time, I examined the body of the Iron-Shoe Bandit together with the leaders of several major sects. Because he wore iron shoes for many years, his legs were much more muscular than those of ordinary masters of lightness skills. I am sure there is no mistake."

Seeing Hua Ruling speak so confidently, Lu Xiaofeng was momentarily stunned.

He then turned to look at Shan Tianxie, who was standing calmly in place.

"Have you two heard a nursery rhyme before?"

Dan Tianxie smiled, but did not directly refute him. Instead, he posed a seemingly unrelated question.

"Nursery rhymes?"

Even someone as capable as Hua Ruling was completely baffled by Shan Tianxie's actions.

Seeing this, Dan Tianxie thought of the ancient saying that "a leaf can block the view," and decided to give the two some more hints. So he hummed softly.

"Huluwa, Huluwa, seven gourds on one vine..."

Hmm? This sudden humming.

Lu Xiaofeng and Hua Ruling looked at each other in bewilderment, and both wondered if they had been possessed by some evil spirit.

However, seeing that Shan Tianxie was perfectly normal, the two of them began to carefully ponder the content of the nursery rhyme.

A moment later, it was Lu Xiaofeng, a seasoned detective, who was the first to react and said with some uncertainty.

"Brother Shan means... the Iron-Shoeed Bandit is actually not one person but two brothers? Senior Hua only killed one of them back then?"

"good."

Dan Tianxie nodded slightly. "That's exactly how it is."

"Two master thieves in iron shoes?"

Hua Ruling was still somewhat incredulous upon hearing this, and then asked to confirm, "Young Master Shan, did you hear this news from the Valley of Bliss?"

Aside from the Valley of Bliss, he couldn't think of any other place where Shan Tianxie could have learned this news.

"Exactly!"

Upon hearing this, Shan Tianxie's heart skipped a beat, and he simply nodded in agreement.

Otherwise, I'll have to explain for ages later; I can't exactly say that Mr. Gu Long appeared to me in a dream and told me this.

"According to reliable sources within the valley, the Iron Shoes Thief was originally a pair of twin brothers, whose martial arts skills were inherited from the same family. In addition, the two wore masks all year round, making it difficult for outsiders to distinguish them."

"Is that really how it is?"

Hua Ruling frowned. Seeing Shan Tianxie's confident words, she was already 80-90% convinced of the truthfulness of the news.

After all, using such a thing to deceive Hua Ruling would obviously not benefit Jile Valley or Shan Tianxie in the slightest.

Well, if that's the case, it seems the original plan needs to be changed.

His original plan was to have Lu Xiaofeng impersonate the Iron-Shoes Bandit, then deliberately create a flaw to allow Qi Tong to discover him.

He finally died at the hands of Qi Tong, so that Qi Tong could finally put an end to this matter.

The reason for choosing Lu Xiaofeng is quite simple: among the people he knows,

Only Lu Xiaofeng's unparalleled and wondrous lightness skill, "Phoenix Dance in the Nine Heavens," truly embodies this.

That's how he managed to fake his death under the wrath of the Seven Children.

If it were someone else, they might easily fall for it and it would be a very bad situation.

To ensure the smooth running of this event, he specifically reduced the number of guests for this birthday banquet, and did not hold a lavish celebration as usual.

This is to prevent unscrupulous individuals from infiltrating the group and causing unnecessary trouble.

Now that they know the Iron-Shoes Thief is alive, the plan can be abandoned.

After all, acting can't compare to the satisfaction of real revenge. The thought of Hua Manlou's blindness made him want to tear the Iron Shoe Bandit to pieces.

However, there is now a tricky problem: the world is so big, where can we find this damned Iron Shoe Thief!

Suddenly, Hua Ruling's gaze fell on Shan Tianxie, and her eyes lit up.

"Young Master Shan, since Bliss Valley knows that the Iron-Shoe Bandit is still alive, you should also know where he is hiding, right?"

"Senior Hua, you're putting me in a difficult position."

Dan Tianxie frowned slightly, looking troubled, and deliberately dragged out his words.

"Public matters are public, and private matters are private. If these valley secrets are leaked carelessly and spread, it could cause serious trouble. This is a difficult matter..."

"Understood! I certainly won't make things difficult for Young Master Shan."

Hua Ruling understood immediately, a faint smile appearing on her lips, before she spoke softly.

"Ten thousand taels of silver! Just for the whereabouts of the Iron-Shoe Bandit! Surely this won't put Young Master Shan in a difficult position."

As the head of the Hua family, Hua Ruling has weathered many storms and met countless people throughout her life.

How could Shan Tianxie's little schemes escape his discerning eyes?

However, in his view, this was a straightforward solution. As long as something could be solved with money, it wouldn't be a problem for the Hua family.

"light and spacious!"

Dan Tianxie gave a thumbs-up without hesitation in praising him.

This behavior left Lu Xiaofeng, who was standing nearby, somewhat amused and exasperated.

This guy is great in every way, except he has a strange obsession with gold and silver.

"Senior Hua, there's no need to worry. In a couple of days, the Iron-Shoe Bandit will come to us on his own."

Dan Tianxie was in high spirits after getting 100,000 taels of silver for free, and said confidently.

"Oh?"

Hua Ruling looked puzzled and couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean by that, Young Master Shan?"

While 100,000 taels of silver isn't a huge sum, the information shouldn't be so ambiguous.

Dan Tianxie calmly prompted, "Senior Hua, why don't you calm down and think carefully about what you used to lure out the Iron Shoe Thief back then?"

"Young Master Shan is referring to... the Jade Buddha of the Vast Ocean?"

Upon hearing this, a flash of inspiration struck Hua Ruling like lightning, and she said somewhat uncertainly.

"good."

Dan Tianxie nodded heavily, "It is indeed the Jade Buddha of the Vast Ocean!"

"Senior Hua, Young Master Shan, please wait a moment."

Unable to contain his curiosity, Lu Xiaofeng asked, "What is the Jade Buddha of the Vast Ocean?"

Just from the name, you can tell this thing is a priceless treasure.

"The Jade Buddha of the Vast Ocean is a secret treasure of the Vast Ocean Kingdom, a small border country."

As Hua Ruling finished speaking, she seemed to remember something else and then added something else.

"Its status in the Han Hai Kingdom is comparable to that of the Imperial Seal of the State. As long as a prince of the Han Hai Kingdom obtains the jade Buddha, he can rightfully ascend the throne as king."

"Back then, when the new king of the Han Hai Kingdom first ascended the throne, he was filled with anxiety, fearing that his princes would fight each other and kill one another in order to seize the throne."

After careful consideration, I entrusted this crucial jade Buddha to the Hua family!

And they agreed that he would only retrieve it after he had determined who would inherit the throne!

Hua Ruling paused briefly before continuing.

"In order to properly preserve this priceless treasure, the king specially invited Zhu Ting, the renowned master craftsman in the martial arts world, to build a secret chamber with numerous mechanisms and no airtight doors at the Hua family's residence."

Moreover, the method to open this secret room is mysterious and unpredictable; even I do not know it.

Back then, it was precisely after this news was released that the Iron-Shoeed Thief couldn't hold back any longer and showed himself!

"Not bad!"

A faint smile appeared on Shan Tianxie's lips as he continued.

"After one of the Iron Shoes Thieves died, the other did not give up. Instead, he chose to go into hiding and lie in wait for another opportunity."

"As far as I know, this man raised his daughter to adulthood and then made her the queen of one of the princes of the Han Hai Kingdom."

Now, as long as he helps that prince ascend the throne smoothly, he can naturally take the high position of the king's father-in-law, and from then on, he can rule the entire Han Hai Kingdom with absolute power and dominance. Wouldn't that be wonderful...?

"Therefore, this person will definitely steal that Jade Buddha of the Vast Ocean again, and may already be on his way."

Hua Ruling's face darkened, her hands unconsciously clenched into fists, and she gritted her teeth, saying, "If that's really the case, then that would be perfect!"

"The secret room designed by Zhu Ting?"

After learning the whole story, Lu Xiaofeng looked thoughtful.