The Martial Arts World is Full of Experts Chapter 9

36

That masked giant was finally satisfied.

He raised his hand to seal Zhang Xiaoyuan's acupoints. Zhang Xiaoyuan naturally followed Lu Zhaoming's example, pressing the corresponding acupoints in his own waist. He feigned unconsciousness, only closing his eyes slightly and remaining alert.

The masked giant kicked Lu Zhaoming, who had fallen in front of the sedan chair, and dragged Zhang Xiaoyuan out.

Despite being unhappy that Eldest Senior Brother deceived him into cross-dressing, Zhang Xiaoyuan found the kick too harsh. He felt a bit angry but couldn't react. The masked giant carried him on his shoulder like a sack, making him uncomfortable. Unable to resist, he sneakily glanced backward, wanting to check if Lu Zhaoming and the others were injured.

The constables lay on the ground, playing dead. Even Pidun, with his tongue sticking out, lay unconscious at Wen Tingting's feet.

Zhang Xiaoyuan couldn't help but sigh.

Truly a well-trained military dog, even its acting of playing dead was so convincing!

The masked giant took a few steps, handed him over to another person, who couldn't help but curse, "Damn, why is this girl so heavy!"

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

Heavy? Who said he was heavy?!

He, at least, was someone who practiced martial arts, exercising daily and maintaining a perfect weight with no excess fat.

Calling himself heavy! Why should anyone say he was heavy!

"Stop the damn nonsense," cursed the masked giant. "Get yourself together and leave quickly!"

After saying that, unexpectedly, he reached out and touched Zhang Xiaoyuan's chest, also cursing, "Flat, so damn flat and still so heavy."

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

Countless profanities flashed through Zhang Xiaoyuan's mind. He wished he could chop off these people's hands right now.

His rage unleashed a sudden eruption of his peculiar ability. In an instant, a line of words appeared above almost everyone present.

「When can I move!」

「Why haven't they left? My legs are numb and can't hold up anymore, aah!」

「I sneakily move my foot. No one should have seen me.」

「This face mask is suffocating. I don't want to wear it.」

「Woof woof woof woof woof.」

And most eye-catching was the rapidly passing lines of text above Wen Tingting's head.

「Hahahahaha, flat hahahahaha, luckily I backed out of this thing hahahahaha, so funny hahahaha, hic.」

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

He decided that after returning to the county office, he would challenge Wen Tingting to a duel.

The person carrying him took two steps, suddenly stopped, turned around, and said, "Big Brother, that accompanying maid—"

The large words above Wen Tingting's head disappeared in an instant.

Wen Tingting: "......"

"—Looks pretty good."

37

Wen Tingting was also carried up.

They were facing each other, one sneakily opening their eyes a bit to look at the other. Wen Tingting parted her lips, using lip-reading to converse with Zhang Xiaoyuan.

Zhang Xiaoyuan, of course, couldn't understand lip-reading.

But he could understand the words above Wen Tingting's head.

「What should we do? Is your senior brother reliable?」

Zhang Xiaoyuan remembered Hua Liuque's broken leg and then felt the position of the masked man's hands when he was carrying him.

He also parted his lips, attempting to communicate with Wen Tingting through lip-reading.

「I think their hands are gone.」

......

Zhang Xiaoyuan glanced at it and saw words like "Borrowed the wife for a while, return after use." It was crude and unpleasant. Still, it hinted at the likely fate of the abducted girls – probably not promising.

They, relying on their strong martial arts skills, carried Zhang Xiaoyuan and Wen Tingting through the wild forests and mountains. Zhang Xiaoyuan initially wanted to memorize the route, but every part of the wild woods looked the same, making it impossible for him to remember. However, he noticed Wen Tingting half-closing her eyes, subtly mouthed, 「Don't panic. Pidun is here.」

How could Zhang Xiaoyuan not panic?

His martial arts skills were not exceptional, and Wen Tingting was not a martial artist from the martial arts world. He had never bothered to check her ranking on her head. These bandits were numerous, and there must be some members guarding their hideout. The constables' skills were mostly average. Could they really subdue all the criminals relying solely on Eldest Senior Brother?

......

After who knows how long, the masked men threw the "unconscious" Zhang Xiaoyuan and Wen Tingting into a cave, locking them inside a large wooden cage.

Zhang Xiaoyuan didn't dare to open his eyes. He only heard the frightened, suppressed breaths of women, probably the young girls they had captured. When the footsteps moved away, someone approached, checking their breathing, gently nudging Zhang Xiaoyuan and Wen Tingting. "Wake up."

Wen Tingting directly told them, "Don't be afraid. We're here to rescue you."

Obviously, no one believed her.

"You're locked in here too," one person said dejectedly, "yet you're talking about rescuing people."

Zhang Xiaoyuan cleared his throat. Not wanting to reveal his identity, he deliberately thinned his voice as he spoke, "Don't be afraid. We're from the county office."

Wen Tingting: "Pfft..."

Zhang Xiaoyuan gave her an angry look.

......

Wen Tingting spoke for a long time before they finally believed her words.

With their guard slightly relaxed, Zhang Xiaoyuan saw words appearing above their heads one after another.

......

Throughout, Zhang Xiaoyuan only saw the word "reward" filling his vision.

If he and Senior Brother could rescue everyone—

He turned his head, looked at the young women, and assured them, patting his chest.

"Don't worry," Zhang Xiaoyuan said, "My senior brother and I will definitely get you out."

The people were deeply moved, constantly expressing gratitude. One person even held Zhang Xiaoyuan's hand, eyes welling with tears.

"Thank you, heroine," she said with a trembling voice. "We've waited so long, and finally, someone has come to rescue us."

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

He... Heroine?

Wen Tingting suppressed a laugh. "We're all sisters. No need to be so formal!"

The young woman vigorously nodded at Zhang Xiaoyuan.

"Thank you, Little Sister," she said emotionally. "Little Sister, you've worked hard all the way."

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

He decided to assassinate Wen Tingting when they returned!

39

Lu Zhaoming followed all the way.

His tracking skills were already strong, and with Pidun by his side, he easily kept up with the kidnappers.

The cave split after a short distance from the entrance. One path led to the "cells" where the captured girls were held, and the other to the temporary dwelling of the bandits.

As Lu Zhaoming slipped into the cave, he saw several bandits heading towards the "cells."

He hid behind a rock. Pidun had gone back to guide the constables, but Lu Zhaoming couldn't wait. Worried about potential accidents with the passage of time and concerned about Zhang Xiaoyuan's safety, he followed the bandits and took down a few from behind.

Hearing the commotion, Zhang Xiaoyuan approached the wooden cage. Seeing Lu Zhaoming approaching with a drawn sword, he couldn't help but feel excited, involuntarily calling out, "Eldest Senior Brother!"

His voice was hushed to avoid alarming other bandits, but in his excitement, he seemed to forget to suppress his own voice.

Several girls had already cast strange glances at him, which he didn't notice. Still gripping the cage door with its thick iron chain and large lock, he spoke to Lu Zhaoming, "Eldest Senior Brother, the key should be with another bandit—"

Lu Zhaoming: "Step back."

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "Huh?"

He instinctively stepped back. Lu Zhaoming unsheathed his sword to slice through the thick iron chain on the wooden door.

Wen Tingting praised, "Cuts through iron like mud. This is indeed a good sword."

Lu Zhaoming's scabbard was tattered, and the sword fittings had faded. From its appearance, one could never tell it was so sharp. He pulled open the wooden door and casually mentioned, "After all, it was Master's personal belonging."

A sword favored by experts like Wang Henian, of course, was a weapon for cutting through metal like butter.

Zhang Xiaoyuan couldn't hold back from remarking, "Eldest Senior Brother, last night, you threw the sword into the well..."

The scabbard's outer shell being in such a state was probably due to Elder Senior Brother's usual lack of care!

Lu Zhaoming glanced at him, seemingly too lazy to respond, and said, "Come out, let's go."

"Wait..." one of the rescued girls looked at Zhang Xiaoyuan, puzzled, "Little Sister... you... you are..."

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "Huh?"

"...a boy?"

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

40

Zhang Xiaoyuan, wearing a forced smile, said, "This... this is a long story. Let's escape first and talk later!"

"Escape?" Someone outside the cave passage laughed softly. "Now that you're here, how can I let you leave so easily?"

Lu Zhaoming turned his sword towards her, looking extremely cautious. Unable to resist, Wen Tingting asked, "Who are you?"

The woman pulled a long whip from her waist. "You're about to die soon. Does it matter who I am?"

DING.

133rd and 117th, plus many other miscellaneous small fry.

These were definitely opponents not easily dealt with.

Nervously, Zhang Xiaoyuan tugged at Lu Zhaoming's sleeve and whispered, "Eldest Senior Brother, these two are the male and female thieves duo, Cong Tian and Zhou Youyi, from Mobei—"

Lu Zhaoming: "Who?"

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

Zhang Xiaoyuan realized.

Although Lu Zhaoming was his senior brother, in terms of knowledge about the martial arts world, what Lu Zhaoming knew wasn't necessarily more than him.

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Xiaoyuan quickly informed Lu Zhaoming, "Cong Tian is skilled with the whip, and Zhou Youyi uses a large ringed knife. Both rank within the top 150 in martial arts world. In terms of weaponry, they balance between rigid and soft, making it challenging for someone using a sword."

In this perilous situation, he couldn't help but feel a bit panicked.

"Little Brother has a broad view. Just by looking at my whip, you can tell who I am," Cong Tian sneered. "But I see you two martial brothers, one pretending to be the bride, and the other..."

She paused slightly, her gaze sweeping over Lu Zhaoming, and then continued, "If I tie the two of you up and hang you on the city wall, I wonder if your master would feel embarrassed."

Being poked at the sore spot of being forced into women's clothing, Zhang Xiaoyuan couldn't help but curse, "Mind your own damn business!"

Wen Tingting nodded vigorously, joining in the curse, "Yeah, their master doesn't care, why should you!"

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

Wait, Zhang Xiaoyuan felt that Wen Tingting's statement was very wrong.

Cong Tian was momentarily puzzled. "Their master doesn't care?"

Zhou Youyi: "Looks like there's some love between them?"

Cong Tian sneered coldly, "What a big joke. I've never been able to stand seeing lovers live happily ever after. Now, I really want to flay you alive, one strip at a time—"

What lovers? Zhang Xiaoyuan felt like crying.

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "You've really misunderstood."

Lu Zhaoming, who had been silent all along, finally spoke.

"Feel free to give it a try." Lu Zhaoming's gaze was icy. "See who'll be the one flayed alive later."