Chapter 26: Something Is Wrong
Bang!
The sudden sound of a door being kicked interrupted the festive wedding banquet. The bride and groom, who were about to bow to the Heavens and Earth, froze.
All the guests looked outside in confusion.1
What was going on?
The Li family was a big family in Xiangxi Town. They were highly respected and adored by the masses. Who would come to stir up trouble at this time?
Cui Heng also turned around to look.
"Aiyo, this is really a joyous occasion!"
At this moment, there was a cold shout from outside.
He saw a middle-aged man, who was not more than five feet tall, wearing a flowery cloth shirt and had a long face with monkey-like cheeks, walk in with a swagger. Behind him were three burly men.1
"Lord Li, why didn't you invite us to such a lively wedding banquet?" This guy didn't treat himself as an outsider at all. He actually casually picked up a wine pot from the dining table and poured it into his mouth, then—
Pa!
He suddenly smashed the wine pot onto the ground, shattering it into pieces. He raised his head slightly and looked at an old man sitting in the wedding hall with a mocking gaze. He coldly snorted, "What do you mean, Old Li? Are you looking down on us?"1
He was obviously here to cause trouble!
"Monkey Three? What is he doing here?"
"He even dares to cause a ruckus at Lord Li's family's wedding banquet. He must be crazy!"
"Where did this loser recruit so many helpers from?"
It was clear that this person's reputation in Xiangxi Town was not small. As soon as they arrived, many guests began to whisper among themselves.
Cui Heng lowered his voice and asked a guest by his side, "Who is this person? Why is he so arrogant?"
"This Young Master is…" The guest didn't know Cui Heng, and he was just about to ask when he was stunned by Cui Heng's handsome appearance and said in a low voice, "Young Master is obviously not an ordinary person, but don't offend that scoundrel."
"This person's surname is Hou. His parents died when he was three years old. He had no upbringing and had no name. He grew up as a beggar gangster in the marketplace. Later on, he got the nickname 'Monkey Three'. Usually, he likes to ruin other people's business to extort money.1
"Poor Old Master Li. Nothing good will come out of being pestered by this scoundrel! Hmph, it's still because Old Master Li didn't learn his ancestor's sword art. Otherwise, even if this tramp had 18 guts, he wouldn't dare to come and cause trouble!"1
What was causing trouble?
It was about crying at wedding banquets, making jokes at funerals, scattering joss paper during the opening of shops, and so on.
It was not something that a human could do.
This Monkey Three did everything!
It was to extort money.
If you don't pay, I'll go and make a scene!
It didn't matter even if he was beaten up. As long as he didn't die, he would continue extorting money.2
Monkey Three relied on this to survive.
Later on, he even used Juhe County's dojo to curry favor with the Iron Spear Sect, becoming a lackey of an Iron Spear Sect disciple.
No one wanted to provoke him even more.
Thus, most of the families in Xiangxi Town would send some money to Monkey Three before they organized important events.
This was to prevent him from causing trouble.
"Monkey Three, what are you doing?!" The Old Master of the Li family in the wedding hall could not sit still anymore. He stood up, pointed at Monkey Three, and roared, "Didn't I give you 500 taels of silver?!"
Hiss! Hiss!
The guests gasped.
500 taels!
Although the cloth industry in Xiangxi Town was flourishing, it was still a town after all. Many shops did not even earn 500 taels a year!
Monkey Three, this son of a b*tch, actually managed to get 500 taels from Old Master Li through extortion!
"Aren't you going to behave yourself after taking the money?" Old Master Li gritted his teeth and said.
He was at an old age, and he had only begot this son when he was almost 40 years old. Now, he was almost 60 years old and finally saw his son getting married. It could be said that one of his wishes had been fulfilled.
Initially, Old Master Li was sitting in the wedding hall and fantasizing about his grandson's life in the future. The more he thought about it, the more beautiful it felt. He didn't expect that the occasion would be ruined by Monkey Three.
"What 500 taels? F*ck you." Monkey Three smiled slyly. "You only gave a mere 500 taels. Give this daddy another 500, otherwise…"
Before he could finish speaking, he fell to his knees with a plop and started crying, "Oh my poor old mother! You died so tragically! Boohoo!"
He blew his nose as he cried, and his hands were shaking everywhere. His tears and snot were either thrown onto the guests' clothes or into the banquet's dishes.
This made all the guests look disgusted.
Wailing at a wedding banquet!
Then what were they here for? Were they all here for a funeral?
It was too disgusting!
Old Master Li was so angry that his whole body was trembling. He pointed at Monkey Three and was speechless.
Young Master Li Cheng, the groom, was even more furious.
He stepped forward and shielded the bride behind him. Pointing at Monkey Three, he roared, "Someone, come quickly! Beat him up! Beat him up!!"
The Li family was a big family in Xiangxi Town after all. They had dozens of servants.
As the eldest young master, Li Cheng called out and immediately, more than 20 servants rushed out and surrounded the wailing Monkey Three.
These servants were all holding sticks in their hands as they smashed towards Monkey Three.
But at this moment, the three strong men behind Monkey Three moved.
Their movements were extremely fast and their strength was extremely great. They actually managed to send the over 20 club wielding servants flying with a raise of their hands.
Thud! Thud!
More than 20 people were knocked unconscious and piled up together.
There was dead silence.
All of the guests were flabbergasted, and their faces were filled with disbelief.
Even Li Cheng, who had been roaring earlier, had his mouth agape as he watched this scene in disbelief.
Those were more than 20 robust servants that were holding clubs, and they were all good guards. Yet, they were actually beaten unconscious by these three burly men as if they were little chickens!
How was that possible!
At this moment, Monkey Three stopped crying and stood up. Not a single tear was left on his face.
He looked around and finally stopped at Li Cheng. He sneered and said, "What's wrong? You eggless thing, are you scared just like that? What a dog-like thing. Trash! Do you want me to help you f*ck your bride for you? Hahahaha!"
"What did you say?!" Li Cheng gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with anger. He wished he could kill Monkey Three right now.
The bride seemed a little afraid as she grabbed Li Cheng's clothes tightly from behind.
At this moment, Cui Heng was sizing up those three robust men, and he sensed a familiar aura from them.
Spiritual Energy!
"These three people have martial arts, and their characteristics are almost identical to the Qi Sensing realm of the Mortal Realm." Cui Heng thought to himself, "Could this place really be related to Pei Qingshu's world?
"But the country here is the Great Jin and not the Great Zhou. Or are there other countries? I still know too little about the situation in this world.
"Hmm, this Li family is a big local family. They often interact with foreign merchants, so they should be quite well-informed. I can ask them about the situation."
It was naturally not good to ask around for information for no reason, but now, there was an excuse.
Cui Heng looked at the arrogant Monkey Three.
Monkey Three had already ignored Li Cheng at this point.
At this moment, he focused his attention on the place where the congratulatory gifts were placed. With a sweep of his gaze, he saw a bright red and tender fruit.
It was the tomato given by Cui Heng.
"What kind of fruit is this? Why haven't I seen it before?"
Monkey Three picked up the tomato and gestured at Li Cheng and Old Master Li. Then, he threw it to the ground and turned it into a pile of mush.1
He pointed at the mush on the ground and laughed loudly at Li Cheng. "Look, look, doesn't it look like your wife's virgin stain? Hahahaha!"
"I'll kill you!"
Li Cheng roared and wanted to rush down, but the bride held him back.
"If you leave now, you can still live." Cui Heng spoke. Even if he didn't intend to inquire about the news with the Li Clan, he was disgusted by Monkey Three.
As soon as these words were spoken, the gazes of everyone instantly converged onto Cui Heng.
Instantly, the eyes of many people lit up.
What a handsome young man!1
They had never seen such a person with an otherworldly and handsome temperament in the small Xiangxi Town.
Monkey Three also looked at Cui Heng.1
After he saw Cui Heng's appearance clearly, his expression instantly became extremely gloomy, and he walked over slowly and said to Cui Heng who sat there, "Kid, stand up!"
Cui Heng remained seated steadily, unmoved, and didn't continue speaking.
"I hate pretty boys like you who like to act cool the most. Arrest him!" Monkey Three roared and ordered the three strong men.1
The three strong men immediately charged towards Cui Heng without a sound, one on the left and one behind. The third man was behind them, and he intended to grab Cui Heng and forcefully lift him up.
However, before their hands could even touch Cui Heng, they felt a strong rebound, making them feel like they had run into a galloping horse, and they were sent flying on the spot.1
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The three of them slammed heavily onto the ground, landing three meters away. They slid for another over ten meters before coming to a stop. However, they were unable to stand up. All of them rolled on the ground in pain and screamed out wretchedly.
Their hands were already mangled, and even the original shape could not be seen.
They were all rebounded by Cui Heng.
Of course, Cui Heng hadn't utilized the slightest bit of Dharmic powers, and he'd even restrained his protective Dharmic powers. He'd merely preserved the most basic layer of Qi barrier to avoid being touched.3
Otherwise, these three people would be turned into blood mist on the spot, not even dregs would remain.
At this moment, the surroundings were completely silent. One could hear a pin drop.
Monkey Three was clearly stunned from fear. He stood in place for a long time before gritting his teeth and saying, "This is a tough one. In this small Xiangxi Town, there is actually a first-rate expert who has mastered Inner Qi!"
With that said, he ran away, not even caring about the lives of the three burly men.1
When those three strong men saw Monkey Three run away, they also hurriedly endured the intense pain and crawled up, staggering as they also left.
At this moment, the wedding banquet suddenly erupted with noise.
Everyone looked at Cui Heng in shock.
This seemingly 18 or 19 year old youngster was actually a first-rate expert who had successfully cultivated Inner Qi!3
It was simply unbelievable!
The Li family wanted to come over to thank Cui Heng but were stopped by him. They had to finish the wedding first.
Such a joyous atmosphere could not be interrupted.
Otherwise, it would be detrimental to his cultivation!1
Cui Heng's attitude made the Li family even more grateful. When the bride and groom toasted him, they were extremely respectful.
Especially after learning that Cui Heng had come from outside, Old Master Li immediately invited him to stay here, saying that he would hold a private banquet to thank him after the wedding.
Cui Heng originally intended to obtain some information from the Li Clan, so he naturally wouldn't refuse such an invitation.
Hence, he stayed at the Li family home that night.
...
In the dead of night.
Cui Heng suddenly woke up from his meditative state, and then he looked outside. His eyes narrowed slightly as he said with a smile, "This is really interesting."
The next morning.
Monkey Three's corpse was placed at the Li family's main entrance. The county government laborers, who were usually very slow, had rushed over at an extremely fast speed and blocked all the exits of the Li family residence.
"Human lives are at stake! The Li family is suspected to be harboring a murderer. We are going in to search for the suspect and the murder weapon. No one is allowed to stop us!"