Chapter 100: Enemies Are Fated to Meet (5)

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Kong Sheng smiled, his feet silently sliding another step closer: "You and I are fighting here, surely the commotion will not go unnoticed—it will certainly alarm the commander of the government troops, won't it? If the Yangzhou Military Headquarters intervenes, how will you account for yourself, Young Master Li?"

Li Xuan's entire body suddenly stiffened, his clear eyes filled with shock: "The Yangzhou Military Headquarters has troops stationed here?"

"Indeed. The Southern Camp of the Yangzhou Military Headquarters is here—did Young Master Li not investigate thoroughly before coming?" Kong Sheng burst into wild laughter, while a hint of resolve suddenly flared in his eyes. In a flash of lightning, his body shot forward. In a manner no ordinary person could have imagined, he expelled a breath, crouched low, and wrapped his arms around Li Xuan's slim, slender frame, then, together with his arms, locked tightly around his waist. No matter how frantically Li Xuan struggled, it was all to no avail.

Wu Xian and Wu Jie, the two brothers, stared in utter astonishment.

Even Mu Changfeng looked up in shock, frozen on the spot for a moment.

Ordinarily, given Li Xuan's martial skill and agility, Kong Sheng subduing him would have been harder than climbing to heaven. But Kong Sheng's move was too sudden, too fast—no one had time to react, and of course no one imagined he would resort to such a nearly street-rogue method of fighting.

As for Li Xuan, he had been entirely focused on trading verbal barbs with Kong Sheng, utterly unaware that danger was descending in that very instant.

Li Xuan was caught completely off guard. By the time he realized something was wrong and began to struggle desperately, Kong Sheng's iron-band-like arms had already locked firmly around his body, a tremendous force pressing down on him, leaving him unable to move even an inch.

Kong Sheng's strength was simply too great. One show of force conquers a hundred techniques—no matter how many tricks and moves, no matter how swift one's reflexes, all are reduced to nothing before absolute power.

Li Xuan's face changed drastically, and he roared in fury. Feeling his arms immobile, he began kicking violently backward with both feet, but Kong Sheng had already anticipated this. With a low grunt, he hoisted Li Xuan up by the waist, letting his legs kick helplessly in midair.

Because they were locked so tightly together, their bodies pressed against each other without the slightest gap. Li Xuan's waist and hips were "indistinguishable" from Kong Sheng's midsection. In Kong Sheng's powerful "embrace," Li Xuan's slender waist and full, upturned rear finally confirmed Kong Sheng's earlier suspicion—this was, after all, a young lady disguised as a man.

On Li Xuan's handsome face, rage, shame, fluster, and bewilderment surged forth almost simultaneously, then intertwined into a deep crimson flush. A sharp, high-pitched shout of anger echoed through the hall.

The several attendants standing at the door under Li Xuan's command were greatly alarmed. They rushed in, drawing gleaming blades, surrounding Kong Sheng and his companions, and bellowing curses: "Vile scoundrel, release our young master at once!"

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Mu Changfeng took a deep breath. With a clang, he drew his sword, the blade pressing directly against Li Xuan's throat, and roared: "All of you, stand back, or I'll run him through with one thrust!"

Li Xuan, held fast by Kong Sheng, had a face that had turned from red to purple from sheer humiliation and rage. His emotions overwhelming him, his breathing grew rapid, his vision darkened, and he nearly fainted on the spot.

This was from fury, from shame, and from utter turmoil.

"Tell them to withdraw, or I will strip your clothes off..." Kong Sheng lowered his head slightly, his soft words drifting into Li Xuan's ear. As he spoke, the faint warmth of his breath brushed past Li Xuan's ear lobe, "I mean what I say—I am not joking with you."

"You! You lecherous villain!" Li Xuan's body trembled. His delicate earlobes and fair, snowy neck flushed crimson and burned hot in an instant. And with his violent, heaving breaths, the exquisite, graceful figure hidden beneath his long robe finally revealed the faintest hint of its existence.

"Consider me a lecherous villain then." Kong Sheng sneered, his voice suddenly rising to an extreme pitch: "Tell them to withdraw at once!"

"You... with... withdraw." Li Xuan's voice was hoarse and weak. The brief struggle had drained much of his strength, and he panted lightly.

The several attendants hesitated for a moment but ultimately dared not defy their master's order. Glaring with murderous intent, they slowly backed out of the inn—but they blocked the entrance completely.

Mu Changfeng darted out in a single stride, surveyed the surroundings, and his face fell. He silently thanked his luck. By now, over a hundred of Li Xuan's fully armed attendants had surrounded the entire inn in an impregnable ring. Besides nearly a hundred menacing swordsmen holding their ground, there were also dozens of stern-faced archers waiting in formation. Had Kong Sheng not suddenly struck and seized Li Xuan on the spot, the four of them would have been riddled with arrows like hedgehogs the moment they stepped outside.

"Sir, the inn is sealed off. There are archers—it will be very difficult for us to break out." Mu Changfeng darted back into the hall and lowered his voice.

Kong Sheng smiled, but his grip did not loosen: "Brother Mu, be patient. With Young Master Li in our hands, those men outside dare not act rashly."

"Wu Xian, Wu Jie—close the door tight!"

Wu Xian and Wu Jie hurriedly shut the inn's main door, leaving the fierce attendants outside to shout curses, clash their blades, and twang their bowstrings.

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Seemingly aware that resistance was futile, Li Xuan simply gave up struggling. His body relaxed, then went rigid instead. Clenching his teeth so hard that he bit his red lips bloody, he said through gritted teeth, word by word: "Kong Sheng, release me, and I will spare your lives. Otherwise, I will have you chopped to pieces—a thousand cuts, ten thousand slices!"

Kong Sheng knew that Li Xuan must hate him to the utmost, but at this critical juncture of life and death, he would neither soften his heart because the other was a disguised woman, nor yield an inch to her veiled threats.

"Believe me—if I die, I will most certainly drag you down with me. I have nothing to fear. But a noble personage such as yourself—would you truly be willing to be buried alongside me?"

Kong Sheng chuckled softly, lowered his head to Li Xuan's ear, and his voice became as faint as a mosquito's hum: "Young lady, I hate being threatened more than anything in this life. If you dare spout another word of nonsense, I will strip you bare and throw you out! I mean every word—if you don't believe me, just try it!"

Kong Sheng's voice seemed to carry a hint of teasing, but in reality it was icy and grave, devoid of any warmth.

Li Xuan suddenly raised his head, but only a wordless roar escaped his throat. His face shifted between pale and flushed. Trembling with fury, his entire body quaked in rage.

In another corner, Zhong Wuniang's alluring face had turned ashen. Her delicate body shivered uncontrollably as she collapsed to the ground, her back against the cold wall, staring in terror at the scene before her, her mind a complete blank.

As for Zhong Ma, he was even worse off. He crouched in the corner with his head in his hands, his crotch utterly soaked—he had apparently wet himself in fright at some point.

As for the inn's female proprietor and her staff—when had they ever witnessed such an ordeal? Watching these people brandish swords and blades, about to slaughter each other and turn their little inn into a battlefield—how could they not be terrified and panicked?