Chapter 1704: Chapter 982: Rongcheng’s Extremely Fierce Tiger, Jiangbei Twin Stars
Yang Xiao’s revelation made the Mu girl giggle non-stop. Obviously, her relationship with Qu Muzhi was not ordinary, and Yang Xiao even suspected that this girl was the daughter of the so-called big shot.
No, according to seniority, she should be the granddaughter. Qu Muzhi is really marrying a rich and beautiful woman and reaching the pinnacle of life. Yang Xiao was genuinely happy for his good brother, grinding his teeth in celebration.
"Miss Mu, we’re all so familiar already, can you tell me your name?" Yang Xiao asked.
"Mu Yunshu," the girl replied.
Yang Xiao clapped his hands abruptly, "Good! A great name! Watching the flowers bloom and fall in the courtyard leisurely, the clouds roll and spread casually beyond the skies. It sounds like someone from a scholarly family, the clouds calmly stretching, a broad and composed mind, a person’s name matches their personality!"
"Is it really nice?" The girl widened her eyes, seemingly curious.
"It’s nice, really nice!" Yang Xiao said with a face full of honesty, absolutely not trying to flatter but speaking sincerely.
"Oh, what a pity, I made it up casually." The girl shook her head helplessly.
Yang Xiao: "...You’re really a tease."
"Alright, no more chatting, I should return." The girl turned around, waved her hand, and left directly, her steps light and obviously in a good mood.
At night, Yang Xiao lay tossing and turning in bed alone. Among his best friends in the official circles of Rongcheng were Fu Qingzhu and Qu Muzhi. Now, Qu Muzhi had gone to a high position in the General Bureau, becoming a personal aide to a big shot, with an unlimited future.
Fu Qingzhu was also doing very well, currently the vice president of the Rongcheng Apostles’ Union, but in reality, he had taken over all the power, sidelining the president sent from above.
And last time, Director Nalan also told him some good news. Fu Qingzhu had smoothly taken the position of a specialist in the Three-party Action Bureau, now truly in high spirits. After Yang Xiao and Qu Muzhi left, Fu Qingzhu was the de facto number one among the young generation in Rongcheng, a much-sought-after rising star.
Everyone also guessed that Chi Dan’s background wasn’t small, but on the surface, she was just the secretary-general of the Chamber of Commerce, still at a distance from practical power leaders like Fu Qingzhu.
Thinking of this, Yang Xiao couldn’t help but feel a bit dazed. In just a few years, the three brothers had all made their mark.
The next morning, Yang Xiao and Mu Yunshu were taken by a servant of the Jiu Mountain Family to have breakfast. The breakfast was in a room with a great view, with both front and back doors open, allowing them to dine while enjoying the scenery of the courtyard.
Several deer leisurely grazed in the courtyard, eating the vegetation on the ground, occasionally lifting their heads to glance at the people in the room.
"Mr. Yang Xiao, please don’t blame my younger sister for yesterday’s abruptness. You may not know, but my sister had some connections with Hei Mu Zhenyi’s father, Heimu Lian Tailang, in their younger days. The Heimu family has always shown her respect." Jiushan Cangxuan raised a teacup, apologizing with tea instead of wine for Jiu Shan Jinglan’s abruptness the day before.
"The family head is too serious, please!" Yang Xiao drank his tea to show respect before speaking.
As soon as these words were spoken, Yang Xiao understood what was going on. Ordinary connections wouldn’t plead for the Heimu family at such a critical moment; it’s likely the two had a past relationship when they were young.
If that’s the case, the president of the Black Wood Society who died in the country was still the junior of Jiu Shan Jinglan.
But Yang Xiao dealt with the matter, not with the person. No matter who pleaded, it wouldn’t erase the vile act of the Black Wood Society’s raid on Ru Lin Academy.
Moreover, Yang Xiao also knew that even if he agreed, it would be of no use. The old Dean Yang Qianhe was still fuming, and no one could persuade him, not to mention the Ming Emperor Ye Xiao. Going there wouldn’t be called pleading; it would be seeking his own doom.
After breakfast, Jiushan Cangxuan left. As the family head, he had a busy schedule with many matters requiring his nod at home.
Todays’ itinerary for Yang Xiao and his group was jam-packed. They were first arranged to visit the exhibition hall of the Jiu Mountain Family, followed by some famous cultural sites, tasting local specialties, and finally visiting a primary school to interact with teachers and students to enhance the friendship between the people of the two countries.
The whole day’s activities wore Yang Xiao out. He used to be engaged in fighting and killing jobs, but upon reaching the primary school, there was no escape from the teachers’ and students’ enthusiasm. Yang Xiao sang three Chinese songs with the students, each arm holding a child while he sang.
The students adored this guest from a foreign land, and Mu Yunshu played the background role throughout, diligently doing her job.
This primary school was a Japanese-Chinese dual-language institution where teachers and students could speak some Chinese, with some teachers hired from the domestic front.
It was evident that the people here generally had a good impression of the home country. Children’s happiness cannot be faked, and Yang Xiao felt comfortable staying there, although answering some children’s questions made his head spin. He had answered more than five times within an hour whether he had seen Ultraman Tiga in the country.
After a whole day of hustle and bustle, as dusk fell, the car carrying Yang Xiao and the others returned to the Jiushan family’s mansion halfway up the mountain. Yang Xiao reached into his pocket, which was filled with candies, cheese sticks, and small biscuits the children had given him, almost filling both pockets.
"You seem to like children a lot," Mu Yunshu, sitting next to Yang Xiao, asked.
"I didn’t use to like them much, but... children are the hope." Yang Xiao almost collapsed in his seat, more exhausted than fighting against Evil Cultivators.
Getting out of the car and walking into the Jiushan family’s gate, before taking a few steps, he saw a figure in the dark walking towards him quickly, seemingly holding a weapon.
"Stop! Extremely Fierce Tiger Yang Xiao, I challenge you!" A short-haired girl holding a longbow blocked Yang Xiao and his group’s path with great momentum, shouting in Chinese with a strong Japanese accent.
"What the hell?" Yang Xiao didn’t catch it at first, but he could fully sense the fighting spirit in the other’s eyes. "Who are you?"
"Ghost Eye One Slash, Jiu Shan Sha Yue." The girl grasped her longbow, her face serious.
"Wait, is that one person or two?" Yang Xiao looked around and saw another person standing under a lantern not far away.
Quickly, the commotion attracted the elders of the Jiu Mountain Family, and Jiu Shan Cangxuan and others hurried over, while nearby a lot of family members also came to watch the spectacle.
After understanding the matter’s origin, Jiu Shan Cangxuan’s face immediately darkened a bit, and he sternly said, "Yuezi, you are too presumptuous. Mr. Yang Xiao is a guest of our Jiu Mountain Family. You should apologize to Mr. Yang Xiao!"
"Master Yang Xiao, please accept my challenge, I beg of you!" The girl named Jiu Shan Sha Yue kneeled in front of Yang Xiao, skillfully took out a short knife wrapped in white cloth from her waist, held it with both hands and extended it forward, sounding bright, "If I am defeated by the hands of the Extremely Fierce Tiger Master Yang Xiao, I am willing to cut off a finger as an apology!"
With these words, Yang Xiao instantly sensed the tense atmosphere around him, the onlookers gasped in unison, especially the family head Jiu Shan Cangxuan, whose face was dark enough to drip water.
"What’s going on?" Yang Xiao whispered, inquiring the Mu Yunshu following behind him.
The latter seemed to have taken a long time to come to his senses and finally spoke, "You’re in trouble now. This girl has issued a challenge to you. This kind of behavior is very serious within Japanese families. Once initiated, if the challenged does not accept, they will be looked down upon by everyone."
"So I can’t refuse, right?" Yang Xiao confirmed again.
"You can refuse, but you have to take the knife, and cutting off a little finger is considered admitting defeat." Mu Yun Shu didn’t expect this to happen either. If not handled well, it could affect both parties’ relations.
She could tell this definitely wasn’t arranged intentionally by the Jiu Mountain Family; it was completely an accident—the girl was too reckless.
Now the reason for the challenge was no longer important; what was important was how to respond next. Before Mu Yun Shu could think of a solution, Yang Xiao smiled and stepped forward, taking the short knife from the girl’s hands and saying in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, "I, Yang Xiao, accept your challenge."
On hearing this, the girl’s face lit up with joy; she paid her respects to Yang Xiao again, then stood up, stepped back two paces, eagerly looking at Yang Xiao.
"Everyone spread out." At this point, the family head Jiu Shan Cangxuan couldn’t say much more, only hoping and praying that both of them show some restraint and don’t seriously injure anyone.
Those who came with Jiu Shan Cangxuan looked extremely uncomfortable, as the duel would pick a winner, and regardless of who won or lost, it would not be easy to end the matter today. Since Jiu Shan Sha Yue took the initiative for this challenge, she had to cut off a finger to apologize if defeated, but if Yang Xiao lost, it would be like trampling the face of the Patrol General Bureau.
"Before we start, I have a question—earlier, you called me Extremely Fierce Tiger... what does that mean?" Yang Xiao asked confusedly.
"Rongcheng Extremely Fierce Tiger, Jiangbei Twin Stars—I know your reputation." The girl named Jiu Shan Sha Yue nodded seriously at Yang Xiao.
Yang Xiao felt a headache, thinking he couldn’t communicate with this girl at all. He turned to Mu Yun Shu for help, who promptly translated, "Japanese have a habit of giving nicknames; they give themselves nicknames and have nicknames for some known experts domestically, including you. Your nickname is Rongcheng Extremely Fierce Tiger."
"It means you are fierce, ruthless, and aggressive, with no mercy once you act, killing without hesitation," Mu Yun Shu quickly explained due to time constraints.
Yang Xiao roughly understood; Extremely Fierce Tiger was himself, and the earlier Ghost Eye One Slash was the nickname the girl gave herself.
"That’s freakin’ cringey..." Yang Xiao nearly couldn’t stand these guys. The nickname belonged to the kind that felt embarrassing just reading it.
"Now I get the Rongcheng Extremely Fierce Tiger, what does Jiangbei Twin Stars mean?" Yang Xiao reasonably speculated, "I should be one of them, who’s the other one? My buddy Qu Muzhi?"
Yang Xiao thought it was very likely him since both were famous figures in Rongcheng, and Qu Muzhi was a Deputy Director back then, on the same level as him. The name Demon Rakshasa was enough to make evil cultivators tremble.
But this time, he guessed wrong. Mu Yun Shu shook her head lightly, "It’s not him, it’s someone else, Third Young Master Han of the Han Family, Han Li."
"It’s him!" Yang Xiao had heard of this person, known in Jiangbei Province, though their activity areas differ, Yang Xiao hasn’t seen this guy yet.
It’s said that this guy is also a Ghost-level Apostle; these years, the evil cultivators killed by him are almost as many as those by Yang Xiao. He’s made great achievements, backed by the big tree of the Han Family, making him even more unstoppable—the Han Family was well established throughout Jiangbei Province with deep roots.
Yang Xiao actually wanted to know why the girl challenged him, but seeing the situation, he didn’t have time to ask. He decided to ask after the duel.
However, judging by the look in the girl’s eyes, she was full of anger and determined to fight him to the end, desperately hoping for victory, although Yang Xiao confirmed it was his first encounter with this girl.
"Extremely Fierce Tiger Yang Xiao, are you ready?" The girl asked very seriously.
"Chotto matte! Arigato." Yang Xiao gestured to wait, using the few Japanese phrases he knew, then took a step back, got closer to Mu Yun Shu, and whispered, "What result do you want? Beat her, make her yield, or... cripple her?"
"This girl is not simple; don’t underestimate her, but whatever happens, you absolutely cannot lose." Mu Yun Shu instructed.
"Alright, I’ll try my best." Yang Xiao also decided to teach the naive junior of the Jiu Mountain Family a lesson.
"If you lose, you can just fly back by yourself." Mu Yun Shu mercilessly threatened, "Direct flight to Rongcheng."
