Yu Daohan watched the four figures emerge, his face expressionless but his mind already cursing.
Damn it, had he not checked the almanac before leaving home today? Why was he encountering all sorts of bad luck?
When the four saw Yu Daohan clearly, one of them spoke first, "Yo, isn't this Master Yu?"
Yu Daohan put on a smile, "So it's Master Li (Executioner Li)."
A large, plump man beside him scrutinized Yu Daohan for a few moments before speaking, "Is this the peerless prodigy, Young Master Yu, who is now famous in the martial world? He looks like a pretty boy."
Yu Daohan looked at the stout, well-fed胖子, then at the giant axe still dripping blood in his hand, and said, "It is rumored that among the Six Evils, one man wields a giant axe with divine skill. You must be Master Zhang, the Giant Axe Zhang, among the Six Evils."
Although Yu Daohan was annoyed, he dared not show it.
These four were all experts on the Heaven Ranking, any one of them could match him equally.
As the saying goes, a true man knows when to bend and when to stand tall; a wise man doesn't fight when the odds are against him.
Yu Daohan then looked at the man with a severed arm beside him, "One-armed Tong, Master Tong."
One-armed Tong nodded and said, "I knew it. Anyone who can withstand my five Life-Snatching Relics must be an expert with Heaven Ranking strength."
Yu Daohan looked at the last person, but the man's appearance was ordinary, with a common face and no distinguishing features. Yu Daohan couldn't quite place who this man was in the martial world.
Seeing Yu Daohan unable to speak, the man announced his name, "Laughing Madman Zhou Zuncheng!"
Hearing the name Laughing Madman Zhou Zuncheng, Yu Daohan could hardly believe it.
This guy was actually Laughing Madman Zhou Zuncheng.
Legend had it that Laughing Madman Zhou Zuncheng had killed countless people, laughing maniacally every time he killed. But this person before him bore no resemblance to the name Laughing Madman.
If you put him in a crowd, anyone would believe he was an ordinary person.
Although Yu Daohan thought this, he still respectfully called out, "So it's Master Zhou, my apologies."
Zhou Zuncheng grunted and nodded without speaking.
After Yu Daohan greeted them, an awkward silence fell upon the scene.
These four were all hired to solve problems, but in this situation, they didn't know whether to fight or not.
If they were to fight, Yu Daohan had respectfully greeted them, and he wasn't a disciple of any righteous sect, nor had he ever wronged them.
If they were not to fight, they had accepted payment and would be going against their professional integrity.
Yu Daohan was in a similar predicament, unable to flee or stay.
If he fled, although he could escape, what about Zhou Fu behind him? If he didn't flee, he couldn't defeat them.
The two sides stood there, looking at each other, unsure of what to say.
Zhou Fu, standing behind Yu Daohan, looked at them standing awkwardly, completely bewildered.
Yu Daohan chuckled, breaking the silence, "The moon is quite round tonight."
As soon as Yu Daohan said this, he froze.
What the hell was "the moon is quite round"?
What nonsense was he spouting?
Just as Yu Daohan was regretting his choice of topic, he heard Executioner Li awkwardly chime in, "The moon is indeed quite round tonight."
Giant Axe Zhang beside him also chuckled awkwardly, "Hahaha, it is quite round."
One-armed Tong nodded but said nothing.
Although One-armed Tong remained silent, his face was etched with awkwardness.
Zhou Fu, behind Yu Daohan, looked at their conversation, his face full of question marks.
Do experts always chat like this?
Why does it feel so awkward?
Just as they were wondering what to say next, Zhou Zuncheng, who had been silent all along, couldn't stand it any longer and said, "Damn it, aren't you guys awkward? Look up at the sky, tell me where the moon is?"
As soon as Zhou Zuncheng finished speaking, they all instinctively looked up at the sky.
The night sky had only a few stars, let alone the moon.
Giant Axe Zhang: "..."
One-armed Tong: "..."
Executioner Li: "..."
Yu Daohan: "..."
They all turned to look at Zhou Zuncheng.
Their expressions seemed to convey, "Do you think you're hilarious?"
As the saying goes, if everyone is awkward, then no one feels awkward.
"The moon has set quite quickly," Giant Axe Zhang added.
Zhou Zuncheng was utterly speechless. This guy wasn't just pretending to be foolish; he was genuinely foolish.
"Since no one is willing to make a decision, I will," Zhou Zuncheng said, stepping forward in front of the other three and facing Yu Daohan directly. "Young Master Yu, we don't want to be your enemy, but after all, we've accepted payment. How about this."
Zhou Zuncheng turned to look at the three behind him, "Those who want to fight, stay. Those who don't, leave."
With Zhou Zuncheng having said this, Executioner Li and the other two exchanged glances and turned to leave.
For them, killing one person or letting one person go made no difference to the payment they received. It was better to save face for Yu Daohan, and perhaps in the future, they could seek refuge at the Midnight Spirit Shop if they were in danger.
Yu Daohan, seeing Executioner Li and the others leave, let out a sigh of relief. However, Zhou Zuncheng still kept Yu Daohan on edge.
Seeing the others walk away, Zhou Zuncheng looked at Yu Daohan and smiled, "We've also accepted payment and can't just not do our job. But in the martial world, having one more friend is better than having one more enemy."
Zhou Zuncheng's meaning was as clear as it could be.
Yu Daohan cursed inwardly.
Good heavens, so you want all the credit for yourself.
Zhou Zuncheng's use of "we" made it clear that it was thanks to him that Executioner Li and the others didn't attack.