Outside Zhang Village, at midnight, You Hongzhuo slashed down with his long saber.
The light from the torch fell to the ground and blood spurted in the darkness. The third of the six swordsmen was slightly stunned. His arm holding the torch was broken and fell to the ground.
The darkness was like a ferocious beast, shrouding over them. Then, tragic cries pierced through the night sky.
The fourth brother turned around and waved his nine-jointed whip. The third brother staggered and pulled out his saber with his unbroken left hand to slash back. You Hongzhuo waved his saber forward and used his swift and fierce saber to smash away his opponent's weapon.
In the darkness of the night, the clanging sounds of weapons clashing rang out, and then blood splattered everywhere. You Hongzhuo had fought in Jin and his saber skills were rough and fierce. He smashed his opponent's attack and broke through their defense. Then, he slashed at the fourth brother's arm and thigh. The third brother with a broken arm turned to escape but was struck in the back by You Hongzhuo. He rolled on the barren land behind the village.
The fourth brother was frightened by the bloody aura and his nine-jointed whip fell to the ground. He also fell to the ground after being slashed twice and crawled back in a sorry state. Before he could beg for mercy, You Hongzhuo pointed his saber at him and the third brother with a broken arm was still screaming on the ground. The people in the village were awakened by the commotion.
You Hongzhuo looked back at the small hill not far away. In the forest over there, the four swordsmen were walking in another direction but they were probably alarmed. Should he turn back and chase after them or let them go?
Just as he was hesitating, there was a shout from the hill. It was the second brother shouting, "There's trouble …" It seemed like he had encountered some enemy.
You Hongzhuo felt a chill in his heart. The only person who would attack these people was himself or Black Flag. He followed the six of them here and did not notice anything wrong. If Black Flag had already set his eyes on this side, then he …
In a flash, there was a bang in the small forest on the hill. Sparks flew in the night. It was the assault rifle used by the Huaxia army. He retracted his saber and was about to leave when he turned around and saw a figure walking in the darkness behind him. He only noticed the other party's appearance when he was very close.
There was not much warmth in the Jianghu of the Land of Jin. If two people met on a narrow path, they would talk about their stances first. You Hongzhuo had been training in such an environment for many years. His first reaction when he sensed this figure was to have goosebumps all over his body. He covered the long saber in his hand and rushed forward.
His body movement technique exerted explosive force. The long saber was hidden at the side of his body, which was also the blind spot of his opponent. When he got close, his saber was like thunder. This was also a killing move that he had practiced for a long time. But the moment the saber light silently rushed out, he noticed that the person who silently walked out from the darkness was a woman in a gray dress who was neither masked nor wearing night clothes.
He didn't sheathe his saber because he didn't even have time to think about it.
The woman was holding a long sword in her left hand. She stretched out her right hand, and the distance between the two of them seemed to vanish into thin air. He had already grabbed You Hongzhuo's shoulder and neck. Then, he felt like the world was spinning. He slashed in the air, and his body flew through the darkness. After landing, he rolled twice, and only stopped when he leaned against the wall of the house that the two 'vigilantes' had tried to burn down with fire …
The dead tree that he had slashed in the air slowly fell. You Hongzhuo leaned against the wall and looked at the woman in a gray dress opposite him. He was shocked beyond words.
When he was in the Land of Jin, he had sparred with the "Dragon King" who was highly skilled in kung fu. When he was in Zezhou, the Dragon King, who had just disbanded the Red Peak, had fought with Lin Zongwu, who was recognized as the "best in the world". He was defeated by only one move. But later, the Dragon King submitted to the female minister and had a breakthrough in his state of mind. His kung fu must have also improved. As one of the best of the younger generation, You Hongzhuo had the opportunity to compete with the Dragon King, which was a kind of training. He had also truly experienced the gap between him and a Great Grandmaster.
On the other hand, in the middle of the war in the Land of Jin, he had been lucky enough to witness Grandmaster Lin's moves after he was seriously injured.
But whether it was the Dragon King or Grandmaster Lin, neither of them had truly felt the sense of powerlessness in that move.
Which one of the Huaxia army was this …
…
The moment You Hongzhuo fell to the ground, the four people who had tried to escape on the hilltop also fell in a pool of blood. At the moment when screams rang out outside the village at the foot of the hill, two figures launched a surprise attack on them.
Lao Liu was immediately knocked to the ground by a figure. Then, someone walked straight over and warned them to quickly abandon their weapons and surrender. Lao Er fought with the man who knocked Lao Liu down for a while and shouted that his hands were hard to handle. On the other side, the man who warned them to abandon their weapons raised his handgun and shot Lao Er, who was shouting "You guys go first", into a pool of blood.
Lao Wu, who was disguised as a scholar, went to help Second Brother. The heavy wind from his fist slammed into Second Brother's lower abdomen, causing him to stagger back. As his internal organs churned, he could vaguely see the fist-wielding figure in front of him. It was the dark-skinned, sturdy, and well-bred village girl he had met during the day when he was asking for directions.
"Huzhou Persimmon …"
In the night wind, he heard the woman chuckle softly, followed by a whistling kick. She broke the calf bone of Second Brother, who had the most agile fists and feet. Then, she walked towards him.
When he got close enough, he threw a punch at his face …
…
"In the afternoon, they reminded me that there was a man with decent martial arts skills. I just didn't know if he was a friend or foe, so I came to take a look."
As the voice rang out, the woman in a long gray dress walked towards him. There was no hostility in her eyes.
"… If you can stop them from arson, then you're not an enemy. Zhang Village welcomes you. May I know where you're from, and what's your name? "
The woman's voice was gentle, with an approachability that You Hongzhuo had never seen among the grandmasters he had met. In the night sky, whistling arrows and rising fireworks could be heard. It was unknown where the enemy was coming from. However, it was obvious that the Huaxia soldiers were already prepared.
The night was still long. After the first wave of movement, several groups of people from the Greenwood Forest launched their own operations … The news of the night's chaos spread to Chengdu after dawn the next day. To a certain extent, it encouraged the Confucian scholars and heroes of the Greenwood Forest in Chengdu.
Not many people knew the truth here. They only knew that in Zhang Village, groups of "chivalrous men" fought to be the first to act.
*****
20th of July, Chengdu.
"The night before yesterday, more than two hundred chivalrous men launched an attack on Zhang Village …"
"Someone almost killed Ning Yi's wife, Su Tan'er …"
"Lu Dingming of Hu Prefecture, drank blood wine, and put his life on the line …"
"How brave, how brave …"
"There must have been more commotion last night. Maybe they've already succeeded …"
"But there's no definite news yet …"
In the bright and sunny day, there were already countless private conversations.
It was also a lazy day with the autumn wind blowing. Two days had passed since the gathering with Yang Tiehuai. Guan Shanhai did not go out of his courtyard. On one hand, he wrote some calming words, and on the other, he received all kinds of messy news from his trusted subordinates.
Only a small part of the news came from Zhang Village. Since it was a place that had never been in operation, it was difficult to find out the details of the chaos in Zhang Village. The Huaxia army had indeed taken action, but the details of their actions were extremely obscure. Outsiders had no way of knowing whether Ning Yi's family had been harmed, whether his children had been kidnapped, or whether the Huaxia army had been lured away on a large scale.
The difficulty of such information did not lie in the fact that there was no information at all, but more in the fact that there were too many rumors. There were so many people in the city, so many scholars, but all of them were cooped up in inns. A random piece of news could pass through three streets, and the original source could no longer be seen. For someone like Guan Shanhai, who wanted to rely on information to do things, it was really difficult to grasp a clear sequence of events.
Although he loved beauty, power, and fame, outside of that, when it came to doing things, Guan Shanhai still knew what was important and what was not. He would not take it for granted and be a hothead. However, in such a chaotic situation, he could only wait quietly. He knew that something would happen — something would happen. This matter might be a mess, but it might decide the fate of the world in the future. If it was the latter, of course, he hoped that he could grasp it.
There were naturally many people in the city who were similar to Guan Shanhai. Lang Guoxing told the matter to Huang Nanzhong, and Huang Nanzhong informed his subordinates to prepare as much as possible. The assassin named Chen Wei had been quietly observing the vicinity of Yingbin Road for several days. Occasionally, he could see signs that looked like Ning Yi's carriage. Wang Xiangfo wandered around the city, feeling the calm clouds and wind, experiencing the relaxed and nervous feeling of his blood beating along with his pulse.
Lu Xiaolun, who had been beaten up by Wang Xiangfo, had told his father everything. Lu Liutong had long since sensed the impending storm in the gatherings, and he would occasionally divulge a few things to others.
"… This time, the experts that have truly entered the city aren't in a hurry to get on that fighting platform. Sooner or later, something major is going to happen in the city. You youngsters, if you haven't thought it through, don't try to get involved. This old man has seen some experts in the past, and I'm afraid that they'll all be here this time … someone's going to die … "
Lu Liutong's words were filled with the foresight of a senior expert. Generally speaking, the martial artists who participated in the Greenwood Gathering could immediately sense something unusual in his words. It also confirmed with the other atmosphere they had felt recently. They felt as if they had seen the silhouette of a giant beast hidden behind the bustling scene. Some people boldly asked Lu Liutong which experts had come, and Lu Liutong would casually explain one or two. Sometimes, he would even speak of the graceful bearing of the Radiant Church's Lin Zongwu.
"… Lin Zongwu has a deep grudge against the southwest, but this old man doesn't know if Chengdu has come this time, so you guys shouldn't make wild guesses …"
His words caused even more people to make wild guesses. Even the news that all the top-level experts of the Great Radiant Church were hiding in Chengdu at this time was secretly spread, and it was very vivid. Yang Tiehuai and the others even privately searched for a while before finally coming to the conclusion that it was probably a rumor spread by the Huaxia Army as a smokescreen.
The day of the 20th day passed peacefully. Perhaps it was because they had sensed the impending storm, but the chivalrous warriors who were competing in the fighting arena had also restrained themselves. There were no injured people in the last few matches in the afternoon, and Ning Ji got off work on time, feeling relaxed and happy.
When night fell, Ning Ji, who had finished his dinner, had already arrived at the courtyard of the despicable dogs and climbed onto the roof to enjoy the cool air. He had done some self-reflection on his habit of using his martial arts to peep everywhere during this period of time. When he returned to Zhang Village to attend school in September, he would no longer be able to do so.
At the same time, Ning Yi was in the courtyard beside the Pool of Mahānata, discussing the future reforms with Chen Fan. As they were two grown men, they would occasionally gossip about their enemies, perform some vulgar actions that didn't quite match their statuses, and reveal a tacit smile.
At a quarter past nine, the sound of an explosion rang out in the city.
Ning Ji stood up on the roof and looked into the distance.
Ning Yi and Chen Fan also stood by the lake for a while, even taking out binoculars to take a look. Then, Ning Yi waved his hand. "Go up the tower, go up the tower … It's higher there."
Whistling arrows and fireworks soared into the night sky. This was the warning signal and direction given by the Huaxia Army in the city.
At the same time, countless people were staring at the night sky. Guan Shanhai pushed away the naked woman beside him, rushed out of the courtyard, and even moved the stairs to the wall. Huang Nanzhong rushed into the courtyard, and many family warriors were preparing. On the east side of the city, a martial artist named Xu Yuanzong picked up his spear, and a dozen of his brothers who had been through life and death with him began to pack their equipment. From countless perspectives, some people stared at each other, some were waiting, and some had heard all kinds of rumors. "It's going to be chaos."
"A hero blew up Ning Yi!"
"Should we do it? Should we …"
Wang Xiangfo sat cross-legged and calmed himself down. After a while, he walked to the street.
In the courtyard where Lu Liutong and the others lived, following the explosion, the old man had already jumped up from his seat. "Where's Xiao Lun? Where's Xiao Lun? "
"Senior Brother went out for a stroll to digest his food," a disciple answered.
"Get him back! Go get him back. Today, seal the courtyard door. Without my permission, no one is allowed to go out … "
The night was becoming mellow, as if it was about to start boiling.
In the south of the city, Huo Liangbao of the Mighty Escort Agency and a group of his brothers quickly gathered in the courtyard. There were already fireworks flying in the city outside, and the Huaxia army must have gone to fight with the chivalrous people over there. This night would be very long because there was no prior discussion, and many people would wait quietly. They had to wait until the situation in the city was a mess before they could find a chance to successfully assassinate the devil.
"Someone has to do it first!"
They prepared their weapons and put on their soft armor. After a while, they lined up and hugged each other.
"— For the world!"
"— Let's go!"
Huo Liangbao turned around, pushed the door open, and rushed out.
A group of his brothers followed, and then … blocked the door.
Huo Liangbao, who was the first to go out, rushed two steps and stood on the stone steps outside the door. On the road two feet away from him, ten Huaxia soldiers stood in a row.
A Huaxia soldier of medium build had already walked over, holding a stack of paper in his hand. His eyes were looking in the direction of the fireworks in the city. He seemed to not see Huo Liangbao and the group of people behind him carrying knives and guns, and walked straight to the other party.
"There are bandits causing trouble in the city. This place is temporarily under martial law. Can you stay at home for a while tonight? Visiting relatives and friends can wait until tomorrow … This is an order from the city patrol office, and it is stamped. If there are any losses, you can take it to complain tomorrow. Here, take it. "
He handed a stamped piece of paper to Huo Liangbao. Huo Liangbao carried a long red spear on his back, and a podao hung on his waist. A row of red tasseled throwing knives could be vaguely seen in his open clothes. He stood there, and somewhat mechanically reached out to take the paper.
A group of people behind blocked the door. They were all people who had lived on the edge of a knife. Some wiped their mouths and noses, some ground their teeth, and then looked at each other.
The Huaxia officer just looked at all of them calmly, and the ten soldiers on the street also looked over quietly. Huo Liangbao raised his left hand with the paper in a daze, indicating that the brothers behind him should not act rashly. The officer nodded. "It's dangerous outside. Go back."
…
Whistling arrows danced in the air, and fireworks rose again.
Xu Yuanzong, who had made a plan, opened the door. Due to the need for concealment, the courtyard he and his brothers lived in was relatively remote. When he walked out of the door, some people were already coming over on the road not far away.
The leader was a tall and straight soldier with two knives on his back. Just as Xu Yuanzong was slightly stunned, he had already opened his mouth.
"Wang Dai, platoon leader of the Huaxia army, dares to ask Grand Master Xu to give up the idea and stop here. In the future, I will definitely thank you for today's favor … Grand Master Xu, please stop! "
Wang Dai … Xu Yuanzong blushed. Of course, he had heard of this name. This was the hero who had killed the Jurchen General Ba Li Su in the Sword Gate Pass a few months ago. Comparatively speaking, his title of Grand Master of martial arts seemed to be child's play. After entering the city, he had painstakingly hidden himself, but he had never thought that his whereabouts had already been exposed.
He carefully listened to the noise coming from other parts of the city and waved his hand. "The Huaxia army is indeed powerful to be able to find me. However … I can stop, but are the other heroes in Chengdu willing to stop?! If I stop, how can I face their fighting — "
Xu Yuanzong's words were impassioned, powerful, and resonant …
The people in the market were startled by the sudden chaos. Then, they began to disperse in different directions as the Huaxia army beat the gong. Lu Xiaolun walked along the direction of his home for a while. Seeing a fire rising in the distance, he felt a faint excitement in his heart. He knew that the problem of the Huaxia army had finally appeared.
He was skilled in martial arts and walked quickly. Passing through the streets and alleys, he thought about where to go to watch the show. He was walking on a street with few people when he suddenly stopped.
He saw a seemingly casual figure walking over from the other side of the road. The person was tall and had messy hair, and he was as dangerous as a lion. It was the Grand Master who had come to test his punches and kicks. Later, his father speculated that he was here to cause trouble for the Huaxia army.
As expected, he also came out in such a chaotic situation.
Lu Xiaolun's first thought was to know the person's name. However, at this moment, the Grand Master's heart must be filled with murderous intent. It was such a coincidence that he met him. If he rashly went up to talk to the Grand Master and caused a misunderstanding, he would inevitably be killed on the spot.
Thinking of this, he slowly moved to the side of the road and put his face to the wall beside the road, trying to turn around and leave without attracting the Grand Master's attention.
It was also at this moment that a voice sounded beside him.
"Hmm, that person, that person …" A strong and muscular man stood up from the log beside Lu Xiaolun. This strong man was originally sitting there eating skewers. Now that the crowd had dispersed, he ate the tofu on the skewer in two or three bites and threw away the bamboo skewer. "Hmm, that person …"
This person's voice was so loud that it would definitely attract the attention of other people on the street. Then, it was inevitable that he would be discovered by the Grand Master. Facing the wall, Lu Xiaolun's heart tightened. He turned his head and saw that the Grand Master with messy hair on the other side of the street had indeed looked over.
"Hmm, Wang Xiang Fo!"
The strong man beside him called out his name. The Grand Master with messy hair showed an expression of interest in his eyes. He turned his head left and right.
"Niu Chengshu of the Huaxia army! Today, I'm under orders to arrest you! "
Lu Xiaolun stood facing the wall.
At this moment, his clothes were drenched in sweat. He had already understood that the Grand Master's name was Wang Xiang Fo. And the strong man beside him was the one who was going to fight against him.
On the other side of the street, Wang Xiang Fo opened his hands and smiled.
On this side, the strong man called Niu Chengshu bumped his fist against his palm and stepped forward. Lu Xiaolun heard him murmur, "… Resisting arrest."
Two figures exerted force at the same time. Lu Xiaolun stood by the wall and turned his head to look. He saw them colliding in the middle of the street —
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
