A Show of Force (1)

"Wuying..."

"Young master, please give your orders."

"There's no rush now. Everything else can wait until after the New Year. Winter's almost here, so let's take care of the first two big tasks first."

"Yes... young master."

During this time, Zhou Yao sought out Damao and his two brothers and said, "I want to build a few more houses. I'd like Damao to help me build them."

Zhou Yao gave Damao and his brothers enough money, essentially contracting the whole job out to them. The three brothers were overjoyed.

Damao hurriedly said, "Don't worry, Brother Zhou. The three of us will find people to build them nice and pretty for your wives to live in."

Three days later, all the Brocade Guard's chief leaders from the Great Zhou State's eleven provinces arrived at Happiness Village. Zhou Yao met them in the woods on the mountain behind his home.

Zhou Yao and the chief leaders briefly introduced themselves to one another.

Zhou Yao knew these chief leaders were all proud and arrogant. If he didn't make them submit to him wholeheartedly now, it would be hard to win them over later.

After getting acquainted with the eleven chief leaders, Zhou Yao decided to strike first and gain the upper hand. Smiling, he said, "To become the chief leader of a province, everyone here must have extraordinary skills, right? How about we spar... a little...?"

When the eleven chief leaders heard the heir apparent Zhou Yao say this, they looked at one another, unsure what he meant. Did he simply want to spar? Or did he want to see how skilled the eleven of them were?

Just then, one chief leader smiled and said, "Heir apparent, I think it would be best if we didn't spar. It wouldn't do if we accidentally hurt you."

"That's right, heir apparent! It wouldn't do if we accidentally hurt you. Your person is worth ten thousand pieces of gold, not something rough men like us can compare to," the other chief leaders echoed.

Zhou Yao smiled and waved a hand. "It's fine... it's fine... Just treat it like an ordinary practice spar. Don't think of me as the heir apparent Zhou Yao, either. Just treat me like an ordinary sparring partner."

Seeing that none of the eleven chief leaders showed any intention of moving, Zhou Yao decided to add fuel to the fire.

Smiling, he said, "Could it be that the eleven of you aren't any good at kung fu? Or are all your reputations unearned? Are you even afraid of a teenager like me?"

"Hahaha..." One of the chief leaders suddenly burst out laughing.

Then he smiled and said, "Since the heir apparent is in such a refined mood, allow me to spar with you for a round or two. Please do not hesitate to instruct me."

"Hahaha... Do you want to come at me one at a time, or all together?"

The heir apparent Zhou Yao's words clearly made the eleven chief leaders furious. He actually looked down on them! If he weren't the heir apparent Zhou Yao, they would have torn him limb from limb.

Zhou Yao smiled and said, "I know the eleven of you aren't convinced. If I were you, I wouldn't be convinced either. A teenage brat like me actually dared to boast like this."

"But you should know that I wouldn't take on porcelain work without a diamond drill. Since I've told you to come at me together, I have the strength to knock all eleven of you flat."

"So, what'll it be? Will you come one at a time and wear me down in turns, or all come at me together?" Zhou Yao asked with a smile.

Seeing how Zhou Yao looked down on them, the eleven men flew into a rage and said, "Since the heir apparent has put it that way, we eleven can only accept. But fists and feet have no eyes, so please be careful, heir apparent."

"Don't worry... don't worry... I'll hold back and won't hurt you. After all, you're all on my side."

Hearing the heir apparent Zhou Yao speak so brazenly, the chief leaders were clearly so angry that one Buddha was born and a second ascended to heaven. Abandoning any pretense of martial virtue, they all charged at him, intending to teach him a proper lesson.

But imagination was beautiful, while reality was cruel. With nimble footwork, Zhou Yao easily dodged every one of the eleven men's fierce attacks.

Seeing the heir apparent Zhou Yao dodge their attacks so easily, all eleven chief leaders were horrified. But they were all experts who had made names for themselves long ago, and they were deeply unwilling to accept it. Impossible. This was absolutely impossible...

Wuying, watching everything from the sidelines, was also profoundly shaken. She knew that the young master Zhou Yao was formidable, but seeing him handle the eleven chief leaders so effortlessly, her shock went without saying.

After dozens of exchanges, Zhou Yao looked relaxed, while the eleven chief leaders were visibly beginning to run out of steam.

Just then, Zhou Yao smiled and said, "I've been dodging this whole time while you've been attacking. But you've been at it long enough; it's my turn to attack. You'd better be careful."

After dozens of exchanges, the eleven chief leaders hadn't even managed to touch the corner of the heir apparent Zhou Yao's clothes. They already knew that even working together, they were no match for him, and had long since acknowledged him in their hearts. It was only a matter of saving face that kept them from saying so outright.

Now, hearing the heir apparent Zhou Yao's words, they focused all their attention and prayed, hoping they wouldn't lose too embarrassingly.

But what they feared came to pass. The moment the heir apparent Zhou Yao finished speaking, he turned into an afterimage and came hurtling toward them.

Before the eleven could react, the heir apparent Zhou Yao had struck all their acupoints, leaving every one of them unable to move.

All eleven chief leaders were horrified, and their backs were instantly soaked. If he had been their enemy, all eleven of them would have been...

At the thought, all eleven trembled, deeply dejected. At the same time, though, they were excited and happy: all eleven of them had lost to their own heir apparent, Zhou Yao.

They hadn't expected their heir apparent Zhou Yao's kung fu to be so formidable that even the eleven of them working together were no match for him.

More importantly, even together, they hadn't managed to touch so much as the corner of the heir apparent Zhou Yao's clothes. Just how powerful was his kung fu?

More than one person had that thought. In fact, all eleven chief leaders present were thinking the same thing, and so was Wuying, who had been watching from the sidelines.