Tiger and Wolf Fight in the Woods

The Dragon Scale Association's Vice President, known in the Jianghu as 'Ugly Tiger'.

Five years ago, he set a record of eighteen consecutive wins in the Lin Family's martial arts competition for marriage, after which he became Lin Kun's adopted son.

Peng Canghu joined the Dragon Scale Association with his martial arts skills, but no one knew his lineage. He wielded his wolf-tooth club with effortless grace. In numerous battles against the Wild Wolf Gang, he made significant contributions and even saved Lin Kun's life.

People in Pingyang Prefecture's Jianghu privately joked that Lin Kun's fate was too harsh, specifically destined to bring misfortune to his sons.

Thus, not only did he have no children of his own, but most of the adopted sons he took in also died in battle.

Peng Canghu's fate, however, was even harsher and more resilient to misfortune.

"Everyone, you killed members of the Dragon Scale Association and think you can just leave? Do you think I'll lose face?"

Peng Canghu strode out from the woods. Moonlight fell on his scarred face, his sparse eyebrows, the dull and lifeless eyes of a dead fish, and his upturned nostrils, a typical pig's nose.

Indeed, in the Jianghu, there are no wrong nicknames, only wrong names.

His voice was not loud, but it was low and filled with ferocity, making it impossible to ignore.

Liu Dachui held his iron ring saber and said, "Ugly Tiger, what do you want?"

Peng Canghu's gaze fell on him, and he sneered, "Zhan Laoshi died by your blade, didn't he? Liu Tietou, you were lucky that night you weren't with the Wild Wolf Gang. Too bad your good luck has run out today."

Liu Dachui glanced at the woods behind him. "You alone want to keep us here? You're dreaming."

Peng Canghu smiled confidently. "You don't need to test me. The Dragon Scale Association disciples are on their way. I only need to hold you off for a quarter of an hour, and none of you will escape."

Zhao Xia said coldly, "Boasting!"

"Zhao Xia? You're here? It seems that fool Zhao Huaien messed things up! Good, if I capture you and present you to my Adoptive Father, it will be a great merit!"

Peng Canghu stared at Zhao Xia's tall and voluptuous body, with its undulating curves and well-defined figure. He sighed inwardly, Truly a renowned beauty of the world. Judging by her appearance alone, she is indeed different from ordinary women. If I didn't already have someone in my heart, I could truly have a taste.

A soulless shell, not worth my effort.

Peng Canghu thought this to himself, always considering himself someone who valued inner qualities.

Zhao Xia had not yet told the regular gang members about Zhao Huaien's situation. Hearing Peng Canghu say this now, some seemed to understand.

Liu Dachui looked at Zhao Xia and said in a low voice, "Peng Canghu is extremely difficult to deal with. It's rumored his martial arts are no less than that old thief Lin Kun's. Leader, I'll go face this mad tiger. You all find an opportunity to leave first. Don't let the Dragon Scale Association ambush us."

Without waiting for Zhao Xia to speak, Liu Dachui, holding his iron ring saber, walked into the woods to confront Peng Canghu.

Peng Canghu sneered dismissively. "A one-on-one fight with me? Do you have the ability?"

Liu Dachui tilted his nose upwards. "Stop the nonsense. When I was wandering the Jianghu, you were still picking your nose and eating it. How dare you act tough in front of me? I'll chop off your ugly head with one strike!"

"I hate it the most—when people call me ugly!"

Peng Canghu suddenly pushed off the ground, leaping high into the air. His wolf-tooth club descended from above.

"Vicious Tiger Pounces!"

This move, which seemed to come straight down from the sky, was not as simple as it appeared.

With the opponent above, no matter which way you dodged, he could change the direction of his 'pounce'.

And in such a clash of techniques, if one side chose to dodge, it was one thing if they completely avoided it. If they didn't, their defensive strength would have dissipated, and they would take the full ten-tenths of the damage.

Normally, this would result in at least the loss of combat effectiveness, or at worst, immediate death.

Liu Dachui, having roamed the Jianghu for many years, knew this principle well.

"He's going for a killing blow right from the start!"

He gripped the saber hilt tightly with both hands and gritted his teeth, using the flat of the blade to meet the attack. The moment they made contact, a tremendous force surged through him. He rolled with the force, deflecting the immense power, then sprang up from the ground like a wild boar, immediately planting his iron ring saber in front of him, forming a guard.

"Such formidable Internal Energy!"

In terms of realm, both were at the middle stage of the Armor-Breaking Realm, but under Peng Canghu's fierce assault, Liu Dachui had almost no room to retaliate.

Their saber and club clashed, both infused with Internal Energy, stirring up gusts of flying snow.

Several black pines shed wood chips and slowly toppled.

Zhao Xia worried, "Uncle Six is no match for Peng Canghu."

Zhang Yu remained silent, carefully observing Peng Canghu's moves. They seemed strangely familiar, as if he were wielding the wolf-tooth club to perform saber techniques.

Is he, like me, hiding his original martial arts style? I don't have a suitable sword technique, so I can only use my sword as a saber and employ the most familiar Sun Chasing Saber Technique. What is his reason?

He thought to himself, If I don't thoroughly drive this person back, no one will be able to leave today!

After forty to fifty rounds of combat, Peng Canghu was still at ease, while Liu Dachui's Internal Energy was nearly depleted. He had sustained multiple injuries, narrowly dodging several blows, and his back was bloody and torn by the iron nails on the wolf-tooth club.

"Fierce Tiger Drains Heart!"

Peng Canghu spun his wolf-tooth club, thrusting it towards his opponent's chest. Liu Dachui retreated rapidly, his footwork becoming erratic, and his life was in imminent danger.

Zhao Xia swung her great ax, simultaneously blocking the wolf-tooth club and saving Liu Dachui.

Peng Canghu retreated half a step and let out a cold snort.

He was afraid of injuring Zhao Xia and ruining Lin Kun's plan for a double success tonight, so he deliberately withdrew his strength.

"Leader, you all hurry and leave. I'll hold him off."

Liu Dachui got up, about to fight again.

Zhao Xia pressed his shoulder and said, "The Wild Wolf Gang sticks together! We won't leave a single brother behind again."

She looked at Zhang Yu and cupped her hands, saying, "This guy is tough. Please go first, sir. My Wild Wolf Gang brothers and I will hold off Peng Canghu. If we're lucky enough to survive, we'll follow you to destroy the Dragon Scale Association!"

"Retreat, you're no match for him."

Zhang Yu sighed inwardly. He had come to lead the Wild Wolf Gang, but it felt like he was here to be a hired thug. No, he had to turn this situation around quickly.

He slowly walked past Zhao Xia and into the woods.

Liu Dachui secretly thought, Ugly Tiger isn't an ordinary mid-stage Armor-Breaking Realm expert. His Internal Energy is formidable, and his martial arts are quite strange. I couldn't even defeat him, so how many rounds can he last against the opponent?

The gang members also looked at Zhang Yu. If even Liu Dachui was no match for him, could this Divine Cult envoy, who was so young, have even superior martial arts? Because of the reputation of the Sun Moon Divine Cult and Dongfang Bubai, some of them still held onto hope.

Zhao Xia also felt uncertain.

The Divine Cult envoy was exceptionally intelligent and decisive in crises.

In the ruined temple, he had cleverly killed Zhao Huaien, leaving him no room to fight back.

Just now in the woods, he had accurately predicted the route, set up an ambush, and wiped out seven or eight Dragon Scale Association squads without a single casualty on their side.

However, martial arts cultivation and combat experience required time to accumulate and hone; it wasn't something achieved overnight. The opponent was a long-established martial arts expert from Pingyang Prefecture...

"Pretty boy, are you here to die?"

Peng Canghu looked at the black-clothed swordsman who emerged, feeling displeased. As a tall and strong man, how could... how could he be so handsome? He should be ashamed of this!

Zhang Yu chuckled, "Being ugly isn't your fault. But being jealous of my good looks and then slandering me is truly not right!"

Before his words even fell, he used 'Flowing Clouds and Water,' sprinted forward, and suddenly drew his long sword. The black blade was devoid of light. From bottom to top, he slashed towards the connection between the ugly head and the body.

"I told you, I hate it most when people call me ugly..."

Peng Canghu thrust his wolf-tooth club to block, but the black blade merely brushed against the club before spinning backward. The two instantly passed each other. He was shocked; what incredible speed! What bizarre footwork!

The slash towards his neck was just a feint!

The black blade aimed for his tailbone. Relying on his rich combat experience, Peng Canghu turned and thrust his wolf-tooth club, accurately blocking the sword behind him. He then spun and kicked at the sword body, completely neutralizing the threat to his rear.

Zhang Yu took two steps to the left, dodging the kick.

After this round, both felt their opponent was difficult to deal with.

Peng Canghu looked at the face under the moonlight, finding it somewhat familiar. That black sword too, he seemed to have seen it somewhere before.

"I remember now."

"At the martial arts competition for marriage, you defeated 'Little Giant Spirit God' Fan Zhutian with one sword on the arena. You're Zhang Liyu. It's quite a choice of timing for you to join the Wild Wolf Gang. Brother Zhang, why not abandon the darkness and join the light? Join the Dragon Scale Association, and I'll recommend you for a bright future with my Adoptive Father."

Zhang Yu chuckled, "Thank you for your kind offer. However, I'm not good at recognizing fathers, nor do I wish to recognize anyone else as a father. In this regard, I can't compare to Brother Canghu!"

Peng Canghu heard the mockery in his words and sneered, "You're seeking your own death."

He swung his wolf-tooth club and attacked.

Zhang Yu continued to use 'Flowing Clouds and Water,' parrying with his sword, and they began to spin and fight.

When they had fought for ten rounds, Zhao Xia seized an opportunity and joined the fray with his axe, the three fighting as one.

Liu Dachui was severely injured and could only watch from the sidelines, supported by gang members. With his current strength, joining the battle would only distract Zhang Yu and Zhao Xia. It was better for him to lead the team and hold their ground, preventing the Dragon Scale Association disciples from suddenly attacking.

The three fought for seventy to eighty rounds. The sounds of the Dragon Scale Association's reinforcements could already be heard from a distance. Peng Canghu, facing two opponents, one direct and one tricky, maintained high concentration. Seeing his reinforcements arriving, his mindset inevitably wavered, and he relaxed slightly.

Relying on the Green Jade Thumb Ring, Zhang Yu finally perceived an opening in his opponent. He pushed his 'Flowing Clouds and Water' footwork to the extreme, dodged the sweeping wolf-tooth club, and sidestepped to thrust his sword towards Peng Canghu's left chest.

"Kill!"

At the same time, Zhao Xia's axe descended.

In the nick of time, Peng Canghu threw his wolf-tooth club, smashing it onto the Xuanhua battle-axe. This blow contained powerful Internal Energy. Zhao Xia's tiger's mouth was shaken, drawing blood, and he retreated five steps before dissipating the force.

Peng Canghu stumbled back two steps and punched Zhang Yu's shoulder. The black sword only trembled slightly, its direction unchanged.

It pierced through!

Blood splattered.

Zhang Yu, having landed a hit, quickly retreated four or five steps. The Internal Energy surged into his right shoulder, rampaging through his meridians. His palm trembled slightly, and enduring the intense pain, he could barely hold his sword, yet he forced a smile.

"You're lucky, your skin is thick. Otherwise, this sword would have taken your life."

"People who recognize others as their Adoptive Father have thick skin. Is that a talent?"

Peng Canghu looked at the bloody hole in his chest, somewhat disbelieving. He stared coldly at Zhang Yu, "Your swordsmanship is average, but your footwork is very impressive."

At this moment, the Dragon Scale Association members were less than fifty meters away. Although Peng Canghu was heavily injured, he had not completely lost his combat effectiveness.

As Zhang Yu retreated, he suddenly looked at the approaching Dragon Scale Association disciples and shouted loudly, "Brother Canghu, we've become acquainted through this fight today; it's like we've known each other for a long time!"

"We'll meet again in Pingyang City another day and share drinks."

"Don't forget our agreement tonight."

Peng Canghu paid no mind to these disjointed words. He clutched the bloody hole in his chest, which was still bleeding profusely. The Dragon Scale Association disciples, seeing their top expert heavily injured and unsure of the opponent's strength, were unwilling to pursue further. They simply escorted Peng Canghu back to their camp.

In the woods.

Dark shadows loomed, and hurried footsteps echoed on the snow.

Zhang Yu suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed onto the ground.

"Sir!"

Zhao Xia threw his Xuanhua battle-axe to a gang member and picked up Zhang Yu, carrying him on his back as they continued to run towards Wolf Head Mountain