Shop Assistant

The girl was not very old, and her expression was utterly bland.

She squatted there, quietly watching Chu Qing.

Seeing that Chu Qing was merely afraid and had not taken the bowl of tea, she withdrew her hand and took a sip herself.

Chu Qing: "..."

Was there something wrong with this woman?

Why was she staring at me like this?

Beneath those somewhat hollow eyes, Chu Qing even began to suspect that she had seen through his disguise.

But there was no time to worry about that now. The leader burst into wild laughter:

"Young Master of the Chu Family under the Divine Fist of Non-Anger, I thought you had some skill. Looking at you now, you are nothing much after all!"

Chu Qing immediately turned his gaze back outside the window and saw Chu Fan standing amid the galloping horses, both arms and legs hooked by grappling claws. Trapped in the middle, he could no longer move.

"...What kind of trick is this?"

The corner of Chu Qing's mouth twitched. He had thought Chu Fan could dodge or counterattack, but this was great... Whatever move they used, he swallowed it whole.

At the same time, the Seven Iron Horse Thieves changed their movements again.

The men held grappling-claw chains, turned their horses around, and galloped madly in the opposite direction.

They were going to tear Chu Fan limb from limb on the spot!

Yet Chu Fan merely smiled.

"Then let me show you exactly what Chu has to offer!"

With that, he let out an angry roar and stomped both feet against the ground. A thunderous boom rang out as true qi surged in all directions.

Neighhh!!

The mounts of the Seven Iron Horse Thieves immediately reared up and shrieked, apparently badly frightened.

The two Seven Iron Horse Thieves whose hooks had caught Chu Fan's legs suddenly felt as though they were trying to drag a mountain. Not only could they not pull the mountain down, they were dragged off their horses instead.

The grappling-claw chains fastened around Chu Fan clattered loudly, no longer stretched as taut as before.

Then Chu Fan suddenly flipped both palms, seized the chains at his sides, and gave a violent tug. With two clattering crashes, the two bandits felt an irresistible force surge toward them and flew backward helplessly.

With a bang, the two met directly in midair and slammed viciously into each other. Faintly, the sound of bones shattering could be heard.

They both spat out mouthfuls of blood, their faces deathly pale. They were clearly beyond saving.

"Fourth Brother, Sixth Brother!!"

The leader flew into a rage, urged his horse forward, and swung his broad axe down at Chu Fan in wide, sweeping arcs.

Chu Fan looked up and flexed both arms. The chains around his arms instantly shattered. Then he brought his palms together and caught the leader's broad axe barehanded.

The veins on the leader's forehead bulged and throbbed as all the strength in his body gathered into one point.

He pressed the broad axe down with all his might, trying to split Chu Fan in two.

The enormous force drove through him, making Chu Fan's feet sink slightly as they gradually pressed into the earth.

Yet the broad axe simply would not come down.

The leader drew a deep breath and roared:

"He is locked in a stalemate with me! Take the chance to cut off his head!!"

Including today, three of the Seven Iron Horse Thieves had already died. The leader was locked in combat with Chu Fan, leaving three others.

The two bandits who had bound Chu Fan's feet with grappling claws exchanged a glance. They immediately tightened their chains and, without bothering to remount their beloved horses, used their inner strength to pull.

The only one with free hands had already arrived behind Chu Fan. He raised a ring-bladed saber and chopped viciously at the back of Chu Fan's neck.

Yet at that very moment, the leader's expression changed drastically.

Not good!!

Cracking sounds came from the broad axe in his hand. Fractures spread across it in an instant, and before he could react, it shattered with a clatter.

He was not trying to block my broad axe... He was trying to destroy my weapon!!

What monstrous strength was this?

How could it be this outrageous?

Chu Fan suddenly clenched his fist. In that instant, the air itself seemed to have been swept clean. He lowered his waist into a horse stance, whirled around, and threw a punch!

Grand Easy Divine Fist!!

An explosion boomed through the air. The first thing to collide with the force of the fist was the saber of the man behind him.

The saber's momentum was immediately scattered by the punch, no longer forming any coherent pattern. The man could not control it, leaving his defenses wide open. With a bang, the fist smashed viciously into his chest and abdomen.

Splash!

A great spray of blood erupted from the man's back. Like a torn sackcloth bag, he flew away, his entire body warped out of shape by that single punch.

The leader was stunned by the power of the punch, his pupils abruptly contracting. Then he suddenly shouted:

"Run!!!"

From the moment they had attacked until now, only a few breaths had passed, yet three men on his side had died in succession.

One of his two broad axes had been ruined. There was simply no fighting a monster like Chu Fan.

He clamped his legs against his horse's belly and charged forward, heading straight for the tea house.

In a flash, he had entered the tea house, roaring:

"Move!!"

He had shouted at the shop assistant.

The shop assistant had been inside the tea house, trembling as he watched the spectacle.

How could he have imagined that the spectacle would come charging right at him?

In his panic, he got up and ran, but with one step he landed directly in front of the galloping horse.

The horses of the Seven Iron Horse Thieves were all fine blooded steeds. With one stamp of its hoof, before the shop assistant even had time to react, he was kicked out of the tea house.

The change came too quickly. Though there were masters inside the tea house, they had no time to save him.

The leader urged his horse onward, bursting out the other side of the tea house with a thunderous crash. He then turned his horse around and changed direction. Earlier, he had thrown one broad axe into the carriage. He had used the tea house as a shortcut precisely for that weapon. With a reach of his hand, the broad axe fell into his grasp.

He galloped away at once, shouting loudly:

"Chu Fan, I shall certainly repay today's gift another day!!"

"Villain, do not run!!"

Chu Fan's face darkened. How could he be willing to let the man escape like this?

Looking again, the two who had used grappling claws to lock his legs had also taken the opportunity to vanish without a trace.

He made up his mind at once: kill the chief culprit first!

"Junior Sister!!"

At his shout, Chu Qing heard the woman beside him answer:

"Coming!"

The two used their lightness skills and chased after the leader.

"What a second young master of the Chu Family! Truly formidable!"

"A hero indeed rises from youth!"

Seeing that the danger had temporarily passed, the tea drinkers inside the tea house praised him one after another. At the same time, they each hurried away. This was not a place to linger; leaving first was the wiser choice.

In only a moment, the entire tea house was empty.

No one spared so much as a glance for the corpse of the shop assistant or the corpse of the first man who had been cleaved to death.

Only the innkeeper remained. With a dazed expression, he walked over to the shop assistant who had been kicked to death.

He reached out and patted his face.

"Huzi... Huzi? Wake up. They have all left.

"I'm telling you, the ground is cold. It is no good to lie there all the time.

"Your mother had someone send me word two days ago. She said she had arranged a marriage for you. These past two days, I had been thinking of letting you go home and settle the marriage first.

"If you ruin your health like this, it could affect your descendants.

"Huzi... Huzi, wake up. Do not scare your uncle!"

He pushed at the corpse as though he were calling a sleeping younger relative to get out of bed.

But how could a corpse possibly answer him?