Cut Him Down!

"Martial Artist"?

Bai Yang asked in a daze. Although he'd heard the villagers use that term before, he still had no clear idea what it meant.

All he remembered was that Liu Qingshan back on Earth had said he practiced martial arts. But no matter how he looked at it, Little Cat could probably beat ten guys like Liu Qingshan...

So what the hell was the point of practicing martial arts?

Bai Yang had never taken the matter seriously. But hearing the term Martial Artist again now, it seemed like a pretty impressive thing around here.

"Yes, young master. Aside from a powerful Martial Artist from the legends, I can't think of anyone who could kill a terrifying beast like the Four-eared Green Ox!"

Zhao Shi frowned beside him.

That's because you've never seen the power of guns and cannons! Bai Yang grumbled to himself. After waiting a while and realizing Zhao Shi had nothing more to say, he asked,

"And then?"

"Young master, what do you mean, 'and then'?"

"I mean, what exactly is a Martial Artist?"

"I don't know!"

Zhao Shi shook his head.

"..."

Then why the hell did you bring it up? You don't know anything, so I still have no clue what makes Martial Artists so formidable. Can bullets even kill them?

"By the way, don't you practice martial arts every morning? How can you know nothing about Martial Artists?"

Bai Yang suddenly remembered and asked.

Zhao Shi was speechless. "Young master, that's not martial arts. We're just toughening up our bodies to get stronger... But I've heard that, with the same amount of strength, a Martial Artist could kill ten or even a hundred people like us. That's the difference between ordinary people and Martial Artists!"

Hearing Zhao Shi's words, Bai Yang tilted his head and thought for a while. Then he smacked his forehead and said,

"I think I get it. So you guys have all this strength but don't know how to use it, right? All you know is how to swing a blade or shoot a bow, with no 'professional' technique at all. And the Martial Artists you're talking about probably have some kind of superb martial art that lets them turn their strength into several times, or even ten times, the combat power. Is that it?"

"Probably?"

Zhao Shi answered with a bewildered look. What the hell would he know?

Bai Yang figured his summary was probably right, but it was no use. He didn't know a damn thing about martial arts. All he knew were theories like "a heavy sword has no edge, yet achieves great skill" and "using four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds"—and he'd only picked those up from TV. What the hell did he know...

"Young master, Martial Artists aren't that simple..."

Zhao Shi looked utterly troubled.

"I know, I know. I guess the really skilled ones can kill from a distance and pull off some big move or something. We can look into that later. For now, check whether that Four-eared Green Ox is dead. If it is, let's go take a look and snap some pictures to show off..."

Bai Yang changed the subject and looked at the massive Four-eared Green Ox in the distance. A spark of inspiration seemed to flicker through his mind, but he didn't catch it...

"Young master, what's a picture?"

Hu Zi had heard a new term and asked out of the blue.

"Why do you have so many questions? Go check whether that ox is dead. We'll talk about the rest later."

Bai Yang waved him off, declining to answer such a pointless question.

"Young master, the Four-eared Green Ox is dead!"

Zhao Shi said with certainty.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go take a look..."

Bai Yang didn't care how they'd checked. He only needed them to confirm it was dead. Good grief, a deformed ox that huge—he'd never seen anything like it. He'd regret it for the rest of his life if he didn't go pay his respects.

Little Cat helped Bai Yang down, and the group carefully approached the wreckage. At last, they reached the ravaged spot.

Only when he stood in front of the Four-eared Green Ox, as big as a hillock, could Bai Yang truly feel the soul-deep shock of it. He seemed far too small.

If the Four-eared Green Ox were alive, one stomp would probably crush a person into mincemeat. They wouldn't even have to chop it up to make dumplings...

Bai Yang took out his phone and told everyone to move aside. With the Four-eared Green Ox behind him, he snapped a couple of selfies. He ignored the curious looks from the dozen or so villagers. There was no point explaining the selfie culture of the Great Celestial Empire to them...

"Young master, we should leave quickly. Now that the Four-eared Green Ox is dead, it'll probably attract a pack of beasts soon."

Zhao Shi looked around, worried.

"Right. The smell of blood will attract wild animals. Everyone, back to the village!"

Bai Yang understood. Once his curiosity was satisfied, he was more eager than anyone to get out of there...

After glancing around, Bai Yang couldn't imagine how terrifying the Four-eared Green Ox must have been when it was alive. Trees that would have taken several people to wrap their arms around had been smashed down or uprooted. Even Optimus Prime probably couldn't match its strength!

Bai Yang was also certain that someone had killed the Four-eared Green Ox. The crisscrossing wounds on its body had clearly been torn open by a sharp weapon. Its horns had also been severed with a blade, and some thick branches nearby had been cut through as well. The cuts were smooth, with barely a splinter...

At the same time, Bai Yang couldn't imagine how terrifying the person who killed the Four-eared Green Ox must have been!

"Young master, there's someone over there...!"

Hu Zi's voice suddenly came from the side of the Four-eared Green Ox.

Everyone's hearts tightened. Anyone who appeared here had to be someone extraordinary.

Little Cat immediately drew her Titanium Alloy Blade and shielded Bai Yang.

Bai Yang was touched. At the same time, he quietly reached for the pistol at his waist and asked Hu Zi, "What exactly is going on?"

"Uh, young master, that person seems to be dead."

Hu Zi turned around, scratched his head, and looked at Bai Yang and the others.

Everyone immediately relaxed. Couldn't you have said that all at once? Did you really have to leave us hanging?

"I'll go take a look."

Zhao Shi was the first to run over and check, faithfully carrying out his duty as a guard. The others held their Titanium Alloy Blades and surrounded Bai Yang, keeping a close watch on their surroundings.

"Young master, there really is someone here, but he's already dead."

Before long, Zhao Shi's confirming voice came from ahead.

"Let's go take a look."

Bai Yang thought it over and said. Dead people were a little creepy, but his curiosity got the better of him. Whoever had died here was probably connected to the Four-eared Green Ox.

Surrounded by the villagers, Bai Yang went over and saw a man who'd died horribly.

He was a young man dressed in a black robe. A sharp ox horn as thick as a basketball had pierced through his chest and abdomen. The horn that had run through his body was a full two meters long!

The dead Black-robed Youth lay faceup, the hideous horn piercing his body and pointing toward the sky. His eyes were wide open, and he still clutched an Azure Longsword a meter and a half long...

"This guy was probably the one who killed the Four-eared Green Ox. But from the looks of it, they took each other out."

After studying the scene for a moment, Bai Yang covered his mouth and summed up the situation.

At the same time, he pictured the scene in his mind. Under the moonlight, in the dead of night, this guy had somehow run into the Four-eared Green Ox. Somehow, they'd started fighting. Even if the Black-robed Youth was a Martial Artist, he probably couldn't go toe-to-toe with the ox. So he'd relied on skill and speed to keep it at bay, fighting three hundred rounds and shaking heaven and earth. They'd battled from night until day. Just as the Four-eared Green Ox was covered in wounds and about to fall, it suddenly went berserk and rammed him. The ox horn pierced him, and he didn't dare pull it out, so he cut it off with one slash. In the end, they both went down. The Four-eared Green Ox died, and he couldn't get away, so he had no choice but to lie there and wait for death...

As for why the two of them had fought, only the devil knew...

"Cough, cough... Save... me..."

While Bai Yang was making up all sorts of nonsense, the Black-robed Youth, who looked stone-cold dead, suddenly spat out a mouthful of black blood and spoke in broken gasps.

Holy crap...

Everyone, Bai Yang included, shuddered. Damn, was this a corpse coming back to life?

"Save me... I'm from Deyang Town... the Che family... Che..."

Hearing those broken words, Bai Yang's eyes flashed. He shouted, "Zhao Shi, cut him down!"

A flash of cold light. Without a second thought, Zhao Shi obeyed Bai Yang's order and chopped off the Black-robed Youth's head!

"Holy shit, you nearly scared me to death! And someone from the Che family deserves it even more. Che family? I'll Che your sister!"

Watching the head roll away, Bai Yang spat.

It was obvious even without thinking: the Che family had sent this guy into the forest to take revenge on the villagers. Who knew why he'd gone head-to-head with the Four-eared Green Ox? Just as he was at death's door, Bai Yang and the others had stumbled upon him, and he'd actually asked them for help. His luck was so rotten he must've left home without checking the almanac...

"I knew it! There was no way this was a coincidence. It's not spring, so why would the Four-eared Green Ox go berserk for no reason? Turns out it was fighting a Martial Artist from the Che family in the middle of the night!"

Still grumbling to himself, Bai Yang shouted, "What are you all standing around for? Hurry up and loot the body. We need to get home!"

"Young master, what does 'loot the body' mean?"

Hu Zi asked.

"Take anything on him that you think might be useful. Got it?"

Bai Yang replied impatiently. Even though the man was clearly dead, he still didn't approach the corpse. Who knew what amazing tricks a Martial Artist who'd survived those conditions might have? Who said losing your head meant you were no longer dangerous?

Hu Zi faithfully carried out Bai Yang's order. He thought everything on the Black-robed Youth was useful and stripped him completely naked...

Then the group hurried away...

A tough guy who'd fought three hundred rounds and killed the Four-eared Green Ox, only to miraculously survive, had ended up getting his head chopped off by a bunch of country bumpkins. What rotten luck...