One Shot! Stab Them All to Death!

Over the next few days.

The entire Chen Family Fort was plunged into a flurry of activity. The men sharpened their weapons and repaired the fortifications.

Women and children could be seen weeping everywhere, deepening the heaviness in everyone's hearts, as though a thick pall of gloom had been laid over them.

Some even began spending in retaliation, taking out all the fine wine and meat they had once hoarded and devouring it in one go.

They seemed to be thinking: even if they died, they would die as full-bellied ghosts.

As the seventh day drew closer and closer, the fear in people's hearts grew ever stronger.

That day.

Lu Yun was resting inside the house, his face utterly relaxed.

It was completely at odds with the atmosphere of panic within the fort.

"Creak..."

Old Chen suddenly pushed open the door and entered, carrying a large black bundle in his hand.

"Xiao Yun, if we can't hold back Black Wind Stronghold seven days from now, take advantage of the chaos and run."

"This old man can die and be done with it. I only hope that, if you get the chance someday, you can find Qing and come tell me at my grave..."

A trace of hope filled Old Chen's eyes.

The whereabouts of his granddaughter had nearly become an obsession for him.

As he spoke, Old Chen handed over the bundle.

Inside were a few taels of silver and enough dried provisions for ten-odd days—enough to last Lu Yun until he reached a city.

"Uncle Chen, don't worry. I'll keep an eye out..."

Lu Yun smiled faintly, warmth rising in his heart.

The old man truly regarded him as family. The provisions and silver in that bundle were likely all he possessed.

Old Chen had never expected to survive himself.

But Lu Yun did not explain anything. They could discuss it all in a few days.

The next few days passed in the blink of an eye.

That day, at noon.

Dark clouds blanketed the sky, and a chill wind howled.

A stifling sense of an impending mountain storm shrouded the entire Chen Family Fort.

Under Zhao Hu's lead, more than a hundred people within the fort gathered along the edge of the earthen wall, weapons in hand.

Simple anti-cavalry trenches had been dug into the ground, while rows of wooden barricades stood beyond the trenches.

Lu Yun was mixed in among the crowd as well, holding a long spear, his expression calm as still water.

There was even a spark of heat in his heart, and he was eager to give it a try.

Clearly, this body craved battle.

Three years of uninterrupted spear practice had not worn down his edge. Instead, it had only made him more restrained.

Time slowly passed amid the tense atmosphere.

Half an hour later.

"Clip-clop, clip-clop..."

In the distance, seven burly men rode warhorses toward them at speed.

Rolling clouds of dust merged into one, carrying an intense sense of oppression.

At their head was a middle-aged man with a face full of whiskers. He held a steel saber and wore black armor, his eyes brimming with baleful qi.

"Whoa..."

A few breaths later, the middle-aged man and the others arrived before the barricades and reined in their horses. He swept a contemptuous glance over the people of Chen Family Fort.

"With this pile of junk, and trash like you, you think you can stop me?"

"Lowly peasants from some backwater really don't know any better."

Zhang Qinglong held a riding whip, pointing it at the trenches on the ground, his tone overflowing with disdain.

In his eyes, Chen Family Fort was a mantis trying to stop a chariot—overestimating itself.

As a late-stage Qi Nourishment martial artist clad in armor, killing a few hundred people would be effortless.

"Now, all men crawl over here on your knees. The women strip naked and kneel. Then I might consider selling you off to the mining district to dig ore..."

"Haha... Long live the Third Master..."

The moment those words fell, the other six bandits all stared lecherously at the women inside the fort.

They had been holding back for a long time. This time, they were definitely going to indulge themselves properly.

"Fuck it, let's fight them to the death. If we can take even one down with us, it's worth it..."

Zhao Hu and the others' eyes were nearly splitting with rage, their fingernails digging deep into their palms.

It seemed only pain could suppress the fury and humiliation in their hearts.

The women and children of Chen Family Fort huddled together, trembling, their faces filled with despair.

Just then, Lu Yun moved.

With a long spear in hand, he strode to the earthen wall. Then, with a light leap, he cleared the wall over four meters high and landed not far in front of Zhang Qinglong and the others.

"Oh... in such a hurry to die?"

Zhang Qinglong fixed Lu Yun with an icy stare, not taking him seriously at all.

A tiny Chen Family Fort did not even have a martial artist. What kind of powerful expert could it possibly have?

His opponent probably could not even block a single slash from him.

The other six bandits also looked at Lu Yun as if he were already dead.

"Brother Lu, come back! Don't go throwing your—"

Zhao Hu and the others looked anxious, but before the word "life" could leave their mouths—

Lu Yun suddenly attacked.

With a single step, he crossed five or six meters, arriving before Zhang Qinglong in the blink of an eye.

Before Zhang Qinglong could react, Lu Yun thrust his spear forward.

Whoosh...

A point of cold light arrived first. Bright silver spear-light blossomed through the air like clusters of gleaming flower buds.

Only the cold gleam could be seen, not the spear itself—its speed had already reached the absolute limit.

With the boost of a thousand pounds of force and max-level Basic Spear Technique, this thrust erupted with terrifying power.

Pshhk...

In an instant.

A hole as large as a bowl appeared in the necks of Zhang Qinglong and the six bandits.

A vast amount of blood sprayed forth, dyeing a wide stretch of grass red.

The seven of them tumbled straight off their horses.

"Th-this is impossible..."

At the moment of his death, Zhang Qinglong's eyes were filled with disbelief.

"How could a tiny Chen Family Fort have such a terrifying expert?"

Before his consciousness sank into darkness, that thought surfaced in Zhang Qinglong's mind.

Endless regret gradually swallowed him whole.

A few breaths later, the seven of them had completely stopped moving.

From the moment Lu Yun attacked to the instant they were all killed, only a moment had passed.

Only then did Zhao Hu, Old Chen, and the others come to their senses.

Everyone rubbed their eyes hard, wondering whether they had seen an illusion.

Hiss...

Zhao Hu pinched his own arm, and the pain instantly brought him fully awake.

"This isn't a dream! The Third Master of Black Wind Stronghold was killed in one strike!"

"Hahaha... We're saved!"

Everyone in Chen Family Fort cheered, their excited cries shooting into the heavens.

The gloom of the past few days was swept away completely.

"Did Brother Lu break through to become a martial artist two years ago?"

"He must have been hiding it all along, only revealing it now because of today's crisis."

Zhao Hu and the others came out of the fort one after another and began congratulating Lu Yun.

Lu Yun merely smiled faintly without offering any explanation.

Seeing how mysterious Lu Yun was, Zhao Hu and the others began wildly filling in the blanks.

Brother Lu had to be a genius. Otherwise, there was no way his strength could have reached such a level in just three short years.

"I'm going to Black Wind Stronghold."

Lu Yun leapt into the air and landed directly on a horse's back.

If the roots were not pulled out, they would grow again when the spring wind blew.

This threat had to be eliminated. Otherwise, once he left, Chen Family Fort would be in deep trouble.

"Hyah..."

He lifted the spear shaft and gave the horse's rump a light tap. Stung by the pain, the horse broke into a swift gallop toward the road ahead.

Man and horse soon vanished into the billowing clouds of dust.

"Brother Lu, be careful in all things..."

Watching Lu Yun's departing back, Zhao Hu, Old Chen, and the others all had a trace of worry in their eyes.

They understood Lu Yun's intentions as well, and admired him all the more for it.

After all, he was doing all this for their Chen Family Fort. But the other two chiefs of Black Wind Stronghold were no pushovers either.

"Brother Lu is a loyal and righteous man. Even Heaven won't take him..."

The group all murmured prayers under their breaths.

Even by afternoon, everyone was still waiting at the entrance, hoping that figure would return safely.