"D-dead?"
Zhao Pengju fell silent.
Looking at the corpse, which had already become so many human fragments,
he found it hard to connect that pile of pieces with one of the Twelve Fiends of Xuetuo, the opponent who had just been beating him back.
That palm power...
"Have you really only practiced martial arts for half a year?" Zhao Pengju asked. He could not believe that two youths fumbling along on their own could, in just half a year, develop martial arts capable of shattering an established expert with a single palm strike.
This wasn't fucking genius anymore. These were monsters!
Zhang Qingyuan and Zhang Junbao turned back. The brothers looked at the stupefied Zhao Pengju. You still have the time to ask about our martial arts?
Wouldn't your mother, wife, and child be heartbroken if they knew?
"Stop staring and lead the way!"
Only after Zhang Qingyuan shouted did Zhao Pengju snap out of it. "Oh, right! Follow me. I know where they are!"
There was no time to worry about all that. Saving people came first.
His chest full of questions, with no time to inspect the Twelve Fiends member reduced to minced flesh, Zhao Pengju surged to the front and led the two of them off to take revenge.
His confidence had returned.
His conviction was utterly firm.
My brothers are experts!
He saw hope, the dawn, and its first light.
Zhang Qingyuan and Zhang Junbao followed behind him, exchanging a somewhat disdainful glance.
He made them sound so terrifying, and that was it?
It wasn't that Zhang Qingyuan had gotten cocky. All right, both of them had gotten cocky.
The man hadn't even managed a scream beneath the Nine Yang Palm. How could they not?
As he ran, Zhang Qingyuan reviewed the experience of this battle.
This had been his first real fight, and a duel to the death at that. Reviewing the process would greatly help his future improvement in martial arts.
Overall, one reason they had won so easily was that he and Junbao had gone all out. Another was that their opponent had underestimated them.
Well, whatever the case, my martial arts are above the Twelve Fiends'.
What was worth celebrating was that his first time killing someone had not caused much discomfort.
Although the sight of flying flesh and blood had been somewhat hard to stomach at first, once he left that place, the nausea disappeared with it.
As for guilt,
what was that?
Zhang Qingyuan was thick-skinned, and his methods of achieving his aims were sometimes less than admirable. But he wasn't a bad person. Although he had talked plenty of old ladies into buying homes, those homes really were worth the price.
He had used his connection with Auntie Li to coax Zhao Pengju into giving Zhang Junbao pointers, but neither Auntie Li nor Zhao Pengju had lost anything.
On the contrary, Zhang Qingyuan usually repaid Auntie Li twice over in daily life.
So Zhang Qingyuan was the sort of person who would trick you, yet leave neither of you worse off.
His lack of guilt after killing someone also stemmed from that personality.
Perhaps he had not even noticed that he was constantly giving himself psychological suggestions.
In a wuxia world, who doesn't have a few lives on their hands?
I'm doing a good deed. I'm carrying out justice on Heaven's behalf.
I need to save people.
If I don't kill him, he'll kill me.
These suggestions flashed past in an instant, without even his own notice.
In that single instant, he dispelled his guilt and could even ask, What's guilt?
Thin-skinned people had a hard time surviving in society. That was true in ancient times and in later ages alike.
Following Zhao Pengju, they arrived at a residence on the eastern side of town.
It was no small residence, with five successive courtyards from front to back. This was the River Crocodile Gang's headquarters.
It had originally been the home of a local wealthy merchant, acquired by the River Crocodile Gang through a mixture of purchase and threats.
At present, there were very few gang members at headquarters, because the main force had gone to besiege the Dry Flood Dragon Gang.
Gang leader Li Guan had taken the Twelve Fiends and numerous gang members to fight the Dry Flood Dragon Gang, where battle raged fiercely. With their fighting strength, two hours would be enough to finish it.
"This is the place. We need to hurry. My sworn elder brother won't hold out much longer," Zhao Pengju said anxiously, looking at the River Crocodile Gang's gates.
He and Sun Zhenjiang, the leader of the Dry Flood Dragon Gang, were sworn brothers. Earlier, he had barely been able to save himself, so naturally each had looked after his own affairs.
Now that he had experts beside him, he began worrying about that sworn elder brother again.
Zhang Qingyuan had no time to bother with Sun Zhenjiang. He hardly knew the man. Turning to Zhang Junbao, he said, "Bao'er, cover me."
"Go without worry." Zhang Junbao stepped forward, raised his hands, and circulated his Qi, looking the very picture of righteousness.
What the fuck do you mean, go without worry? You make it sound like I'm about to die.
Seeing three people appear at the entrance, one of whom was Zhao Pengju, the gang members left behind paled in alarm.
As Zhang Junbao walked up the steps, the underling standing guard hurriedly pulled the gates open and called inside for reinforcements.
"Trouble! Someone, come quickly! Zhao Pengju has brought people to attack us!"
That shout rang throughout the residence. The people inside streamed out and guarded the entrance, staring nervously at Zhang Junbao.
Zhang Junbao climbed the steps unhurriedly, then struck.
The gang members charged with sabers, spears, clubs, and staves. Zhang Junbao moved as though no one stood before him, beginning his Taiji Fist.
These rank-and-file thugs were ordinary people who knew little of martial arts. To put it nicely, they were a bunch of petty hoodlums. Their weapons could not even touch the hem of Zhang Junbao's clothes.
Zhang Junbao's movements alternated between fast and slow, his body like flowing water.
When a saber came, he dodged; when a spear came, he borrowed its force.
Within Taiji's domain, half these thugs died at their own companions' hands as Zhang Junbao redirected their force against them. The other half fell beneath his fists.
Once again, Zhao Pengju stared dumbfounded. What martial art was this?
While Zhang Junbao drew their attacks, Zhang Qingyuan took a short running start and vaulted over the wall. Casually grabbing a hoodlum by the collar, he asked, "Where is Zhao Pengju's family?"
The hoodlum was already scared witless. Trembling, he pointed toward the rear. "In the woodshed in the back courtyard."
After giving him a palm strike, Zhang Qingyuan headed straight for the back courtyard.
When he found the woodshed, he saw a black-clad swordsman standing at its entrance.
"Pretty cautious."
Zhang Qingyuan had seen him in the streets. He was the River Crocodile Gang's deputy leader. All year round, he wore fitted black clothes and carried a longsword. He never smiled either, putting on a cold, aloof air.
Seeing that the newcomer was Zhang Qingyuan, the deputy leader looked behind him in confusion. When he saw no one there, he grew even more puzzled.
"Why is it you? Where's Zhao Pengju?" He knew Zhang Qingyuan, who told fortunes and swindled people at the crossroads every day. He had made something of a name for himself throughout town, commonly known as the ladies' friend.
Zhang Qingyuan didn't want to bother with him. Saving people came first. Ignoring his questions, he strode forward.
There was no telling how long the Dry Flood Dragon Gang could hold out. If Sun Zhenjiang proved useless and failed to last long, getting away would be difficult once the River Crocodile Gang's people returned.
Zhang Qingyuan and Zhang Junbao could run if they couldn't win, but Auntie Li was old, and Zhao Pengju's wife and child did not have such good lightness skills.
If a real fight broke out, any mishap would be disastrous.
The deputy leader sneered. A mere Zhang Qingyuan was not enough to interest him.
As a swordsman, his greatest dream was to duel a swordsman more famous than himself.
He shook his head at Zhang Qingyuan. "Leave. You're not the one I'm waiting for."
So much bullshit. Zhang Qingyuan continued striding forward.
"Fine. If you wish to die, I'll grant your wish."
Seeing Zhang Qingyuan ignore him, the irritated deputy leader raised his right hand, using his fingers as a sword.
In his eyes, Zhang Qingyuan was not even qualified to make him draw his sword.
Just as Zhang Qingyuan reached him, a cold gleam flashed...
Zhang Qingyuan continued forward, as though he had simply walked around the deputy leader.
The deputy leader still held his fingers in a sword gesture, his arm halfway raised.
He lowered his head and looked at his chest.
A mist of blood sprayed from it. A finger-sized hole had appeared in his chest.
He murmured to himself, "How could this be?"
He had just tried to take a step when, in the next instant, he toppled like a wooden plank.
Zhang Qingyuan reached the woodshed and pulled open the door.
Auntie Li and her daughter-in-law huddled in a corner, with Zhao Zilong still held in the daughter-in-law's arms.
The opening door gave both women a fright.
Zhang Qingyuan smiled and waved. "You're doing all right."
Seeing that it was Zhang Qingyuan, they instantly relaxed their taut nerves.
Tears poured down as they broke into loud sobs.
"You brat! What took you so long?"
"Don't cry, don't cry. Brother Ju is waiting outside for you."
Wailing, Auntie Li pulled her daughter-in-law to her feet. Only when Zhang Qingyuan saw that they appeared unharmed did he finally feel completely reassured.
He looked back at the dead deputy leader. This was probably his doing.
Although the man's swordsmanship did not seem particularly impressive, he possessed a swordsman's heart.
A swordsman advanced without faltering and stood by his word.
His goal had been to duel an outstanding disciple of the Cangshan Sword Sect. A swordsman's principles required a fair duel.
He had kept Auntie Li and the others safe so that, if Zhao Pengju came looking for them, he could have no excuse to shirk a duel with him.
In fact, he had not known whether Zhao Pengju could find his way here. Perhaps he would die at the Twelve Fiends' hands.
Even if he escaped the Twelve Fiends, he would be wounded.
A wounded Zhao Pengju would be his opponent.
Call him a swordsman, and he did have a swordsman's principles.
Call him no swordsman, and he indeed dared not duel Zhao Pengju at his best.
Such a mindset ultimately put him on a lower plane.
Having collected Auntie Li, Zhang Qingyuan led the women outside. As they passed the deputy leader's corpse, he sighed.
When they reached the entrance, a crowd of gang members lay sprawled crookedly all over the ground. Even those still alive had broken arms or legs and were badly injured.
Zhang Junbao leaned by the entrance, while Zhao Pengju questioned the gang members.
Seeing his wife, child, and mother brought out safely, Zhao Pengju rushed over in great strides and embraced them.
"Mother! They didn't do anything to you, did they?"
Still shaken, Auntie Li said, "I'm fine. Xiaojuan and the child are fine too, thanks to Qingyuan coming."
"You're too kind," Zhang Qingyuan said. "We can catch up later. Brother Ju, let's hurry and get your mother out of here."
"Right. Let's go."
They ran outside, with Zhang Junbao and Zhang Qingyuan shoulder to shoulder.
"How was it?" Zhang Qingyuan asked.
"Plenty of insights, and a wealth of gains," Zhang Junbao replied.
They were discussing their insights from this battle. Having truly fought, Zhang Junbao's state of mind had likewise risen a great deal.
Zhang Qingyuan said, "Once we've settled Auntie Li somewhere, we should travel around the jianghu. Reading ten thousand books is no match for traveling ten thousand miles. What do you think?"
"Good idea!"
"We might even find you a wife."
Those words startled Zhang Junbao so much that his face instantly flushed red. Flustered with embarrassment, he didn't know what to do. "Brother Yuan, what are you saying? I-I don't have any such thoughts. I'm a Daoist now. Before, I... I... oh, come on..."
Seeing his reaction, Zhang Qingyuan understood.
Mm. He's reached that age.