As the saying goes, water and fire are merciless.
The power of nature is worthy of awe, and the fire attack was a strategy ordered by Xu Xiao.
He was a ruthless killer, but that didn't mean he enjoyed sending his men to their deaths. Even the cheapest pawns had to be used wisely.
All he needed was Ding Chunqiu's head to exchange for Wuyazi's Internal Energy; whether he lived or died was not important to him.
No matter how skilled a martial arts master like Ding Chunqiu was, he couldn't withstand being surrounded by such raging flames. Within just two breaths of the fire starting, several burning tables and chairs were blown out of the fire.
Following closely behind was Ding Chunqiu, that old poisoner.
The moment the tables and chairs flew out of the fire, the officers from the Martial Command Office immediately began firing in volleys, some hitting the tables and chairs, and some aimed at Ding Chunqiu.
However, this old guy was indeed a seasoned veteran; he had already foreseen what he would encounter before rushing into the fire.
While still in mid-air, a handful of highly poisonous powder was already scattered, accompanied by the internal force of the Power-Dissolving Great Technique, blowing straight towards him.
"How dare you!" You're courting death!
Two loud shouts rang out simultaneously.
Immediately afterwards, a faint dragon's roar came from the left, followed by a powerful palm strike that dispersed the poison powder before changing direction and striking Ding Chunqiu.
To the right, there was the screech of a sharp weapon cutting through the air, and a Flash of cold light pointed directly at Ding Chunqiu, who leaped out of the sea of fire.
The two attacks were launched by Qiao Feng, who was empty-handed, and Wu 1, who was wielding a spear, respectively, both filled with killing intent.
Wu 1's kung fu is not bad. He was selected as the number one among the hundreds of thousands of the Imperial Army. His spear skills, honed in battle, are those of Grandmaster. He has also mastered the external martial arts that are popular in the army.
When Qiao Feng, the male protagonist of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils and Semi-Devils," joined forces with his Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms Dragon Palms to attack, the two masters' killing moves caught Ding Chunqiu completely off guard.
Even in a normal 1v1 situation, Ding Chunqiu might not be able to defeat either of them, let alone being ambushed by two masters.
Faced with this attack, Ding Chunqiu could only barely dodge the spear thrust that would surely kill him, and then gathered his Internal Energy to meet Qiao Feng's palm strike head-on.
Pfft~
He spat out a mouthful of blood as the unparalleled force of his palm shot straight into his body from the point where his arms met, severing the meridians in its path.
Immediately afterwards, Ding Chunqiu, who thought he had dodged the attack, changed angle in an instant and thrust straight through his left arm.
Then, with a slight tap of the spear tip, followed by a Phoenix Nods Three Times, he pierced holes in all four of Ding Chunqiu's limbs.
With two masters joining forces, there's no need for them to exchange blows for over a hundred moves like in TV dramas before a winner is decided.
A true life-or-death battle is often decided in a single instant.
"Your gun is very fast; this is the first time I've ever seen such a fast gun."
Qiao Feng's face was full of admiration and a hint of fighting spirit.
"Your palm strikes are quick too. Let's spar sometime." Wu 1 nodded coldly.
Masters always appreciate each other. Originally, Wu Yi was a little jealous that Qiao Feng was given the position of Deputy Commander as soon as he arrived.
Having personally experienced his skills, I now understand that this person truly lives up to his reputation.
Especially considering that the other party didn't attack Ding Chunqiu immediately, but instead chose to use his palm force to blow away the poison powder that was being thrown at the soldiers, this shows that the other party also has excellent character.
This is someone you can rely on even on the battlefield, truly deserving of the name Northern Qiao Feng.
"Alright, I'll remember that. Let's have a friendly spar another day, and maybe have a drink together."
Qiao Feng Feng's three greatest loves in life were martial arts, drinking, and making friends with heroes.
Seeing that even a skilled official like Wu 1 didn't put on airs, he felt a greater sense of belonging to his future career in the Martial Command Office.
Ding Chunqiu, panting heavily on the ground, watched the two experts who had attacked him talking animatedly. It took him a long time to catch his breath before he finally spoke:
"Which faction do you two belong to, and why did you ambush Ding?"
Upon hearing Ding Chunqiu's voice, Wu 1) acupoint, and said coldly:
" Ding Chunqiu, is that right? My master wants to see you!"
"Heh~"
"I, Ding, do not recall offending anyone in the imperial court. May I ask if this gentleman could reveal such a detail?"
Ding Chunqiu then noticed the crossbows held by the soldiers surrounding him and realized the origins of the group in front of him.
The imperial court has taken action!
But he used to wreak havoc overseas and rarely returned to the Central Plains. This time when he returned, he had not made any enemies with the government officials. How could he have attracted such a master to come and besiege him?
"Shut your mouth. You'll know when the time comes."
Wu 1 directly pressed Ding Chunqiu's acupoint to silence him, and then called for someone to bring ropes made of ox tendons to tie him up tightly.
Although Ding Chunqiu had already been injured by his and Qiao Feng's combined attack, he was going to take him to meet Xu Xiao later, so he couldn't afford to be careless at all.
Wu 1 acts with the full discipline of the military: cold, hard, and meticulous.
Soon, one person was left to notify the town's officials to come and put out the fire, while the people from the Martial Command Office took Ding Chunqiu to their lodging in the town.
Inside the grand mansion, Xu Xiao lay relaxed on a soft couch, quietly awaiting news.
At his level, he naturally doesn't need to do everything himself. If he did everything himself, what would be the point of establishing the Martial Command Office?
Wang Yuyan and the other two women had already gone to the backyard to rest, leaving only Xu Xiao and Duan Yanqing in the main hall.
Bored, Xu Xiao, sitting on the soft couch, suddenly spoke:
" Duan Yanqing, back then, you were seriously injured outside Heavenly Dragon Temple, how did you manage to accomplish that?"
???
Duan Yanqing was taken aback at first, then suppressed his anger, but ultimately held it in.
"I've long forgotten those old stories; please, wise one, refrain from mocking a cripple like me."
"Okay, okay, I was just kidding. I was just curious." Xu Xiao grinned mischievously.
Then, looking at Duan Yanqing, he said:
"Since they've already gone to arrest Ding Chunqiu, I'll tell you what I've been waiting for now."
Upon hearing this, Duan Yanqing immediately perked up, disregarding his pride, and performed a deep bow while leaning on his cane.
"Please, someone knowledgeable, tell me, I, Duan, am deeply grateful."
After discovering that Xu Xiao had become a top figure in the Great Song, Duan Yanqing dared not utter another disrespectful word.
The opponent's strength was mysterious, and given his current status, even if he were still the ruler of Dali, he would still have to give Xu Xiao a lot of leeway. Therefore, he adopted a very humble attitude.
"Alright, alright, although I may be a ruthless killer, I always keep my word."
"It's a matter of cause and effect, karma always catches up with you."
" The Duan Zhengming lineage seized your throne, and Duan Zhengchun cheated on countless men, but in the end, they all got their comeuppance from you."
"Let me tell you, back then..."
Duan Yanqing listened silently, his face, which was usually expressionless, twitching more and more as he listened.