Clang!
Wang Heihu was shocked. He hurriedly drew the tiger-head saber at his waist and held it before him, blocking the greatsword Wang Hao brought slashing down.
But there was no joy on his face after blocking the blow. The edge of Wang Hao's greatsword had bitten nearly halfway through the saber's blade, almost chopping it in two.
The tiger-head saber in his hand was no ordinary weapon. Though it had not been forged from the legendary steel refined a thousand times, it was not far inferior. Yet now his opponent had chopped halfway through it in a single blow.
How could he not be shocked?
But after the shock came a trace of greed. After all, didn't this prove that the brat's forging skills really were formidable?
If he could get his hands on the brat's secret forging method, his Black Tiger Gang's strength would surely soar. Ruling Chaoyang City would no longer be a pipe dream, and the gang could even expand further.
As for his tiger-head saber being chopped nearly halfway through, that was nothing to worry about. It hadn't been completely severed yet, had it?
As long as it wasn't cut through in a single blow, he could use his prized saber technique, and taking down the brat would be a simple matter.
After fighting for this long, he had seen through the brat.
As the leader of a major force in Chaoyang City, he naturally had dealings with the Qingfeng Martial Arts Hall and knew of the basic sword technique, the Ten Stances of Bloody Battle.
What Wang Hao had just used was the Ten Stances of Bloody Battle. Earlier, he had only managed to kill so many of Wang Heihu's men thanks to a few tactics and tricks, as well as the greatsword in his hand.
Most importantly, the brat facing him had no internal power and had merely trained in hard-body techniques, making him even less of a match for Wang Heihu.
Having realized this, Wang Heihu knocked Wang Hao's greatsword aside and unleashed his strongest saber technique-the Five Tigers Breaking Gate Saber!
Wielding his tiger-head saber, he unleashed the Five Tigers Breaking Gate Saber. Saber light surged forth, threatening to swallow Wang Hao whole.
Not to be outdone, Wang Hao swung his greatsword and met the attack with the Ten Stances of Bloody Battle.
Clang, clang, clang...
A series of heavy metallic crashes rang out. Both men practiced fierce, forceful martial arts that excelled at meeting force with force.
But as time passed, Wang Heihu grew anxious. He had used up half his internal power, yet he still hadn't taken down his opponent as expected.
There's something strange about this brat's swordsmanship!
By now, Wang Heihu understood that the Ten Stances of Bloody Battle Wang Hao was using was not the one he knew. It was far more intricate, even considerably stronger than his Five Tigers Breaking Gate Saber Technique.
If his opponent's cultivation had not been so low, preventing him from unleashing the power of this modified version of the Ten Stances of Bloody Battle-and, most importantly, if he had possessed internal power to reinforce it-Wang Heihu would have been defeated long ago.
Clink!
Just as Wang Heihu was considering how to respond, a faint sound reached his ears, and his expression changed drastically.
Before he could react, pain shot through his right shoulder. His entire right arm fell to the ground, along with what remained of his tiger-head saber.
This time, Wang Hao's greatsword had struck a notch he had cut earlier, breaking the tiger-head saber in two.
Clatter!
As the tiger-head saber fell, Wang Heihu ignored the agonizing pain in his shoulder and hurriedly turned to flee.
His strength had been evenly matched with his opponent's to begin with. Now that he had lost his tiger-head saber and his entire right arm, less than a tenth of his strength remained. Staying would only mean throwing his life away.
His best course now was to leave quickly, then gather his gang members once he returned to the Black Tiger Gang and cut the brat into a thousand pieces.
He was confident he could escape. Though the brat was powerful in a fight and had rather good footwork, without internal power he couldn't use lightness skill, so his speed and movement were lacking.
Squelch!
Unfortunately for Wang Heihu, just as he used his lightness skill to clear the wall, a sword tip pierced through his chest, carrying his entire body forward and pinning him to a wall across the street.
Wang Heihu's body twitched on the wall. In the end, he breathed his last, unwillingness written across his face.
A formidable figure who had plagued Chaoyang City for more than a decade and committed countless sins had finally fallen.
A tall figure immediately vaulted over the wall and came to the wall opposite. It was Wang Hao.
He truly didn't know lightness skill, and he wasn't as fast as Wang Heihu, but that didn't mean he had no way to give chase.
The ninth stance of the Ten Stances of Bloody Battle, Survival in Desperate Straits, was a move that involved hurling one's longsword at an opponent. With Wang Hao's current cultivation and the reinforcement of True Spirit Sword Intent, he could be said to hit his mark every time within ten zhang.
Within three zhang, he could even pin a fly to death.
Wang Heihu had been only a little over two zhang away from him, so there was no reason to let him escape.
Whoosh!
Pop!
Just then, a piercing sound came from the end of the street. A firework rose and burst high in the sky.
A signal flare?
Wang Hao frowned slightly as he watched a figure riding swiftly away at the end of the street. That person had just fired the signal flare.
Not everyone had gone into the building and been killed by him. One person had remained on guard outside the door, and upon seeing Wang Heihu lose, that person had promptly and shrewdly ridden away.
The direction he was heading was precisely where the Black Tiger Gang's headquarters stood.
This is trouble!
Wang Hao frowned slightly, realizing he might not be able to leave the city today.
The Black Tiger Gang wielded enormous power in Chaoyang City. With something this serious happening, they would definitely send people to seal off the city's only two gates, and there would certainly be more than two hundred of them.
At his own speed, there was no chance he could reach the gates before the Black Tiger Gang reacted.
With his current strength, if it came to a fight, he could face at most several dozen third-rate martial artists at once. Against a force of over two hundred, he would only be hacked to death by a flurry of blades.
As for climbing over the city wall somewhere else, that was nonsense. Chaoyang City was a major gateway to the capital and a military stronghold in its own right.
Leaving aside the thirty-thousand-strong army stationed a hundred li away, Chaoyang City's walls alone were ten zhang high.
This world of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer was different from the Ming dynasty of real history. One zhang here was equivalent to two and a half meters on Earth, so ten zhang was twenty-five meters.
How was he supposed to climb over a wall that high?
Even with tools, it would be difficult. Not to mention that archers stood guard and patrolled the walls day and night; if he really tried to climb it, he would definitely be shot full of holes.
After all, his Iron Cloth Shirt could defend against punches and kicks well enough, but it wouldn't hold up against arrows.
So things really were a little troublesome now!
Of course, it was only a little trouble. At worst, he could hide for a while and wait for Leader Zhao to return and get him out of the city.
Given the capabilities of Leader Zhao and the Blood Robe Tower behind him, that shouldn't be difficult.
"Ah! I'll talk, I'll talk! There really is an ugly freak in the gang who keeps her face covered all day and looks after dogs for the gang leader..."
Wang Hao returned to the smithy just in time to see Wu Tai finish off a gravely wounded Black Tiger Gang member lying on the ground with a slash of his saber.
After a moment's silence, Wu Tai walked up to Wang Hao with his saber and fell to his knees like a golden mountain toppling and a jade pillar collapsing. He knocked his head heavily against the ground and pleaded, "Benefactor, I know what I'm asking is too much, but I still want to beg you to help me save Qing'er. I can't live without her, and I can't let her go on suffering in the Black Tiger Gang.
"I'm already four years too late. I don't want to delay any longer. If you agree, Benefactor, my life will be yours from this day on!"
"Sigh! All right! What can I do? I'm a good man who likes to do a good deed every day!"
Wang Hao sighed and agreed to the request. At the same time, an idea for leaving Chaoyang City occurred to him. Though it would seem crazy, it was worth a try.
He could also leave safely by staying hidden in the city and waiting for Leader Zhao to arrive, but that would certainly lower Leader Zhao's opinion of him. If he could fight his way out of the city under his own power, it would be a different matter.
It would also prove his worth and ability!
"Are you familiar with the situation inside the Black Tiger Gang?"
Wang Hao then asked about the Black Tiger Gang. After all, one of his objectives this time was to rescue someone, so he naturally needed to know something about the gang. At the very least, he had to know where she was.
Otherwise, he would be wandering around like a headless fly. Forget rescuing someone-even getting out alive would be in question.
"Four years ago, I went with my father to forge some things for the Black Tiger Gang. I know the general layout inside."
Overjoyed, Wu Tai hurriedly answered, but by the time he finished speaking, his face had abruptly twisted with fury.
He finally understood why Wang Heihu had sent men to beat him and his father and drive them out four years ago. It had all been because of Qing'er.
"There's no time to lose. Go get some more roast goose so we can replenish our strength."
Wang Hao wasted no time and made his decision at once.
After all, he had already used up nearly all his strength forging the greatsword, and the fierce battle just now had exhausted what remained.
Charging into the Black Tiger Gang to rescue someone in this state would be no different from seeking death. It was better to eat their fill first.
But the moment food was mentioned, both men became aware of the stench of blood around them, strong enough to make them faint. Then Wang Hao looked at the bloody scene around them and immediately began to retch.
Ugh!
Wu Tai, who had also been feeling ill, could no longer hold back and began retching as well.
It couldn't be helped. Just a few days ago, Wang Hao had been an ordinary person on Earth who had never even killed a chicken, much less done anything like this.
Even when he killed the deputy leader at the hideout that day, he had beaten him to death with his fists, which hadn't been particularly bloody. Besides, with the great Dugu Qiubai keeping him in check from above, he hadn't had the mind to think about such things.
This time was far, far bloodier than before, and he had caused it all with his own hands, so naturally he couldn't hold it in.
Only after quite a while did the two feel a little better. Having barely recovered some strength, Wang Hao leaned on his greatsword and walked out of the smithy, his face pale. He said to Wu Tai, "Search their bodies and take what you can find. I'll wait for you at the roast goose shop next door."
Ignoring Wu Tai's aggrieved look, Wang Hao strode quickly to the shop not far away.
The shop's door was shut tight. Clearly, it had been closed when Wang Heihu arrived with his men.
After all, that was the Black Tiger Gang. No one wanted to invite trouble.
Without a word, Wang Hao swung his greatsword through the gap in the door, cut the bar behind it in two, and strode inside.
"Shopkeeper, bring me thirty roast geese, or I'll burn your shop down!"
Wang Hao viciously threatened the shopkeeper hiding under a table. The man was clearly frightened out of his wits, so he wouldn't come out to work unless he was given a push.
Sure enough, upon hearing Wang Hao's threat, the trembling shopkeeper could only crawl out from under the table with a miserable look and go to the kitchen to prepare the roast geese for him.