The scarred man roared to bolster his courage, and charged forward wielding two short halberds.
His name was Luo Zheng. He was once a brave and resolute captain in the border army. Later, he offended someone and was forced to leave the border army. He then became a retainer of the Xie Clan Chamber of Commerce and helped train the Xie Clan Chamber of Commerce's servants.
Today's ambush was planned entirely by Luo Zheng from beginning to end.
However, a series of unexpected events caused the ambush to completely deviate from his expectations.
Wu Shuangren had his men form a shield formation in advance, which greatly reduced the effectiveness of the ambush by the forty repeating crossbows.
Wu Shuangren did not choose to turn back with his men, thus avoiding encountering the West River Gang, which had the largest number of members. This allowed the Xie Clan family, who originally planned to attack from the rear, to become the front line of defense.
Finally, there's the additional variable of Xu Yu.
This suddenly appearing expert, whose fighting style was completely reckless, disrupted many of Luo Zheng's plans!
Now that Wu Shuangren has arrived in front of him, Luo Zheng can only do his best to hold him off until the experts from the West River Gang arrive.
The swords and halberds clashed, producing a piercing metallic clang.
Wu Shuangren flicked his wrist, and the Fish-Dragon Saber slid forward along the halberd blade, its tip aimed straight for Luo Zheng's throat. Luo Zheng leaned back to dodge, his left halberd deflecting the Fish-Dragon Saber, while his right halberd thrust towards Wu Shuangren's ribs.
Wu Shuangren allowed the short halberd to pierce his left ribs, twisting his waist slightly so that the halberd tip grazed his ribs, tearing his robes, but his leather armor blocked the attack. At the same time, his left hand shot out like lightning, his five fingers forming a claw, and he gripped Luo Zheng's right wrist holding the halberd tightly.
Luo Zheng withdrew, but felt as if his wrist was locked by an iron band, his knuckles cracking. He swung his left halberd sharply, slashing at Wu Shuangren's arm, but Wu Shuangren released his grip at that moment and took half a step back, his Fish-Dragon Saber rising from below.
The blade flashed like a waterfall, and Luo Zheng hastily used his double halberds to block it. The impact made his hands go numb, and he had to take three steps back before he could barely stand.
'His Internal Skill doesn't seem to have reached the Third Rank?'
A fierce glint appeared in Luo Zheng's eyes.
He had fought against First Rate -tier masters, and the oppressive feeling brought by that unparalleled power was extremely strong!
Although he was at a disadvantage at first sight, Wu Shuangren's strength was not as formidable as he had imagined.
'He might not be First Rate top-tier expert!'
Thinking of this, Luo Zheng decisively abandoned his defensive stance, his twin halberds dancing into two balls of dark light, each move aimed at Wu Shuangren's vital points!
Wu Shuangren remained calm, his Fish-Dragon Saber sometimes moving like a gentle drizzle, using soft force to deflect the fierce halberd strikes; at other times, it flashed like a thunderclap, its blade aimed directly at the slightest opening in the opponent's attack.
In his sixth move, Wu Shuangren seized the opportunity and touched the end of the halberd handle with the tip of his blade, almost causing Luo Zheng to drop the short halberd from his hand.
Luo Zheng thrust his right halberd straight at Wu Shuangren's chest, but Wu Shuangren actually charged straight at the blow!
Bang!
The halberd tip pierced Wu Shuangren's chest, tearing through his leather armor and embedding itself into his flesh. Wu Shuangren managed to stop the halberd by grabbing the middle of the halberd handle with his left hand.
At the same time, he swung his Fish-Dragon Saber back and slashed at Luo Zheng's neck!
This tactic of trading injury for life caught Luo Zheng off guard. The short halberd in his left hand almost slipped from his grasp, and now it was too late to use it to intercept the Fish-Dragon Saber.
Luo Zheng decisively released the short halberd in his right hand, stepped back, and leaned back, narrowly avoiding the decapitating blade, but was still struck in the chest by the Fish-Dragon Saber!
He wasn't wearing leather armor, but iron armor, and he also had a breastplate, so the knife didn't manage to hurt him.
But the immense force transmitted through the blade caused him to stagger and nearly fall to the ground.
To buy time, Luo Zheng suddenly swung the short halberd in his left hand, aiming it at Wu Shuangren's face, while he tried to maintain his balance.
At the same time, two retainers from the Xie Clan Chamber of Commerce of Commerce attacked Wu Shuangren from both sides!
Wu Shuangren dodged the incoming short halberd by tilting his head. Seizing the opportunity, he ignored the Xie Clan retainers on his left and right and strode after Luo Zheng.
Luo Zheng had just regained his balance when, empty-handed, he faced Wu Shuangren with a look of despair.
Whoosh--
A flash of light, and Luo Zheng's head flew off!
Xu Yu bravely took two stabs, managing to knock the retainer on his right aside from behind!
At the last moment, Wu Shuangren switched targets and dodged the fatal blow by turning to the side, ultimately only sustaining a stab wound to his left arm.
In the crowd, Luo Zheng's headless corpse slowly knelt down and collapsed to the ground.
79. Courage to fight means life, cowardice to death!
Blood trickled from the corner of Wu Shuangren. He had just been stabbed in the chest by Luo Zheng's short halberd. Although his leather armor had blocked the fatal wound, the huge impact still caused him some internal injuries.
The result of these injuries was that he killed a master like Luo Zheng in less than ten moves!
From the moment he and Xu Yu charged into the formation until Luo Zheng was killed, the entire process took less than twenty breaths!
The Xie Clan family servants watched helplessly as their leader was killed by Wu Shuangren, their morale plummeted, their formation visibly crumbled, and many began to retreat.
"Kill!!!"
Wu Shuangren shouted sharply and charged into the crowd with his knife!
Xu Yu followed closely behind.
Both men were covered in blood and wounded, but at that moment they were like gods of death, and everyone instinctively avoided them wherever they went.
Inside the shield formation, Mo Zhengxing kept observing the battle situation ahead.
When he saw Wu Shuangren kill Luo Zheng and the two of them charge into the enemy ranks, he knew his chance had come.
Mo Zhengxing a deep breath and activated his Internal Skill:
"Forward--"
"Charge forward--!!!"
The militiamen in the front row instinctively pushed forward.
The shield wall, which was originally as solid as an iron wall, became loose at this moment, and the first row of the Xie Clan family servants was completely overwhelmed!
The militiamen at the front pressed their full weight onto their shields and pushed forward, while their comrades behind them thrust their spears forward with all their might.
Everyone is moving forward!
With the front ranks collapsing, the enemy's formation became even more disorganized, with some charging forward and others retreating, creating complete chaos.
The shield formation's spears thrust out, each time bringing forth a spray of blood!
In just a few breaths, the Xie Clan family's servants completely collapsed, with the servants in the back row turning around and running away.
From the moment the two sides clashed until the hundreds of the Xie Clan family retainers were slaughtered, the entire process was extremely swift!
Li Ming, leading the West River Gang, deliberately slowed down. He wanted the Fist Academy to inflict more casualties on the Xie Clan members, and then, once both sides were severely weakened, he would lead his gang to finish them off.
But unexpectedly, in such a short time, the Xie Clan's people were completely wiped out?
Aren't they the 100 most elite members of the chamber of commerce? Aren't they personally led by a border general?
"Damn it, those Xie Clan's bunch of good-for-nothings!"
Li Ming panicked and immediately led two hundred elite members of the West River Gang to charge forward at high speed.
"Brothers, follow me and kill them all!!!"
Li Ming's roar was like thunder.
Wu Shuangren slashed down one of the Xie Clan's retainers with a single stroke, then turned around upon hearing the commotion behind him.
If we defeat Xie Clan's men, we can indeed break through to the front.
However, if they want to maintain their formation, they definitely can't outrun the West River Gang.
If they flee in disarray, they will be like a scattered mob, easily defeated by an enemy with a larger number of soldiers.
After only a moment's thought, Wu Shuangren made his decision.
"The rear guard becomes the front guard!"
Wu Shuangren activated his Internal Skill, and his voice clearly reached the ears of every militiaman.
The militia, who had just overwhelmed the Xie Clan family's retainers, were in high spirits. Upon hearing the order, they instinctively stopped and began to change formation.
Wu Shuangren in hand, circled around to the back, with Xu Yu following beside him, panting heavily.
He looked at Xu Yu, who had been stabbed at least a dozen times. Most of the cuts were on his leather armor, but a few were on his arms and thighs, and blood was flowing freely.
These few blows were almost all taken to shield Wu Shuangren, which created an environment for him to fight Luo Zheng one-on-one for a short period of time.
Is it alright?
Wu Shuangren asked.
If it weren't for Xu Yu today, the militia would have been severely damaged by the enemy's crossbows immediately, and Wu Shuangren would have had no chance to break through the enemy lines and kill Luo Zheng.
Xu Yu wiped the blood from his face, grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth. "I'm a little hungry."
Wu Shuangren also smiled. He looked at the West River Gang members who were charging towards him and said, word by word:
"After we win this battle, I'll take you out for a delicious meal!"
"Good!"
Xu Yu nodded vigorously.
On the other side, Li Ming was taken aback when he saw that Wu Shuangren not only didn't flee but instead adopted a fighting stance. He then grinned maliciously, "Brothers, kill Wu Shuangren, and you'll get three hundred taels of silver!"
With such a generous reward, the West River Gang readily agreed, their eyes gleaming as they looked at Wu Shuangren.
Wu Shuangren took a deep breath, holding the Fish-Dragon Saber horizontally in front of him.
He knew this from the day he decided to hold the boxing match in West River Market.
Some roads can only be traversed by stepping over the corpses of the enemy!
The blade was raised, pointing directly at Li Ming.
Behind Wu Shuangren, the militiamen, shields and spears in hand, had already changed their formation.
During trust training, Wu Shuangren told everyone to trust their comrades.
During array training, he repeatedly emphasized. "Each of you only needs to do your part well, and your comrades will take care of the rest. As long as you stay together, you will be incredibly powerful!"
Therefore, during the battle with the Xie Clan family's retainers, not a single militiaman retreated, and their formation remained intact.
They have built trust with their comrades during training and have witnessed the power of their formation in actual combat.
At this moment, facing the much larger West River Gang, even those who felt fear did not waver in the face of their shields and spears.
Look around, everyone's here!
More importantly, their invincible leader still charged ahead in the battle—
"Kill!"
Wu Shuangren uttered a single word, which shot out like an arrow released from a bow.
Xu Yu followed closely behind.
The militiamen behind also followed their leader in launching an attack!
Fist Academy.
Upon hearing Mo Zhengxing's whistle, Bai Jinhuan realized something was wrong.
He immediately gathered the 150 militiamen who remained behind, put on his leather armor, took a 48-pound iron Guan Dao (a type of halberd), and led the rest of the Fist Academy's men out.
But as soon as the group stepped out of the courtyard, they saw a large crowd had already gathered at the street corner.
These people were dressed in different ways, and the weapons they held were also disorganized. They stood together in a messy manner, with no formation or coordination.
The group of several dozen men at the head of the group were clearly skilled in martial arts; they were strong, had a fierce aura, and glared menacingly at the people from the Fist Academy.
This road is blocked!
Someone activated their Internal Skill and roared loudly.
More than 300 members of the West River Gang and more than 100 servants of the Xie Clan Chamber of Commerce, totaling more than 400 people, have completely surrounded the area where the Fist Academy is located!
Bai Jinhuan's palms, gripping the hilt of the knife, were covered in sweat.
Wu Shuangren and Mo Zhengxing left him in the Fist Academy so that he could lead the militiamen who stayed behind to adapt to changing circumstances in critical moments.
Bai Jinhuan knew he had to make a decision quickly, so he looked back at the militiamen behind him.