Wu Shuangren drew his Fish-Dragon Saber and pointed it ahead. "Those who block my way shall die!"
"Forward--!!!"
At his command, more than a hundred militiamen marched forward in orderly formation.
Despair!
The first step was perfectly synchronized; over a hundred pairs of feet landed simultaneously on the bluestone slabs, producing a dull, resounding thud.
"Kill!"
The militiamen roared out a single word, their voices like thunder, shaking the tiles on the walls of the Xie residence.
Despair!
Step two.
"Kill!"
Louder and more synchronized than the first time.
Despair!
Step 3.
"Kill!!"
The Xie Clan family servants in the front row kept retreating.
Those behind were pushed back by those in front, and could only follow suit. Xie Clan's formation began to crumble and gradually became chaotic.
"No retreating! Anyone who dares to retreat will be killed!"
The Xie Family roared angrily in the crowd.
But their voices were quickly drowned out by the ever-approaching shouts of "Kill!"
When the militiamen's spears were less than ten paces away from the Xie Clan family's men, the fear could no longer be suppressed!
The more than one hundred Xie Clan family servants guarding outside the Xie residence completely collapsed and scattered and fled.
Without losing a single soldier, Wu Shuangren his troops to break through the Xie family's last line of defense!
Mo Zhengxing was worried that his side was already at its last gasp, and on the way here he advised Wu Shuangren not to be aggressive and to wait until they had rested before taking action.
Seeing this scene, he realized that he seemed only suited for business...
Seeing this, the militiamen couldn't help but straighten their backs and raise their heads, their fighting spirit soaring even higher!
"Second and third teams, surround the Xie residence. Don't let anyone inside escape."
Wu Shuangren gave the order, "One team, follow me in."
Having said that, he grabbed his knife and charged into the Xie residence first.
Xu Yu followed closely behind him.
Mo Zhengxing and Bai Jinhuan quickly followed, followed by the militiamen.
After rushing into the Xie residence, Wu Shuangren was stopped by several guards who were loyal to the Xie Clan.
Ignoring his injuries, he rushed forward to fight these people, and even told Xu Yu, Mo Zhengxing, Bai Jinhuan, and the others not to interfere.
After taking the medicine, eating something, and resting, the "[Match for One Person]" Traits was no longer dull, allowing Wu Shuangren to fight a few more battles.
The reason he insisted on fighting despite his injuries was not out of bravado, but because his [Match for One Person] skill was about to level up!
Fighting someone of similar or greater strength will change the color of the Traits if you win.
From Bo County to West River Market, Wu Shuangren has been slowly accumulating 'experience points'.
In today's battle, he fought against seven or eight Xie Clan retainers and more than a dozen skilled fighters from the West River Gang. He first killed Luo Zheng, and then Li Ming (Zhao Kui is not included, as the same person can only provide 'experience' once).
The Traits is almost gone, and it will all turn green soon!
How could Wu Shuangren possibly miss out on this last bit of 'experience points'?
These Xie Clan retainers were only fifth or Sixth Rank martial artists, and they had little fighting spirit. Facing Wu Shuangren, a ' First Rate expert,' their momentum was already weakened, and they quickly revealed their weaknesses, and were killed one by one by Wu Shuangren.
After he slew three Xie Clan retainers in succession, the [Match for One Person] status above his head finally turned completely green, successfully leveling up!
83 Victories
The bluestone slabs in the front courtyard of the Xie residence were soaked in blood, turning a dark red, and the air was filled with the stench of blood.
Wu Shuangren stood in the center of the courtyard, holding the Fish-Dragon Saber, with several corpses at his feet.
The injury to my left shoulder had worsened due to the fight.
Mo Zhengxing and Bai Jinhuan neither understood why he insisted on taking action under these circumstances.
Only Wu Shuangren himself knew that although he had won today's battle, it did not mean that the crisis was over. He had to seize the time to become stronger!
After the Traits was upgraded, the four characters "[Match for One Person]" now exude a warm, jade-like luster.
Wu Shuangren closed his eyes and sensed the changes in the Traits.
The first change is wear and tear—it's like a heavy burden suddenly being lifted off your shoulders; the wear and tear from wearing Traits has been significantly reduced!
Before Wu Shuangren practiced martial arts, even without fighting, he could only wear the Traits for a maximum of one hour. Later, after he began practicing martial arts and developing Internal Skill, his physical strength and stamina increased, extending the duration of the Traits's wear time to over two hours without combat. And now...
At least six hours!
Wu Shuangren felt something.
If he were to face another bloody battle like today, he could hold out for much longer.
The second change after the Traits's upgrade is even more surprising—
The efficiency of defeating the enemy will be further improved!
Winning in ten moves, winning in fifty moves, winning in one hundred moves—all are ways to win.
Winning while exhausted, winning while severely injured, or even winning near death—these outcomes may seem the same, but they are vastly different.
Before Traits upgrade, when Wu Shuangren faced enemies stronger than himself, the enhancement only allowed him to just barely defeat them.
Today, in order to increase efficiency, Wu Shuangren repeatedly traded injuries for lives, which enabled him to quickly kill powerful enemies such as Luo Zheng, Zhao Kui, and Li Ming.
Now that the Traits has been upgraded, the efficiency of defeating enemies has been improved, which is extremely important to Wu Shuangren!
If Wu Shuangren can defeat a fourth or Fifth Rank martial artist in just a few moves, then he can single-handedly crush the enemy in today's bloody battle!
He was eager to immediately test the effects of the upgraded Traits and see just how much efficiency had improved.
But there were no enemies in sight.
Let's go.
With a smile on his face, Wu Shuangren called out and led his men further into the mansion.
Inside the lobby, Xie Jingshan slumped in a grand chair, his face, which was in his forties, looking as if he had aged ten years in a short period of time.
"Master!"
A guard ran up, shouting, "I'll lead the brothers to cover your escape through the back door! We'll fight our way out, even if it kills us!"
Xie Jingshan slowly shook his head, his voice hoarse. "I won't leave."
"Master!"
"The Xie Clan's savings accumulated over three generations."
Xie Jingshan interrupted him, his trembling finger pointing around the lobby, "My entire life's work is here, how can I leave?!"
The guard cried out urgently, "Master, as long as we live, we can survive..."
Xie Jingshan waved his hand, tears welling in his eyes, "Don't try to persuade me anymore, you should go."
He was certainly afraid of death, but for a businessman, there are things more important than life and death!
The guard wanted to say something more, but noises were already coming from outside the hall.
Wu Shuangren has arrived with his men!
"Go and tell the rest of them not to resist."
Xie Jingshan stood up, wiped away his tears, straightened his robes, and spoke.
The loyal guard sighed, turned and walked out of the hall, telling the other guards outside to put down their swords and not resist.
Wu Shuangren stood in the courtyard, watching Xie Jingshan walk out of the main hall alone.
"Militia Commander Wu."
Xie Jingshan's voice trembled slightly as he knelt down before Wu Shuangren, "I admit defeat!"
"Please, Militia Commander Wu, spare my life."
Xie Jingshan's forehead touched the ground, tears streaming down his face. "I, Xie, am willing to offer up the entire Xie Clan Chamber of Commerce!"
Wu Shuangren finally spoke, his voice as cold as ice. "Kill you, and everything in the Xie Clan Chamber of Commerce will be mine."
"But the Xie Clan Chamber of Commerce is more than just these!"
Xie Jingshan suddenly looked up, his eyes gleaming with a will to survive. "These publicly known businesses in West River Market only account for half of the Xie Family's business! The other half is elsewhere— West River County, Cang County, Xi Province City, and even other prefectures... This canal passes through nine prefectures and more than a dozen wharves, and I personally handled all the business in these places!"
His speech quickened, like a drowning man grasping at a last straw. "Without me, all the connections, channels, and relationships the Xie Family has cultivated in these places over decades will be severed!"
Wu Shuangren's eyes flickered slightly.
Mo Zhengxing stepped forward from behind and said in a low voice, "How about we don't kill him yet..."
"Tie him up."
Wu Shuangren gave the order.
Two militiamen immediately stepped forward and tied Xie Jingshan up tightly with a rope made of cowhide. Xie Jingshan did not struggle; instead, he cooperated by extending his hands, a hint of joy on his face— Wu Shuangren had not killed him immediately, which meant he was moved by what he had said.
For the next hour or so, the militiamen thoroughly ransacked the Xie residence.
With Xie Jingshan's active cooperation, secret rooms, hidden compartments, and cellars were opened one after another, and all valuables were gathered and placed in the central courtyard.
The official silver ingots, each weighing ten taels, were neatly stacked in camphor wood chests, five chests in total, totaling five thousand taels!
In addition, there was a box of gold, totaling two hundred taels.
One tael of gold during the Wu Dynasty could now be exchanged for approximately twelve taels of silver.
There were fifteen boxes of neatly strung copper coins, totaling one thousand five hundred strings of copper coins.
There were also Jiaozi, the most commonly used Changlong Trading House in Jiannan Circuit. The denominations ranged from ten to one hundred guan. A thick stack of them was strung together in a box, with a total denomination of six thousand seven hundred and fifty-three guan!
There are also various treasures and antiques, the value of which cannot be estimated at the moment.
In addition, there was grain; the warehouses were piled high with rice, wheat, and beans, enough to feed five hundred people for half a year.
There were also weapons: two hundred standard longswords, two hundred spears, one hundred shields, fifty powerful bows, and two thousand arrows.
Finally, there were stacks of contracts and account books.
There are twenty-one land deeds, covering five shops, three warehouses, and three residences in the most prosperous area of West River Market.
In addition, there are several county towns in Xi Province and shops and properties within Xi Province City.
"The initial inventory results are..."
Mo Zhengxing's voice was somewhat hoarse, "The cash is equivalent to 15,653 strings of cash (one tael of silver is equivalent to one string of cash)!"
The value of grain, weapons, treasures, antiques, and land deeds hasn't even been calculated; this isn't even all of the Xie Clan's wealth...
According to Xie Jingshan, the Xie Clan still has many businesses in other places, and the money and land deeds in those places are not here.
This is the result of three generations of the Xie Clan Chamber of Commerce's accumulation, which is why Xie Jingshan would rather kneel down and beg for mercy than run away.
"Such a huge fortune, all gone just because of fighting over a Fist Academy."
Looking at the gold and silver jewelry in the courtyard, Mo Zhengxing couldn't help but sigh.
Most of the militiamen responsible for carrying the loads held their breath, their eyes fixed straight ahead.
They had never seen such wealth in their entire lives.