Chapter 75: Killing Zhang (Part 2)
Chapter 75: Chapter 75: Killing Zhang (Part 2)
Xie Yuan’s mind roared as if struck by lightning, and he froze for an instant.
By the time he snapped out of it, a fierce fist was already inches from his chest!
Xie Yuan threw up his arm to block. The impact felt like a sledgehammer, sending him staggering back several steps. THUD! He didn’t stop until he slammed into the earthen wall.
Xie Yuan grunted, astonished. ’This Fist Skill... it’s this powerful?’
Zhang Yufeng strode forward and threw another punch, only to see Xie Yuan bring his saber down in a vicious slash aimed straight at his head, completely ignoring the incoming fist.
Zhang Yufeng was forced to retreat. He snatched his saber from the ground and faced Xie Yuan once more.
Xie Yuan clutched his chest, coughing a few times. He could already taste blood.
He gritted his teeth and stared at Zhang Yufeng.
"What did you just say? You killed my big brother? He wasn’t killed by a wild beast...!"
Xie Yuan’s thoughts were in chaos, but then, something clicked.
Zhang Yufeng sneered.
"How hard is it to find something to lure beasts in the county town? It’s the perfect way to avoid suspicion. See? You didn’t suspect a thing. You just went on like a fool, actually believing he was eaten by a wild animal. So stupid."
’So that was it.’
No wonder the animal tracks at the scene were so chaotic, a detail even Zhu Dongming found odd. No wonder a strong, experienced woodcutter like Xie Lun had met his end in the mountains.
’There was a reason for everything after all.’
Seeing Zhang Yufeng try to launch another sneak attack, Xie Yuan, who was ready this time, forced him back with a single slash. He then squeezed one word from between his teeth:
"Why?"
"Why? Beg me. Beg me, and I’ll tell you."
Zhang Yufeng roared with laughter, a cold glint in his eyes, then suddenly lunged with another slash.
Xie Yuan met him head-on, his saber a blur as they exchanged blows. His flurry of strikes was like a raging storm, nearly suffocating Zhang Yufeng.
With Xie Yuan attacking at full strength, Zhang Yufeng found himself unable to resist. He was instantly put on the defensive, losing the upper hand.
CLANG! Xie Yuan knocked his opponent’s saber flying. He stood his ground, leveled his blade at Zhang Yufeng, and said, enunciating every word:
"Why?"
His saber gone, Zhang Yufeng stood there bare-handed, unconcerned. He smirked.
"Because he was in the way."
"In the way?"
"That’s right. Last year, I had Zhang the Second start acquiring farmland in the village, but your brother was a meddler. He kept getting in Zhang the Second’s way.
"As long as he was around the village, we couldn’t get things done. So, I had Zhang the Second lure him to the mountains in the back and finish him."
Zhang Yufeng shook his head.
"He wouldn’t back down, not even at the end. I was left with no choice."
Xie Yuan felt a fire ignite in his chest as fury surged through him.
The moment Zhang Yufeng finished speaking, he launched a long-planned punch. Its trajectory was unpredictable, its power ferocious and unstoppable.
Xie Yuan crossed his arms to block, but the force still sent him skidding backward, carving two furrows in the ground!
’But I’ve made some progress with my Inner Power! My stance is as solid as cast iron, and I still couldn’t block that punch!’
Zhang Yufeng attacked again. His Fist Skill seemed slow but was deceptively fast, its trajectory bizarre. Xie Yuan moved to block high, only to realize at the last moment that the fist was aimed for his stomach. He shifted to block low but was still sent staggering back. A sweet taste rose in his throat, but he forced it down.
Zhang Yufeng’s punches rained down. Having lost the initiative, Xie Yuan found himself completely suppressed!
’What is this Fist Skill?’
He was enveloped by a storm of fist-shadows, each blow heavier than the last. ’This can’t go on.’ Xie Yuan took a sharp breath and drew the axe he had just hung from his belt.
The Three Swings!
As if by premonition, Zhang Yufeng floated backward just in time. He watched Xie Yuan’s three swings blur into one, fast as lightning and powerful as a thunderclap, and broke out in a cold sweat.
’Good thing he’s already injured. His movements have slowed... ’
Xie Yuan gasped for breath, staring at Zhang Yufeng.
"That Fist Skill... it’s not from the Vajra Sect."
Since joining the Escort Agency, he had naturally learned a thing or two about their old rivals, the Vajra Sect.
The Vajra Sect’s Hard Style techniques were peerless in Yunzhao. They also had the complementary Rock Palm, which was impressively powerful, and the excellent Vajra Stick Skill for weaponry. But he had never heard of them possessing a Fist Skill so formidable it could almost nullify the advantage of his Inner Power.
This Fist Skill, both in its power and its techniques, was far too sophisticated. It wasn’t something you’d expect to find in a Yunzhao martial arts school.
Zhang Yufeng sneered.
"And you think you’re the only ones who get lucky breaks?"
Seeing Xie Yuan just staring at him silently, Zhang Yufeng let out a dry laugh.
"Alright, fine. I got this Fist Skill from your brother, too.
"Forced it out of him. Some Daoist thought he was some kind of damn genius and gave him this Fist Skill manual. Heh, a genius... and yet he was still beaten to the ground like a dog. He acted tough, but didn’t we get it out of him in the end?"
Hearing this, Xie Yuan’s eyes went bloodshot. His Blood Qi and internal energy raged out of control. Abandoning all technique, he swung his axe wildly at Zhang Yufeng.
’I can’t wait any longer!’
A glint flashed in Zhang Yufeng’s eyes. His pale face flushed red as he threw a lunging punch straight at Xie Yuan’s chest.
This Fist Skill was powerful, but it also consumed a great deal of energy. He hadn’t fully mastered it to begin with, and he was already a spent force. This punch was his final, desperate gamble.
’Life or death, this will decide it!’
Xie Yuan saw it coming and had anticipated it. He sucked in a sharp breath, put another burst of speed into his hands, and angled his chest slightly to the side.
SWISH! Zhang Yufeng’s entire left arm was severed. At the same time, his right fist slammed into Xie Yuan’s chest.
Xie Yuan’s face turned deathly pale. He spat out a mouthful of blood and staggered back several steps.
But he managed to stay on his feet.
Blood gushed from Zhang Yufeng’s left arm, but he only let out a muffled grunt, his face ashen.
"Iron Cloth Shirt... Heh! Iron Cloth Shirt..."
His last glimmer of hope was extinguished. He gave a wretched smile, ready to accept his fate, when he subconsciously glanced to the side and saw Zhang Xiaoshan’s terrified face.
Suddenly, Zhang Yufeng found another burst of strength from somewhere within. With a bizarre shriek, he swung his remaining right arm like a sledgehammer at Xie Yuan. The movement squeezed the stump of his left arm, causing a great spray of dark blood to erupt from the wound.
But he had lost his balance. Xie Yuan easily sidestepped the blow and, with another swing of his axe, severed his right arm as well.
Zhang Yufeng staggered, finally lost his footing, and collapsed to the ground.
Blood pooled around him, his face as white as a sheet. He looked up at the approaching Xie Yuan, his vision blurring until he could barely make out the figure.
"It was all my idea... Don’t torture him."
He saw the shadow slowly raise the axe. Gasping for his last breaths, still unwilling to accept his fate, he struggled to lift the stump of his arm.
"No... I’m not done yet... I still haven’t made Zhang the Second... a landlord... I haven’t... haven’t climbed to the top yet... haven’t reached the very top... Haven’t... haven’t smashed Yu the Dog’s face in... I haven’t..."
THUD. Xie Yuan brought the axe down without expression, silencing Zhang Yufeng’s delirious rambling.
As Zhang Yufeng’s ruined arm fell limp, Zhang the Second blinked. His body shuddered as if waking from a nightmare.
He stared at Zhang Yufeng’s body in the pool of blood, then at the axe-wielding Xie Yuan standing silently nearby. Snatching up a kitchen cleaver, he charged with a wild roar.
"FUCK! You killed my brother! I’ll... I’ll fucking kill you!!!"
Looking at the crazed Zhang the Second, Xie Yuan raised his axe.
With a dull thud, Zhang the Second also fell to the ground. Like his brother, he moved no more.
Xie Yuan took two slow steps, then plopped down on the kang brick bed, tossing his axe aside.
He stared at the two corpses on the floor. With his left hand, he grabbed a handful of fava beans from a nearby plate and tossed them into his mouth.
CRUNCH, CRUNCH. He chewed them to bits, then snatched up the wine pot that had been kept warm on the side, tilted his head back, and drained it.
As the warm wine slid down his throat, he pressed his lips shut and closed his eyes for a long moment before finally letting out a long breath.
Xie Yuan leaned back and turned his head toward the window. The eastern sky was already beginning to pale.
The first day of the Lunar New Year.
It was a new year.