Chapter 51: 50 Helplessness, Part 2

“The person in charge of the armory and the patrol are both our people. Rest assured. Right now, our main opponent is County Commander Tumuha’er. This man is a fifth-grade palace guard. Once he dons his armor, no one can stop him.” Chen Lianqing said solemnly.

A fifth-grade expert in armor wielding weapons and charging with the power of a horse is terrifying just to imagine.

“One-third of the stationed troops are our insiders, we must gather skilled people to first deal with Tumuha’er before we can suppress the stationed troops quickly.” Chen Lianqing explained clearly.

“Who will take action? The terrain at the county yamen is complex, with constables and captains guarding, and patrolling soldiers from time to time. It’s too difficult to assassinate Tumuha’er under such conditions.” The literati shook his head.

“Don’t worry, the higher-ups will concentrate their strength to resolve this.” Chen Lianqing said solemnly.

The Master has already arranged for three experts, including himself, to join forces in assassinating Tumuha’er.

Tumuha’er is a nail dispatched by the Spirit Court in Huaxin County, suppressing the Commander. He is the highest-ranking person in the entire county town.

His martial prowess is extremely strong, and being in his prime, he is the hardest to deal with.

But the uprising is imminent, and however difficult, it must be dealt with immediately.

By then, led by Master Zhang Xuan, one fifth-grade, two fourth-grade, three people will join forces, and then design an ambush.

If it’s a spacious venue, then a distant shot with a bolt must succeed.

“Chief, Tumuha’er… is not that easy to handle. The Celestial Hero Order he practiced is martial arts from the Spirit Court’s Snow Rainbow Pavilion, powerful and formidable. He was once a general who retreated from the battlefield, his skills honed through killing… Ordinary Jianghu experts of the same level, one or two are not his match at all…”

The Snow Rainbow Pavilion is an organization of the Great Spirit dedicated to collecting strange martial arts cultivation techniques from around the world.

Only truly formidable, practical, and powerful martial arts are included.

Furthermore, the Snow Rainbow Pavilion also has the function of researching stronger military weapons.

Over the years, many of the martial arts from it have greatly assisted the Great Spirit Army on the battlefield.

The Great Spirit Army’s martial prowess is number one, not just strong in equipment and archery.

Chen Lianqing certainly understands Tumuha’er’s formidable strength and heard this in silence.

“The higher-ups are naturally aware of this.”

She said solemnly.

“No matter how difficult, someone has to do it!”

She clenched her fists tightly.

“Resistance, there will always be people who die. What are we gathered here for? Does the higher-up not know there will be deaths? Are they not afraid?”

The surrounding people fell silent, the wind howling in the woods.

Though the sun was blazing, it seemed to have no warmth.

“If it weren’t out of desperation, who would willingly walk this path?” Chen Lianqing’s eyes showed traces of hate.

Like her, the people around also showed hatred in their eyes.

Those present, if not driven to a dead-end, who would be willing to risk their lives?

Homes broken, families separated, parents deceased, property seized, and so on and so forth.

Among those present, who hasn’t been driven to the brink of despair by the Spirit Court and its powerful families, with even their life hanging in the balance.

“Everyone… success or failure depends on this one move.” Chen Lianqing drew out the short knife at her waist.

The others paused.

And also raised various weapons.

There were knives, sticks, rusty daggers, and even hoes.

*

*

*

Near the Bai family’s merchant convoy, in the mountains and forests.

“You are Zhang Rongfang, are you not?” Qi Mountain still remembered this young Daoist in front of him.

Back then, when he escorted Xiao Qingying down the mountain, he was almost seen through by Zhang Rongfang halfway.

At that time, he was left with a deep impression of this person’s alertness.

“In consideration of our same sect, bind yourself here and do not make a sound, I can spare you any harm.” Qi Mountain’s voice softened.

Zhang Rongfang looked at this group of people in front of him, his gaze falling on the masks on their faces.

He truly did not want to clash with these individuals, which was different from the former Chen Wuyou Shao family.

There is no need for them to fight to the death.

But if he were to bind himself, giving up all resistance, he naturally was unwilling.

“Why must Senior Brother Qi Mountain be so aggressive? Being the same sect… can’t we sit down and talk it through?” Zhang Rongfang said helplessly.

“Are you truly unaware or pretending?” Qi Mountain didn’t have the time to waste with the other.

Keep talking, should he take action or not?

That Zhang Xuan’s ambition is grand, and he must quickly capture people back for interrogation.

“Forget it, blame your ill fate.” Qi Mountain ceased his pointless words, waving his hand.

Regardless of whether Zhang Rongfang knows about Zhang Xuan, this time taken back, he will have no chance of survival.

Treason, no matter what, is a crime of exterminating the entire family. As Zhang Xuan’s close disciple, once convicted, he cannot escape.

As well as his entire kin, all must die.

In an instant, two masked men charged forward.

Zhang Rongfang shimmied left and right, preventing the two from getting close for the moment.

He knew Qi Mountain was a person from the Dean Tangsha, and did not wish to completely turn against him. He was even puzzled why this group of people came here with such a masked appearance.

So for the moment, he refrained from attacking, only dodging.

“Senior Brother, regardless of what you aim to do, can this time be treated as never having met?”

While dodging, Zhang Rongfang asked in a deep voice.

Having witnessed the Chen family’s downfall, he did not want to conflict with Dean Tangsha Court.

Presently, Tang Sha is about to take over as Palace Master, representing the legitimacy of Qinghe Palace. To go against him would be to take on the entire officialdom.

“Ha? Your body technique is not bad. No wonder you dare stand before me shouting.” Qi Mountain noticed Zhang Rongfang using the Mist Smoke Step, instantly surprised.

“Pretending never seen is natural.” He grasped the long staff with both hands, “I’ll agree once you fall!”

Before the words finished, his burly figure lunged forward, the long staff demonstrating the family Bai Lu staff technique, swinging down towards Zhang Rongfang’s head.

The thirteen-pound long staff crashed down heavily, creating a dull whistling sound. If it hit the head, with Qi Mountain’s strength, at least a dented skull, and severe concussion.

Whoosh!

The brown long staff swept away fallen leaves, swirling up wind currents, vibrating with peculiar staff technique, and viciously aiming for Zhang Rongfang’s right side forehead.

Sigh…

In an instant, a sigh.

Swoosh.

The long staff narrowly swept past his forehead, just a bit shy of hitting its target.

But for some reason, this bit seemed like an insurmountable gap, unable to cross.

Zhang Rongfang suddenly retreated several meters, bowing his head.

“Senior brother, actually… I really….. really…..”

Clang.

He raised the desire wheel in his hand high, blocking the incoming long staff.

“You!!?”

Qi Mountain’s arms were crazily pushing down, but strangely, no matter how much force he applied, the long staff remained unmoved.

“Just a mere minor Daoist!!”

Qi Mountain unbelievingly pulled back the long staff, using the Reeds Sweeping move, swinging it with full force.

“I want to see where you’ll dodge!!”

Before the words fell, his vision blurred, suddenly losing sight of the person in front.

“Senior brother…”

Zhang Rongfang’s voice eerily came from behind him.

“Why don’t you understand, a person only has one life….”

Qi Mountain staggered, touched his neck in disbelief and trembling.

There, a huge gash was continuously bleeding and leaking air.

He couldn’t understand.

Couldn’t believe.

Why a young Daoist would possess such terrifying body techniques and the power to block his attacks….

He didn’t understand….

Thud.

He collapsed to the ground, blood constantly spreading, soaking into the soil beneath the roots.

Screams continued to echo in his ears.

In the dense forest.

The last thing Qi Mountain saw was a ghostly silent figure, easily evading others’ attacks, reaping lives of his subordinates one by one.

Before long.

The last body fell to the ground, lying supine.

Zhang Rongfang emotionlessly picked up the desire wheel.

The blade edge of the Li Shang, the wheel body, was all splattered with blood, some of it already turning a faint dark red after slight oxidation.

“Don’t blame me…. If you want to blame, blame yourselves for harboring evil thoughts….”

Killing, once done for the first time, naturally leads to a second, third…. even more.

And once Qi Mountain was killed, he had to kill everyone present.

Otherwise, leaking the secret would bring more trouble.

The huge disparity in body techniques’ speed made it easy for him to accomplish this.

He gently wiped the blood off Li Shang with the clothes of the corpses, then turned and silently left.

He truly didn’t want to kill.

But others always wanted to harm him.

To avoid harm, he had to take action to eliminate the source of harm.

Actually, upon reflection, this was good.

’The fewer people who want to harm others in this world, the more peaceful and stable it will be. So I’m doing a good deed.’

“I don’t want to live in a world where I’m always on guard against others. So I must eradicate evil thoroughly….”

Now, when killing, Zhang Rongfang was no longer as terrified as at the start.

With a sharp weapon, coupled with mysterious body techniques’ speed, even those stronger than him, as long as their speed was slower, were bound to be defeated.

Soon, Zhang Rongfang returned to Qi Mountain’s corpse, quickly started gathering the money bags.

Unfortunately, perhaps knowing in advance what they were about to do, they had kept their money bags securely beforehand, not carrying them.

After searching over a dozen people, Zhang Rongfang found only two money bags.

And these two bags combined only contained four taels of silver. Barely enough to cover the hiring cost of those escort guards.

More valuable still were the weapons on these people.

Unfortunately, Zhang Rongfang couldn’t take these weapons to sell.

He could only choose carefully, taking a close-fitting short sword from Qi Mountain.

He quickly threw all the corpses to the back of the slope, then circled around, returning to the stream to wash himself clean.

From start to finish, his near fifth-grade level body techniques meant he didn’t suffer a single injury.

Qi Mountain and his people, though numerous, couldn’t form an effective encirclement in the forest.

In each engagement, at most two of them would strike together.

In other words, Zhang Rongfang was essentially fighting one against two.

Restricted by terrain, and limited by their cooperation’s tacit understanding, the dozen-plus people couldn’t keep up with Zhang Rongfang’s speed.

There were too many obstacles they could use.

Not long after, he returned to the convoy. Nonchalantly returning to the back of the ox cart.

Yang Hongyan was arranging pre-prepared osmanthus cakes, sugar cookies, pine nut pastries, meat pies, and others using a clean piece of silk cloth.

Beside them were two small wine bottles.

One had a red seal, the other white.

“Here are small servings of grape wine and black horse milk wine. Rongfang, come join us.” Yang Hongyan warmly invited.

Zhang Rongfang stepped forward and returned the water bag.

“Then, thank you, sister-in-law.”

The faint scent of wine seemed to temporarily suppress the slight scent of blood on him.

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