Chapter 9

"Did I kill him?" When Chu Tiange beheaded Ryūzaki Masaki with one slash, he did not vomit in horror or jump for joy; instead, he was stunned.

Not only him, but even the Japanese were all stunned. Many of them had their mouths wide open, still cheering, and were frozen in the posture of leaping forward, as if they couldn't believe what they had just seen.

Who was Ryūzaki Masaki? A top Japanese swordsman who had been received by the Emperor. When he made his all-out thrust, the person he aimed at remained unharmed, while he himself lost his head—

Ryūzaki Masaki, headless, still maintained the posture of a downward thrust, his head flying off and landing on a nearby cherry blossom tree. His eyes were wide open, the question in them not yet dissipated, his mouth slightly agape, as if still asking: How is this possible? His full-force thrust didn't even pierce the soft abdomen of the other person. Could this Chinese man be invulnerable to blades and bullets?

Ryūzaki wasn't the only one with this question; Hirano Akihiko also had it. As the head of the Black Dragon Society in Beiping, he had nerves of steel. He immediately drew his pistol, about to aim and shoot, but was blocked by Ryūzaki's two most talented disciples. They shouted in unison and, one on each side, thrust their swords at Ouyang Yun's abdomen—clearly, they didn't believe in this invulnerability and didn't think Ouyang Yun was really invulnerable.

To be fair, Ryūzaki Masaki's martial arts were superior to Ouyang Yun's. Ouyang Yun's victory was not a fair one. At the beginning, Ouyang Yun didn't intend to rely on his bulletproof vest to bully others. The intense fight required his full concentration, leaving him no time to think about such things. Honestly, when Ryūzaki's sharp blade pierced his abdomen, it hurt a lot, reminding him of the pain he felt a year ago when he was stabbed by someone. He felt a chill, thinking he was about to die.

It was precisely because of this momentary lapse in concentration that after Ryūzaki was beheaded by Chu Tiange, Ouyang Yun didn't strike a heroic pose like those in martial arts films. It wasn't until Chu Tiange asked him that he came to his senses, deflected Ryūzaki's blade with his broken sword, and pushed him down with a look of disdain. Then, he leaped up, ignored the two swords thrusting at him, patted Chu Tiange on the shoulder, and said loudly, "Of course you killed him, thank you for saving me!"

Chu Tiange, brought back to his senses, saw the two Japanese men stab Ouyang Yun in the abdomen and shouted in alarm, "Be careful!" He swung his sword, about to cut them down—what happened next stunned him again.

Ouyang Yun was invulnerable again, and with a casual wave of his broken sword, the two Japanese heads fell to the ground.

The Japanese were completely stunned. Hirano Akihiko, aiming his pistol at Ouyang Yun, trembled: This Chinese man really seemed invulnerable. Would bullets work on him? Seeing his smiling face, he clearly wasn't afraid—

Ouyang Yun looked at the head on the cherry blossom tree, its eyes full of defiance, and smiled, saying in Japanese, "The cherry blossoms are beautiful, but some people are destined never to return." He turned and walked toward the standing Japanese.

His words were too harsh, striking at the heart of the Japanese—Japanese were not afraid of death, but they were afraid of decapitation. In their belief, if they were beheaded, they would lose their souls and thus the chance of reincarnation, being abandoned by the Sun Goddess.

All the Japanese, including Hirano Akihiko, turned pale. Two of them, who had been vomiting, fainted—Ryūzaki Masaki, a top expert in the Black Dragon Society, had been beheaded so inexplicably—fear was spreading like a plague among them.

"No! I don't want to be beheaded!" A young Japanese boy screamed, turned his sword around, and stabbed himself in the abdomen, then cut horizontally, dying in a sweat.

With this example, except for Hirano Akihiko and three others who dropped their weapons and knelt to beg for mercy, the other Japanese committed seppuku, demonstrating the essence of Bushido in front of Ouyang Yun and Chu Tiange.

Ironically, Bushido was supposed to promote loyalty, honor, and fearlessness in the face of death, but these Japanese seemed to do it out of fear of being beheaded—superstition can be deadly!

Ouyang Yun and Chu Tiange found the scene absurd and regrettable. Beheading the Japanese was a satisfying feeling, but these Japanese refused to give them the chance. Ouyang Yun recalled the victory at Xifengkou and understood why the 29th Army could intimidate the enemy. When the big swords were swung at the Japanese heads, would the Japanese abandon their thrusts to protect their necks to avoid losing their heads?

—Hard to say!

Hirano Akihiko's face was ashen, his gun raised and then lowered. The invulnerable Chinese man in front of him kept smiling evilly, clearly not afraid of bullets. "A devil, a real devil!" he thought, trying to stay calm, and said through gritted teeth, "The woman is still alive."

"I know," Ouyang Yun took two steps forward, and the three kneeling Japanese huddled together, trembling. The dispute between the Black Dragon Society and the Blue Shirt Society was likely over the treasure. If the Japanese wanted to reclaim it, they wouldn't harm Bai Liusu.

"Are you also from the Blue Shirt Society?" Feeling he had some leverage, Hirano Akihiko calmed down and used respectful language.

Ouyang Yun neither confirmed nor denied.

"If you are willing to hand over the 'contribution money' and promise not to harm us, I will let you take the woman."

He was really "raising the price while sitting on the ground and lowering it while standing up." In this situation, this Japanese man still made such a bold demand. Ouyang Yun didn't know whether to admire or pity him—"Contribution money?"

"That is what we offer to the Emperor, sir—"

"Oh, so you are a businessman?"

Ouyang Yun's question caught Hirano Akihiko off guard. He answered somewhat bewilderedly, "I am a samurai of the Emperor, not a businessman!"

"Then where does your so-called 'contribution money' come from?" Ouyang Yun's eyes narrowed, and he sneered, "Don't tell me it was voluntarily contributed by the Chinese people!"

Hirano Akihiko finally understood the meaning of Ouyang Yun's earlier words, and his face changed—what they called contribution money was all stolen or robbed, not obtained through legitimate means.

Ouyang Yun's gaze fell on his left hand, and he asked, "Was your hand injured by my partner?"

Hirano Akihiko's face turned red. He remembered the reckless fighting style of the Chinese woman, which was very similar to this man's, and shivered, feeling powerless. If all Chinese were this brave, could Japan, with its small land and population, really achieve the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere? For the first time, he doubted his beliefs.

Ouyang Yun saw his expression and smiled inwardly—these people might be more valuable alive than dead for the anti-Japanese cause. Kill one to warn a hundred! He slowly walked to a nearby cherry blossom tree, broke off a branch, and sniffed it, saying, "What beautiful cherry blossoms. In Japan, there are even more, I suppose. Your families are probably waiting under the cherry blossoms in front of their houses, wondering, 'When will my child return?'"

"Ha!"—Ouyang Yun was being sentimental, and Chu Tiange couldn't help but laugh. The scene was too absurd. Ouyang Yun, who had just killed them mercilessly, was now making small talk and even inquiring about their families. Well, they were the Japanese!

Ouyang Yun glared at him, his lips curling, but he also wanted to laugh. What was he doing? Acting like a saint? Ha! He should be more serious; otherwise, his earlier performance would be in vain. He put on a stern face, coldly scanned the Japanese, and, seeing their disoriented expressions, said, "Originally, I wanted to kill everyone here, but now I will give you a chance—hand over my partner and leave Beiping."

Hirano Akihiko looked at Ouyang Yun, then at his Japanese subordinates, his eyes suddenly clear. He raised his right hand, put the gun in his mouth— "Long live the Emperor!—Bang!"

"Ah!" The two Japanese who had just regained consciousness fainted again. The remaining three knelt respectfully before Ouyang Yun, and one of them said, "Sir, I know where your partner is being held."

"Take me there quickly."

"Hey."

"Brother, are you really going to let these Japanese go?" Chu Tiange asked after tying up the four remaining Japanese. After beheading Ryūzaki Masaki, he was radiating a strong killing aura, making his voice more masculine.

Ouyang Yun didn't respond.

Ouyang Yun had indeed planned to let the remaining Japanese go, but when he saw Bai Liusu's惨状, he couldn't control his anger. In a fit of rage, he and Chu Tiange each beheaded four people, including two Japanese women.

"Damn, can't treat the Japanese like humans!"

"Too damn cruel!"

"Damn, I might even start a Tokyo massacre!"

Chu Tiange was puzzled: "Tokyo massacre!?"

"Forget it, we'll talk about it later."

Bai Liusu had eighteen wounds, both of her forearms were broken, and she had seven iron brands on her body, one on her left breast. Men don't cry easily, and Ouyang Yun couldn't remember the last time he had cried. He thought he had forgotten how to cry, but seeing her condition, he realized that tears didn't need any buildup or preparation; they just flowed when his nose tingled. The struggle was truly brutal. Even though he had faced guns and bullets before, Ouyang Yun had to admit that the wars he experienced in the 21st century were relatively civilized. If she weren't plain-looking, he couldn't imagine what other horrors might have befallen her.

He coldly told Chu Tiange, "Find them all, leave no one alive!"

Chu Tiange gritted his teeth and replied, "Not even a single chicken or dog!"

The two carefully carried the woman into the car, and then Chu Tiange picked up the samurai sword and went back to verify the bodies— "I beheaded everyone, making sure they all suffered eternal damnation!"

"Good job." Ouyang Yun started rummaging through Hirano Akihiko's bedroom, finding a pile of secret documents. He selected a few marked "Top Secret" and scattered the rest in the courtyard.

Chu Tiange was puzzled: "What are you doing?"

"Exposing their crimes. We didn't kill innocent people; these Japanese were all spies."

Chu Tiange scratched his head: "Are there good Japanese?"

"Ha!" Ouyang Yun laughed, patting him on the back, "Kid, you're better than me!"

Chu Tiange laughed, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "Brother, what kind of hard qi gong do you practice? It's so powerful!"

"Vajra Body, Iron Shirt, and more—"

"How, how, how do you practice it?"

...

After confirming there were no more living people in the courtyard, at Chu Tiange's suggestion, Ouyang Yun started the car and headed to the Peking Union Medical College Hospital.

What they didn't know was that the seemingly dead secret base of the Black Dragon Society had a young girl in a wide-brimmed hat emerge from the basement shortly after they left.

Seeing the courtyard full of corpses, her face turned pale, but her eyes turned cold. "Blue Shirt Society, Ouyang Yun, Chu Tiange!" she whispered, deeply engraving the names of the men in her heart. She carefully walked to the door, turned, and bowed deeply, thinking, "I will avenge you, brave warriors of the Emperor." She tightened her lips and left resolutely.

In the corridor outside the operating room at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Ouyang Yun squatted against the wall, playing with a cigarette in his right hand. Next to him, against the wall, was Ryūzaki Masaki's samurai sword.

Chu Tiange sat on a chair next to him, only now feeling the aftereffects of fear, "I killed Japanese!" he whispered, "I beheaded them!" His expression was dazed.

Ouyang Yun had noticed his abnormality but hadn't said anything. Before joining the special forces, he had a similar experience, though it was as a military police officer executing a death sentence. He vomited for a whole day, even bringing up bile. Chu Tiange was probably killing for the first time, and beheading people with a sword, not just one but several, was a significant feat. Given time, he would become a qualified special forces soldier. Recalling a couple of lines of poetry, he patted Chu Tiange's hand and recited, "A man should kill, leaving no trace for a thousand miles! Killing the Japanese is a virtuous deed, kid, you did great!"

Chu Tiange managed a weak smile, his face pale, and said softly, "It was my first time."

"I can tell, you did much better than I did on my first time." Ouyang Yun deliberately kept it light.

"Brother, do you think there are ghosts in this world?"

"Ghosts? What are you thinking?" Ouyang Yun laughed genuinely, "So what if there are ghosts? As a poet once said—killing one is a sin, killing ten thousand is a hero; killing nine million, you're the greatest hero. Should the Japanese be killed?"

"They should be killed!"

"Then that's settled. At your current level, even if the Japanese turn into ghosts, they'll just avoid you, hehe! We've killed living people, why fear ghosts? Kid, don't let me down!"

Chu Tiange rubbed his head and smiled foolishly.

Ouyang Yun also laughed. The psychological intervention techniques from the special forces, which had been used on him by Gu Xiaomo, were indeed effective for new recruits like Chu Tiange. Thinking of Gu Xiaomo and his comrades in the special forces, he sighed wistfully. Back then, he always felt like he was being intervened, and he resisted it, but now, as he intervened others, he realized how fortunate it was to be supported by comrades, to have them watch your back, and to focus on completing your mission. Such a simple life was truly blissful!

"Brother, who is this poet?"

"Poet? It's Zhang Yimou, a poet."

"Zhang Yimou, never heard of him, but I like this poem."

Ouyang Yun rolled his eyes.

...

Page flip, AD starts

Page flip, AD ends