Chapter 6

After another half an hour, he stopped by the Tanchi Stream in front of his door, bent down, and buried his head in the stream, drinking to his heart's content. Then, he whittled a stick into a fork, and with a dozen swift movements, he pulled out over a dozen plump, lively, and fresh Tanchi specialty red carp.

After scaling the fish and removing their entrails, he washed them a few times in the stream and began to eat them raw in large bites.

Having practiced to the peak of the Body Tempering stage, Xuyi's physical strength had greatly increased, surpassing that of an ox, and his appetite rivaled that of a tiger. The dozen huge red carp, weighing no less than fifty pounds, were swallowed whole, bones and all!

After the meal, Xuyi did not move, sitting cross-legged by the stream, channeling his qi to recover his strength.

At this moment, his heart was filled with thunder, but his face was as calm as a still lake, quietly waiting for the moment of earth-shattering change.

The sun's shadow slanted westward, and the mountain breeze blew. From the western mountain hollow, the sound of jingling rings gradually grew louder. Although Xuyi did not open his eyes, he recognized the sound of metal buckles on saddles and war boots clashing.

Sure enough, not long after, the sounds of neighing horses and the shouts of riders came, indicating no fewer than ten riders.

Suddenly, Xuyi stood up, his feet moving swiftly, and he quickly leaped onto the mountain path to the west.

The mountain wind howled, and the banners fluttered. The hunting party led by Young Master Zhou returned from the Huaiyin Mountains, each strong horse carrying a heavy load of wild game.

The joy of a successful hunt was clearly reflected on everyone's face, even the usually reserved Young Master Zhou couldn't help but whistle.

The shallow-bearded man even sang a crude and off-key mountain folk song, the content vulgar, but it earned loud cheers from the riders.

Just as the bearded man was singing with pride, the eagle-nosed middle-aged man, who was sitting to Young Master Zhou's left, suddenly said, "There's a killing aura!"

The eagle-nosed man was the first guest scholar recruited by Young Master Zhou, possessing unparalleled divine skills and a position of great importance. His words immediately brought a solemn silence to the scene. With a rustle, swords were drawn, bows were strung, and they looked around in all directions.

"There's no need to search; the killing aura is right in front of us!" the eagle-nosed man said coldly.

"Hehe, I want to see who dares to be so bold! Within a hundred miles, who dares to show their teeth to the Zhou family!" Young Master Zhou raised his horsewhip, and the chestnut horse beneath him suddenly accelerated, charging forward.

The group of riders naturally spurred their horses and galloped to catch up.

As they rode up a small slope, Xuyi's sturdy figure blocking the road became fully visible.

Seeing it was Xuyi, the bearded man's heart swelled with arrogance. He was also a guest scholar of the Zhou family, but his martial realm had always remained at the late Body Tempering stage, making his status far inferior to the eagle-nosed man.

But this man loved to vie for credit.

In the morning, when the hunting party passed by Xuyi's house, they didn't see Xuyi waiting by the road as he had promised the previous day. Young Master Zhou merely frowned slightly, but this man let out a long whistle, galloped forward, set fire to Xuyi's small house, and captured the old yellow dog, skinning it and nailing it to a stake.

Now, seeing that the source of the killing aura was Xuyi, in his eyes, Xuyi was like an ant blocking the road, a mere insect to be crushed, a head to be added to his list of achievements.

Determined to claim the credit, the bearded man fiercely whipped his horse, which, in pain, suddenly exerted itself and surpassed Young Master Zhou, leaping to the front. He sneered and shouted, "You lowly peasant dares to mock the young master, watch me skin you alive!"

Before his shout ended, the bearded man pulled the reins, and the horse's hooves rose into the air. The hooves, as large as bowls, aimed directly at Xuyi's head.

Just as the hooves were about to trample Xuyi, he moved.

His body moved like lightning, narrowly avoiding the hooves at the last moment. His body, compressed to the limit, appeared beside the horse's neck. Like a powerful spring, he unleashed the "Furious Charge to the Heavenly Gate," his iron-hard back striking the horse's neck. The galloping horse's neck snapped, and its massive body flew sideways, crashing into the crowd.

The bearded man on the horse hadn't even realized what was happening when the sudden change occurred!

Among the Zhou family's lackeys, the bearded man had been the one who had most deeply and frequently humiliated Xuyi.

When the bearded man shouted "skin," Xuyi's blood boiled, and his full rage was directed at the bearded man.

After knocking the horse away, the bearded man was still dazed. Xuyi's large hand, like a dragon, seized the bearded man's spine, and with a light shout, he pulled him off the horse.

At this moment, the eagle-nosed man, like a hawk, pounced, striking Xuyi's back from a distance. The powerful punch created a faint sonic boom.

From a distance of over ten feet, he arrived in an instant. Just as the unexpected punch was about to hit, Xuyi, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, grabbed the bearded man and stepped on a rider's back, moving sideways in the air, narrowly avoiding the punch. The rider in front of him wasn't so lucky, and the punch struck his back, causing a loud crack and a burst of blood.

The punch missed, and the eagle-nosed man's foot touched the ground, and he pounced again.

Although Xuyi was burdened by the bearded man, in the midst of the riders and horses, there were many obstacles. Relying on his swift movements, he managed to avoid the eagle-nosed man's attacks at the last moment.

The eagle-nosed man, a peak Body Tempering expert, possessed astonishing strength. Accompanied by Young Master Zhou's shouts, he had to use his full power, but such power was hard to control. Xuyi could avoid it, but the riders couldn't, and in an instant, seven of them were killed by the eagle-nosed man.

Boom!

Xuyi's foot touched the throat of the last rider, and with a crisp crack, the rider's neck snapped, and he fell off the horse.

At this point, all eight riders Young Master Zhou had brought were dead!

At this moment, Young Master Zhou realized that the village youth before him was no longer an ant he could casually insult, beat, and toy with. Looking into his cold, stern eyes, Young Master Zhou felt a chill run down his spine.

As the coldness faded, a wave of humiliation surged in Young Master Zhou's heart.

He was a nobleman's son, with an outstanding family background. Not to mention his uncle, Zhou Daogang, who dominated Guang'an, even his own household had dozens of guest scholars and many experts. He himself had reached the late Body Tempering stage, just a step away from the peak. The ant-like Xuyi had actually made him feel fear, which was a great humiliation!

With this thought, Young Master Zhou's anger surged like a sea, his eyes turning red as he shouted, "Xuyi, you were just waiting to take revenge, weren't you? I'm right here. My second uncle was right; your family has always been a bunch of thieves, always resorting to these underhanded tricks. You coward, dare you face me head-on!"