Chapter 31

* * *

Wu Zhongxu, known as Wu the Warrior, looked at the burning inn with a complicated expression. He didn't want to push people this far. Even though the pastures and mines in this area belonged to Sun Guang and Xue Weiliang managed them, pushing people so roughly would only lead to greater resistance in the end.

Moreover, that resistance had already taken the form of a bandit group. In fact, the situation might now be beyond the control of the martial alliance.

However, Wu Zhongxu was ultimately just a hired hand under Xue Weiliang, and he believed and thought of himself as such. He was just following orders for money, and he didn't think he could be held responsible for his actions.

"There are people inside! We have to save them! What are you doing?!"

The elderly village chief, Old Gao, shouted at the warriors surrounding the inn, his voice not matching his age. Others from the village of Qing Shui also watched the inn with worried eyes. Inside, the innkeeper, Ms. Yu, and the waiter, Huolong, were trapped.

People had run from their homes with buckets and dippers to put out the fire, as they always did when a fire broke out in the village, to prevent it from spreading. However, they were now blocked by Xue Weiliang's warriors and could only watch helplessly.

"These bastards! This won't do! Move!"

Old Gao, unable to bear it any longer, charged through the warriors, determined to break through and save Ms. Yu and Huolong. Despite his age, he moved surprisingly quickly, and the two warriors who had been threatening the villagers with their eyes lost sight of him in a moment. Old Gao ran toward the inn with a bucket brimming with water.

At the same time, Wu Zhongxu drew his sword.

"Father!"

"Oh my!"

The bucket fell to the ground, spilling water, and Old Gao collapsed, blood streaming from his thigh. As he groaned, Wu Zhongxu stepped on his wound and said quietly,

"Listen, Chief Gao. Why are you getting involved? You've been taking our money all this time."

"Ugh, you scoundrel, are you going to watch them burn to death? There are lines that people must not cross!"

Wu Zhongxu chuckled and shook his head.

"Are you protecting the bandits who raid our warehouses and pastures while you claim to uphold those lines? Do you know how much damage they've caused?"

"Crazy bastard... They raid the warehouses, but they don't burn people alive like you... "

Wu Zhongxu let out a light laugh and turned to the villagers, shouting,

"Do you think we're being too harsh? But we've lost Xue Shangzheng! And four other warriors! We have nothing to lose now! If you don't tell us where those bastards are, we'll burn down the rest of the houses! If you don't want to lose your homes, speak up!"

His shout was followed by the sound of swords being drawn by the other warriors. The villagers, frightened by the sharp blades, murmured and retreated. One of them shouted,

"Why are you only doing this to us? The bandits aren't just from Qing Shui!"

"Where else would they be? This is the most populated area, and the bandits come from this village. Where else should I look for them?"

Wu Zhongxu, with his sword extended, shouted, and the villagers retreated even further. The inn was burning, and the village chief had fallen with a sword wound to his leg, but no one stepped forward. Among them were some wandering warriors who had been staying at the inn, but they only avoided the villagers' gazes and did not step forward.

"Come on, say something! Or do you want to see this old man die too!"

Wu Zhongxu's sword, which had been pointing at the villagers, now aimed at Old Gao's neck. His daughter-in-law, who had been watching, screamed, but Wu Zhongxu and the warriors did not move. Instead, they pressed the blade deeper, leaving a red line on Old Gao's neck.

Wu Zhongxu smiled, satisfied at the frightened villagers. It seemed he wouldn't need to burn the village or kill more people. A little more pressure, and they might spill what they knew.

Just as he was about to shout again, the sound of hooves reached his ears. Turning his head, he saw someone riding toward them from the distance, their clothes flapping in the wind.

"What...?"

Not only Wu Zhongxu but also the warriors and the villagers were puzzled by the approaching rider. However, the rider, even as they drew closer, showed no signs of stopping. One of the warriors stepped forward and shouted,

"Stop!"

The horse did not stop but instead sped up. The warrior, whose face had turned pale, finally screamed and tried to jump aside.

At that moment, the horse leaped over the warrior and broke through the circle of warriors, heading straight for the burning inn.

"Th-that..."

While Wu Zhongxu and the other warriors were stunned by the sudden appearance, the rider, as soon as the horse stopped, leaped off and kicked the saddle, breaking into the second-floor window of the inn, which had not yet been fully engulfed by flames.

Wu Zhongxu, still in shock, looked at the other warriors.

"What...?"

"I don't know. I couldn't even see his face."

Wu Zhongxu turned his gaze back to Old Gao and asked again,

"What is this? Who is that guy?"

But Old Gao was just as puzzled and could only stare blankly. Wu Zhongxu, seeing his expression, frowned and shouted at the villagers,

"Are you kidding me? Who is that guy! Did you hire a wandering warrior from outside—"

At that moment, a window on the other side of the inn, not far from where the first one had been broken, shattered, and the mysterious figure dropped out. In his arms were the innkeeper, Ms. Yu, and the waiter, Huolong. Wu Zhongxu and the others watched in shock as the man laid Ms. Yu down and checked her breathing.

Huolong, with soot on his face, cried out,

"Auntie! Wake up, auntie! You can't die!"

The man, after checking Ms. Yu's pulse and loosening her tight belt, placed his right hand on her chest and closed his eyes. A moment later, Ms. Yu coughed and regained consciousness. Huolong, seeing her, smiled brightly.

"Auntie!"

"This kid... Call me sister... I'm not an auntie..."

As the two seemed to be fine, the villagers watching them burst into cheers. It was as if the fear and gloom from the warriors' swords had been a lie.

"Shut up! All of you, shut up!"

Wu Zhongxu, who had been watching the unexpected actions of the intruder, finally regained his composure and shouted at the villagers. The other warriors, hearing his shout, also regained their composure and brandished their swords at the people.

After confirming that the people had fallen silent, Wu Zhongxu, dusting off his clothes, shouted at the intruder,

"You! Who are you? Identify yourself!"

In contrast to his angry shout, the intruder calmly replied,

"Zhang Jian."

"Wh-what? Zhang Jian?"

Wu Zhongxu turned to the other warriors, as if asking if they had heard of him, but they only shrugged, indicating they had no idea. One of the warriors, pointing at Zhang Jian, said,

"Oh! I know that guy! He's a wanderer who came a few days ago! He was really bad at gambling!"

The man, with a scar under his lip, was one of the ruffians who had played cards with Zhang Jian when he first arrived at the inn. A few other warriors who had played with him also recognized him. Hearing their stories, Wu Zhongxu glared at Zhang Jian.

"From your movements, it seems you know some martial arts... A wanderer appearing suddenly at this time. You're suspicious."

But Zhang Jian, seemingly unaffected by the gaze, dusted off his clothes and asked calmly,

"Did you lock those two in the second-floor room and set the inn on fire?"

"What are you going to do about it?"

"Do you take pride in treating people like firewood? What makes you so confident?"

Wu Zhongxu's face twisted as he stepped forward.

"This is just a lesson for the people of this village. You might not know, but the biggest problem around here is the bandits. They raid the cattle pastures and loot the warehouses."

As he slowly approached, the other warriors began to move to surround Zhang Jian.

"But the villagers here know some of the bandits and hide information about them. Sometimes, they even protect the bandits who are running away. Is that right? According to the laws of the Central Plains, hiding a criminal is punishable. They should be grateful that it's just a lesson. Right? A woman and a child without a family are not much of a loss."

He stopped a short distance away and glanced at the sword on Zhang Jian's waist. It looked like an ordinary sword.

"And you need to come with us. We need to know where you came from, what you've been doing, and how you ended up in this village."

However, Zhang Jian, still calm, looked around and asked,

"Is there no branch of the martial alliance here? You're not a member, and you're trying to detain a suspected arsonist. What are you doing?"

Wu Zhongxu involuntarily glanced to the side. The branch leader of the martial alliance in Qing Shui Village, who was standing among the villagers, subtly covered the emblem of the martial alliance on his collar and looked down. The villagers around him glared at him, but he did not step forward.

Seeing this, Wu Zhongxu's lips curled into a sneer as he turned back to Zhang Jian.

"There are no members of the martial alliance here, so hand over your weapon and come with us. Or do you need a lesson to make you behave?"

Zhang Jian slowly looked around. The inn behind him was burning brightly, and a semicircle of swordsmen, who could be either ruffians or warriors, surrounded him. Beyond them, he could see the villagers carrying the injured old man to safety.

The villagers watched Zhang Jian, who was surrounded by the swordsmen, with worried eyes. The other swordsmen were just ruffians with swords, but among them, Wu Zhongxu was Xue Weiliang's right-hand man, sent directly from Ganshan City. He was said to have defeated a warrior from an ancient noble family. It was not unreasonable for the villagers to feel sorry for Zhang Jian.

But Zhang Jian, despite the murderous intent and the surrounding circle, smiled.

"Try it if you can."

"Damn. A wandering scoundrel... I don't even know where you came from..."

Wu Zhongxu, whose face had already been twisted, grimaced even more as he straightened his sword, then flinched. From the stance of Zhang Jian, who now held his scabbard with his left hand and stood diagonally, he felt an indescribable pressure.

"...Huh. So you do have some skills. But you're alone. Attack."

Wu Zhongxu, slightly surprised by Zhang Jian's aura, laughed and ordered his subordinates. The warriors, who had already drawn their weapons, immediately rushed at Zhang Jian.

Even if he had some skills, he couldn't use them continuously against ten swordsmen. The martial arts of the warriors were fast and powerful, and each strike carried a lot of force. Wu Zhongxu believed that his trained swordsmen could discern the truth behind Zhang Jian's mysterious aura.

And Zhang Jian's sword was drawn.

In the light of the burning inn, something flashed, and the head of the first swordsman to charge was severed. Then, Zhang Jian took a step to the side and thrust his sword. Another swordsman, whose neck was pierced by the tip of the sword, made a choking sound as Zhang Jian pulled the sword and leaped to the side, spinning.

The swords aimed at his lower body and head missed their targets and stabbed into the air.

Zhang Jian, using the momentum of his spin, slashed upward, splitting the head of another swordsman. He then landed and extended his bent knee forward, slicing the neck of the swordsman who had stabbed at him.

Four of them were killed in an instant. Before the others could even catch their breath, Zhang Jian's ghostly sword descended upon them.

Two swordsmen, startled, swung their swords wildly but failed to cut even a piece of Zhang Jian's clothing. Instead, their necks were severed, and their waists were cut in half. A swordsman with a long sword, seeing an opportunity, thrust his weapon at Zhang Jian just after he had swung his sword. However, Zhang Jian, spinning to the right and closing the distance, struck the man's chest with his palm, causing him to cough and collapse.

Wu Zhongxu, realizing he couldn't just stand by, straightened his sword and prepared to charge. But just as he took a step forward, Zhang Jian, having finished off another swordsman, turned to face him.

After dispatching eight swordsmen, Zhang Jian's eyes, facing Wu Zhongxu, were deep and showed no sign of disturbance. His breathing was also steady. Wu Zhongxu, sensing this, hesitated and stopped.

At that moment, one of the remaining warriors, perhaps thinking to create an opening for Wu Zhongxu, shouted and charged at Zhang Jian. He seemed to be making a show of attacking, but Zhang Jian, following him, stabbed him in the face with his sword.

Wu Zhongxu, seeing this, pushed off the ground. He was not going to miss the opening created by the swordsman's sacrifice—though the swordsman had not intended to sacrifice himself.

In the next moment, Wu Zhongxu, drawing a long streak of light, passed by Zhang Jian and stopped. Zhang Jian's sword was still embedded in the face of the swordsman.

The villagers, who had been watching the fight that had happened in the blink of an eye, gaped in shock. The last remaining swordsman, the ruffian with the scar under his lip, looked relieved. He thought Zhang Jian's sword was stuck, and Wu Zhongxu had won.

At that moment, a sound like a gust of wind came from Wu Zhongxu's chest, which caved in as if struck by an invisible hammer. Zhang Jian, having let go of his sword, was in a low stance with both fists raised.

Wu Zhongxu, spitting out a mouthful of blood, staggered forward and fell. Having taken down all his opponents, Zhang Jian pulled his sword from the body and wiped it clean. He then approached the ruffian with the scar under his lip, who was trembling.

As Zhang Jian approached, he saw the ruffian, eyes wide open, trembling. Zhang Jian smiled, and as his hand moved, the ruffian flinched and froze.

Zhang Jian reached into the trembling ruffian's pocket and took out a tobacco pouch and a small piece of paper. He then said, putting his sword away,

"Xue Weiliang is your leader, right? Go tell him that I've killed his subordinates and that I'll come to finish the job. Got it?"

The ruffian, in response, nodded weakly.

"Then get lost."

The ruffian, as if waiting for those words, threw away his sword and fled through the crowd of villagers.

Zhang Jian, watching the ruffian run away, rolled the paper and tobacco he had just taken. Putting it in his mouth, he touched the tip of the tobacco with his finger, and soon, smoke began to rise. Taking a puff of the rising smoke, Zhang Jian turned his head.

There, the innkeeper, Ms. Yu, and Huolong, along with the villagers, were staring at him with wide-eyed expressions. The flames from the inn cast a red glow on their faces.

Zhang Jian, seeing them, said,

"What are you all looking at? Aren't you going to put out the fire?"