Chapter 60

Jian Wuying, his knees buckling, forcefully held them steady and glared at Zhang Jian.

"What... what kind of black magic is this...?"

"Have you ever heard a tiger's roar?"

"What, what?"

There is a story. It is said that a tiger's roar contains very low vibrations that humans cannot hear, and those who hear these vibrations feel an inexplicable fear, fatigue, and powerlessness. Zhang Jian struck his sword to recreate these vibrations and, in the middle of it, stomped hard to shock the opponent's qi and blood with the sound and vibrations.

Zhang Jian casually drew his sword in the air as if playing a game. At the same time, Jian Wuying felt a ringing in his ears intensify and a dizzying sensation. He gritted his teeth and gathered his inner strength.

"You... you...! What kind of trick is this...!"

His inner strength surged so much that a faint mist rose from his body. With a flushed face, he let out a roar and leaped forward.

Their swords clashed.

A short spark flew as a strange whistling sound echoed from Zhang Jian's sword. Jian Wuying, feeling a slight dizziness, still felt it was worth shouting and gathering his inner strength. So he shouted again and swung his sword.

At that moment, Zhang Jian stomped the ground.

"Ugh...!"

Jian Wuying felt his entire body's qi and blood shake and his legs weaken with just that one step. But he couldn't kneel, so he quickly gathered his inner strength again and charged at Zhang Jian.

"You... you...!"

There was no trace of a proper technique in his movements now. With a face twisted like a demon, he stomped the ground and swung his sword wildly. Despite the chaotic movements, the inner strength in each of his actions was overwhelming, turning the unfinished pavilion into ruins.

He cut through wooden pillars, smashed walls, and scattered construction materials as he chased Zhang Jian. However, Zhang Jian dodged and deflected all the attacks, not allowing any effective strikes.

Then he stomped the ground again.

"You...! You...!"

Moving like a beast, Jian Wuying staggered with that one step. He slammed his foot on the ground and straightened his body. The bloodshot eyes and the blood trickling from his ears made him look even more terrifying.

"Kaaaaaah!"

Jian Wuying leaped up, grabbed his sword with both hands, and brought it down like a hammer. Zhang Jian exhaled and raised his sword to deflect it. However, Jian Wuying's sword was imbued with too much inner strength.

A deafening sound echoed as the sword blades met, and a tremendous force was applied to Zhang Jian's feet. The already weakened floor of the pavilion, damaged by their fight, could no longer hold and collapsed.

Even as the floor collapsed, Zhang Jian and Jian Wuying continued to swing their weapons at each other. In the brief moment of falling, their blades clashed three times. After that, Zhang Jian landed silently in a stable position, while Jian Wuying landed with a thud, his feet hitting the ground. He immediately tried to charge at Zhang Jian again.

But then Zhang Jian stomped the ground again.

Jian Wuying felt as if something had struck his head, causing a dizziness. It was getting stronger with each step. Strangely, the sound of the stomp was quieter than the previous one.

"You... you...! Zhang Jian... I will kill you...! Not just you... but your brother, your sister-in-law, and your entire family...!"

Losing control of his mind after the sword's resonance, Jian Wuying shouted and charged at Zhang Jian. Bloodshot eyes and tears of blood streamed from his eyes. Despite this, his attacks became monotonous, and Zhang Jian easily deflected them, even managing to speak.

"You are truly a hopeless fool. Even if you defeat me here, do you think you'll have time for that? The Dark Dragon Corps has already confirmed your corruption."

"Corruption, corruption! I merely wished to maintain my dignity!"

He roared and swung his sword. His inner strength was uncontrollable, and a blue aura flowed from his sword.

"I am a captain in the Imperial Army! A senior captain who received the title of 'Fierce Tiger' from His Majesty the Emperor! Why should I rot in this desolate land of sand and dust? What is so important about this land?"

At that moment, his sword moved several times faster than before. For a moment, even Zhang Jian lost track of its movement. Immediately after, blood spurted from Zhang Jian's left shoulder.

"Dark Dragon Corps? They are just a group of ruffians and scoundrels using an outdated imperial decree as a shield! Over a hundred years, they have drained so much funding and still haven't located the Demon Palace!"

His sword, which had cut Zhang Jian's shoulder, moved even faster. This time, Zhang Jian raised his sword to block it but couldn't completely stop it, receiving a wound on his side.

"I will leave this land and return to the Central Plains! If I have to pay a fortune to do so, I will! And if I have to kill the merchants of this new continent for that fortune, I will do it without hesitation!"

Jian Wuying shouted and swung his sword again. The blade flashed with a white light, aiming for Zhang Jian's neck.

At that moment, Zhang Jian's sword and hand disappeared in an instant. The sword blades clashed with a sharp sound, and Jian Wuying's sword was pushed back. At the same time, a long, horizontal wound appeared on his chest, and blood spurted out. Zhang Jian, having deflected the sword and counterattacked, spun around and pushed Jian Wuying away. He stumbled without making a sound.

Zhang Jian, standing straight, spoke.

"Abducting a child, cutting off a finger, and threatening the father—all for the sake of returning to the Central Plains. You are not just a hopeless fool but a fine bastard."

Jian Wuying, bleeding from his chest, heard these words and, with a roar like a beast, tried to charge again. At that moment, Zhang Jian took a step forward. A light thud, much quieter than the previous stomps, echoed.

"Ugh...!"

But to Jian Wuying, it was the strongest shock yet. His vision blurred, and a ringing in his ears made it feel like his head was about to explode. His inner strength, out of control, tore through his qi and blood, and his muscles trembled, unable to exert any force. Despite this, Jian Wuying tried to control his inner strength and grip his sword firmly.

Zhang Jian, with his sword hanging from his right hand, stood naturally and faced him. Though his hair was disheveled and he was bleeding from his shoulder and side, he was worlds apart from Jian Wuying, who was bleeding from every orifice and had a horribly twisted face. Jian Wuying, even more enraged by this, gritted his teeth and glared at Zhang Jian.

Zhang Jian, calmly facing him, took a slow step forward. Unlike the previous stomps that produced loud vibrations, this step made no sound.

But as his foot touched the ground, Jian Wuying felt a massive vibration shake his entire body, his vision turned white, and all his senses were numbed. He tried to gather his inner strength and brace his legs, but he felt as if he were being crushed by a massive weight and finally knelt down.

"..."

As he lost the will to fight and knelt, his senses slowly returned, and the pain subsided. Confused, Jian Wuying, still kneeling, looked up at Zhang Jian.

At that moment, moonlight filtered through the collapsed ceiling of the pavilion. The clouds had cleared, and the moonlight shining on Zhang Jian was incredibly bright. Jian Wuying, looking up at Zhang Jian standing tall and looking down at him, was reminded of someone.

The person he had always faced with his head and limbs on the ground, when he joined the Imperial Army, when he became a captain, and when he received the title of 'Fierce Tiger.' The great one who stood at the highest point, looking down on him and his many fallen comrades. The one he had pledged his loyalty to.

Jian Wuying saw the Emperor in the man he looked up to after the intense confusion and pain.

"Who... who are you?"

"Zhang Jian."

Jian Wuying wanted to say that he already knew the name but also didn't know what answer he wanted to hear. He laughed bitterly and bowed his head deeply. As a senior captain in the Imperial Army, he had been defeated by a martial artist in the New Continent. There was nothing more to say.

Zhang Jian, sensing that Jian Wuying had completely lost the will to fight, sheathed his sword. He needed to find the daughter of the merchant first, not immediately beheading him.

At that moment, a loud noise was heard, and a part of the pavilion's floor burst open, revealing someone's head. She looked around and saw Zhang Jian and the kneeling Jian Wuying.

"Zhang Jian!"

It was Jixi. Zhang Jian, seeing her climb up, looked puzzled.

"How did you know to come here?"

"I escorted two Dark Dragon Corps members to the Martial Alliance and was heading to the dock. I heard shouts and the sound of something collapsing, and people were buzzing about it. I thought it must be you."

Zhang Jian smiled. Jixi's face was covered in sweat, indicating she had run as hard as he had.

"You've really destroyed the upper part of this pavilion. The Merchant Guild will have something to say... Is this one of the Dark Dragon Corps?"

Looking around at the collapsed ceiling and scattered construction materials, she asked, seeing the kneeling Jian Wuying.

"He is Jian Wuying, a captain in the Imperial Army and the head of the Merchant Guild."

"Who...?"

Jixi's eyes widened as she looked back and forth between Zhang Jian and Jian Wuying. Only then did she notice the wounds on Zhang Jian's body. She had thought he had just messed up the place while subduing a Dark Dragon Corps member, but now it was clear they had engaged in a life-or-death battle.

Zhang Jian, leaving the stunned Jixi, approached Jian Wuying and crouched down.

"Hey. Where is the merchant's daughter?"

"Under the thirteenth warehouse at the dock."

Jian Wuying, still bowing his head, answered. Zhang Jian, realizing he had been fighting in the wrong place while the child was nearby, laughed bitterly. The reason the disguised Dark Dragon Corps member had fled was to hide the location of the hostage.

Zhang Jian turned to Jixi.

"There's another one upstairs who's out of it. Can you take care of him too?"

Without waiting for her answer, he stood up and ran out of the pavilion.

"Wait! Zhang Jian! You're leaving it to me again!"

As the surprised Jixi tried to stop him, he was already running across the opposite roof. Jixi, staring at his back, sighed and then shouted down the hole she had opened.

"Hurry up and get up here! Why are you all so slow?"

"We're coming, senior! We're coming!"

"We're on our way!"

The patrol members Jixi had brought from the Martial Alliance were climbing up. After urging them, Jixi turned her gaze to the kneeling Jian Wuying, who showed no movement. He was breathing and his eyes were open, but he seemed to have lost his spirit.

Jixi found it hard to imagine what methods Zhang Jian had used to break the will of a real Imperial Army captain. The complex political battles that would arise from this man's arrest by the Martial Alliance and the Imperial Army gave her a headache.

The Martial Alliance, led by the Righteous Dragon Sword, would use this as an excuse to suppress the activities of the Imperial Army and the Dark Dragon Corps in the martial world, while the Imperial Army would try to cover up their own shortcomings, using any means necessary.

Jixi hoped no one would be needlessly hurt in the process.

* * *

Zhushanying was writhing on the dark basement floor, trying to free her bound hands. But the thick ropes showed no signs of loosening, and the skin on her wrists, chafed from continuous effort, was red and raw, even bleeding.

But Zhushanying couldn't stop. If she didn't, the images of the guards who died protecting her, her father trying to stop her, and her severed left ring finger would haunt her. Tears, which had stopped last night, were now streaming down her face again.

At that moment, the metal door at the top of the stairs creaked. Zhushanying, hearing the sound, couldn't help but shudder. The last time that metal door opened, the person who came down cut off her finger.

But the door only creaked and didn't open. Then, the creaking stopped. Confused, Zhushanying looked up at the door, and suddenly, a sharp sound echoed. Then the door opened.

Zhushanying, blinded by the pale blue light of dawn, turned away and closed her eyes. She trembled, fearing they might cut off another finger.

The person who opened the door walked down the stairs and approached her. He knelt beside her and grabbed the ropes binding her hands. His touch was so gentle that Zhushanying, without realizing it, opened her eyes and looked at him.

Zhang Jian, exhausted from the all-night battle, smiled lightly at the tearful girl.

"Let's go home now."