Chapter 48

Due to personal reasons of the author, this chapter is uploaded a bit late. I beg everyone to be patient and wait. Here is the QQ group number: 142216023

Here it comes, a bit late.

As Little Wu was recounting the events of the journey, including the Boxers killing foreigners and burning foreign goods, a sudden commotion arose outside the door. A group of burly men, dressed in black robes, with red sashes around their waists, wearing leather boots, and carrying large sabers on their backs, marched into the village entrance, shouting. In the center of the crowd, eight burly men were carrying a bamboo chair. On the chair sat a man wrapped in a large red robe, sitting cross-legged, making hand signs and muttering incantations. Behind him, four burly men were panting heavily, carrying a Guandao (a type of Chinese pole weapon).

The group stopped in the village, and a thin man stepped forward, holding a copper gong. He struck a rhythm and shouted, "First bow to the earth, second bow to the sky, the Jade Emperor listens to my words. Wells are dry, rivers are dry, the sky does not rain, all because the foreigners have blocked the sky! Second bow to the gods, third bow to the immortals, all the star deities listen to my words. With golden words and silver commands, lend me the power of the Great Vajra Immortal. After bowing to the gods and immortals, bow to our ancestors, the Yellow Emperor and the Flame Emperor listen to my words. The Great Vajra Immortal possesses my body, kill all the foreigners and see the sky again!"

The man's voice was loud and clear. The combination of his song and the clanging of the gong attracted all the villagers, young and old. Xu Feng almost burst out laughing when he saw the man with the copper gong. It turned out he was the performer from the teahouse a few days ago. For some reason, Liu Dazhuang didn't recognize him.

When Little Wu saw this group, his face changed, and he whispered to Liu Dazhuang, "This doesn't look good!"

Liu Dazhuang asked, "What's wrong?"

Little Wu said, "These people look like the Boxers, but I recognize the leader on the chair. He's a notorious bandit from the nearby mountains!"

Liu Dazhuang asked, "How do you know?"

Little Wu said, "On my way back, I passed through a village where a group of bandits was raiding a wealthy household. The bandit leader was that man. They saw I was a beggar and let me go. That bandit leader is a monster, tying up a dozen young women and girls to wooden stakes and letting his men take turns raping them!"

It turned out that the man on the bamboo chair was the bandit leader from Jingling Mountain, known as "Three Mountains Shake." He had about thirty to forty followers, all ruthless killers. They often raided wealthy households and kidnapped people for ransom. Three Mountains Shake was an especially heinous criminal.

Seeing the Boxers killing foreigners, Three Mountains Shake thought foreigners had many valuable things and decided to target them. He led his men to attack the church in Jingling Mountain but was no match for the foreign guns. Many of his men were killed or injured.

Seeing himself as a lone commander, Three Mountains Shake came up with a plan. He pretended to be a master who could summon gods and spirits, and he managed to deceive about fifty people. He then met the performer, who was quick-witted and had a loud voice, and kept him as his strategist. Since Liu Family Village was close to the county, Three Mountains Shake usually didn't dare to come here. But with the Boxers causing a lot of trouble recently, he became bolder and led his men to Liu Family Village.

At this moment, Three Mountains Shake gave the performer a nod. The performer quickly struck the gong and sang, "I am the Great Vajra Immortal, listen to my words, fellow villagers. For the sake of our descendants, contribute money and effort to ensure peace and safety!" Xu Feng laughed when he heard this. The performer was so talented at making up these verses to deceive people, but it was a shame he didn't use his talent for good.

Little Wu sneered in the crowd, "Which god asks for money from the people?"

The performer struck the gong again and laughed, "Brother, listen carefully. Gods don't need food or clothes, and they don't ask for money! But: there are thirty-three layers of heaven, and the Golden Immortal lives beyond the heavens. There are checkpoints along the way, so how can we not pay for them?"

Little Wu had a sudden idea, pushed through the crowd, and stood up, pointing at Three Mountains Shake on the bamboo chair, and sneered, "What kind of immortal are you? We have already invited a true god! Do you dare to compete with him?"

Xu Feng laughed and said, "Compete, how?"

Three Mountains Shake had never encountered a challenge like this before. But seeing that Xu Feng was neither tall nor strong, he thought he would be easy to handle. Having been in the outlaw world for over a decade, Three Mountains Shake was confident in his quick and ruthless swordsmanship.

Hearing Little Wu's words, Xu Feng knew that Three Mountains Shake was a heinous bandit. He thought that eliminating him would be a service to the people. Suddenly, he thought, "As a 21st-century pilot, I can't fight the Japanese with fighter jets, but I'm here competing with a bandit who pretends to be a god?"

He couldn't help but laugh. As he walked back, he said, "Wait a moment, I'll go get my magic weapon." He then went back to get his gun.

Three Mountains Shake was a martial artist and had natural strength. His Guandao weighed a hundred pounds. With this skill, he had dominated the outlaw world.

When Xu Feng came out, Three Mountains Shake did a somersault off the bamboo chair and shouted at the men carrying the Guandao, "Release it!"

The four men let go, and the Guandao crashed to the ground with a loud "clang," causing a few children in the crowd to cry. Three Mountains Shake approached the Guandao, shouted, "Great Vajra Immortal, possess me and help me slay this demon!" He then kicked the handle, and the Guandao flew into the air. Three Mountains Shake caught it mid-air, assumed a stance, and began to perform a routine, moving his body.

Amidst the cheers of his men, the performer sang, "This Guandao is no ordinary weapon, passed down by Laozi himself. Given to the martial saint Guan Yu, it cut down Hua Xiong while the wine was still warm! Yan Liang and Wen Chou died before his horse, all thanks to this Guandao to stabilize Henan."

Xu Feng had read the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Yan Liang and Wen Chou were actually generals of Yuan Shao in Hebei, but the performer had changed it to Henan to fit the rhyme. Xu Feng laughed at this.

His laughter made Three Mountains Shake confused. He thought, "This god is laughing from start to finish. Does he really have extraordinary abilities?"

Three Mountains Shake pointed at Xu Feng and said in a martial arts opera style, "Hey! Who are you? I don't kill nameless ghosts!"

Xu Feng couldn't stop laughing and said, "What can your Great Vajra Immortal do?"

Three Mountains Shake angrily replied, "My Great Vajra Immortal can move mountains and seas, he can do anything!"

Xu Feng smiled and said, "Can your god create a Guandao that he can't lift himself?"

This question left Three Mountains Shake stunned. He had been in the outlaw world for many years and had experienced countless battles. He knew that in a confrontation, the most important thing was morale. If you couldn't answer the opponent's question, you would lose the upper hand.

Three Mountains Shake angrily said, "Don't try to win with words! Watch my Guandao take your head!"

He then charged at Xu Feng. At thirty meters, Xu Feng silently took the safety off. At twenty meters, Xu Feng raised his gun. At fifteen meters, Xu Feng gently pulled the trigger. "Bang!" A bullet hit Three Mountains Shake's calf, and he fell to the ground with a "thud." The Guandao flew out, and the crowd scattered like a tide.

Xu Feng put away his gun and laughed, "It seems your god isn't up to the task!"

Three Mountains Shake was filled with regret. If he had known there was someone with a gun in this small village, he would never have come here to deceive people. Seeing Xu Feng approach, Three Mountains Shake thought Xu Feng was going to shoot him again and quickly pleaded, "Great God! Don't kill me, I know the secret of the Russian church!"

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