Chapter 75

Since entering the courtyard, Zhao Jin and his companions had not taken a single step forward. Listening to the heavy breathing around him and catching a glimpse of the trembling weapons from the corner of his eye, Zhao Jin suddenly felt a bit regretful. If he had known it would be like this, he might as well have asked the elders to intervene. If the elders of each family were to step in, they could also direct the various characters in the city without having to take the lead themselves.

Not to mention others, even Zhao Jin himself felt his throat dry and his palms sweating. His past experiences of fighting and brawling were of little use in this moment. Zhao Jin suddenly realized that he was holding a sharp weapon, and this was a real fight where blood would be shed and lives would be at stake.

Inside the Nine-Tailed Lady Temple was a small main hall with two side rooms. There was no sign of incense, and it had been converted into a living space.

Before Zhao Jin and his companions could calm down, the main door of the hall opened, and six burly men rushed out, with three or four more people peering from the doorway.

As these men rushed out, Zhao Jin took a deep breath but was startled. Weren't there supposed to be only one or two guards? Why were there suddenly six! Just as he reacted, he heard a commotion of footsteps behind him and couldn't help but turn back. He noticed that everyone had involuntarily taken a step back, even Chen Sheng and Wang Zhaojing, who were beside him, swayed slightly.

Two of the six men were of average height, wearing brown short jackets and holding iron rulers. The other four were tall and strong, dressed in black cotton robes with black cloth wrapped around their heads, and they held short knives and axes.

The sudden appearance of these men also startled them. They saw eight fully armed people in the courtyard, four of whom were holding long weapons, and some were even wearing armor. Just as they were about to retreat, they noticed that the eight intruders seemed very nervous and lacked confidence. Upon closer inspection, they realized that these eight were just teenagers, around fourteen or fifteen years old. Despite their tall and strong builds, their faces were full of fear.

The momentum shifted, and the six men immediately became arrogant. The strongest of them laughed and said, "Where did you little brats come from? You must have come to the wrong place. There's no one here to feed you milk."

The other five burst into laughter, and even a couple of people from inside the hall dared to come out.

"Tsk, tsk, the one with the sword is quite good-looking, with rosy lips and white skin. Teacher... why don't you take him down, and I'll give you ten taels of silver," a middle-aged man who looked like a scholar said with a grin.

The first man to speak grunted, "I don't need your silver. We have people who like such goods on our side."

"Exactly, exactly, he's not worse than that little girl, maybe even better!" someone chimed in with a disgusting tone, and there was another round of laughter.

Wang Zhaojing naturally knew who they were talking about. His face turned red with anger, and his previously stable stance began to tremble, his sword shaking in his hand.

"Stay calm, stay calm!" Zhao Jin's voice grew louder. The insults were meant to intimidate and provoke them. Despite his own nervousness, Zhao Jin had to suppress his companions' emotions.

"Listen up, I'll take on the strongest one, Chen Sheng will take the first one on the right, Wang Zhaojing will take the first one on the left, Shi Manqiang and Ji Xiang will take the second one on the right, Liu Yong and Sun Dalei will take the third one on the right, and Dong Bingfeng will take the second one on the left," Zhao Jin almost shouted.

As he shouted, the courtyard fell silent, and Zhao Jin could feel his friends calming down.

Over the past five years, everyone had become accustomed to Zhao Jin's leadership. In such a chaotic and helpless situation, they would instinctively listen to him. Zhao Jin's shout gave them a sense of direction.

"Alright!" Wang Zhaojing replied.

"Be careful!" Chen Sheng replied.

"Brother, don't worry!" the others replied in a mix of voices, with only Sun Dalei's voice trembling slightly.

Zhao Jin took a step forward, and the others followed. As they moved forward, the six men on the opposite side involuntarily took a step back.

They retreated half a step before realizing it, and the middle-aged man who had fallen back a few steps tripped over the threshold and fell back, being hurriedly supported by the people behind him.

"I know Muxuelan is here. Let her go, and I'll pretend I never came!" Zhao Jin pointed his spear forward and said through gritted teeth.

At the mention of Muxuelan's name, the expressions of everyone in the courtyard changed. The six men exchanged glances, and the one who had fallen back shouted, "How did you know? How did you find us?"

The leader of the men made a few gestures, his face losing its smile as he said coldly, "Drop your weapons and leave your money. I'll let you leave alive. If you don't want to die, then..."

Before he could finish, the man had already charged forward, swinging his knife. The others followed almost simultaneously, rushing to attack!

Zhao Jin had intended to stand his ground, but he hadn't expected the other side to attack without negotiation. Their reaction was already too slow!

Despite the darkness, the courtyard was well-lit by the lights from inside the house. Zhao Jin could see the fierce face of the man clearly, and the cold gleam of the knife in his hand was even more glaring.

This was a real fight, not a duel or a brawl. For a moment, Zhao Jin felt that all his bravery and fighting spirit were useless. He felt his legs go weak, and his whole body stiffened.

Despair and fear spread, but feelings are one thing, and reactions are another. Five years of rigorous training, with the same actions repeated daily, had made Zhao Jin's reactions almost instinctive.

When the enemy attacked, he thrust his spear forward!

The well-practiced move, though somewhat distorted by fear and panic, was still fast and accurate!

In the blink of an eye, from the outside, it looked like Zhao Jin leaned back slightly and then thrust his spear forward!

Zhao Jin practiced thrusting his spear into walls and wooden posts every day, and he was extremely proficient. His first choice of attack was always the throat!

The man's knife had just swung down, but his movement was incomplete. Zhao Jin's spear, like a venomous snake, pierced his throat and was quickly retracted!

A gush of blood spurted out, and the man's expression changed from fierce to incredulous. He opened his mouth to shout but could only make a "huh" sound. His knife fell to the ground, and he clutched his throat, his body collapsing uncontrollably.

The hot blood splashed onto Zhao Jin's face, warm and with a metallic smell. Zhao Jin's body trembled violently, and he was momentarily stunned. The act of killing someone had shocked him, even though he had done it with his own hands.

The sudden attack not only stunned Zhao Jin but also threw his companions into disarray. Even Wang Zhaojing and Chen Sheng couldn't help but take a step back, and Sun Dalei, who was at the back, instinctively turned around. The only one who had the courage to charge forward was Liu Yong, who swung his axe and gritted his teeth to meet the attack.

The moment the leader was killed, the five men who had charged together paused, each turning their heads in shock. How could their leader be killed so quickly?

It was at this moment that Chen Sheng was the first to react. He had already prepared to strike, and seeing Zhao Jin take down the enemy, his fear and panic suddenly vanished. He roared and adjusted his stance, swinging his long knife down.

A flash of cold light, and the arm of the man in front of Chen Sheng was cut off. The momentum of the long knife continued, slicing through the man's neck, and half of his body was severed, blood gushing out.

Almost simultaneously, Wang Zhaojing took two steps forward, his long sword parrying the short knife and then piercing the opponent's neck, severing the blood vessels.

Shi Manqiang and Ji Xiang, both holding wooden sticks, reacted and swung them down. They didn't coordinate, but both struck the man's head and face. The man dodged Shi Manqiang's attack but couldn't avoid Ji Xiang's, which landed heavily on his shoulder, rendering his arm useless and his knife falling to the ground.

---

The page turns, and the advertisement begins.

The page turns, and the advertisement ends.