Chapter 26

"Black-robed Asura?!" As Huang Yaoshi spoke these words, the crowd of heroes present could not help but burst into a tumult. Even Yang Guo, Guo Xiang, and Huang Rong, who controlled the Beggars' Gang, all focused their gazes on Jiang Chen, their eyes filled with disbelief.

In the martial world, although there were many rumors about the Black-robed Asura, and many people claimed to have seen the Black-robed Asura ambushing and killing Yuan-Mongol soldiers and bandit tyrants, few truly believed it. After all, no matter how high one's martial arts were, it was impossible to deal with an army of thousands. Of course, they never imagined that such a person truly existed in this world. However, Jiang Chen's methods were too unconventional and often deliberately overlooked.

As the former leader of the Beggars' Gang, Huang Rong had many informants under her command. Although she did not fully believe the rumors about the Black-robed Asura, she had some knowledge of the matter. However, she never associated the seemingly twenty-something-year-old Jiang Chen with the Black-robed Asura, who had killed countless people.

Jiang Chen calmly met Huang Yaoshi's gaze and, after a moment, asked with curiosity, "I wonder how Lord Huang recognized my identity?"

Huang Yaoshi smiled and said, "It was quite a coincidence. A few months ago, I was investigating the Yuan-Mongol army's movements in Nanyang. I heard that someone had ambushed and killed tens of thousands of Yuan-Mongol soldiers in Nanyang City. Out of curiosity, I went to verify it and happened to see you chasing the fleeing Yuan-Mongol soldiers to Wan City. I was fortunate enough to witness your battle with the Golden Wheel Dharma King, where you defeated a powerful enemy."

Jiang Chen also knew that his pursuit of the fleeing Yuan-Mongol soldiers and the battle with the Golden Wheel Dharma King that night had been witnessed by many people. After all, he had never deliberately hidden anything. However, because he rarely revealed his name when killing enemies, the martial world only knew of the Black-robed Asura, not Jiang Chen.

"Is that so?" Jiang Chen finally understood why Huang Yaoshi had recognized him immediately. This reminded him of the flute music he had heard outside Nanyang City. Now, he realized it must have been Huang Yaoshi playing the flute. At the time, his mind was clouded by the desire to kill, and he had not fully integrated himself, so he did not search further. Otherwise, he might have befriended Huang Yaoshi earlier and perhaps even invited him to join forces to defeat the Golden Wheel Dharma King in Wan City.

Hearing this, the crowd finally realized that the rumors were true. There was indeed a person in this world who could slaughter tens of thousands of Yuan-Mongol soldiers. As a result, they looked at Jiang Chen with admiration, but also with a hint of fear, knowing that he had taken tens of thousands of lives.

Yang Guo could not help but exclaim, "I never thought that after just a few months, Brother Jiang would accomplish such a great feat. This makes me feel rather ashamed."

Jiang Chen smiled and said, "What I did may sound terrifying, but in fact, many of you here could do the same. For example, Brother Yang, if you were willing to put aside your pride as a martial arts master and sneak into the Yuan-Mongol camps at night, killing both generals and soldiers, with your martial arts, you could easily kill a thousand or so people in one night. If you persisted for ten to fifteen days, killing tens of thousands would not be a problem."

"This..." Yang Guo was taken aback. Despite his arrogant nature, he had never been as bloodthirsty as Jiang Chen. After a moment, he said, "I fear that might not be right. Not all Yuan-Mongol people are evil. Wars are often the result of a few people's ambitions. We should only kill the military leaders, not the ordinary soldiers..."

"The ordinary soldiers are the source of those few people's ambitions!" Jiang Chen interrupted, "Think about it, if there were no elite soldiers, would those few people dare to have such ambitions? Moreover, the Yuan-Mongol army has massacred countless Han people. The generals and commanders only give orders, but the ones who carry out the killings are the ordinary soldiers. Therefore, in my opinion, if we are to kill, we should kill both the generals and the soldiers. They all deserve to die."

Initially, the crowd found his words somewhat reasonable, but as he continued, they felt a chill when he said that everyone should be killed. This man truly lived up to the name "Black-robed Asura"!

"Congratulations, Jiang Chen, for completing Sub-Task Two: Overpowering the heroes at the Beggars' Gang assembly and震慑 the martial world! You have earned a doubled expansion of your wristwatch space. The process has begun..."

"Wristwatch space doubled expansion complete: Size is two cubic meters, dimensions can be adjusted at will, can store objects without consciousness and within the space limit, can be expanded by completing specific tasks, can bring items out of the cycle world..."

"Sub-Task Three activated: Defeat the Yuan-Mongol's top expert, the Golden Wheel Dharma King, during the Xiangyang battle. Completion reward: A complete copy of the Nine Yin Manual, personally written by Huang Chang, of great value; Failure penalty: Twelve days of weakness."

Jiang Chen had not expected that he would complete the second sub-task simply by being identified as the Black-robed Asura by Huang Yaoshi. He had thought he would have to fight Guo Jing, and now he felt a bit disappointed, but completing the task was still a cause for celebration.

As he was lost in thought, he heard Huang Yaoshi laugh loudly, "Brother, you are absolutely right. It seems we have been using the wrong methods all along. If we are to kill, what difference is there between generals and soldiers?!"

Yang Guo also laughed, "Indeed, Brother Jiang is right. I will do the same and kill tens of thousands to demoralize the Yuan-Mongol army!"

"Father-in-law! Guo'er!" Guo Jing hurriedly said, "This must not be done. If we kill indiscriminately, how are we any different from the cruel and vicious Yuan-Mongol people?"

"Hmph! You are too rigid!" Yang Guo, being a junior, did not dare to contradict Guo Jing, but Huang Yaoshi was not so polite. Moreover, he disliked this son-in-law from the bottom of his heart. He turned away and ignored Guo Jing, instead chatting with his daughters Guo Fu, Guo Xiang, and Guo Polu.

"But—" Guo Jing tried to persuade him again, but Huang Rong quickly tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Jing, I know you are a righteous hero, but the Yuan-Mongol army is vast and fierce. If Xiangyang falls, the Han people will suffer greatly. The heroes here have their own thoughts. Whether to carry out large-scale assassinations is a personal choice. If we don't do it, should we stop others from doing it?"

Guo Jing was speechless.

At this moment, Huang Yaoshi and Yang Guo had finished catching up with Guo Xiang. They were rare friends who admired each other's martial arts and character, and now they were about to leave together. Jiang Chen, regaining his composure, called out, "Brother Yang, wait!"

Unfortunately, Yang Guo, eager to find a quiet place to ask Huang Yaoshi about the Southern Sea Nymph, ignored Jiang Chen's call. Jiang Chen quickly added, "Brother Yang, don't you want to know about Xiaolongnü?" As soon as he said this, he heard a whistling sound, and in the blink of an eye, Yang Guo appeared before him. Damn! His lightness skill was incredibly high, almost like teleportation!

Yang Guo grabbed Jiang Chen's right shoulder, his eyes filled with excitement, and his hands trembling, "Brother Jiang, you know about Long'er? Tell me, tell me! How is she? When will she come to see me? She..."

"Brother Yang! Brother Jiang!" Guo Xiang and Guo Polu exclaimed in shock, not knowing what was happening.

"Brother Yang, calm down!" Jiang Chen said with a bitter smile. Fortunately, his internal strength was deep, or he might have been injured by Yang Guo's force.

"Sorry, Brother Jiang, I... I just want to know where Long'er is. Can you tell me?" Yang Guo finally noticed his loss of composure and quickly let go, apologizing.

"Truly worthy of the Black-robed Asura, your cultivation is truly profound!" Huang Yaoshi could not help but praise. After all, Yang Guo could not control his internal strength when he was emotionally unstable, but Jiang Chen could resist Yang Guo's powerful internal strength silently, showing his deep cultivation.

At this moment, thousands of martial artists were all looking at them. Huang Rong was also startled by Jiang Chen's words. Initially, she had no idea about Jiang Chen, but she gradually noticed his interest in her youngest daughter, though she did not say it directly. Tonight, when Jiang Chen killed He Shiwo and revealed his identity, it only added to her suspicions.

"Jiang Xiaoye, how do you know about Long'er?" Huang Rong asked with a smile, her eyes flashing as if trying to see through Jiang Chen. It was not that she was suspicious, but his actions were truly frightening. Would a normal person go out at night to kill tens of thousands of Yuan-Mongol soldiers?

Jiang Chen looked at Huang Rong with a half-smile and said teasingly, "What if... I told you I know the Southern Sea Nymph?"