The world of martial arts, the immortal swordsman in the mortal realm.

Chapter 34, A Born Killer

Huang Rong's words left Li Mochou thoughtful:
"So this is what the martial world is like? Then, how should we deal with the underhanded tactics that Sister Rong'er mentioned?"

Huang Rong chuckled:
"One is to retreat, which is the best of the Thirty-Six Stratagems. The other is to act faster than the enemy and strike first. In short, we need to be clever and always be in a position with obstacles to prevent us from being ambushed. At the same time, we need to be observant and attentive. If anyone tries to throw fishing nets, scatter lime, or use hidden weapons, we'll throw our own hidden weapons first. Sister Mochou, do you know how to use hidden weapons?"

Li Mochou nodded repeatedly:
"I can use flying needles."

Huang Rong nodded in satisfaction:

"Then hide the flying needles in your sleeves and prepare them so you can throw them with a flick of your wrist. Remember, when dealing with low-life villains, don't hold back. Since Sister Mochou uses such small hidden weapons as flying needles, just aim for their eyes."

Li Mochou was completely convinced:
"Rong'er is right, I'll remember that!"

As they spoke, the three arrived at the main gate of the Han River Gang's headquarters. The manor, nestled against the mountain and facing the water, had its gates wide open. Eight burly men in tight-fitting clothes, long swords at their waists, stood on either side of the gate. Upon seeing Lu Chen and his companions, they immediately shouted in unison:
"The distinguished guest has arrived!"

Although they seemed to be in good spirits, their expressions clearly showed that they were a little nervous.

His tension intensified, especially when he saw Lu Chen dressed in black with a bamboo hat, carrying a large sword on his back and another sword in his hand.

Clearly, Lu Chen, the ruthless figure who had slaughtered their third leader and eighteen brothers in one fell swoop, was putting them under a lot of pressure.

“It seems the Han River Gang already knows we’re coming,” Lu Chen said.

"Then, could they have already prepared a trap?"

Li Mochou stared at the open manor gate with a tense expression, her tone slightly nervous.

Huang Rong chuckled softly:
"Judging from the Han River Gang's actions, there must be a trap."

Li Mochou asked, "Then what should we do?"

Knowing there's a trap inside, going in would be foolish, but if we hesitate and dare not go in, wouldn't this trip be a waste, and we'd be ridiculed by the Han River Gang?

Huang Rong didn't say anything, but looked at Lu Chen with a smile.

Having spent a long time with her, Lu Chen had developed a tacit understanding and immediately said with a smile:

"The Han River Gang is putting on airs, acting like they're welcoming 'distinguished guests.' If we follow their pre-arranged plan and obediently go in with polite formalities before resorting to force, we might just step into their ambush. So..."

He drew his steel sword and strode towards the gate of the manor:

"Since you're here to annihilate the Han River Gang, why bother with polite formalities before resorting to force? Just be an unreasonable and unruly guest, force your way in, kill to your heart's content, and disrupt their plans!"

Seeing Lu Chen draw his sword and come over, the eight members of the Han River Gang panicked – why isn't this kid following the rules of the martial arts world?

We've already put on a welcoming front. Even if things are going to fall apart, shouldn't we at least go in and have a few words, and make sure we're on the right track?

We've set up all our traps inside the headquarters...

Unfortunately, Lu Chen never intended to talk about the rules of the martial arts world with such a wicked gang. He rushed to the eight members of the Han River Gang, and with a flash of his sword, one of the Han River Gang members who had just raised his long knife clutched his throat and fell to the ground.

The other seven members of the Han River gang turned and ran without saying a word, shouting as they ran:

"They're attacking! That kid in black is attacking!"

Lu Chen remained silent, striding after them into the manor gates. He caught up with the seven men one by one, killing them all with a single sword strike. Afterward, he continued along the main road of the manor.

Huang Rong called out to Li Mochou and followed Lu Chen at a distance, focusing her attention on her surroundings and being vigilant about any movement.

Li Mochou pursed her lips and walked beside Huang Rong, also paying close attention to her surroundings.

Suddenly, Huang Rong's crystal-clear ear twitched slightly, and she flicked her finger. A copper coin shot out, and a member of the Han River Gang who had just peeked out from the side courtyard wall immediately screamed and fell headfirst, covering his eyes.

At the same time, one after another, groups of Han River gang members stood up on the walls and rooftops on both sides of the main road. Some held packets of lime powder, while others carried fishing nets. But before they could make a move, Huang Rong whispered something to Li Mochou:
"I'll go left, you go right!" As she spoke, her slender fingers flicked the coins out one after another.

Some of the Han River gang members on the left-hand courtyard wall and rooftops covered their eyes and screamed in agony before falling headlong from the top of the wall and rooftops. Others had just raised their lime powder packets when the packets were shot and exploded by copper coins, splattering quicklime all over themselves and their nearby companions.

On the other side, Li Mochou, who had been hiding silver needles in her sleeves, suddenly raised her hand and released the needles. The tiny silver needles transformed into fine silver rays that were almost invisible to the naked eye, shooting towards the Hanshui Gang members on the right.

At this time, she had not yet learned how to use poison, and the silver needles she fired were not yet the extremely poisonous "Ice Soul Silver Needles" that made people tremble with fear.

Even without poison, her flying needle technique, learned from the Ancient Tomb Sect, would be more than enough to deal with these henchmen.

As streaks of silver light shot out, the Han River gang members on the right covered their eyes and fell to the ground screaming in pain.

As Huang Rong and Li Mochou joined forces to deal with the Han River gang members who were preparing to throw fishing nets and scatter lime, a group of Han River gang members rushed over from Lu Chen's front.

The dozens of Han River gang members each held a bamboo pole over ten feet long, the iron tips of which were sharpened to a gleaming shine. Rows of bamboo poles were laid flat and held up, forming a rather impressive spear formation.

Such a "gun formation" might be quite powerful in gang fights, but it's far from enough to deal with skilled opponents.

Or rather, a single "gun formation" is not enough to deal with a master; other methods are needed to assist. The Han River Gang was originally prepared for this.

However, Lu Chen and his two companions did not follow the "courtesy first, then force" approach that the Hanshui Gang had planned.

Instead of obediently entering the ambush, they recklessly charged in, hacking and slashing their way through, directly disrupting the Han River Gang's plans. The fishing nets and lime powder that could have restricted the movements of the experts were destroyed by Huang Rong and Li Mochou before they could be used, leaving only a far from well-organized bamboo pole "spear formation," which could hardly threaten any real experts.
Seeing the Han River gang members surging forward with long bamboo poles, Lu Chen didn't even bother using his Xuan Tie Heavy Sword. Instead, he charged straight at the spear formation with his steel sword. The Han River gang members shouted in unison, and the first two rows thrust their bamboo poles forward, aiming to stab Lu Chen.

Lu Chen swung his steel sword, drawing a bright arc of light. With a series of crisp cracking sounds, more than a dozen bamboo poles that were thrusting at him from the front and sides snapped in two, sending "spearheads" flying everywhere.

Lu Chen charged forward again, slicing through several bamboo poles thrusting at him from the third row with a single sword stroke. He had already reached the front of the first row of Hanshui Gang members. Then, he swept his longsword across the area, a streak of light flashing past. Several Hanshui Gang members in front of him had their throats split open at the same time, blood spurting out, and they fell to the ground without uttering a sound.

Having already charged into the formation, this "spear formation" naturally had no further use.

Lu Chen's sword flashed repeatedly, advancing relentlessly. Wherever he passed, blood rained down and screams filled the air. One after another, members of the Han River Gang fell to the ground, their hearts pierced, their throats severed, or their brows stabbed.

Just as the killing was in full swing, a furious roar rang out:

"stop!"

Lu Chen ignored him and continued his killing spree, killing several more people in one go.

The gang members who formed the "gun formation," especially the first two rows, were basically the most valiant and skilled fighters of the Han River Gang.

Even the bravest warriors could not withstand such slaughter. After more than twenty of the bravest men in the front row fell, the remaining Han River gang members had already lost their courage, throwing away their useless bamboo poles and scattering like birds and beasts.

A full third of the gang members died before they scattered. It wasn't that they were particularly resilient to casualties; it was simply that Lu Chen killed them too quickly, and many of his followers didn't have time to be afraid at first.

After routing the gun formation, Lu Chen chased after them for a few more steps, killing a few of the slower ones. Seeing that his henchmen were scattering in all directions and had fled too far, he lightly swung his longsword, flicking off the drops of blood on it, and glanced at the person who had told him to "stop."

It was a burly man with a fierce face, carrying a nine-ringed broadsword. At this moment, his eyes were red as he glared at him angrily.

To the left of the burly man stood a young man dressed in a black robe, holding a folding fan, dressed as a scholar, with a sinister look in his eyes. Several wielders, each carrying a single-edged sword, a longsword, a spear, and a cudgel, stood on either side of the two.

Another plump, fair-skinned old man, dressed in the clothes of a wealthy man, stood with his hands behind his back at the top of the steps. Surrounding him were several men dressed in clean, patched clothes, carrying sticks, and each carrying several bags on their backs.

At this moment, Huang Rong and Li Mochou also broke through the ambush and followed.

Seeing that Lu Chen was surrounded by corpses, with blood everywhere, yet he remained calm and composed, Li Mochou couldn't help but mutter to herself:
He killed so many people in one go! This Brother Lu is truly ruthless, a born killer! I must never mess with him again... What, I'm with him? Hey, you know what, it feels so reassuring!
Li Mochou had a rich inner monologue, while Huang Rong appeared completely unconcerned. Only after noticing the plump old man did she whisper behind Lu Chen:

"That plump old man carrying nine cloth bags must be Elder Peng, the Nine-Bag Elder of the Clean Clothes Faction of the Beggars' Sect, who Zhang Yong had previously boasted about as the backer of the Han River Gang."

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(End of this chapter)