Dao Qi Wu Zang Guan Guan: I became a Daoist Master in the 1990s

Chapter 54 Tempering in Blood and Fire

The muffled sound of the scarred man's throat bone breaking exploded in his ears, and Qi Yun's clenched fist was still frozen in mid-air.

The henchman fell backward, his eyes bulging, his neck twisted at an eerie angle. Blood and bone fragments gushed from his wide-open mouth, spreading a small, glaring dark red stain on the yellow earth.

died?

Qi Yun stared at his slightly trembling fist, a little warm, crimson blood trickling down between his fingers.

He now had a deeper understanding of Zhao Yue's saying, "First courage, second strength, third martial arts skills!"
He was ruthless and powerful enough to kill so easily.

Whether or not one possesses martial arts skills is secondary!
Compared to the ferocious, blue-faced, fanged demons, living people are as fragile as a sheet of paper.

"Brother Qi, how could you..." Song Laosan's voice trembled uncontrollably.

The men behind him were even more pale, their legs trembling violently, their eyes fixed on the ever-expanding pool of blood on the ground, as if they had seen the Grim Reaper taking their souls.

The crackling and popping of flames from the distant Hall of Righteousness, mixed with the clash of weapons and the screams of the dying, all rushed into Qi Yun's ears.

He snapped back to his senses, bent down and picked up the mud- and blood-stained long knife from the ground. The cold hilt sent a shiver down his spine as he touched it.

"Wangjiazhuang has made its move! If we don't fight back, are we supposed to wait for those jackals to have a chance to kill us?"

Qi Yun's voice lashed across the pale faces of Song Laosan and the others.

"If you want to live, come with me right now!"

The blade flashed coldly in the dim light.

Startled by the murderous aura, Song Laosan and his men scrambled to follow Qi Yun, desperately rushing towards the open gate of the stockade.

The flickering firelight stretched the shadows of the fleeing figures into ghostly shapes.

He had only taken a few steps out of the village gate when a bloody hand suddenly reached out from the side and grabbed Song Laosan's trouser leg tightly!
"Old Song!" The man on the ground screamed, half his face covered in blood and mud, and a deep, bone-revealing cut on his thigh was gushing blood. It was Wang Dashan from Wangjiazhuang.

Old Song was terrified. Only after recognizing who it was did he crouch down, still panting, and cry out, "Old Wang! You..."

"Pah!" Wang Dashan spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground, his eyes bloodshot. "He usually acts like a man, shouting and yelling, but when he sees the Black Wind Stronghold's knife, his bones go soft."

"Did they really hand over the grain obediently?"

"Old Wang, you don't know, Sunjia Village has been wiped out by these beasts. Everyone in the village is dead. How can they survive if they don't pay their taxes!"

"Pah!" Wang Dashan's eyes widened, and he spat a mouthful of bloody foam directly onto Song Laosan's face.

"Does paying grain guarantee survival? Or will we starve in the winter?"
These beasts are clearly not letting us live! Starving to death is death, being hacked to death is also death, so we might as well fight!

"Master Xuanqing personally led us here this time!"

"What?!" Old Song was shocked, the fear in his eyes instantly replaced by disbelief. "Master Xuanqing... really went to your village?"

“Absolutely true!” Wang Dashan puffed out his chest, as if the Taoist priest’s reputation had given him boundless courage.

He pointed sharply to the towering flames and sounds of battle within the stronghold, "This time, it was Daoist Xuanqing who led us to break in!"
The Taoist priest will deal with those leaders; we'll just chop up these stray dogs!
We all have one head and two legs, so let's risk our lives, who's afraid of who!

Song Laosan, if you still have balls hanging from your crotch, then lead your men back to fight!

With the Taoist priest around, what's there to be afraid of!

Song Laosan's face instantly turned bright red and then purple, as if his pants had been pulled down in public, and shame, anger, and bloodlust surged within him.

He instinctively turned to look at Qi Yun. "Brother Qi! You've seen a lot in life, you... tell me, what should we do about our village?"

Qi Yun's awkwardness in "being frank" when he first met these people made Song Laosan and the others somewhat disdainful of him.

If it weren't for Song Laoshuan's entrustment, they might not have followed this mysterious "strange man" up the mountain.

However, that lightning-fast, ferocious punch completely overturned their understanding.

Qi Yun was ruthless; he killed a bandit with a single punch.

Although this scene could not compare to the legendary immortal powers of Master Xuanqing, it was enough to make these farmers understand that Brother Qi in front of them was no ordinary person!
When the weight of a mountain presses down on one's shoulders, one always hopes for a stronger backbone to bear the burden.

As for Qi Yun, his heart was already in turmoil when he heard the name "Xuanqing"!
Xuanqing? That Taoist priest was actually Xuanqing? My master, Xuanjizi's junior brother?
That's not right! The old Taoist priest clearly said that Uncle-Master Xuanqing is already dead!
Is it possible that my time this time is much earlier than last time?
His chaotic thoughts surged like boiling water, but Song Laosan's tearful question abruptly pulled him back to reality.

The firelight illuminated his calm, serene face, but deep within his eyes lay a shock and storm that no one could see.

He quickly suppressed his emotions, his voice low but carrying a resolute determination.

"Since Daoist Xuanqing has taken action to deal with the ringleader, it is in line with our plans to wipe out the remaining villains."

These bandits have only been without their hoes for a few days, what is there to fear?

If even one person is let go, the consequences will be endless.

This time, we must follow the Daoist's thunderous might and uproot this Black Wind Stronghold, eliminating any future threat!

Qi Yun's words were firm and decisive, making the final decision.

Song Laosan suddenly felt as if most of the heavy burden on his shoulders had been lifted, and a huge weight had been lifted from his heart.

He stomped his foot, the last trace of hesitation in his eyes replaced by ruthlessness, and spat out two words through gritted teeth: "Let's do it!"

The flickering firelight illuminated the faces of the other farmers.

Their eyes met, but there was no thoughtful decision, nor any passionate fervor. Like wheat fields swaying in the wind, they instinctively lowered their heads in the direction where the first one had fallen, slurring out muffled responses: "Damn...damn!"

Song Laosan snatched the long-toothed rake from Wang Dashan. The moment he held the rough wooden handle, its heavy weight strangely calmed his wildly beating heart.

Upon seeing this, the remaining hesitation of the men behind him was immediately swept away, and they grabbed the scattered hoes and broken wooden sticks from the ground and corners, clutching them haphazardly in their hands.

Even if there are mountains of knives in front of you, as long as someone takes the first step, those behind can always follow!

"Find the tall one! Smash him on the head! Beat him to death!" Wang Dashan roared, struggling to get up, but he still fell to the ground.

"Alright, let's fight our way back!"

Qi Yun let out a thunderous roar.

He charged ahead with his knife, and just as he entered the mountain stronghold, he ran right into the bandit who had led them up the mountain!

The bandit had just stabbed a farmer through the stomach with his knife, and before he could even pull the knife out, he heard a noise behind him, turned around with a sinister grin.

"You peasants, you're asking for death!"

Immediately, the blood-stained blade, accompanied by a whoosh, cleaved straight at Qi Yun's neck!
Seeing the blade coming at him, Qi Yun immediately drew his sword and charged forward to meet it!

(End of this chapter)