Gao Wu Da Ming: Starting as a military household and ascending to the rank of Martial Saint

Yang Xin stared blankly as Chang Qi fell to the ground, then looked at Yu Shaowu with eyes full of awe.

He knew there was still room for maneuver before killing Chang Qi, but now he had no choice but to follow Yu Shaowu wholeheartedly.

Yang Xin had always been extremely respectful to Chang Qi, never daring to disobey him in the slightest, and had secretly done countless despicable things for him. Now, seeing him die before his eyes, he felt a surge of triumphant satisfaction.

He looked around and found that there was no one else besides the two of them. Suddenly, it dawned on him, and he asked Yu Shaowu, "Master, what you said about having helpers was actually a lie?"

"Just to put your mind at ease."

As Yu Shaowu spoke, he stepped forward and picked up Chang Qi's precious sword.

This precious sword is very similar in shape to a broadsword, but the material is completely different, and it even gleams with a dark, eerie light under the moonlight. Although it was deflected by Yu Shaowu's sword just now, and his broadsword had a huge nick in it, this sword was undamaged, clearly a fine blade.

Yu Shaowu was overjoyed and wanted to test if the sword could be equipped. However, when he grasped it, the system did not activate, and he was immediately disappointed.

However, although it cannot be equipped, it is a good weapon for killing people.

Through his battle with Chang Qi, he gained a general understanding of his own strength.

With these unique skills, martial artists of the same level are no match for him. Even if they are one or two levels higher than him, it would probably be of no use.

He threw away his broadsword, picked up this knife, and said to Yang Xin in a deep voice, "Let's go to the Chang residence and deal with the rest of them."

Yang Xin had complete faith in Yu Shaowu and bowed, saying, "Yes, Master."

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At this time, the Chang residence was brightly lit.

Zhao Daikui and Liu Xingye sat facing each other at a rosewood table in the side hall, with a wine pot and several small dishes on the table, enjoying a drink together.

Liu Xingye raised his wine glass with both hands, clinked it with Zhao Daikui with a fawning expression, and said, "Come on, Brother Zhao, let's have a few more drinks while we're at our leisure today. We'll be busy heading into the mountains tomorrow."

Zhao Daikui clinked glasses with Liu Xingye, downed his drink in one gulp, glanced sideways at Liu Xingye, and chuckled, "A lot of the meat and grain going into the mountains tomorrow will come from your martial arts school. Don't you feel a little uneasy about that?"

Liu Xingye laughed and said, "Brother Zhao, you don't know this, but those people were always going against me back in the martial arts school. They deserved to die. Especially that Ji Shouyi. When his father was alive, he didn't respect me, his senior martial brother. Luckily, his father died early, otherwise, I wouldn't have become the head of the school."

Zhao Daikui also laughed and said, "Then your move can be described as killing two birds with one stone. You not only completed the prefecture's task, but also eliminated a major threat."

Liu Xingye said, "It's a pity those roughnecks are still dreaming of slaying wolves. They asked the prefectural government for cannons and muskets, thinking they could deal with the wolves, but what good will it do? If they are all wiped out on this trip tomorrow, I will have no face to see my junior brother Ji Xiuyuan." Liu Xingye sounded somewhat ashamed, but his face showed no shame. He waved his hand and said, "Let's not talk about these unpleasant things. I heard that the wolf-taming techniques in the mountains seem to be inherited from the witchcraft of the Jurchens in Liaodong?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Daikui's smile vanished instantly. He glanced at Liu Xingye and said, "Brother, I advise you not to speak carelessly. Secretly allying with the Jurchens is an act of treason, a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of your family."

"Brother, don't be so nervous," Liu Xingye said dismissively. "They say it's a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family, but which of those Shanxi merchants on the border isn't transporting grain to supply the enemy? Otherwise, where did Huduntu and Jianzhou Laonu get their grain and weapons from?"

At this point, he licked his lips and lowered his voice, saying, "To be honest, the profits in there are enormous. Those barbarians are all savages; they've stolen all their silver, so they don't hesitate to trade it. If there's really a way, I'd like to take my brothers to Zhangjiakou for a trip."

Zhao Daikui had been keeping a straight face, but seeing Liu Xingye's undisguised greed, he stopped pretending and chuckled, "You know what, I heard that the Mr. Xiao Shan that Master Wang mentioned is in this business."

"Oh?" Liu Xingye immediately became interested and asked eagerly, "Is there any way to get some silver shares? If silver shares don't work, I don't mind body shares either. Please, Brother Zhao, show me the way."

Zhao Daikui scoffed, "This is a matter of life and death. Do you think you can just join so easily? We have to do our job well first before we can gain Mr. Xiao Shan's favor. If we don't do it well, we might not even be able to keep our heads, let alone join."

"Don't worry," Liu Xingye said. "I'm perfectly fine on my end, but we need to keep an eye on Chang Qi. Those poor military households are fine, but the key is Yu Shaowu. This is the man that Master Wang specifically ordered to be eliminated, and it has to be done flawlessly, leaving no loopholes."

"Hmm...this is quite a big deal." Zhao Daikui nodded, then suddenly remembered something and asked suspiciously, "Why has Deputy Commander Chang been gone for so long? Could something have happened to him?"

Reminded by him, Liu Xingye also sensed something was wrong. He listened intently to the sounds coming from inside the house, but apart from the faint sound of a night watchman's gong in the distance, there was complete silence. "It's been a while..."

A strange unease rose in Zhao Daikui's heart. He stood up and said, "I'll go check the door..."

He walked to the door, opened it, and saw that the two guards who had been standing guard at the gate had fallen to the ground at some point.

Immediately afterward, a sharp, piercing sound pierced the window paper, and a blade of light shot towards Zhao Daikui's chest with lightning speed. It was Yu Shaowu's treasured sword, which he had taken from Chang Qi, and he had hurled it in like a javelin, imbued with the power to shatter mountains, using the "hundred paces to hit a willow leaf" technique!

In a fit of shock and rage, Zhao Daikui's muscles tensed instantly, and his fifth-level Body Tempering Realm cultivation surged forth. He stretched out his bare palm to block the black blade while crashing through the threshold and dodging to the left.

His reaction was already extremely fast, and the palm strike that hit the blade successfully changed the direction of the black sword.

However, this black blade was incredibly powerful and fast. Zhao Daikui tried his best, but could only avoid vital parts; he couldn't completely evade it.

The black blade was angled slightly and pierced directly into Zhao Daikui's right shoulder. However, due to the resistance of Zhao Daikui's tight muscles, the blade did not penetrate all the way through, only penetrating a few inches.

Zhao Daikui had already shifted to the left, feeling the pain in his shoulder, his heart filled with dread. Although his right arm seemed to have been severely injured, he had at least narrowly escaped death.

Just as he was trying to steady himself and observe his surroundings, a pair of fists came hurtling towards his face with a whooshing sound.

This was the first time Yu Shaowu had used the Yihequan style in actual combat, and he went all out from the start. His fist was also imbued with the penetrating bone-strength technique he had mastered.

Feeling the force of the opponent's punch, Zhao Daikui sneered slightly. He neither dodged nor avoided, but directly met the fist that was blasting towards him!

He practiced military-style martial arts, having built his skills from the age of fifteen through sheer hard work with his fists. He was confident that his twenty years of experience in this one punch was enough to shatter stone and break monuments.

However, the moment their fists collided, Zhao Daikui's face turned deathly pale. A piercing pain and numbness shot through his left knuckles, and a sinister and sharp energy surged up his arm, causing half of his body to stiffen slightly.

Is this... internal force?

Zhao Dai Kui never expected that the person in front of him, judging from his moves and the wind of his fist, clearly only possessed the strength of the fourth level of the Body Tempering Realm, yet the hidden force he had learned was so powerful. It directly pierced through the meridians in his shoulder, completely impossible to resist!

Yu Shaowu landed a punch, then unleashed another, aiming a powerful blow at Zhao Daikui's chest. Zhao Daikui's left shoulder was numb, and his right shoulder was injured. He was utterly powerless to withstand the attack and could only close his eyes and await his death.

With a loud bang, Zhao Daikui was struck in the chest with great force, smashing through the window and flying backward into the room.

From the moment he made his move to when he appeared at the door of the room, the entire process took no more than five breaths. His efficiency was comparable to that of killing Chang Qi.

But Yu Shaowu knew that killing Chang Qi was a crushing victory, while killing Zhao Daikui was a matter of skillful maneuvering. If his opponent had fully understood him, he would never have won so easily.

He put down his fist, stood up, and stepped into the room with steady steps.

Inside the room, Liu Xingye suddenly stood up, glanced at Zhao Daikui's corpse lying dead in the room, and then looked at the masked young man in black in front of him. Cold sweat immediately poured down his forehead.