Chapter 29: One Punch!

"Disperse! Give the Demon Rabbit a chance to attack Young Master Liu. I'll protect him by myself," A Lei shouted in a heavy voice.

The Demon Rabbit's previous sneak attack had wounded Feng Shaolong, leaving A Lei, his personal guard, feeling immense guilt and desperate for a chance to prove himself. At this moment, he hoped the creature would charge directly at him so he could show this beast the might of A Lei.

"Right, disperse! When that Demon Rabbit attacks, everyone find an opportunity to strike together!" Yu Mengyuan also barked an order, leading Zhang Lingshan and the others to quickly spread out.

As they dispersed, everyone kept their eyes fixed on the Demon Rabbit between the two trees, wary of its next move.

But suddenly.

Zhang Lingshan felt a sinister wind rushing toward his back. The hair on his body stood on end. Before he could even turn around to see what was happening, he instinctively rolled forward and dove to the ground.

In that critical moment, before he could even call out a warning, he heard Yu Mengyuan's shocked voice cry out: "There's another one! Watch out!"

*Bang!*

The words had barely left his mouth when Zhang Lingshan saw a figure flying past him, blood spraying from the person and splashing all over him. A blood-curdling scream pierced his eardrums.

'!!'

Zhang Lingshan's heart jolted.

Had the herb-gathering guard beside him failed to dodge in time and been sent flying by the other Demon Rabbit?

Fortunately, his reflexes were a step faster—or perhaps the rabbit had intended to target someone else—otherwise, he might have been the one flying through the air.

As this thought flashed through his mind, Zhang Lingshan had no time for further contemplation. In the heat of the moment, he immediately scrambled up and ducked behind a tall, burly figure to stabilize himself.

With this large figure providing cover, he finally had the chance to turn and look at the attacking Demon Rabbit.

He saw a figure just as stout as the previous one, though slightly different in form. It was clear they were a male and a female, working together as a pair to ambush them.

"Are you alright?" the tall figure in front of him asked.

Only then did Zhang Lingshan realize that this large figure was none other than Uncle Tie, the lowest-ranking of all the herb-gathering guards.

Uncle Tie held an axe, standing guard vigilantly in front of Zhang Lingshan. Though he didn't turn around, the concern in his voice made his watchful gaze easy to imagine.

"Thank you, Uncle Tie," Zhang Lingshan said, stepping out from behind him to stand side-by-side.

He had only hidden behind Uncle Tie out of desperate necessity. Now that he had regained his composure and adjusted his state, it would be too shameless to continue using the man as a shield.

Furthermore, despite his tall and sturdy build, Uncle Tie's combat ability was the lowest among all the guards; he was merely participating in this mission as a laborer. Hiding behind him was embarrassing enough; if he didn't achieve something in the upcoming fight, he wouldn't be able to hold his place in the Feng Family Pharmacy much longer.

It was just a Demon Rabbit, after all.

Back when he hadn't even practiced martial arts, he had dared to take on and defeat the three thugs, Li Hu and his cronies. What could a mere beast do, even if it were mutated?

He, Zhang Lingshan, was a man with a killer instinct. Could he really be bullied by a mere rabbit?

"Vile beast, you seek death!"

From behind, A Lei's fierce roar suddenly rang out, followed by the sound of clashing metal.

Clearly, Feng Shaolong's side had already engaged the other Demon Rabbit. The guards protecting Feng Shaolong were all shouting and fighting the beast in a chaotic melee.

Naturally, Zhang Lingshan's group was unwilling to fall behind.

He heard Yu Mengyuan shout, "All together! Don't let this Demon Rabbit escape!"

"Kill!"

The crowd rushed forward, weapons raised to strike at the Demon Rabbit.

*Bang!*

However, the Demon Rabbit was incredibly agile. It suddenly dropped to the ground, kicked off with its hind legs, and darted past Yu Mengyuan. At the same moment, its front paw swept forward.

The guard beside Yu Mengyuan was unlucky. His face paled in horror as he raised his longsword to block.

*Clang!*

The sword was knocked away by the rabbit's strike. Seizing the momentum, the rabbit scrambled onto him and stomped down with its hind leg, causing the man's knees to buckle. He collapsed to the ground with a shrill, agonizing scream.

*Swish!*

Without pausing, the Demon Rabbit employed a tactic of picking them off one by one, lunging toward another person.

The guard's expression shifted violently; in an instant, he lost all courage to fight. In a blind panic, he turned and ran straight toward Zhang Lingshan and Uncle Tie.

Seeing this, Zhang Lingshan's expression changed. His muscles tightened instantly, and his focus reached a peak of extreme tension.

At this moment, he had no inclination to mock the man's cowardice; his entire mind was focused solely on the Demon Rabbit.

Without a single superfluous thought, his blood and qi surged, and he instinctively unleashed the "Top Yang Stance" of the Primordial True Yang Posture.

As for the broadaxe in his hand, it had already fallen to his feet with a clatter, though he was completely unaware of it.

Forget the axe. Even the fleeing guard and Uncle Tie beside him were ignored by Zhang Lingshan.

In his world, everything else had vanished. There was only him and the Demon Rabbit, facing each other head-on.

His eyes locked onto the rabbit's glowing red eyes. There was no emotion in his mind, only one thought: today, he would either kill the rabbit or be killed by it. There was no second path.

So, there was nothing left to say. Punch!

Coupled with the "Red Line Fist" of his perfected Primordial True Yang Posture, a thunderous boom erupted from Zhang Lingshan's fist.

*Boom!*

A massive explosion sounded, dust rose everywhere, and then the entire world went silent.

In that instant, Zhang Lingshan felt the world spinning. All his strength was drained, his mind went blank, and his body felt as though it were floating in mid-air.

After an unknown amount of time—perhaps only a blink of an eye—he regained consciousness. He found himself still standing in place, but his legs were buried deep in the mud, unable to move, and he lacked the strength to pull them out.

His body was trembling like a sieve. His hands were numb and swollen, completely devoid of strength.

Trembling, he turned his palms over to see bright red blood seeping from his palms and fingers, dripping steadily onto the ground.

It was a blessing that his physical constitution was as tough as oxhide; otherwise, a strike like that might have shattered the skin of his palms entirely.

Checking his physical condition, Zhang Lingshan found that aside from his injured hands, he was largely unhurt. Although his legs were stuck in the mud, the softness of the earth had cushioned the impact; aside from some numbness, his feet were fine.

This brought him a sense of relief. As long as he wasn't seriously injured, he could recover after some rest and medicinal herbs.

Wait!

Why was he even thinking about that? What happened to the Demon Rabbit? Where was everyone else? Why was it so quiet?

As his mind cleared, Zhang Lingshan hurriedly looked toward the battlefield.

When he saw it, he froze.

The Demon Rabbit lay on the ground, covered in wounds, with blood flowing everywhere and soaking into the soil.

Meanwhile, everyone else was staring at him with expressions of profound bewilderment and shock.