Chapter 35: When will Brother Yuan finally call upon me to slay the enemy?

Reaching the deck, Zhang Yuan swung his right arm, and the long saber in his hand instantly whipped out in a sweeping arc.

"Swish—"

The blade let out a piercing whistle as it spun past the gunwale.

The sharp edge sliced past four or five bandits who were operating the oars, attempting to pull the boat back into the center of the river channel.

Blood, severed limbs.

And broken wooden oars.

With a heavy "thud," the long saber slammed into the cabin, burying its edge two feet deep into the wood.

A chorus of agonizing screams and wails erupted from the edge of the boat.

With no one left to man the oars, the wooden boat spun with the river's current, drifting toward the shore.

"Kill him—"

"Throw him overboard!"

Seeing that Zhang Yuan was unarmed, several bandits wielding sabers roared and charged forward.

Unless they knocked Zhang Yuan off the boat, they would surely die!

With empty hands, Zhang Yuan took a step forward and raised both arms.

Mountain-Splitting Fist: Moving Mountains and Peaks.

"Boom—"

Two bandits who had been swinging their sabers were sent flying by the impact, crashing into the cabin over twenty feet away. They smashed through five inches of wooden planking and tumbled inside.

This single strike caused the other two charging bandits to freeze in their tracks, their faces turning deathly pale.

Too strong!

The strength Zhang Yuan displayed was far beyond their ability to cope.

Without pausing, Zhang Yuan raised his left arm.

Stepping forward, he delivered a striking elbow.

Iron Armor Fist: Sky-Suspending Elbow.

"Boom—"

The thick mast snapped with a crack. The white canvas hanging from it fell along with the mast, covering the cabin and the deck, and burying several bandits beneath it.

A long saber thrust toward Zhang Yuan from between the canvas and the rigging.

Zhang Yuan raised his left hand and performed a parry.

"Clang—"

The long saber snapped.

Zhang Yuan reached out and grabbed the broken blade, driving it straight into the shoulder socket of the bandit who had attacked. The blade entered through the right shoulder, piercing a foot deep into the body.

With a twist of his wrist, Zhang Yuan shredded the man's heart and lungs. Blood overflowed from the bandit's mouth as his body went limp.

Before the man could even collapse, Zhang Yuan delivered a kick straight to the bandit's chest.

The man's chest visibly caved in. His body tore through the white sail behind him, leaving a bloody trail over ten feet long.

"Bang—"

Deprived of its mast and oars, the wooden boat slammed into the riverbank.

The bandits on board were tossed about haphazardly, but Zhang Yuan alone stood as if rooted to the spot, completely unmoved.

Before the boat had even stabilized, several black-armored figures were already charging up from the riverbank onto the deck.

Yu Changlong rushed behind Zhang Yuan with a long spear, while Feng Cheng and two other soldiers, panting heavily, scrambled onto the deck and quickly moved to Zhang Yuan's side to establish the Gray Wolf Battle Formation.

On the other side of the gunwale, several figures vaulted over. The leader was none other than Chen Wu.

With a low shout, Chen Wu gripped his saber and lunged, impaling a bandit who had scurried in front of him.

Without breaking his stride, he grabbed the collar of the bleeding bandit and used him as a shield, pushing him and five or six other bandits behind him for seven or eight steps until they were shoved onto the deck.

The deck was now swarming with black-armored soldiers; there was no way for the bandits to survive.

Feng Cheng and the other recruits watched this scene, utterly speechless.

It was one thing for Zhang Yuan to possess overwhelming martial strength, but was Chen Wu actually this powerful as well?

In the distance, Xu Xianzhong, the County Magistrate of Yong'an, turned to look at the Luyang Prefecture Military Clerk who had just stepped up beside him.

"Lord Clerk, did... did this Commander Zhang ever serve in the military?"

The Clerk watched the black-armored soldiers crushing the enemy on the boat, a hint of a smile appearing on his face.

"This kid spent three months messing around in the army five years ago."

Five years ago, three months?

To think that just three months could forge such cultivation, combat prowess, and such decisive, ruthless character?

Gao Tong, the constable behind Xu Xianzhong, looked puzzled.

What kind of military unit could hone someone into this kind of person in just three months?

Even the border troops, who fought in endless wars, couldn't do that, could they?

Besides, there hadn't been a war around Luyang Prefecture for five years—

Five years?

Five years ago, three months?

Xu Xianzhong trembled violently, his eyes widening as he looked at the Clerk. "Five years ago... Zhang... Zhang... Second Master?"

The Clerk put his hands behind his back and cleared his throat. "Don't take those underworld nicknames seriously. In the yamen, we just call him Erhe, or Xiao Yuan."

Despite his words, he could not hide the pride on his face.

"No wonder, no wonder..." Xu Xianzhong slowly turned his head to look at Zhang Yuan on the deck.

To have returned from a bloody battle in Fengtian after three months—such character was only natural.

On the boat, the bandits were either fleeing, jumping into the water, or roaring as they fought desperately.

Zhang Yuan led Yu Changlong and the others in a formation, fighting their way from the side portholes to the rear deck.

Feng Cheng and the other two soldiers were covered in blood, their limbs trembling.

In close-quarters combat, you either killed or were killed.

Upon reaching the rear deck, Zhang Yuan's gaze swept past the gunwale toward a third wooden boat that had managed to stabilize itself and was heading downstream.

The distance was about fifteen feet.

"Old Yu, you take them."

With a low command, Zhang Yuan reached out and grabbed a ten-foot-long bamboo pole resting on the deck.

"Chen Wu, Xu Qian, Guan Da'niu, Deng Hua—"

Zhang Yuan's voice rang out.

From within the cabin, several shouts erupted as a blood-soaked Chen Wu and three other soldiers rushed out.

Zhang Yuan thrust the bamboo pole forward into the water, using its momentum to launch himself toward the other boat.

As the pole passed its midpoint, Zhang Yuan released his grip and instantly stepped on the pole, kicking it back toward the stern of his own boat. He used the force of this kick to propel himself onto the deck of the third boat.

Before his feet even hit the ground, his saber was drawn. With a horizontal slash, he forced back several approaching bandits, then rolled on the deck and drove his blade through a bandit's foot, pinning the foot and the deck together.

On the deck, the bandit screamed in agony.

Behind Zhang Yuan, Chen Wu had already used the bamboo pole to leap onto the boat.

Zhang Yuan withdrew his saber and gave Chen Wu a hand signal.

Chen Wu nodded and charged forward along one side of the rear deck.

Zhang Yuan drew a short blade from his waist with one hand and gripped his long saber with the other, charging forward from the opposite side.

Behind them, the soldiers Zhang Yuan had called upon had already used the bamboo pole to leap onto the deck.

Feng Cheng and the other recruits watched this with envy.

"When will I ever get called by Brother Yuan to kill the enemy..." the recruit beside Feng Cheng whispered.

"You all will have your chance." Yu Changlong glanced at them, gripped his blade, and looked toward the cabin. "Follow me. Focus on racking up combat merits first."

...

The Yong'an County soldiers, constables, and Xu Xianzhong's group watched with immense respect as Zhang Yuan and his men leaped from boat to boat to pursue the enemy.

Only a true warrior would dare to charge directly at an enemy several times their number.

"As expected of the Prefectural Martial Guard Yamen, a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers..." Xu Xianzhong remarked with emotion, whispering, "I thought only Commander Zhang was brave, but it seems these others are extraordinary as well."

Reaching the Houtian Realm before the age of thirty made one an elite even in a border prefecture like Luyang.

Not to mention someone like Chen Wu, who was at the middle stage of the Houtian Realm.

The Clerk remained silent, unable to suppress his smile.

"Boom—"

Zhang Yuan sliced through a mast on the deck, causing the wooden boat to slowly tilt sideways.

With his saber in hand, his gaze fell upon the fleeing bandits in the cabin and on the deck.

"Those who surrender shall not be killed—"

His voice carried across the water.

Many fleeing bandits shuddered and hurriedly dropped their weapons, crouching on the ground.

For the few who showed aggression, Chen Wu and the others rushed forward, their blades falling swiftly to settle the matter once and for all.

Of the three wooden boats, two had run aground, and one was spinning sideways in the river bend.

On the boats, the sounds of shouting and wailing filled the air.

On the river's surface, bright red blood flowed with the current, reflecting the fading afternoon sun.

"Wooo—"

From downstream, the sound of a horn echoed.

A dozen vessels of various sizes were sailing up the current.

On their decks were soldiers with weapons, able-bodied men with clubs, and officials dressed in green robes being protected in the center of the crowd.

"The Magistrate of Yong'an County is here! Die, bandits!"

...

(End of Chapter)