knife

Chapter 68 Hunting
Sun Liuzhi was like an extremely agile ape, charging and dashing through the chaotic battlefield with ease. Horses were an obstacle to his skill, so he abandoned his warhorse after the first wave of combat.

Sometimes he would slash at the horse's legs, stab its belly, and poke its rump; other times he would leap onto the enemy's back, his two sharp short blades piercing the gaps in the armor with unparalleled accuracy, severing the blood vessels in the neck. As long as there was a tiny gap, he could maneuver and dodge within it. Those tall, fully armored elite warriors were helpless against this skinny little guy. Apart from roaring angrily, they could only watch helplessly as their comrades fell one by one under his blade.

But Sun Liuzhi was filled with despair; he knew he was finished.

It wasn't that he was afraid of death. After being a bandit for so many years, he had been living with his head in his hands every single day! When he had money, he would have fun; when he didn't have money, he would rob again. If he died, so be it.

But this time he made a fortune!
With tens of thousands of taels of silver notes and several precious jewels in his pocket, he had originally planned to go to Tai'an City. This money was enough for him to live a carefree life in Tai'an City for a year.

The courtesan at Yingchun Pavilion had always ignored him, complaining that he wasn't tall enough, strong enough, or handsome enough—wasn't it just because he hadn't paid enough? This time, he was going to use his money to knock her down.

But it seems this wish won't come true.

He was surrounded by the Yan family's elite troops.

Moreover, it was the most elite force led by Yan Sheng's son, Yan Dong.

At this moment, he could no longer hear the sounds of his comrades fighting, or rather, their screams.

They're probably all dead.

These bandits were quite adept at chaotic battles, but when they encountered well-trained elite troops, they were basically doomed.

A sharp whistle rang in his ears, and the Yan family soldiers surrounding him immediately scattered in all directions. Sun Liuzhi finally caught his breath and stood there, mouth agape, like a fish that had been thrown ashore.

Looking around, he saw that his companions were indeed all lying on the ground.

Countless cavalrymen were patrolling the area; based on his experience, he roughly estimated that there were probably two or three thousand of them.

Damn it, all we did was raid one of the Yan family's estates and kill one of their collateral branches. We've done that before, so why is it like we've stabbed that old bastard Yan Sheng in the heart this time? It turns out that Yan Dong himself led the team to surround and kill them?
He knew he wasn't going to survive.

Yan Dong must already know perfectly well what we did in Jizhuang.

If we can catch our breath quickly, we can slaughter a couple more members of the Yan family, which will make it worthwhile.

Several Yan family soldiers took the bulging package from the slain bandit, opened it, and handed it to Yan Dong.

Inside were nothing but gold, silver, and fine silks and satins. Yan Dong reached into the bag and pulled out a few gold medals. As he looked at the names engraved on the bloodstained medals, his eyes slowly turned bloodshot.

There were people he knew there.

He closed his eyes, and the face of that naughty little guy appeared before him.

Children under ten years old were also killed by these bastards.

When Jizhuang was destroyed, none of the boys with the surname Yan survived.

He picked up his gun, dismounted, and walked step by step toward Sun Liuzhi.

"General Yan, I surrender!" Sun Liuzhi shouted as Yan Dong approached step by step, "My kung fu is not bad either. Serving you from now on is better than killing me!"

Yan Dong chuckled: "Sure, if you want to live, kneel down and call me grandpa! If you shout loud enough, I might even make you a captain under me."

Sun Liuzhi's eyes lit up, and amidst the scornful gazes of countless people, he actually knelt down with a thud and kowtowed heavily: "Grandpa above, your grandson kowtows to you!"

Yan Dong laughed heartily, his steps never faltering. "Good grandson, let Grandpa wash away your sins first."

As the cherry blossoms first appear, bowl-sized red flowers suddenly appear in the air, and a cold glint is faintly visible among the flower shadows.

Sun Liuzhi fell to the ground, and as he fell, he shrugged and bent his back. With two whooshing sounds, two crossbow bolts shot out of his clothes. As he lay prone on the ground, his body twisted like a nimble snake, sliding incredibly fast toward the harsh winter.

His kung fu skills were originally based on the ground.

That dramatic display just now was merely an attempt to lull Yan Dong into a false sense of security.
If the other party becomes complacent, he can take control of Yan Dong in a sudden attack. If Yan Dong wants to live today, he can only do so by capturing Yan Dong as a hostage.

Although this hope is extremely slim, it doesn't mean it's nonexistent.

For a desperate criminal like Sun Liuzhi, as long as he is not dead and can still move, he will naturally try to resist.

His plan was well-thought-out, but the difference in their martial arts skills was too great. Sun Liuzhi's kung fu was very distinctive, but he was only at the sixth rank. He was not lacking in wine, women, wealth, or power, and in recent years, his kung fu had not improved but had actually regressed.

In contrast, Yan Dong, just over forty, is in his prime. As the next generation leader of the Yan family, he is very self-disciplined and his martial arts cultivation has reached the eighth rank. Compared to his father, he has a much brighter future.

Sun Liuzhi had planned everything meticulously. If his opponent's martial arts cultivation was similar to or even superior to his, this plan might produce remarkable results. However, if the difference in absolute strength was too great, all his calculations would become meaningless.

The crossbow bolts flew like lightning, but Yan Dong's pace did not slow down in the slightest. Holding the gun in his left hand, he flicked his fingers twice with his right hand. With two sharp clangs, the two crossbow bolts suddenly reversed and turned to pounce on Sun Liuzhi, who was slithering towards him like a snake.

Sun Liuzhi never expected this outcome.

His forward momentum was thwarted, so he leaned back slightly, brandishing two short swords to deflect the crossbow bolts. But even with that slight pause, his vision was already filled with gunshots.

His body suddenly rose higher, not by his own leap, but by a long spear piercing straight through his chest and lifting him up.

As the gunshot faded, a sharp pain returned. Sun Liuzhi looked down at the gun in his chest, then at Yan Dong, who was still holding the gun in his left hand and had a murderous look on his face. He let out a howl and threw the two short knives in his hand at Yan Dong.

This is the last vestige of dignity for a fugitive.

The futile attack naturally yielded no results. Yan Dong flicked his wrist, tossing Sun Liuzhi up, who then crashed heavily to the ground.

"Chop it into mincemeat and feed it to the dogs!"

Yan Dong mounted his horse and rode away. Behind him, the soldiers surged forward, unleashing a flurry of swords.

They absolutely hated this short man; several of their brothers had just fallen victim to him.

Aquarius City.

Yan Sheng removed a chess piece from a sand table and casually tossed it into a wastepaper basket. He smiled and said to Tie Le beside him, "Sun Liuzhi, the last successor of the Ditangmen of Huazhou in Guannei, who dominated Guanwai for more than ten years, has been expelled today. It's a pity that the Ditangmen's martial arts will be lost. Speaking of which, their martial arts were quite unique."

Three or four flags had already been thrown into the wastepaper basket on one side.

"Are there so many bandits in Baoping Prefecture?" Tiele looked at the seven or eight flags still planted on the sand table and felt a little strange.

“Of course not!” Yan Sheng said, “Under the governance of my Yan family, Baoping Prefecture has always been orderly, prosperous and peaceful. But outside the pass, this is also the original sin. When those bandits go to other places to rob, they get very little. But in my Baoping Prefecture, as long as they succeed, they will reap a lot. Every autumn to the cold winter, those bandits come here in groups. It’s nothing new. They can’t kill them all. Especially in the last two years, bandits have really emerged one after another.”

Seeing Yan Sheng shake his head repeatedly, Tiele laughed and said, "It seems that Commander Linghu's methods in the past two years have been too ruthless and harsh, forcing many people to become bandits, which has implicated Governor Yan."

"General Linghu has lofty ambitions; this mere harsh land beyond the Great Wall is naturally beneath his notice. He has no qualms about killing the goose that lays the golden eggs, but I, Yan, cannot do that. I was born and raised here; this is my home!" Yan Sheng's eyes were filled with compassion. "I cannot stand by and watch him wreak havoc here, causing the people to suffer!"

Tiele nodded and said, "I deeply appreciate Governor Yan's concern for the people."

“If we don’t really hurt these bandits this time, and scare them, they’ll probably come back again soon. Wild Wolf is the most cunning and ruthless of these bandits. Taking his head will deter the others. If they want to covet my Baoping Prefecture, they’d better think twice before they’re stronger than Wild Wolf.”

"How about Li Dachui?" Tiele asked with a smile.

“Li Dachui calls himself a bandit, but he’s not a bandit anymore!” Yan Sheng glanced at Tiele and said with a smile, “Although he started out as a bandit, he’s more like a businessman now. He’s living a very comfortable life on the Helan Plain.”

"Helan Yuan?" Tiele frowned.

Yan Sheng nodded: "Yes, Helan Yuan. Three years ago, he seized tens of thousands of strong men from your country's Wutu and then took them to Helan Yuan. It's a great place. To the north is the Helan Cliff, and to the south is a vast swamp that stretches for hundreds of miles. I don't know how he managed to build a road through it. Anyway, even Commander Linghu acknowledges him as a figure of great importance."

"Is Helan Plain difficult to defeat?"

“It’s impossible to fight!” Yan Sheng said, “There is a path in the swamp, but only Li Dachui and his gang know about it. If you want to attack him, you have to go around him. But Your Highness, think about it. If you go around him, Li Dachui suddenly jumps out of the swamp and attacks you, who can stand that? Your general Wutu has already experienced the elite troops of Li Dachui’s three battalions of Heaven, Earth and Man.”

Tiele nodded: "Does Governor Yan think it's possible for us to cooperate with this Li Dachui?"

"As far as I know, this guy is a money-grubber. He'll talk about anything as long as there's enough money. If there isn't enough money, nothing will be discussed!"

"Money, to me, is the least valuable thing!" Tiele laughed. "Could Governor Yan contact this person? I'd like to meet him."

"We can find him in Tai'an City then. This man not only loves money, but also loves to enjoy life. His mansion in Tai'an City is even more impressive than the Tai'an City Lord's mansion. And now, he's keeping a mistress in a golden house, hahaha!"

"Is that so? Someone who loves both money and women, I like that kind of person!" Tiele laughed loudly as well.

(End of this chapter)