Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

For some reason, the girl felt that the smile was incredibly unreliable, but she could only sigh and shake the snowflakes off her forehead.

Standing in front of the gate, Zhang Renfeng shook off the melted snow water from his clothes and was about to raise his hand to knock on the door when he suddenly felt a chill down his back.

……

"?!"

Unlike the cold, Zhang Renfeng was not afraid of the cold. It was a more direct feeling, like the feeling of a leaf covered with thorns coming into direct contact with the skin, producing a strong sense of discomfort.

He turned around abruptly, and the sky had completely darkened. Except for the area illuminated by the lights, where snowflakes were still falling, he could see nothing else.

The massive snow-capped mountain stood there, responding to him with the ceaseless sound of the wind.

"What's wrong?" Zhang Tito also became alert, closed his right eye, and scanned the room with only his left eye. "There's clearly nothing there, don't scare me like that!"

"I can't explain it clearly. Just now... suddenly for a moment, I don't know why, I felt like I was distracted, and I felt like something was watching me..."

Feelings are something that can't be explained to anyone, and besides, those fleeting feelings are something even he himself couldn't grasp.

It has disappeared.

Zhang Renfeng scratched his head, suppressing his slight hesitation, and turned to knock on the closed wooden door.

Chapter 415: Not a Samurai

Surprisingly, the door wasn't locked and opened with a knock.

"Squeak-"

The wooden door, built twenty years ago, has been neglected and no one has maintained it, hence the noise it makes.

Everywhere you look, there is a scene of desolation: cobwebs on the beams, dust on the window frames, and no lights on inside the house.

Although it is now dilapidated, the choice of furniture and flooring materials still reveals how extravagant it must have been in its heyday. Zhang Renfeng finds it hard to believe that such a three-story duplex villa was merely a place for distinguished guests to rest, and not even Dover's own residence.

The freezing weather inevitably affected his senses. His hearing was still lingering in the howling blizzard, and his sense of smell was numb from the cold, so he didn't notice anything amiss for the time being. It wasn't until he put down his luggage and began to carefully observe the interior structure of the house that a strong sense of incongruity began to rise in his mind.

"What's wrong?" Zhang Titto rubbed his hands together, his tone already a little complaining. "Hurry up and start a fire. It's so cold, and you're only wearing so little. I'm afraid you'll catch a cold..."

"Shh!"

Zhang Renfeng made a shushing gesture, squatted down, and carefully observed something on the ground. He originally wanted to extinguish the oil lamp, but after thinking about it, he decided to leave it on.

"Someone has died here."

He picked up some blood from the ground with his fingers, rubbed it, and judged from the still sticky texture that it was probably... about ten minutes before we came in.

Shooting?

No, there were no obvious bullet holes nearby, and if a bullet had hit a human body, the blood should have splattered in all directions. But now, even the ceiling was stained with a few drops of blood, which means that the blood gushed out of the body like a fountain. Only a severed carotid artery near the head would have this effect.

"Cold weapons?" Zhang Renfeng murmured, holding his breath again. To his even greater surprise, he heard absolutely no sound. Heartbeat, breathing, footsteps—nothing. He didn't even dare to conclude whether the other person was still in the room. He could only rationally deduce that in this blizzard, it was unlikely they had left the shelter.

If he were still alive, he would be someone who, like the chief, was adept at concealing his presence.

The fact that this person could avoid his own listening force demonstrates the depth of his skill.

"The fireplace!" Zhang Tito exclaimed, closing his right eye and scanning with his left. "There's someone behind the fireplace!"

"Sa!"

Before I could even praise my assistant's keen senses, as if realizing I'd been exposed, a whooshing sound came swiftly from behind the fireplace.

"Snapped!"

Telepathic communication.

Faced with an unidentified object hurtling towards his eyes at high speed, Zhang Renfeng did not close his eyes, thus falling into the opponent's trap. In fact, he himself often used the technique of throwing hidden weapons to kill people, but at his level, he no longer needed to use throwing knives. A fork or a pencil, thrown from his hand, could still pierce a person's throat.

Only by remaining calm and unwavering, observing the trajectory of the incoming projectile without dodging or evading, can one possibly catch it.

However, this hidden weapon was even half a size smaller than a knife and fork used for eating.

Its first part is a thinned, diamond-shaped spike; its second part is a round iron ring.

"this is……"

Just as they were still wondering, a sharp, buzzing sound arrived! A figure rushed out from behind the fireplace, taking each step with great weight and steadiness.

This hidden weapon was originally intended to stab the enemy and thus distract them. Although it failed to injure Zhang Renfeng, it did distract him. Regardless of the process, in terms of the result, it fulfilled its mission and gave him the opportunity to close the distance.

Despite its rapid forward momentum, almost putting all its weight on the ground, it didn't make a sound on the old floor.

Zhang Renfeng had seen many top-down slashes.

But a downward slash... that was truly a first for him. It was a stance that simplified drawing the sword and slashing into a single movement. He rushed forward quickly, and in the instant their bodies crossed paths, his thumb pressed against the hilt, suddenly deflecting the cold iron sword, sending a chilling glint of light across his cheek.

The blade rose up, cleaving through the air, and aimed at his own neck.

"top!"

Zhang Renfeng neither dodged nor avoided, but instead roared and met the attack with the outside of his arm.

"when--!!"

Sparks flew everywhere.

Passed by by mistake.

"..."

This was the most composed person Zhang Renfeng had ever met.

In their first encounter, anyone who witnessed his Qi Hardening Technique would be temporarily immobilized. Even a seasoned veteran like Mike was no exception; the astonishment on his face when the dagger failed to penetrate was impossible to conceal.

However, this fellow showed no surprise whatsoever. Instead, he quickly turned around, changed his stance, and launched another downward slash at his own waist and abdomen!

"when!"

"when!"

"when!"

"when!"

"when!"

He parried the five consecutive, turbulent slashes one by one. With these five strikes, Zhang Renfeng had figured out the pattern of the lower section of the sword technique and predicted the location of the next strike. Sure enough, seeing that the consecutive slashes were useless, he spun his blade, changed his stance again, and launched a Tangzhu cut straight at his center line.

"Clap!"

Just before the blade touched his skin, Zhang Renfeng grabbed his right wrist, using immense force to stop the attack.

"..." The newcomer was like a machine, without the slightest hesitation, and drew the second wakizashi from his waist with his left hand, as if to stab!

"Wait!" Zhang Renfeng said before he could thrust out his sword, "You're the samurai next to Istavo, right?"

The name "Istavo" sent a jolt through the samurai, as if he were waking up from some state of shock. He began to squint and scrutinize the man before him.

“Do you remember? We met at the banquet in Saint Quintak.”

----

"My apologies. Just now, a group of gunmen who had wandered here tried to steal my food and water. I had no choice but to fight back... Once the knife drew blood, I couldn't stop."

The samurai spoke with deep remorse, “I moved their bodies to the back. When I heard a noise at the front door, my first thought was that their accomplices had arrived, which is why I turned on you with my sword.”

I'm so sorry I didn't recognize you right away.

"It's alright, it's alright. We only met once from afar and didn't even exchange a single word. It would be strange if you remembered me," Zhang Renfeng waved his hand reassuringly. "Besides, you were wearing a weird straw hat back then..."

“That’s called ‘Heavenly Canopy’.” The samurai sat very upright. “However, judging from this, this is also the first time you’ve seen my true face. How do you know it’s me?”

"Standing posture, sitting posture, walking posture, sword-wielding posture... I'm very good at remembering those things. I recognized you when you drew your sword, but I've never fought a Japanese samurai before. I want to see what moves you'll use to fight me."

Zhang Renfeng's smile was partly due to his position as Istavo's confidant, and partly due to the samurai's unique swordsmanship.

He has always been very tolerant of martial artists who possess a special skill.

……

For some reason, the samurai looked at him with a complicated expression, as if he had a lot of things stuck in his throat and couldn't say them.

He untied his two swords, one long and one short, placed them in front of him, sat upright, placed his hands on his knees, leaned forward slightly, and performed a standard samurai salute.

"I am a ronin under Captain Istavo, named Jin Kenkawa."

"Please give me more advice."

Chapter 416: The Blizzard Manor, Activated!

The matches had long been soaked by the snowmelt and had become limp; not a single one could be lit.

Finally, Ren took out two rather old-fashioned flints, rubbed them together to create a few sparks, and then lit the firewood in the fireplace. As the warm flames rose, the house, which had been frozen to the bone, finally began to feel a little warmer.

The firelight illuminated the samurai's face; he wasn't exactly handsome, but he possessed a weathered look, as if sculpted by a knife. His lips were tightly closed, giving him an air of unwavering conviction.

Why would a Japanese samurai appear in this western land?

Zhang Renfeng didn't ask; everyone has their own difficulties when they're away from home.

"Speaking of which, there's something... I haven't thanked you yet."

Kenkawa Jin didn't speak, but merely shifted his gaze slightly to him, indicating that he was listening.

“This.” Zhang Renfeng didn’t waste any time on pleasantries and went straight to the point. He took out the kunai that had been thrust at him and said in a deep voice, “When we stormed Tianma Town, my companions showed me something similar. Someone had eliminated a threat not far away before them, and the method was extremely skillful. They didn’t use firearms, but rather a single, deadly strike with a cold weapon.”

"Hector kept muttering before he died that I killed his son and grandson. In fact, his grandson Eugene was already dead when we arrived. We didn't kill him. More than a dozen of his men were also dead. Judging from the traces left at the scene, it was all done by the same person."

Zhang Renfeng took out a strong liquor from his satchel, took a few gulps to warm himself up quickly, and asked casually in a conversational tone.

"Looking across the west, you probably won't find another person who can use such a unique hidden weapon."

Kenjiro remained silent, neither admitting nor denying, but staring at Zhang Renfeng and said in a deep voice, "I never thought... that there would be anyone in this mortal world who could be worthy of his illustrious reputation."

"Today, I have truly experienced the true nature of Red Lotus."

"Ha, you flatter me." Zhang Renfeng handed over the half-empty bottle of wine. "Want some?"

"I am deeply grateful." Ren's internal struggle lasted less than a second. It was freezing cold, so he didn't stand on ceremony and accepted the drink. He closed his eyes in blissful intoxication. In this harsh time of freezing weather, having fine wine and a warm fire was already a great blessing.

But almost instantly, he opened his eyes, reverted to his meticulous and serious state, and handed the bottle back.

“Everything I’ve done is at Captain Istavo’s behest. Ever since the beginning of Saint Quintac, he has been paying close attention to your words and actions.”

"Besides, Sanma Town occupies half of New Orleans, and its ultimate ownership can directly or indirectly determine many things. Trading partners, market share, territorial planning, and so on. I am just a ronin, and I have never questioned his business plans. I am only responsible for his safety and the individual tasks he assigns to me."

"He chose you over the Red Center Gang and the Italian Gang, and between the Red Center Gang and the Thunder Gang—that's the only way I can understand it."

Zhang Tito looked at him with some suspicion. "So, you're here because of that captain's mission?"

“I cannot go into the specifics,” said Jin Kenkawa, neither humble nor arrogant. “However, my destination is the same as yours, Dover Hill. I am going to attend the Science and Humanities Exhibition in fifteen days in place of the captain, and to have a discussion with someone there.”

……

Is this what you call "can't go into details"? Almost everything has been revealed!

Zhang Renfeng was only internally complaining, squinting at the serious-looking warrior.

Could it be... that he's a little dim-witted?

Although his skills were indeed excellent, the fact that such a person was responsible for protecting Istavo's safety always made him uneasy.

"However, with such terrible weather... even if we wanted to travel, we wouldn't be able to move our legs. Considering that food and water are limited, it's best to rest early."

As he spoke, Ren looked out the window. It was only five o'clock, yet it was already pitch black. The wind and snow howled, pounding against the windowpanes as if some monster lurking in the snow might burst in at any moment.

The flames in the fireplace appeared exceptionally weak and flickered, as if they were about to go out.

Zhang Renfeng sighed as well. Trapped in the house, he seemed to have nothing to do except stare at the flickering flames. The warrior was also a taciturn fellow; if Zhang Renfeng didn't speak, he wouldn't utter a word, simply letting him rest with his eyes closed. Bored, Zhang Renfeng could only relieve his boredom by drinking.

Sip by sip, the whole bottle of wine was quickly emptied.

"Get some rest," he muttered. "Hopefully, this horrible snow will stop by tomorrow morning."

----

The daylight was obscured by the heavy snow, and it was impossible to tell the time. Zhang Renfeng opened his eyes groggily and saw a figure standing in front of him. His hand instinctively pressed the handle of the Volcano Pistol.

"Shh! Don't get excited, it's me." Zhang Tito quickly stepped forward to let him see his face clearly, and then complained, "How come you were really asleep?"

"Aren't you tired after sitting on the train all day?" Zhang Renfeng said irritably. "I know the conditions here are terrible, but it's alright. Just make do and go to sleep."

The living room on the first floor was very spacious, and the fireplace was the only source of heat. After sealing off any drafts as much as possible, the two groups of people tacitly dispersed. They were several meters apart, but none of them left the area heated by the fireplace, each occupying a corner.