Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

----

"What's wrong?" Zhang Renfeng asked with a smile when he saw that he hadn't spoken. "Do you want me to dismount and fight them? No problem, dismount is fine, or you can change their weapons to iron ones, I have no objection, either way is fine."

"Heh..." Henry gave a wry smile and shook his head.

No matter what, this match still had real spectators. Even if the organizers were stupid, they wouldn't be that stupid.

He clapped his hands.

A servant led in a large Akhal-Teke horse. This horse was quite restless, requiring two servants to hold it and barely manage to control it. However, its saddle, stirrups, and even its coat had been maintained, and it looked brand new, at least from the outside.

Zhang Renfeng's current mount is not a warhorse at all, but an ordinary Tennessee trotter, which is immediately outclassed.

"You've already fought several rounds in a row, so the organizers have prepared new horses and new...weapons for you..."

A servant brought over a spear. Zhang Renfeng took it, weighed it in his hand, his smile fading slightly as he looked at the servant with a calm expression.

“I’m sorry.” Henry took a deep breath, looked him straight in the eye, and said very sincerely, “I think I can’t make the decision on this matter.”

"It's alright." Zhang Renfeng nodded, accepting his apology, and smiled again, "It's all the same anyway."

Chapter 621: Pressure Relief Valve? Pressure Pump!

“I don’t believe they would be so kind.” Jenny squinted, carefully examining the tall warhorse, and quickly noticed the problem: “This is a male Akhal-Teke!”

"I've heard of it. It seems to be a very valuable warhorse." Xiaomei's knowledge of horses was limited to recognizing the breed. She knew which horses were fast and which had great endurance. For most people, knowing this was enough.

“The horse is indeed a good horse, but Imond himself is riding a mare,” Jenny said worriedly. “Warhorses are extremely fierce and difficult to tame. Once they smell a mare, they may lose control and throw their riders off.”

"To resort to such despicable tactics when you can't win is utterly despicable!"

"..."

"Why do you seem so unconcerned?" Jenny asked curiously, noticing Xiaomei's overly calm expression. "Is he your companion?"

"Well, how should I put it..." Xiaomei hesitated for a moment, not wanting to go into too much detail, so she gave her a meaningful smile.

Anyway, they're about to start fighting, so it'll be more intuitive for her to see it for herself. After she sees it, she'll understand everything.

----

"How do you feel right now?" After making a series of arrangements, Henry returned to the audience and heard his father's question.

“…I don’t know how to answer.” Henry’s tone was somewhat stiff. He turned his head to look at the two warhorses separated on the track. “I only know that everything is as you wished, and that’s enough.”

“Foolish!” William said, unusually emphasizing his words, and slammed his gold-inlaid cane into the ground. “Without me, where would you be? Everything you have comes from me. Make sure that’s etched firmly into your mind.”

“Yes, Father,” Henry said in a deep voice, bowing his head slightly.

“You’re too self-centered,” William said, his tone full of dissatisfaction. “Look down here, at your brother. He’s fighting for the family, fighting for you. And what about you? You’re still concerned with those things from fairy tales. Do you only feel happy when our family is utterly defeated and loses all face?”

“What you said is not accurate.” Henry stuck out his neck, not believing that he had any problem, and just relentlessly spouted his argument, “He had already lost face long ago when we changed the rules against him time and time again, and he won time and time again.”

"..."

This time, William stared at him for a long time, sighed to himself, and finally showed an expression of "hopelessness" before turning his gaze away from him.

Henry had grown accustomed to this; every conversation with his father ended this way. It was like a pebble stuck in the gears of a precision instrument, jamming the entire system and causing indescribable discomfort. He had tried to please his father, but no matter how hard he tried, he always failed, and instead drove himself to the brink of a nervous breakdown.

His younger brother, Imond, however, was much to his father's liking, and they often met and had pleasant conversations.

“It’s my fault… During the most important stage of your life, I was busy building my family business and neglected your education.” William sighed. “Such an important part was replaced by those ridiculous knights in picture books.”

“That’s a real loss for me,” Henry said with a hint of sarcasm.

“Fortunately, God gave me a second chance to make amends for all these mistakes. Imond is different from you. I will raise him into a real man. Courageous, ruthless, and responsible, not a boy who wields a stick and fantasizes about being a hero.” William emphasized the words “man” and “boy”. “As for you, my eldest son.”

"Stop having any more expectations and just settle down to be a wealthy man. Being able to do that is already a blessing from God."

Henry fell silent, rubbing his nose repeatedly with his right hand—a common action for most people when they are at a loss.

He had long anticipated this day, but he never expected that William would confront him at this particular moment, as if it were just a casual conversation.

This statement signified the end of his inheritance; all of the Hysen family's business would be handed over to his younger brother, Imond.

Frankly, Henry never intended to take over the business himself, and his current sense of loss wasn't because he was out of the race for succession. Rather, it was because, in his father's eyes, he was an inferior product that hadn't met the required standards.

He said nothing more, nor did he argue. At least for this moment, the two people on the stands finally focused their attention on the game.

----

The host and William exchanged glances several times, and only after he was sure and nodded slightly did he dare to swing the wooden cane down.

Thunderous cheers.

It even drowned out the band's drumbeats!

……

"Go, Paper Knight! Let's teach this playboy a lesson!"

"We're already this far, so please don't lose to him! Forget about the rules, just pull him off his horse, okay?"

"I bet you ten dollars, that's a month's salary for me, don't try to fool me!"

"Damn the Heisen family!"

……

Listen closely, and you can clearly hear that the number of people cheering for Zhang Renfeng in the crowd has visibly increased. Every competition has betting odds; it's unavoidable no matter where you go. Seeing Zhang Renfeng's performance in the last three matches, even the most foolish person would bet on him. And with real money backing him, the cheers and shouts are noticeably more powerful.

The Heisen family also arranged for a few people to mingle in the crowd to bolster Imond's reputation, but they were quickly overshadowed.

Imond observed this, and his eyes, hidden beneath his armor, grew increasingly sinister.

Sure enough, signs have already appeared.

Bread and the circus should be pressure relief valves; the well-placed violence of a knightly competition can also release a lot of pressure. But all of this is predicated on the Heisenberg family ultimately winning—everyone is happy, and only then can everyone go home in peace.

Now, an overwhelmingly powerful opponent has emerged out of nowhere, making this match far more competitive than expected.

People will eventually remember that this was a confrontation, a confrontation between an unknown, mysterious, and powerful outsider and the most powerful family in the area.

Defection was inevitable.

Every second that this battle lasts increases the likelihood of it breaking out.

“If I had known this would happen, I should have just ignored it and eliminated him…” Imond gritted his teeth, but it was too late to complain now. Seeing that the other side was ready, he pulled down his mask. “It’s not too late now.”

"Ya—!!"

Clamp your legs together.

A gust of wind blew in through the gaps in the armor. Imond crouched low on his horse and, at a perfect distance, thrust his spear forward.

"Boom--!"

Zhang Renfeng's spear snapped in two, the tip immediately breaking into several pieces that embedded themselves in his paper armor.

A gasp of surprise rippled through the crowd, and the applause that had been thundering just moments before was abruptly silenced.

Chapter 622: They were all worried, but Xiaomei had already started to smile.

"Okay, it's broken!"

As they passed each other, Imond secretly rejoiced.

Similar tricks had been used before, just not with the same urgency as now. The new spear handed to Zhang Renfeng was merely a showpiece, useless in reality; it would shatter instantly upon colliding with the genuine weapon in his hand.

The greatest advantage of this tactic lies in its speed. Everything happens in an instant; there's no time to catch them red-handed. In the blink of an eye, the two horses have passed each other, and it's all over. Afterward, there's no way anyone can examine the fragments. Seeing the wood chips flying everywhere, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Because, generally speaking, having your weapon shattered on horseback is a rather dangerous sign. It means that in the current duel, your strength is far inferior to that of your opponent. As long as this cardboard knight is not out of his mind, he will definitely be wary of it.

That's what he thought.

"what?!"

The view shifted, and Zhang Renfeng didn't stop, nor did he go to get new spears. Instead, with his hands empty, he turned his horse around and charged straight at him. Even more terrifying, in just a short while, his fierce and untamed Akhal-Teke horse had already managed to run in a straight line, no longer swaying from side to side!

This horse currently has no owner, so naturally no one has named it. It has an extremely violent temper, kicking people at the drop of a hat, and two or three herdsmen have already been injured by it. Not to mention novices, even a seasoned rider like Imond couldn't handle it, which is why it was given to the other side as part of the "plan," hoping it would pull off a big feat at a crucial moment.

However, the expected situation did not occur.

In fact, Zhang Renfeng was simply following the usual procedures of a horse trainer. After mounting the horse, he gently patted its neck twice to calm it down. After riding back and forth once, the two quickly established a tacit understanding. Even though his spear had been broken, the big man still carried him steadily and didn't throw him off.

Aside from a few special individuals, most tamable animals, such as horses, cows, and dogs, are quite afraid of him.

Perhaps, from the horse's perspective, carrying him is essentially no different from carrying a grizzly bear.

……

"Good, good lad..." Zhang Renfeng patted the horse's back lightly twice. Without even pulling the reins, the Akhal-Teke horse knew to charge forward on its own. It was originally a warhorse for long-distance raids, and its physique was a size larger than other horses of its kind. Compared to it, the Arabian horse only had speed as an advantage; its size completely overwhelmed it, making it look like an Arabian donkey.

His original plan was to smash the cheap, free mount directly at the other party, knocking him off his feet.

But seeing how well-behaved it was, he couldn't bear to part with it. With a change of heart, he patted the warhorse's head and instructed it, "Be sure to run steadily, or you'll get distracted by the girl on the other side."

After giving his instructions, he lightly leaped up and stood up on the galloping horse.

----

"What the hell?!"

"My God, this...this is..."

"How did he do that?! How could he do that on a galloping horse...?"

……

One of the requirements for becoming a martial arts champion was "proficiency in archery and horsemanship," movements that Zhang Renfeng didn't find particularly complex. But clearly, on the other side of the ocean, it was an unprecedented and beyond-the-comprehensive challenge.

Everyone was stunned, including Imond, who was still on horseback. His opponent had suddenly leaped onto the horse, nearly half a body taller than him. He had never dealt with such a height difference before. In this situation, everything became uncertain. He held his spear, hesitated for a moment, unsure of where to thrust it. This hesitation gave Zhang Renfeng an opportunity.

"Snapped!"

As they passed each other, a kick, neither too light nor too heavy, struck the tip of Imond's spear.

The force of that kick was far greater than Imond had imagined. His hand went numb, and the entire spear went completely out of control, instantly slipping from his grasp!

"boom--!"

The spear spun in the air and struck his jaw. The violent impact of the metal made a "hum" sound in his ear.

For a moment, he couldn't tell whether the dizziness was from the blow to his jaw or from the resonance of the helmet. His vision became very limited, and as he tried to take off the helmet, he caught a glimpse of the ground rushing towards him.

He fell off his horse.

"laugh----!!!"

As luck would have it, his backpack landed right on the wooden railing standing on the ground. Arabian horses are notoriously timid, and the sudden loud noise terrified them, causing them to bolt. Thus, with his feet still caught in the stirrups, Imond slid across the railing.

The armor on its back rubbed against the wooden pole at high speed, producing a series of extremely piercing metallic scraping sounds.

Finally, the 30-meter wooden fence came to an end.

"Boom!"

It sounded like a sack hitting the ground with a dull thud.

Without the wooden railing for support, Imond finally landed. He crashed to the ground, rolling around in the dirt and leaves, seeing stars. But then he saw the silent stands and the deafening cheers of the civilian spectators. Enraged, he slammed his fist on the ground and jumped to his feet.

"sword---!!"

He stretched out his hand, his eyes widened, and shouted angrily.

……

"Mr. Imond requests that the contest continue with sword and shield!" the host immediately announced, drawing another round of cheers from the audience.

The servants hurriedly brought him a sword and shield, which Henry had prepared for him. Imond quickly drew his sword, shoved the servant who was blocking his way with a shoulder bump, and charged at him with a roar.

Although his opponent wasn't equipped with a shield and sword according to the rules, he wasn't even going to pretend anymore. He'd already made a fool of himself enough; one more thing wouldn't make a difference. As long as he could cleave him in two with a single sword strike, he'd have the final say on the rules, and the opponent could interpret them however they wanted!

"No, buddy?" Zhang Renfeng was somewhat surprised. "At least pretend a little."

"Ah ...

……

Jenny bit her finger, her expression incredibly tense. She never expected things to develop this way. She had only hoped to coast through and make it into the top five, but now it seemed like a fight to the death was brewing.

He was someone she had invited to help, and although it was a fair trade, the "social advancement" opportunities she could offer didn't seem worth risking her life for. Jenny was very worried that if Zhang Renfeng were injured or died on stage, she would feel tormented by her conscience, her heart would clench with guilt.

At this moment, everyone's heart was in their throat.