"Bastard, what kind of Jianghu recklessness is this!" Tian Muchuan could not help cursing aloud.
Clearly, just one more volley of crossbow bolts would have finished those few off, yet they had charged out anyway.
With Xia Miaozheng among them, the others did not dare shoot.
"Move!" Tian Muchuan gritted his teeth, drawing his spear and rushing after them.
Seeing this, Wei Yuefu could only sigh, hang his crossbow back at his waist, and charge forward brandishing his guandao.
However, because he was clad in heavy armor, his speed was not fast at all, and he ended up trailing behind.
That was somewhat of a blessing, though—after all, there were people ahead taking the hits.
Still, it had to be said that Shen Qianjun truly had the skill to match his audacity. A single stroke of his sword dispatched a soldier instantly.
Then, channeling his vital blood and inner force, he drew back his blade and cut down two more. His formidable might left even Tian Muchuan clicking his tongue in awe.
The only reason Shen Qianjun had taken so long the previous night was that he had wanted to capture those three Lotus Fragrance Cult members alive.
If his only goal was killing, it was not difficult for him in the slightest.
Witnessing this, Wei Yuefu was certain that Shen Qianjun's Layered Tower Art, Pagoda Stance, and Bright Hall Force had all reached absolute perfection.
As for the Pure Lotus Precious Scroll, if it had not reached major mastery, it could not be far off.
Such progress was simply terrifying.
Setting everything else aside, his current strength had definitely reached the level of those two grandmasters who had once defined the ceiling.
Perhaps Shen Qianjun might even set a new ceiling altogether.
Wei Yuefu could not help wondering... was this guy even human?
Cultivating at such a pace defied all common sense.
Still, now was not the time for Wei Yuefu to dwell on such thoughts. By the time he jogged up, the remaining soldiers had already been eliminated.
Most had fallen to Shen Qianjun's sword, with the rest split among the others.
At this point, Tian Muchuan could hardly say anything. Shen Qianjun did possess real skill, after all.
Besides, personal grievances had to be put aside for the moment.
"Into the yamen," Tian Muchuan said, glancing at Wei Yuefu. "Shoucheng, your armor is thick. Take your shield and go in front."
At those words, the corner of Wei Yuefu's eye twitched.
Crap. He had made his self-preservation so obvious that he had dug his own grave.
Still, he said nothing. With a nod, he unslung the shield from his back, raising it to protect his face.
With his other hand, he carried his guandao and strode forward.
All his vital spots were shielded. As for his field of view, with his little brother watching from above, he had nothing to worry about.
The instant he entered, several arrows clattered against him. Most struck his shield, and the few that hit his body were deflected by his armor.
With such a commotion outside the prefectural yamen, how could those inside fail to notice? They had prepared long in advance.
Once the enemy finished their first volley, Wei Yuefu's side returned fire with their own.
Although they could not see the enemy's exact positions, they could roughly extrapolate them from the angles of the arrows that had struck Wei Yuefu.
As soon as their volley cleared, Shen Qianjun, having grown impatient long ago, surged forward once more.
With his current strength, he pinpointed where the archers were stationed and called out their positions.
Then, in short order, he finished them all off.
Though their coordination was somewhat bizarre, it worked as long as it eliminated the enemy.
Shen Qianjun was like an elite special forces operative. As long as they created a sliver of space through suppression, he could seize the gap and pick off enemies one by one.
Tian Muchuan was beginning to question his life choices. After all, this was the first time he had ever seen someone like Shen Qianjun.
"Chief Tian, in all of Dingyuan City, Bronze Badge Shen is the sole exception," Wei Yuefu offered in consolation. "We are all just ordinary men."
Tian Muchuan appreciated the reassurance, though the look he directed at Wei Yuefu seemed slightly off.
He badly wanted to say that Wei Yuefu did not look like an ordinary man either... After all, no normal human could haul around a guandao, a shield, and a full suit of heavy armor all at once.
Yet it was only natural. Having eaten well and replenished his nutrition, the effects of Dragon Vitality and Tiger Vigor were growing increasingly potent.
This trait raised the ceiling and recovery rate of both physical stamina and mental energy. Combined with his newly acquired Bronze Skin and Iron Bones and his own foundation, it wasn't that he did not get tired, but that his capacity was larger and he recovered faster. In truth, Wei Yuefu was exhausted as well; he was simply enduring it.
"I didn't expect you to react so quickly," Hong Qiming said as he walked out, accompanied by all his remaining personal guards and escorting Shangguan Shutong as his captive.
There was a trace of appreciation in his gaze toward Shen Qianjun, though he quickly masked it.
After all, Shen Qianjun had killed his men; for the sake of troop morale, he could not display too much favor.
As for Wei Yuefu, Hong Qiming spared him an extra glance or two before looking past him.
"Hong, do you realize this is treason?" Xia Miaozheng barked immediately.
Hong Qiming's gaze settled on Xia Miaozheng, and he sneered. "So what? 'Emperors take turns on the throne; today it is my house's turn.'
"Silver Robe Xia, born of noble blood, you do not understand the suffering of people at the bottom like us.
"I will give you all a chance: surrender and serve me.
"Everything that happened will be forgiven."
These people were talents. Although guided by his hands, uprooting the visiting Lotus Fragrance Cult in just a single day was no small feat.
Yet what answered him was Shen Qianjun's sword.
However, this time was unlike before, when there had been only a handful of guards. Over twenty men surged forward together, forming a combined battle formation.
Fortunately, Wei Yuefu's side had numbers as well. Wei Yuefu casually tossed his shield aside, raised his guandao, and swept it out in a broad arc.
The force behind the swing was overwhelmingly brutal, immediately shattering their combined battle formation on impact and relieving the pressure on Shen Qianjun.
Wei Yuefu then drew a golden melon hammer with his other hand and hurled it straight at Hong Qiming.
Seeing the tide turn against him, Hong Qiming had been in the process of launching a signal flare. Taken completely off guard, he took the hammer directly on his left shoulder, sending him staggering to the ground.
It was only because Wei Yuefu had never trained in throwing and possessed mediocre aim; he had originally intended to smash Hong Qiming's head.
Had it struck his head, the man would have either died or been knocked unconscious.
Fortunately, Wei Yuefu's primary objective had been to stop him from summoning reinforcements.
Shen Qianjun looked at Wei Yuefu with astonishment. He had not expected Wei Yuefu to possess such immense strength.
Shen Qianjun's martial path was agile and flowing, whereas Wei Yuefu was clearly all about brute force and fierce momentum... yet the man was cowardly to a fault, and would never have pushed forward like this had he not been backed into a corner.
Wei Yuefu could not help reflecting that the martial arts of this world were truly unique.
The two of them cultivated the same lineage of arts, yet because of their differences, they had taken entirely divergent paths.
"What are you standing there for? Kill!" Wei Yuefu yelled, swinging his guandao to hack down again before fixing his eyes on Hong Qiming.
Shen Qianjun instantly grasped Wei Yuefu's intention and shouted, "Clear a path for me!"
Weighed down by his heavy armor, Wei Yuefu was slow and clumsy, but if he could use his armored bulk to carve out an opening for Shen Qianjun, then Shen Qianjun could close in and capture Hong Qiming alive, bringing the immediate crisis under control.
The rebels and soldiers outside might not necessarily obey Hong Qiming upon his capture, but these men right here were his personal guards.
Their status and loyalty were entirely different.
Chapter 35