Zhuang Thirteen, Hater of Evil!

Undercurrents had long been churning beneath Yancheng. Squads of soldiers had entered the city, swiftly assembling. Three thousand elite troops, led by General Luo Yun, converged within Xia Manor. Squire Xia personally welcomed them. "General Luo Yun, thank you for your trouble." With a wave of Squire Xia's hand, men immediately hauled forward heavy chests before the three thousand soldiers. Clatter! The chests were thrown open, revealing neat rows of silver ingots that set the soldiers' eyes wide. Squire Xia smiled and said, "General Luo, this is mobilization pay for the army. If the Myriad Poison Cult is eradicated, there will be further rewards." Luo Yun's gaze remained calm, and he said indifferently, "Squire Xia, this general received orders to mobilize troops into the city to quell rebellion. Other matters do not concern me. Speak—where are the rebels?" Luo Yun had not come merely at Squire Xia's request. Deploying military forces required official orders; otherwise, moving troops without authorization was virtually tantamount to treason. Although the Great Fish Dynasty was currently tottering in the wind and rain, it had not completely collapsed and still maintained control over the armed forces for now. Even so, Luo Yun felt helpless. Squire Xia had bribed his superior officer. Once his superior issued the order, Luo Yun had no choice but to march. He knew the Myriad Poison Cult were not actual rebels, but orders were orders, and he was powerless to refuse. Fortunately, Squire Xia was generous and would not let him make the trip empty-handed. Besides, the Myriad Poison Cult was hardly good, and that Squire Xia could spend a fortune to pull strings and mobilize an army was a testament to his influence. "General Luo, I will bring our guard team to advance alongside the army." The guard team numbered a full hundred strong, and most of them were martial artists. Squire Xia joined the army, heading toward a residential compound in the southern part of the city. He had already received intelligence that the compound was a Myriad Poison Cult stronghold. Squire Xia had uncovered that the Myriad Poison Cult had repeatedly drugged his daughter with Soul-Confusing Incense, scheming to use her as a breach to usurp the entire Xia family. This had enraged Squire Xia beyond measure. He had spared no expense bribing Yancheng's garrison, deploying the army to surround and wipe out the Myriad Poison Cult. The army swiftly arrived outside the Myriad Poison Cult's stronghold. At Luo Yun's command, the soldiers instantly surrounded the compound on all sides. "Rebels inside, listen well! Drop your weapons and kneel, or face summary execution!" Luo Yun's voice boomed into the compound. Yet inside, it was dead silent, without the slightest stir. Squire Xia's brow furrowed, sensing something amiss. Luo Yun, however, did not care. As a commanding general, he had no patience for scheming. "Charge inside! Kill anyone who resists!" Bang! At Luo Yun's order, the soldiers quickly battered down the front gate. At the same time, volleys of crossbow bolts rained furiously into the courtyard. "Aaargh!" A chorus of screams erupted. Numerous martial artists had been lying in ambush behind the gate, but beneath the army's shower of arrows, every single one of the ambushing Myriad Poison Cultists was turned into a pincushion. Dozens of cult members fell to the ground, bristling with bolts. Only after the army had unleashed wave upon wave of arrows did the shield-bearers and spearmen steadily file into the courtyard, moving in small squads in battle formation. Watching this, the martial artists of Squire Xia's guard team grew exceedingly solemn. This was the difference between an army and individual martial artists. A martial artist possessed great personal strength, but against hundreds or thousands of well-trained soldiers in disciplined formation, they could scarcely withstand a frontal clash. Even Refining Organs martial artists were no exception. Facing a dense hail of arrows, any Refining Organs martial artist without protective armor would still be shot into a pincushion. Of course, that applied to elite troops. Lax, undisciplined soldiers with little combat strength could easily be routed by a single charge from martial artists. Yet Luo Yun's men were clearly elites—disciplined, obedient, and thoroughly drilled. As the elite soldiers secured the grounds, Squire Xia and Luo Yun stepped inside. They entered the courtyard's main hall, only to find it completely empty. "Where are they?" Luo Yun looked toward Squire Xia. Squire Xia's brow was knit tightly. According to the Xia family's intelligence, this was unmistakably the Myriad Poison Cult's stronghold. Whoosh. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew past. A strange fragrance faintly reached everyone's nostrils. One of the Refining Organs martial artists in the Xia guard team seemed to realize something, immediately covering his nose and mouth as he shouted, "Not good, it's poison!" It was already too late. The several hundred soldiers who had entered the hall collapsed one after another. They were not dead, but their limbs lost all strength, and they slumped limply to the floor. Across such a wide area, killing everyone purely through toxic mist was impossible. Yet poisons that merely sapped a person's strength were commonplace in the Myriad Poison Cult. After all, the Myriad Poison Cult were masters of poison! Luo Yun and the others were affected as well. However, Refining Organs martial artists possessed formidable bodies and could still resist this mild amount of toxin. As for Squire Xia, he immediately drew a pill from his robes—evidently an antidote—and swallowed it, withstanding the poison. Whoosh! Just then, dozens upon dozens of figures surged out from the depths of the hall. Their leader was none other than Right Emissary Wang Feng. Wang Feng sneered, "Squire Xia, you truly are wealthy and powerful to mobilize government troops. "Yet so what if they are government troops? To dare step into our Myriad Poison Cult's stronghold, you truly have a death wish!" Seeing this, Luo Yun immediately backed away. "Retreat!" There was still a massive force of soldiers outside. As long as they were not trapped in the hall, the Myriad Poison Cult's poison would be useless. Clang! Right then, two massive cauldrons crashed down behind them. Everyone looked closely and saw an elder in his fifties, holding a massive cauldron in each hand. And he made it appear entirely effortless. The elder set the cauldrons down, barring the doorway. Not only that, he hauled several more massive cauldrons from who knew where, sealing the entrance shut. More than two thousand elite soldiers remained outside. Yet they were now blocked outside the gate, completely unable to enter. "Lifting cauldrons with ease... Divine Strength Realm!" "Who on earth are you?!" Though a commanding general, Luo Yun was also a Refining Organs martial artist with broad experience, and he immediately recognized that the elder was in the Divine Strength Realm. The elder spoke slowly in a calm voice: "This old man is the Guardian Elder of the Myriad Poison Cult, Zhao Wuji." "Zhao Wuji!" Luo Yun slowly drew his saber. Leading three thousand troops on this operation, he had never expected to encounter a Divine Strength Realm expert. Unless kept constantly surrounded by a massive army, an expert of the Divine Strength Realm was virtually impossible to kill. What was worse, more than two thousand soldiers were shut outside; with only a few dozen of them left to face a Divine Strength Realm expert, the odds were heavily against them. "Greetings, Guardian Elder!" Wang Feng led the cultists in bowing respectfully to Zhao Wuji. "Wang Feng, you bungled this affair," Zhao Wuji said coldly. Wang Feng's heart clenched. He knew very well that even if the elder slaughtered Luo Yun and the rest, the cult could no longer seize control of the Xia family. After all, butchering so many government soldiers and expecting to maintain a foothold in Yancheng would be nothing short of a pipe dream! This assignment had been Wang Feng's responsibility, and failing it carried severe penalties within the Myriad Poison Cult. "Elder, hear me out! It was all that Nanyang City physician, Lu Changsheng, who ruined our cult's grand plan. "I have already dispatched men to intercept and kill him." Zhao Wuji did not reply, merely watching Wang Feng with a chilling stare. Whatever was said now was too late. Whether they killed the physician or slaughtered Luo Yun and Squire Xia, it made little difference. "This subordinate is willing to return to the cult and accept punishment!" Wang Feng gritted his teeth, offering no further excuses. "Good. When you err, you must accept punishment. "Once we return, I shall plead on your behalf for leniency. "As for these people..." Murderous intent flashed in Zhao Wuji's eyes as he said coldly, "Those who ruin our Myriad Poison Cult's affairs must die!" Zhao Wuji cared nothing for imperial officials or commanding generals. Boom! Zhao Wuji stomped forward, and the ground seemed to shudder violently, as though an earth dragon were turning over. A terrifying aura instantly weighed down on the crowd. Even the Refining Organs martial artists felt as though they were trapped in a mire, each step agonizingly difficult. This was the Divine Strength Realm! Before someone in the Divine Strength Realm, a Refining Organs martial artist might not even have the chance to draw their blade. Right at that moment, the cauldron blocking the entrance was hoisted aloft as if by an immense force. Immediately after, the cauldron hurled whistling straight toward Zhao Wuji's back! Zhao Wuji snapped around, shifting his stance and thrusting a palm against the cauldron. Clang! The cauldron rang deafeningly, sent hurtling back by Zhao Wuji's strike. "Who is it?!" Zhao Wuji roared. Everyone watched as the struck cauldron whistled backward toward the doorway. Bang! Suddenly, with a thunderous crash, the cauldron stopped dead in midair. Then hairline fractures began spreading across its bronze surface. The cracks multiplied until a web of fissures covered the entire cauldron. Crack! Finally, the cauldron shattered. It burst into countless fragments, scattering across the floor. Once the cauldron disintegrated, everyone saw that a burly figure had appeared behind it at some unknown moment. In fact, this burly figure still had his fist raised. The cauldron had just been smashed to pieces by a single punch from this stranger! This was a solid bronze cauldron! Merely lifting such a weight was hailed as possessing the strength of a thousand jun, let alone obliterating it with a punch! "Who are you, sir?" Zhao Wuji's expression darkened, yet his demeanor turned exceedingly cautious. Lu Changsheng looked composed as he scooped up a corpse from the ground behind him and tossed it toward Zhao Wuji. "Do you recognize this corpse?" Lu Changsheng asked coldly. "Tan Kong!" Both Zhao Wuji and Wang Feng understood at once. Tan Kong had been dispatched outside the city to intercept and kill Lu Changsheng. Yet his corpse was here now—which could only mean the ambush had failed. "So he truly was from your Myriad Poison Cult. "To ambush an ordinary physician who merely heals the sick—you show no regard for the code of the jianghu. "I, Zhuang, stepped forward to aid a stranger in need. Unable to stomach the assassins you sent, I took the liberty of slaughtering them all!" Hearing Lu Changsheng's words, Zhao Wuji's expression shifted slightly. A look of realization dawned on his face. "So it is Hero Zhuang, whose name has shaken Nanyang of late. "However, Hero Zhuang, having just seized the Four-Eyed Toad Treasure and slain Black Water Gang Leader Zhang Tianwu, do you truly believe our Myriad Poison Cult is no different from the Black Water Gang?" Zhao Wuji was now convinced that "Zhuang Thirteen" had rescued Lu Changsheng. To Zhao Wuji, Lu Changsheng was merely an ordinary physician; dead or alive, he hardly cared. Zhuang Thirteen, however, was a different matter entirely. Zhuang Thirteen's fame echoed throughout Nanyang, and he had even killed Zhang Tianwu, another Divine Strength Realm martial artist. Against such a formidable peer in the Divine Strength Realm, Zhao Wuji naturally took him very seriously. Unless absolutely necessary, he had no desire to clash with Zhuang Thirteen. "Zhao Wuji, are you threatening me? "Since I have come, I naturally intend to meddle in your Myriad Poison Cult's affairs. Not only meddle, but wipe your Myriad Poison Cult off the map! "I, Zhuang, have always despised evil as a mortal foe! Had I not crossed paths with it, so be it, but having witnessed it, I will never stand idly by!" Zhuang Thirteen spoke with righteous indignation as his aura steadily mounted. For a moment, his voice resonated like the ringing of a great bronze bell. No one doubted "Zhuang Thirteen's" words. Zhuang Thirteen had wiped out the Thirteen Desert Riders and crushed the bandits across Nanyang Prefecture; his renown had long spread throughout the land. And while he had subsequently slain Zhang Tianwu to seize the Four-Eyed Toad Treasure, Zhuang Thirteen conducted himself openly and uprightly, appearing every bit the righteous chivalric hero of the martial world. Though the jianghu was fraught with chaos these days, people like Zhuang Thirteen were not unheard of. Men like "Captive-Slaying Saber" Long Fei or "Soul-Chasing Sword" Li Yikong adhered strictly to the chivalric code, intervening without hesitation whenever injustice crossed their path. Everyone present even pieced together the sequence of events. Zhuang Thirteen had seized the Four-Eyed Toad Treasure and was preparing to depart. Then outside the city, he happened upon the Myriad Poison Cult trying to murder an ordinary physician, and decisively stepped in to save him. After learning what had happened, his loathing for the Myriad Poison Cult drove him to storm right to their door to eradicate their Yancheng stronghold. "Zhuang Thirteen, do you truly think this elder fears you?!" Zhao Wuji's face turned livid. He truly had no desire to wage a life-or-death battle against someone like Zhuang Thirteen. It was completely pointless. Such so-called "heroes" were worthless rubbish in his eyes. Even if he killed Zhuang Thirteen, what benefit was there to gain? None at all! Instead, it only carried immense risk. "I killed Zhang Tianwu, but it was hardly satisfying," Lu Changsheng said. "Zhao Wuji, I hope you won't disappoint me!" Lu Changsheng's aura surged to its peak. At the same time, the qi and blood within him erupted with a violent burst. Lu Changsheng took a step forward. Rumble! The ground shook violently beneath his feet. The shockwave tossed the remaining cauldrons near the entrance into the air. The qi and blood bursting from Lu Changsheng transformed into tentacle-like strands, wrapping around the massive cauldrons. "Go!" With a burst of force, the cauldrons hurtled whistling through the air, crashing straight toward Zhao Wuji. Simultaneously, Lu Changsheng leaped forward, closing in right behind them. "Zhuang Thirteen, since you seek death, this elder will grant it to you!" Zhao Wuji was thoroughly incensed. He had been renowned in the martial world for decades and had given Zhuang Thirteen several ways out, yet the man remained pigheadedly bent on fighting. Pushed past his limit, Zhao Wuji held back no longer. Bang! Bang! Bang! Zhao Wuji's hands blurred in a flurry, sending out countless palm strikes that battered the cauldrons back. At the same time, Zhao Wuji vaulted into the air, launching a fist straight at Lu Changsheng. Kicking off the cauldrons, Lu Changsheng sprang into the air and unleashed a punch of his own.