Chapter 68: The Legendary Hero Zhou Wenjie
Crack!
Hong Yuan casually snapped the neck of this blind fool, his ears twitching as he heard a rumbling tremor from the stairwell below, shaking the glazed tiles incessantly.
Chaotic and urgent footsteps rang out as a large group of men surged up from downstairs.
He was too lazy to flip over and drop down again, merely twirling the Life-Snatching Throat-Locking Spear in his palm, transforming it into a Startled Swan Spear as he descended.
The glazed tiles underfoot instantly shattered, curling outward in all directions, abruptly revealing a gap large enough for a person to pass through.
His figure flickered, Hong Yuan merging man and spear as he plunged down.
Only now did the people in Dingsheng Tower below, on the long street inside and out, and in the various taverns and teahouses craning their necks to watch—whether ordinary merchants or Jianghu talents—finally come to their senses, erupting in extremely shocked exclamations.
“They’re dead! All dead!”
“Poisonous Lady, Ghost Scholar, Gray Scale Gang Leader Tie Ao, Helian Brothers… these are all formidable figures in the Jianghu, with impressive martial arts, yet they just died like this?”
“That Chen Jiulang, who is implicitly the top expert among the Grain Transport Gang’s prime-of-life generation—many martial world veterans have seen his martial arts and praised his exceptional talent, saying he would surely reach Force Microscopic Level before thirty and become a martial arts grandmaster of his generation—couldn’t even block one spear from that Hong Yuan?”
Boiling, noisy discussions surged like tidal waves, and all the martial artists who had personally witnessed this battle were deeply shaken, their faces etched with disbelief.
“So many masters besieging one person, and yet it ended in just this short time…” A martial artist shuddered in shock, unable to even grip his weapons, which clanged to the ground.
But no one mocked him.
“Unmatched and unrivaled, Startled Swan Spear! I originally thought the reputation exaggerated, but seeing it today, I now know the heart-stopping terror of this spear slicing through the air is truly beyond words.”
A graying old man stood up, his face shaken as he let out a long sigh.
Someone recognized this old man as once a renowned master, who had retired from the Jianghu due to advanced age and declining qi and blood, yet unexpectedly appeared in Yan Quan County.
“This man’s martial arts are so profound, his combat power so overwhelming, it’s truly reached an unimaginable level.”
“Everyone guessed wrong—this man not only has innate divine strength and an extraordinary physique unlike ordinary people, but he’s likely also reached the pinnacle in Force Transformation…”
“The Jianghu people gathered in the city now number at least a thousand or eighteen hundred, with masters as numerous as clouds. Hong Yuan knew this yet dared to charge in alone with his spear, treating us all as nothing. If we all rush him together, no matter how endless his strength, we can surely wear him down…”
“Who will go first? Your Excellency, please lead by example and be the first to charge fearlessly to your death…”
Jinshi Market was abuzz with voices.
Hong Yuan had already broken into Dingsheng Tower, and with the weight of the Life-Snatching Throat-Locking Spear in hand, his feet landed on the floor with a muffled thudding tremor.
This also made Zhou Wenjie in the hall jolt, his heart pounding fiercely.
This battle had erupted suddenly and ended even faster; Zhou Wenjie hadn’t had time to retreat.
Moreover, he had heard the swift footsteps coming from below—clearly his Anti-smuggling camp subordinates and salt workers rushing up to aid.
Retreating now would trap him as well.
He had no idea of the rooftop battle’s outcome and now, seeing Hong Yuan descend, even suspected the man had been forced down.
“Protect the Commissioner!”
The elite guards clustered around Zhou Wenjie roared and charged out, swinging steel sabers and spears.
Then Zhou Wenjie saw silver light spilling everywhere, dazzling and brilliant, like a fierce bolt of lightning slashing down, with a dense lightning net unfurling in an instant.
Bang bang bang!
The elites who had charged from his side were like those struck by lightning, flying backward one after another, smashing into the walls in all directions in the blink of an eye.
Amid violent shattering sounds, a shadowy figure abruptly closed in and stood before him, a voice ringing in his ears: “Zhou Wenjie, Commissioner Zhou, I’ve long admired your great name.”
Zhou Wenjie jolted in terror, stumbling back, eyes widening to see his dozen or twenty elite guards sprawled in disarray, life or death unknown.
Hong Yuan ignored his shock, continuing casually: “Ever since I first heard your renowned name, I’ve always wanted to meet the man of such caliber and see what kind of hero has such magnanimity…”
His gaze sized up Zhou Wenjie, a smile on his face: “Now that I’ve met you, as expected, you’re dashing and extraordinary.”
Though the words were praise, Zhou Wenjie detected sarcasm; suppressing his shock, he forced a smile: “I merely toil in the mundane world’s filth, barely earning a bowl of rice. Your Excellency has the bearing of a celestial being, your splendor unmatched—I’m not even one percent of that.”
“Are you afraid of me?”
“This…” Zhou Wenjie gave a dry laugh, already sensing something wrong—no sounds from the rooftop, and his expected reinforcements, Chen Jiulang and the others, hadn’t appeared.
A shocking suspicion emerged in his mind, shaking him to the core.
His heart churned wildly, but his face maintained a smile, even fawning: “Your Excellency’s demeanor is like a heavenly god—how could we mortals not fear?”
Hong Yuan shook his head: “No need to fear me. I won’t take your life; instead, I need you to do one thing for me…”
“Your Excellency, just give the order, and I will surely serve.” Zhou Wenjie breathed a sigh of relief, responding eagerly.
Just then, shouts rose from the stairwell entrance: “Is the Commissioner unharmed?”
Accompanied by footsteps shaking the pavilion, a large group of men surged up.
Zhou Wenjie cautiously glanced at Hong Yuan, seeing the man unmoving, casually watching as his Anti-smuggling camp elites and numerous salt workers poured in from the stairwell.
In a flash, dozens of men had climbed up.
This group had rushed upstairs the moment Poisonous Lady fell from above and the battle erupted, so they hadn’t seen Hong Yuan’s fight with Chen Jiulang and the others. Now they all drew their weapons, shouting fiercely: “Thief, don’t harm the Commissioner.”
As they spoke, they surged forward.
Thud!
With a light sound, the tip of the Life-Snatching Throat-Locking Spear touched the ground. Hong Yuan dragged the long spear behind him, taking three steps toward the charging crowd before a fierce wind suddenly cracked the air. His whole body shot forward like lightning, colliding savagely.
As the dragging spear scraped sharply against the floor, everyone in his path was sent flying, instantly clearing a path.
Hong Yuan pierced through the crowd, followed by a splintering ‘creak’—after a momentary freeze, the ground where his silver spear had dragged erupted as large wooden boards curled up and shattered explosively!
In just an instant, a massive hole split open, swallowing the remaining salt workers and Anti-smuggling camp soldiers, sending them tumbling into the floor below.
At the same time, the long staircase ‘crashed’ apart in pieces, and over a dozen strong men still climbing tumbled into a heap, crying out in agony.
Hong Yuan’s figure moved like the wind, arriving back at Zhou Wenjie’s side. Seeing the man’s mouth agape and expression dazed at the scene, he chuckled lightly: “Commissioner Zhou, I’ve injured your men—surely you won’t blame me?”
