CHAPTER 414: 328. KILL BACK

The sound of shouting and killing in Li Shamao Alley was deafening.

Li Xuan seemed to return to the sandstorm-filled Guyuan, that place which often appeared in his dreams.

In those dreams, Hu Junxian rode his horse repeatedly to stand before him, asking, "Are you willing to serve in my border army?"

But in the dreams, Li Xuan never answered.

After returning to the capital, he donned new bright silver armor, with a white pheasant tail on his head, and under the constant warnings of the Honglu Temple officials, he walked majestically down Chang’an Street.

This was the scene he had envisioned a thousand times in his youth, but when he truly rode splendidly down Chang’an Street, he always felt something was missing.

But now, with a long spear in hand, enemies in front, and comrades by his side.

This was the feeling.

It finally felt right!

Li Xuan looked at Qi Zhenzhuo: "Qi Zhenzhuo, clear the way!"

Qi Zhenzhuo excitedly exclaimed: "Understood, kill!"

The Yulin Army charged out towards Li Shamao Alley, Duobao swung the Iron Wolf Brush, forcing Chen Wenren and others to retreat repeatedly. Some Yulin Army members were vomiting one moment, and the next, unable to dodge, had their faces scratched by the Iron Wolf Brush.

Chen Wenren gritted his teeth, grabbed a long spear from beside him and prepared to throw it forcefully. Someone stopped him: "Sir, a fight’s a fight, but we can’t have casualties. If you accidentally kill Qi Zhenzhuo, we won’t be able to explain to the Qi family."

"Get out of the way, I’ll take responsibility if anything happens!" Chen Wenren broke free from the obstruction and threw the spear with all his might.

The long spear was like thunder. Zhou Chong and Zhou Li raised their long shields, covering their bodies behind the heavy Vine Shield. The spear penetrated the Vine Shield, the tip only an inch away from Zhou Chong’s eyes, but Zhou Chong calmly straightened up and pressed forward.

The Mandarin Duck Formation was both offensive and defensive, almost flawless.

Earlier, Chen Wenren saw the Mandarin Duck Formation beating the ruffians, only thinking they were stupid. Clearly, if they did this and that, and then this, they could break the formation.

But when he faced the Mandarin Duck Formation himself, he felt no different from the ruffians.

Chen Wenren retreated while looking at Duobao, Li Cen, Zhou Chong, and Zhou Li in front of him. Their faces were covered with gray cloth, only their eyes visible, filled with calmness and indifference, which was in stark contrast to the Yulin Army beside him.

Chen Wenren remained unconvinced and shouted angrily: "Is there any brave warrior?"

No one answered.

The Yulin Army beside him looked at each other, and someone instinctively stepped back.

Chen Wenren pointed to a Yulin Army member: "Lin Yanchu, we’ll send you into the formation to disrupt their formation!"

Lin Yanchu hesitated for two breaths: "Yes, sir."

The next moment, two Yulin Army members formed a bridge with their hands, sending Lin Yanchu high into the air, towards the Mandarin Duck Formation.

Someone at the end of the Mandarin Duck Formation shot a cowhide slingshot at Lin Yanchu. Lin Yanchu, in mid-air, knocked away the Iron Ball with his spear and landed lightly into the formation.

But after he landed in the formation, he didn’t disrupt the formation, just clutched his head and crouched on the ground, letting the Yulin Army’s spears hit him without uttering a word.

Chen Ji recognized him as a humble family’s child he had saved from the Imperial Prison, and immediately stopped others: "Leave him, keep charging out!"

Chen Wenren saw that Lin Yanchu didn’t even make a splash in the Mandarin Duck Formation and pointed at another person: "Li Guang, you go too!"

The Yulin Army formed a bridge again, sending Li Guang inside, but once inside the Mandarin Duck Formation, he was no different from Lin Yanchu, only taking hits without fighting back.

Chen Wenren’s face darkened, and he said to Wang Fang beside him: "Only you are left, you can definitely tear apart this troublesome Hedgehog Formation."

Wang Fang grabbed his wrist and said solemnly: "Sir, let’s go, we can’t win!"

Chen Wenren angrily said: "We have eighty, they only have over thirty, why can’t we win? Even if we can’t win, we must fight! I’ve raised you all, now when it’s time, you retreat. Remember, the Wang family can’t boss around the Chen family, I’ll ask one more time, will you go or not?"

Wang Fang’s expression changed several times: "I’ll go."

Having said that, Wang Fang stepped on a comrade to leap towards the Mandarin Duck Formation, but he was still in mid-air when Li Xuan within the formation shouted: "Qi Zhenzhuo, stand firm!"

Qi Zhenzhuo tensed his body, Li Xuan, holding the spear upside down, stepped on his shoulder and leapt to meet Wang Fang in mid-air.

Before the two even clashed, Wang Fang already showed fear.

He raised his spear horizontally in front of him, and Li Xuan, in mid-air, flicked it, sending Wang Fang flying backwards.

Qi Zhenzhuo shouted loudly: "Good!"

Li Xuan plunged into the opposing army formation, sweeping his long spear to knock down the Yulin Army. He surged forward like a tidal wave, parting the sea of soldiers before him as he reached Chen Wenren.

Chen Wenren retreated in panic, exclaiming: "Wang Fang, stop him!"

Outside the formation, Qi Zhenzhuo laughed heartily: "Even Yuan Zhen’s Guard Camp couldn’t stop my brother-in-law, and you think you can? Capture the general, seize the flag!"

As he spoke, Li Xuan had already reached Chen Wenren, stabbing the spear’s butt into Chen Wenren’s abdomen.

Chen Wenren’s vision went black, then intense pain engulfed his body as he slowly knelt down, briefly fainting. When he awoke, he found the Yulin Army beside him had been completely routed.

A shadow loomed overhead, and Chen Wenren turned to see Qi Zhenzhuo step on his face, trampling over it as he continued the charge.

Chen Wenren just began to prop himself up: "You’re courting death!"

His body had just left the ground by two inches when Duobao, wielding the ninety-pound Iron Wolf Brush, stepped on his chest, pushing him back down. Chen Ji and others stepped over him one after another, even those off the path detoured to trample him.

As Chen Ji passed, he stomped hard, causing Chen Wenren’s head to hit the ground and knocking him out completely.