A subordinate became anxious: “Boss, your arm is still injured.”

Xing Honglang laughed heartily: “Erchun’s arm isn’t injured?”

Everyone: “Well…”

Xing Honglang: “No one come over to hinder my revenge.”

After speaking, she drew her waist knife with her uninjured left hand.

Erchun also roared and drew his waist knife with his left hand.

It turned out that during their last encounter in the scattered troops, they had exchanged several blows, each wounding the other’s right arm, so now both could only wield knives left-handed.

Erchun roared: “Xing Honglang, today it’s either your death or mine.”

Xing Honglang also roared: “Worthless thief without any chivalry; the name of forest heroes has been tarnished by fools like you.”

“Argh!” Erchun stepped forward and swung his waist knife.

Xing Honglang raised her waist knife to meet it.

In the blink of an eye, the two were locked in fierce combat; their waist knives swung wildly, striking sparks. The salt smugglers nearby wanted to help but dared not disobey Xing Honglang’s order, so they turned around and continued heaving rolling logs and stones, pelting them chaotically at the bandit army in the ravine.

The battle cries from that side immediately carried over to where Cheng Xu stood.

Gao Chuwu grew nervous; he glanced toward Xing Honglang’s direction before turning back, almost blurting out, “I want to go help her.”

But after daily lessons in discipline and rules from Gao Yiye, he was no longer the impetuous oaf; his mind was filled with “I must obey orders,” so he clamped his mouth shut.

Cheng Xu sensed Gao Chuwu’s agitation; he raised an eyebrow and looked down at Fan Shanyue…

As expected, Fan Shanyue began to act, dispatching large groups of bandit troops to climb the mountain.

Cheng Xu lowered his voice: “Gao Chuwu, I’ll give you the time of one incense stick. Run over to help Xing Honglang, then come straight back without delay. Can you do it?”

Gao Chuwu: “How long is one incense stick?”

Everyone: “…”

Cheng Xu: “The time it takes for you and Zheng Daniu to argue for 50 exchanges. Go now.”

Gao Chuwu understood immediately; arguing for 50 exchanges was easy—he could pretend to bicker with Daniu and time it perfectly.

He suddenly spoke up: “Daniu, you’re too dumb; you don’t get this.”

People nearby stared in confusion.

Gao Chuwu mimicked Zheng Daniu’s voice: “You’re the idiot; I’m very smart.”

Everyone: “…”

This counted as one argument exchange; while speaking these words, Gao Chuwu had already leaped several zhang away.

Everyone: “!!!”

Gao Chuwu: “Daniu, you got it wrong; this mechanism here is correct.”

After uttering that sentence, he dashed out another two or three zhang.

“This one of mine is clearly right… That one of yours is wrong…”

After speaking these words, Gao Chuwu had already vanished behind the small hill ahead.

Everyone collectively drew a sharp breath: “That guy!”

Cheng Xu shouted loudly, “Stop looking at that idiot. Attention! Fan Shanyue is ascending the mountain. Everyone, prepare the rolling logs and stones!”

The militia responded, “Yes, sir!”

The group spun around to see Fan Shanyue’s men fanning out, beginning their climb up the hill. Those leading the way were fierce bandits courting death. As they scrambled upwards, they constantly darted behind large stones to take cover. Only after seeing no rocks thrown from the mountaintop would they dash madly further up the slope before ducking behind the next large stone.

Cheng Xu laughed heartily, “Forget if they hide or not. We have plenty of rolling logs. Smash them!”

Ground Rabbit was once again the first to strike, shoving a colossal log down the mountainside. It rumbled and tumbled its way down…

…

Xing Honglang and Erchun had exchanged over ten moves in the blink of an eye.

Real combat wasn’t like a martial arts novel, where trading one to two hundred moves was laughable exaggeration. In a life-or-death struggle, victory or defeat was often decided in two or three moves. However, both were fighting with their left hands, making their movements less fluid than usual and resulting in a somewhat protracted clash.

Erchun roared insanely with each slash of his blade.

Xing Honglang, in contrast, remained quite calm, silent and collected as she struck.

More than ten moves later, Xing Honglang finally spotted a flaw in Erchun’s defense. Her left-hand blade flashed, a thud sounded, and it cut deeply into Erchun’s flank.

Erchun howled in agony and tumbled backwards.

Delighted, Xing Honglang stepped forward, raising her blade to cleave his neck.

Just as she was about to finish Erchun with that stroke, a furious roar erupted beside her. A bear-shaped man charged like a bull. Two salt smugglers leapt forward to block him but were sent flying with two thumps.

In the next instant, the man was upon Xing Honglang, swinging a thick wooden staff straight down at her head.

“Sui Fengxiong!” Xing Honglang gasped in shock. She quickly retracted her blade to block. Clang! She managed to block the blow, but fighting left-handed meant insufficient strength, while Sui Fengxiong wielded his staff with both arms. The force disparity was simply too vast.

Xing Honglang felt a jolt of numbness shoot through her wrist. Her waist knife flew from her grip.

Sui Fengxiong roared, “Oorah!” and swept his staff horizontally, aiming for Xing Honglang’s waist.

This is bad! Xing Honglang thought desperately. This strike… I can’t dodge in time…

Just glimpsing its power, she knew she was likely in for a serious injury.

Li Daoxuan also reached his hand out, ready to intervene.

At that very moment, an angry shout rang out from behind: “Daniu, you idiot! You knocked the water bucket over again!”

Xing Honglang: “???”

Sui Fengxiong: “???”

What was this nonsensical line supposed to mean?

Before either could react, a giant of a man, as large and powerful as Sui Fengxiong, charged forth. With a whoosh, he barreled into the combat zone and collided thump into Sui Fengxiong.

Two giants colliding produced a massive, dull thud.

Sui Fengxiong stumbled backward – thump, thump, thump, thump, thump – five heavy steps before managing to steady himself. He glared and saw standing before him a man clad in iron armor, even more brawny than a bear.

Sui Fengxiong exclaimed, “Who are you?”

Gao Chuwu retorted, “I’m not the idiot. You’re the one who knocked the water bucket over!”

Sui Fengxiong: “???”

Xing Honglang: “???”

Sui Fengxiong: “Are you fucking insane?”

Gao Chuwu yelled back, “Daniu, hold your end steady!”

Sui Fengxiong: “???”

Gao Chuwu took a huge step forward. Whoosh! His fist shot towards Sui Fengxiong. The sheer momentum behind the punch was terrifying; the air pressure alone could make an ordinary person cower. Cru-cially, as he threw the punch, he muttered, “Chuwu, you’ve got an earthworm between your toes!”

Sui Fengxiong’s eyes saw a ferocious fist hurtling at him, but his ears heard utterly incongruous and baffling dialogue. The sheer cognitive dissonance created a tearing sensation in his mind, momentarily paralyzing his thoughts. Mental contamination +999! His brain stalled for a split second, leaving him incapable of properly reacting.

Gao Chuwu’s fist landed smack in the center of Sui Fengxiong’s face.

The single punch exploded Sui Fengxiong’s face, snapping his neck. As darkness claimed him, tumbling toward the abyss, he faintly heard the attacker add in an utterly bizarre tone, “Daniu, I’ve lifted my end. Put some muscle into yours!”

Sui Fengxiong’s world plunged into blackness. He was off to register with Yama Wang.

Xing Honglang decisively swung her blade, lopping off Erchun’s head.

She turned around, ready to thank Gao Chuwu.

But Gao Chuwu beat her to it. Gazing deeply into her eyes, his face etched with exaggerated concern, he said, “Daniu, you’re so clever.”

Xing Honglang’s rage meter instantly filled: “What the hell are you babbling about, you bastard?!”