YM778.TV Chapter 5 - Threatened
Xu Yi peeled off the scales and emptied the viscera, before he gobbled the carps raw.
It was true that once you reached the peak state of a forged body, you’d be stronger than an ox, and his appetite would be comparable to a tiger. The carps, that weighed 25 kg in total, were eaten by Xu Yi raw and with the bones!
This ‘delicious’ dinner made Xu Yi too full to move around. So he just sat down and crossed his legs so that he could concentrate himself on the flowing of the qi in his body and he recharged himself to his optimal strength.
Hours before, the loss of his dog and Sifu had driven Xu Yi mad, but now he seemed much more peaceful, at least, judging from his outer appearance. Or maybe it was just the calm before the storm.
Soon, night fell and the breeze from the mountain sobered Xu Yi’s mind. While enjoying this tranquil moment, Xu Yi sensed that there was some tapping sounds, that might originate from boots or hoofs. Vigilant as he was, Xu Yi quickly rose up and he could now clearly hear the sound of neigh and shouting from afar. Based on the sound, Xu Yi believed there were probably more than ten horses running in his direction.
Xu Yi quickened his pace and within seconds, he arrived at the nearby mountain path.
A group of horses were marching forward, with Junior Zhou leading in the front. Dead wild animals were hung on each of the horses. The flags were fluttering in the air, which was an obvious indication that they were on their way back home after a successful hunt.
Everyone in this hunting group was overjoyed, which you could tell from their expressions. Even Junior Zhou couldn’t help whistling for their triumph, even though he was usually known as an indifferent guy.
The guy with the full beard merrily sang a ditty along the way, the contents of which were rather scurrilous. Others responded with a shout of applause, they were enjoying his songs on this long and dull journey back home.
The bodyguard with the hawk nose, next to Junior Zhou, was always on alert and he suddenly whispered to Zhou: “I sense danger ahead of us!”
The man with the hawk nose was the first one who had joined the Zhou Family. He was rather powerful and had even mastered a special technique. This made him become the most credible man in this group, once he warned that there might be danger ahead, everyone in the group quickly prepared for a possible fight. They took out their swords and pulled their bowstrings, ready for anything dangerous.
“It’s over there!” The man with the hawk nose shouted with a level-headed mind.
“Who is getting in our way? No one in the vicinity would dare to turn against my Zhou Family! Today shall be his doomsday!” Junior Zhou whipped the claret-red horse to make it go faster and the rest of the group followed.
Xu Yi was steadily standing in the middle of the road, quietly waiting for Junior Zhou.
The man with the full beard quickly got excited when he realised that the ‘danger’ was actually Xu Yi, as it was perfect timing for him to kill this ant and get more rewards from the Zhou Family. Compared to the man with the hawk nose, the guy with the full beard was much less favored by the Zhou Family; he had stagnated in the later periods of a forged body and still showed no signs of improvement. So he had to seize this opportunity to arrest Xu Yi ahead of anyone else.
When the group had passed Xu Yi’s house, the man with the full beard had also been the one who had set fire to this house and he had even killed Xu Yi’s dog without Junior Zhou’s order. He did this simply out of selfishness, as he desired to get more rewards from the Zhou Family.
Now, he couldn’t help but think that Xu Yi was actually doing him a favor, offering him a chance to obtain even more rewards. Even though there was a murderous look in Xu Yi’s eyes, the man with the full beard still considered Xu Yi as an ant. Killing him would be as easy as slicing a hot knife through butter. He whipped hard on the back of his black horse and rushed ahead of Junior Zhou.
“Pariah, get out of the way! Or else I will skin you alive!” The man with the full beard threatened Xu Yi in a despiteful voice. He then made the horse run straight at Xu Yi, intending to knock his body over and trample it.
Xu Yi stood erect and unshakable, until the hoof of the horse was about to land on his body. He suddenly dodged the horse like a flash of lightning, before he shrunk his body like a bow, in order to accumulate momentum. All of a sudden, Xu Yi bounced off the ground like a spring. His iron like body rushed towards the neck of the horse, and the horse was, seemingly effortless, beheaded. After the head flew off, Xu Yi catapulted the remaining body of the horse towards the group.
Before the man with the full beard realised what had happened, he was already caught by Xu Yi. Within the group, he had always insulted Xu Yi the most. He would say how he’d skin Xu Yi alive, awaking every cell in Xu Yi’s body to bring this man to justice.
Looking at the situation getting worse, the man with the hawk nose jumped off his horse, before he rushed to Xu Yi and waved his fists towards the latter’s spine. You could even hear cracking sounds in the knuckles of his fists.
Xu Yi knew this attack would be fatal if it hit him. He quickly determined the best course of action and jumped up high, carrying the man with the full beard underneath him. He then jumped on the backs of the horse-riders one by one, in order to avoid the fist from the man with the hawk nose. It was like hanging on by a thread, a little bit of carelessness would be enough to cause an early demise. Fortunately, Xu Yi successfully escaped the fist, which eventually fell on one of the group member’s back. The man that got struck instantly exploded, leaving only a cloud of blood vapor.
The man with the hawk nose was not demoralized by his failure, as he quickly continued his attacks on Xu Yi.
Xu Yi, however, possessed a body nimble enough to keep away from these fatal attacks.
The man with the hawk nose was actually a well known figure that was also at the peak state of a forged body. With Junior Zhou’s encouragement, he exhausted all his means to kill Xu Yi. However, they vastly underestimated Xu Yi’s ability, leading to the latter cleverly dodging these attacks in a way that the attacks would always land on the men, that were escorting Junior Zhou. This went on until another seven of his men had perished.
- Boom! -
Suddenly, Xu Yi twisted off the neck of the last living member of the group, causing the dead body to fall off its horse.
Up until now, nine [1] people in the group had all died!
Junior Zhou was flabbergasted by Xu Yi’s quickness and defense. He realised that Xu Yi was no longer the coward he had teased so much. The chill in Xu Yi’s eyes reflected a sense of deep hatred towards Junior Zhou, which made him feel threatened as well as embarrassed.
As a member of the now prominent Zhou Family, Junior Zhou was half a step away from the peak state of a forged body. There were numerous outstanding followers in their own family, let alone his legendary Uncle, Zhou Daoqian, who was quite an influential individual within Guanan. Given their social status, Junior Zhou regarded it a burning shame if he showed any fear towards Xu Yi.
“Xu Yi, I know quite well that you are planning your revenge. My Uncle is right, anyone from the Xu Family is fond of using dirty tricks. You coward, why don’t we have a one-on-one fight?” Junior Zhou said with bloodshot eyes.
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[1]: Hey guys, quick editor note here. The raw says eight people died in total, while if we count the deaths from previous events in the raw we find 9 deaths. So we’ve decided to adjust it to 9 here.