Free Web NovelChapter 41: Chapter 41: Zhang Yufeng in Yun Zhao
Xie Yuan looked at the frantic Zhou Feng and raised an eyebrow upon hearing his shouts.
’Zhang the Second?’
’Come to think of it, it’s been a while since he’s come looking for trouble.’
’On his own, he’s no match for me anymore.’
’Is he acting up all of a sudden because of Brother Shitou’s land deed? Did his brother put him up to this?’
Xie Yuan’s mind raced, connecting the dots. He asked in a low voice,
"Easy, Brother Feng. Take your time and tell me what happened."
Zhou Feng had run all the way down. He braced his hands on his knees, gasping for air. It took him a moment to catch his breath before he pointed up the mountain and said urgently,
"Today we felled a really nice nanmu tree. We were hauling it down and were almost out of the woods when we suddenly saw Zhang the Second and his cronies waiting at the pass.
"Apparently, they heard we’ve been making good money hauling lumber, so they blocked our path. They said they wanted a piece of the action and even tried to snatch the log!
"Brother Zhu pulled his axe and confronted them, but there were too many of them. And the bastards all brought clubs and hoes—they clearly came prepared. Before they could surround them, Brother Zhu told me to run for it and get help. I used my knowledge of the woods to take a detour and shake off a few who chased me, and that’s how I made it down.
"Brother Yuan, you have to do something! It looked like a fight was about to break out any second. No, they’ve probably already started fighting by now!"
Xie Yuan was already getting ready as he listened. By the time Zhou Feng finished, he had thrown on his clothes, tied his sash, secured his shoes, and grabbed his axe. He started for the door. "Let’s go. Lead the way."
Seeing Xie Yuan’s decisiveness, Zhou Feng faltered. "Uh..."
"Brother Yuan, there are a lot of them..."
"Are there ten million of them?"
Xie Yuan chuckled. When he saw Zhou Feng didn’t get the reference, he just shook his head.
"No matter how many of them there are, I can’t just leave you guys to get surrounded."
’Zhu Dongming, Wang Lei, and the others had gotten into this mess because they were cutting lumber for him. If he stayed away out of fear, what kind of man would that make him?’
’Besides, Zhang the Second was most likely targeting him in the first place.’
’Trying to cut off his income was as good as trying to take his life!’
Of course, his long hours of martial arts practice gave him a certain confidence, but he still decided to observe from the perimeter first.
A look of gratitude washed over Zhou Feng’s face.
’Brother Yuan really is a stand-up guy.’
He had come for reinforcements, but he was torn. He worried that with so many opponents, Xie Yuan would be at a disadvantage if he went alone. But if he didn’t go, Zhu Dongming and the other two would surely suffer. He was completely conflicted about what to do.
Now, seeing Xie Yuan grab his axe and charge up the mountain, a surge of adrenaline coursed through him. He gripped his own axe, ran ahead, and pointed the way.
「In a sparse clearing at the edge of the woods.」
Zhu Dongming, Wang Lei, and Chen Yun stood with a long, straight, sturdy nanmu log at their feet. It was of exceptional quality—clearly a top-grade piece of timber.
Across from them, Zhang the Second and his eight or nine cronies blocked the way.
The difference in numbers was huge. Zhang the Second had practically every punk from Little Stone Village with him, including Wang Ergou, whose face was still swollen from the beating he’d taken from Xie Yuan and Wang Lei.
Zhang the Second stood at the forefront, facing off against Zhu Dongming from a few meters away.
"That’s a nice log you’ve got there. I like it. Stop wasting my time and let me take it."
Zhang the Second ordered with an air of nonchalant authority.
Zhu Dongming snorted.
"If you like it so much, go cut one yourself. Don’t even think about ours."
"What makes it yours? It came from the woods, which means it’s unowned. And since it’s unowned, I saw it, and I’ll take it."
Zhang the Second’s lips twisted into a sneer, his arrogance blatant. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
He waved his hand, and two of his lackeys started forward to drag the log away.
"Have you no shame? We’re the ones who cut this tree!"
Zhu Dongming’s face flushed with anger as he pointed his axe at the two thugs.
"Get lost!"
The two thugs hesitated, intimidated. Zhang the Second’s face darkened, and he snorted.
"Just because you cut it, that makes it yours? Well, I say I had my eye on it first, and you stole it from me! Go on, ignore him. See if he’s got the balls to do anything!"
Just then, a cold laugh echoed from the edge of the woods.
"Zhang the Second, you terrorize the village, stealing fields, land, and women. Now you’re even stooping to stealing a few logs? You’ve got some nerve."
The two confrontational groups in the clearing looked toward the voice. A look of delight instantly appeared on the faces of Zhu Dongming and his friends.
Zhang the Second’s eyes narrowed. He said slowly,
"That’s because you’re the one not playing fair. We’re all from the same village. When you find a way to make money, you’re supposed to share it with everyone."
"Bah! And why should I include a piece of trash that even dogs despise?"
Xie Yuan walked into the clearing with Zhou Feng right behind him and spat.
"A good dog knows not to block the path. Scram now, and you can walk away with some dignity."
The thugs’ expressions soured. They never expected Xie Yuan to be so brazen. They were the ones who usually talked to people like that, and now they all started shouting back profanities.
Zhang the Second’s face contorted with rage. He bellowed,
"Xie Yuan, don’t think you’re hot shit just because you learned a few flimsy moves! Today, I’m going to make you regret ever opening your mouth!
"Get him! I want every one of you to smash his damn mouth in!"
Yelling, the pack of thugs brandished their weapons and fanned out as they charged at Xie Yuan.
Xie Yuan sneered, drew his axe, and swung it sideways in a vicious sweep!
The blade bit into a nearby iron poplar, slicing clean through its trunk in a single blow!
With a skillful push, Xie Yuan sent the toppling tree crashing toward the thugs, who scrambled to get out of the way.
CRASH! The iron poplar hit the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust and leaves that momentarily obscured everyone’s vision.
Suddenly, Xie Yuan burst from the cloud of dust and charged into the scattered group of thugs!
Like a tiger pouncing on a flock of sheep, Xie Yuan’s fists flew like the wind, shattering three noses and splitting two eye sockets in a flash. As the thugs behind moved in to help, he pivoted with fluid footwork, turning with the momentum and ramming the handle of his Tiger Bone Axe into one man’s mouth, instantly dislodging several molars!
With his Iron Cloth Long Fist at the Minor Success stage, none of these thugs could withstand a single punch. Once scattered, they couldn’t keep up with his footwork in the melee. In the blink of an eye, every one of them was on the ground!
When the dust settled, Xie Yuan was the only one left standing, poised and proud. All around him, the thugs lay strewn about, groaning and writhing on the ground.
Zhang the Second, along with Zhou Feng and the others, stared with wide-eyed disbelief.
’Impossible... Impossible!’
’I brought everyone I had. How long has Xie Yuan even been training? I thought for sure he’d get surrounded and beaten to a pulp.’
’But his fighting ability is beyond anything I imagined. He’s like a real Martial Artist. My own brother wasn’t anywhere near this good after training for the same amount of time!’
’How is this possible?’ freёwebnovel.com
As he watched Xie Yuan approach him step by step, Zhang the Second’s sneer faltered and his lip trembled. Then, his eyes flashed with vicious resolve and he roared,
"What are you putting on an act for? I’ve had training, too!"
His whole body tensed. He took two quick steps and suddenly launched himself into a powerful flying kick!
The attack was sudden and decisive. It was fast enough to catch someone off guard and knock them down. He clearly knew a thing or two.
But Xie Yuan simply shifted his feet and sidestepped the kick.
Having missed his target, Zhang the Second’s posture left him completely exposed.
Xie Yuan grabbed the back of Zhang the Second’s neck and slammed him face-first into the ground. THUD!
Zhang the Second struggled, but it felt like he was being pinned by a bear; he couldn’t break free. He roared,
"Xie Yuan, you dare touch me?! My brother won’t let you get away with this!"
"And if I don’t touch you, your brother will let me go?"
Xie Yuan’s retort left Zhang the Second speechless.
Zhang the Second gritted his teeth and sneered,
"Go easy on me, and you might still have a chance to live. Otherwise, when my brother gets back to the village, you’re a dead man!"
"Wait for your brother to get back... Where is your brother now?"
Zhang the Second froze for a second, then answered instinctively,
"In Yunzhao."
"Good. We’ll call this little scene ’Zhang Yufeng in Yunzhao County.’"
Xie Yuan chuckled and hauled Zhang the Second to his feet.
Then, he drove a vicious punch straight into Zhang the Second’s gut, doubling him over like a shrimp as he vomited sour bile.
The punks on the ground had long since fallen silent, all of them staring blankly at the scene.
’Their boss, who had terrorized the village for so long, was actually getting thrashed.’
’It was like they were seeing Zhang the Second for the first time—and Xie Yuan, too. Their minds were in chaos.’
