Free Web NovelThe market street not far from Daimu Courtyard.
A tall, one-eyed man, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, strolled leisurely down the street, constantly looking around as if searching for something. Pedestrians on both sides of the street avoided him.
This man was a notorious bully in the vicinity, always finding strange reasons to physically assault his neighbors, seemingly enjoying it. Extortion was also common; if one didn't comply with his wishes, business could not be conducted peacefully. Most of the time, the neighbors could only swallow their anger.
Whether it was intentional or not, the man never demanded too much money, so the neighbors considered it a minor loss to avoid disaster.
Furthermore, this man always bullied the weak and feared the strong, deeply understanding the principle of adapting to the situation. He had never been caught by the Longxiang Army Armored Soldiers guarding the city, and thus had been running rampant in the market for quite some time.
With the Divine Kingdom Jade Gate sealed, this man had not appeared on the street for a while. The neighbors thought he had died in the chaos, but unexpectedly, he reappeared.
"Damn it, you ran fast, otherwise I would have skinned you alive!"
Watching the half-grown child run away in panic, the man cursed, lowered his half-raised fist, and muttered to himself, "Tsk, I let that little bastard run away. Now where can I find some fun?"
A hundred days ago, the former Shaman King brought his army to the city gates, and Yumen Pass was sealed. Later, a small number of tribal warriors who had infiltrated the city caused trouble. He feared getting into trouble, so he had hidden in his house North of the city early on and hadn't been on the street for some time.
The days he hadn't been on the street had really stifled him.
However, due to the Long Xiang Army's strict control in the city recently, he had planned to resume his old ways after the fuss died down. But for some reason, the weather in the city today was terribly hot, making it uncomfortable to lie down or stand, which intensified the anger he had been suppressing.
So, he could no longer suppress the restlessness in his heart and went out onto the street, determined to find two unlucky souls and beat them severely before stopping.
For example...
The man's gaze drifted towards the spice shop on the street, landing on the young woman organizing spices at the shop's entrance, and he narrowed his eyes slightly.
"You stinking bitch! I'll start with you!"
The man recognized the young woman and knew she was the spice shop's young owner's mistress. The last time he went to that spice shop to extort money, he was bitten by the young woman, and he still had a scar on his arm.
Now, only the young woman was in the spice shop; it was the perfect time to get revenge for that bite!
Besides, the young owner of that spice shop was originally a soft pushover who could be easily manipulated. Beating his mistress would carry no repercussions at all...
Thinking this, the uncontrollable anger in the man's heart flared up as if doused with oil. He took a few steps forward, kicked away the bamboo basket in the young woman's hand, and raised his hand to slap her across the face.
With a "slap!", five dark purple finger marks immediately appeared on the young woman's fair face.
At that moment, he clearly felt an inexplicable surge of pleasure, shooting up from his feet all the way to the top of his head. He felt light and airy, as if he were about to fly.
"You stinking bitch, do you still remember your grandpa?" the man said fiercely. "The place you bit me last time is still scarred and hasn't healed. Have you thought about how to compensate me?"
He had expected that after this kick and slap, the young woman would tremble in fear... In fact, in this market, most people were afraid of him and could only grit their teeth and endure when he hit them. Even this young woman, after biting him last time, had run home trembling and hidden for several days.
But to his surprise, after being slapped to the ground, the young woman immediately got up, screamed, and pounced on him, punching and kicking like a madwoman.
What's going on? Has the world turned upside down?
Although the young woman's punches and kicks had no strength, being hit by her still made the man feel a surge of irritation, followed by a thought that quietly emerged in his mind—kill this stinking bitch!
Once the thought of killing appeared in his mind, it became uncontrollably stronger. Then, he suddenly reached out and grabbed the young woman's neck, lifting her up like a small chicken.
Watching the young woman's face turn red from holding her breath and show pain, the one-eyed man felt a surge of wild joy. Just then, he suddenly noticed that the young woman's gaze had passed him, looking behind him, and then a look of delight appeared in her eyes.
He paused, turned his head to look back, and saw the young owner of the spice shop, holding a cleaver, staring at him with a gloomy expression, his eyes bloodshot.
Heh! What does this mean? This soft pushover dares to use a knife? the man thought mockingly.
The next second, sharp pain suddenly struck his chest.
————
Dragon Tang left Daimu Courtyard, carrying a heavy iron box on his way to the Lords Manor, and still felt lingering fear recalling the flames on Little Miss Shen earlier.
The dazzling crimson flames could not be extinguished or put out, and even Spells had little effect. He and Big Shen worked for a long time, but it was all in vain. The fire burned for the time it takes to steep a cup of tea before gradually dissipating.
That Little Shen was also impressive; she was burned for such a long time that a lamb would have been almost cooked, yet she remained in a daze and didn't wake up, making Dragon Tang break out in a cold sweat for her.
However, it was also strange that such a large fire, burning for the time it takes to steep a cup of tea, not only did not injure anyone but also did not damage the bed, leaving only a few scorch marks on Little Shen's clothes.
Big Shen's explanation for this was, "My little sister is usually too mischievous and never pays attention during her cultivation. Perhaps something went wrong."
Dragon Tang found this explanation reasonable. Even the Long Xiang Army Armored Soldiers who had mastered the use of Spiritual Energy, though not as severely as Little Shen, had experienced instances of "qi deviation."
Before leaving, he thoughtfully presented them with Alchemy incense unique to their Long clan. In his opinion, the Da Chunyang Palace, where the two Miss Shens were discipled, had never been heard of, so it probably wasn't very powerful. In terms of treating Spiritual Energy out of control, their aristocratic families were likely more skilled.
However, when Big Shen took the method of regulating qi from his hand, her expression was subtly strange for some reason, perhaps out of gratitude?
And then...
He was coldly told by Big Shen, "Brother Dragon Tang, please go about your business! I need to help my little sister change clothes," and was kicked out.
She looked as if she found him in the way, but before he had gone far, Big Shen came chasing after him and handed him a letter, saying it was left for him by his elder brother.
Now, that letter was in his embrace, and he planned to read it slowly later, after visiting the Lords Manor, in a secluded place.
Of course, he had to find a secluded place!
If he, a dignified Long Xiang Army Captain, were to accidentally cry while reading the letter and be seen by others, wouldn't his authority be completely lost? How could he continue to thrive in Yumen Pass then?
"Alas, a maiden's heart is truly hard to fathom," Dragon Tang sighed, shook his head, and had just regained his composure to continue walking when he heard a commotion not far ahead.
This... Is someone causing trouble again? ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
Dragon Tang frowned and looked in the direction of the commotion. Before he could find the source, he saw a man covered in blood running in a panic, continuously uttering trembling shouts.
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"Kill... someone's been killed!"
"Help!"
The man, whose face was splattered with blood, stumbled along the long street, crimson blood gushing from deep, bone-revealing wounds on his chest and thigh, spilling onto the ground.
However, the sparse pedestrians on both sides of the street were unmoved by the man's cries for help. Their eyes were strangely excited, and with a slight shift in their gaze, one could see their mouths had, at some point, subtly curved upwards.
Immediately after, a flurry of hurried footsteps, accompanied by an angry shout, came from ahead.
A disheveled young man, holding a blood-stained cleaver, came running wildly, caught up to the frantically fleeing man, and immediately began to hack at him with the knife, scaring the man into scrambling ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) and rolling to dodge.
Oh no, someone's going to die! Dragon Tang's heart skipped a beat, and with a "clank," he drew his sword.
Although he had known for the past few days that the entire Yumen Pass was enveloped in a strange, restless mood, with everyone seemingly harboring suppressed anger with nowhere to vent, leading to frequent minor and major conflicts, he had never imagined that it would come to bloodshed.
As a Long Xiang Army Captain, how could he not intervene in such a situation?
However, as he advanced with his sword, and saw the disheveled face of the young man holding the knife, he was momentarily stunned.
Hmm? Isn't this Xie Erlang from the spice shop?
Dragon Tang recognized the man holding the knife; it was the youngest son of the owner of the spice shop on the street next to Daimu Courtyard.
The owner of that spice shop was old and had long since handed over the business to his youngest son. When Dragon Tang used to frequent Daimu Courtyard, the sachets he gave to the singing and dancing girls were mostly bought from that spice shop. Over time, he had become familiar with the spice shop owner's youngest son.
Being an acquaintance, he naturally knew a thing or two about the other party's temperament. After recognizing the young man, a strong sense of confusion immediately seized Dragon Tang's heart, causing the speed of his sword draw to slow down by a few points.
This Xie Erlang was not only filial to his parents and helpful to others, but also surprisingly kind and honest. He had never been seen in conflict with anyone. Even when cunning Arab merchants cheated when buying spices, picking and choosing and driving down the price of good spices, he would still greet them with a smile...
Whether it was customers who had visited his shop or his neighbors, who wouldn't give him a thumbs up and call him a "good lad"?
Dragon Tang found it hard to imagine such a person would commit murder on the street.
But this Xie Erlang, at this moment, did exactly that.
He saw him catch up to the man, kick him to the ground, his eyes bloodshot, muttering crazily, "It's you, it's you!" and raising the cleaver with both hands.
Seeing this, Dragon Xiang shouted, "Stop! Xie Erlang, stop!"
The blood-stained cleaver swung upwards, splattering blood from its blade, drawing several arcs in mid-air. A faint smell of blood permeated the air.
On both sides of the street, the others, who had initially been merely watching with cold eyes, upon seeing the blood and smelling its scent, as if their hidden malice and ** were awakened, suddenly fell into chaos.
"Bastard, I've tolerated you for a long time!" an angry roar erupted.
As a man with a full beard grabbed a nearby pottery jar and smashed it on the head of the tall, thin man accompanying him, and the jar shattered, the entire street suddenly ignited.
Men cursed and wrestled with each other, women, completely disregarding their appearance, pulled at each other's hair and clothes, and even children spat at each other and threw stones.
The sounds of smashing, screaming, roaring, and the dull thuds of flesh colliding... all mixed together, buzzing in his ears.
Broken objects were scattered everywhere, and fruits, vegetables, and leaves arced through the air.
Rage, irritation, chaos—the entire street was enveloped in a surging wave of violence, as if it had suddenly transformed into a battlefield.
At a glance, everyone's face bore a strange smile, as if they were participating in a carnival.
Immediately after, more people, as if summoned, poured out from buildings on both sides and from the alleys.
Dragon Xiang, suddenly blocked by the crowd, was at a loss.
He couldn't get any closer to Xie Erlang. The path in front of him was packed with people, and in the chaos, some even pulled at his hands and feet, seemingly wanting him to join the "carnival."
He did have a sword in his hand, and as a Psychic, he could easily deal with a dozen strong men, but...
The people involved in this riot were all citizens of Yumen Pass. How could he strike them?
The Long Xiang Army had no tradition of using fists or weapons against its own people.
Just as Dragon Tang was briefly stunned, this "carnival" was pushed to its climax.
More and more people gathered on the street, and those who truly couldn't find a place to vent their emotions surged forward, helping Xie Erlang with many hands to firmly press the fleeing man to the ground.
"Kill him, kill him!"
"Heh heh, there's going to be blood!" freewebnovel.cσ๓
"Do it, everyone's helping you hold him down! If you can't, then let us do it!"
"..."
They shouted at the top of their lungs, their eyes bloodshot, like a pack of ferocious beasts.
Under their urging, Xie Erlang's breathing gradually quickened. Then, he switched hands, rolled up his sleeves, raised the cleaver, and aimed it at the man's back of the neck, chopping down.
"Pfft—!"
With one chop, the man's neck was not severed; it still connected to his body by flesh, his head swaying, blood gushing out and spraying over ten feet high, splattering onto everyone around.
Bathed in blood, Xie Erlang's cleaver did not stop, continuing to hack fiercely at the man.
One chop, two chops, three chops...
He kept chopping until the man's head fell to the ground and more than half of his body became a bloody pulp. Finally, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
Dragon Tang, whose path was blocked by the crowd, saw the scene not far away and immediately stood there as if his soul had left him, his long sword clattering to the ground with a "clang."
