Chapter 128: If a man does not look out for himself, heaven and earth will destroy him!

"Kill!"

"Whoever captures Zhang Zhiji alive shall be rewarded with three thousand taels of silver, and he may take his pick of any woman in Feng City!"

"Haha, follow the Second Master and slaughter these imperial dogs!"

"These imperial dogs are utterly pathetic..."

In a heartbeat, the situation on the battlefield shifted dramatically.

With the ferocity of a god of war, "The Wall" Zhang Kewang swung his spiked mace repeatedly, crushing seven or eight imperial soldiers and carving out a vast space for himself. He had effectively seized the initiative, even going so far as to clamor for the capture of Zhang Zhiji himself. This surge of momentum pushed the morale of the bandits to its peak, leaving the imperial forces in a precarious position.

"Useless!"

"Useless!"

"You are all completely useless!"

"How could I have raised such a pack of spineless fools..."

On this side, Zhang Zhiji was so infuriated his nose felt crooked. He never imagined that, even in such a predicament, his men would not only fail to take down Zhang Kewang but be pushed back by him so aggressively.

"General Zhang Wuwei, I will guard the young duke. I must trouble you to deal with Zhang Kewang at once!!!"

Li Yuanjing was becoming anxious. He possessed a secret weapon—a grenade—that could immediately control the situation, but this was his final trump card, one he was reluctant to reveal until the very last moment. Seeing the situation on the verge of collapse, he no longer cared about anything else and shouted directly at Zhang Wuwei.

Zhang Wuwei, however, was sharp; he ignored Li Yuanjing and looked urgently toward Zhang Zhiji.

Zhang Zhiji stomped his feet in a rage. "Why are you just standing there like a fool? Listen to the gentleman and take down that Zhang Kewang immediately!!!"

"Yes!"

With Zhang Zhiji's command, Zhang Wuwei dared not hesitate. He took a long horse lance handed to him by a nearby personal guard, let out a roar, and, flanked by a dozen of his elite men, strode forward to engage Zhang Kewang.

Seeing Zhang Wuwei approach, the surrounding bandits did not dare to block his path; they scattered, clearing a space for him.

"Hahaha!"

"Well come, well come! Taste my mace!!!"

Seeing Zhang Wuwei approaching with such menacing momentum, Zhang Kewang showed no fear. Instead, he let out a wild, unrestrained laugh and swung his spiked mace to meet him!

"Clang!"

"Clang, clang, clang!"

In an instant, it was like Guan Yu battling Lu Bu. The two men, who fought like superhuman titans, clashed with incredible speed and ferocity.

Even Li Yuanjing was left stunned, feeling his own blood burning with excitement. No wonder, since ancient times, generals in the army favored long weapons. Truly, "every inch of length is an inch of strength!"

In a clash of this caliber, their bodyguards could not intervene; anyone who dared to step into the fray would surely be reduced to cannon fodder in an instant. Each strike seemed to carry the force of a thousand pounds, sparks flying as their weapons collided.

***

After a dozen exchanges, it was clear that Zhang Wuwei was no match for Zhang Kewang. He retreated several steps and spat out a mouthful of blood. Even though he quickly swallowed it back and threw himself back into the fray, his exhaustion was evident, a sight that made those watching feel a deep sense of dread.

Li Yuanjing couldn't stop swallowing, unable to describe his current state of mind. He could clearly see that Zhang Wuwei was a top-tier physical specimen, standing nearly 1.85 meters tall, a veritable "human weapon." But Zhang Kewang, "The Wall," was on the level of an "alien."

Not only did he stand over 1.9 meters tall, but his arm span easily dwarfed Zhang Wuwei's. What was more terrifying was that while Zhang Wuwei's strength was the result of diligent, lifelong training, Zhang Kewang possessed raw, innate power.

No matter how hard you train, how can you compete with natural endowment?

It reminded him of a cynical piece of wisdom from the future: "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration." But those who cherry-picked the quote always forgot the latter part of the sage’s words: "That one percent of inspiration is far more important than the ninety-nine percent of perspiration!"

Seeing that Zhang Wuwei was about to collapse, Li Yuanjing didn't know what to say. He signaled Zhang Zhiji, preparing to make a run for it.

"Bastard, that bastard..."

Even as Zhang Zhiji stomped his feet in fury, he had no choice. He and Li Yuanjing, shielded by four or five dozen bodyguards, began to retreat.

"Haha!"

"Imperial dog, with only that much ability, you dare to risk your life with me? Do you even have the capital to do so?!"

Just then, the situation took a sudden turn!

Zhang Kewang swung his mace once more, forcefully knocking aside Zhang Wuwei’s long lance. Zhang Wuwei let out a cry of pain as the weapon was ripped from his grip.

"Long live the Second Master!"

"Long live the Second Master!!!"

The surrounding bandits were whipped into a frenzy, screaming at the top of their lungs. Like a god of war looking down upon the world, Zhang Kewang slammed his mace into the ground with a loud clang, laughing wildly, ready to finish off Zhang Wuwei as if he were merely crushing a child.

"This..."

Even Li Yuanjing found it hard to look. He could not have imagined that even Zhang Wuwei would be no match for Zhang Kewang.

"Bang!"

However, just as Li Yuanjing was about to close his eyes, a terrifying change occurred.

Zhang Kewang, having charged at Zhang Wuwei like a fierce tiger, ready to deliver the killing blow, stopped dead in his tracks before his blood-stained mace could fall. His pupils dilated in utter disbelief.

At that moment, Zhang Wuwei was holding a smoking hand-cannon.

Then, Li Yuanjing saw it—blood was gushing uncontrollably from Zhang Kewang's neck. Zhang Wuwei had shot him point-blank in the throat!

"What the hell are you all standing around for? Kill him for me!!!"

Seeing his personal guards frozen in shock, Zhang Wuwei let out a desperate, guttural howl.

"Yes!"

The guards finally snapped to their senses and rushed toward Zhang Kewang like ravenous wolves.

"Ugh..."

A generation of warrior-level power, the man known as "The Wall," was hacked into a bloody mess by Zhang Wuwei’s guards in the blink of an eye, dying with his eyes wide open in disbelief.

"The bandit chief Zhang Kewang is dead!!! Kill them! Kill them all, leave none alive!!!"

Li Yuanjing finally snapped out of his stupor and began to howl like a wolf. The surrounding imperial soldiers, who had been standing there like wooden statues, finally reacted, rushing toward the bandits with wild shouts.

"Ah—"

"You treacherous imperial dogs, you have no honor..."

"Brothers, fight them to the death! Avenge the Second Master..."

"Second Master, your end is so tragic..."

In the blink of an eye, the bandits realized their fate and fought back with desperate, tragic resolve. However, having lost their pillar, Zhang Kewang, they could no longer muster their previous strength and were forced to fight as scattered individuals.

Soon, they were surrounded by the imperial forces, falling one by one into pools of blood.

Zhang Zhiji let out a twisted smile, then broke into unstoppable, manic laughter: "Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill them all! Leave no one alive!!! Hahaha, hahahaha!!!"

Beside him, Li Yuanjing had already calmed down, his dark eyes filled with an endless, abyssal depth. He muttered to himself: "If a man does not look out for himself, heaven and earth will destroy him!"

He then shouted: "Kill! Slaughter them all, don't let a single one escape!!!"

At the same time, Li Yuanjing was constantly signaling to Zhuzi and Kuizi, telling them to be ready. As soon as the battle outside the middle gate was resolved, they had to ensure they were the first to storm into the inner courtyard of the Liu residence to seize control of the situation at the source!