These inner disciples had been raised and trained with great effort and resources.
And now, they were slaughtered like chickens and dogs?
Wasn't that kid only at the Minor Achievement stage of tempering blood?
He'd broken through again?
Even if he had reached Major Achievement, so had Huang Tao—and he had so many helpers with him. How could they all have been wiped out? Were they all useless trash?!
After the initial shock faded, fury consumed Song Wu once more. He roared, veins bulging in his neck. "You've gone too far this time! Men! Get him! Bring him down for me!"
The disciples who had fled earlier regained some courage now that their Fifth Master—someone in the tempering bones realm—had arrived.
Swords hissed from their scabbards as they slowly surrounded the White Swan horse, inching closer with caution.
"Who dares to move?!"
At that moment, a shrill, slightly wheezing voice interrupted the tension.
Xu Wencai came stumbling back, panting heavily.
Behind him were soldiers from the Poyang Thousand-Household Division.
At the front stood Flag Officer Fang, followed by Xu Bin, Zhu Tong, and Wang Li.
In total, there were forty to fifty armed soldiers.
"..."
Chen Sanshi hadn't noticed Xu Wencai was gone earlier—so he'd gone to call for reinforcements.
The soldiers held long spears, forming neat ranks on both sides of Chen Sanshi, creating a standoff against the martial hall disciples.
"Sir!"
Xu Wencai gasped for breath as he reported, "Hundred-Household Officer Wang and Thousand-Household Xiang aren't in camp—I could only find Flag Officer Fang!"
"What happened here?!"
Flag Officer Fang's face darkened as he glanced around at the field of corpses. He knew this was bad—very bad.
Forcing himself to stay calm, he cupped his hands and said, "Fifth Master Song, perhaps this is just a misunderstanding?"
"Misunderstanding your mother!"
Song Wu's fury exploded. "He killed my men—so many of them—and you call that a misunderstanding?
"You brought an entire troop here—what, planning to kill me too?!"
"Of course not," Fang said hurriedly, trying to mediate. "How about this—let us take Flag Officer Chen back first. Once Thousand-Household Xiang returns, we can settle everything properly."
"No need!"
Song Wu's eyes burned with hatred. "Today, I'm going to capture him myself and drag him before Xiang Tingchun to see what kind of 'explanation' he dares to give me!"
He snatched a sword from one of his disciples and charged forward, face twisted with rage.
"Flag Officer Chen!"
Fang tried to whisper quickly, "Go now! We'll stall for time—wait, what are you—?!"
Before he could finish, the young man beside him had already raised his spear and spurred his horse forward.
"He's in the tempering bones realm!"
Fang's warning came too late. All he could do was watch as the two figures—one on horseback, one on foot—clashed at blinding speed.
"The gap between tempering blood and tempering bones is like heaven and earth! Where did you get the guts?!"
Song Wu's qi and blood surged violently. The veins beneath his skin bulged, coiling around his bones like steel cables. His body cracked with sharp, popping sounds as muscle cords knotted across his frame, turning him into a humanoid beast.
When he moved, his feet left twin craters in the muddy ground.
The scenery on both sides blurred, and in an instant, he closed to within ten steps of the White Swan horse.
The sword in his hand hummed like thunder, cutting through the air with lightning speed.
Thunderclap Sword Technique!
Rage burned in his chest.
He focused on the youth before him, gripping the spear high in both hands. He planned to dodge the incoming thrust, kill the horse first, then sever one of the boy's arms—and take him alive.
When he was about seven steps away, a streak of cold light suddenly burst forth.
The spearhead had already reached him!
But how?!
He had been watching the weapon the whole time—yet he never even saw when Chen Sanshi moved.
How could he possibly be that fast?!
Startled, Song Wu quickly shifted from attack to defense, raising his sword to parry.
Clang!
Steel met steel.
Both men swept past one another in a blur, neither stopping as their weapons clashed mid-charge.
Song Wu's sword trembled violently in his hand. The fury on his face faded, replaced by shock.
That strike—he hadn't gained any advantage at all.
Even with his higher cultivation realm, the best he managed was a slight edge in raw strength.
Chen Sanshi reined in his horse and turned sharply, his expression composed but his arms slightly tense.
Song Wu was only at the Beginner stage of tempering bones, yet his strength was monstrous. Bone-tempering cultivators truly couldn't be underestimated.
Fortunately, Chen Sanshi had the Dragon Elephant Blood to bolster him, evening out much of the disparity.
If he went all out, there was no reason he couldn't win.
"Come again!" Song Wu roared.
Song Wu attacked again.
The others stood frozen, watching the fierce clash, not knowing what to do.
"He just broke through to Major Achievement—and he can already fight a tempering bones cultivator?!"
Flag Officer Fang couldn't believe what he was seeing.
But there was no time for shock. The situation was spiraling out of control. "We can't let them keep fighting! No matter who gets hurt, this won't end well. I have to find Thousand-Household Xiang right now!"
It really was bad timing.
Not long ago, a large number of men from the Thousand-Household Division had been sent out.
Among them were Hundred-Household Officer Wang Zhi and Liu Jinkui. They were escorting a loaded wagon toward the county seat—apparently on a special mission.
The ones left behind were only those close to Chen Sanshi, so naturally, when trouble broke out, they rushed here to help.
But looking at things now, Fang knew this was beyond his control.
The boy and the martial hall master were both in a frenzy. Once killing intent took over, no one could stop them.
"Brothers, kill them!"
"Eh?!"
Zhu Tong's eyes bulged as he lifted his war hammer, ready to charge forward.
"Kill your ass!"
Fang barked, "You think this is a battlefield?! Use your damn brain! Xu Bin—keep everyone back! I'm going to find Hundred-Household Wang! Whatever happens, we must not let this escalate any further!"
Without wasting another word, he sprinted off toward the county road.
"We're just going to stand here and watch?!"
Zhu Tong pointed furiously at the martial hall disciples. "There's a whole group of them! You're telling me we'll let Shitou handle them alone?!"
Not far away, Chen Sanshi and Song Wu were locked in a violent duel. The martial hall disciples loitered nearby, waiting like vultures—ready to swarm in the moment the young soldier showed the slightest weakness.
"Hey, Xu Bin!"
Zhu Tong cursed, "You know how good that kid's been to you! Don't you dare make me look down on you today!"
"Damn it, like I need you to tell me that?!"
Xu Bin pulled out his willow-leaf saber and shouted, "Brothers! Surround those martial hall bastards!"
"Flag Officer Fang said not to act rashly!"
A few sub-flag officers tried to stop him.
But Xu Bin ignored them completely.
Zhu Tong was right.
Since the day he met Chen Sanshi, he'd seen what kind of man he was—upright, loyal, dependable.
And now, when the kid was outnumbered and fighting for his life, how could he just stand aside?
Xu Bin had always been a man who followed orders, and his men respected that. So when he gave the command, they didn't hesitate.
Wang Li and the others didn't need convincing either.
They'd just received their rewards thanks to Chen Sanshi. Even if they weren't brave enough to rush into the fight, they sure as hell wouldn't stand by and let the martial hall disciples take cheap shots.
Another sub-flag officer quickly joined in.
Of the fifty soldiers stationed at Swallow-Edge Village, thirty rushed forward, encircling the martial hall disciples in a wall of spears.
"What are you doing?!"
The martial hall disciples stepped back in panic as the long spears formed a deadly ring around them. "You people killed first! Now you're surrounding us? Are you planning to massacre innocent citizens?!"
"Innocent, my ass!"
Zhu Tong's hammer came down hard, smashing into the chest of the one who spoke. The man coughed up blood and collapsed unconscious on the spot.
The rest fell silent instantly.
"No one move!"
Xu Bin roared, his voice cutting through the chaos. "Anyone dares make a move—kill them on the spot!"
The martial hall disciples froze.
They were thugs at heart—bullies, not warriors.
Without their master's backing, they didn't dare fight to the death. So they stood stiffly in place, waiting for their Fifth Master to win before acting tough again.
If Song Wu lost, none of them had the courage to resist.
…
Xu Bin watched the duel anxiously.
The two men's movements were too fast, their power too great. He couldn't even see their strikes clearly, much less intervene.
All he could do was pray that Flag Officer Fang would hurry back with help—before Chen Sanshi's strength ran out.