A man with his hair tied back, wearing soft armor and carrying a large blade, slowly walked from the underground passage into the gambling hall.
“Who are you?” Wei Yang brandished his long-handled saber, dropping into a combat stance as he questioned the newcomer.
“Just a lowly thug for an underground gambling den. As Ah Qi said, the basement is where we eat, drink, and sleep. There is no need for you to enter, Sir.”
Wei Yang’s gaze swept over the man before landing on the war pattern on his chest armor.
He could never forget it. The Red Tiger Roaring to the Heavens — it was the spiritual totem of the Anxi Army, a sacred and inviolable symbol in the hearts of every Anxi soldier.
To him, that pattern was as much a symbol of the Great Qian and Sheng’an as the flag itself!
Suppressing the fury in his chest, Wei Yang’s voice trembled as he asked, “That soft armor you’re wearing… where on earth did you get it?”
The man patted his breastplate casually. “This? It’s the standard inner armor for every member of the Anxi Army, of course.”
“SHUT UP!”
*Thud! Crack!*
Wei Yang roared, slamming his saber into the floor. He didn’t hold back; the massive force drove the handle deep into the floorboards.
“I know it’s standard Anxi armor! That’s why I’m asking… where did you get it?”
Wei Yang gripped the handle tighter, assuming a fighting stance. “Furthermore, the Anxi soldier you killed — where is his body?!”
“Is the Great Officer playing dumb, or have you served in Sheng’an so long that you’ve forgotten?”
The man circulated his true qi and leaped onto the second-floor balcony. Leaning against the railing, he looked down at Wei Yang. “Or do you really think… that Anxi soldiers are so weak that I could just kill one and strip his armor whenever I pleased?”
As he spoke, nearly ten more men filed out from the underground corridor. Every one of them wore the soft armor with the Red Tiger Roaring to the Heavens. They carried blunt objects or long-handled weapons. They moved with discipline and had gazes like tigers, staring fixedly at Wei Yang.
Four of them were the same thugs with the scarred eye.
Seeing those familiar stances and that imposing aura, Wei Yang’s knuckles turned white. His eyes were bloodshot as he looked up at the man. “I’m asking you one last time. Where did this equipment… come from?!”
Seeing Wei Yang still lying to himself, the man grinned, too disdainful to even respond.
“TELL ME! WHERE… DID… THESE… ARMORS… COME… FROM!!!”
Wei Yang stomped his foot, immediately activating the *Seven Star Burning Radiance Art*. His vast blood-qi surged like a rushing river, as brilliant as a rising sun.
At this sight, the nearly ten armored warriors drew their weapons and activated the *Seven Star Burning Radiance Art* in unison.
Feeling that all-too-familiar aura, Wei Yang felt his head throb. A wave of suffocating rage surged up his throat.
These people… they really were deserters!
Scum of the Anxi Army!
The shame of Great Qian!
The man jumped down from the second floor, grabbed a large blade, and pointed it at Wei Yang, shouting:
“Who is the general that comes?”
“Wei Yang of Anxi!”
Wei Yang’s fury reached the heavens. He swung his saber and took a heavy step forward.
*Thud, thud, thud!*
“Enlisted in the twenty-fifth year of Xuanyuan. Eighty-four rebel heads taken!”
His Fourth Realm blood-qi was like the midday sun. Array patterns lit up on his dark-brown heavy armor. For a moment, it sounded as if a tiger were roaring inside the hall.
The man remained calm as a breeze. “I’ve never heard of such a person in the Anxi Army!”
“The Anxi Army?”
Veins popped on Wei Yang’s forehead as he lunged forward, blade swinging.
*Clang — *
The other ten warriors using the *Seven Star Burning Radiance Art* attacked him simultaneously.
Metal clashed against metal, ringing out rhythmically.
Wei Yang fought three at once. He held his saber horizontally, blocking the three blades pressing down on him. His eyes narrowed, and he exerted force through his legs.
“Hah!”
The three warriors were instantly knocked back.
Breathing heavily, he glared at the man and roared, “You are not worthy of mentioning the Anxi Army!”
With that, Wei Yang threw himself into a chaotic melee against the ten opponents also using the *Seven Star Burning Radiance Art*.
In an instant, the tables and chairs in the hall were reduced to dust. Waves of surging blood-qi swept through the room, making the paintings on the pillars flutter and rattle.
*Clang — *
A one-handed war hammer slammed into Wei Yang’s back. The massive impact sent his internal organs reeling, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
*Pfft…*
Wei Yang stumbled to his knees. The remaining four warriors swarmed him, their cold blades slashing down.
Enduring the excruciating pain, Wei Yang raised his saber behind him to block. He gritted his teeth, letting blood drip from the webs of his thumbs as he used the handle to desperately hold back the descending blades.
*Thump!*
Even though Wei Yang was a realm higher than his attackers, he was outnumbered. Under the dual enhancement of the *Seven Star Burning Radiance Art* and the armor, he was eventually defeated. A blunt weapon crushed his right leg, and he rolled across the floor, unable to stand.
The man walked over slowly, squatted down, and asked in a low voice, “During the suppression of the Shi State rebellion, did you march with High Commander Gao?”
“I did,” Wei Yang replied, forcing himself upright and glaring back.
The man fell silent for a moment. He stood up and pointed at a drum on the second floor. “I will beat that drum three times. If you are still alive after that…”
He glanced at his men. “I will give you the answer you seek.”
Wei Yang gritted his teeth and stood up. After a quick glance, he activated his technique again, using his blood-qi to forcefully support his broken leg. He swung his saber and charged at the surrounding warriors.
“HAAAH — !!!”
The two sides collided once more amidst furious roars.
—
*Drip, drip.*
Murky water dripped slowly from the eaves of the dilapidated mud-and-tile houses. The air was thick with the stench of decay and a faint, lingering smell of blood.
Gu Wangchen frowned, pulling out a silk handkerchief to cover his nose and mouth. He flicked his sleeves in annoyance.
Although he had intentionally sent Wei Yang away, he wasn’t certain the man could find the attackers’ lair, nor was he sure if they only had one base of operations. Splitting up was a safety measure.
Furthermore, he had the Taixu Cangyue given to him by Xiao Wan. Even if they encountered a danger they couldn’t handle, he could resolve it like a *deus ex machina*.
‘It’s better if I don’t act personally. After all, I have a fighter here that I might as well use,’ he thought.
Thinking this, he cleared his throat and spoke to the girl beside him, who was standing with her eyes closed. “Sikong Yue, hurry up and use your technique. Time is precious; we can’t afford to dally.”
“I know, I’m doing it right now. My method is very subtle, you understand?” Sikong Yue opened her beautiful eyes and huffed, not even turning her head.
“…Fine, you’re the professional. Just do your best.”
“Of course. I absolutely loathe those guys!”
The thought of being dragged out by Gu Wangchen in the middle of the night because of those attackers made her clench her fists. She would definitely bring them to justice. She would personally cleanse this land where the flowers of evil bloomed!
*Sniff, sniff — *
Suddenly, Sikong Yue stopped. Her nose twitched as she turned to look toward a dark side alley.
“What… is there something?” Gu Wangchen instinctively stepped behind her, shielding himself as if he expected something terrifying to leap out from the shadows.
Sikong Yue gave him a look of pure disdain. “Indeed. I think I found it.”