As for how exactly Sui Hezhi had gotten up…
He was still puzzled even when he was already standing.
Sui Hezhi looked at Ou Yangming in astonishment and exhaled deeply. The present Ou Yangming had indeed become a figure who was beyond his reach.
He recalled the times when he exchanged blows with Ou Yangming and taught the blacksmith the military’s first technique and blade art.
Those scenes seemed so vivid at the moment, but they were already gone with the wind.
Despite that, Sui Hezhi curbed his emotions at once. “Master Ou, please save Squad Leader Yan!”
Ou Yangming twitched his mouth as he wondered, ‘What are you talking about?
‘You were just talking about Jiang Chengwei’s family, but now you’re suddenly talking about Yan Haobo. The change is too fast.’
“Ah, Brother Sui, what exactly happened? Tell me slowly.”
Perhaps Sui Hezhi was influenced by Ou Yangming’s composure, he finally recollected himself.
Following that, Ou Yangming found out the entire matter through the soldier.
After Jiang Chengwei and the other soldiers died in the fight, the Middle Camp, the South Camp, and the West Camp had given a pension each. The Middle Camp and the South Camp were obliged to do it because their men had died, but the West Camp’s pension came from Chen Yifan’s own pocket.
General Chen considered himself as ou Yangming’s master, hence he had a favorable impression of the soldiers, who died protecting his disciple.
Since Jiang Chengwei was from the prefecture, his pension was naturally given to the military camp in the prefecture to be passed on. On top of that, Chen Yifan had somehow lost his mind as he even ordered his Guards to visit the family members of the deceased soldiers. If the family members had reasonable requests, he would act at his own discretion.
When the general gave the order, someone naturally had to run the errand.
Yan Haobo was the squad leader who was instructed to come to the prefecture, and given that he was coming to the prefecture, Liu Zhengye had asked him to bring Sui Hezhi, who was friends with Ou Yangming, along.
They initially thought that it was going to be a regular trip of an official duty.
However, when they arrived at the address given by Jiang Chengwei before he passed, they were shocked.
The residence was no longer occupied by Jiang Chengwei’s family, but by a few unrelated strangers.
When Yan Haobo questioned the strangers, not only did they deny all knowledge of the matter, but they also remarked disdainfully, “How dare a squad leader from a remote military camp drop in? You have a death wish!’
Yan Haobo was very well-experienced, thus he instantly left and asked around.
Jiang Chengwei and his younger sister had been depending on each other. Apart from the ancestral house, they did not possess anything valuable. Before Jiang Chengwei joined the military, he and his younger sister had been living poorly. Fortunately, Jiang Chengwei gained a firm foothold in the military due to his martial arts background, so he was able to live a better life with his younger sister. That said, everything changed after he died in the fight.
Three days after the bad news came, someone visited his younger sister and insisted on selling their house.
Jiang Chengwei’s younger sister was obviously unwilling to sell it, but the people threatened her to choose between the house or her life.
Therefore, the house’s owner changed on the fifth day. As for Jiang Chengwei’s lonely younger sister, she was nowhere to be found.
At the very least, nobody had seen her, and nobody knew her whereabouts.
Yan Haobo was infuriated after finding out what had happened. Though Jiang Chengwei was the Middle Camp’s squad leader and was not directly related to the West Camp, the Immense Forest Military Camp was not that huge, so they used to have a nodding acquaintance. Moreover, the soldiers had always adopted a hostile attitude toward people who bullied soldiers.
As such, Yan Haobo immediately barged into the house.
Nonetheless, the men were already on guard such that five Yin Grade martial artists attacked when Yan Haobo and Sui Hezhi entered.
Yan Haobo made a prompt decision by letting Sui Hezhi break out of the encirclement, and he ended up resisting the five martial artists on his own. While Yan Haobo fought with a desperate attempt to cause destruction to both sides, he had fallen into enemy hands in the end.
Sui Hezhi thought about Ou Yangming as soon as he escaped. If Ou Yangming wanted to stay out of the matter or his hands were tied, Sui Hezhi could only hurry back to the Immense Forest Military Camp to report to the general. Ou Yangming closed his eyes after hearing the whole story.
He was expressionless, but Sui Hezhi somehow sensed a hair-raising chill as if the temperature around them lowered.
‘I applied for home leave as I’m visiting my younger sister in the prefecture.
“Okay, it’s a blessing to be able to travel with you, Master Ou.
‘Boom –
The insignificant squad leader had used Heaven and Earth as its bow, and his body as the arrow. He shot the most dazzling arrow in his life.
ero
The explosive arrow on his body soon exploded, causing numerous steel shards to burst in all directions. Additionally, there was a drizzle of blood in that area.
As Ou Yangming kept his eyes shut, his eyes became bloodshot as the tragic scene surfaced again.
Amidst the flesh and blood, Ou Yangming even saw the head and the face of the squad leader, who did not die in peace and looked like he was asking him a question.
‘I was the one who invited Jiang Chengwei to travel together, and he died without his corpse intact in order to protect me.
‘But I actually forgot about his family.’ An intense feeling of regret bit Ou Yangming’s nerves, and a fire burned his heart like it was going to turn him into ashes.
“Brother Sui, has Squad Leader Yan been captured?”
“Yes,” Sui Hezhi answered involuntarily as he shivered.
“Is Squad Leader Jiang’s younger sister still missing?”
“Yes.”
“She’s likely in a terrible spot, right?”
Sui Hezhi hesitated for a while, but he answered, “Yes.”
Although it had not been confirmed, and there was no proof that she was already dead, they believed that the weak lady who lost her older brother’s protection had unlikely survived.
Ou Yangming finally opened his eyes, which were full of intense and undisguised killing intent.
“Let’s go!”
Sui Hezhi was dumbfounded. “Where to?”
Ou Yangming smirked. “Where you came from is where we’re going!”
Sui Hezhi followed him nervously, but for some reason, his footsteps were steadier, and he was feeling more thrilled.
Chapter 160 - Cruel And Merciless
Chapter 160 Cruel And Merciless
Martial Arts Alley.
It was on a street in the prefecture for the middle-class. The people who lived here were not as wealthy as the Ni family and the Fang family, which were inherited clans, but they were much better than the people who lived in slums.
When Ou Yangming and Sui Hezhi arrived at the Martial Arts Alley, they heard a clamor.
A few big men, who were dressed like runners, guarded the alley to disallow anyone from passing. By looking from outside the alley, Ou Yangming and Sui Hezhi could see that the floor was covered in blood.
Ou Yangming raised his eyebrow and felt his blood boil. He strode into the alley.
“Who are you? Stand right there!” One of the runner’s face changed and shouted while he swiftly swung a metal rod at Ou Yangming’s shoulder.
“Hmph!”
Ou Yangming scoffed and tilted his body a little to dodge the rod wonderfully, then he leaned forward.
The runner, who had lost his footing, screamed and was sent flying such that he crashed into his partner behind him. The two of th
em instantly groaned and rolled on the ground like gourds.
As a result of the noise, the people inside were alerted, but before they had come out, Ou Yangming and Sui Hezhi entered the house.
After Ou Yangming entered the house, Ou Yangming understood why they were daring enough to want to murder someone for money.
The house was a great place indeed. Not only did it have a spacious courtyard and a few rooms, but the buildings were also handled with care. The place was marvelous, but it gave off a special feeling of peace. If a weak lady lost the protection of a powerful older brother, it would be difficult for her to protect the property.
A few men quickly surrounded them. Apart from the few runners, there were also three men, who were dressed like martial artists, and a plump middle-aged man.
“It’s him, yes, it’s him!” The middle-aged man’s eyes lit up at the sight of Sui Hezhi and was elated. “Constable Yang, this fella is one of the bad guys who trespassed the private property. Quickly arrest him and interrogate him by torture! Ah, there’s another b*stard here, arrest…”
Before he could finish, his vision became blurry. The young man, whom he regarded as a b*stard, had unexpectedly appeared in front of him.
“Be careful!”
“Dodge!”
The voices that were suddenly heard suggested to the middle-aged man that something was off. Nonetheless, he heard a gust of wind before he could even react.
Following that, the middle-aged man’s body involuntarily flew up and turned one round in the air before he fell hard to the ground. The middle-aged man felt an immense pain on his face while he was also dizzy from the fall, and the pain quickly turned numb such that half of his body lost sensitivity.
Constable Yang and the three martial artists charged at the same time, but Ou Yangming had attacked swiftly, decisively, and mercilessly. Therefore, even though the men gave their all, they could not manage to save their friend.
The four of them felt their faces burn as well, and they tried to grab Ou Yangming at the same time with the intention to take down the fanatic.
Nevertheless, Ou Yangming suddenly roared, “The military is capturing gangsters, and anyone in the way — including their family members — will be killed!”
His voice was like deafening thunder in the void that subsequently shook their minds.
Not to mention Constable Yang subconsciously slowed down, the three martial artists froze as well.
Despite that, Ou Yangming did not slow down. He lowered his body and went close to the inner arm of one of the martial artists, then launched a hit with his fist like a venomous snake that came out of a cave to catch its prey. He punched at such perfect timing, which was when the man was hesitating. In addition, Ou Yangming’s body movement was unpredictable, so it was impossible for the man to guard against him. The martial artist only had the cultivation base of Yin Grade Class One, hence he was punched in the neck before he could even react.
A loud sound was heard, then the man’s body instantly went weak. Ou Yangming’s punch was merciless as it simply decided the man’s fate. Just as the man wanted to dodge, he was already killed.
“Little Brother!” Another martial artist widened his eyes and shouted sorrowfully as he pounced on the man regardless of the cost. However, Ou Yangming dragged and pushed the corpse away without batting an eyelid.
The other martial artist was mournful, but he subconsciously hugged his brother’s body, and it was then when he felt a throbbing pain on his abdomen. When the martial artist lowered his head to look, he saw a dagger being stabbed through his and his brother’s abdomen.
He recognized the dagger because it was his brother’s weapon.
Ou Yangming had dragged the corpse earlier to pull out the dagger, and he used the dead body as a cover to stab the dagger through it to injure the other martial artist. On top of that, Ou Yangming shook his wrist to channel surging essential Qi into the martial artist’s body, causing the man’s internal organs to disintegrate.
Having suffered such injuries, even God could not save the martial artist.
The remaining martial artist turned pale and was frightened. His cultivation base was similar to his companions’, and he had thought that they would be fine if they attacked together. That said, his partners had died in the blink of an eye, hence he shivered in fear with knees that had gone weak.
Constable Yang gasped. Being a constable, he had seen plenty of fierce people. Even then, he had only encountered very few who were cruel, merciless, and could kill with one fatal move.
“Who are you? Aren’t you afraid of being wanted by the authorities for killing innocent people?” The constable backed away and yelled. He sounded fierce, but he was standing in a defensive stance; ready to retreat at any time.
“Wanted?” Ou Yangming sneered. “Sui Hezhi, were these three men involved?”
Sui Hezhi was dumbfounded. He had witnessed the skills of the few men and knew that they were more than just mediocre, but they were weak against Ou Yangming and were killed almost instantly.
After being asked loudly by Ou Yangming, Sui Hezhi quickly answered, “Yes, they were all involved!”
“Very well! According to the law, their heads should be chopped off for attacking and killing a serving military officer, and their family members will suffer the same fate!” Ou Yangming said with a deep voice, then he roared like a killing god at the last martial artist. “Do you want to be seized, or do you want to be killed?”
When Ou Yangming questioned, his mental power suddenly burst out. Although it could not cause physical damage, it became an enormous mental pressure.
The martial artist collapsed due to fear, and he trembled so much that he could not even let a word out.
In actual fact, while Ou Yangming’s mental power posed a certain pressure on the man, it would not be extremely fearsome.
Nonetheless, he had attacked ruthlessly earlier and killed two men without warning. As such, his malicious act was more effective than words and pressure, by which the last martial artist was already shaking with a palsy of fright.
Ou Yangming sneered and turned to say, “Constable Yang, seeing as we share imperial funds and goods, I won’t kill you, but if you dare to interfere, don’t blame me!”
Constable Yang’s face was as white as a sheet. He mumbled, “Wh-which military camp are you from? What military order are you serving?”
“You don’t deserve to know,” Ou Yangming uttered coldly. He later ignored the constable and approached the plump middle-aged man.
Constable Yang’s face was green and white, but he felt a chill when he looked at the corpses on the floor. When he looked at his terrified followers behind him, he no longer wanted to push his luck.
He had actually guessed the reason behind this matter when Ou Yangming brought up the military, thus he got rid of the idea to stop the fight. When one brought evil upon oneself, there would be no hope of escape, after all…
When Ou Yangming cast a cold look at the plump man, the man quivered out of fear and shouted, “Mi-Military Master! I’m an officer from the Liang family. Please spare me, this has nothing to do with me…”
Even the Yin Grade martial artist had sprawled on the floor due to Ou Yangming’s ruthlessness, let alone this middle-aged man who obviously lived a comfortable life.
Ou Yangming said slowly, “I’ve come on military orders to investigate an important matter, and you’ll answer me when I ask. If you answer well, I’ll spare you; if you don’t, you’ll end up like them.”
“Yes, yes!”
“What’s your name?”
“Liang Jiafu, my name is Liang Jiafu, and I’m an officer from the Liang residence.” He kept bringing up the Liang residence, which was evident that he was strongly hopeful about it.
Ou Yangming scorned. “Where’s the squad leader who was captured by accident?”.
“In the cellar, he’s in the cellar!” Liang Jiafu replied to him tearfully, “We didn’t plan to hurt him as we
only wanted to scare him away, but he insisted on attacking us, so we were left with no choice!”
“Where are the two other men who also attacked him?” Ou Yangming continued to ask.
“They’re on duty today, so they’ve returned.”
Ou Yangming signaled Sui Hezhi with his eyes, but he quickly asked, “You’re just an officer, so how did you hire five Yin Grade masters to set an ambush?”
“Military Master, when your comrades came and asked around for information, I was naturally informed, so I only hired them to protect myself.” Ou Yangming casually asked a few questions, and he asked so quickly that the man had no time to think.
At the spur of the moment, Ou Yangming questioned, “Where’s the original female owner here? Did you kill her?”
“No!” Liang Jiafu subconsciously blurted, but he quickly reacted and explained, “Military Master, we really didn’t kill anyone! We only scared the lady away, but she went missing in the end.”
“Master Ou, I found him!”
Sui Hezhi shouted in excitement as he carried Yan Haobo and ran over.
Yan Haobo was obviously severely injured because he could not use his limbs, but as long as he was still alive, Ou Yangming could heal him.
Ou Yangming’s ears twitched a little, and he uttered coldly, “Return to the camp!” “What?” Sui Hezhi asked as he was startled
Ou Yangming did not explain and simply ran away after carrying Yan Haobo. Sui Hezhi was confused, but he followed the young fellow.
Liang Jiafu sighed a breath of relief because he managed to survive.
On the other hand, Constable Yang had a grave expression on his face because he had a vague feeling that this was not the end, and a bigger storm might be coming.
Chapter 161 - Come… With Me!
Chapter 161 Come… With Me!
Ou Yangming strode and led the way out of the prefecture. “Master Ou, are we leaving the prefecture? This way is nearer!” Sui Hezhi called out to him from behind.
Nonetheless, Ou Yangming responded to him without stopping, “Not there, over here!”
Immortal Path to Heaven c1-725 Page 95
