Chapter 35: The Feast Begins
He Lianzheng’s eyes blazed with fury as he watched Chen Shi dispatch Zhao Yue and Zhao Xue’e with two chopsticks. The brazenness of it, combined with his failure to protect the Zhao siblings, ignited a rage that bordered on madness.
The Zhao family’s Xuan Ying Estate had sent Zhao Yue to resolve the mystery of the Iron Pen Scholar’s and Steward Zhao Ming’s disappearances while seeking Zhao Yue’s sister, the Second Miss. They entrusted He Lianzheng with the critical task of safeguarding Zhao Yue and his party.
Zhao Yue, despite being the third son, held considerable prestige within the Zhao family. Known for his intelligence, refined demeanor, and love of music and literature, he was adored by many. Rumors suggested that if the eldest son failed to meet expectations and the Second Miss remained missing, the family patriarch might designate Zhao Yue as his successor.
Zhao Xue’e, Zhao Yue’s 16-year-old sister, had joined her brother on this journey out of a desire to assist in the family’s efforts. Gentle and kind-hearted, she was a girl who wouldn’t harm a fly.
Yet in this remote village, two mere chopsticks had ended the lives of both Zhao siblings in an instant.
He Lianzheng clenched his teeth and charged forward. But before he could close the distance, Chen Shi acted with astonishing precision. Flipping the Eight Immortals table, Chen Shi obscured the line of sight of the surrounding guards.
As the table soared through the air, Chen Shi retreated swiftly. In a single motion, his hand became a blade that slashed the throat of a Jin Yiwei standing behind Zhao Yue.
“So fast!” the guard thought as despair overtook him. He saw the attack but had no time to evade. His neck snapped audibly under the force.
Right Two, eliminated.
Pivoting, Chen Shi unleashed a fist that connected with another guard’s face, slamming his head into the ancient temple’s wall. With a dull thud, the wall cracked, and the guard’s skull broke through. Outside, guards saw chunks of bricks and a bloodied head protruding from the wall.
Left One, eliminated.
“Enemy attack!”
Chaos erupted as the remaining guards and Zhao family members scrambled. Chairs were overturned, feet stumbled, and bodies collided in their panic to evade Chen Shi.
The guards hesitated, unable to use their powerful techniques for fear of harming their allies in the cramped and chaotic space.
Amid the disarray, Chen Shi was a picture of calm.
Once he decided to act, all hesitation vanished, replaced by a focus so sharp it bordered on instinct. Each move was precise, every strike fatal.
Chen Shi darted like a fish through the fray, sidestepping a charging guard. He curled his thumb under his middle finger and struck the guard’s temple. The blow shattered the thin bone, sending a burst of blood through the man’s eye as his brain ceased functioning.
Right One, eliminated.
Chen Shi found himself back-to-back with the collapsing body as Zhao Yan swung a chair at him. The chair shattered on impact, leaving Zhao Yan holding two sharp chair legs.
Before Zhao Yan could react, Chen Shi thrust one of the chair legs into his throat. Zhao Yan staggered, clutching at the wood embedded in his neck, but his strength failed him.
Zhao Yan, eliminated.
With his left leg, Chen Shi kicked an incoming guard in the groin. Spinning, he plunged the other chair leg into another guard’s abdomen.
Left Two, eliminated.
The temple descended further into chaos as Jin Yiwei activated talismans. One guard used a Golden Force Talisman, his body glowing with golden light, muscles swelling as he charged at Chen Shi like a bull.
Chen Shi didn’t hesitate. His blood and qi surged, his arm thickening as he met the guard’s punch with his own. The impact shattered the guard’s fingers and arm, forcing jagged bone shards into his chest.
Though injured, the guard struck Chen Shi’s face repeatedly with his other hand. Chen Shi endured the blows, pushing the guard into the wall and driving the broken bone deeper until the guard’s life ebbed away.
Left Three, eliminated.
Another Zhao family member unleashed a Ziwu Evil-Slaying Sword from his shrine. Chen Shi ducked just in time, and the sword energy decapitated a fellow Zhao family member behind him.
Seizing a shard of a broken plate, Chen Shi attacked with brutal efficiency, slashing his target over a dozen times before the plate slipped from his bloodied fingers.
Amid the carnage, He Lianzheng remained a formidable opponent. He lunged with his three-barreled musket, its butt slamming into Chen Shi’s chest like a hammer. The force hurled Chen Shi into the air, where he twisted to avoid a shot.
The musket’s discharge tore through the temple wall, leaving a gaping hole. Chen Shi scrambled up the rafters as He Lianzheng reloaded, his shrine glowing with power. Sword energy and gunfire tore through the temple, sending sunlight streaming through the roof.
He Lianzheng leapt to the roof, scanning for Chen Shi, but found no trace. Realizing his quarry had doubled back, his face darkened.
Inside the temple, Chen Shi pinned the final Zhao family member’s head against the wall. With a sickening crunch, blood splattered as he ended the fight.
All six Zhao family members, eliminated.
Chen Shi exhaled deeply, his resolve firm. “A gentleman must inspire awe through decisive action. If I had spared any of them, how could I intimidate the Zhao family in the provincial capital?”
He allowed himself a small smile. “If Scholar Zhu were here, he’d be pleased. I didn’t waste his teachings.”