Chapter 3: Mortal Combat
However, Lu Yuan didn’t go out. He just poked his head out the door to listen to the commotion.
In Ice Valley Lane, two groups were locked in a deadly battle.
One group looked like Garrison Soldiers, about a dozen of them, clad in leather armor and wielding Heavy Weapons. They were fighting several men in black.
The latter were not weak. Though slightly outnumbered, they had all likely reached the Entry Level.
There were six of them in total, and judging by their skills, they were probably from the Northern Barbarians.
CLANG!
An old soldier, wielding a long-handled spiked mace, swung it at the man in black before him.
The man sidestepped, dodging the attack.
The mace head, the size of a baby’s fist, slammed against the wall, sending sparks flying.
The man in black took advantage of the old soldier’s overextended swing, landing a punch on his ribs.
The powerfully built old soldier was knocked to the ground, the area below his abdomen caving in. If not for his leather armor, that single punch would have been fatal. Even so, he was severely injured.
This City Guard Army unit was on patrol in Ice Valley Lane. They had just left the Government Office when they ran into the spies from the Northern Barbarians.
They had been fighting for less time than it takes to drink a cup of tea, and already three old soldiers were down.
The remaining seven were barely holding on.
They were now completely at a disadvantage.
BANG!
Another Border Army soldier was grabbed by the shoulders and thrown through the air.
He slammed into Lu Yuan’s courtyard wall with a dull thud.
CREAK!
The commotion outside was so loud it finally woke the other residents of the lane. Courtyard gates opened one after another.
The people living here weren’t ordinary citizens; they were all Garrison Soldiers from the city. The men emerged, carrying all sorts of weapons.
In an instant, the narrow lane was packed with people.
The leader of the men in black cursed inwardly but showed no fear. He ordered the men beside him, "Kill our way out!"
He was no longer holding back.
He drew a long saber from his waist and, coordinating it with the short spear in his other hand, charged into the crowd.
His movements were agile. Though the lane was crowded, nearly every strike from the leader was lethal.
SCHLICK!
He leaped into the air, bringing his short spear straight down. It pierced a Garrison Soldier’s shoulder, the tip penetrating skin and plunging directly into a lung.
His long saber swept out horizontally, severing another Garrison Soldier’s head.
The display was terrifyingly powerful.
The other five men in black behind him were clearly professionally trained, and all had reached the Entry Level. Following their leader, they actually managed to throw the people of Ice Valley Lane into utter chaos in a short time.
The twenty-odd Garrison Soldiers who had come from nearby courtyards to help, plus the dozen City Guard Army soldiers, were quickly beaten so badly they couldn’t even lift their heads. They lay scattered about the lane, gasping for breath but unable to move.
The acrid stench of blood filled the air.
CRACK!
As the sound of a splintering door panel rang out, Lu Yuan couldn’t help but frown. A Garrison Soldier had been kicked by one of the men in black, sent flying through the courtyard gate and into his yard.
At the same time, the man’s mask was torn off.
It revealed a brutish, fleshy head. The top was bald, tattooed with a black totem.
His vicious eyes met Lu Yuan’s, who was watching through the crack in the door.
"Silence him!"
The leader of the men in black spoke with a halting accent.
The other men closed in on Lu Yuan’s house.
Not wanting to get involved in this mess, Lu Yuan could only shake his head in resignation.
SHING!
As he drew his long saber, the door burst open and Lu Yuan charged out.
He slammed his shoulder hard into the chest of the nearest spy from the Northern Barbarians.
PFFT!
The man spat out a mouthful of blood as his entire upper body caved in.
As the body fell backward, Lu Yuan showed no signs of stopping. He lunged forward with his saber at another man, who raised a short hammer to block.
Sparks flew as the edge of the saber met the hammer’s handle.
A rush of wind came from behind him as men on either side took the opportunity to slash at him with their blades.
Lu Yuan ducked, avoiding the attacks from the sides.
Reversing his grip on the saber, he spun on the spot like a top.
AAAH!
Screams erupted. The three Barbarian Race spies surrounding him had their thighs sliced by his blade. The move was incredibly fast and vicious.
They collapsed in an instant.
They writhed on the ground, screaming. Lu Yuan’s single slash had torn their thighs open.
Blood gushed out like a fountain.
In a brief exchange, four of the six assassins had been taken down.
However, beads of sweat had also formed on Lu Yuan’s forehead. These men were not weak; they were hardened veterans of countless battles.
The fight had seemed simple, but every move had been fraught with hidden danger.
THUD! THUD!
Just then, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed from the lane.
Then, a commander in iron armor, wielding a battle-ax, appeared outside the courtyard.
He was followed by a large number of City Guard Army soldiers.
Lu Yuan recognized the commander in iron armor. It was Zhou Xiong, a Centurion from the North City Defense Department.
A master of the Muscle Refining Realm. After taking in the scene, his gaze swept over Lu Yuan, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
Then, he simply waved his hand. "Kill them!"
As his voice fell, the men behind him charged forward.
They rushed toward the spies from the Northern Barbarians, while Zhou Xiong himself raised his battle-ax and swung it at their leader.
The ax blade tore through the air, its roar exploding in everyone’s ears.
The spy had barely raised his short spear before it was sent flying.
But instead of retreating, he raised the long saber in his left hand and hacked at Zhou Xiong, fighting with a complete disregard for his own life.
CLANG!
Zhou Xiong raised his left arm. A sharp clang rang out from his refined iron vambrace, and sparks flew along its edge.
Without so much as a blink, he brought his ax straight down.
SCHLICK!
The spy’s shoulder was struck. Blood splattered, revealing stark white bone.
Zhou Xiong kicked out, stamping the man to the ground.
His heavy boot stomped down.
The fallen spy’s legs instantly twisted at unnatural angles, clearly broken.
Next, a small hammer smashed directly into the man’s face.
A mess of teeth and blood was spat out.
As for the other spies, they were also subdued. Not only were their limbs broken, but their jaws were dislocated as well.
These Border Army soldiers were rough. After finishing the fight, they began dragging the spies from the Northern Barbarians away. The captives were dragged head-down, too injured to support themselves.
Like sacks of goods, they were dragged away, leaving long trails behind them.
The Northern Barbarians and Dayong had been at war for years. The warriors on both sides of the border shared a blood feud, so any encounter was almost always a fight to the death.
Zhou Xiong didn’t leave right away. Instead, he looked at Lu Yuan with great interest and said, "Taking on six by yourself and severely injuring four... very impressive. You fight like a true man of our Northern Border. What’s your name?"
"Lu Yuan, a new Garrison Soldier at the North Gate. It’s an honor to meet you, sir."
Lu Yuan stepped forward and cupped his fist.
Zhou Xiong nodded. "This gang of spies from the Northern Barbarians has been running rampant in the city for a while now. You’ve performed a great service."
After saying that, he asked no more questions and turned to leave.
After everyone else had left the courtyard, Lu Yuan began to review the battle that had just occurred.
From the moment the men in black charged into his yard to when Zhou Xiong arrived, they all seemed to share one characteristic: they tried their best to keep their distance from the neighboring courtyard.
’Is there something special about it?’
Lu Yuan wondered. After walking out of his courtyard, he saw that the street was indeed covered in signs of fighting, except for an area of several meters around the gate of the neighboring yard, which was completely undisturbed.
However, he didn’t dwell on it.
The people living in this city were all exiles from various places. It was a motley crew where you could find all sorts of characters.
While a large portion were truly guilty of crimes, there were also quite a few who had fled here for refuge after losing political power struggles in the Imperial Court.
’It’s better for me to know as little as possible.’
So, after tidying up the courtyard a bit, he went back inside his house.
This battle was arguably Lu Yuan’s first true life-or-death struggle since arriving in the Northern Border.
He knew that his system’s stats would increase faster in actual combat.
Therefore, as soon as he sat down in his room, he eagerly opened his system panel.
He was ready to see the changes.