Chapter 196 - 193: Gunshot in the Forest
BANG!
A gunshot rang out. A bullet burst from the muzzle, rocketing forward at an unparalleled speed.
"What is that?"
When the second Fang brother saw Ye Xing pull out a handgun, he couldn’t help but freeze. It was clearly his first time seeing such a weapon, and he had no idea what it was. As he stood there in confusion, the gun suddenly fired, and a bullet streaked toward him, leaving an afterimage in its wake.
"That speed—ah!"
The second Fang brother, Fang Yuanzhu, his face twisting in horror, hurriedly tried to dodge, but the bullet was faster.
SPLURT!
As a bloodcurdling scream rang out, the bullet pierced Fang Yuanzhu’s forehead, right between the eyes, sending a splash of blood into the air. It entered through his brow, tore through his skull, and exited the back of his head, taking a few crimson drops with it.
THUD! Fang Yuanzhu’s eyes instantly lost their light. He still clutched his Great Saber, but all signs of life had vanished from his body. His corpse fell stiffly to the ground—a headshot. He couldn’t be more dead.
Although Ye Xing’s cultivation was only at the Martial Arts Fourth Realm, he possessed multiple Earth-tier Manuals, which raised his combat strength to a level comparable to a powerful Fifth Realm expert. Even in a head-on fight with the second Fang brother, Fang Yuanzhu, Ye Xing was confident he could kill him. Fang Yuanzhu had planned on using his superior reserves of True Qi to wear Ye Xing down, but in reality, if they had truly fought head-on, it would have been Ye Xing wearing *him* down to death.
This was because Ye Xing also possessed the Thunder Heart Spring Wood. Having this Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasure gave Ye Xing an absurdly powerful regenerative ability. His Inner Strength was supplied endlessly, and as long as he didn’t suffer a fatal blow, any injury could be healed in an extremely short amount of time.
Therefore, in a direct confrontation, the second Fang brother would have undoubtedly been the one to die. However, Ye Xing couldn’t be bothered to draw his sword; fighting with a Sword Skill would simply take too long. The second brother was, after all, at the Peak of the Fifth Realm. For Ye Xing, at the Fourth Realm, to kill him would still take a considerable amount of time. The Eight Treasures Profound Spirit Pill was what truly mattered. Ye Xing was in a hurry to snatch it and didn’t want to waste too much time here. So, he didn’t even bother drawing his sword, opting instead to draw his gun and instantly kill the second Fang brother, Fang Yuanzhu.
Fang Yuanzhu’s cultivation was at the Martial Arts Fifth Realm, and Ye Xing’s true combat power was also equivalent to the Martial Arts Fifth Realm; in fact, Ye Xing even had an advantage in speed. Their strengths were on the same level. It was like two ordinary people facing each other, one holding a Great Saber and the other holding a handgun. The one with the Great Saber was naturally fated to be killed in an instant.
With a gun in hand, forget about the Martial Arts Fifth Realm; even killing a Sixth Realm Martial Artist wouldn’t be very difficult. For the second Fang brother, Fang Yuanzhu, to die at Ye Xing’s hands was not an injustice.
This sudden turn of events naturally stunned the four onlookers: Boss Fang and the Three Heroes of Xibei.
"What a terrifying Hidden Weapon!"
"So this kid is an expert with Hidden Weapons!"
"With that terrifying speed, who could possibly dodge it? Don’t tell me he’s a disciple of the Tang Sect?"
The four men’s pupils contracted sharply as they stared, dumbfounded, at the scene unfolding before them.
In an instant, the foreheads of the Three Heroes of Xibei were beaded with cold sweat, their hearts filled with utter terror.
"Second Brother!!!"
Boss Fang, Fang Yuanqing, was even more ghastly pale. He looked at Ye Xing in terror and stammered, "Young Hero, spare my life! Please don’t kill me! I was blind and failed to recognize a great man. Please spare me this once. I’ll never dare to do it again, please don’t kill me."
Cold sweat dripped endlessly from the forehead of Boss Fang, Fang Yuanqing, his heart seized by absolute terror. The method Ye Xing had just displayed was simply too horrifying; it had scared him witless. The speed at which that bullet flew was just too frightening. Fang Yuanqing knew he likely couldn’t dodge it, and he couldn’t muster the will to resist. The Hidden Weapon shot out with a SWISH, and their combined vision could only catch a faint afterimage. It was impossible to dodge. If he dared to resist... Fang Yuanqing felt that if he had been the one facing that ’Hidden Weapon,’ there was an eighty percent chance he would have died as well. He didn’t want to die, so he hurriedly knelt to beg for his life.
"Young Hero, spare me! It’s my fault for being blind. You are a man of great magnanimity, please spare me!" Boss Fang, Fang Yuanqing, pleaded frantically.
"So you know you’ve offended me. The truth is, you’ve disgusted me." Ye Xing glanced coolly at Fang Yuanqing and said, "Spitting in my food... who gave you the guts to do that? I don’t go around looking for trouble, but you Fang Brothers just had to come and bully me directly, huh! Heh heh!"
Boss Fang, Fang Yuanqing, turned deathly pale, his insides twisting with regret. He had originally thought the blue-robed boy before him, with his Martial Arts Fourth Realm cultivation, was a soft persimmon he could pinch as he pleased. If he had known this would be the outcome, he would have rather faced a Martial Arts Sixth Realm Martial Artist than this boy. At least against a Martial Arts Sixth Realm expert, he could exchange a few moves and have a much better chance of survival. But against this blue-robed boy, he truly felt he had a one-in-ten chance of living.
But it was too late for regrets now. He had definitely kicked an iron plate this time, and it was excruciatingly painful.
"I know we were bastards. We shouldn’t have offended you. You are a man of great magnanimity, please spare my life! Besides, you’ve already killed my second brother. He’s received the punishment he deserved. Please, just spare me! I’ll never dare to do it again."
"If you cut the weeds but don’t pull out the roots, they’ll just grow back when the spring wind blows. I’ve already killed your second brother, so how could I possibly leave you behind?" Ye Xing sneered, slowly raising his handgun. He aimed the dark muzzle forward and pulled the trigger.
Boss Fang, Fang Yuanqing’s expression changed drastically. He hastily raised his Great Saber to block the spot between his eyebrows.
CLANG!
The crisp sound of metal striking metal rang out as the bullet hit the flat of the Great Saber, making it hum. The bullet left an indentation on the blade before falling to the ground.
"Haha, I blocked it! I blocked it!" Fang Yuanqing was ecstatic.
But in the midst of his excitement, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest. He looked down and saw a patch of crimson spreading across it. A bullet had pierced his torso, sending a spray of blood gushing out, instantly staining the front of his robes.
THUD! Fang Yuanqing’s corpse fell stiffly to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. His face was still frozen in an expression of excitement, but he was already as dead as could be.
’Heh, getting this excited over blocking a single bullet? I’ve still got several more in this handgun,’ Ye Xing thought with contempt, glancing coolly at the two corpses of the Fang Brothers on the ground.
In Ye Xing’s eyes, the Fang Brothers were a problem that could be solved with two or three bullets. He naturally didn’t take them seriously. He couldn’t even be bothered to use a submachine gun; a handgun was more than enough to deal with them.
Suddenly, three consecutive thuds echoed as the Three Heroes of Xibei, their legs turning to jelly in fear, dropped to their knees, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
"Young Hero, spare us! Don’t kill us!"
"Don’t kill us, I... We haven’t offended you!"
"We, the Three Heroes of Xibei, haven’t offended you. We beg you, please don’t kill us."
"The first time we met, our third brother said something about robbing you, but we didn’t actually do it! Third Brother, you bastard, hurry up and kowtow! Apologize to the Young Hero!"
THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!
Terrified, the three brothers of the Three Heroes of Xibei knelt on the ground, heads bowed, and kowtowed repeatedly to apologize. THUD, THUD, THUD. They slammed their heads down with great force. Their foreheads struck the stony ground, producing a series of dull thuds.
As they continued to kowtow, their foreheads grew red and swollen. The skin broke, and blood began to trickle out. Yet, the Three Heroes of Xibei kept going, not daring to stop. They really didn’t want to die. If they resisted, it would only take two or three of those ’Hidden Weapons,’ and they would all be meeting King Yama. The only path before them was to beg for mercy and admit their fault.
THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!
Faced with death, the three brothers of the Three Heroes of Xibei were gripped by a terror that fueled their kowtowing; they slammed their heads down with ever-increasing force, as if their very lives depended on it. They kowtowed for nearly half an hour until the ground before them was stained with blood. The three brothers’ foreheads throbbed with excruciating pain, and their heads were spinning.
"Young Hero, please say something! If we keep kowtowing, even if you don’t kill us, we’ll die anyway! Whether you want to kill us or torture us, just give us an answer!"
The Three Heroes of Xibei were on the verge of tears. Their voices choked with sobs as they kowtowed and asked.
However, after they spoke, they waited for a long time, but there was no sound from their surroundings. Not the slightest movement, only the rustling of leaves in the wind.
After a painful wait, the three brothers finally mustered their courage and looked up.
But when they did, the Three Heroes of Xibei were immediately dumbfounded, staring at each other in disbelief.
The mountain path before them was completely empty. There wasn’t a soul in sight. The youth in blue seemed to have left long ago.
"Huh? Where did he go?"
"’Where did who go?!’ Are you stupid? The Young Hero let us go!"
"Haha, that’s great! We don’t have to die!"
"Hey, Second Brother, why is your... crotch... wet? Did you piss your pants in fear?"
"No! I... I... I just accidentally spilled my water pouch. Ah, Boss, your forehead is covered in blood! Quick, put on some Golden Wound Medicine!"
"Medicine, my ass! We’ll treat our wounds when we get back. We need to get out of here right now! What if the Young Hero changes his mind and comes back? We’ll all be dead!"
"Right, right, right! Boss is right! Second Brother, Big Brother, let’s go, quickly!"
The Three Heroes of Xibei hastily helped each other up and, stumbling and swaying, fled for their lives, escaping from the forest.