Comprehending Myriad Techniques as Woodcutter

Chapter 247: Chapter 196: The Slaughter Begins

At the proprietress’s words, the expressions of the five from the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect changed. With a series of CLANGS, they drew their swords.

’So all these people in the tavern, and many others throughout the town, are all in this together!’

Xie Yuan and his companions glanced to the side. All the raucous patrons in the tavern shot to their feet, surrounding them completely.

’We really walked right into a trap this time. We’re surrounded...’

Xie Yuan and the others stood back-to-back. Even Huang Zifeng wore a grim expression. There were simply too many of them. Not only were they outnumbered inside the tavern, but more men were outside, watching them like tigers stalking their prey. There was no telling if a master of the Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm was among them.

They faced the bandits in a silent standoff. The hands of Lin Cheng and the other two disciples were slick with sweat as they gripped their swords. The atmosphere was heavy with tension.

Just as a massive brawl was about to erupt, the proprietress’s lazy voice drifted from behind the counter:

"You know my rules. If you’re going to fight, take it outside."

The bandits all froze. A cautious look appeared on their faces, and they backed away slightly, not daring to make a single rash move.

Seeing the bandits’ reaction, Xie Yuan raised an eyebrow.

Pei Yu reacted quickly. Partially sheathing his sword, he turned and asked:

"Proprietress, what are your rules?"

"Are you stupid? The rule is no fighting in my establishment! Break a chair, you pay with a hand. Break a table, you pay with a leg. Those have always been my rules,"

the proprietress said with a grin.

When Xie Yuan saw the bandits remain silent, he thought,

’This proprietress isn’t one of Lu the Third’s gang, but for her words to carry so much weight, her power or influence must be extraordinary.’

He scanned his surroundings, assessing the situation.

’There’s only one person at the Metamorphosis Realm here, thankfully. But there’s no way of knowing how many of them are in all of Fengsha Collection. If I were alone, I wouldn’t be worried, but I have the others with me...’

Xie Yuan shook his head slightly. He could only take things one step at a time.

Pei Yu stared at the proprietress.

"And what if we break a few more than that?"

"If you run out of hands and feet to pay with, you pay with your life. I’ll just chop you up and feed you to the dogs,"

the proprietress said impatiently.

"Any more questions? If not, it’s time for you to get out."

Pei Yu nodded, forcing a calm tone as he said:

"Then if we stay in the tavern, with you here, I imagine they won’t be able to do anything to us."

The proprietress froze for a moment, then sneered.

"Looking for a free meal? This establishment doesn’t welcome freeloaders."

Unfazed, Pei Yu produced another gold leaf from his lapel and placed it on the table.

"Is this enough to buy a full meal and have us stay for a while?"

He’d expected the greedy proprietress to eagerly accept. Instead, she remained slumped in her chair, not even bothering to lift an eyelid as she spoke coolly:

"What do you take me for? Get out. I’m only counting to three."

"One."

Pei Yu was stunned. He hadn’t expected this turn of events at all.

Seeing the proprietress was serious, Xie Yuan’s gaze hardened. He was the first to stride toward the exit.

In his opinion, it was better to face the teeming swarm of Lu the Third’s men than to provoke this proprietress.

Huang Zifeng was still hesitating, but seeing Xie Yuan on the move, he gritted his teeth and yelled,

"Let’s go!"

The group strode quickly out of the tavern. A circle of large, black-clad men had already formed on the street. The thugs from inside followed them out, hemming them in completely.

Seeing this, Huang Zifeng took a deep breath and said in a grim voice,

"Junior brothers and sisters, the real trial begins now. If we win this, I’m sure all of you will be able to enter the Inner Sect when we return."

He did his best to raise their spirits, but the truth was there were just too many bandits. Even if they were all just at the External Training level, he felt it would be overwhelming.

Besides, in a group this large, there was bound to be a leader at the Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm.

There was no longer an arbiter watching from the sidelines. Huang Zifeng, sword in hand, led the other four and took the first step forward.

As the group advanced, the encirclement shifted with them. The men in front of Huang Zifeng slowly backed away, all the way to the street corner. It seemed they didn’t want to fight at the entrance of "West Desert’s First Stop."

Once they were past that stretch of street, a bandit in front of Huang Zifeng suddenly stopped and brought a saber cleaving down at his head!

The saber flashed, its light reflecting off Huang Zifeng’s face and a bright green Bamboo Sword.

Before the bandit could react, his body suddenly went rigid. He dropped his saber and clutched at his throat, making a gurgling sound before collapsing.

The bandits directly in front were stunned. Before they could even get a clear look at the flash of the sword, their vision was filled with a dazzling blur.

"Aargh!"

"Aaargh—"

A series of screams erupted. Huang Zifeng had unleashed his full power. The might of his Bamboo Sword was peerless; a great swathe of sword light fanned out, and the area before him was suddenly empty of enemies.

"Follow me!"

A gap instantly appeared in the encirclement. Huang Zifeng took the lead, charging straight through it.

Xie Yuan and the other three formed a back-to-back formation. Xie Yuan quietly fell to the rear, watching as the others fought furiously, their Long Swords keeping the surrounding bandits at bay. Only then did they all charge out together.

The five of them broke into a desperate sprint, racing toward the edge of the settlement. Along the way, more bandits leaped down from nearby houses and rooftops, only to be swiftly cut down by the Sword Sect’s superb Swordsmanship.

Just as the exit was drawing near, Xie Yuan’s brow suddenly furrowed and his hand faltered for a moment.

A swift, dark figure shot out from the side, the scimitar in its hand glinting with a sinister light.

Huang Zifeng reacted in a flash, swinging his sword to parry. With a loud CLANG, he knocked the scimitar aside, a slight tremor running up his arm.

His expression grew grim. He knew an expert had arrived, and he met the attack with a cautious stance.

Seeing that Huang Zifeng could handle it, Xie Yuan relaxed slightly.

’The situation is still within my control,’ he thought. ’I’d rather not reveal my true strength unless I absolutely have to.’

Huang Zifeng quickly exchanged several more blows with the bandit leader. He found that his opponent was also at the Qi Blood First Transformation level, but was no match for him.

However, the bandit was a seasoned fighter. Realizing he was outmatched, he immediately changed tactics. He simply entangled Huang Zifeng, preventing him from leaving without clashing head-on. Although Huang Zifeng’s Swordsmanship was sharp, he couldn’t secure a quick victory and was unable to do anything about the leader for the moment.

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