Chapter 454: One Man Against a Thousand
Sure, here is the translation:
Changle County, Dragon and Tiger Martial Arts Hall.
In this world where Martial Path True Ability could cultivate a person capable of defeating ten thousand enemies, martial arts halls still held a respectable status.
The Hall Master of a Great Martial Arts Hall was definitely a reputable figure locally.
The Dragon and Tiger Martial Arts Hall was a chain spread across various counties in the Daxia Dynasty, rumored to have a background that reached the ears of the heavens.
Therefore, even though summoned by the Governor Mansion, the tone used was negotiable and a price was named.
The Dragon Tiger Hall Master of Changle County was a robust middle-aged man, towering at two and a half meters tall.
With a head of fiery red hair like a lion's mane, he glanced at the letter and then looked at a few Inner Sect Disciples attending to him.
After some thought, he decided not to personally take action, but chose a few young disciples to represent the Dragon and Tiger Martial Arts Hall and assist instead.
He advised them that the main purpose was to gain experience and not to lose their heads over rewards and rush in foolishly.
These young disciples were quite excited.
They had all reached the level of Third-rank Masters in their training at the martial arts hall, and though they lacked real combat experience, they were in the phase where they felt quite confident.
They quickly accepted the order and then filed out of the martial arts hall, proceeding to the training ground in front of the Governor Mansion.
After waiting for an incense stick's time, they joined the force tasked with subjugating the Demon Su of the Su Family and headed towards the district where the Su Family was located.
"That Su Ju... is that Demon Su still eating and drinking?"
The person in charge of this punitive force was the Assistant General Song Zhong, the head of the County Soldiers.
He rode on a tall horse and, under the protection of dozens of Armored Servants, inquired the scout who returned with the news.
The scout nodded quickly, panting heavily, and said:
"The Demon Su's household entrance is wide open, and after killing the experts sent by each family, he had the Su Family members light fires to cook meals."
"I personally saw a Su Family member come out and purchase food and drink at high prices from various families on the street with silver."
Assistant General Song Zhong hesitated for a moment and recalled his lifetime knowledge only to find nothing that matched the current anomaly.
He could only suspect by common sense that it might be some kind of Demon Technique, likely allowing a short recovery of the body, forcibly suppressing some injuries.
Judging by the fact that the opponent did not flee, Assistant General Song Zhong leaned towards the latter possibility.
He flicked his horsewhip and urged the force to quicken their pace.
Soon, the first squad of County Soldiers, armed with long rectangular shields and spears, appeared at the street entrance.
Upon seeing the soldiers, the Su Family members who were out shopping hurried back into the main hall of their home in a panic.
Then they saw, in the main hall, someone sitting on the ground, devouring a freshly cooked large pot of white rice.
With hands turning into a blur, he stuffed whole chunks of cured meat and sausages into his mouth along with the rice, swallowing it all whole.
"Phew!"
"Barely seven-tenths full."
"Not bad."
Su Ping saw the disheveled appearance of the stumbling Su Family members rushing in and knew that the second wave of the enemy's assault was imminent.
He stood up, slicked his graying hair back, and threw it over his shoulders.
After scolding the incompetent descendants to continue preparing food,
he grabbed a vat of rice wine and walked outside.
With great strides, he exited his home, and before thousands of soldiers and hundreds of various experts, Su Ping tilted his head back and drank the entire vat of rice wine.
Afterward, he sighed that the liquor was truly inferior.
Su Ping, in his avatar form, scanned his surroundings, gazing towards the street leading to the Governor Mansion.
Assistant General Song Zhong met his gaze, and with just one look, he felt his hair standing on end, a chill shooting from his spine to his head.
"This oppressive aura can't come from just a Second-class Master!"
"Could it be that the opponent has already broken through, reaching the realm of a First-class Master?"
Feeling danger, Assistant General Song Zhong did not advance further. To prevent the opponent from targeting him, he even planned to slowly retreat with the house servants after launching a full-scale attack.
"The General has an order!"
"Whoever slays the Demon shall be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver! A promotion by three ranks!"
Several house servants in different positions began to call out orders after receiving instructions from Assistant General Song Zhong.
Upon hearing this reward, the soldiers became restless.
Especially those blocked at the back, who could not see the front, they couldn't help but start clamoring.
Spurred by the commotion from behind, along with the lure of rewards,
the infantrymen at the front gritted their teeth and charged forward.
On the rooftops, most of the experts from various paths observed passively, waiting for these soldiers to exhaust the opponent's strength.
Some experts skilled in hidden weapons began preparing, planning to make their mark.
"Ha!"
As more than ten infantrymen at the front got within twenty meters of their target,
they suddenly heard a soft chuckle by their ears.
Immediately following was a sharp whistling sound!
The leading veteran forced his eyes open against the wild wind and saw the wine vat had been thrown out by the opponent!
Instinctively, he tightened his grip on his shield.
Bam!
The wine vat smashed upon several shields like a bomb, shattering to pieces!
The tremendous impact force directly knocked the first few rows of soldiers to the ground, leaving them dizzy and unable to rise.
Then, those soldiers in the rear, who were already unsteady from fright and lost their footing, saw a black shadow rushing towards them.
The shadow, like a cannonball, barreled directly into the army formation.
In the blink of an eye, numerous figures were sent flying, landing all over the street.
"Stop him! Stop him!"
Assistant General Song Zhong quickly retreated, shouting orders loudly.
However, after a brief moment of confusion, the soldiers slightly regained their composure and realized what had happened in front of them.
They also saw that the target figure had grabbed an Armored Soldier in each hand and was using them as weapons, flinging the brothers who came close to him one by one, their fates unknown.